Rihai Sea Region, Golden Scale Archipelago.
These waters had been called Golden Scale since ancient times because, whenever the morning sun rose, the rolling waves reflected countless flecks of golden light, like dragon scales spread across the sea.
Today, however, a murderous chill shrouded the sky above these glittering golden waters.
To the west, the fifteen Vajra Treasure Ships had increased to twenty, arrayed imposingly like twenty moving mountains of gold floating in the air.
More than three hundred warships and flying boats of various kinds flanked them, staining half the sky pale gold.
Majestic Buddhist chants carried far on the sea breeze, seeking to cleanse the increasingly dense demonic baleful energy in the air.
On the top deck of the central flagship, the fifteen-hundred-meter-long Lotus Platform, the atmosphere inside the Lotus Platform Council Hall, built of vajra wood and glazed crystal, was exceptionally grave.
The hall was spacious, its floor paved with mystic gold stone slabs engraved with Demon-Subduing Cultivation Scriptures.
There were no windows in its four walls; only the dozens of sunlight stones set into the ceiling shed their radiance.
On the lotus dais in the chief seat, Abbot Hui'an still wore his old gray monk's robes, a dark-gold kasaya draped casually over the crook of his arm.
He exuded no oppressive spiritual pressure, yet naturally became the center of the entire hall.
Below him, the powerful figures gathered from various factions sat in rows on either side.
The foremost seats on the left were occupied by several core members of the Vajra Zen Sect.
Yuan Chen, the abbot of the Dharma Hall, was powerfully built, with nine ordination scars arranged like stars on his bald head. His eyes were half closed at the moment; he was an immortal realm middle stage body cultivator.
Beside him sat