Born with immortal seed

Chapter 652 Chongminghai

On Chilong Island, the gate of the Fish Dragon Sect has been rebuilt.

For hundreds of years, Youlongmen has been a place of great importance, truly treating it as the foundation for future generations.

The founder of the sect was originally just a rogue cultivator who had reached the Core Formation stage in the outer sea. He became famous far and wide for his water refining technique and later became a guest elder of the Fish-Dragon Sect.

Bribed by Xingxiu Hai, he secretly inserted a barrier-breaking talisman into the array node at a crucial moment.

This caused the fourth-order formation of the Fish-Dragon Sect to tremble violently, revealing a flaw. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for the demon race to invade Chilong Island.

After all, that operation was merely a personal act by the Dragon Lord; not even all of the Starry Sea forces were mobilized.

The matter of the sacred beast's blood essence must be kept absolutely secret; it's impossible for it to be made public so that everyone knows.

Without giving a legitimate reason, the Dragon Lord at that time was not qualified to summon the monster horde to attack Chilong Island as the Lord of Xingxiu Sea.

He mainly relied on his personal prestige to gather many powerful demons and their servant beasts to participate in the battle.

Because of his betrayal and faithlessness, that person received the Dragon Lord's greatest reward afterward: the direct bestowal of Chilong Island, a major sect of the Nascent Soul stage.

Otherwise, even if a mere Core Formation cultivator worked hard for ten lifetimes, he would never have been able to accumulate this foundation.

Bai Youyi used the Fish-Dragon Sect's name to seize the spiritual vein, causing quite a stir among the pioneering army.

Everyone was asking around about the background of this sect, wondering why it was so arrogant.

The Fish-Dragon Sect was quite famous along the coast. Even though it had only been destroyed a few hundred years ago, many people still remembered its name.

Upon seeing the edicts from the Moral Sect and the Sword Lord of Time, they learned about the past and realized that the Fish-Dragon Sect had been used as a benchmark.

Tell all cultivators that even if you are defeated and ruined in the great war against the demon race, the human race's leaders will still remember your past relationship and push you back to the top.

In fact, to honor the achievement of the previous Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Fish-Dragon Sect in slaying a fourth-tier nine-headed Xuan Turtle before his death, the Moral Sect made an exception and allowed the Fish-Dragon Sect, which had no True Monarch in charge, to continue to use the name of the sect.

As long as a Nascent Soul True Monarch is born within a hundred years, there is no need to change it to Fish Dragon Gate.

Those cultivators who have a deeper understanding scoff at this claim, saying it's all just superficial information presented to you.

The destruction of the Fish-Dragon Sect by the Dragon Lord and the great war between the two races were separated by hundreds of years, so it's too far-fetched to force a connection.

The fact that such old stories could be brought up must be a manifestation of the will of some great sage.

However, when those who were interested in inquired about the background of the new leader of the Fish-Dragon Sect and recognized the identity of the fellow cultivators, all their complaints fell silent.

Everyone tacitly ignored the matter, as if they were not the ones who were indignant that the island with the fourth-grade high-quality spiritual vein had fallen into the hands of others.

As agreed, they secretly sent their disciples and followers with generous gifts to the island to congratulate the Fish-Dragon Sect on its re-establishment in its homeland.

On the vast Chilong Island, only Sect Leader Bai Youyi and a few dozen Qingfeng Sect disciples who came to help remained.

After leaving behind one junior brother who had reached the Core Formation stage, Chen Ze and the others all boarded the large winged boat and sailed into the depths of the outer sea.

Anyway, with Li Guizhen on Chilong Island, regardless of their strength, just the title of the direct disciple of the Sword Lord of Time is enough to deter any foolish cultivator from causing trouble.

For the others, it's best to participate in the pioneering wars and accumulate as many merits as possible.

For a time, even the ushers who came to greet and send off guests, and those who relayed messages, were not all in place.

Fortunately, Li Guizhen accompanied them to the meeting. After exchanging identities, all the guests who came to visit were filled with respect and felt that the trip was worthwhile.

They were neglected for half an hour outside the island; the spiritual tea they were served was stale and rancid, and the spiritual fruits were withered and dried up...

These rude remarks all become insignificant and can be ignored.

He is a direct descendant of the Sword Master of Time, and there is no difference between him and a Nascent Soul disciple.

From a certain perspective, even if you kill a Nascent Soul disciple, as long as you escape quickly enough and don't flaunt it on their territory, a Nascent Soul expert might not risk shortening their lifespan to take action for such a small matter.

Of course, the prerequisite is that you are strong enough to withstand the pursuit of the other disciples under the Nascent Soul stage, as well as the enormous power he represents.

If you kill the Sword Lord's direct descendant, there's a very high chance you'll be met with millions of sword lights falling from the sky, making it difficult to even leave a whole corpse.

The cultivators who come to visit are mostly the holy sons and daughters of various Nascent Soul sects, or the most favored disciples of True Monarchs.

Even in front of Bai Youyi, the leader of the Fish-Dragon Sect, one can still feel superior in terms of cultivation level.

After recognizing Li Guizhen's identity, he could only put aside all his arrogance and treat Bai Youyi as a Nascent Soul level sect leader.

In just two or three months, they received more than thirty congratulatory gifts.

They must have done their homework before coming. They're all elixirs that are extremely useful to Foundation Establishment cultivators, top-grade spiritual artifacts that don't prioritize cost-effectiveness but are purely made from high-quality spiritual materials, and talismans with very low usage requirements...

They didn't discuss any specific cooperation; it was just about getting acquainted and letting each other know that such a sect existed.

Bai Youyi was not overwhelmed by this sudden opportunity. Every time the night was quiet, she would examine her inner self and sober herself up from the vanity and excitement of the day.

Constantly remind yourself that all of this is just a castle in the air.

As quickly as it came, it went as quickly as it came.

An old saying could elevate someone to a high position, but if they don't perform well, they could still fall into an abyss.

There may not be many eligible young men in the clan, but as long as this condition is spread back to Black Mountain, a large number of Bai clan disciples in the sect will definitely be willing to shed their identities and travel a long distance to the outer sea to become empty shell sect leaders.

He recalled countless times the words his ancestors had spoken to him during his audience with the emperor.

There were no specific requirements, only that one should do what a member of the Bai family and the leader of the Fish-Dragon Sect should do.

In Bai Youyi's mind, the level of cultivation was secondary. The key was how to develop the Fish Dragon Sect, what its future position would be in the Black Sea, and how to improve the sect's disciples while avoiding recruiting new disciples of varying quality. These were the most important things to do next.

No matter how hard he cultivated and how much talent he displayed, it was all insignificant in the eyes of the ancestor.

Even catching up with Chen Ze and his group was a long way off.

Besides Yuanming Chenze, the successors of the Guanming, Xuming, and other lineages are all True Immortals who have achieved the Core Formation stage.

Even their disciples' cultivation levels far surpassed Bai Youyi's.

Could it be that he can cultivate to the peak of Core Formation within a few decades and compete with the successors of the five major lineages in terms of personal strength?

Why not take a different approach and improve your overall perspective and ability to handle routine matters? This might offer the possibility of overtaking others by taking a shortcut.

Just as Bai Youyi was secretly working hard to improve his abilities as a sect leader, battle reports from the front lines arrived one after another.

All of these are true reports of good news, as evidenced by the ever-advancing battle lines.

Within a year, the pioneering army had recovered all the lost territory and occupied all the human race's former strongholds in the outer seas.

It took another three years to disperse five sea monster clans, killing countless creatures. The sea, which had been stained red, took a full seven days to return to its azure state.

They conquered the former homeland of the Merfolk, allowing the Merfolk, who had almost been wiped out for siding with the Moral Sect, to rebuild their home.

The Merfolk originally numbered in the millions, but when the overseas demon race rose up in rebellion, the three holy lands joined forces to label them as traitors to the demon race.

Countless merfolk were killed on the spot. Even those who survived and did hard labor were crushed by the heavy burden within five or six years. It would have been better for them to die once and for all.

This time, only tens of thousands of merfolk were relocated back. Given the situation, it would be difficult to even cover the entire territory of their clan.

Birds fly and rabbits run, and the sun and moon have completed five cycles once again.

The pioneering army has been replaced three times, with fewer people withdrawing and more being brought in.

Although the casualty rate remains high, the rewards are indeed substantial; a single fortuitous encounter can change the life of a lowly cultivator.

Even disregarding the normal rewards, the extra rewards alone are enough to attract a steady stream of cultivators to join.

For example, pure and flawless spirit pearls of various colors often grow inside the bodies of clam-like monsters.

A halo of light spreads across the sea, creating a breathtaking scene.

Regardless of its other uses, its spiritual energy content alone is equivalent to a high-grade spirit stone.

It is said that a Foundation Establishment cultivator obtained a whole bushel of spirit pearls, which was more than enough to meet all the needs for breaking through to the Core Formation stage.

There are also various minerals, all exposed on the island, never mined by anyone, and you can break off a piece the size of a fist with your hand.

These mineral resources will naturally be collected by the public and will be redeemed and distributed after the reclamation war ends.

However, those minerals that have been washed away by seawater and exposed on the surface, and can be collected without mining tools, are usually allowed to be taken away by individuals.

Often, the bodies of dead demon beasts would float downstream. High-level cultivators would take the demon cores and then leave it to the lower-level rogue cultivators.

Even without the demon core and a few of the most precious materials, all that's left—flesh and blood, and a few bones—is still worth a considerable amount of spirit stones.

In contrast, the uncertainties and casualty rates at sea are far higher than those at inland reclamation sites.

The difference in perceived gains might be due to the smaller number of cultivators and the fact that the demon race has different standards for judging natural resources than the human race.

Last year, the pioneering command completely opened up the field, allowing cultivators to choose which teams to join as individuals.

However, you must be affiliated with a sect to receive merit missions and redeem rewards.

Furthermore, the missions available to independent cultivators are mostly located in coastal areas, which offer a relatively higher level of safety.

To prevent rogue cultivators from being lured by profit and recklessly rushing into the depths of the open sea, resulting in heavy casualties.

Even so, many independent cultivators secretly criticized the situation, arguing that the command headquarters should only focus on combat command and should not set up barriers that blocked their path to wealth.

Located in a strategically important coastal location, the Fish-Dragon Sect once again became a gathering place for independent cultivators on the Myriad Star Islands.

Bai Youyi had a sudden inspiration and came up with a way for the Fish-Dragon Sect to grow stronger.

Initially, independent cultivators were allowed to attach themselves to the Fish-Dragon Sect to receive missions, but 10% of their earnings would be taken away during the final settlement.

In addition, leveraging its geographical advantages, Chilong Island will be developed into a resource distribution center.

In the future, the location of Chilong Island may become less desirable, but this will not diminish its current pivotal role.

Since the island is just sitting empty anyway, and there aren't that many disciples who could actually use it, it's better to use it for something else.

Bai Youyi ordered the grand formation to be activated, opening up a portion of Chilong Island.

Free space is provided for caravans and lone merchants to set up temporary camps.

The first merchant chose to trust and completed the first transaction on Chilong Island with his friend who had returned from the depths of the Black Sea.

Today, Chilong Island accounts for nearly 30% of the throughput of near-shore waters.

Every day, large ships arrive, unload some resources, and continue their journey.

Some ships returned from the depths of the Black Sea, their cargoes so heavy they were almost overflowing with storage magic treasures.

There are no fees charged; people can exchange information freely, and buying and selling is permitted.

Chilong Island gradually became a gathering place for cultivators from afar, bringing a large amount of consumption and popularity. Many merchants were even considering buying assets on the island to own a piece of land forever.

From the perspective of the Fish-Dragon Sect, at least its reputation has greatly increased, and it can now operate on two legs, no longer limited to the benefits within its own sect.

However, allowing merchant guilds to establish themselves at the sect's gates is a huge challenge for all sects.

"This is the Chongming Sea?"

After ten years of turbulent sea voyages, Chen Ze is actually much more energetic than before.

There's a deep scar between his eyebrows that shows the bone; any deeper and it looks like his head could split in two.

It was the same seagull-like monster from last time, a peak third-tier beast, with a violent nature and a cry like that of a baby.

It delights in taking creatures inferior to itself, lifting them up with its claws, dragging them across the sky, toying with them until they faint, and then throwing them to the ground.

During the fight, they were in grave danger and were almost locked in place by the seagull monster.

Fortunately, he practiced the Dragon Transformation Scripture, and his true essence was active in the sea, resulting in a significant increase in recovery speed and the power of his water-based supernatural abilities.

Only in this way could they fight to a standstill with their opponent.

Finally, he activated the Yuanming Secret Technique, unleashing a sword that had been gathered over a period of sixty years from within his abdomen at close range, which flashed past like a startled swan.

The seagull-like monster didn't even have time to make a move before its heart was pierced. Its hard feathers were of no use and it was easily vaporized.

But before it died, it kicked out with its claws, leaving a scar on Chen Ze's face that was difficult to heal.

Having spent these years adrift at sea, the cultivators of the Fish-Dragon Sect have become relatively more adapted.

After all, they all practice the Dragon Transformation Scripture or related techniques, so their strength would definitely be enhanced when they are in water.

Other sect cultivators who specialize in cultivation techniques unrelated to water will definitely suffer a great loss.

The sea in front of him, a thousand feet away, had a drastically different color.

What was originally a blue sky and clear water suddenly turned into a dark sea as the view moved forward, where even sunlight could not penetrate.

A clear line runs between blue and black.

He instantly realized that they had arrived at Chongming Sea, one of the three holy lands of the demon race.

The sea area was originally normal until one day in the Middle Ages, a heavy black object crashed into the lake, creating towering waves and polluting the sea.

What exactly it is remains unknown; the underwater mountains have all turned black, as if they were soaked in.

All that is known is that the Chongming Sea has never been a benevolent place since its inception, and it is home to the most ferocious monsters in the sea.

Later, it became the ancestral home of the Xuan Turtle Clan, and many demon turtles grew up with the help of the power of the Chongming Sea, giving rise to many branches.

"They've already come all this way, it's not really our business... What's next is a matter for Nascent Soul True Monarchs, which is beyond our control."

A slender female cultivator beside him struck up a conversation; she was at the late stage of Core Formation.

"Yes, I wonder which important person will be in charge. Hopefully, it will be done quickly so that this thorn in our side can be removed."

Chen Ze glanced westward, a strange sense of anticipation creeping into his eyes.

(End of this chapter)