Chapter 772: Slay Moon Demon Cave
“What bothers me most is that Xuanyuan Wentian didn’t ask where we were going, nor did he ask about the ‘master’ I fabricated, and his gaze was extremely abnormal.” Yun Che murmured to Mo Li. “Also, back at Tian Jian Villa, that Xuanyuan Jiuding’s look at me was also somewhat unusual.”
Yun Che’s greatest strengths were his spiritual perception, insight, and his almost terrifyingly strong intuition.
“I’m thinking that Tian Wei Sword Domain might know something. For instance, for some reason, they know that the ‘Duotian Old Man’ I fabricated is fake.” Yun Che’s brow furrowed.
“Hmph, with me here, are you still afraid of dying?” Mo Li sneered. In the eyes of the Xuan practitioners of Tian Xuan Continent, Xuanyuan Wentian was an invincible being like a supreme god. But in her eyes, he was just an ant that was slightly larger.
“…So, during this time at Supreme Sea Palace, I have to rely on your power.” Yun Che’s tone was resigned and reluctant. He was not accustomed to relying on others, because he knew all too well that such dependency would greatly limit his growth—Mo Li knew this too, which was why for the past few years, she had maintained the pretense of sealing her own power.
But this time, in order to find a sliver of hope for the Netherworld Brahma Flower, he had to confront the excessively powerful Four Sacred Grounds ahead of schedule, and thus had no choice but to rely on Mo Li’s power… Otherwise, if Mo Li were still in her “power-sealed” state, he would never have chosen this moment to come to Supreme Sea Palace.
“Yun Che, you must be careful of Xuanyuan Wentian.” Zi Ji looked at Yun Che, whose expression was somewhat heavy, and suddenly spoke: “Xuanyuan Wentian is a true sword fanatic, with an incredibly crazy pursuit of power. Although in terms of overall strength, Tian Wei Sword Domain is relatively the weakest among the Four Sacred Grounds, Xuanyuan Wentian’s personal strength slightly surpasses Sea Emperor Qu Fengyi and Heavenly Lord Ye Meixie, and is not far off from Sacred Emperor Huangji Wuyu.”
“If he were just a sword fanatic, it would be one thing. But his outward appearance is gentle and refined, with the bearing of a world’s supreme being, yet in reality, he is stubborn and extreme, stopping at nothing in his pursuit of power, and extremely deep and calculating. A thousand years ago, the Eternal Night Royal Clan was destroyed under his deranged cruelty causing even us to become accomplices. We had to let the mistake stand to protect the name of the Sacred Grounds.”
“And your talent is too abnormal, with many secrets that no one can fathom. If not for the fact that you have a master with transcendent attainments behind you, he might have already made a move against you… Just now, his attitude towards you was ambiguous, so you should be especially careful.”
Zi Ji’s tone was tactful, but his eyes held a deep warning. This was Yun Che’s first meeting with Xuanyuan Wentian today, and someone of Zi Ji’s level knew Xuanyuan Wentian far better than Yun Che ever could.
Yun Che nodded: “I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Zi… Senior Zi, I have a curiosity that I’m not sure if I should ask.”
Qu Fengyi… that was the name of the Sea Emperor Zi Ji had mentioned. As one of the four sacred masters of Tian Xuan, her name was neither domineering nor feminine, but instead carried a heavy vicissitude.
The ruler of Huangji Sacred Domain, the chief of the Four Sacred Masters, the number one of Tian Xuan, the Sacred Emperor, was named Huangji Wuyu…
No Desires?
It was said that the Sacred Emperor could not have children, only a few adopted sons and daughters. Could it be related to this “No Desires”?
…If a man had no desires, what difference was there from a salted fish!
“Are you perhaps wondering about my relationship with Sea Emperor?” Zi Ji said with a hint of a smile.
Yun Che smiled back: “Senior truly has eyes like a torch. Back at Black Moon Merchant Guild, Senior Zi was able to personally and proactively mobilize a full twenty jin of Purple Vein Divine Crystal, which convinced me that Senior’s status in Supreme Sea Palace was definitely extraordinary. Later at the Sea Emperor Hall, even the originally sealed Purple Vein Divine Crystal was on Senior Zi. Moreover, Sea Emperor was extremely majestic, but towards Senior Zi, her attitude was completely different from how she treated the Grand Elder. So I can’t help but be extremely curious about Senior’s identity.”
Zi Ji smiled slightly: “Then you might as well hazard a guess.”
Yun Che already had a fairly clear guess in his mind, and directly replied: “Earlier, I heard from Yuanba that above the elders of Supreme Sea Palace, there are seven extremely powerful Venerables, named after Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Purple. The last is the Red Venerable, and the strongest, second only to Sea Emperor in the entire sea palace, is the Purple Venerable. And Senior Zi happens to have the surname Purple. If Senior were the Purple Venerable, second only to the Sea Emperor, that might barely explain it.”
“However, although Senior Zi’s Xuan power cultivation is extremely high, the pressure you give me is still less than that of Grand Elder Mo Chenfeng. Therefore, Senior absolutely cannot be a Venerable… Thus, the only answer I can think of is…”
“Husband and wife!”
“…!” Zi Ji was startled, then for a rare moment, threw his head back and laughed heartily.
“The word ‘eyes like a torch’ is more fitting for you.” Zi Ji laughed loudly, and his words were clearly an admission that Yun Che’s guess was not wrong: “In terms of identity, I am indeed the Sea Emperor’s husband. However, the marital bond between her and me is not exactly what you understand.”
“…Senior means?”
“We became husband and wife a very long, long time ago. It was a matter of our parents’ wishes and our sects’ desires. But back then, I never dreamed that she would become the successor Sea Emperor. She wholeheartedly pursued the Xuan path, and with her extremely high talent, eventually became the number one in the Sea Palace. Meanwhile, I was devoted to the merchant guild, spending most of my time at Black Moon Merchant Guild, or traveling to its various branches across the continent, seldom returning to the Sea Palace. The Sea Emperor and I might see each other once every few decades on average. Though we are husband and wife, our feelings are quite thin. The significance of our marital bond is roughly to link Black Moon Merchant Guild and Supreme Sea Palace into one entity, rather than existing independently.”
When he said this, Zi Ji’s tone was quite flat, without even a hint of wistfulness.
“I see.” Yun Che nodded slowly. “I dare not say whether the marital affection between Senior and the Sea Emperor is thin or not, but one thing I am certain of: the Sea Emperor trusts you deeply. Perhaps, Senior is the only person in this world that the Sea Emperor truly trusts.”
“Heh.” Zi Ji smiled, then pointed ahead: “There. That is the location of the Slay Moon Demon Cave.”
About ten li ahead, a patch of dim blue light flickered in the distance. It was a nearly perfect circular island, covered by a rather large hemispherical barrier. The dim blue light came from the barrier over the island.
The sea surface around the island showed a large depression, as if the surging seawater was being forcibly pushed away by an immensely powerful force.
“That barrier is the one sealing the Slay Moon Demon Cave.” Zi Ji slowed his pace. “Inside the barrier lies the Slay Moon Demon Cave.”
“This place is over three thousand li offshore, on the vast ocean. Usually no one comes near, so there are no Sea Palace disciples guarding it. Even if someone wanders in by mistake, as soon as they touch the barrier, Sea Emperor will immediately know.”
The four landed on the island, and an incredibly strong repulsive force greeted them. All four were at the highest level of strength in Tian Xuan Continent, yet their chests instantly tightened, making it hard to breathe.
“Such a strong barrier!” Xia Yuanba exclaimed softly. “Even from this far away, the repulsive force is this strong… My master said this barrier has been maintained for over ten thousand years, and is known as the strongest barrier in Tian Xuan Continent, unbreakable by anyone. It truly lives up to its reputation.”
“In terms of isolation ability alone, this barrier is indeed unmatched in the world.” Zi Ji nodded, a look of admiration on his face. “Back then, to construct this barrier, the ancestors of the Sea Palace mobilized more than half of all Overlord Xuan artifacts in Tian Xuan Continent at the time, and the amount of Xuan crystals used was even more enormous. Without this isolation barrier, allowing that terrifying Yin energy to spread for ten thousand years, the consequences would have been unthinkable.”
“My Sea Palace has flourished for ten thousand years, and although we have made many mistakes, by maintaining this barrier for ten thousand years, the Sea Palace can confidently say we have always lived up to the name ‘Sacred Ground’!” Zi Ji’s flat voice carried pride. He walked forward slowly, holding the glimmering blue Sea Emperor Seal in his hand.
Yun Che took a light breath and followed beside Zi Ji. Seven years had passed since Mo Li first proposed finding the Netherworld Brahma Flower. For seven full years, the only place he had found that might contain a Netherworld Brahma Flower was the Slay Moon Demon Cave within this barrier.
Now, Mo Li had shed her demonic poison, and the only remaining requirement for reconstructing her body was a single Netherworld Brahma Flower… Though the hope was still extremely slim, now that he was here, he could only pray that within the brief hundred breaths of time in the Slay Moon Demon Cave, he would see the miraculous flower in bloom!
The closer he got to the barrier, the more he could feel its immense power. He was utterly convinced that even if he used ten times his own limit, he would never be able to tear this barrier even a sliver.
Standing before the barrier, Zi Ji raised the Sea Emperor Seal. After hesitating for a moment, he turned and said: “Yun Che, now that we’ve arrived, I shouldn’t be pouring cold water… However, you yourself should know how slim the possibility is that a Netherworld Brahma Flower exists inside and is currently in bloom. Moreover, even if a miracle really occurs, how will you obtain it?”
“The several Sea Palace elders who once saw the Netherworld Brahma Flower within were all at the Sovereign Xuan Realm, peerless experts. They only took a few glances from a distance, then quickly retreated, yet all of them fell severely ill. It’s hard to imagine what the consequences would be if one got closer, let alone picking it. As far as I know, in the history of Tian Xuan Continent, there has never been a record of it being picked. All that is recorded are countless souls who died because of it and its name as the ‘Extremely Evil Demonic Flower’.”
“I have my own methods.” Yun Che said with considerable certainty.
As he spoke, Mo Li’s voice also rang in his mind: “If there really is a Netherworld Brahma Flower, you must not approach it. Though you have a Dragon God’s Soul, if you get within ten zhang, you will suffer great pain; within five zhang, you will be courting death! Leave the picking of the Netherworld Brahma Flower to me. I will bring it intact into the Heavenly Poison Pearl.”
“I know.” Yun Che replied. Back on Cang Yun Continent, when his master introduced him to the Netherworld Brahma Flower, the most emphasized phrase was “you must not approach it.”
Zi Ji nodded slowly, said no more, and firmly pressed the Sea Emperor Seal against the barrier before him.
Instantly, at the point of contact between the Sea Emperor Seal and the barrier, layers of ripples spread like water waves. Zi Ji frowned solemnly and said: “Once the seal is opened, a large amount of Yin energy will spill out. That Yin energy is extremely domineering. An ordinary person, or even a slightly trained Xuan practitioner, would be in mortal danger upon simple contact. The Yin energy inside the Slay Moon Demon Cave is even more terrifying. Even for us, once inside, our Xuan power will be suppressed by nearly two major realms, while our life force will also drain faster. You must now use all your power to protect yourselves, and never underestimate the Slay Moon Demon Cave!”