Chapter 526: Heavenly Leak and Sea Rise

Li Xizhi was instantly moved. He opened his mouth, but instead, just embraced her, saying softly, "Xiao'er, if it weren't for you, I would have perished in that sea long ago..."

His gentle words immediately made Yang Xiao'er smile sweetly. With her slender hands around his neck, she nestled in his arms and whispered softly, "Don't say that... And please don't blame my family for not getting word to warn you... After all, the Purple Mansion just suffered a loss, and several brothers were transferred away..."

Li Xizhi shook his head, quickly urging, "This matter was most likely done by the Chi family. It must never be revealed; we'll pretend it never happened. That's why I found an excuse to come to Mount Zhan..."

He carefully explained the whole story, concealing the things in his Sea of Qi. Yang Xiao'er, being inherently intelligent, understood clearly and nodded, saying, "Good, I understand."

After they talked for a while, they suddenly felt the mountain range beneath their feet tremble. White mist rose into the sky, enveloping the clouds and transforming into various illusions.

White petals mixed with smoky mist fell, emitting sounds like colliding jade beads. A clear, calm voice spread forth, as if emerging from the void, neither loud nor soft, appearing just right beside their ears.

"This Venerable One, Shangyuan, today achieved the Dao in the North Sea, attained the realm of Jade True Six-Nine Combined Emptiness, and ascended to the rank of True Monarch..."

The voice wasn't strong, but it made both of them stand up, with shock on their faces. The couple exchanged a glance and quickly bowed, "Distant congratulations to True Monarch Shangyuan, True Monarch of Jade True Six-Nine Combined Emptiness..."

The two offered their distant congratulations, and the world was filled with scenes of bowing and felicitations. At this moment, not only did all sorts of people and demons on Mount Zhan bow respectfully, but also characters of some cultivation from within the seas and the Four Seas lifted their heads and respectfully offered their congratulations.

‘This one has truly achieved the rank of True Monarch...’

Li Xizhi sighed softly, feeling emotional. The shimmering light in his hand rose, and he still found it somewhat incredible. He looked back at Yang Xiao'er, who also wore a shocked expression.

In recent years, many True Persons have tried to break through to the Golden Core stage; not to mention Chi Wei and Duanmu Kui from his own Yue Kingdom, there were also humans and demons from the Wu Kingdom and overseas who attempted breakthroughs, but none ever succeeded.

Even Dongfang You, who was a Dragon Monarch's descendant and had terrifyingly deep accumulations, still failed to break through and spectacularly transformed into black clouds.

Although Shangyuan had always been considered the foremost person in the Purple Mansion, and the number of people who went to observe the ceremony was the highest in recent years, over so many years, countless individuals had been regarded as the 'first person' in the Purple Mansion. For him to truly break through in the end still astonished people.

Li Xizhi was a disciple of Green Pond Immortal Peak and was now on the verge of becoming a peak master. He had some understanding of the Purple Mansion and the Golden Core.

The Golden Core path refines the 'golden nature' and can even attain an enlightened status, making one an extraordinary existence. If written down carelessly, it could offend a True Monarch; therefore, there were no detailed records within the sect, and most information was hearsay.

Once one achieves the Golden Core, one gains the 'golden nature' to exist; the physical body can last for a thousand years, and the spirit can endure through reincarnation, approaching immortality and indestructibility. Each Golden Core corresponds to a heavenly 'fruit position,' and if one occupies that position, one gains even greater immortal abilities.

He thought to himself, "I heard the Jade True 'fruit position' is vacant. So with True Monarch Shangyuan's breakthrough, he can ascend to that position and become the Lord of Jade True..."

"True Person Shangyuan has always detested evil. How could the Northern Buddhist cultivators tolerate him? Among the seven paths, Wrath has faded, and at least three of the remaining six paths utterly despise him..."

Li Xizhi looked north. A brightly shining comet fell from the sky, moving directly north along the firmament, and plunged into the North Sea.

As soon as the comet fell, the Evening Star was seen flickering, like an eye constantly opening and closing, blinking rapidly. Green light flowed across the sky, seeming very intense.

His vision blurred, and he felt half-asleep, half-awake, unable to discern what was before him. It wasn't until the talisman seed in his Sea of Qi pulsed slightly and a surge of clear energy rushed into his mind that he slowly regained his senses.

"A Golden Core battle!"

With this clear energy's enhancement, he could somewhat discern the distant scene. After only a few breaths, the stars in the sky seemed to invert, and another dazzling star lit up, radiating a reddish-white color.

Li Xizhi observed it carefully for a while, but he had never seen this star before. He looked at its astrological division and saw that this star was trailed by three companion stars, only one of which was lit.

"One of the three..."

Relying on the talisman seed within him, Li Xizhi was not overwhelmed by the distant power. He raced against time to remember, seeing a massive figure flash in the distance, appearing to have six arms and holding a lotus-shaped magical artifact.

‘Could it be a Buddhist cultivator...’

But this figure merely flashed, then green light flickered, the comet fell, the reddish-white star glowed intensely, and brown light flowed. The six-armed figure instantly deflated and exploded into golden energy filling the sky.

The comet's light was extremely strong, seeming to be in a fit of rage. It even completely obliterated the golden energy spreading across the sky. All the lights intertwined, even shaking the mountain range beneath their feet.

When Li Xizhi saw this, even with the clear energy preserving his consciousness, his eyes still streamed with tears from the pain. He feared that if he continued to look, his eye technique would be broken, so he had to lower his gaze.

He wiped away his tears and rested briefly. The sky, however, grew dim, and a black, cavernous color appeared in the north. Meteors streaked across the sky, trailing fiery tails as they came from the north.

Yang Xiao'er, standing beside him, pulled on him, a little worried. Suddenly, they heard the ocean roar, and the waves dramatically parted. From within, a colossal creature rose—a white-gray scaled beast.

This scaled beast had four strong and powerful legs, each treading on a cloud. Its torso was very long, and its lengthy tail was densely covered with scales the size of tabletops. It swiftly rode the clouds and mist, emitting a long howl.

Li Xizhi quickly lowered his head and whispered, "Greetings, Great Demon..."

The scaled beast circled once in the air, looked carefully to the north, then rode the clouds and mist and swiftly headed north.

Li Xizhi looked worriedly to the north. Yang Xiao'er, beside him, watched the Purple Mansion Great Demon depart and whispered, "Husband, something big is about to happen... I'm afraid True Monarch Shangyuan and the various Buddhist cultivators have started fighting."

Li Xizhi had been watching for a while and already had a premonition, but he couldn't say much to his wife. He shook his head silently, just watching meteors fall like rain, plunging into the inner seas and various parts of the Four Seas.

He took a step forward, hesitating. The couple then rode the wind down from Mount Zhan, approaching the water surface that reflected numerous shimmering lights. Li Xizhi's expression was solemn, while Yang Xiao'er's face showed surprise. "Eh?"

Mount Zhan was a columnar peak rising from the seabed. Its cliff face was smooth and delicate, covered in colors, with layers of shimmering light stacked upon it, appearing especially beautiful. She flew all the way to where Mount Zhan met the seawater and saw the rapidly descending water line on the cliff face. She said in a deep voice, "Husband... the East Sea's water level is falling..."

Indeed, the highest wave mark on the wall was already an inch above the current waterline. Li Xizhi looked carefully, his expression very serious, and said, "No wonder it alarmed the Great Demon. The Sea of Confluence is already the most stable sea in the East Sea, and Mount Zhan is a natural wonder. Normally, the sea level here wouldn't fluctuate more than a finger's breadth. If even the Sea of Confluence is like this, you can imagine the state of the other seas!"

Yang Xiao'er pursed her lips and asked, "So what about us now..."

"Mount Zhan is the safest place."

Li Xizhi shook his head, and together with her, rode the wind back up the mountain. His heart was filled with worry: "I wonder how my family is doing..."

Coincidentally, Yang Xiao'er, beside him, also looked worried: 'Our Ancestor just broke through to the Purple Mansion realm but encountered such drastic changes in heaven and earth. I wonder if it will have any impact!'

North Sea.

When Li Xuanfeng woke up, the sky was dim. He opened his eyes and looked towards the horizon; the stars and moon were properly hanging in the sky. The earlier azure sky had disappeared, and the comet was nowhere to be seen.

Everything that had appeared had turned to nothingness, leaving only various black shadows, large and small, appearing in the distant north, dotted among the stars. The moonlight and starlight were both somewhat dim.

Li Xuanfeng slowly raised his arm. More than half of his golden armor had turned a brilliant white, glowing dazzlingly. The iron hooks that originally connected the armor plates had all solidified, leaving most of his body immobile.

He struggled twice and sat up. A faint voice came from beside him: "True Monarch Jin Yi Taiyuan Shangqing of the Golden Feather Sect made a move; your cultivation and armor were stirred. The Dark Hook Profound Gold on your armor has mostly transformed into White Lake Origin Gold, and it still needs to be reforged."

‘It's Yuansu.’

Li Xuanfeng recognized his voice, turned his head and responded. He was sitting quietly beside him; the scene of his face covered in blue blood-tears seemed like an illusion. Now, it was still that clean, round face, sitting leisurely beside him.

Yuansu noticed his expression and laughed, "Just now, when the True Monarch suddenly made a move, I couldn't control my emotions and felt hatred for a moment. As a result, I was subjected to a backlash from the golden nature and almost turned into cave spring water."

Although Yuansu said this, seeing him at the limit of his lifespan, he probably didn't care much about his own life. Li Xuanfeng lowered his gaze and responded, seeing the reef beneath his white robe had already turned a jade-green color.

Li Xuanfeng respectfully assented and whispered, "May I ask, True Person, have the True Monarchs decided a victor yet?"

"Not yet."

Yuansu rested his hand on his chin and said softly, "Things don't happen that fast. Only a few True Monarchs showed a glimpse of their power and had a brief skirmish in the North Sea."

He pointed to a patch of darkness in the northern sky, motioning Li Xuanfeng to notice. Li Xuanfeng squinted to look and saw black holes of various sizes dotted among the stars, which he had found strange earlier.

Yuansu whispered, "The True Monarchs fought for several days and tore several holes in the North Sea's sky, sending them beyond the heavens."

"I couldn't see very clearly; I only saw them fight for less than an hour. A Northern Buddhist practitioner made a move—perhaps it was a Dharma form—and was met with a sword strike from True Monarch Taiyue, then slinked away."

After Li Xuanfeng heard this, seeing he was very keen to talk and had a relaxed demeanor, he then whispered, "True Monarch Taiyue is actually that powerful."

"Hm?"

Yuansu let out a hearty laugh and said softly, "No comparison. Both the immortal and demonic paths have produced multiple Dao Embryos. In ancient times, the Dao Embryos led the battles. Buddhist cultivators, after all, only have a few World Honored Ones. They now occupy the north, hiding in their Buddhist lands where no one can touch them. But if they come out to provoke, then who knows what will happen."

"What's more..."

He paused, quietly looking at the black holes in the distant sky, and replied, "Ultimately, it's a private matter of the Green Pine Dao Lineage and the Immortal Mansion's decree. Although they are dispersed now, they were, after all, colleagues before. Only Dragon Monarch Xiyang came because of their shared destiny. How could Buddhist cultivators get involved?"

After he finished speaking, Li Xuanfeng noticed that the waterline on the reef had risen by two inches in just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Yuansu laughed, "The waters of the Four Seas fall into the abyssal depths and then rise again. Holes have appeared in the celestial dome, so the seawater falls earlier. Those holes in the sky are constantly pouring water, filling the North Sea."

"Currently, the North Sea's surface is continuously rising, while the other three seas are slowly falling."

Li Xuanfeng squinted as he listened. Although he had repeatedly magnified the power of the Golden Core in his mind, he was still terrified by the True Monarch's power and said hoarsely, "Truly, it's world-changing."

Yuansu seemed very interested and said with a smile, "Don't underestimate it. Several great battles between immortals and demons left only one or two tenths of the inner seas remaining, and most of the overseas lands were gone. How vast the world was back then."

Yuansu pondered for a moment and said softly, "I am about to attain nirvana. Puyu saw it long ago, but he found it awkward to state it clearly in front of me, so he found an excuse... By my reckoning, the time is also drawing near."

"Li Xuanfeng, I didn't bring anything with me this time. I only intended to slap Situ Huo around a bit, so I brought the Xinyou Luze Seal."

He unfastened the small, light-golden seal from his waist, placed it into Li Xuanfeng's frozen, immobile left hand, and smiled, "This seal was given to me by Li Jiangqun. Chi Wei was quite jealous of it for a long time. Back then, a few of us were still very carefree, and Chi Wei dared to say anything. He said this seal had a good appearance, was very eye-catching, and he liked it the most."

Li Xuanfeng saw tears stream from him, dropping onto the reef and making crisp dripping sounds. Yuansu continued:

"Thinking it over, Xiao Xianyou, Zhang Qiushui, Chi Wei, Zipai... all entered the scheme. At first, I thought everyone admired each other, but it was Golden Cores calculating all along. This way, it left no trace."

"But I dare not hate."

A faint sound of a xiao flute came from Yuansu, echoing melodiously in the air. He leaned close to Li Xuanfeng and whispered in his ear, "But I dare not hate, Li Xuanfeng."

After Yuansu finished speaking, he slowly lowered his eyelids and closed his eyes as if tired.

Li Xuanfeng lowered his gaze and looked at his clothing hem. The sound of the xiao flute in the sky grew stronger and stronger. Yuansu, before him, transformed into a pool of clear water and disappeared. The North Sea water beneath the reef let out a mournful cry, and the ground beneath his feet rumbled and shook.

The entire reef was rapidly ascending. The place where Yuansu attained nirvana sank into a dark, invisible hollow. After more than ten breaths, a gush of blue spring water suddenly burst forth.

This spring water surged high, rushing towards the sky, then falling like rain. For a moment, mist veiled everything, spreading everywhere with the sea breeze, and within a hundred-mile radius, blue water mist diffused.

Li Xuanfeng removed his armor and stored it in his storage bag. He raised his eyebrows to look and saw five or six figures surrounding the sky—men and women, old and young—all treading on the colorful light of their divine abilities, each with different colors.

He vaguely recognized Xiao Chuting and True Person Puyu, both solemnly bowing their heads. Another person had an aged face, their expression unreadable, making their features indistinguishable, but their clothes were the standard uniform of the Green Pond Sect.

The remaining two female immortals, one wore golden robes and a veiled hat, with white gauze hanging down, obscuring her face. The other was a female cultivator in purple robes, her head tilted, seemingly lost in thought.

He clutched the Xinyou Luze Seal and quietly knelt with his head bowed before the spring. The figures in the sky remained silent. Li Xuanfeng simply waited, thinking coldly to himself, "More than half of True Person Yuansu's lifelong renown rests on this small seal. This seal is absolutely not simple, and I wonder if any of these figures in the sky harbor greedy intentions for it."