Chapter 133: Undercurrents After the Battle, Swords Pointed at Blood Shark

The embers of the battle drifted slowly in the sea breeze.

It took a full day and night for the seawater of the Star Fall Archipelago to gradually settle and dilute the filth mixed with blood and demonic energy, restoring some of its former azure hue. Yet, a faint, fishy, salty, and scorched scent still lingered in the air, along with an inescapable, subtle sense of death originating from the source of the demonic creatures.

On the islands, broken walls and ruins were everywhere, and the earth was scorched, but the survivors' faces no longer held despair; instead, there was the exhaustion of having survived a catastrophe and the faint glimmer of rebuilding their homes. The cultivators of the Blue Wave Gate and the imperial garrison were clearing the battlefield, treating the wounded, collecting the remains of their comrades, and repairing the damaged island-protecting array.

In the center of the main island, "Star Fall Island," inside a temporarily erected tent, the atmosphere was far from relaxed.

Lin Xuan, Eunuch Wei, Beichen, Yan Gang, Ling Shuang, and the Blue Wave Gate Master, whose injuries had just stabilized, sat in a circle. On the stone table in the center lay several spoils of war: that pale bone sickle, which had lost its luster and was covered in cracks; several deep-colored demonic cores radiating pure demonic energy; and some materials extracted from the bodies of demonized sea beasts that were contaminated by demonic energy but possessed unique properties.

The main focus was naturally the bone sickle. Although its spirituality was severely damaged, its material was extraordinary, containing fragments of powerful laws of death and chaos. More importantly, it had served as a medium to channel the will projection of the Void Abyss demonic consciousness; it was highly likely that important information regarding the Demonic Abyss and the Void Abyss demonic consciousness remained inside, or even... some kind of coordinate or connection.

"This object is bizarre, deeply demonic, and linked to that high-level demonic consciousness. Ordinary methods will likely be difficult to probe with, and one might easily suffer a backlash," Beichen of the Star Palace spoke first, pointing his finger vaguely at the bone sickle with a solemn expression. "I suggest that my Star Palace use the secret 'Universal Star Purification Array' to first suppress and purify its surface demonic nature and residual will, before attempting to extract information. This process requires an absolutely safe environment; it would be best to send it to my Star Palace's branch altar at 'Star Fall Islet' in the Vast Sea."

His words sounded high-minded, but his intention was obvious—he wanted to take this most valuable and potentially most dangerous trophy back to territory controlled by the Star Palace for research.

Yan Gang of the Giant Spirit Sect snorted and rubbed his shiny bald head. "That’s easy to say, send it back to your Star Palace? Who knows what you’ll find out, and whether you’ll even tell us? We killed this skeleton (referring to the Bone Sickle Demonic Commander) together, so naturally, we should study the spoils together. You want to purify it? I think Daoist Lin’s grayish lightning works pretty well; it roasted that Demonic Commander in a few strikes, much more effective than your whatever-it-is star array!"

Although his words were crude, they represented the thoughts of a considerable number of people. The Chaos Tribulation Power that Lin Xuan displayed during the battle, especially the restraining and purifying effect of the Annihilation Lightning Tribulation on demonic energy, was plain for all to see.

Ling Shuang of the Profound Ice Pavilion said coldly, "Daoist Yan Gang’s words are not without reason. Daoist Lin’s power is indeed miraculous. However, this object involves much and must be handled with caution. Perhaps Daoist Lin could lead the purification, while we assist from the side and investigate together. The information obtained will be shared. As for the location... this place has just experienced a great battle, and the demonic energy has not been cleared, so it is not suitable to stay long. Coastal City has the imperial array and the arrays we temporarily set up, which is relatively safe."

She proposed a compromise, acknowledging Lin Xuan’s leadership but requiring joint participation and information sharing, with the location set at Coastal City, where both sides' forces converged.

The Blue Wave Gate Master naturally hoped to send away this hot potato as soon as possible and nodded repeatedly. "Fairy Ling Shuang is absolutely right! With such demonic remains left on my Star Fall Island, this old man truly cannot sleep or eat in peace!"

Eunuch Wei looked at Lin Xuan, asking for his opinion with his gaze.

Lin Xuan had been listening quietly, his fingers tapping the tabletop unconsciously. He was not very interested in the bone sickle itself, but he was quite concerned about the information about the Demonic Abyss that might remain inside, as well as the traces of the "summoning channel" that Zhao Yuan had severed. This might help him understand the essence and operation of the Void Abyss demonic consciousness more deeply.

"Agreed," Lin Xuan finally spoke, his voice calm. "I will perform the initial purification of the bone sickle to remove the dangerous demonic thoughts on the surface. Afterward, in Coastal City, the three parties—myself, the Star Palace, and the Profound Ice Pavilion—will jointly set up an isolation array to attempt to extract the information. The Giant Spirit Sect can be responsible for perimeter security and preventing accidents. All information will be copied and sent to His Majesty the Emperor and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. How about that?"

He not only acknowledged his advantage in purification but also gave the Star Palace and the Profound Ice Pavilion the opportunity to participate in core research, while placing the Giant Spirit Sect in a suitable position. He also clarified the principle of information sharing and brought in the Imperial Court and the Heavenly Secret Pavilion as supervisors and beneficiaries, showing quite thorough consideration.

Beichen pondered for a moment, looked at Yan Gang and Ling Shuang, and seeing that neither of them explicitly objected, nodded and said, "Daoist Lin’s considerations are thorough; let us proceed according to this proposal."

Yan Gang also grinned. "Fine! When it comes to guarding the place, our Giant Spirit Sect is good at it!"

The distribution of the spoils was tentatively agreed upon. The next topic was the low-level sea beasts that had been captured or controlled, which still retained some consciousness and had not been completely demonized, as well as... the intelligence obtained from the fragmented soul-searching of the demonic generals.

"According to the fragments obtained from soul-searching," Eunuch Wei said in a deep voice, "this attack was not accidental. These demonic generals were under the command of that Bone Sickle Demonic Commander, and the Demonic Commander directly took orders from an existence known as 'Lord Shadow-Erosion.' This 'Shadow-Erosion' seems to be an important leader developed by the Void Abyss demonic consciousness in this realm, and its lair is likely located at... 'Blood Shark Island,' about three thousand miles northwest of the Star Fall Archipelago!"

"'Blood Shark Island'?" The Blue Wave Gate Master’s expression changed. "That is the lair of the 'Blood Shark Pirates'! That group of lawless, fierce maritime bandits has occupied Blood Shark Island for hundreds of years, burning, killing, and looting, and they are notoriously vicious! Could it be... they have defected to the Demonic Abyss?"

"Highly likely," Beichen interjected, starlight flickering in his eyes. "In the soul-searching memory fragments, there were indeed scenes of demonic generals contacting suspected Blood Shark Pirate cultivators. The terrain of Blood Shark Island is complex, with surging undercurrents, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is also said that there are ancient underwater ruins beneath the island; if used by the Demonic Abyss and transformed into a lair, it is indeed possible."

Yan Gang rubbed his hands together. "Whether it’s the Blood Shark Pirates or the demonic spawn, since we know where the lair is, let’s just go all out and wipe it out! To avoid it becoming a major disaster later!"

Ling Shuang, however, frowned slightly. "The Blood Shark Pirates are not weak. Their leader, 'Blood Tooth,' is said to be at the peak of Nascent Soul, and he has many fierce bandits under his command who are familiar with the sea. They have also operated their lair for many years, with countless arrays and traps. Now that they are suspected of colluding with the Demonic Abyss, their strength is likely even greater. Attacking rashly may lead to significant losses. We need to plan carefully."

Lin Xuan listened to the discussion, but his mind turned to another matter. Blood Shark Island... underwater ruins... could it be related to the clues of "Star Essence Gold" or "Chaos Breath Soil" that the Star Palace was looking for? The Demonic Abyss choosing that place as a lair was likely not just because it was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

"This matter must be reported to His Majesty and notified to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion for detailed planning," Eunuch Wei finally concluded. "The most urgent task is to consolidate the defense line of the Star Fall Archipelago, clear the remaining demonic energy, treat the wounded, and send out elite scouts to investigate the reality of Blood Shark Island in detail. At the same time, strengthen monitoring along the eastern coast to prevent the spread of the demonic plague."

After the agreement was reached, everyone dispersed to make arrangements.

Lin Xuan walked out of the tent and took a deep breath of the air, which smelled of the sea and scorched earth. The continuous fierce battles and maintaining the Tribulation Domain had consumed him quite a bit, but the Chaos Tribulation Crystal was rotating slowly, absorbing the thin chaotic energy from the void and the miscellaneous energy remaining on the battlefield (after being converted by the tribulation power), slowly recovering.

He walked casually toward the seashore, where Zhao Yuan was standing alone on a reef washed by the waves, looking at the sunset gradually sinking below the horizon, his hand still tightly gripping the pitch-black broken sword "Silent Shadow." The aura on his body had stabilized at the peak of Golden Core, and there was an added restrained sharpness, completely different from the gloomy confusion he had before.

"That sword strike was very good," Lin Xuan said calmly as he walked to his side.

Zhao Yuan’s body trembled slightly. He turned around and, seeing it was Lin Xuan, hurriedly bowed and saluted. "Senior Lin." His tone carried awe and a hint of complexity. He knew deeply that if Lin Xuan had not shouldered the vast majority of the pressure and attracted all the firepower, he would never have been able to unleash that decisive sword strike, which even he himself did not quite understand.

"No need for formalities," Lin Xuan waved his hand, his gaze falling on the broken sword in his hand. "Is this sword named 'Silent Shadow'?"

Zhao Yuan nodded. "Yes. The junior only learned the name of this sword recently from... a senior." He hesitated for a moment and did not mention the existence of that aged voice.

Lin Xuan did not press him, only saying, "Shadow Gold specializes in concealment and breaking magic, while Sinking Iron specializes in weight and bearing. You were able to awaken a trace of its spirituality and sever that demonic summoning, which shows that your Dao heart has initially aligned with the sword intent of this sword: 'erupting in silence, severing illusions and shackles.' But this path has just begun and is destined to be difficult. The sword spirit has been dormant for too long and needs to be nurtured for a long time with heart blood and Dao thoughts, and even more so, it needs to be sharpened in battle after battle. Are you ready?"

Zhao Yuan gripped his sword tighter, his eyes firm. "Junior... is ready. The past is like shackles, already severed. This body and this sword are willing to be the blade in my hand, to slay demons, to protect the clarity of this realm, and also to seek... that I am not alone on my path!"

He said the last four words with iron-clad certainty, as if making a vow.

Lin Xuan looked at the fire reignited in his eyes and nodded slightly. "Your determination is commendable. You may accompany us on the upcoming mission to mop up the remaining demonized sea beasts and scout Blood Shark Island. Life-and-death combat is the fastest way to sharpen one's sword and heart."

"Thank you, Senior, for your support!" Gratitude and eagerness appeared in Zhao Yuan’s eyes.

Just then, a silver transmission talisman light flew silently to Lin Xuan, bearing the unique mark of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master.

Lin Xuan scanned it with his spiritual sense, his brows lifting slightly. The content of the message was simple but profound: "Xing Lan has traces of secret contact with Blood Shark Island in private, and the array master accompanying him is acting strangely. There may be more to the Blood Shark Island affair. Be careful on the return journey, see you in Coastal City."

Sure enough, the overseas delegation was not of one mind. The Star Palace... or rather, Xing Lan personally, what exactly was he plotting? Colluding with the Demonic Abyss? It didn't seem like it. It was more like... wanting to use this demonic plague to achieve some personal goal? For example, finding the Star Essence Gold or Chaos Breath Soil first?

A wisp of gray energy flashed across Lin Xuan’s fingertips, and the transmission talisman turned into nothingness. He looked at the sunset slowly sinking into the sea; the afterglow dyed the horizon a blood-red color, forming a sharp contrast with the dark, not-yet-calm seawater below, as if foreshadowing that a greater storm was about to arrive.

"The winds and clouds of the Vast Sea... this is only the beginning," he whispered to himself, a deep light flashing in his eyes.

Three days later, the Star Fall Archipelago was initially stabilized. The joint fleet left some personnel to assist the Blue Wave Gate in reconstruction, while the main force, carrying the spoils and captives, set sail for Coastal City.

When the fleet sailed halfway and passed through a "Lost Sea Area" shrouded in thick fog all year round, a mutation occurred again!

The thick fog churned violently without warning, and several extremely hidden, non-spiritually fluctuating dark beams of light shot out silently from somewhere under the sea, precisely hitting an auxiliary warship in the fleet that was carrying some demonized sea beast samples and low-level captives!

"Boom!"

That warship didn't even manage to fully raise its shields before it disintegrated rapidly under the erosion of the dark beams. The cultivators and captives on the ship fell into the sea, screaming, and beneath the sea surface, countless shadows swam toward them...

"Enemy attack! Be on guard!" The alarm spread through the fleet instantly.

Lin Xuan’s figure flashed, and he appeared on the top of the main warship's mast, his Chaos Tribulation Power spreading out, sensing the abnormalities in the thick fog and beneath the sea surface.

"Not demonic creatures... it's a man-made ambush. And the technique is very clever, avoiding our conventional detection." His eyes were cold as he looked into the depths of the fog. "It seems someone doesn't want us to bring the 'things' and 'people' back smoothly."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the mist, meeting a pair of eyes hidden in the dark from afar.