Chapter 317: Stronghold

The pitch-black cave was damp and cold, with water droplets dripping from the stone walls, creating a rhythmic drip… drip… drip… sound.

The moment Chen Luo entered, a pungent odor assaulted his nostrils. The cave was dark, humid, and reeked of decay. A massive black snake lay motionless in the center, blood still gurgling from its severed head. Its body had already stiffened—no creature could withstand a curse cast by someone of Chen Luo’s strength. Especially after the snake had devoured his talisman paper figure, allowing the curse to bloom from within, amplifying its effects.

In one corner, a pile of bones—both animal and human—lay scattered. Amidst the remains were shattered debris, likely destroyed during the snake’s death throes. The cave ceiling was pockmarked, with a three-meter-wide hole slanting upward, stained with blood—evidence of the giant serpent’s final desperate attempt to escape.

“A Foundation Establishment Realm demon beast,” Chen Luo murmured, sensing the residual energy emanating from the snake’s corpse.

A Second-Tier Demonic Beast—such creatures were exceedingly rare within the Shi Kingdom. Had it not been for other circumstances, Chen Luo would never have encountered it.

Chen Luo walked over, touched the demon beast’s head, and casually collected its brain.

A demon beast’s brain differed from a human’s. Though this one was only from the Foundation Establishment Realm, it still had its uses.

After retrieving the brain, Chen Luo searched the cave. He quickly found a bone token bearing Xue Ning’s aura in a pile of debris. The token lay beside a skeleton, buried under a layer of mud. Without his Divine Sense, he would never have discovered it.

“Soul, return!”

Chen Luo accessed Xue Ning’s brain and gently traced two circles over the skeleton.

Soul Summoning Technique.

One of Xue Ning’s favored cultivation techniques, knowledge of which Chen Luo had inherited along with her legacy.

A Yin Wind swept through the cave, and a hazy figure materialized above the skeleton. It was the mute slave left behind by Xue Ning. The poor fellow had been cultivating deep in the mountains when he stumbled upon a second-rank demonic serpent. The serpent devoured him whole, along with the token Xue Ning had left behind.

“Where’s my item?” Chen Luo asked the mute slave’s Yin Soul.

The Yin Soul stared blankly for a moment, as if it didn’t recognize Chen Luo. But the Soul Summoning Technique operated beyond personal will. Instinctively, the Yin Soul raised its hand and pointed toward the pile of debris.

Chen Luo followed the gesture.

The pile of debris had been knocked into disarray. Beneath a heap of rotten black wood lay a small black iron box, its surface sealed with a Soul Restriction that only a mute slave could unlock.

This iron box contained the second treasure Xue Ning had prepared for Chen Luo. The first was the Soul Liquid, essential for cultivating the Thousand Threads Art.

With a flick of his wrist, Chen Luo levitated the iron box from the debris pile and held it before him. A soft click echoed as the box opened, revealing a crystal-clear pearl inside. This was the treasure Xue Ning had prepared for the “Upper Realm cultivation technique,” designed to enhance Divine Sense—a vital tool for later stages of the Thousand Threads Art, particularly for controlling puppets.

“Not bad.”

After stowing the pearl, Chen Luo retrieved the bone token buried in the blood-soaked ground. The stench was overwhelming, but he didn’t bother cleaning it. Instead, he simply extracted the energy from the token with a wave of his hand.

A pale white light coalesced into his palm.

This was the core of the bone token. After securing it, Chen Luo also stored the giant snake’s corpse in his Pouch of Holding.

The body of a Foundation Establishment Realm demon beast could fetch a decent price elsewhere.

With everything secured, Chen Luo emerged from the cave. The woodcutters outside cheered at his appearance.

“Immortal.”

Following the first woodcutter’s lead, the others echoed the word. They kowtowed to Chen Luo, hoping for more rewards, but he had already paid them for their guidance.

Ignoring the kneeling woodcutters, Chen Luo leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of light that vanished into the horizon.

Several days later, Chen Luo stood in a small courtyard.

He surveyed the surroundings before stopping beside an unfamiliar plant—one he had never seen in the Shi Kingdom.

The bone tile recorded information about a mundane gang.

Xue Ning had been laying the groundwork here for over two centuries, using only personnel she had personally trained, unlike the Chang Gui of the Ghost Temple. This suggested she had planned everything long before joining the Ghost Temple. Unfortunately, even the most far-reaching plans require survival to see them through.

“We greet the Lord Envoy!”

Soon, a group of people hurried back upon hearing the commotion. They had received a signal and returned to report. Xue Ning’s existence was a secret to these operatives; most knew they had a Lord Envoy behind them, but none knew his true identity or appearance.

This was another precaution Xue Ning had taken to avoid being traced. With the Ghost Cultivator secret techniques she had left behind, she had no fear of these people betraying her.

“Why are there only a few of you? Where’s the Altar Master?”

Chen Luo was dressed in black robes and wore a mask. This was Xue Ning’s old disguise, which he had naturally taken with him when he looted everything in sight.

The environment here differed greatly from the scenes in Xue Ning’s fragmented memories. In the memories Chen Luo had accessed, Xue Ning had established numerous nodes in this region and cultivated many followers. The last time the mute slave reported to her, the Sea Island Gang had grown to over two hundred members, becoming the dominant force on the island with tentacles stretching to neighboring islands. Yet the courtyard before him held barely twenty malnourished individuals, the strongest of whom was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, with not a single Perfected Realm Qi Refining cultivator among them.

“The Altar Master was eaten by the Great King of Black Horn,” someone whispered from the crowd.

Dead?

“Who is this Great King of Black Horn?” Chen Luo frowned.

This name was absent from Xue Ning’s memories. He wondered if this was a recent development or something that had occurred after her time.

Chen Luo’s question sparked suspicion among his subordinates.

They had reported the Great King of Black Horn’s activities thirty years ago. At the time, the Lord Envoy had responded, instructing them to lie low and maintain their territory. He promised to personally deal with the Great King of Black Horn upon his arrival. But now, it seemed the Lord Envoy before them was completely unaware of this matter. Upon closer inspection, they realized this Lord Envoy was indeed different. His height and aura had changed. The previous Lord Envoy had been petite, exuding a chilling, sinister aura, while this man radiated no trace of evil, appearing more like a righteous Immortal Cultivator.

“Are you truly the Lord Envoy?” The Qi Refining seventh-layer cultivator voiced his doubt.

Behind Chen Luo’s mask, a faint glint flashed in his eyes as a Soul Restriction materialized. The questioning cultivator suddenly clutched his head, collapsing to the ground in agony.

“Lord Envoy, spare me! Lord Envoy, have mercy!”

After a long while, Chen Luo withdrew his power.

The controlled cultivator knelt trembling, daring not to question further. He lowered his head and recounted the Great King of Black Horn’s story once more.

“Seventy years ago, a black carp spirit from the Archipelago Domain successfully transformed into a dragon, declaring himself the Great King of Black Horn. Using the Archipelago Domain as his base, he conquered the entire Sea Island Gang region. Our Azure Dragon Gang, whose name offended him, became a specific target. The Altar Masters and others were devoured during that time.”

“Where are the things I entrusted to you?” Chen Luo interrupted the group’s rambling excuses. He had come to inherit Xue Ning’s legacy, advance his cultivation, and pave the way for his Nascent Soul breakthrough. Getting involved in petty matters like this went against his original purpose.

“The Great King of Black Horn stole them,” the Qi Refining seventh-layer stall owner said fearfully, sensing Chen Luo’s impatience.

Xue Ning had left behind three precious treasures: Soul Liquid for the divine soul, a precious pearl for Divine Sense, and a physique-cultivating artifact. She had painstakingly collected these items over countless hardships. Each was essential for cultivating Upper Realm cultivation techniques. Although Chen Luo wasn’t following Xue Ning’s path, he had already reserved these treasures for himself.

He had promised to manage Xue Daoist’s legacy—how could he break his word?

“Disperse. Continue operating as usual, and don’t reveal my presence to anyone.”

Chen Luo turned and reentered his residence, intending to thoroughly study the Immortal Cultivation structure of the Sea Islands while pondering the Demonic Heart Art’s cultivation methods.

“Yes.”

Hearing Chen Luo’s command, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief and dispersed, leaving only the Acting Altar Master behind.

“Bring me information on the Great King of Black Horn, as well as details on other Sea Island gangs.”

Chen Luo returned to his room, sat down, and glanced at the Acting Altar Master, a Qi Refining seventh-layer cultivator, waiting outside the door. He casually tossed him a pill.

To get subordinates to work for you, rewards were essential. A stern reprimand followed by a small treat was the most basic method of control. Though Chen Luo had never been a sect leader, he understood these fundamental principles.

“Also… recruit some of the most vicious and ruthless individuals you can find. I have a use for them.”

The Acting Altar Master was puzzled but dared not ask further. He accepted the pill and withdrew to carry out the order.

With these matters settled, Chen Luo refocused his attention.

Xue Ning’s belongings were his first priority. The second was the Demonseed project. Cultivating the Demonic Heart Art required a large number of emotionally volatile individuals, regardless of whether they possessed Spirit Roots. For the initial batch, he planned to use gang members to spread the word while he personally sought out higher-quality minds and Demonic Heart materials.

Chen Luo’s arrival had gone unnoticed.

Under his command, the Azure Dragon Gang gradually grew more active. Within months, they had recruited a large number of new members, all practicing the divine art Chen Luo had imparted.

With the Demon Seeds successfully planted, Chen Luo waited patiently, like an old farmer watching his crops take root and sprout.