Chapter 499 - 454: Great Battle

Chapter 499: Chapter 454: Great Battle

"They didn’t fight?"

At the window, Chu Mu watched as streaks of light returned to the islands, a hint of surprise on his face.

With a confrontation of that magnitude, he had expected a battle between Nascent Soul Great Powers. He’d even hoped to use the opportunity to witness the Divine Power of such experts.

’It’s a good thing, I suppose...’

Chu Mu shook his head, the unease in his heart finally settling.

The fact that a Nascent Soul battle hadn’t broken out meant the current conflict was still within the tacit understanding of both sides. The chance of it spiraling completely out of control was evidently small.

Chu Mu glanced at the night sky again. As he was lost in thought, a palm-sized paper crane materialized in the darkness, hovering just outside the tower’s Array Prohibition.

As the paper crane flapped its wings, a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Power touched the tower’s Array Prohibition, sending ripples across its surface.

Chu Mu paused for a moment. With a wave of his hand, the Array Prohibition dissipated. The paper crane dissolved, and a voice sounded by his ear.

"Fellow Daoist, I would like to request a moment of your time!"

Chu Mu frowned. Peering through the dazzling night sky, he looked toward the source of the voice. Several hundred yards away, atop the roof of a three-story pavilion, a man in black robes was looking in his direction.

Their eyes met. The man offered a gentle smile. Chu Mu’s eyes flickered, and he nodded in acknowledgment.

Chu Mu leaped into the air, soaring across the night sky, and finally landed on the roof of that very same pavilion.

"I am He Fengshan of the Phoenix Mountain Alliance. I have long heard of your reputation, Fellow Daoist. Seeing you here today, I took the liberty of extending an invitation. I hope you don’t mind."

He Fengshan cupped his hands in greeting. With a sweep of his sleeve, the ridged rooftop transformed into a flat platform, complete with a table, chairs, and Spirit Wine, all neatly arranged.

Chu Mu smiled. "I may have only recently entered the Golden Core Realm, but I have certainly heard much about the fame of your prohibition-breaking Spiritual Gaze, Fellow Daoist."

"Hahaha, compared to your Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency, Fellow Daoist, my humble reputation is truly not worth mentioning."

He Fengshan shook his head repeatedly. After the exchange of pleasantries, he gestured with his hand.

"Fellow Daoist, please."

"As far as I know, there should be another Daoist stationed here on Earth Demon Island, correct?"

Chu Mu took the wine cup from He Fengshan, taking the initiative to steer the conversation.

"Daoist Rakshasa left the island some days ago and has yet to return. I imagine he must be attending to some urgent matter."

As he spoke, He Fengshan looked out at the overwhelming, tsunami-like Beast Tide beyond the island and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "These past few days, I’ve been guarding this fringe island all by myself. I’ve been trembling in my boots, terrified of the slightest mistake."

Chu Mu smiled. As he poured and drank by himself, he glanced at the sea and islands, now stained with blood, and his expression grew more solemn.

Spear versus shield—which is stronger? In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, this was a question with no easy answer.

Take the current Beast Tide, for example. The Demon Beasts’ Attack was overwhelming, yet the Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends Formation stood tall and majestic, as steady as a mountain.

In fact, this near-natural Grand Array was undoubtedly a shield with an invincible Defense.

However, no matter how strong the Defense, one fact was very clear.

This Defense originated from the power of the Grand Array, and the source of the Grand Array’s power was the Earth Vein it was built upon.

And the power that the Earth Vein could supply to the Grand Array obviously had a limit.

If the external attacks exceeded this limit, no matter how profound the Grand Array or how strong its Defense, it would become a spring without a source. It would inevitably be worn down until the Grand Array was completely breached.

Therefore, while the Demon Suppression Islands stood here to resist the Demon Beast invasion—a defensive posture—they could never afford to simply turtle up and defend.

If they truly focused solely on hunkering down, this Grand Array, despite its powerful Defense, would slowly be worn away by the overwhelming Beast Tide.

Thus, if the Beast Tide’s assault became too ferocious, the Cultivators stationed here had to leave the protection of the Array Prohibition and fight the Beast Tide head-on. This would alleviate the pressure on the Grand Array and prevent it from being completely depleted. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Although the rewards for being stationed here were generous, it was undoubtedly a job where you put your life on the line.

Faced with such a turbulent Beast Tide, even a Golden Core Realm expert probably couldn’t guarantee they would escape unscathed.

Chu Mu glanced at the worried expression on He Fengshan’s face. His eyes shifted slightly, and he understood.

’The reason for this invitation is undoubtedly clear.’

"I am on my own and my strength is limited. If a powerful enemy appears later and I am no match for it, I hope you will lend a hand, Fellow Daoist."

He Fengshan didn’t beat around the bush. After downing a cup of Spirit Wine, he got straight to the point.

Chu Mu was silent for a moment. He currently didn’t hold a garrison post. Instead, he had a sinecure on Celestial Secret Island managing Soldier Puppets—a logistics role.

Even if this island fell, he could just flee, and absolutely no one could fault him for it.

Of course, as long as the battle didn’t spiral out of control, he naturally wouldn’t flee.

After all, every part of a Demon Beast was a treasure. A controllable battle like this was far safer than him heading out to sea alone to hunt for Demon Beasts.

"I’ve heard you are collecting Tier Three Demon Souls, Fellow Daoist. This is the Demon Soul of a Tier Three Early Stage Sharp Feather Beast that I acquired a few days ago. If you are willing to help, please accept this Demon Soul as payment for your assistance."

He Fengshan passed a dark gray Wooden Box over, pushing it in front of Chu Mu.

Chu Mu glanced at the Wooden Box and offered a warm smile. "If it is within my abilities, I will certainly not refuse."

"Then I must thank you in advance, Fellow Daoist."

He Fengshan raised his wine cup, seemingly relieved of a great burden.

Then, He Fengshan changed the subject. "I was recently fortunate enough to acquire several Tier Three Demon Pills. Might I ask you to refine them into Formed Pills, Fellow Daoist?"

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised.

His Artifact Refining Skill was famous, but he had yet to truly display his Alchemy Skill at the Golden Core Realm.

The talk of his "Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency" was merely a compliment based on his past reputation.

In recent days, many Daoists had asked him to perform Artifact Refining, but this He Fengshan was the very first to ask him to perform Alchemy.

After all, the so-called Golden Core was the product of the initial fusion of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. A Demon Beast’s Tier Three Demon Pill was naturally the result of a similar transformation.

The only difference was that a Demon Beast’s "Golden Core" began to condense at Tier Two, and its goal was not Breaking the Core to Form the Infant, but rather the pure path of the Demon Pill.

Compared to a Tier Two Demon Pill, a Tier Three Demon Pill contained a much deeper fusion of the Demon Beast’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Therefore, refining a Tier Three Demon Pill into a Formed Pill represented a quantum leap in alchemical difficulty.

This was especially true for refining a Flawless Pill, as the influence of the Demon Beast’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit made the process even more difficult.

Even in the current Merit Treasure Vault of the Demon Suppression Islands, only a tiny fraction of the Tier Three Elixirs were Flawless Pills. The vast majority were Elixirs from which the Demon Beast’s influence could not be completely removed.

Due to these negative effects, after taking such an Elixir, one naturally had to spend a considerable amount of time dispelling its influence to prevent it from spreading.

As such, before he revealed his Tier Three Alchemy Skill, it was clearly difficult for anyone to have confidence in his Alchemy abilities, despite his so-called "Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency."

"Your Artifact Refining Skill is worthy of a grandmaster, unparalleled in the Vast Sea. Since you are known for Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency, I imagine your Alchemy Skill must also be quite extraordinary," He Fengshan explained.

"Hahaha..."

Chu Mu let out a hearty laugh and nodded. "Since you have such faith in me, Fellow Daoist, then leave the Alchemy to me."

"I am quite confident I can produce a mere Flawless Pill."

Hearing this, He Fengshan’s eyes lit up. He took out a Storage Talisman and handed it to Chu Mu.

"After this matter is settled, you may come to Celestial Secret Island in one month to retrieve the Pills, Fellow Daoist."

Chu Mu accepted the Storage Talisman, swept it with his Divine Sense, and tucked it away.

After their conversation, the two seemed to have become more familiar with each other.

On the island below, blood stained the ground as countless Cultivators fought to the death. Yet on the pavilion roof, the two men leisurely exchanged toasts, letting out hearty laughs from time to time.

This leisurely atmosphere was not broken until the sun began to rise and the first Tier Three Demon Beast appeared.

He Fengshan leaped into the air, hovering in the sky as he issued a series of commands. The brilliant lights on the island flickered momentarily. At the island’s edge, legions of Puppet Battle Armor that had long been lying in wait charged out from the protection of the Array Prohibition with thunderous roars, spurred on by the heart-pounding beat of war drums.

On the island, dozens of Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had already assembled followed close behind, rushing out from the safety of the Array Prohibition.

At that moment, it wasn’t just Earth Demon Island; the surrounding islands all seemed to have received the same command.

Legions of fully armed Cultivators, amidst the rumbling of war drums, charged out from the protection of the Array Prohibition and crashed headlong into the still-overwhelming Beast Tide.

The heaven-shaking collision instantly erupted in a torrent of gore. Dazzling lights extended from within the islands out into the surrounding sea.

Stretching for a thousand li, the area transformed into an Asura Battlefield in the span of just a few breaths.

In the sky, Golden Core True Masters battled Tier Three Demon Beasts. On the sea, legions of Low Tier Cultivators, as well as Foundation Establishment Cultivators fighting alone or in small groups of two or three, clashed with the overwhelming Low Tier Demon Beasts...

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