The Eastern Sea’s Demon Spirit Gate, marked by the Tide’s Resemblance, pulsed with an accelerating rhythm. Within its depths, the floating remnants churned faster, and the rumbling grew into a deafening roar that bridged the heavens and echoed through the void. Beyond the floating sea, an unending cacophony reigned.

The sea itself resembled a cauldron about to boil over with molten rock. Countless floating fragments writhed, like the restless souls of the entombed, yearning to break free from their ancient prison.

The thunderous clamor filled the cosmos, reverberating in the ears of all cultivators like a relentless storm.

Wang Lin’s gaze sharpened, fixed upon the infinite expanse of the floating sea.

It was his first encounter with this realm. All he knew of the Eastern Sea’s Demon Spirit Land came from the tales of others and the explanations of Sun Yunshan along their journey. Even the Tide’s Resemblance was only a legend in his mind, lacking any true image.

“The Tide’s arrival, once every five millennia… I shall witness its wonders firsthand!” A spark of anticipation ignited in Wang Lin’s eyes.

Every gaze was now fixed on the boundless floating sea. The roaring within grew more intense until, from the heart of the chaotic expanse, a piercing shriek tore through the air.

The sound was agonizing, like the wails of tormented spirits. But as it echoed, the floating fragments shuddered as if struck by an unseen force. Slowly, they began to spin.

The rotation was cataclysmic, as though the very stars were caught in its vortex. Cultivators of weaker spirit, lost their footing, drawn inexorably forward. Only the swift action of their companions prevented them from plunging into the swirling abyss. Wang Lin, his spirit unwavering, stood firm, unaffected by the bewildering gyre.

As the Eastern Sea’s Demon Spirit Gate spun faster, the piercing shriek intensified, eclipsing even the thunderous roar. Simultaneously, a verdant mist began to emanate from the floating sea, spreading outwards.

In an instant, the endless expanse was shrouded in green. Then, the mist surged, drawn back towards the center as if guided by an invisible hand, pulling the floating remnants with it.

Then, in a blink!

The entire cosmos shuddered. All the green mist, all the floating fragments, converged, forming a strange, geyser-like structure.

This ghastly well was not static. From every direction, matter continued to pour into it, rising higher and growing larger until it reached a staggering height of a thousand fathoms.

“It begins,” Sword Saint Ling Tianhou murmured, a strange light in his eyes.

“What wonders will be drawn forth this time?” Tian Yunzi mused, his serene gaze concealing a flash of seven-colored light.

Those among the assembled cultivators who had witnessed the opening of the Eastern Sea’s Demon Spirit Gate before steeled themselves, their eyes burning with anticipation as they watched the towering pillar of green energy rise.

Like an arm stretching towards the firmament, the jade green pillar stood in the void, its ascent unending, reaching beyond the limits of mortal perception.

Awe filled Wang Lin’s heart as he beheld the pillar’s growth. A pressure, far greater than any celestial might, began to emanate from it.

The mere whisper of this pressure slammed into Wang Lin like the weight of ten thousand mountains. He heard the cracking of his own bones, as if his very being was about to shatter.

“Formidable!” Wang Lin muttered, his eyes blazing with defiance. A wisp of grey energy materialized on his brow, forming a rune that spread across his face, offering him a moment of respite from the crushing pressure.

The rest of the cultivators were faring even worse. Pale and trembling, they retreated, desperate to escape the overwhelming force. Some would have been crushed into oblivion if not for the aid of their elders.

Then, a scene unfolded, one that would forever be etched into the minds of all who witnessed it.

The colossal jade green pillar shuddered and burst apart, unleashing a torrent of crimson light that pierced the heavens. The light streamed outwards, passing through the bodies of the assembled cultivators and extending far into the depths of the cosmos.

As the pillar collapsed, more and more crimson energy erupted forth, spreading at an unimaginable speed.

From another vantage point, it would have been seen that the Eastern Gate of the Eastern Sea Demon Spirit, one of the three forbidden regions of the Tian Yun Star, was engulfed in a swirling blend of jade green and crimson.

The jade green light was fading, replaced by an endless sea of red. This red was not the color of blood, but the brilliant, fiery hue of a newborn sun.

The crimson radiance spread from the Eastern Sea Demon Spirit Gate like solar flares, reaching out, endlessly.

No one, save a handful of the most powerful beings, knew the true extent of its reach.

On remote, savage planets countless leagues from Tian Yun Star, the crimson light cast its glow. Even on the distant Zhu Que Star, Zhu Que Zi Zhou Wutai, meditating in solitude, opened his eyes to find the sky bathed in red.

Even farther away, more planets fell under the crimson’s embrace. The reach of the red tide that emanates from Tian Yun Star’s Eastern Sea Demon Spirit Gate once every five millennia defied calculation.

Suddenly, the spread of crimson light ceased, as if it had reached its limit. But in that instant of stillness, those bathed in the red experienced a cataclysmic change!

In the stars, on planets, in the void, everywhere the crimson light touched, all unattended objects—magical weapons, jade scrolls, spirit stones, immortal jade, corpses, ancient swords, broken treasures, immortal incantations, ancient cultivation treasures, all things, whether precious or worthless—began to tremble!