Chapter 1870: Loaded with Full Cargo

Elder Sutra grinned: "My path is that of brute strength, and I improve fastest through combat." He had also heard about He Lingchuan's past rampage in the Heavenly Palace and expressed regret: "If I had been at Mount Ling back then, when it was in Lingxu City, I could have helped those few beasts."

He Lingchuan knew immediately upon hearing this that the fellow was belligerent, likely on par with Aunt Zhu. Seeing its muscular and robust physique, He Lingchuan strongly suspected that when Qianhuan subdued it, he also had ulterior motives, just like when he subdued the Blood Demon.

"You're a demon immortal; don't you find the weaker spiritual energy in the outside world uncomfortable?"

"It's uncomfortable, but bearable." Elder Sutra explained, and only then did He Lingchuan understand its unique talent: it could forcibly compress its cultivation into its qi sea, allowing it to venture outside. However, this compression was time-limited. Hard, swollen lumps would start forming in its body, and intense combat would further shorten the duration. If it didn't return to its cave dwelling and revert to its original form quickly, the lumps would grow larger, causing unbearable pain.

Upon hearing this, He Lingchuan almost blurted out, "Isn't that just bezoar?"

The methods these monsters used to adapt to changes in spiritual energy were strange and varied, but the general approach was similar: they either isolated or compressed their true cultivation. For example, the Spidress Queen of the Abyss encased her cultivation in a hard shell, shedding it layer by layer.

Just as he thought of the Spidress Queen, Aunt Zhu arrived:

"The Fire Monitor Lizard says that the true immortal's body of Zangxi belonged to Venerable Lingxu!"

He Lingchuan nodded, unsurprised. A true immortal's body was exceedingly rare; even the Great Demon Myozham had none. Thus, the original owner of True Immortal Zangxi's body was obvious.

Even Aunt Zhu looked a bit worried: "We've essentially made a personal enemy of Venerable Lingxu." The loss of a true immortal's body must be a severe blow to Venerable Lingxu. Myozham was dead, Qianhuan was dead; tracing the root, it seemed Lingxu could only blame He Lingchuan, right?

However, He Lingchuan merely shrugged: "What's there to be afraid of? He won't personally descend to find me."

"Hmm? Why not?"

"A commander doesn't easily venture out," He Lingchuan chuckled. "Since Qianhuan's hiding place was found, why didn't Lingxu come himself, but instead sent Myozham? It's because he is the supreme leader of the Lingxu faction, and he cannot afford any mishap."

"Besides, how many true immortal bodies could he possibly have left? These aren't like cabbages that grow everywhere." His analysis was optimistic. "Even Myozham, a top-three Great Demon, has fallen. How could Venerable Lingxu dare to descend personally before understanding the situation?"

"So, for a long time to come, he certainly won't descend personally. If other Heavenly Demons come down, hehe, our strength is no longer to be feared." With that, he yawned, feeling very sleepy.

Over the next few days, the Upside-Down Sea returned to calm. Farmers went back to their fields, civilians resumed their normal lives, Silver Pearl City lifted its curfew, shops and taverns reopened, and the docks and markets became bustling again. In truth, people remained uneasy, but life had to go on; they still had to eat. Everything seemed to have pressed a slow-motion button.

On Stone Dragon Mountain, immortals and cultivators were recovering from their injuries. He Lingchuan himself slept for over a dozen hours after lying down, not even entering the Coiling Dragon World. The best way to heal soul wounds was to sleep soundly. Even Juluo White Flowers couldn't replace the restorative power of sleep.

The Black Armored Army and Qianhuan Sect disciples like Luo Xie diligently cleaned up the battlefields in both the Upper and Lower Realms. The Battle of the Upside-Down Sea lasted only two days, but the battlefront was long and constantly shifting, with frequent changes in combat locations, making subsequent battlefield cleanup very difficult. But everyone was tired yet happy, for it was a season of harvest!

After five days of sweeping, collecting, sorting, and categorizing, Dong Rui, who had been conscripted as a temporary accountant, saw the total figures and shouted "Holy cow!", his hands trembling. The Heavenly Palace had accumulated over 37,000 jin of supreme-grade profound crystals—supreme-grade indeed! Bai Ziqi had stolen 80,000 jin of supreme-grade profound crystals from the Qianhuan Sect's treasury for Myozham's spellcasting and military use. But no matter how lavish he was, it was impossible to use it all up in two days. Moreover, Myozham had brought significant resources with him into the Upside-Down Sea, so there was plenty of surplus, all benefiting He Lingchuan.

The Qianhuan Sect itself also had an inventory of over 20,000 jin of supreme-grade profound crystals remaining. The quantities of other grades of profound crystals were even greater, too numerous to count immediately. A total of 60,000 jin of supreme-grade profound crystals—what did that even mean?

"Qianhuan, that old geezer, truly mastered the concept of 'sustained effort for long-term success'," Dong Rui muttered. "The Reversed Heaven's Will Grand Array had been steadily absorbing spiritual energy for over 150 years!" He then added, "I need more funding! My research definitely needs more funding!"

Qianhuan's old collections from over the years also included countless treasures, most of whose value could hardly be measured in money. Then there were all sorts of magical artifacts, weapons, armor, medicines, spellcasting materials, talismans, formations, and so on. The gold and silver collected were mere trifles; the Black Armored Army didn't even bother picking them up.

Dong Rui also got new toys. The Heavenly Palace had brought several Guai beasts this time, both large and medium-sized. Although all of them had perished in battle, Dong Rui didn't mind at all. After emptying the Red Dwelling Master's research lab, he now wanted to disassemble the Heavenly Palace's approach to manufacturing Guai beasts.

The Heavenly Palace also had four Golden-Armored Divine Generals, all damaged to varying degrees, which He Lingchuan subsequently acquired. These things were extremely expensive to produce; only national powers could barely manage it. He Lingchuan himself had only created one Golden-Armored Bronze General and hadn't dared to upgrade it to a Divine General. Now, with abundant materials, he could return to the Glimmering Gold Plain and have the Songyang Prefecture begin research. Aside from being money-pits, Golden-Armored Divine Generals had few other flaws, making them particularly suitable for siege defense and offensive campaigns.

Strangely, He Lingchuan also found over nine hundred empty Dragon-Punishment Pillars in Bai Ziqi's storage pouch. The number was astonishing.

In addition to all this, he had another seemingly modest but very significant gain: the Qianhuan Sect's classics and seeds. This was an immortal sect that had existed since ancient times, with an unbroken lineage. Its collection of classics, covering everything from history to cultivation methods, was exceptionally complete. The spirit rice and medicinal herbs cultivated by the Qianhuan Sect within the Upside-Down Sea had also been hastily harvested over the past few days.

Since the Qianhuan Sect had merged with Yangshan, He Lingchuan now had the authority to mobilize everything at any time. The future of the sect members was mostly settled; approximately 290 people were willing to leave with He Lingchuan, bringing their families, swelling the group to over a thousand people. The rest chose to remain in the Upside-Down Sea permanently. Not everyone had the courage to leave their homeland and start anew, even if "going out" seemed better than "staying behind." He Lingchuan honored his agreement with Xiao Wencheng, respecting their final decision without interference.

So, in addition to bringing in these Qianhuan Sect cultivators, He Lingchuan's trip to the Upside-Down Sea also saw him subdue the Blood Demon and True Person Jieshui, acquire the two immortals/demon immortals Liu Qingdao and Sutra, and gain the great demon Yataowu, who originally guarded the Qianhuan Sect's treasury. Some of the monsters the Heavenly Palace brought into the Upside-Down Sea had been conscripted from the Glimmering Gold Plain; five or six of them have now surrendered to He Lingchuan. Including Aunt Zhu and Dong Rui, his entourage of powerful companions suddenly grew.

On the eighth sunrise after the Battle of the Upside-Down Sea, the sea was calm, and ten ships were ready to depart. Among them were large ships brought by the Heavenly Palace and the Qianhuan Sect's own magical artifact treasure ships, all laden with He Lingchuan's newly acquired personnel and treasures. Everyone was waiting for the small grotto-heaven to open. The sky was clear for thousands of miles, and everyone could see the colossal, mountain-like clam shell still tightly closed.

As the last large ship launched, He Lingchuan lightly pressed the divine bone necklace at his collar: "Open the small grotto-heaven; it's time for us to leave."

No sooner had he spoken than Silver Pearl Island began to tremble, and the seawater started bubbling like it was boiling. Under the gaze of countless eyes, the translucent clam shell at the edge of the Upside-Down Sea slowly, ever so slowly, began to open. This was He Lingchuan's specific request; otherwise, if the clam shell opened abruptly, the seawater would rush in furiously, likely causing a tsunami. Even so, the gigantic clam shell was so immense that no matter how it opened, it seemed like a floodgate unleashing a torrent. Surging seawater swept in, creating raging waves nearly ten feet high along the shores of Silver Pearl Island!

After the first two massive waves, the sea remained turbulent for a long time before gradually settling into calm. The moment the golden sunlight struck Silver Pearl Island, the enormous clam-mountain shimmered like a soap bubble, reflecting a spectrum of colors for an instant, then slowly disappeared. Everyone leaned over the ship's rail, eyes wide, afraid of missing this rare spectacle. The sky was bluer, the sunlight brighter, and the giant clam was gone. The sea ahead stretched endlessly.

He Lingchuan raised his chin, and the enormous vulture perched on the ship's rail flapped its wings and took flight, heading out over the sea. The Blood Demon had once again possessed the Cave Infant King's body. It greatly liked this vessel, which Dong Rui had modified. It flew high and far, until it reached the limits of everyone's sight, then turned back, circling above the lead ship, tracing several figure-eights. This signified that the path ahead was clear. The clam shell barrier had indeed vanished.

He Lingchuan waved his hand, and a loud horn blast sounded from behind him. "Set sail." The fleet rode the white waves, slowly sailing towards the vast green expanse of the sea, escorted by seagulls.

Looking back, Silver Pearl Island was still there, much as they had found it, though its topography had subtly changed. But everyone present understood that the mirage realm had vanished; this place had returned to reality, and there was no longer a distinction between upper and lower realms. The dwelling place of ghost inhabitants and the source of the sea yashas would cease to exist. After the mirage realm disappeared, although the spiritual energy density on the island would align with the outside world, no yashas would emerge from the lake to devour people ever again. The island's inhabitants could finally be freed from over a century of fear.

Liu Qingdao, Sutra, and the Qianhuan Sect disciples stood at the stern of the ships, bowing in the direction of Silver Pearl Island. They were not bidding farewell to the island itself, but to the Immortal Venerable Qianhuan True Person! At the Qianhuan Sect's request, He Lingchuan had left Qianhuan's true body in the sea. For a sea demon, this was the most honorable burial. The Great Fanghu had already taken the spoils it desired, and a true immortal's body required immense spiritual energy for maintenance, which He Lingchuan felt he could not afford. Thus, he readily agreed to the Qianhuan Sect's request. He had just taken over all of Qianhuan's legacy, even absorbing the Qianhuan Sect itself. It would be unseemly to immediately covet the Immortal Venerable's body. Without proper spiritual energy sustenance, a true immortal's body would quickly decay, becoming useless even to Heavenly Demons, just like countless immortals before. Rest in peace.

Carried by the sea breeze, the fleet quickly left the Upside-Down Sea behind. As morning drew to a close, someone suddenly exclaimed: "Look, a storm!"

Everyone turned back together. Dark clouds covered the sky, and the once calm sea began to surge again. Just half an incense stick later, a gigantic storm formed once more, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling. The ten-day period was up, and the Upside-Down Sea was closing once again. Silver Pearl Island would soon be swept away by the superstorm. The Qianhuan Sect members wept, bidding their homeland a final farewell. He Lingchuan and the others gazed at the colossal storm, filled with their own reflections.

They had arrived amidst a three-way struggle for dominance; they returned with a single faction reigning supreme. In this unprecedented war between immortals and demons, it was ultimately He Lingchuan and these unassuming humans who had the last laugh, winning everything! At the time, it was heart-stopping; now, it felt like a lifetime ago.

The great vulture folded its wings and landed on the bow, asking He Lingchuan: "Where to now?"

"The center of the Glimmering Gold Plain," He Lingchuan said, standing against the wind, full of ambition. "My plan is finally about to begin!"