The Sea of Demons!

Across the tranquil surface of the sea, Luo Chen—now dressed in a fresh set of black martial robes—carried less of the feigned worldly demeanor of an attained master and more of the dashing, spirited aura of a gallant hero. Standing in the center of the flying boat, he gauged its traveling speed. Gliding along the water made it about a third slower than soaring through the air. Even so, he chose not to fly. The reason was simple. Looking back in the direction he had come, massive white seabirds wheeled through the sky. They were an unfamiliar flock of white avians, mostly first-tier with several second-tier specimens among them, outwardly resembling ordinary albatrosses. More importantly, at the very center of the flock, the faint aura of a third-tier monster beast spread outward, blanketing the entire swarm. “I wonder if that flock was bred by the demon cultivators of Mount Cangwu to guard their territory and watch over the teleportation array.” “If so, slipping away with the Yinwei Formation maintained at full strength should keep me undetected.” “And if not…” Luo Chen’s heart sank slightly. To encounter a beast swarm led by a third-tier monster king right after arriving here proved just how perilous these waters were. What he needed most was to find living people and get a clear sense of the situation. With a light tap of his foot, a surge of magic power propelled the flying boat faster across the sea. Yet, under the concealment of the Yinwei Formation, it left not the slightest trace in its wake. Keen though the seabirds’ eyes were, looking from a distance, they would at most see rolling waves with an extra streak of white. The sun rose and the moon ascended, marking the passage of a full day and night. Luo Chen had no idea how far he had traveled or whether he was heading in the right direction. Guided only by his instincts, he steered clear of every vector that gave him a sense of danger and pressed ahead in a straight line. Morning mist clung to the air, and a faint chill seeped into his body. Luo Chen retrieved a gourd from his storage ring and took a swig. The sweet liquid carried both the rich mellowness of fine wine and the refreshing fragrance of fruit. Hanging the gourd back at his waist, he sighed. “What a pity!” This monkey wine had been gathered from the Barren Mountains especially for him by an avian demon from Mount Cangwu who had learned alchemy at his knee. It was a full third-tier spirit wine! There was nothing better for recovering magic power. While insignificant to a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was undeniably precious to someone in the Golden Core stage. It had essentially served as that demon bird’s apprenticeship gift. He had originally intended to offer a bottle to Tianyezi as a gesture of thanks for forging his natal magic treasure. He had never expected things to end the way they did. “He never got to enjoy it, so it all falls to me.” Luo Chen shook his head. Extending his divine sense as usual, he scanned the surroundings for living beings. With his divine sense having grown after advancing to the third layer of the Golden Core stage, releasing it at full power easily exceeded the five-hundred-li range typical of early Golden Core cultivators. The moment it spread, its reach stretched past seven hundred li in a straight line. Coupled with his spirit eyes, Luo Chen took in everything ahead. In an instant, his brow twitched. “Finally found some living people!” “Though their situation doesn’t look too good.” “Just as well!” With a thought, the flying boat shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. The sea breeze whipped against his face, matching the brilliant smile spreading across it. …… Across the boundless waters, a massive fishing vessel twenty zhang long lay stalled on the calm sea. Apart from the night watch, most of the crew were still sound asleep. Their slumber was shattered by a piercing cry of warning. “Enemy attack!” In a flash, everyone jolted awake. Because working at sea often meant sudden crises, most slept fully clothed. Upon waking, aside from an initial bout of fluster among the burly mortals, the cultivators remained relatively calm. Under their direction, everyone began moving in an orderly manner. A burly, dark-faced man holding a white banner charged out from the cabin and barked, “What kind of enemy?” A night-watch cultivator stammered in panic, “Blue-Ring Sea Snakes!” The burly man’s brow shot up. “Are there Blue-Ring Giant-Fang Sea Snakes among them?” Both belonged to the same species, but their tiers were worlds apart. A sea snake that had grown giant fangs already represented the second tier. Facing one or two was manageable, but if there were too many, he would never be able to protect the ship! The night watch shook his head frantically. “None seen so far!” The dark-faced man scowled. “Then what are you panicking for?” “The numbers!” Tethered by terror, the night watch pointed past the deck into the murky ocean under the dim dawn light. “What about the numbers?” “They’re endless!” The dark-faced man glared at him, then rushed to the deck and cast out his spiritual sense. In an instant, his face drained of color. Without a second’s hesitation, he roared, “First mate, second mate, activate the formation!” “Third mate, distribute the spirit-infused Dharma tools to the mortal crew!” “Seventeen, muster everyone—all hands, prepare for battle!” “Cheng Ji, hoist the sails, turn back at full speed!” His orders came in a steady, unyielding rush, cutting through the confusion. The frantic crew snapped into motion at once. A black barrier of light erupted from the edges of the deck, cloaked in churning black mist from which grotesque beast heads occasionally jutted. Meanwhile, the mortal crew members, mixing excitement with their dread, accepted strange blades, swords, and sea harpoons from the cultivators. As they channeled their inner qi into them, the weapons gave off a hazy glow. Above them, three massive sails unfurled with a sharp snap, ready to catch the wind. Seeing his commands executed without flaw, the dark-faced man let out a small breath. Yet when he looked down into the water at the blue-and-white silhouettes writhing beneath the surface, his lips grew parched and his throat tight. “With this many Blue-Ring Sea Snakes, I’m afraid the clan won’t be keeping this demon-hunting vessel.” “No matter. I’ll do everything I can before considering anything else!” …… Dawn broke. The sea mist cleared. Across the wide expanse of water, the massive black vessel had ground to a halt, spinning wildly in place. The shroud of black mist afforded it some defense, but beneath the surface, countless giant snakes stirred up colossal surges, churning the ocean into a massive vortex. Pulled by the maelstrom, the ship slowly sank despite the protection of the black mist. Watching from afar, Luo Chen’s eyes flickered with interest. He was astonished that the ship could withstand the assault of countless sea beasts without collapsing, its defense remarkably resilient. At the same time, he marvelled at how these low-tier beasts understood cooperation. Failing to breach it through brute force, they whipped up a vortex to drag the vessel into the depths using the sheer weight of nature. It was easy to imagine: once pulled underwater, swarmed by tens of thousands of low-tier beasts, the black mist formation would shatter within breaths. “What kind of beast is that?” “It resembles the Black-Ring Snow Pythons from the Great Snow Mountain, but its intelligence is clearly far higher!” With a thought, Luo Chen shifted his gaze slightly farther back, well behind the main battlefield. A round, gray cauldron appeared in his palm. Cradling the cauldron in one hand, he formed an incantation with the other. “Go!” Crimson chains flew from the Hunyuan Cauldron and plunged into the murky depths. *Hiss…* A strange, discordant shriek echoed, tinged with rage and terror. Moments later, a giant snake roughly nine zhang long with two massive fangs—looking almost like a lesser flood dragon—was hauled from the water, bound tightly in crimson chains. *Splash!* Under the sunlight, the blue rings across its scales shone deep and vibrant, and its bared fangs were menacing. With a single glance, Luo Chen uttered in surprise, “I couldn’t tell clearly from afar, but it’s actually a late second-tier monster!” Right then, the calm sea violently roiled. From the east, south, west, and north, four thick white wakes tore through the water toward Luo Chen’s boat. Even the swarm of sea snakes creating the massive vortex in the distance turned and surged in his direction. With such a reaction, there was no doubt: Luo Chen had struck at the head of the snake and captured their leader! Glancing at the four incoming white wakes, Luo Chen flicked his fingers. Four more crimson chains shot forth, easily dragging four Blue-Ring Sea Snakes—each four to five zhang long—out from the water. Every one of them bore savage giant fangs. Every one of them writhed furiously, thrashing in a desperate bid to escape the binding chains. Ignoring the five thrashing beasts, Luo Chen cast a greedy gaze over the boundless ocean at the countless monsters surging toward him. “Today, I might just have a feast!” He licked his lips. His robes stirred without wind as he rose slowly into the air and pressed his palms downward. Surging azure flames erupted across his entire body. Fed by his magic power, the azure fire expanded and turned brilliant crimson. In that moment, the azure-red blaze above and the blue-and-white waves below became the only spectacle under heaven and earth! …… Aboard the demon-hunting vessel, the dark-faced man’s eyes were bloodshot. In just half an hour, the ship—carrying twenty percent of his clan’s elite strength—had suffered catastrophic losses. The mortals were all dead. Even the promising Qi Refinement clan members were mostly killed or wounded. Cheng Ji, the Foundation Establishment elder operating the ship, had suffered formation backlash after trying to force the vessel forward, and now lay unconscious in the helm cabin. If this continued, everyone would die! Taking a deep breath, the dark-faced man abandoned any thought of going down with the ship. Mist billowed from the white banner in his hand as he wrapped up the unconscious Cheng Ji, intending to take flight and escape alone. Right at that moment, cries rang out. “They’re retreating!” “The snake tide is retreating!” “We’re saved! We’re alive!” Cries of wild relief and weeping tore through the deck. The dark-faced man froze. His spiritual energy mostly depleted, he looked around in bewilderment. Sure enough! The tens of thousands of sea snakes that had hemmed the ship in completely had abandoned their attack and were rushing eastward. He looked in that direction. The morning sun had begun its slow ascent. “I’ve never heard of Blue-Ring Sea Snakes being unable to move under the sun…” Mid-mutter, his entire body jolted. That was no sun! That was a person! A living person! Beneath the clear morning sky, a silhouette looked down upon the boundless sea, an endless tide of azure-red flames pouring from his body to crash over the water. Tens of thousands of sea snakes spat venomous water arrows toward him. Yet before the venom could even draw close, the flames burned it to nothing. More than that, the boundless fire pressed down like a colossal canopy, instantly blanketing an area of a hundred li. Caught beneath the blaze, the giant snakes thrashed madly in the water. Their agonizing shrieks tore through the air, harrowing beyond belief. The dark-faced man and the dozen surviving cultivators on the deck watched with slack jaws. A single man suppressing tens of thousands of sea snakes. What a soul-shaking sight. The crowded snakes looked like eels tossed alive into boiling water, unable to escape the searing heat no matter how they struggled. Even from several dozen li away, the cultivators could feel the scorching heat waves. Their noses clearly caught the scent of roasted meat. *Gulp!* Someone swallowed hard, the sound loud in the stunned silence. Instinctively, everyone else swallowed too. Their eyes stayed glued to the scene, necks stiff and hearts thumping violently. “Who is that?” “Could it be a devilish titan from the Yuan Demon Sect?” “Impossible! The Yuan Demon Sect was destroyed long ago. Even if such a peerless powerhouse remained, he would be famous across the archipelago. How could we not know of him?” Murmurs broke out, but none could guess the man’s origin. None dared to move, much less flee! The figure had clearly contained the power of his flames; otherwise, at their distance, they would have been caught within the blast. The survivors watched in awe, waiting for the battle to end. Time dragged on. It felt as though seasons had shifted, yet only a single incense stick’s time had passed. The morning sun finally crested the horizon. The black-robed young man descended slowly from the sky, hands held out before him, and landed on the demon-hunting vessel. Touching down on the deck, he said nothing, his eyes closed as though savoring something. The dark-faced man and the others bowed deeply, daring not disturb him. Their eyes shifted between Luo Chen’s pristine cloud boots and the scorched sea. Aside from a handful of sea snakes that had fled on instinct, the tens of thousands had perished in an outright slaughter. Charred carcasses drifted on the surface. As the waves crashed against them, they crumbled into ash, sinking into the endless depths. Even the bodies left behind had been burned to the brink of collapse. Finally, every gaze converged back onto the black-robed young man. Powerful wisps of aura pulsed from him in rhythmic waves. A vibrant vitality emanated from him, drawing people in, yet his unmasked spiritual pressure forced everyone to keep their heads bowed and their backs bent. Spiritual pressure! A Golden Core Master! His cultivation realm, completely undisguised, was plain for all to see. Suddenly, the young man opened his eyes, a brilliant glint sweeping over everyone present. Those with weaker cultivation collapsed onto the deck with a thud, even though none of his intent was directed at them. The young man took a deep breath and drew back his spiritual pressure. The dark-faced man let out a long breath of relief, only to hear a question posed to him: “What place is this?” The dark-faced man moistened his dry lips. “Reporting to Master, this is the Xintian Sea Region, eight thousand li from the Feiyan Archipelago. It is an ungoverned area within the Sea of Demons.” *The Xintian Sea Region?* *The Feiyan Archipelago?* Luo Chen frowned slightly, but upon hearing the words “Sea of Demons,” his eyes lit up. “The Northern Sea?!” It was phrased as a question, yet carried a tone of certainty. The dark-faced man started for a moment, then nodded instinctively. “Your Excellency has sharp insight—it is indeed the Northern Sea.”