Inside the cave residence, a quiet conversation unfolded between Gu Caiyi and Bai Meiling.
"What's he doing?" Gu Caiyi asked softly.
"Refining pills," Bai Meiling replied. "Ever since Master came back, aside from cultivating and treating your injuries, he's been refining pills nonstop."
"By himself?"
"Yes, Master's alchemy skills have grown so advanced he barely needs my help anymore."
"What kind of pills is he making?"
"That, I don't know," Bai Meiling admitted with a shrug. "But lately, people have been delivering materials I've never even seen before."
Just as they spoke, a faint disturbance echoed from outside the cave. A moment later, Sima Huiniang stepped through the entrance. Her gaze landed instantly on Gu Caiyi, who sat quietly in a wheelchair with a thin blanket draped across her lap.
For a brief moment, sparks seemed to flicker in the air.
But Sima Huiniang said nothing. With only a glance, she turned and waited outside.
As if sensing her arrival, Luo Chen emerged shortly from the alchemy chamber. He gave a simple nod to Gu Caiyi and Bai Meiling, then walked out to meet Sima Huiniang.
Outside the cave, they were still within the confines of the formation. But even though it seemed redundant, Luo Chen cast a Sound Isolation Barrier.
"Did the news go out?" he asked.
Sima Huiniang nodded. "As you instructed, I released the information that the Luo Tian Society will be joining in the war."
After speaking, Sima Huiniang added with concern, "There's unrest in the society. Some of the rogue cultivators who joined last year have begun to flee. If this continues, the impact might be serious."
"It doesn't matter," Luo Chen said, smiling faintly. "Those people were never committed. They came for profit, and now that there's danger, they naturally want to leave."
Sima Huiniang sighed. "The Luo Tian Society is still young and doesn't have the foundation of a legacy sect. We don't have that deep-rooted unity where success and failure are shared by all."
"But we do have time. No need to rush," Luo Chen said calmly.
Sima Huiniang nodded, then updated him on recent developments.
The Lianyun Trade Alliance had mobilized in full force, heading toward the Jilei Nine Mountain battlefield. As it turned out, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect hadn't wrongly accused them, and they did indeed have ties with the Falling Cloud Sect.
Even the rogue Golden Core retainer they'd hired had been introduced by the Falling Cloud Sect.
Aside from Lianyun, many moderately known powers—the Iron Sword Hall, the Zheng family of Rolling Dragon Ridge, and the Luo family of the Luosha Market—had begun sending people to Jilei Nine Mountain.
Foundation Establishment cultivators led the way, with late stage Qi Refinement cultivators forming the main force. It became a steady river of cultivators, flowing ceaselessly toward the battlefield of the Jilei Nine Mountains.
"Looks like Luo Tian Society isn't the only one conscripted, many are suffering the same fate!" Luo Chen remarked. He then asked with some amusement, "What about Peach Mountain?"
"Nothing unusual," Sima Huiniang replied, shaking her head. "Still a haven of music and pleasure but it's gotten much quieter, with fewer guests than before."
Luo Chen smacked his lips thoughtfully. It seemed the Hundred Flowers Palace remained neutral, refraining from participating in the civil war.
Peach Mountain belonged to Grand Elder Peach Blossom, one of Hundred Flowers Palace's three Golden Core cultivators. If the palace had taken sides, vassals like Peach Mountain should've mobilized by now.
As far as he knew, Peach Mountain alone had five Foundation Establishment Initiates and they had Xuan Yu, a late-stage grand cultivator nearing Core Formation; this was a significant force. He thought it was strange, especially since the Mistress of Fragrance from Hundred Flowers Palace had also attended the Green Pill Valley Dao Scion Ceremony.
Luo Chen shook his head and accepted the storage pouch Sima Huiniang handed him. It was filled with a generous supply of alchemical materials and ingredients. After exchanging a few words, he instructed her to keep all current operations running steadily, without any changes.
Once she departed, Luo Chen returned to the cave residence.
He passed the pouch to Bai Meiling. "Sort and arrange these as usual. Follow the labels I left earlier. I'll be stepping out for a while."
Bai Meiling gave a quiet nod. Tasks like these were well within her ability.
Noticing Luo Chen about to leave, Gu Caiyi couldn't help but speak. "Has something happened recently?"
Luo Chen reached out and gently rubbed her head. Her hair, once dry and brittle like straw, now had a soft luster to it. It was clear proof that her recent treatments were working.
"Just some minor matters. Nothing you need to worry about."
Gu Caiyi bit her lip, suspicion clouding her gaze. If it's something serious enough that even Sima Huiniang would visit, even though I'm here and it's quite awkward... It probably isn't something minor, is it...
***
It was, of course, a matter of great consequence.
But in times of crisis, one had to remain calm.
Luo Chen had already understood the true purpose behind the major Golden Core sects conscripting their vassal forces.
The answer was, in truth, quite simple. The coming war was destined to be fiercer than any before it. And these sects, which valued their own strength above all, were unwilling to suffer heavy internal losses. Thus, they intended to use rogue cultivators and vassals as expendable resources while preserving their own forces.
This much became apparent when one pieced together the subtle clues scattered throughout the intelligence scrolls.
Since the battle at the Sky Ascension Secret Realm, the two major Nascent Soul sects rarely had high-tier cultivators fight personally, instead relying on their allied sects to carry out the bulk of the warfare.
But the Golden Core major sects weren't fools either. Their cultivators had been raised with great effort and rare resources, so how could they bear to have them squandered?
Green Pill Valley had recalled its Foundation Establishment disciples under the pretense of the Dao Scion competition, and the Ice Fortress had long hesitated.
Clearly, they understood the same truth, yet they were obligated to participate in the war nonetheless.
And so, their attention turned toward their vassals.
Luo Chen didn't know how many vassals the Ice Fortress had, nor how many the Ruthless Lineage controlled externally. But he did know that Green Pill Valley and the Flame Alliance had an especially large number of them. In the Flame Alliance for example, he knew of the Huo family of Taishan Market, the Zheng family of Rolling Dragon Ridge, and the Iron Sword Hall.
And those were just the ones out on the surface, who knew how many were hidden in the shadows? If all those vassals were assembled, they could form an army tens of thousands strong.
With these expendable forces in hand, no matter how far the war escalated, the major sects could still preserve their core strength.