Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 378 Arrival at Shallow Sea

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, I brought two small gifts with me this time to express my gratitude."

Crane Cry True Monarch came to his senses and took out two exquisite gift boxes from his sleeve: "It's nothing special, just to thank you for your help in relieving my crisis on the southern front."

Those were two sandalwood boxes with carved phoenix patterns.

One box had flowing spiritual patterns on its surface, with a shimmering white light floating around its edges; the other was shrouded in a hazy mist, with fine dewdrops condensing on its lid.

Just by looking at it, you can tell that what's inside is no ordinary item.

Xiao Chen naturally declined: "Fellow Daoist Heming is too kind. Exorcising demons and protecting the righteous path is our duty. There is no need for such a generous gift."

True Lord Heming said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao's noble character is truly admirable!"

"This is but a small gift, nothing more. I hope you will not refuse it, otherwise it would seem that I am ignorant of etiquette."

To be honest, this is hardly a small gift.

Xiao Chen waved his hand and said, "Fellow Daoist Heming, you flatter me. I was just doing my bit."

"I appreciate your kindness, but please take the things back."

True Monarch Heming said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, you are mistaken!"

"If it weren't for your help, fellow Daoist, how could the situation on the southern front have progressed so smoothly? If this had continued, who knows how many more disciples would have perished?"

"Therefore, I urge you to accept this gift of gratitude, fellow Daoist."

Seeing this, Xiao Chen did not continue to refuse: "In that case, I will respectfully accept your offer."

These two treasure boxes contained the Floating Cloud Jade and the Water-Suppressing Spirit Pearl.

The former contains a wisp of celestial cloud energy, making it a first-rate treasure.

It can be used to cultivate concealment spells, or it can be integrated into formations to summon clouds and rain.

If there is a specific inherited secret technique, it can also be used as a one-time exploration spell to directly penetrate the forbidden techniques of the Five Elements and traverse the earth's veins to obtain information.

The latter, as its name suggests, is a water-based treasure.

When a cultivator holds the Water-Suppressing Spirit Pearl, the surface of rivers, lakes, and seas within a radius of ten thousand feet will become calm and still.

If activated with true essence, it can be further refined into a related spiritual artifact.

Furthermore, when facing an enemy, it can directly interfere with any spell directly related to flowing water, weakening its power or even suppressing it directly.

Of course, generally speaking, the effect of suppression is more pronounced on lower-level cultivators.

For this to be effective against water-type cultivators of the same level, there needs to be a sufficiently large difference in cultivation level.

In addition, both of these spiritual items can also serve as top-tier fourth-order refining materials.

They are indeed top-tier treasures, undoubtedly belonging to the category of superior fourth-grade spiritual items.

Before Lord Heming arrived, they hadn't decided which one to send.

After all, there is no fixed way to obtain such treasures, and every time one is used, one less becomes available.

Furthermore, he didn't know Xiao Chen very well and was unaware of the other party's preferences.

After much thought, I decided to put both items in the gift box in advance, intending to choose one based on the situation once it arrived.

As they chatted, he learned about her having conceived at the age of twenty-nine.

Then what else is there to consider? Of course, we'll give them both together.

It was exactly equivalent to him and Ziyang Zhenjun each giving a gift.

Later, after learning that Xiao Chen would also be heading to the Shallow Sky Sea to assist the Cangming Immortal Sect and the Thousand Machine Valley.

True Monarch Heming gave a thumbs up: "At this turbulent time, Fellow Daoist Xiao has the world in his heart and cares for all living beings. He is truly admirable!"

"Our Chongzhen Temple should not lag behind either; we should lend our full support to fight against the sea creatures!"

In just a few words, they decided to take Ziyang Zhenjun with them and set off with the main force.

Although this did not align with their original plan, times change.

With a formidable enemy now invading, the matters of building up the sect and repairing the formations can be put on hold for now.

It is everyone's responsibility to fight against foreign enemies!
Incidentally, he can also fight alongside Xiao Chen during this process.

It's easier to deepen feelings between people by having more contact and meeting.

Moreover, it doesn't matter if none of the above goals are achieved.

When Xiao Chen truly becomes a Venerable One in the future, this experience alone will bring him pride.

"Back then, I fought alongside a certain Venerable One, wielding swords and cutting down sea creatures. That was how things were back then..."

This is definitely something to brag about in front of younger generations.

In short, True Lord Heming and True Lord Ziyang joined the reinforcements together.

Since the start of the war, the area of ​​the Shallow Sea has expanded considerably.

Theoretically, once you leave Tingtao Sea, you've entered the area of ​​New Asakusa Sea.

However, it actually takes about five and a half days to travel north by spirit ship to reach the real Shallow Sea.

"Although I've seen it twice already, I have to say it's truly a wonder of the world."

Xiao Chen stood at the bow of the ship, leaning against the railing and gazing into the distance, and couldn't help but sigh.

The seawater here is so clear that you can almost see your reflection in it.

As the sunlight streamed down, the sea surface resembled a giant mirror, reflecting the clear blue sky and the snow-white drifting clouds.

Even more remarkably, looking down through the sea surface, one can directly see coral and jade trees dozens of meters high underwater.

The drifting clouds seemed to have fallen into the sea, or the coral seemed to have grown in the sky.

A gentle breeze occasionally blows, causing ripples to spread out, creating layers of shimmering gold, making it even more dreamlike.

If that's all there is to it, while it's beautiful, it wouldn't be considered a spectacular sight in the cultivation world.

What's even more amazing is that the seawater isn't always deep blue; it's only clear up close, and the color deepens as you go further in.

Where the water meets the sky in the distance, it turns into a deep, dark blue.

But it doesn't appear gloomy; instead, it has a lustrous sheen, like a large piece of floating blue silk.

Occasionally, a small flying fish leaps out of the water, leaving a bright silver arc before disappearing back into the blue waves.

Looking at it from afar, it resembles twinkling stars, or a night view.

As your gaze wanders, the blue sky and white clouds, the azure sea and coral reefs, and the dazzling starry night come into view, truly a breathtaking sight!
Speaking of which, Xiao Chen had passed by this place once before.

However, he was alone at the time and preoccupied with finding the evil energy, so he naturally had no time to appreciate the scenery.

This time, coming out with everyone is different.

Gangyuan Zhenjun and the others had set up small stoves at the bow of the ship at the very front, preparing top-quality spiritual wine.

Then they even cast a net and caught a bunch of local small shrimp, a specialty of the Shallow Sky Sea, to soak in the wine.

Enjoy the scenery while discussing philosophy over wine.

That creates a very different atmosphere.

For the first six days after boarding the ship, Xiao Chen stayed in the attic to cultivate his magic.

But today they were all drawn to the bow of the ship, joining the crowd in the festivities.

However, the topics that can be discussed in a philosophical discussion are very limited.

Firstly, their spiritual roots are different, so the Great Dao they comprehend is also different.

We could only discuss some common points, and the conversation ended quickly.

Secondly, the cultivation levels of the people present were different. Xiao Chen, Ziyang Zhenjun, Liekong Zhenjun, and Dielang Zhenjun had all recently broken through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Their understanding of the Great Dao cannot be said to be entirely absent, but it is almost nonexistent.

This means that half of the people cannot participate in the discussion.

Yes, True Lord Die Lang came along too.

Although his injuries have not fully healed, they were not serious and occurred relatively early.

It's almost 90% healed by now, and should be fully recovered in a while.

Of course, this was only a prerequisite. More importantly, a few days before setting off, True Monarch Yunwo suddenly realized something.

The Tiangang Sect and Chongzhen Temple each brought two young men, Liekong Zhenjun and Ziyang Zhenjun, respectively.

Only Yuntao Sword Lodge had him as its only old man.

How can this be done?
So he went to see Lord Die Lang and, after confirming that he was almost fully recovered, brought him onto the ship.

This is what True Lord Yunwo mainly thought.

The human reinforcements this time can be considered a proactive move.

That means that even if True Lord Die Lang went to Shallow Sky Sea, he could stay behind and continue recuperating without taking action.

There's not much risk involved in this.

Besides, to put it bluntly, it doesn't matter where you recuperate, but if you miss the opportunity to fight alongside Fellow Daoist Xiao, who knows when the next one will come.

However, his idea made True Lord Die Lang a little unhappy.

More accurately, it should be said that they were unconvinced.

Others may not know that he had previously regarded Xiao Chen as his testing ground.

Although it wasn't said aloud, every time I received information about Xiao Chen, I still looked forward to the two of them meeting in the future when they were at the Nascent Soul stage.

He had already planned it all out; he would definitely seek out and spar with the other side, taking the opportunity to hone his swordsmanship.

When they met again, he had already been injured by the sea creatures.

Xiao Chen has already achieved some remarkable feats, including killing the giant octopus that injured him.

This is very embarrassing.

The monsters he couldn't defeat were dealt with by the other side.

Although strictly speaking, Xiao Chen utilized the Big Dipper Demon Fire, spiritual fire is also a part of a cultivator's strength.

Moreover, besides the giant octopus, the grouper, which was equivalent to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, was defeated by real magic.

The invincible swordsmanship of True Lord Die Lang has not even begun its first step, and it seems destined to end prematurely.

How could he not feel frustrated?

However, he was able to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage at the age of fifty-eight.

Die Lang Zhenjun is definitely a person with exceptional talent and unwavering Daoist resolve.

He quickly rallied and changed Xiao Chen from a testing ground to the ultimate challenge.

Things that are too simple are often the least interesting to do.

Defeating the strong brings greater satisfaction.

From the moment one successfully advances to the Nascent Soul stage, the difference in spiritual root aptitude becomes less important.

The further one progresses, the more it tests a cultivator's understanding of the Great Dao and the cultivation of their divine sense.

Die Lang Zhenjun is different from Zi Yang Zhenjun and others; he is also a genius cultivator who is rarely seen in tens of thousands of years.

If one can break through to the Nascent Soul stage at the age of fifty-eight, one will have plenty of time and opportunities to attempt to reach the Divine Transformation stage in the future.

Therefore, he believed that as long as he worked hard enough, he might one day surpass others. Seven days later.

The fleet passed through an archipelago to the south and approached the front lines.

If you stand at the bow of the ship and look out now, you can already see several pillars of light piercing through the sky and earth in the distance.

That was the defensive array set up by the Cangming Immortal Sect, with each pillar of light representing a core array base.

"Clang! Clang!"

Two clear, resounding chimes of bronze bells rang out in succession, signaling that the early warning array had been triggered.

The ringing of the bell meant that an unidentified surveillance array had just swept across the spirit ship.

Two sounds indicate that the severity is not serious, possibly due to the distance being too far or the monitoring array being of a low level.

Since yesterday, such voices have become more and more frequent.

Initially, the alarm would only be triggered once every three hours, but now it has been shortened to once every half hour.

On the spirit ship, a large number of Golden Core disciples were already hurriedly manipulating the formation, beginning to trace and locate the target in reverse, following the opponent's probing power.

At the same time, check and maintain the surrounding array flags to ensure that all of our own arrays are operating normally and that our spirit stone reserves are sufficient.

"Thump!"

Not long after, another deep, heavy bell rang out, indicating that they had encountered a high-intensity investigation.

At the same time, Xiao Chen, who was practicing magic, clearly felt an invisible probing force rush into the pavilion where he was.

"Ok?"

He frowned, and the powerful divine sense belonging to a Nascent Soul True Monarch immediately poured out from his sea of ​​consciousness.

In an instant, the incoming reconnaissance force was shredded on the spot, preventing the opponent from seeing the specific situation inside the ship.

Even so, the information that there was at least one Nascent Soul True Monarch on this spirit ship was inevitably leaked out.

"It's as annoying as a fly!"

Xiao Chen was speechless. This kind of detection did not come from some powerful demon, but from a surveillance array that had been set up in advance.

Although it affected his cultivation, he couldn't directly retaliate.

Because most of the time, in order to save costs as much as possible, only one-time detection arrays are used.

Once triggered, it will automatically collapse due to structural instability, without requiring any further effort from our side to search for and destroy it.

Of course, the Golden Core disciples on the ship will still actively work on positioning.

Then, they took a small boat to verify the situation and try to recover some spiritual materials that could be reused.

Well-trained Golden Core disciples are quite useful in handling these minor matters.

With these minor incidents, the fleet sailed straight ahead into the grand formation of the Cangming Immortal Sect.

Once inside, the external disturbances will be isolated by the great formation, allowing for a much more peaceful time.

Iron Fan True Lord and Silver Hair True Lord had been waiting in the formation for a long time.

At this moment, he immediately came forward and said, "That's great! I've been waiting for you all for the past few days. I'm so glad you've all arrived."

They were old friends with Gangyuan Zhenjun and others, so they inevitably exchanged a few polite words when they met.

They also introduced each other to newcomers like Xiao Chen and True Monarch Liekong.

Iron Fan True Lord naturally showered him with praise once again.

Especially when facing Xiao Chen, she praised him in various ways, talking non-stop for nearly fifteen minutes before finally stopping.

"Oh dear, I'm so happy that I forgot to ask everyone to take a seat first."

Iron Fan Zhenjun gestured with his hand, saying, "Please come this way. My junior brother and I have prepared a small feast to welcome you all."

"Let's eat and chat, drink and chat."

The group took their seats one after another.

Since it was inside the formation, nine low square tables were prepared, which eliminated the need for people to offer each other seats. Everyone chose a place to sit down.

Xiao Chen noticed that thirty-six plates had already been set on the square table.

It has everything from rare delicacies to seafood and wild animals.

Even so, True Monarch Iron Fan still smiled and said, "The conditions here are not as good as those inside the sect, they are a little worse, please bear with us."

"After we defeat the sea creatures, I will host a banquet for everyone in Cangming Market."

This meal was very different from the one at Yuntao Jianlu.

It's not just because that side is inside the house and this side is outside.

The main difference is that the style of the Iron Fan True Lord, as the master, is completely different from that of the Cloud Vortex True Lord.

Everyone had already drunk several rounds of drinks and eaten several dishes, but he was still chatting and talking about whatever came to mind, showing no intention of discussing serious matters.

They clearly said earlier that they were eagerly anticipating it.

But now it seems they don't seem to be in a hurry at all.

Unlike True Monarch Yunwo, who quickly began discussing tactics for the next day and devising an ambush plan after Xiao Chen's arrival.

The reason for this is not because Iron Fan Zhenjun lied.

For the first two weeks after receiving the good news, he was indeed eagerly waiting for reinforcements to arrive and help relieve the pressure.

However, Haihong soon began to gather manpower and reinforce the formation.

The pressure on the Cangming Immortal Sect decreased rapidly.

Especially after Haihong learned fifteen days ago that Xiao Chen and the others had set off for the Shallow Sky Sea.

He even ordered a complete abandonment of the harassment, with all troops retreating back into the defensive formation to conserve their strength and prepare for a protracted war.

Therefore, Iron Fan Zhenjun finally had some free time to relax.

At first, he was naturally a little nervous, but after half a month, he confirmed that the sea creatures were not plotting anything, but had really fled at the first sign of trouble.

He naturally relaxed and stopped rushing to discuss how to engage the enemy.

Faced with this situation, Xiao Chen initially chose to eat voraciously.

After all, the Cangming Immortal Sect used a lot of sea fish that are only found in the shallow sky sea to make special dishes.

Then I definitely have to try it.

But with the food almost finished and they still hadn't gotten down to business, he started to get a little bored.

So he took the initiative to ask, "I've heard that there have always been quite a few powerful sea monsters in the Shallow Sky Sea."

"Fellow Daoist Iron Fan, could you please introduce them to us as well?"

Who asked that?
Iron Fan Zhenjun is recounting his experience of successfully seizing a treasure in the secret realm two hundred years ago.

It's much more comfortable to talk about one's unique experiences in front of newly promoted True Lords than when talking to one's own sect disciples or clansmen.

Especially since the story was getting to a very exciting point, the atmosphere was suddenly disrupted.

He turned his head and immediately said, "Of course, no problem. I will explain their situation to Fellow Daoist Xiao in detail."

In fact, the number of powerful sea monsters left behind here is not large.

If we start counting from the beginning, there are a total of nine great demons that have appeared in the Shallow Sky Sea.

However, they did not appear at the same time, but rather went through several waves of rotation.

At its peak, there were six great demons existing at the same time, but before the Lunar New Year, the number was reduced to four, and this continued until about half a month ago.

The remaining four great demons are a silver-lined flying fish, a thousand-eyed ray, a gilded king crab, and a seven-star shimmering sea bream.

Both of them have the cultivation level of the early Nascent Soul stage.

The latter two are equivalent to mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Following that, True Lord Iron Fan gave a detailed introduction: "To be honest, there's nothing special about this Silver Thread Flying Fish."

"Its most distinctive feature is its dorsal fin, which resembles a veil, and it is quite fast."

"However, it is not very obvious in terms of offensive and defensive formations, and I did not see any other characteristics."

Movement is restricted by the formation, so the speed advantage cannot be utilized at all.

"That Thousand-Eyed Ray is even more unremarkable."

Iron Fan True Lord continued, "Its abdomen is covered with eye-shaped patterns, which from a distance look like it has a thousand eyes, and at first glance it is a bit creepy."

"However, it looks good but is useless."

"Although it allows one to see thousands of miles away, it is of no help in magical battles and cannot see through illusions."

"As long as you and I are prepared, either by concealing ourselves or by hiding in the formation, it will be as if we are not prepared."

After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment.

He then introduced, "This next golden king crab is different; it's quite powerful."

"Its claws are covered with golden patterns, and its strength is so great that it can shatter gold and break stone, and can even directly clamp down on flying swords."

Yinhao Zhenjun, who was standing to the side, added: "I'm sorry to say this to you fellow Daoists, but I was the one who suffered this loss before."

“At that time, the beast was new to the area and I had not yet discovered anything unusual about it, so I used my sword to test it with my sword.”

"Unexpectedly, its pair of giant claws simply clamped down on my Purple Sword."

"Then, before I could retrieve it using a secret method, it broke into three pieces on the spot."

"If you fellow cultivators encounter this Golden King Crab later, you must be careful."

Oh?
Xiao Chen was also a little surprised when he heard this, after all, none of the spiritual artifacts could be called fragile.

Even if it's a flying sword instead of a spirit shield, it shouldn't be able to be snapped in two by brute force under normal circumstances, unless the opponent's strength is truly outrageous.

But it doesn't matter, he doesn't have a magical artifact yet.

So there's no need to worry about this.

Of course, in actual combat, one must also avoid being directly caught in the trap, since flesh and blood are much more fragile than magical artifacts.

"As for the last one, the Seven-Star Streamer Sea Bream... sigh."

Iron Fan Zhenjun's expression was complicated, with a hint of sorrow on his face, as if he was thinking of some unpleasant memories.

After sighing, he said, "Its strength is arguably the strongest of the three, and it is also the most troublesome."

"Unlike ordinary red sea bream, it has a special mutated bloodline with seven star-shaped spots on its sides, which twinkle like stars at night."

"Each star spot can emit streams of light of different colors and with different functions."

"Red as a knife, it can cut through gold and jade when touched."
The azure shield can withstand immense force.
Purple forms a prison, confining the enemy within a small space;
Pink is alluring, specializing in bewildering the mind;
Its bluish hue moistens the body and can heal injuries and restore bones;
Adorned in gold, one can travel a thousand miles in an instant;
But the most domineering of all has to be the seventh stream of dark light, which is specifically designed to break through all kinds of protective auras.

Iron Fan True Lord raised his voice at this point, adding, "I fought him inside the formation before."

"Unexpectedly, even with the suppression of the formation, the dark light was still able to easily shatter the Sea Spirit Shield within five moves."

"So much so that every time it attacked after that, I had to burn spirit stones to drive it away directly."

"Even so, it can still release pink and green spiritual light in the intertwined formations, both interfering with and helping the other great demon attack the restriction."

"Truly... I wish I could devour its flesh and blood!"

The last sentence, spoken by Iron Fan Zhenjun through gritted teeth, was full of genuine emotion.

(End of this chapter)