Fellow Daoist, Let's Talk This Out!

It had only been five years since the Flying Swallow Archipelago had seen a new master. While the upper echelon of the islands lamented that the people were exhausted, for the true common folk at the bottom, it was not like that at all. Due to Luo Chen's terrifying demand for medicinal herbs, the cultivators of each major clan tried every means possible to spend money and effort to help gather them, but the number of cultivators was limited. Thus, many of the tasks were delegated to mortals. To mortals, this was an opportunity! An opportunity to catch the eye of the immortal masters and change their own destiny. Consequently, life at the grassroots level was bustling with zeal and vibrant energy. At several key docks, the number of mortal martial artists far exceeded that of five years ago. And precisely because of this... When the tsunami stretching for hundreds of li along the coastline struck, many busy mortal martial artists noticed it. "In such fine weather, how could a tsunami form?" "It's just a small tsunami a few hundred li wide, don't worry." Compared to violent tsunamis that routinely stretched thousands or even tens of thousands of li, a tsunami merely hundreds of li across was indeed nothing special. The mortal martial artists on the docks were not overly panicked. Packing up their respective goods, they sprinted backward nimbly. Yet before they had run more than a few paces, an accident occurred. "Help!" "Help me!" Cries for help rang out one after another, prompting the martial artists running in front to look back subconsciously. Only then did they realize that while the tsunami was not vast, its speed was extraordinarily swift! It was as if some colossal beast were churning the ocean, lashing the vast waves. A colossal beast? "Could a sea demon be stirring up trouble inside?" "Hurry and report to the immortal masters!" "No need to report, look at the sky!" In the sky, without anyone noticing when, more than a dozen figures had appeared, hovering scattered across various parts of the Flying Swallow Archipelago. Every one of them wore a solemn expression, and there was even a glint of fear in their eyes. "A Golden Core Master!" "Definitely a powerhouse of the water path." "An existence who can manipulate the vast sea for his own use and raise mountains of water at will—as far as I know, there are only a handful among Golden Core cultivators. And with such a display, could it be the ancestor of the Wu clan from the Moluo Stream in person?" "Regardless of whether it is or not, Fellow Daoist Cheng, make a decision quickly!" The spiritual sense voice transmissions all converged upon a young man. Having already reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, Cheng Dou's expression was currently uncertain and tinged with anger. With great difficulty he had reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, exhausting several centuries of his clan's foundation to exchange for a Core Formation Secret Technique from Demonic Lord Qingyang. Recently, he had been redoubling his efforts to cultivate the *Qingyang Pill Canon*, yet now he was met with such an event. It was truly an unexpected disaster out of the blue. How wonderful it would have been if he could quietly wait until he finished cultivating the *Qingyang Pill Canon* and steadily formed his core! Yet now was no time to leave things to chance. "With such a ferocious momentum, this is certainly no friendly guest." "The visitor has ill intent!" "Activate the Sea-Suppressing Formation!" With a single order, the command was swiftly passed down. Across the thirty-six islands of Flying Swallow, pillars of light began to surge skyward. Faintly, a top-tier grand formation was on the verge of taking shape. Seeing this, Cheng Dou couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. As long as the formation was completed, even if a Golden Core cultivator came in person, they could gather the might of the thirty-six islands to keep them at bay outside. Beside him, someone whispered, "What about those mortals at the docks?" Cheng Dou frowned and glanced down. "We don't have time for them. Let them fend for themselves!" In the eyes of immortal cultivators, mortals were merely tools! No, at times they were not even tools, merely expendables. Perhaps only those mortal martial artists who had reached the Xiantian Grandmaster level could warrant a second glance from them, but only that one glance. Just as they were speaking, a thunderous boom suddenly rang out. "So fast?" Cheng Dou turned his head in shock. As far as his eyes could see, the foremost islet had already been swept into the tsunami. The pillar of light that had hastily erupted was instantly extinguished within it. He swallowed hard, suddenly realizing something. The island-linking array method passed down by the Canghai Alliance was meant to deal with slow-moving hordes of sea demons. Thus, it required a long preparation time to extract earth qi from the spiritual veins. Yet the enemy they faced right now was a powerful human expert! Above all, the opponent's speed was so blinding and the offensive so fierce that they would never be granted that much time. A look of despair had already surfaced. Suddenly. Cheng Dou turned and shrieked loudly, "We beg the Demonic Lord to intervene!" His shrill, desperate shout resounded across heaven and earth, shooting straight toward the Yaoyue Archipelago. Beneath the clear sky. An indifferent voice drifted leisurely over. "Granted!" Before the words finished fading, a massive cloud of black mist soared into the sky from Yaoyue Island. Within it, ghosts wept and wolves howled, as though it were a ghost domain. In the next instant, over a hundred armored dark figures exuding powerful auras charged out of the black mist, brandishing sabers, spears, swords, and halberds. This scene was none other than the hundred ghosts parading by day, blotting out the clouds and sun! Over a hundred ghost generals formed a profound battle formation, leaping past several islands and lunging fearlessly toward the oceanic tsunami that had already destroyed four islands in a row. Beneath the clear sky, the massive mountain of water and the black mist of a hundred ghosts collided in an instant, releasing continuous, deafening explosions. ... On Yaoyue Island, inside the alchemy chamber. Luo Chen divided his focus. On one hand, he managed the final stage of refining the True Flame Pill; on the other, he watched a water mirror condensed before him. Seeing the surges rising one after another in the tsunami, reaching hundreds of zhang in height, his expression shifted slightly. A mountain of water a hundred zhang tall was no less than the height of massive natural tsunamis. Could human power truly rival the majesty of nature? He knew very well that Golden Core cultivators were formidable—formidable enough to sever a river with a single sword stroke or shatter a mountain with a single punch. Yet in the end, that was pure destructive power. Destruction was always simpler than construction. To accomplish the mythical feats of shouldering mountains, driving the sea, or chasing the stars and the moon was utterly impossible for them. During the Pioneering War, when Luo Chen had undertaken the mountain-carrying plan, he had only barely succeeded by assembling ten Golden Core cultivators all at once, along with numerous low-level cultivators and the power of a Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat. To truly shoulder mountains and drive seas without strain, only a Nascent Soul Perfected Person could do so with ease. Evidently, if a Nascent Soul Perfected Person were truly moving against Luo Chen, they would have no need for such methods. "The newcomer is strong. Even among those in the Golden Core stage, he is definitely a formidable powerhouse." Muttering to himself, Luo Chen shifted his attention back to the side hall on Yaoyue Island. "Han Zhan, just how much capability do you have left now?" At this moment, it was not that Luo Chen could not move freely. At worst, he would simply forfeit this furnace of pills. The reason he had not intervened personally was also to test how much Han Zhan could still achieve. A mere wisp of remnant soul of a Nascent Soul Perfected Person—with no physical body, no Nascent Soul, and no natal magical treasure, possessing only a wisp of a remnant soul and a damaged Soul Refining Banner stripped of tens of thousands of souls. Beneath his watchful anticipation, Han Zhan had made his move. A hundred ghosts parading by day, blotting out the clouds and sun. With just this move, Luo Chen's eyes lit up. These hundred-plus ghost generals at Foundation Establishment had clearly formed an array under Han Zhan's control. Its subtlety and intricacy surpassed even the Grand Formation of Ten Thousand Ghosts that Yan Nantian had deployed before. Even if Luo Chen took action himself, it would take quite some effort to deal with it. "Still, if that's all, it might halt the tsunami, but it won't stop the enemy hiding within," Luo Chen muttered. Just as he said, the momentum of the tsunami surging toward Yaoyue Island slowed somewhat under the impact of the hundred ghosts. Having met resistance, the waves within the tsunami stacked continuously, towering higher layer upon layer. In just a few breaths, a "mountain of water" formed! Atop the water mountain, white surf surged, and a figure emerged, treading on lotus blossoms and trailing through the waves. At the same time, a low roar sounded from Yaoyue Island. Immediately afterward, a dark shadow shot forward like an arrow. Atop the water mountain! "A ghost king?" Wu Qi looked at the shadowy figure charging out, a peculiar look in his eyes as he uttered, "Well met!" Then, with a flick of his wrist, a small banner appeared in his grasp. Holding the flagpole, he unfurled it forward. Instantly, three flood dragons split from the tsunami and surged toward the ghost king. The three flood dragons and the ghost collided in an instant. The ghost king roared ferociously, thrusting out two palm-leaf-sized hands to seize a water dragon directly by the throat. The other two tried to attack, but chains rattled forth from the ghost king's body, binding them fast. "Break!" With a low growl, Boom! In an instant, the three dragons burst into a sky full of water droplets, blasting in every direction. The forcefully impacting water jets battered an islet inhabited by mortals below until it was pitted and pockmarked, riddled with countless giant craters. Seeing this, the strange look in Wu Qi's eyes deepened. Yet clearly, his repertoire was far from limited to this. The small banner in his hand fluttered continuously. The ocean behind him let out rolling roars as more and more seawater gathered toward him. While the water mountain beneath his feet maintained its original height, more and more water dragons flew out. One, two, three... In mere breaths, another seven flood dragons flew forth, thrashing their heads and tails. "My natal magical treasure, the Sea King Banner, is outstanding even among mid-grade magical treasures. Having been nurtured and refined by me for hundreds of years, it responds to my will effortlessly, its power like the sea! "If within the depths of the ocean, I can contest even late-stage Golden Core great cultivators! "Even if I approach land now, with my back to the sea, I remain invincible. "Let me see just what capabilities this mysterious cultivator who easily wiped out Yan Nantian possesses, and whether he truly is a remnant of the Yuan Demon Sect!" Wu Qi was extremely cautious. So cautious that right from his very first strike, he had directly deployed his natal magical treasure, the Sea King Banner, sweeping in with the momentum of an oceanic tsunami. To be honest, the fact that the hundred ghosts formation could hold back his tsunami from the very start had already surprised him. And this Tier 3 ghost king brimming with combat intelligence astonished him even more. Even with seven dragons dispatched together, they could not overcome it in short order. Through several clashes, although the Tier 3 ghost king's aura grew increasingly weak, it allowed Wu Qi to faintly confirm one thing in his heart. "Nine times out of ten, this Demonic Lord Qingyang is a remnant of the Yuan Demon Sect, and very likely a powerhouse of the soul-refining lineage. "Ordinary disciples of the Yuan Demon Sect could never manipulate resentful spirits and fierce ghosts with such freedom, driving an ordinary Ten Thousand Soul Banner to such a degree." Though he reasoned thus, Wu Qi was clearly unsatisfied with his achievements stopping here. If word spread that he was blocked outside the Flying Swallow Archipelago by merely a single soul banner, how could Wu Qi maintain any standing in the cultivation world of the Northern Sea? With a plunge of his right hand, he planted the small banner into the spray. His hands rapidly formed seals as boundless magic power surged forth continuously. Thousand Flood Dragons Devouring the Dragon Technique! In the next instant, the tsunami he brought in tow shone with streaks of spiritual light. One blue flood dragon after another, slightly smaller than before, soared forth, roaring as they rushed toward the Tier 3 ghost king. So vast was their number and so immense their momentum that at first glance, they seemed boundless. Even though chains continued to burst from the Tier 3 ghost king's body, under the gnawing assault of ever more water dragons, they grew limp and weak. Not only that, after breaching the defense of black mist, the water dragons bit down upon the ghost king's massive body in unison. "Roar... Roar..." Furious roars sounded incessantly. Anyone could clearly hear the rage and terror within them. ... On Yaoyue Island, Luo Chen's brow furrowed slightly. "Senior?" Inside the side hall, Han Zhan gave a wry smile. "Apologies, this is the limit of what I can accomplish for now. It is not that I haven't tried my best, but truly, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice! Without the aid of ten thousand souls, this Ten Thousand Soul Banner is utterly unworthy of its name. Deprived of the ghostly qi of ten thousand souls to replenish it, that ghost king may have been peerlessly mighty upon its entrance, but its brilliance was bound to be fleeting." He was telling the truth. This Ten Thousand Soul Banner had already been overtaxed when Yan Nantian fought Luo Chen earlier. First drained by the Blazing Fire Miasma, it was later bombarded by Landslide and the detonation of the nine suns. The low-level souls serving as its foundational composition had been thoroughly exhausted. That Han Zhan could drive it to this extent and halt an enemy at the sixth layer of Golden Core on the perimeter of the Flying Swallow Archipelago was already his utmost effort. Yet, was this truly the full extent of Han Zhan's current power? Luo Chen was somewhat unsatisfied, yet also quite satisfied! "Very well, Senior may take your rest. Leave the rest to me." Han Zhan paused in surprise. "You finished refining your pills?" Luo Chen smiled faintly. Reaching out with a beckoning gesture, ten streaks of flowing light flew out from the pill cauldron. Every single one was as crimson as agate, their medicinal aroma resembling rare delicacies. Supreme-grade True Flame Pills, brought to complete perfection! In the side hall, upon seeing this, shock flashed across Han Zhan's eyes. Luo Chen stowed away the supreme-grade True Flame Pills, then dispelled the formation restrictions and floated up into the air from Yaoyue Island. Through spiritual eyes, across a distance of a thousand li, he looked from afar at the scene of a thousand flood dragons devouring the ghost. "I didn't easily obtain a Ten Thousand Soul Banner just to let it be wasted like this, even if it is damaged," he murmured to himself, then leaped forward. Roaring magic power began to burn. His entire figure transformed into a meteor, flying toward the outer perimeter of the Flying Swallow Archipelago. Wherever he passed, flames surged to the sky. And a wisp of green flame had already entwined itself around his palm without anyone noticing. A distance of a thousand li was crossed in mere moments. When Wu Qi snapped his head up, Luo Chen had already raised his right palm. "Fellow Daoist's methods are remarkable. Why not take a move from me as well?" Before his words finished echoing, his right palm pressed down with a thunderous roar. *Buzz...* As his right palm pressed down, the green flame blazed violently, and magic power surged wildly. In the void, a gigantic handprint spanning hundreds of zhang in length and width suddenly materialized, every fingerprint upon it distinctly visible. The coiling green flames seemed capable of incinerating everything in existence. It was none other than Luo Chen's pride and joy: the Qingyang Great Handprint! Wu Qi's face changed drastically. With no time for words, the small banner before him expanded against the wind, a droplet of deep blue light flying out, while his hands thrust violently upward toward the sky. In the next moment, a terrifying wave transformed into a colossal wall, soaring into the sky from the ocean behind him. As the deep blue light merged into it, the colossal wall appeared even more immense and solid. The azure great palm paid it no heed, pressing down in a single blow. When the two made contact, heaven and earth resounded with a single deafening blast. BOOM! A terrifying force turned into a gale sweeping across the eight directions, snapping the vegetation on the various islands and forcing the cultivators to bow low. Scalding steam of intense heat dripped onto the earth like molten lava; anyone touched by it cried out in agony. As for the two combatants at the center of the clash, neither was having an easy time. Under that horrifying recoil, Luo Chen was knocked back hundreds of paces against his will, staggering midair. Wu Qi himself was forced back into the ocean beneath the backwash of the waves. "So this is a cultivator at the sixth layer of Golden Core?" "Indeed, even within the mid Golden Core stage, the difference between the fourth layer and the sixth layer is like heaven and earth!" Once Luo Chen steadied his footing, a flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes. *Swish!* The Profound Fire Sword dropped into his right hand, its tip pointing diagonally down. His left hand formed seals with a single hand, sparks bursting forth. In mere breaths, the sparks swelled, and nine blazing suns hovered behind him. It was also at this moment that a figure rose and fell in the sea, treading on lotus blossoms and trailing through the waves as he surfaced. Seeing Luo Chen arrayed in such a terrifying stance, he couldn't help but swallow hard. "Fellow Daoist, let's talk this out!"