Chapter 608: The Kun (Bonus Chapter for Subscriptions)
Chapter 608: The Kun (Bonus Chapter for Subscriptions)
Rumble!
In the void, a vast, pitch-black river materialized, encompassing an area of a hundred miles.
From within the Xuanming Abyss, water spouts formed one after another, countless streams of Xuanming Heavy Water were sucked into the sky, converging into the Nine Serenities Nether River, creating a myriad of 'dragon water-sucking' spectacles!
Thud-thud!
Within the Xuanming Heavy Water, numerous Black Water Mystic Serpents, Black Spine Fish, Black Pearl Clams, Giant Salamanders. . . and vast quantities of Xuanming Crystal were mixed in!
"Refine!"
Fang Xi shook the Netherworld Banner, and his Divine Transformation-level magic power surged forth.
The Nine Serene Sand River Grand Array immediately underwent another transformation; the countless Xuanming Crystals automatically turned into Xuanming Crystal Sand, Xuanming Divine Sand. . . integrating into the sandy currents of the Nine Serenities Nether River.
It truly evoked the feeling of a place where not a blade of grass could grow.
Fang Xi now only cared for five-hundred-year-old Dragon Salamanders; those that hadn't reached that age were simply tossed back into the Xuanming Abyss with a wave of his hand, released back into the wild. . .
After refining it for three days and three nights, the power of the Netherworld Banner increased by another notch.
His Divine Consciousness swept out, detecting several spirit boats approaching. He immediately retracted the grand array, transforming into a streak of light and vanishing.
A thousand miles away, Fang Xi found a flat reef, leisurely lay upon it, and began casting his fishing rod. . .
No matter what he might catch, it was all about the hobby!
As long as he persisted, one day he would surely reel in a big one!
...
"Good heavens. . ."
Fang Xi reeled in his rod, gazing speechlessly at the clump of black seaweed tangled on it.
This time, his luck was poor. He had cast his bait several times, and not to mention the Dragon Salamanders, not even a few Black Spine Fish had taken it.
Fang Xi forcibly suppressed the urge to curse, though his lips twitched slightly.
He put away his fishing rod, looking towards the Misty Sea, lost in thought.
He had been discovered by the 'True-Armored Whale' before, possibly due to a momentary lapse in caution. This time, he was well-prepared, and with that strange treasure mask on, it shouldn't be a problem.
Even if he were discovered, at worst he would be chased out of the Xuanming Abyss in a sorry state.
If he ventured deeper, perhaps he could reel in a really big one!
"I'll just dabble around the outer edges of the Misty Sea. . ."
With that thought in mind, Fang Xi released his spirit boat and ventured deeper into the Xuanming Abyss.
Over these decades, combining the sea charts from Wang Qiao's memories, he had gained a considerable understanding of the Xuanming Abyss and felt quite confident.
Splash!
A wave crashed down, heavily pounding the spirit boat.
Fang Xi's expression was solemn. His Divine Consciousness continuously stretched out, observing the movements around him.
'In this Xuanming Abyss, 'Unsettled Winds' appear from time to time, making it difficult for cultivators to fly. . . Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would need to find a place to meditate and restore their magic power after flying tens of thousands of miles in one go. Most of the time, a spirit boat is still the most economical and convenient choice. . . '
Delving another two million miles past Ghost Gate Reef, one would reach the Misty Sea.
The Misty Sea already belonged to the deep parts of the Xuanming Abyss, its dangers magnified an untold number of times.
Yet, there were still fearless cultivators who came here to fish.
Often, after just a few more fishing trips here, the harvest would be incredibly abundant, possibly even enough to exchange for Core Formation Spiritual Items or even Nascent Soul Spiritual Items!
Fang Xi dropped anchor at the edge of the Misty Sea and cast his fishing rod.
Not long after, the fishing line violently twitched. He gently pulled it up.
Plop!
A Giant Salamander with four legs and three claws was pulled out of the Xuanming Heavy Water, heavily thudding onto the deck, instantly transforming into an ice sculpture.
"Four hundred years of cultivation, yet no inner core has formed. . . what a pity. . ."
Fang Xi smacked his lips, then roasted the Giant Salamander directly, preparing it for an extra meal.
Given the vastness of the Xuanming Abyss, cultivators who relied on it for a living were like grains of pepper scattered across a plate; unless by sheer coincidence, they would truly never run into each other.
Fang Xi roamed near the Misty Sea for three months, seizing the opportunity to refine the Nine Serene Sand River Grand Array, and capturing many valuable items.
Moreover, he acted with extreme caution, never encountering that 'True-Armored Whale'.
One day.
The originally cloudless sky instantly became thick with dark rolling clouds, as if rain was about to fall.
Fang Xi yawned and reeled in his fishing rod.
After fishing outside for so long, he planned to return to Kungsang Market to recuperate properly.
Just then, his expression abruptly changed.
Drip! Drip!
A drizzling rain began to fall, but it wasn't ordinary rainwater; each drop was Xuanming Heavy Water!
Looking out, it was as if countless drops of oil were pouring from the sky, transforming into a torrential downpour!
"The 'Xuanming Rain,' one of the Xuanming Abyss's three great dangers?"
Seeing this, Fang Xi couldn't help but murmur.
The Xuanming Abyss had four perilous regions; as long as one avoided them, there wouldn't be much of a problem.
However, those three great dangers could descend at any moment, utterly unavoidable.
The 'Unsettled Winds' were one thing, but the 'Xuanming Rain' was even more terrifying. If it only rained for a short while, it might be fine, but if it continued for several days and nights, not to mention anything else, even Core Formation cultivators' magical artifacts and magic power might not hold up. At best, they would end up with water poison invading their bodies.While specially crafted spirit boats also possessed a certain ability to resist 'Xuanming Heavy Water,' there was a limit. Lower-stage cultivators often couldn't afford a sufficiently good spirit boat.
If one encountered this 'Xuanming Rain,' they could only pray it wouldn't last long, otherwise, outright death was a possibility.
Of course, Fang Xi remained unfazed.
He unfurled the 'Netherworld Banner,' which transformed into a black halo. All the rainwater near the spirit boat was absorbed by it, instead enhancing the power of the 'Netherworld Banner' through refinement.
"Brewing tea in the rain, that too is one of life's great pleasures."
Given the rare sight of this black rain, Fang Xi immediately took out his tea set, preparing to leisurely enjoy the downpour.
Cultivation, after all, was primarily about unrestrained freedom and doing whatever one desired.
He brewed himself a cup of spirit tea and slowly savored it. Suddenly, he saw a five-hundred-year-old horned Dragon Salamander emerge from the deep sea, seemingly overjoyed to welcome the rain.
Fang Xi's thoughts stirred, and the grand array trembled slightly, but he didn't make a move. "Never mind. . . Today is for tea, not for staining with killing intent. I'll spare your life. . ."
Just then, his expression shifted subtly, and his Divine Consciousness swept out.
In the nearby waters, the great sea churned with turbulent waves, but atop those waves were not mere splashes of water, but the densely packed spines of various aquatic beasts!
Hundreds of feet long Black Water Mystic Serpents, ferocious Black Spine Fish resembling tiger sharks, and all sorts of Xuanming demonic beasts, some Fang Xi could name, others he could not.
Among them, he even spotted a thousand-year-old Dragon Salamander!
Its body stretched over a hundred zhang, and a red line ran along its back, giving it quite a draconic presence. It had definitely transformed into a Flood Dragon!
Woooo!
Just as Fang Xi's heart stirred, an ethereal and resonant whale song echoed in his ears!
"True-Armored Whale? Damn it. . ."
Fang Xi's face darkened. He retracted his spirit boat, using the 'Netherworld Banner' to shield himself, and swiftly retreated.
Only then, within his Divine Consciousness, did he discover that 'True-Armored Whale,' over ten miles long and seemingly clad in thick armor, had surfaced amidst the schools of fish.
Even more surprising, it wasn't receiving the obeisance of ten thousand fish, but rather, just like that thousand-year-old Dragon Salamander, it had become one of the bowing multitude. . .
Rumble-rumble!
The Xuanming Sea churned, becoming even more turbulent than when the 'Unsettled Winds' blew.
Riiiip!
The very sky seemed to shatter, countless streams of primal qi emanating colorful brilliance, churning downwards like a funnel.
Within a radius of ten thousand miles, the vital energies of heaven and earth surged, even forming a tide!
Fang Xi suddenly felt his hair stand on end!
"This isn't the might of Divine Transformation!"
"Directly stirring the vital energies of heaven and earth. . . This is the power of Return to Void!"
He looked into the depths of the sea, and immediately witnessed an incredible sight.
The Xuanming Sea surged violently, kicking up tsunamis tens of miles high!
An unimaginable ancient desolate beast leaped out from the very bottom of the Xuanming Abyss.
Whoosh-whoosh!
Countless tons of seawater were flung into the sky, transforming into terrifying 'Xuanming Rain Clouds' that stretched for hundreds of thousands of miles!
The 'Xuanming Rain,' one of the three great dangers of the Xuanming Abyss, was actually caused by an ancient desolate beast!
It was likely that even the many cultivation families who made their living from the Xuanming Abyss were unaware of such a secret!
Because most of those who witnessed this scene had perished!
If not for Fang Xi's own Divine Transformation cultivation, allowing him to wisely protect himself amidst such a surge of vital energies, he would probably have been torn apart by the heaven and earth's primal qi, just like some unlucky cultivators nearby. . .
And amidst the raging storm, he finally managed to clearly discern the true form of that ancient desolate beast!
It was a. . .
"A Kun? !"
Fang Xi gazed at the ancient desolate beast, which resembled both a fish and a bird, and murmured.
This colossal Kun was over two hundred miles long. The 'True-Armored Whale' next to it could barely be considered its little brother, yet it circled the giant Kun, appearing extremely excited.
"The Kun's size, unknown for thousands of miles. . . It seems it's still a child, albeit a massive one weighing who knows how many hundreds of millions of tons. . ."
Fang Xi didn't spare another glance, instead retreating frantically.
This ancient desolate beast Kun definitely possessed Return to Void strength. Once it matured, it would at least have Void Amalgamation combat power!
"No wonder the Dragon Taming Sect didn't directly take over the Xuanming Abyss and round up all the Dragon Salamanders here. . . It turns out such a terrifying creature was lurking in the depths. . ."
As Fang Xi fled, he felt fortunate that the colossal Kun hadn't paid him any mind.
Then again, to that creature, he was less than a sesame seed, completely beneath its notice.
Otherwise, even a casual strike from it would have forced him to rely on the 'All-Heavens Precious Mirror' to escape with his life.
"The Xuanming Abyss's four perilous regions. . . the sea eye located at the center of the abyss. . . Who knows where it connects to? This colossal Kun definitely came out from there. . ."
"From that sea eye, it's highly possible that even more terrifying behemoths or ancient desolate beasts could emerge. . ."
Fang Xi had previously been somewhat puzzled as to why the territories of ancient desolate beasts became forbidden lands, even isolating human, demon, and devil races.
Now, having witnessed it firsthand, he finally understood.
Under such a unique environment, even a Void Amalgamation cultivator would likely be unable to deal with this colossal Kun. . .
It was said that ancient desolate beasts at the Mahayana stage could contend with powerful True Spirits like True Dragons and Phoenixes, and it seemed that was no exaggeration!
The three great races, even if they poured out all their strength, might not be unable to subdue one, but it would be more trouble than it was worth, leading to their own weakening and creating opportunities for their enemies. Naturally, they wouldn't do something like that.
"Indeed, coming to the Earthly Immortal World was the right choice. In the Human World, where could one find such magnificent creatures. . ."
Although Fang Xi was somewhat disheveled, after fleeing tens of thousands of miles away, his expression became extremely lighthearted: "Time for a celebratory drink!"
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