Chapter 751: Sorry, I am an Undercover Agent

The Sea Master left the world peacefully.

...

Earlier...

The moment the Sea Master stepped out and ran into Grand Ancestor Wuchao, his initial reaction was fear—a fear that reached the depths of his bones.

Among the various sea demons in the Ruins of Return, those with weaker cultivation levels might not even know of Grand Ancestor Wuchao, an ancient being who had remained hidden for years. However, those who did know his name feared him to their very core. Grand Ancestor Wuchao was a looming shadow over the Ruins of Return.

After the initial trembling, the Sea Master remembered that he had allies supporting him.

The Black Golden Crow was also a powerful being who had lived since the era of the Demon Gods, and it was unlikely to lose to this old cuttlefish. Even if Wuchao held the advantage in the sea, they had the Celestial Master on their side.

The Sea Master yelled inwardly,

Even if you have hundreds or even thousands of arms, how can you possibly withstand our combined might?

As for Wuchao's subordinates, Xuan Yinzi, Violet Gold Marquess, and the other small fries could easily handle them. I have gathered more than enough forces to secure victory!

With this thought, his confidence swelled, and with it came a surge of long-suppressed anger.

You have suppressed me for countless years! And now, I can finally hold my head high and breathe freely!

It was just unfortunate for the Sea Master that this breath would be somewhat short.

The moment he exhaled, the Sea Master realized that there was no one behind him. No one came out to help him.

Panic set in instantly as he thought,

What's going on? We were supposed to stand together so why have my brothers left me here by myself?

The Sea Master had absolutely no courage to face Grand Ancestor Wuchao alone. Without hesitation, he turned to flee back into the pavilion, his safe and cozy home.

But how could Grand Ancestor Wuchao possibly let him escape so easily? When this ancient being made a move, it was always with the force of a raging storm!

Boom!

Thick, heavy black clouds surged toward the Sea Master at an alarming speed. The moment he was swallowed by them, he would become part of that endless darkness.

The Sea Master knew that the Great Dao that Wuchao controlled was the legendary Great Dao of Chaotic Mass!

This was the absolute darkness, the direct counterpart to the Great Dao of Primordial Origin, which represented the absolute brightness. Light and dark, being the two opposing forces, were renowned to be powerful.

This Great Dao shared the same name as one of the Four Great Vicious Beasts—Hundun. Hundun was this vicious beast that had come into existence through this Dao.[1]

As the pinnacle of darkness, its terrifying nature lay in its ability to assimilate anything it touched. Once tainted by that inky blackness, all things would be stripped of knowledge, awareness, and sensation, reduced to an eternal state of mindless chaos.

Even though the Sea Master controlled the Great Dao of the Bottomless Sea, he didn't dare to resist this darkness directly. While he was escaping, he erected this wall of highly compressed layers of water to block Wuchao's attack.

Yet, as the endless darkness encroached, the walls of water were instantly changed, becoming a part of the Chaotic Mass and pursuing the Sea Master. It would have been better if the Sea Master did nothing as the Chaotic Mass would have approached much slower.

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" cried the Sea Master.

The distance to home was so close but felt so far. Even so, the Sea Master would be engulfed by the Chaotic Mass before he could reach the pavilion.

Since The Sea Master was ultimately a powerful figure of his generation, he decided that he would turn back and fight!

Kaboom!

In an instant, the Sea Master began to expand, transforming into a colossal giant of the sea. Within him, the waters of three rivers and four seas surged, and even the blink of an eye sent forth massive tidal waves.

By relying on its sheer size, the giant forced back the encroaching endless darkness, but that was the limit of its strength.

The colossal sea giant could be seen darkening at an alarming rate. At first, it was just a single drop of darkness, but that darkness rapidly spread and deepened. Even with its enormous size, the giant could only stop this spread of darkness for a fleeting moment.

Still, that moment was enough.

A wisp of azure mist, containing the Sea Master's primordial spirit, wafted out from the giant's back.

At this moment, he was pouring every last bit of his cultivation power into resisting Wuchao, leaving only his primordial spirit to flee. If his primordial spirit could escape, he could quickly regain the full extent of his strength within the vast sea.

As the Dao Master of the Bottomless Sea, he really should have been an invincible existence. Unfortunately, Grand Ancestor's ability really overpowered.

Just as the wisp of azure smoke, carrying the Sea Master's primordial spirit, was about to escape, a flicker of cold indifference flashed through Grand Ancestor Wuchao's eyes.

Swish!

The wisp of azure smoke the Sea Master had conjured to protect his primordial spirit began darkening from the tail end, as if it had caught fire and was burning away!

Oh shit!

The Sea Master struggled desperately to break free from the wisp of azure smoke, but the problem was that he had created it himself to envelop his primordial spirit. At that moment, the wisp of smoke had been tainted by Wuchao's power and was going out of control.

He desperately tried to wrench himself free from the blackened smoke. It was a race against time! As he fled, he finally reached the pavilion.

If someone could step in now and hold back the Chaotic Mass for even a moment, he could break free!

Right at that moment, two figures rushed out from the pavilion.

It's the Violet Golden Marquess and his big-eyed, thick-browed subordinate. Wait... Why does the Violet Gold Marquess suddenly look completely different? Whatever. That's not important right now.

The Sea Master, in sheer panic, screamed at the top of his lungs, "Hurry! Pull me!"

...

As Chu Liang watched the Sea Master's primordial spirit flee toward him, countless figures flashed through his mind—Di Nufeng, Xuan Yinzi, the Demon King of the Great Marshlands...

If my teacher can steal so many kills, I don't see why I can't. Maybe this is just the fate of Silver Sword Peak.

Seeing that the situation was extremely dangerous, Chu Liang yelled, "Lin Bei! Help!"

"Huh?" Lin Bei stiffened. "What can I do?"

"Get farther away!" Chu Liang shouted.

"Got it! Leave it to me!" Lin Bei responded from afar, already darting to a safe distance.

During a battle, it was important to have a clear recognition of your own strength. Sometimes, staying out of the way and not becoming a burden was the best way to help.

As soon as Lin Bei steadied himself, he straightened his back and puffed out his chest, looking quite proud.

Meanwhile, Chu Liang stood his ground with his sword in hand. As he watched the Sea Master's primordial spirit hurtling toward him, he exhaled a breath of impure qi.

The Demon-Slaying Sword moved.

Since the battle in the Far West, his mastery of the Great Dao of Severing the Void had reached a new level—he had grasped the true essence of sword intent.

The one before him is an existence at the eighth realm, someone extremely hard to kill. But so what? No matter how many forms you take, I shall cut you down with a single strike! This is the Great Dao of Severing the Void!

Just one strike! The rise of the sword and the fall of the sword.

Swish!

A sharp sword intent tore through the air, howling like a raging wind. Its force was determined to cleave everything in its path in two!

The Sea Master was shocked.

"Violet Gold Marquess! What are you doing?!"

In normal situations, he wouldn't have cared about the strike of a seventh-realm cultivator. However, at this very moment, all his cultivation power had been left behind and his primordial spirit was being pursued by the Chaotic Mass. In this very moment, this strike of a seventh-realm cultivator could kill him!

Bam!

The strike first dispersed the wisp of azure smoke enveloping the primordial spirit.

Then, a dazzling cold light erupted from the center of his forehead!

Swish, swish, swish!

The sword intent of the Severing the Void Great Dao and the immense spiritual power within the Demon-Slaying Sword sliced through his very essence.

"Aaargh!" The Sea Master roared in rage and despair. "You tricked me! I swear, I will kill you!"

Boom!

Before he could finish his words, the Sea Master twisted his hands and his primordial spirit exploded!

Indeed, his primordial spirit had not been sliced apart. He had self-detonated!

The reality was that with the Chaotic Mass closing in from behind and a sword strike coming from the front, escaping unscathed was already impossible.

In this desperate moment, he resorted to his final life-saving technique—Self-Disintegration of the Primordial Spirit!

A massive explosion shook the sky, sending countless streaks of light scattering in every direction, like a rain of shooting stars.

If he had simply transformed into a Sea Giant to counter the enemy, he could have replenished his spiritual energy from the seawater later. But now, with his spiritual energy shattered into thousands of fragments, it would be impossible to recover within a short time.

However, as long as even one concentrated wisp of his spirit energy escaped, he could survive. But that surviving wisp of spirit energy would have to cultivate tens and hundreds of years to recover the great power he has today.

This was the price he had to pay to stay alive.

Still, Chu Liang had no intention of letting him escape. Since he had chosen to strike, he would see it through to the end.

At the very moment when countless fragments of light scattered like rain, Chu Liang reacted instantly. He hurled his sword in the air and drew a talismanic seal— the Talismanic Sword Seal!

This was one of the first sword techniques he had practiced alongside Jiang Yuebai. Though basic, its potential was immense, capable of becoming as powerful as even immortal arts. Back then, Chu Liang had astonished Jiang Yuebai by mastering it after practicing it just a few times.

But now, with Chu Liang at the seventh realm, wielding a far more powerful divine intent, his Talismanic Sword Seal had reached an entirely different level.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Suddenly, a hundred thousand blazing sword lights burst into the air, scattering in all directions, each one precisely locking onto a wisp of true spirit.

It was the Hundred-Thousand-Character Talismanic Sword!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was like a grand fireworks display, except that what exploded wasn't light and color, but the Sea Master's primordial spirit and life itself.

After this rain, he would remain here forever.

Boom!

The aftershocks of the explosion faded.

Even as every last wisp of true spirit seemed to have been eliminated, Chu Liang still didn't dare to relax. He hadn't sensed the golden imprint, which meant the Sea Master wasn't dead.

The Sea Master had survived!

Chu Liang swept the surroundings with his divine sense.

The dense Chaotic Mass lingering in the sky had seemingly halted, as if afraid that approaching any further might accidentally harm Chu Liang or Lin Bei.

At that moment, Lin Bei suddenly burst into laughter and exclaimed, "I caught you!"

With a swift grab, he yanked a glimmer of divine light from the mud beneath his feet.

"Hehehe!" Lin Bei clutched the tiny, weakened wisp of divine light, his entire body trembling with excitement.

"Brother Lin Bei!" The wisp of spirit energy screamed in desperation, "We're brothers!"

Lin Bei's expression turned cold.

"Sorry..." he said, "I'm an undercover agent."

Smack!

With that cold and ruthless response, the wisp of true spirit was dispersed. It was not dispersed by Lin Bei but by Chu Liang, who had just arrived and pinched the wisp of spirit energy.

As the fragmented spirit dissipated into the wind, Lin Bei stood there, utterly bewildered. He remained frozen for a long moment before finally lifting his gaze, looking aggrieved. "What was that for?"

Chu Liang, feeling the golden imprint merge into his body, finally relaxed. "Well..."

Seeing Lin Bei's teary-eyed expression, Chu Liang found himself unable to justify why he had stolen this kill. He could only say in a soft voice, "I needed it."

"I don't care," Lin Bei pouted. "You better count this as a major contribution from me."

"Of course." Chu Liang gave him a thumbs-up. "You've earned a divine merit."

Lin Bei suddenly burst into laughter. "Hehehe! Can you believe it? We actually took down an eighth-realm greater demon! My goodness, this is truly..."

Lin Bei laughed through his tears. Since Chu Liang had done most of the work, he had no real reason to be upset about him stealing the kill.

Besides, he was never the petty type, and with his relationship with Chu Liang, there was no way he'd let something like this bother him.

He laughed again and continued, "Truly so cool!"

1. One of the Four Great Vicious Beasts. "Hundun" (混沌), described as resembling a bear but without a head or tail, and with wings. In the Shen Yi Jing (神异经) or the Classic of Divine Wonders, depicts Hundun as having the form of a dog with long hair, four feet, a bear-like appearance without claws, eyes that cannot see, ears that cannot hear, a human-like disposition, a stomach without internal organs, and a straight intestine through which food passes without digestion. It repels virtuous people but seeks out those with malevolent traits. (Refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundun ) This is really the same writing as Chaotic Mass. ☜