The towering waves of flames crashed against the densely erected Aura Walls lining the Eastern Sea coast, forcibly confined within this small Myriad Immortals Assembly town—the terrain depression closest to the Eastern Sea. In the blink of an eye, several Aura Walls silently shattered under the assault of the fire sea, sweeping away those Celestials who stood too close to evade. By the time others attempted rescue, it was already too late.
Yet the sudden mass deaths left no room for fear. The damaged Aura Walls were immediately reconstructed. As the fire sea rose higher, the Celestials could only continue generously releasing their spiritual energy, stacking the walls section by section, striving to contain the endless inferno within this prison-like space.
The wind-carried embers nearly melted them. Though flourishing aquatic spiritual energy enveloped the group in protection, Lu Li still caught the scent of his own hair and robes charring. Scanning his surroundings, he wondered if it was an illusion—the number of Celestials seemed far fewer than before. Even the two leaders of No Moon Court were nowhere to be seen. Had they all been consumed by the flames?
Cuixuan Xianren approached Star Rectitude Hall's deputy leader, Wuzhenzi, whispering a few words. After a moment's contemplation, Wuzhenzi replied, "Your concern is appreciated, Cuixuan Xianren. Though we came to the Eastern Sea personally for that foreign girl, this Sea Fall is unlike any before. None can predict when these flames will recede. If we all leave, how will the Aura Walls hold? Abandoning fundamentals for trivialities is meaningless."
After another hushed exchange, Wuzhenzi suddenly laughed in realization and immediately departed via sword flight.
Lu Li was utterly bewildered. The "foreign girl" they mentioned must be Jiang Li Fei. What did the sudden withdrawal of so many Celestials after the fire sea's arrival signify? Was this some prepared measure specifically against her?
He suddenly felt Cuixuan Xianren's gaze upon him. The old Celestial's drowsy eyes now gleamed sharply. Lu Li's throat constricted as if gripped by an invisible hand—he could breathe but couldn't utter a sound. Staring in horror at the elder who'd shown persistent obsession with Jiang Li Fei, he heard the aged voice calmly state: "I know you share deep ties with Jiang Li Fei. In this world, principles have hierarchies. Compared to survival, any fragile sentiment becomes insignificant. Though you see no Otherkin trapped within these flames, the Eastern Sea spans thousands of miles—its shores will inevitably be breached elsewhere. When you witness sect brothers, your Master, friends, cultivators known and unknown slaughtered by Otherkin, when you yourself face mortal peril—only then might you comprehend these greater principles. I've silenced you to prevent complications. Do not resent this."
As the words faded, a thin white streak like a meteor shot across the distant sky. Gasps of shock spread among the Celestials. Cuixuan Xianren smiled bitterly. "Speak of misfortune and it comes. See where the white light passed? No flames remain there. The Otherkin have broken through the Spiritual Qi Net. We're losing ground."
Soon, a clumsily fluttering paper crane arrived. With a wave of his arm, Sang Hua Jun caught it in his palm. The paper beak moved—enchanted with a message spell: "Three hundred miles west of Guangshenghui town. Two hundred Aura Walls breached. Heavy casualties. Situation critical. Reinforcements urgently needed."Before the white paper bird could finish speaking, another new paper bird swiftly flew in, and the voice transmission technique sounded once more: "The Grotto Barrier of the Guangshenghui has been breached and completely lost. A large number of Otherkin have flooded in. Beware of those white-haired men! The Ferocious beasts they control are extremely powerful! They fear neither water nor fire!"
The faces of every Celestial paled. The area within two thousand miles around the Guangshenghui was almost entirely guarded by the sect's Celestials. The breach of the Grotto Barrier meant the sect was practically destroyed—if even one high-ranking Celestial from the sect remained alive, the barrier could not have been broken. What were these white-haired men? Could they be Yaksa again? Although the Ocean Sect was skilled in Demon Manipulation, that was only within the Central Land—it couldn’t compare to the Overseas Foreigners. At the very least, Ferocious beasts that feared neither the water nor fire elements of the Five Elements power were unheard of.
Many Celestials were already restless, eager to rush to reinforce the defenses. Sang Hua Jun declared loudly, "This place must be secured with an Aura Wall to contain the sea of fire. We cannot afford to lose any more people, or the Aura Wall will collapse, and the fire will spread uncontrollably. The coastal areas will have other stationed Celestials for reinforcements. Do not lose focus—maintain the Aura Wall!"
The small city under the jurisdiction of the Myriad Immortals Assembly was the lowest-lying area along the Eastern Sea coast and had long been chosen as the best location to contain the sea of fire. Most of the Celestials stationed here were renowned figures from the Central Land, and even sect leaders who had come specifically for Jiang Li Fei remained here. Though the sea of fire was fierce, it was far easier to handle than the elusive Heavenly Thunder. The Aura Wall gradually contracted, confining the sea of fire within it. From a distance, it looked like a fiery dragon spanning the heavens and earth.
Shouzhong Xianren, flying high in the sky, observed for a moment before saying, "There are still four hundred miles of fire in the depths of the Eastern Sea. It will take ten more hours for all of it to reach the shore."
The moment the sea of fire fully reached the shore would be the most likely time for Jiang Li Fei and the Yaksa to appear. Ten hours would bring them to midnight tomorrow. It remained uncertain whether the coastal defenses could hold until then.
Suddenly, a third paper bird arrived, even faster than the previous two. The voice of a Celestial, laced with urgency and fear, exploded through the voice transmission technique: "The two-thousand-mile radius around the Guangshenghui has completely fallen! Beware of those Ferocious beasts! They are extremely tenacious!"
Sang Hua Jun frowned. It was rare for Ferocious beasts to be unafraid of the Five Elements power. Even the rhinoceros-like beasts only had formidable horns. In the world, only divine beasts were unafraid of the Five Elements—for example, the White Tiger was born of Metal Element Spiritual Energy, and the Azure Dragon was born of Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy. Immortal Techniques of their corresponding elements had no effect on them. But what kind of Ferocious beast feared neither water nor fire? He had a vague impression but couldn’t recall it at the moment.
From afar, eerie wails and howls suddenly echoed. A terrifying surge of Demon Qi seemed to crash down out of nowhere, pressing onto the shoulders of the Celestials like countless icy needles piercing their bones. Even Cuixuan Xianren couldn’t help but shudder, while Lu Li was nearly crushed by the Demon Qi to the point of vomiting blood. Fortunately, Shen Xiansheng immediately erected a Water-Earth Barrier for them, allowing the younger disciples to catch their breath.
The group felt the eerie wails growing closer, as if descending from high above. Looking up, they saw several enormous creatures crashing into the Aura Wall, seemingly unafraid of the scorching, terrifying heavenly flames within. Their sharp claws dug into the Aura Wall, emitting a series of bone-chilling, howling cries.Cuixuan Xianren saw that the creatures resembled monstrous serpents, each with nine heads, and his heart jolted in shock. He exclaimed, "These are the Nine Infants?! Such ferocious beasts truly exist in this world?!"
The Nine Infants were creatures of ancient legend, their nine heads capable of spewing both fire and water, impervious to the forces of flame and flood. Like the phoenix and the qilin—mythical beings spoken of but never seen—the Nine Infants had been mere symbols. Never had he imagined that Otherkin could actually command them.
Watching as the Nine Infants opened their massive jaws to clamp onto the Aura Wall, seemingly drawing in the raging celestial fire, his face paled in horror. He barked sharply, "Deploy the Spiritual Qi Net! Now!"
A dense web of spiritual energy instantly formed above their heads. At the same moment, the celestial fire spewed by the Nine Infants came crashing down. If allowed to continue absorbing and hurling the celestial flames, even the vast reserves of the Immortals would be swiftly depleted.
Sang Hua Jun was about to summon the disciples of Star Rectitude Hall to eliminate the Nine Infants first—given their abundance of Metal Spirit Root Celestials, they were best suited to counter the beasts. But suddenly, from afar, Cuixuan Xianren cried out in alarm, "Be on guard! They're coming!"
In the blink of an eye, dozens of figures darted into the crowd like lightning, moving with terrifying speed. Wherever they passed, Immortals screamed in agony—their defensive Immortal Techniques utterly useless. The attackers tore through flesh with bare hands, ripping limbs apart or gouging bloody holes in faces. Their speed and brutality reminded everyone of the two Yaksas from five hundred years ago.
Back then, just two Yaksas had sent the Central Land Immortals fleeing in terror. How many had come this time?! Could they even survive this?!
Cuixuan Xianren swept his sleeve, repelling an Otherkin lunging at him. He noticed that while these dozens of pale figures moved swiftly, they were far slower than the Yaksas. Moreover, each had snow-white hair and deathly pale skin—nothing like the radiant golden brilliance of the Yaksas. Immediately, he sent out a voice transmission: "They're not Yaksas! Do not fear!"
It was said that spiritual energy was scarce overseas, so the Five Elements Immortal Method was not widely practiced. The Otherkin were far stronger than Central Land cultivators, their bodies like tempered steel, preferring to close in and brawl—a stark contrast to the Central Land Immortals, who fought at a distance with magical combat.
Seeing two more Otherkin charging at him from front and back, Cuixuan Xianren roared, his body erupting in golden light. Before their hands could even touch him, the attackers disintegrated into bloody mist. The momentarily panicked Immortals soon realized that these dozens of pale Overseas Foreigners, though swift, were not as formidable as feared. Emboldened, they fought fiercely, turning the tide of battle in an instant.
Cuixuan Xianren seized one white-haired Otherkin and demanded sharply, "Order those Nine Infants to retreat at once!"
The Otherkin glared at him with savage defiance, then suddenly opened its mouth and shrieked a series of incomprehensible words. Instead of retreating, the Nine Infants clinging to the Aura Wall intensified their bombardment of celestial fire, nearly shattering the Spiritual Qi Net overhead.
Furious, Cuixuan Xianren flickered with golden light, reducing the Otherkin to shreds. But then, from the distance, came several more howls of unearthly cries—this time, seven or eight additional Nine Infants soared toward them, latching onto the Aura Wall and relentlessly drawing in celestial fire to hurl down.The tide of Overseas Foreigners surged from the east, howling words no one could understand, like a sharp blade cleaving through the Celestials stationed in the small town. Many were seeing these foreign beings for the first time—their densely packed ranks filled with grotesque forms of every kind. Some stood several zhang tall, others resembled fleshy spheres, some had three heads and six arms, while others were covered in fur. These human-shaped monsters gathered together were more terrifying than the ugliest of demons.
Cuixuan Xianren unleashed vast golden mist, shredding the bizarrely shaped Otherkin before him. Yet for every one that fell, ten more rushed forward, and when ten fell, twenty took their place—an endless tide. He turned hastily, seeing the surrounding Celestials each entangled in desperate battles with the Otherkin, leaving no room to maintain the shattered Spiritual Qi Net overhead. The nine-headed Ferocious beasts drew in heavenly fire, raining destruction below. The unbroken screams of agony echoed, and the horrors of five hundred years ago seemed to replay before his eyes. His wrists trembled uncontrollably.
Suddenly, a crisp whistle rang out high above, its melody strange and eerie. The nine-headed beasts clinging to the Aura Wall perked up their heads as if summoned by some unseen call.
A voice as light as the wind spoke calmly, "Go back!"
The Celestials immediately looked up to see Jiang Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan, long-awaited yet absent until now, appearing high above. She whistled that peculiar tune, and the nine-headed beasts reluctantly spread their wings, turning back toward the Eastern Sea in slow retreat.
Without a word, she herself swiftly flew past the flames trapped within the Aura Wall, heading straight for the Eastern Sea.
The sea of fire hadn’t even fully reached the shore, yet she emerged so effortlessly—and now sought to leave just as casually?! Sang Hua Jun suddenly raised a hand, summoning a massive black gate to block their path. Today, he would not let them escape so easily.
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