Chapter 837: A Trap to Tie Loose Ends

Beneath the deep sea, a dim glow sped forward. Though it appeared slow, it was actually moving extremely fast. The surging undercurrents did not hinder this glow in the slightest; instead, they pushed it along and increased its speed. From time to time, the glow paused and lifted its gaze toward the sky.

The sky above appeared empty. Yet under its gaze, it saw a person and a bird clearly. Although the seagull flew at tremendous speed, the dim glow advancing in intermittent bursts was still keeping pace with it. If a perceptive human cultivator were present, they would immediately recognize the technique being used—one of the famous Five Element Escape Techniques, Water Evasion!

Among the Five Element Escape Techniques, Water Evasion ranked second only to Earth Escape in difficulty. It was not difficult to learn at a basic level; as long as they had a proper manual, even some gifted Qi-Refinement cultivators could learn it. However, like Earth Escape, it was quite difficult to master. In terms of speed, it could not match Metal Escape. Its explosive burst was also inferior to that of Fire Escape, and its concealment was not as effective as that of Wood Escape.

Yet the one using it had clearly practiced it to a level nearing Perfected Mastery, where it could use the technique as easily as breathing. Here, in the boundless sea, it moved quite literally like a fish in water, making its speed astonishing. Even the Heavenjade Battle Gull, known for her flight speed, could not shake it off.

Watching the seagull ahead, thoughts began to stir in the mind of the little glowing figure.

This man must be the one who has been grabbing Crab King corpses all this time. Not only has he run rampant across the Profound Rock Sea Region, but he even had the audacity to take part in the battle on Profound Rock Island. If I kill him and take what he has, I might be able to use his resources to break through to the Transformation Stage and pursue the Great Dao in human form! Hehe.... Those crabs want to capture this man and take back the Demon Emperor's remains? Fat chance. Did you imbeciles even bother asking me what I think?

Primal Cloak chuckled to itself.

Time passed slowly. After a full day and night, Heavenjade Battle Gull seemed to grow weary, and her speed began to slow. Under the sea, Primal Cloak focused even more. It also reduced its speed to maintain a distance of ten li from the seagull. Ten li was the closest it could stay; if it got any closer, even the innate concealment abilities of its clan would not prevent it from being discovered, especially by an Adept with a powerful divine soul.

As it watched the seagull beat its wings slowly through the sky and the small figure standing upon its back, the faint glow around Primal Cloak trembled slightly.

I only get one chance. This man may only be mid-stage Golden Core, but he roams the Profound Rock Sea Region without restraint and has even enslaved two Demon Kings. He must be a formidable Adept.

In truth, the Hidden Dust Sand clan was nothing more than parasitic spirits. Their only gift was concealment. Even though Primal Cloak was at the peak of the third tier, it had only mastered two techniques: Water Evasion and Myriad Pearl Sand Blossom. If its opponent countered those techniques, it wouldn't stand a chance against him. In other words, it only had one chance to catch him off guard and kill him in a single strike.

Primal Cloak fully understood the immense risk in what it was about to attempt. It had already prepared itself to flee into the boundless ocean if the strike failed. It had observed clearly that the Adept's aura fluctuated unsteadily, a clear sign that his injuries had yet to recover. To travel across the Sea of Demons, where late-stage Demon Kings could well appear out of nowhere, such a condition was far from ideal. The man would be forced to stop and recover at some point.When that happened, it could slip in quietly and deliver a fatal strike.

Once that was successful, Primal Cloak could parasitize the remains of Demon Emperor Profound Rock

and

an extraordinary Adept. Just the thought of these two things set Primal Cloak's heart ablaze.

One day, two days...

Primal Cloak's mood slowly sank. The man never stopped to recover. Instead, he seemed intent on flying straight back to human territory. If that happened, there would be no chance to strike.

Am I really going to just watch him leave like this?

Primal Cloak was unwilling to accept it. It even found itself hoping that one or two powerful Demon Kings would appear along the way and block the man's path. Yet they could not be too strong; if they killed him outright, that would ruin everything. Such conflicting thoughts rose and fell in its mind.

Suddenly, on the fourth day, the Heavenjade Battle Gull slowly descended from the sky within a sea region called Conch Abode. Primal Cloak's spirit surged at the sight.

They're finally stopping!

Perhaps the Heavenjade Battle Gull had grown weary after four days of continuous travel. Or perhaps the Adept could no longer suppress his injuries. In any case, they landed on a small island that faintly emitted thin traces of spirit energy.

Now's my chance!

Primal Cloak quietly approached the island. It did not go onshore directly; rather, it slowly spread its dim glow and contacted the Hidden Dust Sand nearby. Deep beneath the sea, faint strands of light flickered in response. At his command, several low-tier Hidden Dust Sand demons rose from the depths and drifted toward the shallows to observe the movements of the Adept.

Around the middle of the night, Primal Cloak finally made up its mind.

It's now or never

!

The dim glow trembled and rose from the sea surface, drifting toward the nameless island like a firefly. Just as it was about to approach the island, its movement suddenly stopped.

Something's wrong. Something doesn't feel right.

Primal Cloak could not pinpoint what felt wrong. Yet a sudden sense of unease kept it circling around the island. After hesitating for a while, it decided to hold off for the time being.

In any case, I've already remembered his aura. I can keep tracking him and find where he settles. Once I know that, I can make my move.

It trusted this feeling deeply. Time and again over centuries of cultivation, this feeling had helped it to evade disaster. It was this instinct that had allowed it to rise from the most insignificant and weakest demon of the Hidden Dust Sand clan to the peak of the third tier. If it were to fall here over this matter, it would hardly be worth it. With that thought, it slowly began to retreat.

However, a clear voice suddenly rang out from the island. "A friend from afar has arrived. What a pleasure! Fellow Daoist, since you're here, why not show yourself?"

Under the moonlight, a man came into view. He wore a loose white Daoist robe and his long hair fell behind him, only loosely held by a wooden hairpin. He seemed to walk upon the moonlight itself, and his gaze was cold and sharp like a bottomless abyss.

The man fixed his gaze on Primal Cloak from several li away.

Primal Cloak's instincts screamed danger. Without a word, it plunged straight into the sea. The moment it touched the water, it used Water Evasion. But in the next instant, a stream of light swept across the sea like a cascading waterfall and spread outward. From the four directions, pillars of light shot into the sky.

The pillars of light revealed the faint silhouettes of a flood dragon, a gull, and an odd shadow, each occupying one direction. The fourth pillar was controlled by the man on the island. With the four sides working together, the sea suddenly seemed to become solid and unbreakable like rock. No matter how Primal Cloak pushed its demonic power, it could not reach full speed. In other words, Water Evasion was useless.

What kind of formation is this? Why does it feel like the entire sea has been sealed off?

Primal Cloak felt as if its soul were about to leave its body. Its best technique, Water Evasion, had been rendered useless. That was more despairing than the sky collapsing! This technique had been its greatest support during centuries of cultivation in the Profound Rock Sea Region.

But on the brink of life and death, despair meant nothing. It could not simply wait to die. Without hesitation, it shot upward. If the sea was sealed, then it would take to the sky. Yet the man on the island merely adjusted the compass in his hand. At once, four more pillars of light burst into being, sealing off every path of escape.

Primal Cloak halted and said, "Fellow Daoist, when you can spare someone, you should. I haven't done anything against you. I just happened to pass by. How about letting me go?"

Luo Chen curled his lips in mockery. "You've been following me for days, and now you're sneaking around where I'm staying. Do you really have to try something against me before we can talk?"

Primal Cloak's heart sank. It did not know when its tracks had been exposed, but it was clear that this matter would not end peacefully. Since that was the case, it hardened its resolve and fully unleashed its aura at once. It seemed like demonic energy, yet also like the raw aura of flesh and blood, and at the same time, it faintly carried a clear and spiritual presence.

Sensing that immense aura, Luo Chen's expression changed slightly. Such a presence was hardly inferior to the patriarchs of the five royal crab clans.

A Perfected Mastery third-tier demonic beast?

"I'm Primal Cloak, from the Skylight clan. Do you really want to fight me to the death?"

At the mention of that name, Luo Chen's expression tightened. This was a clan of extremely powerful demonic beasts found in the boundless Northern Sea. They were born of the ocean, dwelled in mist-shrouded regions, and fed on auroras. It was said that in the lands of Primal Magnetic Auroras within the Heaven of Northern Yama, large numbers of Skylight Beasts gathered. Ordinary cultivators hardly dared provoke such creatures.

Primal Cloak's round body, constantly emitting dim light, indeed somewhat resembled the Skylight Beasts that Luo Chen had read about before. They were powerful beings, comparable to humans of the same tier. If they truly fought to the death, it was hard to say who would win. And if the commotion grew too great, the powerful demonic beasts of this region would not simply stand by.

With a conflicted look, Luo Chen pressed down on the compass. At once, the pillars of light in the sky began to fade. Seeing this, Primal Cloak relaxed inwardly, though its tone remained forceful. "Good. At least you know what's good for you. I've got things to do, so I won't pursue this any further."

As soon as it finished speaking, it shot straight into the sky. But before it could leave the formation, a blazing sun suddenly exploded in the sky.

"When did that—"

Primal Cloak felt a surge of dread and was forced to descend. But from the sea below, several water dragons shot upward. With attacks pressing from above and below, it seemed it had reached a dead end. It roared in anger, "Scatter!"

In an instant, thousands upon thousands of light specks burst from its body. The blazing sun shattered, and the rising water dragons collapsed at once. At the same time, the dense swarm of light specks surged toward the four figures maintaining the formation.

The giant flood dragon opened its massive jaws and swallowed the incoming light specks one after another. Each time it devoured one, it let out a muffled grunt. The seagull beat its wings wildly, unleashing bursts of spiraling wind to deflect the rain-like barrage. Even so, several specks still struck her body, blasting open bloody holes.

On the island, Luo Chen's expression remained solemn; one hand held the compass while the other traced a circle in the air, then slowly pushed it forward. At once, five overlapping rings of green and red light appeared in the night sky. Green flames coiled around them, and their presence alone was enough to inspire dread. This was the fire-based defensive spell Luo Chen had created himself, Sevenfold Skyblaze Ring. He had practiced it to Grandmaster level, but this was the first time he was actually using it in battle.

The moment it appeared, the rings met the largest swarm of light specks head-on.

In an instant, the first ring shattered. The light specks surged forward like a breaking tide, tearing through the fire shield of the second ring. But when they reached the third, mana flared across the circle. Alongside the fire shield, what looked like crimson moths burst forth and swept toward the dense swarm of light specks.

The moment they collided, the moths burst apart. Yet as soon as they vanished, new ones formed again and flew into flame without hesitation. Under this relentless obstruction, the momentum of the light specks weakened greatly. Although the third ring was eventually broken, by the time they reached the fourth ring, they had lost most of their force.

Green flames surged upward, carrying an aura that rose and fell in regular fluctuations, like the cycle of withering and flourishing. Under the burning green fire, the light specks gradually lost their glow, revealing the dull shapes of beads. Luo Chen's sharp eyesight immediately noticed what they were. "Pearls?"

While Luo Chen was still frowning, Primal Cloak regained its composure and sensed a chance to escape. It no longer tried to flee skyward or dive back into the sea. Instead, it rushed straight toward the direction where the aura was weakest—the shadowy figure. It could now see clearly: That figure was merely a Ghost King, and the Hidden Dust Sand clan did not fear ghosts.

But just as it approached, the Ghost King opened its mouth in a mocking grin and let out a soft chuckle. "What Skylight Beast? Turns out it's just a speck of Hidden Dust Sand."

As the laughter faded, silence fell. Within the Oceanseal Eight Trigram Formation in the night sky, a fist-sized pearl lost its glow and drifted quietly in midair.

A drop of water fell.

Luo Chen came to stand before the large pearl with visible surprise on his face. "So this is a Hidden Dust Sand demon?"

Han Zhan's voice came through the Ghost King. "A Skylight Beast can curl into a ball, but when it spreads out, it looks just like a butterfly. It's nothing like this big round pearl. Hidden Dust Sand is also called a Pearl Demon or Sea Demon Spawn. Pretty self-explanatory now that I look at it."

Luo Chen nodded in realization, but then frowned again. "But I've heard Hidden Dust Sand demons are extremely weak and practically incapable of fighting. This thing's attack was no weaker than any late-stage Demon King's."

Han Zhan chuckled. "True, but there are always exceptional individuals. Besides, this one seems to be at the peak of the third tier if you judge it by the aura, but the power of that attack wasn't even half of what those five crab patriarchs could produce. Doesn't that match the rumors perfectly?"

Luo Chen nodded. That explanation made sense. Even if this particular Hidden Dust Sand demon was exceptionally talented, the abilities it had just unleashed were limited in both scope and power. It had not even broken through the fifth layer of his Grandmaster-level Sevenfold Skyblaze Ring. Thinking back, he realized he had been overly concerned.

"Then that explains it. No wonder these past few days I kept feeling like someone was watching me, yet I could never tell where the gaze was coming from. These guys are top tier at hiding. They slowly draw strength from their host and grow quietly until they reach the peak of what their host allows them. As for this one... How rare. Its concealment abilities are probably even better than my Concealment Veil Formation."

Thanks to his Spirit Eyes, Luo Chen's vision had become exceptionally sharp, but more than that, he had also grown highly sensitive to the gaze of others. Two days earlier, he had sensed something amiss but could not locate the enemy, so he had asked Han Zhan to investigate. Han Zhan naturally did not refuse such a minor matter. His divine soul power was nowhere near his peak, but its quality was still at the Nascent Soul. Once he deliberately searched, he quickly found the enemy's location.

That was why they had landed here tonight and used the Divine Seal Compass to set up the Oceanseal Eight Trigram Formation. Naturally, Luo Chen could not replicate what Red Seven had done, namely, using his own eight legs as formation nodes. However, he could coordinate with Black King, Heavenjade, and Han Zhan to achieve a similar effect.

With Han Zhan present, the power of the Oceanseal Eight Trigram Formation was in no way inferior to what it would've been had Red Seven controlled it. As a result, the Hidden Dust Sand demon had wandered into the ambush without realizing it, and could only fall into their hands.

Luo Chen shook his head. "Didn't expect trouble like this right when we're about to leave."

Han Zhan laughed. "What did you think would happen? Cultivation is ultimately an individual endeavor, so why do you think human cultivators choose spirit lands to establish sects and families and then cultivate together instead of doing it alone? Out here, even if there are plenty of spirit lands, the demons will come and claim them. Once they clash, trouble never ends."

Luo Chen nodded, humming to himself. Cultivating in the wild might appear carefree, but unless one had truly overwhelming strength, peace was never guaranteed. In truth, this also contradicted the superficial ideal of "quiet cultivation" held by cultivators.

Just then, faint conch calls echoed across the sea. They could not remain here any longer. Luo Chen took a deep breath and recalled the injured Black King and Heavenjade. Once everyone was accounted for, he summoned a mana cloud and flew into the night sky.