Chapter Sixty-Six: The Sea Beyond the Heavens

"Set off, boy Cao. I have already taught you the Water-Evading Technique along the way, and that grand formation is concealed right beneath the lake," the Fiend said.

Cao Yun formed incantations with both hands, and instantly, a protective barrier as pale as water mist tightly enveloped his entire body. His figure transformed into a streak of azure light, plunging swiftly into the lake.

Arriving at the lakebed, Cao Yun formed incantations once more, and a spell transformed into a brilliant golden light, shooting fiercely toward the bottom. Where the incantation vanished, the golden light erupted abruptly from the lakebed, accompanied by a rumbling roar that caused the bottom to shudder violently.

An archaic and weathered teleportation formation, sheltered by a layer of golden array patterns, slowly rose from the lakebed. At the same time, black bubbles the size of watermelons continuously churned upward from the silt.

"Senior Fiend, you truly are a living map of this world," Cao Yun teased.

"Spare me the flattery. Quickly embed the spirit stones into the array slots; leaving this place as soon as possible is the priority," the Fiend said indifferently.

"Very well, then as Senior says, I shall immediately insert the spirit stones into the array slots." Before Cao Yun's words had even faded, two to thirty spirit stones flew out from his storage pouch, landing with absolute precision into the slots of the formation. Each spirit stone of a different attribute emitted its own distinct brilliance.

With everything prepared, Cao Yun rapidly formed incantations once more, and a spell shimmering with golden radiance vanished into the teleportation array. Following closely, Cao Yun's figure flashed, effortlessly passing through the protective barrier of the teleportation array and stepping right into it.

The moment Cao Yun stepped inside, the various attribute spirit stones embedded in the teleportation array lit up one by one. Once all the spirit stones were illuminated, a pillar of light soared fiercely into the sky, and his figure instantly vanished within the ancient teleportation array.

Deprived of Cao Yun, the ancient teleportation array slowly sank back down into the lakebed.

Three days later, on a desolate island in the Outer Seas, Cao Yun sat cross-legged inside a mud hut about a zhang in size, which had been condensed using the Earth-Confinement Technique. Spiritual energy circulated around his body, and a brilliant azure light shone brightly, illuminating the entire interior of the mud hut.

Soon, the azure light gradually receded. Cao Yun slowly opened his eyes and sighed deeply, "Never would I have thought that even with the assistance of the Dragon Ascension Pill, it would consume an entire bottle just to barely step into the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Fortunately, I still have the two Core Formation stage demon beast cores given by Chen Ping. Senior, I intend to go into seclusion right here on this desolate island and not emerge until I have formed my golden core. By then, regardless of any war between immortals and fiends, I shall remain as steadfast as a mountain."

"With your current realm, if you rely solely on breathing and absorption techniques to cultivate, reaching the great circle of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage will take at least thirty years, and the late stage will require over seventy years. Time is pressing, and the war between immortals and fiends is imminent. If you do not rapidly enhance your strength, you will likely find it difficult to escape the calamity of the human realm," the Fiend's voice echoed in Cao Yun's mind, cold and severe.

"Oh? That being the case, does Senior Fiend already have a sound strategy in mind?" A trace of anticipation flashed in Cao Yun's eyes.

"Bringing you to the Outer Seas was naturally for the purpose of hunting demon beasts and refining pills to enhance your strength." A hint of displeasure lingered in the Fiend's tone, as if it somewhat disliked Cao Yun's probing manner of questioning.

"However, this place is desolate all around, and pill-refining ingredients are likely hard to find," Cao Yun continued undeterred, testing the waters further.

"The Dao of alchemy in the Outer Seas is completely different from that in Tianbei. Spiritual herbs are scarce here, but the art of alchemy possesses a unique style, predominantly focusing on refining pills using pills. By blending demon beast cores of multiple attributes, one can also achieve the effect of spiritual herbs, and the result is even purer," the Fiend slowly explained, its tone carrying a hint of praise for the alchemy of the Outer Seas.

"So that's how it is. The alchemy techniques of the Outer Seas are indeed extraordinary. Since Senior Fiend already has a comprehensive plan, this junior will naturally obey," Cao Yun said with a faint smile.

"Before hunting demon beasts, you must first refine a beast-luring magical artifact," the Fiend said.

"A beast-luring magical artifact? Does Senior think my current materials are sufficient to refine one?" Cao Yun's heart stirred as he quickly asked.

"More than enough. The materials you have on you were all obtained from those mid and late Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they are worth a fortune. Let alone refining one beast-luring magical artifact, refining ten would be more than enough," the Fiend said with a hint of mockery in its tone.

"Oh? Hearing Senior say this, is this beast-luring magical artifact actually a consumable item?" Cao Yun asked out of curiosity, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Hehe, your mind is quite meticulous, kid. Indeed, the primary material for this beast-luring magical artifact is a dried intestinal secretion produced within the body of a demon beast called the Ink-Scented Whale. This substance possesses a unique sweet earthy aroma, which is the favorite of ocean demon beasts; almost no demon beast can resist its temptation," the Fiend chuckled and explained.

"Then, with my current strength, can I handle such a demon beast?" Cao Yun felt a slight flutter of anxiety and hurriedly asked.

"Although the Ink-Scented Whale is massive in size, its combat prowess is not high. With your current strength, handling it will be more than enough," the Fiend's tone was relaxed, seemingly quite confident in Cao Yun's strength.

"Since Senior Fiend is so certain, dealing with the Ink-Scented Whale should pose no problem. But in this vast ocean, how am I supposed to track its whereabouts?" Cao Yun asked.

"That is not difficult. Just go to the seashore, and I will release my divine sense to investigate," the Fiend replied.

"In that case, I must trouble Senior Fiend. This junior will head to the shore immediately." Daring not to delay, Cao Yun decided to act at once. The war between immortals and fiends was about to unfold, and with time pressing, he urgently needed to boost his strength.

Before long, Cao Yun arrived at the seashore. The small cauldron in his storage pouch automatically flew out, slowly hovering above his head. After the time it takes to eat a meal, the Fiend's voice came from the cauldron: "Three hundred miles away, an Ink-Scented Whale is heading in this direction. Wait until it gets closer before you make your move. I have detected a few Core Formation stage demon beasts nearby, and there is even a demon beast at the Nascent Soul stage."

"A Nascent Soul stage demon beast? How far away is 'nearby' according to Senior..." Hearing this, Cao Yun could not help but gasp. A Nascent Soul stage beast was actually lurking near this desolate island, which greatly shocked him. The demon beasts of the Outer Seas were indeed far denser than those in the Myriad Demon Forest.

"About a thousand miles or so," the Fiend answered indifferently.

"About a thousand miles..." Cao Yun marveled inwardly. The sheer strength of this divine sense truly filled him with envy. With his current mid-Foundation Establishment realm, he could only scan a radius of fifty miles. He simply could not imagine what kind of experience it would be for divine sense to cover a thousand miles.

"At the traveling speed of the Ink-Scented Whale, it will still take some time for it to arrive. We might as well move in that direction and set an ambush a hundred or two miles away to intercept and kill it. Otherwise, if the distance is too great, we might alarm the high-tier demon beasts," the Fiend suggested.

"As Senior Fiend commands, I shall set off right now to lay an ambush a hundred or two miles away." Cao Yun responded indifferently, immediately transforming into a streak of azure light with the small cauldron above his head, speeding toward the ocean horizon.