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In his past life, Su Yi had spent thousands of years researching the Grain Avoidance Realm.
Even just the ancient texts he’d gathered on the subject numbered in the tens of thousands.
He was convinced that even if he searched the entire Wilds and scoured its entire history, no one understood Dao Seeds better than him.
The strongest Dao Seed was originally an insubstantial legend circulating throughout the Nine Provinces of the Wilds.
Rumor had it that some with monstrous aptitude and spirit roots would, upon stepping into the Grain Avoidance Realm, face an utterly terrifying tribulation, as if they’d violated a taboo. Throughout all of history, not one person had ever survived.
Thus, there was a rumor that anyone who managed to survive this tribulation could condense the truly strongest Dao Seed!
This was, of course, mere conjecture.
After all, throughout all of history, no one had ever overcome this tribulation. No one knew whether the so-called “strongest Dao Seed” really existed.
However, Su Yi dared say with certainty that such foundations in the Grand Dao were possible!
This was the answer he’d obtained through Samsara, the cycle of rebirth. He found records of the strongest Dao Seed in the Netherworld.
They stated that this type of Dao Seed was obtained by violating a taboo and fighting for a chance at life, forming a perfect Dao Seed amidst utter destruction. The Dao of Heaven would not tolerate a perfect Dao Seed, so those who attempted to form one were prone to suffering heaven’s wrath!
Su Yi naturally wasn’t afraid of any taboos or tribulations, and he wasn’t the least bit scared of utter destruction or whatever.
He’d reincarnated for the purpose of seeking greater heights of the Dao of the Sword. He naturally couldn’t miss the opportunity to obtain the strongest Dao Seed.
……
Morning of the next day.
The shore of the eastern sea.
The thousand-foot-long Transforming Mountain Tower Ship carried Qin Dongxu’s newly-forged alliance far into the eastern seas.
Su Yi and Hua Xinfeng were on board too.
“Based on the tower ship’s speed, we’ll arrive at the edges of the Sea of Chaotic Spirits in two days,” said Hua Xinfeng.
They were in a private room. Hua Xinfeng sat before the table, her bright eyes examining the decor with great relish. “Oh! If everything goes smoothly, this treasure ship will be ours too.”
Su Yi stood near the window lattice, staring into the distance.
Golden sunlight illuminated the blue waters, like shimmering flecks of gold rising, falling, and dispersing with the waves.
The Transforming Mountain Tower Ship was flying, so their field of view was simply enormous. Off in the distance, they could even see little fishing boats floating on the ocean’s surface, their sails like colorful specks. From time to time, flocks of sea birds flew past with a chorus of sonorous cries.
The moist ocean winds were pleasing to the heart and mind.
“This treasure ship isn’t all that special. It can carry you around, but it’s big and defenseless, and it draws too much attention. It’s far too obvious a target for the spirit beasts lurking beneath the waves,” said Su Yi.
He breathed in the ocean winds, then took a sip of wine.
“Uh, Young Lord, if you don’t like it, you can give it to me!” laughed Hua Xinfeng.
“Sure, whatever,” said Su Yi. As he spoke, he turned and sat at the table, then took out a stack of blank jade slips and started refining them.
“Young Lord, what kind of talismans are you making?” asked Hua Xinfeng curiously.
“Based on what you told me, the Immortals’ Sword House was once an Imperial Level Orthodoxy. In that case, its ruins undoubtedly hide countless mechanisms and killing formations. Never mind the Origin Dao cultivators on board this ship; even advanced cultivators of the Spirit Dao would face numerous potentially fatal threats if they tried to search for good fortune within the ruins.”
Hua Xinfeng was instantly solemn. “That geezer, Qin Dongxu, has a secret map. If we’re traveling with them, we ought to be able to avoid much of the danger.”
Su Yi laughed dryly and shook his head. “Setting aside the question of whether or not the map is even legitimate, even if it’s real, it won’t be that useful. After all, countless years have passed. Who’d dare say with certainty that the ruins haven't changed in the interim?”
He paused, then glanced at Hua Xinfeng and said, “Besides, it’s just a map. It might help us recognize and avoid peril, but the second we do encounter danger, how many of us will be able to escape?”
In his past life, Su Yi had traveled throughout the Wilds, venturing into countless danger zones. His experience was so ample that these experts of the mundane world weren’t even remotely comparable.
A solemn look appeared on Hua Xinfeng’s face. “So, you’re saying that you’re refining talismans in preparation for our search for good fortune?”
“That’s right.” Su Yi nodded.
Of the talismans he was refining, some were substitution talismans that could block calamity on the user’s behalf. There were also breath-holding talismans that could hide one’s presence and danger-detecting talismans that responded to energy fluctuations…
There were more than ten types in total.
He had no other choice; if he wanted to explore the ruins of what could well be an Imperial-level faction with his current cultivation and strength, he had to make ample preparations first.
At the peak of his past life, he wouldn’t have needed to go to all this trouble. All he needed was himself and his sword, and he could just kill his way inside.
“Young Lord, could you share some of those talismans with me?” Hua Xinfeng’s beautiful eyes looked directly at Su Yi, shining with anticipating.
“Just stick close to me,” said Su Yi, a direct refusal.
The jade talismans looked easy to refine to an outsider, but in truth, the process drained an immense amount of mental energy. Furthermore, the blank jade slips were all tier-five spirit jade; each was extremely valuable.
Su Yi barely had enough for himself. How could he possibly give any to Hua Xinfeng?
“Oh~~” Hua Xinfeng couldn’t disguise her disappointment. In the past, whenever she wanted something, all she had to do was say the word and those around her would jump at the opportunity to give it to her.
This guy’s temperament sure won’t make any girls happy… Hua Xinfeng complained to herself.
Meanwhile—
A grand hall on the highest floor of the Transforming Mountain Tower Ship.
Qin Dongxu, Gu Qingdu, You Changkong, Clarifying Truth, and Nie Xingkong gathered together for a secret discussion.
“I received clear intelligence yesterday. Although numerous experts are headed into the Sea of Chaotic Spirits in search of good fortune, only one faction is truly worth taking seriously,” said Qin Dongxu.
His features were youthful, but his hair had long since gone gray. He stroked his beard as he continued, “It’s a faction of heretical cultivators under the leadership of Tong Xinghai, the sect master of the Deathbringer’s Gate. He’s gathered around a dozen ‘valiant heroes’ of the heretical path.
“I don’t know of them all, but the ones I do know include the old yao of Soulblood Mountain, the Sky Serpent, Nine Fiends River’s Water Monarch Blue Shark, and Goldflame Ridge’s Old Demon Golden Corpse.
“Each is crueler and more treacherous than the one before. Take Old Yao Sky Serpent; fifty years ago, he underwent a shocking tribulation and broke through, becoming an Origin Palace cultivator.
“Water Monarch Blue Shark and Old Demon Golden Corpse are famous too. The former has mastered the art of controlling water, while the latter is proficient in numerous terrifying and insidious curses.
“Now, they and several others have joined forces with the Deathbringer’s Gate. We absolutely cannot overlook such a lineup.”
When they heard this, the others in attendance looked grim. There was no doubt about it; if they proceeded into the ruins of the Immortals’ Sword House in search of good fortune, it was highly likely that they’d encounter this pack of old devils.
“Them aside, we have to be on guard against the Possessed.” Qin Dongxu’s eyes flashed. “News of the ruins’ sudden emergence caused an enormous disturbance. If I’m not mistaken, it’s highly likely that the Possessed lurking within the Great Qin, Wei, and Zhou will participate too.”
“Regardless of their cultivation, we cannot afford to underestimate the Possessed. As I’m sure you’re well aware, any otherworld cultivator capable of entering the Azure Continent is a Spirit Dao cultivator at the very least. Although only a wisp of their soul can pass through the spatial barriers, they have no shortage of secret arts and methods at their disposal.”
The Possessed!
Those at this meeting stood at the pinnacle of mundane cultivators. This term naturally wasn’t unfamiliar to them.
“Brother Qin, do you have a list of suspected Possessed?” asked High Elder You Changkong of the You Family.
Qin Dongxu shook his head. “That bunch is just too good at hiding themselves. Unless they reveal themselves of their own accord, they’re almost impossible to discover.”
When they heard this, the others nodded.
The scariest thing about the Possessed was how mysterious their identities were. Even cultivators like them couldn’t recognize the possessed with their bare eyes and divine sense alone.
“It’s even possible that there are Possessed on board this very ship,” said Clarifying Truth, the elder of Shanglin Temple’s scripture repository. He was thin and brittle as kindling, and his hair and beard were entirely white.
When they heard this, the others’ expressions shifted.
“Brother Clarifying Truth, don’t tell me you’ve discovered something?” asked Qin Dongxu.
“Those siblings from the Great Xia are extremely suspicious,” said Clarifying Truth, his expression tranquil and his voice raspy. “Based on what you told us, they carry the command token of the Pomegranate Flame Monarch’s second disciple, Lu Yun. However, numerous questions about their origins remain unanswered.”
The group’s eyes flashed.
“I suspect the same thing. Their arrival was too great a coincidence. Furthermore, we have no way of verifying their connection to the Pomegranate Flame Monarch,” said Gu Qingdu Gravely. “It’s possible that they harbor ill intentions. We must take precautions, just in case.”
Qin Dongxu’s expression filled with uncertainty.
After a while, his eyes flashed with cold light. “That’s easily arranged. On the road ahead, we’ll have no shortage of opportunities to test them. If there are truly problems with their backgrounds, we can simply eliminate them! Whatever we do, we cannot let them affect this operation!”
……
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Two days later.
Off in the distance, the surface of the ocean turned eerie and terrifying.
Dense layers of black thunderclouds blotted out the skies, blocking out the sun. From time to time, low thunder reverberated throughout the clouds with flashes of unearthly blood-red lightning. The ocean churned, seemingly infuriated, its waters turbulent.
Even the air between the ocean and the skies was violent and chaotic, dark and overcast. It was so oppressive that just being here felt suffocating.
Reaching these waters meant they’d reached the periphery of the Sea of Chaotic Spirits!
The Tranforming Mountain Tower Ship’s flight speed slowed as they proceeded with renewed caution.
In this stretch of ocean, waves sometimes rose into the sky, and from time to time, windstorms towered into the air, sweeping across the water’s surface. They could easily rip a vessel like the Transforming Mountain Tower Ship to shreds.
Su Yi stood near the railing, gazing at the distant, almost apocalyptic scenery. Despite himself, a hint of solemn light flashed in the depths of his gaze.
The Sea of Chaotic Spirits was turbulent to the extreme, and it manifested scenes of destruction and collapse!
“A long time ago, a devastating calamity must have descended upon these waters, destroying the natural order of heaven and earth. After countless years, that devastation became the scene of chaos and destruction I’m seeing today…” Su Yi muttered to himself, his robes billowing in the ocean winds.