Winds Rising Overseas, The Sacred Sanctum Fragment

Chapter 555: Winds Rising Overseas, The Sacred Sanctum Fragment

Just as astonishment and suspicion churned within Han Li, Feng Xi let out a light laugh and asked:

“I’ve heard that a few years ago, when Brother Wu was protecting Gu’s cultivation, he was ambushed by several human cultivators. Though they were eventually driven back, he still suffered a minor loss. Is that why the Flood Dragon clan finally made a move? Your spirit beast clan has always been protective of its own, haven’t you?”

“In recent years, the human cultivators on those islands have grown far too arrogant. They’ve actually come to believe that this sea truly belongs to them. They treat us, transformed demon cultivators, no differently than those low-grade spirit beasts that have yet to shed their beast forms. They are simply courting death. My incident was merely one trigger among many.”

The venom flood dragon paused here, his expression placid as he continued:

“The most important reason was that a human killed a Grade 7 Suanni Beast of the Ten-Thousand-Fathom Sea Royal Clan. This enraged that old Suanni enough to consume his own essence blood and issue the Ten-Thousand-Demon Command, allowing tens of thousands of demon beasts to trample the human islands in a single sweep. Our Flood Dragon clan stepped in to assist—not to avenge that Suanni clan, but because one of our sea race’s sacred heirlooms, the ‘Sacred Sanctum Fragment,’ was on that very Suanni that was killed, and it fell into human hands. Although this item was already incomplete and held no practical value, it is still one of our demon race’s great ancestral relics and must never be allowed to remain with human cultivators.” The venom flood dragon cast a cold glance at Han Li, a vicious glint flashing across his face.

“I had heard of the Suanni’s death. But I truly knew nothing of the loss of the ‘Sacred Sanctum Fragment.’ Without this ancestral relic, the Suanni clan will have an even harder time holding their throne as the Ten-Thousand-Fathom Sea Royal Clan. Could it be that the Flood Dragon clan intends to take over this sea region?” A flicker of movement crossed the Wind Rending Beast’s features, and he shot the venom flood dragon a sly smile as he asked.

“That, I wouldn’t know. After all, I rarely concern myself with clan affairs. However, I am very interested in the ‘Three Sacred Sacred Art’ said to be recorded on that ‘Sacred Sanctum Fragment.’ I’ve heard it is a secret art passed down from the ancient demon race, with immense, unparalleled power. Unfortunately, the few ‘Sacred Sanctum Fragments’ that recorded this art have long since been scattered, and there is no chance of restoring it.” The venom flood dragon first showed a look of interest, then spoke regretfully.

“Haha! Brother Wu is too greedy. What ancient secret art? I think it’s just a rumor. I can’t believe your Flood Dragon clan’s ‘Dragon Transformation Art’ is any worse than that.” The turtle demon suddenly cut in with a laugh.

“That’s true. My clan’s ‘Dragon Transformation Art,’ when cultivated to its deepest reaches, can transform a flood dragon into a true dragon. It is certainly one of the demon race’s top-tier cultivation arts.” Upon hearing this, the venom flood dragon couldn’t help but display a trace of pride on his face.

Feng Xi smiled but did not comment.

“Sacred Sanctum Fragment?” Seated to the side, Han Li’s expression remained unchanged on the surface, but his heart gave a start at the name. His thoughts turned to the copper piece he had only recently acquired.

That copper piece was inscribed with a demon cultivation technique, and it seemed to be quite powerful.

Could it be such a coincidence that these two demon cultivators were discussing that very item?

Though he didn’t know the specific use of a “Sacred Sanctum Fragment,” just hearing it was a demon race ancestral relic was enough to know it was a red-hot potato.

Could that dark-skinned cultivator have been the one who triggered the Deep Sea Beast Tide? With his mid-Core Formation cultivation, it wasn’t impossible for him to have killed a Grade 7 demon beast.

Han Li muttered to himself, but felt little alarm. He was now a classic example of a man with too many debts to worry about any single one. With his life at risk every moment anyway, having one more hot potato in his possession didn’t really bother him.

Perhaps feeling that Han Li’s presence was hindering further discussion of sensitive matters, Feng Xi turned to him and spoke indifferently:

“Brother Li, you’ve only recently entered the late Core Formation stage and still need to stabilize your cultivation. I wouldn’t want your mana to fail unexpectedly at a critical moment during the treasure refinement. Follow this light, go back to your room, rest, and cultivate for a while.”

With that, the Wind Rending Beast raised his hand, and a white orb of light flew from his fingertip, shooting toward a side door.

Han Li had no choice but to force a faint smile, stand up, and follow the orb out of the hall. In truth, he would have liked to hear more demon race secrets.

Just as he reached the doorway, Feng Xi’s warning came from behind:

“During normal times, Brother, it would be best to stay in your room and not wander out carelessly. If I were to misunderstand something… that would be troublesome.” The demon cultivator’s tone was flat.

Han Li’s figure paused almost imperceptibly, but then he stepped through the side door without a word.

“Is everything in order? That kid doesn’t seem like the type to give his full effort. I hope he doesn’t cause any problems at the critical moment of the refinement.” The venom flood dragon stared at the space where Han Li had disappeared, a strange glint in his eyes.

“Relax. This refinement of the Wind and Thunder Wings will rely primarily on the three of us. That human is merely a vessel to provide wood-attributed spiritual power. Once the refinement begins, he simply won’t have a choice; he’ll have to obediently provide his mana. Besides, he still has the Evil Qi I planted inside his body. Even if he had any other ideas, he would be powerless to act.” Feng Xi’s lips curled into a cold smile.

“Speaking of that Chaos Evil Qi, I don’t recall it being in the Azure Flame Wine. Could it be that Brother Feng did something on the sly?” The turtle demon suddenly laughed, chiming in.

“Heh! Of course. The Azure Flame Wine I gave him was specially refined. This Chaos Evil Qi should more accurately be called Chaos Demon Qi. It was something I extracted and refined from the body of a troublesome demonic-path cultivator I killed back in the day. Even I find it quite troublesome to expel this demon qi from my own body.” Feng Xi adjusted his silver crown, a cunning look on his face.

Hearing this, the venom flood dragon and the turtle demon exchanged a knowing smile, the last shred of doubt in their hearts finally laid to rest.

…

Meanwhile, Han Li followed the white orb until he was led into a stone chamber. The room was elegantly furnished, featuring a bed carved from white jade, a few tables and chairs, and several pots of exotic plants.

As soon as Han Li entered, the orb let out a soft pop and dissipated on its own.

Seeing this, Han Li quickly turned around and closed the door behind him. He then swiftly pulled several array flags of different colors from his bosom and tossed them into various corners of the room. In an instant, a small formation covered the chamber.

Han Li let out a slight sigh of relief. At least he was no longer under constant surveillance.

Though this formation had no defensive power whatsoever, it could serve as an early warning system against hostile spiritual sense probes.

This act would certainly annoy the Wind Rending Beast, but it wasn’t enough of a matter for the demon to make a fuss over.

With that thought settled, Han Li turned his mind to his most pressing concern. He walked over to the bed, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to introspect.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Han Li opened his eyes, his brow deeply furrowed.

His body was still the same as before; he couldn’t find anything wrong. It seemed that either the demon was lying, or this Evil Qi was truly undetectable before it took effect.

Han Li stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

After pondering for a while, he suddenly pulled an object out from his robes. He stared at it intently for a long moment, a fierce light flickering in his eyes.

…

Two days later, the Wind Rending Beast Feng Xi once again knocked on Han Li’s door and entered.

“Let’s go. The treasure refinement begins today. Brothers Wu and Gu are already waiting for us in the refining chamber.” As soon as he saw Han Li, this humanoid demon beast spoke with visible excitement.

He then led Han Li out of the room and straight toward his cave-dwelling’s refining chamber.

After a short walk, the demon brought Han Li before a green jade wall. Without any hesitation, he slapped his hand against the wall, and an arched door split open within the jade. Then, stepping to one side, the demon motioned for Han Li to enter first.

Han Li quickly glanced inside. It was a deep red within, and a wave of scorching heat surged out. It seemed this place had some depth to it.

Han Li’s eyelids twitched slightly. He took a deep breath and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered and took in the scene, surprise flickered in his eyes.

The venom flood dragon and the turtle demon were both indeed standing inside the room. But what caught Han Li’s attention was a geothermal flame pool in the center of the chamber.

In the middle of the room was a square platform, over ten zhang wide, filled with roaring, blistering fiery-red flames that lashed about within the pool. Surrounding the platform, a massive and complex refining formation had already been set up. Just a few glances at this formation were enough to make Han Li’s heart sink.

With his current skill in artifact refining and formations, though he couldn’t immediately grasp all its mysteries, he could tell that this formation was no small feat—it was far beyond anything he could lay out.

Seeing Han Li enter, the venom flood dragon and the turtle demon merely swept a cold gaze over him, then turned their heads away as if he were invisible.

“Good. Now that everyone is here, I have already explained the refining principles of the formation to Brothers Wu and Gu. Brother Li, all you need to do is stand in that corner of the formation and do nothing but continuously provide wood spiritual power to the array. For now, don’t let your mind wander,” Feng Xi said, pointing to a corner of the formation, a meaningful look in his eyes as he addressed Han Li.

(End of chapter)