Chapter 1693: Four Seasons Sword Sovereign's News

Over the past half-month, they successively eliminated ten fourth-rank demonic beasts, including two high-grade lightning-attributed ones. If these items were taken back to their family, they could help the Sea-Quelling Ape and Thunder Phoenix advance.

They came close to dying several times due to the natural barriers of the Myriad Thunder Sea, but fortunately, the Darkwater Palace protected them.

Ahead lay a vast, pale golden sea, stretching as far as the eye could see. From time to time, thick golden lightning bolts streaked across the sky, striking the sea surface and sending up massive splashes. Thunder roared incessantly, and golden lightning flashed one after another, resembling a sea of golden lightning.

"If we want to leave this place, we must pass through here." Wang Ruyan said, frowning, a cyan jade slip clutched in her hand.

The Myriad Thunder Sea was vast, and they certainly couldn't leave from its entrance. True Person Lihuo's storage pouch contained a jade slip with information related to the Myriad Thunder Sea. The entrance to the Myriad Thunder Sea was in the Azure Carp Sea, but no one knew where its exit was. No one even knew the true size of the Myriad Thunder Sea; some claimed it stretched for fifty million li, while others said hundreds of millions of li.

The Sky-Wave Realm had dispatched expeditions to scour the Myriad Thunder Sea, but they suffered heavy casualties. A Spirit Transformation cultivator once sent a clone deep into the Myriad Thunder Sea, only for it to perish there. It was rumored that True Monarch Qian Lei had also ventured into the Myriad Thunder Sea, but for unknown reasons, he departed not long after.

"We have no way back; we can only continue to push forward," Wang Changsheng said solemnly. The environment of the Myriad Thunder Sea was peculiar; let alone attempting a breakthrough to the Spirit Transformation stage here, even normal meditation and cultivation were impossible. The lightning bolts here were disorganized and not directed at anyone; they were entirely natural, and no one knew their origin.

Wang Changsheng couldn't possibly leave through an exit; he could only press on, hoping to find a safe way out with the help of the Darkwater Palace. He formed a hand seal, and the Darkwater Palace spun and flew forward.

*Rumble!*

A tremendous roar of thunder echoed from high above, as hundreds of thick golden lightning bolts tore across the sky, heading directly for the Darkwater Palace. A soft blue light emanated from the surface of the Darkwater Palace. Hundreds of golden lightning bolts struck the blue light, one after another, but they were deflected. However, the golden lightning was endless, with constant bolts striking down.

After a short while, the blue light dissipated, and dense bolts of golden lightning struck the Darkwater Palace directly, yet the palace remained completely unharmed. Wang Changsheng altered his hand seal, and dazzling blue light erupted from the Darkwater Palace. Countless blue runes appeared along its eaves, and a massive blue water barrier materialized, enveloping the entire palace. Its escape speed surged, and it began soaring higher into the sky. Golden lightning bolts continued to strike, their numbers increasing steadily, yet the Darkwater Palace remained unharmed, without a single mark left behind.

An hour later, the Darkwater Palace flew out of the golden sea of lightning. Before them appeared a boundless black sea, under a dim sky. The water itself was black, and here, no lightning struck; the sea was calm and tranquil. This place felt like a completely different world from the Myriad Thunder Sea.

A desolate island, over a hundred li in size, lay a dozen li away. Its vegetation was lush, and they could even spot the signs of numerous demonic beasts. Wang Changsheng altered his hand seal, and the Darkwater Palace's speed surged. Before long, it landed on the beach.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan expanded their divine sense, scanning the entire island. They discovered numerous low-grade demonic beasts, but no fourth-rank ones.

"Oh, it seems there's an ancient cultivator's dwelling here!" Wang Changsheng exclaimed, his face showing excitement. "It's likely a Spirit Transformation cultivator's final retreat." As his divine sense swept over the island's northwest corner, he sensed a faint formation fluctuation. Had he not already reached the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage and significantly enhanced his divine sense, he wouldn't have noticed the anomaly. Without the Darkwater Palace, they wouldn't have been able to reach this place at all. Any cultivator capable of reaching this location would naturally be a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

The Darkwater Palace rose into the air, flying towards the island's northwest corner. A moment later, the Darkwater Palace landed atop an emerald green mountain peak over a thousand zhang tall, which was covered in weeds.

A red light glowed between Wang Ruyan's eyebrows, faintly revealing a red eye – her Dark Phoenix Divine Eye. She could clearly see that the stone wall a dozen zhang away was faintly glowing with a cyan light, shimmering faintly.

"Husband, it's over there," Wang Ruyan said, pointing.

Wang Changsheng deployed five puppet beasts, letting them disperse and scout the area. Strangely, there was no anomaly.

"A Spirit Transformation cultivator's cave dwelling might have powerful restrictions," Wang Ruyan warned. "Let's be careful and not get careless."

Wang Changsheng nodded. He formed a hand seal, and the Darkwater Palace rose into the air. Wang Changsheng produced the Seven Stars Demonic Cleaving Blade and slashed at the ground. A blue blade light several hundred zhang long shot out and struck the ground.

*Boom!*

With a thunderous crash, the cave entrance was pulverized by the blue blade light. Amidst the shattered rocks, a pale cyan formation flag was visible.

Wang Ruyan shook her sleeve, and a five-colored spiritual light shot out, transforming into a burly youth in a blue shirt. His eyes were vacant, clearly indicating he was a talisman soldier, though only one from the Core Formation stage.

"Go," Wang Ruyan commanded, pointing towards the cave. The blue-shirted youth strode into the cave.

Fifteen minutes later, the talisman soldier emerged.

"Strange, there are no powerful restrictions inside; it seems empty," Wang Ruyan said, frowning. "More accurately, it appears to be merely a temporary dwelling." This situation wasn't uncommon; high-level cultivators, when exploring dangerous areas, often established temporary dwellings for meditation and rest. However, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan possessed the Darkwater Palace, making such a temporary dwelling unnecessary for them.

"Regardless, it was definitely left by a Spirit Transformation cultivator," Wang Changsheng stated. "Let's go inside and take a look."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan stepped out of the Darkwater Palace and strode towards the cave. The stone walls were rough and uneven, appearing entirely natural.

After walking over a hundred steps, the path opened up abruptly. They found themselves in a massive stone grotto, roughly ten mu in size. On the left side of the grotto, a large inscription read: "Sword Venerable Four Seasons was here." Besides this inscription, numerous flying swords were also carved into the stone walls. These swords varied in shape and were scattered, seemingly forming a sword array.

"Sword Venerable Four Seasons! He was here!" Wang Ruyan exclaimed, her face filled with disbelief. Sword Venerable Four Seasons was the founding patriarch of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, a legendary figure who later disappeared. He had not only visited the Sky-Wave Realm but also reached this very spot.

"Could that fifth-rank demonic bird have been severely wounded by Sword Venerable Four Seasons?" Wang Changsheng proposed a bold theory. This theory could very well be true. Sword Venerable Four Seasons certainly possessed such strength. It remained unknown whether he died in the Myriad Thunder Sea or if he traveled to another realm.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan searched carefully but found nothing else. One thing was certain, however: Sword Venerable Four Seasons had resided here for a period.