Chapter 232: An Opportunity to Strike While the Iron is Hot

The silver centipede was enveloped in Chen Luo’s divine sense. With his peak Foundation Establishment realm divine sense, the old man before him would never detect it.

“Perfect for testing.”

Chen Luo sensed the situation.

Simultaneously, he began circulating the Demonic Heart Art. A gray-white force radiated from the silver centipede, creeping toward the meditating old man.

Who?!

The old man’s eyes snapped open, a roar tearing from his throat.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his basic danger instincts were naturally sharp. At such close range, failing to detect this threat would make his Foundation Establishment cultivation worthless.

His aura erupted, scattering the gray-white energy into nothingness.

The silver centipede shot from the formation like lightning. The moment the old man opened his eyes, it had already vanished into the mountain cave’s fissures.

No one?

No, I definitely sensed danger.

“Could it be Shangren Yinwind who occupied this place earlier?” The old man’s face darkened as he scanned the surroundings. After a fruitless search, he could only sit and speculate about the intruder’s identity.

“Since this place has been claimed by this old man, it is now my territory. Even if you return, you must abide by my rules!”

Failure.

Gu Demon Mountain. Chen Luo frowned, remaining silent.

After a moment, he extended his hand. A dark golden streak of light flew in from outside, landing in his palm - it was the Silver Centipede that had gone and returned.

“The Demonic Heart Art’s malice is too obvious. If someone uses divine ability to attack me, I would sense it just the same.”

During tribulation crossing, with the Heavenly Tribulation’s massive threat looming, the Demonic Heart Art’s danger wasn’t so apparent. But without the Heavenly Tribulation, the Demonic Heart Art becomes a direct divine ability attack, just like how Chen Luo had once used this ability against his enemies.

Any fellow cultivator of the same level who wasn’t blind could perceive it.

Chen Luo now had two methods. The first was to act like Elder FusionSpirit before, seizing the opportunity when the opponent was crossing tribulation. The second was to engage in direct combat, cripple the opponent, then lead them into demonic possession. Low-level cultivators didn’t count - he could lead them into demonic possession with a casual gesture. However, the Demonic Heart of Qi Refining realm cultivators held no value for Chen Luo; the growth they provided couldn’t match the advancement he gained from his own breathing exercises and Qi Refining.

“Senior Brother, I’m here to see you.”

Su Linlin’s voice drifted from outside.

Chen Luo paused his work, rose, and pushed open the door.

Over two years, Su Linlin had visited Gu Demon Mountain multiple times. All the Blood Jade Marrow he needed for refining Yu Bone Pills came from her exchanges, and many of his high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills were obtained through trades with this woman.

“Here’s the Blood Jade Marrow you requested.”

In these two years, Su Linlin’s cultivation had advanced significantly. She’d condensed eight spiritual dragon qi, nearing the peak of early Foundation Establishment - a fortunate outcome thanks to Chen Luo’s assistance. While the Hu Clan possessed their own legacies, the internal competition was fierce, with countless cultivators vying for each opportunity. By comparison, trading with Chen Luo proved far more comfortable, with no other competitors for his resources.

“The Pills are in the cabinet. Help yourself.”

This wasn’t their first transaction, so Chen Luo dispensed with formalities.

“Senior Brother, will you still not descend the mountain?”

After collecting her Pill, Su Linlin sat down as usual to chat with Chen Luo. Ever since the ‘Core Formation Secret Art’ incident, she made sure to spend time with him each visit to strengthen their bond. If not for his warning that day, she might never have returned.

This only reinforced Su Linlin’s conviction:

Senior Brother is undoubtedly blessed with great fortune. Staying close to him is the right choice.

“No,” Chen Luo replied firmly.

Going down the mountain for adventures was for rogue cultivators lacking resources. He was perfectly content as mountain lord, with abundant supplies and plenty of spiritual Pills. Why seek trouble outside when he could focus on refining his Demonic Heart Art cultivation instead?

“The situation outside has been unstable lately,” Su Linlin remarked casually, though she already knew her senior brother’s stance.

Over the years, she’d thoroughly understood his temperament. To put it politely, he was prudent; to put it bluntly, he feared death. He lacked the daring spirit of demonic cultivators, standing in stark contrast to most cultivators in this region.

“I heard that two days ago, Blackstone City uncovered a spy called ‘Madam Hua.’ Her backers were from the Qiong Hua Sect in the southwest. This largest sect in the region has been restless lately, showing signs of wanting to expand northward. The Blackstone Ancestor had to personally intervene to stop them.”

Su Linlin shared the information she’d gathered. Backed by the Hu Clan, she often learned news faster than Ding Zhao and the others.

“Madam Hua?” Chen Luo paused, then a flicker of regret crossed his eyes.

During their time in Blackstone City, he’d found working with Madam Hua quite pleasant. The evidence he’d uncovered against her had involved the Qiong Hua Sect. Not just her - Elder FusionSpirit and his son were also connected to the sect. But with their deaths, the evidence had vanished, rendering Chen Luo’s leverage meaningless. He’d hoped to rekindle their connection when next visiting Blackstone City, never expecting her death to come so swiftly.

Another old friend lost. My heart aches.

“You knew her?” A spark of curiosity flashed in Su Linlin’s eyes. She was fascinated by all aspects of Chen Luo’s past, though this senior brother never offered details voluntarily.

“We had some overlap in our paths,” Chen Luo said, offering no further explanation.

After exchanging a few more words with Su Linlin, Chen Luo politely bid her farewell and closed the door.

Su Linlin, accustomed to Chen Luo’s reserved nature, took her newly acquired Pills and departed with a swift flight.

For two months, Gu Demon Mountain returned to its usual tranquility after Su Linlin’s visit.

Then came the third month.

Late autumn.

Another unexpected guest arrived.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, your radiance has only grown more splendid with time. I’ve heard of your reputation as a Pill Formation Master. Defeating a peak realm cultivator single-handedly - truly remarkable.”

The figure shrouded in black robes and dark mist dissipated his outer influence, revealing his true identity: Shangren Yinwind, the same man Chen Luo had previously confronted against the Demonseed Sect Leader!

“So it’s you, Fellow Daoist Yinwind.”

A faint smile graced Chen Luo’s face. He remembered clearly that this man still owed him a favor. Moreover, like himself, Yinwind harbored enmity toward the Demonseed Sect Leader - an enemy of his enemy.

“I’ve come to invite you to a certain place.”

“Oh?”

Chen Luo neither accepted nor declined, awaiting Shangren Yinwind’s next words.

“The Demonseed Sect Leader was severely wounded by a Core Formation cultivator from the Hu Clan. This is our perfect opportunity for vengeance,” Shangren Yinwind stated bluntly, cutting through any pleasantries to reveal his purpose.

He had been pursued relentlessly by the Demonseed Sect for years.

At first, he couldn’t comprehend their obsession. Now it seemed likely that Shi Jun, whom they had killed, was one of the Demonseed Sect Leader’s most crucial ‘demonic seeds’.

This directly threatened the sect leader’s Core Formation plans!

Only this could explain why they had pursued them with such relentless fervor.

Chen Luo had long harbored suspicions. He had previously destroyed another of the Demonseed Sect Leader’s demonic seeds. Yue Qingping’s head still remained in his possession, yet the sect leader had merely cast some probing curses before letting him go. However, after Shi Jun’s death, the sect leader had abandoned his stronghold to personally hunt them down.

The stark contrast between these two responses made the implications clear.

Only a matter concerning Core Formation could drive the sect leader to such extreme risks.

“Did you retain the Pouch of Holding after killing Shi Jun?” Shangren Yinwind asked.

His entire purpose in seeking Chen Luo was to obtain that very item.

“Pouch of Holding?”

Chen Luo didn’t answer. He had already sorted and packed Shi Jun’s belongings, carefully separating spirit stones from miscellaneous items, wasting nothing.

“Please check if this item is among your possessions,” Shangren Yinwind said, producing a black, diamond-shaped fragment from his robes.

The moment the object appeared, Chen Luo sensed its energy. With a flick of his wrist, a similar black fragment flew out from his Pouch of Holding - the very same item he’d discarded as junk after retrieving it from Shi Jun’s belongings.

“Exactly what I sought,” Shangren Yinwind breathed, tension easing from his shoulders.

“Follow me to a certain location. All will be revealed when we arrive.” The cultivator glanced around furtively before producing a bone scroll. “This contains the coordinates.”

Chen Luo crushed the scroll between his fingers. Information flooded into his mind - coordinates leading to an obscure village near the demon race’s border.

“This concerns the Demonseed Sect Leader!” Shangren Yinwind added urgently, as if fearing Chen Luo might refuse. “The Old Demon lies gravely wounded. Such a once-in-a-millennium opportunity mustn’t be squandered.”

“Agreed.” Chen Luo stored the black fragment carefully before nodding in acceptance.

The Demonseed Sect Leader and Chen Luo had always been mortal enemies. Their earlier cautious probing stemmed from not having met face-to-face. Now that they stood in direct confrontation, all hidden methods were laid bare - this would be a fight to the death. With the Hu Clan’s Core Formation expert having lent a hand, failing to strike while the iron was hot would gnaw at one’s conscience!

The two transformed into a streak of light, soaring away from Gu Demon Mountain.

Shangren Yinwind’s magic artifact remained the same gourd, but his aura had grown significantly stronger in the past few years. It was clear that Chen Luo wasn’t the only one who had made progress during this time. As Chen Luo sensed the changes in Yinwind, the latter was doing the same to him.

In Yinwind’s eyes, Chen Luo’s transformation was even more terrifying. Before, he could at least sense the approximate level of Chen Luo’s cultivation, but now he couldn’t perceive it at all. Recalling Chen Luo’s title as a ‘Pill Formation Master’ and his feat of repelling a Foundation Establishment peak expert, he felt even more certain that this trip had been the right choice.

After flying over countless mountain ranges, two days later, the pair descended from the sky.

They landed in a small village surrounded by clear waters and verdant mountains. As soon as they touched down, a group of children rushed over.

“Grandpa! It’s Grandpa Yin!”

“I want a skewer of candied haws!”

These children were familiar with Yinwind, running over to him happily without any fear.

“Alright, alright. Once Grandpa finishes his business, I’ll buy you all skewers of candied haws.” Yinwind smiled, patiently interacting with each child.

This behavior was completely different from Chen Luo’s impression of Shangren Yinwind.