Chapter 1616: Wang Changsheng Exits Seclusion

Time flew by quickly; ten years had passed in the blink of an eye.

South Sea, Green Lotus Island.

On a thousand-mu bluestone square, hundreds of Wang family cultivators were practicing swordplay. The air was filled with the whoosh of swords and their continuous hum. Multi-colored flying swords darted back and forth in the sky, their shadows flashing like light.

Wang Jiyun, Ouyang Mingyue, and Wang Changjie were instructing their clan members in sword arts, guiding them on how to deploy sword formations against enemies.

More than ten years ago, during the great war between humans and demons in the Eastern Wilderness, Wang Changjie and others followed Wang Qingshan to fight the demon race. Wang Qingshan slew several Nascent Soul stage demons, but the Wang family also suffered significant losses, with three Core Formation cultivators and dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators dying in battle.

There were also significant gains; Wang Qingshan sparred and exchanged insights with other sword cultivators, developing several sets of sword formations for his clan members to practice.

Wang Jiyun, Ouyang Mingyue, and Wang Changjie each commanded a team of clan members, practicing multiple sets of sword formations.

Wang Qingshan stood by, instructing with a stern gaze.

The continuous hum of swords filled the air as multi-colored flying swords hovered. These swords either condensed into a giant python, transformed into a massive tiger, or gathered into a colossal lotus flower, displaying myriad variations.

Wang Mengfen flew from a distance, landing in front of Wang Qingshan. His expression solemn, he said, "Ancestor, Senior Dai from the Myriad Swords Sect is here. He's most likely here for Immortal Cai Lian. What do you think?"

"Why haven't they given up yet?" Wang Qingshan frowned, looking a little displeased.

Long Hanji and her group had escaped the pursuit and vanished without a trace. The Myriad Swords Sect had asked Immortal Cai Lian for help with divination, but divination is not omnipotent. To perform divination, certain conditions must be met: the target's birth time, precise to the minute, and their real name are needed. If these are unavailable, a drop of the target's essence blood can also work. Without either of these, a diviner is helpless.

Diviners are not true immortals; they cannot pinpoint someone's location just by having their name. Furthermore, if the target's cultivation is a major realm higher than the diviner's, the diviner will lose a large amount of vital energy with each divination. In severe cases, the diviner could even die on the spot.

Long Hanji might be the fuse for a great catastrophe, as her existence is connected to the survival of an entire realm. Immortal Cai Lian simply cannot divine her whereabouts and dares not try. She has stated clearly that asking her to divine Long Hanji's location is no different from killing her, unless she reaches the Deity Transformation stage, which might make it somewhat feasible.

Grandmaster Xuanyuanzi of the South Sea gave a similar answer; he also dared not divine Long Hanji's whereabouts. Zhou Sihong merely had the potential to cause a catastrophe, but Long Hanji has already impacted the situation of the East Fence Realm. The two are not on the same level.

"Never mind, I'll go receive Fellow Daoist Dai," Wang Qingshan said. "You all continue practicing." He then transformed into a streak of green light and shot through the air.

Soon, Wang Qingshan appeared in the meeting hall. Not long after, Dai Ren walked in.

After a few simple pleasantries, Dai Ren got down to business. "Fellow Daoist Wang," he said, "we've found traces of cultivators from the Heavenly Ripple Realm and have even obtained a drop of Shen Haoran's essence blood. I've come this time hoping Immortal Cai Lian can perform divination to find Shen Haoran's whereabouts."

Through coerced confessions from captives, the high-ranking officials of the East Fence Realm had learned that Shen Haoran was a spy, and also the leader, sent by the Heavenly Ripple Realm to collect intelligence.

"Shen Haoran! How did he suddenly show himself?" Wang Qingshan exclaimed. "Changing one's appearance isn't difficult for a Nascent Soul cultivator, is it?"

Wang Qingshan looked puzzled. The East Fence Realm spans hundreds of billions of miles, so it would be incredibly easy for Long Hanji and her group to hide. If Long Hanji and her group were to hide in some secret realm or forbidden land, they would be impossible to find. Putting himself in their shoes, if Wang Qingshan were Long Hanji, he would dismiss his subordinates, find a place near a river to hide, and flee if he couldn't win. Shen Haoran knew he was wanted by the East Fence Realm, yet he ran around using his true appearance? That was unthinkable.

"He wasn't using his true appearance; he encountered a patrol inspector who noticed something unusual," Dai Ren explained. "During their struggle, the inspector recognized his divine abilities."

Patrol teams have been set up in all sea regions of the South Sea cultivation world, led by high-level cultivators specifically to apprehend cultivators from the Heavenly Ripple Realm. While it's difficult to catch Heavenly Ripple Realm cultivators this way, its main purpose is to "strike the mountain to scare the tiger," making them afraid to act recklessly. To be precise, the entire East Fence Realm is implementing a patrol system. Taking the Five Dragon Sea Region as an example, forces with Nascent Soul cultivators in charge lead the effort, organizing patrol teams to patrol the region. Each force is responsible for a specific area, and once suspicious individuals are spotted, they are immediately apprehended.

Dai Ren took out a blue porcelain bottle and handed it to Wang Qingshan.

"I'll notify my sworn sister and ask her to come over," Wang Qingshan said. "Hopefully, we can find Shen Haoran's whereabouts."

Wang Qingshan took out a communication plate and contacted Immortal Cai Lian.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Immortal Cai Lian arrived at the meeting hall.

Wang Qingshan explained the situation. Immortal Cai Lian did not refuse and proceeded with the divination. She took out a shimmering silver divination plate. The plate had a pointer and markings, its surface covered with tiny characters. Immortal Cai Lian chanted an esoteric incantation, opened the porcelain bottle containing Shen Haoran's essence blood, and sent a spell formula into it. Some crimson liquid flew out, landing on the divination plate. The pointer on the plate spun rapidly before finally coming to a stop.

"He is currently in a place with particularly heavy Yin energy," Immortal Cai Lian slowly said. "You must get there as soon as possible, as Shen Haoran cannot stay there indefinitely."

"Myriad Ghosts Sea Region!" Wang Qingshan and Dai Ren exclaimed in unison. In the entire South Sea cultivation world, the Myriad Ghosts Sea Region was known as the place with the heaviest Yin energy.

"Why did he go to the Myriad Ghosts Sea Region?" Wang Qingshan mused with a frown. "Is it a feint? Shen Haoran wouldn't go there for no reason. Could it be that some malevolent ghost is sealed there? Since he was discovered and still ran to the Myriad Ghosts Sea Region, he either has a scheme or it's a diversion." He then thought of something terrible: Could Long Hanji attack the Wang family? Not to mention that the Green Lotus Immortals are individuals of great fortune and Immortal Cai Lian is skilled in divination, Long Hanji certainly had this motive. On second thought, he found it unlikely. The Deity Transformation cultivators of the East Fence Realm could not have failed to consider this; perhaps they were already in the Five Dragon Sea Region, waiting for Long Hanji to appear.

"The Myriad Ghosts Sea Region is the old lair of the Myriad Ghosts Sect," Dai Ren said. "Perhaps there really is some powerful evil spirit there. Don't forget, Situ Mei was Shen Haoran's accomplice."

Dai Ren's expression was solemn. This news was too shocking; he had to return immediately to report it and dispatch people to seal off the Myriad Ghosts Sea Region to prevent Shen Haoran from leaving alive.

"Immortal He, thank you very much," Dai Ren said. "Fellow Daoist Wang, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." After saying this, Dai Ren hastily departed.

"The storm is brewing," Wang Qingshan sighed, his face filled with worry. "We must prepare countermeasures."

"A loss can turn into a gain," Immortal Cai Lian said meaningfully. "This great catastrophe is actually a great opportunity; it just depends on who can seize the chance."

At Green Lotus Peak, the door to the underground chamber suddenly opened, and Wang Changsheng strode out, his face beaming with joy. His aura was considerably stronger than before; he had clearly entered the late Nascent Soul stage. After cultivating in seclusion for over forty years, Wang Changsheng had successfully advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage.