Chapter 1631: Crisis

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan exchanged glances, neither of them speaking.

This sparring match seemed to have given Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan some advantage. However, the Sun and Moon Dual Sages were unable to use spirit treasures, which severely weakened their power. If they had deployed their sect's treasured artifacts against Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan would certainly not have been able to stand against them.

Wang Changsheng only possessed one spirit treasure, the Blazing Sun Divine Pagoda, which was primarily for trapping enemies and did not align with his cultivation technique's attributes. The Zhenhai Cauldron, the Zhenhai Sect's treasured artifact, and his avatar Wang Xin were all Wang Changsheng's trump cards. He believed the Sun and Moon Dual Sages also had many trump cards they hadn't used.

This competition was initiated and concluded by the Divine Transformation cultivators. From the very beginning, the outcome of this match was destined to be a draw. If a true victor were to be decided, it would no longer be a sparring match but a full-scale battle where all trump cards were revealed. Furthermore, given the strength of the Sun and Moon Palace, assembling ten Nascent Soul cultivators would be effortless.

Ten Nascent Soul cultivators represented the Wang family's entire strength, and that count even included Fairy Ziyue; Guang Dongren might not necessarily get involved.

Through this sparring session, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan witnessed the power of the Sun and Moon Dual Sages and felt a sense of apprehension.

According to Wang Changsheng's original plan, he intended to secretly develop his family, conceal his identity, and only rebuild the Zhenhai Sect once he reached the Divine Transformation stage. This would ensure legitimacy and minimize resistance. If the Sun and Moon Palace had no Divine Transformation cultivators, destroying it would not have been difficult for Wang Changsheng. However, plans often change. With the invasion from the Tianlan Realm, the Divine Transformation cultivators of the Dongli Realm forbade internal conflict.

All things considered, if Situ Mei hadn't exposed Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's identities, they could have continued to remain hidden.

Situ Mei had taken over Zhang Wuchen's body and led the Zhang family to prominence. At that time, Wang Changsheng was eager to settle in the South Sea, and coincidentally, he became involved with Zhang Wuchen. It remained unknown how Situ Mei discovered their identities.

Wang Changsheng recalled that the most likely event to have exposed the existence of the Fourth-Rank Zhenhai Ape was when he killed Yuan Gang of Huanglong Island. At that time, Fairy Ziyue was severely injured, and Nascent Soul cultivators were rushing over, forcing him to leave with Fairy Ziyue.

Everyone returned to Qinglian Island. In the presence of the three Divine Transformation cultivators, the four individuals, including Wang Changsheng, swore an oath on the Ten Thousand Ghost Forbidden Book, vowing not to infringe upon each other for life. If they violated the oath, even if they survived the Myriad Ghosts Devouring Heart, their cultivation would never advance further.

If they had a choice, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan would have been unwilling, but Liu Ye and the other two did not want them to fall into internal strife, so Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan dared not object.

"Young friend Wang, would you allow this old man to examine the cultivation technique you practice?" Dongfang Yulin spoke, his tone gentle.

If both Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan reached the Divine Transformation stage, with this secret technique, one of them could elevate their cultivation to the mid-Divine Transformation stage in a short period. This set of secret techniques was incredibly powerful, and no Divine Transformation cultivator would be unmoved by it.

Wang Changsheng showed a hesitant expression. Handing over the cultivation technique to Dongfang Yulin for inspection was tantamount to presenting the Zhenhai Sect's foundational cultivation technique. Refusal would cause trouble, as Dongfang Yulin, a Divine Transformation cultivator, would not be polite with them.

"Young friend Wang, you only need to provide the cultivation method for the joint secret technique. The three of us will merely examine it and will not spread it. There's no need for the full cultivation technique; we have our own and don't lack the Zhenhai Sect's." Liu Ruyi intervened to ease the situation. The Qinglian Immortal Couple had great potential, and she didn't mind offering a small favor.

Wang Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief. If that were the case, it would be much better.

He took out a light blue jade slip and handed it to Dongfang Yulin with both hands. "This is the cultivation method for the joint secret technique! Every word is true; please review it, Senior Dongfang."

Dongfang Yulin took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and frowned before passing it to Liu Ruyi. Liu Ruyi also furrowed her brow after examining the content of the jade slip. She then handed it to Liu Ye, who likewise frowned upon seeing it.

To cultivate the joint secret technique, practitioners required the Heart-Connecting Worms of the third rank as material, a specific special formation to be set up, and a certain secret art to be performed on them.

Rapid movement of seawater generates sound waves, and these sound waves can, in turn, drive the movement of seawater. There was a reason why the "Kuisui True Scripture" and the "Heavenly Sound Overturning Sea Art" could be complementary cultivation techniques; the divine abilities of the two techniques were inherently compatible and mutually reinforcing.

Throughout the entire Dongli Realm, the number of complementary cultivation techniques was extremely rare, and their practice came with severe limitations. Each set of complementary techniques was developed and improved by predecessors who expended vast amounts of time and effort. This was precisely the meaning behind the saying, "One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade."

"Young friend Wang, Young friend Du, a great calamity is approaching. You must set aside any deep-seated grievances you may have. No matter how significant your conflicts, they would at most result in tens of thousands of casualties. In a realm-wide war, casualties number in the hundreds of millions. This is also an opportunity for you; seize it, and you might even reach our current stage." Dongfang Yulin spoke solemnly. He was very interested in the Zhenhai Sect's complementary cultivation technique, but with a major war imminent and manpower needed, he did not explicitly ask for the complete set of techniques.

Fang Yue and Du Xu maintained their usual expressions. Their lifespans were limited, and they had failed in their attempt to break through to the Divine Transformation stage, leaving them with insufficient lifespan or spiritual materials for a second attempt. The realm-wide war was a severe challenge for the Sun and Moon Palace, not an opportunity. The new Sun and Moon Dual Sages were only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, their strength far inferior to that of the Qinglian Immortal Couple.

Wang Changsheng cupped his fists and politely asked, "Senior Dongfang, may I presumptuously ask, is the Tianlan Realm very powerful? Are we only able to passively endure attacks? Can we not request aid from other realms?"

"The forces of the Tianlan Realm have unified, establishing the Tianlan Sect, while we in the Dongli Realm remain fragmented. If not for us old fellows stepping in to mediate, you would still be attacking each other. It's not entirely about passively enduring attacks. We control the spatial nodes leading to the Tianlan Realm and the Ice Sea Realm, but without a special Sky-Connecting Spirit Treasure, we cannot break through these nodes to open a direct passage between the realms, which is why we are largely forced to defend. However, it's not entirely passive. If we knew the landing locations of the Tianlan Realm cultivators, we could catch them off guard and severely wound them, as happened last time." Liu Ruyi explained.

"Be careful. Your Nascent Soul formation triggered an unusual phenomenon, so it's possible Long Hanji's next target will be you. Build a few more teleportation arrays; they could be useful at a crucial moment." Liu Ye kindly reminded them.

Wang Changsheng expressed his gratitude and agreed.

"Alright, the matter is settled, and we must depart. Oh, and Young friend Du, you are not to speak of today's events. Young friend Wang, the same applies to you. This sparring match should be treated as if it never happened. As for the territorial handover, you can send representatives to discuss it with the Sun and Moon Palace and the Four Seas Sect! How you handle it is your concern; this old man will not interfere." After saying this, Dongfang Yulin transformed into a streak of light and departed.

"Young friend Wang, if you need assistance, you can seek out our Myriad Sword Sect." Liu Ruyi advised before following suit and departing. The Sun and Moon Dual Sages exchanged a few polite words and also left Qinglian Island.