Chapter 146: Invincible Sweep, Formidable Foes Rout!

Chapter 146: Unrivaled Sweep, Defeat of Powerful Enemies!
Chapter 146: Blood Sea Treasure Talisman, Mysterious Scale Sovereign!

Bai Xuan raised his head, his gaze calm as he looked at the tall, humanoid figure standing in the air.

At that moment, the towering figure looked down at Bai Xuan, shifted its gaze away after a moment, and spoke with a voice like thunder.

"Immortal Islands? You are too weak, unworthy of guarding this legacy!"

"I have already won four consecutive matches. If you cannot continue, you have no choice but to abide by the agreement, retreat three hundred miles, and surrender these waters to our Sea-Serpent Fleet!"

The tall figure’s voice was ice-cold. "If not, then let the battle begin!"

In an instant, the figure vanished.

Below, amidst the Immortal Islands' fleet, numerous voices erupted in chaotic uproar, rolling like crashing waves.

Dozen of immortal masters flew into the water to rescue the Form-Flowing True Man, who was heavily injured, his inner fire dim and struggling to coalesce.

That cold voice echoed. "Prepare the blood sacrificial ritual. You will hold the line for me, and I shall fight this powerhouse!"

A heavy, terrifying voice sounded from within the cabin.

A horrific humanoid figure, much shorter at only three meters tall, stepped forward and bowed with utmost reverence.

Though he could not fathom Bai Xuan's true strength, and the *Swallowing-Sea* had not flown the Blue-Dragon Flag, he could perceive the attitude of the grandmaster-level figures and Wan Yongdao toward Bai Xuan, making his deep reverence natural.

This was one of the fiercest powerhouses of the Immortal Islands, who had swept across the Eastern Sea with almost unbroken victories, yet had now suffered defeat and failed to counter the powerful enemy!

"Alas, not a match, not a match at all..."

This was a terrifying fleet composed of sea beasts, monsters, and skeletons, hailing from another sea domain to fight for some dreadful empire. In a certain sense, it was extremely similar to the Sea God Sect, its heritage stemming from the exact same root!

"No, that is not right."

Just as the various fierce monsters on the deck roared in bloodthirsty frenzy, the tall figure known as the Red-Scale King lowered his head and spoke in a deep voice.

"Wait for them to evacuate? These mortal weaklings are pathetic, fit only to serve as blood-meat! Once the fleets of all sovereigns gather, drive our brothers to slaughter and devour them all!"

The Red-Scale King knelt on one knee, speaking in a respectful, low rumble.

He lowered his gaze, his voice indifferent and heavy. "I am going to pay an audience to Lord Scale Sovereign."

Another monster stood up. It was the ship's chief mate, standing a full five meters tall, with a brutal voice and dense spikes protruding from its carapace. Terrifying blood-qi surged from its body, reaching the level of Nine Rivers.

With a muffled boom, a pair of huge eyes opened, glowing with a turbid, ashen grey as they stared outward. They radiated an immensely terrifying pressure that caused even the Red-Scale King to tremble slightly!

"Even so, it matters little. Defeating one who has received the talisman does not mean they can defeat me!"

This was already a creature of the deep, no longer human, yet possessing even more terrifying power!

"Red King, those foolish mortals of the Eastern Sea are no match for you. Once this battle is won and they retreat, we can explore the underwater mansion and claim these waters as our own."

"My master is one of the five Island Masters, True Man Flowing-Void! His combat power rivals that of a Grandmaster, and he excels in alchemy. If any of you are interested, my master's disciples can accept medicinal pill orders. Should you require the refinement of medicinal pills of any grade, you may seek my master."

...

However, this was a lineage of Qi practitioners; immortal masters had low demands for resources and could resolve them through trade, having no need to become overlords. Thus, even though they had existed for a long time, they rarely made enemies.

The Immortal Islands ranked among the absolute forefront of the entire Eastern Sea, with all five Island Masters possessing astonishing strength comparable to top-tier Grandmasters.

The middle-aged Daoist smiled bitterly. "If you gentlemen are friends and wish for me to introduce you, please come aboard the fleet, and I will lead you to meet my master."

With a creak, the wide chamber door pushed open. Within a space spanning a hundred meters wide, an elderly Daoist sat cross-legged on a central straw mat, his expression deeply gloomy.

Amidst the cold fog.

This was one of the business strategies of the Immortal Islands.

It was their custom—within this empire, everything was treated the same: either completely devoured or reduced to slavery!

Throughout the fleet shrouded in the cold fog, countless terrifying monsters crawled and clung to the hulls. Even beneath the waterline, horrifying creatures attached themselves silently to the ship's plating, their pupils staring with ferocious malice.

It was the second mate of the flagship, its blood-qi equally formidable.

A moment later, it arrived at the central flagship of the fleet, a magnificent vessel built from the enormous skeleton of a sea beast.

The tall figure descended, its surrounding blood-qi terrifying as it revealed its true form—standing seven or eight meters tall, its entire body covered in menacing, steel-colored scales.

Its battle intent was formidable, brimming with detached confidence, ready to tear everything apart and defeat any powerful enemy at a moment's notice!

Mo Han offered a reminder.

"Without entering the Divine Phase, all are mere ants. The foundation of the Eastern Sea is too weak. It is time to display my full strength and annihilate all competitors before this underwater mansion!"

"You have also seen it, honored guest: the Immortal Islands' fleet has already lost. Though they are willing to share the underwater mansion with you, the outer-sea fleet has arrived and suppressed all opposition; they are simply unmatched!"

Mo Han's expression was similarly heavy as he bowed to Bai Xuan and said:

The Immortal Islands Fleet.

"Beyond my expectations, the powerhouses of the Eastern Sea are more than just this... A truly terrifying powerhouse has descended."

"This is where my master resides."

Many people used this island to conduct transactions, exchanging medicinal pills and talismans, vaguely functioning as a massive commercial hub on the Eastern Sea.

"The Sea-Serpent King of the Eastern Sea."

...

When a perfected grandmaster visited, they would be led to meet one of the island masters. Absolute strength allowed the Immortal Islands to maintain a sense of mystery and oppression toward foreign grandmasters!

At this moment, among the various ships of the fleet, talismanic spiritual light intertwined, constructing a multi-layered, pavilion- and peak-like structure step by step, extremely broad and magnificent!

At this, the Red-Scale King's expression shifted, a hint of confusion appearing on his ferocious face. "That is..."

Mo Han spoke respectfully.

"Sovereign! A new powerhouse has appeared on the side of the Immortal Islands! I can sense the sea-serpent bloodline boiling with rage. Upon his hands are undoubtedly the blood of countless sea-folk, and even the souls of those who received the talisman!"

At this moment, he opened his eyes. A look of deep contemplation remained, and as his gaze swept across the room, it was stern and indifferent.

He was one of the Island Masters of the Immortal Islands, True Man Flowing-Void. He had even fought Grandmasters whose blood-qi resembled the ocean; his mastery of talismans and alchemy was formidable. As his gaze swept over, it felt almost tangible, causing static electricity to crackle in the empty room. With a flash, it made Wan Yongdao's expression shift, the blade-light behind him condensing to resist that piercing gaze.

The old Daoist swept his eyes over them with a gloomy expression, clearly in a foul mood due to the consecutive defeats, and was about to speak.

Just at that moment.

The wooden talisman at his waist trembled slightly, slowly emitting wisps of smoke. The smoke pointed straight and blood-red toward Bai Xuan, bearing an extremely clear blood-character: "Seven"!

In an instant.

The old Daoist abruptly looked at Bai Xuan, his expression changing drastically as he leaped to his feet. The gloomy and heavy look vanished entirely, replaced by a trace of a forced smile as he bowed respectfully and said:

"Unaware that the Dragon Head was traveling from afar, this humble Daoist failed to welcome you personally. Your presence truly brings honor to this humble dwelling!"

"Please take the seat of honor!"

...

A moment later.

"My luck is truly exceptional to have encountered Grandmaster Bai Xuan. Haha... My disciple indeed has a good eye."

The dark gloom on the old Daoist's face had completely vanished, replaced by a respectful smile and extreme courtesy as he personally poured tea for Bai Xuan.

In truth, he was also among the top fifty experts of the Heavenly Ranking, possessing immensely formidable strength and a world-shaking physique.

However, facing Bai Xuan, any expert would feel trepidation, harboring doubts and not daring to speak lightly.

This was a Grandmaster ranked seventh on the Heavenly Ranking, who had once defeated several top-tier Heavenly Ranking experts within three breaths, killing them all, and stepping over their skeletons to enter the top ten—a universally known, terrifying powerhouse!

Mo Han stood guard on the side, hurriedly reviewing his previous words and actions in his mind, cross-checking them repeatedly before finally exhaling a sigh of relief.

"Good thing I acted according to the rules of our Immortal Islands. This set of etiquette leaves no room for fault; nothing should go wrong!"

Turbulent waves raged in his heart, and he felt immensely fortunate at that moment.

Had his attitude been stiffer and colder, turning them away a thousand miles off, the situation might not be what it was now.

In reality, that was the most common scenario on the sea: factions blockading maritime domains, directly shouting abuse, driving people away, or even exterminating them outright were commonplace!

At this moment.

"State your purpose. What is on your mind?"

Bai Xuan drank a cup of tea and finally spoke.

He was direct, wasting no words with the other party.

The immortal masters of the Immortal Islands prided themselves on trade and cooperation with all directions, smoothing things over on all sides. They rarely came into conflict with any maritime faction, not even maintaining excessive hostility toward the Star-Hunting Pirates.

This meant that the powerhouses of the Immortal Islands were adept at resolving problems through transaction.

Yet the other party, whose expression had previously been gloomy and ashen, had swept away that demeanor to become so respectful to him—not merely out of hospitality, but clearly because they had a request!

"The Dragon Head possesses eyes like torches. Haha, this one dares not conceal the truth."

The old Daoist's expression became somewhat awkward.

"We have garrisoned this sea domain for a month. Ten days ago, these enemies arrived and challenged us to a trial by combat. Logically speaking, victory or defeat dictates the terms; at worst, we would yield this maritime domain."

Bai Xuan's expression flickered slightly.

"With Grandmaster Bai Xuan's divine calculation, you can naturally guess... First, this trial by combat is a form of probing!"

The old Daoist wore a bitter smile.

"This enemy fleet is naturally ferocious by nature, releasing sea beasts to slaughter and devour everywhere—they are certainly no benevolent entities. Yet now, they obediently engage in trials by combat without displaying their murderous nature."

"This Scale King is probing us to see if anyone can threaten his life."

"If no one can match him, or if we simply fled, his next move would undoubtedly be to launch an attack, wiping out our fleet in a full-scale massacre."

"Can you not use some means to conceal your traces and leave?"

Bai Xuan asked with a frown.

For an ordinary fleet, achieving this would be utterly impossible, but these Qi practitioners naturally possessed various mystical methods and could not be judged by conventional standards.

For a legacy, even one as precious as an underwater mansion, it was hard to justify sacrificing all lives in a desperate battle.

When the time came to abandon it, abandon it they must!

"This leads to another extremely important matter."

A bitter smile appeared on the old Daoist's face. "Since Grandmaster Bai Xuan’s mind connects with the divine, care to guess where our First Island Master is right now?"

"I understand."

Bai Xuan understood and nodded.

Since the old Daoist put it this way, there was only one possible location for the First Island Master.

That was beneath the ten-thousand-meter-deep underwater mansion!

Only thus could the Immortal Islands fleet refuse to leave, standing guard here to confront the outer-sea fleet.

This was a game of chess, a high-stakes gamble. If the First Island Master could return from the underwater mansion, the enemy fleet would naturally be unmatched and could be completely annihilated.

If not, they could only hold on bitterly.

Otherwise, when the First Island Master emerged from the underwater mansion, what he would face would be the encirclement of the entire outer-sea fleet, plunging him into an extremely disadvantageous and perilous situation!

"You may state your conditions now."

Bai Xuan lowered his gaze.

Hearing this explanation, he already understood the situation in his heart.

In reality, though this fleet faction was powerful, they were now caught in a dilemma, riding a tiger and finding it hard to dismount, walking on thin ice with the risk of capsizing.

"The Dragon Head is indeed unfathomable."

The old Daoist smiled. Showing no sign of pain, he clapped his hands.

Instantly, two blood-refining martial artists stepped forward, subduing a withered, ferocious Daoist with a bare chest who knelt on the ground. Mo Han also hurried over, cautiously retrieving a jade slip and a bottle of pills.

"The matter regarding someone embezzling a batch of Taisui medicinal herbs within the island earlier has been resolved. We investigated this person; he belonged to one of my disciples' lineages and possessed a somewhat crooked moral compass."

The old Daoist sighed. "At first, it was laziness—delaying the delivery of various medicinal herbs year after year. Later, seeing no one capable of exacting retribution, he stopped delivering them entirely, protected by my disciple until it reached this point, offending the Dragon Head."

The withered, ferocious-looking Daoist writhed repeatedly, his face turning pale as he wailed, "Ancestor, I will never dare again, I will never dare again!"

"We of the Immortal Islands have always valued trade and absolute integrity. Otherwise, seizing by force invites disaster; enemies breed conflict, and conflict makes it hard to preserve oneself. If it is always thus, how can one cultivate the Dao?"

The old Daoist sighed. "You may go."

With a flick of his sleeve, with a soft *poof*, the withered Daoist instantly transformed into ash, his entire body burned away into cinders that were caught by a gust of wind and blown out the door!

"The Immortal Islands have never sought to be overlords, taking at most a legacy. To fight too much and be too greedy destroys the possibility of seeking the Dao."

The old Daoist shook his head. "Mysterious-Abode Temple follows a different path; on this Eastern Sea, one does not need to vie for hegemony to ascend to the Dao. I heard that the former great cultivator of Thousand-Mountains Island was an apex Dao-entering powerhouse who lived for two hundred years and reached the pinnacle."

"Dragon Head, here is the bottle of pills he owed you. However, given the Dragon Head's current strength, these pills are likely only suitable for junior generations, so I took the liberty of exchanging them for a different set of pills."

The old Daoist presented the bottle. "These pills are the 'Heavenly-Eye Purifying-Spirit Pills'. Consuming one increases visual acuity by thirty percent, and their value is double that of Yin-Yang True Blood Pills and their ilk."

"Of course, this is still not enough. But I also have a pill formula here, which I present to the Dragon Head as well. It should prove useful."

"What pill formula?"

Bai Xuan took the jade slip.

"Azure-Falling Condensing-Spirit Pill!"

The old Daoist said solemnly.

"This pill formula extracts the souls of ten thousand beasts and fish in the sea to refine into a single Azure-Falling Grand Pill. Consuming it allows one's spiritual mind to continuously grow at a divine speed!"

"Two hundred years ago, this pill formula was obtained from an upper-grade legacy. In this current generation, it seems unawakened and unopened; no one else can possibly acquire it."

"If we consume these Azure-Falling Grand Pills, our cultivation naturally progresses by leaps and bounds. That is why there are five peak-breath-regulating powerhouses in our Immortal Islands."

"For a powerhouse like the Dragon Head to consume it, there is also a benefit: it enhances martial arts momentum, and even condenses sword intent or spear intent to even greater heights, unleashing magnificent power."

The old Daoist looked at Bai Xuan. "If the Dragon Head is interested, our Immortal Islands can also sign a talismanic and alchemical covenant endowed with the efficacy of receiving the talisman, establishing a friendly alliance with the Thousand-Mountains Army. For fifty years, we will advance and retreat together with the Thousand-Mountains Army!"

"Other divine artifacts and the like are also open for negotiation. What does the Dragon Head think?"

The old Daoist was very direct, laying out numerous conditions in one breath, every single one of which was extremely precious.

"Azure-Falling Grand Pill..."

Bai Xuan held the jade slip in his palm, but shook his head.

"Still not enough."

"Still not enough? I wonder what else Your Excellency requires before agreeing to make a move?"

The old Daoist drew in a cold breath.

If even this was not enough, it meant Bai Xuan was about to make a massive demand!

Yet, in his heart, he felt a slight sense of relief.

Since Bai Xuan said so, he must be completely confident of victory. Otherwise, how could he sit here and bargain with such certainty?

"My demand is also very simple. Your Immortal Islands should still possess some foundational heritage, right?"

Bai Xuan said calmly.

Having established themselves for so many years and even possessing an upper-grade legacy, the Immortal Islands naturally possessed other foundations, such as talismans capable of unleashing terrifying battle power. Otherwise, they would never have lasted until today.

He was not here to do charity work for the Immortal Islands; the underwater mansion was his target.

If he was to make a move, a corresponding price naturally had to be paid!

"We do, we certainly do..."

The old Daoist gritted his teeth and finally decided to part with a portion of their foundation.

He did not hesitate. An invincible powerhouse like Bai Xuan, if he could not become an ally, might turn into an enemy when facing the legacy!

Otherwise, why would Bai Xuan appear in this sea domain—just for sightseeing?

His target was most likely that underwater mansion!

Therefore, an alliance had to be forged!

This was something he had decided the very instant Bai Xuan appeared before his eyes.

In the end, Bai Xuan did not haggle excessively. After pondering for a moment, the old Daoist finally agreed to hand over an extremely rare treasure.

"Blood Sea True Talisman?"

Bai Xuan reached out and picked up a precious talisman.

Within this talisman lay a massive vortex composed of countless tiny runes, as deep as the void itself, seemingly capable of devouring endless blood-qi.

"Correct. When activated, this true talisman possesses terrifying power. The amount of blood-qi that can be stored within it is immeasurable, and with a single strike, it can all be unleashed at once,"

the old Daoist explained. "It's just that among the grandmasters on our island... we haven't produced a Grandmaster for a hundred years. Though this talisman is one of our foundations, it is difficult to utilize, so it is better to trade it to the Dragon Head."

He was extremely courteous.

Such true talismans were forged to complement martial artists of the same level, representing the foundation of a sect or faction. However, with the scarcity of Grandmasters in the Immortal Islands, the talisman had become rather tasteless.

"The rest of our foundational heritage generally requires Qi practitioners to activate, and their power is no greater than the Dragon Head's full-strength strike, so I imagine they would be of no use."

What the old Daoist said was the truth.

"So be it."

Bai Xuan accepted the talisman.

He did not strictly need this talisman, but since he had come, taking a precious artifact along the way was only fitting.

"Then... Dragon Head, how should we handle that Red Scale King? Although he is powerful on his own, if the four of us join forces tomorrow, we may not necessarily lose to him."

The old Daoist weighed his words carefully.

Having settled the conditions, it was finally time to discuss the actual combat!

"Only the commander at the center of the enemy fleet, a powerhouse known as the Scale Sovereign, requires the Dragon Head to handle."

They did not fear the Red Scale King alone—after all, the Immortal Islands had four Island Masters present. But the Scale Sovereign sitting within the enemy fleet was truly terrifying.

Without the First Island Master returning, they had zero possibility of matching him!