Chapter 462 - 460: Standoff

It was obvious that the Ferrymen and the Night Sun Fish were preparing for a world-shaking battle. Of course, the Ferrymen wouldn’t be taking any cultivators across.

Some had tried to go around the conflict, but it was simply impossible. This vast ocean seemed to be boundless, without an end in sight. For everyone, there was only one choice: cross the ocean directly to reach the Other Shore on the far side of this black sea.

An incredible young cultivator had once used an ancestral treasure to divine that there was definitely an Other Shore on the other side of the black ocean.

But with the two armies locked in a standoff and no Ferryman willing to take them, no one could get across.

For now, all they could do was wait. Wait until the war was over for a chance to cross on a Ferry Boat.

"What is that...?" Seeing the confrontation from afar, Qiu Rong Wanxue paled in horror. Her mouth hung open, unable to believe her eyes. The scene was simply too shocking.

As Qiu Rong Wanxue looked up at the Supreme Immortal Chapter in the Celestial Vault, Li Qiye immediately covered her eyes. He shook his head and said, "Don’t look. You can’t look at that. It contains the most profound mysteries of heaven and earth. One glance is the limit. A second glance, with your level of Dao Practice, would be fatal!"

Heeding Li Qiye’s words, Qiu Rong Wanxue didn’t dare to look again. She took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the two opposing armies in the distance. She was completely stunned. "What... what in the world is going on?" she couldn’t help but ask.

"A battle for control," Li Qiye said, gazing at the distant Heaven-Devouring Fish King and the immense black shadow.

Seeing this, Qiu Rong Wanxue began to understand. It now made sense why only the Ferrymen’s Ferry Boats could traverse the Night Sea before. It seemed the Ferrymen and the Night Sun Fish were mortal enemies!

No wonder all the Ferrymen had vanished after the Night Sea cleared up overnight. They had all gathered here.

"Did the Ferrymen control the Night Sea before?" Qiu Rong Wanxue asked, watching the two opposing armies in the distance.

Li Qiye nodded gently. "You could say that. However, the other side always had a chance to strike back; they were just waiting for the right moment. Things are different now. That fellow, Little Ghost, upset the balance, forcing both sides into a major confrontation."

"What are they, exactly?" Qiu Rong Wanxue asked, her curiosity piqued. "What do the Night Sun Fish and the Ferrymen represent? What is their status in Fengdu City?"

The recent events far surpassed her imagination. Nothing she had ever witnessed could compare to what she had seen lately.

The Ghost Envoys of Fengdu City, the Ferrymen of the Night Sea, and the Night Sun Fish... In the past, no one would have thought anything was amiss. But now, things looked different. It seemed the three were not from the same faction.

Now, it looked as if the Ghost Envoys were the native inhabitants, while the Night Sun Fish and the Ferrymen held some kind of special status.

Li Qiye didn’t answer her question. He simply led Qiu Rong Wanxue across the surface of the sea. In truth, the two of them walking on the water didn’t stand out at all.

The area had practically turned into a bustling marketplace. Many young cultivators had been stopped here for so long that they had taken out their own pavilions and Ancient Halls to set up camp. Everyone was prepared for a long wait, intending to stay until the battle was over.

Treasure Ships were the most numerous vessels stalled on the water. The larger ones were nearly the size of a small town, while the smaller ones were but single-leaf skiffs. Amidst the many docked Treasure Ships, one could also occasionally see pavilions and Ancient Halls resting on the sea’s surface.

Everyone was setting up camp, some even forming factions. Gathering in small groups, they treated this area as their own temporary territory.

Even though the young cultivators had set up camp, they all kept a great distance from the battlefield. No one dared to approach the part of the sea where the two armies faced off. The war between the Heaven-Devouring Fish King and the colossal black shadow was too terrifying; a single move could shatter the heavens and split the earth. Thus, no one dared to get close.

Having been stuck here for so long, some cultivators had simply set up stalls on the water’s surface and began hawking their wares.

One could say this patch of sea was now incredibly lively. Besides groups of cultivators discussing all matters under heaven, some had marked out patches of sea as their own territory, setting up stalls and peddling their goods as if they were in a city.

In fact, with so many cultivators from different lands gathered in one place, it was a rare and excellent opportunity for trade. Many of the stalls were quite bustling.

Of course, some of the younger cultivators were growing tired of the wait. One of them couldn’t help but complain, "The two behemoths haven’t made a move in ten whole days. If they just keep staring at each other, how long is this war going to drag on?"

"Heavens know. But for the sake of the Mountain Treasure, we have no choice but to wait. For millions of years, people have probably scoured every inch of Fengdu City without ever finding the Mountain Treasure. The only place it could possibly be now is the Other Shore." Many cultivators were patient enough to wait it out.

"What’s there to be afraid of? Heh, after the war is over, we can trail the Night Sun Fish and ambush them. We might be able to catch a few hundred thousand of them! We’ll strike it rich! With that many Night Sun Fish, we can trade for anything we want in Fengdu City. I’ve got my eye on a Heavenly Yin Earth Stone in the Central City, but that blasted Ghost Envoy is demanding three hundred Night Sun Fish for it. I’m just waiting for this chance to make a fortune." Other cultivators were also staying here, hoping to make a windfall.

Some cultivators, growing impatient, simply left to go search for the legendary Key of the First Evil Tomb elsewhere.

Of course, none of them knew that even if they dug three feet deep across all of Fengdu City, they would never find the key. The Key of the First Evil Tomb was already in Li Qiye’s possession.

As they walked across this part of the sea, past rows of docked Treasure Ships, Qiu Rong Wanxue’s attention remained on the distant standoff. "Why hasn’t the master of the Ancestral Stream come here?" she asked in a low voice.

The Ghost Envoys might not be able to come, but the master of the Ancestral Stream was a living person. Moreover, the Ancestral Stream had always seemed to be in control of Fengdu City. It was strange that its master would remain silent while such a cataclysmic battle was taking place.

"This is just a minor skirmish. It won’t change anything fundamental. Little Ghost just disrupted the status quo, forcing the Night Sun Fish and the Ferrymen to fight," Li Qiye said with a smile.

"A minor skirmish?" Qiu Rong Wanxue gasped. Anyone could see that the Heaven-Devouring Fish King and the giant black shadow were unfathomably powerful beings capable of Grasping Stars and Catching the Moon. Their battles were world-ending calamities. Even the most powerful young geniuses were nothing but ants before them.

If a war like this was considered minor, it made Qiu Rong Wanxue wonder. "Then what would a major war be like?"

"A major war?" Li Qiye narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two armies in the distance. "A major war would tear the very heavens asunder. When a war of that magnitude breaks out, the Fish King and that shadow will be nothing more than vanguards, minor players on the field!"

Qiu Rong Wanxue was startled. In her eyes, the Fish King and the black shadow were already invincible. Indeed, even Saint Venerables and Saint Emperors would face certain death against them. And yet, such peerless beings were merely minor players.

"If... if they are minor players," Qiu Rong Wanxue said, her expression changing, "then what kind of existence could possibly command a true war?"

Li Qiye replied nonchalantly, "Just wait. You will live to see the day that war comes. When it does, the Ten Thousand Races of the Ghost Sacred Realm had better pray for their own salvation. It will be an exceptionally cruel war."

A chill ran through Qiu Rong Wanxue’s heart. Li Qiye’s words filled her with a sense of foreboding.

As Li Qiye led Qiu Rong Wanxue across the water, they hadn’t gone far before a young man approached them.

The young man had the elegant and dashing demeanor of a scholar, but he was far from weak. Divine phantoms manifested behind him, like Divine Beings protecting his path. As Divine Light flickered around his body, the sacred voices of gods echoed, as if they were preaching the Dao just for him.

Upon seeing Li Qiye, the young man clasped his hands and said, "You must be the renowned Fellow Daoist Li Qiye."

Li Qiye glanced at the young man without much of a reaction. Qiu Rong Wanxue, however, gently tugged his sleeve and whispered, "That’s the Hundred Schools’ Sons!"

The Hundred Schools’ Sons was the Prince of the All Gods Country and a famous genius from Shuicang.

When the nearby young cultivators saw the two of them, many were stirred. Someone whispered, "The Hundred Schools’ Sons is recruiting people for his faction."

"That’s the new fierce man on the block, Li Qiye. He’s the one who killed both Ye Lidao and Ye Sha in one fell swoop. No wonder the Hundred Schools’ Sons would come to recruit him personally."

"What is it?" Li Qiye asked after glancing at the Hundred Schools’ Sons.

The Hundred Schools’ Sons was very polite and got straight to the point. With a smile, he said, "I imagine Fellow Daoist Li also wishes to reach the Other Shore. You’ve seen the current situation. I’m afraid trying to cross alone is impossible. Why don’t we join forces and cross together?"

"Is that so?" Li Qiye said lazily. He had little interest in such alliances. If he wanted to cross, he had plenty of ways to do it.

"Perhaps Fellow Daoist Li is unaware, but we have already formed an alliance of over one hundred young paragons, all of them renowned experts of this generation. Furthermore, we have Saint Child Ji Que himself leading us. As long as we work together, we can surely reach the Other Shore," the Hundred Schools’ Sons said, trying to persuade Li Qiye.

Starting from the next Chapter, all updated Chapters have been proofread, streamlined, and revised. Some Chapters may have abridged content. If readers discover any issues, please notify Xiao Sheng in the group chat.