Chapter 147: Stirring Waves

With the manifestation of Crown Prince Bingling, those who had considered Perfected Master Chengchu's conferring of talismans overly rash all fell silent.

The deities of mountains and lands present numbered the grand expansion of fifty, yet they were predominantly gods of ancient mountains or lands that had enjoyed sacrificial offerings in antiquity, though far inferior in scale to the Five Sacred Mountains and the Nine Provinces, along with a small number of subordinate deities belonging to those realms.

As for the principal deities of the Three Mountains, Five Sacred Mountains, and Five Strongholds, or the city gods of the ancient Nine Provinces, there were only two. One was the Principal Deity of Mount Tai, Lady of the Azure Clouds, the internal landscape deity of the Shangqing Sect Master, Perfected Master Chengchu. The other was the Daoist master who had proposed that Cheng Xinzhan receive the talisman; his internal landscape deity was the City God of Ancient Jizhou under the Shang dynasty, the Majestic Duke.

As for deities capable of commanding all mountains and ruling over the entire earth, Lady of the Azure Clouds could mobilize the garrison troops of the various peaks by virtue of her identity as the principal deity of Mount Tai, the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains, making her count for half. However, the only one truly officially appointed and commissioned to oversee the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Mountains was Crown Prince Bingling.

These individuals were all high-level cultivators of the Shangqing Sect, and they certainly lacked no visualization diagrams. Leaving aside Crown Prince Bingling, even an image of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak could surely be found within Juqu Mountain.

Yet, to reiterate: while visualization diagrams were common, those truly skilled in nurturing and preserving divine spirits were undoubtedly even fewer!

When it came to high-ranking deities, it was not that they were unwilling to visualize them; rather, the higher the divine rank, the more difficult it was to visualize the inner essence and divine intent, and the harder it was to crystallize the true form of the dharma image.

Therefore, when this young practitioner of an external teaching manifested Crown Prince Bingling into the world, it was enough to prove that Perfected Master Chengchu's impromptu act of conferring the talisman was remarkably fitting.

Within the Great Expansion Ritual Array, only two ritual altars now remained vacant. Carved upon them were the images of a coiled yellow dragon and a qilin stepping on hooves.

Whether by coincidence or destined by the heavens, in antiquity, the mount of the Lady of the Azure Clouds was precisely a yellow dragon, while the mount of Crown Prince Bingling happened to be an ink-jade qilin.

Without a second word, Cheng Xinzhan moved his mind, and Crown Prince Bingling walked toward the qilin altar.

The Three Corpses had previously shrunk back into the Three Corpses Island, using the Earth-Lung Profound Yellow Qi as protection, avoiding direct confrontation with the Shangqing Sect in their desire to hold the island. But now, seeing the Shangqing Sect members summoning deities to form an encircling array around the island and creating such a massive commotion, they naturally knew that the completion of the array spelled no good news. Driven mad, they emerged once more to obstruct them.

Seeing a mere Second Realm minor cultivator about to enter the array, the Three Corpses instantly sought to seize the opportunity, launching attacks from all sides.

However, Perfected Master Chengchu was, after all, a Fifth Realm great cultivator. He immediately conjured countless clones, surrounding Gu Chen tightly and cutting off his escape route; now, escaping the island was no longer an option.

Among the Shangqing Sect members who had arrived this time, apart from the sect master, there was another Fourth Realm great cultivator who was currently holding Cui Ying in check.

Qingluan, alongside the remaining Golden Core great cultivators, intercepted Wu Lao and the corpse of the dragon beneath him.

Seeing Crown Prince Bingling take his place, Perfected Master Chengchu stirred his thoughts and likewise maneuvered the dharma image of the Lady of the Azure Clouds into position.

The array was complete.

Instantly, formidable terrestrial energy surged upward within the ritual array. Phantom images of mountains manifested, forming a complete circle around the Three Corpses Island, as if every renowned mountain on the mainland had descended upon the sea.

Seeing this, the besieged Three Corpses hurried back onto the Three Corpses Island, concealing themselves within the yellow fog.

Nevertheless, Gu Chen continued to manipulate countless soul-beasts and animated corpses, attempting to disrupt the ritual. Yet this was doomed to futility; the soul-beasts and corpses were blocked outside by the terrestrial energy spontaneously generated by the array, completely unable to break through.

At that moment, Perfected Master Chengchu cast a ritual drum from his hand. The drum grew rapidly against the wind, transforming into a colossal object resembling a purple-gold beam capable of supporting the sea, and dropped into the dharma image of the Lady of the Azure Clouds.

The dharma image struck the ritual drum and chanted aloud:
"Before the Purple Ashen Void Emperor of Shangqing, the Great Dao Supreme Lord Yuchen..."

As the sound of the drum and chanting reverberated, jade spontaneously grew within the void, radiating streams of divine light.

Led by the Lady of the Azure Clouds, the other forty-eight deities echoed in unison:
"Before the Purple Ashen Void Emperor of Shangqing, the Great Dao Supreme Lord Yuchen..."

Consequently, golden lotuses began to bloom across the surface of the sea.

As the chanting rose wave upon wave, the ocean stirred into raging billows, and the neighboring land began to tremble. As for the Three Corpses Island, which bore the brunt of the sonic waves, it shook incessantly, while the soul-beasts and corpses entangled outside the ritual array were ground into dust by the sound waves.

Even the Earth-Lung Profound Yellow Qi, which had previously enveloped the Three Corpses Island without the slightest tremor, slowly dissipated amidst the chanting.

The Lady of the Azure Clouds formed a spell seal, drawing in breath like a whale swallowing the ocean, and wisps of Earth-Lung Profound Yellow Qi were stripped away from the Three Corpses Island, inhaled through the nose and mouth of the dharma image.

"Fellow daoists, partake freely. Consider this your remuneration for entering the ritual array."

The voice of Perfected Master Chengchu sounded beside everyone's ears.

Hearing this, the other forty-eight Daoists naturally stood on no ceremony, each operating their internal landscape deities to vie for the Earth-Lung Profound Yellow Qi stolen by Gu Chen from the Earth-Lung Mountain.

Cheng Xinzhan knew even better that this was an exceptionally rare opportunity. The Yellow Extreme True Earthly Yin, the foremost of the seventy-two earthly fiends, was something that, once harvested, rendered any second thoughts about the fiend-element for core formation utterly unnecessary; one need only consider what kind of heavenly celestial element to pair it with.

Crown Prince Bingling inhaled with a whale-like pull, drawing in wisps of yellow Qi.

The remaining deities naturally gave it their all as well. Such divine treasures possessed countless benefits and myriad uses, far beyond merely aiding in core formation. The fact that Gu Chen had refined it into his banner to hold off so many high-level Shangqing cultivators until the Shangqing Sect Master was forced to this step spoke volumes of its potency.

At that very moment, Cheng Xinzhan discovered with astonishment that his speed in absorbing the yellow Qi was by no means slower than that of the other Golden Core feathered masters.

He certainly did not believe this was solely due to his internal landscape deity. Even though Crown Prince Bingling's divine rank was somewhat higher, when it came to the degree of physical manifestation and the ability to perceive and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, he was far inferior to a Golden Core great cultivator.

The only explanation was that the "Supreme Heavenly Capital Talisman" bestowed upon him moments earlier by Perfected Master Chengchu possessed an extremely high grade, at least sufficient to bridge the gap between himself and the Golden Core dharma images in terms of spiritual energy perception.

However, just as he began to savor the sweetness, he heard a female voice emanate from the yellow fog-shrouded Three Corpses Island. The voice was charming and bone-melting—it was the voice of the alluring corpse, Cui Ying:

"Exalted Perfected Masters and senior Daoists, your abilities are indeed formidable, and we admit our defeat in all sincerity. However, you might as well shift your gazes away from our Three Corpses Island and look out toward the sea, tee-hee-hee."

***

Hearing this, the expressions of the crowd shifted. By now, all light had long since vanished from the eastern horizon, and under the moonlight, the sea was shrouded in gloom; previously, they truly had not noticed what lay out there.

Upon hearing this reminder—or rather, warning—they hurriedly channeled their Dharma Eyes to gaze deep into the East China Sea.

"This!"
"Truly a heinous fiend!"
"They deserve death!"

Angry shouts erupted on all sides.

Cheng Xinzhan first narrowed his eyes to look eastward. In the distant depths of the East China Sea, beneath the hazy moonlight, a faint white line could be vaguely discerned, moving toward the shore seemingly slowly yet with immense speed.

A violent shock coursed through his heart, and he swiftly intensified his Dharma Eyes. As his sight drew closer, he saw clearly what it was—that was no white line at all, but towering billows a hundred zhang high!

Cui Ying, within the Three Corpses Island, seemed able to perceive everyone's expressions right through the yellow fog and laughed:

"The Shangqing Great Sect has a thousand-year heritage and countless disciples and descendants, whereas the three of us are merely wandering yin corpses rejected by heaven and earth. Fortunately, however, we do possess some friends overseas. Today, as we establish our sect, they insist on coming to offer congratulations and have stirred up such a massive commotion, causing displeasure to you all."

The expressions of the crowd grew increasingly grim; the Three Corpses had colluded with the overseas demon sects.

"Everyone, the wave is about to arrive. Fearing that you immortals might not understand, this little woman will spell it out plainly."

Cui Ying's tone suddenly turned cold:

"If you all withdraw right now, this long-brewing giant wave will stop once it reaches the Three Corpses Island. If you refuse to let it rest and insist on dragging the three of us siblings out to slaughter us, then weigh it yourselves: can you withstand this wave stretching across a thousand miles?

"Of course, the Shangqing ancestral altar is far away in Jinling, quite a distance from the coast; no matter how large the wave, it cannot reach Jinling. You Daoist immortals are entirely free to slaughter us, vent your anger, take away the banners, and return to Juqu Mountain.

"However, by that time, the southeastern coastline will be reduced to utter devastation with countless casualties and deaths, and your Shangqing Sect will likely no longer be able to pass yourselves off as members of the orthodox Dao. When that time comes, join the demon sect! Hhahahaha!"

Cui Ying's laughter echoed across the sea.

Perfected Master Chengchu's expression grew gloomy as she gave a hand signal to those beside her.

Immediately, several figures darted into the depths of the East China Sea to investigate.

They returned shortly thereafter, every one of them pale-faced, shaking their heads at Perfected Master Chengchu.

"Reporting to the Sect Master: towering waves fill the sea, driven by demonic dragons and evil flood dragons beneath the breakers. The momentum is already formed, and it cannot be resisted by human might."

Perfected Master Chengchu sighed inwardly. She had long anticipated that if the overseas demon sects were staging a comeback, it would inevitably be the will of the Dragon King of Overwhelming Seas; that wicked dragon was determined to protect the Three Corpses. She had naturally heard the declaration broadcast across the world by Old Ancestor Green-Robe when he transformed into a dragon in the South China Sea.

As matters stood, among the demon sects, there was the long-renowned leader of the overseas demon sects, the Dragon King of Overwhelming Seas, and the leader of the southern branch of the demon sects, the Li Dragon Green-Robe, whose dao domain was in the Southern Wilderness adjacent to the South China Sea. Both of these figures were Fifth Realm true dragons.

As for the newly established Three Corpses Crimson Body Sect, the monstrous corpse Gu Chen had already been a Fifth Realm great demon plaguing the region before being suppressed by Old Ancestor Baimei of Mount Emei, and now he had successfully refined a demonic treasure like the Profound Yin Gathering-Beast Banner.

The Crimson Corpse Wu Lao and the Alluring Corpse Cui Ying were veteran Fourth Realm major demons who had concealed their identities for many years. Now, upon emerging, Wu Lao had obtained a dragon corpse as a puppet, possessing combat prowess no inferior to the Fifth Realm; as for what trump cards Cui Ying still held, they remained unknown to this day.

The demon sects taking control of the coastline seemed unavoidable.

Perfected Master Chengchu remained silent for a long while, while the Great Expansion Ritual Array continued to devour the Earth-Lung Profound Yellow Qi.

"Old Daoist nun! You boast of being the Shangqing ancestral court and an orthodox school of renown; even standing in the Fifth Realm, you clearly remain greedy for divine treasures, utterly disregarding the lives of countless mortals along the coast!"

Seeing that the Earth-Lung Profound Yellow Qi protecting the Three Corpses Island was growing increasingly thin, while the various deity dharma images remained motionless, Cui Ying finally panicked. She could no longer laugh and began to hurl bitter curses.

The towering wave drew ever closer, yet the Shangqing Sect Master still gave no order to cease. The numerous Shangqing disciples began to exchange anxious glances, and a cacophony of voices surged.

Within the Three Corpses Island, Gu Chen was still manipulating the Profound Yin Gathering-Beast Banner, struggling desperately to hold on.

"Hhahahaha, good, wonderful! Let us see whose heart is crueler!"

Wu Lao's frantic laughter drifted from the yellow fog. Shortly after, he abruptly manipulated the dragon corpse to burst out from the yellow fog, giving everyone a start. However, instead of attacking the crowd, he plunged directly into the seawater, appearing intent on lending assistance and going out to meet the oncoming waves.

Gu Chen remained on the Three Corpses Island, and the Profound Yin Gathering-Beast Banner remained on the Three Corpses Island. No one pursued the dragon corpse into the sea, simply allowing Wu Lao to drive it away.

Until the giant wave drew close enough to be seen without the aid of Dharma Eyes—a wave like a mountain, connecting sea and sky, appearing as if it would surge up to the heavens and wash clean the very moon.

The sound of the waves was like rolling thunder, deafening and thunderous.

This was the power of heaven and earth.

Only the dragon race could stir up such waves, and it certainly could not have been effortless for them.

It was precisely at that moment that streaks of escaping light and a chorus of voices erupted from behind the crowd:

"Do not fret, Perfected Master Chengchu, Wuyi Mountain has arrived!"
"Namu Amitabha, Mount Putao has arrived!"
"Fellow practitioners, Mount Siming has arrived!"
"Mount Yandang has arrived!"
"Mount Sanqing has arrived!"
"Mount Gezao has arrived!"
"Mount Longhu has arrived!"
"Lushan Sword Sect has arrived!"
"Demons are rampant, the Longevity Palace's Jingming Sect has arrived!"
"..."

Like the crashing of ocean waves and thunder, the announcements of the mainland forces resonated like peals of thunder, their magical lights illuminating the firmament.

"Hhahahaha—"

Wild laughter swept across the sea, accompanied by a dragon's roar. "Good, good! All old friends! Today we shall spar; if we did not move about, these old bones of mine would fall apart! However, have you all decided to cross blows right here?"

At this moment, what presented itself before everyone's eyes was a towering wall of water—a vertical sea.

"Old Dragon! I have a question."

The voice of Perfected Master Chengchu rang out, drifting far across the ocean.

"Ask away, Perfected Master."

A voice responded from the sea.

"Is Immortal Li of the Wave-Suppressing Tower dead or alive?"

Perfected Master Chengchu asked.

"Hhahahaha—"

The old dragon in the sea laughed aloud. "Perfected Master jests. What manner of person is the Lord of the Wave-Suppressing Tower? How could death be spoken of lightly? Today is the wedding of the Tower Lord's daughter, and I sent someone to present a pot of Reincarnation Drunk. This is a treasure left behind by the ancient heavenly court, and though I was quite reluctant to part with it, I guarantee it will let Tower Lord Li sleep until dawn."

Upon hearing this, Perfected Master Chengchu and the arrivals from various sects all breathed sighs of relief. Storms and waves rising in the East China Sea had not occurred for many years. But since the Wave-Suppressing Tower was safe, that was all that mattered; a single wave was something they could still withstand.

The younger and lower-realm cultivators present might not have understood the reason behind Perfected Master Chengchu's sudden inquiry, but those who had hurried over were figures above the Third Realm and naturally knew the significance of the Wave-Suppressing Tower to the Divine Land.

There was a saying that went:
First came the Wave-Suppressing Tower, then came White Jade Capital.

This meant that before White Jade Capital was established, the Wave-Suppressing Tower had already existed. White Jade Capital's Five Cities and Twelve Towers had actually only built eleven towers; the Wave-Suppressing Tower had simply always existed in the heavens, hovering above the East China Sea, and White Jade Capital had stubbornly tried to piggyback on it to claim five cities and twelve towers, something the tower itself held in utter contempt.

Another saying went:
A solitary tower suppresses the waves for three thousand years, before the dragon and tiger manifest within the mountains.

This implied that the Wave-Suppressing Tower stood in solitary suspension overseas, suppressing the waves for three thousand years before the Ancestral Celestial Master arrived at Mount Longhu to refine elixirs.

People of the present world had no idea when the Wave-Suppressing Tower had appeared; it seemed as though such a tall tower had stood upon the East China Sea since antiquity, and the Li family residing within it produced generation after generation of unbroken earth immortals of unknown origins.

The Wave-Suppressing Tower never interfered in the disputes between the orthodox and the demonic, with one sole exception: whenever wicked dragons and sea monsters stirred up waves to attack the mainland, the Wave-Suppressing Tower would issue advance warnings to the Divine Land, though it managed no other affairs.

Yet the only waves capable of inflicting harm upon the Divine Land were those stirred from the depths of the sea and pushed all the way to the shore; waves stirred near the coast posed no great threat. Thus, upon receiving warnings from the Wave-Suppressing Tower, the righteous path on land could make preparations in advance or take the initiative to destroy the waves out at sea.

Throughout tens of thousands of years of history, countless sea monsters and wicked dragons had attempted to destroy the Wave-Suppressing Tower, but none had ever succeeded.

It was rumored that a bow and arrows were enshrined atop the Wave-Suppressing Tower, stained with the blood of many true dragons.

People also did not know why the Wave-Suppressing Tower, living always overseas, acted in this manner, but it was indeed one of the fundamental reasons why the overseas demon sects had never been able to pose a colossal threat to the Divine Land.

Yet the Lord of the Wave-Suppressing Tower was, after all, a mortal and had moments of distraction. In ten thousand years, such occasions could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Today should be the first time in nearly five hundred years.

"Old Dragon, has the Mirage Mother come today?"

"With such excitement, she naturally has come."

Perfected Master Chengchu nodded. "Dismiss the waves, and I shall spare the Three Corpses. Once the waves subside, we shall head into the sea to exchange blows with you and the Mirage Mother and catch up on old times."

"Haha, easily said, easily said!"