Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 678: Chapter 386: First Visit to the Outer Sea_3

Yet even so, no one had anticipated that Chen Mu could make the Master of Xue Yin Tower return without success!

What an existence the Master of Xue Yin Tower was, a peak of the Blood Exchange Realm that spanned nearly a hundred years, far surpassing the half-competent Yuwen Hao. He was the closest to a “Celestial Human” being and practiced the path of assassination. One could almost say that the Master of Xue Yin Tower was the most terrifying Blood Exchange expert beneath the Celestial Humans!

For Chen Mu to survive the assassination attempt by the Master of Xue Yin Tower and even manage a full retreat was enough to astonish anyone, but Chen Mu not only achieved these, he also directly repelled the Master of Xue Yin Tower, forcing him to return without accomplishing his goal!

Although,

the Master of Xue Yin Tower was not adept at direct confrontation, excelling rather in covert assassination. Once an assassination failed, he generally had no advantage over most of those in the Blood Exchange Realm in direct combat. But the premise was that one could withstand his murderous assault unscathed and unharmed!

Although today’s Master of the tower was unknown which generation he belonged to, across the centuries, countless Blood Exchange experts have fallen at the hands of successive Masters of Xue Yin Tower, and the number killed by the Masters was almost comparable to the Celestial Humans.

But Chen Mu did not die!

Not only did he not die, but he also escaped unharmed and even directly repelled the Master of Xue Yin Tower.

Each of these states was a fundamentally different level of power. To directly repel the Master of Xue Yin Tower meant that Chen Mu’s current strength was on par with most of the present-day Blood Exchange experts!

This was indeed an inconceivable feat.

It is known that throughout history, the Qiankun Grandmasters are indeed recognized as the foremost under the heavens, unmatched amongst the Grandmasters. A few could exchange blows with those freshly entering the Blood Exchange Realm, but none reached the level of Chen Mu, which was almost beyond comprehension.

But no matter how shocking it was to the world, Chen Mu, having left Yu County, did not look back. After concealing his aura, he even took to the underground, traveling through subterranean paths, heading east for tens of thousands of miles, finally arriving at the coast of the Eastern Sea!

The sea embraces all streams; the wind stirs the clouds!

This was Chen Mu’s first encounter with the ocean since arriving in this world. In his previous life, he had gazed at the sea countless times, but those memories had since become blurry. Now, as he returned to this vast shoreline, his nearly forgotten memories were also awakened.

Along the endless coastline, the waves surged, crashing against the shore, striking the rugged rocks, and exploding with a sound like thunder, resounding continuously.

“Outer Sea…”

Chen Mu gazed out at the vast sea, and after a brief moment of reminiscence, his expression soon turned scrutinous.

Although the changes were subtle, he could still faintly perceive a difference—that the Power of Heaven and Earth above the Outer Sea seemed slightly more profound than in the Cold North, which was also the reason for the ceaseless tumult of the sea waves.

Despite the sea breeze not being particularly fierce, it was endlessly turbulent. According to his knowledge, the Outer Sea was perennially stormy with giant waves; even massive ships dared not venture beyond a hundred miles from shore. The area within a few tens of miles off the coast was essentially the limit for fishermen’s survival.

Further out,

the sky changed unpredictably, with sudden fierce winds and towering waves.

Ships could hardly navigate, and only experts at the Five Viscera Realm or even the Six Viscera Realm could move unhindered through the water, travel along the seabed, and thus explore the fringe of the Outer Sea.

Yet even so, exploring the Outer Sea was extremely dangerous for those in the Five Viscera Realm, for beyond a hundred miles off the coast, the seabed, rich in resources, was also a breeding ground for numerous demons, making the Outer Sea nearly a paradise for demonic beings.

Fifth Rank and even Sixth Rank Great Demons were common in the deep sea, a chance encounter almost inevitable.

Therefore, if someone from the Five Viscera Realm ventured into the Outer Sea to explore, it was extremely perilous. Encountering one or two Fifth Rank demons was manageable, but facing a swarm of Fifth Rank demons or even Sixth Rank Great Demons, even the elite of the Five Viscera experts from the major Sects would meet their demise.

Only by stepping into the Six Viscera Realm, where one could survive long-term underwater and basically fear no Fifth Rank or even Sixth Rank Great Demons, could they escape, however roughly, and be deemed initially qualified to explore the Outer Sea.

After all,

those Seventh Rank Demon Kings that posed a threat to the Six Viscera Realm were not commonly found even in the Outer Sea.

Although the Outer Sea was so perilous, according to Chen Mu’s knowledge, there were still humans living there, even quite a few, because it contained continuous groups of islands, scattered like stars, extremely intricate.

Moreover, as the islands were nearly isolated from the world, it was difficult for anyone beneath the Six Viscera Realm or even a Grandmaster to cross between them. Thus, many large islands each constituted an independent territory, extremely numerous, and to call them a stand of hundreds of nations was no exaggeration!

But even so,

there was still order in the Outer Sea.

Although there were hundreds of islands and numerous nations, the largest of these maritime countries was no match for a single province of Da Xuan, and collectively, they were far less extensive than the territories of Da Xuan. Contrary to Da Xuan where the Imperial Court and numerous Sects prevailed, the Outer Sea was completely opposite, ruled by three Great Sect forces—Vast Ocean Pavilion, Pure Sea Palace, and Tingchao Cliff.

These three Great Sect forces, with long and distant lineages, possibly dating back thousands of years, even exceeded the history of the Da Xuan Dynasty. It was said that when Da Xuan Martial Emperor Ji Hao conquered the Ninety-Nine States, he also wanted to bring the hundreds of nations in the Outer Sea under his rule. However, he was thwarted by these three forces and ultimately gave up on the endeavor.

In comparison to the Da Xuan Ninety-Nine States, which were dominated by the Imperial Court with numerous Sects scattered throughout, the Outer Sea was the complete opposite, governed by three Great Sects under which the hundreds of nations paid tribute, a situation created by the unique environmental conditions of the Outer Sea.