Chapter 983 Crossing the Gate

A month later, Ji An and his companions crossed the stormy sea, with Wu Yue Sanren by his side, and they arrived at a sea area that he had never set foot in before.

When others learned that he possessed a beast taming skill at the Three Flowers Realm level, they were extremely envious and advised the Five Mountains Hermit to have many offspring.

Wu Yue Sanren understood that these people wanted him to be their stud, so of course he was unwilling and could only politely decline. From then on, he tried his best to deal with the other three.

The sea was calm and the sky was clear and blue, but the seawater was a gloomy black.

Ji An frowned slightly. This place was actually a land devoid of spirits. The feeling he got after entering this area was the same as when he entered the Desert Devoid of Spirits back then.

Yunmiao Sanren slowed down his flight and said:

"This sea area is a desolate place, devoid of spiritual energy and even life. If we fly forward for about 100,000 miles, we will reach the entrance to the Vast Sea Realm."

Ji An asked:

"The ocean is vast, how do we locate the entrance? Do we rely on the sun, moon and stars in the sky?"

The methods of cultivators are beyond the comprehension of science in the previous world, but they do not have a global positioning system like Beidou, so the deviation in their positioning should be relatively large.

However, cultivators at the Three Flowers Realm can fly extremely fast, and can arrive quickly even if they are several thousand miles away from the destination.

The information he received did not mention the entrance to the Vast Ocean Realm; he had originally thought it was somewhere near the sea.

Yunmiao Sanren explained:

"The stars can only provide direction; the entrance to the Vast Ocean Realm is in the center of a line connecting several small islands."

This is not surprising, but the islands are constantly shifting in location and are located underwater, only emerging from the sea when the entrance is about to appear.

In fact, no cultivator can accurately pinpoint the location of the entrance to the Vast Sea Realm; everyone can only determine a general area based on information from predecessors.

Xuan Shuang Sanren chuckled and replied:

"The scene when the Vast Ocean Realm appears will be magnificent, and Fellow Daoist Xuanqing will surely be greatly shocked at that time."

Both Queyue Sanren and Yunmiao Sanren looked on in agreement, their eyes revealing a hint of anticipation.

"Then I shall wait and see."

Ji An and the others maintained their formation and flew forward slowly. They had reached the target area and now they needed to search carefully.

Fortunately, the entrance appeared with great fanfare, and could be found within a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles, so there was no need to worry about not being able to find it.

Here, they would occasionally see other teams, all of whom were cultivators at the Three Flowers Realm. Cultivators at the Nascent Soul level didn't dare to come; those with lower cultivation were just insects to be crushed at will.

When they encounter familiar cultivators, the team will go up and exchange a few pleasantries, and make it clear that if they meet in the Vast Sea Realm, they should get along peacefully.

Others also reached an agreement with certain teams to meet up a month before the entrance to the Vast Ocean Realm disappeared and leave together.

Besides cultivators, Ji An also encountered a considerable number of Buddhist and demonic cultivators.

The monks wore ochre-yellow robes with red and gold brocade over them, each surrounded by a radiant glow.

The demonic cultivators' attire varied, mostly consisting of black or gray robes. When they flew away, either black clouds or blood clouds rolled, accompanied by decadent or ear-piercing demonic sounds. They were clearly not respectable.

Ji An even saw a 'familiar face'—the White Bone Sect cultivator he had met once on Chang Geng Star. They must be from the same sect.

Clearly, the other person had also seen him, and provocatively ran his finger across his neck, revealing a cruel smile.

Ji An narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking that once he entered the Vast Ocean Realm, he would definitely seize the opportunity to deal with the other party if he had the chance.

He actually fished for him back then, and given what he just did, the other party is already courting death.

While maintaining his flight, Xuan Shuang Sanren gave instructions:

"After the appearance of the Vast Ocean Realm, the exit will not disappear but will always exist. Some teams will choose to leave early if they have a good harvest."

The entrance is not peaceful; it may be attacked by cultivators from both the Vast Ocean Realm and the Purple Star.

Therefore, many teams will unite to help each other in the future.

She paused speaking and transmitted her voice:

"Apart from the team members, no one else can be trusted too much. There have been instances where a team suffered significant casualties during their departure, allowing unscrupulous individuals to take advantage of the situation."

When they left last time, they witnessed the fall of several cultivators. Some were hunted down before they left, while others were never seen again after leaving the Vast Ocean Realm.

Ji An nodded and conveyed his opinion telepathically:

'This humble Taoist knows that I will remain extremely vigilant until I return to Starfish City.'

In his view, the most tragic thing was not dying in battle, but being ambushed and killed on the way back after having gained a great deal.

Two months later, Ji An, who was flying through the air, raised his hand, turned it around, and shouted:

"Please pause, everyone. I sense something unusual; there is a yin-yang energy coming from that direction."

The aura was extremely faint, almost nonexistent. If he hadn't been extremely sensitive to yin and yang energies, he might have easily overlooked it.

"really?"

Yunmiao Sanren asked with burning eyes, somewhat suspicious. In terms of cultivation, she was already at the late stage of the Three Flowers Realm, but she did not sense the aura the other party was talking about.

Although she didn't sense any aura, she knew that the burst of Yin and Yang energy was a sign that the entrance was about to appear.

The sooner you enter the Vast Ocean Realm, the more advantageous you will be. When the entrance connecting the two worlds appears, the cultivators of the Vast Ocean Realm will not have time to make arrangements.

Due to the random nature of the entrance, cultivators in the Vast Ocean Realm do not know where the entrance will appear in the world.

Xuan Shuang Sanren and Que Yue Sanren also looked on with questioning eyes. The long search had left everyone somewhat exhausted. In this sea area, not only did their mana drain faster, but their mental fatigue also accumulated particularly quickly.

Ji An nodded firmly, "Come with me."

He controlled the input of magical power, propelling himself forward with golden light, while the others followed closely behind.

A moment later, everyone felt the aura of Yin and Yang power, and spiritual energy appeared in this lifeless sea area.

Suddenly, Ji An saw the scene that others had described as incredibly shocking.

In the distance, a water column of unknown thickness rose from the sea, resembling a giant dragon soaring into the sky.

It reminded him of a line from a song from his past life: 'Flowing backwards into the seabed of the sky.'

After the water column reached a certain height, it suddenly disappeared, and at that moment, a huge light blue spot appeared in the sky.

He felt the stone tortoise fly out of his dantian, greedily absorbing the yin and yang energy, its Daoist aura constantly increasing, and at a considerable speed.

All of this made him ecstatic; even if he didn't get anything good from the Vast Ocean Realm, the trip was still worthwhile.

Yunmiao Sanren pointed to the spot of light and said urgently:

"Hurry up, that's the entrance to the Vast Ocean Realm. Within three years, the seawater from Ziwei Star will flow upwards into the Vast Ocean Realm. During this time, we can enter there, but we cannot leave the Vast Ocean Realm."

The situation will reverse in the next six months; the water in the Vast Ocean Realm will rise upwards and flow into the Purple Star. Only then will we be able to escape.

As she spoke, she summoned a magical artifact to protect her body and sped forward, instantly overtaking Ji An.

Ji An moved from the front to the back of the line, summoning his natal spirit treasure, which was enveloped in yellow spiritual light.

He then channeled his vital energy to condense a golden armor of light, which then disappeared beneath his skin.

The hand seals changed, releasing yin and yang energies to form another layer of defense. Black and white light covered the whole body and quickly merged with the skin.

The skin was slightly dark in color, and it was impossible to tell that a layer of defense had been added.

With just the power of his Qi and Blood Armor and defensive spells, Ji An's defensive capabilities are comparable to a high-grade fifth-tier defensive spirit treasure.

Every year, the stone tortoise spews forth pure spiritual energy to strengthen its primordial fire. It has been doing this for thousands of years. In terms of the depth of its qi and blood power, it is comparable to a cultivator at the late stage of the Three Flowers Realm who has cultivated body techniques.

The superior-grade Dao Seed, with its magical power exceeding the realm's limits, coupled with the enhancement of the Five Directions Flag, makes the defensive spells as powerful as ordinary-quality fifth-tier superior defensive spiritual treasures. This is a major source of confidence for Ji An as he ventures into the Vast Sea Realm.

As he got closer, he saw that three islands had indeed appeared near the water column.

The islands are quite large, each covering at least tens of thousands of acres, with rugged rocks covered with dark green aquatic plants.

They had passed through this area a few days ago, but found no trace of any islands.

The islands can be connected to form an equilateral triangle, with the water column located at the very center of the triangle, and its diameter appears to be about ten miles.

The seawater was boiling, and spiritual energy surged forth. A seven-colored rainbow stretched across the void, adorning this once desolate and lifeless sea area.

Ji An felt the concentration of spiritual energy constantly rising, and by the time they flew to the vicinity of the water column, it had reached the fifth level.

He tried to fly upwards, but after flying a hundred feet, he could not continue and hit an invisible ceiling.

Others had already pointed this out, but he still tried it out himself.

At this moment, the entire sea area was stirred up, and whirlpools began to form beneath the water droplets, with the roar of the water echoing throughout the heavens and the earth.

Yunmiao Sanren transmitted his voice to everyone, "Prepare your defenses. Once the concentration of spiritual energy stops increasing, we will enter the water column and follow the water flow into the Vast Sea Realm."

Once inside, our first priority is to ensure safety; we will then regroup at the area where the water receded.

The sound of the seawater flowing backwards is no different from the sound of a waterfall falling from the sky. There is also a special vibrational force in the sound. Even if two people are half a foot apart, they cannot hear each other and can only communicate by transmitting their voices.

The water current will carry cultivators into the Vast Sea Realm, but the location will vary, and crossing the boundary gate will be like taking a random teleportation array.

However, the teleportation range is only about 100,000 miles, so there's no need to worry about not being able to reunite. As long as we can deal with some ill-intentioned cultivators, that's fine.

At this time, everyone is calling on their friends and companions, and very few people will directly engage in combat.

Ji An nodded slightly, his mind connecting with the stone tortoise. Seeing that he had accumulated more than 600 points of Daoist energy, a smile appeared on his lips.

While waiting, we saw a few other cultivators flying towards us, and more people were probably on their way.

The cultivators from different teams maintained a certain distance from each other, and everyone was on high alert.

After a short while, the concentration of spiritual energy should have reached the fifth-order top-grade level. At this point, everything became stable, the agitation of the spiritual energy gradually subsided, and the sound waves transmitted by the reverse-flowing seawater also rapidly weakened.

Ji An discovered that the stone tortoise had returned to his dantian. He exhaled a breath of yin-yang spiritual energy and injected it into his primordial fire, causing the intensity of the spiritual fire to surge dramatically.

The lightning patterns on the surface of the bones shimmered, with flashes of electricity appearing and disappearing, sending waves of tingling sensation through the body.

He felt that his qi and blood power had been significantly enhanced, by at least 20%, equivalent to the result of four or five hundred years of arduous cultivation.

Not only that, but their spiritual power was also nourished, increasing by about 10%.

At his level, it's practically impossible for anyone else to achieve such a significant improvement in one go.

Yunmiao Sanren shouted, "Everyone, let's go in together!"

If everyone enters from the same location at the same time, theoretically their 'teleportation points' will not be too far apart.

Ji An activated the Five Elements Flag, and the yellow spiritual light surrounding his body quickly transformed into yin and yang spiritual light. He gave a word of instruction:

"Five Sacred Mountains, be careful to protect yourselves."

After saying that, he and the others rushed into the water.

The Yin-Yang spiritual light was immediately compressed, as if the person had been naked and had been placed thousands of feet deep in the ocean, their bones groaning under the unbearable weight.

The biting cold enveloped him, and his body felt numb.

This was nothing like ordinary seawater; it was practically refined Yin water. He felt as if his very soul had been frozen.

He had heard Yunmiao Sanren talk about this situation before, so he calmly activated his qi and blood, and warm currents flowed into his frozen limbs, quickly dissipating the coldness.

He looked around and found that everyone else had vanished without a trace.

The force of the water flow was so strong that all he could do was drift with the current, waiting to cross the boundary gate.

He didn't know if the actual speed of the water flow was too slow, or if his divine sense was severely interfered with, but time seemed to drag on endlessly, and he had the illusion that each day felt like a year.

Ji An didn't know how much time had passed when he felt a dazzling light above his head. He quickly realized that his body was being swallowed up by a powerful attraction, and his mind went blank for a moment.

After a dizzying, spinning sensation, Ji An felt his body being thrown out of control and away from the water.

As his senses gradually returned to normal, he saw a vast expanse of azure water and a rainbow stretching across the sky.

In the distance, a waterfall cascades down from the sky, like a jade belt hanging high. Without a doubt, that is where the seawater of the Purple Star enters.

He looked around warily, and finding no one else in sight, he activated his golden light and flew away.

The roaring water sounded like ten thousand horses galloping, and the rich spiritual energy was rising. He felt that the concentration of spiritual energy here had reached the fifth level.

Ji An flew to the place where the waterfall fell, only to find that his teammates had not yet arrived, and Wuyue Sanren could not come either.

Having sensed the integrity of the blood pact representing the Five-Colored Deer, he felt slightly relieved.

The blood pact did not send any warning signals, indicating that the other party was at least safe for the time being.

While keeping his eyes and ears open, he also focused his mind on the stone tortoise to see how much of this unexpected fortune he had made.

[Master: Ji An]

[Taoist Rhyme: Yin 2489.6, Yang 2456.8]

[Spiritual clues: Kan (坎) spirit 256.8, Gen (艮) spirit 277.4, Zhen (震) spirit 219.9, Xun (巽) spirit 214.2, Kun (坤) spirit 242.6, Qian (乾) spirit 262.4, Dui (兑) spirit 252.3, Li (离) spirit 208.6]

[Spell: Golden Light Across the Earth (Perfect 76%)]

Ji An was overjoyed; this gain was far greater than witnessing other cultivators break through to the Three Flowers Realm.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately issued the order:

"Refine the Dao essence to enhance the grade of the golden light that rises from the ground."

If his flight technique is strong enough, he will have complete control of the battle, and the danger of this operation will be greatly reduced.

(End of this chapter)