Chapter 2126

Seven Realms: Heaven-Asking Prequel

**Chapter 1: The Three Elders of Kunwu and the Great Change in Tiannan**

Qianluo Continent, situated in the southern part of Dajin, is the largest among Dajin's thirty-six continents. This region is abundant in spiritual energy and cultivation resources, making it a coveted prize for all major sects in Dajin. However, for tens of thousands of years, only three Daoist sects have occupied this continent. Coincidentally, these three sects represent Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Although these major sects have had their disputes, they have largely coexisted peacefully.

For thousands of years, the three sects have divided the cultivation resources of this continent. Despite their different origins, they unite wholeheartedly against foreign invasions. With the provision of vast cultivation resources, the three sects developed rapidly, continuously producing high-level cultivators and steadily growing in strength. They gradually became the foremost sects of the three traditions: Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.

Mount Kunwu, the premier spiritual vein mountain in Qianluo Continent, lies at the junction of the three sects. No one knows what agreement the three sects reached, but the Kunwu mountain range, stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles, has been designated a forbidden zone. Even many low-level disciples of the three sects are largely unaware of Mount Kunwu. High-level cultivators outside the three sects are also tight-lipped about it, not daring to interfere in the slightest! This has led to Mount Kunwu being recognized as Dajin's foremost spiritual vein mountain, yet it remains shrouded in a mysterious mist, making it a common topic of discussion among cultivators.

On this day, in a palace tens of feet in size somewhere on Mount Kunwu, three people were seated.

One was a middle-aged man in his mid-thirties, dressed in a white Daoist robe with a tai chi symbol several feet in size embroidered on his chest. Two strands of his long beard reached his chest, and his face was calm, rarely smiling.

Another was an old monk in his seventies or eighties, holding a string of reddish-brown prayer beads and wearing a golden-edged kasaya. He had white eyebrows and a gray beard, a gentle demeanor, and the appearance of a venerable high monk.

The last person was a scholar in his twenties, whose robe was adorned with a detailed ink painting of bamboo, giving a fresh and striking impression. He was graceful and lacked the pedantry typically associated with scholars, smiling throughout.

"Master Huangshou, Brother Qingfeng, the main reason I invited both of you here this time is that I just received news from Brother Jiang: it seems there's some trouble in the Myriad Demon Abyss of the Boundless Sea in Tiannan!" The middle-aged Daoist frowned, speaking with some concern.

"Brother Juzheng, why do you say that? Brother Jiang and Fairy Bingpo of the Minor Polar Palace are stationed there in Tiannan! Could there be a change that even they can't suppress?" The young scholar was surprised, clearly looking disbelieving.

"Since Fellow Daoist Zhang has spoken these words, there must be some basis for them!" The elderly large-headed monk pondered for a moment, speaking calmly, his tone unperturbed, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

"Indeed! Master Huangshou's insight is clear. This is the ten-thousand-li talisman that Brother Jiang sent. If things are as Brother Jiang says, then the situation is truly serious!" The middle-aged Daoist paused, then flicked his sleeve, sending a jade talisman flying towards the two of them.

A flicker of light appeared in their eyes. They both pressed the jade talisman to their foreheads and examined it carefully. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a hint of solemnity appeared on their previously relaxed faces.

"Master Huangshou, what do you think we should do about this?" The young scholar pondered for a moment, seemingly undecided, and then abruptly asked the large-headed monk.

"Since both Fellow Daoists have said so, this old monk will speak frankly. Brother Jiang and Fairy Bingpo's cultivation is higher than ours. Previously, they led a group of disciples from Brother Juzheng's True Essence Sect to seal the Myriad Demon Abyss. From the jade talisman, it seems the Myriad Demon Abyss experienced a demonic energy outburst for some unknown reason. Fellow Daoist Jiang personally investigated it, and he speculates that the source of this Myriad Demon Abyss is a spatial rift! Judging by the pure demonic energy from the abyss, this energy most likely originates from another realm! And that other realm is probably the rumored Demon Realm! The power of this spatial seal is constantly weakening, which probably points to two possibilities. The first is that true demonic energy exists on the other side of the rift, and only such ancient, pure demonic energy can continuously erode the seal. As for the second, it's possible that a demon lord from the opposite Demon Realm is attempting to break through and enter this realm! If it's the former, setting up several ancient demon-breaking formations should be able to suppress it. But if it's the latter, given the divine abilities of a demon lord from the Demon Realm, this realm would likely face dire consequences!" The large-headed monk put away the prayer beads he was twirling and spoke solemnly.

"Master Huangshou, why do you say that? Can't the combined power of cultivators defend the Myriad Demon Abyss? Are the divine abilities of those legendary demon lords from the Demon Realm truly superior to ours?" The young Confucian scholar frowned, replying with a hint of disbelief at the large-headed monk's words.

"Fellow Daoist Qingfeng, you might not know this, but it actually has some connection to Zen Master Jinyue of my sect!" The large-headed monk seemed to have anticipated this, speaking these words unexpectedly.

"Zen Master Jinyue, the founding patriarch of your Jinyue Sect ten thousand years ago, is said to have reached the Grand Perfection stage of the Spirit Transformation period and even ascended to the Spirit Realm!" The middle-aged Daoist's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but gasp in surprise. The young Confucian scholar remained silent but stared at the large-headed monk's eyes, his expression suddenly changing, as if trying to discern something.

"Indeed! This old monk learned some related matters from some ancient texts left by my sect's founding patriarch! This patriarch once encountered a similar spatial rift in the Nine Dragon Sea. Out of curiosity, he entered to investigate but unexpectedly encountered a demon lord. It is said that the demon lord's divine abilities were so immense that even with Patriarch Jinyue unleashing all his powers, he was still slightly at a disadvantage. In the end, for some unknown reason, this demon lord retreated completely unharmed!" The large-headed monk's expression was calm as he murmured.

"Such a thing happened! If Master Huangshou's words are true, and a spatial rift also appeared in the Nine Dragon Sea before, why didn't the demon lord conquer it? Furthermore, since that demon lord retreated, it must have been due to the spiritual energy repulsion of this realm, preventing it from staying here for long. Even if those demon lords dared to invade, blocking the Myriad Demon Abyss with formations and the combined power of cultivators, it would be uncertain who would emerge victorious in a true confrontation against those demon lords." The young Confucian scholar chuckled lightly, replying as if unconcerned.

"Master Huangshou's words are probably not mistaken, and what Brother Qingfeng said also has some merit. However, these are all just speculations. As for the truth, we can only find out by investigating ourselves! But if this matter is truly as Master Huangshou described, whether it's true demonic energy or a demon lord breaking through the rift, the consequences would cause drastic changes to this realm, and we would not be able to bear them! As things stand, we must make two preparations: convene other old monsters to discuss this, and invite the old monsters of the demon race as well! This matter is too significant; even with the differences between our races, they won't refuse once they consider it. On the other hand, arrange for some personnel to support Brother Jiang and Fairy Bingpo. From Brother Jiang's assessment, this seal should hold for twenty to thirty years, which should be enough time to deal with it!" The middle-aged Daoist suddenly spoke coldly, providing a solution after a brief contemplation.

Upon hearing the middle-aged Daoist, the young Confucian scholar and the large-headed monk understood the gravity of the situation. After discussing for half a day more, the three of them transformed into streaks of light and departed.

A month later, a shocking piece of news spread among high-level cultivators: the fifteen major powers of Dajin had jointly formed an enforcement team. All sects and family forces throughout Dajin were commanded to obey, or they would face joint extermination by these fifteen major powers!

The entire Dajin was instantly in an uproar upon hearing this. Most mid-to-high-level cultivators were bewildered but also sensed that significant changes were about to occur in the cultivation world.

Those privy to the inside information were mostly high-level cultivators from the fifteen major powers and some other forces. The lowest cultivation level among these "high-level cultivators" was the late Nascent Soul stage!

After learning certain information, these high-level cultivators' expressions grew somber. They accepted their orders and assignments, and even when asked by friends, they would offer evasive, wry smiles, claiming ignorance. This made the entire cultivation world feel mysterious and curious, but also led to widespread panic.

**Chapter 2: The Rising Storm**

The fifteen major powers of Dajin were recognized as the top forces in the Dajin cultivation world, each dominating a region. It was said that these powers all had Spirit Transformation stage old monsters in their ranks, though whether this was true or false was unknown. Nevertheless, these powers had a long and continuous legacy spanning tens of thousands of years, which spoke volumes.

The division of these fifteen major powers was quite interesting and well-known throughout Dajin. They were simply referred to as "One, Two, Three, Four, Five," which detailedly meant one Alliance, two Palaces, three Confucian sects, four Buddhist sects, and five Daoist sects.

Yongzhou, located in the central part of Dajin, was a medium-to-large continent among the thirty-six. It was exclusively dominated by one of the fifteen major powers, and other forces dared not interfere. In terms of strength, this power was even slightly superior to the leading sects of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. However, for thousands of years, other forces had been greatly at ease regarding it. The reason was simple: this major power was a Loose Cultivator Alliance, jointly established by the Ye family, Dajin's foremost family, and Dajin's premier loose cultivator. Although this force was immense, it was exceptionally loosely organized, uniting only in the face of foreign invasion! Normally, they only had verbal agreements, so other forces weren't concerned in the slightest, yet they also dared not easily offend it.

Mingxia Peak, the top spiritual vein mountain in Yongzhou, was also the headquarters of this Loose Cultivator Alliance. Normally, all affairs were handled by the elders stationed there.

On this day, at Mingxia Peak, within the several-thousand-foot-long Palace of Mountains and Rivers, dozens of cultivators of various appearances were gathered. These cultivators, both male and female, wore an assortment of strange clothing, but each had a palm-sized embroidered pattern on their chest. The pattern depicted a simple landscape with a few strokes, and beneath it was a dark red ancient seal character for "Alliance"!

This was the renowned Loose Cultivator Alliance, also known as the Mountain and River Alliance, one of Dajin's fifteen major top powers.

"Hmph! Elder Nian, why have half of our alliance's elders been inexplicably dispatched to Tiannan, and why have even most of the alliance's treasured millennia-old reserves been mobilized?" On one side of the main hall, seven or eight cultivators surrounded one individual, speaking one after another. The speaker was an elderly green-robed cultivator, his expression stern, questioning the person in the middle with great dissatisfaction.

The cultivator surrounded in the middle was a young man with delicate features, dressed in a green Daoist robe. At his waist hung a dazzling, intricately carved golden medallion, its surface shimmering with shifting light, clearly indicating it was no ordinary item.

What was surprising was that this seemingly ordinary young man was actually a Grand Cultivator at the late Nascent Soul stage, while the questioning elderly green-robed cultivator was merely at the early Nascent Soul stage.

Yet, this Grand Cultivator showed no dissatisfaction with the crowd's difficult questions, merely offering continuous apologetic smiles, as if he had something difficult to say.

"Master Tailan is right. Hmph! Brother Nian, you and I have been friends for hundreds of years. Why won't you give me an explanation for this matter? Even if you don't give this old man face, why won't you give it to the elders present either?" At this moment, a burly man with thick eyebrows, dressed in a red robe, also spoke coldly.

As for the others, upon hearing these two speak, they remained silent but mostly frowned, seeming greatly dissatisfied with the arrangements made by the young man named Nian.

"Master Tailan, Brother Xiong, and all elders, please listen to a word from an old friend. I only know a little about this matter, but it's inconvenient to reveal the details as it was agreed upon beforehand. I hope all elders will not take offense! Furthermore, how could I, a mere elder of the alliance, have the authority to issue such arrangements? I merely followed orders. Elders, you truly misunderstand me!" The young man named Nian seemed unable to dissuade them, explaining with a bitter smile, and by the end, he sounded quite wronged.

"What! This wasn't arranged by Brother Nian and Alliance Master Ye? Could it have come from the mouths of those two Grand Elders? I wonder if it was Senior Ye or Senior Yuan?" The man named Xiong exclaimed in surprise, gasping several breaths of cold air.

This was not surprising. A cultivation level at the Spirit Transformation stage was the pinnacle of this realm. If it weren't for their urgent pursuit of ascension for longevity, nothing in this realm would be able to restrain them. Moreover, these two Grand Elders were merely titular figures, usually ignoring alliance affairs. The Grand Elder from the Ye family, though having ascended to this rank less than three or four hundred years ago, had only been seen a few times. As for Grand Elder Yuan, known as Dajin's foremost loose cultivator, he had never even been seen once.

Even more astonishing was Senior Yuan. As Dajin's premier loose cultivator, his reputation was extraordinarily vast. It was said that his divine abilities were unfathomable; the thick-browed man named Xiong had heard of him even before forming his core. Now, five or six hundred years later, it was truly hard to say what the Grand Elder's current state was.

Putting everything else aside, it was rumored that the Mountain and River Alliance grew powerful solely through his individual efforts. Otherwise, for Yongzhou, a dignified continent among Dajin's thirty-six, to enjoy its resources exclusively, even if loose cultivators were strong, would have been exceedingly difficult given years of division by other forces.

Thinking of this, the thick-browed man named Xiong involuntarily licked his dry lips, his expression filled with a hint of respect, devoid of any prior dissatisfaction.

Others reacted differently from the thick-browed man named Xiong, but they all held a trace of reverence.

"Hmph! So what if it's an order from those two Grand Elders? This old man is just a pile of old bones; I have no desire to go to a godforsaken place like Tiannan!" Elder Tailan actually grunted, seemingly not giving the Grand Elders any respect at all.

Hearing this, the young man named Nian couldn't help but smile bitterly. This person in front of him was truly difficult to offend. This short-tempered and stubborn old man was actually one of Dajin's three great formation masters, known by everyone in the Dajin cultivation world. Although his cultivation was only at the early Nascent Soul stage, he was treated as an honored guest wherever he went, no worse than a Grand Cultivator, perhaps even better, as a genius in formations was even rarer. What was more troublesome was that this person was only a guest elder of the alliance; if he refused to go, he truly couldn't be forced.

"My apologies for causing Master trouble. This Yuan is truly sorry, but this matter is of great importance. I hope Master will consider my face, Brother Ye's face, and the alliance's face, and go there. Furthermore, Madam Bai, Master Bai of the Biluo Sect, will also be going to Tiannan with Master. Of course, the alliance will not let Master exert effort for nothing. How about these three Longevity Fruits as compensation for Master's assistance?" Just then, a gentle voice reached them, startling the few people present, who all looked up.

They saw that a few dozen feet ahead, two more people had appeared at some unknown time. The person on the left was a middle-aged man, about eight feet tall, wearing a purple-gold crown and a blue cloak. He had a full forehead, and his sword-like eyebrows gave him an air of natural authority, yet his words were exceedingly gentle, devoid of any hint of displeasure.

The other person was dressed as a gray-robed Confucian scholar, with an ordinary appearance. He was constantly toying with an eight-sided black compass in his hand. The black compass was dull and unadorned, nothing special about it.

"Greetings to the two Grand Elders!" Everyone was startled and quickly cupped their fists, bowing to the two. Many present couldn't help but glance at them more than once.

"Heh heh! Worthy Nephew Nian, Worthy Nephew Ye, and all elders, please dispense with the formalities. The Mountain and River Alliance owes its current standing to the efforts of all you elders! This Yuan has come today because of the dire circumstances, and had no choice but to make this decision. I hope all elders will be understanding. As for the reason, you will all know in a few more days! How about giving this Yuan a little face? Master Tailan, as for after the meeting, this Yuan pledges to give you a full explanation. How does that sound?" The middle-aged blue-robed man smiled faintly at everyone, his demeanor light and carefree. Finally, he turned his head and abruptly asked the short-tempered old man.

Upon hearing this, the short-tempered old man's expression softened, and he spoke a few conciliatory words.

Subsequently, under the guidance of the two Spirit Transformation Grand Elders, although many elders in the alliance were displeased, they had no choice but to comply. However, when issuing orders, it was the Grand Elder surnamed Ye who spoke, while the middle-aged man surnamed Yuan merely smiled without speaking.

Xinzhou's Tianxu Prefecture, located in the south of Dajin, was a remote area where spiritual energy was considerably thinner compared to other places. Here, a cultivator at the mid-Nascent Soul stage was considered a top-tier cultivator. However, this region had always been highly valued for its abundant production of Fire Cloud Crystals, which were one of the raw materials for advanced teleportation arrays and spell formations.

However, for some unknown reason, the Fire Cloud Crystal mines here had not been coveted by the major powers. Instead, the local sects controlled the mining of Fire Cloud Crystals.

On this day, two Nascent Soul elders from different sects gathered, each holding a jade talisman. After circulating and reading it, their faces all revealed a hint of anger.

"Hmph! Those fifteen major powers sure have a lot of nerve! They demand ninety percent of our Fire Cloud Crystals without even giving a reason!" A green-eyed burly man slammed his palm onto a jade table beside him, smashing it to pieces, his rage apparent.

"Alright! Brother Ma, don't be angry. This old man has inquired around for the past half-month. All sizes of forces in Xinzhou are being treated similarly. The fifteen major powers have united, and it seems those old monsters are intentionally doing this, though the reason is unknown!" A bovine-nosed Daoist beside him frowned, trying to persuade him.

"Hmph! No matter what it is, if we hand over ninety percent of our Fire Cloud Crystals, will the disciples of my Fire Float Sect have nothing but thin air to drink?" The green-eyed burly man still seemed exceptionally furious, grumbling.

"Brother Ma, you're truly muddled! A few days ago, this old man heard that over ten small and medium-sized forces, including the Sishui Sect, were exterminated by the enforcement team of the fifteen major powers because they disobeyed orders! No matter how good Fire Cloud Crystals are, one needs to be alive to enjoy them. If Fellow Daoist Ma remains stubborn, it might truly lead to the destruction of your sect!" The bovine-nosed Daoist sighed deeply, speaking grudgingly.

The green-eyed burly man frowned. After a moment of thought, he ultimately sighed helplessly. After discussing for half a day with the bovine-nosed Daoist, he still honestly handed over the Fire Cloud Crystals.

Meanwhile, far to the north of Dajin, deep within the Ice Sea, tens of thousands of miles away, in a cave filled with swirling demonic energy, a transformed demon beast, clad in leopard skin with deer antlers on his head, held a jade talisman. Speaking in human tongue, he murmured, "How interesting. Those old monsters of the human race have actually invited our demon race to come. This matter is significant, so I cannot refuse to go!"

"Very well! I haven't emerged for several hundred years. I wonder how the old flood dragon in the Dragon Cloud Sea and that vixen in the Green Radiance Forest are doing with their cultivation. Surely, other fellow demon cultivators won't ignore this matter either. It would be good to meet them!" The leopard-skinned demon man put away the jade talisman, muttered a few more words, and then transformed into a streak of light, departing.

Throughout Dajin and its surrounding regions, such situations were commonplace, a clear sign that a storm was brewing.

**Chapter 3: The Vortex**

The Boundless Sea of Tiannan was indeed boundless. Powerful cultivators once attempted to explore its depths, but after flying for decades, they were forced to return due to a lack of spirit stones and the dangers within the Boundless Sea.

The Boundless Sea was teeming with demon beasts, with high-level ones frequently appearing. Leaving aside transformed demon beasts, it was said that a senior Nascent Soul cultivator from Tiannan, who had entered the sea to hunt demon beasts, once saw a colossal sky-supporting giant turtle tens of thousands of feet in size from afar. This sight terrified the Nascent Soul cultivator so much that he fled back to the land without hesitation, expending vital energy. Whether this was true or false was unknown.

However, with the vast number of demon beasts in the Boundless Sea and Tiannan cultivators' greed for demon beast materials and inner cores, the two sides had been at odds for tens of thousands of years, constantly engaging in conflict. Either Tiannan cultivators would besiege and hunt large numbers of demon beasts, or high-level demon beasts would launch beast tides, slaughtering coastal Tiannan sects.

Yet, for some unknown reason, these demon beasts dared not easily penetrate deep into Tiannan's interior, which did not cause panic among the Tiannan sects. Instead, tempted by demon beast materials and inner cores, Tiannan cultivators repeatedly built numerous residential strongholds along the Tiannan coast to facilitate deeper excursions into the Boundless Sea.

It wasn't that Tiannan cultivators didn't want to delve deeper into the Boundless Sea; rather, the vast, undulating blue expanse of the Boundless Sea contained not a single island. Thus, for tens of thousands of years, Tiannan cultivators and the demon beasts of the Boundless Sea had engaged in mutual slaughter along the coast.

On this day, somewhere in the Boundless Sea, tens of thousands of miles from Tiannan, a gigantic vortex tens of thousands of feet in size continuously churned. The center of the vortex was devoid of a single drop of seawater, appearing exceptionally eerie.

This gigantic vortex had immense tearing power. The spiritual energy around it transformed into wisps of dense mist that were swept into it. Curiously, these mists, formed from spiritual energy, were multicolored and appeared ethereal, making the scene resemble a celestial wonderland.

The entire space, tens of thousands of feet in circumference, was filled with the deafening roar of tearing space. Within tens of thousands of miles centered on the vortex, there was no trace of demon beasts.

Deep within the center of the vortex, around the several-thousand-foot-wide seabed, stood one hundred and eight colossal jujube-red pillars, each so thick that several people could barely encircle it. The surface of these pillars was entwined with golden five-clawed dragon reliefs, shimmering with unsteady golden light. It was unknown what materials these colossal pillars were forged from, yet they stood erect around the vortex, completely unaffected by the immense forces it generated.

At the same time, these colossal pillars simultaneously emitted pillars of five-colored light. The one hundred and eight light pillars converged above the vortex, forming a five-colored barrier several tens of feet thick, completely covering the seabed.

If one were to look down from above the vortex at this moment, they would discover that the seabed beneath the light barrier was actually a massive black abyss. Even a cultivator practicing a spiritual eye divine ability would find this black abyss seemingly bottomless.

Continuous black demonic energy surged up from the abyss. The moment it touched the five-colored barrier, it would churn and dissipate. With this constant ebb and flow, the five-colored barrier was slowly thinning at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye under the demonic energy's erosion.

Above the vortex, a colossal three-story green palace, thousands of feet in size, stood out abruptly like a mirage. On each of the four sides of the gigantic palace, more than fifty cultivators in uniform attire sternly observed everything below. What was astonishing was that without exception, all these cultivators were at or above the Core Formation stage, and the seven or eight leading cultivators in each team were high-level cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage.

Occasionally, the leading Nascent Soul cultivators' mouths would move slightly. These Core Formation cultivators would then cup their fists, acknowledge their orders, and transform into streaks of light, arriving beside certain colossal pillars. Facing the pillars, they would pat their waists, causing several fiery red triangular tokens to appear.

After the cultivators each spat out a few mouthfuls of essence blood, the triangular tokens flashed with red light, transforming into several fireballs that plunged into the colossal pillars and vanished.

Then, a strange scene unfolded: the five-clawed golden dragons on the colossal pillars suddenly came alive, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws as they lunged towards the cultivators. The cultivators, however, paid no mind, showing not the slightest worry.

When the five-clawed golden dragons approached within a few tens of feet of the cultivators, their forms suddenly paused. They opened their gaping maws and roared at the cultivators. Seeing this, the cultivators' expressions also turned slightly solemn. They each took out a dozen fist-sized spirit stones from their storage bags and sent them flying towards the five-clawed golden dragons' large mouths.

The five-clawed golden dragons swallowed the dozens of spirit stones. Their entire bodies flashed with golden light, and they energetically settled back onto the colossal pillars. The triangular tokens also flashed out from within the pillars, returning to the cultivators' hands. Only then did the cultivators feel somewhat relieved, transforming back into streaks of light and returning to the four sides of the palace.

In less than half a day, these cultivators went back and forth more than ten times. The leading Nascent Soul cultivators maintained stern, grim expressions throughout.

Just as one of the white-haired old men's expression stirred, and he was about to say something to his companion, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance.

In the distant, originally boundless azure sea, a green line had appeared at some point. Everyone was startled at first, then a hint of vigilance emerged on their faces.

In less than a quarter of an hour, that green line transformed into a strange, hazy green cloud, assaulting them. This strange cloud, stretching for thousands of miles, enveloped most of the distant sky. The gusts of sinister wind swirling around the green cloud howled through the entire space.

"Oh no, it's high-level demon beasts! Everyone, be on guard!" The white-haired old man first cried out in alarm, then flicked his right sleeve, sending a green jade talisman flashing towards the palace above the vortex.

Following a dragon's roar that reverberated through heaven and earth, hundreds of five-colored streaks of light from the cultivators interwove as they flew towards the green cloud. When they were several thousand feet apart, both the strange green cloud and the cultivators' streaks of light halted, forming two battle formations that confronted each other from afar.

At this moment, everyone could clearly see the situation within the green cloud: it was thousands of demon beasts with green faces and fangs. These demon beasts varied in size from several tens of feet to hundreds of feet, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws as they roared furiously at the human cultivators. These untransformed demon beasts were the most numerous, numbering around a thousand.

Amidst this large group of demon beasts, there was a portion of cultivators whose appearances were largely identical to humans, dressed in peculiar attire. These cultivators had fierce expressions, some with strange horns on their heads, others with green eyes and green hair, exuding a sense of demonic strangeness. This type of cultivator was fewer in number, only about a hundred, but the huge, untransformed demon beasts kept a distance from them, appearing cautious and unwilling to approach.

On the human cultivators' side, there were only over two hundred cultivators, currently arranged in a triangular formation. Each held a yellow-green small flag, which, when waved, transformed into a five-colored light barrier, enveloping and isolating the group.

Both the human cultivators and the demon beast horde stared coldly at each other with unfriendly gazes, appearing irreconcilable.

**Chapter 4: Loose Cultivator Guili and Fairy Bingpo**

"Human cultivators, why have you inexplicably invaded our demon race's sea territory? Hmph! Do you think this Boundless Sea is your human race's domain?"

Suddenly, a muffled grunt resounded. The voice was unusually deep. Among the cultivators within the light barrier, the Nascent Soul cultivators were fine, but some Core Formation cultivators with insufficient cultivation found their faces flushing and blood boiling momentarily, caught off guard. Even though it was only for an instant, it still made these cultivators tremble with fear.

These cultivators quickly calmed their minds and simultaneously formed hand seals, unleashing protective light barriers. Given the power of that sound, although they weren't fully prepared, everyone was well aware of the power of the outer five-colored barrier. Unexpectedly, this sound wave technique was so potent that the barrier could only block seventy to eighty percent of it. Judging from this, the power of this sound wave technique was imaginable.

Thinking thus, the cultivators' expressions couldn't help but turn grim. They naturally put away their disdain and looked towards the demon beast that had emitted the strange sound.

Standing prominently at the very front of the transformed demon beast group was a demon cultivator resembling a shirtless middle-aged man, about three zhang (about 10 meters) tall. This demon cultivator had blue hair falling to his shoulders, fish fins on his back, and a yellowish-brown conch shell attached to his waist.

At this moment, he was also quite surprised. The power of his recent sound wave technique was achieved by secretly channeling seventy to eighty percent of his cultivation, aided by a wondrous treasure he had obtained by chance. He had intended to give the human cultivators a show of force, but he hadn't expected their seemingly simple formation to be quite powerful. This made him view them with considerably more respect.

"Level Ten demon beasts! There are actually seven or eight Level Ten demon beasts!" The white-haired old man, being one of the two Grand Cultivators on the human side, had no choice but to step forward and speak a few words in this situation. Although the demon race's strength opposite them far exceeded their current visible force, the human cultivators currently present were only a portion of those dispatched to patrol the vortex. The rest were rotating shifts within the green palace above the vortex. If all human cultivators were to come out, the outcome would still be a fifty-fifty chance. And if those two supreme beings were to take action, these demon beasts might not return alive.

The white-haired old man sneered inwardly. However, before reinforcements arrived, he had to desperately obstruct the demon beasts. Those two supreme beings had personally stressed the importance of this matter, that the demon beasts must not be allowed to damage the vortex formation in the slightest.

Pondering thus, the white-haired old man frowned and calmly replied, "This sea region is not far from Tiannan; how can it be considered an invasion of your noble race's territory? Rather, it is your noble race that has brought such a large group of people here. You should be the ones to give us an explanation!" As he spoke, the white-haired old man's tone gradually hardened, unexpectedly taking the initiative.

As if to confirm the old man's words, batches of human cultivators, similarly attired, streamed out from the green palace, flying towards them in streaks of light. Their numbers were even slightly greater than the approaching demon beasts.

"Good! Good! Fellow Daoist truly has a silver tongue. I wonder if your abilities are equally exquisite?" The middle-aged demon man grew furious upon hearing this. Just as he was about to say more, a pleasant voice belonging to a young woman came from the air.