As soon as Luo Chen heard the news, his expression changed. The Heaven of Northern Yama used to be among the finest lands of the Mountains and Seas Realm, yet it had now become a place of great danger, with millions of strong demonic beasts trapped within. It was nothing less than a powder keg ready to erupt at any moment. And once it did, the Myriad Immortal Society, being the closest, would be the first to bear the brunt! Luo Chen even thought of how his cultivation would be affected if there were a full-scale outbreak of demonic beasts.

Still, he was somewhat surprised when he heard the concern in Ding Yi's tone. "You're not exactly the type to worry about the bigger picture. Even if something goes wrong over there, someone stronger will step in, won't they?"

Ding Yi let out a snort. "Heh, I'm just a rogue cultivator, and I can do whatever I want. Even if the entire Northern Sea gets overrun, I can just head somewhere else. But don't forget what's behind the Heaven of Northern Yama. That's going to affect what we're planning to do next!"

This time, Luo Chen's heart tightened. Ding Yi did not keep him in suspense and began explaining everything he knew in detail. "The society has been holding the three defensive lines for over a century. They've more or less figured out the pattern. About once every decade, large waves of low-tier demonic beasts break out from there and slam into the defenses. But over the past thirty years... that pattern just stopped."

Luo Chen frowned in confusion. Had it really stopped? Back when he was stationed at the Winding Defensive Line, he heard that large groups of demonic beasts had begun appearing near the first defensive line, in the Flowing Sea Region.

As if reading his thoughts, Ding Yi asked, "Did you ever see those demonic beasts push through to the second and third defensive lines?"

"No," Luo Chen replied.

"Exactly." Ding Yi let out a breath. "In the past, whenever they broke out, they'd at least make a run at human territory. In severe cases, they even broke through all three lines and threatened the main islands inhabited by cultivators. But in these thirty years, that's barely happened at all." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Any formation would only weaken over time, especially under the consistent push of those demonic beasts. The demonic beasts trapped within the Heaven of Northern Yama should have been breaking free in greater numbers, not fewer. Luo Chen understood this well, so this situation made no sense to him.

"Well, in that case, where did they all go?"

"The Sunken Sea!" Ding Yi answered without hesitation. "As far as I know, they've been gathering around there, acting like patrols and guards. Azure Yang... do you know what that means?"

Luo Chen's voice turned a little dry. "You're saying... they've also set their sights on the ancient cultivator pocket world?"

Ding Yi sighed, and a trace of wariness appeared in his eyes. "Most likely."

Luo Chen frowned. "But why? What would demonic beasts want with a human pocket world?"

There was a certain logic behind his question. Even though demonic beasts could walk the path of transformation, humans and demons ultimately followed different paths of cultivation. Under normal circumstances, demonic beasts would have no interest in the pocket world of ancient human cultivators... unless, perhaps, the one who had left that world behind was not actually a human cultivator.

Ding Yi had no answer either. The Adept he had captured back then had not held much status and knew little of the sect's deeper secrets. He could only speculate about the reason. "Maybe the demon clans uncovered something within the devil sect... something that made the Sunken Sea more important than anything else. Important enough that they're even holding back from attacking human territory."

This pocket world had drawn even the famous devil sect into studying it for over a thousand years. There must've been something about it; sadly, the only force with actual knowledge in that respect had been all but obliterated.

Luo Chen now felt conflicted. On the one hand, he felt a pang of regret that he might not be able to explore the secret realm anymore. On the other hand, he was also a little relieved, since there seemed to be no need to risk his life anymore. "In that case, we probably can't go anymore, right?"

Devil's Cloud, who had been quietly sipping his tea the whole time, shot Luo Chen a puzzled look. "Why not? They're just low-tier demonic beasts. If we want to go, they're not stopping us."

Ding Yi nodded in agreement. "We're definitely going. It's only been thirty years; there can't be that many demonic beasts breaking out. If we prepare properly, it shouldn't be too hard to push through. Besides, I've got my own connections. But if we miss this chance... give it a few hundred years, and once the demon clans fully take control of the Sunken Sea, none of us will ever get another shot at that place."

Luo Chen had intended to take the easy way out, but that thought was cut off at once. He could already sense that something was off. The two of them were far too determined about that ancient cultivator pocket world. "Even if you're not worried about the demonic beasts, aren't you afraid of Sages?"

Ding Yi frowned in confusion. "Didn't we already go over this? What we're after is completely different from what the Sages want. And we'll be entering from different entrances; the chances of running into them are low..."

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Azure Yang... don't tell me you're backing out?"

Luo Chen met his gaze calmly. "To be honest, I am having second thoughts."

"You agreed to this back then!"

"But the situation has changed!"

"It's just a minor change. Still within control."

"Is it really?" Luo Chen shook his head slightly. "The celestial signs haven't even appeared yet. Once they do, who knows how many beasts will gather around the Sunken Sea? We're only Adepts. Flying and escaping is one thing, but going up against forces that could wipe out an entire Holy Land? Who can guarantee nothing goes wrong? Fellow Daoists, can you guarantee that?"

This time, both Ding Yi and Devil's Cloud fell silent. Luo Chen said nothing more and simply sipped his still-steaming spirit tea. After a long pause, Ding Yi spoke hoarsely, "I don't want to miss this chance. It might be the only one I'll ever get."

Devil's Cloud sighed. "I feel the same."

Clunk!

Luo Chen set down his cup and looked at the two of them. "Alright, spit it out. What's actually in there that's got you this set on it?"

Ding Yi and Devil's Cloud exchanged a glance before the latter finally grit his teeth and revealed something he'd been hiding all along. "The owner of that pocket world must have been a top-tier artisan. A lot of powerful treasures have come out of that place. I'm not talking about enchanted treasures, but things like True Artifacts and even spirit treasures. I hope you understand why I want this inheritance."

Luo Chen was momentarily stunned. He had been about to question how Devil's Cloud could be so certain, but the words never left his mouth. Instead, an image suddenly struck him—a blood-red sword. It had appeared at the Jadecold Auction, said to be a spirit treasure that had once slain an Ascendant of the Blood Sea. Rumor had it that the sword later broke free from a Sage's control and fled north into the Sunken Sea. Could it be that the sword had come from that ancient pocket world?

"And you, Fellow Daoist Ding?" Luo Chen suppressed the turmoil in his mind and turned to Ding Yi. "He's obsessed with artifact creation, so I can understand his reasons. But what about you? Why are you so set on that place?"

Ding Yi let out a bitter laugh. "Set on it? Hardly." He patted his own belly. "I just don't have a choice."

Then, still smiling bitterly, he suddenly opened his robes, took out a knife, and cut off a piece of flesh from his own belly!

"What the—"

Luo Chen stood up from his seat instinctively, but then he saw the severed flesh writhing as if alive. The horrifying sight stopped his words short.

"See?" Ding Yi flicked out a thread of mana and burned it to ash. "When I explored the Sunken Sea back then, I came back with a portion of Flesh Ganoderma[1], along with that Soul-Nurturing Wood. I thought I'd struck gold. But as it turned out, the wood was tainted with that dark energy, and the Flesh Ganoderma had a will of its own. It burrowed into my body and has been living inside me like a parasite, eating away at me bit by bit. If I let it keep going, it'll end up consuming me entirely. I've been looking for a way to deal with it all these years. Your Dustfall Pill does help; it lets me turn its power into my own mana for a while, but that's just a temporary fix. It doesn't get rid of the root cause. I need to get into that pocket world and find this thing... and end this for good."

Luo Chen had his doubts at first. But when he saw fresh flesh instantly sprouting where Ding Yi had carved himself open, his doubts vanished. Such regenerative ability was far beyond that of any ordinary human cultivator. Even with his Archaic Beast physique approaching the fourth tier, he did not come close to it. But he had heard about the legendary Flesh Ganoderma; it was famed for its overwhelming vitality, and so far as he knew, it really did possess such power. It was also possible that the main body was still controlling the fragment inside Ding Yi, in which case there was only one good way to get rid of it.

Ding Yi pulled his clothes back to place and looked at Luo Chen once more. "Flesh Ganoderma is a legendary spirit medicine; there's nothing in the Mountains and Seas Realm that surpasses it. And that Five Elements Lotus you're after... I actually found out about it from this ganoderma. It has some fragmentary memories, and I could see from them that the Five Elements Lotus is growing somewhere nearby. Azure Yang, if you miss this chance, you might regret it for the rest of your life!"

Devil's Cloud also chimed in from the side, "Anyone capable of refining spirit treasures and possessing something like a Flesh Ganoderma must've been a supreme expert. And that pocket world withstood the devil sect's exploration for over a thousand years; that alone tells you how deep the owner's cultivation must've been. Even if we don't get what we want, any small gain would be worth it. Azure Yang, what exactly are you hesitating about?"

Luo Chen sat there, his expression shifting uncertainly. In the end, he simply said, "Give me a little more time to think."

Luo Chen left. Ding Yi and Devil's Cloud saw him out of the cave residence once more. Watching his figure disappear into the distance, Ding Yi's earlier gloom faded, replaced by a faintly sinister glint in his eyes. "This isn't the Azure Yang I remember. To hold back at a moment like this... he's grown soft."

Devil's Cloud stood beside him, looking weary, but there was a trace of admiration in his eyes. "Haven't you noticed? His cultivation keeps rising. Even compared to the two of us, he doesn't fall behind at all."

"Hmph. So what?"

Devil's Cloud shook his head. "You said that during the Coldlight Island battle, he was only at the fourth stage. But before leaving for Withered Wood Ridge, he was already at the sixth stage, and Saberstorm said that his strength is up to par. Two minor breakthroughs in just twenty years... Do you understand what that means?"

Ding Yi froze slightly.

"With that kind of cultivation speed, and looking as young as he does, his real age can't be that high. We barely have a century or two left, but he still has plenty of time to keep climbing toward Nascent Soul. In that situation... how can you expect him to risk his life so willingly?"

The chubby cultivator came to a sudden realization. Over the years, he had been so absorbed in studying the changes of the Sunken Sea that he had overlooked the people around him. Not everyone had been standing still like he was. Rogue cultivators typically advanced slowly, and because of that, he had unconsciously overlooked Luo Chen's progress. Thinking about it now, someone who could reach the sixth stage at such an age would be considered a true prodigy even within the great sects. A person like that wouldn't risk his life so easily.

***

"You've been in this world too long, and you're getting more cautious by the day."

On a lone island of Surging Lake, a tiny figure smiled faintly at the white-robed man in front of it. Luo Chen ignored the mockery in Han Zhan's tone and asked directly, "Senior, should I go to the Sunken Sea or not?"

"That's your decision to make. Why ask me?" Han Zhan let out a short scoff. Seeing Luo Chen hesitate for once, he shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. I'll just give you an example."

"Oh?"

"Tell me—if I hadn't gone to explore that ancient Sage's residence back then, would there even be a Sage Han today?"

Han Zhan's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm had come from a secret realm expedition. Because of it, he had offended an Adept and even drawn the attention of a Sage from Skysail City. Yet in the end, misfortune had turned into opportunity. With Skysail City's backing, he had then obtained a fourth-tier spirit land to break through and even elevated the Falling Cloud Sect into an upper sect.

Luo Chen fell into thought. After a moment, he asked tentatively, "If I go... would you come with me? And help me if it comes to it?"

The tiny Nascent Soul figure curled his lips, looking at Luo Chen with a half-smile. "So your hesitation's just an excuse! You really just want to drag me along, don't you?"

Luo Chen scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. Han Zhan burst out laughing. "Come on, there's no need to beat around the bush between us. Well, to be honest, I've been curious about the Sunken Sea for a long time. I've always wanted to take a look at it myself."

That genuinely caught Luo Chen off guard. "You've looked into the Sunken Sea?"

"Well, not exactly." Han Zhan's tone turned more serious as his gaze dropped to the Soul-Nurturing Wood that now served as his conduit. "That place... might hold a chance for me to get a new body."

Luo Chen was taken aback. Only upon closer look did he realize how solid Han Zhan's Nascent Soul had become; it almost looked like a real human, miniature though it was. The frail and illusory state it once had was nowhere to be seen. He burst with joy. "Senior, have you recovered your strength?"

Han Zhan waved it off. "No way. Without a physical body, every bit of mana I use in battle is one less bit I have. If you really want me watching your back when we explore that place, you'd better find me a few decent enchanted treasures to work with."

"Enchanted treasures, you say?" Luo Chen's eyebrows shot up, and the next moment, several streaks of light appeared before them.

Han Zhan's eyes lit up. "A full set of flying swords!"

"These are the Seven Fiend Swords. They can be used individually or combined into a formation. They might not compare to your sword formation, but in your hands, they should still be more than usable."

Han Zhan sent his mana in and tested it. At once, seven radiant swords rose and stood suspended in the air. The ambient spirit energy poured into them, producing a sharp buzzing sound. The sharpness they radiated was overwhelming. Even with the Profound Dust Armor protecting him, Luo Chen felt a chilling cold seep through.

1. 太岁 (tài suì) is described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas as a strange, flesh-like growth. It is considered a rare bioorganic mass formed from microorganisms such as bacteria, slime molds, and fungi. It is said to possess self-regenerative properties and was traditionally regarded as a longevity treasure. ☜