Chapter 1717: Seeing the Big Through the Small

Xiao Wencheng glanced at it. The Spider Queen’s unique appearance made it hard to ignore.

Elder Xu was displeased: "Then what do you say it is?"

"Outsiders, especially enemies, who try to use spatial divine abilities in this realm are restricted, aren't they?"

Elder Liu nodded: "That's right, most escape techniques fail here."

"Then the last thing Bai Ziqi should have used was spatial magic," Granny Zhu revealed. "What they probably used was a 'time trick.' The location remains the same, but by shifting time back a few dozen breaths, they could avoid complete destruction!"

A 'time trick'? He Lingchuan had never heard the term before, but Xiao Wencheng and the others looked calm, as if they already knew it.

"So, they actually reappeared exactly where they vanished, but those few dozen breaths allowed the most terrifying leading waves of the tsunami to pass. The remaining turbulence could be endured using a Wind-Stabilizing Pearl or simply by the large ships themselves."

"That's it!" Elder Jin nodded. "Humans don't possess such abilities. It must be the Sky Fiends behind them who intervened. Heh, those fellows are going to pay dearly this time."

He Lingchuan and Dong Rui received a telepathic message from Granny Zhu:

"'Time tricks' are extremely profound spells. The corresponding magical artifacts are incredibly difficult to craft, and their use not only consumes an astonishing amount of energy but also inflicts a powerful backlash on the caster due to the interference with rules!" These were the three major hurdles of a 'time trick.' Therefore, "even in ancient times, very few deities mastered this type of magic; and even if they did, they rarely used it."

Granny Zhu's explanation was very clear, and He Lingchuan felt a stirring in his heart.

Bai Ziqi's fleet had just entered the storm zone, and the Sky Fiends were willing to expend such enormous effort to protect them, indicating their determination.

Their willingness to pay any price showed that their objective was significant.

Did the immortals of the Illusion Sect also sense the malevolent intentions of the newcomers, prompting them to use such divine abilities?

"Even with their vast influence, they have already entered the barrier's range," Elder Xu said, pointing at the sea in the mirror. "Look, they're accelerating."

Originally, Bai Ziqi's fleet had stopped near the coast, cautiously maintaining a distance from land. But after being affected by the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror's Wave Art, they seemed to realize that landing on the island would be safer.

The ship that had been forced to the seabed by the tsunami now slowly floated back to the surface. It could no longer be called "a ship," but rather a pile of shattered fragments.

Without divine protection, Bai Ziqi's fleet would have met the same fate.

Elder Xu narrowed his eyes: "Again! Don't let them easily reach the island!"

The moment the Sky Fiends intervened, Xiao Wencheng also discerned the opponent's unwavering determination. What more was there to say? The enemy was coming fiercely; this confrontation was destined to be a fight to the death!

So, the question was: did summoning a tsunami require more spiritual energy, or did creating a 'time trick' passage for an entire fleet consume more?

The Eyeball Spider whispered in his ear, relaying Granny Zhu's expressions of wonder:

"Summoning a tsunami requires much greater energy. Do these guys truly not care about expending spiritual energy? Oh, but these immortals, as the hosts, cast spells through the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror, so their consumption is certainly much less than the opponent's. If it comes to a battle of attrition, they definitely have an advantage."

The Illusion Sect, of course, was well aware of its advantage, so they pressed on. Elder Liu acted again, stirring up the waters in the mirror.

A new round of tsunami formed in the distance, gaining momentum, raising a wall of water even higher than the previous wave!

Dong Rui's face lit up with a smile: "Excellent, well done."

Just like that, Bai Ziqi and his fleet would be utterly defeated!

He Lingchuan, however, noticed that another turquoise stone on the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror had turned red.

This indirectly confirmed his deduction: this ultimate treasure could assist the immortals in launching one more tsunami at most, and then it would have to temporarily cease functioning.

He didn't know what state of mind the people on the ships were in, facing the tsunami.

But just then, a colossal ethereal shadow suddenly appeared above Bai Ziqi's flagship:

A pale golden eye!

Its width nearly matched the ship's length, suspended alone in mid-air. Its massive eyeball rotated a few times, first looking at the towering wall of water, then directly at the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror.

He Lingchuan had already experienced the sharp, merciless gaze once before.

"Eye of Truth!"

The signature divine ability of Miaozhan Heaven. But today, he didn't need to avoid it; he could stare directly back.

Xiao Wencheng's expression was equally solemn: "It truly is a divine power from Miaozhan Heaven!"

The so-called "Lord Gods" of the divine realm wouldn't easily intervene, but Miaozhan Heaven was not reserved here, precisely indicating the Heavenly Palace's determination for this operation.

The enormous Eye of Truth vanished before the tsunami arrived. Subsequently, the fleet was once again protected by the 'time trick,' escaping utter destruction.

This time, Bai Ziqi was clearly experienced. His coordination was precise; all seventeen large ships remained, with no loss of personnel.

Elder Jin then asked: "What does Miaozhan Heaven intend by releasing the Eye of Truth?"

"You should ask what It wants to see," Xiao Wencheng said expressionlessly. "It probably wants to ascertain if the tsunami is an illusion."

The Eye of Truth has the ability to see through falsehoods. If this awe-inspiring tsunami were merely an illusion created by the Thousand Illusions Sect, or a minor divine ability disguised as a major one, then the Sky Fiends' enormous expense to protect the fleet would be a complete waste.

The highest-level battles are often struggles of resources and reserves.

He Lingchuan subconsciously glanced at Elder Xu. This immortal seemed less straightforward than he appeared.

Now, as the attacking force, the Illusion Sect had, with the help of the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror, summoned two tsunamis, forcing the Sky Fiends to intervene twice and save Bai Ziqi's fleet from danger.

The losses for both sides were disproportionate; the Illusion Sect was exchanging its minor cost for the opponent's high expenses. This was a very profitable calculation.

However, Bai Ziqi's fleet was still sailing on the sea, getting closer and closer to Silver Pearl Island.

Elder Liu rolled up his sleeves and glared: "Again!"

He refused to believe that the Heavenly Palace could borrow an endless supply of Sky Fiend power!

He was determined to capsize this fleet.

Xiao Wencheng, however, stopped him: "Creating such massive waves consumes too much energy for too little effect. Change your divine ability!"

"You prodigal! Can't you see two turquoises on the treasured mirror have been used, yet the opponent has only lost one ship? This is like using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken, or a Twelve-Fragrance Pine Cloud Brocade Fan to swat a fly—the waste is unbearable!"

He Lingchuan also snapped back from the tumultuous spectacle in the mirror, recalling a scene he had witnessed in the Dragon Coiling World.

Back then, a new general from the Xianyuan Kingdom led his army to attack Puxi Ditch. Not wanting to incur too many casualties among his own troops, he set up dozens of sky-piercing cannons and fired them daily at Puxi Ditch. At that time, Xianyuan Kingdom was wealthy; firing dozens of cannons a day was considered a trifle.

However, after seven or eight days of this bombardment, Xianyuan Kingdom realized that while the artillery barrage was impressive, it caused very few casualties in Puxi Ditch; hardly anyone was killed, and most of the soldiers and civilians had taken cover effectively.

To truly win, they would still need to rely on manpower to occupy the area.

The same applied to the current situation: a tsunami might capsize the fleet, but could it truly harm Bai Ziqi and the core forces dispatched by the Heavenly Palace? He Lingchuan had doubts.

When Xiao Wencheng intervened, Elder Liu said "Alright" and left.

A moment later, he returned with an alms bowl.

The bowl contained clear water, and seemingly three small, black-and-grey fish, wagging their tails.

Before He Lingchuan could identify the fish, Elder Liu flicked his wrist, spilling both the water and the black fish into the mirror.

Wow, how convenient.

Just a few breaths later, Dong Rui's gaze sharpened, and he said, "Interesting."

He saw the three fish again.

To be precise, looking down at the sea through the mirror, he could clearly see three dark shadows beneath the surface!

What was reflected in the mirror was the real sea surface!

Needless to say, these three dark shadows were the fish from the alms bowl earlier. But looking at their current size, they were actually larger than Bai Ziqi's flagship!

In the alms bowl, they had been small, pinky-sized fish, but upon entering the sea within the mirror, they had become colossal titans of the deep ocean!

Even sperm whales couldn't match their enormous size.

The Soul-Sucking Mirror shrieked: "I told you the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror is infinitely marvelous, didn't I, didn't I?"

He Lingchuan's attention, however, was on the last turquoise stone on the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror.

It had faded, changing from a deep emerald green to a pale green, as transparent as jadeite.

This showed that the energy consumption of this fish transformation spell was far less than that of a tsunami.

Just then, several disciples knocked and entered, carrying two large chests.

They first bowed to the immortal elders before opening the chests.

A brilliant radiance burst forth, more dazzling than gold.

The next second, everything was poured into the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror.

These items were of various colors, clattering together with crisp sounds.

Profound Crystals, all Profound Crystals!

Dong Rui couldn't help but widen his eyes:

Two full chests of Profound Crystals, just dumped as if they were worthless rubble picked up from the roadside?

He took a hasty glance and seemed to see several light purple Profound Crystals, the smallest of which was palm-sized. Even now, if placed in the outside world, it would be worth two hundred fifty thousand taels of silver, yet here they were merely serving as feed?

Of course, the Profound Crystals didn't fall into the sea; they were swallowed by the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror itself.

He Lingchuan then saw the last turquoise stone on the mirror deepen its color slightly, changing from jadeite green to jasper.

Two full chests of Profound Crystals, converting into such a tiny bit of energy?

Although the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror was wondrous, its energy consumption was not something ordinary immortals could bear.

This treasured mirror continued its work while "feeding."

Elder Xu said clearly: "To catch the bandits, first catch their leader. Sink this ship."

The three colossal fish seemed to have heard his command. With a flick of their long tails, a large wave surged across the sea. They circled once and then headed straight for Bai Ziqi's flagship.

If even one of the giant fish struck it, the large ship would likely be capsized; if all three attacked at once, the ship might even spin three hundred sixty degrees, and how could anyone on board survive?

Not to mention, all three giant fish bared mouths full of sharp teeth, seemingly capable of easily swallowing over a hundred people in a single gulp.