Chapter 1211: The Past; The Dao of Withering and Flourishing (II)

Fallen leaves swirled through the air as the wind mourned through the mountains.

Outside Huiniang's cave residence, Luo Chen sat on a small stone terrace with the Luo Tian Society's Memoranda open before him, quietly reading through everything that had happened during his absence.

The memoranda dated back to the days when the Luo Tian Sect was still known as the Luo Tian Society. From the very beginning, three copies had always been kept: one in the Scripture Pavilion, another with the sect leader, and the third with Luo Chen himself. His own copy, of course, had not been updated for more than a century, so Yao Mingyue had sent him the latest records instead. They contained little about matters beyond the sect, focusing mostly on the major changes that had taken place within the Luo Tian Sect itself.

What held Luo Chen's attention, however, was not the sect's rise and fall but the names scattered throughout those pages. From the moment he arrived at Hundred-Li Green River, he sent his divine consciousness across the area. There were still many familiar auras, but far more of the ones he remembered were just... gone. After more than a century away, he understood perfectly well what it meant when those familiar presences were nowhere to be found, and had already prepared himself for what he might discover.

Even so, preparation was one thing, while actually seeing their ends written plainly before him was another.

As he continued reading, his lips still pressed into a thin line, his teeth clenched, and his brows twitched faintly from time to time. For a time, even he could not tell what he was feeling. There was regret and grief, certainly, but under all these lay pain and an anger that only grew stronger with every page.

He hated the demonic beasts that had invaded their lands, just as he hated the forces that had taken advantage of Luo Tian Sect's weakness. He hated the Five Elements Divine Sect for treating the lives of Luo Tian Sect's disciples as though they meant nothing, and he hated the internal strife of the Falling Cloud Sect for claiming the life of a friend he had respected. More than anything, perhaps, he was angry at himself for having been powerless to stop any of it.

As those emotions continued building, an oppressive pressure began gathering around Luo Chen. It was heavy and suffocating, like the stillness before a thunderstorm.

Thud!

Xu Xiaoliu dropped to his knees. He had only come to deliver the records, but standing so close to Luo Chen left him unable to handle the pressure.

"Aaaaihhh..."

A long sigh sounded in Xu Xiaoliu's ears, and just as suddenly as it had appeared, the pressure vanished. He cautiously raised his head and found Luo Chen looking at him.

Luo Chen studied him for a moment before shaking his head with a faint smile. "Little Six, you're pretty unkillable, eh? So many people are gone, and somehow you're still around."

Xu Xiaoliu froze, not knowing how to answer.

Then Luo Chen gave a wry smile and muttered, "Well, I suppose people like us are the ones who survive. No matter how many times life knocks us down, we just keep finding a way to crawl back up."

Hearing that, Xu Xiaoliu finally relaxed. "Supreme Elder, how could I be compared to you? I've spent my whole life just trying to stay alive. You, on the other hand, have survived everything that's come your way and still made it this far."

Luo Chen looked at him, amused. "You really haven't changed. You sure still know how to flatter people."

With a wave of his hand, a gentle stream of mana lifted Xu Xiaoliu from the ground and settled him into the stone chair opposite of Luo Chen.

Xu Xiaoliu immediately set both hands on his knees and sat ramrod straight, almost comically formal. Yet as he looked at the man across from him, his thoughts gradually drifted. More than a century had passed, but Luo Chen still looked almost exactly as he remembered. Even the manner with which he treated others remained as gentle as a spring breeze. It felt as though nothing about him had changed, yet somehow, everything had.

And it had been many, many years since anyone had called him Little Six. Hearing the old nickname again felt unexpectedly dear to him.

"Little Six, tell me how the sect is doing these days."

"Sure."

Perhaps it was Luo Chen's easy manner, or perhaps that familiar nickname had drawn Xu Xiaoliu back to the old days, but the last of his nervousness gradually faded, and he began recounting the Luo Tian Sect's situation in detail.

"We have a little over 300 people now. More than 200 are either Qi Refinement cultivators or mortals, and around 30 are Initiates. That's about the same as when you were here. The real difference is that we have 9 Adepts altogether: former Sect Leader Sima, Elder Fu Jiusheng, Elder Chu Kui, Elder Gu Caiyi, Elder Min Longyu, Elder Li Yingzhang, Elder Yang Pingdu, and Elder Qin Yuanjiang."

That count did not include Wang Yuan or his disciple. Although both could crush the average Adept, neither had actually entered the Golden Core Realm, since they were Physique Refiners.

Luo Chen blinked. "Wait. Isn't that only eight?"

Xu Xiaoliu replied somewhat awkwardly, "Nine... if you count Sima Wenjie."

"Oh." Luo Chen nodded for him to continue, though inwardly he found himself thinking back to a decision he had made long ago. Looks like leaving behind the Fine Dust Primordial Art really was the right choice. And having Wang Yuan create a simpler version of it paid off too. Without a cultivation art that almost anyone could practice, there's no way the sect could've produced this many Adepts.

Most of the names required little explanation. Luo Chen knew how Sima Huiniang had formed her core, and as it turned out, Fu Jiusheng and Chu Kui had both broken through before that. Gu Caiyi succeeded after taking the Nether Origin Pill Luo Chen had left behind, and Li Yingzhang had steadily accumulated his foundation until it finally bore fruit. Qin Yuanjiang inherited the legacy of the Falling Cloud Sect and successfully formed his core, while Min Longyu only managed his breakthrough with Qu Lingjun's help and the support of a formation.

The only unfamiliar name was Yang Pingdu. He was the son of Yang Wenchang, the master of the very same Myriad Phenomena Sect that Diwu Qi had wanted to exterminate completely during the Frontier War. Back then, Luo Chen had insisted on taking in the Myriad Phenomena Sect disciples, so he would still have leverage against Diwu Qi. Later, however, their eldest senior brother, Zong Jiulang, died on the Heavenly Drum Plains battlefield, leaving Yang Pingdu to take over what remained of the sect.

Then came the beast tide. In order to preserve their lineage, Yang Pingdu led the remaining Myriad Phenomena Sect disciples to fully merge into the Luo Tian Sect. From that point on, he threw himself wholeheartedly into every battle alongside them. In recognition of those contributions, and also to strengthen the unity between the two forces, Sima Huiniang gave him the one Nether Origin Pill she had managed to preserve after forming her own core.

Yang Pingdu successfully broke through, but that decision was precisely the spark that drove Sima Wenjie to rebel!

He defected to another force, gained the backing of a Sage, and eventually formed his own core. Afterward, he even returned with people to seize control of the Luo Tian Sect. By then, the grudges, loyalties, and debts between everyone involved had become so tangled that there was no longer any clean way to sort them out.

As Xu Xiaoliu continued recounting the past beside him, Luo Chen listened in silence and slowly pieced together the century he had missed.

"As for the younger generation, Qin Yuanjiang and Zeng Yilong have done the best so far, but the others are coming along well too. Mei Ruoqi, Yuan Yijun, and a few others have all started making names for themselves. Su E has passed away, but her disciple Su Wen carried on her medical arts. And after Qu Lingjun left, Qi Yi took over most of the sect's alchemy. He's refined quite a lot of medicine for breaking through to Foundation Establishment over the years, which is one of the main reasons we've been able to keep producing new Initiates..."

The moment Luo Chen heard Qi Yi's name, his expression turned thoughtful.

Qi Yi was an alchemist he had personally recruited many years ago, though the man had originally belonged to an enemy force. If he remembered correctly, he had recruited him together with either his senior or junior brother. In any case, Qi Yi's talent in alchemy had never been in question. What caught Luo Chen's attention was the mention of large quantities of Foundation Establishment medicine.

Could it be Imperial Nectar?

Yet Luo Chen had only ever passed that formula on to Qu Lingjun. If Qi Yi truly knew how to refine it, then Qu Lingjun must have taught him before leaving. Seen in that light, everything made sense.

During the man-beast war, there had been no shortage of demonic beast corpses. If Qi Yi had been using those resources to refine Imperial Nectar, then the Luo Tian Sect naturally would have been able to maintain a steady supply of Initiates. If that was the case, his former disciple had clearly put a great deal of thought into the sect before leaving.

Xu Xiaoliu continued, "As for Sect Leader Yao, there isn't much to say. She may not be as capable as the former sect leader, but ever since taking over, she has governed steadily and conscientiously. At the very least, she has preserved the foundation of the Luo Tian Sect."

Toward the end of his report, he seemingly mentioned in passing, "Oh, right. My daughter with Shi Lan is studying under Sect Master Yao now."

His intention could hardly have been more obvious.

Luo Chen glanced at him. Xu Xiaoliu looked slightly embarrassed, but he clearly had no intention of pretending he had brought it up for no reason.

Luo Chen did not take offense. Instead, he asked with some surprise, "Shi Lan? You mean that girl from the Ice Fortress back then?"

"Yes! That's her." Xu Xiaoliu brightened at once. "When the Jade Cauldron Domain fell into chaos, the Ice Fortress ran into trouble too. I happened to save Shi Lan's life, and after that, she became my Dao companion."

The pride in his voice was unmistakable, as though spending his life with her had been one of the greatest blessings he had ever received. But the smile soon faded from his face. "Unfortunately, after Shi Lan gave birth to our daughter, she left without saying goodbye and went off on her own to search for her fellow disciples from Ice Fortress."

Luo Chen frowned slightly. "What happened to the Ice Fortress?"

"That's a long story. As you know, their Supreme Elder failed to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, and afterward, many of the sect's experts perished..."

Xu Xiaoliu began recounting, but Luo Chen only listened halfheartedly. The affairs of the Luo Tian Sect alone had already given him more than enough to digest. Compared with that, the old grudges and upheavals of the Jade Cauldron Domain were hardly his greatest concern. Perhaps sensing his distraction, Xu Xiaoliu gradually shortened the story and brought it to an end.

"Of the seven sects that once stood in the Jade Cauldron Domain, none remains. Actually, all greater forces aside from ours have either scattered or been completely wiped out. If you had not returned in time, I fear we might eventually have disappeared as well."

Luo Chen offered him a few words of comfort before calmly changing the subject. "How old are you now?"

Xu Xiaoliu froze, then stroked his beard out of habit. "I am 247 this year. I don't have much time left."

Yet as soon as he said that, his old instincts returned, and he began buttering up Luo Chen again. "I've already come to terms with life and death. Shi Lan and I once loved each other deeply, and I've also left my bloodline in this world, and before I die, I even got to see your return. Even if I die tomorrow, I won't have any regrets."

Luo Chen smiled faintly. "You can't die just yet. I still have a task for you."

Xu Xiaoliu leaned closer to listen.

As Luo Chen explained, Xu Xiaoliu's eyes grew brighter and brighter. By the time he finished, Xu Xiaoliu slapped his hands together in excitement. "I'll do it! I definitely won't disappoint you!"

After Xu Xiaoliu left, Luo Chen closed the Luo Tian Society Memoranda and rose from the stone terrace.

Before him stretched the mountains and waters of Hundred-Li Green River, but his thoughts were still on the Luo Tian Sect. Generation after generation had come and gone. Some had grown old, while others had died before their time. Yet those who remained never stopped moving forward, and whenever old faces disappeared, new ones emerged to take their place.

As Luo Chen gazed across the mountains, the image of a tree took shape in his mind. A sapling survived winter and welcomed summer, shedding what it could no longer sustain while preserving its trunk and branches. Season after season, what withered fell away, while what remained continued to grow until, one day, the sapling became a tree reaching toward the heavens.

Luo Chen's gaze gradually deepened. Perhaps this is the true Dao of Withering and Flourishing...

As that realization settled in his heart, the wind quieted, and the last of the falling leaves drifting through the air came gently to rest. A soft rustle passed through the forest, almost as though the mountains and waters around him were answering his insight.