Chapter 61: The Treasures Left by the Venerable
Boom!
The Five Elements Sword Wheel slashed through the air, leaving a bloody gash on the head of the thousand-meter-long sea serpent. The wound slowly widened, and blood gushed out. The serpent's massive head, hundreds of meters long, plummeted into the water, staining the sea red.
This…!
Everyone on the ship was struck speechless. A Nascent Soul sea beast had been unable to withstand a single strike from this young man in green. Just how terrifying was his strength?
Long Haotian's face was pale, and he was filled with regret. If he hadn't tried to compete with Li Changsheng for the disciple, he wouldn't have provoked such a formidable enemy. He even began to wonder whether the legendary Nascent Soul ancestor of his family, even if they emerged from seclusion, could stand against Li Changsheng.
'My sister has struck gold!'
This was the thought in Ximen Xiong's mind. During his time on the ship, he had learned a fair bit about the cultivation world. A Nascent Soul cultivator could already dominate their region, and now his sister's master could effortlessly slay a Nascent Soul sea beast with a single sword strike. The extent of his strength was beyond imagination.
Only Ximen Xue remained relatively calm.
"Take the ship over there," Li Changsheng said indifferently.
Xie Zhicheng didn't dare to delay and immediately steered the ship toward the stone pillars.
Upon reaching the base of the pillars, Li Changsheng frowned slightly.
He could sense faint spatial fluctuations in the area but couldn't find a way to enter that space.
"Slash!"
Li Changsheng formed a sword with his fingers and made a light slashing motion.
A white sword beam, dozens of feet long, shot toward the portal formed by the two stone pillars.
Boom!
A loud crash echoed.
The sword beam vanished as if swallowed by another world.
"This…?" Li Changsheng frowned slightly and took out the map.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened.
The two incomplete maps seemed to be drawn together as if by some mysterious force, slowly merging and emitting a faint glow.
Boom!
A silvery-white beam of light shot out from the map and struck the stone pillars.
Rumble!
Suddenly, a spatial fluctuation rippled through the air.
A door, just large enough for two people to pass through simultaneously, appeared in the portal formed by the two stone pillars.
"Wait here for me."
Li Changsheng took Ximen Xue's small hand and left the ship.
"With the sea serpent's pressure lingering here, no other sea beasts will come for a while. This place is safe."
With those words, Li Changsheng and Ximen Xue disappeared into the portal.
...
Everyone on the ship watched the slowly vanishing door with complex expressions.
Who wouldn't want the legacy left by a Nascent Soul cultivator? But their strength was nowhere near enough, and they didn't even dare to think of defying Li Changsheng.
Nor did they consider abandoning Li Changsheng and sailing back. The Devil's Sea was fraught with dangers, and without Li Changsheng on the ship, they might not survive even half a day.
"Haotian, you should try to resolve any conflicts with this senior. Otherwise, your Long family might face disaster in the future," Zheng Xuanyue whispered to Long Haotian.
"Yes, yes, I understand," Long Haotian nodded repeatedly, already planning how to curry favor with Li Changsheng.
...
Li Changsheng led Ximen Xue through the spatial portal.
The scene inside was different from what Li Changsheng had imagined. The space behind the portal wasn't large, only a few miles across, and the surroundings were barren, with no vegetation in sight. Not far from Li Changsheng and Ximen Xue stood a dilapidated little hut.
"Master, why does this place feel different from the outside? Like it's not in the same space?" Ximen Xue, held aloft by Li Changsheng's true energy, asked curiously.
Li Changsheng paused slightly and said, "This should be a dying secret realm."
This secret realm was not large, much smaller than the one Li Changsheng had encountered in the Vajra Sect, which spanned hundreds of miles with mountains and countless medicinal gardens. This realm couldn't compare.
Moreover, this secret realm was barren, clearly at the end of its lifespan.
If they hadn't entered, this secret realm would have collapsed in a few hundred years, and everything within it would have vanished.
"Let's go take a look."
Li Changsheng carried Ximen Xue directly toward the thatched hut.
This secret realm was on the verge of collapse, so there were likely no spiritual herbs left. Since the hut existed, the Nascent Soul cultivator's legacy was probably inside.
Creek!
There were no formations guarding the outside of the thatched hut. Li Changsheng pushed the door open.
Inside was sparsely furnished, with only a few meditation mats on the floor and a pill furnace in the center of the room.
Beside the pill furnace lay a corpse that appeared to have been there for thousands of years, yet it hadn't decayed. Next to the corpse was a purple storage pouch and a scroll.
Li Changsheng walked over, first collecting the storage pouch.
Then he opened the scroll, and the first thing that caught his eye were the four gilded characters: "Ocean-Shattering Sword Scripture."
Below the four characters was a line of delicate, elegant text:
"I, the Ocean-Shattering Sword Venerable, have cultivated for 1,500 years yet have been unable to step into the Returning Void realm, truly shaming my master's teachings. I leave behind this legacy for a destined one…"
The text went on for several hundred words, recounting the life of the Ocean-Shattering Sword Venerable. According to his account, their lineage had once been a renowned force in the Southern Domain, but it had declined over time, and by his master's generation, they had become wandering cultivators.
The Ocean-Shattering Sword Venerable's master was a Golden Core wandering cultivator, while the Venerable himself possessed water-element Heavenly Spiritual Roots. He reached the Nascent Soul realm at just 200 years old, the Nascent Soul realm at 500, and became invincible in the Starry Sea.
At 1,500 years old, he obtained a treasure map and ventured into the outskirts of a forbidden land in the outer seas. He returned severely injured and, after leaving the map behind, passed away in this secret realm.
Li Changsheng opened the storage pouch and took out the map mentioned by the Ocean-Shattering Sword Venerable.
"This…"
The moment the map was taken out, a tremendous pressure filled the entire space.
"What level of beast's skin was used to make this map?"
Even the residual aura left on the map was enough to make Li Changsheng's heart race. If he hadn't quickly summoned his aura to protect Ximen Xue, she would have been crushed by the pressure the moment the map appeared.
Just the skin used to make the map had such overwhelming pressure. It was hard to fathom how powerful the beast must have been when it was alive.
Li Changsheng quickly put the map away and began inventorying the contents of the storage pouch.
The Ocean-Shattering Sword Venerable truly lived up to his Nascent Soul status. The storage pouch contained over seven million spirit stones, dozens of spiritual artifacts, a top-grade spiritual artifact—the "Ocean-Shattering Sword," as well as various precious spiritual herbs and materials.
The pill furnace in the hut was also a top-grade spiritual artifact.
Inside the storage pouch, Li Changsheng also found a legacy of alchemy. Unfortunately, it was only a fourth-tier legacy, and most of the pill recipes it contained were ones Li Changsheng already possessed.
All these items together could fetch millions of spirit stones in the outside world.
Li Changsheng let out a long breath and stored the pouch away.
After building a tomb for the Ocean-Shattering Sword Venerable in the secret realm, he took Ximen Xue and left.