Chapter 671: Engulf the Nine Provinces

"Ziyang!"

The moment Wang Xuanling saw his disciple, he strode forward and flicked his fingers. A streak of golden light hissed as the seal was sliced apart.

Xu Ziyang, seated on the ground, snapped his eyes open. Seeing the two before him, he looked slightly surprised. "Esteemed teacher... Junior Brother Chu?!"

"We mustn't stay here for too long. Let's talk when we are out of here," Chu Liang said quickly, stepping forward.

"Let's get out immediately," Wang Xuanling said.

The pavilion walls were sturdy, but under Tuntun's relentless gnawing, even the refined structure wouldn't hold up past two bites.

"No..." Chu Liang thought for a moment before shaking his head. "If we leave like this, we'll lose the chance to use these identities again."

The Sea Master and Huo Tianya were thoroughly convinced they were Xuan Yinzi and the Violet Gold Marquess. If they simply dug a hole and slipped away, their covers would be blown for good.

"What are you thinking?" Wang Xuanling asked.

By now, he had grown accustomed to not keeping pace with Chu Liang's thought process. There was a strange comfort in surrendering to the flow and letting his mind rest.

"Senior Brother Xu, put on my robe and leave first," Chu Liang said, slipping off his black robe and handing it to Xu Ziyang. To be thorough, he even gave him the Violet Gold Marquess's token. "You two can walk out the front door like this. I'll leave on my own later."

"If you give him your identity and someone discovers you, what will you do?" Wang Xuanling asked urgently.

"Don't worry," Chu Liang replied calmly, pulling out another black robe along with a bronze mask. "I've got another identity ready."

Without hesitation, he slipped the mask on right in front of the teacher and disciple in a skilled manner.

Wang Xuanling and Xu Ziyang were so confused.

The two of them were somewhat familiar with the bronze mask.

To be blunt, even a demon that had cultivated for hundreds of years and taken human form might not have the right to wear such a mask.

But after seeing Chu Liang casually obtain a full set of tokens from the Dark King Sect, this didn't seem all that strange anymore.

Or perhaps, after everything he had been through, nothing felt shocking anymore.

Wang Xuanling patted Chu Liang on the shoulder. "I don't need to remind you to be careful. You've always handled things well. But I'll leave you with this..."

The old man looked into Chu Liang's eyes and said sincerely, "Stay on the right path, and avoid stepping into the shadows."

Hearing this, Chu Liang wasn't sure whether to laugh or sigh. All he could say was, "Senior Uncle, I'll keep that in mind."

After the warning, Wang Xuanling led Xu Ziyang downstairs, casually making up an excuse to leave. Though their appearance and aura had shifted slightly, their disguises were convincing enough to slip past the shrimp soldiers and crab generals without issue.

The Sea Master and Huo Tianya were engrossed in conversation with the demon envoy and didn't have time to inspect closely, allowing the two to leave the pavilion smoothly.

Chu Liang remained upstairs, listening closely. After some time, when he finally heard Immortal Yuan Lu and the West Sea diabolical cultivators leave the room next door, he quietly sprang into action.

First, he had Tuntun gnaw through the wall on the far side, then through the walls of Immortal Yuan Lu's quarters. Finally, Tuntun chewed through the outer pavilion wall, and Chu Liang slipped out with a light leap.

It seemed these people placed immense trust in the pavilion's durability. Aside from a single protective seal, there were no other defenses. However, they hadn't anticipated Chu Liang's secret weapon—Tuntun.

Even if there was no path ahead, there would be one once Tuntun was done eating.

As Chu Liang retraced his steps to the whirlpool area, he found it no longer empty and quiet. Instead, the place was packed with countless sea demons.

For a brief moment, the air trembled as demonic qi surged skyward!

A bizarre assortment of strange and grotesque sea demons crowded beneath a high platform, dancing wildly with expressions of fervor and devotion.

Atop the platform sat a golden toad, as tall as a man. It was the very same toad he had seen sealed inside the pavilion.

Beneath the toad stood a girl with a fish tail, her head lifted as she sang.

"

Starlight falls upon the sea of blood, the moon shines on a boat of bones

~"

"..."

The familiar song was the same one Chu Liang had heard earlier in the dense fog at sea. As her haunting voice echoed through the air, the golden toad atop the platform slowly began to open its eyes.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Just then, Chu Liang heard a sudden voice transmission.

"Come here!"

...

Chu Liang followed the voice and slipped behind a broken wall, where he found Wang Xuanling and Xu Ziyang, both dressed in black robes, silently observing from the shadows.

With so many sea demons gathered, there was no way they could openly leave through the whirlpool above.

Chu Liang and asked, "What's going on here?"

Xu Ziyang whispered, "This is a ritual of the Ruins of Return Cult. They're waiting for the decree of the South Sea's Hallowed Mother."

"The South Sea's Hallowed Mother?" Chu Liang blinked. "Wasn't she a ninth-realm existence who died long ago?"

"I'm not sure..." Xu Ziyang replied. "But it seems these sea demons treat this golden toad as her envoy. By praying to it, they hope to receive her decree. Only the South Sea's Hallowed Mother could command all sea demons like this."

"Are you saying all the sea demons of the South Sea are followers of the Ruins of Return Cult?" Chu Liang asked in surprise.

"Likely not. If all sea demons belonged to this cult, this cult would have dominated the world by now," Wang Xuanling said as he shook his head. "The Sea Master leads the Ruins of Return Cult, but he doesn't have the authority to command all the sea demons. The chaos in the South Sea with countless sea demons rushing to their deaths must have been a decree of the Hallowed Mother. And now, this ritual that they are doing now would be their way to reply to the Hallowed Mother."

Having arrived earlier, the two had observed for quite some time, gathering more information than Chu Liang.

Hearing this, Chu Liang found it truly astonishing.

The demons of the sea far outnumbered those on land for various reasons. Yet, because they rarely competed with humans for living space, little was known about them.

If all sea demons worshipped the South Sea's Hallowed Mother, how immense would their united force be?

Chu Liang wondered.

Then, a chilling thought crept into his mind.

Could the South Sea's Hallowed Mother... still be alive?

Just then, the golden toad opened its eyes and mouth, spitting out a beam of golden light.

The golden light struck the singing mermaid. She trembled, and her eyes flashed with a brilliant white glow. She threw her head back, releasing a cry of pain that echoed across the gathering.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!" she cried out. Then abruptly turned to face the sea demons, proclaiming loudly, "The Hallowed Mother commands all her descendants to disregard life and death! In order for her to come back to life, the South Sea must engulf the nine provinces!"

Upon hearing her voice, the once-silent crowd erupted into fervent cries for battle.

"Engulf the nine provinces! Engulf the nine provinces!"

Wang Xuanling's brow furrowed. "This war... could it truly have been initiated by the Hallowed Mother?"

"No," Chu Liang said, shaking his head as the fragments of information gradually came together in his mind.

He had previously heard rumors of a false Golden Toad of Many Treasures, believed to be the envoy of the Hallowed Mother. In the pavilion, however, a black toad had been imprisoned...

The Ruins of Return Cult was a hardline faction devoted to the South Sea's Hallowed Mother, notorious for slaughtering any humans who dared set foot in the Ruins of Return...

The Ruins of Return Cult could only command all sea demons through the decree of the Hallowed Mother... and Huo Tianya was a member of the Celestial Charm Sect, who always sought to sow chaos wherever he went.

That means...

"This golden toad is a fake," Chu Liang said firmly, lifting his head. "This must be a scheme by the Celestial Charm Sect!"