Chapter 131: Total Annihilation (Subscriptions Requested)

An influential elder ranked third in the Cloud Ascending Sect, a cultivator at the Great Circle of the Golden Core realm.

He was also the backing of True Monarch Heixuan within the sect. The only reason Heixuan was able to comfortably sit in the position of Cape Immortal City for so many years was because True Monarch Yunlan spoke up for him within the sect.

Naturally, True Monarch Heixuan returned the favor by sending more than half of Cape Immortal City's revenue directly into the hands of True Monarch Yunlan.

The two of them belonged to a small alliance within the sect, like-minded Dao companions—quite different from the sordid romantic entanglements between male and female cultivators.

Both of them were straight as arrows.

True Monarch Yunlan slowly withdrew his divine sense from the city, paying no mind to the cultivators within who revealed demonic Qi or concealed their cultivation realms.

Lesser cultivators had the dao of lesser cultivators. Though they fancied themselves well hidden, they were completely transparent in his eyes, no different from actors performing on a stage.

"Bian Qingyun's master has only an Nascent Soul left, and his current whereabouts are unknown. Several nearby sects are searching for him."

After pondering for a moment, True Monarch Yunlan spoke, "An Nascent Soul that has lost its physical vessel—if we can capture it and let Fellow Daoist Molong devour and refine it, perhaps Fellow Daoist Molong can break through the Tier 3 bottleneck in one stroke and ascend to a Tier 4 Monster King."

He was rather glad he had discarded the Five Elements Mountain back then; this fellow was most likely searching for it.

As for achieving a great merit, however, that would not be easy.

"Heavy rewards foster brave men."

"Notify all sects in the Myriad Star Sea and issue a proclamation to all cultivators across the Myriad Star Sea: anyone capable of providing the whereabouts of Bian Qingyun's activities shall receive a generous reward."

"Furthermore, according to intelligence transmitted by the two sects, prior to this, several Foundation Establishment families under their jurisdiction had their entire clans exterminated, and their family spiritual herbs and resources thoroughly plundered. It is deduced that Bian Qingyun did this."

"The Profound Sea Sect and the Sea Spirit Sect have already sent me messages stating that Bian Qingyun's Golden Core was shattered by Qi Yuhuan, and he is bound to wander everywhere in search of spiritual herbs to mend his Golden Core."

Yet why had this fellow incurred the pursuit of the Cloud Ascending Sect?

Indeed, when the master is struck down to a mere Nascent Soul, the disciple shares his misfortune—what a pair of wretched master and disciple.

Taking advantage of the moment his strength had just recovered to the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment, he walked through the front and back streets, successively retrieving all his previous arrangements.

According to rumors, upon entering the Myriad Star Sea, this fellow had wiped out quite a few Foundation Establishment families and looted numerous items.

The city possessed a Tier 3 grand array, so people might not dare to enter, but the ghost market outside the city was a different story.

True Monarch Yunlan spoke at a very deliberate pace, as if weighing every word as he uttered them.

"Bah, a cracked Golden Core is still a Golden Core cultivator. With our meager strength, going up there is nothing short of courting death. Besides, who knows where the guy is hiding?"

Another option was to travel in a convoy alongside trading fleets. These people licked blood off the edge of a blade day in and day out, relying on sheer tenacity to forcefully cross the uninhabited ocean. If they made it through, they earned a massive fortune of spiritual stones; if they didn't, they perished in the depths of the ocean.

Falling from a Golden Core cultivator to a Foundation Establishment grand cultivator—who could stomach such a grievance?

After displaying his Foundation Establishment realm, Shen Lian arrived at the city's intelligence hub, specifically the second-floor private box of the largest restaurant.

Yet what Yunlan said was also the truth. If another elder acquired the Purple Sun Warm Jade and used it to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, True Monarch Yunlan's influence within the sect would inevitably diminish, and he himself would be packed off and driven out of Cape Immortal City.

"I have brought three Tier 3 Starfall Secret Pills. Let those Golden and Foundation Establishment families mobilize as well, and join forces to encircle and suppress Bian Qingyun."

As early as when he first came to Cape Immortal City, Shen Lian had inquired clearly about the schedules of the spirit warships. Currently, a spirit warship was docked right outside the city.

It was a pity for this place; situated close to the city wall, his divine sense could precisely control the puppet talisman figure, allowing him to travel to the ghost market daily to conduct business.

That explained it. No wonder True Monarch Yunlan had personally journeyed to the Myriad Star Sea.

Compared to the caution of spirit warships, traveling cultivator groups and treasure junks were entirely different. Regardless of weather or wind direction, after swearing oaths and sacrificing to the heavens at the docks, they would hoist their sails and set off, leaving their fate entirely in the hands of the heavens.

For the next few months, he would simply rest easy and accumulate insights and divine enlightenment points.

When that time came, he would no longer need to cower within these current waters, having gained the strength to continue expanding outward.

"The Ancestor has issued a decree: the two pieces of Purple Sun Warm Jade in the treasury require not only sufficient corresponding contribution points, but also immensely high merits."

Bian Qingyun—he hadn't expected to hear this name again after so long.

By the time he returned, there would be two more pieces of Purple Sun Warm Jade in the sect treasury.

That was not something an outer sect elder like Heixuan was qualified to know.

After stowing away his little trinkets, Shen Lian returned to the Peace Grocery Store.

A fractured Golden Core required spiritual herbs to mend; if left untreated for too long, one's cultivation realm would easily plummet.

"Fellow Daoist Yunlan, I will give this my all. Tell me how to search, and I shall search accordingly!"

"Heixuan, I won't say too much. You should understand how important this matter is to both me and you."

Pondering that he had earned quite a few spiritual stones over the past two years, he wondered if he should simply head directly to the Southern Sea region instead.

At worst, he would just wait a few more months; Shen Lian went and purchased his ticket first.

True Monarch Yunlan frowned. Contribution points were relatively easy for an influential elder like him to acquire; sitting in judgment over a territory for the sect, or refining magical treasures and pills, could all yield contribution points.

An influential elder ranked third in the Cloud Ascending Sect, a cultivator at the Great Circle of the Golden Core realm.

Previously, the array suddenly activated and scanned the entire city. Fortunately, the attention wasn't on him, but for the sake of safety, he felt it necessary to re-enter the city, change his identity concealment, and move to a new location.

Before the ticket in his pocket had even grown warm, Cape Immortal City was rocked by news that shook him to his core.

"Heixuan, you and I have a friendship spanning hundreds of years."

Peace Grocery Store.

The *Changping* spirit warship currently docked at Cape Immortal City had been moored for over three months. According to past patterns, it would set sail in at least two months or so.

Piloting one's own spirit boat to cross the uninhabited ocean was an extremely perilous path.

This concerned his path of the Dao; if any mishap occurred, Yunlan would probably flay him alive.

True Monarch Yunlan spoke in a soft voice. As for the deeper reasons behind capturing Ancestor Ziyang, he did not elaborate further.

The duration of this stay generally lasted between half a year to a year, a somewhat variable timeframe.

True to being a disciple sharing the same lineage as Ancestor Ziyang—while Ancestor Ziyang only robbed peers of his own generation, his disciple Bian Qingyun had carried the tradition forward with even greater vigor.

......

In the immortal cave of True Monarch Yingshui, the heat of the war between the Supporting Heaven Alliance and the Profound Sea Sea was completely overshadowed.

For a time, the encirclement and suppression of Bian Qingyun became the number one trending topic in Cape Immortal City, and indeed throughout the entire Myriad Star Sea.

A Tier 3 Starfall Secret Pill was enough to tempt those families with false cores or the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment to take a desperate gamble.

"This villain has committed countless atrocities. Within our Myriad Star Sea region, he has slaughtered several Foundation Establishment families and plundered vast amounts of spiritual treasures."

This master and disciple were truly grand immortals.

The two True Monarchs arrived at the reception hall and took their seats. Heixuan specially produced Tier 3 Cloud-Mist Maofeng spiritual tea and personally brewed a cup for True Monarch Yunlan.

An Nascent Soul decree was something the Golden Core sects in the desolate region dared not defy at all.

True Monarch Yunlan already had a draft in his mind. "True Monarch Yuhuan of the Profound Yin Sect has been in the Myriad Star Sea for quite some time, constantly pursuing Bian Qingyun."

Of course, if escorted by a Golden Core cultivator, it would be even safer, allowing one to fly right across.

Bian Qingyun had arrived!

Cape Gathering Tower.

The level of cultivation in the Myriad Star Sea was capped at the Golden Core level. Though he did not lack cultivation resources, he also needed to make preparations for his upcoming journey to form the Golden Core.

"Now that his Golden Core is shattered, he will inevitably fail to restrain himself and strike again to plunder spiritual herbs."

Presently, Bian Qingyun was like a gambler: either wait for his Golden Core to completely fracture and drop to Foundation Establishment, or take a desperate risk to seize spiritual herbs.

For the news to spread this quickly, someone must be pulling strings in the dark—no, rather, openly pushing it forward. Shen Lian had already spotted several disciples of the Cloud Ascending Sect inside the private box.

Under circumstances where Nascent Soul-Forming Pills were virtually unobtainable, the Purple Sun Warm Jade had become the ultimate hope for cultivators at the Great Circle of the Golden Core.

Until now, the sea race still surrounded the Myriad Star Sea from three directions.

"Over twenty years ago, a medieval Tier 4 ruin was discovered in the Desolate Region at the southernmost part of the Myriad Star Sea. The Ancestor personally went to investigate."

A Golden Core cultivator whose core was shattered, yet the Cloud Ascending Sect offered a wealth of spiritual treasures as a reward—this showed that Bian Qingyun held immense secrets.

True Monarch Heixuan raised an eyebrow.

And so, through a careless misstep, he found himself facing a joint encirclement and suppression by the entire Myriad Star Sea.

There were multiple ways to travel to the Southern Sea region.

Bian Qingyun had only himself to blame for showing off and poking at Foundation Establishment families for no good reason.

Whatever Bian Qingyun lacked, that very thing would be used as bait.

A human Nascent Soul had numerous uses—pill refinement, puppet making—while for the monster race, it could be directly devoured and refined to absorb the Nascent Soul's power.

[If I were Heixuan, how would I draw Bian Qingyun out?]

The aura on Shen Lian's body dropped back to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation, and the pressure of the array in the sky dissipated as well.

As an outer sect elder stationed in the Myriad Star Sea by the sect, the Desolate Region happened to be situated directly south of Cape Immortal City. Yet not a single whisper of a Tier 4 ruin being discovered in the Desolate Region had leaked out.

Thinking of the sect's Ancestor arriving in person, everything suddenly made sense.

"I won't beat around the bush with you. The task of pursuing Bian Qingyun this time is something I personally petitioned the Ancestor for."

"However, this villain's Golden Core is shattered, leaving him with less than a tenth of his cultivation. Anyone capable of capturing this person alive will additionally receive a Tier 3 Starfall Secret Pill."

In the Southern Heaven cultivation world, the Tier 4 Mend-Heaven Ganoderma was a rare spiritual treasure, remaining only as remnants within certain secret realms. Roughly once every millennium did one or two Nascent Soul-Forming Pills appear, only to be madly fought over by Nascent Soul sects across various regions.

However, docking did not mean immediate departure. After making port, a spirit warship required maintenance and had to remain in Cape Immortal City for a period of time, waiting for the arrival of the next spirit warship before setting sail again.

True Monarch Heixuan nodded. The Cloud Ascending Sect's Tier 3 Ink Dragon had been cultivating at the Great Circle for many years; if it could advance further, the Cloud Ascending Sect would essentially possess two Nascent Soul-level battle powers.

......

Traveling via high-grade spirit warships offered the highest level of security.

At the very least, heading to the Southern Sea region meant greater availability of exported Tier 3 spiritual items and Tier 2 superior spiritual items.

"I will personally keep watch over Qi Yuhuan to prevent her from snatching the initiative again. The task of capturing Bian Qingyun is left to you."

While walking the front and back streets, he had also taken the opportunity to inspect various corners. He had indeed found several types of geckos and cockroaches feeding on black-horned ants, or being eaten by them, but otherwise discovered nothing unusual.

After eating and drinking his fill, Shen Lian did not return to the Peace Grocery Store, but instead headed to the city's largest blessed land to rent an immortal cave.

He no longer intended to visit the ghost market.

......

True Monarch Heixuan nodded, the solemnity of True Monarch Yunlan weighing heavy on him with pressure.

Bian Qingyun's Golden Core was shattered, and he urgently needed spiritual herbs to mend it. As a transit hub, Cape Immortal City was a place this person was highly likely to visit to gather spiritual herbs for repairing his core.

Rumors had it that many years ago, there was another safe method of transit: taking a teleportation array that could directly cross hundreds of thousands of miles of ocean.

True Monarch Yunlan's eyes gleamed darkly. "Many years ago, certain elders within the sect already felt deep resentment toward you for monopolizing this treasure basin."

The uninhabited ocean was fraught with frequent atmospheric phenomena, and sometimes one would encounter the sea race.

Heixuan showed no expression on his face, yet well over half of the resources he accumulated staying in Cape Immortal City had been fed right into True Monarch Yunlan's belly.

This matter dated back to the era when the sea race was at the height of its power. The human race of the Myriad Star Sea was surrounded on all sides by the sea race, treated like fish kept in a pond, and the teleportation array had been constructed to facilitate reinforcements from the Southern Sea region.

"The City Lord has issued an order: all cultivators of our Myriad Star Sea, whether Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, or Golden Core seniors, who discover Bian Qingyun's whereabouts and report them shall be generously rewarded."

This is the territory of my Cloud Ascending Sect; how could we allow someone from an outer sect to seize the initiative?

This was absolute chaos. By this logic, if Golden Cores robbed Foundation Establishments, would Nascent Souls rob Golden Cores, and Deity Transformation experts rob Nascent Souls?

Inside the restaurant, people were discussing this matter everywhere. Shen Lian didn't even need to deliberately pry; he easily captured a wealth of information.

Unfortunately, that teleportation array had long since been destroyed.

After a single meal, Shen Lian had figured out many things. So the sudden activation of the array earlier was out of suspicion that Bian Qingyun had hidden himself within the city.

Shen Lian projected himself into the shoes of True Monarch Heixuan.

As long as Bian Qingyun came to the waters of Cape Immortal City, he might not be able to hold back.

Having been in the Myriad Star Sea for so long, he hadn't even managed to gather a full set of materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill. It wasn't that the Myriad Star Sea lacked them; rather, they were all monopolized by major sects and grand merchant associations.

Yet this also reflected the extreme scarcity of resources; major sects were frantically hoarding them. As a rogue cultivator, he was naturally at a disadvantage in terms of channels and influence, completely unable to compete with sects and clans.

Many years ago, a spirit warship had stayed docked at Cape Immortal City for over two years without moving, until a battered Golden Core cultivator frantically appeared, revealing that the other ship they were waiting for had encountered a once-in-centuries catastrophic gale and sunk deep into the ocean depths.

Bian Qingyun truly was a wonderful benefactor.

There were only two pieces of Purple Sun Warm Jade in total, while the sect possessed five Golden Core Great Circle cultivators.

Although the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment still had some distance to go before forming a core, it never hurt to be prepared.

"You wouldn't know this, but that decree has also been issued to all major sects within the Myriad Star Sea. Behind the City Lord is the Cloud Ascending Sect; now you know where this command comes from!"

The Purple Sun Warm Jade could nurture the Golden Core, enhance the quality of core Qi, and even increase the probability of shattering the core to form a Nascent Soul by ten percent during breakthrough.

"Therefore, the spiritual stones I've saved up over all these years—it's time to take a portion of them out."

The ghost market was an excellent place to lay an ambush, using Tier 3 spiritual items as bait.

"The Purple Sun Warm Jade."

"Furthermore, Ancestor Ziyang has plundered countless treasures over the years. Capturing his only disciple might just lead us to the whereabouts of Ancestor Ziyang."

"Courage, fellow daoists! Eliminating demons and defending the dao is our duty right now. As cultivators of our generation, if not us, then who? You start doing it, because I certainly won't."

"Sending Bian Qingyun to his death will finally settle a heavy worry."

"Hmm... to be safe, I won't take that spirit warship in two months either."