txolops Chapter 404 Giant Chapter 1 Clan
Chapter 404 Giant Chapter 1 Clan
Chapter 404 The Giant Octopus Clan
Inside the sealed room, the temperature was so low that it chilled one to the bone, and the walls and floor were covered with a thick layer of mysterious ice that emitted a faint blue light.
The air was filled with an extremely pure and chilling aura, which seemed capable of freezing the flow of a cultivator's magical power and even eroding their soul.
However, in this extremely cold region, which would make even ordinary Core Formation cultivators retreat in fear, a beautiful figure was sitting quietly cross-legged.
She was a woman of unparalleled beauty, with skin as white as snow, and exquisitely beautiful features, especially her eyes, which were clear yet held a hint of coldness that echoed the surrounding chill. She wore a plain white dress, the hem of which spread out on the black ice, making her appear like an elf born from the ice and snow, untouched by the world.
At this moment, her eyes were slightly closed, and her slender, fair fingers were rapidly forming complex and profound hand seals.
As she moved, the dense, chilling aura in the secret room seemed to be drawn by an invisible hand, and began to rotate, converge, and compress violently!
"Freeze!"
The woman parted her cherry lips slightly and uttered a cold syllable.
"Buzz—!"
In the center of the secret chamber, nine "short blades," each only a few inches long, as thin as cicada wings, pitch black in color, with dark luster flowing around their edges, seemingly able to absorb all light, materialized out of thin air!
The short blade hovered silently, trembling slightly, exuding an extremely restrained yet chilling aura of sharpness and coldness.
The woman slightly raised her eyelids, her clear eyes reflecting the nine jet-black short blades. A thought flickered in her mind.
"Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!"
The nine black blades seemed to come alive, instantly transforming into nine thin black lines that were difficult to see with the naked eye, rapidly weaving, swirling, and intertwining within the limited space of the secret room!
When moving fast, it is like a black lightning bolt, leaving afterimages and cutting through the air with a faint "hissing" sound; when moving slowly, it is as light and graceful as a feather, with an unpredictable trajectory, carrying an eerie beauty and a deadly threat.
"It's done—" The woman's cold lips curved upwards in a barely perceptible arc, her aloof face thawing like an ice river, instantly blossoming into a captivating smile, a stark contrast to the unapproachable icy aura she exuded during her cultivation.
It was Yuan Yao who, after dispersing her cultivation and relying on great perseverance and good fortune, returned to the Core Formation stage within a few decades and even made further progress!
"The Nether Phoenix Blade, a divine ability recorded in the 'Nether Phoenix Technique,' has finally been initially mastered. This blade, forged from the Yin energy of Heaven, possesses speed, sharpness, and the ability to erode the soul; it is difficult for divine sense to lock onto, and its power—should be no less than the natal sword energy nurtured by sword cultivators for a hundred years."
Yuan Yao assessed the situation and was quite satisfied. "Once I find enough ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Yin Iron in the future," she thought, "I will forge it into my true natal magic weapon, the Nether Phoenix Wheel. At that time, with the nine blades combined into one, and the cycle of life and death overcoming obstacles, my strength will be comparable to, or even surpass, that of an ordinary mid-stage Core Formation cultivator."
The joy brought by her increased strength allowed her to temporarily forget the disturbances of the outside world and the deep-seated worries in her heart. However, this brief tranquility did not last long.
"Buzz—"
The protective barriers outside the stone door to the secret chamber emitted a faint ripple, indicating that they had been activated.
Yuan Yao's smile vanished quickly, replaced by her usual coldness. She knew that unless it was an urgent matter, Wen Siyue, who was in charge of the general affairs of Mingyue Tower and was the only person she trusted in this place, would never come to disturb her while she was in seclusion cultivating her key supernatural power.
"The beast tide is coming again?" Yuan Yao muttered to herself, a hint of solemnity and helplessness flashing in her eyes. She waved her sleeve and put away the nine swirling Nether Phoenix Blades, and the chilling aura in the secret chamber gradually subsided.
She rose, straightened her perfectly wrinkle-free dress, and walked towards the door of the secret chamber. Her steps were light, yet carried a firm and steady weight.
"Alas, I wonder where Brother Luo is now, and whether he is well? That guy, we haven't heard from him for forty years, not even a word of farewell, he just disappeared like that. And Sister Mingyue—" The moment she pushed open the stone door, Yuan Yao couldn't help but sigh with worry and a hint of resentment.
She only learned of Luo Ming's whereabouts later, when she emerged from seclusion. He had entered the "Sea King Sect" secret realm, which had caused countless conflicts, and thus mysteriously disappeared. The only thing that gave her some comfort was that the Wind Fox Beast, whose soul was connected to Luo Ming's, remained safe and sound, its aura stable. This at least indicated that Luo Ming himself was probably unharmed.
Mingyue, upon hearing that Luo Ming had disappeared in the secret realm, was determined to go and investigate, but unexpectedly, she also disappeared.
Over the years, if it weren't for the Wind Fox Beast guarding them and Jiang Rufeng's mid-stage Core Formation strength supporting them, their Bright Moon Pavilion would probably have been swallowed up long ago.
As soon as she stepped out of the secret room, she came to the slightly warmer passageway outside.
"Whoosh!"
A dark shadow, swift as lightning, darted out from a shadowy corner of the passage, landing lightly on Yuan Yao's shoulder and affectionately nuzzling her cheek. It was the Wind Fox Beast, shrunk in size, entirely black except for a touch of silver on its four paws and ear tips, with a lively and cunning look in its eyes.
Sensing the familiar aura and sense of dependence emanating from the Wind Fox Beast, Yuan Yao's cold heart seemed to be warmed by a current, her eyes softened instantly, and she gently stroked the Wind Fox Beast's smooth fur.
Over the years, she had poured most of her longing and concern for Luo Ming into this little guy. As long as the Wind Fox Beast was safe, Luo Ming was safe—this had become her spiritual comfort in persevering in her cultivation and dealing with crisis after crisis.
Just then, the wind fox on her shoulder suddenly raised its head and let out a low growl at Yuan Yao, its voice carrying a clear hint of excitement and restlessness, and its bright eyes also lit up a bit.
"Hmm?" Yuan Yao had been with the Wind Fox Beast for many years and instantly understood its meaning. An incredulous surprise suddenly appeared on her cool and beautiful face.
"You mean—the connection between you and Brother Luo that soul restriction has suddenly become much clearer and stronger?"
This...this doesn't mean that Brother Luo is very, very close to us? Could it be...that he's returned?
The thought exploded in her heart like a thunderbolt, bringing with it an indescribable excitement and anticipation. However, before she could fully savor this surprise—
"Clang—!! Clang—!! Clang!!!"
In the central area of Silver Shark Island, atop the tallest watchtower, the urgent and resounding alarm bell suddenly rang out without warning! The sound instantly echoed throughout every corner of the island, carrying an undeniable sense of solemnity and urgency!
This is the highest level of alert—a beast tide is approaching the island. All cultivators, regardless of their cultivation level or faction, must immediately proceed to their designated defense zone and prepare for battle!
"Go!" Yuan Yao no longer hesitated, her figure transformed into a white streak of light, and shot towards the outside of Mingyue Tower.
Almost at the same time, about a hundred miles away from Silver Shark Island, in the vast sea and sky.
A streak of azure light abruptly shifted from extreme motion to complete stillness, halting abruptly in mid-air. It revealed the figure of a young cultivator dressed in a simple black robe, with an ordinary face but deep, serene eyes. It was Luo Ming, who had spent several days relentlessly expending spirit stones and fully activating the Wind-Escape Shuttle to travel.
He stood in mid-air, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping forward. A hundred miles away, the outline of a massive island stood between the sea and the sky. Above the island, a thick, giant protective array of light, shimmering with various colored runes, was fully activated.
Beyond the light barrier, countless black dots could be vaguely seen swirling and dancing, demonic energy faintly gathering into clouds, and muffled roars of beasts and explosions of magic echoed from afar. Along the island's coast, spiritual light flickered, and figures moved about, clearly indicating a fierce battle was underway.
"The island's protective formation is still intact, and there are no obvious signs of damage to the main island buildings—thankfully, Silver Shark Island has not yet been breached." Luo Ming observed carefully for a moment, then breathed a slight sigh of relief. Judging from the situation, although the battle was fierce, the human cultivators should still be able to hold on.
After a moment's thought, Luo Ming concealed his aura and compressed his escape light to its lowest level, preparing to use a concealment technique to quietly bypass the main battlefield and sneak in from the relatively weaker side and rear of the island. With his current cultivation level and powerful divine sense, avoiding detection by ordinary cultivators and demonic beasts should not be difficult.
However, just as he shifted slightly, about to blend into his surroundings—
"Um?
Luo Ming frowned abruptly, turned his head sharply, and his gaze, sharp as a knife, shot towards a seemingly empty space about a thousand feet to his side and behind, where only a faint sea mist drifted. He shouted in a deep voice, "Hiding your head and tail, sneaking around like this, is not a good habit. Come out."
His voice was not loud, but it was concise and clear, penetrating the space and reaching that void clearly.
There was a moment of silence.
"what?"
A slightly somber voice, tinged with surprise and amusement, echoed from the void. Immediately afterward, the space rippled like water, light and shadow distorted, and a figure slowly materialized from the void, becoming visible.
He was a short, stout, dark-skinned man with black spots of varying sizes, like ink stains, covering his face. He wore a set of simple, heavy, crimson full-body armor.
Its body emanated an astonishing demonic aura belonging to a high-level demon cultivator without any concealment, clearly indicating that it was an eighth-level demon beast that had already taken human form! Moreover, judging from the solidity of its aura, it was probably a strong one among the eighth-level demons.
After the short, stout demon cultivator appeared, his dark pupils scrutinized Luo Ming with great interest, the surprise in his eyes still evident: "You human brat, with only the cultivation of the late Core Formation stage, your divine sense is quite strong, actually able to see through my Water Shadow Concealment Technique? Interesting, truly interesting."
Luo Ming's gaze swept over the other party, especially lingering for a moment on the other party's crimson armor and the faint, heavy aura emanating from him that belonged to a deep-sea behemoth. He had already made a judgment in his mind.
"So you're a demon cultivator from the Giant Octopus Clan among the sea creatures." Luo Ming's tone was calm, revealing no emotion.
"As far as I know, the Giant Octopus Clan's area of activity should be near the Black Abyss Sea, millions of miles away. Fellow Daoist, you've traveled thousands of miles to wade into this troubled waters of Silver Shark Island; you certainly have a good interest."
He was indeed familiar with the distribution of power in the waters surrounding Silver Shark Island and even in the entire Chaotic Star Overseas Sea. The Giant Octopus Clan was one of the powerful clans of the outer sea, with a strong physical body and immense strength. They were especially skilled in transformation, concealment, and close combat. The clan had produced great demons in the late stage of transformation. Although their overall strength was not as great as top demon clans such as the Flood Dragon and the Suanmao, they were by no means easy to deal with.
This race usually dwells in the deep, distant ocean and rarely comes so close to human islands, let alone participates in a beast tide siege of this scale.
"Hehe," the short, fat demon cultivator grinned, revealing two rows of sharp, white teeth, which, combined with the black spots on his face, made him look somewhat ferocious.
"Why I'm here is none of your concern, junior. But you, a mere late-stage Core Formation cultivator, not only don't flee upon seeing me, but you act as if you're completely fearless—you don't actually think you can escape from me just because you have that decent flying magic weapon, do you?"
He had been hiding here to keep watch and prevent any human Nascent Soul cultivators from escaping through this direction after Silver Shark Island was breached. Just as he was getting bored, he suddenly sensed a streak of light moving at extremely high speed from the direction of the inner sea. Thinking it was reinforcements, he was startled.
Upon realizing that the newcomer was only at the Core Formation stage and seemed to rely entirely on the speed of the silver shuttle, they immediately relaxed and their desire to play and hunt resurfaced.
"Even a mosquito's leg is still meat. Since you've fallen into my hands, I'll have a good meal with you and stretch my muscles!" Old Monster Zhang sneered, his eyes flashing with ferocity. Without another word, he swiftly grabbed at Luo Ming with his right hand from a distance!
"Sizzle—!"
From the gaps in the crimson armor on its arms, several thick tentacles, as thick as buckets, dark red in color, covered with suction cups, and with menacing barbs growing along their edges, suddenly shot out!
The whiskers swelled in the wind, instantly extending to hundreds of feet in length, like several raging giant python whips, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air and a salty sea breeze, lashing and coiling fiercely at Luo Ming from different angles!
The speed was so fast that it left only afterimages in the air, blocking almost all of Luo Ming's dodging space in all directions!
This seemingly casual strike actually contained the innate immense strength of the Giant Octopus Clan and their exquisite control over water flow, its power enough to easily shatter a small mountain! In the eyes of the short, stout middle-aged man, dealing with a human youth in the late Core Formation stage was already using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Faced with this sudden and deadly attack, Luo Ming showed no sign of panic; in fact, a cold sneer flashed in his eyes.
"As expected—they just went straight to the point. Fine, I'll use you to test my skills and, while I'm at it—ask about the specific battle situation on Silver Shark Island."
His mind raced. Facing the several terrifying tentacles that attacked, he neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, he slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly spread, and a dark gold hand formed from a vast amount of blood energy reached out to grab the attacking tentacles.
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