Soul Emperor Awakening

The Demon Cloud Sea was quite remote; it took the carriage several days of travel to finally reach its vicinity. Lin Xuan lifted the curtain and looked out. He immediately saw black clouds blanketing the sky, with lightning flickering across them from time to time.

The farther they went, the more the color of the clouds seemed to shift, creating a terrifying and oppressive atmosphere. They hadn’t even neared the Demon Cloud Sea, yet they could already feel a pressure washing over them, a suffocating weight settling within. Fierce winds howled past. They might not have been as strong as those in Hurricane Valley, but this was just the entrance.

If they continued deeper, they would find winds that made those of Hurricane Valley seem tame; they just hadn’t encountered them yet.

"So this is the Demon Cloud Sea..."

Seeing it with his own eyes, Lin Xuan was utterly stunned. He knew about it from his memories, but witnessing it in person was far more terrifying. In the distance, he saw a boundless, pitch-black sea. The winds were ferocious, yet they failed to stir a single ripple on its surface!

The name Demon Cloud Sea referred not only to the black clouds overhead but also to this very ocean, which refused to ripple no matter how hard the wind blew. Even tossing a stone into it would only create the faintest disturbance before it returned to stillness, as if it had swallowed the force whole.

"Yes, this is the Demon Cloud Sea. No one knows how it formed. It just... appeared. It was once an ordinary sea, and then in the blink of an eye, it became this dangerous domain. But no matter how dangerous, it can’t stop people from exploring it..." Zi Yi’s gaze swept over the area, her eyes glittering. To her, this place was filled with countless treasures.

’To obtain treasures, one must pay a price. The more dangerous the place, the more treasures it holds. In safer places, everything of value has long since been plundered. How could anything be left?’

’Opportunities like these don’t just require great luck; more importantly, one must have the courage to seize them. The Liu Family’s Sixth Grade Pattern Master obtained a single Dragon Bone Pearl, and his Spiritual Power soared. That is a true opportunity!’

They finally neared the edge of the sea and dismounted from the carriage. The Guards scanned the surroundings, checking for anyone else nearby. The area was deserted, save for pieces of wreckage that washed up from the Demon Sea, a testament to its cruelty.

Lin Xuan approached the Demon Sea. As he lifted his foot and stepped in, it felt like treading on liquid lead. The water instantly enveloped his foot with the devouring sensation of a swamp. The more one struggled, the deeper one would sink—but in this Demon Sea, you sank deeper even when standing still, until you were completely swallowed.

He could still pull his foot free with a bit of effort. But if his entire body were submerged, escape would be nearly impossible. ’This devouring power is terrifying. No wonder they say you need a high Cultivation. Without enough strength, you’d never be able to get back up!’

"This Demon Sea is truly bizarre. It looks like a sea, but it doesn’t behave like one." Lin Xuan shook his head. He had only just arrived and could already feel its terrifying nature, yet before him also lay infinite opportunities.

Tong Yulong’s rise to becoming such a great prodigy was aided by a Golden Element Fruit from this place, which proved just how staggering the opportunities here could be. The opportunities were staggering, but whether one could survive to claim them was another story entirely.

At that moment, they took out two small boats from their Storage Spaces. They were crafted from precious Spirit Wood, as ordinary wood would not float here at all.

After placing the two boats on the water, they all boarded and began rowing deeper into the Demon Sea. Even with the guards rowing with all their might, the two small boats only moved forward slowly. Their speed was neither fast nor slow, but if this were an ordinary sea, such powerful guards would have them moving at a breakneck pace.

The main issue was that the Demon Sea seemed to drain their strength as they rowed. The water was as heavy as liquid lead, making it impossible to paddle with ease. Just being able to move was an achievement; expecting to go fast was out of the question.

According to Qing Liuyun’s memories, the only way to move quickly here was simple: one had to fly. Aside from flying, there was no other way.

This was as good as saying nothing. Only cultivators at the Core Formation Stage Level could fly freely. Those at the Spirit Pill Stage could at best glide for a short distance; true flight was practically impossible. At his peak, Qing Liuyun could use his Cyan Cloud Step to dash across this sea, but even he eventually had to toss out a Spirit Wood Board to stand on and rest.

The deeper one went, however, the more dangerous that became. The Demon Sea grew heavier the farther in one traveled, until the water itself weighed hundreds of thousands of pounds. If someone fell in, they would be crushed flat long before they ever reached the bottom.

"We only need to go a dozen or so miles," Zi Yi said from the side. "We’ll search for Spiritual Artifacts here in the outer region. We don’t need to go too deep; it becomes much more dangerous."

Lin Xuan nodded. The area within a dozen or so miles was considered the outer region and was relatively safe.

Her voice had barely faded when a massive black shadow suddenly burst from the water, lunging straight for Zi Yi. In that abrupt moment, the fastest to react wasn’t one of the guards, but Lin Xuan, who stood beside her.

The White Pupil Rod was already in his hand. In a flash, a white light glinted in his eyes as he aimed at the pouncing shadow and thrust upward with all his might, showing no hesitation.

"Extreme Point Inch Light!"

A pinprick of light flared at the tip of his rod as he condensed all his power into a single point. He unleashed the strike, a domineering force that shone like a brilliant star in the dark night.

"THUD!"

The focused power struck true, violently knocking the pouncing creature away. The force of the impact, however, also sent Lin Xuan flying backward.

While still in mid-air, a cyan light flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes. He stomped down on the sea’s surface, executing his Cyan Cloud Step. He became as light as a feather, twirling once before drifting back onto the boat.

His movements were fluid and precise, as if he were a veteran of the Demon Cloud Sea.

Zi Yi’s eyes went wide. Before she could even react—before any of the surrounding guards could react—it was all over. It had happened too fast, too suddenly!

Lin Xuan said nothing, his brow furrowed as he watched the creature he had struck. It was a Tiger Fish the size of an ox. After being sent flying, it thrashed on the surface a few times before slowly sinking, its massive mouth agape, revealing teeth sharp enough to shred anything.

Not only that, but his arm was also slightly numb. The force of that pouncing Tiger Fish was immense—at least seventy or eighty thousand pounds. Truly, anyone without an Essence Pill Stage Cultivation would be committing suicide by coming here.

And this was only the beginning. They hadn’t even truly ventured into the depths.