Chapter 459 457: Entering the Night Sea

"Saint Child Ji Que—" When the short young man appeared, the younger generation at the Night Sea all gasped. Their faces paled as they uttered his name.

Although the young man was short, no one dared to look down on him because of his height. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Even many young geniuses would pale and keep a wide berth upon seeing this young man.

The Ju Que Holy Land was a renowned Emperor Immortal Gate in the North Marsh, founded by the Giant Sky Immortal Emperor himself. Though his title was "Giant Sky," the Immortal Emperor was, in fact, a dwarf. His entire clan was a race of naturally short people, and some had even once called their branch of the Ghost Race the "three-inch nail" ghosts.

However, after the Giant Sky Immortal Emperor shouldered the Celestial Mandate and became an Immortal Emperor, no one ever dared to call his clan "three-inch nails" again.

Though Saint Child Ji Que was short, he was a descendant of the Giant Sky Immortal Emperor, the heir of his clan, and the Saint Child of the Ju Que Holy Land. He was famous in the North Marsh for his ruthlessness, and countless people had died at his hands.

The arrival of an heir from an Emperor Immortal Gate made the atmosphere in Fengdu City even more tense. The fact that even an Emperor Immortal Gate couldn't sit still any longer made everyone realize that a Mountain Treasure was truly about to emerge from Fengdu City.

Because of this, countless cultivators swarmed into the vast sea beneath the Night Sea. Everyone desperately tried to cross the sea, wanting to traverse this great ocean to reach the Other Shore.

However, as many people desperately tried to cross, they were stopped long before reaching the Other Shore. When they reached the depths of this vast ocean, they were all stunned by the scene before them. They were forced to stop here, unable to cross, let alone reach the Other Shore.

Li Qiye and Qiu Rong Wanxue had been delayed for quite some time at the Ancestral Stream, so they were among the later groups of young cultivators to head for the Night Sea.

When the two of them arrived at the Night Sea, Qiu Rong Wanxue couldn't believe her eyes. They had fished here for over a month and had grown accustomed to the Night Sea's ink-black water.

But now, the Night Sea was a panorama of rippling azure waves. The water was clear, and fish leaped while eagles soared. The once-treacherous Night Sea had become a place of scenic beauty.

"What could have possibly changed the Night Sea like this?" Qiu Rong Wanxue couldn't help but murmur.

Li Qiye gazed out at the Night Sea. He had heard about the vortex that had appeared, and as for the Great Secret Realm beneath the sea, he knew far more about it than any outsider.

"Clan Leader, Clan Leader! Brother Li, Brother Li, we're over here...!" Just as Li Qiye and Qiu Rong Wanxue arrived at the Night Sea, a cheerful shout rang out. Someone was waving at them and running in their direction.

It was Peng Zhuang and the other five. They had been loitering on the shore of the Night Sea, and seeing Li Qiye and Qiu Rong Wanxue, they couldn't help but grow excited and immediately ran over.

"Clan Leader, Brother Li, you're here! We've been waiting for you for so long," the Pengzhuang Sixth Minors said happily as they rushed over.

Li Qiye looked them over and said with a smile, "It seems your harvest was quite bountiful. You're all radiating with the aura of treasures."

Peng Zhuang scratched his head and grinned happily. "This is all thanks to Brother Li's guidance, which led us to the right place. Heh, heh, that Night Sun Fish is really good stuff..."

"Show some respect! Address him as Young Master!" Qiu Rong Wanxue looked at the six and said in a stern voice, "Young Master Li is the great benefactor of our Snow Shadow Ghost Clan. Don't be so presumptuous in the future, understand?"

The Pengzhuang Sixth Minors looked at Li Qiye in unison. Although they didn't know what he had done, they didn't dare to defy their Clan Leader's words and all corrected their form of address.

"Young Master, a vortex has appeared in the center of the Night Sea that leads straight underground. It's a vast sea down there, and they say it's a Great Secret Realm. A lot of people are saying a Mountain Treasure is about to appear inside. Should we go explore?" Peng Zhuang asked, eager and excited.

In truth, Peng Zhuang and the others had wanted to go broaden their horizons for a while now. But their Dao Practice was shallow, so they didn't dare to act rashly. Thus, they had been lingering on the shore, waiting for their Clan Leader.

Li Qiye just smiled and said nothing. He walked to the water's edge, cupped some of the Night Sea's water, and drank it, savoring the taste carefully.

"Ten Thousand Immortals Returning Grass, All Gods Demon Suppressing Tree, Heavenly Research Unparalleled Water, Hundred Dao Extreme Peng Blood..." As Li Qiye savored the taste of the seawater, his expression shifted. The things contained within were all peerless treasures.

The Pengzhuang Sixth Minors were better off; they had never even heard of the names Li Qiye was muttering. Qiu Rong Wanxue, however, was terrified. The items Li Qiye mentioned were all Supreme Immortal Objects, rare for countless ages. She had never seen such things, only heard their names. In fact, these were Immortal Objects she could never hope to obtain in her entire lifetime!

As Li Qiye listed one name after another, Qiu Rong Wanxue's heart pounded in her chest. How could the water of the Night Sea contain such things?

"And even a young leaf from the World Tree!" Finally, Li Qiye clicked his tongue and murmured, "'Well now, Little Ghost really spared no expense. It would be impossible to gather all these things without several generations of collection! Even an Immortal Emperor couldn't have collected all of this in a single era!'"

The moment he tasted the essence of the World Tree's young leaf in the water, Li Qiye knew who was behind this. In fact, he'd had a theory before, and now, after tasting the water of the Night Sea, he could confirm that it was Little Ghost's doing.

"Young Master, are you saying that the Night Sea's change is related to Little Ghost?" Qiu Rong Wanxue asked, visibly moved.

Li Qiye nodded. "He's the one who did it. Little Ghost, oh, Little Ghost, it seems you still haven't given up. You're just courting death!"

"It seems I'll have to find Little Ghost," Li Qiye muttered, gazing at the Night Sea.

Although the Pengzhuang Sixth Minors didn't know who Little Ghost was, they grew excited upon hearing that Li Qiye was heading to the underground ocean. Peng Zhuang immediately asked, "Are we leaving right now?"

"We should probably prepare a bit," said the only female disciple among the six. "A lot of people have gone in over the past ten or so days, including heirs from the Great Teaching Territories. I heard there have been several big fights, and many people have died."

"Yeah, it's not just geniuses like Qing Jinzi, the Ghost Monk, and the Hundred Schools' Sons. Even Saint Child Ji Que and the Ghost Insect Demon Child are here. They're heirs of Emperor Immortal Gates, descendants of Immortal Emperors! I heard they're already nearly invincible," another disciple said.

Peng Zhuang nodded quickly. "Yeah, oh my god, that Ghost Insect Demon Child is terrifying, even scarier than a ghost. I don't think I'll dare to look at his face if I see him again!"

"Don't cause trouble for the Young Master. Fengdu City is a place of conflict now, and it's unpredictably dangerous. You should leave Fengdu City first and rendezvous with Elder Zhi and the others," Qiu Rong Wanxue ordered in a low voice.

Li Qiye also nodded. "Your Clan Leader is right. That's not a place you all can go. If you did, I couldn't guarantee your safety. That place is even more dangerous than the old Night Sea."

"The Young Master has important matters to attend to. You mustn't distract him. Go back now," Qiu Rong Wanxue instructed the Pengzhuang Sixth Minors.

Qiu Rong Wanxue knew the situation was serious. She didn't want her Young Master to be distracted by the six and lose his life in Fengdu City.

Although the Pengzhuang Sixth Minors were eager to go and see, they understood the gravity of the situation. Seeing that both their Young Master and Clan Leader were saying so, they didn't dare to insist on following.

"Clan Leader and Young Master, don't worry. We'll leave Fengdu City right now and meet up with Elder Zhi and the others," Peng Zhuang said quickly.

Li Qiye nodded. "Go on. Leaving Fengdu City isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's become the eye of the storm. Trouble is bound to happen sooner or later, so it's not safe for you to stay here."

The Pengzhuang Sixth Minors knew their Dao Practice was too shallow. Forget comparing themselves to geniuses, there was a huge gap even between them and the disciples of Great Teaching Territories. So, they obeyed their Clan Leader and Li Qiye.

"Let's go. Let's hope we can still catch up to Little Ghost." Li Qiye glanced at the Night Sea, and without further delay, he said to Qiu Rong Wanxue.

Qiu Rong Wanxue hurried to follow Li Qiye toward the vortex in the center of the Night Sea.

Watching the receding figures of Li Qiye and Qiu Rong Wanxue, the Pengzhuang Sixth Minors glanced at each other.

One of the disciples said, "Do you guys feel like, hehe, seeing the Clan Leader and the Young Master this time, they seem a little different? Like they've changed quite a bit."

"I think so too," said the female disciple. "I think the Clan Leader and the Young Master are much more intimate. Didn't you see? The way the Clan Leader looks at the Young Master is different. It's like... it's really gentle."

Another disciple scratched his head and asked, "Really? Could the Clan Leader and Young Master Li really become a couple?"

"Heh, definitely," Peng Zhuang said with a chuckle. "I think they're a match made in heaven. From my perspective, it's only a matter of time before they make it official."

"For real?" the other disciples asked in unison.

Peng Zhuang grinned suggestively. "As long as the Clan Leader and the Young Master keep spending time together, just the two of them, heh, heh, heh, sparks are bound to fly, don't you think?"

The other five disciples looked at each other and said in unison, "That's definitely a possibility." At this, they all broke into knowing smiles.

Li Qiye brought Qiu Rong Wanxue flying to the center of the Night Sea. Sure enough, they saw a massive vortex, with seawater endlessly spiraling into its depths.

Seeing the vortex, Li Qiye brought Qiu Rong Wanxue and jumped in without hesitation. They rode the current down through the vortex, descending for a long, long time before finally setting foot on solid ground.

When they emerged from the vortex, they saw a vast sea before them. Moreover, the seawater had a faint golden sheen, making the entire vast sea look like a boundless golden ocean.