Cheng Xinzhan gazed ahead, sensing the undercurrents surging through the waters before him, like fierce winds churning mist, or an invisible wall barring his way.
These submarine torrents arose where the waters of the Yangtze River poured into the sea, and formed the natural boundary between the Yellow Sea and the Eastern Sea.
"Scripture Master, are we going across?"
Xiao Liu asked cautiously.
Cheng Xinzhan did not answer immediately. His eyes flickered, and only after a long while did he give a soft chuckle and say,
"No. Let's go back."
Xiao Liu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said,
"All right, all right."
The two turned around, and Cheng Xinzhan asked another question,
"Xiao Liu, what is this stretch of sea called? And who guards it?"
"Scripture Master, this is Huainan Circuit, guarded by the Huainan King."
"Oh, I must pay him a visit when I have the chance. Xiao Liu, let's return to the Dragon Palace now. Since we have nothing else to do, why don't you tell me more about the divisions of our Yellow Sea and the kings who guard them?"
"Yes, sir..."
Four months later.
Nine Peaks Iron-Raft Mountain, on the southern coast of the Qilu Peninsula.
The summer heat had departed, and autumn winds were beginning to rise.
From early summer to mid-autumn, Cheng Xinzhan had spent the entire summer on Iron-Raft Mountain.
Over that summer, he had refined all the Nine-Covenant Ghost-Driving Divine Sand he had obtained from the Five Poisons Heavenly King, along with the refined earth and sand he had received from the gate-guarding general of Zhuanxu Dragon Cave, using them to nurture all-heaven liuyi baleful intent. He then used that baleful intent to generate rock and fill the hollows inside Iron-Raft Mountain-the hollows burned out by heavenly fire