Chapter 1716: Dao Friend Please Stay

The Human World

The Human World

The sea stretched boundlessly.

The forces of the two demon armies spread out, engaging in close combat. Both the sky and the water were densely packed with their dark forms.

The vast sea had become a battlefield for the two armies. Battle cries shook the heavens, but unlike the human civil wars Qin Sang had experienced, these were mostly strange roars, sounding exceptionally chaotic.

Gradually, crimson seawater spread out from the battlefield, staining the surrounding area like a sea of blood.

Most striking was the giant whale at the heart of the battlefield.

The Dragon Whale Grand Sage had directly revealed his true demonic form. Setting aside his profound cultivation, the sheer oppressive presence of his enormous dragon whale body was unparalleled by any other demon beast.

Other dragon whales, pulling the sacred bone, followed behind. Compared to him, they looked like ninety-nine juvenile whales.

Truly worthy of being the East Sea's foremost demon sage, even contained within an iron cage and without employing the sacred bone, the Dragon Whale Grand Sage, relying solely on his own power, could rampage across the battlefield, unmatched and ferociously powerful.

No Grand Sages from the Holy King Palace side had appeared yet.

The lower-tier demon beasts couldn't even get close to the Dragon Whale Grand Sage's true form; merely touching the waves he generated would sweep away large numbers of them.

Those waves carried strange fluctuations, formed from the Dragon Whale Grand Sage's divine abilities. Those with insufficient strength who were struck by them would scream in agony, their sinews snapped and bones broken.

However, despite the Dragon Whale Grand Sage's rampant charge, the Holy King Palace forces still managed to maintain their formation without disarray.

Qin Sang did not participate in the battle, remaining outside the fray. His divine sense spread out, observing the changes in spiritual energy within the battlefield, his gaze sweeping past the formidable Dragon Whale Grand Sage to the demon soldiers of the Holy King Palace.

With the naked eye alone, it was impossible to discern the full extent of the Holy King Palace's demon army. It wasn't that the soldiers were boundless, but rather that they were obscured by a mysterious light of profound yellow.

The profound yellow light enveloped the Holy King Palace's demon army, growing fainter towards the periphery. Where they engaged the rebel forces in close combat, it seemed like a thin yellow mist.

Qin Sang looked up, gazing at the densest part of the profound yellow light, where he vaguely perceived the illusory outline of a grand palace.

“Holy King Palace…”

Qin Sang silently repeated these three words in his mind.

As expected, that illusory palace was likely the Holy King Palace, renowned throughout the East Sea demon race, but what he saw was not the true Holy King Palace.

Qin Sang had already given the Liguang Orb, obtained from a Wuxia clan Soul Transformation relic, to the Celestial Eye Butterfly for refinement. By utilizing the Spirit Control Secret Art from the 'Pangu True Scripture,' and achieving the 'man-insect unity,' the Celestial Eye Butterfly, though not yet at the Fifth Transformation cultivation stage, could manifest divine abilities nearly equivalent to that realm.

The Celestial Eye's divine ability possessed the power to see through illusions.

Qin Sang could naturally discern that it was not a real palace, but rather a phenomenon conjured by the activation of some spiritual array's power. It was this array that the Holy King Palace's demon army relied upon to resist the Dragon Whale Grand Sage's charge.

It could be observed that the profound yellow light on the battlefield ebbed and flowed like tides, with the Holy King Palace's momentum fluctuating accordingly. Each time it swelled, a ring of yellow light would burst forth from the demon soldiers, acting like armor, allowing them to subtly neutralize dangers with considerable order and discipline.

“This array…”

Qin Sang narrowed his eyes, frowning in deep thought.

The manifestation of the Holy King Palace's illusory form here suggested that the actual Holy King Palace was not far. Qin Sang suspected that this profound yellow light originated from the Holy King Palace's Guardian Immortal Array!

However, after observing for a while, Qin Sang felt that something wasn't quite right.

He had learned from the Dragon Whale Grand Sage that the Holy King Palace possessed a Guardian Immortal Array, which the Azure Fox Holy King had acquired from an unknown source. Some of its array flags were ancient immortal banners of immense power.

Originally, the Azure Fox Holy King had intended to use the ancient immortal banners for hunting fierce beasts.

Later, having obtained the Five Elements Crown, and possessing the Grand Five Elements Severance Divine Light and the Buddhist Demon-Subduing Grand Array, which were better suited for trapping enemies, he had abandoned that plan. Otherwise, Qin Sang would have long since witnessed the power of the Guardian Immortal Array.

The array currently employed by the Holy King Palace was undoubtedly very powerful, but in Qin Sang's view, it seemed somewhat unworthy of its reputation.

“Is it because the Azure Fox Holy King isn't personally overseeing the array, causing the immortal array's power to be insufficient… or have I guessed wrong?”

Unless the Holy King Palace was deliberately setting up a deceptive array to lure the enemy deeper, with some further conspiracy, these signs were already sufficient for Qin Sang to make a judgment.

Qin Sang recalled the sea chart the Dragon Whale Grand Sage had given him.

The sea chart indicated that passing through this battlefield would lead into the Holy King Palace's core territory. The reason their demon army could be trapped here was twofold: first, their own strategic calculations were sound, and second, the enemy had little room left to retreat.

Places referred to as holy lands by the demon race were few and far between across the entire East Sea.

This sea region had garnered the Azure Fox Holy King's favor because there were three holy lands nearby, including a primary holy land known as the East Sea Eye, which held significant meaning for the demon race.

Ever since it was occupied by the Azure Fox Holy King, the various clans had almost forgotten what the East Sea Eye looked like.

With the various armies about to reach the gates of the Holy King Palace, if the Holy King Palace had the ability to project its Guardian Spiritual Array here to enhance its prestige, it would certainly prioritize choosing the strongest immortal array.

Yet, the Guardian Immortal Array was not being used.

The Azure Fox Holy King had still not appeared.

Qin Sang concealed his presence, patrolling the battlefield repeatedly. The premonition grew stronger: the Azure Fox Holy King had not only left the East Sea but had also taken the Guardian Immortal Array with him!

Abandoning his foundation, making off with treasures, such a decisive move—where else could he have gone?

The pungent scent of blood hung in the air.

The battlefield grew increasingly chaotic.

Qin Sang's gaze swept across the scene, noting that two armies, one on each flank, had suddenly charged into the battle. Seeing the Dragon Whale Grand Sage fighting with overwhelming power and the Azure Fox Holy King still not making a move, the previously hesitant allied forces finally launched their assault.

Naturally, having delayed for so long, they had no further reason to hesitate.

With fresh forces joining, the Dragon Whale Grand Sage received strong reinforcements, his momentum surging. The clear sound of dragon whale roars, like dragons shaking the heavens, could be heard.

Qin Sang couldn't help but exclaim, “What a peerless great demon!”

The allied forces converged, surrounding them from several sides. The pressure on the Holy King Palace's demon army more than doubled; even relying on their spiritual array, they could not withstand the elites of the various clans and began to retreat.

However, the closer they got to the Holy King Palace, the stronger the array's blessings became. The allied forces would not achieve victory overnight.

Qin Sang still made no move, intently observing the Holy King Palace's illusory form, his eyes flickering, trying to discern something from it.

However, the Dragon Whale Grand Sage was growing impatient.

Given the current situation, with the Holy King Palace army relying on their grand array, even if the allied forces won, the Dragon Whale clan, spearheading the attack, would undoubtedly pay a heavy price. If the delay was too long, the holy land might be emptied, requiring a long time to recover.

And with no sign of the Azure Fox Holy King, he didn't want to reveal his trump cards.

Before the battle, Qin Sang had promised to help them break the array, but he had yet to make a move.

Amidst the slaughter, the Dragon Whale Grand Sage continuously communicated with Qin Sang via spiritual transmission, finally unable to resist asking, “True Lord, have you discerned any flaws in the enemy array?”

“Contact the other commanders and follow my orders!”

Qin Sang issued the command in a low voice.

While searching for the Azure Fox Holy King, he did not forget to analyze the array.

Whether a spiritual array was profound or not yielded vastly different results when observed by cultivators of different cultivation realms.

Soul Transformation cultivators could initially sense the heavens and earth, and with the aid of the Celestial Eye Butterfly's divine ability, in Qin Sang's eyes, this array naturally could not be without flaws.

Facing a spiritual array of this caliber, Qin Sang didn't even need to deeply investigate whether its power originated from the Five Elements, Yin-Yang, or something else.

There was no need for painstaking deduction; sensing the flow of the spiritual array's energy and starting from points of stagnation or blockage was the best method to break it.

Qin Sang gave his orders without reservation. The Dragon Whale Grand Sage, far from being angered, was instead pleased. He immediately transmitted messages to the commanders of all armies, using himself as a relay to direct the entire force.

“Zhen position!”

The next moment, a roar entered his ears.

The Dragon Whale Grand Sage violently struck the seawater, his command simultaneously relayed. He himself, riding a thousand-zhang wave, shook the water and soared into the air. Under the horrified gaze of countless demon beasts, the giant whale flicked its tail, and a water arrow erupted from its blood-red mouth.

Though called a water arrow, it was thicker than a water column.

The massive water arrow, swift as lightning, traversed more than half the battlefield, shooting directly towards the direction Qin Sang had indicated.

Concurrently, all armies received the order, and their top experts acted in close coordination. The commander in that specific direction did not hesitate, integrating his subordinates to unleash a barrage of demonic arts.

Instantly.

The Zhen position roared like thunder.

The Dragon Whale's water arrow, the great demon's illusory form, the demon soldiers' formidable aura—all sorts of astonishingly powerful attacks arrived simultaneously.

Additionally, demonic arts were unleashed from the military formation, their assault like rain.

‘Boom!’

Even though they hadn't attacked the center of the profound yellow light, the Holy King Palace's illusory form suddenly swayed. The halos surrounding the Holy King Palace demon soldiers at the Zhen position also trembled.

Gasps of alarm erupted, followed by screams. Nearly half of the demon soldiers at that spot saw their halos shatter in response, directly facing the terrifying attacks, resulting in widespread casualties on the spot.

Struck by this assault, the Holy King Palace forces immediately sensed something amiss.

The demon kings hidden within the military formation developed an ominous premonition and swiftly contacted their central command, inquiring about what had happened.

Within the Holy King Palace, Grand Sage Bai Xiao and the other demons overseeing the array also wore solemn expressions, mixed with bewildered incomprehension.

Although this array was not the original Guardian Immortal Array, it was still a powerful protective grand array they had meticulously refined. Even if it couldn't match the combined forces of the allied clans, it certainly had no problem holding out for some time.

Once the holy land's spiritual treasures matured, they would plunder the holy land and depart calmly.

They had never expected that a flaw would be detected in their very first engagement.

Although there were reasons for its imperfect operation, such as remote blessings, this still caused them to feel uneasy.

Had another array grandmaster emerged from one of the clans?

“It must be a coincidence…”

No sooner had Grand Sage Bai Xiao thought this than he sensed the palace tremble again. This time, the demon soldiers at the Qian position suffered.

It wasn't a coincidence!

On the battlefield, the allied forces repeatedly achieved success by following Qin Sang's commands. The Dragon Whale Grand Sage was immensely pleased, letting out continuous roars. To the Holy King Palace's demon army, however, these sounds were like death knells.

A stream of commands kept coming.

Qin Sang's tone was calm, and his commands were concise, rarely exceeding five words. Yet, from start to finish, he remained on the periphery of the battlefield, never once making a move himself.

The Dragon Whale Grand Sage merely assumed that Qin Sang was wholly focused on breaking the array and couldn't be distracted. He didn't mind this, finding Qin Sang's guidance more than sufficient.

Qin Sang, without needing to act personally, could still influence the course of the battle.

He stared at the Holy King Palace's illusory form, his commands constant.

“Qian…”

Just as he uttered a single word, Qin Sang was surprised to see the Dragon Whale Grand Sage, changing from his previous charging stance, suddenly retreat back into the whale pod.

The ninety-nine dragon whales seemed to have received some command, simultaneously rising to the surface, their entire bodies surging with vitality. They roared in unison, shaking the heavens. Intense blood energy surged along the chains towards the iron cage.

The iron cage became stained with blood, and countless strange runes burst forth from its iron pillars, reflecting the blood-red sea below.

‘Crack!’

One side of the iron cage suddenly opened, precisely the side facing the sacred bone.

The next moment, a whale chant emanated from within the iron cage.

The sound was deep and its momentum far less than that of the Dragon Whale Grand Sage, yet all demon soldiers on the battlefield could clearly hear it and felt an inexplicable sense of fear and panic.

Qin Sang was also startled. Shifting his gaze, he immediately noticed something unusual about the blood bone's eye sockets. Then he saw the skull open its gaping maw as if alive.

‘Clack, clack…’

Within the sacred bone's mouth, a mass of water had accumulated at some unknown point.

Limited by the size of the skull, this mass of water was not large, yet it was as profound as a vast ocean.

‘Whoosh!’

A stream of water shot forth, its momentum like a rushing river. Its form continuously transformed, eventually morphing into a giant whale in mid-air!

This giant whale was composed entirely of water, lifelike in appearance, and also of the whale family. However, its physique appeared more slender than the Dragon Whale Grand Sage's, yet it was several times larger, and with a mouth full of tusks, it was exceptionally fierce and awe-inspiring.

Qin Sang's gaze narrowed slightly, and he saw the giant whale violently flick its tail, tracing a full-moon arc in the void. Vast water waves materialized out of thin air, appearing to be the power within the giant whale's body.

Under countless astonished gazes, the colossal tail, carrying immense waves, struck down ferociously, its power unrivaled!

“Boom!”

A massive wave surged skyward, sweeping up countless bloody remnants and corpses.

Visibly, the sea surface around the giant tail as its center had sunken by a full layer. The demon soldiers were all crushed into a bloody pulp, and the massive waves raged, throwing the Holy King Palace's battle formation into utter chaos.

The power of a single strike from the sacred bone was this formidable!

“This sacred bone was obtained by our ancestor, who single-handedly hunted down a rampant whale that had wandered to the edge of the East Sea Guixu, after three hundred years of solitary vigil there. It was then dragged back to the Central Continent and cultivated into a sacred bone by nourishing it with our clan's essence blood…”

Qin Sang heard the spiritual transmission and saw the Dragon Whale Grand Sage, who had returned to the iron cage at some unknown point, struggling to close its gate.

Inside the cage, the sacred bone swayed, as if on the verge of reawakening.

The ninety-nine dragon whales in the sea were low on vitality, having retreated beneath the surface to recuperate.

Qin Sang smiled upon hearing this. Was the Dragon Whale Grand Sage demonstrating the might of the Dragon Whale clan to him?

He had to admit, this sacred bone was extremely fierce.

This was merely a portion of its power, activated by expending essence blood. If it was truly as the Dragon Whale Grand Sage claimed, that a Dragon Whale self-detonating its essence blood could awaken the rampant whale's full power, then it truly could not be underestimated.

With the sacred artifact making its move and achieving glorious results, combined with Qin Sang's guidance, the defeat of the Holy King Palace was already a foregone conclusion.

At this moment, Qin Sang had vanished.

The slaughter continued.

The Holy King Palace retreated again and again, completely different from before; their morale was utterly broken. Grand Sage Bai Xiao and the other demons were both shocked and enraged, but even relying on the Holy King Palace's grand array, they could no longer organize an effective counterattack.

At this point, the Dragon Whale Grand Sage also manifested his human form and led his forces in pursuit.

With the previous display of array-breaking might, all clans were thoroughly convinced.

Several individuals had appeared by his side at some unknown point, including a man wearing an imperial crown; they were all commanders of the various armies.

The allied forces merged into one, pursuing closely, breaking through like bamboo.

The man with the imperial crown gently fanned himself with a jade fan, watching the battlefield with a slight frown. “The opponent's courage is completely shattered; we should press on to annihilate them in one swift blow. Why has the Grand Sage ordered a slowdown now? Aren't you afraid of missing a golden opportunity?”

The Dragon Whale Grand Sage claimed it was for safety's sake, but inwardly, he sighed.

This order wasn't his; it was the will of that Daoist.

He knew clearly in his heart that he was but a chess piece in the Daoist's hands, though he didn't mind.

The Daoist was orchestrating this demon civil war, with his target squarely on the Azure Fox Holy King. Slowing the offensive now was precisely to force the remnants of the Holy King Palace to call for help, allowing the Azure Fox Holy King time to come to their rescue.

Outside the battlefield.

A man clad in armor sped along discreetly, his figure appearing and disappearing, his escape velocity remarkably fast.

Suddenly, he heard someone behind him say,

“Fellow Daoist, please halt.”

(End of Chapter)