Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 319 Fate
"Distinguished guest... are you a sword cultivator?"

Inside the seven-story tower of Wuxiang Temple, the figure behind the light and shadow saw Shen Wen'an staring at the bounty mission for Zangjianyuan and hesitating, and slowly asked.

Shen Wen'an snapped out of his daze, his brows furrowing slightly.

As a sword cultivator of the Purple Mansion, his sword heart is clear and bright, and its light can be seen.

The bounty issued by Wuxiang Temple made him realize that there was a hint of conspiracy.

Seeing that he did not answer, the being behind the light and shadow chuckled and continued, "The Burial Sword Abyss is an ancient secret realm that was famous throughout the world when the Cangmin Sea was still the Cangmin Realm."

"It is said that... a true immortal sword is buried deep within the Burial Sword Abyss."

The voice was deep and slow, yet it seemed to carry endless allure, causing the restlessness that Shen Wen'an had finally managed to suppress to stir up ripples once more.

Cultivators' artifacts are divided into magical artifacts, spiritual artifacts, and the legendary immortal artifacts.

In the current Cangmin Seventy-Two Realms, spiritual artifacts can still be seen in the hands of some powerful Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

But celestial artifacts... are rarely heard of.

Is there a celestial sword of immortal weapon level deep within the Burial Sword Abyss?
Shen Wen'an suppressed the agitation in his heart and said with a smile, "Wuxiang Temple is one of the top sects in the seventy-two realms of Cangmin."

"Since you know that there are immortal swords in the Burial Sword Abyss, now that the Burial Sword Abyss has appeared in the world, why doesn't your sect explore it alone, instead of revealing the secret to all sword cultivators in the world?"

The being behind the light and shadow suddenly burst into laughter.

"You flatter me, esteemed guest."

"Little did they know, these extraordinary treasures and divine weapons possess spirits and the ability to choose their masters?"

"If my Wuxiang Zen Temple truly possessed the ability to explore the Burial Sword Abyss on its own, it would be impossible for us to share this secret."

The owner of the voice sighed and continued, "The immortal sword buried in the Burial Sword Abyss has an extremely terrifying origin, and can be called the king of all swords in the cultivation world throughout history."

"Before the Cangmin Realm was shattered, the way of the sword was also the great way, and sword immortals gathered in the world."

"After those sword immortals fell, it is said that their unclaimed swords would be summoned by the immortal sword in the Burial Sword Abyss, and would cross thousands of mountains and rivers to be thrown into the Burial Sword Abyss."

"Over the years, the Sword Burial Abyss has become a tomb of ten thousand swords. Ordinary cultivators, let alone entering the depths of the Sword Burial Abyss to search for immortal swords, will instantly trigger a storm of sword energy from ten thousand swords just by stepping onto its outer perimeter."

"That is a collection of ten thousand immortal swords, the strongest among countless sword immortals in the history of Cangmin Realm. Each sword aura can easily kill a Nascent Soul True Monarch."

"Does our Wuxiang Zen Temple still believe that it has the strength to explore the Burial Sword Abyss on its own?"

Shen Wen'an remained silent.

Perhaps influenced by the group of bald monks at Canaan Temple in southern Xinjiang back then, he now instinctively feels somewhat wary when facing Buddhist monks.

Although what the person from Wuxiang Temple said sounded reasonable, he still had some doubts about it.

After some thought, Shen Wen'an smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Since the Burial Sword Abyss is so dangerous, I know my own limitations and will not go to join in the fun."

"Excuse me, I need to take on the task of eliminating those two evil cultivators."

Upon hearing this, the being behind the light and shadow did not continue to persuade him, and immediately told Shen Wen'an the details of the two bounty missions as requested.

After Shen Wen'an emerged from the seven-story tower of Wuxiang Temple, the words of the person behind the light and shadow still lingered in his mind.

As that person said, the Burial Sword Abyss gathers the swords of the ten thousand strongest sword immortals of the Cangmin Realm over countless years.

The swords carried by those sword immortals must also contain the will and swordsmanship inherited by their masters in their lifetime.

Such an opportunity is an irresistible temptation for all sword cultivators in the seventy-two realms of Cangmin.

As a sword cultivator, obsessed with the sword, it would be a lie to say that Shen Wen'an wasn't tempted.

But my father, Shen Yuan, once said that everyone has their own destiny.

When faced with a situation, responding according to instinct and past thought patterns is called going with the flow.

After talking with the Golden-haired Monkey Lord of Beichen on the nameless island, coupled with the secret of the Golden Nature conspiracy in his own bloodline, he had a kind of intuition.

It seems that the heavens are controlling the lives of all living beings in the seventy-two realms of Cangmin through so-called "fate".

The greater the allure of the Burial Sword Abyss to him, the more he sensed a strong undercurrent of conspiracy within it.

Don't touch it!
The Burial Sword Abyss is absolutely off-limits!

Forcibly suppressing the thought in his mind, Shen Wen'an's expression turned solemn as he silently warned himself not to harbor any further thoughts about the so-called Burial Sword Abyss.

Even if what the monk at Wuxiang Temple said is true, and there really is a real immortal sword in the Burial Sword Abyss, the strongest of the ten thousand swords in the Cangmin Realm in countless years, now is definitely not the time to rush to explore.

Having made up his mind, he immediately flew away from Tuyan Island on his sword.

On the top floor of the seven-story tower of Wuxiang Temple on Tuyan Island, in a room filled with the fragrance of incense, a dignified old monk sat cross-legged.

Opposite the old monk sat a pretty female cultivator wearing a light-colored long dress.

This female cultivator was Huang Tiandao's messenger, Shiyue, who had followed Shen Chongming all the way from Jinchuan Island Market to the Return Sea Cliff.

"Does Your Excellency think that swordsman could hold back just now?"

The old monk spoke with a smile on his face.

Eclipse Moon toyed with the fragment of a map made from the hide of an unknown animal in her hand.

"The Dao Lord has always suspected that the Sword Ancestor did not really perish back then."

"Now that the Burial Sword Abyss has reappeared, we must find a way to find out if the remnant soul of that old Sword Ancestor is really hidden inside."

Gently placing the fragment of the animal hide map on the desk, Shi Yue slowly stood up, put her hands behind her back, and walked to the window to look at the bustling market below.

"Back then, those sword immortals from the old Heavenly Court caused quite a bit of trouble for my Huangtiandao."

"We must also find a way to clean up the swords of those sword cultivators in the Burial Sword Abyss, lest they rise from the ashes and cause us trouble."

The dignified old monk nodded slightly and then asked, "Regarding the aura of the Thunder God, has the Star Envoy made any new progress?"

Upon hearing this, Eclipse Moon slowly turned around.

"I just wanted to tell you about this."

“That person fled all the way from the Snowy Sea Cliffs, and he has already become aware of my and the Star Envoy’s existence.”

"They have been using secret methods to obstruct the tracing of cause and effect."

Upon hearing this, the old monk looked somewhat strange and said, "In the current seventy-two realms of Cangmin, apart from my Buddhist sect, there are few other cultivation systems that are proficient in the Dao of Cause and Effect."

"To be able to deceive the two envoys, the other party must have more than just the legacy of the Thunder God."

A strange expression appeared on Eclipse Moon's face, followed by a sneer: "They're just some old codgers who survived back then."

"Now that we're trapped in this prison, what waves can we possibly stir up?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and flicked out a stream of light, tossing a jade slip to the old monk.

"Post this bounty."

"No matter how cunning his methods are, he cannot fool those greedy and insidious ants."

The old monk caught the jade slip, inserted his divine sense into it for a moment, and his expression was somewhat strange.

"Wouldn't this cause unnecessary panic?"

"The Daoist Master instructed that Wuxiang Temple must maintain an image of non-contention with the world unless it is absolutely necessary."

Shi Yue smiled faintly and said, "Finding the suspected successor of the Thunder God was also something that the Dao Lord personally instructed me to do."

"Eclipse Moon believes that the Venerable One can handle this well."

Upon hearing this, the old monk looked troubled, his lips moved slightly, but he ultimately said nothing more.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing." Eclipse Moon, who was about to leave, stopped and turned to the old monk, saying, "Let's make the matter of Burial Sword Abyss public."

"Make sure that all cultivators in the seventy-two realms of Cangmin know this."

“The Venerable One’s method is too conservative; the Dao Lord doesn’t have the patience to wait that long.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Eclipse Moon's figure had already disappeared from the meditation room.

Outside the seven-story tower, in the void, the moon-white spirit deer carried her, and a starlight path emerged beneath their feet, leading into the distance.

……

Unnamed island.

The seal on the Mysterious Art of Deception has been lifted. As explorers sent by the Nine Provinces World, Shen Xiuchan and Huang Lingshan have been sending people out to explore and survey the surrounding seas and gather information after settling on the nameless island.

With nothing else to do, Li Qing often accompanied Shen Xiuchan on his sea voyages, introducing him to various demon cultivators and rogue cultivators from the surrounding vast seas.

He and the golden monkey have lived in this sea area for over a hundred years, though they have never shown any intention of forming a power.

However, since one was a powerful demon in the late Nascent Soul stage and the other was a dragon in the perfect Golden Core stage, many sea monsters who disliked fighting still revered the two powerful demons as their common masters. While being protected by the two demons, they also silently maintained the order of this sea area.

With his introduction, Shen Xiuchan and his Shen family cultivators quickly became acquainted with the demon cultivators in the surrounding seas.

With the help of these sea monsters, the Shen family cultivators' efficiency in gathering intelligence and exploring their surroundings was greatly improved.

On this day, Shen Xiuchan had just left the nameless island with two Shen family cultivators, preparing to explore the direction of Dongyue Island.

As the first hostile force encountered after the emergence of the Kyushu world.

Huang Lingshan was almost used as a furnace by the old man from the Ge family on Dongyue Island, and he and his subordinate cultivators almost became materials for alchemy as well.

Once the world of Kyushu stabilizes, they will naturally not let Dongyue Island go easily.

Shen Xiuchan's current plan is to first find out the sphere of influence of Dongyue Island, which forces they are on good terms with, and which forces they have enmity with.

Once everything has been thoroughly investigated, Dongyue Island will be wiped out with lightning speed.

Above the vast ocean, the three were flying on the wind when suddenly a colossal creature poked its head out of the azure sea below.

"Young friend who practices Zen meditation..."

"My son obtained some information the other day, and I would like to invite you to come down and have a chat."

That enormous creature was a giant golden-backed Xuan Turtle, a thousand feet square in size, with a cultivation level reaching the late Golden Core stage.

Its body emerged from the sea, resembling a small island.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xiuchan changed his hand seals and stopped in mid-air, bowing to the golden-backed black tortoise below: "Senior Black Tortoise."

The old tortoise poked its head out and said in a gentle voice, "It's alright, young friend, come down and climb onto my back."

After a slight hesitation, Shen Xiuchan cupped his hands again and said, "Then this junior will have to offend you."

Three figures swooped down and landed steadily on the broad shell of the Golden-backed Black Tortoise.

“My descendants learned some news from the north the other day. It is said that the news came from the Wuxiang Zen Temple, a major sect of the Shang Sect.”

Wuxiang Temple?

Shen Xiuchan was taken aback.

He had already learned some information about Wuxiang Temple from his father, Shen Chongming.

Knowing that this Buddhist sect is one of the top powers in the entire Cangmin Sea, and extremely skilled at intelligence gathering and issuing bounty missions, etc.

"I don't know what the news is. Please tell me, Senior Xuan Gui."

The golden-backed black tortoise floated quietly on the water's surface, its massive body gently propelled by the ocean currents. It lazily spoke, "This old man doesn't know if it's true or not; young friend, please listen first."

"I heard that an ancient secret realm called Burial Sword Abyss has appeared in the sea about 180,000 miles northwest of here."

"Some say that the Sword Ancestor, the strongest swordsman in the Cangmin Realm, is buried in the Sword Burial Abyss. It is a true immortal weapon."

"Some people say that the Immortal Sword has a spirit, and that the swords of powerful sword immortals who have fallen in the Cangmin Realm over the years have been summoned by the Immortal Sword and thrown into the Burial Sword Abyss."

"However, the Burial Sword Abyss can only accommodate ten thousand swords of sword immortals. Whenever a more powerful sword enters, the relatively weaker sword will disintegrate and become nourishment for other swords."

"Therefore, over the years, the swords in the Burial Sword Abyss have not only been unparalleled divine weapons, but they also contain the sword masters' insights into the way of the sword, making them a great opportunity that all sword cultivators in the cultivation world today are eager to obtain."

The golden-backed tortoise paused for a moment, then continued, "I have heard that you have an elder who is a Purple Mansion Sword Cultivator. If possible, I should try my luck there."

"Even if you can't obtain the swords from the Burial Sword Abyss, you can still experience the sword dao of those peerless sword immortals from ancient times in the outer area, which will be of great benefit to your current cultivation."

Bury Jianyuan?
The true immortal sword and ten thousand peerless weapons!?
Shen Xiuchan was deeply moved upon hearing this.

"Is Senior Xuan Gui's news true?"

The golden-backed black tortoise shook its head slightly: "These are all hearsay from my descendants, so I dare not be sure, I dare not be sure."

"That's why I said earlier to let you hear it first, but we still need to inquire from various sources for the specifics."

Shen Xiuchan realized what was happening and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "Please forgive me, senior."

This old tortoise has always been steady and reliable; it wouldn't have told me this hearsay on its own initiative before.

Now, perhaps feeling that this news is too important, they have taken the initiative to come forward and tell it.

As for the veracity of the news, they do need to verify it themselves.

After all, there is often discord between demon cultivators and human cultivators, so it has no choice but to go to the human cultivators' territory to investigate.

"No problem, no problem," the golden-backed tortoise said with a smile. "Would you like this old man to give you a ride back?"

Shen Xiuchan snapped out of his daze and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No need to trouble you, senior. I'll take my leave."

After bidding farewell to the Golden-backed Black Tortoise, he immediately returned to the nameless island with two Shen family cultivators.

The island, the habitat of the golden monkeys.

Inside the thatched pavilion, the golden-haired monkey, Li Qing, and an old man in a blue robe with white hair were sitting together chatting and laughing.

The old man in the green robe with white hair was clearly Yun Yuejiao, who had just taken human form.

With the help of the Transformation Pill she refined herself, Yun Yuejiao completed the transformation process, which would take ordinary demon cultivators decades to complete, in just a few months.

Shen Xiuchan and Huang Lingshan arrived at the pavilion one after the other.

After exchanging pleasantries and greetings, Shen Xiuchan revealed the story of the Burial Sword Abyss that the Golden-backed Black Tortoise had mentioned.

"Senior Jin, have you ever heard of the Burial Sword Abyss?"

Meeting Shen Xiuchan's gaze, the golden-haired monkey frowned deeply: "The Burial Sword Abyss... it seems somewhat familiar..."

"However, I, Old Ape, still remember some things about the Sword Ancestor."

"That person was indeed considered the strongest in swordsmanship back then."

"If the Burial Sword Abyss is truly related to him, even without the so-called myriad sword immortal weapons, that secret realm is still the supreme opportunity for all sword cultivators in the seventy-two realms of Cangming."

Having said that, it turned its gaze to Huang Lingshan.

"Fellow Daoist Lingshan, would you like to go and take a look?"

Huang Lingshan sighed slightly and smiled, "Among all the sword cultivators in the world, if they knew this news, I'm afraid no one could resist the temptation of the Burial Sword Abyss."

"Since Fellow Daoist Jin has said so..."

"Xiu Chan, send a message home and ask the family head to make arrangements to see if it's possible to spare Senior Brother Liu and the others."

The Azure Vine Sword Pavilion originally had nine Golden Core Sword Immortals and two Purple Mansion Sword Immortals.

Of the seven people who went from Danzhou to Yangnao to support the Shen family, the remaining four stayed behind at Qingluo Sword Lodge in Danzhou.

After the collapse of the Dao, the entire Qingluo Sword Pavilion was moved into the Nine Provinces World.

The Burial Sword Abyss is a great opportunity for sword cultivators, so Huang Lingshan naturally wanted to bring along Liu Qixuan, Qiu Wufeng, and other sword cultivators to try their luck.

If everyone gains something, it is a fortunate thing for the world of Kyushu.

Shen Xiuchan respectfully cupped his hands and left.

The golden monkey, meanwhile, was deep in thought.

After a long while, it slowly raised its head and looked at Li Qing and Yun Yuejiao.

"I, Old Ape, would also like to visit the Burial Sword Abyss."

Since the great battle of that year, the remnant soul of the Lord of Beichen dissipated before it. After countless reincarnations and rebirths, it has never stopped searching for its old friend.

Since the Burial Sword Abyss is an ancient secret realm related to the former Sword Ancestor, it also wants to go there to see if it can find any clues.

After all, Mount Sanxian was once a sacred place in the hearts of many superior cultivators in the Cangmin Realm, and many exceptionally talented sword immortals lived on the island.

The golden monkey didn't want to miss this opportunity.

Knowing its obsession, Li Qing naturally did not offer any words of advice.

Yun Yuejiao did not stop them either, but after a moment's thought, she said, "Since it is an ancient secret realm, the news has spread quickly."

"At that time, many powerful figures will likely arrive upon hearing the news, and with so many heroes gathering, conflict will be inevitable."

"It is my duty to do my part for Brother Jin and Fellow Daoist Lingshan."

"Please wait a few days while I prepare some elixirs for you."

Upon hearing this, Huang Lingshan cupped her hands in gratitude and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist."

The golden-haired monkey didn't stand on ceremony and immediately picked up the wine jug in front of him and filled it with wine for the group: "I don't know how long this journey will take for this old ape."

"I'll have to entrust many matters on the island to you two brothers."

Li Qing and the others raised their glasses and drank the wine together.

It was more than a month later when Liu Qixuan and his companions arrived at the nameless island from the Nine Provinces World.

During this time, Huang Lingshan and the golden monkey also made a special trip to the market on Tuyan Island.

News of the Burial Sword Abyss had already spread far and wide, so there was no need for the two of them to investigate further. In the market, the topics of discussion among cultivators on the streets and alleys were mostly related to the Burial Sword Abyss.

The two of them listened carefully for a short while and were already able to confirm that the news of the birth of the Burial Sword Abyss was true.

Rumors are circulating that a large number of sword cultivators from the seventy-two realms of Cangmin are rushing there, and some even say that a sword cultivator has already obtained a spirit-grade sword weapon in the Burial Sword Abyss...

The credibility of this news was naturally low, and Huang Lingshan and the golden-haired monkey didn't take it seriously.

Their primary objective was to determine the authenticity and exact location of the Burial Sword Abyss.

Above an unnamed island.

A flying boat, a magical artifact resembling a single piece of white jade, floated silently in the air.

On the flying boat, the golden-haired monkey, Huang Lingshan, Liu Qixuan, and their group of five bid farewell to Li Qing and the others, and then directly piloted the white jade flying boat to fly into the distance.

Because the seal on the Nine Provinces World was suddenly lifted, many changes have not yet been fully brought under control. After Shen Xiuchan's message was sent back, Shen Xiuyan, after some consideration, only sent Liu Qixuan, Qiu Wufeng, and Yuehua Sword Immortal, three sword immortals from the Qingluo Sword Pavilion, to come.

On the white jade flying boat, the golden-haired monkey squatted at the bow and muttered, "If it weren't for lending the Beichen Imperial Chariot to that kid Chongming, we could have traveled more than 100,000 miles in a day by riding the Beichen Imperial Chariot."

"Now, it will probably take several days for the white jade ferry to fly across the black boat."

Huang Lingshan smiled faintly upon hearing this: "Fellow Daoist Jin seems to be more anxious than we are."

The golden-haired monkey turned its head and said seriously, "That's for sure!"

"I hope you fellow Daoists will pay close attention at that time."

"If you encounter the remnants of the will or souls of those ancient sword immortals in the secret realm, you must ask them for me, the old ape, to see if you can find any clues about Beichen Immortal Mountain."

Huang Lingshan turned her head and exchanged glances with Liu Qixuan and the other two, who all nodded in agreement.

……

Snow falls on the edge of the sea cliff.

The ancient bronze ship sailed onward.

Shen Wen'an, aboard the ship, compared the sea map in his hand and finally roughly confirmed that the first bounty target of Wuxiang Temple was in this strange archipelago nearby.

Next, all he needs to do is find and kill those evil cultivators, bring their hearts back to complete the mission, and he will receive a generous reward.

With a wave of his hand, he put away the bronze ship and flew towards the archipelago stretching for tens of thousands of miles below.

This archipelago seems to possess some kind of strange, suppressive power; even a powerful divine sense at the Purple Mansion Realm level can hardly radiate far while in the void.

This means that he needs to spend some time searching for his target.

If it weren't for the considerable reward of this bounty mission, which is a full 20,000 spirit crystals.

Upon sensing the strange power emanating from the archipelago where the target was located, Shen Wen'an would probably have given up immediately.

Flying through the misty fog on his sword, Shen Wen'an landed on an island about a hundred miles in circumference on the outskirts of the archipelago. He immediately spread his divine sense, probing the situation on the island bit by bit.

Under its divine sense, the traces of any living beings on the island were clearly visible.

The tattered fishing nets, the scattered remains of giant sea monsters, the broken weapons, and so on, all appeared in his divine sense.

After searching the island, Shen Wen'an did not find any trace of cultivators.

They could only follow the more obvious tracks to the next island to continue their search.

More than a month passed quickly.

Shen Wen'an had already traversed a third of the islands in the archipelago. On some islands, he discovered numerous houses built of massive stones and saw traces of various creatures, but he still hadn't seen the group of evil cultivators mentioned in the bounty mission of Wuxiang Temple, who specialized in feeding on cultivators and revered killing.

He stood before the steep sea cliffs of the largest island in the entire archipelago, his face somewhat grim.

When he sensed the strange power around the archipelago that could suppress divine sense, he already guessed that this bounty mission would probably not be simple.

But he hadn't expected the task to be so troublesome.

More than a month has already been wasted, and they haven't even found any trace of the other party.

It will take at least two or three months to completely search the remaining islands.

This has completely exceeded his plans.

"Never mind, the other bounty mission also has a reward of eight thousand spirit crystals."

"Enough to support the bronze ships to reach the Ice God Palace."

"Let's think of another way to get the spirit crystals needed for the return trip."

He secretly decided not to waste any more time on this bounty mission.

He drew his Dragon-Slaying Sword and immediately flew off towards the outside of the archipelago.

Just as he was about to pass through the thin mist above the islands, he glanced back and vaguely saw a head popping out of the water next to the reef where he had just been standing!
"Ok?"

"They were all hiding in the sea!"

Shen Wen'an suddenly turned around and swooped down from the void!
A cyan sword light flew from his hand and stabbed straight at the head that was emerging from the sea!

Sensing the killing intent emanating from the sword's edge, the young man was horrified, and a strange power surged through his body as he tried to block the deadly sword light!

"boom!"

But before he could make a move, a huge monster suddenly leaped out of the sea next to him!

The monster was a giant shark with gray scales on its body. It looked ferocious, but the spiritual energy fluctuations on its body were only at the perfect stage of the embryonic breathing realm.

The casual strike of the Purple Mansion Sword Immortal was naturally beyond the reach of a demonic beast at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. The gray-scaled giant shark rushed in front of the youth, spitting out a jet of water in an attempt to slightly weaken the power of the cyan sword light.

The next moment, the cyan sword light cleaved the water column in two, splitting the giant shark's body in two as well!
After slaying the gray-scaled giant shark, the power of the cyan sword light did not diminish in the slightest, and it continued to slash towards the youth's head!
The young man's eyes were filled with resentment, and a strange power surged within him, causing his body to undergo a bizarre transformation!

Layers of azure scales grew on his arms and cheeks, and his clear black and white eyes instantly turned azure!
"Wow!"

After the youth entered this bizarre state, he let out a sharp and mournful scream as he faced the flying sword light!

next moment!
Ripples of sound waves emanated from its mouth, crashing one after another towards the cyan sword light!

Shen Wen'an could sense that the young man's strength was only around half a step into the Golden Core stage, and the sword light he casually unleashed was enough to easily kill a Golden Core cultivator.

However, the sonic ripples emanating from the young man's mouth briefly halted the sword's edge.

Moreover, when the sound waves reached his body, Shen Wen'an also vaguely felt his soul in his sea of ​​consciousness tremble slightly.

A method capable of attacking the soul?
Upon seeing this, Shen Wen'an felt a slight surprise, but still did not take it to heart.

Although the strange sonic attack emitted by the young man briefly stopped the cyan sword light, it was ultimately due to his low cultivation level. After a slight pause, the cyan sword light broke through the power of the sonic wave and stabbed towards his head!

Just as the opponent was about to die under the sword's edge, a strong figure with a deep blue glow suddenly rushed out of the seawater beside them!
He threw a punch directly at Shen Wen'an's sword light!
boom!
The cyan sword light was instantly shattered, and the strong figure was sent flying hundreds of feet away, crashing heavily onto the reef behind him.

"Father!"

Upon seeing this, the young man who had narrowly escaped death flashed forward and rushed straight toward the strong figure struggling to get up on the reef.

Shen Wen'an's figure had already reached them!
Dozens of sword energies coalesced into a longsword aimed at two monsters on the reef that were neither human nor demon.

The strong demon, whose body was covered in dark blue scales, had blue blood spilling from the corner of its mouth. The bones in its right arm had been broken when it shattered the cyan sword light. With its remaining left arm, it blocked the young demon behind it, staring at Shen Wen'an with a fierce expression.

"Clan leader!"

"Clan leader!"

After a few moments of standoff, dozens of figures suddenly emerged from the sea in the distance!
These figures included the old and the young, the men and the women, and all of them, like the father and son monsters before them, were covered in blue scales!
What are you doing out here!?

But then these demons rushed out, and the strong demon's expression changed drastically, and it immediately roared in anger!

The monsters that rushed out of the sea ignored everything and rushed to the father and son's side, glaring angrily at Shen Wen'an, as if they were ready to die!

Upon seeing this, Shen Wen'an frowned slightly, but did not immediately take action.

"My lord, do humans truly intend to exterminate our sea demon race?"

"The Siren clan is now reduced to just the old, weak, sick, and disabled!"

An old, demonic creature looked at Shen Wen'an, who was suspended in mid-air, and cried out in a sorrowful voice.

The Siren Clan?
Did I make a mistake?
Looking at the dozens of sea monsters below, who didn't seem to exude much ferocity, Shen Wen'an began to wonder if he had made a mistake.

"Are there any other living beings on these islands, or perhaps human cultivators?"

After a moment's thought, Shen Wen'an asked in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the many sea monsters exchanged glances. The elderly sea monster shook his head bitterly and said, "This is a land of punishment. Apart from us sea monsters who have no other choice, who else would want to live here?"

"My lord, if you need the Heart of the Siren... then kill us old fellows."

"We are willing to give you the heart of the siren, only asking that you spare the other members of the siren clan."

As soon as the old siren finished speaking, the other elderly siren immediately echoed his words.

"Yes, we are willing to offer up the heart of the sea monster, begging the immortal to spare our people!"

Seeing this, Shen Wen'an became even more puzzled.

Now he realized that there seemed to be something fishy about the bounty mission offered by Wuxiang Temple.

The elderly, weak, women and children in front of them did not have much of a murderous aura on them, and were not at all like the evil cultivators who fed on cultivators and were bloodthirsty as described in the bounty mission.

Looking down at the dozens of sea monsters below, he waved his hand and put away the sword energy sword in the void.

Among the many sea monsters below, the older ones thought Shen Wen'an had agreed to their conditions, and immediately stretched out their claws to grab at their own hearts!
Seeing this, Shen Wen'an waved his hand to stop them.

The old sea monsters were stunned for a moment, then their faces turned bitter.

"If the immortal wishes to take action personally, we will not resist."

After saying this, more than ten old sea monsters walked to the front of their clansmen and stood in a row, slowly closing their eyes and waiting for Shen Wen'an to take action personally.

Behind them, the sea monsters all had tears in their eyes, looking at Shen Wen'an and the elderly sea monsters with grief and indignation.

Does the Heart of the Siren have any special effects?

Shen Wen'an descended, looking at the old sea monsters before him who were willing to offer their necks for slaughter for the sake of their race, and asked in a deep voice.

The old siren who had answered earlier opened his eyes in confusion.

"Immortal... I wonder what the purpose of the Heart of the Sea Demon is for my clan of sea demons?"

"Then...why did you kill us?"

Shen Wen'an said slowly, "I have accepted a bounty, saying that there is a group of bloodthirsty evil cultivators in this archipelago who feed on cultivators."

Upon hearing this, the dozen or so old sea monsters in front of them were stunned for a moment, then they all said indignantly, "Are you saying we are bloodthirsty?"

"Do we feed on cultivators?"

"It was clearly human cultivators who wantonly hunted down my sea demon race, using our hearts for medicine and alchemy, yet in the end they turned the tables and called us evil cultivators!?"

"You have wronged us, Immortal!"

"Supreme Immortal!"

Seemingly realizing that Shen Wen'an was not the executioner who slaughtered their people, a group of sea monsters knelt down and wept.

Shen Wen'an was getting a bit dizzy from the noise, so he gave a cold shout and let the elderly sea monster speak for him.

After the old man's explanation, he finally understood that the sea monsters in front of him were a special group.

Because their cultivation methods differ from those of ordinary demons and humans, the sea monster hearts within them possess extremely unique effects.

Raw consumption or pills refined from the heart of a sea monster have an extraordinary effect on enhancing the comprehension of cultivators below the embryonic breathing stage.

It is precisely because of this that the sea monster race has become the target of all human cultivators.

However, the sea monsters also possess extremely strong souls, and cultivators who hunt them are often haunted by their resentment after death, affecting their own fortune.

Naturally, cultivators from some of the major sects would not take action themselves.

They would rather spend a lot of money to hire some independent cultivators or post bounty missions.

The reason why the dozen or so elders of the sea monster clan voluntarily offered their sea monster hearts was because, if they did so willingly, they would not harbor any resentment towards Shen Wen'an.

This is the only negotiating leverage they can offer.

After learning the details, Shen Wen'an's expression turned somewhat grim.

"No wonder the reward for a bounty mission at the Golden Core level is 20,000 spirit crystals."

"This Wuxiang Temple has certainly made a clever plan."

"Immortal, our lineage is now reduced to these few members. You..." the elderly sea monster said nervously.

"I am not interested in the Heart of the Siren," Shen Wen'an said, waving his hand as he came to his senses.

Upon hearing this, the many sea monsters in front of them were first taken aback, then overjoyed.

"However, you can't stay here any longer."

"The fact that Wuxiang Temple has issued a reward means that your current hiding place has been exposed."

"Just because I, Shen, am not killing you doesn't mean that other cultivators will show mercy."

"You guys should leave quickly and find another place to hide."

After saying this, he didn't linger and immediately got up to leave.

"Exalted Immortal."

The little girl's timid voice rang out.

Shen Wen'an stopped in his tracks, slowly turned around and looked at the little sea monster who looked only four or five years old.

Meeting his gaze, the little siren mustered her courage and said, "Please, Immortal, show us a way to survive."

"We fled all the way here, and human cultivators wanted to kill us, while sea monsters wanted to eat us."

"We...we have nowhere else to go."

As soon as the little siren said this, the other siren members all looked at him with expectant faces.

“Immortal, this is all the savings of our clan.”

"Please show us a way to survive."

The sirens who had lost an arm while blocking Shen Wen'an's sword light took a storage bag off his body and handed it to the sirens youth beside him.

The siren-like youth approached Shen Wen'an with a storage bag in his hand.

"Shangxian..."

"These are all rare and precious materials and items left behind by cultivators that we found at the bottom of the sea."

"We... just want to live."

The siren-like youth looked at him with a pleading expression.

Shen Wen'an took the storage bag, scanned it with his divine sense, and was immediately surprised.

This worn-out storage bag was clearly several times larger than his own.

The entire storage bag was filled with all sorts of strange ores, elixirs, broken magical artifacts, armor, and so on.

There are probably tens of thousands of spirit crystals and spirit crystal fragments of various sizes among them.

This amount of stuff is far more than the reward offered by Wuxiang Zen Temple.

Weighing the storage bag in his hand, Shen Wen'an hesitated for a moment before saying, "I have other important business to attend to on this trip and cannot take you with me."

"Here's what we'll do. You all stay here and hide in the vicinity. At the latest, within a year, I, Shen, will return here."

"If you are still here then, I will take you with me."

"If you agree, I will accept this. If you don't agree, I will return it to you."

Upon hearing this, the group of sea monsters exchanged glances.

"This place has been exposed. Can we hide here for a year?"

"We can't stay hidden at the bottom of the sea forever. What if other human cultivators come looking for us right after the immortal leaves?"

"The clan leader is injured, and we are not even strong enough to defeat a human Golden Core cultivator..."

The sea monsters were buzzing with discussion.

A moment later, the wounded siren staggered over and bowed to Shen Wen'an, saying, "Immortal, we are willing to wait for you here for a year."

"Waiting for the immortal to return..."

He looked back at the group of his clansmen behind him, then turned to Shen Wen'an and said, "When the immortal returns, if any of us sea monsters are still lucky enough to survive, we hope that the immortal can protect them and help them live on."

Sensing the resolute look in the siren's eyes, Shen Wen'an's heart trembled slightly. He nodded solemnly and said, "Don't worry, I will return as soon as possible."

"At that time, no matter how many of your Siren clan members are left, I, Shen, will ensure their survival."

As he finished speaking, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and he took out several white jade array plates.

"These are array plates, which can better conceal your aura, as well as trapping arrays and killing arrays."

"Use it as you see fit."

The array plates in his hand were crafted by Jiang Xiuqi and his master Pei Zhao of Luoxia Mountain in their spare time. Although their power was not great, they could still be effective against cultivators in the Golden Core stage.

"Thank you, God!"

The siren clan chief bowed gratefully and quickly instructed the young siren beside him to accept the array plate.

"Shen is gone. Take care of yourselves."

After giving one last instruction, Shen Wen'an immediately flew away on his sword towards the outside of the archipelago.

With the spirit crystals gifted by the Siren Clan, he no longer needed to detour to complete another bounty mission; he could head directly to the Ice God Palace.

No need to worry about spirit crystals anymore, and the speed of the bronze ships has also increased significantly.

In just over a month, he arrived at the small world where the Ice God Palace was located.

After introducing himself, Shen Wen'an finally arrived at the Ice God Palace and was personally received by Chu Xiangyu, the Grand Elder of the Ice God Palace.

Inside the luxurious hall, Shen Wen'an took a sip of spiritual tea, glanced around, and couldn't help but bow to Chu Xiangyu, saying, "May I ask, Senior Chu, what about my son, Chongzhen...?"

Chu Xiangyu also showed a hint of doubt on her face.

"Young friend, you've come all this way without hearing anything about the Burial Sword Abyss?"

"The Burial Sword Abyss!?" Shen Wen'an was taken aback, then his expression turned somewhat solemn.

Chu Xiangyu seemed unaware of his thoughts and said to herself, "That is an ancient secret realm, related to the Sword Ancestor, the supreme swordsman of ancient times."

"Several Nascent Soul True Monarchs and Sword Immortals from my Ice God Palace, along with Chongzhen and other junior sword cultivators, set off several months ago, intending to try their luck at the Burial Sword Abyss."

"They have probably already entered the Burial Sword Abyss Secret Realm."

"I wonder if you intend to wait for them to return at the Ice God Palace, or to head there now and see if you can encounter them?"

Meeting Chu Xiangyu's questioning gaze, Shen Wen'an remained silent.

(End of this chapter)