The boundless expanse of the sea stretched without end.
Demon soldiers from both sides were deployed, clashing in melee combat, turning the skies and the waters alike into a dense, dark swarm.
The vast expanse of sea had become a battlefield for two armies. Cries of slaughter shook the heavens, though unlike the human civil wars Qin Sang had experienced, these consisted mostly of all kinds of bizarre roars and howls, sounding exceedingly chaotic.
Gradually, crimson seawater spread outward from the battlefield, staining the surrounding area into a sea of blood.
Most conspicuous was a colossal whale at the heart of the battlefield.
Great Sage Dragon Whale had manifested his demon form directly. Setting aside his profound cultivation, the oppressive presence exerted by his immense dragon whale body alone was something no demon beast could match.
The other dragon whales pulled the sacred bone, following behind him; compared to him, they looked like ninety-nine young calves.
Worthy of being the foremost demon sage of the Eastern Sea—even with the iron cage shut and without tapping into the sacred bone, Great Sage Dragon Whale rampaged through the battlefield on his own strength alone, without rival, extraordinarily ferocious.
No Great Sage had yet shown themselves on the side of the Saint King Palace.
Those low-tier demon beasts could not even get near Great Sage Dragon Whale's true body; merely touching the surges whipped up by his passage was enough to sweep them aside in vast swaths.
The surging waves carried strange fluctuations, conjured by Great Sage Dragon Whale's divine ability. Anyone lacking sufficient strength who suffered the impact cried out in agony as their tendons snapped and bones fractured.
Yet despite being subjected to such reckless rampages from Great Sage Dragon Whale, the forces of the Saint King Palace remarkably managed to maintain their formation without descending into chaos.
Qin Sang took no part in the battle, remaining adrift outside the fray. Spreading his divine consciousness, he monitored the shifts in qi across the battlefield, his gaze looking past the awe-inspiring Great Sage Dragon Whale toward the demon soldiers of the Saint King Palace.
It was impossible to see the Saint King Palace's demon army in its entirety with the naked eye alone—not because the demon soldiers were truly boundless, but because they were obscured by a dark-yellow spiritual light.
The dark-yellow light shrouded the airspace above the Saint King Palace's demon army, thinning toward the periphery. Where they clashed hand-to-hand with the rebel army, it looked as though a thin yellow mist hung over the ranks.
Qin Sang raised his head, gazing toward the point where the dark-yellow light was densest, and faintly made out the phantom of a magnificent palace.
"Saint King Palace..."
Qin Sang silently murmured the three words.
Barring any surprise, that palace phantom ought to be the Saint King Palace that shook the Eastern Sea demon race, but what he was looking at was not the genuine Saint King Palace.
Qin Sang had already given the Ligou Bead—obtained from the relics of the Witch Clan Deity Transformation cultivator—to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to refine. Applying the spirit-command secret arts from the Panhu True Scripture, he achieved unity between human and insect; though the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's cultivation had not yet reached the fifth metamorphosis, it could unleash divine abilities approaching the fifth-metamorphosis realm.
The Heavenly Eye divine ability possessed the power to see through illusions.
Naturally, Qin Sang could tell that this was not a real palace, but an anomaly conjured by the operation of some spiritual array's power. It was precisely by relying on this array that the Saint King Palace's demon army withstood the onslaught of Great Sage Dragon Whale.
One could see the dark-yellow glow surging and ebbing like tides across the battlefield, and the momentum of the Saint King Palace's side rose and fell with it. Each time it swelled, rings of yellow light burst forth from the demon soldiers as if cladding them in armor, skillfully neutralizing danger in a highly orderly fashion.
"This array..."
Qin Sang narrowed his eyes, frowning in thought.
The phantom of the Saint King Palace manifesting here indicated that the Saint King Palace was not far away. Qin Sang suspected that this dark-yellow glow originated from the Saint King Palace's Palace-Guarding Immortal Array!
Yet after observing for a while, Qin Sang could not shake the feeling that something was amiss.
According to Great Sage Dragon Whale, the Saint King Palace possessed a Palace-Guarding Immortal Array, obtained by the Azure Fox Saint King from some unknown place. Some of its array banners were ancient immortal banners of formidable might.
When hunting ferocious beasts, the Azure Fox Saint King had originally intended to deploy those ancient immortal banners.
Only after acquiring the Five Elements Crown—which possessed the Great Five Elements Absolute Divine Light and the Buddhist Demon-Subduing Grand Array, both better suited for trapping enemies—did she set the idea aside. Otherwise, Qin Sang would have witnessed the power of the Palace-Guarding Immortal Array long ago.
The array currently wielded by the Saint King Palace was certainly very potent as well, but in Qin Sang's eyes, it fell somewhat short of its reputation.
"Could it be that because the Azure Fox Saint King is not personally presiding over the array, the immortal array lacks sufficient power... or did I guess wrongly?"
Unless the Saint King Palace was deliberately setting up a deceptive front to lure the enemy deep into a trap, concealing some underlying conspiracy, these signs were already enough for Qin Sang to draw a conclusion.
Qin Sang recalled the nautical chart Great Sage Dragon Whale had given him.
The chart showed that crossing this battlefield would lead directly into the core territory of the Saint King Palace's sphere of influence. The reason the rebel forces could corner the Saint King Palace's demon army here was, first, their own sound planning, and second, the enemy no longer had much room to retreat.
Places designated as sacred grounds by the demon race were few and far between in the entire Eastern Sea.
This maritime region had earned the Azure Fox Saint King's favor because there were as many as three sacred grounds nearby, including the paramount sacred ground known as the Eastern Sea Sea Eye, which held monumental significance for the demon race.
Ever since the Azure Fox Saint King seized it, the various clans had almost forgotten what the Eastern Sea Sea Eye looked like.
With the various armies on the verge of fighting to the gates of the Saint King Palace, if the palace had the ability to project the spiritual array here to bolster their momentum, they would surely prioritize their strongest immortal array.
Leaving the Palace-Guarding Immortal Array unused;
The Azure Fox Saint King tarrying without showing herself;
Qin Sang concealed his traces, surveying the battlefield again and again. That premonition grew stronger and stronger: the Azure Fox Saint King had not merely departed the Eastern Sea, but had taken the Palace-Guarding Immortal Array with her!
Abandoning her foundation, sweeping away the treasures, acting with such finality—where else could she have gone?
A pungent stench of blood hung around the nose.
The battlefield grew increasingly chaotic.
Qin Sang swept his gaze across the area and saw armies charging into the battle from both the left and right flanks. Seeing Great Sage Dragon Whale fighting with great momentum while the Azure Fox Saint King remained absent, the allied forces that had previously hesitated and lingered finally surged in to attack.
Of course, having stalled for so long, they no longer had any excuse to delay further.
With fresh reinforcements joining the fray, Great Sage Dragon Whale received powerful support, his momentum surging grandly. The prolonged cry of the dragon whale rang out clearly, shaking the heavens like a dragon's roar.
Qin Sang could not help but sigh in admiration: what a magnificent, peerless demon!
As the allied armies converged and surrounded them from multiple flanks, the pressure on the Saint King Palace's demon army more than doubled. Even relying on the spiritual array, they could not withstand the elites of the various clans and began to retreat.
However, the closer they drew to the Saint King Palace, the stronger the array's enhancement became. For the allied forces to achieve total victory would not be accomplished overnight.
Qin Sang still made no move, keeping his eyes fixed on the phantom of the Saint King Palace, his gaze flickering as he attempted to discern something from it.
Great Sage Dragon Whale, however, was growing impatient.
Judging by the current situation, with the Saint King Palace army leaning on their grand array, even if the coalition triumphed, the Dragon Whale clan leading the assault would inevitably suffer grievous losses. And if they dragged this out too long, the sacred grounds would be stripped bare, taking a very long time to recover.
Yet without seeing the Azure Fox Saint King, he was reluctant to reveal his trump card.
Before the battle, Qin Sang had promised to help them break the array, yet he had not acted for the longest time.
Amidst the fierce slaughter, Great Sage Dragon Whale kept exchanging voice transmissions with Qin Sang, until he finally could not help but ask, "Can True Monarch see any flaws in the enemy array?"
"Contact the other commanders and act on my orders!"
Qin Sang issued his command in a deep voice.
While searching for the Azure Fox Saint King, he had not neglected to analyze the array's disposition.
Whether a spiritual array was profound or not yielded entirely different conclusions depending on the cultivator's realm.
A Deity Transformation cultivator could achieve an initial resonance with heaven and earth, and with the aid of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability, the array naturally was not without flaws in Qin Sang's eyes.
Facing a spiritual array of this caliber, Qin Sang did not even need to probe deeply into whether the source of its power lay in the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, or something else.
There was no need to labor over complex deductions; by sensing the flow of the array's qi and striking at the points where it stagnated or ran sluggishly, he found the finest method to dismantle it.
Qin Sang issued his orders bluntly, and rather than taking offense, Great Sage Dragon Whale rejoiced. He immediately transmitted messages to the commanders of the various armies, acting as the nexus to coordinate the entire host.
"Zhen position!"
The next instant, the shout reached his ears.
Great Sage Dragon Whale violently struck the sea, passing the command down simultaneously. He surged out of the water amidst waves a thousand zhang high; under the terrified gazes of countless demon beasts, the gigantic whale swung his tail, and his gaping maw spewed a water arrow.
Calling it a water arrow was an understatement—it was thicker than a pillar of water.
The massive water arrow flew swift as lightning across more than half the battlefield, striking straight toward the coordinates indicated by Qin Sang.
At the same time, receiving the command, top experts from the armies struck in close coordination. The commander situated at that bearing did not hesitate, rallying his subordinates to unleash a synchronized volley of demon arts.
For a time, thunderous booms echoed through the Zhen position.
The dragon whale's water arrow, phantoms of great demons, and the baleful might of the demon soldiers—astonishingly powerful attacks converged at once.
Additional demon arts rained down upon the battle array like a torrential downpour.
Boom!
Though they had not targeted the core of the dark-yellow light, the phantom of the Saint King Palace abruptly shook. The halos enveloping the bodies of the Saint King Palace demon soldiers stationed at the Zhen position trembled violently as well.
Cries of alarm arose, followed by screams of agony. Nearly half the demon soldiers had their protective rings shatter under the impact; facing the terrifying barrage, massive casualties broke out on the spot.
From that single strike, the Saint King Palace faction instantly perceived that something was wrong.
An ominous premonition welled up within the demon kings concealed inside the formation, and they hurriedly contacted the central command to inquire about what had occurred.
Within the Saint King Palace, Great Sage Baixiao and the other demons presiding over the array wore solemn expressions, laced with utter bewilderment.
Though this array was not the original Palace-Guarding Immortal Array, it was still a powerful protective grand array they had painstakingly refined. Even if it was no match for the united coalition of the clans, holding out for a period would have posed no problem whatsoever.
Once the spiritual treasures of the sacred ground matured, they would plunder the sacred ground and depart at their leisure.
Never did they expect that their flaws would be seen through in the very first clash.
Although factors like projecting power from a distance contributed to the sluggish operation, it still set their hearts pounding with unease.
Had one of the clans produced another grandmaster of formations?
Could it be a coincidence...?
No sooner had the thought crossed Great Sage Baixiao's mind than he felt the palace shudder once more—this time, it was the demon soldiers in the Qian position who suffered disaster.
It was no coincidence!
Upon the battlefield, following Qin Sang's commands, the coalition scored victory after victory. Great Sage Dragon Whale was overjoyed, letting out prolonged cries again and again, which fell upon the ears of the Saint King Palace's demon army like a death knell.
Commands kept coming one after another.
Qin Sang's tone was calm and his directives succinct, never exceeding five words. Yet from beginning to end, he remained hovering on the periphery of the battlefield, not striking a single blow himself.
Great Sage Dragon Whale merely assumed Qin Sang was focusing entirely on dismantling the array and could not be distracted; he paid it no mind, for these pointers alone were more than enough.
Without needing to intervene in person, Qin Sang could sway the course of the battle.
Gazing at the phantom of the Saint King Palace, his orders continued.
"Qian..."
Just as he uttered the word, Qin Sang was surprised to see Great Sage Dragon Whale abandon his forward charge and suddenly pull back into the pod of whales.
The ninety-nine dragon whales seemed to have received some order. They surfaced one after another, the vitality and blood across their bodies surging wildly. They let out a unified cry that shook the world. Dense, crimson blood-qi surged along the chains toward the iron cage.
The iron cage was dyed crimson, and countless bizarre runes erupted from the iron bars, mirroring the sea of blood beneath.
Clack!
One side of the iron cage suddenly swung open—the side directly facing the sacred bone.
The next moment, the song of a whale emanated from within the iron cage.
The sound was low and deep, far lacking the overt majesty of Great Sage Dragon Whale, yet every demon soldier on the battlefield could hear it with distinct clarity, feeling an inexplicable dread and panic wash over them.
Qin Sang was stirred as well. Turning his eyes over, he immediately noticed an anomaly within the eye sockets of the bloody bone, and then saw the skull open its jaws like a living creature.
Clack, clack...
Within the sacred bone's maw, a sphere of water had accumulated at some unknown moment.
Constrained by the size of the skull, the sphere of water was not large, yet it felt as profound as an endless ocean.
Whoosh!
A torrent of water shot forth with the momentum of a rushing river. Its form shifted incessantly, until it transformed in midair into a colossal whale!
This colossal whale was formed entirely of water and appeared lifelike. While it belonged to the cetacean species, its build was sleeker than Great Sage Dragon Whale's, yet it was several times more massive. With a maw full of vicious fangs, it exuded a terrifying ferocity that struck dread into all who beheld it.
Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the colossal whale lash its tail with tremendous force, tracing a full-moon arc across the void. Boundless waves manifested out of thin air, yet also seemed to stem from the power within the whale's own body.
Under countless terrified gazes, the massive tail brought crushing waves crashing down with supreme might!
Boom!
Colossal waves surged into the sky, sweeping up endless blood and butchered corpses.
To the naked eye, centered upon the giant tail, the sea surface sank an entire layer downward. Demon soldiers were crushed into meat paste; the roaring waves tore violently, throwing the Saint King Palace's battle array into utter chaos.
The power of a single strike from the sacred bone was formidable to such an extent!
"This sacred bone was obtained when an ancestor of my clan guarded the edge of the Eastern Sea's Guixu alone for three hundred years, hunting down by himself a wild whale that had strayed near the edge. He dragged it back to Zhongzhou and nourished it with our clan's essence and blood, refining it into a sacred bone..."
Qin Sang heard the voice transmission and saw that Great Sage Dragon Whale had returned to the side of the iron cage at some point, straining to shut the cage door.
Within the cage, the sacred bone trembled as if on the verge of reviving.
In the sea, the ninety-nine dragon whales had grown weak and languid, retreating beneath the surface to recuperate.
Hearing this, Qin Sang smiled. Was Great Sage Dragon Whale showcasing the Dragon Whale clan's power to him?
He had to admit that this sacred bone was indeed ferocious.
And this was merely a portion of its might unleashed through consuming vitality and blood. If it were truly as Great Sage Dragon Whale had said, where a dragon whale reversed its blood and self-detonated to awaken the wild whale, it would truly be a force not to be underestimated.
With the sacred relic unleashed, its feat glorious, paired with Qin Sang's guidance, the Saint King Palace's defeat was now a foregone conclusion.
At this moment, however, Qin Sang vanished without a trace.
The slaughter continued.
The Saint King Palace retreated again and again, utterly unlike before, having lost all their spirit. Great Sage Baixiao and the other demons were both alarmed and infuriated, yet even relying on the Saint King Palace's grand array, they could no longer organize an effective counterattack.
By this time, Great Sage Dragon Whale had also assumed human form, leading his troops in pursuit.
With the awe inspired by breaking the array earlier, the various clans were thoroughly convinced and deferential.
At some point, several figures appeared beside him, including the man crowned with an imperial crown, all of them commanders of the various armies.
The allied forces merged into one, pursuing hot on the enemy's heels with unstoppable momentum.
The imperial-crowned man lightly fanned his jade fan, looking over the battlefield with a slight frown. "The enemy has lost their courage entirely. We ought to press our advantage and annihilate them in one stroke. Why has the Great Sage ordered a slowing of the attack at this moment? Are you not afraid of squandering an opportunity?"
Great Sage Dragon Whale claimed it was for safety's sake, but sighed inwardly.
This order had not come from him; it was the will of that Daoist.
He knew full well that he was a chess piece in the Daoist's hands—though he did not mind.
The Daoist was orchestrating this civil war among the demons, aiming straight for the Azure Fox Saint King. Slowing the offensive now was meant to give the remnants of the Saint King Palace a chance to call for help, leaving time for the Azure Fox Saint King to come to their rescue.
...
Beyond the battlefield.
A man clad in armor flew at low profile, his figure flickering in and out of sight at tremendous speed.
Suddenly, he heard someone speak from behind him.
"Fellow Daoist, please stay."
Chapter 1716