After returning from Xunxian Island, Gu An chose not to reveal the information he had discovered about the ancient treasure bodies devouring each other to Yang Jian, to spare him unnecessary worry.
If such a monstrous treasure body truly existed and turned into a vengeful ghost, it would be far beyond Yang Jian's ability to handle. As his master, Gu An naturally had to step in personally.
Since he would handle it himself, there was no need to burden his disciple with anxiety.
The Tai Xuan Sect dispatched senior cultivators toward the Great Rift of the Broken Sea, where alarming news of an impending catastrophic tide was quickly spreading.
Gu An, however, continued his routine as if nothing had happened, feigning ignorance of the situation.
While disciples of the Third Medicine Valley busied themselves with their cultivation and chores, the ocean was already in turmoil. From the sky, one could see countless cultivators from all directions converging toward the growing tide. It was a truly spectacular sight.
During an inspection of the herb garden, Gu An noticed Heaven and Earth Flying Immortals soaring toward the disturbance—more than one, in fact.
The waves of the tide continued to surge higher, a colossal, mountain-like force sweeping across the ocean. Before this massive wall of water, innumerable cultivators formed defensive formations, casting spells to resist it. Yet, their techniques and divine abilities could only stir the surface, unable to dissipate the waves.
The number of cultivators continued to grow, but no matter how many gathered, they couldn't shake the tide's momentum.
Chi Jiuxiao of the Star Sea Sect, along with his master Chi Bei, had also arrived to assist. Despite putting in his utmost effort, Chi Jiuxiao found himself unable to make a dent in the tide's force.
"Dammit, who's behind this chaos in the tide?" Chi Jiuxiao cursed angrily, but no one around him responded. The Star Sea Sect cultivators were all tense and focused.
Only those actively trying to suppress the waves could sense the terrifying power contained within.
From afar, Chi Bei's voice rang out, steady yet commanding. "It doesn't matter who's responsible. We must stop it. Behind us lies the mainland, teeming with countless lives too weak to protect themselves. The Star Sea Sect is duty-bound to shield them!"
Chi Jiuxiao grumbled but knew the truth of his master's words. Though his hands never stopped casting spells, he couldn't help but vent his frustrations.
Suddenly—
Chi Jiuxiao sensed an overwhelming presence approaching from behind, causing his flow of energy to falter momentarily.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind roared, startling the cultivators into turning their heads instinctively.
Chi Jiuxiao followed suit, his eyes widening as he saw thunderclouds rolling back to reveal a towering black Flag, thousands of feet high, standing amidst the clouds. Its apex seemed to pierce the heavens, making all living beings appear insignificant before its grandeur.
Chi Jiuxiao recognized it immediately. "The Star Sea Primordial Flag!"
The black Flag seemed to contain an infinite expanse of stars within its fabric, each twinkling light mesmerizing all who gazed upon it, as if pulling them into its boundless depths.
The moment the Star Sea Primordial Flag appeared, the morale of the Star Sea Sect cultivators soared. Those from other sects, upon learning of its arrival, grew equally excited.
"This is it! A supreme treasure of the Immortal Dao!"
"The legendary Star Sea Primordial Flag! Just looking at it is enough to inspire awe."
"With this treasure here, the tide will surely be stopped!"
"After the dissolution of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, the Star Sea Sect became the true overlord of these seas. Their willingness to deploy such a treasure proves their resolve to protect the ocean's peace. Truly, they deserve the name of the righteous path."
Discussions buzzed among the gathered cultivators, all eyes fixed on the Flag as they awaited its miraculous power.
The Star Sea Primordial Flag suddenly unleashed a terrifying wave of energy, sweeping across the sky. The stars within the Flag began to shine brilliantly, releasing countless beams of celestial light. These rays, resembling a meteor shower, streaked across the heavens and rained down upon the enormous tide.
In the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An looked up, spotting a strange glow in the sky.
At a glance, he identified it as the phenomena caused by an Immortal Dao Supreme Treasure.
"As expected of something on par with the Seven Stars Mirror," he murmured.
Under Gu An's gaze, the previously unstoppable tide was shattered by the power of the Star Sea Primordial Flag. Countless cultivators were sent flying, and the waves, crashing against the sky, carved out a magnificent depression in the ocean's surface, a sight both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
But just as the cultivators began to breathe a sigh of relief, Gu An felt a sinister force emerging from the Great Rift of the Broken Sea. This power swept along the surface of the water, raising a wave even taller than before, as if it intended to engulf the Star Sea Primordial Flag itself.
The cultivators were struck dumb with shock, hastily gathering their strength to resist the onslaught.
Gu An extended his divine sense farther. He observed the Great Rift giving rise to two tides moving in opposite directions. The other wave, equally immense, was also met with futile resistance by countless cultivators.
As the tides advanced, their lengths stretched further, hinting at the potential for a true world-ending calamity.
Gu An watched for a moment before retracting his divine sense. These tides were drawing more and more senior cultivators, giving him a perfect opportunity to gauge the depth of this world's hidden strength.
Returning to his pavilion, he noticed the Nine-Finger Divine Lord standing by the wooden railing, gazing silently northward.
Walking over, Gu An inquired, "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," the Nine-Finger Divine Lord replied, shaking his head. He was clearly preoccupied with the calamity unfolding over the sea.
Gu An chose not to press further, simply nodding and walking away.
Suddenly, the Nine-Finger Divine Lord called after him. "Valley Master, if someone you cherished deeply turned into a monster that threatened all life, what would you do?"
Gu An paused mid-step, turning to meet the Divine Lord's gaze. After a moment of thought, he answered, "If it were someone I truly loved, I wouldn't protect them, but I wouldn't become their enemy either. If they forced my hand, I would fight with all I had."
Hearing this, the Nine-Finger Divine Lord chuckled. "It's not that simple. Your answer lacks struggle."
"Indeed, it's not that simple. But why dwell on it? The only thing one can truly control is oneself, isn't it?" Gu An countered with a calm expression.
Could it be that the Nine-Finger Divine Lord once had someone dear to him fall into the abyss and become a vengeful ghost?
Judging from his extended lifespan and apparent experience, there were clearly stories buried within his past.
The Nine-Finger Divine Lord sighed and said, "Yes, that's true. A person can only control themselves. Even cultivators who strive for immortality face this same truth. The more they seek to control, the further they stray from the Dao of cultivation."
The two of them fell into a relaxed conversation. The Divine Lord's words carried a sense of sorrow, though he refrained from speaking of specifics. Before long, their discussion shifted back to the game of Go.
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
In the Tai Xuan Sect's main city, within a quiet courtyard of a residence, Lu Lingjun sat opposite the Xi Ling Sacred Mother. On the table between them lay a bronze mirror that reflected a faint, hazy figure speaking inaudibly.
When the figure disappeared, the Xi Ling Sacred Mother placed the bronze mirror into her sleeve. Although Lu Lingjun had been sitting nearby, she hadn't been able to hear the words exchanged. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she asked, "Master, who were you speaking with just now?"
The Xi Ling Sacred Mother took a deep breath and replied, "An elder of mine. I asked for their insight into the trajectory of this calamity. They advised me to leave as soon as possible, to avoid getting caught in it."
Lu Lingjun frowned at these words.
To her, the Xi Ling Sacred Mother was an untouchable figure—an extraordinary cultivator whose skills and status ranked among the highest, even if she couldn't rival the Sword Master of the Dao. For even her master's elders to suggest fleeing, it spoke volumes about the gravity of this calamity.
"The karmic ties hidden within the Great Rift of the Broken Sea are so profound that even my elders dare not interfere. Perhaps it truly is time for us to leave. The world is vast—there must be a place where we can avoid this disaster," the Xi Ling Sacred Mother murmured.
Lu Lingjun responded with hesitation, "But Tai Xuan Sect has the Sword Master of the Dao. Surely, he can help us overcome this tribulation."
Since joining Tai Xuan Sect, Lu Lingjun had lived through the Great Demon Catastrophe and heard tales of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm being swept away by the Sword Master's might alone. She had unshakable faith in his strength.
The Xi Ling Sacred Mother, however, remained deeply worried. "It's hard to say," she said, her tone heavy.
Her initial decision to seek refuge in the Tai Xuan Sect had been based on the hope of leveraging the Sword Master of the Dao's strength to weather this storm. But just now, she had learned of a new, more powerful variable entering the equation—one so great that even her sect dared not involve itself lightly.
Not all sects in this world were driven by righteous causes. Most prioritized self-preservation and safeguarding their own legacies.
This sentiment wasn't limited to her. Elsewhere in the Tai Xuan Sect, the visiting senior cultivators from the oceans were discussing the situation with growing unease. Not only were their cultivation levels far above those of the Tai Xuan Sect's native disciples, but their access to intelligence was also superior. They had pieced together a fuller picture of the disaster: the tide sweeping the ocean was headed directly for the mainland where they now stood. Naturally, this realization filled them with tension.
The first thought on everyone's mind was the Sword Master of the Dao.
If the ocean's cultivators failed to halt the waves, would the Sword Master be able to stop them when they reached the mainland?
Some had already chosen to flee, unwilling to gamble on the Sword Master's power.
Boom—
The sound of rolling thunder reverberated through the heavens as lightning crackled across darkened clouds. Beneath this ominous canopy, a towering wave over 1,500 feet high surged forward with unstoppable momentum. It was as if the entire ocean had risen, an awe-inspiring and overwhelming force that dwarfed everything in its path. Under its shadow, all cultivators and monsters seemed pitifully small.
Chi Jiuxiao braced himself against the pouring rain, his armor soaked through as he continuously retreated, his expression fraught with anxiety.
He instinctively turned to look back, and the distant outline of the mainland was already visible.
If this continued, countless lives would be consumed by the tide.
The water in this wave was no ordinary seawater—it was infused with a strange and powerful energy. Those unfortunate enough to be caught within it had been transformed into vengeful ghosts.
The mere thought of the entire mainland's inhabitants turning into vengeful spirits sent shivers down Chi Jiuxiao's spine.
He shifted his gaze forward, where twelve figures stood against the tide. Each radiated an aura far more formidable than the cultivators behind them. Yet, despite their overwhelming power, these individuals were steadily forced back by the tide's relentless advance.
These twelve were all Heaven and Earth Flying Immortals—either founding patriarchs of sects or senior elders of the Star Sea Sect. Even with their immense cultivation, they could only slow the tide's progress, not suppress it entirely.
Earlier, the Star Sea Primordial Flag had managed to scatter the wave, but it had since been contaminated by the tide's sinister force, forcing the Star Sea Sect to retract this Immortal Dao treasure.
At that moment, Chi Jiuxiao's pupils contracted sharply, his face reflecting sheer terror.
Amidst the murky depths of the tide, he glimpsed a towering figure over a thousand feet tall, visible only in the intermittent flashes of lightning.
He wasn't the only one to see it. As more cultivators noticed the shadowy figure, they were struck by an oppressive force that left their chests tight and breathless.
Over 100,000 cultivators had gathered to resist the tide. The weakest among them were in the Profound Heart Realm, while those of the Immortal Dao numbered in the tens of thousands. Yet, even this unparalleled force couldn't shake the tide's advance. Despair began to creep into their hearts.
As they caught sight of the mysterious, towering figure within the wave, many felt a surge of panic, wishing only to flee as far as possible.