Xia Mountain was a columnar peak rising from the seabed, with smooth and delicate cliffs covered in iridescent layers of Heavenly Glow. It was exceptionally beautiful. She flew all the way to the point where the mountain met the sea and saw a swiftly descending waterline along the cliff face. In a serious tone, she said, "Husband... the waters of the Eastern Sea are receding..."
Indeed, the highest tide mark on the cliff wall and the current waterline differed by an inch. Li Xizhi examined it closely and said with a grave expression, "No wonder the great demonic beast was alarmed. The Converging Sea is the most stable region of the Eastern Sea, and Xia Mountain is a wonder of heaven and earth. Under normal conditions, the sea level never fluctuates more than a finger's breadth. If even the Converging Sea is like this, one can imagine the state of the other seas!"
Yang Xiao'er pressed her lips together and asked, "Then what should we do now..."
"Xia Mountain is the safest place," said Li Xizhi. Then, he flew back to the mountain with her, worrying in his heart, I wonder how things are back home...
Coincidentally, Yang Xiao'er beside him also looked concerned. She thought, The ancestor broke through to the Purple Mansion Realm, yet just so happened to encounter such heavenly changes... who knows if it affected him!
Northern Sea.
When Li Xuanfeng woke, the sky was dim. He opened his eyes and looked toward the horizon where the stars and moon still hung properly in the sky. The once-blue havenly sea had vanished and the comet was nowhere to be seen.
Everything that had manifested faded into nothingness, leaving only the distant north where dark shadows of various sizes lingered between the stars. The moonlight and starlight had both dimmed.
Li Xuanfeng slowly raised his arm. Most of his golden armor had turned a brilliant white, glowing intensely. The iron hooks that once connected the armor plates had all solidified, rendering most of his body immobile.
He struggled twice and sat up. A quiet voice drifted from beside him, "The Golden Supreme Origin Green Core True Monarch of the Golden Feather Sect made a move. Your cultivation and armor were affected. The armor, originally made of Black-Hook Profound Gold, has mostly transformed into White-Bore Origin Gold, it needs to be reforged."
It's Yuan Su. Li Xuanfeng recognized the voice and turned his head in response. Yuan Su was quietly sitting beside him. The earlier image of a face streaming with blue tears seemed like an illusion. He now looked clean and calm, his round face relaxed.
Yuan Su noticed his expression and said with a smile, "Just now, when the True Monarch struck suddenly, I lost control of my emotions for a moment. I felt a flash of hatred and was nearly consumed by the backlash of the Metallic Essence. I almost turned into cave spring water."
Though Yuan Su said this lightly, given that he had reached the end of his lifespan, he clearly didn’t care much for his own life. Li Xuanfeng responded with lowered eyes and noticed that the reef beneath Yuan Su’s white robe had turned jade-green.
Li Xuanfeng responded respectfully and asked softly, "May I ask, Daoist Master, have the True Monarchs decided the outcome yet?"
"Not yet." Yuan Su propped his chin with one hand and said softly, "How could it be settled so quickly? Only a few of the True Monarchs showed glimpses of their power and clashed briefly in the Northern Sea."
He pointed toward a patch of darkness in the northern sky, signaling Li Xuanfeng to take a look. Li Xuanfeng squinted and saw the black voids of various sizes scattered among the stars which he had already found strange earlier.
Yuan Su said in a low voice, "The True Monarchs fought for several days and punched holes in the sky above the Northern Sea. They've ascended to the Outer Heavens now.
"I couldn't see too clearly, but during about half an hour of battle, a northern Buddhist cultivator, perhaps a Dharma Master, made a move. He received a sword strike from True Monarch Taiyue and fled in disgrace."
After hearing this, and seeing Yuan Su in such a talkative, relaxed mood, Li Xuanfeng quietly asked, "True Monarch Taiyue is that powerful?"
"Hmm?" Yuan Su laughed and replied softly, "There's no comparison. The Immortal and Demon Daos have produced multiple Dao Embryos. In the Primordial Era, Dao Embryos led the battles. The Buddhist cultivators only have a few Revered Ones, and though they've claimed the North and remain untouchable in their sacred lands, if they step outside to provoke others, the outcome becomes uncertain.
"Besides..." He paused, quietly gazing at the black void in the distant sky, then answered, "In the end, this is a private matter between the Green Pine Dao lineage and the Immortal Mansion’s decree. Though the lineage has now scattered, they once worked together. Only Dragon Monarch Xiyang came because of an old karmic tie. How could Buddhist cultivators have any right to meddle?"
After he said this, Li Xuanfeng noticed that in just the time it took for one incense stick to burn, the waterline on the reef had already risen by two inches. Yuan Su smiled and said, "The waters of the Four Seas fell into the Earth Abyss and then rose again. With holes torn open in the sky canopy, seawater began falling early. Those celestial voids continue to pour water down, filling the Northern Sea.
"At present, the surface of the Northern Sea is still rising, while the other three seas are gradually receding."
Li Xuanfeng squinted as he listened. Though he had time and again magnified his understanding of Golden Core Realm’s power, he was still shaken by the might of the True Monarchs. In a hoarse voice, he said, "They can truly change heaven and earth."
Yuan Su seemed in high spirits, smiling as he said:, "Don't underestimate it. In several great wars between immortals and demonic creatures, the mainland was reduced to barely one-tenth of its former self and more than half of the outer seas vanished. How vast heaven and earth once were!"
Yuan Su paused for a moment, then said quietly, "I am about to enter final repose. Pu Yu saw it long ago, but couldn't bring himself to say it directly in front of me, so he made excuses... Judging by the time, it should be soon.
"Li Xuanfeng, I didn’t bring much this time. I only intended to slap Situ Huo a few times, so I brought the Xinyou Lucid Marsh Seal."
He removed a small, pale gold seal from his waist and placed it into Li Xuanfeng's frozen left hand. He said with a smile, "This seal was gifted to me by Li Jiangqun. Chi Wei was jealous for quite a while. Back then, the few of us were carefree. Chi Wei would say anything. He claimed the seal had good flair, drew plenty of attention and that it was his favorite."
Li Xuanfeng saw tears fall from him, dripping onto the reef with a crisp tick-tick sound. Ning Tiaoxiao continued, "Thinking back on it, Xiao Xianyou, Zhang Qiushui, Chi Wei, Zipei... they were all drawn into the game. At first, we thought it was camaraderie. But in the end, it was the Golden Cores scheming. Only in this way could it all happen without a trace. But one must not hate."
A faint sound of a flute came from Yuan Su, echoing gently through the air. He leaned close to Li Xuanfeng and whispered in his ear, "You must not hate, Li Xuanfeng."
After saying this, Yuan Su slowly lowered his eyelids and closed his eyes as if drifting into slumber.
Li Xuanfeng lowered his gaze, looking at the hem of Yuan Su’s robe. The flute music in the sky grew louder and louder. Before him, Yuan Su transformed into a pool of clear water and vanished. Beneath the reef, the waters of the Northern Sea let out a mournful wail and the ground underfoot rumbled violently.
The entire reef began to rise rapidly. The place where Yuan Su had entered repose sank inward, becoming a pitch-black pit. After a dozen breaths, a burst of bluish-green spring water surged forth.
The spring gushed high into the air, then poured back down like rain. Mist filled the air, spreading with the sea breeze, until a bluish-green fog blanketed a hundred-mile radius.
Li Xuanfeng removed his armor and stored it in his storage pouch. He raised his brows and looked upward, seeing five or six figures gathered in the sky. They were men and women, young and old. All of them stood upon radiant divine lights, each of a different hue.
He vaguely recognized Xiao Chuting and Daoist Master Pu Yu, both bowing their heads solemnly. Another person had a mature face, stiff and unreadable, but wore the uniform of the Azure Pond Sect.
The remaining two were female cultivators. One dressed in golden robes with a veiled hat, her face obscured by flowing white silk. The other wore purple robes and tilted her head slightly, lost in thought.
Clutching the Xinyou Lucid Marsh Seal, he knelt quietly before the spring with head bowed. The figures in the sky remained silent. Li Xuanfeng waited, his heart cold as he thought, Half of Daoist Master Yuan Su’s legendary reputation rested on this little seal. It’s anything but ordinary. I wonder how many among those in the sky harbor greedy intentions.