Xiuxian: Start with the medicine boy

next moment!
Without the slightest hesitation, Sha Minghong gently twisted his wrist...

A small, exquisite black millstone, about the size of a palm, slowly floated above his palm, exuding an ancient and desolate aura of destruction.

Then, he raised his hand and waved it gently.

A dazzling streak of crimson light shot out instantly, tearing through the void.

boom!
A deafening explosion resounded through the void.

A terrifying ring of air currents emanated from the center of the stream of light and spread wildly outwards.

Wherever it passed, space itself was distorted.

What comes into view...
Unbeknownst to anyone, a large, ancient millstone, about ten feet in size, was quietly suspended in the void not far away.

On the plate, thousands of ferocious demon gods are meticulously carved in micro-carving, each one lifelike and exuding a terrifying destructive pressure.

Upon seeing this.

With a slight thought, Sha Minghong caused the infernal millstone, which was about ten feet in size, to expand rapidly once again, its volume increasing wildly.

It only stopped changing slowly when it expanded to a size of a thousand feet, resembling a floating mountain.

From afar, the gigantic millstone, thousands of feet tall, stretched across the void, resembling a small floating island.
It blotted out the sky and its power was overwhelming.

Sha Minghong nodded in satisfaction, his eyes cold.

Then.

He walked in mid-air, taking a single step...

A series of densely packed afterimages flashed through the void.

The speed is extremely fast.

look again.

Sha Minghong stood firmly on the surface of the giant millstone, his posture upright, like a demon god who ruled over all worlds.

Immediately.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, his hands moving rapidly in front of his chest, forming a series of mysterious and obscure ancient hand seals.

The invisible laws and rhythms, following the changes in the hand seals, continuously spread in all directions, drawing upon the boundless power of heaven and earth.

soon.

This ever-spreading, invisible rhythm seemed to pierce through the barriers of the void, stirring up unknown and terrifying forces deep within the forbidden sea.

next moment.

Beneath the void, the endless crimson ocean suddenly boiled, unleashing terrifying waves tens of thousands of feet high.
Blood-red waves blotted out the sky and the sun.
It seemed as if it would completely engulf the entire sky.

And as time goes by, little by little...

Sha Minghong, sitting cross-legged atop the Great Millstone of Purgatory and Annihilation, continued to change the hand seals in his hands, which became increasingly profound.

The entire Forbidden Sea churned and roared violently, with ceaseless, raging crimson waves everywhere.
On the sea, giant waves surged to the sky, their roar shaking the heavens.

this moment,
The entire sea of ​​blood resembled an enraged ancient beast, radiating boundless fury.

Just then.

A detached and cold shout slowly emanated from the giant millstone atop the thousand-foot-tall structure high in the sky, resounding throughout the heavens and earth.

"Return of the spirits to the Dharma, gather!"

As Shark Minghong unleashed the final hand seal, the hand gesture came to a standstill.

Boom!

Boom! Boom!!

The surging crimson waves, like billions of raging crimson dragons, rose into the sky with earth-shattering power, frantically converging towards the suspended Purgatory World-Destroying Millstone.

at the same time···
At this moment, the thousands of demon god reliefs on the surface of the Purgatory Annihilation Millstone simultaneously erupted with a dazzling and profound crimson light.
Runes flowed, and the aura surged.

In an instant, the violent and destructive aura within the towering crimson pillar of waves completely dissipated, becoming utterly docile.

Like docile sheep, they were all frantically devoured and absorbed by the thousand-foot-tall infernal millstone of destruction.

As Shark Minghong sat cross-legged atop the giant millstone, an extremely dense crimson light slowly emerged around him, enveloping his entire body.

The power of the laws within his body was visibly increasing and rising rapidly.
His cultivation level rose steadily.

Not long after.

Sha Minghong's cultivation aura was about to break through to the early stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, and his aura was becoming increasingly profound.

The blood-red ocean, where the sea and sky merge into one, is also undergoing subtle changes in the blink of an eye.

If you look closely, you can clearly see that the blood-red color of the entire ocean is fading little by little at an imperceptible speed.

As time goes by...
The changes in the Forbidden Sea became increasingly apparent; the crimson color faded, and the violent aura gradually subsided.

that's it.

As time goes by, fifteen years have quietly passed in the blink of an eye.

Fifteen years later!

What was once a forbidden sea, a blinding crimson expanse brimming with bloodlust, is now nearly identical in color to the True Dragon Sea of ​​the outside world.

The only difference is that a faint smell of blood still lingers in the air of the Forbidden Sea.

However, compared to fifteen years ago, it has faded to the extreme.
If you don't consciously focus on smelling it, you can easily overlook this subtle difference.

This day.

An aura of extreme terror suddenly swept across the heavens and earth.

The entire vast and boundless Forbidden Sea was completely enveloped by this terrifying aura that was capable of crushing everything.

Then,

A mighty voice, as powerful as the heavens, echoed across the entire Forbidden Sea.
Its sound resounded through the heavens and shook the very soul.

"Today is the day I re-enter the Void Refinement Realm!"

"break!"

A sharp shout rang out.

The terrifying aura permeating the Forbidden Sea surged once again at an unbelievable speed, breaking through layer after layer of barriers.

soon.

This terrifying aura completely surpassed the limits of the Nascent Soul Realm, intruding into that unknown realm that belonged only to the Void Refinement Realm.

Its might has lasted for eternity, and it has awe-inspiring power over all the heavens.

Simultaneously.

The luminous barrier at the edge of the Forbidden Sea, which had risen for billions of years and protected this world, was overwhelmed by the frenzied impact of this terrifying aura...
Its surface revealed countless ancient patterns never seen before, and it looked like it was about to collapse.

boom!
Boom! Boom!
This moment.

The entire forbidden sea was engulfed in endless, world-ending waves, the surface of the sea boiled violently, and the heavens and earth trembled.

And the countless marine creatures living in the forbidden sea, whether they are spirit fish that inhabit the shallow waters?

Or is it a giant beast lurking in the deep sea?

Or perhaps they are humble creatures huddled in trenches and crevices...

Under the suppression of this terrifying aura that swept across the heavens and the earth and penetrated everywhere, they all instantly died, their souls and spirits annihilated, without exception.

This caused the forbidden sea, which had just lost its blood-red hue, to be stained with blood again.
However, the Forbidden Sea no longer possessed the same eerie, corrosive power as before.

same.

The Forbidden Sea has undergone numerous calamities, and the number of creatures in the sea has dwindled from countless to dwindling, and now they are completely extinct.

The vast ocean was devoid of any living marine life, leaving only a desolate expanse of water.

However, this is only temporary.

Before long, following the cycle of heaven and earth...
Even in the forbidden sea, new life will still be born.

The trajectory of life is sometimes so wondrous and tenacious.

at the same time···
Above the Forbidden Sea, above the Great Millstone of Purgatory suspended in the void.

Sha Minghong, whose body was filled with an aura of suppressing eternity and terrifying power, suddenly withdrew his pressure like a tidal wave.

At that very moment,

The terrifying aura that permeated the endless sea also vanished completely, without a trace.

It was as if the earth-shattering scene before was nothing more than an illusion.

suddenly.

Sha Minghong, who was sitting cross-legged on the giant millstone, slowly opened his eyes.

He carefully sensed the surging, vast power of the laws within his body, then coldly glanced at the ocean below, which had lost its blood color and become dark and deep.

His face showed no joy at breaking through to a higher realm; instead, his eyes revealed a complex and unfathomable expression.

There are regrets, dissatisfaction, and a touch of helplessness.

"really……"

Sha Minghong muttered to himself, his voice tinged with regret.
"The contingency plans left over from back then have been worn down by the endless years, and their effectiveness has greatly diminished."

"Otherwise, with my unparalleled foundation at my peak, let alone raising my cultivation level directly to the peak of the Void Refining Realm?"

Even going a step further and breaking through to a higher realm is not impossible!

of course.

The cultivation level he spoke of was not the realm of laws, but the power of laws that is the extension of the origin of laws through the fusion of magical power and the essence of laws.

Then, Sha Minghong glanced indifferently at the surrounding world, slowly withdrew his gaze, and gently raised his hand to make a gesture.

The massive, thousand-foot-tall millstone of purgatory beneath his feet suddenly shrank, transforming into a streak of light that vanished in a flash, disappearing into his sleeve.

Immediately.

Standing in the void, Shark Minghong moved his feet slightly, and his figure instantly tore through the void and disappeared.

Only a nearly lifeless, boundless expanse of sky and earth remains, quietly fading into the passage of time.

On the other side!
Ten thousand miles away from Zhenhai City lies the vast and boundless ocean, with its surging waves.

This sea area is shrouded in mist year-round, and occasionally, wondrous marine phenomena appear in the mist.
It resembled a phantom of a fairyland, yet harbored a sinister aura.
Ordinary cultivators dare not venture too deep.

Right here, where mist and raging waves intertwine...

An unnamed island sits all alone.

Like a forgotten pawn, it floats quietly on the vast blue waves.

This island is extremely small, no more than a mile in circumference, and is an irregular oval shape.

The island was covered with sparse, withered, dark vegetation, and even the most common spiritual herbs were hard to find.

There was not a trace of human presence or cooking smoke.
It was so desolate it was chilling.

Even more bizarrely...

The island's spiritual energy was extremely thin, almost indistinguishable from ordinary places, yet it was permeated with a faint smell of the sea and a sense of decay, let alone cultivators.
Even ordinary fishermen would never dock their boats here.

Looking across the entire endless sea, there are countless small islands like these, as ordinary and unremarkable as the sands of the Ganges.

They are either hidden in the mist or exposed on the crest of the wave, all lacking in vitality and desolate, left to be washed away by the ebb and flow of the tide, unnoticed by anyone.

Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator were to unleash their divine sense and sweep across the island in a sweeping, overwhelming manner, they would only perceive the extreme desolation and sparse spiritual energy, and would not detect the slightest abnormality.
They would simply categorize it as one of the countless abandoned islands and forget about it in an instant.

This seemingly ordinary, unremarkable island lies thousands of feet below the surface...
But it quietly hides a magnificent and secret underground palace.

The palace was not built against the mountain, but rather carved through the rock layers with tremendous effort. It was reinforced with thick black iron and spirit jade, isolating it from all external influences and prying eyes.
Even if the island undergoes drastic changes, it will hardly affect the palace in the slightest.

At this moment, inside the underground palace, the light was dim, with only the faint glow of the blue luminous pearls embedded in the walls illuminating the entire palace in an eerie and solemn light.

On both sides of the palace, rows of ancient stone thrones are neatly arranged.
The throne was carved from black rock, with obscure and difficult-to-understand runes engraved on it, and the back of the chair was carved with the phantom of a ferocious beast.

What comes into view...
All of these stone thrones were occupied.

On each throne sat a mysterious figure whose face was veiled.

They were either clad in black robes, their bodies shrouded in a thick black aura;
Or they wear bizarrely shaped masks that cover their entire face, leaving only a pair of unfathomable eyes.

Or they wear heavy hoods, revealing only a pair of eyes that gleam with a cold light;
Even more extreme, their faces were completely covered by a hazy aura, and as the aura shifted, no outline could be seen. Only the aura emanating from their bodies inspired awe.

Although their true faces cannot be seen clearly, their differences can still be distinguished by their body shapes.

He had a tall and straight figure, like a sword drawn from its sheath, and exuded a sinister aura.
There was a short, hunched figure, huddled on the throne, yet exuding a strange and sinister aura;

He was tall and strong, sitting upright like a small mountain, exuding a powerful aura of blood and qi.

Some are slender and graceful, seemingly delicate, yet harbor deadly intent.

Each figure exuded an aura of detachment and indifference, keeping strangers at bay; their auras were obscure and unpredictable, completely concealed.
Only the occasional glimpse of their aura could reveal that these people were no ordinary individuals...

They are all giants in the cultivation world.

The only strange thing is...
This underground palace appears simple, with rough stone walls and no other decorations besides a stone base and a luminous pearl.

It even exudes a faint sense of antiquity and decay.

However, the protective array surrounding the palace was extraordinary and could be described as exquisite.

The palace walls were enveloped in a faint, almost transparent curtain of light.
Above the light screen...
Countless tiny runes drifted endlessly like starlight.
As the runes flickered, they emitted faint yet pure spiritual energy fluctuations, sometimes converging and sometimes dispersing, forming strange patterns that flowed slowly.

These runes are obscure and difficult to understand, containing the mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and are incomparable to ordinary formations.
Just looking at these wandering runes is enough to make one's mind tremble.

This light screen is the protective array of this underground palace.

Even with the palace's protective array operating at full power, it maintained its aura perfectly, without leaking even a trace of it.
But merely from the endless runes that wander within the light screen on the palace walls,

Judging from the spiritual energy fluctuations contained within the runes, it's easy to determine...

The grade of this grand formation is definitely no lower than the fourth rank.

It should be noted that fourth-order formations are extremely rare in the cultivation world, possessing immense power and capable of withstanding the full force of attacks from a group of Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Even among fourth-order formations, this grand formation is considered top-tier.
It was by no means something that an ordinary sect could have set up.

It must have required unimaginable human and material resources. (End of Chapter)