A Few Ants

"Boom!"

Golden Giant Palm descended, carrying an aura of overwhelming power, and pressed directly onto the island.

Whether it was the Universal Salvation Temple Array Foundation located right below the palm, or the unlucky Fourth-Order Dragon Head Fish, both were instantly reduced to dust.

As a gentle breeze swept by, the giant hand formed from Spiritual Power transformed into specks of golden light that scattered.

In the very center of the island, there was a giant palm print, nearly a hundred feet deep and several hundred feet long and wide.

A nearby stream was cut off in the middle, and the cascading water fell like a small waterfall.

From a distance, it looks like a masterpiece of nature.

If one hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, it's hard to believe that such a scene could be the work of humankind.

Good news, since His Venerable One had not yet broken through to the fifth rank, he ultimately could not withstand the attack and was instantly obliterated.

This powerful predator from the Far Sea, which roamed the land for hundreds of years, once again proves a point.

Only a fifth-tier being can fight against a fifth-tier being!

The bad news is that, because the second strike clearly used more power than the first, the Majestic Giant Buddha Phantasm became increasingly dim.

Although it is very strong, so strong that it is estimated that there is no one in the entire Compassion Sea who can match it.

But it is ultimately just a Spiritual Sense, and the power it consumes in every movement actually comes from the sacrifice of Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing.

Even if a Zen Master were to offer up all of his true essence, all his vital energy, and his remaining Lifespan, he simply could not withstand the high consumption required for the fifth level.

After using Buddhist light to cast Imprisonment Technique and launching two consecutive attacks.

It's clear that they're running out of steam and can't sustain it any longer.

The problem is that the battle has progressed to this point.

The Fifth-Order Grand Array below has had nearly half of its Normal Array Foundation and two very critical Core Array Foundation destroyed.

The suppression of the remaining Sea Race Great Demon has been reduced to nearly 10%.

Under such circumstances, although the Fifth-Order Grand Array can still provide considerable defensive capabilities to the Human Race cultivators through the remaining restrictions.

However, Sea Race, with their obvious numerical advantage, still pose a significant threat.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, another extremely difficult battle awaits them.

The Sea Race Demons clearly noticed this as well.

A sardine strained to lift its head and gaze at the sky, a sly, almost human-like glint in its round eyes.

A long-nosed snail quietly peeked out of its shell, discreetly peering outside.

They were all waiting, waiting for that majestic, illusory Buddha image to completely disappear.

Then they can continue to invade Universal Salvation Temple and plunder its Blood Food to replenish themselves.

Although the Venerable One could no longer deliver the reward for victory, the Cultivator's Flesh and Blood themselves were still quite attractive to them.

Especially in the Buddhist Sect, compared to the Daoist Sect, more emphasis is placed on cultivating qi and blood.

This also made them look even more delicious in the eyes of the Great Demon, making them look incredibly tempting.

To be honest, the chances of winning are really slim if they continue fighting.

Taking advantage of the ongoing effect of Night's Edge, Xiao Chen hid in mid-air, surveying the entire battlefield. He could clearly sense that the situation was not very optimistic.

Fortunately, he wasn't the only one who noticed this.

Zen Master Fa Zhao also noticed this situation.

Therefore, he actually bowed to the illusory image in the sky and said, "This disciple wishes to emulate the former master, relinquishing this physical body to transform into boundless light, and beseeching the Bright King to grant my request."

He had not practiced any related Secret Method, but at this moment he was silently reciting the <Bright King Demon Purging Scripture> in his heart.

Upon hearing this, many Buddhist Sect disciples in the temple knelt down, prostrated themselves before the Bright King, and recited Buddhist verses.

Seeing this, the illusory image seemed to speak with satisfaction, "By cultivating compassion in your hearts, you are planting seeds of good fortune!"

"But those few ants are nothing; I can destroy them with a mere thought, and there is no need to burden any living beings further."

Having said that, he gently gestured downwards.

The Three Worlds Buddha Golden Statue inside the Great Hero Hall suddenly shone brightly with Buddhist light, then transformed into a pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.

If this were anywhere else, even the mighty Spiritual Sense of Bright King would be powerless to help.

But this is, after all, Universal Salvation Temple, a place that can be considered Buddhist Holy Land.

After receiving the replenishment of power, the illusory image solidified by one-third.

Immediately, a golden light ignited from his heart, quickly setting his entire body ablaze.

At the same time, the eighteen Fourth-Order great demon closest to the Bright King Phantom also emitted golden flames.

Whether it was Sea Fish that had just broken through to the Nascent Soul or Giant Sea Beast as powerful as Nautilus, they all let out painful cries amidst the blazing flames.

But no matter how hard they struggled, it was all in vain.

In the end, his Demonic Essence and the Demon Infant within him were completely burned away, and his soul was scattered on the spot, leaving only lifeless remains that collapsed to the ground.

Although the Bright King Phantom ceased to exist after the flames had completely burned out.

However, those Sea Race Great Demon that managed to survive at a slightly greater distance had lost all courage and had no will to fight left.

They scrambled to turn around and used every ounce of their strength to escape backwards.

They all regretted not having awakened speed-related Bloodline Spell, which prevented them from running fast enough.

"Hiss~, the power of the fifth rank is terrifying!"

Only then did Zhang Shouquan realize what had happened, and he couldn't help but gasp.

A hint of envy, deep within his heart, also flickered in the eyes of Gang Yuan True Monarch.

If given the chance to break through, wouldn't he also want to ascend to the fifth-tier Venerable position?

Unfortunately, as he grew older, his hopes of breaking through to the Spirit Transformation became increasingly slim.

Often, when faced with sect affairs and considering the past patriarchs, one can only suppress such unrealistic thoughts and avoid dwelling on them.

However, witnessing the power of the fifth rank again today has rekindled the long-dormant desire of the Gang Yuan True Monarch.

In particular, seeing the Bright King regard Giant Sea Beast as powerful as the Nautilus, which are almost like moving natural disasters, as nothing more than 'ants'.

This caused him great emotional turmoil, and he found it difficult to calm down for a long time.

Xiao Chen, however, was different. He noticed the mangled remains of the Great Demon on the ground.

He couldn't help but feel a slight startle. "Huh?"

"Even though he was burned to the point of being completely destroyed by those flames, his flesh and scales were almost completely unharmed."

"Could it be that the last thing that the illusory Bright King of Light used was some kind of offensive Divine Sense Secret Art that could directly invade the sea of consciousness and obliterate the Divine Soul?"

Xiao Chen had heard about this before.

Before breaking through to the Spirit Transformation, it's best not to touch any Divine Sense Secret Art, lest you damage your Divine Sense and affect your future breakthrough.

However, judging from this situation, it seems that there are no such restrictions after breaking through to the Spirit Transformation.

At the very least, since that Bright King was able to plant Spiritual Sense in Purified Nature Zen Master and activate that special flame that directly affects the Divine Soul, he must have undergone relevant cultivation.

"Tsk, if that's really the case, then this is going to be troublesome."

Xiao Chen's first thought was that this would make it very easy for Nascent Soul Cultivator to suffer from a lack of Divine Sense when facing Spirit Transformation cultivators.

There was already Major Realm, and on top of that, the other party was able to launch an attack from the level of Divine Sense.

This undoubtedly widened the gap between the fourth and fifth tiers once again.

Under normal circumstances, ordinary cultivators don't need to worry about this issue.

Even without using their Divine Sense, they had no intention of fighting enemies of a higher level.

Besides, if we can't win, we can't win.

Anyway Spirit Transformation Venerable Divine Dragon elusive, appearing and disappearing like a dragon, and unless he goes to places like the Three Mountains Grotto-Heaven, he is usually impossible to find.

If one were to offend Spirit Transformation in the outside world, it would be purely one's own bad luck.

The problem is, Xiao Chen is different!

He not only had to consider the Compassion Sea ocean, but also the New Cultivation World.

It should be noted that, according to the Cai Family's ancestral records and many rumors, Spirit Transformation Venerable often appear near the Holy City.

As the old saying goes, if you stand by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

If you encounter too many Spirit Transformation Venerable, you might just run into a lunatic.

This wasn't Xiao Chen being overly pessimistic; it was genuinely taking precautions.

Instead of gambling that you'll only encounter good people and kind souls, it's better to think about what to do if a fight breaks out.

Even if he's really unlucky and encounters a dead end over there, he can still run back here to take refuge.

However, if Spirit Transformation Venerable places Divine Sense Mark on them, they will come to pursue them as soon as they are discovered.

That means Xiao Chen will be unable to travel to the New Cultivation World for a very long time.

If that were to happen, wouldn't we suffer a huge loss?

Therefore, it is not difficult to identify two key points.

The first thing is to be cautious when interacting with Spirit Transformation Venerable, especially Spirit Transformation Venerable from the New Cultivation World, and to try to avoid attracting their attention.

Secondly, one should consciously collect treasures similar to the Clear Wind Dust Cleansing Dew, which can counteract Divine Sense tracking.

Of course, what Xiao Chen needed was a treasure that could be effective against fifth-order Divine Sense Mark.

This is definitely not an easy task.

Therefore, it is even more important to prepare early and pay more attention to relevant clues in daily life.

But now is not the time to think about these issues.

Xiao Chen quickly gathered his thoughts and looked down at the Sea Race Great Demon who were busy fleeing.

He had already quietly followed them the moment they fled.

The duration of Night's Edge is almost up, which means it's time to focus on reaping the rewards.

We finally defeated the Sea Race; we can't let these remaining Great Demon escape so easily.

These are all natural fourth-tier spiritual materials.

If you miss this opportunity, collecting it elsewhere won't be an easy task.

Thinking of this, Xiao Chen became even more focused, which increased his escape speed by a fraction.

He spotted one of the Giant Mouth Shark that was fleeing at full speed and used his superior speed to get directly above it.

He picked up and pinched three Azure Wave Piercing Bone Needle in his hand.

Then, targeting the location of the enemy's Demon Infant, they launched a fierce attack.

The Giant Mouth Shark was currently trying its best to escape.

Although it was aware of its surroundings, in its Divine Sense, the Human Race pursuers were busy intercepting the unfortunate ones who were running too slowly.

It has gradually left us far behind.

Because it's considered that running without Spiritual Power Barrier is faster than running with one.

Therefore, it did not waste its Demonic Essence on ineffective defense, but instead devoted all its energy to escaping.

Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Chen had already silently crept up to him.

Therefore, when it realized that the three Azure Wave Piercing Bone Needle had suddenly appeared out of thin air less than ten feet away from it...

Before it could react or resist at all, the Demon Infant was pierced directly by the merciless Flying Needle.

"Take it down!"

Xiao Chen happily clenched his fist. "A near-perfect surprise attack!"

He seized the perfect moment, delivering a fatal blow without engaging in any unnecessary fighting.

This not only means that he completed the hunt with almost no damage to the Giant Mouth Shark's body, but also that he could collect more and more complete spiritual materials afterward.

This also means that he didn't waste much time on the Giant Mouth Shark.

Next, we can hurry up and capture other Sea Race Great Demon.

It should be noted that although the Sea Race had already suffered heavy losses and were almost all busy escaping, they were still in a state of disarray.

However, it was not convenient for Universal Salvation Temple to use the World-Crossing Puppet to pursue them.

Firstly, because those puppets weren't particularly fast; they were slower than many of the Sea Race Great Demon.

Even if they participate in the pursuit, they can hardly play a significant role.

Secondly, it's also possible that the Universal Salvation Temple's formation is severely damaged, requiring these Fourth-Order Puppet to be kept in place to guard against unforeseen circumstances.

In short, Purified Dust Zen Master did not bring the World-Crossing Puppet with him during the pursuit.

This resulted in a severe shortage of manpower on the Human Race side responsible for pursuing the remaining enemies and expanding the gains of the war.

Even if each of them could restrain a Sea Race Great Demon, many would still escape.

This is both a bad thing and a bad thing, meaning that wild, Fourth-Order great demon might be hiding in some remote corner, attacking passing cultivators.

But from another perspective, it could also be a good thing.

At least for Xiao Chen, this means he has the opportunity to hunt down several Sea Race Great Demon on his own.

This will allow us to obtain more fourth-tier spiritual materials.

It is worth mentioning that, during the pursuit, Gang Yuan True Monarch did not forget to send out Sound Transmission Spirit Sword.

Communicate promptly about the situation here and the direction the Sea Race Great Demon fled.

This command directed the reinforcements from the Daoist Daoist Sect located on the outer perimeter to turn ahead and set up ambushes in places where encounters might occur, thus waiting for the enemy to come to them.

To be honest, it was thanks to his brilliant command that things turned out so well.

The main force of the Daoist Sect actually intercepted seven fleeing Sea Race Great Demon in a very peripheral area.

Furthermore, since the battlefield was far from Universal Salvation Temple, there was no need to consider the distribution of spoils.

Instead, the spoils were divided up on the spot according to the contributions of everyone on board who participated in the ambush.

Objectively speaking, this matter is slightly beneficial to Xiao Chen.

The advantage lies in the fact that he can take spiritual materials that he doesn't need but that other cultivators can use and exchange them with them.

After all, this pursuit had lasted for three days and three nights.

Xiao Chen single-handedly defeated a total of five Sea Race Great Demon.

Even with a conservative estimate, we could obtain nearly twelve kinds of fourth-tier spiritual materials.

There will naturally be things he doesn't need, which he can then exchange for.

"Sigh, what a pity, the rest should have already gone into hiding."

In an uninhabited sea area about 400,000 miles away from Universal Salvation Temple, Xiao Chen looked at the sun that had already sunk below the horizon in the west and sighed softly.

He ran so far, hoping to catch a couple more.

But it seems that continuing would be a waste of effort.

Although this distance doesn't look very far on the nautical chart.

But in reality, there are countless places to hide in the ocean, which is over 400,000 miles in diameter.

Even for Nascent Soul True Lord, searching such a large area would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Not to mention that the Sea Race Great Demon who survived the Human Race's pursuit were no ordinary beings either.

Or they are exceptionally quick-witted and have a very strong sense of danger.

They either possess special abilities that help them hide, making them extremely difficult to detect once they lie in wait.

After all, if they didn't have some skills to protect themselves, they wouldn't have survived until now; they would have been captured and taken back long ago, just like the other Great Demon.

"Well, it's alright, at least we caught five."

Xiao Chen dragged a large piece of floating ice with one hand, on which were neatly arranged five of the Sea Race Great Demon he had captured along the way.

He hadn't had time to deal with these demonic bodies because he was busy chasing them.

Three days and three nights have passed, and there is no longer any Spiritual Power fluctuation from the battle Human True Lord in the rear.

Therefore, Xiao Chen estimated that it was about time to return.

Besides the Giant Mouth Shark he caught at the beginning, he also caught a Butterflyfish, a Stingray, a Axehead Fish, and a tiger prawn.

Furthermore, among the four Great Demon behind them, except for the Butterflyfish whose cultivation level was slightly lower, they were all Great Demon comparable to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

The Stingray, which is adept at using poison, is the easiest to deal with.

The relatively hard-shelled tiger prawn is quite troublesome, but it is no match for Xiao Chen's Azure Wave Piercing Bone Needle, which is specifically designed to counter bone-shelled prawns.

The Axehead Fish was the most difficult to deal with.

It took Xiao Chen a lot of time to tidy it up, and there were almost some mishaps along the way.

This is mainly because this Axehead Fish can use its unique pectoral fins to quickly leap and dodge incoming attacks over short distances.

At the same time, it also awakened a very special Mutated Bloodline.

While leaping, one can use oneself as a sharp sword to slash at enemies or objects along the way.

And it even has ' Sword Intent ' in it!

The actual combat difficulty is no less than fighting a fourth-tier Sword Cultivator.

To be honest, Xiao Chen was quite surprised when he first realized this.

What kind of Bloodline Mutation could lead to such strange Bloodline Spell?

It is clearly a fish, yet it can evoke Sword Intent.

Is this even reasonable?

But the deed was done, and Xiao Chen could only be amazed and find himself in a rather difficult situation.

It should be known that Sword Cultivator are renowned for their unparalleled offensive prowess.

Furthermore, the Axehead Fish was fighting for its life, giving it a sense of Mutual Destruction destruction.

Of course, two days and one night had passed by then, Night's Edge had long since cooled down.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen was protected by the Four Symbols Suppressing Mountain Shield, so he wasn't particularly afraid of being affected.

But at that time, he already carried with him the demon bodies of the three Sea Race Great Demon in front of him.

He himself was not afraid of the Axehead Fish's attack, which was comparable to a ' Fish-Sword Unity '.

However, the spoils of war that the Four Symbols Suppressing Mountain Shield behind them could not cover could not withstand the fierce slashes.

Especially shortly after the fight began, the Axehead Fish noticed this temporary 'weakness' of his.

Therefore, every move was aimed at destroying the spiritual materials.

Xiao Chen was in a bit of a panic. "If you have the guts, come at me! Don't touch my spiritual materials!"

However, his shout only emboldened the Axehead Fish: "Unless you let me go, I'll destroy your spoils even if I can't beat you!"

"If you keep pushing me like this, you might end up with nothing."

The two fought and ran, locked in combat for about two hours.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen was ultimately more skilled and, while protecting the spiritual materials, finally caught the Axehead Fish in a moment of carelessness caused by the prolonged battle.

He first attacked with the Sky-rushing Palm, injuring him, then switched to the Azure Wave Piercing Bone Needle to secure the victory.

"Hmph, you little brat, threatening me? Do you really think I'm easily scared?"

After catching this special Axehead Fish, Xiao Chen froze it in the very center of the ice block, using the bodies of the other Great Demon to block it from the outside.

He had a premonition that he might be able to obtain special spiritual materials from the other party after returning.

After all, it is extremely strange and rare for Axehead Fish to be able to unleash Sword Intent.

It's likely that some special organ or structure formed inside the body.

Although Xiao Chen hadn't used Flying Sword in combat for quite some time.

However, he always remembered that he could also be considered half a ' Sword Cultivator '.

Well, this identity is quite crucial in a certain sense.

There's a saying that goes, "Riding the wind on a sword, vanquishing demons across the land!"

For cultivators, having Flying Sword is the only way to look cool.

Moreover, Xiao Chen wasn't just doing it for show; he was a true Sword Cultivator with his own Natal Flying Sword sword.

I reckon by the time he gets back this time, he'll have accumulated enough wealth.

It's time to start preparing for a breakthrough in Body Cultivator.

When he opens up all the major acupoints in his body, his Natal Flying Sword will also be upgraded accordingly.

Who knows, we might be able to use the spiritual item obtained from this Axehead Fish.

With this in mind, Xiao Chen made up his mind that if he really obtained the relevant spiritual items, he would keep them for himself and not exchange them.

Although the chase took quite a long time.

However, the return journey was much faster; he returned to Universal Salvation Temple in less than half a day.

"Layman Xiao, I'm relieved to see you're really alright!"

Zen Master Fa Zhao seemed to have been deliberately stationed on the outer edge of the island, waving and greeting him from afar. "Thanks to your timely intervention at the crucial moment."

"That's why His Venerable One didn't escape."

"We hadn't seen you at all, which made my fellow disciples and I very worried."

"Fortunately, I heard from Layman Gang Yuan that they personally witnessed you chasing the Sea Race."

"Now that we see that Layman Xiao's complexion is rosy and he is full of vitality, we can rest assured that he is indeed alright."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen quickly waved his hand.

He immediately denied it, saying, "You can't say that. I only did what little I could."

"Our victory this time was entirely due to Abbot Jingxing's compassion and willingness to sacrifice Abbot Jingxing."

"Sigh, there are so many words in my heart, but I don't know how to begin."

In short, I hope all the masters will take heart and not be too saddened.

If this had happened before, Xiao Chen wouldn't have refused so decisively.

Firstly, he certainly deserves the greatest credit for his role in the previous series of battles.

Secondly, in many cases, people are just being polite and flattering each other; there's no need to take it too seriously or believe it all.

Praising each other after a victory is also a way to strengthen camaraderie.

But this time it's completely different.

Although Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing spoke with good intentions and claimed to be acting for the sake of all living beings.

They are indeed quite annoying.

But he didn't just talk the talk; he really went through with it!

At critical moments, he was willing to sacrifice himself as fuel to ignite the Spiritual Sense left behind by the Bright King.

Whether it was for the preservation of Universal Salvation Temple or for the great cause of the Compassion Sea Human Race, his actions are admirable and respectable!

Anyway, Xiao Chen has now changed his mind.

I have developed a deep and heartfelt respect for Purified Nature Zen Master!