Chapter 315: Inheritance

Chen Luo didn’t bother asking the Ghost Cultivators what they were up to.

From the moment he killed Xue Ning, he knew the Ghost Temple would inevitably come after him. The Upper Realm Manual in Xue Ning’s possession was too dangerous to hold. While she had it, her complex background might have deterred others from making trouble. But now that it was in his hands, those considerations no longer applied. The reputation of Patriarch Guhe of the Great Void held no sway over Ghost Cultivators, and the Qiong Hua Sect and Ghost Temple were sworn enemies.

After Chen Luo dealt with the intruders, the patrons of the inn, who had been frozen in place, finally regained their senses.

He took care of them?

A flicker of shock crossed Du De and Mu Xiaoyu’s eyes.

They knew Chen Luo was strong, but they hadn’t imagined he was this powerful. From the moment he moved to subduing the enemies, the entire process took less than a blink of an eye. Most of the inn’s patrons hadn’t even realized what had happened. Du De and Mu Xiaoyu hadn’t seen clearly either; they had only caught a blur before the enemies vanished.

“Are these… those people from before?” Du De asked, staring at the grasshopper and rat on the table, his mind reeling.

To them, Chen Luo’s methods seemed nothing short of divine.

Mu Xiaoyu was equally astonished. Despite her long years of cultivation at the Qiong Hua Sect, she had never witnessed such a bizarre technique. The sect’s Founding Ancestors were formidable, but their methods typically involved slicing opponents into pieces with their swords, using brute force to “reason” with them. In terms of Immortal Path techniques, nothing could compare to the shock of transforming people into rats. At least at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment levels, the visual impact of the Transformation Technique was far more striking.

“Teacher, is this an Immortal Art?” Mu Xiaoyu asked instinctively.

“Just a minor trick,” Chen Luo replied, sensing the changes in the people on the table. His Transformation Technique wasn’t permanent. Once the borrowed Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi dissipated, they would revert to normal. He was merely conducting an experiment.

“It’s the True Immortal of Longevity!”

As they spoke, someone nearby recognized Chen Luo. The earlier spectacle had shattered their understanding of the world. Several Qi Refining realm Immortal Cultivators, who had been blending into the crowd, exclaimed in awe, their eyes burning with fervor. Most of the Immortal Cultivators who had come to Black Mountain Village were devotees of the True Immortal of Longevity, and upon seeing him in person, they immediately converged.

“Please accept me as your disciple, Senior!”

Several quick-thinking individuals in the crowd prostrated themselves in worship.

Chen Luo sat motionless, his expression unchanging. The people kneeling before him lacked even a Spirit Root. Judging by their attire, they were young devotees of the True Immortal of Longevity, utterly ignorant of the Cultivation World. Driven by a naive yearning for the immortal life, they had gathered here, believing that sufficient sincerity would earn them guidance from an Immortal and transform them into carefree, long-lived recluses.

Du De, standing beside Chen Luo, wore a resigned expression, having anticipated this exact scenario.

Though the existence of the God Lake Immortal Sect was no longer a secret, it remained unattainable for ordinary people. Even a Qi Refining realm Immortal Cultivator like Du De appeared as an exalted Immortal in their eyes, let alone a Golden Core True Person like Chen Luo.

“I’ll return to the sect first. When the seeker arrives, have him present this token to the mountain guard. I’ll arrange for someone to handle the rest,” Chen Luo said, retrieving a token from his sleeve. Crafted by an Immortal Sect Elder, it bore the authority of the True Immortal of Longevity.

“Thank you for your trouble,” Du De replied, accepting the token. His wife, Yu Donglan, quickly rose to offer her gratitude. Her eyes darted involuntarily to the kneeling crowd, a flicker of unease in her gaze.

Why were these young people kneeling before the table?

“Let’s go,” Chen Luo said, having concluded his business. He led Mu Xiaoyu and the Ghost Cultivators he had temporarily recruited back to the God Lake Immortal Sect.

News of the True Immortal of Longevity’s appearance in Black Mountain Village spread rapidly. A group of young people who had missed their chance at Immortal Destiny settled into the local inn, convinced that their sincerity would eventually move the Immortal to accept them as the “protagonists” of their own stories.

Upon returning to the God Lake Immortal Sect, Chen Luo resumed his daily routine.

To emphasize his status, Void Sage reassigned the former main peak, Divine Lake Peak, to Chen Luo, granting him sole occupancy of the entire peak. Huang Ying and a few other Foundation Establishment cultivators were also promoted, and the vacant main peaks of the Immortal Sect were filled with new peak masters.

Several years later.

Inside a cultivation chamber on Divine Lake Peak.

Chen Luo exhaled a frosty breath, gazing at the empty bottle in his hand with a hint of regret in his eyes. After years of cultivation, the resources plundered from Xue Ning were nearly exhausted. The Jade Liquid within his Golden Core had once again increased, now totaling thirteen drops. For a Core Formation cultivator, this rate of progress was astonishing.

“My divine soul has greatly improved, but to fulfill the prerequisites for Breaking the Core to Form the Nascent Soul, I still need to find more ‘Demonic Hearts.’”

Chen Luo had been studying the Upper Realm cultivation technique left behind by Xue Ning. The Mummified Brain had thoroughly analyzed the entire method, discovering a cultivation path completely different from that of the Ghost Temple. He integrated this new technique into his Demonic Heart Art, making the Nascent Soul chapter of the original art more complete.

Xue Ning had originally cultivated using the Differentiation Method.

By continuously enlightening lower-level Yin Souls and turning these Chang Gui Yin Souls into her vassals, she experienced their lives and controlled their fates. At the critical moment, she would reclaim everything, merging the myriad powers into herself to shatter the barrier between Core Formation and Nascent Soul, breaking the Pill to form the Nascent Soul!

It was precisely for this reason that Xue Ning had sought to learn the Thousand Threads Art.

This divine ability to control puppets would have allowed her to perfectly manage her vassal Chang Gui, accessing every aspect of their existence. Tragically, she never mastered the Thousand Threads Art before her death. The entry requirements were too stringent, demanding exceptional mental fortitude, a powerful divine soul, and, most crucially, a brain capable of keeping up.

The ability to multitask was a prerequisite.

Ordinary multitasking is simple for most Immortal Cultivators, but achieving perfect mastery is far more challenging, especially when it comes to managing the intricate lives of each Chang Gui.

The major problem that Xue Ning had struggled to solve was precisely what Chen Luo could resolve.

When it came to mental capacity, he dared to claim second place, and no one would dare to challenge him.

After condensing his Golden Core, Chen Luo had yet to reach his upper limit for mental capacity. He estimated he could now accommodate at least five hundred External Brains, and possibly even a thousand! This number would continue to grow as his cultivation realm advanced.

“Xue Ning uses the Thousand Threads Art to control Chang Gui, a crude method for imitating the ‘Immortals’ depicted in the paintings. It’s too primitive and will never reach the highest level.”

With this thought, Chen Luo turned his gaze to the path the Mummified Brain had mapped out for him.

Preach the Dao!

From the Mummified Brain’s perspective, “preaching the Dao” was the most suitable path for cultivating this technique.

“The cultivation systems in the Seven Kingdoms and the Southern Heaven Domain are already firmly established. Trying to overturn them would take too long. More importantly, both regions are connected to Ten Thousand Demon Mountain. Openly preaching the Dao here would easily draw their attention. The Qiong Hua Sect is no better, plagued by internal strife.”

Chen Luo had already experienced this firsthand.

During his Tribulation Transcendence, he was caught in the crossfire. The target had been Patriarch Guhe of the Great Void, but the trouble ultimately fell on him. He knew similar problems would await him upon his return. Gu He had instructed Mu Xiaoyu to bring him resources, allowing him to seek refuge outside until the dust settled, at which point someone would be sent to retrieve him.

Now, the conflict between the Qiong Hua Sect and the Millennial Ancient Kingdom was escalating, with the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain and the Ghost Temple lurking in the shadows. A single misstep could plunge the region into chaos.

In the Cultivation World, where resources were dwindling, it was like great nations vying for dominance. As development reached a certain point, war became inevitable, as everyone craved more resources.

“The best approach is to find a completely new place and start from scratch, spreading our influence gradually,” Chen Luo mused, his gaze drifting toward the Southern Sea Region.

This was where Xue Ning had laid her plans.

Her original strategy involved first securing the Seven Kingdoms Region, then refining Soul Liquid to cultivate the Thousand Threads Art. Once the art reached mastery, she would venture into the sea, avoiding both the Centipede Spirit’s surveillance and the Ghost Temple’s troubles. The cultivation systems in the sea differed greatly from theirs, making missionary work there relatively safer. By the time her technique reached perfection and she successfully formed her Nascent Soul, she would no longer need to fear these enemies.

Two centuries ago, Xue Ning had already begun laying the groundwork in the Southern Sea Region. Now, she had established a considerable force there, having completed all the prerequisites for cultivating her chosen technique.

As the inheritor of Xue Ning’s External Brain, Chen Luo felt this “legacy” rightfully belonged to him.

“We’re all Fellow Daoists,” Chen Luo said. “I took care of Brother Han Jiu’s Gu Demon Mountain back then. Now that it’s Xue Daoist’s turn, there’s no reason to abandon her.”

Pill Master Chen had always been kind-hearted.

Recently, as his resources dwindled, he had clearly felt his cultivation progress slowing.

If he couldn’t find a new path soon, he might stagnate like Void Sage. The difficulty of Core Formation was evident in the Immortal Sect Leader and his two companions. Those three old fools had cultivated their entire lives, yet remained stuck in the early stages of Core Formation. The time they spent only honed their divine abilities; it did little to advance their actual cultivation realm.

This wasn’t just their problem. The entire Southern Heaven Domain’s cultivation world faced the same predicament.

Blackstone Ancestor was no exception.

Nor was Graffiti Granny of Hu Mountain.

Before reaching Core Formation, these individuals had been peerless geniuses, one in ten thousand. But upon reaching this stage, the Immortal Path seemed to end. They had no idea how to proceed to Nascent Soul formation or how to nurture their Nascent Soul.

Even with inherited knowledge, they couldn’t comprehend it.

Chen Luo harbored no such doubts. Guided by his Martial Uncle Gu He, possessing a Mummified Brain within him, and having fortuitously inherited Xue Ning’s “legacy,” the convergence of these factors ensured his path remained clear. To this day, his cultivation journey remained remarkably clear.

“It’s a pity we couldn’t retrieve Brother Han Jiu’s Spring and Autumn Corpse Bones. It seems our destined encounter will have to wait.”

Emerging from the cave, Chen Luo cast a regretful glance toward the Ghost Temple. With a leap, he transformed into a streak of clear light and soared southward.

The destination wasn’t far, located southeast of the former Shi Kingdom.

“Finally, he’s gone.”

At the foot of the mountain, Master Xianhe, the crane, cautiously poked his head out, watching the fading streak of light disappear into the sky.

He had been avoiding Chen Luo these past few days, doing his best to avoid any encounters.

How could a junior nephew suddenly become a martial uncle? Where’s the logic in that?

Confirming Chen Luo’s departure, Master Xianhe resumed his role as the “martial uncle” at the mountain’s base. His Foundation Establishment aura radiated outward, stunning the naive disciples who had come seeking enlightenment.

This is the life I truly desire.

Master Xianhe stretched his wings, unfurling his crane feathers into a graceful pose reminiscent of a white crane spreading its wings.

“Junior Nephew Riding the Wind, guard the mountain well.”

Just as Master Xianhe settled back onto his stone perch, resuming his bullying of the new disciples, a voice suddenly echoed in his ear. It was Chen Luo, who had already fled far away, leaving behind a telepathic message specifically for him.

“Yes, Martial Uncle Chen.”

Master Xianhe trembled, immediately responding with utmost respect.