Extraordinary Times Call for Extraordinary Measures

After calm reflection.

Everyone agreed with the judgment of Gang Yuan True Monarch and Xiao Chen.

The Hai Hong was probably just bluffing; otherwise, it wouldn't have missed the opportunity.

Even so, the Thirty-Six Revolving Cold Smoke Golden Talisman itself has already formed an obstacle that cannot be ignored and is difficult to overcome.

If this vast, sprawling fog cannot be resolved...

Then, the matter of breaking the formation was naturally out of the question.

However, dealing with a Fifth-Tier Talisman is no easy task.

Especially since everyone is at the fourth level, with the Major Realm, the difficulty has increased tenfold.

The Human Race, of course, would not give up easily just because things were difficult.

None of us are the type to back down when faced with difficulties; we always give it a try first.

"Fellow Daoists, please step back a moment and let me give it a try."

Crane Cry True Monarch was the first to step forward, still holding the palm-leaf fan he had used to deal with the wall of fire.

His fan is truly extraordinary.

Although it looks plain at first glance, the yellowish-green fan surface looks a bit old.

However, after the true essence was poured in, Cloud Firmament Spirit Markings immediately lit up on the Nine-section Bamboo Handle, and wisps of breeze were generated out of thin air, swirling and flowing around them, making the clothes flutter.

Then, Crane Cry True Monarch opened his mouth and exhaled a breath of Pure Qi, which landed on the fan surface.

He then gave a soft shout, "Big!"

A pale white spiritual light suddenly burst forth from the palm-leaf fan.

When the light faded, the palm-leaf fan, which was originally of ordinary size, had now become as big as a millstone.

Crane Cry True Monarch manifested his Mana Great Hand, and waved it towards the mist in front of him.

Instantly, a fierce wind arose within a radius of dozens of miles, and a huge, pale white gust of air in the very center crashed directly into the dark blue mist.

The mist then churned violently, like boiling water being poured into hot oil.

It's clear that this is indeed a relatively rare and powerful Wind-attribute Treasure Fan.

However, even though the fog in the middle was blown away by the strong wind, creating a not-so-large gap.

But the fog from both sides immediately surged in, filling the gap in time.

This was repeated more than ten times, in five different locations.

Unfortunately, the results were all similar; they couldn't disperse the thick fog at all.

Moreover, given the current situation, unless a super storm spanning thousands of miles can penetrate the entire fog, nothing will be of any use.

Cloud Vortex True Monarch originally had some knowledge of Wind-element Spells.

However, upon seeing this situation, he immediately abandoned the idea of trying it.

His minor Law Technique was far less effective than Crane Cry True Monarch's palm-leaf fan; there was no need to waste his energy.

"If the wind isn't working, then we'll have to switch to fire."

Iron Fan True Monarch looked around and finally turned to Xiao Chen: "How about we ask Daoist Xiao to give it a try?"

In most cases, there are only two ways to quickly dispel fog.

The first method is to use wind to push the fog away from the target area.

The second method is to use fire to burn away the fog.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that very few people present were skilled in Fire Method.

The only cultivator who can use fourth-order Fire Element Spell is Xiao Chen.

There's nothing we can do about it; the total number of Fire Spiritual Root cultivators in the entire Eastern Domain is not large, and even fewer can advance to the Nascent Soul.

"Hiss~, I'll give it a try then."

Xiao Chen felt a little pressured, but he didn't refuse.

As the saying goes, do your best and leave the rest to fate.

Regardless of whether we succeed in the end, we must not lose the courage to try.

Since he's the one doing the work, there's no need for prior preparation.

He took a few steps closer to the mist, then raised his hand and shouted, "Sky-rushing Palm!"

There was no need to aim at all; the raging fire shot straight into the mist.

"Snap! Crash! Crack!"

The mist seemed to contain countless ice blocks breaking simultaneously, or like numerous ceramic cups and bowls falling to the ground, producing a variety of different sounds.

Upon closer inspection, there were indeed some ice crystals falling from the edge.

It turned out that the mist in front of them could not only obscure Divine Sense, but also conceal extremely strong Ice Spiritual Power.

That's why it's called the Thirty-Six Turns 'Cold Smoke' Golden Talisman.

These Ice Spiritual Power are usually hidden within the mist. If someone recklessly ventures in, the cold energy will gradually invade their meridians and freeze their true essence.

Now, stimulated by Xiao Chen's raging fire, it has finally been exposed.

The ice crystals formed in the air and were then shattered one by one in the clash of Spiritual Power.

"It works!"

Silver Hair True Monarch's eyes lit up. As long as there was some loss, it meant that the fog could be cleared.

Sure enough, when the raging fire subsided, a section of the cold smoke in front of them was noticeably missing, as the Ice Spiritual Power and mist there had been completely evaporated.

This area is actually quite large, measuring twelve zhang deep, twenty-six zhang long, and twenty-three zhang wide.

The problem is that compared to its total area of tens of thousands of miles, this shortfall is almost negligible.

Xiao Chen also changed positions and tried again a full ten times.

Unfortunately, no matter where you start, the results are all pretty much the same.

The fog appears to be distributed very evenly, leaving no imperfections.

Good news, Fire Element Spell is indeed very effective against fog.

The bad news is that the fog contains a large amount of Ice Spiritual Power, which can effectively suppress the effects of Fire Element Spell.

"Perhaps it's a problem with the attack method."

Crane Cry True Monarch had a sudden inspiration and took out a Talisman: "Let me try the Dawn Light Blazing Sun Talisman."

In the Compassion Sea, the Dawn Light Blazing Sun Talisman is considered one of the oldest Fire Element Talisman.

It was originally designed to counter a Demonic Dao Secret Technique, and it shone brightly when it first appeared, becoming famous throughout the world for its special effects.

However, with the decline of the Black Abyss Demon Sect, fewer and fewer people continued to manufacture and use them.

Surprisingly, the Esteem Truth Temple still preserves a complete Drawing Method.

Without further ado, Crane Cry True Monarch immediately manipulated his true essence to activate the Talisman and threw it towards the edge of the mist.

Suddenly, the Dawn Light Blazing Sun Talisman spontaneously combusted in mid-air, transforming into a blazing fireball by the time it reached its destination.

Seeing that the Talisman Paper had burned out, the flames not only did not weaken, but instead became even more intense.

Suddenly, a crimson-gold spiritual light burst forth from the very center. The light grew larger and more dazzling, and at the same time, it became increasingly hot.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within a radius of a hundred miles was being stirred by an invisible force.

It began to flow slowly, gradually forming a huge vortex centered on the Dawn Light Blazing Sun Talisman.

It was clearly Spiritual Qi that formed a Giant Fireball nearly a hundred feet in size on the spot.

As the crimson-gold light shot into the sky, it even managed to dye the surrounding clouds red.

If viewed from a distance, it would almost look like Great Sun in the sky.

Indeed, the Dawn Light Blazing Sun Talisman is famous for simulating the Great Sun and can last for several hours, continuously dispelling the demonic and Yin Qi in the vicinity.

Crane Cry True Monarch, however, took a liking to its enduring properties and wanted to use it to burn away the cold smoke.

The others immediately realized this as well.

They all opened their eyes wide and looked over with great anticipation.

However, although the Giant Fireball had clearly affected the distant clouds, the surrounding cold smoke remained almost completely still, only becoming slightly brighter.

Upon closer inspection.

Surprisingly, a layer of almost completely transparent ice crystals condensed on the surface of the mist at the edge.

No, it's less of an ice crystal layer and more like an extremely thin ice film.

But that thin, cicada-wing-like ice membrane blocked almost all the heat emitted by the Dawn Light Blazing Sun Talisman.

Despite the persistent high temperatures, there was also some damage.

But almost a full quarter of an hour passed before the fog retreated by less than two inches.

Without a doubt, this speed is far too slow.

"Those ice crystals are actually so heat-resistant?"

Crane Cry True Monarch was somewhat dumbfounded.

He hadn't expected that the effect of the Dawn Light Blazing Sun Talisman would be far inferior to that of the Sky-rushing Palm.

He had originally planned that if this stuff worked, he would reveal the secret formula and have everyone urgently produce a batch of Dawn Light Blazing Sun Talisman.

However, judging from actual combat performance, ordinary fourth-tier Fire Element Talisman simply cannot achieve the same effect as the Sky-rushing Palm.

Moreover, the difference between the two is not small.

Thinking of this, Crane Cry True Monarch couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, at this rate, it seems unlikely that the fog will be burned away within the year."

"In comparison, it might be simpler to wait for the Talisman's effect to disappear on its own."

Even Fifth-Tier Talisman will inevitably have a duration.

If you wait three to five months, the Law Technique's effects will begin to diminish rapidly and completely dissipate within a few days.

But that would undoubtedly put us in a very passive position.

Although the Human Race True Monarchs are all very patient and do not mind going into seclusion for a few months.

However, the problem is that, according to everyone's previous speculations, the Sea Race seem to be deliberately stalling for time and taking the opportunity to secretly prepare some kind of conspiracy.

If we just wait like this, it's tantamount to giving the other party ample time to prepare.

They wanted to do something, but they didn't know where to start.

For a moment, everyone was awkwardly standing on the edge of the fog.

No matter how hard everyone racked their brains, no one could come up with a good solution.

"Well, since things have come to this, why don't we go back and rest for a bit?"

Seeing that half an hour had already been wasted, Iron Fan True Monarch directly suggested, "Continuing to guard here is not a solution."

"Everyone expended a lot of their true energy attacking the formation today."

"Why don't we go back and make some preparations first, and then discuss this further?"

Crucially Silver Hair True Monarch also sustained minor injuries and needs to return to the safe rear area as soon as possible to treat them and prevent his injuries from worsening.

"Excellent, we have achieved our initial goal today and successfully obtained the Array Foundation."

Gang Yuan True Monarch chimed in, "We should go back and rest. Perhaps relaxing will bring us inspiration."

The others naturally did not object, so they all returned to the great formation together.

For the next few days...

Iron Fan True Monarch was with Silver Hair True Monarch as he healed his wounds.

Xiao Chen went to check on the situation that day and learned that the main problem was that there was a small amount of Yao Qi remaining in the body.

Since the condition was mild and was controlled in a timely manner, there were no side effects. All that's left is to patiently expel the pathogen completely.

It should be back to normal in a few days.

Gang Yuan True Monarch and Han Chuan True Monarch were helping to study the Array Foundation that everyone had worked so hard to bring out.

They already possessed a considerable number of Sea Race Array Foundation.

They are currently trying to find a solution by comparing the two.

Xiao Chen also checked on the progress of the cracking process midway through.

However, the situation in this regard is not ideal. Gang Yuan True Monarch is not confident that he can quickly find the problem, and can only try to deduce the logic of the Sea Race's formation.

Significant progress may be made within two weeks, or six months may pass without any results.

Everything depends on luck.

Based on Xiao Chen's experience, luck is often unreliable.

Especially in crucial matters, ultimately it depends on human effort.

But now, in addition to the problem of the formation, there is also fog blocking the way.

If either of these two major problems remains unresolved, the situation in the Shallow Sky Sea will inevitably be delayed indefinitely.

What should we do?

Xiao Chen racked his brains for a long time, finally rummaging through his Storage Bag.

Finally, a brilliant idea struck me. "That's it! Fight poison with poison!"

That thick, cold smoke covering thousands of miles was indeed very difficult to deal with, but there was something that was no less troublesome, and perhaps even more so.

This thing is called -- Yang Fire Evil!

As long as the Yang Fire Evil can be guided to counteract the Cold Smoke, then the exceptionally powerful and domineering force within the Sha Qi can be used to completely deplete its Ice Spiritual Power.

To achieve this effect, only two conditions need to be met.

The first condition is to have enough Yang Fire Evil.

It just so happens that Xiao Chen's Bing Fire Treasure Gourd is half full.

He had spent a considerable amount of time collecting this item after discovering it by chance, intending to prepare it for any eventuality.

Now, the opportunity has finally come in handy.

The second condition is that there must be a way to control the direction of the flow of Sha Qi to avoid unnecessary losses or even accidental injuries or fatalities.

The main issue is that Sha Qi) is also a dangerous thing.

Once released from the gourd, it's no longer under anyone's control.

We must prepare sufficiently strong measures in advance to ensure it doesn't run rampant.

Regarding this, Xiao Chen recalled what he had seen and heard in the Cangran Secret Realm and the Wu Mausoleum.

By utilizing the Formation Power, one can, to a certain extent, restrain the Sha Qi, limit its spread, or guide it to flow in a designated direction.

"Daoist Gang Yuan, come here for a moment, I've suddenly had a great idea!"

Xiao Chen immediately summoned Gang Yuan True Monarch and revealed his plan in detail. "So, as long as you can find a way to create an array to restrict the Sha Qi..."

"Then we can clear away all this cold smoke outside."

"This shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

Of course, he did not reveal that he possessed Sha Qi; he only said that he had unexpectedly obtained the Bing Fire Treasure Gourd from the Sea Race.

It turned out that it was filled with malevolent Sha Qi.

This reason is perfectly valid, after all, the Bing Fire Treasure Gourd did indeed come from Human Race Traitor.

No one knows whether they hadn't had time to collect the Sha Qi yet, or whether they had already obtained Sha Qi but Xiao Chen intercepted it.

However, after hearing the plan, Gang Yuan True Monarch fell silent for a moment.

Then he explained, "Daoist Xiao, you may have some misunderstandings about my abilities."

"Controlling Sha Qi is something that has never been done before."

"At least in the lineages of array formations that I know of, there is absolutely no related knowledge."

He paused for a moment.

He added, "Throughout history, few people have paid attention to Sha Qi, and therefore there is no research experience in this area."

"The Heavenly Dipper Sect's limited knowledge of Sha Qi throughout history consists of only one Sars Repelling Method and one Baleful Qi Purging Secret Formula."

"To be honest, I've lived for hundreds of years and I've never even seen what Sha Qi looks like."

"I am truly powerless to offer any solutions to this problem."

Although Sha Qi is not particularly rare for Nascent Soul True Lord.

However, under normal circumstances, very few people would specifically travel to remote and desolate areas with little Spiritual Qi just to see what Sha Qi looks like.

After all, they don't need this thing, so why waste their time and energy?

If you accidentally get Sha Qi on yourself, it will be a troublesome matter.

In conclusion, Gang Yuan True Monarch had no way to control the Sha Qi.

"Daoist Xiao, we should treat this kind of thing with caution."

Han Chuan True Monarch even advised, "For us normal cultivators, Sha Qi is nothing but harm and no benefit."

"These kinds of Devil Creature, born from heaven and earth, have always only attracted the interest of those fearless demonic cultivators."

"Although I don't know what the Sea Race' intentions are in searching for the Sha Qi."

"However, I suggest you treat this Sha Qi with caution, and it's best not to try anything with it."

Han Chuan True Monarch pursed his lips and continued, "What I'm about to say might be a little inappropriate, but I'll say it anyway."

"Daoist Xiao, many Genius Cultivator and heroes throughout history have noticed the immense power contained within the Sha Qi."

"Many people have considered using Sha Qi energy to aid their spiritual practice."

"Some want to refine magical treasures, some want to comprehend Law Technique, and some audacious individuals even want to directly absorb the Sha Qi for their own use."

"But over the years, no one has ever been able to achieve even one of these things."

"Even the Spirit Transformation Venerable established the Cangran Secret Realm could only experiment on Demon Beast, and the current half-dead state hardly qualifies as a success."

"I believe that with Daoist Xiao's talent, normal cultivation is enough for him to challenge for the position of Venerable."

"It's best to avoid this kind of thing if you can."

Well, what Han Chuan True Monarch said was well-intentioned.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the heroes of this world, unaware that many years ago, someone had already found a way to utilize Sha Qi.

It's unclear whether Xiao Chen achieved such a rapid breakthrough by borrowing the Sha Qi.

However, on the surface, he nodded and said, "Yes, I have remembered your heartfelt words, fellow Daoist."

"I couldn't think of any other way, so I resorted to using Sha Qi."

"Since it's not feasible, let's just forget about it."

Although given Xiao Chen's current status, even if his ability to absorb Sha Qi were revealed, it shouldn't be a big problem.

But there's no need to bring this up proactively; what's the point?

Unfortunately, his carefully crafted plan was abandoned before it even began.

How to deal with the Thirty-Six Revolving Cold Smoke Golden Talisman has become a major problem standing in the way of the Human Race.

For the next two weeks...

Iron Fan True Monarch and Crane Cry True Monarch successively tried several different fourth-tier fire talismans.

However, although some of these hastily made Talisman were slightly better than the Dawn Light Blazing Sun Talisman, they were still far inferior to the Sky-rushing Palm.

It's basically confirmed that relying on Talisman won't work.

As time went by day by day, everyone started to get a little anxious.

This can't go on forever.

The problem is that being anxious won't help; neither of these two hurdles is easy to overcome.

"If you ask me, everyone should just relax a bit."

Cloud Vortex True Monarch was the first to feel relieved. "We used to rely on formations to intercept the Sea Race, now it's just that the situation has reversed."

"Overall, the situation has shifted from a major disadvantage to one that is in our favor."

"If you ask me, the worst that can happen is we can play for another three years."

"Let's fight a war of attrition with the Sea Race, and rely on our Spirit Stone reserves. They've come from afar; do you think they can outlast us?"

It's perfectly normal for him to have such thoughts.

After all, Cloud Wave Sword Abode had only recently emerged from a siege.

"Cloud Vortex Fellow Daoist is right."

Qian Shu True Monarch agreed, saying, "We were able to intercept the Sea Race using our Defensive Formation before, so it's normal that we're being blocked now."

"The most urgent thing is to adjust our mindset and not be impatient for quick results."

"We must fight a protracted war in a down-to-earth manner, neither becoming arrogant because of temporary victories nor discouraged because of temporary setbacks."

"Keep a calm mindset and take it slow."

"Furthermore, Daoist Gang Yuan is already working on breaking the Sea Race's formation in reverse."

"If we continue to drag this out, the situation may not necessarily be disadvantageous to us."

His point is valid; maintaining a calm and composed mindset is very important.

However, Iron Fan True Monarch remained frowning. After thinking for a moment, he still poured cold water on everyone's hopes. "That being said, there is something we must be wary of."

"I've been thinking about this for the past few days, trying to figure out why the Sea Race are stalling for time."

The more I think about it, the more uneasy I feel.

"Since the Sea Race are willing to give up so many Fourth-tier Defensive Formation, it means they must have a bigger plan."

"And it's very likely that it's the kind of crucial plan that can directly determine the overall direction of the situation."

"Otherwise, they could simply use this Fifth-Tier Talisman to stop us; why bother setting up Linked Grand Array and paying such a high price to buy time?"

"I have a feeling that if we can't find a solution, something really bad might happen."

His idea sounds somewhat pessimistic, but it does make some sense.

Unfortunately, everyone had very little intelligence and had no idea what the Sea Race were planning to do.

Speaking of this, in the past two years, all the major sects have tried to send disciples to feign defection in an attempt to infiltrate the core and steal intelligence.

However, after their surprise attack on the Ink Barrier Sect failed, the Sea Race adopted a simple and brutal plan.

That would be to completely eliminate Human Race cultivators.

Any important battle plans and any key formation arrangements are directly managed by the Sea Race Great Demon, who are not allowed to have access to them by Human Race cultivators.

No matter how loyal Human Race Traitor may appear, it's unacceptable.

As a result, in terms of intelligence, the Human Race has always lagged behind the Sea Race, and this remains true to this day.

"How about we just create Demonic Calamity?"

Xiao Chen suddenly spoke up, "I have a piece of baleful Sha Qi that I unexpectedly seized, and I've already told Daoist Gang Yuan about it."

"Demonic Sect can use Sha Qi to create Demonic Calamity, then why don't we follow their Demonic Sect and create a Demonic Calamity ourselves?"

"Demonic energy doesn't discriminate between Human Race and Sea Race; it treats everyone equally."

"Since these are extraordinary times, we must do extraordinary things."

What do you all think?