After the single banquet at Huang Liang Terrace, Jiang Wang and Zuo Guangshu did not step out of the Duke’s mansion again.

Every day was dedicated to cultivation, sparring, and regulation, all with the singular goal of entering the Mountain Sea Realm in the most perfect state possible.

What brought Jiang Wang particular joy was the occasional guidance from the Duke of Huai. From the fierce battles of Great Qi to the wisdom of Senior Guan Yan, and from Court Discuss Doctor Yi Xingchen to the Duke of Huai of Great Chu, Jiang Wang, who had “feasted on the knowledge of myriad schools” in his cultivation journey, was highly adept at seizing such opportunities.

In the past, to solidify his foundation, he had freely imparted knowledge to his friends like Chong Xuan Sheng, Li Longchuan, and Zuo Guangshu; there was never any reluctance to share. However, as his strength soared, these friends gradually became unable to offer much assistance. Progress now came more from continuous combat and self-reflection, identifying and rectifying his own shortcomings.

For Jiang Wang, days filled with the guidance of powerful cultivators were like a famished man finally sating his hunger daily – the happiness was immeasurable.

Amidst such favorable times, the sixteenth day of February finally arrived, the day the Mountain Sea Realm would open.

The two of them sat facing each other in Zuo Guangshu’s study. The Duke of Huai’s mansion was one of the safest places in Chu, so they had no worries about the aftermath of the Mountain Sea Realm excursion.

The nine-chapter jade wall, inscribed with the “Ode to Orange,” lay in Zuo Guangshu’s hand, quietly awaiting the appointed hour.

“Who did you originally invite to assist?” Jiang Wang suddenly asked.

Zuo Guangshu lifted his head. “Why do you ask?”

“It just occurred to me, a casual question.”

“A prodigy from Mu Gu Academy. The compensation was sufficient, Brother Jiang need not concern yourself.”

“On the contrary, I *am* concerned… how much did you give?”

Zuo Guangshu was speechless.

As they spoke, the nine-chapter jade wall in Zuo Guangshu’s hand suddenly flared with intense light. Under his intentional control, this light enveloped Jiang Wang as well. The light wound into a circle, perfectly encircling the two of them. Then, it extended upwards, forming a cylindrical pillar of light, with Jiang Wang and Zuo Guangshu at its core.

The initially blinding white light abruptly transformed into five colors. Innumerable fragmented scenes swirled around them, yet it was impossible to discern what they depicted; they appeared bizarre and surreal.

Then, with a flash, they vanished from the study.

At the same time, in another part of the Duke’s mansion, the old Duke, seated in his own study, lifted his head and looked out the window, appearing pensive.

Within the bizarre and surreal pillar of light, Zuo Guangshu shouted, “Do you know what is called Mountain Sea?”

“What…”

Jiang Wang had only managed to utter two words when the scene before him abruptly shifted, and his ears were filled with the sound of tides!

*Hua la la!*

A boundless sea.

Vast and blue.

Jiang Wang had seen the sea before; Tianya Terrace bore witness to his extinguished soul, and his reputation still lingered on the near-sea islands. But the sea he now beheld was immeasurably vast, endlessly distant, making the near-sea islands seem cramped in comparison.

The seawater was crystal clear, revealing swimming fish and coral, a rich and diverse underwater world. The surface of the sea was a deep blue, like an infinite mirror.

And the sky…

Looking up, the sky was a thousand miles of smoky haze, like an unrolled painting scroll. Mountains floated in the air, piercing the smoky haze, vaguely appearing at the edge of vision.

“This is the Mountain Sea!”

Zuo Guangshu, his entire body shrouded in a faint blue mist, floated in the air, his tone tinged with unconcealable shock.

Jiang Wang at his side also activated the Wu Yu Smoke Armor, covering his body with a fiery red smoke armor, instantly neutralizing the terrifying *chong xuan* force present in the Mountain Sea Realm.

Indeed, their eyes were filled with mountains and seas.

Zuo Guangshu asked, “You once made a name for yourself overseas. How does the sea there compare to this place?”

“The near sea is not as vast as this. As for the vast sea, that’s in the maze realm after; I still haven’t been to see it. But the environment there should be very harsh, not as beautiful as here,” Jiang Wang replied while surveying his surroundings.

Zuo Guangshu slowly descended, his feet touching the surface of the sea. Using the power of the water, he quickly assessed the surrounding environment.

Jiang Wang, perceiving the yuan force here, subtly adjusted the state of his muscles, striving to best adapt to the rules of the Mountain Sea Realm. He said, “You said you needed something that only entering the Mountain Sea Realm would reveal. Do you know now?”

“Legend has it that Huang Wei Zhen left everything he possessed here: his Divine Arrival secret, his Nine Phoenix Chapter, his wealth, his peerless techniques… That’s why so many people flock here.”

Zuo Guangshu closed his eyes and slowly said, “I still don’t know what will appear this time… but of course, I most desire the Nine Phoenix Chapter.”

Everyone possesses their own “zhen,” which cannot be conveyed through language or text, and will never be the same as another’s. Therefore, even if the path to the Cave Zhen realm can be passed down, its utility to later generations is limited. The realms above Cave Zhen are even more so.

As the beginning of the Upper Three Realms, the Divine Arrival Realm represents a transcendence of life essence, directly breaking the innate life limit. Huang Wei Zhen’s Divine Arrival secret is the most precious cultivation experience he could leave behind.

Hearing Zuo Guangshu say this, Jiang Wang still expected him to covet Huang Wei Zhen’s Divine Arrival secret, not the Nine Phoenix Chapter.

He couldn’t help but say, “I’ve heard you speak of the Nine Phoenix Chapter before, but I still don’t know what it is.”

“It’s a technique, also a token, and a divine ability. Or rather, it’s the key to unlocking the Nine Phoenix divine ability. I’m not entirely clear on the specifics. I only know that the previous practitioner of this technique must die for it to reappear somewhere.” Zuo Guangshu explained, “So this divine ability is unique.”

Technique, token, divine ability? Jiang Wang had never heard of such a combination.

Just at this moment, a sense of crisis suddenly arose within him, and he instantly opened his Sheng Wen Immortal State. Zuo Guangshu, who always relied on the He Bo divine ability to sense his surroundings, was even faster at grasping the information. He extended a hand, pulled Jiang Wang, and the two of them plunged directly into the water.

Within the seawater, an oval water shield naturally formed, sheltering them. Benefiting from Zuo Guangshu’s profound understanding of the water element, this water shield was almost one with the seawater, making it difficult to detect any abnormality. Its defensive power was almost nonexistent; its primary role was to help them blend into this sea domain.

The Wu Yu Smoke Armor on their bodies also dissipated for the first time. Zuo Guangshu had initially boasted about not lacking yuan stones to maintain the Wu Yu Smoke Armor throughout, ensuring they were in the best state at all times… clearly forgetting to consider situations like this, which required concealment and hiding. The Wu Yu Smoke Armor was useful, but too conspicuous.

Then, in the next moment, a sound “courting” reached Jiang Wang’s ears. In the Sheng Wen Immortal State, myriad sounds courted, like ministers paying homage to a king. But this sound was simply like a rebellion and usurpation, shocking Jiang Wang’s Sheng Wen Immortal State almost to the point of dispersion. He did, in fact, actively restrain it.

It was a sound extremely similar to the cry of mandarin ducks. And contained within it was terrifying dignity; the power of the crier was almost palpable.

It was absolutely not something his current self could contend with! Having just entered the Mountain Sea Realm, to encounter such a terrifying existence – was his luck too good, or were such strange beasts ubiquitous in the Mountain Sea Realm? To establish a secret realm where Divine Arrival and above were prohibited, yet contain such terrifying strange beasts within… was Huang Wei Zhen truly not plotting murder?

That terrifying pressure rapidly approached. Through the water shield they had blended into, Jiang Wang lifted his eyes to look. He then saw a strange-looking behemoth, about twenty zhang in size, with a fish body and bird wings, gliding through the low air.

Was this a large fish with wings? Or a bird with a large fish body? Jiang Wang couldn’t distinguish, only sensing from this terrifying oppressive feeling that this was at least a strange beast with Divine Arrival level power.

Having just entered the Mountain Sea Realm, they immediately encountered a Divine Arrival! This made Duke Jiang’s boastful claim of sweeping the Mountain Sea Realm seem absurd in the extreme.

At this moment, he could only hide within the water shield created by Zuo Guangshu, and together with him, honestly observe this strange beast, not making a single extra movement.

He saw—

This strange beast with a fish body and bird wings flew low, suddenly opening its mouth, which was filled with sharp teeth, interlocked like knives and spears. And at the moment it opened its mouth, the entire nearby sea domain was stirred up.

*Hong long long!*

Everything was swallowed. As if the entire sea domain had flipped over, immeasurable seawater, wrapping fish, shrimp, crab shells, and everything in the sea… all rushed into its giant mouth. The sky also lowered, the clouds also thickened; the strange beast was like swallowing the sea!

One even felt as if it was going to drink this entire section of the sea dry in one gulp. The whole sea domain, enveloped by this terrifying power, appeared as a huge funnel… which was actually surging floodwater!

Zuo Guangshu and Jiang Wang, hiding within the water shield, were of course also caught in it, within the range of the terrifying suction, feeling as if they could be pulled away at any moment. What would happen if they entered the belly of this strange beast? Probably no chance of ever coming out again.

Jiang Wang glanced at Zuo Guangshu, his hand already resting on his sword, using his eyes to ask Zuo Guangshu if he could hold on. If not, the first battle in the Mountain Sea Realm would have to be against this strange beast. Although it was definitely impossible to win, Jiang Wang still had some grasp of harassing it and escaping. Then he could use the Chase Thought secret technique to rendezvous with Zuo Guangshu.

Zuo Guangshu shook his head. He was fully focused on sensing the water and controlling the water power. He operated his He Bo divine ability, painstakingly manipulating the protective water shield, preventing it from being swallowed along with the massive seawater, and also preventing it from creating too much resistance, lest the strange beast notice them, these two small shrimps. This kind of precise control was the most energy-consuming aspect.

Time hadn’t actually passed for long, but because of the strange beast’s terrifying power, it felt extraordinarily long. Even Jiang Wang had already seen fine beads of sweat on Zuo Guangshu’s forehead…

Fortunately, this round of swallowing finally passed. The strange beast with a fish body and bird wings closed its mouth, and the blue giant “funnel” where the seawater had gathered disappeared.

Then it curled its fish lips.

*Xiu xiu xiu!*

From between its teeth, seawater spurted out, emitting terrifyingly sharp whistles, actually like spears! “Seawater spears” rained down from the sky into the sea, causing ripples throughout this sea domain.

They struck this mirror-like sea full of holes! A swimming fish happened to be directly above the water shield where the two of them were hiding, and was instantly pierced by a falling “seawater spear”! Blood mist spread, obscuring their vision.

In the entire sea domain, countless “escaped” creatures suffered devastating blows at this moment. They had luckily avoided the strange beast’s swallowing, yet were killed by its casually expelled water jets. The blue sea domain gradually turned red.

Jiang Wang subtly controlled the water yuan, pushing away the blood mist near the water shield to maintain a clear view. Although he was far less skilled at controlling water than Zuo Guangshu, he had no problem with these minor tasks.

But it was at this moment—

A “seawater spear” suddenly pierced into the water shield, piercing Zuo Guangshu’s right forearm! Fresh blood spread within the water shield.

Anger instantly flared in Jiang Wang’s eyes, but Zuo Guangshu’s gaze fixed him.

“Brother, don’t move.”

He moved his lips, conveying this message with his lip shape. In order to remain blended with the environment under the pressure of that strange beast, in such a turbulent sea domain, he had already used all his strength, not even having spare effort to transmit sound.

When that “seawater spear” arrived, Jiang Wang had ignored it, but Zuo Guangshu, who was mastering the He Bo divine ability, of course did not miss the trajectory of this “seawater spear” in the seawater. It wasn’t that he couldn’t dodge, but once he dodged, the natural relationship between the water shield and this sea domain would be broken, and the effect of his He Bo divine ability could not be regenerated, which would inevitably lead to—

That strange beast spotting them at a glance! This strange beast with a fish body and bird wings had a power level not inferior to a Divine Arrival cultivator. At this time, it was merely feeding normally, and hadn’t noticed them, these two small fish. To truly reach the point where Jiang Wang had to draw his sword to lure it away, danger was absolutely unavoidable. And he was unwilling.

Jiang Wang thus remained silent.

In a moment, another “seawater spear” spurted into the water shield. This time, Jiang Wang had already focused twelve points of attention, reopening his Sheng Wen Immortal State, lifting a finger, and lightly tapping that “seawater spear”—in order not to affect Zuo Guangshu’s efforts to blend into the sea domain environment, the power he used was also very small. The Dao Yuan was almost condensed at the fingertip.

The “seawater spear” struck his finger, impacting continuously, and continuously dissolving. Its power was disintegrated, its sound annihilated. Finally, it dissipated almost silently. Only a drop of blood remained on his fingertip, injured due to the imperfect control of his force.

But it was also the last drop. In the time that followed, “seawater spears” would still spurt down, but Jiang Wang would merely lightly lift his finger, his ten fingers like playing a qin, dancing above Zuo Guangshu’s head, shoulders… Each time, he would precisely intercept the “seawater spear” and precisely annihilate it, without making a single sound.

This strange beast with a fish body and bird wings had swallowed too much seawater. The “seawater spears” it spurted from between its teeth continued for a full half hour before stopping. Then, it chewed the remaining fish in its mouth with its large maw, flapped its wings, flew up, and the low air created invisible ripples. The terrifying air pressure caused a depression on the sea surface, which took a while to recover.

This terrifying strange beast, in an ordinary feeding, had almost exterminated this sea domain. But it finally left.

Jiang Wang sighed with relief in his heart. He was truly afraid that if it continued, Zuo Guangshu simply wouldn’t be able to hold on. To maintain the effort of blending into the environment for a full half hour under the pressure of a strange beast at the Divine Arrival level – that kind of consumption was imaginable.

Zuo Guangshu then curled his mouth, with some youthful pride, “My researched Dao technique isn’t bad, right?”

Jiang Wang, while treating the wound on his right arm, did not吝惜 praise, “Indeed it is a divine skill, a masterpiece of ingenuity!”

Alas, it was Jiang Wang who was carrying the palanquin, not Zuo Guangshu.

“I’ll just do it myself.” Zuo Guangshu pushed away Jiang Wang’s hand, demonstrating to Brother Jiang what a healing Dao technique was called. With just one hand, he expertly and near-perfectly healed the wound in no time.