"Who would have thought that after all these years, Zuoqiu Laoer remains as soft-hearted as ever, nearly causing a major mishap with his kindness."
At that moment, another ethereal voice suddenly emerged. The crowd turned in surprise and delight to pay their respects, only to see the leaders of No Moon Court, Guiyuan and Jingyuan, arriving on the wind. Two out of No Moon Court's four leaders had come, a clear indication of their seriousness.
Zhong Nan Jun nodded and said, "Back then, the incident with the single Earth Spirit Root disciple caused quite a stir. Countless eyes were fixed on Jiang Li Fei. If not for Zuo Qiu's intervention, she wouldn't have remained free until today. Ah, I've never understood him—he refuses to explain even when asked."
Jiang Li Fei's constitution was full of peculiarities, yet she had managed to live peacefully in the Academy and No Moon Court for six or seven years. Could it be that the Celestials who knew of her anomalies harbored no curiosity at all? When the founders of the Academy received the letter from No Moon Court, they were all shocked. They went to question Zuo Qiu, but he merely sighed and said, "In my eyes, she is just a little girl. It's unnecessary, and I cannot bear it."
Such words were truly misguided. She was an anomaly from beyond the seas, absorbing the spiritual energy of Celestials, with an unusual Spirit Root attribute and an innate ability to terrify monstrous creatures. If even one of these traits were fully understood by the Central Land Immortals, the cultivation world would be thrown into turmoil. From the moment her identity was exposed, Jiang Li Fei could no longer be considered an ordinary person—she had become a coveted treasure and an enigma.
As they spoke, many more Celestials arrived belatedly. Cui Xuan Xianren and the others had also returned to the Eastern Sea with Baili Gelin and her companions. Seeing that the leaders of various Mountain Sects had gathered, Shen Xiansheng was both pleasantly surprised and somewhat alarmed. These reclusive leaders had assembled here—was it for the Sea Fall, or simply for the Yaksa and Jiang Li Fei?
Lu Li held Baili Gelin in his arms; she lay motionless, as if asleep or unconscious. Shen Xiansheng stepped forward and lightly pressed his hand to her forehead, only to realize that someone had cast an Immortal Technique to induce sleep. Displeased, he immediately asked, "What happened to her?"
Lu Li recounted the events at the Yingwang residence in detail—how Ye Ye and Baili Changyue might have been killed, and how Baili Gelin had been emotionally unstable throughout the journey, leading Cui Xuan Xianren to cast the sleep-inducing technique. Nearby, Elder Han of the Earth Treasury Gate, who had accompanied the leaders, frowned and turned a frosty gaze toward Wuzheng Zi, the deputy leader of Star Rectitude Hall, his voice laced with icy fury: "That young lord seems to be a disciple of Star Rectitude Hall? Star Rectitude Hall truly produces remarkable talents!"
Ye Ye and Baili Changyue were among the most outstanding young disciples recently recruited by the Earth Treasury Gate, especially Baili Changyue, whose single-minded dedication and brilliance in cultivation had earned her the favor of the sect's elders. For both of them to be killed by Ji Tongzhou—and in front of so many witnesses—left the Earth Treasury Gate unable to make a scene, though they glared resentfully at the Star Rectitude Hall delegation.
Before Wuzheng Zi could respond, the man beside him, Wuzheng Zi, clasped his hands and said, "My disciple has been emotionally unstable lately and may have clashed with your sect's disciples. But killing? That is unlikely, especially given their long-standing friendship. Since no one witnessed it firsthand, I ask everyone to remain calm."
Elder Han of the Earth Treasury Gate let out a dry laugh. "We are all aware of Long Mingzuo's ambush on Elder Xuan Shan. With the loss of Yue Kingdom's backing, your esteemed disciple must be more than just 'unstable,' no? Wuzheng Zi, even if it offends you, I must say this—your disciple is far too obsessed with worldly gains. For a cultivation disciple to immerse himself in secular power before achieving any real mastery is hardly a good thing!"Wuzheng Zi said indifferently, "The pursuit of gain and loss is also a mindset for cultivation. Losing the heart for cultivation is even more absurd. What does Elder Han think?"
Elder Han was instantly enraged. Baili Changyue was a disciple he cherished deeply, and it was almost certain she had met a tragic end at Ji Tongzhou's hands. Yet the other's master still spoke with such sharp words—how could he swallow this anger!
Just as he was about to rebuke harshly, a deafening thunderclap erupted from the far distance. Blood-red lightning engulfed the entire Eastern Sea, and the ink-black sea and sky seemed to burn with celestial fire, tinged with crimson. Three bolts of Heavenly Thunder struck consecutively, shaking heaven and earth, their force so immense that even these profound Celestials felt their hearts might shatter.
Scattered pockets of formidable Demon Qi frantically gathered together, fleeing the Heavenly Thunder's range at all costs and rushing toward them. Sang Hua Jun closed his eyes to sense the overwhelming Demon Qi in the distance and suddenly said, "Shen Xiansheng, since the Ocean Sect possesses the Demon Taming Art, can these Great Demons and Ferocious Beasts be subdued for our use?"
Shen Xiansheng silently shook his head. "There is no way."
The Ocean Sect's Demon Taming Art originated from overseas and, after millennia of evolution, had developed its own system. To tame a Demon, one had to begin during its weak and chaotic infancy, nurturing it with one's own Spiritual energy. Only if the master was strong could the Demon grow. For Demons that had developed intelligence or those exceptionally powerful Ferocious Beasts, there was no method of taming—only forceful extermination.
Shen Hua Jun sighed. "In that case, we must eradicate them all. Not a single one can be left behind, lest that foreign woman manipulates them for her own use, creating endless trouble."
The elders and Celestials of the Mountain and Ocean Sects had already surged forward. The Spiritual Qi Net around the Eastern Sea had been laid out in recent days, as impenetrable as an iron dome—not even a small insect could pass through easily. The horde of Demons was trapped near the first Aura Wall, howling incessantly as they clashed chaotically with the Celestials.
Perhaps driven by fear of the Heavenly Thunder, they were a hundred times more ferocious than usual. Seeing the first Aura Wall on the verge of shattering, Sang Hua Jun threw out the Twin Swords of Fate. The pair of gleaming swords transformed midair into a white-haired man with a cold, stern expression, darting fearlessly through the horde of Demons with unmatched bravery.
The Twin Swords of Fate were Sang Hua Jun's most prized Divine Weapon, unmatched even by ordinary elders and Celestials. Moreover, their unique nature ensured wounds inflicted by them would never heal. As they struck, the Demons' assault on the Aura Wall momentarily slowed.
Sang Hua Jun surveyed the layout of the Spiritual Qi Net and shook his head. "No, it's not enough. After five Heavenly Thunder strikes, these nets will shatter. And beyond that, there are the Yaksa, the Sea of Flames, and then the Otherkin swarming in—leave the Demonic Beasts to the juniors. We must immediately reinforce the Spiritual Qi Net!"
While the elder Celestials fought the Demons at the front, the sect leaders worked to lay out the Spiritual Qi Net behind them. Distant thunder roared, then fell silent. The sticky sea wind carried thick hail and snowflakes, battering everyone. The sky above the Eastern Sea seemed to hide countless celestial fires within its swirling, burning clouds.
Suddenly, another bolt of Heavenly Thunder struck, its sound indicating it had drawn several miles closer. Lu Li and Lan Ya were shaken so violently they could no longer stand, as if an invisible force pressed down on them. Their heads throbbed, their bodies unable to bear the strain, and their hearts pounded so fiercely it felt like they might burst from their chests. They collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.Baili Gelin was still unconscious, held tightly by Lu Li, when blood began to gush from her nose. Lan Ya, standing nearby, cried out in alarm, "Blood! I'm bleeding?!"
Only then did Lu Li realize that his own nose was also bleeding profusely, staining his chest red. The oppressive force of the Heavenly Thunder weighed heavily on the three young disciples, whose cultivation was still shallow. Within moments, not only were their noses bleeding, but blood also began to seep from their ears.
Cuixuan Xianren swiftly erected a Water-Earth Barrier around the trio and said gravely, "Do not leave the Barrier for even a step. The Heavenly Thunder will only draw nearer!"
The Heavenly Thunder had yet to reach the shore, but even from hundreds of miles away, its terror was palpable. If it were to strike directly overhead, thousands of miles of land would likely be reduced to scorched earth in an instant. Five hundred years ago, the Heavenly Thunder had not arrived with such ferocity or overwhelming power. The Spiritual Qi Net laid out earlier was far from sufficient. If this continued, chaos would ensue when the Otherkin of the Fire Sea arrived. And if Jiang Li Fei and the Yaksa took the opportunity to ambush or escape, all their efforts would be in vain.
As Cuixuan Xianren fretted silently, a series of deafening thunderclaps erupted, unending, like the footsteps of a giant drawing near. The crimson lightning seemed to strike at the hearts of everyone, tightening their chests with fear. Far beyond, thousands of miles away in the Eastern Sea, the waters rose silently to towering heights, forming a pitch-black wall that spanned the horizon. A tremendous force pulled at their bodies, dragging them relentlessly toward the sea.
The towering wall of water receded rapidly, retreating dozens of miles in the blink of an eye, revealing the dry, abyssal trenches of the seabed—the waters were being swallowed by Guixu at an alarming rate. Many inexperienced elder Celestials couldn't withstand the terrifying pull, screaming as they were flung backward like insects, crashing violently into the Spiritual Qi Net. The remaining swarms of Demons, not yet fully eradicated, were also dragged into the towering wall of water.
In this once-in-five-centuries cataclysm, even those with heaven-defying abilities were no different from ants. Yet, no one would simply close their eyes and await death. For years, cultivators had defied the heavens, resisting the laws of aging, sickness, and death, challenging the cycle of life and rebirth. Cultivation was, in essence, a rebellion. Perhaps the Heavenly Thunder and Fire Sea of the Sea Fall were divine retribution?
The usually aloof and reclusive Celestials were no longer silent. Like ordinary people, they shouted and flailed about, panicked yet swift as they reinforced the nearly shattered first Aura Wall. At that moment, the intensifying roar of the Heavenly Thunder drew closer, as if a colossal deity had stepped before them. The world darkened, so pitch-black that one couldn't see their own hand. Only the churning, intertwined red and black thunderclouds overhead remained visible.
The crimson lightning illuminated the dark world in an instant as the first Heavenly Thunder struck the densely woven Spiritual Qi Net above. The three young disciples inside the Water-Earth Barrier were tossed about like beans in a frying pan, colliding violently within the Barrier until their heads were bloodied.
Three consecutive Heavenly Thunders struck, shaking the earth to its core. No Celestial dared to scream or run now—even if they did, no one could hear them. Whether it was their first time witnessing the Heavenly Thunder or not, everyone instinctively fell silent, pouring every ounce of their Spiritual energy into the Net, praying it wouldn't shatter under the onslaught.After three strikes of Heavenly Thunder, the thunderclouds suddenly retreated with earth-shaking might, gathering once more above the dried-up trench of the Eastern Sea. All the Celestials who had experienced the Sea Fall five hundred years ago were stunned. Cuixuan Xianren turned to Sang Hua Jun and urgently asked, "Senior Sang Hua, this..."
Even Sang Hua Jun's usually impassive face finally showed a trace of astonishment: "Not even I have seen such a thing before..."
How could the Heavenly Thunder retreat? He had lived through two Sea Falls, and each time, the Heavenly Thunder had taken half a month to strike the shore, obstructed and weakened along the way by the Celestials' Spiritual Qi Net. Eventually, its force was blocked near Yangxi City, and the thunderclouds would disperse. Then came the sea of flames, which was also held back by the Spiritual Qi Net, minimizing the disaster's impact on the major cities. After the flames died down, countless Overseas Foreigners would surge forth.
The shortest interval lasted several months, while the longest dragged on for two years—plenty of time for the Celestials to make all necessary preparations. But what was happening with this Sea Fall?
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