Across the desolate, sprawling island, squad after squad of Qi Refining cultivators came and went, carrying out their patrols.
Suddenly, from the dead center of the island, a pillar of spiritual light soared straight into the sky.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators among the patrol squads looked up.
"Which Master has graced the Quyang Defensive Line with their presence now?"
"The beast tide has subsided for over half a year, and there's hardly any fighting. Why would anyone come to this bitter, frigid wasteland out of the blue?"
Meanwhile, a streak of escape light shot into the massive, pale stone building at the island's center.
Before entering, the figure barked an order to the guards stationed nearby: "Guard the entrance well. Let no idle onlookers inside."
Once the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator below acknowledged the order, he strode directly inside, watching the spiritual glow of the large formation diagram on the stone chamber floor wax, wane, and finally settle into calm.
Four figures emerged before his eyes.
At first glance, his gaze fell upon the elderly man in the center.
"Ah, it is Master Old Angler. Xiao Buhuan offers his greetings."
At the center of the formation's raised platform, the old man stumbled slightly before immediately steadying himself.
Before he could reply, a loud retching sound echoed beside him.
A foul stench rushed straight toward them.
Old Angler frowned, waving his sleeve to disperse the bizarre odor. His gaze dropped to the man collapsed on the ground, vomiting violently.
"It was merely a short-distance teleportation. With the capabilities of our Golden Core peers, how could you be reduced to this?"
Hao Ye barely parted his lips. "I..."
Before he could finish, he heaved again, vomiting a large mouthful of murky liquid.
When cultivators progressed, advancing to Foundation Establishment triggered an active cleansing of their meridians and marrow, driven by the dantian transforming into a sea of spiritual power and washing spiritual energy through every part of the body. With daily cultivation and continuous spiritual nourishment, this marrow-cleansing continued passively. Naturally, impurities and filth in a cultivator's body grew fewer and fewer. Thus, even if a cultivator were to vomit, such a foul stench should never have arisen.
Old Angler looked down in displeasure, his brows instantly knitting together.
Among the filth on the ground, besides the murky water, there were traces of blood; evidently, his internal organs had suffered genuine damage. Not only that, but a faint wisp of demonic qi was wafting upward.
Old Angler's brow twitched. "A pseudo-core cultivator?"
Having his true background exposed, Hao Ye looked unnatural—or rather, his current state was already far from natural.
He wiped his mouth and managed a strained smile. "Pardon my shameful display, my lord. I did indeed advance to the Golden Core stage via the pseudo-core method."
"No wonder!"
Old Angler huffed coldly. He had wondered how any ordinary Golden Core cultivator could end up in such a sorry state from a mere teleportation array. Even if one felt unwell, a little endurance would have carried them through. The other two certainly hadn't...
His gaze swept over the other two.
Duan Li seemed to have anticipated this; the instant he had arrived, he had sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing and stabilize his condition.
As for Qingyangzi, Luo Hai...
"Eh?!"
The red-robed Daoist's complexion was completely normal. Standing tall and unyielding like a pine upon the platform, he showed not the slightest trace of disarray. In fact, his bright eyes were actually filled with bewilderment as he looked around at the others.
Old Angler stared at Luo Chen in astonishment and blurted out, "Qingyangzi, you have quite a sturdy physique!"
What did he mean by "sturdy physique"?
Luo Chen blinked, surprised.
Yet he quickly realized that the old man was referring to his achievements in body refinement.
Luo Chen knitted his brows, recalling the unpleasant sensation during the teleportation just now and the respective reactions of the other three upon arrival. The worst off was Hao Ye, whose viscera had been injured and magic power thrown into disarray, forcing him to vomit murky fluid uncontrollably. The best off was Old Angler, yet even he had momentarily lost control and stumbled.
At that thought, Luo Chen asked hesitantly, "Does the teleportation array in Longyuan not provide teleportation tokens?"
Old Angler gave an awkward smile. "Teleportation arrays equipped with tokens are reserved for long-distance or even super-teleportation arrays. The array in Longyuan is merely for short journeys; a single directional jump covers no more than a hundred thousand li."
*Is that so...*
Luo Chen realized the truth.
Earlier, he had assumed Old Angler carried a teleportation token to shield against the tremendous spatial pressure of the journey. Now that he thought about it, formations like the super-teleportation array on Mount Cangwu were exceedingly rare in the world.
Recalling that journey, he felt privately fortunate. Thank goodness he had possessed a Qingluan Feather back then, protecting him and the puppet hosting Han Zhan as they crossed hundreds of millions of li to reach the distant Northern Sea. Otherwise, even with his body refinement having reached Desolate Ancient Tier 3 at the time, he might not have survived.
Old Angler took another good look at Luo Chen before announcing, "I give you one hour to regulate your breathing and adjust your condition. When the time is up, we set out."
Hao Ye's face was ashen. "Master Old Angler, I..."
Old Angler shot him a displeased glare. "Two hours. Not a moment more."
Though Hao Ye felt aggrieved, he could only accept the outcome. However, recovering from internal injuries within two hours was likely far beyond his abilities!
Meanwhile, Old Angler muttered inwardly that the Demon Hunting Bureau's new rules were still far from sound! They had only thought of distinguishing Golden Core cultivators from Foundation Establishment cultivators, completely overlooking that the Golden Core demographic included individuals like pseudo-core practitioners. They appeared to possess the early Golden Core realm, but their actual capabilities were vastly inferior. When unproven, such people deserved the treatment of a Three-Star Demon Hunter at most; how could they be qualified to jump straight to Four-Star Demon Hunter?
After muttering to himself, Old Angler turned to Luo Chen with a warm smile. "Qingyangzi, allow me to introduce you. This is Fellow Daoist Xiao Buhuan, a Five-Star Demon Hunter currently stationed here on garrison duty along the Quyang Defensive Line. Get to know each other; perhaps you will be able to assist one another down the road."
Luo Chen followed his gesture toward the azure-robed man standing at the doorway. "I am the rogue cultivator Qingyangzi, here to undertake an assessment mission. Forgive the intrusion, Fellow Daoist Xiao."
Xiao Buhuan looked Luo Chen over closely as he introduced himself in turn.
From this interaction alone, it was clear that Old Angler regarded Luo Chen in a very different light. Merely by displaying a slight difference during the teleportation, Luo Chen had instantly separated himself from the other two in Old Angler's estimation.
Among rogue cultivators, seniority and lineage did not hold nearly as much weight as they did in sects or clans, but reality was all the more naked and brutal! All status rested entirely on strength!
An hour later, Duan Li finished regulating his breath. He rose to introduce himself to Xiao Buhuan and inquired about the garrison missions for Demon Hunters—how many years they spanned, the specific duties involved, and the like.
Two hours later, even though Hao Ye had not fully recovered from his injuries, he had no choice under Old Angler's strict command but to leave the stone chamber housing the teleportation array. Once outside, Old Angler had no intention of giving them a sightseeing tour of the island. After glancing at a map, he ordered them to set off.
***
In the sky, four streaks of light swept past, casting swift reflections across the undulating sea.
Old Angler's weathered eyes swept across the surroundings from time to time as his divine sense spread outward, seemingly searching for traces. Yet out of the corner of his eye, he kept tabs on the trio behind him.
*Hao Ye truly is a pseudo-core cultivator. Even though I held my flight speed to an average pace, he struggles to keep up.*
*Duan Li claims to be a rogue cultivator, but he is almost certainly tied to the Duan clan of Huanrui Island that was blasted into the depths a decade ago. His magic power is calm and balanced, and his flying technique is quite solid, proving he has a good foundation and was trained through orthodox family teachings.*
*As for this Luo Chen... his breath is steady and unhurried, his eyes roving as he takes everything in. Not only does he keep pace with ease, but he has ample energy to spare, dividing his attention to observe the surroundings. What's more, he occasionally leaves behind faint threads of magic power as covert markers. Such meticulous caution is certainly not the haughty style of sect disciples; it is through and through the mark of a rogue cultivator.*
While on the journey, Old Angler observed their every move, unknowingly developing a far more accurate appraisal of the three.
In truth, the assessment had already begun the moment they departed Longyuan City!
Luo Chen, who took pride in his exceptional eyesight, naturally sensed the scrutiny directed at him. Recognizing it was Old Angler, he gave away nothing on the surface. Most of his focus remained fixed on the landscape passing below.
The Quyang Defensive Line was one of the three great defensive lines of the Myriad Immortals Association, occupying the second line in the middle. Behind it lay the third line—the Huanyang Defensive Line. Ahead lay the first line—the Liuyang Defensive Line.
Together, these three ocean regions formed a buffer zone between the Myriad Immortals Association and the ruins of the Yuan Demon Sect.
It was said that the Yuan Demon Sect's mountain gate was nestled within the Arctic Yama Heaven. That was one of the Mountain and Sea Realm's rare, insurmountable death traps! Not only did it harbor a Tier 5 spirit vein, but it also backed onto the Sunken Sea—which appeared once every thousand years—and was flanked on either side by Meta-Magnetic Polar Lights that restrained the power of the five elements, making it perilous beyond measure. Even the three oceans serving as the buffer zone possessed intricate, labyrinthine environments, which was why they could serve as fortified lines for the Myriad Immortals Association.
Countless powerful demon beasts, after annihilating the Yuan Demon Sect, had become trapped within the Arctic Yama Heaven. Should any break out and seek to enter human-controlled territory, they had to pass through these three ocean realms first. Those three waters were the Liuyang, Quyang, and Huanyang seas.
Under Luo Chen's observation, although low-tier cultivators patrolled the Quyang Sea's second defensive line aboard warships from time to time, there was virtually no sign of demon beasts. Evidently, the present situation was fairly peaceful.
*I wonder what things are like at the first line, the Liuyang Sea.*
*If I truly become a Demon Hunter, this Quyang Defensive Line would be a fine choice when accepting future garrison duties.*
*In just a short time, I have already spotted several Tier 3 spirit veins.*
Although those Tier 3 spirit veins had been battered and damaged by multiple battles and their spiritual energy concentration was rather sparse, they would still serve admirably for leisure cultivation during garrison rotations.
While Luo Chen was lost in thought, the group's flight path gradually began to veer. At last, they came to a halt over a desolate, misty expanse of open sea.
"This is...?"
Luo Chen surveyed the surroundings. The sky was high, the waters vast, and seabirds cried softly in the distance.
Old Angler examined the surrounding seascape and nodded. "This should be the place."
Hearing Luo Chen's question, he explained, "This area lies at the border between the Liuyang and Quyang seas. Normally, to prevent demon beasts from fishing in troubled waters and slipping through, the cultivators of both defense lines deliberately drew a clear boundary. Not only here, but a similar arrangement exists between the second and third defensive lines as well."
Luo Chen realized. "I see. So that Yuan Demon remnant exploited this loophole to conceal himself here."
"A keen observation, Fellow Daoist," Old Angler chuckled.
Beside them, Duan Li regulated his breath, looked left and right, and frowned in perplexity. "Yet there is no land here, only boundless seawater. Where is this Yuan Demon remnant?"
Old Angler chuckled softly. "How could the methods of a Sacred Land be something you understand? Wait until this old man casts his spell to force him into the open. Then you may strike!"
With a sweep of his broad sleeve, Luo Chen and the other two were gently flung out in three different directions.
Then, beneath the watchful eyes of Luo Chen and the others, he flicked his sleeve again. A black-gold fishing rod appeared in an instant. From the tip of the rod hung a small bell.
With a solemn and reverent expression, Old Angler gave a low shout before the three onlookers:
"Go!"
The next moment, a thin thread shot out from the black-gold fishing rod with a whoosh. The thread was originally quite short, its tip blackened and charred as though burnt halfway through by some flame, leaving only a tiny stub. Yet fueled by the old man's magic power, the thread expanded madly, lengthening to unknown thousands of feet. Finally, gleaming under the sunlight, it plunged straight into the sea.
"Wait a moment," the old man instructed the intensely curious trio in a low voice, then circulated his magic power. Surging power churned within him, his robes billowing without wind until, in an instant, he puffed up like a rotund figure. He concentrated his spirit and steadied his breath, fixing his eyes upon the space before the rod.
Suddenly—
*Clang, clang, clang...*
The bell chimed.
"Caught!"
A flash of delight lit up Old Angler's eyes as he forcefully hoisted the rod.
"Rise!"
In the next instant, across the ten directions of the sea spanning eight hundred li, a cataclysmic roar thundered! Seawater churned and surged as land rose from the abyss. A seemingly ordinary, ruined little island was dragged up from the deep ocean by that frail-looking thread, forcibly "hooked" and hauled to the surface!
Luo Chen couldn't help but stare at the fishing rod, swallowing hard.
*What kind of magic treasure is that? I have never heard of or seen such a thing.*
Earlier, he had observed it closely: the rod resembled a long staff of mid-tier rank. The bell resembled an alarm bell, also mid-tier. Most peculiar of all was the thread: at first, there had been only a broken segment whose tip was charred, as though half-incinerated. Strangest of all, that thread displayed no discernible grade whatsoever!
*Could it be the rumored composite magic treasure?*
When learning weapon crafting, Han Zhan had mentioned some common knowledge. Beyond ordinary magic treasures and exotic magic treasures, there existed composite magic treasures. Such treasures were crafted in separate components forged simultaneously, which could then be combined to produce extraordinary effects. High-tier puppets, in fact, were a form of composite magic treasure, possessing enormous potential. Old Angler's set of treasures appeared to be precisely such a composite magic treasure.
While Luo Chen's attention was drawn to Old Angler's extraordinary methods, Hao Ye and Duan Li were completely captivated by the island that had been hauled up. When the small island first emerged, it looked utterly ordinary, but billowing plumes of black smoke soon surged forth, threatening to shroud the entire isle.
*Whoosh!*
Old Angler reeled in his rod, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and lowered his eyelids. "The mission target is on that island. What comes next is entirely up to you."
"For this mission, I will only observe and will never intervene."
"However, as your escort, I can offer you a piece of advice: strike quickly. Once that black smoke fully engulfs the island, the Ten Directions Shadowless Formation will be in full operation. Once such a formation is completely unleashed, it will not be something you can break through in haste."
At those words, the expressions of all three tightened instantly.
Luo Chen stepped forward from the group and shouted loudly, "In that case, allow me to break the formation first!"
Duan Li and Hao Ye both stared in surprise.
The former couldn't help saying, "Why not attack together? Qingyangzi, do not overexert yourself!"
Hao Ye, on the other hand, called out, "Let us witness your prowess, Fellow Daoist!"
Luo Chen laughed freely, spiritual light swirling in his eyes as he looked straight into the area shrouded by the endless black smoke. At the same time, his hands rapidly formed incantation gestures. His magic power circulated furiously, ultimately coalescing into a single palm. As he raised his right hand high, a colossal palm print faintly materialized in the void above.
Infused with magic power, the palm print became increasingly tangible—even the palm lines and the knuckles of the five fingers were visible down to the finest detail. A terrifying fluctuation of magic power rippled outward relentlessly like rolling tidal waves.
Watching this unfold, Old Angler's eyelids twitched incessantly.
*What kind of spell is this? Its area of coverage is so massive!*
*No, wait—the power of this spell is still accumulating. It has even begun to give me a slight sense of danger.*
Luo Chen's gaze shifted rapidly, seeking the weak points hidden within the layered plumes of black smoke. Through years of cultivation and countless instances of nurturing, this pair of spirit eyes had become one of his foundational pillars. Normally, their might went unnoticed. Yet whether during cultivation, study, or intense combat, they had granted him immense assistance. In particular, they had repeatedly performed wonders when facing formations. As his understanding of arrays deepened, these eyes saw farther and with ever-greater clarity.
All at once, Luo Chen's mind settled.
*The point of breach—found it!*
He fiercely drove his magic power, and the colossal palm print that had been accumulating strength in the sky shuddered violently.
"Go!"
The next moment, as Luo Chen pressed his hand downward, the Qingyang Great Handprint crashed down with a deafening roar!
Upon the ruined island, the ceaselessly churning black smoke seemed to sense the impending doom and accelerated its convergence, desperately trying to withstand this heaven-shaking strike. However, an array hastily assembled and not yet operating at peak capacity possessed only limited power.
The next moment—
*Boom!*
A thunderous roar sent countless ocean waves surging skyward. With a single strike, the great formation shattered and collapsed under the dumbfounded gazes of Hao Ye and Duan Li.
Countless streaks of black light burst from the island, scattering in every direction.
His face flushed, Luo Chen withdrew and stepped back. "Fellow Daoists, my magic power has been temporarily overtaxed. I need a few breaths to recover. What follows is up to your prowess!"
Hao Ye and Duan Li exchanged stunned glances.
They had to admit that the palm strike had been truly terrifying; even if they poured everything into defense, they likely could not have withstood it.
*But how did you exhaust yourself all of a sudden?*
Seeing the black lights bolting away—evidently the person hiding on the island attempting to seize this chance to flee—the two had no time to question Luo Chen. They could only unleash their respective techniques to intercept the scoundrel.
Chapter 597