On the beach, three thousand soldiers intently watched the scene unfolding in the distance. The azure and white phantoms battled fiercely, tearing from the sandy shore out across the surging waters of the Nine Bends Ghost Sea. Yet, these two supreme experts stood poised upon the water’s surface, trading blows. Savage bursts of vital energy radiated outward, causing immense waves and spray to explode around them.
“This Teng Qingshan is actually this formidable!” the officer surnamed Liu gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing red.
“Brother Liu, Teng Qingshan’s power is too great. Even the hasn't subdued him. You should let it go,” a tall officer beside him offered in consolation.
Just then— Thud! Thud! Thud!
A group of masters, each bearing a longsword on their back, arrived at the beach riding mounts resembling warhorses. Their steeds possessed stout, powerful legs, thick, flowing manes, and a pair of curved horns sprouting from their heads. These were the highly prized mounts of Bright Moon Island—Unicorn Beasts!
The one possessing the most Unicorn Beasts was, naturally, the Sword Tower! The Eighteenth General’s Estate, however, had only a very small number.
“!”
Dozens of masters seated atop the Unicorn Beasts stared in shock at the two figures locked in combat upon the sea. They had never expected... that someone could fight their to a standstill. The leading master among this group had salt-and-pepper temples and a face carved like stone; embroidered over his left breast was a long, azure sword.
“Greetings, Elder.” The three generals immediately approached and bowed respectfully.
“What is happening? Who is that man fighting the?” the old man demanded anxiously.
“Elder,” the officer surnamed Liu immediately bowed respectfully. “That man is named Teng Qingshan. He is not from our Bright Moon Island. He arrived by boat and has been excessively tyrannical, causing numerous casualties among our soldiers, and even destroying my own martial arts skills. When the arrived, he spoke disrespectfully to the and initiated a fight.”
The two generals beside him were slightly taken aback but remained silent.
“This man is so arrogant?” The old man’s face darkened as he gazed out towards the distant sea.
The two combatants fighting on the ocean suddenly separated.
...
Above the waves, both Teng Qingshan and Huangfu Yujiang stood upon the water without sinking.
“Why stop?” Teng Qingshan’s gaze held a certain intensity.
Huangfu Yujiang frowned at Teng Qingshan. “Teng Qingshan, I cannot break your spear techniques. But neither can you break my sword techniques... Moreover, I see you only use that single move repeatedly. Since neither of us can win, why waste time!”
Teng Qingshan was momentarily speechless. Could he tell his opponent—‘I am trying to grasp the artistic conception of your swordsmanship to seek a breakthrough in my own Water Element Fist’?
“Huangfu Yujiang, what sword style is this you use?” Teng Qingshan inquired repeatedly.
A look of reverence flickered across Huangfu Yujiang’s face. “This is the Bright Moon Sword Canon, created by the third generation ancestor of our Sword Tower after meditating by the sea for over ten years and achieving sudden enlightenment!”
Teng Qingshan felt a stir in his heart. “Created by the seaside? It’s no wonder it contains the Dao of the Water Element,” Teng Qingshan mused inwardly.
“Huangfu Yujiang,” Teng Qingshan began, “Might I ask... if I could borrow a look at this Bright Moon Sword Canon?”
Huangfu Yujiang’s expression shifted as he looked at Teng Qingshan.
“Of course. I won’t look at the methods for circulating Innate True Essence, nor any insights you’ve gained regarding the overall mastery. I only wish to see the moves within the Bright Moon Sword Canon related to the defensive sword style you just used,” Teng Qingshan said with a smile. “In return, I can demonstrate the artistic conception of my defensive spear techniques to you.”
Huangfu Yujiang began to understand that this man was likely a type of ascetic cultivator. ‘To be willing to demonstrate the conception of his own ultimate move to another—no wonder he drifts and cultivates at sea. Truly a madman,’ Huangfu Yujiang thought.
“That is the ultimate art of my Sword Tower; it absolutely cannot be revealed to outsiders!”
Huangfu Yujiang shook his head. “Though I am the of the Sword Tower, I cannot violate this rule. Teng Qingshan... I cannot capture you. You may leave!”
“Cannot be revealed?” Teng Qingshan glanced at Huangfu Yujiang.
Whoosh!
Teng Qingshan strode across the water, transforming into a blurry phantom, racing over a hundred zhang distance before leaping up directly onto the Wumu wood boat.
“Xiao Jun, let’s go!” Teng Qingshan shouted loudly, his voice echoing high into the heavens.
“Yooow~~”
The Gale Eagle swooped down from the high altitude. The woman in purple seated on its back looked like an immortal fairy. The strong pressure and gale forced a massive amount of sand and grit to fly up from the beach, causing many soldiers standing nearby to bend over, shield their faces, and cover their eyes. Soon, the demonic beast and the young woman landed upon the deck of the Wumu wood boat.
“Brother Teng, if we kept fighting, that Sword Tower would have certainly depleted his True Essence by now,” Li Jun looked at Teng Qingshan.
“Mm, but…” Teng Qingshan shook his head. “He wouldn’t be foolish enough to wait until his True Essence was gone only to be killed by me! Once his True Essence dropped to one or two-tenths, Huangfu Yujiang would likely flee using his lightness skill. In terms of lightness skill, I am still inferior to him.”
Teng Qingshan also felt a deep admiration. In terms of raw strength, the foremost expert of Bright Moon Island could rank among the top three on the Kyushu Continent’s Heavenly Roster.
“We’re leaving!” Teng Qingshan gripped the oars.
Splash, splash, splash~~~
The Wumu wood boat swiftly moved toward the southeast. With Teng Qingshan’s arm strength, the two long oars sliced through the water powerfully and swiftly. The Wumu boat moved upstream, constantly advancing toward the southeast.
...
On the beach, a large number of men watched the Wumu boat retreat into the distance.
“,” the group of masters led by the old man stood behind Huangfu Yujiang.
Huangfu Yujiang, clad in loose white robes and holding his dark azure divine sword, watched the departing boat with astonishment in his heart. “How can Teng Qingshan’s Innate True Essence seem inexhaustible? After such a fierce battle with me, I expended seventy percent of my Innate True Essence. He must be close to that amount as well. Yet, to propel such a large sea vessel upstream requires immense strength. That consumes True Essence quickly, so how could he...”
“, the Nine Bends Ghost Sea has swift currents; a boat cannot possibly travel upstream out of the Ghost Sea,” the old man frowned. “Those two...”
“Yes, even a Golden Core Innate Realm expert could never row away from here,” Huangfu Yujiang said coldly. “The Nine Bends Ghost Sea spans hundreds of li. If moving diagonally, it’s even over a thousand li! In the fastest sections, it's impossible to use oars; one can only swim and drag the boat forward! To leave, one would need two Golden Core Innate experts rotating shifts to rest and recover their Innate True Essence. For one person alone, leaving the Nine Bends Ghost Sea is absolutely impossible!”
For generations, the people of Bright Moon Island had reached a firm conclusion regarding the Nine Bends Ghost Sea: if traveling by boat, two Golden Core Innates were required to leave. With Bright Moon Island having only tens of millions of inhabitants, Golden Core Innate experts were sometimes only one or two across the entire island. The difficulty of leaving was imaginable!
...
Teng Qingshan gripped the iron chain, swimming rapidly across the turbulent ocean. He towed the Wumu wood boat, pulling it steadily toward the southeast.
“Trying to row out is nearly impossible,” Teng Qingshan thought while holding the chain. “In the Nine Bends Ghost Sea, the currents in the fiercest parts of each bend are incredibly fast! To make the Wumu boat advance, the oars would need to reach the level of my Samsara Spear to withstand that speed and explosive force.”
Manufacturing massive oars from Star-Patterned Steel? That was too extravagant.
“It’s simpler to drag it through the water,” Teng Qingshan thought, swimming quite fast beneath the waves.
After a long time— He had advanced to the calmer area of the second bend. Upon discovering a shallow section, Teng Qingshan covered the iron chain with intensely hot Innate True Essence from his dual fires, causing the chain to begin softening. He then twisted the end of the chain into a rudimentary ‘anchor’ and directly hooked it onto a submerged rock.
Clank! The Wumu boat was secured. Teng Qingshan leaped from the sea and landed on the deck.
“Brother Teng, why did we stop?” Li Jun asked, slightly puzzled.
“We are dozens of li from the beach now,” Teng Qingshan looked north. “Even if someone is on Bright Moon Island, they couldn't possibly see our Wumu boat dozens of li away!”
“Mm,” Li Jun nodded. If it were within a few li, an expert with Inner Strength could see the volume of the Wumu boat. But separated by dozens of li, it was impossible.
“Xiao Jun,” Teng Qingshan smiled at Li Jun beside him. “Do you remember that Shangguan Quan mentioned a forbidden area on the entire Bright Moon Island?”
“Of course I remember,” Li Jun nodded. “That large mountain to the southeast is the forbidden area, and the mountain to the northeast is where the Sword Tower is located. Shangguan Quan also said... only the most outstanding experts in the Sword Tower can occasionally enter the forbidden area! Brother Teng, why are you asking?”
Teng Qingshan smiled slightly. “Xiao Jun, you said only the most outstanding experts can occasionally enter the forbidden area. What do you think is hidden inside?”
“That’s obvious,” Li Jun replied. “If only the strongest can enter occasionally, it highly likely hides some powerful cultivation method! Or some incredible treasure!”
“Correct.”
Teng Qingshan smiled, looking north. “Xiao Jun, tell Little Grey to carry the two of us and fly into Bright Moon Island from high altitude. We’ll go take a look at that forbidden area!”
“Go to the forbidden area?” Li Jun was surprised by Teng Qingshan’s decision, yet she felt a surge of curiosity herself.
Li Jun immediately began conversing with the Gale Eagle nearby, and the Gale Eagle cried out in response.
“Brother Teng, he’s demanding Iron Leaf Fruits as a toll,” Li Jun laughed.
“Give him one if he asks. Oh, I have an Iron Leaf Fruit left in my bag, though a small piece has been dug out,” Teng Qingshan immediately went into the cabin, retrieved the Iron Leaf Fruit with a small piece missing, and tossed it to the Gale Eagle. The Gale Eagle swallowed it happily with loud crunching sounds.
The Gale Eagle then happily spread its wings and began circling a height of one or two zhang above the Wumu boat.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Teng Qingshan, holding the Samsara Spear, leaped onto the Gale Eagle’s back simultaneously with Li Jun. Since the Gale Eagle wasn't as large as the Blazing Wind Divine Sculpture, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun had to lean closely against each other.
“Yooow~~” The Gale Eagle chirped happily and soared straight up into the sky.
...
Within the cloud layer, the Gale Eagle flew onward, with Teng Qingshan and Li Jun riding its back. Looking down through the misty clouds, Teng Qingshan could clearly see two towering peaks.
“Huangfu Yujiang, if you won’t show me, does that mean I can’t see it?” Teng Qingshan’s gaze settled on the towering peak in the southeast. “Little Grey, down.” Teng Qingshan gently patted the Gale Eagle’s feathers and pointed toward the imposing forbidden area peak in the southeast. The Gale Eagle obediently nodded its head.
Whoosh!
It dove straight down toward the forbidden area peak below.