Returning to Compassion Sea, Hearing of a Great Upheaval

"Let me think... it should be in this valley, right?"

Because of its remote location, Xiao Chen had a smooth journey after leaving the market and quickly returned to the place he had just crossed over from.

Of course, aside from cooling, Hextech itself doesn't have any requirements regarding the location it can travel to.

The reason he deliberately returned to a similar position was...

It was because Xiao Chen didn't know if moving between different locations would affect the other side.

There's an old saying, "A miss is as good as a mile."

If you're not careful, you might stray a hundred miles from this realm, and as a result, your location when you return will be a million miles off.

Although this situation may not necessarily occur, it's best to be cautious just in case.

Of course, Xiao Chen didn't stand in the exact same spot; he consciously shifted his position by about ten feet.

Firstly, it would be difficult for him to achieve such precision.

Secondly, it was also for short-distance testing.

If, because of this one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), the difference results in a discrepancy of tens or even a million li (approximately 500 kilometers), then he would accept it.

It's better to get this result in advance than to encounter any unexpected problems later when you're unaware of it.

"Oh no, I think I forgot to buy Spirit Artifact."

After finding the right spot, Xiao Chen worried that he might forget something, so he carefully reviewed the whole process.

It turned out that I had indeed forgotten to buy a pair of Spirit Artifact and bring them along for testing.

I did remember at first, but after arriving in this world, I encountered many novel situations and heard clues about Yellow-grade Technique.

At the time, I was so focused on finding Cultivation Method that I forgot about buying Spirit Artifact.

"Oh dear, my memory is terrible. Should I go back again?"

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and said, "Since things have come to this, let's just make do. There's no need to be so meticulous."

Actually, he also possesses Spirit Artifact that he rarely uses.

For example, the concealment hat I bought for 100,000 last time in order to investigate information on the Black Market.

In reality, I only used it once, and after that it just sat in the Vast Sea Ring collecting dust.

"We probably don't need this thing much anymore, so let's just use it to test it out."

Xiao Chen took out the bamboo hat and deliberately erased the traces of his own refining of it.

He thought for a moment, then, holding the bamboo hat in his left hand, he flipped his right hand and took out a Third-Order Spirit Fruit.

Since we're going to conduct an experiment, let's also test the Spirit Fruit.

Finally, Xiao Chen recited the Mnemonic and skillfully summoned the Jade Terrace Fire Lotus to protect himself.

Having made ample preparations, he then used his Divine Sense to activate the Dimension Sorcerer Emblem within his sea of consciousness, which had already been fully charged.

That strange power erupted once more, instantly enveloping his entire body.

It tore through the void on the spot and disappeared.

After a familiar dizzying sensation, Xiao Chen was suddenly transported to a completely different world.

Before the intense dizziness had subsided, the surrounding Spiritual Qi surged in, nourishing his skin.

I've been staying in the barren environment of the New Cultivation World for a while now.

Upon suddenly returning to the Eastern Domain, Xiao Chen felt refreshed and comfortable, as if he were a fish in water.

Even the discomfort caused by traversing the void subsided considerably.

"Ah, the feeling of abundant Spiritual Qi is wonderful."

Xiao Chen sighed subconsciously, "No wonder there are so many Golden Core cultivator in the Eastern Domain, yet almost no one likes to go to the Southern Domain."

"And almost none of the cultivators who went to the Eastern Domain returned."

It's simply a matter of how easy it is to go from frugality to extravagance, but how difficult it is to go from extravagance to frugality.

Except for those Guardian Origin True Person whose Dao heart was shattered.

Of course, now is not the time to reflect on these things.

After adjusting for a moment, Xiao Chen immediately began to check his own condition.

They immediately noticed both the bamboo hat he was holding in his left hand and the Spirit Fruit he was clutching tightly in his right.

They all vanished without a trace.

Even the Jade Terrace Fire Lotus was nowhere to be seen.

In other words, besides Xiao Chen himself, his fully refined Storage Ring and feather robe could also travel back and forth together.

Even if he held other things in his hands, he couldn't bring them directly.

It is necessary to use Storage Spirit Tool such as Storage Ring.

Even Defensive Spell are no exception.

Furthermore, two different Law Technique were tested back and forth, and it seems that it has nothing to do with the Law Technique themselves; it just means that you can't carry Law Technique while traveling.

"Oh, is it only my Law Technique that can't do it?"

Xiao Chen wasn't discouraged by this; instead, he immediately thought, "What if I had some kind of continuous Law Technique effect on me, and I could use teleportation to escape?"

"Wouldn't that also remove the effects of those Law Technique?"

Everything has two sides.

Looking at the negative side from the opposite perspective, it might actually be a positive.

"Hiss~, I feel like I'm getting smarter and smarter since breaking through to the Nascent Soul!"

Xiao Chen was astonished by his own ingenious idea. "Such a brilliant idea, who else but me could have come up with it?"

Of course, he didn't forget to use his Divine Sense to probe his surroundings and determine his exact location.

It's inconvenient to use Divine Sense in the New Cultivation World, but there won't be so many restrictions after returning.

There are only a few dozen Nascent Soul True Lord in the entire Compassion Sea.

And at this time, they're probably all busy dealing with the Sea Race.

"Hey, aren't these my two Storage Ring?"

As Xiao Chen Spiritual Sense Projection, he not only found himself back on that Desolate Island, but also saw the two Storage Ring that had disappeared earlier, which he had not yet refined.

They were now lying between his two feet, directly beneath him.

The reason is obvious: this is exactly where he was before he traveled, without the slightest deviation.

Since they couldn't bring the two Storage Ring with them, they fell to the ground.

"Oh, I clearly moved a full ten feet away, but I still ended up back where I was before I teleported?"

Xiao Chen reached out and pulled the two Storage Ring back into the air.

Based on the current situation, the location of the shuttle appears to be fixed.

It's currently unknown whether the location will be fixed at the initial travel point or at the point where the user leaves.

However, confirming this is not difficult.

If we go back to that place from a different location next time, we should be able to get the results.

"I'll make a mark so I don't forget where it is."

Xiao Chen took out his Flying Sword and carved several special marks on the ground.

He then looked around and selected three different stones, marking each one with a mark.

At that time, whether you look directly at the ground or use a triangular stone for positioning, you will be able to easily obtain an accurate location.

"There's one last item."

Xiao Chen looked up at the sky. It was just past dawn, and the horizon was already faintly lit.

"It's getting light so early, so it must still be summer. I just don't know exactly how much time has passed here."

Although he felt the process of traveling seemed very fast.

But that's likely only true for him personally.

There's no way to know the specifics without guessing; we should go back and ask Su Li.

This place is not far from Secluded Doom Island, only about half a day's journey away.

Xiao Chen immediately set off back, but he hadn't gone far when he sensed that something was wrong.

It's so quiet!

Compared to before he went to the New Cultivation World, the sea below was far too quiet.

It should be noted that since the Spiritual Qi Tide has become increasingly intense, leading to the emergence of a large number of Golden Core Sea Fish.

While it's not true that you'll find a Golden Core Sea Fish every few steps in the Compassion Sea, given his speed, he can basically encounter one just by walking around.

Especially now that Xiao Chen's Divine Sense Range has increased dramatically.

With a mere thought, one can survey an area spanning thousands of miles.

Logically, he should have been better able to spot those Golden Core Sea Fish.

But for some reason, after traveling more than 20,000 li, we didn't encounter a single one.

Fortunately, the familiar Spiritual Qi Tide arrived on time, reminding him that this was the Compassion Sea and that he had not gone astray.

"That's strange, where did my fish go?"

Xiao Chen was somewhat puzzled and deliberately took detours, but still couldn't find the Golden Core Sea Fish.

Although he has now broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, it has no effect on him even if he doesn't eat the Golden Core Sea Fish.

But the key issue is that something unusual must be going on.

The sudden disappearance of so many Sea Fish meant that something had definitely happened in the Compassion Sea that he was not yet aware of.

"Sigh, there's danger over there, and things aren't going well here either."

Xiao Chen sighed, already having some guesses in his mind.

Since it happened in the sea, it's probably related to Sea Race.

I had heard before that a Sea Fish had surrounded Bitter Silence Temple and then attacked Awakening Sea Temple.

He had every reason to suspect that Sea Race could manipulate Sea Fish to some extent, using them as cannon fodder.

That's all old news.

The ten-month Nascent Soul Formation, along with all the preparations, has passed for over a year now. I wonder how things are going over there now.

While I was pondering this.

Xiao Chen's outward-extended Divine Sense suddenly detected a long line of spirit ships passing by more than 900 miles to his north.

If this had happened before, we definitely would have missed it.

But now, with just a little concentration, he could clearly see a total of twenty-seven spirit ships of varying sizes.

They were lined up in a Serpentine Formation, heading west.

From the deck of a large spirit ship in the middle, you can see dozens of Foundation Establishment Cultivator gazing into the distance, enjoying the sea breeze.

It can be inferred that there were likely more monks inside that spacious cabin.

"Oh, what are you doing?"

Xiao Chen couldn't help but feel curious.

You should know that this is already the very edge of the Compassion Sea; there's nowhere else to go further west.

Moreover, he had seen a similar spirit ship before, and even encountered two traitors who had been bribed by the Sea Race on it.

At the time, Xiao Chen thought that it might belong to a certain chamber of commerce and want to do business in the Storm Sea.

However, it seems that this is not the case now.

At the very least, this batch of funeral ships, which were clearly hastily assembled, looked more like a mass exodus.

After all, even if an ordinary cultivator were to cross the Kunpeng Sea by means of a spirit ship, there would be almost no chance of survival.

Therefore, sticking together and helping each other becomes very necessary.

Only by gathering together and pooling our wisdom and efforts can we better cope with the various crises, large and small, along the way.

"So many Foundation Establishment cultivators on board chose to risk their lives and escape."

Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes. "Could it be that the situation in the Sea of the Compassion Sea has deteriorated again, to the point of this?"

The pressure from the Sea Race wasn't too great.

The independent cultivators, especially the Foundation Establishment Cultivator, would certainly not be willing to leave their homes and cross the vast Kunpeng Sea to fight for a way to survive.

"It's fate that we met here, let's go over and ask."

Xiao Chen turned around and quickly approached the fleet.

With his speed, he easily caught up with him.

He landed on the deck before the Defensive Formation on the middle spirit ship could even react.

Of course, Xiao Chen did not forget to suppress his aura, maintaining it only at the Golden Core Great Perfection.

The reason for doing this was simply that he didn't want anyone here to prematurely reveal that he had already broken through.

Of course, it doesn't really matter if others find out.

The main thing is to keep it a secret from Old Dog Yi, and then after a while, take the initiative to go to Azure Sea Market to lure him out, and then give him a good surprise.

Since it's a surprise, it naturally needs to be kept well hidden.

Otherwise, if someone spreads the message using Sound Transmission Spirit Sword, it won't have the desired effect.

Who goes there?

The Golden Core cultivator on the spirit ship immediately reacted when an outsider suddenly intruded.

He activated the Defensive Formation immediately before taking the Spirit Artifact and stepping out.

Xiao Chen looked up and saw that the other person was holding a Red Tassel Spear. He had a long face and triangular eyes and looked like a middle-aged man.

Unfortunately, it was a monk he didn't recognize.

The other party clearly didn't recognize him either. After secretly sensing the aura of Golden Core Great Perfection, their expression immediately became tense.

Even his question was tinged with wariness, "What brings you here, fellow Daoist, so suddenly?"

"Now that the ship has reached the Outer Sea, we must proceed with caution. Please state your name."

"Furthermore, there are several fellow cultivators on the front and rear spirit ships, so there might be some acquaintances of yours among them."

As they spoke, the other person didn't forget to mention that there were actually many Golden Core cultivator here.

The reason he took it so seriously was that many of the Bandit Cultivator in the Eastern Domain operated at sea, specifically targeting spirit ships that were traveling abroad.

This is also one of the reasons why they act as a group.

As soon as the Defensive Formation lit up, more than a dozen auras of varying strengths rose up around them, all of them belonging to Golden Core cultivator.

Someone shouted, "Fellow Daoist Hongying, what happened?"

As soon as he finished speaking, another burly man, carrying Flying Sword, leaped onto the ship.

Just then, the young man in front of her smiled slightly, "No need to be so nervous, I'm just here to ask a few questions."

"You may not know me, but you should have heard my name."

"My name is Xiao Chen!"

Upon hearing this, Red Tassel True Person frowned slightly.

He wasn't very familiar with the name, after all, the Compassion Sea was vast and had a considerable number of Golden Core cultivator.

Fortunately, the number of cultivators who can reach the Golden Core Great Perfection stage is still quite limited.

In addition, there was that White Feather Robe that was almost exactly the same as the one in the rumors.

But it quickly brought back the relevant rumors to his mind. "You are Daoist Xiao, who dominated all the heroes in the Eight Directions Arena on Red Flower Island two years ago and never suffered a defeat!"

It's not New Ruin?

Although his version of the message is somewhat outdated.

But Xiao Chen nodded nonetheless. "That's right, it is I."

Seeing his admission, Red Tassel True Person breathed a slight sigh of relief, "So it was Daoist Xiao in person. Please forgive my poor eyesight for not recognizing you in time."

"Fellow Daoist, please feel free to ask any questions you may have. I will answer them to the best of my ability."

However, he had already softened his expression and put away the Spirit Artifact in his hand to show that he had no hostile intentions.

However, the Defensive Formation was still retained and not dispelled, ensuring that the Formation Power could be used to fight the enemy at any time.

It was clear that he still had some doubts.

"The timing isn't right today, so I won't waste any more time on small talk."

Xiao Chen disregarded the other party's wariness and asked directly, "I saw you fellow Daoists sailing west when I passed by this place, but I wonder why?"

"Could it be that the Sea Race have already breached Universal Salvation Temple?"

Of course, this whole thing sounds pretty outrageous just from talking about it.

Universal Salvation Temple is, after all, the most powerful force in the Compassion Sea.

Even if they rely on formations and the accumulated strength over the years to persevere, they should be able to easily hold out for many years.

The problem is, these rogue cultivators wouldn't have run away if they hadn't been directly threatened with their lives.

"Daoist Xiao, you still don't know?"

Red Tassel True Person was somewhat surprised, and a hint of doubt deepened in her eyes.

However, he still explained, "It's a long story."

"In late spring of last year, within the territory of the Illuminating Void Sect in the north, Yuan Zhanhui, the newly recruited son-in-law of the Fan Family, broke through to the Nascent Soul True Lord realm."

The following month, they hastily convened the Nascent Soul Ceremony, inviting fellow disciples from all directions to attend.

"Because time is too short, and the Sea Race are eyeing us covetously."

"Only the nearby Ink Barrier Sect and Heavenly Dipper Sect had True Lord personally go to offer their congratulations."

"Who would have thought that during the grand ceremony, the Illuminating Void Sect would actually join forces with the local powerful Wang Family and collude with the Fan Family to assassinate our Human True Lord."

"Although the two True Lord joined forces to fight the enemy, they were outnumbered."

"The Heavenly Dipper Sect 'Han Chuan True Monarch escaped severely injured, while the Ink Barrier Sect's Mist Barrier True Monarch was unfortunately killed."

After explaining the turn of events, Red Tassel True Person paused briefly.

This gave Xiao Chen some time to think and process what he had learned.

After a moment, he continued, "Afterwards Illuminating Void Sect, together with two reclusive powerful clans, launched a joint attack on the Ink Barrier Sect."

"These guys have been plotting this for a long time; they've been secretly stockpiling a large number of Yang-Preserving Stone for who knows how long."

"Although the Ink Barrier Sect happened to be repairing the formation at that time, and made improvements to the Mountain Protecting Grand Array."

"Furthermore, Yunfeng True Monarch returned in time to provide assistance, temporarily stabilizing the situation."

"However, the array formations in many markets, spirit mines, Spirit Field, and other places were easily overcome by the Illuminating Void Sect using the Yang-Preserving Stone."

"As of six months ago, the Ink Barrier Sect had been completely besieged and cut off from the outside world."

"The Wang and Fan families have somehow allied themselves with the Sea Race, and have even gathered and commanded the Golden Core Spirit Fish from the sea to come and help them, their forces pointing directly at the Heavenly Dipper Sect."

"We have now taken over the Returning Luo Islands and occupied a full half of their territory."

"It looks like the siege should be complete soon."

"The entire western side is in chaos right now, but fortunately Azure Sea Immortal Sect hasn't Sea Seal yet, so there's still a way out."

"We were forced into this situation and had no choice but to seek a way to sail out to sea."

"Let's try to head to the legendary Storm Sea and find a safe place to settle down."

As Red Tassel True Person spoke, a hint of bitterness appeared on his face.

If they could stay, who would willingly leave their hometown?

However, the situation was not looking good. Seeing that the Heavenly Dipper Sect was losing ground, if they did not leave now, they would not be able to leave once the Azure Sea Immortal Sect Sea Seal.

Although the Sea Seal can only target spirit ships, it cannot effectively restrict the actions of individual cultivators.

But not everyone can be like Xiao Chen.

Without the spirit ship as a support, they simply cannot cross the vast Kunpeng Sea.

Therefore, they had to evacuate with the spirit ship ahead of schedule and pick up Small Spirit Ship en route.

It is both a form of solidarity and mutual assistance, and a form of mutual exploitation.

In addition, as independent cultivators, their strength is generally low.

Of those ten or so auras just now, there were only three Mid-stage Golden Core and two Late-stage Golden Core.

This is also why Red Tassel True Person was extremely nervous after seeing Xiao Chen.

"Such a big change has actually happened?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen was slightly startled.

There are a lot of things going on, and they're all a bit messy; he needs to sort them out properly.

First, Yuan Zhanhui broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

The problem is that Xiao Chen clearly remembers that it hasn't been long since the Fan Family Husband Recruitment.

How could they possibly select promising Nascent Soul Formation cultivators from among the rogue cultivators, and Nascent Soul Formation so quickly?

It's important to know that the Nascent Soul Formation soul takes a full ten months, leaving very little time in between.

It's unclear whether the Fan Family had such good judgment, or if there's some unknown secret hidden behind this.

Xiao Chen, anyway, leaned towards the latter.

Then came the biggest news— Han Chuan True Monarch was seriously injured, Mist Barrier True Monarch was killed.

To be honest, this was quite sudden.

Prior to this, Xiao Chen had only heard that the Bitter Silence Zen Master was suspected of being ambushed and killed by the Sea Race.

The news wasn't even fully confirmed.

Therefore, this Mist Barrier True Monarch, whom he had never met and whose name he had never even heard of before, was the first True Lord he had learned of who had been confirmed to have fallen.

Why does it feel like this area around the Compassion Sea isn't very safe?

The death of a True Lord also had some impact on Xiao Chen.

However, he only became more vigilant; he didn't actually feel any fear.

After all, he has several ways to save his life, so even if he encounters a similar situation, he is fully capable of escaping unscathed.

Next, the Sea Race used traitors to hoard Yang-Preserving Stone, which led to the breakdown of the Ink Barrier Sect's formation.

Speaking of this, Xiao Chen even went to remind them about it last spring.

The purpose was to allow the Ink Barrier Sect to take preventative measures, but unexpectedly, they still fell victim to it.

There's nothing that can be done then; he's already done what he was supposed to do.

Fortunately, his reminder wasn't entirely ineffective; at least it seemed the Mountain Protecting Grand Array had been saved.

I never expected the Sea Race, or rather the Illuminating Void Sect, to have such a big appetite.

They not only attacked the Ink Barrier Sect, but also wanted to swallow up the Heavenly Dipper Sect as well.

To be honest, this is quite absurd.

At that time, Xiao Chen only knew that the Sea Race was plotting to attack the Ink Barrier Sect.

But to everyone's surprise, even a powerful force like the Illuminating Void Sect would betray them and choose to side with the Sea Race.

Isn't this a bit too outrageous?

It is estimated that the Ink Barrier Sect never expected this, which is why they fell into the Illuminating Void Sect's trap.

There are reasons why no one anticipated that a major force would defect.

After all, logically speaking, it could be understood that Golden Core cultivator would defect to the Sea Race because they were tempted by great profits.

The question is, what gives Nascent Soul True Lord the right to collude with the Sea Race?

Moreover, it wasn't just one or two people, but the entire Illuminating Void Sect, along with the Newly Promoted Nascent Soul from the Fan Family.

Could it be that the Sea Race can actually afford to bribe more than one Nascent Soul True Lord?

Are they really that rich?

Although Xiao Chen didn't know the specifics, he could guess it even with a fool's eye.

Those should be a large number of Fourth-Order Spiritual Item, and at the very least, they should all be rare and heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

After all, even Nascent Soul True Lord wouldn't bother with something so ordinary.