I am evergreen in the world of cultivating immortals

Chapter 508 Favorable Tidal Bore, Island-Suppressing Plans

Seven years later.

Neutral waters tens of thousands of miles away from the Luoxia Islands.

A flying boat several meters long glides across the sky above the sea, where torrential rain is pouring down and the waves are surging.

"Brother Feng, fly a little higher!"

"Lianmei, the wind pressure above is too strong; we can't fly higher."

On the flying boat, a young Foundation Establishment cultivator couple looked extremely tense, holding their breath and watching the sea below warily.

The weather in the sea area is severe, with hurricanes roaring and huge shadows looming beneath the surface.

Whoosh! Bang!
The sea surged and crashed, and ferocious, monstrous fish and sea beasts, several meters long, leaped out and attacked the flying boat where the Foundation Establishment Daoist couple was located.

The young man in blue robes, in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, piloted a flying boat while wielding a crystal-blue ice sword to slay the monstrous fish.

The woman in the green dress, in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, formed hand seals to reinforce the flying boat, applying a layer of green-patterned light shield.

Both of them were focused on the sea below and did not notice what was behind them in mid-air.

In the midst of a violent storm.

Several thick, long, barbed tentacles silently wrapped around the second-tier spirit boat from mid-air.

I felt the airship tremble slightly.

The female cultivator in the green dress subconsciously turned around and caught a glimpse of a ferocious, gray-blue sea monster out of the corner of her eye.

The monster opened its dozen or so fleshy pupils, the whites of which were large and densely packed, all staring at the female cultivator with a sinister and eerie gaze.

"what--"

The female cultivator in the green dress was in a state of mental confusion, screaming in madness and fear.

"What kind of monster is this..."

The young man in blue pine barely managed to calm himself and manipulated his blue crystal flying sword to unleash a huge, icy sword beam that cleaved directly at the multi-eyed monster.

However, the multi-eyed monster neither dodged nor flinched, its dozen or so pupils shooting out streaks of filthy black light.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Pfft!
The blue-robed youth's superior-grade magic sword was struck by the beam of light from the eye, its spiritual light dimmed instantly, and it visibly rotted, falling helplessly into the sea.

Then, more filthy black light shot over, piercing through the defensive restrictions on the spirit boat.

"Brother Feng! I don't want to die!"

"Is there anyone nearby who can help me?!"

The Foundation Establishment Daoist couple couldn't even last ten breaths before turning into a riddled corpse. Together with their shrunken flying boat, they were enveloped and devoured by the tentacles of the multi-eyed monster.

The sound of a tsunami was heard, and huge storm waves submerged the crime scene.

After counting the interest.

A streak of silver-gray light flew over.

A middle-aged man in a dark blue robe appeared, with orange-yellow skin and a weathered, reserved demeanor.

"Another attack! More and more sea monsters from the deep sea are appearing."

The middle-aged man murmured, his calm and profound gaze scrutinizing the unfathomable, turbulent sea.

The middle-aged man did not linger and flew towards the waters of the Merchant Alliance Islands.

During the flight, strange fish and sea snakes occasionally leaped out of the seawater and attacked it.

Even in mid-air, amidst the rain and gales at high altitudes, may lurk even stronger sea monsters with varying abilities.

The middle-aged man effortlessly delivered a few punches, instantly turning the ferocious fish and sea monsters that were nearby into a bloody mess.

……

Upon entering the Sunset Islands, the storm and waves had mostly subsided.

Many of the returning cultivators from the Merchant Alliance breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken by the experience.

"Manager Wei."

Some of the familiar cultivators from the merchant alliance greeted him politely.

Steward Wei, a pseudo-core cultivator, is an old servant steward of Hidden Mist Island. He is responsible for managing the island's mundane affairs and running errands for True Lord Lu.

Due to his special status, no branch of the Merchant Alliance dared to offend him, and he was often granted privileges second only to Nascent Soul Elders.

Steward Wei returned to Hidden Mist Island, took out the token to activate the Daoist temple formation, and headed straight for Cloud Sea Prefecture.

"Manager Wei is back."

Zhao Shiyao greeted everyone sweetly.

Instead of being bossy like a master, they showed respect for elders.

Steward Wei bowed slightly, and then went to the secret chamber of the True Lord's cave.

Watching Steward Wei's departing figure, Fairy Zhao's face was filled with thought.

She always felt that this Steward Wei was closer to her husband and spent a lot of time together in private.

Moreover, Steward Wei can meet and report to the True Lord at any time and go out to carry out some unknown secret missions.

In terms of confidant status alone, even as a concubine and nominal bedmate, she was far inferior to Steward Wei.

Inside the secret chamber of the cave.

"There are more and more cases of low-level cultivators being attacked or going missing."

"The area around the headquarters of the Business Alliance was affected, not to mention the outer reaches of Tianxing Sea and the waters closer to the deep sea."

"The high tide is coming soon."

Lu Chang'an gazed into the direction of the deep sea, his tone resolute.

"According to external intelligence analysis, a massive tidal wave has erupted in the deep sea. A large number of sea monsters and demons from the endless deep sea are migrating to human-dominated waters ahead of time."

Butler Wei added.

The ocean tide has not yet fully swept over Tianxinghai.

At that time, the marine natural disasters will be even more severe.

Driven by their survival instincts, countless sea monsters and monstrous creatures in the deep sea will surge and sweep across overseas and even nearshore areas.

If the human civilization is unable to resist effectively and suffers heavy casualties, it may even lose some maritime territory.

Before the beast tide had fully erupted, the Azure Sea Merchant Alliance's traveling cultivators and their flying ships and spirit vessels had been attacked repeatedly.

"My old servant went out to investigate and found that seafood from all over the sea, including the fur, blood essence, claws, and parts of monsters, has seen a significant price drop."

Steward Wei presented a jade slip containing information on price reductions for various grades of seafood.

After inspecting the area, Lu Chang'an discovered that the price drop for precious marine products of level four and above was relatively low.

However, it is also at a historical low for Tianxinghai over the past thousand years.

"This is beneficial for body refinement and talisman drawing."

Having profited from wars many times, Lu Chang'an was keen-eyed and prepared to seize this rare opportunity.

The ocean tide is a disaster for ordinary forces and ordinary cultivators.

However, for top-tier cultivators like Lu Chang'an who have no power burdens, this is a rare benefit.

Especially in the field of talismans, the price of raw materials has dropped significantly.

With the cost of crafting talismans reduced, many low-level talisman masters can now use this opportunity to advance to higher levels of skill.

Lu Chang'an will also benefit from this.

His talisman skills had stagnated at the lower fourth rank for many years, reaching a bottleneck.

Aside from opportunities to practice, my energy was previously limited, so I needed to improve in areas such as body refinement, puppetry, and the Divine Evolution Technique.

During this great tidal wave, Lu Chang'an had a feeling that he might be able to break through in the field of talismans, which he had been immersed in for the longest time.

The arrival of the fourth incarnation of Wei Lang amplifies the divine soul and inspiration, and also improves the efficiency of drawing talismans.

That year, Lu Chang'an was 710 years old.

He began to devise plans to deal with the tidal bore.

The paths of talismans and body refinement both have certain opportunities in the ocean tides.

That year, a massive deep-sea tide erupted and was about to sweep across Tianxinghai.

Some powerful demon kings in the deep sea, including the dragon race, are taking advantage of the natural disaster of the ocean tides to stir up trouble in the human-dominated waters.

……

Three years later.

The great tidal wave erupted in the Tianxing Sea, impacting the various sea areas of the human race overseas.

In the ocean, giant waves sometimes surge up to tens of meters high.

The tidal disasters caused by the immense power of nature have led to frequent tsunamis and hurricanes. Even high-level cultivators are affected when they travel by air, resulting in significant depletion of their magical energy.

A vast number of monstrous sea creatures emerged from the sea and, under the command of the high-ranking sea races, launched a large-scale attack on the human settlements and the immortal city on the island where the spiritual veins were located.

On the outskirts of Tianxinghai, some small and medium-sized human islands and market towns were swallowed up by the tidal wave army.

The headquarters of the Azure Sea Business Alliance, located in the heart of Tianxing Sea, was also affected to some extent.

However, the headquarters has many high-level cultivators and strong defensive formations, so there is no major crisis.

Even more dangerous is the fact that the various branch guilds and the merchant alliance's industries have suffered losses, with news of cultivators being injured or killed every day.

To this end, the main headquarters of the Merchant Alliance organized a demon-hunting team and dispatched Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators to assist the businesses of various branch halls.

The Merchant Alliance established a rule: each family under the Merchant Alliance and each spirit island of the headquarters must send a certain proportion of its personnel to deal with the disaster of this great tidal wave.

"Shiyao, you are the only True Core cultivator on Hidden Mist Island. The task of fighting against the Great Ocean Tide is best left to you."

In the main hall of the cave, Lu Chang'an and Zhao Xianzi embraced and parted ways.

From this day forward, Zhao Shiyao will join the headquarters' demon-hunting team to fight against the demonic sea beasts in the ocean tides.

“Shiyao will certainly not disgrace her husband and the reputation of Hidden Mist Island.”

Zhao Shiyao's expression was firm, and she did not make any excuses.

She changed into a battle robe, her figure was graceful and heroic, and her bright eyes were filled with fierce fighting spirit.

Prior to this, Zhao Shiyao had already taken action to clear out many vicious sea monsters in the waters near Hidden Mist Island.

"Go, I believe in your talent and ability!"

"The Great Elder of the Azure Sea achieved a breakthrough in understanding the 'Azure Sea Returning Tide Song' amidst the ocean tides of yesteryear."

Lu Chang'an patted Zhao Xianzi's shoulder one last time, encouraging her.

"Ah."

Zhao Shiyao's heroic posture in battle bears a striking resemblance to Zhao Xianzi, who in her previous life resolutely went to the Black Mist Mountains for training in order to seize an opportunity.

In fact, given Lu Chang'an's special status in the Merchant Alliance, it wouldn't matter if Hidden Mist Island didn't send any people; the alliance leaders would at most turn a blind eye.

But the ocean tide is indeed a tempering opportunity, especially for those who practice "The Song of the Returning Tide of the Azure Sea".

It is said that the creation of this top-level martial art is closely related to the ocean tides.

Lu Chang'an assigned Zhao Shiyao to the headquarters' demon-hunting team, mainly targeting the archipelago waters and surrounding tidal disasters.

Operating around the archipelago is relatively low-risk.

Lu Chang'an bestowed upon her many life-saving measures, enabling her to withstand attacks from early-stage fourth-tier demon kings until reinforcements arrived from the main headquarters.

In the Tianxing Sea, where the tides are raging, it is extremely dangerous for low-level cultivators to venture out alone.

Nowadays, when the cultivators of the Merchant Alliance go out, they always travel in groups.

At least a pseudo-core cultivator should lead the team, relying on sturdy flying boats and spirit ships to withstand the tidal disaster.

……

After making the arrangements, Lu Chang'an himself did not intend to remain uninvolved.

He applied for a transfer to a branch of the Business Alliance to guard the front lines against the even more severe tidal surge.

Within the alliance, there are quite a few high-level cultivators and Nascent Soul elders who share this intention.

Especially for ambitious high-level cultivators.

The ocean tides present both risks and opportunities.

If one can hunt down a high-level sea monster king, the materials from it are quite valuable. The Great Pill can be used to refine precious pills, which can help with cultivation and breakthroughs.

In the vast ocean tides, Nascent Soul cultivators face relatively little risk as long as they don't overestimate their abilities. The materials obtained from hunting demonic creatures alone can generate a substantial profit.

If one could hunt down a fourth-tier demon king, obtain a relatively intact corpse, and acquire the demon king's elixir, that would be an even greater profit, saving hundreds of years of struggle.

Therefore, the competition for positions to provide aid or guard duty is quite fierce.

Lu Chang'an also had certain conditions: he needed to have a fourth-order spiritual vein that wouldn't interfere with his cultivation, and he also needed to be located near the deep sea.

Relying on his relationship with Alliance Leader Wei, Lu Chang'an waited for half a year until a suitable opportunity to go out and guard the area was available.

Alliance Leader Wei immediately sent a message, inviting Lu Chang'an to the main hall of the headquarters.

"The Nascent Soul Elder of the Wan family, who is guarding 'Black Coral Island,' was attacked and seriously injured by the Sea Beast King and has requested assistance from the headquarters. This island is an important industrial site for our alliance in the far seas, and Lu Zhenjun can go there to hand over the rotation to him."

"Rotation? No problem."

Lu Chang'an looked up the exact location of Black Coral Island and readily agreed.

Rotation, not support.

Lu Chang'an understood Wei Dongjun's intention.

After the rotation and handover, Lu Chang'an became the highest-ranking person on Black Coral Island, and sent the injured Elder Wan back to the main headquarters.

Lu Chang'an received the headquarters token and was preparing to leave.

Leader Wei, remembering something, brought it up:

"At the peak of the great tidal surge, the immense power of the deep sea will open the 'Temple of the Sea God.' Only those who are not descendants of the sea race can enter the Temple of the Sea God by refining a 'Sea God's Blood Crystal.'"

"Sea God's Blood Crystal? I wonder if any fellow Daoists from our Merchant Alliance are participating in the Sea God's Temple?"

Lu Chang'an realized that the Azure Sea Business Alliance, as a top-tier power, most likely had a ticket to the Sea God Temple.

The so-called Sea God's Blood Crystal is a fourth-order rare item refined from the essence and blood of the descendants of the sea race.

Most high-level species in the ocean contain marine bloodlines, differing only in the purity of their lineage.

These include creatures such as dragons, sea turtles, giant whales, and mermaids, all of which possess certain marine bloodlines.

"The core members of the Merchant Alliance are focused on recovering their strength and do not plan to participate in this Sea God Temple event. Only one Nascent Soul guest elder who also cultivates the body and a fourth-order sacred beast with sea race blood from the Azure Spirit Palace have volunteered."

"Therefore, the Merchant Alliance has a surplus of 'Sea God Blood Crystals' and is even considering selling a few to the public. If Fellow Daoist Lu is interested in the Sea God Temple, the headquarters can reserve one for you."

Wei Dongjun explained the cause and effect.

"Since Mr. Lu is unsure whether he will participate, let's keep one."

After Lu Chang'an finished speaking, he took a round blood jade crystal bead from Wei Dongjun's hand.

The only cost would be a small portion of his massive contributions to the merchant alliance.

Although the core members of the Azure Sea Merchant Alliance will not participate in the Sea God Temple, they will send powerful individuals to wait outside the temple to acquire rare items that may leak out of the temple.

……

Back to Hidden Mist Island.

Lu Chang'an examined the Sea God Blood Crystal in his hand.

At present, he has not decided whether to attend the Temple of Poseidon.

At the very least, he won't team up with the female healer.

He planned to take advantage of the chaos of this great tidal wave to hunt down mid-stage fourth-tier dragon descendants with purer bloodlines.

Only in this way can one break through from the fourth-order body refinement stage to the middle stage through the "Blood Prison Dragon Demon Technique".

Overseas, the purest dragon bloodline belongs to the Golden Dragon Clan, the direct descendants of the Nine Dragon Palace.

A mid-stage fourth-tier golden dragon is extremely difficult to kill, and the consequences are severe.

The best among them can rival Nascent Soul cultivators and become one of the Hall Kings of the Nine Dragons Palace. A direct confrontation would be quite risky.

Under normal circumstances, dragonborn of this level would not enter the human world.

The ocean tides, however, are an exception.

Lu Chang'an prepared to look for opportunities amidst the chaos.

If the ocean tides don't offer an opportunity, the Temple of Poseidon may.

Every time the Temple of Poseidon opens, powerful mid-stage fourth-tier dragonkin are always involved.

……

The next morning.

Lu Chang'an used a cross-sea teleportation array on Liesu Island in the Zongduo Archipelago to leave this sea area.

Each use of the transoceanic teleportation array comes at a high cost, consuming a large amount of spirit stones, including the loss of space crystals.

This doesn't even include the enormous maintenance costs of the teleportation array.

This method of travel is simply unaffordable for ordinary cultivators. Even top-tier forces cannot utilize it on a large scale.

Within the Azure Sea Merchant Alliance, only high-ranking cultivators undertaking important missions can use the cross-sea teleportation array for free. Normal use requires paying spirit stones or contribution points.

Tianxinghai, the southeastern sea area.

Having traversed vast distances, Lu Chang'an appeared on a large island formation under the "Black Sea Business Alliance".

He did not linger within the sphere of influence of the Black Sea Merchant Alliance headquarters.

They then used a secondary teleportation array to reach a high-level immortal city on the outskirts of the Heavenly Star Sea.

The two teleportation arrays covered a distance of half the Tianxing Sea.

The rest of the journey will require individual flying.

Lu Chang'an took out a fourth-tier spirit ship and flew towards the eastern outer region of the Tianxing Sea for more than half a month.

The further east you go, the closer you get to the deep sea, and the more violent the tidal disasters become.

Lu Chang'an's fourth-tier spirit ship was made of sturdy materials, and he did not encounter any dangers on the way.

I always pick the softest persimmons.

Those rampaging sea beasts and demons, upon sensing the aura of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, would instinctively flee and dare not offend him.

This day.

Lu Chang'an successfully arrived at Black Coral Island in the eastern part of Tianxing Sea.

This is a dark blue-green spirit island spanning a thousand miles, possessing small to medium-sized fourth-order spirit veins.

There are fishing grounds on the island, where corals are cultivated.

Beneath the seabed of Black Coral Island lies a treasure trove with substantial reserves, capable of yielding over a dozen kinds of precious ores, making it of significant strategic value.

……

When Lu Chang'an arrived.

The dilapidated fourth-order array on Black Coral Island lit up, under attack from the sea beast army.

Tens of thousands of sea monsters, including shrimp, crabs, sea snakes, squid, and giant sharks, surged with the raging tides and stormed onto the outer perimeter of the coral island.

Only a thousand cultivators guarded the island, relying on the advantages of a fourth-order grand formation and magical artifacts and talismans to kill the approaching sea beasts one by one.

Outside the great formation, corpses piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers.

The cultivators guarding Black Coral Island looked exhausted, their magical power not yet fully recovered.

Despite the advantages of the large formation and the defenders, the number of sea monsters attacking Black Coral Island was too great and endless.

The elderly Nascent Soul cultivator from the Merchant Alliance, sitting at the center of the formation, had a pale face and appeared listless.

Besides overseeing the formation, Elder Wan also kept a close eye on the area beneath the sea behind the sea beast army.

A fourth-tier sea beast, the Giant Shark King, lurks there.

Previously, Elder Wan had been holding off their attacks for a long time through the great formation, resulting in significant losses for both sides.

If it weren't for the fourth-order grand formation, and the fact that sea beasts and monsters are not good at breaking formations, defending Black Coral Island would probably have come at a much higher price.

Suddenly, Elder Wan noticed that the sea beast army had abruptly begun to "recede."

Unlike previous temporary retreats, this "ebb tide" appeared chaotic and hasty.

Ok?
Elder Wan looked up, sensing something was amiss.

A handsome man in white robes with flowing sleeves appeared in the sky above the island, looking down at the horde of beasts below.

Wow!
The cold, deep, mysterious water surged with spiritual light, and an oval, dark blue tortoise, comparable to a mountain, appeared beneath the feet of the man in white.

The man, with his hands behind his back, rode a tortoise, exuding an air of lofty grandeur, heading straight for the dense, surging army of sea creatures below.

Boom!

The giant water turtle opened its mouth and inhaled, creating a bottomless whirlpool on the coast below, which instantly swallowed hundreds of sea beasts.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Lu Chang'an unleashed a twisted, withered wooden hand, turning the sea beasts and monsters within a radius of several hundred feet into lifeless, dried corpses.

"Lord Lu has arrived."

Elder Wan was overjoyed and shouted loudly. Several Core Formation cultivators nearby were also invigorated, boosting the morale of the entire Black Coral Island.

"They got away quickly."

Lu Chang'an and the Xuan Shui Giant Turtle landed near the sea surface together.

The giant shark king, lurking beneath the surface, possessed a sense of smell even more acute than Elder Wan's. Sensing danger, the shark decisively dived into the depths of the ocean and fled.

Moreover, Lu Chang'an vaguely sensed that there was another hidden demon king's aura lurking in the shadows, communicating and coordinating with the Giant Shark Sea Beast King.

"Go and have your meal first."

Lu Chang'an flicked his sleeves.

"Yes, Master."

Xuan Shui Jun was overjoyed. The enormous tortoise's body rippled with a cold, mysterious light, and with a "boom," it plunged into the sea and began to devour fresh seafood.

Pong!
The sea monster struck by the giant turtle was torn to pieces, instantly turning into blood and flesh dust.

The terrifying aquatic pressure of the mid-stage fourth-tier giant tortoise triggered towering waves, causing countless sea beasts to panic and collapse.

Xuan Shui Jun is a picky eater, prioritizing the consumption of sea beasts and demons with high-quality bloodlines.

If it is a large sea beast, it only eats its inner core and heart/liver.

……

"Lord Lu sent down divine soldiers, just in time."

"If we delay for a few more days, my old bones won't be able to hold on."

On Black Coral Island, Elder Wan breathed a sigh of relief and led several Core Formation cultivators to welcome Lu Chang'an.

The two Nascent Soul cultivators headed to the branch hall on the island.

Lu Chang'an asked, "When was the fourth-order grand formation on the island damaged?"

Elder Wan's expression looked unnatural.

Under Lu Chang'an's piercing gaze, his soul sank, his breath caught in his throat, and he had no choice but to reveal the specific reason.

It turns out that although Black Coral Island was hit by the sea monster tide a few months ago, it had not yet attracted a fourth-tier demon king.

At that time, Elder Wan lived a comfortable life.

With the island formation at their backs, they hunted and obtained a large number of monster pelts and parts, and even captured some monsters with good bloodlines.

At that time, a fourth-tier sea eel king appeared near a sea immortal city tens of thousands of miles away. It stirred up storms in the tides and killed many cultivators who went out of the immortal city by lightning.

There was even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator who was killed by the Sea Eel King.

That immortal city on the sea was overseen by a Nascent Soul elder from the Sea Spirit Sect, who found the situation extremely troublesome and difficult to manage.

The Nascent Soul elders of the Immortal City requested assistance and joined forces with Elder Wan to eliminate the fourth-tier sea eel king.

After the deed is done, Elder Wan will receive 70% of the profits as a token of gratitude. Even if he is severely injured and forced to repel the Sea Eel King, he will still receive a reward.

The Azure Sea Merchant Alliance had a good relationship with the Sea Spirit Sect, and with the lure of great profits, Elder Wan agreed.

The two Nascent Soul elders prepared restraining items and magic treasures, and joined forces to lure and kill the fourth-tier sea eel king, severely injuring it.

Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, a giant shark sea monster king suddenly appeared and attacked Elder Wan.

Elder Wan was severely injured, but he used a secret technique to escape, though his vital energy was greatly depleted.

Since then.

The giant shark sea monster king then set its sights on Black Coral Island, summoning a large number of sea monsters to attack it.

They knew Elder Wan's weakness stemming from his serious injuries.

The Great Shark King gave it no time to breathe, keeping its eyes fixed on this easy target, as wave after wave of sea monsters crashed against Black Coral Island.

The other moray eel king, still recovering from its injuries and harboring resentment, launched a fierce attack in coordination with the others.

During the days when Elder Wan was most seriously injured, he was quite weak and mainly relied on the great formation to withstand the attacks of sea beast tides that were dozens or even hundreds of times larger, which caused damage to the formation.

Elder Wan survived the most difficult time and recovered a significant amount of his magical power.

He then tried to organize array masters to repair it; but the Giant Shark Sea Beast King did not give him the chance and launched wave after wave of attacks.

With no time to catch his breath, Elder Wan's injuries have not yet healed, and he is physically and mentally exhausted.

If the King Eel recovers and attacks, Black Coral Island will be in grave danger.

After all, the fourth-order spiritual vein of Black Coral Island is not the large-scale spiritual vein of a cultivation sect; its scale is only slightly larger than that of the Daoist spiritual vein of Hidden Mist Island. If the fourth-order grand formation is subjected to too much attack, it will experience formation disorder and insufficient supply of spiritual energy.

"Once Elder Wan has recovered from his injuries, he will return to the main headquarters to rest for a while. This island will be temporarily entrusted to Lu for guarding."

Lu Chang'an was merely a guest elder, so no one pursued the matter; he handled it in a purely official manner.

"Elder Lu is taking over this island? Is this the headquarters' intention?"

Elder Wan's expression was not good.

Black Coral Island holds immense potential value both during normal times and at high tide.

He was able to get this good job because Wan Jia had that Vice Alliance Leader Wan at the headquarters.

If Elder Wan is not greedy and acts prudently, Black Coral Island can withstand the great tides for a long time. Even if the main headquarters sends strong reinforcements later, they will still prioritize him.

"What! Elder Wan doesn't believe that I, Lord Xuan Shui, and I can defend this island?"

Lu Chang'an revealed the order of the Grand Commander.

Elder Wan had made a mistake and, knowing he was in the wrong, reluctantly handed over the branch's token and array flag.

If it were any other elder in the alliance, he might have been able to stall and wait for a change in the situation at the headquarters.

But facing Lu Zhenjun, this god of death, Elder Wan dared not confront him directly or resort to trickery.

Xuan Shui Jun, who is currently "dining" outside the island, could easily subdue this veteran Nascent Soul cultivator.

……

That night, Lu Chang'an completed the internal control of Black Coral Island.

Xuan Shuijun patrolled around the island. The powerful aura of the mid-stage fourth-tier giant tortoise kept the surrounding sea beast tide from approaching.

Furthermore, he issued an order that no cultivator on Black Coral Island, except Elder Wan, was allowed to leave.

Beware of Elder Wan taking away a group of elite cultivators.

The vast island needs cultivators to guard it and resist the tide of sea monsters.

A fourth-order grand formation also requires cultivators to preside over its maintenance and repair.

Three days later.

The fourth-order grand formation on Black Coral Island has been repaired.

The two missing rare materials are readily available from Lu Chang'an's abundant reserves, and can be supplied on the books of the Merchant Alliance headquarters.

Within a few days, Black Coral Island returned to normal order, and no large-scale sea monster tides struck.

The monster-hunting team can hunt down a few sea monsters every day.

Safety was ensured, and even the marine mines beneath the islands resumed some production.

Elder Wan felt remorseful and heartbroken; he really shouldn't have been so greedy!

During the high tide, such a large piece of meat could only be handed over to Lu Chang'an as a guest elder.

A month later.

After recovering from his injuries, Elder Wan reluctantly boarded the spirit ship to return home, urged on by Lu Chang'an.

……

The night after Elder Wan left.

Two monstrous rat demons have infiltrated Black Coral Island, which is guarded by humans. The fourth-order grand formation on the island does not restrain the two rats in any way.

Inside the branch headquarters hall.

"Meet the master."

"Greetings, Lord Lu Zhenjun."

Diyan Jun and Feitian Jun bowed to Lu Chang'an, who was seated at the head of the table.

It's been over thirty years since we last met.

Earth Rock Lord Dragon Horse was full of vigor, his physique growing ever more robust, his dark rock muscles bulging beneath his purple robe. His human form resembled that of a female strongwoman.

Flying Lord's body appeared even thinner beneath his cloak. He had dark circles under his eyes, a hunched back, and a slightly unsteady gait.

The noble air of the Flying Rat of yesteryear is no more.

"Master! We just encountered a giant sea turtle on patrol. It said it wanted to challenge the little mouse to a duel, and specified that the battle would take place in the sea..."

The fleshy part of Jiyan-kun's round face trembled, and with a woman's aggrieved sob, he accused a certain evil turtle of bullying.

"It's a male tortoise, so it's normal for it to be a bit temperamental. Don't take it too seriously."

Lu Chang'an thought to himself that once he found a powerful dragon descendant as a target, he could let Xuan Shuijun see the world and suffer some abuse, which might temper his temper.

Subsequently, Flying Rat reported to Lu Chang'an on the movements of the Dragonborn during the Great Beast Tide.

"During this great tidal wave, many demon kings and dragon descendants came to the human race's waters to plunder. Among them were the direct descendants of the Nine Dragon Palace."

"Oh, Lord Lu, you're looking for a mid-stage fourth-tier dragon descendant?"

"Hundreds of thousands of miles away, there is a mid-stage fourth-order black dragon, which is the closest one to you. However, this black dragon's bloodline is not pure, and it is not as good as the black dragon from back then."

"The Great Ocean Tide is in its early stages. So far, the only information the mouse has gathered is that the Nine Dragons Palace has a direct descendant of a mid-stage fourth-tier golden dragon named 'Jin Chang'. This dragon only left the deep sea area about half a year ago and is suspected to have entered the Tianxing Sea area. There is no definite whereabouts yet."

When the Nine Dragons Palace was mentioned, Flying Rat was wary and his intelligence was inaccurate.

As the saying goes, "A dragon appears only briefly, but never its tail."

The stronger the descendant of a true dragon, the more difficult it is to ascertain their exact whereabouts.

"Jin Chang? How strong is this dragon?"

Lu Chang'an remained expressionless and inquired about more details.

"The information known to mice also comes from rumors about the deep sea."

Flying Mouse carefully chose his words:

"It is said that the bloodline of the 'Jin Chang' True Dragon surpasses that of most of its peers, and is incomparable to ordinary Heavenly Grade bloodlines. Two hundred years ago, Jin Chang competed for the lowest-ranked position of the 'Nine Dragons Palace' but failed. Now, this Golden Dragon's cultivation is close to the peak of the mid-stage of the fourth rank, and its strength should have reached an even higher level."

"This dragon's strength should not be underestimated, as it dares to compete for the throne of one of the Nine Dragon Kings."

Lu Chang'an was both happy and worried.

To his delight, Jin Chang's cultivation level and true dragon bloodline perfectly matched the goal he was looking for.

The worry is that this golden dragon is even stronger than expected.

Lu Chang'an roughly guessed that the true strength of this golden dragon was only slightly inferior to that of the human-faced dragon in the Great Green Black Mist Mountain Range.

(End of this chapter)