Chapter 1442: Eastern Sunrise Ocean, Half-Moon Island
Beyond the Four Continents, the New Beginning Realm also encompassed two great oceans: the Heavenly Expanse Ocean and the Eastern Sunrise Ocean.
These two vast oceans, combined, exceeded the total landmass of the Four Continents. Each, individually, was far larger than any single continent. However, despite their immense size, the two great oceans were unsuitable for human habitation. One reason lay in their harsh natural conditions; the other was that these oceans were the domain of demons, specifically sea demons.
Should ordinary mortals venture here without any protection, even if they avoided becoming food for the demons, they would still be unable to survive the brutal environment.
Even extraordinary individuals, though possessing powers beyond that of the common populace, dared not venture into these two oceans lightly. The impact of the natural environment was secondary for them; the crucial factor was the multitude of sea demons inhabiting these waters, many of them formidable. If one's own strength proved insufficient, coming here was merely offering oneself up, and their fate would be no better than that of an ordinary mortal.
For this very reason, even though the two great oceans held a wealth of covetable resources, very few individuals or factions dared to set their sights upon them—unless absolutely compelled, or possessing absolute power and thorough preparation.
Comparatively, the Eastern Sunrise Ocean was larger than the Heavenly Expanse Ocean, richer in various resources, and boasted far more islands, large and small. However, it was also proportionally more perilous. This danger didn't stem from the extremely harsh natural environment, but rather from the sea demons themselves. After all, sea demons also required resources for their cultivation, and naturally, the resource-rich Eastern Sunrise Ocean would attract a greater number of powerful sea demons.
Though all were sea demons, they did not form a single collective. When interests were involved, they would fight fiercely and mercilessly, much like how humans battled each other for gain. As long as sufficient interests were at stake, it mattered not whether you were human or demon—you would face death. For some ruthless individuals, let alone fellow humans, even their closest and dearest could be sacrificed. Thus, sea demons warring amongst themselves for their own benefit was a common sight, whether in the Eastern Sunrise Ocean or the Heavenly Expanse Ocean.
In the central region of the Eastern Sunrise Ocean, larger islands were far more abundant than in the periphery, and resources were considerably richer. However, the central region was also the most perilous part of the entire Eastern Sunrise Ocean.
This island was vast, boasting mountains and rivers, dense forests and sweeping plains. Its landmass was no smaller than the Ninth District he had governed within the Jingling Continent's Underworld Office. Consequently, even after relocating all personnel from the Ninth District to this island, it did not bear the slightest strain.
Viewed from high above, the island’s shape resembled a crescent moon, sharing a likeness with Yang Haoran’s Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, yet also possessing its own distinct features. Thus, Yang Haoran named this island Half-Moon Island.
Whether Half-Moon Island had a name before, Yang Haoran didn't know. However, this didn't deter him from naming it, for from the moment he did so, the island was called Half-Moon Island. What it was called previously was of no importance.
That Yang Haoran was able to transfer everyone from the Ninth District to Half-Moon Island in such a short time was, of course, thanks to the large-scale teleportation array laid by Ma Ling. One end of this teleportation array was in the Cloud Haze Mountain Range in Jingling Continent, while the other was right on Half-Moon Island.
Yang Haoran harbored great ambition. Ever since he confirmed the true existence of gods in this world, the idea of becoming a god had taken root within him. This desire intensified particularly in the late stages of the Underworld chaos when deities manifested themselves, and he personally witnessed their terrifying power. To become a god, one absolutely needed believers, and their number could not be small. Too few believers would yield insufficient Power of Faith, making it difficult to reach the standard for godhood. Therefore, for someone aspiring to godhood, the more believers, the better. And for deities who had already achieved godhood, the more believers, the better as well, for this directly impacted their own interests.
Yang Haoran was a Guardian of the Underworld Office, a high-ranking official within the organization, whose exalted status was envied by countless Underworld Officials. Yet, in the end, he was merely an agent of the Death God. He could not glean even a sliver of Power of Faith from these individuals. After all, collecting Power of Faith required both a corresponding God Statue and a complex, elaborate process; neither could be absent.
Thus, Yang Haoran had two plans. One was to secretly build God Statues and collect Power of Faith while ensuring his position as Guardian remained secure. The other plan, a more drastic one, was to break away from the Underworld Office, establish his own faction, and then employ every means possible to acquire more loyal believers, thereby obtaining Power of Faith.
The former approach necessitated secrecy and carried a certain degree of risk. He was uncertain whether he would undergo a transformation once blessed by the Power of Faith. If he remained unchanged, it would be relatively fine; however, if a change occurred, he would be in danger. Moreover, even without such a change, he could not guarantee that his clandestine collection of Power of Faith would not be exposed.
The latter approach didn't require clandestine collection of Power of Faith, but establishing his own faction would mean betraying the Underworld Office, inevitably inviting their relentless pursuit. This meant openly confronting the Underworld Office, which was a colossal entity. Facing off against them, he had no confidence whatsoever.
Yang Haoran did not make a decision on which path to choose in a short time. After a long period of careful deliberation, he finally decided. He chose the former, for openly defying the Underworld Office carried an immense risk, even greater than that of secretly collecting Power of Faith. Hence, he arrived at this decision.
However, to be safe, before implementing his plan, he still needed to secure a retreat route for himself. This would maximally ensure the safety of both himself and his subordinates. This retreat route was to be a large-scale, two-way teleportation array: one end situated within the Jingling Continent's Underworld Office for ease of escape, and the other in a secluded location, making it difficult for the Underworld Office to discover, thereby guaranteeing a certain degree of safety.
A large-scale, long-distance teleportation array was far more complex than ordinary offensive or defensive arrays, and many times more intricate than even short-distance teleportation arrays. To put it plainly, any array, regardless of type, that bore the prefix 'large-scale' was bound to be exceedingly complex, demanding immense resources and exceptionally high requirements for the Array Master. Otherwise, a successful large-scale teleportation array could not be established. Thus, Yang Haoran thought of Ma Ling, and after gaining her, immediately entrusted this task to her.
One end of the array had to be within the Ninth District of the Jingling Continent's Underworld Office—this was Yang Haoran’s explicit order to Ma Ling. As for the precise location of the other end, Yang Haoran had only one requirement: it had to be sufficiently remote.
As for the other end of the array, the designated safe haven after their escape, Yang Haoran, following extensive deliberation, decided on the Eastern Sunrise Ocean—a place both remote and perilous. While dangerous, it was less prone to exposure. Furthermore, Yang Haoran commanded many experts of various types; the harsh environment and sea demons of the Eastern Sunrise Ocean might not necessarily pose a significant threat to them. For Yang Haoran, hiding in the Eastern Sunrise Ocean was certainly safer than hiding in any of the Four Continents.
Once the decision was made, the next step was for Ma Ling to travel to the Eastern Sunrise Ocean and select the destination. To ensure Ma Ling's safety, Yang Haoran directly dispatched Ye Zhiqiu, his foremost enforcer, to accompany her. With Ye Zhiqiu protecting Ma Ling, while her absolute safety couldn't be guaranteed, it would certainly be massively assured.
Before setting off for the Eastern Sunrise Ocean, Ma Ling had, in fact, already established a large-scale teleportation array in the Cloud Haze Mountain Range. To ensure absolute secrecy and prevent any damage to this grand array, she told no one. Instead, carrying a vast quantity of array-laying materials, she departed for the Eastern Sunrise Ocean under Ye Zhiqiu’s protection. With Ye Zhiqiu, a master, tearing through space to hasten their journey, the two safely reached the Eastern Sunrise Ocean in the shortest possible time. After a meticulous search and selection process, Ma Ling ultimately chose Half-Moon Island, located in the very heart of the Eastern Sunrise Ocean.
Once her decision was made, Ma Ling wasted no time. She immediately utilized the vast amount of materials she had brought to set up the array, for she could see that Yang Haoran attached extreme importance to this matter and was in a great hurry. Therefore, she did not dawdle, resolving to exert her utmost effort to complete the task within a short timeframe. However, what she hadn't anticipated was that before the teleportation array on Half-Moon Island was even finished, trouble had arisen on Yang Haoran's end, and he urgently needed her teleportation array!
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