Sea King

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said... So it's a ball... I thought it was a turtle...'

Okay, go play somewhere else and don't interrupt...

System! Don't you guys need to explain this? Don't just brush it off with another "You'll understand once Enlightenment Stage"!

'I'm not trying to brush you off, it's just that I really can't right now.'

'Some information, even just being 'aware' of it, can have a deviation value high enough to trigger an alarm.'

'Actually, you might have already triggered the firewall, but with that guy's presence in Ink Bamboo Mountain, the deviation value is already off the charts...'

'So your abnormality is actually normal.'

"I sent you to Ink Bamboo Mountain because it's a safe starting village where you can be protected and grow up safely."

A safe starting area...

Safety is always relative.

'What you came into contact with this time should be remnants of our enemy.'

'Because the area around Ink Bamboo Mountain is that guy's territory, our enemy naturally tried to infiltrate it, but after several failed attempts, they dared not go too deep and lost quite a few good items here.'

"Furthermore, as you might have guessed, there are two other system forces, one lurking in the Immortal Palace and the other hidden within the Divine Cult, with the Xuanmen caught in the struggle between them."

' The Luo Sect was just an experiment by that guy, but it was wiped out by those two groups working together, so that guy must have been aware of the system's existence long ago.'

'If it weren't for our research into integrating the Luo Sect's celestial scriptures and system technology, which piqued that guy's interest, the cooperation probably wouldn't have been achieved so easily...'

'But this was really dangerous... How did they manage to chase us all the way here... What kind of world is this...?'

Hey! Don't steal our lines!

Li Fan rubbed his temples, sorting through the current information.

So, "that guy" is probably the "Thousand-Faced Immortal," the messenger who guided the Chaos Dao Ancestor Ink Bamboo Mountain came into contact with?

The long-standing conflicts and battles Three Great Sects are likely instigated by the other system behind the scenes. It's not hard to understand that two tigers cannot share one mountain, and there are many competing forces within the system itself. However, it seems the Central Plains are entirely enemy territory; it's far too dangerous for someone at the Golden Core Stage to wander around recklessly. At least Nascent Soul Stage should be allowed to venture there.

However, it seems that his mental health system and the Tai Su Dao Ancestor's forces, the main factor influencing mental health, have actually established a cooperative relationship to jointly fight against the other two system forces?

Moreover, the ultimate goal of the cooperation isn't actually 'world domination' or 'becoming the king of all systems'—those more common ambitions...

But there are still many things that don't make sense. For example, that spaceship—it seems to have been buried deep in Lei Marsh since ancient times, right? But wasn't the Thousand-Faced Immortal summoned by Ink Bamboo Mountain after the appearance of the False Moon? Doesn't that timeline not add up?

'This involves superstrings. How much do you know about string theory?'

I don't understand at all.

'I won't explain, it's too tiring.'

Just think of it as cutting-edge technology.

Holy crap... what the heck is this "going to Earth"? Is it some kind of advanced technology? And it's "not yours"? Are there multiple Earths? And does he even have to travel back in time?

Every world calls itself Earth.

"This is our goal; whether you go or not is up to you, we won't force you."

'It's too early to talk about these things. You'll understand after you achieve enlightenment.'

Tsk... Li Fan is now genuinely curious about what kind of Dao he will comprehend after achieving enlightenment...

'Oh, and your battery is fully charged. Enter the raffle; there's something for you this time.'

Hmm? Fully charged? Let's do a pull then, and by the way, my current mood is...

'50/2100'

Holy crap! I lost 1000 mood points and 1200 points of my cap!

'It's okay, it's not a loss.'

'Prize being sent; prize has been delivered.'

How can they claim to be not losing money?

Li Fan looked at the thing that the system had sent to his palm. It was a tetrahedral triangular pyramid, like a heavy, dark stone, and looked like a black pyramid.

'That guy, let's call him the Thousand-Faced Immortal. The Thousand-Faced Immortal gave you an avatar to serve as your Dao body.'

'So you are now an apostle shared by both of us.'

'Don't feel guilty. Kill the other Tai Su Dao Ancestor as you like; it won't mind.'

'This thing is its summoned form. If it encounters a firewall from an enemy system, it uses this summoned clone to fight back.'

'But don't use it carelessly, it'll ruin your mood.'

Damn, just hearing that makes me feel down... So, the hexahedron Rubik's Cube was replaced with a tetrahedron pyramid? Is this a loss or a gain...?

The more Li Fan explored and cultivated, the thicker the fog seemed to grow... However, regardless of the cooperation between the system and the Thousand-Faced Immortal, it seemed he had overcome this hurdle.

Li Fan grabbed a jar of wine, ran to the ship's railing, sat down, and let the sea breeze calm his chaotic thoughts. He looked up at the bright moon rising over the sea.

It was rare that there was no purple False Moon in the sky today; it had been a long time since he had looked up at the bright moon and lowered his head to think of his hometown.

Oh, Earth, everything about it is so nostalgic.

It's perfectly normal for a time traveler to occasionally have thoughts of 'wanting to go back to Earth.' But if you were to actually ask him if he wanted to go back, Li Fan would say he didn't.

Why go back? Are you just going to work until retirement and then die of old age? I've attained immortality in the Immortal Realm, enjoying eternal bliss, living as long as the heavens, and living a carefree life—isn't that wonderful? Why bother going back to be a mortal?

Unfortunately, while the system honestly stated its purpose when asked "What do you want to do?", when asked "Why?", they each offered their own answer, "You'll understand when you reach the Enlightenment Stage." "You don't have to reply if you don't want to; we won't force you," they dismissed Li Fan.

But since it wasn't mandatory, Li Fan couldn't help but miss the good old days on Earth.

Even the most ordinary days of eating junk food, drinking soda, and lounging on the sofa playing video games are actually quite memorable. Besides, who doesn't have family and friends they can't bear to part with? If we could really travel freely, like on vacation... that doesn't seem so bad, does it?

Li Fan scratched his head, but to be honest, the fact that both the system and that weird thing wanted to 'go to Earth,' and not even the same planet, was really creepy.

Could it be that the Thousand-Faced Immortal was hiding in the spaceship, trying to figure out how to fly to Earth? But isn't stargazing and Moon Worship simply direct space teleportation? Why would a spaceship be needed?

Li Fan couldn't figure it out either. This world, whether in terms of immortal techniques or technology, was far behind the technological level of his Earth. Li Fan only possessed slightly above-average human intelligence, and he was completely clueless.

But instead of worrying unnecessarily about the ultimate goal of traveling back to Earth, which is so far away, it would be better to think about when you can cultivate to the Nascent Soul Stage...

After finishing a jar of wine, Li Fan wiped his mouth, stretched, and lay back on the deck, pretending to doze off. At the same time, he used his Divine Sense to check on the current state of his Dao body.

The internal energy was now circulating normally. Not only had it returned to normal, as if it hadn't nearly collapsed and died, but the speed and quality of the Dark Underworld and Return to Dust internal energy had also noticeably increased.

However, the traces of black ash binding and patching the Dao body remained. Li Fan could feel that his body cells were being permeated and fused by this black ash, but he couldn't sense any substantial effects. It seemed that he was able to absorb that ash before because his Dao body had also become an avatar of the Thousand-Faced Immortal.

While it's true that using the cone-shaped stone can summon the Thousand-Faced Immortal's clone for self-protection, if we consider the worst-case scenario, wouldn't the opponent be able to strip him of control of this body at any time if they so choose?

However, on the other hand, that Thousand-Faced Immortal could easily turn him to ashes, so he probably wouldn't care about his body. Besides, to be frank, this body originally belonged to Li Yi, and the Wuji Golden Core was also a free gift from the system. At worst, he could do what Jade Toad Granny did, just in case, and prepare a second body for reincarnation. Things will work themselves out!

Well, it seems I really need to hurry up and reach the Nascent Soul Realm, otherwise if I die, I won't even have the chance to have my soul leave my body and be reincarnated.

The logic is sound, but his Gui Xu Nascent Soul requires absorbing malevolent energy, and he doesn't have the mental state to Moon Worship to the Tai Su Realm to cultivate. He finally earned a thousand points of mental energy in the Lei Marsh, only to have it used up by that Thousand-Faced Immortal. It seems his plan to achieve Nascent Soul Stage within five years will be delayed by at least a few more months. Sigh, so frustrating...

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'You brat, don't act innocent after getting such a good deal! It would be quite an achievement to reach the Nascent Soul Stage within five hundred years, let alone with only five years to spare! Humph! How annoying!'"

Oh, what happened? Sword Intent, you're finished?

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'What do you mean, "It's over! Whether it's over or not, we'll talk about that after I finish my calculations! But not now, something's coming.'"

Is there something?

Li Fan frowned, opened his eyes, and sure enough, he saw a flash of light in the southeast direction on the horizon, heading straight for the city like a shooting star. In an instant, it entered the range of his Divine Sense. It was a Golden Core cultivator, accompanied by a Foundation Establishment junior, heading towards the city.

These must be just some independent cultivators who came to the market.

'The Dao of the Profound Heaven Sword Intent is neither in the heavens nor underwater.'

Is there a monster underwater?

Li Fan tried to probe with his Divine Sense, but found nothing. This was certainly not the Profound Heaven Sword Intent making things up; either the thing was deeply hidden, far beyond the range of his Divine Sense, or the other party's cultivation was much higher than his, making it impossible to detect.

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent Dao wasn't particularly powerful; its Divine Sense was comparable to that of a Nascent Soul Stage, but it didn't approach, following from a distance before turning back.'

Did they chase after that cultivator, only to find a large crowd gathered in this sea market, with Nascent Soul Stage cultivator in charge, and then give up on their own?

Li Fan suddenly became interested, so he jumped onto the bow of the ship and went over to look at the cultivators who had just landed on another warship.

The man was indeed covered in blood, as if he had just been through a fierce battle. He had lost an arm and was completely exhausted, lying unconscious on the deck. Beside him was a Foundation Establishment stage youth with thick eyebrows and large eyes, who clasped his hands together and shouted loudly, "The E Shenyu is in calamity! Please, Captain, help us!"

E Shenyu? E Shenyu Shi Family?

Li Fan watched the scene from afar in the crowd. The boy was tall and had long legs, thick eyebrows and big eyes. His healthy wheat-colored skin seemed to radiate the warmth of the sun. He looked very familiar.

The Shi Family's reputation was indeed renowned throughout the South China Sea, and many cultivators immediately gathered to help, even the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator who was guarding the ship showed up.

This was a giant, nine feet tall, wielding a harpoon and covered in dragon tattoos, resembling the Sea King. He strode forward, examining the Golden Core cultivator whose body was almost half torn off. "What happened!"

The young man clasped his hands in a fist and said urgently, "Reporting to the ship's captain, several powerful demons broke into the Crocodile God's barrier a few days ago! My elders from the Shi Family are currently fighting them, and my uncle led me to break through the encirclement and come here for help! Please lend a hand, or the Crocodile God may be released!"

"Crocodile God! That colossal sea crocodile beast! Divine Transformation stage demon!"

"What kind of monster attacked the Shi Family?!"

"This is terrible! The Crocodile God rides the waves and can easily overturn islands and devour people. Once he escapes, I'm afraid the inhabitants of E Shenyu will all be..."

The rogue cultivators were immediately in an uproar. Li Fan also remembered who this Foundation Establishment kid was.

I saw him during the sword fight at Tiantai Mountain. I think his name was Shi Kai. He must be Shi Yong's nephew, right? He's grown so fast! No wonder he's called the Wild Man of the South China Sea. But speaking of which, could that thing that was following them earlier be...?

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, "If they are also demons attacking their home, then they were probably deliberately sent to deliver a message."

So confident? Then the Shi Family is probably doomed... It seems they also knew this was dangerous, having sent their last remaining son...

The Nascent Soul cultivator wielding the fishing spear seemed to have realized that Shi Kai's uncle was barely alive, having only escaped a few days prior. He feared that E Shenyu was in grave danger, and his brow furrowed as he remained silent.

Shi Kai everyone around him was talking and hesitating, and that no one was willing to lend a helping hand, Shi Kai gritted his teeth, knelt on the ground, and took down the bundle wrapped in animal skin from behind him.

Li Fan thought it was a salted fish, but when he shook it open, he found it was actually a gleaming sword!

The surrounding crowd fell silent for a moment, even the Nascent Soul Stage ship captain stared wide-eyed, only to hear Shi Kai, "This sword is named 'Qiuy'! It is one of the Nine Swords of the South China Sea forged by the Lü Family!"

My elder brother, Shi Yong, followed the swordsmen of the Beichen Sword Sect in their fight against demons and perished. Shen Fashi of Danxia Mountain went to great lengths to deliver this sword to my home!

Shi Kai knows his status is lowly, and all he possesses is this precious sword bestowed upon him by his elders. Perhaps it will catch the eye of the ship's owner, so I voluntarily offer this sword! I only beg your help to stop this catastrophe!

The ship owner narrowed his eyes, laughed loudly, and accepted the precious sword offered by Shi Kai, saying, "The Shi Family has guarded E Shenyu in the South China Sea for hundreds of years. How can I, Zheng Tuo, the King of Zhenhai, sit idly by!"

You stay here and recover from your injuries. I'll go lend a hand right away! You all should spread the word immediately! Quickly gather the experts from the Ten Continents and Seven Islands to overcome this crisis together!

As this Nascent Soul Stage cultivator spoke, he decisively looked up to the sky and roared, then leaped into the sea with his fishing spear and set off.

So his name really is Zhenhai Wang (King of Sea Suppression)...

The surrounding rogue cultivators also began to discuss the matter. Some used their magical light to escape and go to various islands to inform the E Shenyu, while others came forward to treat the Shi Family's injuries. Shi Kai was extremely grateful, probably thinking that he had finally found reinforcements and that his family might be saved. He thanked everyone repeatedly.

Li Fan mingled in the crowd, approached the unconscious Golden Core cultivator lying on the ground, and carefully examined the man's wounds.

It felt like something had bitten half of his body, tearing his arm and bones apart. Luckily, his Golden Core realm body was strong, which <Against Fate> such a severe injury. However, the wound had been damaged for too long and he had lost too much blood, so recovery was probably impossible.

Shi Yong had saved Li Fan's life before, so he naturally couldn't stand idly by. He took a Donghua Changchun Pill and gave it to the Shi Family to keep them alive. He then asked Shi Kai, "How many monsters attacked E Shenyu, and what were their cultivation levels?"

After arriving at Tiantai Mountain, Li Fan's appearance changed drastically, and Shi Kai did not recognize him. He said directly, "This junior did not see him in person. I only heard from my uncle that he was attacked by a group of demons and that my elders were fighting hard. He took me away first."

But my father, uncles, and the patriarch who guards the family's protective barrier—three of them are Nascent Soul cultivators. On E Shenyu, there are more than twenty Golden Core stage cultivators from various families. I'm afraid the attacking demons will be no fewer in number than we are."

There are three more Nascent Soul Stage. If we include the twins Yao Xuanzhou killed, the Shi Family also has a bunch of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. They must have inherited the true essence of their family's martial arts. They can indeed be considered a powerful clan in the South China Sea, not inferior to the Lü Family. No wonder they were courted by the Nangong Family.

But the Nangong Family's bad luck is ridiculous! Just because they're together, they're going to be wiped out?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'This Cultivation Family, which has been established for generations, was actually easily breached and besieged by some demonic creatures. And yet, someone managed to escape and deliver the message. There must be something fishy going on. Are you going?'"

Of course I'll go! I'm feeling so down right now, I need to seize this opportunity to farm some points for my Moon Worship Cultivation. Besides, putting aside the fact that Shi Yong saved my life, am I really going to just let a Divine Transformation stage demon be released and wreak havoc on the world?

It's already troublesome enough that a toad has been impossible to get rid of for hundreds of years...

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, 'Hmm, there shouldn't be that many Divine Transformation level demons. A mere Nascent Soul Stage isn't much of a threat. But you should still be careful; that Sea King is already dead.'"

Don't worry, Nascent Soul Stage demons are all trash... Huh? What did you say??

At that moment, a towering column of water exploded from the north, attracting the attention of everyone on the ship.

In the distance, all that could be seen was the surging waves of the sea, with pink foam rising to the surface. This was the turbulent current created by the fierce battle underwater, which was now being swept to the surface. But the outcome of this battle had already been revealed by the Profound Heaven Sword Intent.

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, the Shi Family fled from the southeast, but the boat owner just dived into the water and headed north. I'm afraid he didn't intend to help the Shi Family immediately, but was just trying to trick the flying sword and put on a show."

But the demon that had followed him didn't let him go, succeeding in its first sneak attack.

... Aquaman is such a loser.