The Forbidden Sea Seals the Island

The dread Forbidden Sea—even the sky above had been sealed!

Fallen Angels, beings who generally possessed the cultivation of Demigods and were regarded as an ancient race of gods by weaker tribes... even such existences could scarcely withstand the sealing power of the Forbidden Sea.

Not far away, a human warrior capable of flight was swiftly annihilated by the divine light. He was a Demigod-level expert who had been guarding the periphery of the island, waiting to receive the returning young elites of his faction—a figure of immense power in the mortal continent of the World of Immortality. Practitioners of the Deathless Longevity and Nirvana realms seldom walked the mortal world; Demigods of the Sky-Mastery realm already stood at the apex of the mundane world's pyramid. They could contend with the legendary ancient race of Fallen Angels, they could clash with Sacred Light Dragons—yet even they could not withstand the sealing power of the Forbidden Sea.

The young experts on the island's periphery were shattered. If even Demigods could not escape the Forbidden Sea, how would they ever leave? They were sealed here forever.

That day, panic swept across Dragon Island. For all those present, this sudden catastrophe was nothing less than the end of the world.

A Dragon Island without hope. A Dragon Island that drove men to despair.

The divine light on Dragon Island faded, and the scene returned to its former state. The nearby sea gradually calmed, the holy radiance withdrawing. Yet one could clearly sense that an inexplicable power had infused the seawater, severing the connection between Dragon Island and the World of Immortality.

For nearly a month, Xiao Chen had been cultivating. Strength was the only truth.

Only today, when the cataclysmic change occurred on Dragon Island, was he finally roused. He quickly learned what had happened—it was a thunderbolt for him as well! But remorse and despair were useless. He had to deal with the present. Panic would surely sweep across Dragon Island, and if certain factions deliberately stoked the flames, the coming days would be an extraordinarily perilous period!

Xiao Chen confined himself among a stretch of rocky cliffs. He had to ride out this initial dark period. For now, his foremost task was simply to survive.

As it happened, the next three days unfolded exactly as Xiao Chen had foreseen.

A bloody gale swept across Dragon Island. A brutal Great Reshuffling!

It was not the work of one or two individuals. Many were fanning the flames, driving the desperate masses into panic. Chaos and slaughter claimed the lives of numerous young experts.

No matter the place, there were always ambitious schemers who acted like warlords. This was the first Great Reshuffling on Dragon Island. For now, it was impossible to identify the hidden hands behind the scenes; only when the island grew calm again would some clues emerge.

For three days, many cultivators, driven to near-despair, lashed out with maddened fury. A great number of female practitioners bore the brunt of the assault; their beauty had invited calamity. In their desperation, the bestial nature within the crowd erupted. What they had once dared not do, they now made no scruples about.

Those days were filled with depravity. The strong lived, the weak died—this became the immutable truth of Dragon Island. In just three days, nearly half of the cultivators on Dragon Island had perished. Hundreds had fallen. Many ferocious beasts feasted well.

It was a terrible catastrophe, a Great Reshuffling driven by human hands.

In those profoundly dark, chaotic three days, a number of truly formidable experts—those whom the hidden instigators regarded as threats—were brought down. Now it was finally over.

After the brutal reshuffling, the island gradually grew calm. Everyone had been awakened. All began to consider how to survive in the days to come.

Those who had entered Dragon Island were representatives of various factions, all opposed to one another. But now, forming alliances would become the trend. To survive, they had to unite and strengthen their power.

Treefolk Valley was a model example. During the three-day purge, there had certainly been hidden hands behind attempts to destroy the valley. Many coveted Zhao Lin'er's peerless beauty; in their despair, they charged the valley time and again. But before Treefolk Valley, corpses piled up. The attackers suffered grievous losses and never took the valley.

This made people see the importance of forming alliances. Only by banding together could one gain the strength to survive.

Yet only those within Treefolk Valley knew that their survival during this storm had been something of a stroke of luck. Although several powerful Treefolk had joined the defense, they could not have held against the relentless onslaught of maddened cultivators if not for a terrifying youth who emerged from the valley's depths at the critical moment.

That youth stood a full two meters tall, with hair the color of dark green jade. His strength rivaled that of a savage dragon. Most of the cultivators who charged into Treefolk Valley were slain by his hand.

Once the battle at Treefolk Valley ended, Yarode and Kaio departed. Yarode realized that he could never subdue the Treefolk there, and together with Kai'ao, he began making preparations to form an alliance.

Not long after the great purge ended, more than a dozen alliances had emerged. Among them were the Natural Alliance, founded by Yarode and Kai'ao; the Damo Alliance, founded by the monk Yizhen and his senior brother Yichi; the Undying Alliance, founded by Yan Qingcheng and Rand; the Light Alliance, founded by the Radiant Spellmaster Schrod; and the Blue Rain Alliance, founded by the female Spiritist Blue Rain...

Treefolk Valley could be considered the first alliance. After the Great Reshuffling, powerful cultivators hurried to form their own alliances, expanding their strength. Forming alliances had become a major trend; only by doing so could one grow strong and survive.

Clearly, certain hidden instigators of the great purge were themselves the founders of these alliances. Now they began recruiting members to bolster their forces.

Within just two or three days, some alliances had already reached forty or fifty members. At this point, there were only six or seven hundred cultivators on Dragon Island. An alliance with several dozen members was already terrifying; if this continued, one would eventually become the overlord of the island.

Among the weaker alliances and the independent cultivators, there were many strategic thinkers. They united and disseminated a message: Dragon Island would have no overlord, no emperor—everyone would be free and equal.

To prevent the emergence of super-alliances, a strict rule gradually won acceptance from the vast majority: the maximum membership for any alliance was ten people. If any alliance violated this, all other alliances would unite to destroy it. Thus, the rise of superpowers was curbed.

This rule was embraced by the overwhelming majority, for they clearly understood what it meant. It averted many terrible consequences. Otherwise, someone might become the 'emperor' of Dragon Island, or a regional tyrant, while the rest would be enslaved as obedient soldiers.

This outcome had not been anticipated by the hidden instigators. Everyone who had entered Dragon Island was an elite. The instigators had merely struck first once. Once the others calmed down, they proved no less intelligent.