Chapter 71: Overture to Catastrophe

For years, Hongjian had braved wind and rain, never bothered by minor setbacks like this. She cried, “Watch me, Grandmaster!” Taking advantage of the serpent-turtle’s tail being bound by Sun Yougong’s spell, she lifted her hand and summoned “Moon Surge,” which crashed heavily onto the serpent-turtle’s neck with a resounding bang.

Yet, the serpent-turtle seemed barely affected, as if the blow caused no pain at all. Hongjian heard Sun Yougong chuckle again, knowing her grandmaster was amused by her failure to strike the right spot.

This beast possessed the power of a Golden Core, while she had not yet formed her Foundation; the damage from “Moon Surge” was extremely limited. If she couldn’t find its weakness, just looking at its thick scales should have told her that brute force would not hurt it.

Just then, the serpent-turtle twisted its neck and looked at Hongjian with apparent disdain. It suddenly opened its mouth wide, unleashing a torrent of white waves that instantly enveloped her.

Thanks to Sun Yougong’s earlier warning, Hongjian was prepared this time. With her grandmaster watching, she dared not use the Ten Thousand Streams Returning to the Source. She sank abruptly, plunging quickly into the sea, using her water-aligned true essence to wrap herself in layers of seawater.

Beneath the waves, she turned her face upward, flipping like a beautiful swimming fish. Through the blue water, she clearly saw the serpent-turtle’s breath strike the surface, like thousands of arrows piercing a space several meters wide. Had she not ducked underwater so swiftly, she would surely have been riddled by the attack.

But after the breath, the serpent-turtle’s mouth was wide open, revealing its throat and tongue—a vivid, tender red, soft and vulnerable.

Hongjian’s heart skipped. She leapt from beneath the water, surfacing just as she launched “Moon Surge,” aiming straight at the serpent-turtle’s eye.

The serpent-turtle was struck, but Sun Yougong’s spell held it fast. Agitated and provoked by Hongjian, it grew furious, closing its eye to shield itself with its thick eyelid, then retaliating with full force. This time, great waves of breath surged forth, pounding the sea with a terrifying roar, as though overturning rivers and seas.

Sun Yougong watched as Hongjian hid below the waves, still poised calmly in midair. But seeing the serpent-turtle’s relentless fury, his expression grew grave.

Hongjian’s true essence was limited; she couldn’t stay underwater for long. If her strength flagged, even separated by several meters of sea, the serpent-turtle’s breath could still harm her. Sun Yougong kept a close watch, ready to intervene at any moment.

Meanwhile, Hongjian pressed upward against tremendous pressure, swiftly approaching the surface—she was about to break free!

Sun Yougong made a sound of surprise—Hongjian’s timing was excellent, just as the serpent-turtle neared the limit of its breath, ready to inhale again. At that instant, the beast opened its mouth wide to draw in air, and Hongjian’s head burst through the water. Before the serpent-turtle could lower its head, a streak of blue cold light shot straight into its mouth, faster than the beast itself.

Sun Yougong was quite astonished, but immediately warned, “Dodge!”

The serpent-turtle reared back in silent agony, its four legs flailing at the water. Clearly, it was suffering greatly. Hongjian, heeding her grandmaster’s advice, had already retreated as far as she could, though she still felt slightly dizzy.

Sun Yougong, from above, swept his sleeve, pressing down with a formless, invisible force. The serpent-turtle froze, and Hongjian seized the chance, leaping up and pouring all her power into “Moon Surge.” A thick blue beam shot straight through the beast’s throat before it could close its mouth. With a muffled boom, it exploded inside the serpent-turtle’s belly. Hongjian, her true essence spent, landed on her grandmaster’s flying artifact.

This time, the serpent-turtle suffered a mortal wound. Blood and water gushed from its belly, but though it tried to flee, it was helpless in Sun Yougong’s grasp. After a quarter-hour of agony, it finally fell still.

Sun Yougong said little, waiting for Hongjian to recover her true essence before instructing her to retrieve the serpent-turtle’s demon core.

The demon core was inside the serpent-turtle’s head—a bloody, fleshy, pale yellow bead. Hongjian cleaned it in the sea, brought it to Sun Yougong, and asked curiously, “Grandmaster, how is this used?”

Sun Yougong refused to take it, saying, “Keep it yourself. Once you’ve collected enough, I’ll ask Yingqi to help forge them into pills when we return to the sect.”

“Peak Lord Ying?” Yingqi was indeed a master alchemist, but Hongjian hadn’t expected her grandmaster to seek help from the wood spirit root faction, especially after their recent friction.

Sun Yougong stroked his beard and smiled. “I just ceded my position. From now on, I won’t compete with them for anything. Surely they wouldn’t deny me such a small favor.”

He looked Hongjian up and down with care. “Those moves of yours just now were impressive. I wonder if it’s thanks to Spring Snow, or if you’re naturally suited for this path. Hmm, Xing Wuyai’s path is extremely dangerous. When I’m not by your side, you must be cautious. One misstep, and all will be lost.”

Hongjian nodded earnestly.

The old and the young hunted two more demon beasts in the Endless Sea that day, which passed quickly. Hongjian was determinedly seeking a path to Foundation Establishment, while Sun Yougong seemed merely out to relax. Hongjian sensed her grandmaster’s mood had lightened, especially since he casually mentioned Yingqi, who had grown estranged soon after taking office. Clearly, Sun Yougong was free of any lingering resentment.

Indeed, after returning, Sun Yougong opened his abode to disciples, allowing them to visit and pay respects. But he left the mountain of sect affairs newly inherited by Huo Chuanxing untouched. The old master rarely stayed on Late Tide Peak, often taking Hongjian out for days at a time.

In the blink of an eye, the Azure Cloud Festival arrived.

Though Late Tide Peak’s quota for entering the sect’s secret realm was tight this year, Huo Chuanxing made special arrangements for the newly established Chen Zaizhi. Yet, to his surprise, Chen Zaizhi declared he had not yet encountered bottlenecks after establishing his foundation and would continue training with his master and senior brother, leaving the secret realm quota for those who needed it more. This considerate junior left the beleaguered Huo Chuanxing deeply moved.

By custom, all Foundation Establishment cultivators from the five peaks gathered at the secret realm entrance on Pill Cliff. Sun Yougong did not attend the opening ceremony.

Hongjian, still at the peak of Qi Refining, had no place as an observer. Knowing Fang Zheng’s side was on holiday, she pondered a moment and decided to seek out Sun Yougong.

“Grandmaster, what are you busy with? The Azure Cloud Festival is so dull without anything to do.”

Sun Yougong looked at her with amusement. “Bored? Then go cultivate!” Even though he was of advanced age and hardly needed comfort from the young girl, Hongjian’s thoughtfulness warmed his heart.

“It’s the festival. I’d rather keep Grandmaster company.”

“Very well, come along. Today I’ll take you deep into the sea to seek the ire of a Nascent Soul demon beast.”

Hongjian had yet to encounter such a beast. Even Sun Yougong could not guarantee victory, and she would only be a spectator; this was entirely for entertainment.

Hongjian was delighted. “Grandmaster, let’s set out quickly!”

But Nascent Soul demon beasts were not so easily found. The two searched the Endless Sea for most of the day without finding any so powerful.

The beasts they met along the way were easily subdued by Sun Yougong. Hongjian noticed the spiritual energy above the sea growing turbulent, and guessed that they would soon see the “Heavenly Curtain” if they continued east. Sun Yougong changed direction, heading south instead.

After an indeterminate time flying, Sun Yougong suddenly said, “Ah, there’s a small island ahead. Let’s take a look.”

Hongjian extended her spiritual sense, but saw only mist ahead—nothing like the island her grandmaster described. Growing wary, she asked, “Grandmaster, why can’t my spiritual sense pierce the fog? Is there a demon beast on the island?”

Sun Yougong replied, “Let’s take a look. Don’t be alarmed.”

He landed their flying artifact. The lush, green island ahead was clear to him, but Hongjian hesitated, casting a water-binding spell beneath her feet before stepping forward—it was obvious the “reality” Sun Yougong saw was still “void” to her.

Sun Yougong put away the artifact and scanned the island and nearby seabed with his senses. “There’s a giant shellfish demon beast in the deep sea here. Its spell confuses others. The island’s spiritual energy is dense, perfect for cultivation, yet even sea birds leave no trace. This beast doesn’t harm people, but its power is not weak. It may well be Golden Core or even Nascent Soul level.”

Seeing Sun Yougong walk confidently on empty space, Hongjian realized that he was traversing terrain invisible to her. She followed, but suddenly tilted and plummeted downward—she would fall into the water if this continued. She quickly cast a spell to steady herself, unable to suppress her doubts, and looked to Sun Yougong.

Sun Yougong stopped and said, “This beast’s spell is not just an illusion, but could be lethal. It’s just as well—while it’s here, you can learn how to break free from external control over your soul.”

Hongjian was startled. “Grandmaster, has my soul already been controlled by that beast?”

Sun Yougong replied calmly, “Afraid? There’s nothing to panic about. Controlling souls is a common tactic among advanced cultivators. Demonic cultivators have heart-bewitching and soul-searching techniques, and we Taoists have similar arts. Xing Wuyai controls demon beasts, and the Symbol Diagram Sect’s ‘Other Life Talisman’ is just a different method, but all aim to control souls in the end.”

His words sent chills through Hongjian. She was about to seek guidance when Sun Yougong paused and added, “Ji Youyun’s Insight Technique likely also involves this aspect.”