Chapter 566

Looking around, the sea monster soldiers and officers were either fled or dead; not a single one remained standing. Yet many Long Bo remained, all staring at this place, utterly bewildered.

They were clearly enormous, as if they could hold up the sky with both hands or snatch the white clouds with one. But when they looked down at the few ant-like figures in the center, they grew deeply wary. Since the eight-tentacled sea monster was dead, they did not know what to do next. These few “ants” had not issued any orders, and they did not know what was expected of them—thus, they were utterly lost.

“These Long Bo are indeed simple.” Lin Jue said.

“Put you on a remote island with only a few hundred people, and all you think about day and night is eating and sleeping—you’re simple too,” said Third Senior Brother. “Their intelligence isn’t low at all; it’s just never been awakened.”

“Still simple,” Lin Jue said, glancing around. “That eight-tentacled monster lifted the mist here. If another chaotic age comes, every faction will surely turn their eyes toward them.”

“No matter. As long as this sea monster is dead, the mist will return after a while.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Lin Jue nodded and continued scanning the surroundings.

This island spanned a hundred li in length and width—not large. The lingering attachments of the Long Bo were far stronger and more pronounced than those of ordinary spirits. He cultivated Yin-Yang Spirit Law; merely observing the island once, he could discern from the imbalance of Yin-Yang energy where the remaining lingering attachments of the Long Bo were hidden.

“The Long Bo live very long, very, very long. On this island, there seem to be no Long Bo who died of natural causes. Even when they do, they rarely leave behind lingering attachments.”

“But their souls are extremely powerful, and their nature is stubborn,” said Third Senior Brother. “If killed or harmed by others, they have a high chance of becoming lingering attachments.”

“So long?” Little Sister exclaimed.

“Not quite that long,” Third Senior Brother glanced at her. “But because Long Bo are simple, foolish, stubborn, combative, and fiercely loyal, and because they are naturally gigantic and immensely strong, once armored and armed with specially forged weapons, even celestial deities, terrestrial great demons, and sea dragons rarely stand a chance against them. Since ancient times, celestial deities and terrestrial great demons alike have preferred to subdue or imprison Long Bo as war soldiers. Thus, the Long Bo on this island rarely die of old age—they’re either taken by deities or captured by demon kings.”

Third Senior Brother paused.

“Moreover, Long Bo have no upper limit to their size—they continue growing even after adulthood, albeit ever more slowly. The older they are, the larger they become; the larger they are, the stronger their power and the higher their wisdom. Legends say the thirty-zhang-tall Long Bo came about this way. So when deities and demon kings come to subdue or capture them, they always target the oldest and largest. Hence, no Long Bo here ever dies a natural death.”

Lin Jue deeply agreed with Third Senior Brother’s words.

No one understood the strength of the Long Bo better than the practitioner of “Carving Beans into Soldiers.”

A typical Long Bo, clad in whale skin, barehanded, could directly withstand many great demons. If they wore divine armor and wielded specially forged weapons, they became truly invincible.

If one used “Carving Beans into Soldiers” with ordinary spirit wood, limited by material, the result was still inferior to a real Long Bo. Even inferior spirit wood could not bear such power; only superior spirit wood could match a Long Bo’s physical strength—though slightly less agile, it was more ferocious, and its advantage lay in portability.

But if one used the body of a fully realized, immortal tree—as they had done—properly consecrated, its power and physique could surpass even a living Long Bo.

If an immortal were to consecrate it…

Take Lin Jue’s own Long Bo: beneath the level of a True Person, it was invincible. Even some True Person demon immortals who were unskilled in combat and had no desire to fight dared not clash with it directly.

Of course, such True Person demon immortals rarely involved themselves in conflicts, and would never be Lin Jue’s opponents.

Yet hearing this, he also felt a pang of pity for these Long Bo.

“This mist, they say, was once cast by a former Celestial Elder out of mercy,” Third Senior Brother said.

“Then before we leave, let us cast another layer of mist—just to temporarily conceal them until the original mist returns,” Lin Jue said, then paused. “What of the other lingering attachments on the island?”

“Of course, summon them and tell them the sea monster is gone—ask them to rest in peace,” Third Senior Brother said. “If any refuse to depart, invite them with sincerity.”

“Hmm…”

Lin Jue swept his sleeve—

Whoosh! Wind and clouds surged instantly across the sky.

It had been daytime; the sun blazed over the sea, so fierce even the living felt their skin burn. Lingering attachments dared not expose themselves to such yang energy. Yet with this single sweep of his sleeve, the practitioner seemed to reverse the Yin-Yang of this place!

Not only did wind and clouds obscure the sun, but the Yin spirit essence overwhelmed the Yang spirit essence.

“Reversing Yin and Yang…”

Third Senior Brother’s expression grew solemn.

He too cultivated Yin-Yang Spirit Law and could clearly sense the shift in the Yin-Yang spirit essence of heaven and earth. Close your eyes, and you might believe it was night, not day.

He realized then that he had underestimated this little brother.

This was far more than merely achieving True Personhood.

“Not quite,” Lin Jue said. “I merely cultivate Yin-Yang Spirit Law, comprehend the Yin-Yang Dao, and after achieving True Personhood, I often spend my free moments observing and contemplating the Dao—this is just a small gain.”

This was merely a gain from his spare time.

“So your troubles must be considerable…”

“It’s a great calamity for countless living beings,” Lin Jue said, glancing at Princess Hua beside Third Senior Brother. He remembered that the Lord of the Western Peak, though immensely powerful in the mortal realm, was actually a natural spirit—not a human spirit.

Perhaps even the Lord of the Western Peak might be replaced in this calamity.

Instantly, the sky above turned dark.

Lin Jue called out toward the distance: “Honored departed ones, why not come forth and meet us?”

In the distance, massive spectral shadows faintly appeared.

These shadows swayed as they approached him.

The other Long Bo showed no fear.

The eight-tentacled sea monster had killed many Long Bo; Third Senior Brother had already claimed four followers. Now, six more remained here.

“Greetings, honored ones,” Lin Jue said. “We come from the western-northern Yu Dynasty, having heard of your fame and come to pay respects. We never expected a sea monster to wreak havoc here. I believe you were all slain by it. Now, we have destroyed it. If you harbor resentment or unwillingness to let go, you may now rest in peace.”

The six Long Bo, all massive, turned their heads toward the pile of rubble, then toward the distant palace still burning.

Unexpectedly, only one Long Bo was willing to depart.

Third Senior Brother stepped forward and said:

“My brothers and I are upright and sincere. We slay demons and exorcise evil without seeking reward. But if you truly refuse to depart, lingering in this world only means being worn away by wind and time. If you wish to join us in slaying demons, punishing evil, and promoting good, you may leave this land of Long Bo today. We shall reshape your bodies—though, alas, they won’t be as comfortable as before. Like my little brother’s…”

"My fellow disciples and I are all upright and honest people; we subdue demons and eradicate evil without ever seeking reward. But if you truly refuse to leave, lingering in the mortal world will only wear you down with wind, rain, and the passage of time. If you are willing to join us in subduing demons, punishing evil, and promoting goodness, you may depart today with us from Longbo Country. We shall naturally reshape your bodies—ah, though not as comfortable as before, much like, younger brother..."

Lin Jue flipped his palm—

A wooden pellet, the size of a pigeon’s egg, appeared in his hand.

He tossed it casually into the air. It rode the wind upward, then rapidly expanded before crashing down.

Boom!

It towered higher than most Long Bo here and weighed far more than an ordinary one. As it fell from the sky, it easily crushed two deep pits into the sand. Its armor clanged with a dull, heavy sound.

A fully armored giant god.

The armored giant stood straight, turned, surveyed the surrounding Long Bo, then looked at Lin Jue—and remained silent.

“That’s how it is.”

Third Senior Brother pointed at the armored giant. “We swear: we will only ask you to slay demons and exorcise evil. If ever we break our promise, or if you feel we are unworthy of your loyalty, you may leave at any time.”

Both men pulled out bottles.

The five remaining Long Bo exchanged glances, stared blankly at the sky, examined the corpse of the eight-tentacled sea monster and the distant palace, or looked at familiar companions—and then at the armored giant.

A cold wind blew across the beach. One Long Bo took a step forward.

Lin Jue did as he had said—

He accepted only one Long Bo, to keep him company and maintain balance.

To ensure symmetry, he deliberately chose a Long Bo whose size matched his own. He bowed respectfully from afar. The Long Bo sensed his sincerity and walked toward him.

Though “Carving Beans into Soldiers” was useful and the armored giant was fearsome, it could not stand against the Floating Pool Spirit Lord, and it consumed too much time, effort, and energy. Lin Jue’s focus had long since shifted away from this.

Third Senior Brother was precisely the opposite.

Even today, Third Senior Brother still primarily cultivated “Carving Beans into Soldiers.” He was utterly obsessed with it, his mastery far surpassing Lin Jue’s. More importantly, he had nothing else to do.

Why not bring all these lingering attachments to him? He would care for them well. When he too achieved True Personhood, he could use the body of a demon immortal as the Long Bo’s vessel, consecrating it constantly with immortal power—thus aiding Lin Jue in battle, perhaps even surpassing Lin Jue’s own strength.

“That doesn’t make sense, little brother…”

“What’s wrong, Senior Brother?”

“That eight-tentacled sea monster was slain by you and Little Sister. If these Long Bo knew, they’d naturally prefer to follow you. Yet I have four, and you only have one?”

“Senior Brother, why be so calculating? Ultimately, it was you who found this land of Long Bo. Didn’t you drift across the seas for decades to find it? Perhaps you even waited outside on the ocean for over a decade after discovering this place, just to catch this once-in-a-millennium opportunity? I merely benefited from your efforts,” Lin Jue said solemnly. “Besides, isn’t this exactly what you’ve always dreamed of? Isn’t this your ultimate pursuit? Then why refuse? Treasure this rare chance. Remember, the Floating Hill Monastery has only ever gathered four Long Bo in its entire history.”

“Huh? How do you know I waited outside on the sea for over a decade after finding this place?”

“Never mind.”

“But I’m afraid I don’t have enough immortal wood…”

“Fortuitous! I have extra!”

“This…”

Third Senior Brother frowned, puzzled and embarrassed.