Chapter 511 - 482: Deep Sea Cleansing

Chapter 511: Chapter 482: Deep Sea Cleansing

After collecting his loot, Li Yuan withdrew from the depths of the Reef Group and regrouped with Fang Hai’s team.

The clearing of the outer perimeter was progressing smoothly. Fang Hai had led more than twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivators through over half of the Reef Group, killing more than thirty Tier Two Sea Demons along the way. His team had only suffered two minor injuries, both to Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist, what’s the situation in the depths?" Fang Hai asked as he approached.

"A Tier Three armored crab demon. I’ve already dealt with it."

Fang Hai’s expression relaxed, and he smiled. "Fellow Daoist, you’re truly formidable, taking down a Tier Three Sea Demon all by yourself."

An hour later, the three teams regrouped outside the cave.

The entrance to the underwater cave was located at the base of a massive undersea cliff. The opening was about ten zhang high and five to six zhang wide. Its rocky edges were covered in copious amounts of dark red coral and seaweed. A murky current, carrying a thick, putrid stench, constantly flowed out from the depths of the cave.

The five Golden Core Cultivators stopped before the entrance and probed inside with their Divine Sense.

Li Yuan’s Divine Sense, augmented by the analytical power of his Myriad Phenomena Rewind, was the first to pierce through the murky water at the cave’s entrance.

The space inside the cave was much larger than it appeared from the outside. Beyond the entrance lay a long, narrow passageway, only wide enough for three or four people to walk abreast. The walls of the passageway were densely pitted with caves of varying sizes, resembling a honeycomb.

The end of the passageway opened into an immense cavern with a radius of at least several hundred zhang. The cavern was filled with towering reefs, the water was murky, and the auras of numerous Sea Demons drifted within.

There was an enormous number of Tier Two Sea Demons; a rough scan detected at least a hundred.

He detected three Tier Three auras, spread out across different locations within the cavern.

"Three Tier Threes," another Golden Core Cultivator, an elderly man at the late stage, said in a low voice. He was the leader of the first group, a senior member of the alliance, and possessed the highest Cultivation among the five.

"That’s not right," Li Yuan said. "There should be more than three. A nest this large can’t be sustained by just three Tier Threes. Some of them might be out hunting, or perhaps they sensed the danger and have already fled."

The Late-stage Golden Core elder glanced at Li Yuan and nodded. "That makes sense. Then let’s strike now while the number of High Tier Sea Demons in the cave is at its lowest and finish this quickly."

The plan of attack was quickly decided.

The five Golden Core Cultivators split into two groups. The first group of three would charge into the passageway to clear out the Low Tier Sea Demons at the entrance and draw the attention of the Tier Three ones. The second group of two would provide support from the rear while also protecting the Foundation Establishment Cultivators as they followed.

Li Yuan was assigned to the first group.

"Li Dao You, the passageway at the entrance is very narrow, making it difficult to cast Magic," Fang Hai reminded him. "Once the Low Tier Sea Demons inside start pouring out from their caves, the sheer number will be terrifying."

Li Yuan nodded but didn’t say anything more.

’A narrow passageway is indeed a hindrance for most forms of Magic, but for sound-based Magic, it’s the exact opposite.’

At the Late-stage Golden Core elder’s command, the three Golden Core Cultivators charged into the cave entrance simultaneously.

Li Yuan was at the very front.

The inner walls of the passageway were slick and slippery, and the water formed strong currents in the confined space. The moment they entered the passage, the first wave of Sea Demons surged from the honeycomb-like caves on either side.

A dozen or so smaller shark-demons shot out from the caves on the left and right, baring their sharp teeth as they lunged straight for Li Yuan.

Li Yuan raised his right hand, his Spiritual Power vibrating against his meridian walls.

Tide Sound Skill.

A low hum erupted from within his body.

The way the sound waves propagated through the passageway was completely different from in the open sea. The narrow rock walls acted like a natural resonance chamber, reflecting, stacking, and amplifying the waves over and over.

The sixty-percent boost to Tidal Sound Pierce’s penetration and range was now stacked on top of the passageway’s amplification effect.

The results far exceeded his expectations.

Under the direct impact of the sound waves, the first wave of a dozen-odd shark-demons didn’t even have a chance to struggle. Their bodies were sent tumbling backward from the force, crashing into the rock walls before going limp.

The sound waves continued to spread deeper into the passageway.

A chaotic cacophony of shrieks and collisions erupted from the caves deeper within. Large numbers of Sea Demons, who had been preparing to surge out, were struck by the sound waves, their formations instantly collapsing. Some were knocked unconscious on the spot, while others were so disoriented that they lost their bearings and crashed into one another inside their lairs.

Li Yuan didn’t stop. He pressed forward, continuously releasing sound waves.

By the time he reached the end of the passageway, he had repelled or injured over forty Low Tier Sea Demons with the sound waves.

The system panel popped up.

[Tidal Sound Pierce (Blue) Growth Progress: 15→55/100]

The progress had jumped forty points in one go. The passageway’s structure had amplified the sound waves severalfold, allowing each pulse to hit a massive number of targets and causing the growth progress to accumulate at an incredible rate.

At the end of the passageway, the full expanse of the cavern unfolded before him.

It was an incredibly vast underwater cavern with a ceiling dozens of zhang high. The walls were studded with glowing deep-sea minerals that bathed the entire space in a dim, eerie light. Dense reef formations filled the cavern, with bubbles constantly rising from the crevices between them.

The remaining Low Tier Sea Demons had been driven to the far end of the cavern by the sound waves. Huddled together, they let out panicked shrieks. Without their Tier Three leaders to command them, these Tier Two Sea Demons had completely lost all organization, left with nothing but instinctual fear.

Of the three Tier Three auras, two had vanished during the clearing of the passageway, most likely having escaped through other exits.

Only one remained.

Moreover, this aura was exceptionally powerful, far surpassing that of the armored crab demon he had killed earlier.

Tier Three Top Grade.

From a massive reef formation in the deepest part of the cavern, a Sea Demon of astounding size slowly emerged.

It was a giant sea serpent, entirely ink-blue. Over fifteen zhang long, the Scales on its body resembled polished black iron, glinting with a cold, metallic luster in the faint mineral light.