After driving off the Gorb Demon, Lu Yun changed the appearance of everyone on the ship with shapeshifting talismans. Even the extravagant Divine Glory was transformed into a sinister-looking black fortress ship flying a black sail.
Lu Yun had originally planned to enter the North Sea court by way of assuming Xue Daozi’s identity. However, the Gorb Demon had seen through all of their disguises, and likely already passed on the information.
Thus, another change in identity was now necessary.
The degenerate alliance had previously concealed their true forms with powerful treasures from their factions. Even the nine celestial emperors might not have been able to see through the disguises. However, the Gorb Demon had identified who they were with a quick scan, even seeing Beigong Yu and Aoxue as what they were. The man really did possess a remarkable skill.
……
Everyone on the ship went through a complete makeover, both inside and out. The talismans had transformed them entirely, and it was even odds if the Gorb Demon could possibly recognize them on the second go-round. The possibility that he would still be able to pick them out had to be taken into consideration, since none of them knew how the mysterious man had identified them in the first place.
The large black ship openly sailed through the ocean, Xue Daozi at the bow. His appearance and bearing was now that of an aloof, middle-aged man, and his presence as a peak aether dao immortal was completely unleashed.
Someone as powerful as he absolutely had the right to lay claim to some of the spoils from the skydragon tomb. Therefore, the monster spirits standing guard at the entrance to the imperial seas permitted entry when they saw him.
“How is the situation in the North Sea, Canghai Chengkong?” Lu Yun contacted the sword immortal through the Tome of Life and Death.
His Infernum couldn’t stray too far away from him, for it was the book that sustained their lives. Leaving the area of effect of the Tome of Life and Death would scatter their souls and have them truly depart the world. If they wished for further range of movement, they would need to be led by Lu Yun, or one of his envoys.
Canghai Chengkong, on the other hand, had his name written in the Tome of Life and Death, which made him something between an Envoy of Samsara and Infernum. Lu Yun had ordered him to return to the Dark North Sword Sect and keep an eye on the North Sea.
The sword immortal had been in charge of overseeing Levitating Island, but now that it’d been destroyed, he had nothing to supervise.
Fortunately, the senior council of the sect was too preoccupied with the chaos they were facing and didn’t have the attention to spare to hold him accountable. Besides, he was a pure sword immortal, which made him a rare asset even in the Dark North Sword Sect.
After returning to his sect, he made his way to the imperial seas to look for the skydragon tomb.
The shockwaves emanating from the emerging tomb were growing increasingly powerful, to the point where almost everyone could feel them: a behemoth was rising from the ocean.
“In response to master, the North Sea political situation is splintered, and there are too many players involved!” Canghai Chengkong sounded exhausted, clearly having waded into many battles over the past few days. If his name hadn’t been written in the Tome of Life and Death, he would’ve died early on.
“However, the dragons of the Untroubled Sea have found the entrance into the tomb!”
The news raised Lu Yun’s eyebrows. So someone had found the entrance to the tomb!
“The dragons of the Untroubled Sea!” Aoxue’s expression darkened ominously. Back in the day, it’d been an uprising in the Untroubled Sea that’d compromised the North Sea Dragon Palace and resulted in the destruction of the North Sea dragons.
All the clues had later pointed to the Untroubled Sea dragons having caused the destruction on purpose. They were after the skydragon tomb.
……
The alliance of degenerates on the fortress ship hadn’t come to explore the skydragon tomb. They were only cultivators, which made the tomb beyond their capabilities, despite the treasures on them. Their goals were to make Beigong Chonglou pay, and stir up troubles for the North Sea court.
Upon their arrival in the imperial sea, Lu Yun didn’t leap into brash action. Instead, he made a multitude of preparations on a deserted island, refining talismans and pills, etching formation disks, and baking black donkey’s hooves.
Memories of the two-headed zombie from the North Sea dragon tomb were still fresh in his mind. There would certainly be no shortage of such zombies in the skydragon tomb. As a spirit realm cultivator, he wasn’t the most reassured that he could deal with a tomb that buried an existence beyond the dao immortal realm.
Therefore, he had to wait. Once the tomb was forced open and the local immortals swept away some of the obstacles within, that’d be his cue to enter.
Another seven days passed and Canghai Chengkong sent another message: the formation outside the skydragon tomb had been broken!
However, the different clans interested in the tomb paid a heavy price for this accomplishment. Three dao immortals, more than ten peak peerless immortals, and many more lesser immortals had died.
The casualties weighed heavily on everyone. They’d lost three dao immortals before even entering the tomb! This mission was proving to be far more dangerous than they’d expected.
However, there was no backing down now that the tomb entrance was open.
The princes made their move as well. Their target: the North Sea court!
According to the informants they’d planted beforehand, Beigong Chonglou, first prince of the North Sea, was nursing severe injuries. He was staying behind to direct operations instead of entering the tomb himself.
Only three dao immortals remained to hold down the fort; all the others had entered the tomb with the monster spirit emperor. In an extremely short time frame, elites scattered all across the North Sea were recalled and vanished into the tomb.
……
The North Sea court was located right at the heart of the imperial sea, above an underwater mountain range. The collection of extravagant palaces spanned two hundred and fifty kilometers.
This was where the palace of the North Sea dragons had been. After the blackwater snakes destroyed the clan, they’d taken it over and turned it into a palace for the monster spirit court. The formations within remained unchanged, however. Just as the architecture was a legacy of the ancient dragons, so were the formations, and both held certain weaknesses. The juba clan had sold that information to the blackwater snakes, which led to the ancient dragons’ downfall.
The openings had been something neither the ancient dragons nor the present monster spirits could fix.
Within the grand collection of palaces, the enormous formation that’d lain dormant for years was circulating slowly, forming a golden light barrier that protected the premises. This was when the court was at its most vulnerable, and when its defenses were at their highest.
Lu Yun and the others made their way to the outskirts of the palace.
“What should we do?” The princes stared darkly at the formation operating at full power, and involuntarily shifted their gazes to Lu Yun. After all, he was a formation master who could set up formations without foundations.
“Let’s not worry about whether we can break through the formation or not. Just attack it first!” A grin split Lu Yun’s face. “The palaces span only two hundred and fifty kilometers, but there are many more subspaces in the area. We may not be able to find Beigong Chonglou even if we break the formation, so let’s just launch a frontal attack and lure him out!”
Such was his plan. It would be easy enough to destroy the formation, but not nearly as easy to locate Beigong Chonglou. The weaknesses of the formation would be revealed under the light of the Formation Orb, but there were too many subspaces within. Once the formation broke, Beigong Chonglou could easily make his getaway.
“Attack, Hongxiu!” exclaimed the transformed Deaf Prince when he heard Lu Yun’s plan.
In her altered appearance, the servant manifested a snow-white sword and brought it down on the formation. The peerless immortals serving the other five princes joined in, as did Beigong Yu.
Bam!
The concerted attack of seven peerless immortals crashed into the defensive formation, but the defense set up by the ancient dragons didn’t waver at all.
“Who dares attack the North Sea Palace?!” A voice hectored from the palace before a human face manifested on the light barrier of the formation. It was Beigong Chonglou, staying behind to command the court; the attack on the formation had alerted him immediately.
Since it’d been an attack from mere peerless immortals, however, he was furious, but not worried.
Bam!
A beam of sword energy slammed into his face as soon as it emerged, causing a slight ripple.
“That bastard has such thick skin that I can’t break it!” Lin Yan cursed as green sword energy flashed from his hand.
“Bastards! How dare mere human cultivators stir up trouble in the North Sea Palace?!” Beigong Chonglou raged when he got a good look at the intruders.
“Hehehe, we wasted quite a bit of resources on Levitating Island. Although it’s been destroyed, you disgusting worms are the real culprits here. We aren’t going to miss the chance to get back at you, are we now?” Bai Qi cackled and conjured up waste matter to smear all over the light barrier. They were underwater and surrounded by water, but he somehow managed to make the feces and urine from unknown creatures stick to the formation.
“You court death!!” Beigong Chonglou snarled in response. “Guards, take down these human clowns!”
Bam!
The formation opened up to permit a group of monster spirits in black armor to march out.
“You call that an army? You shouldn’t have left the safety of your turtle shell.” A cold glint flashed through Hongxiu’s face. Her sword morphed into eighteen strands of kaleidoscopic energy and arced at the army of a thousand august immortals.
Their blood turned the seawater red, the soldiers dead before they could even get into formation.
“North Sea bottom feeders, you’d better stay put, if you know what’s good for you.” Lu Yun leered viciously, his tone dripping with malice. “Once we have our fun, we’ll leave. If you dare send any more people out, though, we’ll kill as many who come.”
