The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

"teacher!"

Wu Minghuang said urgently, "You just returned from the Northern Frontier, and your energy hasn't fully recovered..."

"It's alright."

Chen Xuan interrupted her, his voice calm, "Some seals can only be reinforced by me, and some old debts can only be settled by me."

He paused, then said softly:

"Besides... there might be an old friend waiting for me in the East China Sea."

"Old friend?"

Shangguan Wan'er was taken aback.

Chen Xuan offered no explanation.

He took a step forward, his figure transforming into a streak of blue light, and sped off towards the east.

Wu Minghuang gazed at the departing streak of light and murmured, "Seven thousand years ago... what was your status, sir?"

Shangguan Wan'er opened the ancient book she carried with her and quickly looked it up. Suddenly, her finger paused, stopping on a yellowed, tattered page:

"Found it... There is an ancient legend from the East China Sea, dating back seven thousand years."

"The legendary powerful figure who sealed the Nine Abyss Demon Kun called himself 'Cangming Sword Master'."

"With the 'Cangming Sword,' he set up the 'Nine Abyss Demon Suppression Formation' at the bottom of Penglai Sea, suppressing the demon Kun for eternity."

She looked up, her eyes filled with shock:

"Sword Master Cangming... another name we've never heard of before."

"How many identities does he... actually have?"

Wu Minghuang remained silent for a long time before softly saying:

"Nine thousand eight hundred years."

He said he had lived for 9,800 years.

"In other words... there may be ten, twenty, or even more people with identities like the Xuan Tian Sword Master and the Cang Ming Sword Venerable."

The two looked at each other and saw an indescribable shock in each other's eyes.

The man who was walking his bird and drinking tea in Qingcheng Mountain, and who was pestered by them to have a meal...

His past was far more vast than they imagined.

East China Sea, Penglai waters.

Chen Xuan rode the waves.

Beneath my feet was churning black seawater, and above me hung low, leaden-gray clouds.

The air was thick with the stench of the sea mixed with demonic energy; every breath felt like swallowing poison.

A hundred miles ahead, a giant vortex with a diameter of over thirty miles was spinning wildly.

The center of the vortex was pitch black, with a huge crack faintly visible.

That was the breach in the seal on the seabed.

The demonic energy surging from the crack solidified into countless hideous demonic shadows, roaring and churning on the sea surface.

Outside the vortex, the three Lingxiao warships struggled to maintain their formation.

The psionic shields on the ship's hull were riddled with holes from the corrosion of demonic energy, and the ship's psionic cannons continuously bombarded the approaching demonic shadows.

But each shot could only push back the demonic images for a moment, and they would soon recombine and pounce even more fiercely.

"Third Fleet shields overloaded! Requesting retreat!"

"The Second Fleet's spirit stone reserves are less than 30%! At this rate, they can only last for half an hour at most!"

"Damn it! There are just too many of these demonic shadows to kill!"

The communication channels were filled with desperate cries.

Wang Mingyuan stood in the flagship command center, his face ashen. Behind him, Ye Li gripped her sword hilt tightly, her eyes filled with resentment.

Her cultivation level was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, and she couldn't even get close to the center of the vortex in the face of this level of demonic calamity.

"Has Mr. Chen not arrived yet?"

Someone asked in a trembling voice.

"It's already on its way."

Wang Mingyuan stared at the radar screen. "But even if Mr. Chen comes... the sea demon's pressure has already surpassed that of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, and it's still rising. Mr. Chen...?"

He didn't continue.

But everyone understood what he meant.

Although the Holy Master is powerful, he is ultimately just one person.

Faced with an ancient demonic calamity of this magnitude, is one person really enough?

At that very moment—

"Buzz!"

A streak of azure light pierced through the western sky!

A streak of light pierced through the leaden-gray clouds, tearing a dazzling crack between the dim sea and sky.

Wherever it passed, the demonic energy automatically dissipated, and the demonic shadows exploded!

"It is the Holy Master!"

"Mr. Chen has arrived!"

A deafening cheer erupted from the Lingxiao Fleet.

The cyan light stopped above the vortex and transformed into a figure in a cyan robe.

Chen Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the giant vortex with a diameter of thirty miles.

His gaze pierced through the dark seawater, through the cracked seal, through layers of demonic energy, and landed on the terrifying figure awakening in the deepest part of the whirlpool.

"Nine Abyss Demon Kun".

He said calmly, "Seven thousand years have passed, and you're still the same... oblivious to your own mortality."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and pointed his fingers like a sword.

A wisp of azure sword light appeared at his fingertips.

It wasn't the pure white of the Xuan Tian Sword, but a deep, ocean-like azure.

That was a different set of sword techniques he comprehended seven thousand years ago when he observed the tides of the East China Sea for a hundred years on the shore of the East China Sea.

"Cangming Sword Technique - Tide Rises".

A light stroke with the sword's finger.

The azure sword light transformed into a ten-thousand-foot-tall phantom wave, crashing down towards the center of the vortex!

The waves contained not killing intent, but the power of suppression.

That was the original power of the "Nine Abyss Demon Suppression Formation" that he personally set up seven thousand years ago, and it has been reactivated now!

"boom!!!"

The waves crashed down, and the whirlpool suddenly stopped!

The giant vortex that had been spinning wildly all night was abruptly "pressed" to a stop!

The dark crack at the center of the whirlpool began to slowly close under the pressure of the waves!

"roar!!!"

A deafening roar echoed from the depths of the crevice!

That was the roar of the demon Kun, containing the resentment and anger that had been suppressed for seven thousand years!

The roar transformed into a tangible sound wave, erupting from the crack and tearing it apart again, which had only just closed halfway!

"Cangming!!!"

The demonic Kun roared, its sound echoing for miles around:

"You've imprisoned me for seven thousand years! Today I break free of your seal, and you'll be the first thing I devour!"

From the crack, a giant claw covered in jet-black scales suddenly shot out!

The giant claw was a hundred feet long, and every scale gleamed with a cold metallic light. The claw tip tore through the seawater and slashed fiercely at Chen Xuan!

Chen Xuan remained expressionless, and the direction of his sword changed again.

"Cangming Sword Technique - Overlapping Waves"

The azure sword light transformed into nine illusory waves, layer upon layer!

Each wave contains twice the suppressive power of the previous one; when the nine waves are stacked, their power increases five hundredfold!

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The giant claw crashed into nine layers of waves, weakening with each layer! The first layer shattered, the second cracked, the third collapsed... but by the fifth layer, the giant claw's power had been largely depleted!

By the time it reached the ninth level, the giant claw had completely lost its power and was violently slammed back into the crack by the waves!

"ah--!!!"

The demonic Kun screamed in agony, its giant claws and scales shattered, and black blood gushed out!

But Chen Xuan did not stop.

He stepped forward, deliberately entering the center of the vortex, and stood directly above the dark crack!

"Weren't you going to devour me?"

He looked down at the pair of giant, scarlet eyes deep within the crack. "I'm coming down. Now you can swallow me."

Deep within the rift, a hint of surprise flashed in the giant crimson eyes of the demonic Kun.

It carefully sensed Chen Xuan's aura, and suddenly... its pupils contracted sharply!

"No...you are not Cangming! Cangming exhausted his lifespan and passed away seven thousand years ago! You...who are you?!"

Chen Xuan stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly:

"I am the Sword Master of the Azure Sea."

"Seven thousand years ago, I was the one who suppressed you with the Cangming Sword Technique."

"The 'Cangming' you mentioned, from beginning to end... is me."

The demonic Kun trembled violently, its crimson eyes filled with disbelief:

"Impossible! The Cangming Sword Master was only at the Nascent Soul stage back then, yet he burned his entire lifespan to seal me... He couldn't possibly still be alive!"

"Transformation into a Divine Being?"

Chen Xuan chuckled, "That was just my cultivation level back then. Seven thousand years have passed, do you think... I'd still be stuck at the Nascent Soul stage?"