Devour

Chapter 416: The Sea Tribe Migrates South

At night, the Jingtao Sect held a banquet on the top floor of the Zhenhai Pavilion, ostensibly to congratulate the sect's internal competition for successfully selecting the Holy Son. However, there was no place for this year's Holy Son at the banquet.

The banquet was so big, but even though there were a few more guests like Cheng Bai to liven up the atmosphere, there were still few participants.

Wang Hong was beaming with joy. The powerful elders toasted in celebration, their ecstasy stemming from the vast amount of spirit stones they had obtained from the Sword Prison Tomb.

Deputy Sect Leader Pan Guanxia raised his arms and shouted, "May God have mercy on us! May the ancestors of all generations bless us! This sect's disciples are blessed with great fortune. From now on, our cultivation will soar and make rapid progress!"

As the wine flowed, Law Enforcement Elder Wang Sheng looked suspicious and asked in a low voice, "Where's the Jingting Blade in the Jinglong Hall downstairs? Did the Sect Master put it away?"

The topic was sensitive, and the table immediately became much quieter.

Wang Hong frowned slightly and speculated, "The new Saint Son is a dissolute person and difficult to discipline. He left without saying goodbye and took away several treasures from the sect. The Elders' Council hasn't yet conducted a detailed inventory, so he must have taken the Thunder Blade!"

Hearing this, Cheng Bai pondered, "It's amazing that Wang Xiongwu is being blamed for this. I need to refine that precious sword as soon as possible. It would be even better if I could change its shape at will."

Elder Wang Mingsheng, the Transmission Elder, knew that the sect's leaders were being coerced and helpless regarding the Holy Son's situation, so he turned the conversation to the pressing issue at hand. "Today, there have been gains and losses. The biggest problem right now is Jing'ao Island's lack of combat power. Aside from the Sect Leader, the headquarters is seriously lacking top-tier experts."

He said earnestly to Master Li, "I hope that Master, considering your close personal relationship with our sect, will intervene on our behalf and mediate a truce with the Tumin Society to prevent outside forces from taking advantage of the situation."

Master Li was delighted when he heard this and agreed, "Don't worry, everyone. Taking advantage of this opportunity presented by the Immortals' Elegant Gathering, the Confucian scholars will appease the Tumin Society, explain the righteous cause, and persuade them to cease hostilities for one samsara epoch, advocating for peace."

Wang Hong said with satisfaction, "That's great. Thank you, Master, for personally facilitating the reconciliation. By exchanging the Cloud-Threaded Stone for cultivation resources, I will be confident that I can surpass Tu He in strength in thirty years."

Wang Mingsheng thought further and said, "Plus, the new generation of disciples are well-trained and will safely pass through the transition period. From now on, we can rest easy!"

Listening to the lively conversation of several celebrities, Cheng Bai concentrated on tasting the sweet and delicious snail meat on the table. He inquired, "What kind of seafood is this? The slices alone cover the entire plate. They must be quite large."

Beitingjun didn't eat a single bite. He rolled his eyes at him and said unhappily, "It's called the Rainbow Saitama Snail. The shell can be over ten feet long. Is the meat still tender and fragrant?"

Cheng Bai knew she was too shy to respond, so he smiled awkwardly and said, "Is Rainbow Conch abundant in the North Sea? I don't think I've seen this dish in Yanbo Tower."

The several dishes served to the table by the accompanying disciples were all made with the same kind of snail meat. Some were sliced ​​and stir-fried, some were salt-baked diced meat, and some were cold shredded meat.

Wang Hong enthusiastically introduced: "This snail lives in the deep sea and is rarely seen in the world. It is never supplied to Yanbo Tower! Only the distinguished guests of Jingao Island are lucky enough to enjoy its crispy and delicious meat. The shell is as hard as iron, making it a rare material for beginners to forge treasures."

Cheng Bai was slightly surprised: "Yanbo Tower can even produce Garuda bird meat, but there is no Rainbow Qiyu snail meat! It really is 'easy to go to the sky, hard to go to the sea'."

Master Li said, "That's relative. It really depends on chance. Even a scholar has never seen Garuda meat in Yanbo Tower!"

Pan Guanxia interrupted, "It's also because the surrounding seas have been active recently, with Rainbow Saitama Snails frequently surfacing. They can only spray water arrows, and their attack methods are limited, making them the preferred monster for low-level disciples to practice with."

Wang Mingsheng nodded in agreement. "Those young disciples who cultivate nearby are sometimes so obsessed with training that they forget about time and location, and only return when Jing'ao Island is almost past them."

Cheng Bai already knew that Jing'ao Island wasn't rooted, but rather drifted slowly across the sea like a floating island. Suddenly, he realized the contradiction and asked curiously, "Is the island constantly drifting north? How long has it been maintaining the same direction?"

Wang Sheng smiled nonchalantly and said, "Ever since the first head of the sect established Jing'ao Island as the sect's dojo, the island has been drifting northward, sometimes faster, sometimes slower. The disciples are all accustomed to it, and we just let it be."

Cheng Bai deduced silently in his mind, "The Bone Prison Three Corpse Demon Tower was established long before the founding of the Shocking Waves Sect. According to the Bone Emperor, it's been around for about five thousand samsara eras. Based on this calculation, even if this island moved slowly, it would have drifted a million miles."

Thinking of this, Cheng Bai couldn't help but sigh: "The North Sea is so vast!"

Seeing his youthful good looks, Pan Guanxia playfully interrupted, "Is the White Emperor Sect Leader worried that the island might drift to the edge of the North Sea and suddenly fall off?"

These words caused the two elders nearby to laugh and giggle, and they didn't care where the island would drift to.

Pan Guanxia became more and more proud and teased, "If anyone falls into the North Sea, I promise to fish you out with my own hands!"

Wang Hong filled a glass of Iron Blood Elixir and said leisurely, "It's said that the North Sea hides the ultimate of all things. But there are different opinions. Some believe that reaching the edge of the North Sea will lead to the South Sea, while others firmly believe that the abyss of Guixu will suddenly appear at the bottom of the sea and swallow everything."

Master Li continued, "It's just a rumor. No one can provide any solid evidence. Many daring monks have explored the four poles, east, south, west, and north, but most have lost their way. A few have vanished without a trace, perhaps encountering powerful sea creatures. Those who have successfully returned have only reported that the four poles are extremely cold, with nothing but vast ocean water."

Cheng Bai said frankly, "In my opinion, the ocean cannot be truly boundless. There must be some kind of restriction preventing people from exploring further."

Master Li's eyes flashed with admiration, and he pondered, "Confucian scholars have similar theories. If restrictions are placed on the edges of the four seas, then the five continents and the surrounding oceans are like an independent little world."

Wang Sheng couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Master, you are very knowledgeable, but you also make a complete joke. If the Five Continents are small worlds, what kind of world can be called 'big'?"

Cheng Bai sensed something far away, his heart skipping a beat as he exclaimed in surprise, "What's that to the north? It's such a huge silhouette!"

Everyone got up from their seats one after another, leaned on the railings on the top floor of Zhenhai Pavilion on Xuandao Peak, and looked into the distance, watching the strange things approaching outside the island.

As night fell, the sea surface was rolling and surging, and under the soft moonlight, it was dotted with pink halos, rather than reflecting some beautiful celestial phenomenon.

Those were clearly the dorsal fins of groups of giant beasts that were exposed as they cut through the water, reflecting a unique color. They were running southward with a resolute posture, about to pass by Jingao Island.

"They're all Ice Demon Sharks, and there are so many of them!" Wang Mingsheng squinted, trying to make out the creatures more clearly through the hazy water, but the sight already sent a chill down his spine. "From a distance, it's hard to tell just how big they are on the surface, but in reality... each one is nearly a hundred feet long underwater!"

Cheng Bai weighed it up and said, "A demonic beast comparable to the Wuxiang realm, with astonishing size and number. Is the entire tribe migrating?"

Wang Mingsheng said with some relief, "Luckily, it's nighttime, and all the disciples who were training around the island have returned, so they're safe from the harm of those evil beasts."

Wang Sheng was surprised and said, "The Ice Demon Shark is a rare overlord of the North Sea. It has ferocious habits and often lurks in the deep sea to hunt other sea creatures. Even we rarely see it in person! How could... the entire race be rushing wildly on the sea... It doesn't look like a migration."

"Or are they fleeing?" Cheng Bai took over the conversation. His sharp eyes were clearer and more accurate than anyone else present. He guessed, "The oxygen content near the sea surface is higher, the water pressure is lower, and the environment is conducive to the rapid swimming of sea creatures. Otherwise, these behemoths are accustomed to roaming the deep sea and would not behave so abnormally."

"Who has the ability to force them to flee en masse?" Pan Guanxia frowned slightly, surprised. "Ice Demon Sharks are bloodthirsty and fearless. An ordinary elder from the Elders' Council would be in great danger if he faced one alone. We would probably have to intervene."

"Oh?" Wang Hong was interested and looked out to sea.

The sheer number of monsters before him quickly wiped away the slight anticipation of searching for prey from Wang Hong's face. Instead, he expressed an unprecedented solemnity. He whispered, "If we engage in a battle on the island, the retaliation will be devastating."

The densely packed swarm of Ice Demon Sharks, numbering in the hundreds, stretched across a vast expanse of sea beyond the island. Uninterested in the nearby, vibrant Jingao Island, they sped southward at an almost insane speed, treating the nearby island like an uninhabited reef.