Chapter 712: The Plot Within the Plot

It was hardly surprising. Whale Gate was, after all, an established power in the Red Moon Sea and undoubtedly possessed its own intelligence network. Given the substantial movements by the Zhang family and the Hailan Sect, it would have been truly astonishing if Whale Gate had remained oblivious.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, what's our next move? The Whale Gate personnel have already withdrawn."

Lu Qin looked to Zhang Zhiyang, seeking his opinion.

Zhang Zhiyang's expression turned grim. Mist Sea Island possessed a medium-sized Tier 3 metal ore vein, yet Whale Gate had apparently forsaken even that. The orderly withdrawal of the island's cultivators suggested they had left under specific instructions.

"This is bad. We've been tricked," Zhang Zhiyang realized, a terrible thought striking him.

To eliminate Whale Gate this time, the Zhang family had almost entirely committed their forces. The supposed birthday celebration was merely a ruse.

Were the Whale Gate cultivators stationed on Mist Sea Island recalled to their main headquarters, or were they dispatched elsewhere?

If they had been recalled to defend their headquarters, it would be understandable. However, if they had been deployed elsewhere, the Zhang family's rear would be vulnerable, and an attack on their main base by Whale Gate forces would spell disaster.

"Who's there!"

Wang Changsheng suddenly roared, his right fist erupting with a dazzling blue light as he struck towards a specific point.

A blue light flashed, and a giant blue fist, several zhang in size, shot forth, rapidly striking towards that spot.

Wang Qingshan reacted swiftly as well. He manifested his Azure Glaze Sword and slashed at the void, unleashing a formidable sword qi over a hundred zhang long, which fiercely cleaved towards the same spot.

Two thick silver lightning bolts suddenly erupted from the seabed, shattering both the blue giant fist and the azure sword qi.

A colossal blue shell surfaced, revealing an elderly man in silver robes, with a ruddy complexion and a handlebar mustache, standing within it.

Simultaneously, eight more blue shells emerged from the sea, each carrying a Core Formation cultivator. The highest cultivation levels belonged to the silver-robed elder and a wrinkled old woman in green robes, both at Core Formation Level 8.

Nine Core Formation cultivators, ranging from Core Formation Level 3 to Core Formation Level 8, completely encircled Wang Changsheng and his four companions.

The green-robed old woman's attire featured a blue whale pattern, while the silver-robed elder's robes bore an ocean motif.

"Lei Yunzi, why are you allied with Whale Gate?"

Upon seeing the silver-robed elder and the green-robed old woman, Zhang Zhiyang's face paled, and he gasped.

"Fool, do you still not understand? Our Hailan Sect didn't join forces with your Zhang family to eliminate Whale Gate. Instead, Hailan Sect and Whale Gate allied to eradicate your Zhang family! Your Zhang family's patriarch is truly an imbecile for deploying such a vast number of cultivators against Whale Gate, leaving your rear undefended. By my estimation, Zhang Wuchen should have been eliminated by now, and your Zhang family's ancestral stronghold, Green Carp Island, ought to have been overrun!"

The silver-robed elder's face twisted into a sneer of mockery.

Wang Changsheng's brows furrowed. Zhang Wuchen had hosted a birthday celebration, using it as a pretext to massively mobilize forces to aid the Hailan Sect against Whale Gate. Who could have foreseen that this was a cunning trap orchestrated by the Hailan Sect and Whale Gate, aimed at annihilating the Zhang family?

Whale Gate's ruthlessness was evident; to ensnare the Zhang family, they deliberately withheld information from their own allied forces. Had Wang Changsheng not witnessed Whale Gate's affiliated powers being attacked by the Zhang family's own allies, he would never have ventured so deeply behind enemy lines with Zhang Zhiyang.

"Attack! Kill them and use their heads to claim merit."

The green-robed old woman said coldly, producing a hexagonal blue array disc and imbuing it with a spell.

The others likewise took out their own array discs and cast spells into them.

Wang Changsheng and his four companions' vision blurred, and they abruptly found themselves hovering over a vast, endless expanse of ocean. The island had vanished.

The seawater below churned violently, and a tremendous pressure assailed them from all directions, threatening to crush their bodies.

"An array!"

The faces of Zhang Zhiyang and his four companions turned grim. Events had unfolded unexpectedly, leaving them no time to react.

A mighty roar!

The sea churned violently as two colossal blue whales, each over a hundred zhang in length, surged from the depths. Their eyes swiveled, revealing a surprising sentience.

The two immense blue whales charged towards them with incredible speed.

A loud whooshing sound rent the air as an azure sword qi, over a hundred zhang long, shot forth and struck one of the blue whales. Like mud dissolving into the ocean, the sword qi disappeared without a trace, leaving the blue whale completely unharmed.

Three azure flying daggers fiercely slashed at a blue whale, only to rebound instantly upon contact.

The blue whales seemed truly alive, possessing immense physical power.

A blinding golden light flared above Zhang Zhiyang's head, manifesting into a massive, dazzling golden bell.

Clang, clang, clang!

An invisible sound wave swept out in all directions. Upon encountering the sound wave, the two blue whales immediately ceased their movements.

A thunderous roar!

The two blue whales shattered, dissolving into a vast expanse of seawater.

Zhang Zhiqin summoned a fist-sized azure orb. She continuously chanted incantations and imbued it with several spells.

The azure orb immediately soared into the air, radiating a dazzling azure light.

Zhang Zhiqin appeared to be using the azure orb to locate an array core, and Wang Changsheng stood guard.

"There's an array core in the northeast and another in the northwest. We can only survive by destroying them."

Zhang Zhiqin transmitted this message, alerting the others.

"Qingshan, help me break the array."

Wang Changsheng transmitted a message to Wang Qingshan. He summoned a yellow seal, imbued it with a spell, and the seal instantly swelled to the size of a small mountain, hurtling with incredible speed towards the northeast.

Wang Qingshan's Azure Glaze Sword flashed, unleashing an azure sword qi over a hundred zhang long. Simultaneously, countless azure flying swords materialized behind him, quickly forming a colossal azure flood dragon that menacingly lunged towards the northeast.

Meanwhile, Zhang Zhiyang, Zhang Zhiqin, and Lu Qin focused their attacks on the array core in the northwest. Their survival hinged on destroying at least one of these cores.

The seawater churned violently, and two blue water walls, each over a hundred zhang high, rose to block their path.

A mighty roar!

The yellow seal shattered the blue water walls, transforming them into a vast expanse of seawater.

As the yellow seal neared a specific spot, a torrent of silver lightning bolts erupted from the void, striking the seal and sending it flying back a considerable distance.

Roar! Roar!

Five colossal blue water dragons surged forward, violently impacting a certain area of the void.

The seawater beneath them began to rotate violently, and a powerful suction force materialized, pulling the five blue water dragons uncontrollably into the vortex.

With a deafening roar, the five blue water dragons vanished into the colossal vortex. The azure flood dragon and the azure sword qi were likewise engulfed.

The vortex spun with increasing speed, generating powerful air currents that made it difficult for both Wang Changsheng and Wang Qingshan to maintain their footing.

Two immense blue whales obstructed the path of Zhang Zhiyang and his two companions. The whales fiercely attacked them, and the powerful air currents almost caused them to lose their balance.

A sharp glint flashed in Wang Changsheng's eyes as he produced a mirror shimmering with purple light.

It was the Purple Cloud Mirror, Ye Yunhai's innate magical artifact.

A flash of purple light, and a broad swathe of purple mist shot forth, precisely enveloping the vortex.

Within moments, the vortex ceased to spin.

A loud peal of thunder erupted as countless blue lightning bolts materialized around Wang Changsheng, coalescing into a colossal lightning orb that fiercely hurtled towards the opposite side.

Grasping the Mountain Sea Pearl in his right hand, Wang Changsheng slammed it into the void. Countless blue lights appeared, forming a blue water dragon over thirty zhang long, which lunged menacingly towards the opposite side, with the yellow seal following closely behind it.

Countless silver lightning bolts shot from the void, striking both the blue water dragon and the yellow seal.

A tremendous roar echoed as a silver light and a blue light materialized high in the sky, from which powerful shockwaves rapidly propagated.

A loud whoosh pierced the air as an azure rainbow, over ten zhang long, shot forth, swiftly disappearing into the merged silver and blue lights.

A resounding crash!

Wang Changsheng's vision blurred, and the scene before him vanished. He found himself back above Mist Sea Island.