Chapter 563 - 525: Provoking the Taisui

Chen Che didn't pay any mind to the gratitude of a group of Qi Refining Cultivators.

However,

The plight of that group of Cultivators was just one of many incidents he had witnessed on his journey. Other Cultivators were not so lucky; their very bones had long since been gnawed away by wild beasts.

At the same time, the Evil Qi generated by the deaths of so many Cultivators and mortals would, in turn, spawn more Demon Beasts and Ghost Cultivators.

Even Cultivators found it difficult to resist, let alone mortals.

'Wei Yanzhou, oh, Wei Yanzhou... How could you use the common people as pawns in your game to lure Du Zhongyi into your trap?'

Chen Che seethed with a hatred that made his teeth itch, but a sense of helplessness also rose in his heart.

The law of the jungle was not just a saying in this world; it was a reality written in blood, case after case.

At the same time,

He also knew that when the stakes were high enough, his opponent would not hesitate to sacrifice everything all over again.

'He's even more terrifying than Duobao. And most importantly, his Cultivation and strength are far more frightening.'

Chen Che gritted his teeth.

He was only at the Golden Core Sixth Layer, still a short way from the Seventh Layer. The gap between him and a Nascent Soul was by no means small.

As he traveled,

Chen Che decided to simply extend his Divine Sense, and whenever he encountered any rampaging Evil Cultivators, he would deal with them along the way. This added another three or four days to his journey, but he finally saw the Black Tortoise Calm Sea in the distance.

However, the scene on the island almost made Chen Che laugh in anger.

The Feng Zhen-sealed island should have been completely deserted. But the reality was the exact opposite; its bustling activity could even rival the days before the war.

Looking up,

Countless boats were docked at the pier, and the island was crawling with Cultivators, as numerous as ants, all working in an orderly fashion.

Some Cultivators even burst out of the water, loading illegally mined Ore directly into their Spiritual Boats.

Of course, there were also those whose Spiritual Boats were full, but instead of leaving, they sat on the island, feasting on meat and downing bowls of wine. In the center of the island reef, a few groups of Cultivators were gathered, holding Magical Artifacts and shouting with flushed faces as they bet on the sparring Cultivators in the circle.

A perfectly good island reef had been turned into an absolute den of chaos.

'The Primordial Sect is too far from here. These people probably haven't gotten the news yet...'

Chen Che snorted coldly.

"Huh?"

Just as he was about to shout and stop this pack of thieves, his brow twitched. He sensed the trail of the Juvenile Turtle—which had been appearing intermittently throughout his journey—suddenly reappear. Coincidentally, it was right near this island reef.

'Are they all here together?'

At that thought, a scene immediately appeared in Chen Che's sea of consciousness:

Near a medium-sized Spiritual Boat, a silver-haired, fisherman-like Golden Core Cultivator was sitting cheerfully on the Juvenile Turtle's back. He was constantly ordering the turtle to swim around the sea surface as he demanded, even making it assume an attack stance from time to time.

The Juvenile Turtle's eyes were filled with grievance, but it could only comply.

However, it seemed to sense its true master's approach. It grew distracted and paid little attention to the fisherman-like Golden Core Cultivator's commands, instead constantly looking left and right, searching for something.

'Perfect. This saves me the trouble of hunting them down one by one. I'll just take care of them all at once!'

Seeing this, Chen Che's gaze instantly sharpened.

...

On the medium-sized Spiritual Boat, a crowd of Cultivators had gathered, watching with great interest as their ancestor tamed the Juvenile Turtle.

"It's been so long, but the Ancestor's interest hasn't waned at all. He's started taming that Juvenile Turtle again."

"Tsk, tsk, that's a young Dragon Turtle! I have no idea how it ended up in the Black Water River, where the Ancestor happened to spot it. Of course he'd be tempted. If he can tame it, our future will be limitless!"

"Our clan will rise!"

The Cultivators on the Spiritual Boat chattered amongst themselves.

Although adult Dragon Turtles were common, their young were extremely rare.

In all these years, they had never heard of anyone successfully capturing one. Moreover, once a Dragon Turtle reached adulthood, it would advance to the Nascent Soul realm. Combined with its incredibly long lifespan, having a Dragon Turtle to protect the clan would ensure its prosperity for several thousand years without issue.

That was why they were so excited.

"The Black Water River... isn't that Jinyun Valley's territory?"

On the deck, one Cultivator frowned in confusion. "This Dragon Turtle couldn't have been raised by that Valley Master, could it?"

"So what if it was? The Primordial Sect might not even exist anymore. When the nest is overturned, how can any eggs remain intact? Do you think Jinyun Valley will still be around?"

Just as another Cultivator was about to speak disdainfully,

SPLASH—

A horrifying wave suddenly surged up from the calm sea. To everyone's astonishment, the churning seawater condensed into a gigantic hand and shot directly toward their ancestor.

"Not good!"

The expression of the old fisherman on the Juvenile Turtle's back changed drastically. He wrapped himself in his robe, transformed into an Escape Light, and immediately fled toward the sky.

Even as he fled, he didn't forget to make a grabbing motion with his hand, trying to take the Juvenile Turtle with him.

But the giant hand was too fast. It had already clenched into a fist, forming a sphere of water that sealed the Juvenile Turtle inside. Then, before everyone's eyes, the sphere of water suddenly lifted out of the sea and flew into the air.

"Give it back!"

The fisherman-like Golden Core was furious when he saw the Juvenile Turtle snatched from right under his nose.

"Rise!"

In a fit of rage, he flung the straw cape from his shoulders. A massive wave rose behind him, soaring a hundred zhang into the air in the blink of an eye. But immediately, an even more profound True Essence pressed down, crushing the surging wave in an instant.

At the same time,

The Juvenile Turtle, encased in the sphere of water, was no longer obstructed and slowly flew up into the sky.

"Fellow Daoist, do you think you can just take whatever you please just because you're strong?"

The fisherman-like Golden Core held his straw cape, clearly shocked by the power his opponent had displayed. But then, he sneered, "This island is my territory. You must be out of your mind to cause trouble here..."

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Their exchange happened in a flash, but the commotion it caused was astounding. The moment the fisherman-like Golden Core spoke, four Golden Core Cultivators and seven True Master Fake Pills flew out from the island!

At the same time,

the Cultivators on the island reef heard the commotion and simultaneously stopped what they were doing. Some drew their Weapons, some formed Seal Techniques, and others flew into the air. At a glance, they looked like a startled flock of birds, all searching for the enemy's position.

However, they couldn't find any sign of the enemy Cultivator. They could only feel an extremely overwhelming aura rapidly approaching...

The ability to display such power without even being physically present at Jinghai was truly terrifying.

But they were not the least bit afraid.

It should be known that ever since Jinyun Valley had sealed off Jinghai Island Reef, many factions had set their sights on the island.

Foundation Establishment Influences, of course, were not qualified.

Later, a Golden Core Cultivator led his clan here, broke through the Grand Array, and led his people to plunder the Ore wantonly. At the same time, he began setting up Arrays around the island and deploying his forces, clearly intending to turn the island reef into his own private backyard.

Of course, he failed.

After several struggles, the island reef eventually fell into the hands of the Yuchi Clan. However, the Yuchi Race did not choose to keep it all for themselves. Instead, they allied with several other Golden Core Cultivators, established quotas for the mining grounds, and entrenched themselves here.

During that time, many Golden Core Influences had also tried to seize it, but they were all driven away by their joint forces.

"Take what I please? What a joke! You're the one who came to my Jinyun Valley and stole my Spirit Pet."

Just as these thoughts ran through their minds, a cold voice descended as if from the heavens, its power causing the entire Black Tortoise Calm Sea to roil with turbulent waves.

Amidst the voice, a massive, eagle-shaped Great Demon streaked in from beyond Jinghai, bursting into everyone's view.

It was so fast that it left an afterimage in the depths of their eyes, arriving above them all in a single instant. The Eagle Beast's massive wings beat slowly, like a sea breeze stirring up a thousand layers of waves.

At the same time, the sphere of water that had flown into the sky landed on the Eagle Beast's back. The Juvenile Turtle, now free from the water, landed on the beast's back as well, affectionately nuzzling the Cultivator there.

Reaching out to pat the turtle's head, Chen Che narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across the crowd on the island reef, his eyes finally landing on Yuchi Hao.

"This Jinghai Island Reef beneath your feet belongs to Jinyun Valley. I created it with my own two hands, so its surname is Chen! You people have been here for less than two months, and you dare claim it's yours?"

"I'd like to ask you, what gives you the right?"