Chapter 609: Yellow Dragon Cave Mansion

Chen Mobai had just rushed a certain distance when he suddenly froze. He looked up at the sky, feeling a powerful, profound gaze fixed on him from above.

Was it that venomous dragon? In Cloud Dream Lake, only this incredibly powerful Fourth-Tier demon beast could make him feel such pressure. When encountering such a Fourth-Tier being, Chen Mobai dared not extend his spiritual sense outside his body, but he pushed his Void-Piercing Spirit Eyes to their limit. He had already mastered this spirit eye technique, and with it fully unleashed, he could immediately see everything clearly in all directions.

Soon, his clear, bright gaze pinpointed something unusual. He suddenly looked towards the center of Cloud Dream Lake, at the mist swirling above the waters, resembling light gauze or silk. The lake surface, resembling a celestial realm, actually contained a powerful malevolent presence that could devour all things. Under the reflection of the sunlit lake, the mist emitted faint, colorful radiance, subtly intertwining to form a pair of hollow eyes. It was precisely these cavern-like mist eyes that were watching the entire Wind-Rain Dock.

"Not good, Senior Brother Nu Jiang!" Chen Mobai's expression changed slightly, and suppressing the discomfort of being watched by the venomous dragon's gaze, he immediately cast the Fiery Light Escape technique. At this moment, he suddenly realized that he had been stalled by that gaze! "That's the venomous dragon, then!?" Chen Mobai's expression was grim; he was already considering whether to use the Turtle Treasure to escape.

Fortunately, although this intimidating gaze was fixed on him, the venomous dragon truly seemed unable to break through the seal set by the three Nascent Soul cultivators. Alternatively, the power it had previously expended by detonating the Heavenly Waterfall Wind-Rain Three-Element Grand Formation had exhausted its ability to project power. Chen Mobai waited for a while but did not encounter the anticipated storm-like attack.

But at that moment, Nu Jiang's coughing sound rang out, stopping Chen Mobai. "Chen Mobai, cough, cough... don't pursue a cornered enemy... further ahead is the Yellow Dragon Cavern, where the venomous dragon's spiritual sense can still penetrate somewhat. The closer you get, the more power it can wield, making it extremely dangerous."

Nu Jiang's face was slightly pale, but the Heavenly Waterfall Divine Light around him remained clear and bright, indicating that he had not yet disengaged from his battle state. The entire grand formation of Wind-Rain Dock was connected to him, and its might and spiritual power even caught Chen Mobai's attention. Fortunately, Nu Jiang had managed Wind-Rain Dock for many years, and his use of the Heavenly Waterfall Divine Light was already superb. Even with the grand formation's weakened power, he managed to hold his own against two opponents, albeit at a disadvantage, until Chen Mobai arrived.

Flames flickered continuously as Chen Mobai's figure had already crossed the void and rushed onto the battlefield. And before the fiery light appeared at the water's edge, the two Third-Tier demon beasts besieging Nu Jiang immediately joined forces to control the surging waves, sweeping their respective tribes into the water and fleeing towards the mist-shrouded center of Cloud Dream Lake.

Upon seeing Chen Mobai, Nu Jiang visibly relaxed, and the surging spiritual power around him slowly began to subside. "Senior Brother Nu Jiang truly lives up to his title as Master of Wind-Rain Dock," Chen Mobai praised, "to endure the siege of two great demon beasts and the venomous dragon's suppression for so long." Chen Mobai couldn't help but admire him. He saw that Nu Jiang was so weak because the venomous dragon had just detonated part of the grand formation's power, causing Nu Jiang, who was connected to the formation, to suffer tremors in his Qi Sea and Sea of Consciousness.

"Just hold on for as long as you can," Nu Jiang sighed. "If Wind-Rain Dock falls, Eastern Wu will have to bear pressure from two sides, making it even harder to defend." As the two conversed, Nu Jiang finally lowered the formation plate that had been hovering behind him. He summoned his disciple Ji Guanhai and informed him of the damaged areas of the grand formation that he had detected through the formation plate's operation, instructing him to lead his disciples to repair them one by one.

Half a day later, on the small island of Wind-Rain Dock, eight Core Formation cultivators sat solemnly in the main hall, directing all other cultivators to hunt down the remaining scattered demon beasts while collecting useful parts from the corpses. A Third-Tier demon beast's inner core is equivalent to the combat power of a Core Formation cultivator; it absolutely cannot be wasted. A Third-Tier turtle shell is an even more coveted treasure for body-refining cultivators.

The demon turtle's shell was so tough that even the Fiery Sun Slash couldn't breach its defenses. Chen Mobai ultimately had to use his Violet Lightning Sword to cleave it open, which gives an idea of what an excellent material it was for refining defensive artifacts. Unfortunately, the originally complete turtle shell had been split in two, its spiritual essence severely damaged. But even so, if it fell into the hands of an excellent artifact refiner, it could still be forged into two outstanding magical artifacts. As luck would have it, the foremost artifact refiner of the Eastern Barrens was right there.

Second-Tier Xi readily examined the turtle shell, and then her face showed regret. "If it were complete, I'd be confident in refining it into a mid-to-high grade Third-Tier defensive shield. But as it is now, I'm afraid I can only refine it into two peak Second-Tier ones." Chen Mobai listened to her words in silence. However, to save face for Second-Tier Xi, he could only nod repeatedly in agreement with the judgment of the Eastern Barrens' foremost artifact refiner. He himself had learned some artifact refining techniques over the years, enough to be considered a beginner. In his judgment, if the turtle shell had been complete, it would certainly have been possible to refine it into a peak Third-Tier artifact. Even now, split into two, according to immortal sect theories, two high-grade Third-Tier shields should still be achievable. Letting her refine it would be a huge waste!

"Two peak Second-Tier defensive artifacts would also be excellent gifts if bestowed upon disciples. Chen Mobai, you can confidently entrust the materials to me. However, Wind-Rain Dock doesn't have an artifact refining workshop I'm familiar with, so I might only be able to refine them for you after I return." After hearing her words, Chen Mobai felt a sense of duty welling up within him.

"Senior Sister Sheng was also severely injured in the battle with the demon beasts; how can I let her expend more energy refining artifacts? I plan to boil this turtle shell into medicinal soup to nourish my body-refining disciple."

"That disciple who cultivates the Four-Edge Divine Body, is it? That's not a bad idea. However, this turtle shell is rich in vital energy and mixed with demonic power, so you'll need to dilute it when boiling it." Turtle shells are indeed an excellent medicinal ingredient; whether boiled into powder or steeped in wine, they can nourish vital essence, blood, and strengthen the body and kidneys. However, many people who possess such items usually refine them into artifacts, as consuming them as medicine means they are gone after use.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister."

This was largely due to Eastern Wu holding the line and preventing their defenses from collapsing under the demon beast assault. This time, facing the siege of Third-Tier demon beasts, Chen Mobai, as the sect master, personally led the team to help stabilize the situation.

It wasn't until Senior Brother Chen formed his Nascent Soul in Eastern Wu that the venomous dragon finally met its match. However, this venomous dragon had inherited the legacy of the Yellow Dragon Cavern. Its bloodline was profound, and its divine abilities astonishing. After Senior Brother Chen formed his Nascent Soul, he battled it, but found himself at a disadvantage. Coupled with Bai Sunhuangwu from Eastern Yi, the three great cultivators teamed up, aiming to slay the venomous dragon, exterminate the water demons of the Divine Wood Sect, and eradicate this great menace. Grand Ancestor Hunyuan and the other two naturally also wanted to pursue it into its lair.

But the venomous dragon's strength was extraordinary, and it possessed two powerful magical treasures. Under the pursuit led by the three Illuminating Realm cultivators, it actually managed to lead its subordinates in a battle formation and escape back into the Yellow Dragon Cavern. Unfortunately, the cave dwelling left behind by the ascended demon beast contained a natural killing formation. Daoist Grey Feather, Junior Brother of Bai Sunhuangwu, died within it, and if the three Illuminating Realm cultivators hadn't retreated quickly, they might have been trapped inside as well.

After escaping, the three great Nascent Soul cultivators, to prevent the venomous dragon from causing further harm, jointly set up a massive seal outside the Yellow Dragon Cavern. This was effectively sealing the door, making the cavern both a refuge and a prison for the venomous dragon. However, the power of Illuminating Realm cultivators cannot be maintained permanently. With the passing of Senior Brother Chen and Grand Ancestor Hunyuan, the sealing power could not be replenished. After nearly a hundred years, it could no longer remain complete and developed a crack. This crack was small, not allowing Fourth-Tier beings like the venomous dragon to squeeze through, but it did permit First and Second-Tier demon beasts to emerge. This was the conclusion Nu Jiang had reached from his observations over recent years.

But in recent years, as more and more Third-Tier demon beasts appeared in Eastern Wu, Nu Jiang also noticed something was amiss. After much verification, it was finally confirmed that the seal placed by the three great Nascent Soul cultivators outside the Yellow Dragon Cavern had developed a crack, and the demon beasts under the venomous dragon's command were pouring out one by one.

"It's a pity we discovered it too late," Nu Jiang sighed. "The mysterious Third-Tier demon beast that rampaged through the Divine Wood Sect eighty years ago must have been the first Third-Tier beast to emerge from the Yellow Dragon Cavern. We thought it was a local Divine Wood Sect demon beast that had simply advanced in tier..." Because they thought it was a newly advanced demon beast from Eastern Wu, and after confirming it had entered the forbidden area and wouldn't reappear, they lowered their guard, believing the danger had been eliminated.

"The seal outside the Yellow Dragon Cavern will likely completely fail in at most another sixty years," Nu Jiang sighed, "and that will also be the time of my Wind-Rain Dock's demise." Nu Jiang sighed. Ever since forming his Core, he had been stationed at the Wind-Rain Dock's grand formation, and he yearned most for release. Nu Jiang spoke with a sigh, which reminded Chen Mobai of the destruction of Qingguang Island when he first arrived at the Divine Wood Sect, which had been caused by a mysterious Third-Tier demon beast breaking its formation.

"We still need to have our own Nascent Soul cultivators, whether in Eastern Wu or the Eastern Barrens; just one would be enough." But the thought immediately sprang to Chen Mobai's mind, and he shook his head in disagreement.

There were only a few Core Formation cultivators in the Eastern Barrens. Zhou Ye rarely left Hunyuan Immortal City. Grand Ancestor Wu had been slaughtering in all directions in recent years, causing Rejuvenation Valley and Snow Blow Palace to huddle together for warmth. But at that time, no one truly expected the Yellow Dragon Cavern's seal to encounter problems so quickly, placing all the pressure on him and Nu Jiang.

Fortunately, Senior Brother Chen still valued the camaraderie among fellow disciples, or perhaps he knew the consequences of Wind-Rain Dock falling, and so over the years, he sent many Foundation Establishment and true disciple cultivators to assist. To protect the Eastern Wu region, the Sun family, leveraging the external threat of the venomous dragon, incorporated all cultivation families into their alliance. They then deployed a massive Seventh-Tier high-grade formation on the shore, and with Senior Brother Chen personally overseeing it, they finally managed to repel the venomous dragon, ensuring it could not set foot in Eastern Wu territory.

Hundreds of years later, that venomous dragon flew out of the Yellow Dragon Cavern, rampaging through the Divine Wood Sect with Fourth-Tier power, gathering thousands of water demons, stirring up monstrous waves, and attacking both shores. However, after True Monarch Yiyuan ascended, the Yellow Dragon Cavern disappeared without a trace, and no one could find an entrance to it.

As for Wind-Rain Dock, Grand Ancestor Hunyuan died a few decades later, so the seal was still relatively intact, and fewer demon beasts squeezed out. In the Eastern Barrens and Eastern Wu regions, before the advent of Nascent Soul cultivators, facing Seventh-Tier demon beasts, they could only retreat step by step, letting them slaughter at will.

"Senior Brother Fu will soon arrive leading our sect's Sword Cultivation Department and Spirit Beast Department disciples. Senior Brother Mo is in seclusion, but seven of the twelve Sword Bearers, our martial nephews, have also set out with their disciples." Second-Tier Xi then revealed a secret: she had once gone to Sun-bathing Sea to seek an audience with Bai Sunhuangwu, hoping he would personally come to the Divine Wood Sect, but unfortunately, he flatly refused. "It's just a pity that after my master's passing, Bai Sunhuangwu's goodwill towards us faded. If he were willing to come and reinforce the seal, our Eastern Wu and Eastern Barrens wouldn't have to bear such immense pressure." Although Eastern Yi had Nascent Soul cultivators, they were too lazy to come and enforce heavenly justice or save the common people.

Chen Mobai had also inquired with Fu Zongjue later; at that time, he and Mo Douguang had pursued this demon beast, but it had escaped into the Yellow Dragon Cavern. Earlier, when Chen Mobai went to rescue Nu Jiang, Second-Tier Xi, who was overseeing the entire battlefield, naturally noticed the strangely unique Zhuo Ming. She praised her endlessly, thinking, "As expected of Chen Mobai's inheritor, her killing intent is icy cold and her methods merciless!" Especially after Ji Zhenshi and Nan Shidao were slain, the previous harmonious development of Eastern Wu by a large sect completely collapsed. Only the Five Elements Sect and Eastern Wu could bear the main burden!