Section 48: Tuoyin Conch
Author: Gu Zhenren
2014-06-18
Central Continent.
The sky was filled with the smoke of war, the ground littered with corpses. The battle raged fiercely above and below.
The Innate Divine Demons attacking the Central Continent were known as the Sulfur Water Divine Demons. Unlike the Crescent Moon Divine Demons, Azure Flame Divine Demons, and Silver Wing Divine Demons, these beings could transform into a pool of sulfur water, which possessed extreme corrosive properties, dissolving almost anything.
The Central Continent was the second oldest among the Nine Provinces, only surpassed by the Barbarian Continent, and thus possessed immense historical depth.
However, even its profound foundations could not withstand the onslaught of the Sulfur Water Divine Demons.
Fighting against these demons invariably resulted in severe illness or permanent injuries, even if one emerged victorious.
But just as the people of the Central Continent were on the brink of despair, the Dan Saint’s Clone arrived, leading the Emperors from the former Danzhou.
Under the command of the Dan Saint’s Clone, sixty-six thousand six hundred and sixty-six of the highest-cultivated Beast Masters formed the Myriad Dan United Heart Formation.
This grand formation stood between heaven and earth, trapping the two Divine Demon Kings of the Sulfur Water Divine Demons. As the Sulfur Water Divine Demon army launched a rescue attempt, the formation acted like a millstone, crushing and annihilating all the invading enemies.
After a fierce battle lasting over two months, a mournful and indignant roar echoed from within the formation.
One Sulfur Water Divine Demon King fell, its body disintegrating, leaving behind only a chaotic Demonic Crystal.
The remaining Sulfur Water Divine Demon King, upon seeing this Demonic Crystal, was overcome with greed and lunged towards it.
However, it was intercepted by the Dan Saint’s Clone.
Enveloped in holy light and empowered by the grand formation, his combat power soared, transcending his previous Quasi-Saint level to the higher realm of Pseudo-Saint!
Another fierce battle ensued, and the second Sulfur Water Divine Demon King also perished in anger.
“With the death of the Divine Demon Kings, a major threat has been eliminated. No matter how many Sulfur Water Divine Demons there are, they will eventually be driven out and slain.”
“After fighting for so long, a turning point has finally arrived!”
“All of this is thanks to Lord Dan. Relying on you was undoubtedly the right choice.”
The Emperors rejoiced and came to pay their respects to the Dan Saint’s Clone.
The Dan Saint’s Clone, appearing as a young man, smiled and looked at You Huang and his companions. “This is much earlier than anticipated, largely due to your timely arrival.”
You Huang quickly chimed in with flattery, “Our strength is merely adding icing to the cake. All credit goes to Lord Dan, and especially to this Myriad Dan United Heart Formation, for its profound mystery in concentrating the power of over sixty thousand Beast Masters onto a single individual.”
It was precisely this grand formation that allowed the Dan Saint’s Clone to merge his power with that of the Beast Masters, channeling it into himself and elevating his combat strength from Quasi-Saint to the Pseudo-Saint level.
“Alas, I only recently comprehended this grand formation. Had I possessed it earlier, Danzhou would not have been destroyed,” the Dan Saint’s Clone said with a hint of melancholy and desolation, sighing softly.
However, he quickly composed himself and continued, “But it is true. Suffering is a gift bestowed by fate. It is precisely under the pressure of the divine demon calamity that I was able to break through and comprehend the Myriad Dan United Heart Formation. Previously, the Nine Provinces were dominated by the Star Saint’s Star Tide Battle Formation and the Barbarian Saint’s Ten Absolutes Killing Array, forming a Star-Dominating rivalry. Now, with the addition of my Myriad Dan United Heart Formation, we have a three-way balance.”
You Huang and the others felt a pang of unease.
This was the first time many of them had heard this notion.
“If that’s the case, then Chu Yun, by controlling the Star Sea Bowl and annexing Xingzhou, would have mastered the Star Tide Battle Formation? No wonder he was able to completely expel the Outer Heavenly Demons from Xingzhou,” Book Emperor said with a wry tone.
Upon the mention of Chu Yun, the Emperors present became complex.
For the veteran Emperors, Chu Yun was a latecomer who had surpassed them. For the newcomers, Chu Yun served as a role model.
Regardless, envy and jealousy towards Chu Yun were unavoidable.
“Let’s put Chu Yun aside for now. Since we have the Myriad Dan United Heart Formation, let’s focus on driving out the Innate Divine Demons from the Central Continent. Why does Lord Dan still look troubled?” You Huang asked.
The Dan Saint’s Clone sighed deeply, “To be honest, at this point, the Innate Divine Demons are no longer the primary problem. With enough time, they will eventually be eliminated. The divine demon calamity is no longer terrifying; what is terrifying is Chu Yun. What do you think he will do after annexing Xingzhou?”
The Emperors were not fools and understood the underlying meaning in the Dan Saint’s Clone’s words; their expressions changed.
“Lord Dan, you mean…”
“Could Saint Chu Yun become a calamity even more terrifying than the divine demon calamity?”
“How could he, how dare he attack other Continents?!” You Huang and the others exclaimed in shock and anger, mixed with considerable fear.
The Dan Saint’s Clone shook his head, his gaze filled with worry.
There were things he was withholding from the Emperors.
As a clone of the Dan Saint, with a shared consciousness, he was already privy to the situation in the Sea Eye Abyss.
The Ancient Saint was now in the process of refining the Eight Saints, and two had already been successfully refined.
Although the Soldier Saint was missing, based on current developments, it was likely that the Soldier Saint’s fate was grim.
The situation was extremely precarious. If the Ancient Saint succeeded in refining the remaining six Saints and transforming the Nine Provinces into nine chaotic pearls, he would ascend to become the Chaotic Supreme. At that point, all life would perish, and their own lives and those of Chu Yun and the other Emperors would depend entirely on the Ancient Saint’s whim.
Neither the Dan Saint’s Clone nor Chu Yun wished to see this outcome, hence the necessity to stop the Ancient Saint.
You Huang angrily accused Chu Yun of his aggressive actions, unaware that Chu Yun had to do so. Otherwise, when the time came, annihilation would be the only outcome.
The only hope of breaking this stalemate was to seize the opportunity while the Ancient Saint was occupied with refining the Saints and expand aggressively through the Nine Provinces.
By accumulating strength from the Continents, they could rapidly enhance their power.
Once this accumulation reached its peak, they would have to venture into the Sea Eye Abyss for the final battle against the Ancient Saint. The victor would soar to unprecedented heights and achieve Chaotic Supremacy, while the loser would plummet into oblivion, their souls scattered and their ambitions turned to dust.
The key to unifying the world lay in the Saint Artifacts left behind by the Saints.
Whoever possessed the Saint Artifacts would hold the crucial keys to inheriting the hidden legacies.
“Danzhou is destroyed, and Xingzhou no longer exists. Of the remaining seven Continents, which one will Chu Yun choose?” the Dan Saint’s Clone pondered in his mind.
He had already occupied the Central Continent, so Chu Yun would definitely not come here. Both sides understood that the Innate Divine Demon army had to be cleared out first before they could clash. Attacking each other prematurely would only benefit the Ancient Saint.
He would not choose Bingzhou either, as the Ancient Saint had long ago laid a trap for the Soldier Saint and had been lurking there for years. There were bound to be his arrangements within Bingzhou.
The remaining five Continents were the Barbarian Continent, Ghost Continent, He Continent, Tuo Zhou, and Female Continent.
“To annex a Continent, one must obtain the recognition of its Saint Artifact. Otherwise, forcible annexation will provoke the artifact’s attack. The Barbarian Continent has the Barbarian Armor left by the Barbarian Saint, the He Continent has the Hechuan Qin, Tuo Zhou has the Tuoyin Conch, and the Female Continent has the Nuvxin Candle. As for the Ghost Continent…”
At this thought, the handsome young Dan Saint’s Clone furrowed his brows.
The Nine Sages of the Nine Provinces each had their unique characteristics. The Star Saint was unparalleled in strategy, the Dan Saint excelled at prolonging life, and the Ghost Saint was universally recognized for his talent and extremely unique thinking, always capable of astonishing deeds.
His Ghost Continent, in particular, had forged a unique path, drawing upon the souls of the departed from the Nine Provinces to strengthen itself. This was akin to stealing from heaven and earth, an ultimate method of plundering the foundations of other Continents.
Moreover, he was the most mysterious and the most adept at forbearance.
He had forged the Ghost Continent into an impregnable fortress, making it the most defensible in the Nine Provinces. With the three passes of the Ghost Gate guarding it, the Ghost Continent suffered the least losses during the divine demon calamity.
The Ghost Saint himself rarely appeared or took action, cloaked in a dense fog of mystery. No one knew what kind of Saint Artifact he possessed.
He was the only Saint among the Nine Saints whose Saint Artifact was unknown.
“So, Chu Yun, which Continent will he choose? The key to all of this still lies in the Saint Artifacts. Saint Artifacts cannot be stolen; they only become ownerless when a Saint perishes. Only then will others be qualified to receive their recognition.”
“And among them, each Saint Artifact possesses different vast powers. For example, the Star Sea Bowl has the ability of deduction, the Barbarian Armor is supreme in defense, the Hechuan Qin, once its divine music plays, can eliminate all will to fight. The Tuoyin Conch is even more profound, possessing the effect of obscuring heavenly secrets and confounding causality. The Nuvxin Candle can illuminate the human heart, causing even Saints to become dazed.”
From Chu Yun’s perspective, the Dan Saint’s Clone believed that Tuo Zhou was the most likely target for Chu Yun’s next annexation.
This was because the Tuoyin Conch, left by the Tuo Saint, could confuse heavenly secrets and was the perfect counterbalance to the Star Sea Bowl.
Once the Tuoyin Conch was sounded, heavenly secrets would be thrown into disarray, and the Star Sea Bowl’s deduction abilities would be severely impacted, possibly even rendered useless.
“Once he masters the Tuoyin Conch, he can maximize his advantage in deduction and calculation… Damn it, he had the Yin Yang Grand Harem as a preemptive move, benefiting him by annexing Xingzhou. This is equivalent to gaining the initiative and winning the auspicious timing. No, I’m already at a disadvantage from the start. I must restrain his actions and pull him down from his leading position. Otherwise, I will never win.”
With this thought, the Dan Saint’s Clone made up his mind.
He immediately said to You Huang and the others, “We cannot let Chu Yun act with impunity. I have a task to entrust to you all. I will impart to you the method of the Myriad Dan United Heart Formation. I implore you to guard Tuo Zhou.”
…
“Oh? The Dan Saint’s Clone has dispatched nearly a hundred Emperors to guard Tuo Zhou and taught them the Myriad Dan United Heart Formation?” Upon hearing this news, Chu Yun raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Yes, this group is led by You Huang, and with their combined efforts, the situation in Tuo Zhou has greatly improved,” Underworld Emperor replied.
He was the ultimate chess piece left by the Soldier Saint’s arrangements and thus controlled all of the Soldier Saint’s dispositions and hidden networks within the Nine Provinces.
Tuo Zhou naturally had these as well, which is why he learned of it even earlier than Chu Yun.
“It seems he intends to stop me. Indeed, no Saint is easy to deal with. The Dan Saint…” Chu Yun sneered, understanding perfectly.
The Star Saint was first in strategy and nearly achieved ultimate victory. The Dan Saint was known as the best at self-preservation among the Nine Saints. The so-called Dan Saint’s Clone was already a continuation of the Dan Saint’s life.
Because the Dan Saint’s original body was gone, having been refined by the Ancient Saint long ago. Without the original body, the clone was no longer merely a clone.
Since Chu Yun mastered the Star Sea Bowl, he had been constantly transformed by the Saint’s energy, his mind cleared and his wisdom awakened. He now understood that the so-called Dan Saint’s Clone was, in fact, the Dan Saint.
He simply lacked the cultivation to reach true Sainthood.
(To be continued)
