Chapter 478 - 439: Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends

Chapter 478: Chapter 439: Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends

Some eighty to ninety thousand miles south of Chixia.

This stretch of sea was once desolate. For tens of thousands of miles, not a single Spirit Vein could be found, and even mundane islands were few and far between.

A long-standing legend in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World told of a Great Demon that ran rampant in ancient times. Great Divine Power Cultivators descended to suppress it, and the ensuing battle ravaged the area for tens of thousands of miles. Spirit Veins were shattered and the sea ran dry, forging the desolation and deathly silence of this sea region.

Whether the legend is true is impossible to verify, but the fact that this sea region had no Spirit Veins and no islands was plain to see.

But as the chaos of war neared Chixia, a defensive line—the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World’s resistance against the Demon Beast invasion for several years now—was established in this very sea.

The once-desolate land was now even more deathly silent. The sea had turned the color of blood. Swaths of man-made islands were scattered like pieces on a chessboard, forming a colossal Grand Array that enveloped the area.

This defensive line, named the Demon Suppression Islands, lived up to expectations, blocking the Beast Tide that had already swept through nearly half the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World from reaching Chixia.

But a Demon Beast invasion was clearly different from a war within the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

The vast majority of Demon Beasts were driven entirely by High Tier Demon Beasts; it was impossible to strictly control them the way cultivators were managed in the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

This defensive line could only stop those Demon Beasts with Spiritual Wisdom and a portion of the core Demon Beasts under strict control within the Beast Tide.

After being blocked by the Demon Suppression Islands, most of the various Demon Beasts swept up in the tide simply scattered like birds and beasts, taking root and running rampant in this sea region, becoming a plague that was difficult to eradicate.

As the Flying Boat streaked across the sky, one could look down from it and clearly perceive the chaos in the sea below.

The roles of hunter and prey were constantly shifting at a moment’s notice in this Demon Suppression Sea Area.

The vast sea was a roiling expanse of blood. As the Blood Qi steamed and churned with the Spiritual Qi, the once-azure sky became covered in blood-red storm clouds that would not disperse.

"In the battle back then, right over there, a Soldier Puppet heavily wounded a Tier Four Great Demon, but was ultimately destroyed under the combined assault of two other Tier Four Great Demons..."

Cyan Wood True Master pointed to a patch of sea not far away, his voice slow and tinged with a hint of lingering fear.

Chu Mu looked in the direction Cyan Wood True Master was pointing and asked casually, "Did you participate in that battle back then?"

"Of course."

Cyan Wood True Master nodded. "In that battle, every cultivator in my clan, except for the Qi Cultivation Disciples, was mobilized. Even several clan elders who had been in seclusion for many years came out to slay demons."

"Right in this sea region, we fought a bitter war for nearly a full year. We slew four Tier Four Great Demons, and the number of Tier Three Demon Beasts we killed was at least fifty!"

"As for the Low Tier Demon Beasts, the casualties were innumerable. So many years have passed, yet most of this endless blood-red color is still a remnant from back then..."

Cyan Wood True Master spoke with great confidence, his words laced with an unconcealable pride, as if it was a great honor.

Chu Mu asked, "If the Profound Serpent Race suffered such heavy losses in that battle, why haven’t they retreated?"

"Although that battle heavily wounded the invading Demon Beasts, it was far from enough to damage the foundation of the Profound Serpent Race."

Cyan Wood True Master gazed toward the islands, his worry palpable. "In this Endless Vast Sea, every large Demon Beast Race can actually be seen as its own Cultivation Immortal Realm, or perhaps, a Demon Cultivation Realm."

"Compared to the Cultivation Immortal Realm, the relationships between Demon Beast Races, the hierarchy of master and subordinate, are often much stricter and more brutal."

"Take the Profound Serpent Race, for example. In the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, most cultivators probably think the Profound Serpent Race is just that—a single race of Profound Snakes."

"But the truth is, the Profound Serpent Race rules over a Demon Cultivation Realm of its own, with countless other Demon Beast Races, large and small, beneath it."

"For the Demon Beast Races led by Demons that have undergone Spirit Awakening, it’s a strict master-vassal relationship, much like how the countless powers of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World are subordinate to my clan."

"As for the races without any Demons that have undergone Spirit Awakening, they are often treated as nothing more than slaves!"

"This time, with the Profound Serpent Race’s invasion of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, the Beast Tides they stir up are often centered around these enslaved Demon Beast Races, which then sweep up the countless other Demon Beasts of the Endless Vast Sea..."

At this, Cyan Wood True Master couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

"Invasions like this have actually happened often in the past, on both large and small scales. However, they were usually initiated by the major Demon Beast Races themselves."

"After all, the Vast Sea is seemingly endless, and the Demon Beasts are just as innumerable. After eons of reproduction, they are bound to reach their limits."

"At that point, it’s either the major Demon Beast Races slaughtering each other, or they invade the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World..."

"Much of the time, we cultivators can only take the hits passively. If we counterattack too aggressively, it often leads to the other Demon Beast Races of the Vast Sea uniting against us..."

"That boundary line between the Inner and Outer Seas, you could say, is the tacit understanding reached with the surrounding major Demon Beast Races after countless ancestors from my clan fought and died against Demons to establish our foothold in the Southern Border for tens of thousands of years..."

Chu Mu frowned and asked, "So you’re saying that even if we manage to repel the Profound Serpent Race this time, we still can’t..."

"Correct."

Cyan Wood True Master nodded. "The Outer Sea can be developed, but not with a large-scale mobilization. We can only maintain a few outposts of limited use, just like before."

"If we cross that line, what we’ll have to face will likely be more than just the Profound Serpent Race..."

Chu Mu seemed to hesitate. "In the seas surrounding the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, the only ones that count as major Demon Beast Races are the Profound Serpent Race and the Flood Dragon Race, right?"

"North of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, there’s the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, the Southwest Countries, the Xingluo Grassland..."

"If one day the Vast Sea Demon Beast Races were to launch a full-scale invasion and our Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World couldn’t hold them back, the other major cultivation immortal realms probably wouldn’t just sit by and watch, would they?"

Chu Mu paused, his expression suddenly turning a little strange.

’If it really came to that, the chances of them just sitting by and watching were indeed slim.’

’Even the civil war in Great Chu would likely be put on hold to jointly resist the Demon Beasts.’

’But if I recall correctly, this chaos in the Vast Sea... was the Longevity Sect’s doing behind the scenes.’

’And to ensure the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World wasn’t chaotic enough, that Sword Dao Nascent Soul even came to the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World again personally. Heaven knows what he’s secretly plotting now, or how big a storm he’ll stir up... ’

’However, the possibility of the Vast Sea Demon Beast Races banding together to invade the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World seemed small. One might even say it was completely impossible!’

’The Profound Serpent Race’s invasion of the Vast Sea was merely a grudge between races. And for the countless Demon Beast Races of the Endless Vast Sea, the continued existence of a Human World Demon Country clearly had far more pros than cons.’

’Judging by the Longevity Sect’s current attitude toward the Vast Sea Chen Family, it was likely that in the eyes of the Longevity Sect’s top figures, they had long stopped viewing the Vast Sea Chen Family as a power of the Cultivation Immortal Realm.’

’If the Longevity Sect ever completely suppressed the Righteous Alliance and unified Great Chu, their next target would probably be this Human World Demon Country, the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.’

"We’re here."

Just as his thoughts were racing, Cyan Wood True Master’s voice broke the silence. The smoothly flying Flying Boat suddenly shuddered. An almost turbulent scanning wave washed over it, unabashedly sweeping through the vessel several times, inside and out, before finally dissipating.

At the same time, the Flying Boat entered the protection of the Demon Suppression Islands’ Array Prohibition. Only then did the full view of the Demon Suppression Islands finally reveal itself to Chu Mu.

The islands were laid out like a chessboard. Amidst their scattered formation, a clear pattern in their distribution was visible. Wisps of fluctuations from artificially relocated Spirit Veins and Earth Veins could be seen crisscrossing and flashing between the islands.

"Using the islands as the Array..."

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise on his face.

Man-made islands, situated according to the positions of the Grand Array, with relocated Spirit Veins and channeled Earth Veins connecting the scattered islands via the terrain.

The final result was a Grand Array that was almost semi-natural.

With just a few glances, the general principles and structure of this Array had already flashed through Chu Mu’s mind.

There are many types of Arrays, and the combinations and arrangements of Array Prohibition Inscriptions, not to mention the methods of Array Formation, are innumerable.

It is extremely difficult to distinguish which are superior and which are inferior.

But there is one point that is almost universally acknowledged as optimal in the Array Dao.

That is, the more natural an Array is—or rather, the more an Array originates from the heavens and earth, returning to its source and approaching the nature of the world—the greater its Mighty Power and the more profound its wonders will be!

Therefore, City Defense Arrays, or any Grand Array meant to guard or suppress a region, are often built relying on the natural terrain of Earth Veins, Spirit Veins, and other such creations of the world.

This Grand Array before him was even more thorough.

Everything was man-made, yet in the end, the artificial had been transformed into the natural.

The Array Master who laid out this Array was clearly a master whose Skill Nears the Dao. To be able to transform the artificial into the natural like this, and to support the layout of such a massive Array...

’There was no doubt. There could only be one possibility: in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, there was a Nascent Soul Realm Array Master!’

"This Array was laid out by a Nascent Soul senior of my clan who follows the Array Dao. The repair of the Ancient Soldier Puppet this time is also being presided over by this senior."

Cyan Wood True Master looked somewhat envious. "For this repair of the Ancient Soldier Puppet, if you can achieve a breakthrough in the restoration, you might even encounter a great opportunity..."

"Then I’ll hope your good words come true."

Chu Mu chuckled, appearing relaxed, but a shadow of gloom flashed through his eyes.

"This senior of my clan is somewhat similar to you. He was once a Great Chu Cultivator, but later refined a Flood Dragon Bloodline in our clan’s Dragon Transformation Pool..."

Cyan Wood True Master carefully reminded Chu Mu of the relevant matters, clearly placing great importance on recommending him for the repair of the Ancient Soldier Puppet.

Chu Mu remained mostly silent, offering only a brief response now and then, his attention largely focused on the Demon Suppression Islands. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

He had learned a few things before coming.

The Demon Suppression Islands consisted of a total of one hundred and eight islands: thirty-six large ones and seventy-two small ones, corresponding to the Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends.

The thirty-six large islands were garrisoned by cultivators from the main Chen Family. It was said that they were also the core of the Grand Array, and to prevent any mishaps, all non-Chen Family Members were strictly forbidden from entering.

The seventy-two small islands were garrisoned by the various powers, large and small, of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

After he achieved Core Formation, during his first meeting with this Cyan Wood True Master, upon learning that he had expanded the True Understanding Pavilion, he was presented with a Summoning Order issued by the Chen Family, recruiting the True Understanding Pavilion to help resist the Demon Beast invasion.

However, he had temporarily refused on the grounds of being in the Initial Core Formation stage.

Despite his refusal, that Summoning Order had still been unquestionably delivered.

He could refuse, but the True Understanding Pavilion could not.

Under his orders, a portion of the True Understanding Pavilion’s cultivators had already been stationed on the Demon Suppression Islands, responsible for defending one of the seventy-two smaller islands, Earth Demon Island, alongside several other powers.

And the island he had arrived at now was one of the thirty-six major islands, Celestial Secret Island. In the past, no cultivator who was not of the Chen Family was permitted to enter, and yet, here he was, setting foot upon it...

...