Chapter 115: Forbidden Land Above

At this moment, a sea of purple light in the sky continually clashed with a black formation. Neither possessed sentience, but their inherently different natures clearly made coexistence impossible. This mirrored the six cultivators currently locked in battle on the fish-head shaped land.

Ding Xiaohai's longsword danced in his hand, unleashing one sword-flower after another, each formed by the Sea Transformation Scripture and imbued with astonishing killing intent.

He also employed talisman treasures, combining them with his own magical arts to create an area resembling a sea. Within this domain, the Sea Corpse Race cultivator fighting him, though formidable, found himself in a temporary stalemate.

However, alien energy and corpse poison were the Sea Corpse Race's potent weapons. Coupled with their ferocious nature, Ding Xiaohai was gradually losing ground overall, though he also possessed a trump card.

Meanwhile, the Captain's long spear moved like a dragon, incredibly fast and constantly changing. It swept horizontally at times, and thrust directly at others. On closer inspection, it seemed as if he was embroidering or sculpting, circling around the Sea Corpse Race cultivator he was fighting.

He clearly seemed at ease; even the hand not holding the spear wasn't forming spell seals. Instead, he held an apple, taking bites now and then, and had enough spare energy to cheer for Ding Xiaohai: "Well done, Senior Brother Ding! You're mighty, Senior Brother Ding! Keep fighting, Senior Brother Ding!"

After cheering for Ding Xiaohai, the Captain was about to encourage Xu Qing as well. But as soon as his gaze swept over, his eyes widened, his mouth dropped open, and he nearly dropped his apple. What he saw was Xu Qing holding a dagger, moving so fast he was a blur, swiftly cutting across the Sea Corpse Race cultivator's body, and liberally sprinkling large amounts of poisonous powder at close range, as if testing his own poison path.

While testing the poisons, his dagger forcefully cut, slicing off piece after piece of the Sea Corpse Race cultivator's flesh.

The Sea Corpse Race cultivator's body was noticeably missing almost half its mass, revealing bones. On the ground, only blue flesh and blood remained. Yet, Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged. Even with blue blood permeating the surroundings, a gruesome sight, he continued to attack with a serious demeanor.

In reality, Xu Qing didn't want to do this, but the Sea Corpse Race cultivator before him seemed oblivious to pain, and most poisons had no effect on him.

Even with his neck slit, he attacked fiercely, as if disregarding his own life, often risking injury to deliver a frantic blow. The red glow in his eyes seemed intent on tearing Xu Qing apart. At the same time, waves of magical energy erupted from his body. The essence of these fluctuations was not spiritual energy, but alien energy, forming black misty ghastly faces around him that lunged at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing wasn't afraid of alien energy, but he didn't want to expose himself here. Thus, while dodging with his speed, he also drew out talisman treasures to form a defense, yet his brows still furrowed. He noticed that even with such severe injuries, the opponent remained savage. This intensified Xu Qing's killing intent. As he moved, his dagger suddenly lunged towards the opponent's head.

A red glow flashed in the Sea Corpse Race cultivator's eyes. He suddenly raised his right hand, directly meeting the attack.

With a crunch, the moment the Sea Corpse Race cultivator trapped the dagger with his bones, he suddenly opened his mouth wide and lunged to bite Xu Qing. Xu Qing's gaze sharpened, and he chose not to dodge. Instead, he slammed his head forcefully into the opponent.

With a boom, the Sea Corpse Race's mouth collapsed, its teeth shattered, and its head was half-shattered from the violent impact. Xu Qing suddenly rushed forward, his dagger slashing fiercely at the opponent. An arm was severed. Another slash, and the abdomen was ripped open.

Putrid organs liquefied and gushed out. Such injuries and misery caused a rare look of horror to appear in the eyes of the almost dismembered Sea Corpse Race cultivator. All of this was why the Captain nearly dropped his apple.

The Sea Corpse Race was not devoid of emotions; their emotions were simply rudimentary. Yet, no matter how simple, the shock brought by impending death was still intense. As he retreated at this moment, the Sea Corpse Race cultivator no longer wished to fight and intended to flee. But Xu Qing disagreed.

He suddenly lunged forward, closing the distance again. As his dagger danced, numerous water droplets formed around him, creating a barrier on all sides that swiftly enveloped the Sea Corpse Race cultivator.

Amidst the roar, the horror in the Sea Corpse Race cultivator's eyes intensified. The Seven Blood Eyes disciple before him felt incredibly bizarre. His alien energy was completely ineffective against this person, which, in his understanding, was impossible.

Even the chosen prodigies from various races who had no alien energy within them were merely pure internally, not immune to alien energy. If thrown into a Forbidden Zone, they would still be invaded.

But this person before him—all the alien energy that integrated with him simply vanished, as if devoured.

Furthermore, the corpse poison, which their Sea Corpse Race prided itself on, was utterly useless against this individual. It seemed the opponent wasn't afraid of it at all. On the contrary, the opponent's own poison attacks were causing his mind to waver. As for physical bodies, the Sea Corpse Race, unafraid of pain, mostly had robust physiques. But the opponent... seemed even more robust.

And regeneration. Due to their unique nature, the Sea Corpse Race possessed regenerative abilities far superior to cultivators of other races. Yet... at this moment, he felt he was inferior even in that regard. "What kind of monstrous being is this?"

A fierce red glow flickered in the Sea Corpse Race cultivator's eyes. Just as he was about to retreat, Xu Qing was already upon him. As the dagger swung, the ground was quickly covered in blue blood once more.

It wasn't long before Xu Qing's dagger snapped and crumbled under the corrosion of the opponent's alien energy and corpse poison. The Sea Corpse Race cultivator seized the opportunity and tried to flee, but a streak of black cold light instantly pursued him, piercing directly through his chest. It was the black iron spike.

The moment it pierced the Sea Corpse Race's chest, the spirit power within the iron spike erupted with a roar, generating Foundation Establishment fluctuations that directly obliterated the already battered and weakened body. With a boom, the Sea Corpse Race's body exploded, scattering everywhere. As it fell to the ground, the black iron spike suddenly returned to Xu Qing's hand. All bloodstains on it vanished automatically, as if absorbed.

The Captain, who was nearby, looked at the fragmented Sea Corpse Race on the ground, then at the black iron spike in Xu Qing's hand. Finally, he noticed Xu Qing looking at him. Feeling slightly embarrassed, his long spear suddenly twisted, transforming directly into a stream of water, which shot towards the Sea Corpse Race cultivator he was fighting.

Upon immediate contact, the water stream rapidly coiled around the opponent, emitting astonishing coldness. In the blink of an eye, it solidified into ice, encasing the Sea Corpse Race cultivator within, turning him into a block of ice.

This coldness was astonishing, seemingly capable of harming souls.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He subtly sensed danger from the ice block, knowing it wasn't ordinary ice, but rather contained some unknown power. "See, Xu Qing?" the Captain coughed, raising his chin proudly as he took a bite of his apple. "Killing requires artistry, not just brute force."

The Captain coughed, lifted his chin with a proud look, and took a bite of his apple. He then walked forward and tapped the ice block. Instantly, cracking sounds emanated, cracks spread, and the ice block shattered, along with the Sea Corpse Race cultivator trapped inside.

This scene heightened Xu Qing's vigilance. A Sea Corpse Race cultivator at the Great Circle of Condensing Qi clearly surpassed human cultivators at the same level by a significant margin. To be so easily slain proved... the Captain was even stronger.

"Oh, and I think you could improve your magical arts," the Captain added, glancing at the ground around Xu Qing. "You could try incorporating poison into your water droplets; that should make them even more powerful."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing looked thoughtful. He felt the Captain had a point and nodded seriously. Seeing that his words had once again established a powerful image in Xu Qing's eyes, the Captain was pleased.

"Let's go! We need to hurry. If we're late, I'm afraid that kid Zhang San might be finished," the Captain said. With a flash, he headed straight for the fish's eye. As for Ding Xiaohai, he paid him no mind.

Xu Qing also paid him no mind. As he followed the Captain, he recalled the Captain's previous moves while pondering his own shortcomings and the Captain's suggestions. "Captain, are the Sea Corpse Race actually corpses?"

As they neared the fish's eye, Xu Qing asked.

Rarely hearing Xu Qing ask a question, the Captain's eyes lit up. He cleared his throat, glanced at Xu Qing, and said lightly, "This question... has value..."

Xu Qing handed him a large apple, even bigger than the one the Captain had been eating earlier. The Captain's words paused, he muttered a few words, then took it and bit into it.

"Alright, since you're my team member, I'll tell you," he began. "The Sea Corpse Race are all resurrected corpses; they are quite peculiar in themselves. Their tribal land is on the edge of the Ninth Forbidden Land." He looked at Xu Qing. "Do you know what a Forbidden Land is?"

"Forbidden Zone?" Xu Qing asked.

"Places where deities open their eyes and gaze become Forbidden Zones. So... what if a deity opens their eyes and gazes at a place that is already a Forbidden Zone?" The Captain's expression was profound.

Xu Qing's mind stirred. He hadn't considered this question. After a moment of contemplation, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.

"When a deity gazes upon a Forbidden Zone, the alien energy there becomes even denser, surpassing a certain limit. Then... a Forbidden Land is formed. There's a significant difference between Forbidden Zones and Forbidden Lands." The Captain took a bite of his apple and continued.

"Forbidden Zones mostly contain ferocious beasts or strange entities, but within Forbidden Lands... new intelligent races can be born! According to the Seven Blood Eyes' records, there are at least fifteen or more Forbidden Lands in the entire world. Some of the races within these Forbidden Lands are known to the outside world, while others are incredibly mysterious. On the Endless Sea, there is a Forbidden Land called the Corpse Forbidden, and the Sea Corpse Race originated from its fringes. Our Southern Phoenix Continent also has a Forbidden Land. That is the Phoenix Forbidden."

"You've probably heard that within the Phoenix Forbidden, there exists an Emperor, named Yan Huang. He is one of the top divine beings in this world. To some extent, though vastly different from true deities, he is a similar existence."

"This Yan Huang was born within the Phoenix Forbidden Land."

As Xu Qing listened to the Captain's words, a strong ripple surged in his heart. At this moment, with the Captain's voice, the world seemed to unveil yet another layer of its mysterious veil for him.

"Then... what if a deity opens their eyes and gazes at a Forbidden Land?" Xu Qing suddenly asked.

The Captain fell silent, not speaking. It wasn't until they reached the deep pit where the fish's eye was located, and he was about to jump down, that his voice drifted faintly, "Records from ancient times only mention four instances of deities gazing upon Forbidden Lands."

"What changes occurred in those Forbidden Lands that were gazed upon, I do not know. But I do know their names were no longer Forbidden Lands, but... Divine Domains."