Baili Gelin whispered, "For the past five years, we've only practiced the basic Five Elements Immortal Techniques daily, spending the rest of our time mastering demon-taming methods. Essentially, it's about making them fear you, preventing them from harming you, and willingly obeying your commands. Look, the demon beasts we raise don't emit demon qi—they cultivate using the spiritual energy from us. So the stronger we become, the stronger they grow."
Li Fei suddenly had a startling thought—could she also make monstrous creatures fear her and not dare to defy her?
"They say this method was passed down from overseas, but who knows? Every Ocean Sect here claims to have mysterious cultivation techniques from overseas. Who can say what's true? I don't believe there's any real overseas."
No, it does exist.
Li Fei fell silent. She herself was likely from the overseas Thousands of Continents and Myriad Islands. The existence of overseas had always been treated as a legend, yet here she stood—no mere myth. Unlike the Ocean Sect, she didn’t need training to make monstrous creatures fear and submit; her very nature made them tremble.
"Where there's smoke, there's fire. The legends of overseas have persisted for millennia—there must be a reason," Lei Xiuyuan suddenly interjected. "Overseas must exist."
Baili Gelin shrugged. "If I can't see it, I won't believe it."
Lu Li suddenly spoke up, "Friends from the Mountain Sect, have you heard of the Sea Fall?"
Sea Fall? Li Fei felt the term was vaguely familiar—had she heard it somewhere before?
Lei Xiuyuan pondered before replying, "I recall Master mentioning it in passing. It seems that every five hundred years, a Sea Fall occurs—the waters of the four seas pour into Guixu, connecting the Central Land with the lands beyond the seas, allowing passage overseas."
Guixu? Wasn’t that also a legend? These were things only found in myths, things few truly believed. But Lei Xiuyuan’s master was none other than the Celestial Guangwei—he wouldn’t spout nonsense for no reason. Could Guixu and overseas truly exist?
"Five hundred years isn’t that long—why haven’t the elders mentioned it?" Baili Gelin was also puzzled. "Could overseas really exist? If there’s another Sea Fall, I’m going overseas to see for myself!"
"Hmph, fool. Want to go overseas? The heavenly thunder and earthly fire will strike and burn you to death—a hundred deaths wouldn’t be enough for that journey!"
Ri Yan’s hoarse voice suddenly rang in her ear. Li Fei jolted in surprise and quickly turned, whispering as softly as possible, "Why are you appearing now? I can’t talk to you!"
"Who wants to talk to a fool like you?"
Ri Yan flicked his tail. His massive form hovered above the Centipede demon, dwarfing it entirely. He glanced around, and for once, a rare trace of nostalgia flashed in his eyes. "This is the Eastern Sea? A fine place."
Li Fei didn’t disturb the fox as he reminisced—she had nearly forgotten that he was known as the "Nine-tailed Spirit Fox" at the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly! Perhaps he had some pleasant history with the Ocean Sect’s Immortals here.Lu Li said gently, "Since you've heard of it, that makes things easier. I've heard that only when the Sea Fall descends and the waters enter Guixu can people from the Central Land reach the overseas regions. Normally, the four seas are separated and extremely perilous—no matter how powerful an immortal is, they cannot fly across. Our sect has a thousand-year-old immortal who long surpassed the elders, and he once mentioned the Sea Fall. In his youth, driven by ambition, he attempted to traverse the Eastern Sea by sword flying. After ten days and nights, he encountered heavenly thunder strikes, earthly fires, and countless ferocious monstrous creatures and beasts circling the skies. Had he not retreated swiftly, he would have perished on the spot. The two immortals who accompanied him that day both met their ends in the Eastern Sea and never returned."
Baili Gelin was deeply skeptical. "Really? How come I've never heard of this? Who's this thousand-year-old immortal you're talking about? There are several at the Myriad Immortals Assembly!"
Lu Li seemed to ignore her doubts and continued, "I've heard the descent of the Sea Fall is a great calamity, causing anxiety for both the Mountain and Ocean Sects. Now, the two sects are even considering collaboration. It seems the five-hundred-year cycle of the Sea Fall is approaching, and our two sects must unite to resist the threat."
Ri Yan sneered at his words. "Fools! You can't even walk properly—what does the Sea Fall have to do with you?"
Baili Gelin pressed on, "The Sea Fall is a disaster? When will it come? Senior Brother Lu, do you know?"
Ri Yan rolled his eyes. "Idiot! Five years have passed, and you haven't improved at all! Instead of worrying about the Sea Fall, worry about your own romantic tribulations!"
Li Fei glanced helplessly at the fox, who scoffed a few times before suddenly leaping up and hovering high in the air, gazing at the distant sea. Lost in thought, he fell silent.
Lu Li remained stubbornly unwilling to speak to Baili Gelin, continuing to pretend he hadn't heard her questions. Lei Xiuyuan remarked coolly, "The Sea Fall troubles even the immortals—what does it have to do with us? Worrying is pointless. Better to focus on cultivation."
"Hmph! That brat finally said something sensible!" Ri Yan tossed down another comment from his lofty perch.
As the others eagerly discussed the legendary Sea Fall and the lands beyond the seas, Li Fei felt a mix of emotions. The descent of the Sea Fall, connecting the four seas, was a great calamity. Did that mean the Otherkin from the Thousands of Islands overseas would invade the Central Land? What would she do then? The Outlander Tomb sealed in Chestnut Blaze Valley—were those the remains of Otherkin who died at the hands of Central Plains Immortals during a past Sea Fall? Why were they sealed away? Kept as trophies?
And then there was Master... He claimed he had found her in a river, but wasn’t that just a lie? The senior brother said he was a renowned immortal. Had he crossed the seas to bring her from overseas to the Central Land? With so many powerful immortals in the immortal sects, and the founders of the academy all being extraordinary talents, none of them could traverse the four seas. How had Master done it? Who was he, really?
Her hand was suddenly squeezed twice. Li Fei looked up to meet Lei Xiuyuan's eyes. He smiled faintly and whispered, "The monsters obediently offered Demon Vermilion Fruits to the Bandit Queen. Aren’t you happy?"
Li Fei couldn’t help but laugh. Earlier, the monsters had fled at the mere rumor of their approach, leaving Lei Xiuyuan without a chance to unleash his Supreme Harmony Art. Later, when the monsters dropped the fruits right in front of them, he had teased her as the Bandit Queen, descending to plunder the spoils."Last time at the academy, was the Demon Vermilion Fruit also given by monsters?" Lei Xiuyuan asked softly.
Li Fei nodded silently.
He immediately smiled but suppressed it quickly, murmuring, "So you've been a little queen since childhood."
This guy was really annoying, always teasing her when she was deep in thought! Li Fei pinched his hand hard, only to be suddenly intercepted by Baili Gelin, who hooked her arm with a mischievous grin. "I saw that! Li Fei, what were you whispering about with Lei Xiuyuan? I've noticed something fishy between you two for a while now! Spill it—what happened these past five years?"
"Nothing at all!" Li Fei flusteredly denied. "Stop making things up!"
As if Baili Gelin would believe that—her sharp eyes missed nothing!
"Lei Xiuyuan, you tell me," Gelin said with a playful smile, turning to him. "What's your relationship with Li Fei?"
She was stirring up trouble again! Li Fei scrambled to pull her away, but Baili Gelin dodged nimbly, winking at Lei Xiuyuan. "Go on, speak freely!"
Lei Xiuyuan gave her an amused look and was about to respond when a massive leopard demon suddenly came rushing from afar. On its back sat a female disciple covered in bloodstains. Spotting two Sea Sect disciples, her eyes lit up, and she cried hoarsely, "Help! Save me! Those Mountain Sect bastards are trying to steal the Demon Vermilion Fruit!"
Everyone was slightly startled. Seeing her drenched in blood, Li Fei immediately cast a Healing Net over her. Recognizing Li Fei's Mountain Sect attire, the girl snapped angrily, "Who needs your fake kindness, you scoundrels! Friends from the Sea Sect, listen to me! Don’t team up with Mountain Sect thieves! They’ll kick you out after getting the Demon Vermilion Fruit! My senior sister and I teamed up with four Mountain Sect disciples, but after obtaining the fruit, they attacked us! We barely escaped, but now we’re separated. Please help me!"
How could such a thing happen? Li Fei found it unbelievable.
The girl suddenly fainted mid-sentence. Lu Li carried her onto his mount, and the group examined her wounds—fortunately, they were only superficial, likely from Supreme Harmony Art slashes. Under the Healing Net, the injuries quickly closed.
Baili Gelin observed that the girl was around twenty, tall and athletic, with dark skin but striking features. Black patterns adorned her forehead, and she wore a short-sleeved outfit. "She’s from the Wenji Assembly," Gelin whispered. "An Immortal Sect as renowned as the Myriad Immortals Assembly here in the Eastern Sea."
The group fell silent. If this got out, the purpose of the Mountain-Sea Gathering would be ruined, possibly sparking conflicts.
The girl regained consciousness just as quickly as she’d fainted. Seeing the four staring at her, she burst into tears. "I never thought Mountain Sect disciples could be so despicable!"
Baili Gelin patted her shoulder gently. "What’s your name?"
"I’m Yan Fei, a disciple of the Eastern Sea Wenji Assembly."
So it was the Wenji Assembly!
Just as Lu Li was about to speak, four male disciples came chasing on clouds. Spotting the Sea Sect girl, one of them shouted furiously, "Hand over the Demon Vermilion Fruit!" and raised his hand to cast an Immortal Technique.
Lu Li summoned his toad demon to block them, his voice icy. "What’s the meaning of this? Trying to incite conflict between the Mountain and Sea Sects?"The four male disciples glanced at him, then noticed two Mountain Sect disciples opposite them and immediately sneered contemptuously: "Just hand over the Demon Vermilion Fruit, and we'll leave peacefully! Since you can control monstrous creatures, go find another one yourself!"
Seeing their despicable expressions, Li Fei felt a surge of anger—how could the Mountain Sect truly have such scum!
Lu Li said quietly, "This trial is meant to foster cooperation between the Mountain and Ocean Sects. Aren't you afraid of sowing enmity with such actions?"
One of the male disciples scoffed, "Cooperation? What nonsense are you spouting! Your own elders said we could seize them by force!"
Lei Xiuyuan studied the four male disciples for a moment before suddenly focusing on one of them. "You... weren't you Ji Tongzhou's lackey?"
The man's face flushed red and then paled. He naturally recognized Lei Xiuyuan now, but he never expected that after five years, this person could still remember he had once served as the prince's lackey—and even dared to say it aloud in front of so many people. The humiliation was unbearable.
Lei Xiuyuan then glanced at their disciple uniforms and nodded in understanding. "Long Mingzuo's people. No wonder."
A Long Mingzuo disciple said coldly, "What, do you also want to butt in and steal the Demon Vermilion Fruit?"
"Exactly."
In a flash of golden light, Lei Xiuyuan moved faster than anyone could react. The four only felt a gust of wind pass by before the golden light darted back. Lei Xiuyuan now held a Demon Vermilion Fruit between his fingers, shaking it lightly. "Stolen from her senior sister, wasn't it?"
The Long Mingzuo disciples paled in shock. The situation was unfavorable—their opponents also numbered four, and this man seemed extraordinarily skilled, moving so fast they couldn't even track him. If he had intended to kill rather than take the fruit, they'd already be dead. They immediately retreated, snarling, "Long Mingzuo will remember this grudge of stealing our Demon Vermilion Fruit!"
Baili Gelin was even angrier. "You should worry about Long Mingzuo making enemies with the entire Ocean Sect instead! You're ruining the Mountain Sect's reputation!"
As she spoke, Lei Xiuyuan tossed the Demon Vermilion Fruit to the Ocean Sect female disciple, Yan Fei. She was utterly stunned, her wide eyes fixed on him in disbelief.
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