Chapter 418 - 262: Choices Made
"Patriarch Chen Ming, what’s the meaning of this?" Lu Chang’sheng frowned.
Taken together with what he’d just observed, he seemed to grasp what was going on.
Sure enough, after several rounds of probing, Chen Ming laid it out plainly: "According to reliable sources, the demon calamity erupting at Purple Ice Lake is far more serious than last time. Some rarely-seen monsters have appeared out of nowhere and are heading straight for the Immortal City."
Chen Ming clearly knew a great deal; as he described the demon calamity, he gave an accurate picture of how terrifying it was this time.
Unknown numbers, unknown strength, clear intent.
The universal traits of this demon disaster reminded Lu Chang’sheng of those great domains where monsters rampaged unchecked.
That sort of situation would occur there on a regular basis.
Once he’d finished, Chen Ming fell silent.
Lu Chang’sheng knew what he was waiting for—some things are difficult to voice aloud, like "escaping Platinum Immortal City."
Once spoken, it meant something else entirely. Until Lu Chang’sheng showed even a hint of the same thought, Chen Ming would never outright say it.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, you overthink. If the Supreme Profound Sect dares send men to defend this city, I trust they must be somewhat confident."
After a long silence, Lu Chang’sheng took a deep breath and smiled as he spoke.
A trace of unwillingness flickered in Chen Ming’s eyes. "Alchemist Lu, will you truly not reconsider? It’s a risk for sure, but compared with being hunted by demons, it’s a risk one can endure."
Lu Chang’sheng shook his head, politely refusing Chen Ming’s good intentions.
By now, he was all but certain: Chen Ming’s reason for coming was to invite him to escape Platinum Immortal City together.
Seeing how resolute Lu Chang’sheng was, Chen Ming could only take his leave in helplessness.
Still, before he left, Lu Chang’sheng, recalling the bond between himself and the Chen Family, offered a word of advice.
"Shutting the gates of Platinum Immortal City is meant to help its defense, yes, but it may also be cutting off everyone’s thoughts of leaving. Patriarch Chen, you must weigh this seriously!"
For the Chen Family, who had offered kindness when he’d been weak, Lu Chang’sheng truly didn’t want them to walk the wrong path.
"Alchemist Lu, your warning is well-taken, but frankly, the Chen Family cannot withstand any more risk."
When Lu Chang’sheng received news of the Chen Family’s patriarch’s fall, he relayed it to the Chen Mansion at once. Chen Ming, though, kept it quiet, so as not to disturb his subordinates.
Lu Chang’sheng sighed softly, watching Chen Ming’s retreating figure.
When he met up with Nangua, Lu Chang’sheng raised the matter—though Chen Ming didn’t want anyone else to know, he and Nangua were as one, so he couldn’t conceal it from him.
"The death of the Chen Family Patriarch has thrown him off balance."
"Yeah. Still, from another perspective, he’s not entirely wrong." Lu Chang’sheng sighed.
If not for Gu Chan’s earlier warning, knowing that the Gu Family and Supreme Profound Immortal Sect were already preparing, or if he himself hadn’t advanced to Grade Two and gotten the Golden Finger, he might also have chosen that road.
"In the face of unknown danger, the first instinct is flight—there’s no blame in that. It’s just, they probably chose the wrong moment."
Deep down, Lu Chang’sheng also nurtured thoughts of leaving, but so long as the situation wasn’t clear, he wouldn’t consider it.
Otherwise, he’d only be putting himself in direct opposition to the Gu Family and the Supreme Profound Sect.
"At the very least, wait for the dust to settle between the demons and the Immortal Sect before making a move."
······
On the other side, Chen Ming didn’t return home but instead made his way to a nearby courtyard, where several cultivators awaited him.
"No luck? That Lu Chang’sheng sure knows how to walk to his death," one cultivator shook his head and said.
Seeing the hesitation in Chen Ming’s face, his heart skipped a beat. He’d only sent Chen Ming to persuade Lu Chang’sheng to join them, yet the persuader looked undecided himself. He quickly asked, "Did that Lu fellow tell you something crucial?"
Chen Ming realized his own composure had slipped, so he collected himself and said in a low voice, "You all know what’s going on at Purple Ice Lake. Aside from a handful of people and the Supreme Profound Sect, who else could have gotten wind of it?"
"True enough. Who’d have thought Purple Ice Lake harbored such a secret, it’s really—"
The cultivator stopped himself mid-sentence.
This matter was nothing trivial. If not for someone sharing it to draw them in, with their rank and strength, they’d have never known a thing.
"Still, Alchemist Lu did mention something." Chen Ming relayed Lu Chang’sheng’s word of caution.
Lu Chang’sheng still carried weight in their hearts. Chen Ming himself wasn’t sure if he should heed the advice, so he was seeking their input.
"Heh, of course it’s risky, but we knew that already. Compared to this calamity, though, it’s nothing."
"Let’s go; Lu Chang’sheng’s refusal will come back to haunt him."
"What a waste, all those alchemy skills Alchemist Lu’s got," another lamented.
Their willingness to follow Chen Ming came mostly from wanting to rope Lu Chang’sheng in; with him, their gathering would feel a bit safer and stronger.
······
"You gave him a warning—think it might turn him around?" Nangua asked elsewhere.
"Not likely."
Thinking of Chen Ming’s shifting attitude earlier, Lu Chang’sheng couldn’t help but shake his head.
On the streets, magical power pulsed from time to time; here and there, Demon-Binding Spirit Arrays and other auxiliary formations had been set up.
Platinum Immortal City was, after all, just a city—it couldn’t compare to something like the Supreme Profound Mountain Gate with its grand, large-scale spirit arrays.
Here, they relied on the usual methods: placing combination spirit arrays in every fixed area, then linking them together with array plates to form a weak, city-wide array.
Among these, Demon-Binding Spirit Arrays were the most common.
Unlike cultivators’ magical power, the monsters wielded a different, innately powerful force—most referred to it as demonic power.
The Demon-Binding Spirit Array was designed to suppress demonic power, preventing the monsters from fighting at their full strength.
One of the South Gate’s Imperial Court buildings had been made a temporary stronghold; once Lu Chang’sheng and Li Nangua arrived, most of the late-stage Qi cultivators were already present.
Gu Feng swept his eyes around, a complex, mocking look in them.
Standing in the crowd, Lu Chang’sheng’s heart skipped a beat—he was worried for the Chen Family.
In normal times, the high-ranking family Qi cultivators had it good, but in a crisis like this, you saw their real status.
The Immortal Sect could conscript them at will. Fortunately, the sect usually cared about appearances, rewarding them afterward.
During the last demon calamity, they’d rolled out contribution rewards and handed out a few Foundation Establishment Pills. Low-grade though they were, such pills were treasures countless cultivators craved.
This time was no different.
Earlier during discussions, Master Zhang and Master Du from the Supreme Profound Sect had confirmed that they’d offer even better resources this time.
If you want your horse to run, you have to feed it grass.
As dusk settled in, Gu Feng produced a register and called names one by one.
"It’s all for show," someone remarked.
Given his peak Qi cultivation, recognizing a few dozen faces and names would be nothing for Gu Feng, yet he insisted on reading out every name in the book.
No way that was just a formality.
"Good thing Alchemist Lu wasn’t late—otherwise, I’d be in a tough spot," Gu Feng said as he finally reached Lu Chang’sheng, his smile gentle.
"Wouldn’t dare go against Miss Gu Chan’s good intentions," Lu Chang’sheng replied.
Gu Feng chuckled, clearly satisfied with Lu Chang’sheng’s attitude.
He’d met favored ones before who became haughty after currying favor with upper echelons. This one, at least, stayed humble.
He thought: If this man ever ended up with Miss Gu Chan, it could be a blessing for me.
With this in mind, his gaze toward Lu Chang’sheng grew markedly warmer.
After the roll call, Gu Feng said nothing more, acting as though those few cultivators who hadn’t shown just didn’t exist.
Lu Chang’sheng noticed many cultivators had odd expressions, but they quickly suppressed it. He thought: Everyone’s just biding their time.
Sure enough, in the dead of night, an abrupt commotion broke out outside—just as quickly gone as it appeared!