The places Wu Tao walked past, lacking in spiritual energy and treasures, had not been severely damaged by cultivators.
Compared to other places, the scenery within the Sea God's Ruins was indeed peculiar. As a secret realm established in the deep sea, it contained many wonders not found outside.
A strong wind swept across the land, carrying with it clouds of blue seaweed that danced and fluttered, landing on Wu Tao's nose and face.
The warm, slightly ticklish sensation suddenly reminded Wu Tao of his carefree and happy childhood.
The thick killing intent that originally emanated from Wu Tao, unable to be concealed, lessened slightly due to his current mood.
Flowers and plants swayed, and sea insects swarmed. This vibrant scene actually caused Wu Tao's originally firm Dao heart to waver slightly.
Just then, a sea snake crawled out from the dense foliage and stopped before him.
In the next moment, the ground rippled, and a giant sea scorpion suddenly appeared, piercing the sea snake's body and dragging it underground.
Seeing this, Wu Tao's heart turned cold. Where in this world was there absolute good or evil? It was all for survival.
What was beneficial to oneself was good, and what was not was evil.
Even if Wu Tao's hands were stained with over a thousand lives, so what? Those who obeyed him prospered, and those who defied him perished.
...
Half an hour later.
"Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!"
A sudden sound caught Wu Tao's attention. His gaze narrowed as he looked in the direction of the sound. Through his divine sense, Wu Tao knew who was approaching.
An Zhengyi, an inner disciple of the Han Shui True Spirit Sect, one of the Twelve Great Water Lords.
"Damn it, trouble. How should I deal with this guy..."
While he was contemplating, An Zhengyi's figure had already appeared before Wu Tao.
Looking at Wu Tao, An Qisheng said nothing and attacked directly.
With each step, An Zhengyi's fist intent surged through the sky, overwhelmingly dominant.
His aura was like that of an emperor of dragons, his intent fierce.
An Qisheng cultivated water-attribute techniques, one of the Twelve Orthodox Laws of the East Sea, the Myriad Dragon Emperor Art!
A hundred-zhang golden true dragon moved, carrying terrifying might, and swooped down!
"Dragon's Overlord Fist!"
Hundreds of meters of wind and thunder followed in the air, drawing in countless spiritual energies. Lightning bolts danced within this golden dragon.
The dragon's roar was fierce, a true dragon traversing the world, its blood ancient and powerful.
...
"Impressive!"
The terrifying might of the attack made even Wu Tao, his enemy, involuntarily exclaim in admiration.
Over the past two to three years, he had assimilated part of the ancient sword cultivation inheritance and the desolate ancient Buddhist Dao inheritance he possessed. Although his cultivation base had not undergone earth-shattering changes, his combat power had become even stronger.
He didn't know how strong others were.
But he knew how strong he himself was.
Wu Tao, holding a broken ancient sword, stood against the wind amidst the raging gale and thunder.
His eyes, without fear, gazed at the hundred-zhang golden true dragon conjured before him, his gaze filled only with hostility, an indescribable aura of dominance rising within him.
With a swipe of the broken ancient sword, a vast, soaring sword energy shot out, its sharpness tearing through the void.
A world-shattering collision had already begun between Wu Tao and An Zhengyi.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ripples spread through the void, and terrifying, fierce air currents swept through the surroundings.
"Excellent swordsmanship. You actually shattered my Dragon's Overlord Fist so easily."
An Zhengyi laughed heartily, his fighting spirit intensifying.
An Zhengyi had experienced hundreds of battles, large and small. His combat experience was so rich that few of the younger generation could compare. When he encountered a worthy opponent, infinite interest and fighting spirit were ignited within him.
"It is indeed excellent swordsmanship. How about another move!"
Wu Tao shouted and raised his sword, inviting a challenge.
"Good, let's go again!" An Zhengyi roared like thunder. He formed a mudra with his hands, his disheveled hair flying wildly behind him, exuding a dominant aura.
"Myriad Dragon Emperor Art - Pseudo Divine Ability Myriad Dragons Returning to the Nest!"
A hundred dragons appeared simultaneously, dancing wildly and pouncing. The dragon roars were vast and mighty, like clouds descending from the heavens, suppressing the rolling thunder.
Wu Tao held his sword, and the sword's hum grew louder. The grand momentum of the sword Dao manifested, and a cold glint flickered at the sword's tip.
The sword was the king of a hundred weapons, and the sword's hum was the sound of slaughter.
Mind moved, body moved, sword moved. Wu Tao, relying on his majestic sword momentum, unleashed a sword energy that surpassed his own limits.
This sword energy carried a captivating beauty and unparalleled destructive power.
For a moment, the heavens and earth were filled with scattered streams of light. The sword energy collided with the true dragons, and the residual shockwaves of the battle spread dozens of feet, affecting a wide area.
Countless seabed rocks were shattered by the sound waves and air currents, dust filled the air and shot up into the sky!
The might was indescribable.
This was the collision of prodigies, the clash between the young top experts of the immortal cultivation world!
...
After thirty moves, Wu Tao looked at his tattered clothes, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Attack with seven parts of your strength, reserve three! Go all out, An Zhengyi. Let me see the demeanor of the foremost prodigy of the East Sea's younger generation, one of the Twelve Great Water Lords."
"Good, as you wish!" An Zhengyi's spirit soared, appearing brimming with fighting spirit.
"The Way of the Sword, the sword emerges and engulfs heaven and earth." Wu Tao struck first, slashing out.
"Clang!"
The broken ancient sword hung in the air, as if carrying the might of heaven. The sword hum sounded again, and sword energy instantly soared into the sky. Sword intent pervaded the air, filled with chilling killing intent. When it attacked, it carried a powerful oppressive feeling, as if heaven and earth were collapsing.
This was the supreme sword move that Wu Tao had cultivated for many years in the sword Dao.
"The Pinnacle of Swordsmanship - Sword Suppressing All!"
...
A chilling coldness, like needle pricks, surged. An Zhengyi suddenly erupted with a desperate aura. It was a terrifying momentum of fighting with no thought of survival, putting oneself in mortal peril to find a way to live.
Only by fighting for one's life!
"Myriad Dragon Emperor Art - Myriad Dragons Devouring Heaven and Earth!"
An Zhengyi's fist struck empty air, sweeping across the four directions. Hundreds, even thousands, of golden dragons appeared like a torrential downpour, roaring and charging towards Wu Tao.
In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains trembled, and tidal waves churned...
At this moment.
Amidst the swirling dust and smoke, a hearty and wild laugh rang out: "Hahaha, refreshing, truly refreshing!"
On his tall figure, his clothes were tattered, and his body was covered in wounds, yet An Zhengyi laughed heartily.
A man's heroic spirit was displayed to its fullest.
On the other side, Wu Tao's face was as pale as paper, appearing greatly weakened. However, the supreme sword intent emanating from him had become even more solidified.
...
After a day and a night, Wu Tao and An Zhengyi had fought to a stalemate, both injured. If they continued fighting, a victor and a loser would undoubtedly emerge.
However, both of them understood the principle of "when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits." Therefore, neither Wu Tao nor An Zhengyi intended to continue fighting.
Finally, Wu Tao and An Zhengyi parted ways.
What is a Pseudo Divine Ability?
A pseudo divine ability is when a spell is cultivated to its extreme, but due to one's realm and lack of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, it has not yet become a true divine ability.
Few cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage can cultivate such pseudo divine abilities.
At least, even someone as powerful as Wu Tao currently was had not cultivated even a single pseudo divine ability.
The Dream Sea Abyss was the center of the Sea God's Ruins. It contained a rare, large-scale spiritual脉, which nourished countless rare treasures, spiritual beasts, strange demons, and exotic insects not found elsewhere. It also held many inheritances from the ancient era.
The Dream Sea Abyss was the most essential core of the Sea God's Ruins.
...
Another ten-plus days passed. After everyone had gathered.
Following several days of discussion and negotiation by the elite inner disciples leading the Taiyi Immortal Sect, the Heavenly Demon Sect, and the Han Shui True Spirit Sect, it was decided that the cultivators from the Taiyi Immortal Sect, the Heavenly Demon Sect, and the Han Shui True Spirit Sect would enter the Dream Sea Abyss one by one in an orderly queue.
This way, under everyone's supervision, there would be no backstabbing, no disputes, and no other accidents or unpleasant events.
Upon entering the Dream Sea Abyss, Wu Tao immediately felt the surrounding space begin to distort. He could see nothing, perceive nothing, rendering him a true blind man with his eyes open.
Then, an extremely powerful and inescapable gravitational pull sucked him in.
An unknown amount of time passed...
Wu Tao appeared in a vast expanse of deep-sea water. After casting a water-repelling spell, he slowly descended to the bottom of a deep-sea beach.
The bottom of the deep-sea beach was a wondrous and colorful, complex world.
Around the deep-sea beach, there were not only strangely shaped fish swimming everywhere, but also all sorts of seaweed, and beautiful, enchanting coral trees. Occasionally, the roars and growls of sea monsters could be heard.
This deep-sea region was incredibly vast. Wu Tao had been walking for five to six hours, and he still had not seen any obvious edges.
Along the way, sudden attacks from sea monsters were countless, such as crocodile-mountain turtles, golden giant crabs, sword-blood mad fish, top-headed divine whales, steel-silver claw shrimp, black and white sea snakes, and wave-flipping mussel spirits, among others.
Just before, a white-blood giant-toothed shark, as large as a small mountain, had lunged at Wu Tao with its bloody maw open. If Wu Tao had not reacted quickly, dodged in time, and then struck first with his sword, he would have been caught.
In the end, this white-blood giant-toothed shark monster had its head severed by Wu Tao's sword. This was also the first time he had drawn his sword in this deep-sea area, which showed how powerful the white-blood giant-toothed shark monster was.
...
Huh?
Stepping on a red coral, Wu Tao retracted his leaning body and turned to look at a deep pit thousands of meters away.
A broken immortal saber stood in the pit.
This immortal saber was only a little over seven feet long, as if cast from stone. The hilt and the blade were of the same color, forming a single piece. Although there were no signs of rust or holes, it was broken in the middle.
Wu Tao's eyes lit up. This half-broken saber emitted a faint spiritual energy fluctuation, which ordinary magic artifacts did not possess. He was certain.