Volume 1 Volume 7 Chapter 29

Volume 7 Chapter 29: Tianji Camp and Yaoguang Camp (Part 1)

After Immortal Guan listened to Shen Gang’s analysis, he thought about how all the top experts from Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands could not help, while the "Fish Dragon Beast" could gather many East Sea Demon Monsters at any moment. He felt a little panic. After parting from Shen Gang, he did not dare to be careless and personally joined the patrols at Tianshu Camp in Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands.

Tianxuan Island is filled with spiritual herbs that are over ten thousand years old. Although in the past forty years, many herbs have been reduced due to Xu Qingfan’s urgency to strengthen Rainbow Spirit Island and the enthusiasm of Medicine Pill Masters like Scholar Beihai for alchemy, there are still many rare herbs visible everywhere. When leading the patrols to Tianxuan Island, the rich and fresh fragrance of these herbs filled the air, making Immortal Guan feel his spirit lift, and the pressure in his heart eased a bit.

Looking at the ginseng and He Shou Wu, which were the size of arms, Immortal Guan sighed inwardly. While these precious herbs are indeed powerful, they are of no use to him now. With his talent, he has worked hard but has already reached his limit at the Fake Golden Core Stage. Although he later achieved the Real Golden Core Stage thanks to the rich Spirit Qi of Rainbow Spirit Island and two "Immortal Ascending Pills," making further progress is very difficult.

From then on, there was no progress in his cultivation. He could only watch helplessly as his life force slowly withered away, waiting to die, which was undoubtedly one of the most painful things for a cultivator.

With a sigh, Immortal Guan strolled deeper into Tianxuan Island with three cultivators from the Tianshu Camp. However, just after taking two or three steps, they heard an angry growl.

"Hey! What are you all doing? Who let you enter Tianxuan Island? This place is full of precious herbs! What will happen if you trample them? Everything here is part of a design that helps the herbs grow better. If you carelessly enter and disrupt the flow of Spirit Qi, what will happen?"

As soon as Immortal Guan heard this, he knew it was the guardian from Rainbow Spirit Island, Medicine Pill Master Jiujiezi. Among the five Medicine Pill Masters on Rainbow Spirit Island, he ranked last in alchemy skills, but his knowledge of growing and identifying herbs was even better than Scholar Beihai. The other four Medicine Pill Masters spent their days refining pills on Tianquan Island, while he was left on Tianxuan Island to take care of the herbs. Jiujiezi didn’t mind and had actually enjoyed it over the years.

Turning around, he saw a man in a robe rushing towards them. Although his appearance was elegant, his face was full of anger.

Jiujiezi treated the cultivation of herbs as if it were his own life. Over the years, he had come to see Tianxuan Island as his private territory, putting in endless effort. Even Scholar Beihai and Xu Qingfan would be scolded if they carelessly entered. Knowing he had broken someone else’s rules, Immortal Guan smiled bitterly and cupped his hands at the hurried Jiujiezi, saying, "So it’s Guardian Jiujiezi. I am truly sorry, but there may be an external threat coming soon. Sixth Young Master has issued a warning order, and we must patrol here. Please forgive us."

Upon hearing Immortal Guan’s words, Jiujiezi was slightly taken aback. He stopped and suspiciously looked at Immortal Guan, as if he believed Immortal Guan was a thief trying to steal herbs and making excuses. He asked, "Is there going to be an external threat to Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands? What kind of people?"

"East Sea Demon Monsters."

Immortal Guan answered.

It seemed to confirm Immortal Guan’s words. As soon as he finished speaking, a towering wave hundreds of feet high rose up outside Tianxuan Island, blocking the sky and the stars, and surged toward Tianxuan Island.

Seeing this enormous wave, and the countless even taller waves that followed, both Immortal Guan and Jiujiezi changed color. Such powerful waves, even just four or five, could smash Tianxuan Island, but how many waves were now approaching in this vast sea and sky?

At the same time, the same thing was happening on the islands of Tianji, Tianquan, Tianshu, Yuheng, and Kaiyang. Only Yaoguang Island, hidden for many years and obscured by Xu Qingfan’s powers, remained undiscovered and unattacked.

"Spirit herbs! There are spirit herbs everywhere! Quickly stop! We cannot let these waves destroy the spirit herbs here!"

At that moment, Jiujiezi completely ignored the fact that these towering waves could also crush him. All he thought about were the various spirit herbs on Rainbow Spirit Island.

After a moment of shock, Immortal Guan quickly regained his calm and said to Jiujiezi in a serious voice, "Do not panic, my friend. These waves cannot break the defenses of Rainbow Spirit Island. Also, you should quickly find a safe place to hide; this is probably just a test attack."

Saying this, Immortal Guan turned to the four people behind him and said firmly, "Let’s hurry back; we need to control the heart of the formation."

As he spoke, Tianxuan Island suddenly shook violently, with loud booming sounds echoing. Even though everyone on the island had reached the Condensed Core Stage, they still had trouble staying on their feet. The towering wave hundreds of feet high finally crashed onto Tianxuan Island.

However, just as the wave approached Tianxuan Island, colorful rays of light suddenly flared up outside, forming ninety-nine thick multicolored barriers that protected Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. As the waves collided with them, the multicolored barriers shook fiercely, and the hundred-foot wave was instantly scattered, while the outermost barrier began to dim.

However, although the colorful barrier was very strong, the raging waves were endless, continuously crashing against the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. The first wave weakened the outermost colorful barrier, the second wave drained its defense to the lowest level, and with the arrival of the third wave, the outermost colorful barrier finally collapsed and began to attack the next layer of the colorful barrier.

"Dong… Dong… Dong…"

As the endless waves kept crashing, urgent bell sounds began to echo within the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. Knowing that Shen Gang had also noticed the enemy attack, Immortal Guan felt relieved but hurriedly made his way towards Tianshu Island, which was the core of the various defense formations of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. If it could not hold, the entire Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands would face a terrifying and desperate disaster.

When Immortal Guan and his four subordinates soared towards Tianshu Island, over a hundred towering waves suddenly appeared, slamming against the outer light barrier of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, and out of the ninety-nine layers of the light barrier, more than twenty layers were breached.

Seeing this wave of attacks finally end, Immortal Guan felt a sense of relief, but thinking about the powerful force of just the initial attack, he was secretly alarmed. The demon beasts of the East Sea had the ability to create great waves, but how many East Sea Demon Monsters would it take to create such a massive wave attack?

Considering this, Immortal Guan felt a sense of urgency and flew even faster towards Tianshu Island.

"Woo…"

Just then, a dragon’s roar echoed, and a tremendous, fierce aura began to shake the world. Immortal Guan’s body shook, and he quickly turned around. He saw a long shadow, hundreds of feet long and nearly ten feet wide, suddenly appear not far from the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, rising from the seabed and shooting up into the sky. He could vaguely see the green dragon scales and the dragon horns on the shadow, looking majestic and divine as it churned the waters.

Behind this shadow, several miles away, countless other black shapes floated on the water’s surface, moving in a great throng towards the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. Above this sea of shadows, there was a vast black cloud, consisting of countless strong birds in the air, darkening the sky with their imposing presence.

Turning around and looking in all directions, I discovered that everywhere in the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest, Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands had unknowingly been surrounded by countless demon beasts.

"A dragon? The sacred beast, the Azure Dragon?"

A Tianshu Camp cultivator pointed at the long black shadow and said in fear.

"It’s not a dragon; a dragon has five claws, but this demon beast only has four… It is an ancient demon beast, the Jiaolong."

Immortal Guan replied in a deep voice.

The Jiaolong is one of the five most powerful ancient demon beasts. Usually, if the members of Tianshu Camp saw a Jiaolong attacking, they would be very scared. However, compared to the sacred beast, the Azure Dragon, the Jiaolong didn’t seem so frightening, so when they heard the name Jiaolong, the four Tianshu Camp cultivators actually showed a look of relief.

The Jiaolong is a close relative of the Azure Dragon and, together with the transforming dragon and the fish dragon, guards by the Azure Dragon’s side year after year. However, because the Jiaolong, like the Azure Dragon, enjoys collecting various treasures, and all the rare and strange treasures encountered ended up with the Azure Dragon, they later left the Azure Dragon. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Immortal Zizhen and others to capture the Azure Dragon back then.

However, unlike the relaxed expressions of the other Tianshu Camp members thinking of the history of these ancient demon beasts, Immortal Guan felt secretly alarmed.

The Fish Dragon is familiar with the Jiaolong, the transforming dragon, and the Azure Dragon. It was clear that the Fish Dragon Beast was here for revenge. Since the Jiaolong came, could the Azure Dragon and the transforming dragon have also come?

Although the number of Flood Dragons, Transforming Dragons, and Azure Dragons is not as many as the Fish Dragon Beasts, their power is much stronger. Once they unite and attack, countless ordinary East Sea Demon Monsters will assist them.

Even though they were prepared for the worst, when the moment arrived, they found that the situation was even worse than what they had imagined.

Thinking of this, Immortal Guan dared not stay any longer. Although the Flood Dragon was already rushing forward, colliding against the radiant barrier of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, Immortal Guan did not look back. He hurriedly led the four Tianshu Camp cultivators towards Tianshu Island, ignoring the shaking world around him.

As time went on, powerful East Sea Demon Monsters continuously rushed to the vicinity of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. Some churned the sea, while others charged directly with their bodies, constantly attacking the defenses around the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands with great force, as if they wanted to flatten it in one night.

After arriving at Tianshu Island, amidst the constant strong tremors, Immortal Guan quickly made his way to the center of the various defensive formations at the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands.

The center of the various defensive formations was located in a hidden cave on Tianshu Island, which was very large and could hold four to five hundred people. The walls were covered with intricate formation patterns, and in the center, nine formation disks were arranged in a square. The changes in the formations around the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands were controlled and commanded from here.

Even though the cave was sturdy, stones of varying sizes continued to fall as the island trembled. Inside the cave, apart from the five who had just arrived, all the other Tianshu Camp members were seated around the formation disks, controlling the various defensive formations of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands to fight against the countless demon beasts attacking. They were all sweating profusely and looking pale. Although the energy for the various defensive formations came from spirit stones and they only needed to control them, the intense battle still consumed a huge amount of Spirit Qi.

"What is the situation?"

The four Tianshu Camp members who followed him quickly joined in and sat around the center to work together to control the defensive formations outside Rainbow Spirit Island. Immortal Guan then walked quickly to Shen Gang, who was seated in the center, and asked loudly.

Although Immortal Guan had just rushed back from outside, he could sense everything around Rainbow Spirit Island in his heart, so Shen Gang understood the situation better than Immortal Guan.

"The enemy is very strong, and countless demon beasts have surrounded us," Shen Gang said, his Spirit Qi greatly diminished and his face pale, but he still managed to respond in a low voice, "Their combined attack is too powerful; the traps we set up on the outside have all been destroyed, and nearly one third of the radiant defense barrier has also been broken."

"Is there a way to ask for help?"

"Besides Tianji Camp and Yaoguang Camp, which have not yet responded, the other four camps and the guard team will arrive soon. Additionally, Senior Old Beggar and a few other experts in formations will also come."

"What about the Island Master and the others?"

"I can’t get in touch with them," Shen Gang said with a bitter smile. "Not a single one."

After a moment of silence, Immortal Guan suddenly said, "On my way here, I saw the ancient demon beast, the flood dragon, attacking our East Sea Demon Monster."

Shen Gang sighed and said, "Not only the flood dragon, but also an Azure Dragon, a transforming dragon, and three fish dragons."

Immortal Guan’s body trembled; the top experts of Rainbow Spirit Island were either in closed-door meditation, unreachable, or away, while the enemy had brought six heavenly-level demon beasts. The situation couldn’t be worse.

Just as Shen Gang was talking to Immortal Guan, Tianquan Camp, Tianxuan Camp, Kaiyang Camp, and Yuheng Camp arrived one after another. They said little and quickly joined the team controlling the formation. As more and more cultivators sat around the center of the formation, the defense power of the Radiant Barrier finally worked quite well. Even though the number of demon beasts attacking the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands was increasing and the strength of their attacks was becoming fiercer, the defense had, at least, become stable.

However, the cultivators from the five camps still looked worried. Although the situation had stabilized for now, no one knew how long they could hold out. On their way, everyone had seen how fierce the East Sea Demon Monsters were.

Then, Xu Qingfan’s two disciples, Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling, along with Wang Yuxian and twelve other Jiuhua disciples, hurriedly came with Old Beggar and others.

Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling were Shen Gang’s senior brothers, and Wang Yuxian and the other twelve Jiuhua disciples could also be considered half senior brothers. Old Beggar was an elder. Although Shen Gang was busy controlling the formation, he did not dare to be careless and quickly called to them.

However, the situation was critical. Wang Yuxian and the others only nodded hurriedly at Shen Gang and sat down in the center of the formation, joining in to control its operation. The strength of the guard team formed by Wang Yuxian and the twelve disciples was clearly much stronger than that of Tianshu and the cultivators of the five camps, so their presence eased the pressure.

Upon entering the cave, Old Beggar and the brothers Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling did not speak, but quickly walked to a certain spot on the formation plate. With a quick gesture, a halo suddenly appeared out of nowhere. In this halo, a miniature image of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands floated before Old Beggar, about ten feet wide, showing every detail.

Within the miniature image, a layer of colorful light surrounded the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, which was the Radiant Barrier outside the islands. Beyond this layer of colorful light were countless glowing spots, seemingly representing the many East Sea Demon Monsters attacking the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. Among these spots, six were particularly bright, vaguely resembling dragon shapes in colors of green, blue, and purple, constantly striking the Radiant Barrier. Under the impact of these glowing spots, the light circle represented by the barrier was gradually weakening.

Looking at the halo that Old Beggar had conjured, everyone in Tianshu Camp had strange expressions. They were responsible for controlling the formation of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, but they had never known about such a setup.

All the defenses of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands were arranged by Old Beggar himself. This arrangement was not because he intentionally kept it a secret, but because he hurriedly went to refine weapons right after setting it up and had forgotten about it. However, Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling, who had helped Old Beggar set this up, were aware of these arrangements.

After observing the situation inside the halo for a moment, Old Beggar’s expression changed, and he turned to say, "From what we can see, we can only hold on until dawn at the most."

Just then, the earth trembled violently, dust fell heavily, adding urgency to Old Beggar’s words.

Tian Zhenling’s eyes, which were already turned up at the corners, curved even more at this moment, making his serious face look even tenser. Although Tian Zhenxian was his twin brother and looked the same, his eyes were droopy, as if he was always smiling, but now he couldn’t smile anymore. Seeing this scene, both brothers changed their expressions and asked in unison, "What should we do?"

Old Beggar felt anxious in his heart. Rainbow Spirit Island must not have any problems; otherwise, what would happen to the countless precious materials for refining? He still had many brilliant ideas he hadn’t had the chance to realize.

"What about your master and the others?" Old Beggar asked.

"They are all in seclusion," Tian Zhenxian replied.

"Damn it, these guys picked this time to go into seclusion!" Old Beggar stomped his foot. Being the one with the highest seniority here, he could scold anyone, and no one dared to speak up.

However, even though Old Beggar had the highest seniority, he had devoted his life to refining tools and was clueless about quick decision-making. At this moment, he felt anxious but didn’t know what to do. As Old Beggar continued to curse, more people began to focus their attention on Shen Gang, Tian Zhenxian, and Tian Zhenling, the three young Island Masters.

Tian Zhenling looked around at the five camp cultivators and suddenly froze, asking, "Why haven’t the cultivators from Yaoguang Camp and Tianji Camp arrived yet?"

Shen Gang smiled wryly and said, "I informed them, but they have not yet responded."

At that moment, a cultivator in white flew into the center of the formation. He was one of the experts from Tianji Camp. After landing, he glanced around at the cultivators in the cave, then focused on Shen Gang, Tian Zhenxian, Tian Zhenling, and Old Beggar. He bowed and said, "Three young Island Masters and Senior Old Beggar, my Tianji Camp is fully gathered. We are going out to face the enemy now. Please support us here for a while longer. We will do our best to reduce the pressure on your defenses as quickly as possible."

As he spoke, there was a hint of pride on the face of the white-clothed cultivator. Clearly, he believed that Tianji Camp was much stronger than the other six camps.

However, hearing the words of the white-clothed cultivator, everyone present was astonished. Although Tianji Camp was the strongest in Seven Star Camp and had the finest magical tools, the number and strength of the demon beasts outside were overwhelming. Three or four high-level Earth demon beasts could easily destroy them. Yet, Tianji Camp wanted to face the enemy alone and attack instead of defending. Was this not like eggs hitting a rock? Were they so arrogant over the years that they had lost their minds?

Just as everyone wanted to stop them, Old Beggar showed a thoughtful expression and waved his hand, saying, "You may go, but please be careful."

The white-clothed cultivator bowed again and then turned to leave, the hint of a proud smile on his lips was quite irritating.

However, just as the white-clothed cultivator turned around, a tall man, eight feet high, flew in. He did not land; instead, he floated in the air above the cave, looking down coldly at the cultivators sitting below. He spoke slowly, saying, "Young Master Chou wants me to inform you all that my Yaoguang Camp will face the enemy alone. You may carry on with your own matters."

Saying this, the man did not pause for a moment and turned to leave, as if he thought this notification was unnecessary.

As the two men passed each other in mid-air, their eyes met, and fierce sparks flew between them.

Over the years, Yaoguang Camp and Tianji Camp have proudly claimed to be the pillars and top powers of Rainbow Spirit Island, neither willing to back down from the other, and now they seem to be competing.

This person is Chongshi, one of the six top experts under Chou. Although he is not as aloof as the white-clothed cultivator, his cold expression is more intense than any proud words or looks, showing his disregard for others.

The white-clothed cultivator let out a cold huff and flew off into the distance.

Everyone in the cave stared in shock as they watched the two leave, filled with disbelief. Have these two camps gone mad? What’s the difference between going out like this and seeking death?

"Tian Zhenxian urgently asked Old Beggar, ‘Senior Old Beggar, why are you allowing the people from both camps to go out and fight? Isn’t this the same as sending them to their deaths?’"

"Old Beggar gave Tian Zhenxian a look and said, ‘I only agreed to let Tianji Camp go out to fight, when did I also agree to Yaoguang Camp? That Chongshi ran off before I even spoke.’"

"Seeing Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling stomp their feet, ready to chase after the two camps, Old Beggar stopped him and said, ‘There’s no need to go or be anxious. That guy Xu Qingfan is slow, so how did he end up with such an impatient apprentice like you? They will be fine. With Tianji Camp’s unique abilities, staying here to control the defense formation would only be a waste. Even if they go out to fight, as long as they are careful, everything will be alright. As for Yaoguang Camp, as far as I know, their reputation has been equal to that of Tianji Camp these years, and the two sides have often tested each other without a clear winner. Since they dare to go out, they must have their own methods and confidence.’"

Hearing Old Beggar’s words, everyone was taken aback, but they did not know what Old Beggar meant by the special ability of Tianji Camp. In fact, Tianji Camp has always been stationed on Tianji Island. The members there are carefully chosen and advance in their training much faster than those in the other six camps. Most cultivators from Seven Star Camp only take one "Immortal Ascending Pill" when they arrive at Rainbow Spirit Island. Only a few people, like Immortal Guan, have taken two. However, people from Tianji Camp have taken at least three. Moreover, Old Beggar and others have always kept the magical tools supplied to Tianji Camp a secret. As a result, no one in the crowd could truly understand the real strength of Tianji Camp, which was just as mysterious as Yaoguang Camp.

Just as everyone was secretly wondering, a stronger tremor suddenly came. It was a group of East Sea Demon Monsters that had become truly angry after realizing they could not break through the defenses of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. Led by six heavenly-level demon beasts, they no longer held back their strength and charged fiercely toward the shimmering barrier.

Watching Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling, two senior brothers, anxiously searching for a solution without success, while Old Beggar only complained and had no idea how to lead everyone, he continued to nag at Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling. In his helplessness, Shen Gang had to take charge.

"Friends from Tianshu Camp, Yuheng Camp, and Kaiyang Camp, let us not think of anything else for now. Let’s first focus on strengthening the defenses of Rainbow Spirit Island. Friends from Tianquan Camp and Tianxuan Camp, please follow Senior Old Beggar’s orders."

Shen Gang raised his voice to assign tasks to everyone, calming their hearts a bit. Then he turned to Old Beggar and said, "Senior Old Beggar, you know the way of formations better than anyone here. I am confident I can still control the ‘Sunglow Formation,’ but if we only defend and do not attack, we will be too passive. It’s time to start the ‘Disaster Cloud Formation,’ and I’ll leave command of Tianxuan Camp and Tianquan Camp to you."

Old Beggar was slightly surprised but nodded. He then quickly began to issue commands to Tianxuan Camp and Tianquan Camp alongside other Alchemy Masters.

Years ago, Old Beggar and the other Alchemy Masters created a new version of ‘Disaster Cloud’ based on Zhang Xusheng’s model. Although it wasn’t as elusive as Zhang Xusheng’s ‘Disaster Cloud,’ it was even more powerful. Controlled by a formation, it formed the ‘Disaster Cloud Formation,’ working together with the ‘Sunglow Formation’ to create the defense of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands—one for offense and one for defense.

As Old Beggar commanded Tianxuan Camp and Tianquan Camp to activate the ‘Disaster Cloud Formation,’ Shen Gang turned to Tian Zhenxian and the naive spirit and said, "Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother, please return immediately and try to contact the senior masters in seclusion and our Second and Third Senior Sisters. With just our strength, we can only hold out for so long. If we cannot reach them before dawn, I ask you to forcefully awaken them, even if it delays their training."

After hesitating for a moment, Shen Gang added, "You know the situation of our Master, but we cannot worry about that now. If the presence of our seniors is not enough, please hurry and ask Master to come out."

Tian Zhenxian and Tian Zhenling exchanged glances, paused for a moment, and then flew out of the cave.

※※※※

At the same time, on Yuheng Island.

Under Ting’er’s magic, Dongfang Qingling slowly woke up.

Ting’er was much stronger than Dongfang Qingling at that moment, and Dongfang Qingling was completely unguarded against Ting’er. The magic cultivation method was very strange and mysterious. Dongfang Qingling had just been hypnotized by Ting’er but did not even realize it; she only felt a brief moment of confusion, and the next moment, she was back to normal, unaware that under Ting’er’s secret method, she had been asleep for nearly an hour.

Just as Dongfang Qingling woke up, she felt a violent shaking under her feet, and a continuous booming sound filled the air. Dongfang Qingling was startled and didn’t have time to think about her earlier confusion. She quickly grabbed Ting’er and ran outside.

Once outside, she looked around and saw that Yuheng Island was surrounded by countless demon beasts beyond the glowing barrier. They were relentlessly attacking Yuheng Island, especially a creature with a dragon’s body and many pairs of bat wings, which created huge waves and dark clouds with its movements, roaring amidst flashes of lightning and thunder, showcasing tremendous power.

"Is this… an ancient demon beast turning into a dragon? What is happening?"

Dongfang Qingling felt even more frightened. How did everything change so suddenly from just a moment’s disorientation? When did these endless East Sea Demon Monsters appear, and why did they suddenly attack the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands?

Reflexively, Dongfang Qingling pulled Ting’er toward Xu Qingfan’s room.

However, just as she lifted off the ground, she heard Xu Qingfan’s voice nearby.

"Junior Martial Sister Dongfang, you don’t need to worry. I understand the situation completely. Just stay peacefully in your room. Even if help comes from Tianshu Island, you should not worry about it. Let Seven Star Camp find their own way to deal with things."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Dongfang Qingling was slightly taken aback, unable to understand why countless demon beasts were attacking the East Sea Islands, yet Xu Qingfan remained so calm, as if he did not care about the lives of others.

However, over the years, trust in Xu Qingfan had almost become instinct for Dongfang Qingling. Even though she wanted to ask questions after hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, she held back, turning to lead Ting’er toward her room. Yuheng Island was only a little over a hundred acres in size. Looking around, the sight of countless demon beasts crashing against each other was terrifyingly vivid, especially the one that had transformed into a dragon, which was particularly alarming in its attacks. Yet, as the demon beasts struggled to break through, she thought of Xu Qingfan who was not far away, and her heart, which had been filled with fear moments before, began to settle down. She could only look at Ting’er with some worry, afraid that Ting’er would be frightened by the countless demon beasts attacking Yuheng Island, but she found that Ting’er was also looking at her. Beneath the confusion in her eyes, there seemed to be something more hidden.

※※※※

With Ting’er’s help, Xu Qingfan finally sealed away some of the excess "Qi of Demonic Death" within him. Suppressing "Qi of Demonic Death" required a large amount of "Formless Spirit Qi," but the consumption during the sealing was not much.

The moment he woke up from his meditation, he had already noticed the countless East Sea Demon Monsters attacking the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands. Although it was a massive assault, Xu Qingfan was not worried.

In fact, when he allowed Chou to create a massive bloody wave outside the East Sea and absorb the blood and souls of countless East Sea Demon Monsters to quickly grow stronger, he had already anticipated this day. He knew that Chou would eventually provoke the top demon beasts of the East Sea, and those top demon beasts would definitely come to the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands for revenge.

However, Xu Qingfan did not mind. In fact, if Chou had not done this, he would have found a way to create the current situation.

Not only that, but as he estimated that Chou was about to bring great trouble to the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, it was also Xu Qingfan who deliberately arranged for all the top cultivators of the Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands to enter seclusion, placing the entire responsibility for the islands’ safety on Seven Star Camp and the guard team.

Xu Qingfan had many reasons for doing this.

First, after ten years of hard work, he wanted to see the current strength of Seven Star Camp. He also wanted Seven Star Camp to understand their own abilities, so when he returned to Shenzhou Continent in the future, he could know how much responsibility he would give them.

Second, over the years, Xu Qingfan had unknowingly become a bit impatient. To quickly improve the strength of the cultivators of Rainbow Spirit Island, they had spent half of the resources accumulated over tens of thousands of years. However, Xu Qingfan needed enough resources for alchemy and tool-making, and to win people’s hearts when he returned to the Human Alliance, so he aimed at the East Sea Demon Monsters. They were perfect materials for alchemy and tool-making, as shown by Yaoguang Camp’s recent wealth.

Third, there was Liu Ziqing. Due to his health, Liu Ziqing could not meditate like a normal cultivator. He was the only top cultivator from Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands who was still awake at this time. How Liu Ziqing chose to act would also be an important basis for how Xu Qingfan would treat him in the future.

The most important reason was that most of the cultivators who joined Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands, especially from Seven Star Camp, were looking for peace away from the war of Shenzhou Continent. However, when Xu Qingfan returned to Shenzhou Continent, how would they choose then? The attack of the East Sea Demon Monsters would show Seven Star Camp that even hiding outside the East Sea would not keep them safe. Without Xu Qingfan and the others, they would have no place to stand in the East Sea. Only by understanding this would they feel secure following Xu Qingfan back to Shenzhou Continent and working hard for him.

"Tianji Camp… Yaoguang Camp…"

Xu Qingfan murmured, sensing that Tianji Camp and Yaoguang Camp had already moved out.

Over the past ten years, he had invested far more in Tianji Camp than in the total of the other six camps. In his future plans, Tianji Camp would be given significant responsibilities, while Yaoguang Camp was indirectly created by him. Xu Qingfan was very eager to see how strong these two forces had become. In comparison, Tianshu Camp was focused on maintaining position; its members were not particularly strong but were steady and wise. The other four camps were stronger than Tianshu Camp but did not stand out. In the future plans, they would mostly just cheer to boost morale.

Letting out a long sigh, Xu Qingfan slowly closed his eyes, sealing off his senses again to continue sealing the excess "Qi of Demonic Death" inside him. He had already sealed away most of it, and sealing the small remaining part would be much easier. Once all excess "Qi of Demonic Death" was sealed, Xu Qingfan would have no internal troubles for the next forty to fifty years.

As for the situation of Rainbow Spirit Seven Islands at this moment, Xu Qingfan remained calm and unconcerned.