Chapter 132: Rampant Monsters, The True Identity of Little Zi

The coastal region to the south of the Great Qi Dynasty had always been an uninhabited wasteland. Though it was officially marked as part of the Great Qi territory, this was merely a formality; since other dynasties could not claim it, the founding emperor of the Great Qi simply annexed it into the map.

In those days, Emperor Gaozu of Qi had dispatched an army southward, which eventually reached the ocean. However, by the time they returned, nearly half the soldiers had perished, having encountered countless monsters and malevolent spirits along the way. This event was treated as a taboo and never discussed in the imperial court.

The imperial family did not want the common folk to know that the cultivation of immortality truly existed, as it would undermine the divine authority of the throne. Myths were acceptable, but they had to remain ethereal and intangible; they could never be perceived as reality.

Hearing Zhao Zhen recount these things, Fang Wang could not help but reflect on the importance of one's perception. With his limited understanding in his youth, he had believed the Great Qi to be the center of the world, never realizing how small it truly was.

One evening, Fang Wang and Fang Hanyu reached the coast. Fang Hanyu produced a ship, five zhang in length, featuring a small two-story pavilion on its deck. According to him, it was a high-grade magical artifact. Since the trend of venturing south in search of immortal destiny had emerged among the seven dynasties, such artifacts had become mass-produced, though they remained expensive—costing even more than flight-capable artifacts of the same grade.

Fang Wang stepped onto the magical ship with Xiao Zi, and he retired to the second floor alone to meditate and practice his techniques. Xiao Zi summoned Zhao Zhen to help steer the ship; after a brief instruction from Fang Hanyu, Zhao Zhen grasped the task. As the ship set sail, Fang Hanyu sat on the deck to begin his own training. Zhao Zhen felt no sense of enslavement; on the contrary, he found steering the ship quite interesting.

Sunset turned to moonrise. The ocean was silent, devoid even of the sound of waves. Fang Wang stepped out of the pavilion and stood on the balcony to admire the moonlight on the sea. The high, bright moon appeared larger than it did on land, as if it might fall at any moment.

"The bright moon rises above the sea, bringing us together under the vast sky."

Fang Wang could not help but sigh, causing Fang Hanyu, Xiao Zi, and Zhao Zhen to look back. Fang Hanyu couldn't help but ask, "By the way, what is the meaning of the scriptures on the bottom of the Seal of the Six Harmonies and Eight Desolations? Is it some sort of supreme technique?"

Fang Wang stretched and laughed, "Nothing special, just a bit of mystification."

The text carved on the bottom of the Seal was Laozi’s *Tao Te Ching*. When he forged the Seal, he had wanted it to grow massive, ideally enough to shroud the sky and block the sun. Once it grew, the bottom would be revealed, and having profound, inscrutable characters would only add to its imposing presence. As it turned out, that was exactly what happened. During the Battle of Tianding Mountain, cultivators from various sects had memorized passages of the *Tao Te Ching*, and some had even begun to study them, all convinced that the text contained some form of supreme technique or sealing method.

"What do you plan to do once we find Master’s cave dwelling?" Fang Wang asked.

Fang Hanyu replied, "My talent is not as great as yours; naturally, I cannot spend my time in bitter seclusion like you. I must go out and find my own opportunities. I intend to walk the path of a sword cultivator. Senior Brother Ting Song once mentioned that there is a sea region where the spirit of the sword is extremely vibrant. I intend to venture there."

Fang Wang certainly wouldn't discourage him. Everyone had their own path to follow. Even with Zhou Xue, a reincarnated soul, by his side, he still wanted to carve out his own destiny. Fang Hanyu also possessed the heart of the strong and even desired to compete with Fang Wang one day.

The brothers continued to chat, enjoying the rare scenery of the moonlit night, occasionally reminiscing about their childhood, with Xiao Zi chiming in from time to time, filling the ship with laughter.

The night deepened. The magical ship traveled a thousand miles a day—not fast, but not slow either. Since it was their first time at sea, they proceeded with caution. The first few days were peaceful; they encountered no powerful monsters or other cultivators. The vast, boundless ocean seemed to contain only their ship, with not even an island in sight.

On the tenth day at sea, "Look!"

Xiao Zi shrieked, prompting Fang Wang and Fang Hanyu to open their eyes and look. Zhao Zhen’s eyes widened in disbelief.

At the edge of the eastern horizon, a colossal creature appeared, moving like a mountain. Upon closer inspection, it was a giant black-furred elephant. Its body alone towered five hundred zhang above the water, and its two long, curved tusks were at least three hundred zhang in length—an absurd sight.

Most crucially, its limbs were submerged in the deep water, hidden from view.

"What level of monster is this?" Zhao Zhen asked, unable to help himself.

Xiao Zi replied, "I don't know, but it is definitely the strongest monster I have ever seen."

No sooner had the words left its mouth than a powerful divine sense swept over them, causing Fang Hanyu to spring to his feet, fearing an attack. Fang Wang also stepped out of the pavilion, gazing into the distance at the massive beast.

The black-furred elephant cast a glance in their direction but took no action. Even so, that single look exerted immense pressure on Fang Hanyu, Xiao Zi, and Zhao Zhen. Fortunately, the elephant was traveling in a different direction, and before long, it vanished into the horizon.

Xiao Zi breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang Hanyu remarked, "The sea is truly dangerous. It’s fortunate that these monsters are not as aggressive as those on land."

Zhao Zhen chuckled mockingly, "That’s not necessarily true. It’s just because there is a stronger presence among us. Do you think it was looking at us? No, it was looking at the Master."

As soon as he spoke, Fang Hanyu and Xiao Zi turned to look at Fang Wang, noticing that his body was wreathed in wisps of white aura. Fang Wang immediately suppressed his Tiangang acupoints, and his blood flow returned to normal. He said calmly, "That monster is very powerful; I fear it is even stronger than the Carefree Immortal. We were lucky—such monsters should be rare, or else ninety percent of the cultivators heading south would have perished."

Fang Hanyu found this logical, yet he felt even more curious about Fang Wang's true strength. It appeared that Fang Wang had not even used his full power when dealing with the Carefree Immortal. To think such a terrifying monster was scared off by Fang Wang...

The ship continued on, heading in the direction Fang Wang indicated. Using the Yellow Character Sword Sovereign Order, Fang Wang predicted they had another month of travel ahead. However, along the way, monsters appeared from time to time, and they were generally not weak. Yet, wary of Fang Wang's aura, they would watch for a while before retreating.

Seven days later, a demonic bird with a wingspan of a hundred zhang swept across the sky. Its body was like a fish, its wings like an eagle's, and its tail like a lion's. With every flap of its wings, a fierce gale stirred.

This time, Fang Hanyu could not sit still and immediately called for Fang Wang.

Fang Wang stepped onto the deck, his black robes fluttering in the sea breeze. He looked into the distance, feeling the demonic aura from all directions growing increasingly heavy. This suggested that the monsters they had encountered earlier were merely scouts, and a large number of them were now surrounding the ship from beneath the sea.

"Could it be that there is something on the ship attracting them?" Zhao Zhen speculated.

Fang Wang first thought of himself. Could it be that the blood energy of his Tiangang Saint Body was too potent? That didn't seem right; the stronger he was, the less the weaker monsters dared to approach.

Fang Wang suddenly looked at Xiao Zi.

Fang Hanyu and Zhao Zhen followed his gaze. Xiao Zi was lying on the railing, blinking its snake eyes, looking innocent.

"Young Master, what do you mean by that? You don't think I'm the one attracting them, do you?" Xiao Zi asked, feeling aggrieved.

Fang Wang did not answer, just staring steadily at Xiao Zi. All along, he had felt that Xiao Zi was no ordinary creature. It was immune to poison, unafraid of malevolent spirits, could consume the flesh and blood of monsters to grow stronger rapidly, and possessed many spells from the Great Sage's Cave Heaven. Moreover, this fellow had yet to take human form...

No matter how one looked at it, Xiao Zi did not seem like a common snake monster.

Xiao Zi, feeling unnerved by Fang Wang's gaze, jumped onto his shoulder and rubbed its head against his face, acting coy. "Young Master, it really isn't me. I don't know why so many monsters are closing in..."

Fang Wang caught it, held it in front of his face, and asked, "Are you certain you stumbled into the Great Sage's Cave Heaven by accident? And those malevolent spirits—why did they only capture you and not kill you?"

Xiao Zi widened its snake eyes and muttered, "I'm sure... I think... that seems to be how it happened..."

The more it spoke, the less confident it sounded.

Fang Wang could not help but roll his eyes, and Fang Hanyu and Zhao Zhen were also astonished. Could it be that all these monsters were truly coming for Xiao Zi? Come to think of it, they also felt that this snake monster was strange. They had never seen such a snake; not only was its strength unfathomable, but its personality was far too lively for a creature that hadn't taken human form—it was almost as if someone had possessed a snake’s body.

Under Fang Wang's piercing gaze, Xiao Zi sighed, "Fine, I admit it. I don't remember anything from before I started cultivating. I just encountered so many monsters and cultivators who had accidentally fallen into the Great Sage's Cave Heaven that I assumed I had done the same..."

"Then why did you make it sound so convincing?" Fang Wang asked coldly.

Xiao Zi whimpered, "If I didn't make it sound convincing, I was afraid you'd kill me. Young Master, you're so ruthless—that sword strike from back then still hurts..."

Fang Wang was speechless.

Xiao Zi hurriedly added, "Young Master, I really don't know why they are targeting me. I don't even know my own origins... Please don't be angry!"

Having spent so many years together, they had formed a bond, and Fang Wang was not truly angry; he was simply curious about Xiao Zi's true origins. Now that he thought about it, he had encountered an artifact spirit in the Falling Heaven Secret Realm, but not in the Great Sage's Cave Heaven. Thinking carefully, besides himself bringing living creatures out, he had never heard of any other cultivators bringing monsters out from within.

Could it be...

The look in Fang Wang's eyes changed, causing Xiao Zi to tremble.

"Young Master, don't kill me! Xiao Zi will be good; I won't lie to you ever again..." Xiao Zi’s voice was filled with tears.

Zhao Zhen, who had long been bullied by Xiao Zi, wore an expression of schadenfreude.

Fang Wang released it and said, "Then try to recall carefully and see if you can remember anything."

Fang Hanyu walked to the side of the ship, gazing into the distance. "Fang Wang, at this rate, we will inevitably fall into a trap."

Fang Wang was not panicked. He said calmly, "The resources needed for adventuring on the sea are surely abundant. We can just kill these monsters to obtain their cores and polish our combat skills in the process. Hanyu, you aren't afraid, are you?"

"Afraid? How could I be!"

Fang Hanyu drew his sword, his fighting spirit soaring.

Zhao Zhen asked, "Should we strike first?"

Fang Wang replied, "With a formation like this, there must be a leader behind these monsters. Rather than wasting spiritual energy, it is better to wait for it to show itself. Once we kill it, the predicament will naturally be resolved."