Azure Threads Coiled into a Net; Demon Traces Appeared in Succession as They Awaited the Spirit Reef

"Heavenly Wind Sword Qi."

Fu Xiangfeng unleashed the Heavenly Wind Nine-Turn Sword Canon he had just mastered, and spirals of azure spread across the water's surface.

Rumble—

Water exploded into spray as dozens of demon fish were swept into the sky by the gale, then slain one after another amid crisscrossing sword light.

"Little Six, has my Sword Qi entered the gate yet?"

"Your Sword Qi is scattered rather than condensed, and its purity falls short by more than a notch. Wind is formless, yes, but yours is soft as downy floss. How could it be used to kill enemies? It is good for nothing but dealing with little fish and shrimp in the water."

Heng Hua appraised it critically, his gaze fixed on the fish corpses floating on the surface.

The fish corpses were more or less entwined with flood dragon qi. Evidently, they were connected to the battle thirty years ago.

Heng Hua pondered, "Thirty years ago, the three great flood dragons led a million water demons in an attack on Coiling Dragon Island. Though Grandfather slaughtered them all, the flood dragon blood they scattered brought benefits to the nearby aquatic clans. When the next demon tide arrives, it will likely bring another troublesome affair."

The Fu Family could still manage the waters around Coiling Dragon Island. But farther away, their reach fell short.

"Hey—say, do you want to try your hand?"

Xiang Feng suddenly gave him a shove.

"You have spent so long on the island that you probably lack actual combat experience. These fish demons are just right for practice."

"Practice?"

Thinking of his battles against those water demons in the Dragon-Transformation Pool, Heng Hua nodded.

"It is time I tested myself against real water demons outside."

His Divine Sense spread outward, and every change in the waters within a hundred zhang entered Heng Hua's mind.

"One, two, three..."

Heng Hua counted the demon fish lurking underwater.

Since Dragonreach Waters was freshwater, its demon fish were mostly minnows, silver carp, bass, carp, and the like.

"Unicorn Silver Carp—their weakness is the five-star horn on their foreheads."

"Redfire Black Bass—their opening lies along the line between their eyes."

"Wave-Leaping Toothed Fish—their weakness is the spine beneath the second fin."

Heng Hua recalled the weaknesses of various water demons, slowly raising his right hand.

Standing to one side, Xiang Feng suddenly remembered something. Turning to Xiaoyu, who was walking up behind them, he asked, "What magical treasure does your young master usually use?"

Xiaoyu watched Heng Hua circulate his power and cast a spell, her tone strange. "Young Master usually only plays with the Mysterious Fire Vermilion-Plume Fan left behind by his father. He... does not refine magical treasures himself."

Magical treasures came in four grades: artifact, treasure, spirit, and immortal.

In theory, Heng Hua, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could create treasure-grade artifacts. Yet he found refining magical treasures a waste of time that could be spent reading and deriving techniques. He had never made one, using only the Mysterious Fire Fan left by his father as a weapon.

The Mysterious Fire Fan was a spirit artifact. It did not need to be refined day and night; merely placing it above Langhuan Hall allowed it to automatically absorb the essence of sun and moon. It was exceedingly convenient.

"Third Uncle's fan." Xiang Feng knew that fan was indeed an exceptional fire-element spirit artifact. But Dragonreach Waters—and even Donglai's Ten Thousand Isles—were rich in water spirit qi, so the artifact's effectiveness over water was poor.

That was why the Golden Core Cultivators of the clan did not favor the fan, allowing Heng Hua's father to wield it despite possessing only Mystic Womb cultivation.

"Then has he ever sparred or fought with anyone? What is he good at?"

Xiaoyu thought for a long while, her expression subtle. "Young Master cultivated in the library and has never fought anyone. As for what he is good at... he... he seems..."

"Forget it. I understand."

Xiang Feng turned to look at Heng Hua again.

Threads of azure light emerged from Heng Hua's fingertips and sank into the water.

"Thousand-Coiled Silk."

The threads entered the water, and with a gentle shake, the surface was dyed blood-red. Fish corpses rose one after another. Their wounds were tiny; only their vital weak points had been lightly sliced by the threads, while every other part remained intact.

Xiang Feng said in surprise, "What kind of method is this? It looks as though you condensed your mana into threads. Puppet art?"

"I saw it in an ancient text. Several hundred years ago, a cultivator fished for dragons over the water. But the Five-Colored Sky-Spider Silk he had specially prepared snapped. Left with no choice, he used his mana as thread. Later, he wrote this spell into a book. According to the text, if one delves deeply into this path, Thousand-Coiled Silk can evolve into another famous Dao art."

"What Dao art?"

"Heaven-and-Earth Net."

"The one said to let neither immortals nor demons escape once beneath its net?"

"That is right."

Heng Hua spread open his right hand, his five fingers loosely curling. Thread after thread from his fingertips intertwined into a crude spiderweb. It could not even catch insects; even smaller fish fry could slip through it.

"Go."

With a light push, the "spiderweb" flew into the distance.

A fish nine chi long was trapped in the great azure net.

Heng Hua clenched his hand into a fist, and the azure threads instantly drew tight, slicing the great fish into evenly sized chunks of flesh.

"My study of Dao arts is not deep. The Heavenly Net I cast can only trap small demons like this."

Despite his words, this experiment gave Heng Hua a deeper understanding of his Creation's Epoch-Reunion Art.

The expenditure for casting Dao arts was lower than before, yet their power was no less formidable.

Heng Hua thought to himself, At present, my total Creation True Qi rivals the Evergreen True Essence of the Foundation Establishment Realm. And the spells I cast with Creation True Qi are even stronger than those cast with my former Evergreen True Essence. The flaws from dispersing my cultivation and starting anew have finally been completely remedied.

The chunks of flesh cut by the Heavenly Net drifted with the waves, passing beside the spirit skiff.

Xiang Feng stared at the pieces of meat. Their cuts were even and smooth, their grain clearly visible.

"Little Six, are Dao arts what you excel at?"

"There is no question of excelling or not. So long as it is a secret technique, Dao art, or sword art recorded in the books of Langhuan Hall, I can use it. But—"

"Only use it? To be well-versed in a hundred schools is to be skilled at none. When you cast Thousand-Coiled Silk, I counted the time. Five finger snaps—far too slow."

"I know that flaw myself."

Thousand-Coiled Silk was not a complicated spell. It merely condensed true essence and mana into threads, then controlled them with Divine Sense.

An ordinary cultivator could wield it flexibly after proficient practice in three finger snaps. Those who studied this path deeply and excelled at commanding true qi and mana could activate it within a single thought.

But Heng Hua could not.

Certainly, he understood the principles of casting the spell. But he first needed to recall the techniques of Thousand-Coiled Silk, then clumsily perform them with his hands.

Just as Heng Hua mocked himself: a giant in thought, a dwarf in action.

His body could not keep up with his mind.

"This was expected. While others sat in meditation refining qi, I read. While others brandished blades and spears, I read. While others studied Dao arts, I still read. It was precisely because I used the time ordinary cultivators spent on combat practice to read that I could learn three thousand Dao arts."

Heng Hua extended a hand, and icy chill surged from his right palm.

The Dark Yin Coldheart Palm, an offensive technique used by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The next moment, the chill transformed into flames. It was another offensive method for Foundation Establishment cultivators: the Mystic Flame Curse.

Immediately afterward, Heng Hua successively displayed Dao arts and secret methods of wood, wind, lightning, metal, earth, and other attributes in his hand.

At last, with a gentle shake, all the true qi dispersed.

Fu Xiangfeng watched Heng Hua's movements, secretly musing: He could operate all kinds of Dao arts and secret techniques as easily as moving his arm and fingers, showing how his mana encompassed all things. It was just somewhat slow.

"That is enough, Third Brother. Stop studying me. My combat techniques are weak, which is why I need an expert like you to hold the field. Let us hurry on."

"Then where exactly is your friend? Judging by this route, we seem to be heading toward the Central Region?"

"Yes. It is closer to the Central Region, but it barely counts as land in our east."

Boom—

In the distance, a column of water shot into the heavens. Water mist blurred the broad surface as vapor rose, then formed a waterspout that glimmered with yellow treasure light.

Heng Hua's eyes flashed. He murmured, "A Spirit-Energy Treasure Vortex? Has an Immovable Reef emerged?"

The water demons lurking in the distance all swam toward the waterspout.

Xiang Feng said delightedly, "No wonder there are so many water demons here. They must have sensed an Immovable Reef emerging. Little Six, shall we go take a look?"

"Since we happened upon it, naturally we should broaden our horizons."

The water was deep and dark as ink. A spirit-energy vortex a hundred zhang wide was rapidly expanding. At its center, a reef flickering with treasure light slowly rose.

In the distance, a colorful boat shaped like a luan bird lay anchored upon the water, watching.

"It really is an Immovable Reef. From the look of it... could a magical treasure be emerging?"

Heng Hua stared below the water and calculated on his fingers. "I recall that beneath these waters was once the mountain gate of Yufeng Dao. Five-Mystic-Wind Spirit Isle sank underwater a thousand years ago. It should be nearly time for it to rise again, should it not?"

Dragonreach Waters was one of the Thirteen Waters of Donglai's Ten Thousand Isles. Fifteen hundred years ago, these thirteen waters had originally been a vast and magnificent landmass of the Divine Continent.

After the War of Land and Sea, the Divine Continent sank to the ocean floor. Cultivators of every faction barely managed to protect their own mountain gates, transforming them into islands upon the water.

As time passed, some islands sank and fell, while some submerged mountains and rivers rose again to become islands.

Through those rises and falls came the marvelous spectacle of the Thirteen Waters.

"I remember Grandfather mentioning that Yufeng Dao excelled at secret arts of commanding astral winds." Recalling what he knew of Yufeng Dao, Xiang Feng's thoughts stirred.

"Little Six, what treasure do you think lies beneath this Immovable Reef?"

An Immovable Reef was the initial seed bred by a Spirit Vein. Only reefs possessing a Spirit Vein and spirit root could float upon Donglai's water realm.

As time passed, the spirit root upon the reef gradually grew into a Spirit Vein, and the reef became a spirit islet, then a Spirit Island. In the end, it advanced into an immortal island or immortal continent.

According to the Fu Family elders, beyond Immortal Ascension Isle lay the true vast lands of the Divine Continent—the former appearance of Donglai Continent.

Of course, even the oldest living Fu Family elder had been born after the War of the Overturned Continent. Thus, what they spoke of was only hearsay.

"Judging by the scale of its spirit energy, it should not be a top-tier spirit artifact. But treasure-grade artifacts require cultivators to refine them day and night; they could not have remained underwater for a thousand years. It should be fragments of a Yufeng Dao spirit artifact that have achieved something after a thousand years of nurturing."

Heng Hua looked toward the distant water demons.

The fish demons at the Qi Refining level could not yet assume human form. They were merely enormous fish kings serving as leaders, each waiting there with its own school.

"These fish demons have come for the Immovable Reef too. There should be Foundation Establishment water monsters commanding them from behind. Third Brother, go seek treasure at the Immovable Reef. I will deal with them."

Xiang Feng hesitated. "Can you—handle it? Right, you have spent all year in the library. How are your methods of flying through the air? Do not fall into the water halfway there."

"My surname is Fu. I do know the Wind-Riding Art."

Before Xiang Feng could say more, Heng Hua formed the "Wind-Riding Seal" with his left hand and leaped into the clouds.

A gentle breeze circled his body, carrying Heng Hua toward the horde of water demons.

Splurt—splurt—

Sensing the cultivator's approach, the fish demons spat columns of water at Heng Hua. Some were as thin as thumbs, others as thick as bowls, brimming with grim demon qi and bone-piercing cold.

Heng Hua smiled faintly, and a feather fan appeared in his hand.

Before he could wave it, freezing chill surged forth from behind him.

"Dark Profundity Ice-Sealing Art."

Xiaoyu drifted over, ghostly blue qi of cold yin spilling from her sleeves and freezing every fish demon on the water's surface.

"What are you doing here?"

Heng Hua stopped in midair and looked toward Xiaoyu, who approached with elegant steps, treading waves as though she walked upon flowers.

The Treading Waves, Trampling Flowers Step Xiaoyu had learned was something Heng Hua had found in an ancient text. It had originally been a method used by some cultivator to train maidservants.

Tread water, walk flowers, and make one's bearing elegant and drifting, one's movements ever more nimble and vigorous.

"Young Master is not skilled in combat. I was worried."

"They are only a few water demons. If I cannot even defeat them, would I not have lived these past decades in vain?"

Boom—

As the two spoke, a mass of black shadow suddenly struck from beneath the ice. Violent, tyrannical demon qi swept toward Heng Hua and Xiaoyu...

Supplement:

Canglan Travelogue: In the 825th year of the Tianyi Calendar, I traveled to Flame Waters and fished for dragons with a golden rod. Yet my line snapped, so I used mana as thread and caught five flood dragons.

Jade Dragon: Its flavor was bland, inferior to carp dragons of its own clan.

Serpent Flood Dragon: Its flesh resembled pheasant, inferior to dragon-kind.

Azure Flood Dragon: Suspected of being waterweed that attained the Dao. Not tasty.

White Flood Dragon: Its original form was unknown. Its liver resembled that of a True Dragon. Delicious.

Violet Flood Dragon: An electric eel transformed into a dragon. Its flesh was firm and chewy, suitable for roasting.

An appended secret method for cultivating "Thousand-Coiled Silk."