Chapter 237: To provide a resting place for the souls of cultivators across the world
After more than half a year, if one were to look down from the sky, the sea heading toward the Forbidden Sea would be filled with massive ships. They moved like mountains, rumbling as they cut through the waves, heading deep into the Western Sea.
Many cultivators stood on the ships, their gazes cold, their bodies brimming with spiritual energy, wielding all sorts of strange magical artifacts.
Suddenly, towering waves surged, and a giant beast swam beneath the surface. Several ships trembled violently, nearly being capsized!
"What is that?!"
"Sea beasts are attacking! Form ranks and prepare for battle!"
The cultivators on the ships were horrified. From the depths of the ocean, a massive blue dorsal fin emerged, terrifyingly large, as it rammed into several ships.
The attacked cultivators exchanged fearful glances; their spiritual senses couldn't track the beast's movements, leaving them to passively defend.
Boom!
The sea beast launched a sneak attack. Huge columns of water shot into the sky as its enormous body erupted from the sea, destroying one of the ships in an instant.
"Outrageous!"
"Help me..."
Angry shouts, cries for help, and wails of despair merged into one. Hundreds of cultivators were killed or injured in a single strike. This terrifying sea beast had to be at least at the Nascent Soul stage!
Several elders swiftly acted, summoning their life-bound magical artifacts and sending spells raining down like meteors, saving many people.
The blue-finned sea beast thrashed violently, its massive tail swinging as it shattered some of the spells with Nascent Soul-level force. The ripples spread across the sea, striking fear into the eyes of the cultivators on the ships.
The sea beast was clearly intelligent. After destroying one ship, it quickly fled, vanishing into the ocean without confronting the elders directly.
"How infuriating. The path to the Forbidden Sea is riddled with dangers."
"And this is just the beginning."
"Miss, remember, you must never recklessly charge into the Forbidden Sea."
Sighs echoed across the fleet. These Nascent Soul-level Sea beasts were the most troublesome; killing them was nearly impossible—injuring them was the best one could hope for.
Standing in the center of one of the ships was a young woman, her face sharp and delicate, her long eyebrows enhancing her extraordinary beauty.
Her brows furrowed as she listened to the reminders of several old servants but gave no response. She gazed into the distance, a strange feeling creeping into her heart, as though someone was watching her.
Yet the sea ahead was calm, with nothing unusual in sight.
However, hidden within a formation, a massive ship was speeding along. Three figures sat at the stern.
They were lazily observing their surroundings. There were indeed many large ships, and they had witnessed the previous scene, though they had only watched from a distance.
"Brother Ox, so many strong cultivators." Little Red clung tightly to the big black ox, which was pressed up against Chen Xun.
"Moo~~" The big black ox's eyes were wide with surprise. So many cultivators were heading to the Forbidden Sea—could they all have the same goal?
"Let's just watch for now. At least these sea beasts haven't noticed Old Ox's formation yet."
"Moo!"
The big black ox grinned. The sea was also full of the energies of the five elements, which he found very useful. None of the cultivators' formations on their ships could compare to this one.
Chen Xun also chuckled. There was still a long way to go before reaching the Forbidden Sea, and they had already encountered several Nascent Soul-level sea beasts. Ordinary cultivators could never make it this far.
But looking at it from another perspective, the number of powerful corpses in the Forbidden Sea must be staggering—they wouldn't pass up the opportunity to loot them.
An hour later, many of the large ships had formed into fleets, their brilliance flashing brightly, one more dazzling than the next. The sound of spiritual energy surging was louder than the crashing waves.
Chen Xun and his companions blinked countless times in astonishment. The fleets bore the flags of powerful factions, which served as talismans of protection on this vast ocean.
Suddenly, the distant sea erupted in turmoil. Deep in the shipping route, a thick fog began to rise, and clusters of purple light flashed ominously. Yet these lights carried a terrifying aura of death!
"Be careful! Those are the solidified wills of ancient strongmen from the Forbidden Sea—don't touch them!!"
A terrified shout came from the sea. The Forbidden Sea not only sealed away demonic energy but also contained the deadly energy of these ancient battlefields.
Though these purple mist clouds seemed lifeless, from afar, they exuded a horrifying impression, as if some ancient creatures were lurking within, sending out tremors of dread.
The eerie howling filled the air. The purple mist emitted various colors of light, and its rippling edges sent waves across the sea, causing the ocean to swell and crash into the sky.
"Move away!"
A cultivator shouted in anger, soaring into the sky and launching an attack at the purple mist, hoping to disperse it from afar.
Boom!
A massive force rebounded, and the cultivator spat out a mouthful of blood in shock. Though the purple mist appeared uniform, it was vastly different in reality.
Each cluster contained different forms of deadly energy, capable of reflecting even magical attacks back onto the cultivators.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The purple mist shifted unpredictably, invading ships that couldn't react in time. Screams filled the air as the bodies of the cultivators trapped in the mist exploded, dissolving into clouds of blood.
All the nearby ships immediately powered up and sped away. Many cultivators had furrowed brows, their faces shadowed with worry. They had yet to even enter the Forbidden Sea, yet the dangers were already so severe. Still, none of them showed any intention of retreating—high risks meant great opportunities, a principle every cultivator understood.
On the giant ship, Chen Xun and his companions were shaken, exchanging uneasy glances. From this distance, they couldn't tell what the purple mist truly was. They had never heard of "ancient wills" before.
"Moo?" The big black ox nervously nudged Chen Xun.
"It's not a big problem." Chen Xun, his gaze calm, stood with one hand behind his back, all thirty-six of his divine orifices open. "It's still within our capacity. But if the demon nests are full of this stuff, we'll turn around and run."
"Got it, Brother Xun!!" Little Red, already trembling with fear, perked up instantly at the word "run," eagerly agreeing with both hands and feet.
"Old Ox, is there any issue with the formation?"
"Moo!"
"If even your formation can't hold out, we'll carry the boat and flee—no hesitation." Chen Xun swallowed nervously. Even he couldn't break through the big black ox's formation. "The Forbidden Sea is certainly strange. Let's not get involved with those other cultivators; we have our own business."
"Moo!" The big black ox snorted heavily, all of its divine orifices opening, focusing entirely on the changes in the Five Elements Formation Flags.
Though Little Red was paralyzed with fear, its gaze was fixed on the flags of the large ships, quickly committing them to memory. These fleets were clearly formidable.
The big black ox maneuvered the giant ship closer to the purple mist. They were in no rush, intending to study the phenomenon before heading to the Forbidden Sea's demon nests.
While all the other cultivators avoided the purple mist, they dared to approach, mainly because Chen Xun had locked onto the ancient well within the mist using his divine orifices.
"Moo!" The big black ox understood Chen Xun's intentions. It waved its hooves, and the divine light of the Five Elements shimmered, radiating brightly as it rushed from beneath the sea.
Little Red had no idea what his two brothers were doing, so he kept watch on the surroundings. This area had already become a forbidden zone, with no one daring to come near.
Their giant ship slowly drifted into the sea.
When the black ox's Five Elements energy touched the purple mist, the mist surged, and its killing aura began to backfire to the black ox.
The ox felt uneasy—its Five Elements power was failing for the first time. The purple mist was not composed of spiritual energy.
Chen Xun's eyes turned icy cold—how dare it attack Old Ox!
Behind him, a terrifying phantom gradually appeared. With a swing of his hand, the void trembled, and the sea boiled. The black ox and Little Red jumped in shock—Big Brother had made his move.
The killing aura was shattered into pieces by sheer force. Chen Xun raised his hand, and as the waves surged and mist filled the air, the power of the Five Elements pierced into the purple mist.
"Moo!" The big black ox quickly adapted, waving the formation flags to lock onto the mist.
The purple mist began to roil even more violently before slowly dispersing. Trapped within it was a will, which let out what seemed like a sigh of relief before fading into nothingness.
At that moment, sharp gazes from all directions shot toward them—someone had dispersed the purple mist!
"Old Ox, let's go!"
"Moo!"
"Brother Xun, are we heading back?"
"Back, my foot! We're heading to the Forbidden Sea!"
The giant ship roared to life, accelerating as curses echoed from aboard. As they delved deeper, the sunlight became faint and the environment grew increasingly dark.
The outer region of the Forbidden Sea was once wild and stormy, but here it was eerily calm. The sea turned inky black, starkly contrasting with the outside, as a deathly silence pervaded.
From afar, large ships from various factions could be seen sailing in. The area was not only dim but also shrouded in fog, which obscured spiritual senses.
"Watch the skies—there are beasts!"
"Stop them quickly!"
The Forbidden Sea's demon nests were filled with fierce battles. Only the truly powerful or those blessed with great fortune could secure inheritances and safely leave.
At that moment, a giant ship slowly sailed into the Forbidden Sea. The tree on board stood out, but as it passed other large ships, the cultivators aboard didn't react, as if they couldn't see it.
The ship sailed toward a desolate area, moving calmly and undisturbed.
The three figures on board each had different expressions, curiously observing the surroundings. Their purpose was entirely different from the other cultivators from The Great Li Realm.
They were here solely to "collect corpses," to give the fallen cultivators a place of rest—not to engage in fighting and slaughtering...