Chapter 125: Into the Devil’s Sea

"The navy has won a great victory, and the whole city is celebrating."

"If we attack the Demon Suppression Division now, could we kill Baili Feihong?"

"It would be quite difficult."

"However, his strength is not to be underestimated."

"There are quite a few masters of supernatural powers who have come here upon hearing the news."

"With our current strength, we can only fish in troubled waters."

"I heard that a certain sect has placed a bounty, offering a supreme martial art as a reward. Whoever kills Baili Feihong and brings his head can claim this supreme art."

"That 'certain sect' must be the Taiyi Sect, right?"

"Heh heh, hush. This is the Taiyi Sect we're talking about. If the imperial court discovers that you know the whereabouts of the Taiyi Sect, those garrison generals will never let you off."

"The Demon Suppression Division is currently overwhelmed; do they even have the time to care about our sects?"

"The eight-hundred-year rule of the Guliang Great Yuan is coming to an end."

"The Guliang imperial family is not that simple."

"The age of great upheaval has arrived; the Guliang must perish. This was decreed by the Daoist Master."

"Rumor has it that the forbidden prophet has issued a prophecy regarding the Guliang imperial family."

"The Guliang will surely fall, beginning first with Dongbin City."

"Baili Feihong is from Dongbin City. I wonder if it is because the fortune of Dongbin City is exhausted that such a genius was born there."

"Kill him, and we shall find out."

"The Taiyi Sect has been circulating a technique for seizing fortune, specifically designed to deal with the imperial court."

"Damn the imperial lackeys; they have suppressed us for eight hundred years."

A vast amount of divine sense spread over Feiyuan Island, forming a concealed network that made their communication easier. This "network of divine sense" was a special secret technique recently developed by the sects. It is said that the Earth Fiend Weapon Refining Sect is developing a connector that can achieve mutual communication through the fluctuations of energy transmitted between heaven and earth. Once successful, they would no longer need to cultivate to the Spirit Refining stage to communicate from thousands of miles away.

Baili Feihong frowned and looked up at the sky. Under his divine vision, streams of light flickered, too swift to capture.

"Is that the power of divine sense?"

To be able to project divine sense, one must at least be at the Origin Embryo stage. Martial artists at the Spirit Refining level could project it, but only to a distance of less than ten meters.

"With the navy's victory, has the imperial court sent experts to garrison Feiyuan Island?"

The frequent exchange of divine sense over the past three days had left Baili Feihong feeling restless. Gradually, he realized that these people were not from the imperial court. Their movements were erratic, and their divine sense exchanges were highly exclusionary; it was difficult for unauthorized divine sense to eavesdrop on their information.

"Beyond projecting divine sense, this group of mysterious people has also cultivated a unique secret technique."

He cast his divine gaze toward the sky, observing the special power within their divine sense.

"Electromagnetic force?"

"Damn, have these people already developed communication techniques and entered the information age ahead of schedule?"

That seemed too exaggerated. Thinking of this, Baili Feihong immediately realized that the electrical age might be dawning, even though the steam age had only just begun. Had technological civilization already begun to leap forward? But when he considered the martial arts of this world and the god-like power of its strongest individuals, he realized that if they set their minds to research, they would be more terrifying than anyone else. They possessed longer lifespans than humans on Earth, and the accumulation of knowledge and the continuity of their research were incomparable to Earth's scientists.

In a trance, Baili Feihong could already foresee the future development of this world. Yet, no matter how the world developed, the top-tier experts would always hold the reins of power.

"I have sorted out the duties and responsibilities of the Demon Suppression Division; it is time to leave."

Realizing that the factions leading the technological development of the Great Yuan Empire must be deeply hidden sects, he understood that this was a side of the world he had never known. Throughout history, the one colossus that could never be circumvented was the sect.

He closed his eyes and savored the flow of vital energy within his body. Today, he had finally converted the power absorbed from the Desire-type gods into the Primal Cauldron Maternal Qi, and then transformed that into his own internal essence. A massive "Cauldron of All Things Returning to Origin" resided in his Dantian, with countless meridians connecting to the three hundred and fifty-six acupuncture points throughout his body. Within each point, a phantom of the Cauldron acted as a stellar core, continuously absorbing the ambient vital energy from heaven and earth. He was like a mobile black hole of vital energy, consuming the power of the world at every moment. One day of his cultivation was equivalent to a year for others at the Origin Embryo stage. His meridians, like a galaxy, formed a mysterious array, radiating a terrifying power, as if something were gestating within.

Meanwhile, the surging Primal Cauldron Maternal Qi within him was constantly merging with his physical body. His "Twelve Blood Refinements" were growing. In just three days, he had refined one percent of the eleventh layer. This meant that without even cultivating, if he just sat still for a hundred days, he could transform all his blood into the twelfth layer of refined blood. Cultivation would only accelerate this process.

"The Cauldron of All Things Returning to Origin truly has a natural advantage for blood refinement."

With this technique alone, even if the Skill Book were to disappear now, Baili Feihong could still refine his blood into "Saint Blood" before the age of fifty. This was a terrifying speed of cultivation. If supplemented with medicinal pills, heavenly treasures, and other resources, the speed would be even greater.

"The North Island residence has been built. I intended to go there to cultivate, but it seems there is no suitable place for me on Feiyuan Island anymore."

Baili Feihong understood that his identity as a member of the Demon Suppression Division had made him a target for the sects. The better he performed, the more the sects would try to kill him.

"Killing the chicken to scare the monkey backfired. The death of Xue Ming from the Flower Sect only served to add ten thousand skill points to my total."

In the past, this would have been a large income. However, after understanding the guaranteed mechanism of the Skill Book, Baili Feihong was no longer interested in killing powerful enemies. Instead, bullying small fry provided a much richer harvest. The minimum gain for a skill point in the Skill Book was one point. As long as the person possessed sin, no matter how weak they were, it would reward him with one point. This was precisely the motivation that drove Baili Feihong to risk his life to enter the Devil's Sea.

"The Six Paths of Demon Suppression Sutra records one supreme divine ability, three extreme divine abilities, six great divine abilities, nine law divine abilities, thirty-six Heavenly Dipper divine abilities, and seventy-two Earth Fiend minor divine abilities."

"Most people find it difficult to complete all of them, so they choose one as a core and several as auxiliaries to engrave onto their Origin Embryo, eventually turning it into a Dharma Form."

The prerequisite for cultivating the "Demon-Suppressing World Dharma Form" was to reach the fourth stage in one supreme, three extreme, and six great divine abilities. The Demon Suppression Division had produced many masters at the Dharma Form stage, but aside from the five Elders, no one had yet successfully cultivated this Dharma Form capable of suppressing everything.

"I have the Skill Book. With skill points, I can complete all these divine abilities. Even without points, I can rely on the Skill Book's proficiency experience to master them all."

Lying in his large office, Baili Feihong pondered his future martial path. As evening approached, he finally left the Demon Suppression Division, having not stepped out of the building for three days. The sect experts dared not attack the building due to the special regulations of the Demon Suppression Division.

The moment Baili Feihong stepped out, the divine sense network over Feiyuan Island, which had fallen silent, became lively once more.

"Baili Feihong has finally stepped out of the building."

"To think that our sect masters of supernatural powers were actually afraid of the rules set by the Demon Suppression Division."

"Heh heh, the five Elders haven't appeared for a long time, and we don't want to face those five old madmen."

"You want to rely on the sect's Martial Saints to stand up for us and block the five Elders? You must have a death wish."

"Stop arguing, Baili Feihong has appeared. Now, how to kill him? If you aren't focused and I end up reaping the rewards, don't blame me. I believe the Martial Saint behind me is willing to protect me."

A master of supernatural powers sent this message out, immediately resonating with many powerful sect disciples. It was a consensus within the sects that those on the Hidden Dragon Ranking would receive protection from the older generation. If any martial artist above the Dharma Form level dared to assassinate a disciple on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, the sect's strongest would surely step in to slaughter the disciples of that faction. Chaos without rules was terrifying.

As their gazes fell upon Baili Feihong, he felt it immediately. He counted silently: more than twenty. Twenty masters of supernatural powers. Baili Feihong could not withstand this; he would be torn to pieces. Everyone had their limits, unless he had truly attained an invincible body.

"Are you not attacking now because you're worried I'll hide back in the building?"

He glanced at the building behind him and smiled helplessly. During the time he was away from the Division, the Demon Suppression Envoys would have a hard time. However, he had already clearly delegated the duties, and as long as they followed them, the Division would not fall into chaos. If anyone violated them, he would punish them upon his return.

"The Southern Navy is focused on the Devil's Strait and has no time to care about Feiyuan Island. This gives you an opportunity. Seize it well. If you train hard enough, one of you might take my position in the future."

He had high hopes for Chen Xingyan, but whether he was suited to be a Garrison Envoy remained to be seen. He was young and temperamental, and with his father rendered demented by Nangong Zhen, an elder of the Primitive Demon Sect, his desire for revenge might prevent him from making rational decisions. But Baili Feihong would not interfere. If he could be forged in suffering, Chen Xingyan’s future would be boundless. The small Feiyuan Island could not contain him. If he insisted on revenge and allowed hatred to blind him, making foolish choices, Baili Feihong would not keep him.

With a thought, he focused on a specific divine ability in his Skill Book.

"Kunpeng Escape Technique: Supreme Divine Ability, First Layer: Wings Flapping Through the Nine Heavens Mastery (999,853/1,000,000 experience)."

The cultivation of this divine ability was slow. He was only one hundred and forty-seven experience points away from reaching the peak and upgrading to the second layer. Each layer of a supreme divine ability was a different realm. With nine layers, one could slay Dharma Forms. Only a Martial Saint could reach the ninth layer of a supreme divine ability.

"Since you won't make a move, Grandpa isn't going to play with you anymore." A smile appeared on Baili Feihong's lips.

"Kunpeng Escape Technique: Wings Flapping Through the Nine Heavens!"

The wind rose, and the Great Peng spread its wings. A massive phantom appeared around Baili Feihong, like wings of a hundred zhang, flapping gently. In an instant, Baili Feihong broke through the divine sense network, shattering the void, and flew toward the Devil's Sea at a speed that even divine sense could barely track. The network of over twenty masters of supernatural powers was torn to shreds by the flapping of the Kunpeng's wings.

"Supreme divine ability! Kunpeng Escape Technique!"

"The supreme divine ability derived from the Kunpeng blood inheritance has finally appeared."

"It seems the rumors were true; Baili Feihong obtained the Kunpeng blood and even the inheritance in Dongbin City."

"No wonder he could refine his blood to a level comparable to a peak master of supernatural powers in such a short time. He refined the Kunpeng blood."

"The Kunpeng, this demon god, would rank in the top five even in the era of ancient mythology."

"Kunpeng blood, supreme divine ability... Damn it, we shouldn't have been so hesitant."

"The Devil's Sea. He entered the Devil's Sea."

"So what if it's the Devil's Sea? We are masters of supernatural powers; even if we encounter a True Demon-level entity in the Devil's Sea, we can handle it."

The divine sense network recovered, but the messages conveyed were filled with shock. Beyond the shock, the desire to kill Baili Feihong grew even stronger. The Kunpeng blood would not vanish with Baili Feihong's death. Even if he had refined it, they could refine his blood into pills and consume them to obtain the Kunpeng blood.

A sword streaked across the sky, piercing the clouds and diving into the Devil's Sea.

"The brother from the Taixuan Sword Sect is reckless!"

"The sword path is straightforward; they don't have your petty thoughts. Wait for me, brother from the Taixuan Sword Sect!"

A streak of fire burned half the sky as it chased toward the Devil's Sea.

"The brother from the Five Elements Martial Sect has come too? If I'm not mistaken, this fire-attribute divine ability belongs to Lu Yan, ranked eighteenth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking."

With leaders emerging, one master of supernatural powers after another ignored the "forbidden" nature of the Devil's Sea and unleashed their abilities to pursue Baili Feihong. A single master might not be able to kill him. Although Xue Ming was from the Flower Sect, he was more powerful than the masters of other great sects and could be considered one of the leaders among the evil paths. Ranking sixth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, he was certainly a powerhouse. The name "Yin-Thunder God" was forged in blood, yet he died at Baili Feihong's hands. Since Baili Feihong had also reached the sixth spot on the ranking, it was clear how formidable he was—perhaps no less than the fifth-ranked.

Masters of supernatural powers, in groups of three or five, ignored the dangers of the Devil's Sea and gave chase. No one cared about the so-called Demon Suppression Division. Those within the Division who could threaten their lives were all at the Imperial Headquarters. After all, with their own strength, they could stand on equal footing with the provincial garrison commanders.

Feiyuan Island fell into calm once again, but the terrifying aura left in the sky lingered for a long time.

"An unexpected joy. I was thinking of petitioning the Emperor to praise Baili Feihong's strength and suggest he be promoted from Garrison Envoy to Garrison Commander, transferring him away from Feiyuan Island. I never expected so many sect members to want his life."

Upon receiving the news, Yan Fei was happier than if he had won a great battle.

"Commander, the supplies are ready. We can depart."

"Let's go; it's our turn to go to the battlefield," Yan Fei shouted excitedly. As for the Commandery Office on Feiyuan Island, he would leave it to Deputy Commander Qian to handle. Zhong Ziling had already taken office as the Prefect. With her strength and authority, she could contend with Deputy Commander Qian. However, compared to the navy's victory, Zhong Ziling's appointment was very low-key. Ninety percent of the people far from Southern Town did not even know the Prefect had been replaced.

That was exactly the effect Zhong Ziling wanted. The prefecture could not be destroyed, caught as cannon fodder between the Southern Navy and the Demon Suppression Division. Even though Zhong Ziling came from the Southern Navy, if she harmed the interests of the prefecture, no one within the government would listen to her.