Immortality begins with Becoming an Alchemy Grandmaster

Chapter 1657: Chapter 610: The So-Called Soul Essence, Duan Li’s Promise

Peng Island covers quite a large area, and it even has mountains.

Typically, Immortal Cultivators choose Spirit Lands, prioritizing mid-mountain or mountain peak locations because Heaven and Earth Qi contains both pure and turbid qualities, which, when heavily concentrated, form Spirit Veins.

At this time, turbid Qi sinks downward, while pure Qi floats upward.

Although both can be absorbed and utilized, Immortal Cultivators naturally favor pure Spirit Qi, which is why cave mansions are often situated at higher elevations.

Luo Chen, however, is different—he relies on the power of Arrays to confine high-quality Spirit Qi within the Star Dou Palace, leaving the grand mountain on Peng Island unused.

Though ”unused” doesn’t mean completely abandoned.

Occasionally, Tian Xuan ascends to transform into his Fighting Bird form and indulge in wild, carefree flights above, and he casually constructed Lakeview Pavilion there.

At this moment, within Lakeview Pavilion.

Three Daoists sit together, enjoying the breeze, sipping tea, and discussing Dao.

From a distance, it indeed resembles the immortal air described in worldly legends.

Yet, one among them, Xiao Buhuan, is still in a stunned state, unable to recover.

As he gazed out upon the vast, boundless Great Marsh, where fish frolic and flying birds circle in the sky, with countless islands of varying sizes scattered like stars across its expanse, he could hardly fathom.

Such a divine land had actually been completely rented out by this Daoist before him!

Before arriving, he had assumed the Ten Thousand Immortals Gathering had relaxed restrictions, allowing parts of Peng Island’s Spirit Land to be rented out piecemeal. The possibility that Qingyang Zi possessed such immense wealth to rent the entire island hadn’t even crossed his mind.

As his thoughts swirled, Qingyang Zi’s warm voice sounded beside his ears.

”Friend? Friend?”

Xiao Buhuan shook his head to clear his thoughts, ”What is it?”

Luo Chen smiled faintly, ”Nothing much, I just want to understand the details of the defensive duties on the Quyang Defensive Line.”

”Weren’t you stationed there for half a month?” Xiao Buhuan asked, puzzled.

Luo Chen replied, ”It’s not the landscapes or wartime situations I wish to understand, but the specific details of the defensive duties—like personnel arrangements, daily tasks, and so forth.”

”Oh.”

Xiao Buhuan suddenly understood.

He then proceeded to describe everything to Luo Chen in meticulous detail.

The matters here, in truth, weren’t overly complicated.

After all, a Golden Core Ascendant Master!

Stationed at one place, how could they handle mundane matters personally?

Quyang Island, as the central hub of the Quyang Defensive Line, is occupied year-round by over a thousand Cultivators.

Among these Cultivators, approximately eighty percent are Rogue Cultivators from the Ten Thousand Immortals Gathering, who rotate defenses annually.

Divided into several units, each led by a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

With teams such as the Array Team, Patrol Team, Enforcement Team, Logistics Team, and so forth.

These units are primarily responsible for various miscellaneous tasks.

The role of the Golden Core guardians is actually more about power assurance—using their Golden Core cultivation level to withstand sudden adversities and bear the brunt of the first wave, while awaiting reinforcements from the rear.

On the Quyang Defensive Line, there are a total of three Golden Core Cultivators assigned to guard duties.

These three cultivators have varying service durations, such as Xiao Buhuan, who previously undertook a long-term guarding assignment, while the other two engaged in one-year rotating short-term missions.

The reason Xiao Buhuan didn’t meet the other two during his previous stay on Quyang Island is that they had just been reassigned to the first defensive line—the Liuyang Defensive Line.

”Wasn’t the mission supposed to be in the Quyang Sea Area? How could they be reassigned to the Liuyang Sea Area?”

Luo Chen frowned, confused by the change in assignment locations.

Xiao Buhuan replied helplessly, ”The rules within the Ten Thousand Immortals Gathering are not yet entirely formalized, so missions can sometimes be flexible. Especially with these rotating short-term missions, Golden Core cultivators are like bricks—they go wherever they are needed.”

As he spoke, Xiao Buhuan paused briefly.

”Of course, it’s also related to the fact that those two friends are only Four-Star Demon Hunters—they likely volunteered to go to the front lines to hunt Demon Beasts and improve their star rankings.”

Ah, so that’s how it is.

Luo Chen silently nodded, committing these details to memory.

Suddenly, Xiao Buhuan asked, ”Qingyang Zi, why did you ask about this?”

Luo Chen smiled brightly, ”To prepare for the upcoming mission, of course!”

Both Xiao Buhuan and Duan Li froze momentarily before realizing—Luo Chen had accepted a short-term defensive assignment!

Afterwards, the three chatted for a while longer, and Xiao Buhuan decided to take his leave, standing up and departing.

He had just returned and hadn’t had any rest, feeling somewhat fatigued mentally.

Especially as there were matters awaiting his attention back at Xiushan Cave Mansion.

Rogue Cultivators spend huge sums to rent Spiritual Vein Cave Mansions, not just for cultivation.

The abundant Spirit Qi environment can be used for many things; for instance, Luo Chen had allowed the Zhang Jiadi Clan to engage in aquaculture in his own Spirit Land.

Xiao Buhuan did something similar—he hired a few Rogue Cultivators to plant a vast amount of Spirit Plants on Xiushan while he was away on mission assignments. Although he had learned about profits these past years through written correspondence, the actual situation would still require proper assessment upon his return.

Once Xiao Buhuan departed, the atmosphere in Lakeview Pavilion became subdued.

Luo Chen remained silent, merely sipping on Spirit Tea.

Duan Li, gazing at the steam rising from the cup on the stone table, appeared to hesitate.

After a long pause, he finally spoke with difficulty:

”Friend, could I ask you for a favor?”

Luo Chen’s lips curled into a slight smile—just as expected!

Clearly, Duan Li had a request to make; otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked stepping forward to offer his assistance during the previous fight.

Nonetheless, Luo Chen’s impression of Duan Li was favorable; if he could help, he wouldn’t hesitate.

”Please feel free to say it. As long as it’s within my capabilities, I will do all I can to assist.”

Duan Li’s expression eased slightly before he solemnly said, ”During that battle in the assessment mission, the remnants of Yuan Mo employed cruel and insidious methods. I made a mistake and suffered a strike from them. At the time, I thought the injury was minor and could be healed through recuperation. But I didn’t expect that the wound held hidden dangers—as time drags on, it seems like Bone Creeping Maggots, impossible to dispel.”