Return

Breaking through the thousand-year mark, the leap in his life level brought not only a surge in strength, but also an almost instinctive perception of and longing for a broader world.

Jingtian coiled beside the massive corpse of the Single-Horned Gilded Beast, feeling the unceasing torrent of thousand-year Soul Power within him, vast as an abyss. The deep-blue rings were no longer merely patterns on his body; they seemed to have merged with the Deep Sea itself, drawing in and exhaling the sparse energy around him. His senses extended clearly across a thousand meters, as though he could see everything with his own eyes. Every current, every speck of dust, even the faintest tremor of Soul Power from the terrified soul beasts fleeing in the distance, was entirely within his grasp.

He had practically "eaten" this northern sea region clean. The mid- and high-level soul beasts had been slaughtered to the last, the ecosystem had completely collapsed, and the energy field had become chaotic and thin. Even the rare mineral veins and Spirit Power Springs had lost their luster from excessive extraction and destruction. If he remained here, his cultivation would be hard-pressed to improve at all. It might even regress once the resources ran dry.

Migration was imperative.

But where should he go? The Eastern Sea Trench made his heart quail, the south was tangled with countless powers, and the west... seemed to be an even more desolate region of turbulent currents.

A set of coordinates he had not thought of in a long time quietly surfaced in his mind—the Western Silent Sea Abyss, the Black Stone Forest, the Silver-Veined Thunder Eel.

That thousand-year soul beast had once filled him with despair. A mere aftershock of its lightning had nearly wiped out the shrimp scouting party.

It had forced him to abandon his plan of setting a tiger against a wolf and choose steadier accumulation instead.

Back then, he had been an insignificant creature less than a hundred years old, while it had been a thousand-year overlord. They had been worlds apart.

Now, he too was a thousand-year soul beast, bearing strange and deadly mixed venom and tempered into a predator through countless killings.

It's time... to go back and take a look. A cold ripple spread through Jingtian's thoughts. It was not merely to settle an old grudge, but also to test his current strength. That sea region might be barren, but the Silver-Veined Thunder Eel itself was an excellent prey and source of energy. If he could devour it, his cultivation would surely advance again.

And perhaps... he could take a look at that ancient fissure while he was there? With a thousand years of cultivation, he should be able to withstand the aura deeper within, right?

With his decision made, Jingtian did not delay. He devoured the remaining essence of the Single-Horned Gilded Beast, then carefully attached the Water-Condensing Pearl to himself. After taking one last look at this northern sea region he had personally driven into desolation, he turned and sped toward the Western Silent Sea Abyss from his memories.

The speed granted by a thousand years of cultivation far surpassed what he had possessed before. His deep-blue form streaked through the Deep Sea, leaving behind a blurred trail. Wherever he passed, soul beasts of every kind fled in panic, not daring to obstruct him in the slightest.

Several days later, a familiar desolate landscape appeared within his senses once more. The Western Silent Sea Abyss, this "homeland" where he had once risen and later departed, seemed even more lifeless than when he had left. The scattered weak soul beasts that had once been visible had now nearly vanished, leaving only the lowest forms of plankton and algae struggling to survive. Even the currents seemed sluggish and devoid of life.

No ripples stirred in Jingtian's heart as he headed straight for the Black Stone Forest. The closer he got, the more he restrained his aura, suppressing the fluctuations of his Soul Power to the lowest possible level. He also adjusted the color of the rings on his body to a dark blue close to the surrounding dark reefs. The concealment of a thousand-year soul beast was far beyond what it had been in the past.

Before long, the jagged and steep forest of black stone entered his senses. Unlike in his memories, the outskirts of the stone forest seemed more ruined. Many reefs had been fractured and blackened, as though they had undergone an intense battle.

Jingtian's heart stirred, and he became even more cautious. He slowly extended his senses into the depths of the stone forest like the finest strands of spider silk, searching for that familiar, violent aura of lightning.

Yet there was nothing.

Deep within the stone forest, the arrogant, tyrannical thousand-year Soul Power fluctuation once belonging to the Silver-Veined Thunder Eel, brimming with destructive intent, had vanished without a trace. In its place was a lingering, chaotic field carrying several unfamiliar Soul Power auras and... the smell of blood.

Jingtian silently slipped into the stone forest, avoiding the tiny debris drifting in the current as he approached the Thunder Eel's nest.

The scene before him made his senses tighten slightly.

The entrance to the cave, once polished smooth by the Thunder Eel's huge body entering and exiting, had mostly collapsed. Massive shattered rocks lay piled together. Across the seabed near the entrance were vast scorched marks, remnants of the Silver-Veined Thunder Eel's lightning attacks. But besides the lightning scars, there were even more traces—

Crisscrossing cuts ran through the rock, several feet deep, their edges smooth and still carrying an incomparably sharp Soul Power aura.

There were craters left by explosions, their walls melted into irregular shapes.

There were patches of frozen ice crystals that had not completely melted even in the Deep Sea, radiating a chill.

And there were large swathes of dimmed dark-blue flesh and shattered scales that still clearly belonged to the Silver-Veined Thunder Eel, mixed with scorch marks and cutting wounds!

The scale of the battle far exceeded his imagination. It was absolutely not something a fight between soul beasts could have caused. Moreover, judging from the remaining Soul Power attributes, it had involved several entirely different powers, including sharpness in the form of cutting, explosions from fire or some special energy, and freezing.

Jingtian's heart sank. He swam closer to the mangled flesh and carefully examined it with his senses. There was no mistake—it was indeed the Silver-Veined Thunder Eel's aura. Though it had faded and weakened, the lingering Soul Power of its unique lightning attribute remained clear. And judging from how "fresh" the remains were, the battle had happened no more than three days ago.

What kind of existence could kill a Silver-Veined Thunder Eel with nearly two thousand years of cultivation and violent lightning attacks in such a short time? And judging from the traces at the scene, the battle did not seem to have been prolonged. It was more like... a siege, or an overwhelming suppression?

Soul beasts? That was unlikely. He had never sensed any other thousand-year soul beasts near the Western Silent Sea Abyss, much less several thousand-year soul beasts with such different attributes that could coordinate so seamlessly.

Then, there seemed to be only one answer left...

As though to confirm his guess, just as Jingtian focused on examining the battlefield, the edge of his senses suddenly caught an extremely faint sound of conversation from afar, beyond the other side of the stone forest, along with fluctuations unique to human Soul Power—entirely different from those of soul beasts!

Jingtian instantly concealed his aura to the utmost, becoming like a completely lifeless reef as he clung to the back of a massive fallen rock. Yet his senses stretched carefully toward the source of the voices like the most sensitive radar.

Through the gaps in the stone forest and the murky seawater, he "saw" them.

There were three humans.

They floated in the seawater, surrounded by halos of different colors—the protection of Soul Power. Bright Soul Rings flickered around two of them. Though their glow was refracted and weakened underwater, Jingtian could sense their distinctive energy rhythms. One was at the level of a five-ring Soul King, while the other was a six-ring Soul Emperor. The third person had the most concealed aura. No Soul Rings were visible around him, yet the Soul Power fluctuations he emitted were the most condensed and profound. He also gave Jingtian the strongest sense of danger. He was likely a seven-ring Soul Saint, or perhaps even stronger!

They wore matching tight leather armor that seemed capable of repelling water. An emblem of an anchor entwined with lightning was engraved on the armor. At the moment, they were gathered around a relatively flat reef, upon which several items had been placed—a broken silver-white horn still crackling with faint electric sparks, clearly from the Silver-Veined Thunder Eel; several enormous and resilient dark-blue scales bearing scorch marks; and a fist-sized Soul Bone with lightning faintly flowing within it!

"Tsk, who would've thought this remote sea region was hiding a Silver-Veined Thunder Eel with nearly two thousand years of cultivation? It took quite a bit of effort." The six-ring Soul Emperor withdrew his Soul Rings and flicked a serrated longsaber flowing with watery blue light. A few traces of dark-blue blood still stained its blade. His voice spread clearly through the seawater, carried by Soul Power, tinged with fatigue and satisfaction.

"Though it's only a left arm bone, lightning is a rare attribute, and the quality is excellent. It'll be enough to trade for quite a few contribution points once we return." The five-ring Soul King was a woman holding a staff set with an ice-blue gem. The seawater around her was noticeably colder, so she had clearly created those frozen crystal patches. She stared at the purple Soul Bone, fervor flashing through her eyes.

"Hmph. If that beast hadn't triggered a Deep Sea Thunderstorm at the last moment in an attempt to take us down with it, we wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state. Even the Water-Avoiding Pearls lost quite a bit of energy." The leader-like soul master, whose aura was the strongest, spoke in a steady voice. His gaze swept over the surroundings with scrutiny. "Clean everything up. Don't leave any obvious traces behind. This sea region may be barren, but I heard that senior members of sects occasionally come here to inspect it. Don't give anyone cause to talk."

"Yes, Deacon." The other two answered respectfully and swiftly began cleaning up the scene. They gathered the scattered, low-value Thunder Eel remains into specially made containers, then used soul skills to smooth over some of the more obvious battle marks.

Jingtian remained hidden in the darkness, his cold "gaze" fixed on everything.

Human soul masters... a soul-hunting team... at least Soul Emperor and Soul Saint level... easily killed a thousand-year Silver-Veined Thunder Eel...

Each piece of information pierced into his consciousness like an ice spike.

So, during the time he had been away, the Western Silent Sea Abyss had not remained unchanged. The reach of human soul masters had already extended into this remote Deep Sea. And judging by their attire and emblem, they seemed to belong to some organized force.

The Silver-Veined Thunder Eel, that thousand-year soul beast which had once driven him to despair, had been no more than prey that took "a bit of effort" for these human soul masters—a material to be exchanged for contribution points.

An indescribable chill, mixed with an even deeper sense of urgency, spread through him.

He had thought that after breaking through to a thousand years, he would at least have a foothold in this corner of the Deep Sea. But now, reality had dealt him a heavy blow. Before true human powerhouses, thousand-year soul beasts were still only prey, only resources.

Become stronger! He had to become stronger, and faster!

Not merely in cultivation, but in methods and in his understanding of this world.

The three soul masters soon finished cleaning up. Carrying the Thunder Eel's horn, scales, and most importantly, its Soul Bone, they rose toward the surface, their figures gradually vanishing into the dim seawater.

Only after their Soul Power fluctuations had completely faded into the distance did Jingtian slowly emerge from his hiding place.

He came before the collapsed cave and looked at the devastated battlefield, at the discarded fragments of the Silver-Veined Thunder Eel's flesh.

An enemy he had once needed to look up to, one he had even needed to scheme against just to barely contend with, had now become a single entry in someone else's record of merit. Even its corpse had been denied the chance to remain whole.

The Deep Sea was silent. Only the currents slowly washed over the traces of battle, as though they meant to bury all the bloodshed and cruelty beneath the waters.

Jingtian hovered silently for a moment. Then he turned and swam without hesitation toward the location of his former nest.

There was still an ancient fissure there. Perhaps it hid a faster path to strength, or perhaps it hid unknown dangers.

But at this moment, he had no other choice.

The appearance of humans was like a sword hanging above his head, telling him that this seemingly ownerless Deep Sea had never truly been safe.

He needed strength—strength that would allow him to protect himself before human soul masters, perhaps even... strike back.

His deep-blue thousand-year form cut through the deathly silent sea abyss, speeding toward the fissure from his memories.