Chapter 680: The Azure Wave Lamp

For an enchanted tool like the Azure Wave Lamp, ranked sixty-seventh in the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures, there was no concern about not knowing how to use it. Chu Liang just needed to search through the books in the Hall of Conservation, and he would naturally develop an understanding of the lamp's powers.

Chu Liang did not rush to test out the lamp. Instead, he continued to see what else the two demons had kept in the storage bag.

He pulled out two weapons. They looked quite old, but they were made of pretty good materials. However, their age could not be overlooked; the craftsmanship showed that the swordsmithing techniques that had been used to make them were very outdated. In terms of quality, they were worth only a few hundred sword coins.

As the years passed by, cultivators continued to make progress in many aspects of the immortality cultivation world, such as divine techniques, arts, and skills, pills, alchemical cauldrons, enchanted formations, enchanted tools, and so on. That was why ancient enchanted tools were often inferior to those of the present.

There were exceptions to that. Many of the famous legendary artifacts were very old too, but that was because they had likely fallen from the heavens during the ancient times or even earlier, rather than having been crafted by mortal hands. That was why they were superior to modern ones.

Another exception was ancient enchanted tools that had been made with rare materials that had since become unavailable, making it impossible to reproduce an enchanted tool of the same quality or above.

As for ordinary ancient weapons like these, only the demons of the Far West would still use them. There was only one reason for that—the demons were poor.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Aside from the weapons, there were a few jade slips. Some simple but unusual breathing techniques had been recorded on them. These were likely part of the demons' cultivation legacy, which appeared rudimentary by human standards.

There was only one item in the storage bag that seemed potentially useful—a map.

The map had been drawn on animal hide using black ink. Certain locations had been marked in blood-red ink, accompanied by simple symbols.

Wen Yulong examined the map briefly and recognized the eight marked locations: the Verdant Foxhills, the Great Marshlands, the Desolate Plains, the Abyss of Wrath, the Mount Thunder, the Frostveil Tundra, the Emerald Forest, and the Temple of the Demon God.

Wen Yulong studied the map several times over before saying, "This is… a map of the demon factions in the Far West."

"Why would they need a map of their own territory?" Chu Liang asked puzzledly.

Wen Yulong explained, "The Far West is vast, and apart from the endless desert land, it's just desert mountains and dry, rocky barren lands. It's easy to get lost without a map."

"Let's keep it then. This will come in handy if we ever launch a counterattack against the demons there."

"Launch a counterattack on the Far West?" Wen Yulong chuckled. "How could that ever happen?"

The humans had allowed the remnants of the land demons to retreat to the Far West because that region was pretty much a death zone. Even grass struggled to grow there.

If the humans were to insist on wiping out the demons, the greater demons might abandon their clans in fury, storm into the nine provinces, and massacre civilian humans. Even if the humans could hunt the greater demons down eventually, it would come at a great cost.

Thus, the humans heeded the principle of "Do not pursue cornered enemies" and left the demons of the Far West alone.

Moreover, the immortal sects of the time understood that the demons could never be eradicated. As long as any non-human living thing developed cultivation power, the humans would view it as a demon. How could they ever eliminate them all? As long as no new Demon God emerged, that was enough.

Of course, the other reason was that it was simply too difficult to find and kill all the demons.

The Far West had complex terrains. Even if someone were to go there with a legendary artifact to attack, the demons could make swift escapes, scattering across the Far West. They could climb mountains, dive into the sea, burrow into the sand, or hide in forests. It was impossible to predict how much effort it would take to locate and eliminate them all.

That effort would be better spent on further developing the nine provinces.

It was like fighting someone who had already admitted defeat and jumped into a manure pit to hide. It was pointless to follow them in just to beat them up. The best course of action was to stand guard and make sure they didn't climb out of the manure pit.

Thus, the immortal sects were strict about eliminating demons within the nine provinces and the four seas, but they never set foot in the Far West.

For this reason, even when two great demon kings attacked the Buddhist Cloud Monastery, the monastery did not go to the Far West to retaliate.

Being impoverished was the demons' weakness, but it also worked as an advantage.

If the monks were to head there with the Dharma Lotus Platform to attack, the demons would simply scatter in all directions. Even if a few lesser demons were killed, what difference would it make?

Apart from the Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills, who was trying to build a civilization, the rest of the demons remained as wild as ever. There was nothing they could not abandon.

Fortunately for the demons, they did not need to depend on treasures of nature to advance in their cultivation. Of course, it would be better to have the treasures of nature, but even without them, as long as the demons were of a sufficiently powerful bloodline, they could endure the hardships and persist with their arduous cultivation over the years.

However, if things continued this way, the demons would likely gradually weaken. The humans would keep growing stronger, until the day demons could no longer fight back at all.

The average human cultivator at the Spiritual Awareness Realm was far stronger than that of three thousand years ago. Thanks to their continuous advancement of divine techniques, arts, and skills, pills, alchemical cauldrons, enchanted formations, and enchanted tools, the humans could achieve a level of progress that was impossible for the demons.

In short, there were many reasons why invading the Far West would not be a wise move for the humans.

Chu Liang hadn't known much about the Far West before this, so it was only while he was listening to Wen Yulong's brief explanation that he realized there was far more scheming going on than he had expected.

When Wen Yulong's explanation ended, Chu Liang let out a sigh.

"So, this map is basically useless," he said in a disappointed tone.

Wen Yulong consoled him, "Well, at least you have the Azure Wave Lamp. And the corpses of these two demons are worth quite a lot."

"They are indeed worth quite a lot." Chu Liang glanced at the demon corpses on the ground. "They deserve a grand burial."

…

Chu Liang left and made his way to the Hall of Conservation.

"Senior Brother Sq—Yuan!" he called out, greeting Yuan Zhuo enthusiastically.

"Junior Brother Chu."

Yuan Zhuo was sitting upright as always. He still looked as youthful as ever, with his squarish head and the same serious smile on his face.

"I'm looking for books on the Azure Wave Lamp. Are there any records that describe how to use this enchanted tool?" Chu Liang asked.

Yuan Zhuo nodded. "One moment."

His eyes glowed as he raised his finger. Then a few books swished over, landing gently in front of Chu Liang.

That's impressive, Senior Brother Yuan,

Chu Liang thought with admiration.

It had been years since he last saw Yuan Zhuo, but Yuan Zhuo's efficiency had only improved.

Chu Liang quickly scanned the books with his divine sense, committing the contents to memory.

He then asked, "I've been gone for some years… I heard that Little Yi has been attending lessons here that whole time. It was fortunate you were here to teach him, Senior Brother. Has he been diligent in his studies?"

"Chu Yi is exceptionally gifted. You need not worry," Yuan Zhuo replied, full of praise for the young disciple. "He would thrive with anyone as his teacher."

Haha… It seems you still don't understand the situation at Silver Sword Peak,

Chu Liang thought.

He smiled and said, "That's good then."

After exchanging pleasantries with Wen Yulong, Chu Liang returned to his cabin on Silver Sword Peak and shut the door behind him. That was when he finally revealed the grin of a landlord who had stumbled upon unexpected riches.

Chu Liang pulled out the Azure Wave Lamp.

The jade lamp was translucent, looking like there was liquid flowing across its surface.

Chu Liang ran his fingers over it. Ripples spread through the lamp's wall, and the spiritual energy it contained undulated like the rolling waves of the sea.

He smiled as he poured his foundational qi into the lamp, extending his divine sense along with it.

Rumble.

An intangible wave spread out from the wooden hut, covering all of Silver Sword Peak in the blink of an eye. However, when the wave attempted to expand further, it faltered. Chu Liang's cultivation power was insufficient, limiting the reach of the wave to Silver Sword Peak.

In the world he saw with his divine sense, Silver Sword Peak was submerged in a lake filled with rippling azure waves. Every living being appeared as a ripple. With a mere thought, he could clearly see what each ripple was.

For example, one of the ripples was a young cultivator standing confidently in front of Berry Wonderland. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a face that radiated yang qi. The young man was speaking to a beautiful young woman.

The young woman was tall, with long legs, a voluptuous figure, and strikingly heroic facial features. She was likely a tourist.

The young man was none other than the Fragrant Tiger, the leader of Mount Shu's Four Overlords—Lin Bei.

He was reciting something loudly to that female cultivator, whom he had only just met.

"Ah~ Fair lady, allow me to recite a poem for you!" Lin Bei's pitch rose and fell dramatically. "My heart beats… with a love that burns like a blazing wildfire that cannot be contained…"

He turned to gaze at her with an expression of deep affection. "When you smile… you make me a person who goes absolutely insane…"

The young woman's face stiffened noticeably. She was clearly on the brink of losing her temper.

That rascal is harassing female tourists again…

Chu Liang pointed his finger at Lin Bei.

Whoosh.

A beam of emerald light shot down from the sky. Lin Bei was lifted into the air, and he suddenly found himself in the midst of a turbulent sea of azure waves!

The surrounding seawater was a deep emerald green. There was a powerful pulling force in the seawater, seemingly determined to drag him into the depths of the sea.

Lin Bei struggled with all his cultivation power, but it was futile. Every bit of foundational qi he unleashed was absorbed by the sea!

He tried to escape but couldn't!

Everything had happened so suddenly that he panicked.

Just as he was beginning to regain his composure, the seawater vanished abruptly.

Thud.

Lin Bei fell to the ground, flailing for a bit more before. When he finally raised his head and looked around, he realized he was still at Berry Wonderland.

The tall woman was watching him with a bemused smile.

At some point, Chu Liang walked over.

He asked, "What are you doing?"

"

Ah…

" Lin Bei stood up hurriedly. "I was just giving this tourist a tour of the area…"

After a pause, he said quietly, "Chu Liang, is there something strange going on on Silver Sword Peak?"

Before Chu Liang could respond, a deep and resounding voice rang out from behind the woman.

"Chuichui, you're here already?

Eh?

"

The person paused abruptly.

Then he raised his voice excitedly and called out, "Brother Chu!"

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: LD