" Divine Sea Realm..."
Chu Yunfei muttered to himself, then flipped his hand and put the stone tablet back into his storage ring.
He hasn't crossed that threshold yet, so thinking about it too much is pointless.
The most urgent task is to deal with the current crisis.
Although Zhou Heng was executed, the Grand Elder Zhou Changgeng would never let it go. That old scoundrel was a genuine Divine Sea Realm Seventh Level, and under normal combat conditions, he was no match for him.
Moreover, with the Seven Sects Grand Competition brought forward, the situation in the Imperial City is turbulent, and Ling Zhantian, along with the major sects of Ling Zhantian, Cangyun, and Kuilei, are all secretly sharpening their knives.
We'll set off back to the capital tomorrow; the road ahead is sure to be treacherous and dangerous.
Even with the Great Heaven-Burning Art, he would never dare to be reckless.
We must raise our combat strength again as soon as possible.
"It's time... to thoroughly understand the remaining four forms of the Sea-Overturning Ninefold Sword."
Chu Yunfei's eyes flashed like lightning.
He currently has no shortage of mid-grade spirit stones to maintain the Divine Cauldron Space.
The five million that Ling Xueyao had given him earlier, plus the two million he had just looted, totaled more than seven million mid-grade spirit stones, enough for him to squander wildly inside the Divine Cauldron.
Chu Yunfei waved his sleeve, and tens of thousands of crystal-clear mid-grade spirit stones transformed into a torrent of spiritual energy, all of which poured into the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate in his sea of consciousness.
Buzz!
The Divine Cauldron roared, and azure light descended.
In the next instant, Chu Yunfei's soul and consciousness instantly entered that familiar space with a flow rate ten times faster.
The jade slip, imprinted with the Sea-Overturning Ninefold Sword, floated in front of him.
Previously, during a battle in the desolate mountains outside the imperial city, he had forcibly activated the fifth sword beyond his level, nearly causing his physical meridians to burst on the spot.
Now that his injuries have fully healed, his cultivation level has skyrocketed to the Heavenly Origin Realm Ninth Layer.
The resilience of the physical body and the spiritual pool has increased many times over.
Not only could he use the first five swords at will, but he was also able to fully master the sixth, seventh, and even the eighth and ninth swords...
Chu Yunfei clenched his fist in the air, and the dark-colored Abyss-Devouring Sword instantly condensed in his palm.
His eyes were cold, and a sharp glint appeared at the corner of his mouth.
" Zhou Changgeng, if you really dare to come and ambush me..."
"I will use your Divine Sea blood to perfect the power of my Sea-Overturning Ninefold Sword!"
A cold, chilling whisper echoed within the Divine Cauldron Space.
Chu Yunfei gripped his longsword, clearing his mind of all distractions and immersing himself completely in the profound mysteries of swordsmanship.
One night outside, five days inside the cauldron.
Supported by a vast array of mid-grade spirit stones, the Divine Cauldron Space roared with the sound of the sea and surged with Sword Qi.
Sixth Form... Seventh Form...
Layers of dark golden sword energy overlapped, their power growing ever more domineering and unparalleled.
at the same time.
In the western border of the Eastern Continent, deep within the endless western wilderness.
Within a radius of a thousand miles, all life has vanished; the earth is scorched black, and not a blade of grass grows—a desolate wasteland shrouded in endless deathly aura.
One of the seven sects of the Eastern Continent... the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect, stands majestically in the core shadow of this dead land.
The deepest forbidden ancient land of the Demonic Sect.
All around, piles of white bones stretched for hundreds of feet, and a thick, eerie Sha Qi churned wildly like viscous ink, so oppressive that even the air seemed to freeze completely.
Boom!!
Without warning, a terrifying roar, like a thunderclap from the heavens, tore through the sky.
Above the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect, the clouds within a radius of hundreds of miles were instantly dyed as black as ink, and countless blood-red lightning bolts tore wildly through the sea of clouds.
In the center of the forbidden area, a majestic ancient cave that had stood for a thousand years collapsed and crumbled amidst the violent shockwaves.
"Hehehehe... I have finally succeeded!!"
A sharp, piercing laugh, like the cry of a night owl, shot up from the scattered rocks, shaking the entire Demon Sect and causing thousands of demonic cultivators to tremble in fear.
Inside a dark hall on the back mountain of the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect.
An elderly man in black robes, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes first flashed with extreme horror, which then turned into wild joy.
"This aura... it's the owner."
"The original poster has finally emerged from seclusion!"
boom!
A terrifying pressure belonging to the Dao Mysterious Realm Second Stage suddenly erupted from the old man's body.
The old man in black robes transformed into a streak of black light that tore through the void, rushing headlong towards the ruins of the forbidden area.
In the blink of an eye, he landed heavily on the edge of the forbidden area.
The old man trembled as he raised his head and looked up at the sky.
A terrifying figure, at least three meters tall, was silently suspended in mid-air.
The figure was surrounded by countless writhing, blood-black evil patterns, emanating a despairing and oppressive aura that could freeze one's soul.
As the old man approached, the evil markings on the man's body slowly receded, revealing a young, yet eerily repulsive face.
His face was covered with hideous, dark purple markings, but what was most chilling were his eyes...
Not a single sliver of white in his eyes.
Within his two eye sockets lay only a bottomless, pitch-black pupil that seemed capable of swallowing all light.
Anyone who takes one look will know clearly that this is not a human body.
Even though the old man in black robes had seen this many times before, his body still trembled violently uncontrollably. He fell heavily to his knees with a thud, banging his head on the ground.
" Nether Baleful Intent, the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect, pays his respects to the Pavilion Master!"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on breaking free from your constraints and becoming the first person in the Eastern Continent to achieve this."
The enormous figure in mid-air slowly lowered its head, its dark eyes rolled, and a wide, exaggerated smile spread across its lips, emitting a hoarse and unpleasant sneer.
"Waste."
The Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master looked down at him, his voice indifferent and cruel. "I imparted to you unparalleled evil arts and gave you so many resources, yet after all these years, you are still trapped at the Dao Mysterious Realm Second Stage."
The Elder Nether Baleful Intent, was deathly pale, his body drenched in cold sweat, and he stammered, "This... this subordinate is dull-witted and has disappointed my lord. Please forgive me, my lord."
Swish!
The Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master's massive body landed silently on the ground.
He didn't even glance at Nether Baleful Intent, but simply made a grabbing motion in the air.
On a remote peak several miles away, a disciple of the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect, who was passing by in a panic, was pulled over by an overwhelming and irresistible force of the void before he could even utter a cry of alarm.
Click.
The Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master's enormous, pale hand gripped the disciple's throat tightly.
Under the disciple's terrified gaze, the Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master casually clapped his other hand.
Pfft.
The disciple's head exploded like a watermelon, and warm blood gushed out several feet high.
The Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master remained calm, lowered his head, opened his fanged maw, and began to greedily suck the scalding blood gushing from his neck.
Glug... Glug...
In just two or three breaths, the disciple's body visibly withered and shrank, eventually turning into a pale, emaciated corpse.
The Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master, still seemingly unsatisfied, stuck out his long, scarlet tongue and licked the bloodstains from his lips before casually tossing the dried corpse to the ground.
"The blood and meat are so poor quality, they're barely enough to moisten my throat."
The Elder Nether Baleful Intent, remained kneeling on the ground the entire time, never lifting his eyelids once. He was already used to such brutal human devouring.
The Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master stood with his hands behind his back, his dark pupils gazing eastward. "How are the preparations going over the imperial city?"
The Elder Nether Baleful Intent quickly composed himself and respectfully replied, "Reporting to my lord, as you instructed, I have secretly contacted the high-ranking members of the various sects that have submitted to us, and have pushed forward the Seven Sects Grand Competition to be held eight days later."
"Only..."
The Elder Nether Baleful Intent paused slightly, his face showing hesitation. "The Great Qian Emperor, Ling Zhantian, has completely eradicated the Soul-Devouring Nether Poison from his body. Now, not only has he awakened, but he has also publicly rejected the identity of the Great Qian Prince Consort, Chu Yunfei."
" Chu Yunfei, as a pawn, has now escaped the control of the game and has even been taken to the Pill Pavilion Jade Firmament Sect."
"That old fox Ling Zhantian is always patient and reserved. With Chu Yunfei not in the capital, he probably won't easily fall into the trap set by the seven sects..."
"Won't fall for it?"
Upon hearing this, the Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master let out another ear-piercing laugh.
" Nether Baleful Intent, you've lived for hundreds of years, can't you even see through this basic human nature?"
" Ling Xueyao, that little girl with Flawless Spirit Physique, is still in Ling Zhantian's palace."
"For that woman, even knowing that the imperial city is an abyss, Chu Yunfei will still step into it."
The darkness in the Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master's eyes deepened. "As soon as Chu Yunfei steps into the imperial city, the Cangyun Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect will kill him, and Ling Zhantian will spare no effort to take his life in order to cover up the truth of the ambush outside the city."
"This chaos is beyond anyone's control."
A Elder Nether Baleful Intent's eyes, and he was amazed by his master's cunning.
But after a moment's hesitation, he couldn't help but muster his courage and ask in a low voice, "My lord... there is something I don't understand, and I humbly request your clarification."
The Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master glanced at him sideways. "You want to ask why, now that I have broken through to the Dao Mysterious Realm Fourth Layer and dominate the Eastern Continent, I don't just storm into the Imperial Palace and crush Ling Zhantian, but instead go to all this trouble to push through the Grand Competition and make the Seven Sects my pawns?"
The Elder Nether Baleful Intent trembled slightly and quickly kowtowed. "Your Majesty is wise; I truly do not understand."
With our Lord's current cultivation level, coupled with the terrifying resources secretly accumulated by the Blood Baleful Intent Tower, if a thunderous attack were to sweep across the land, who in the Eastern Continent could withstand it?