Somewhere in the Eastern Sea.
The tranquil sea surface underwent a strange distortion here, sinking inward for reasons unknown. The waters plunged downward on all sides, forming a circular abyss.
Yet at the center of the abyss, a current welled up unceasingly like a gushing spring, bubbling and surging until its crest rose even higher than the surrounding sea.
Reflected by the sunlight, images of a verdant forest continuously flickered within the seawater, as if a dry, waterless realm lay deep within the pit, half-real and half-illusion.
Such a wondrous place was renowned among the demons of the Eastern Sea as a sacred ground, known as the Water Ripple Sacred Ground.
The entrance to the Water Ripple Sacred Ground was that very plume of water at the center. By leaping down from its peak, one could enter the interior of the sacred ground directly if unimpeded.
Ever since the Water Ripple Sacred Ground was discovered, its internal yield of exceedingly precious treasures meant it had never lacked a master—though its master changed frequently.
Naturally, it did not lack restrictions and guards either.
Currently, the master of the Water Ripple Sacred Ground was the Azure Fox Saint King, and the guards were all demon soldiers from the Saint King Palace.
Just as the shimmering light outside suggested, the interior of the Water Ripple Sacred Ground was an expansive land covered in dense forests. Standing among the trees and looking up, one would see an azure dome formed of seawater; it could well be regarded as an island sunken beneath the ocean.
The forest was lush and dense.
No man-made structures could be found within, nor was there any sign of people. The guards remained strictly at the periphery of the woods, not daring to cross the boundary by a single step.
Strangely, whether it was day or night in the outside world, a pale blue light continuously filtered down without shifting in brightness.
Suddenly, bright light flared in the waterway.
The guards summoned their weapons in quick succession, expressions solemn and murderous, before watching a round silver scale drift inside.
The commander was a Transformation stage great demon. Raising a webbed hand, he caught the scale. A white radiance welled from his palm and enveloped it. After a moment, his expression softened, and he waved an arm behind him, personally parting the waterway.
*Hua-la-la...*
The waters parted to both sides.
A figure darted inside—a handsome young man, though layers of scales grew along his neck, and his exposed hands were similarly covered in fine scales.
The youth was clearly well acquainted with the commander, and they nodded to each other in greeting.
Reading the question in the young man's eyes, the commander nodded and sent a voice transmission: "Both Great Sage Zishen and Great Sage Baixiao are in the sacred ground. Go pay your respects."
The youth seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Cupping his hands, he hurried off.
To his surprise, before he could enter the forest, an authoritative shout rang out from within: "Why such haste?"
The youth skidded to a halt at the edge of the forest, bowed from afar, and held up an object in both hands with a grave tone. "Reporting to the Great Sages, an urgent secret dispatch has arrived!"
In his palms, a speck of red light drifted, shifting unpredictably between the form of a red fish and a scroll.
*Whoosh!*
The red light flew into the forest on its own accord.
The youth remained frozen in place, not daring to make an unbidden move.
Within the forest, two figures sat cross-legged on either side of a pool.
If Qin Sang were here, he would have recognized both at a glance as acquaintances with whom he had clashed.
One was the green-furred rat demon who had once disguised himself as the green-armored man and infiltrated the Six Prefectures Hall's treasure exchange, revered among the demons as Great Sage Zishen.
The other was the master of Baiming Mountain, Great Sage Baixiao.
Both demons were prominent generals under the Azure Fox Saint King. Now, though strife raged across the outside world, the two remained stationed beside this pool, seemingly waiting for something within to emerge.
Great Sage Zishen no longer wore the armor that concealed his demonic qi. Instead, he had donned a suit of heavy armor—pitch-black, densely patterned, and visibly fashioned from bone.
Staring at the pool, he pinched his fingers to calculate. "Once this Water Ripple Essence matures and I claim half, I will have enough of what I need. It won't matter if we yield the Water Ripple Sacred Ground after that."
Water Ripple Crystals were the most precious treasure of the Water Ripple Sacred Ground, offering tremendous aid to demonic cultivation. Yet to this day, the demons of the Eastern Sea had never uncovered the origin of these crystals; they were produced solely in this sacred ground.
"It's a rare blessing that those fellows haven't come to contest it. Combined with the Saint King's prior rewards, I have gathered nearly enough as well," Great Sage Baixiao chuckled.
Back then, he had let Fire Demon slip away and failed to fulfill the Saint King's command, leaving him perpetually uneasy for fear that the Azure Fox Saint King would vent her wrath upon him.
Only in recent years had he recovered his good cheer.
Great Sage Zishen snorted coldly. "That Black Lion fellow set his sights on Lihan Stream! The Lishui Bright Sand it yields is worth even more than Water Ripple Crystals!"
"With the situation deteriorated to this point, there is no need to dwell on minor details. Before those great clans see through the true state of the Saint King Palace, hoarding as many treasures as possible is the only thing that matters. Once these blessed lands fall back into their hands, it won't be so easy for the two of us to snatch food from the tiger's jaws..."
As Great Sage Baixiao spoke, he glanced aside. The red fish flew through the dense forest and landed in his palm.
Great Sage Zishen restrained himself slightly and stopped arguing.
Beneath Great Sage Baixiao were demon kings of Baiming Mountain at his beck and call; though not comparable to those major clans, it was still a considerable faction. Meanwhile, having lost his two right-hand brothers, Zishen was now worse off than Baixiao.
Since the other felt this way, he could not afford to be overly arrogant either.
Looking at Baixiao across from him, he was surprised to see his brow deeply furrowed after reading the secret dispatch.
"What happened?" Zishen pressed.
"Unusual movements among the rebels..." A strange expression crossed Baixiao's face as he tossed the red fish to Zishen.
This secret dispatch had been sent by a spy planted in the Dragon Whale clan. Planting a mole there was extraordinarily difficult, and only intelligence of the utmost reliability and importance would warrant risking exposure to transmit outside.
After reading the dispatch, Zishen's expression changed as well.
"They dare launch a full-scale assault so soon? Has that Dragon Whale gone mad?!"
Wars in the cultivation world were rarely settled swiftly, often dragging on for centuries or even millennia.
Although Great Sage Dragon Whale had long harbored rebellious ambitions, things were technically still in the probing stage. While the other clans leaned toward Dragon Whale in their hearts, most sat on the fence out of dread for the Azure Fox Saint King.
The demons of the Saint King Palace knew this well, patiently playing along while secretly plundering every resource in sight.
Yet, unexpectedly, an upheaval had arisen!
When things deviated so far from the norm, something abnormal was surely at play!
Great Sage Baixiao mused, "That old monster Dragon Whale is shrewd and cunning. Perhaps he possesses some secret means and has already uncovered something. Otherwise, no matter how arrogant Dragon Whale may be, the calculating old fogies of the other clans would never gamble everything on one throw. The Saint King eradicated the entire Water Monkey clan back then—her lingering dread still remains!"
"Send word to Black Lion to prepare immediately. If the clans are moving, signs will surely appear soon. Regardless, until the Water Ripple Crystals mature, we must not show weakness..."
Great Sage Zishen rose and paced beside the pool, then suddenly asked, "Do you think the Saint King is still in this realm? Who knows what treasures she claimed from Wuwang Hall and the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, or whether that old monk slandered us into her ear, causing her to resolve to ascend in under a century."
"The Saint King has always been a woman of her word. Don't you know her temperament by now? Not long after hunting the ferocious beast, she washed her hands of mundane affairs. I sent subordinates to Ganlu Zen Monastery several times to deliver messages, but there was never any reply. Since she explicitly told us to fend for ourselves, she won't lift a finger even if the Saint King Palace is razed to the ground."
Great Sage Baixiao shook his head, holding out no hope whatsoever.
In truth, many powerful experts and factions had rallied under the Azure Fox Saint King over the years. Even without her presence, the Saint King Palace remained a top-tier power in the Eastern Sea.
However, she had always acted on whim, having killed and pillaged members of every major demon clan.
Once stripped of a Deity Transformation powerhouse, the clans of the Eastern Sea would surely stop at nothing to annihilate the Saint King Palace.
Two fists could not withstand four hands, not to mention the Dragon Whale clan led the opposition. Not a single demon king was willing to be buried alongside the Saint King Palace; as soon as chaos surfaced, they had begun plotting their own exits.
The two demons conferred for a while longer, left trusted subordinates to guard the Water Ripple Sacred Ground, and went their separate ways.
...
Ever since Qin Sang appeared, peace had deserted the Eastern Sea.
A series of fierce battles broke out among the demons of the Eastern Sea. Great Sage Dragon Whale held the absolute upper hand, while the Saint King Palace suffered defeat after defeat, retreating step by step and losing every shred of its former prestige.
Across the vast waters.
Beneath the surface, tens of millions of dartfish chased the ocean currents. Seen from above, they resembled a colossal beast swimming under the waves.
These were common fish in the Eastern Sea and rarely drew attention.
Amidst the shoal, a dartfish indistinguishable from the rest was swept along with its kind. Yet its eyes held a cleverness absent in the others, tinged with a hint of anxiety. Not daring to make any conspicuous moves, it obediently swam alongside the school.
A thousand li behind the school.
A dark cloud accompanied by demonic winds shattered the calm of the sea, bearing down in an overwhelming sweep.
Only upon closer inspection could one see that the dark cloud was comprised of demon beasts—shrimp soldiers, crab generals, fish and turtle captains, along with all manner of bizarre monsters. Though a motley crew, their battle formation was remarkably orderly.
Most striking among them was a herd of winged beasts shaped like pegasi, their bodies pure white. Robust and agile, their aura stood in stark contrast to the disordered throng of demons. They belonged to the Four-Winged Divine Steeds, a renowned clan in the Eastern Sea.
Aboard a flying carriage sat two white-robed middle-aged men with nearly identical features.
"Eldest Brother, why didn't you have our boys capture that scout?" the man in the lower seat asked with a frown.
The other held a jade fan and wore an imperial crown. Hearing this, he smiled. "Let him return and deliver the report. That way, they will know our Divine Steed clan was merely coerced by Dragon Whale and is deliberately slowing our pace."
His brother realized at once. "Eldest Brother wants that fellow Dragon Whale to test the Saint King Palace's depth first?"
"Exactly," the crowned man said, gently waving his jade fan. "Our clans have mobilized together, advancing in five columns, and have already trapped the Saint King Palace's army here. If the Azure Fox Saint King still does not show herself, their army will be annihilated, and the Saint King Palace will fall. Whether the Saint King is present or not hinges entirely on this battle!"
His brother nodded. "I didn't expect that Dragon Whale would resolve to employ his clan's sacred bone at such tremendous cost! If the Azure Fox Saint King truly ascended, our victory in this battle is guaranteed. Even if she intervenes, Dragon Whale can contend with her using the sacred bone, giving us enough time to retreat to our ancestral lands. It's just..."
He hesitated briefly, a guarded look flickering in his eyes. "The Azure Fox Saint King has an erratic temperament. Once, merely because the Water Monkey clan failed to supply enough spiritual wine, she slaughtered their entire race..."
Before he could finish, the crowned man cut in, "Back then, we did not understand her temperament, nor were our clans united to advance and retreat together. She exploited our divisions. Now, the clans have suffered relentless bullying from the Saint King Palace and were stripped of their right to share treasures from the sacred grounds. Nursing deep resentment, we have long suffered under the palace! Were it not so, how could Dragon Whale have rallied so many followers with a single call? When the time comes, united as one, leaning on one another and backed by our ancestral lands, why should we fear her vengeance? At worst, we endure humiliation a bit longer—could she possibly linger in this realm forever?"
His brother nodded. "Eldest Brother speaks truth. Even if we must fall back, seizing the treasures in the sacred grounds makes taking up arms worthwhile."
As they spoke, the demon horde crossed vast expanses of sea.
Reports from all quarters converged as they advanced.
With the passage of time, the delight on their faces grew deeper and deeper.
The swiftest column under Great Sage Dragon Whale had nearly caught up with the enemy, while the Saint King Palace army continued to contract, shrinking from a fight to the death. Nothing suggested the presence of a Saint King.
Of course, it could also be a ploy to lure the enemy in deep.
But Dragon Whale was the one taking the brunt at the front; what did it have to do with them?
...
Though no dark clouds hung in the sky and the sun sat high above, this stretch of sea was stiflingly gloomy, filled with an aura of death and slaughter.
*Rumble...*
Furious surges rose from the sea.
Hurricanes swept across heaven and earth, and demonic qi soared to the sky.
Great Sage Dragon Whale stood atop the back of a whale shark, muscles corded along his arms. His right hand clutched a chain connected at the other end to an iron cage.
The black cloth draped over the cage had been pulled back, revealing a bloody bone. Intense blood-red light shone with striking clarity across the battlefield, radiating terrifying malevolence.
Ninety-nine dragon whales swayed around him, their vital blood roiling like beasts made of gore. They let out mournful roars, ready at any moment to detonate their physical bodies and offer themselves to the sacred bone.
Great Sage Dragon Whale glared forward with wide eyes.
He could already see the rear guard of the Saint King Palace army. According to the plan, the encirclement and slaughter would begin in the time it took an incense stick to burn.
Backed by the Saint King Palace, the enemy army was not to be underestimated even without a Saint King at the helm; the Dragon Whale clan alone could never hope to wipe them out.
However, messages from the other columns indicated that, aside from his direct confidants, every other army had slowed their march under one pretext or another.
Dragon Whale sneered. Naturally, he knew what those fellows were scheming.
Yet his confidence to wage this decisive battle stemmed not from these allies, but from a single person!
Dragon Whale glanced slightly to the side, looking at the figure standing upon the back of a dragon whale beside him.
Just moments ago, this person had not been there, appearing out of nowhere.
Dressed in Daoist robes, he possessed an otherworldly aura, standing with hands clasped behind his back in utter contrast to the battlefield. He stood less than a zhang behind Dragon Whale.
Yet across the entire army, not a single demon king had noticed his presence except Dragon Whale.
Even Dragon Whale had only sensed him through the sacred bone once he drew close.
Though Dragon Whale had deliberately left a passage for him within the demon battle array, such ghostlike elusiveness still gave him a jolt of secret terror. He thought to himself that after acting with wanton abandon for all these years, that vixen had finally kicked an iron plate.
"Does True Monarch have any guidance?" Great Sage Dragon Whale lowered his head slightly and asked softly.
Qin Sang withdrew his gaze and replied, "Pindao has surveyed the surrounding area in secret and sensed no trace of the Azure Fox Saint King's aura. Fellow Daoist may hunt down the Saint King Palace's army with an easy mind. Pindao will assist you in breaking their battle array."
"If the Azure Fox Saint King shows herself on the battlefield, how certain is True Monarch of slaying her?"
Great Sage Dragon Whale possessed an enormous appetite; if he had to pay a grievous price to activate their sacred relic, merely seizing the Saint King Palace would never satisfy him.
Qin Sang shook his head without further comment. His gaze flickered, and his figure vanished in an instant.
With Great Sage Dragon Whale drawing attention from every side, Qin Sang had slipped into the shadows to investigate. All signs suggested that the Azure Fox Saint King was likely no longer here—at the very least, absent from the Eastern Sea.
It was precisely through this demon civil war that he intended to verify his suspicion. Best of all would be to overturn the Saint King Palace and plunder her treasure vault.
Chapter 1715