Chapter 2106: Magic Source Sea

Fantasy Cultivation

Volume 10: War in the Demon Realm

One day, a year later, a massive black-green boat, pulled by several whale-like sea beasts, sped across the dark surface of the renowned Demon Origin Sea, cutting through the waves.

In the low sky, no more than a hundred zhang above the sea surface, swirls of black mist tumbled erratically, and streaks of silver lightning flickered intermittently, accompanied by faint rumbling sounds of thunder.

At the front of the enormous boat, a man and a woman stood by the bow railing, gazing out at the sea ahead.

"The Demon Origin Sea is known as the birthplace of the demon race," the man said suddenly, his face a pale gold and devoid of expression. "Its dense demonic energy certainly lives up to its reputation. However, the chaotic energy mixed within it is also considerable. I doubt ordinary demons could cultivate here."

"I've heard," the young woman said with a smile, her figure petite and face beautiful, "that this chaotic energy has dissipated considerably compared to before. I heard that millions of years ago, this was one of the demon race's forbidden zones, and ordinary individuals couldn't enter or exit freely. Perhaps in a few more years, this chaotic energy will completely dissipate on its own, and this sea will once again become a sacred land for the demon race!"

These two were none other than Old Ancestor Long and the Feather-Robed Maiden from the Ye family.

Clearly, Han Li and his companions had reunited with the others, and together, they had piloted the boat into the Demon Origin Sea.

"Heh heh," Old Ancestor Long replied somewhat helplessly, "even if this sea region has some strange peculiarities, having endured so much hardship to reach this place, there's no reason to give up halfway. The only thing I didn't expect was how strong the lightning here is; we can't even fly at low altitudes."

"It's not that we can't fly at low altitudes," the Feather-Robed Maiden replied with a charming smile, "but rather that we can't travel for long periods using flight techniques. Under such dense lightning attacks, even the deepest cultivation wouldn't be able to maintain defenses for very long."

"In any case," Old Ancestor Long sighed, "finding the island where the Spirit Cleansing Pond is located will likely take much longer than originally estimated. The clues provided by our fellow daoists from the Spirit Race are very vague. We must first find a sea region with similar characteristics; only then might we locate the island. Given the vastness of the Demon Origin Sea, we'll genuinely need some luck to find it within a reasonable timeframe."

Upon hearing this, the Feather-Robed Maiden's smile faded, and she fell into contemplation. After a long moment, she slowly said:

"We don't have as much time as we thought. I estimate that some demon forces have already noticed us, these unfamiliar Integration Stage cultivators. Once they figure out our true identities, the trouble will be unimaginable. Every month that passes, our risk of exposure increases."

"I am naturally aware of that," Old Ancestor Long stated, his expression stern. "But as I said before, we're already past the point of no return, and we're just one step away from our goal. No matter what, we must grit our teeth and persevere."

The Feather-Robed Maiden sighed, and said nothing more.

But then, Old Ancestor Long's eyes flickered, and he suddenly asked something that greatly surprised the maiden:

"This time, Brother Han and Xiyan were more than a month slower than us, barely making it to the agreed meeting point on time. And I observe that Xiyan's aura seems slightly different from when we last parted ways. It seems fellow daoist Xiyan must have encountered some other fortunate opportunity on the way. If that's the case, Long must first congratulate Xiyan and Brother Han."

Old Ancestor Long wore a deeply meaningful expression!

"Brother Long truly has keen insight," the Feather-Robed Maiden giggled after her expression shifted several times. "To be able to discern this small change in my humble self with a single glance. However, Brother Han and I merely obtained a small opportunity. I imagine Brother Long and fellow daoist Hui have gained even more, haven't you?"

"From Xiyan's tone, it seems you know something," Old Ancestor Long then burst into laughter. "But rest assured, I have no interest in digging for details. It was merely a casual inquiry!"

The Feather-Robed Maiden's lips curved slightly, and a faint, unreadable smile also appeared on her face.

At the same time, in a room on the lower deck of the enormous boat, Han Li sat cross-legged on a wooden cushion. He listened clearly to the conversation between Old Ancestor Long and the Feather-Robed Maiden via an extremely concealed strand of divine sense. After a faint smile, he retracted his divine sense and began to ponder, his eyes deep in thought.

A year ago, after he and the Feather-Robed Maiden obtained the True Blood of the Azure Luan, they were still intercepted at the edge of Iron Sand Ridge by the avatar of Saint Ancestor Lingyuan.

As a result of the fierce battle, with the aid of the Feather-Robed Maiden's exotic treasure and by slightly employing a few of his own true divine abilities, Han Li trapped and severely wounded the Saint Ancestor's avatar.

After suffering such heavy injuries, Saint Ancestor Lingyuan's avatar, even after escaping, dared not continue the pursuit and could only retreat helplessly back to Iron Sand Ridge.

With no pursuers, Han Li and the Feather-Robed Maiden naturally continued their journey unhurriedly. Their subsequent journey was relatively smooth. Even if they encountered minor setbacks along the way, they were all easily resolved.

Half a month ago, at an agreed-upon demon port by the sea, the two of them reunited with Old Ancestor Long and the group of Spirit Race members.

However, upon meeting, Han Li was somewhat surprised!

This time, Old Ancestor Long, the cultivator named Hui, was fine, but "Elder Jin," one of the Spirit Race members, was nowhere to be seen.

Old Ancestor Long was also greatly surprised. After a brief inquiry, the Spirit Race members vaguely replied that "Elder Jin" had met with an accident and had fallen, returning to the origin of the spirit kind.

As for the specific nature of the accident, the Spirit Race members showed no intention of elaborating.

Han Li and Old Ancestor Long naturally found it difficult to press further, but they were all inwardly surprised and suspicious.

As Han Li thought of this, his brow unconsciously furrowed, and the face of the Spirit Race youth named "Zhishui" flashed before his eyes again.

This individual was a Saint Spirit who had always given Han Li an uncomfortable feeling. After this meeting, the increasingly heavy aura of sinister chill that had emanated from him had surprisingly vanished completely, making him appear no different from any other Saint Spirit.

This secretly surprised Han Li, and at the same time, he faintly felt that Elder Jin's accident might somehow be related to this person.

Of course, he had no evidence for this speculation, but he couldn't help but pay a bit more attention to this Spirit Race youth.

As Han Li thought of this, his eyes narrowed slightly. With a shift in his thoughts, he suddenly flipped his hand, and a small white bottle silently appeared in his palm.

After slowly stroking the small bottle with his fingers a few times, a hint of joy couldn't help but flash across his face.

With this True Blood of the Azure Luan, the 'Startling Sting Art' could gain an additional transformation, significantly boosting the power of his other transformations as well.

The Azure Luan's renowned divine ability was the power to control wind.

It was said that this true spirit was born from the Profound Wind of the Nine Heavens. Once enraged, the Profound Wind it unleashed was enough to overturn heavens and earth, destroy nations and cities—truly terrifying!

Han Li was naturally extremely curious about this Profound Wind power, but he did not consume the true blood and immediately refine it like the Feather-Robed Maiden did during their journey.

The 'Startling Sting Art' was different from ordinary cultivation methods. As more true blood was refined, the refinement process became increasingly lengthy, and it became even more crucial to avoid interruptions or giving up halfway.

Therefore, he decided from the start that after the mission in the Demon Realm was complete, he would return to the Spirit Realm to formally refine this True Blood of the Azure Luan.

As he thought this, a white light flashed in his hand, and the small bottle vanished once more.

For the remainder of the time, Han Li dispelled all distracting thoughts and began to meditate with his eyes closed.

Days passed, time flew by, and the black-green enormous boat traveled across the dark sea for three months straight.

Han Li and the others split into several shifts, with two individuals at a time taking turns to control the boat and survey the nearby sea region from the bow, while the rest meditated quietly in the cabin.

During this period, apart from encountering a few reckless sea beasts, the enormous boat had a smooth journey and did not encounter much trouble.

Unfortunately, a sea region matching the characteristics provided by the Spirit Race had not been encountered yet.

On this day, it happened to be Han Li and Saintess Qianqiu's turn to control the enormous boat.

Han Li stood at the bow, gazing at the distant sea, without speaking a word.

Saintess Qianqiu, meanwhile, produced a golden silk meditation mat from somewhere, and sat cross-legged on it a few zhang away from Han Li, her eyes slightly closed.

Both appeared to be extremely quiet, but both had released their immense divine sense, continuously searching all sea surfaces within a ten-thousand-li radius.

Suddenly, Han Li's expression stirred, and a glint of sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"What is it, Brother Han? Have you discovered something?" Saintess Qianqiu, who was nearby, instantly sensed the unusual fluctuations in Han Li's divine sense, and immediately opened her eyes to look at him.

"To the left, three thousand li away!" Han Li replied concisely, without any superfluous words.

Hearing this, Saintess Qianqiu unhesitatingly swept her divine sense towards the indicated sea region.

After a moment, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face, and she immediately spoke to Han Li, barely concealing her excitement:

"The Demon Ape Reef! This is exactly as described; it is indeed this reef, no doubt about it. Brother Han, immediately change course! I will call out the others right away!"

Han Li naturally had no other opinion. After nodding, he immediately formed a hand seal with one hand and directed it towards the sea beasts pulling the boat ahead.

Instantly, several streaks of colorful spiritual light shot out, flashing and then disappearing into the bodies of the sea beasts.

The sea beasts immediately let out low roars, and with a change in direction, they pulled the enormous boat to the left and sped away.

At the same time, Saintess Qianqiu had already used a secret art to notify Old Ancestor Long and the others.

A moment later, everyone appeared at the bow, and likewise swept their divine sense in the same direction to investigate. As a result, everyone's spirits were lifted.

Although the enormous boat could not fly, its speed under the full pull of the sea beasts was by no means slow.

Two hours later, a solitary "mountain peak" appeared on the distant sea surface. Half of it was shrouded in the low-lying black clouds, while the other half, a dark peak, was directly exposed above the sea.

Incredibly, the entire mountain peak remarkably resembled a gigantic ape with both arms raised towards the sky. Furthermore, organs like its eyes, nose, mouth, and ears were all present. Although it appeared exceptionally rough up close, from a distance, it looked astonishingly lifelike.