I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 301 The Secret of Paradise Island

Chen Ming said leisurely, "In the end, this world is all about strength. When I reach the Divine Treasure Realm, who will dare to cause me trouble? If the Divine Treasure Realm isn't enough, then I'll go to an even higher realm."

"As expected of a once-in-a-century genius, he really has the confidence."

Deng Ziyang's tone was somewhat wistful, "However, I heard that Pan Zhiyuan has successfully opened the Divine Treasury and will be out of seclusion soon. At that time, I'm afraid your wife will be in trouble and won't be able to protect your family anymore. You should make plans as soon as possible."

"It's natural."

Chen Ming nodded. "Actually, I came to see you today because I want you to do me a favor."

"You said."

"How much do you know about the Blood Demon Sect now?"

Deng Ziyang's expression turned somewhat solemn. "The Blood Demon Sect is expanding extremely rapidly these days. Its strength is probably no less than that of the Nine Great Sects."

Chen Ming was taken aback. "How could this be?"

He knew that Deng Ziyang was not the kind of person who exaggerates.

"Actually, the Blood Demon Sect was never completely eradicated. It is said that hundreds of years ago, a portion of its legacy was passed down to several island nations in the South China Sea. Now it has developed into a behemoth, transforming into the state religion of several countries..."

"You mean the Moon Goddess Cult, which has been spreading its religion in the South China Sea extremely rapidly over the past two hundred years?"

"Exactly."

Chen Ming couldn't help but gasp. He had heard a little about the Moon Goddess Cult. It was said that there were many believers among sailors.

Because the Moon Goddess Cult is extremely popular in the countries of the South China Sea, people who want to do business with the locals naturally need to understand their beliefs, so many people believe in this sect.

This month, the Moon God Cult has become the largest religious sect in the countries of the South China Sea, with tens of millions of followers.

If what Deng Ziyang said is true, and the Moon Goddess Sect is the former Blood Demon Sect, then the strength of this demonic sect is truly extraordinary.

The leader of the Moon Goddess Cult must be at least a powerful expert at the Divine Treasure Realm or above, right?

Chen Ming inquired about the details, "Is that Blood Demon Sect's Divine Treasure Realm cultivator also a member of the Moon Goddess Sect?"

"That's right, this person is the envoy sent by the Moon Goddess Cult to preach in the Great Jin Dynasty. He did not use the Moon Goddess Cult's name, but rather the name of the Blood Demon Sect. There are a total of thirty-six such envoys."

In other words, the Moon Goddess Cult has at least thirty-six Divine Realm experts.

Such strength is indeed somewhat exaggerated.

Even with the Blood Demon Technique, reaching the Divine Treasury Realm is by no means a simple matter. It requires devouring many martial artists.

Deng Ziyang continued, "It is said that above the envoy, there are two Venerable Ones who oversee all affairs of the Great Jin. However, I have never met those two Venerable Ones; I have only heard about them."

Chen Ming then asked, "Now that the envoy is dead, will the Moon Goddess Church send a new envoy, or will they promote you?"

Deng Ziyang said, "There's a high probability they'll send a new envoy. You've fought with the envoys before, so you should know that their Blood Demon Technique is somewhat different from the inheritance I received from the Blood God Pearl."

"Indeed. The Blood God Pearl of that envoy was actually black."

"Do you know what this means?"

"what?"

Deng Ziyang said quietly, "This means that the leader of the Moon Goddess Cult has likely found a way to break free from the Blood God's control. That's why the Moon Goddess Cult has no interest in the Blood God Pearl. Whether it's the Blood God Pearl on my body or someone else's, the envoy doesn't try to steal it."

"So that's it."

Chen Ming said.

This is not hard to understand. All those who cultivate the Blood Demon Technique are actually the Demon Lord's backup blood packs, able to withdraw their power at any time to strengthen themselves.

Anyone with a modicum of ambition would not willingly let their fate be in the hands of others. Naturally, they would try every possible means to resolve this potential threat.

Judging from this, the leader of the Moon Goddess Cult is indeed no ordinary person. Given time, the Blood Demon Sect might produce another Demon Lord.

He then asked, "Within Jiangzhou, who else is colluding with the Blood Demon Sect?"

Deng Ziyang did not hide anything and told everyone he knew.

"I haven't been with the Blood Demon Sect for very long, so I don't know everything."

"That's enough."

“Oh, right.” Deng Ziyang remembered something. “There is another force that is connected with the Moon Goddess Cult. It’s called Paradise Island. The envoy once said that if we are ever wiped out by the Six Doors, we can hide at sea, find pirates, and go to Paradise Island to take refuge.”

Chen Ming's heart skipped a beat. "Where is Paradise Island?"

Deng Ziyang shook his head and said, "I don't know, I only know it's the pirates' headquarters."

"The messenger must have told you how to get to Paradise Island, right?"

"Indeed. You seem quite interested in Paradise Island; do you have a grudge against them?"

"I suppose so. Now that the envoy is dead, it's perfectly reasonable for you to go to Paradise Island, isn't it?"

Deng Ziyang understood his meaning, "You want me to go to Paradise Island?"

Chen Ming said, "I was planning to go anyway. If you could come with me, I would be more confident that I could get out unscathed."

"Okay." Deng Ziyang agreed without asking any further questions.

……

That night, in a manor near the Six Doors.

In the study, Du Caiyue finished reading a secret letter, looking somewhat worried. "The situation is not good. A message came from the island that the master has been placed under house arrest."

There were two other people in the study.

A middle-aged scholar frowned and said, "How could this be? The island lord has always respected his master."

"While the island lord is in seclusion, someone has begun to purge dissidents. The island is now in chaos, and I fear it's..."

"No, we have to go back and save our master."

"Don't be impulsive. Without the island lord's order, we can't even get onto the island, let alone rescue anyone."

"..."

The three argued for a while, but couldn't come up with a solution.

After a while, the middle-aged scholar and the martial artist left first.

Du Caiyue was left alone in the study, pondering a solution.

"Miss Du, how have you been?"

Suddenly, a voice reached her ears, and she was startled. "Who?"

"Could it be that Miss Du doesn't even recognize my voice?"

The study door opened from the outside, and a tall figure walked in. "It's you?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Du Caiyue was taken aback, her face filled with fear. "Who exactly are you...?"

She wanted to ask you whether you were "Chen Ming" or the Demon Lord. But halfway through, she realized it was inappropriate and swallowed her words.

It was Chen Ming who arrived. He had reverted to his original appearance and entered the study, asking in return, "What do you think?"

Du Caiyue quickly calmed down. "No matter who you are, you must have a purpose in coming to me at this time."

Chen Ming said, "I'm here to fulfill our original agreement. Didn't you say that if I broke through to the second rank within six months, I would come to you and help you rescue your master? Now, I'm here."

"You've reached the second rank?"

Du Caiyue was startled.

"What, do I need to prove it to you?"

"No need. I trust you."

Du Caiyue's heart suddenly filled with joy. Regardless of whether this person had been possessed by the Demon Lord, as long as he was willing to help, it was a good thing.

After all, she had no other choice now.

She praised, "Young Master Chen is indeed a trustworthy person."

Chen Ming said, "I owe her a favor. The movement technique she taught me helped me escape several close calls. I have to repay that favor. However, from what you just said, the situation on Paradise Island has changed?"

"I just received the news, and the situation is not good."

"Tell me about the situation on Paradise Island."

Du Caiyue organized her thoughts before saying, "Actually, besides the island lord, there are three other powerful families on Paradise Island. They are the Fang family, the Lin family, and the Li family."

"These three families all possess Divine Realm experts. Only the Island Lord can keep them in check. In recent years, the Island Lord has recruited many people from outside the island, which has long been a source of discontent for these three families. This time, they took advantage of the Island Lord's seclusion to break through and suddenly launched an attack, killing many outsiders."

"The owner has also been affected and is now under house arrest."

After listening, Chen Ming was somewhat surprised. "There are actually several Divine Realm experts on Bliss Island. How can someone with such strength be allowed to dominate the sea with only a second-grade Red Sea Lord?"

Du Caiyue said, "I heard my master say that it's because the families on Paradise Island all have ancestral rules that require them to swear an oath to stay on the island forever and never leave it."

"Why would they do this?" Chen Ming asked, puzzled.

"The master suspects that this is likely related to the great secret of Paradise Island. In short, all the Divine Realm experts on the island, including the island lord, are trapped on the island and will never be able to leave."

Chen Ming said, "So, there must be a secret realm on Bliss Island?"

Du Caiyue said, "That's right, and they are several top-grade secret realms."

"several?"

Chen Ming was taken aback. Several top-grade secret realms on one island? Was that reasonable?

"If that weren't the case, why would those families stay on the island for generations and refuse to leave? Why would they attract so many pirates?"

He raised a question: "Since there are so many Divine Realm experts on the island, even if I reach the second rank, it would be impossible for me to rescue them. The difference in strength is too great."

Du Caiyue explained, "You don't know this. On Paradise Island, besides the island lord and others, there is also a guardian beast. This beast is extremely ancient, and even the island lord has difficulty controlling it. It possesses extremely rare ice and fire attributes..."

Chen Ming understood upon hearing this. "You mean, you want me to curry favor with that sacred beast? To have it plead for your master's release?"

Du Caiyue nodded, "If we can persuade that sacred beast, then naturally no one will dare to make things difficult for my master anymore, and perhaps, we can even gain true freedom."

Why does Chen Ming seem so unreliable?

Just because he cultivates both Yin and Yang, does that mean he's bound to win the favor of that sacred beast with ice and fire attributes?
He asked, "How confident are you about this?"

Du Caiyue said, "At least fifty percent. According to the master, that divine beast suffers greatly every month due to attribute restraint. If you can help it alleviate this pain, you will surely gain its favor. In fact, the reason it chose to stay on Paradise Island is because there are two natural spiritual springs on the island: an ice spring and a fire spring."

"Whenever the backlash occurs, it relies on these two spiritual springs to alleviate the pain. However, those two spiritual springs are now almost dry. The island lord is extremely troubled by this matter. The master has such a status on the island precisely because he offered up the Nine Yin Manual. Someone has cultivated this technique to the third rank and serves the sacred beast. His status is extraordinary."

Hearing her say that, Chen Ming finally felt it was somewhat plausible and asked, "What level is this divine beast?"

"My master said it's roughly equivalent to the peak of the Divine Treasure Realm."

The peak of the Divine Realm was even stronger than he had imagined.

He then asked, "Isn't this matter quite risky?"

Du Caiyue said with some worry, "Originally there was no danger. But now, the situation on the island has changed and things are in chaos, so it's hard to say what will happen."

"You just said that there's trouble on the island. Could they kill your master too?"

"No. As long as they haven't gone mad, they will never harm their master."

Seeing her so certain, Chen Ming thought that the woman in red probably had some secrets.

He said, "There's one more thing. Are you aware of the collusion between Jin Yutang and Paradise Island?"

Du Caiyue shook her head, "I don't know. There are several forces on Paradise Island, each with its own plans, and they don't communicate with each other."

Right.

However, this also resolved a question in his mind: why would the people of Paradise Island plot for so long to usurp the position of leader of Jin Yutang?

So it turns out, it was all for Jin Yutang's spot.

Although there are limited spots available on Paradise Island, once you break through to the Divine Realm there, you have to stay on the island for life.

If it were him, he certainly wouldn't want to be trapped on the island for the rest of his life.

Even if Jin Yutang's secret realm is only of high quality and cannot compare to the top quality of Paradise Island, it doesn't matter.

Chen Ming asked, "So how do we get to Paradise Island now?"

"Before the master left, he left behind a token to enter the island. There is only one, so if you decide to go, you must go to the island alone."

"Now is not a good time to go to the island. Since Sister Hong is not in any immediate danger, let's hold off for now and wait until the situation on the island becomes clearer."

Du Caiyue said solemnly, "However, time is running out. If we cannot rescue our master within a month, something might happen."

He asked, "What variables?"

As if she had made up her mind, Du Caiyue asked, "Have you heard the legends about Paradise Island?"

Chen Ming nodded, "I've heard some things. Legend has it that Paradise Island is a fairy island."

She said, "It's true. On Paradise Island, there is a celestial abode. Moreover, it's an unclaimed celestial abode. Back then, the last emperor of the previous dynasty, in his quest for immortality, sent four powerful figures to sea to search for celestial mountains and divine islands. In the end, the four powerful figures never returned, which led to the downfall of the previous dynasty."

"While this rumor is somewhat exaggerated, one thing is true: after those four powerful individuals discovered the Immortal Abode on Bliss Island, they entered it in their struggle for control and were trapped there for many years. Once they escaped, the Immortal Abode was sealed off, and they could no longer enter."

Du Caiyue lowered her voice even further, speaking in a tone only he could hear, "It is said that those four powerful figures declared that the Immortal Abode would reopen in five hundred years. Now, the five hundred-year period has arrived..."

(End of this chapter)