Chapter 604 - 511: The Destruction of Tingchao Pavilion, Charging Towards Nascent Soul

"How is this possible?!"

"The surrounding void is sealed by a Dimension Anchor! How could he have just vanished into thin air?!"

"It must be a Concealing Illusion Skill! He's definitely still here!"

Aboard the Luofu Immortal Boat, the Nascent Soul True Monarchs from the Jade Void Sword Sect all wore looks of utter disbelief!

They couldn't imagine how Su Ye had managed to teleport away under the seal of the Dimension Anchor!

"It's not… it's not a Concealing Illusion Skill… He really escaped!"

"This is impossible!"

The Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Jade Void Sword Sect searched the area around the Spirit Vein Valley meticulously several times, but still came up empty-handed!

They could only grudgingly admit that this aggressive siege had been a complete failure!

'How… how on earth did he escape?'

'Could it be… the special ability of his Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect… But even for a Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect, there must be a limit to the number of these extraordinary abilities, right?'

Hu Guang was stunned.

As an elder of the Jade Void Sword Sect, he was worldly and well-informed, with a deep understanding of the Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect.

Those who possess a Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect have authoritative abilities that defy common sense, but they usually specialize in only one!

Previously, Su Ye had demonstrated the power of Divine Enchantment, surpassing the limits of the Deceitful God Skill to forcibly brainwash a Golden Core cultivator from the Jade Void Sword Sect into his die-hard loyalist.

Therefore, the Jade Void Sword Sect believed his Dharma Aspect's special ability was to corrupt and create minions.

However.

At this very moment.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Su Ye had vanished into thin air!

A second Dharma Aspect ability: an authoritative Escape Technique!

'He possesses two authoritative abilities…'

'Just how many methods does the True Method Golden Core he refined contain?'

'And… where did he go when he used that Escape Technique?'

Hu Guang's expression grew grim as an ominous premonition surfaced in his heart.

Suddenly.

His expression changed. 'Could it be…?'

...

「Meanwhile, at the gates of Tingchao Pavilion.」

BOOM!

The roaring Blood Flame Engine spewed out streams of scorching plasma fire and a deafening roar!

The towering, pitch-black Ghostly Flood Dragon, covered in heavy exoskeletal armor, descended upon the area like a floating mountain!

As another fifth-rank spirit ship, the Ghostly Flood Dragon felt far more tyrannical, savage, and imposing than the Taixu Luofu Immortal Boat. It was like an undisputed emperor, its majesty extending over the four seas, holding dominion over the heavens.

"The Ghostly Flood Dragon…"

"Yehai… that demon lord… He's attacking our sect?"

Within the gates of Tingchao Pavilion, numerous cultivators looked up, their faces filled with shock and terror!

Su Ye's fearsome reputation had recently spread far and wide, shaking the entire sea region. To low-level cultivators like them, he was nothing less than a titan of the Demon Dao!

At that moment.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The cannons of the Ghostly Flood Dragon roared, pounding Tingchao Pavilion's Array!

Blood Flame Bombs blotted out the sky, resembling a meteor shower!

Listening to the ceaseless cannon fire and feeling the sect's Mountain Protection Array teetering on the brink of collapse, chaos erupted within the gates of Tingchao Pavilion!

It wasn't just them.

Even the Nascent Soul True Monarch guarding the gate felt his heart pound with uncontrollable dread.

"Luring the tiger from its mountain… Luring the tiger from its mountain!"

Inside a pavilion of carved beams and upturned eaves, an elegant, scholarly man in a green robe—an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator—muttered to himself incessantly.

Right now.

The Master of Tingchao Pavilion and its other Nascent Soul cultivators had all been dispatched by the Jade Void Sword Sect to encircle and kill Su Ye!

He was the only Nascent Soul cultivator left in the sect—and only at the early-stage Nascent Soul Realm—to guard it!

Faced with the duo of Su Ye and the Ghostly Flood Dragon, he was utterly powerless to resist!

"Heh…"

'As I thought, Tingchao Pavilion's headquarters is practically undefended…'

Su Ye's Divine Sense swept across the area, confirming the number of Nascent Soul True Monarchs within Tingchao Pavilion. A self-satisfied smirk touched his lips.

'I've been cautious my entire life. Why would I pin all my hopes on the True Treasure Pavilion?'

Naturally.

I had a backup plan!

'If everything had gone smoothly, I would have followed the original plan and used the Spirit Vein at the True Treasure Pavilion to advance. A happy ending for all!'

'But if something went wrong, I would activate the backup plan: attack the now-defenseless Tingchao Pavilion, whose forces had been drawn away, and use its Spirit Vein to advance instead!'

'After all, all I need is a fifth-rank Spirit Vein to ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm.'

'Whether it's the Spirit Vein from the True Treasure Pavilion or Tingchao Pavilion, they're both the same. It makes no difference!'

Of course.

The logic was simple, but crossing the distance of more than ten sea regions between the True Treasure Pavilion and Tingchao Pavilion's headquarters was a nigh-unsolvable problem.

Even Su Ye would not have been able to pull this off without the historical projection he had arranged in advance within Tingchao Pavilion's waters.

Traversing the netherworld and emerging from a historical projection—yet another miraculous ability of his Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect!

'Of course… a normal Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect probably doesn't have this many special abilities. The reason I can do this is not just because of my Nine-Method Golden Core, but also because I refined a Dao Source and have the boost from my panel's mysterious attribute…'

Su Ye thought to himself.

'Don't ask. If you have to ask, the answer is that I'm cheating. What are you going to do about it?'

Then, his gaze fell upon the gates of Tingchao Pavilion.

'It is one of the nine major sects of the Inner Sea, after all. With its deep foundations and a Nascent Soul True Monarch in charge, it'll be difficult to break through the Array quickly relying on the Ghostly Flood Dragon alone.'

'Therefore…'

"Jiaojiao, lend me your power."

"As you command!"

Jiaojiao's tone was ecstatic. This Little Demon Ship Spirit, who looked small and adorable but was in fact chaotic evil, always grew especially excited when she got to burn, kill, and plunder alongside Su Ye!

VMMMM.

The power of the divine kingdom surged, enveloping his body!

Su Ye took a single step forward. In an instant, the sky changed as daylight turned to blackest night!

A colossal Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect, thousands of feet tall, suddenly materialized. It seemed to have existed since before time immemorial, possessing a thousand hands and a thousand eyes. Writhing tentacles and appendages of flesh and blood seemed to embody a fusion of concepts like the 'Sea Successor Old Gods' and the 'Mysterious Starry Sky' in a form both terrifying and bizarre.

—The Night Patrol Sea Ghostly Appearance!

BANG!

The thousand hands of the Ghostly Floating Dharma Aspect struck out, carrying with them an immense, torrential force. With a tremendous CRASH, Tingchao Pavilion's Mountain Protection Array shattered completely!

It dissolved into a rain of spiritual light that showered the gates of Tingchao Pavilion, causing the faces of countless disciples to twist in absolute terror as they trembled uncontrollably.

"No!"

"The Mountain Protection Array is broken!"

"Run! That's a Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect! Nothing short of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator can stand against it!"

However, their escape was destined to be in vain.

Within Tingchao Pavilion, for any cultivator below the Crystallization Realm who looked directly at Su Ye's Dharma Aspect, a kind of primal madness, like a memetic virus, was implanted directly into their minds.

The minds and even the bodies of these low-level cultivators began to undergo an irreversible, grotesque transformation!

Heads shattered, and octopus-like heads with writhing tentacles, much like a Heart Stealer's, burst forth from headless torsos. Limbs mutated, flesh sloughing off to reveal blade-like appendages. Bodies dissolved, saturated by black shadows, their limbs stretching into long, slender phantoms…

In an instant.

Monsters exhibiting traits of the 'Sea Successor,' the 'Netherworld,' and 'Annihilation' suddenly appeared within the gates of Tingchao Pavilion!

These monsters were all roughly one minor realm stronger than their original forms, and their abilities were bizarre and malicious, making them incredibly difficult for the surviving Tingchao Pavilion cultivators to handle.

What's more.

Even the Crystallization and Golden Core cultivators who managed to protect their minds and avoid being transformed into monsters still suffered an extreme mental burden from looking directly at the Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect. For a time, their combat strength plummeted!

With the cultivators weakened and the monsters strengthened, the gates of Tingchao Pavilion instantly became a hellscape, awash in a storm of blood and gore.

The only way to salvage the situation was for a Nascent Soul cultivator to intervene. But… Tingchao Pavilion now had only one Nascent Soul True Monarch, and he was already in Su Ye's sights!

A dozen or so breaths later.

Tingchao Pavilion's Nascent Soul cultivator fell. He was captured before his Nascent Soul could even escape and was fed directly to the Ghostly Flood Dragon.

Next, Su Ye eliminated the remaining Golden Core cultivators of Tingchao Pavilion one by one, wiping out all resistance. Then, following the trail of Spiritual Qi, he bulldozed his way to the core of Tingchao Pavilion's fifth-rank Spirit Vein!

"Jiaojiao, stand guard for me."

"Kill anyone who approaches without hesitation."

"Yes, Master!"

Jiaojiao immediately replied.

She would execute this command with one hundred and twenty percent enthusiasm!

Su Ye nodded in satisfaction, took a deep breath, and stepped into the core of the Spirit Vein.

"A fifth-rank Spirit Vein!"

"The Nascent Soul Realm!"

"Here I come!"

...