"First legacy trial by fire, failed," said Night slowly, giving Naruto a deep look. Its voice echoed out throughout the entire Demon Immortal Sect.
Naruto smiled indifferently, apparently not concerned at all. Success or failure didn't matter, as long as he got to try. What was the point of asking any questions? After all, he had eternal qualifications to participate in this legacy trial by fire.
This time he didn't succeed, but the next time, a few hundred years from now… who was to say that he would fail again?
Most importantly, he had discovered his path to Spirit Severing. Naruto was sure that by shrinking his Cultivation base, by combining everything into one, Spirit Severing would be right in front of him.
"Your path to Spirit Severing has opened," said Muku to Naruto, his voice low. "When your Cultivation base is completely consolidated, then you can transform it into a Severing blade. You'll either live, and sever out your Domain, or die, and sever your life."
Naruto nodded. He had already come to understand this. That was definitely his path to Spirit Severing. Grind and polish his Cultivation base down until it became an illusory blade. After that blade appeared, he could begin the Severing.
The difference between life and death all lay in that blade!
"What Cultivators cultivate is both life and death," said Naruto. "I've walked such a path for a long time. Living or dying doesn't really matter. Life's a journey; the places you go, the things you see, those are the most important things. Live without regrets." He laughed, his eyes shining brightly.
A look of admiration appeared in Muku's eyes, and he also laughed.
"You've already found your path," he said. With that, he waved his arm, causing a green wind to spring up. It picked up Naruto and began to carry him out of the Demon Immortal Sect. "Time to leave. When father gave his approval of you, you became my little brother. I, too, was moved by your Dao. Perhaps one day in the future, the two of us will meet again in the starry sky!
"I hope that when that day arrives, you will have already reached Immortal Ascension!" Even as Muku's voice echoed about, Naruto was carried by the green wind far away from the Demon Immortal Sect.
At the same time, Muku's gaze came to fall upon Tsukino, who still stood off in the distance.
Tsukino immediately clasped hands and bowed.
"I am Tsukino of the younger generation of the Demon Immortal Sect. Greetings, Patriarch Muku."
"We'll be old friends from now on," said Muku. "Demon Immortal Body…. With people like you, I can feel good about the Demon Immortal Sect." As he looked at her, his eyes seemed to fill with reminiscence. It was impossible to tell who he was thinking about, but he sighed and then waved a sleeve. A jade slip flew out toward Tsukino, which she quickly grabbed. Then, the green wind picked her up and, along with Naruto, she began to be carried away.
"Place that object in your Sect's Ancestral Hall," said Muku coolly, "and have the disciples prostrate to it. It can stave off extermination for ten thousand years."
Naruto and Tsukino continued to speed away within the green wind.
Naruto looked back at Muku, and couldn't help but think back to all of the things that had happened since he arrived in the Demon Immortal Sect.
"Seal up the Demon Immortal Sect," said Muku, his voice echoing out. "Destiny has already been severed, now we adjourn for a few centuries…." Naruto watched him as he sat down gloomily cross-legged on the fourth of true spirit Night's horns.
At the same time, true spirit Night gave Naruto a deep look. Then, its enormous head began to sink down. Its eyes slowly closed, and by the time the head sank down completely… the seven horns rose up above the land!
Endless amounts of dust flew about. It was almost like time was running in reverse. Everything returned to its original position. In the blink of an eye, the seven horns grew thick and bulky, and were soon seven mountain peaks once again!
There were corpses on the mountain peaks just like before, not one more or less than before. The restrictive spells were in place just like before. It was like nothing had changed at all. The lands below also returned to how they were before. In moments, everything looked exactly as it had when Naruto first arrived.
Muku sat cross-legged atop the Fourth Peak. His back was to Naruto; he was facing an area just outside the Seventh Peak, the location of Mui's tomb….
Boom!
Naruto felt as if he had just slammed into an invisible wall. As he sank into it, everything went black. When he came to, he was outside the Demon Immortal Sect.
He glanced back, and the Demon Immortal Sect looked hazy. Just barely visible were countless illusory figures, hustling and bustling about.
Naruto said nothing. Tsukino had emerged along with him, and when she looked back, her expression was one of pain and complex emotions as she looked at the illusory Demon Immortal Sect.
Countless tiny fragments of rock and stone suddenly flew out to surround Naruto and Tsukino, quickly transforming into a new river of stars. Naruto was still gazing at the Demon Immortal Sect when a tremor ran through the whole river of stars, and it began to carry him and Tsukino away. It rolled out like a bolt of white silk.
Naruto said nothing as the Demon Immortal Sect drew farther and farther away. Tsukino likewise maintained her silence. They got farther and farther away until soon, the Bridge of Immortal Treading became visible among the stars.
"I need to go," said Tsukino suddenly. She looked at Naruto.
He turned to look at her. "Take care of yourself on your journey."
Their eyes met, and Tsukino gave a warm smile.
"Thank you. My promise to you hasn't changed. I truly believe that one day in the future, we will meet again. I look forward to finding out where we will meet, under what circumstances, or, perhaps I should say… in what identity." Although she smiled, a flicker of farewell could be seen in her eyes.
With a final deep look at him, Tsukino slapped her bag of holding. A person flew out from inside. It was a woman, her features beautiful, obviously quite young. This was none other than the Holy Daughter of the Five Poisons Tribe, Tsume.
Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't moving. There were still signs of life detectable, but she was obviously in a state of dormancy. From the ripples of her Cultivation base, it was obvious that she was… of the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage.
"This girl and I are connected by destiny," said Tsukino lightly. "I possessed her fleshly body that year, but I didn't destroy her soul. I promised her that when it was time to part, I would bestow her with the good fortune of a great circle Nascent Soul Cultivation base.
"By the time I acquired the Demon Immortal Body, I had already returned her body to her. Would you mind taking her back to the lands of Lands of Ninshu with you?"
Naruto looked at Tsume, then back at Tsukino. He nodded.
With a final look at Naruto, Tsukino turned and then flew out from the river of stars. As she emerged out into the starry sky, a glow appeared beneath her feet that turned into a flying shuttle.
The flying shuttle was surrounded by swirling lights as it rapidly expanded to a size of nearly three hundred meters. Demonic Chakra pulsed off of it in ripples, distorting the images of the stars and causing ghost images to spring up.
She turned to look back at him and said, "Okay little Naruto, I'm gonna take off now. Don't miss me too much! Of course, if you really miss me, then once you have the ability to fly through the stars, then come to Planet East Victory. Who's to say whether or not I might let you have some alone time with me?" She laughed. Right now, she seemed to have returned to the way she was when Naruto met her for the first time.
Seductive as silk, eyes charming and amorous, she smiled and then transformed into a beam of light which shot off into the distance.
Naruto smiled and shook his head. For the most part, he and Tsukino were partners in cooperation. However, after everything that had happened in the Demon Immortal Sect, gradually they had become friends.
He looked away from her retreating figure and then sat down cross-legged on a nearby stone fragment. Tsume's eyes were still closed as she lay next to him, slumbering. The two of them remained in the river of stars as it shot through the starry sky. Soon, everything became quiet.
Naruto stared out at the endless stars, and soon, a look of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
"Cultivation. Immortal Ascension. Flying among the stars…. It's all a journey. If I can leave the lands of Lands of Ninshu and enter the starry sky, my journey would be even more wonderful.
"At that time, Planet Lands of Ninshu would only be a bit of scenery along my way." Suddenly, Naruto smiled.
"My gains in the Demon Immortal Sect were tremendous!" he thought. He looked down at his bag of holding.
"Mountain Consuming Incantation, Nine Heavens Destruction, Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal…. Plus there's the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao. All of these divine abilities are there in my mind, as well as quite a few other minor arts.
"In addition, I have a good collection of lost treasures from the Demon Immortal Sect, as well as Kidomaru's bags of holding. Most important of all is the sword tip from that Wooden Time Sword!" When the thought of the sword tip, his heart palpitated with eagerness.
"That sword tip has 30,000 years of Time power. If I actually used it, it wouldn't truly be 30,000 years, but it would still be shocking." He rubbed his bag of holding, his eyes gleaming brightly.
"And then, there's the precious treasure from the Fourth Plane, the continental mirror! There are countless magical items stored inside, as well as Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, and the shadows of those three Paragons!
"The continental mirror is a precious treasure of true spirit Night. Taking it away was what awakened Night. Considering how valuable Night considered the treasure to be, well, it only serves to prove that my copper mirror has a mysterious origin." When he thought about the transformation the copper mirror had experienced, he once again had the feeling that his gains in this adventure had been exceeding.
"All the acquisitions will surely attract quite a bit of prying. All the other remaining Lands of Ninshu Cultivators are cruel and unscrupulous, and definitely have ill intentions. Their Sects and Clans will quickly learn about everything that happened." His eyes flickered.
"As for how much all those people owe me, if you add it together, it's more than ten million Spirit Stones! Which means that, right now, the main thing I'm lacking… is Spirit Stones!" He gave a cold harumph, but then thought to the debt pledges he had, and a brilliant smile appeared on his face.
"The debtor must repay his debts; that is in line with the principles of Heaven and Earth! They can't escape that fact! Although, to be the most safe, I can't stay in the Black Lands or the Western Desert." As he sat there thoughtfully, many thoughts raced through his head.
Time passed. Naruto sat there cross-legged, looking at the river of stars and the starry sky. Soon, he caught sight of a dot of light that was none other than Planet Lands of Ninshu.
At the same time, he saw that, revolving around planet Lands of Ninshu was a shocking altar.
As soon as he caught sight of the altar, he got a clear sense of a cold, gloomy aura. The aura swept toward him, but was blocked by the river of stars, and could not reach him.
As the river of stars neared Planet Lands of Ninshu, Naruto stood up. He stared at Lands of Ninshu as it rapidly neared. Soon, he could see the lands below. He saw the Milky Way Sea, the Southern Domain and the Western Desert.
As they shot downward, Tsume slowly began to regain consciousness. Before she could open her eyes, Naruto leaped up, shooting out from within the river of stars into the highest levels of the sky above Lands of Ninshu. Then, he transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.
There was a lot of pressure at such high altitude, but Naruto had been able to deal with the pressure at the 18,000 meter mark in the trial by fire of Lord Asura's legacy. This pressure was nothing he would care about. He moved at incredible speed and quickly disappeared.
The river of stars began to rumble as it carried the confused Tsume down toward the lands below. As Naruto sped off into the distance, a cold, hoarse voice suddenly could be heard, accompanied by a slight chuckle.
"The pup from all those years ago has already grown up! His realm of Perfection really is perfect. I've been waiting for a long time…. It wasn't in vain that I covered your tracks before to confuse the Hebi Clan. Child, the time has come to present your Perfect stratum to me."
As soon as the voice rang out, the winds and clouds ceased moving. Not another sound could be heard!
The river of stars continued to rumble through the air, taking Tsume with it as it headed toward the land. Her eyes were wide open now, and just barely, she could make out the image of an old man wearing a long, white robe. He hovered in mid-air, his hair floating around him, his face ancient and filled with wrinkles. It was impossible to tell how old he was, but he looked as if he had just climbed out of a tomb.
A sense of putrefaction surrounded him, like the air that surrounded a person who had reached their end days but wasn't willing to take the final steps to the end. Instead, he would do something completely shocking.
However, he did not seem to be possessed of a flesh and blood body, but rather, was semi-transparent.
Even as Tsume noticed these things, she lost consciousness again, then disappeared along with the river of stars.
Naruto was currently speeding along, when suddenly his body began to shake. The air around him seemed to solidify, as if all of Heaven and Earth, the whole world, had transformed into a cage. He was like a cornered beast within that cage, struggling, but unable to extricate himself.
It was at this time that the cold voice rang out in his ears, filled with a sense of rot and decay. His face fell as a sense of grave crisis exploded out in him unlike anything he had experienced from the day he was born until now.
"This isn't Spirit Severing!" Rumbling filled his mind, and then spread out to the rest of his body. Cold sweat began to pour down him. Without hesitation, he directly entered the Ninth Anima!
Boom!
His Cultivation base exploded up. Although it only had eight portions of Cultivation base, each one of those portions had been compressed and refined to the pinnacle, which created a frightening aura.
Boom!
His hair floated up around him as his Cultivation base radiated out. His energy shot up to the sky, and the intense power of his fleshly body was unleashed to its very pinnacle.
Things weren't over!
He performed an incantation gesture, causing the Mountain Consuming Incantation to appear. An enormous rumbling could be heard around him as the illusory image of an enormous mountain appeared. The illusion twisted and distorted as it suddenly expanded outward.
Next, he slapped his bag of holding, causing around ten magical items to appear. Each one of these items were incredible treasures that he had acquired in the Demon Immortal Sect. He valued them greatly, but in this moment of deadly crisis, he had no time to think about the pain of losing them. He produced them without hesitation and then roared.
"Detonate!" It caused Naruto's heart to bleed to say such a word, but he had no other choice.
All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in a very short moment.
An illusory hand appeared out of nowhere off in the distance. It was semi-transparent, and was filled with glowing lights. It seemed to contain a great Dao of Heaven and Earth that was in accord with natural law. As soon as the hand appeared, everything grew dark, making the hand the only focus of attention.
The hand neared, gently slapping toward Naruto!
As it got close, Naruto detonated the ten Demon Immortal Sect treasures. A boom rattled out that seemed capable of splitting Heaven and Earth. Everything shook, and distorted ripples appeared in all directions. It seemed almost as if the world couldn't handle the destructive force unleashed by the explosion.
Boom!
The cage around Naruto was now riddled with cracks. The explosion of the ten magical items also caused the incoming hand to pause slightly.
A cold "eee!" could be heard, and the hand passed by in a flash. The destructive force of the explosion dissipated, and it was in that brief moment that Naruto, stuck in this seemingly hopeless situation, grabbed at a chance for life.
"Dao Seeking! This is a Dao Seeking Cultivator!" Naruto's heart began to pound and fill with bitterness. A Dao Seeking expert was something higher than him by more than an entire stage. Dao Seeking experts were rare, almighty figures in the lands of Lands of Ninshu!
As far as Naruto could remember, he had never provoked anyone like that before. From what the voice had just said now, this person was clearly not a member of the Hebi Clan!
"Who is he?!" Naruto knew that the greater the danger he was in, the more he needed to remain calm. Eyes glittering, he took advantage of the cracks appearing in the cage to employ the greatest speed he could muster. He instantly transformed into the wind of the roc, along with a green smoke that contained a black moon. In the blink of an eye, he bored out through one of the cracks and shot off into the distance. He moved so quickly that he didn't even have time to look back.
Even as he broke out from the cage, the giant hand shot in pursuit. It destroyed the cage, as well as the destructive powers of the ten valuable treasures he had detonated. Then it slammed into the illusory mountain.
BANG!
The illusory mountain collapsed into pieces, which showered out in all directions. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth, and cracking sounds could be heard. It seemed as if his body was on the verge of being destroyed.
The hand seemed almost leisurely in its strike. It smashed through the illusory mountain, and then casually headed toward Naruto's back.
Even as the hand neared, Naruto lifted his head up and cried, "Agarwood!"
Booming could be heard as an otherworldly power approached. However, for some reason, when it was about halfway, it seemed to hesitate. During that moment, the huge hand closed in.
Naruto did nothing to try to control the Agarwood. The blood-colored mask flew out of his bag of holding, rapidly growing larger until it covered his whole body, helping to block against the giant hand.
A howl could be heard from within the blood-colored mask, and a bloody glow rose up. The mastiff flew out, and as the hand neared, it, together with the mask, protected Naruto's back. The mastiff didn't even have time to turn around to look at its Master's back.
Boom!
The instant the hand slammed into the mastiff, it exploded, transforming into countless red strands that shot back into the blood-colored mask.
A massive rumbling could be heard as the Blood Immortal mask was sent spinning backward. It merged into Naruto's body, which trembled severely.
"Blood Mastiff!" roared Naruto, his eyes bloodshot. In that instant, he could sense that the mastiff's blood had formed back together inside the mask, turning into a much smaller Blood Mastiff.
The double protection temporarily resolved his crisis. However, blood still sprayed from his mouth, and his internal organs were shattered into pieces. His life aura was diminishing, and he tumbled off into the distance like a kite with its string cut.
His eyes were filled with dense veins of blood, and an unprecedented level of hatred suddenly rose up within him.
Severe pain coursed through him, and he had the intense sensation that he was being ripped into shreds. His skin was lacerated and torn in multiple locations; it made it seem as if in the following breath, his entire person would fall apart!
A second "eee?" sound could be heard, echoing out in Heaven and Earth. Suddenly, the parrot and the meat jelly flew out from inside Naruto's bag of holding.
The parrot clutched onto Naruto's shoulder, a look of unprecedented anxiety on its face. "Dammit, bitch! Dammit! This guy's a step away from being a false Immortal! Even if he's just a clone, he's still at Dao Seeking. Meat jelly, you slut, why haven't you saved Naruto yet!?" The meat jelly was trembling all over. However, it quickly spread out to cover Naruto, causing his collapsing flesh to solidify.
An ancient, hoarse voice could suddenly be heard coming from the void. "I am Madara. Back when you were in Foundation Establishment, I decided to make you my Dao seed, to accomplish my Dao, to allow me experience what it was like for the great ancestor to steal a foundation.
"Do you… really think you can escape?" There was something else in the voice; it contained bizarre fluctuations that seemed to conform to the natural laws of Heaven and Earth.
As the voice spoke, the hand faded away. However, it became clear again only a breath later, and when it did, it was behind Naruto. The hand formed into a claw that swiped at Naruto from the back.
"I saved you out outside of the Rebirth Cave," the voice said, speaking neither quickly nor slowly. "When the Hebi Clan was after you, I helped. And then there was all the commotion you caused in the Demon Immortal Sect. After you returned, I took the liberty of wiping out traces of your aura so that no one would know that you have returned.
"All of that was because… a time would come for you to pay me back. And that time… is now." As the voice continued to speak, the sense of putrefaction continued to grow clearer.
"Four Perfect stages. The Perfect Foundation… is the basis for Immortal Ascension. It would be a waste on you, so… it belongs to me."
The hand continued to grab toward Naruto. No matter how the parrot and Naruto sped away, it was impossible to escape the gravitational force that they felt wrapping around them. Naruto's body trembled, and then he clearly senses something on himself that caused the gravitational force to loosen. It almost seemed as if the force would leave him automatically!
In this critical moment, the parrot and meat jelly were going crazy. Naruto once again urgently said, "Agarwood! What about your promise to me!?"
As the words echoed out, everything grew quiet. Suddenly, a rumbling spread out as an otherworldly power neared.
Boom!
The power slammed into the hand that was grasping toward Naruto. The hand instantly shook, and any connection it had to Naruto was severed. Naruto coughed up a mouthful of blood, and yet instead of fleeing, he turned around, his eyes bright red.
Fleeing like that wasn't something he was willing to do!
This was his first time to turn around during the entire encounter. He saw the hand that had been attacked by the power of the Agarwood. Rays of light circulated around, forming into the figure of a man who seemed to be stepping out of nothing. He wore a long white robe, and was very old.
Naruto had no recollection of ever seeing this man before, and was quite certain that they had never met.
Madara had been enveloped by the mysterious power of the Agarwood. It was as if he had been imprisoned. His body floated there in mid air, alternating between blurry and semi-transparent. It was a very strange sight.
"Why do you have to resist?" he said hoarsely, looking at Naruto. He seemed as if he didn't even notice the power of the Agarwood.
Naruto didn't reply, but his right hand slapped his bag of holding to produce a bronze alcohol flagon. He raised his head up to take a large mouthful, then spit it out. Alcohol Chakra spread out, and suddenly, an azure bronze Immortal's sword appeared in his hand.
This sword was from Han Shan, and contained Sword Chakra that was like a song!
Killing intent raged in Naruto's eyes. He raised his right hand and, without hesitation, struck out with the sword.
The Sword Chakra appeared, shaking Heaven and Earth, causing everything to shake. The sky dimmed as uncountable amounts of Sword Chakra poured out of the azure bronze sword. As the sword descended, the Sword Chakra rumbled, transforming into a three thousand meter waterfall which shot from up above down toward Madara.
Madara's pupils constricted, the first change in his facial expression!
Even the Agarwood hadn't moved him. His eyes flickered, and as the Sword Chakra neared, he suddenly spoke.
"The great ancestor once said that rain… is born in the Heavens and dies in the Earth. The passage between those two places is its entire life…." As the voice rang out, Madara waved his right hand softly out in front of him, as if he was sweeping away some rain.
"Call the Wind, Summon the Rain…."
"Whose entire life, bitch?" said Naruto, his killing intent boiling. The Sword Chakra descended, slashing down toward Madara, who was currently enveloped by the power of the Agarwood.
Rumbling climbed up into the sky as the Sword Chakra neared. However, it was then that a black wind suddenly sprung up around Madara. The wind rapidly condensed into a shocking black dragon.
The black dragon opened its mouth and a roaring wind emerged that fought back against the power of the Agarwood. The cage appeared to be instantly diffused; at the same time, drops of rain appeared out of nowhere. More and more appeared, transforming into a rain that filled the entire sky and then shot toward the Sword Chakra.
A massive boom could be heard that shook everything. Blood poured out of Naruto's mouth, and he fell back. Without looking back to see what had happened, he retrieved the teleportation jade slip that he had acquired from Patriarch Reliance that year, and squeezed it between his fingers.
The jade slip had been on the verge of shattering years ago. Strangely, though, after not having used it for so long, it had slowly repaired itself, and was now much more solid.
Glittering light spread out. Because of the current level of Naruto's Cultivation base, the time needed to activate the teleportation power was much less. It only took the space of seven or eight breaths to succeed, and then he began to teleport away.
After Naruto disappeared, the roaring and booming in the area faded away. Madara slowly moved forward, his body gradually becoming more blurry, and occasionally glittering with light. A huge gash could be seen stretching from his head all the way down through the rest of his body, splitting him entirely in half. He seemed to be forcing the two halves to remain together.
He didn't seem to recognize any sort of pain as he watched Naruto disappearing. His eyes glittered with a mysterious light, and he smiled. Because his body had been split in two, however, the smile looked exceedingly savage and horrible.
"I underestimated you, child. It turns out you have a real precious treasure….
"However, you can't evade me." Even as he smiled that horrific smile, Madara's body grew completely blurry. Gradually, it turned into a wisp of aura, which then dissipated into the surroundings.
At the same time, in the mountains of the Uchiha Clan in the Southern Domain, Madara's true self lay in a coffin in the tomb underneath the 10th mountain. His eyes opened.
A strange light glowed within as he looked up at the cliffs stretching up above him. He began to chuckle hoarsely.
"If it weren't for the fact that I used my true self's power to interfere with the Hebi Clan and hide that child's Perfect foundation, they definitely would have noticed him. At some point throughout the years, they would surely have tracked him down him and stolen him away. If I had been there as my true self just now, I would have succeeded.
"However, the Perfect Dao foundation has matured, and is ripe for the plucking. Even though I still can't venture out with my true self, a clone will still do the trick. That Sword Chakra was obviously gifted by an outsider. How many times can he use it? Perhaps he's already reached the point where he can't." Madara shook his head and smiled. A ghost image suddenly appeared over him. In the blink of an eye, an illusory body rose up to float in mid-air. As it grew clearer and clearer, it started to resemble Madara in all respects.
The clone's hand flickered in an incantation, and after a moment, he frowned.
"Near the Milky Way Sea….
"The Milky Way Sea is a restricted area for the Dao Seeking stage…." Madara's Clone hesitated for a moment. Then his expression returned to normal. His eyes flashed as he slowly began to grow blurry.
On the edge of the Western Desert, between the Violet Sea and the Milky Way Sea, was a border region that stretched farther than the eye could see. That border region was actually nothing more than a wall-like mass of soil. On one side, the water was violet, the other side, the water was blue, making the difference between the Violet Sea and the Milky Way Sea clearcut!
In a particular area in that border region, a huge black vortex suddenly appeared in mid-air. Naruto staggered out from the middle of the vortex, blood spraying from his mouth.
The blood was pitch-black, and filled with rot. Naruto's face was pale, and his entire body was covered by a thin membrane, which was nothing other than the meat jelly, helping him to prevent his body from completely exploding.
However, Naruto could still sense his body slowly decaying. The feeling of imminent death grew stronger and stronger.
"MADARA!" Monstrous killing intent boiled in Naruto's eyes. He gritted his teeth as more blood oozed out of his mouth. This was was virtually the worst injury he had ever sustained in all his years as a Cultivator.
"That bastard was just a step away from being a false Immortal," squawked the parrot angrily, flapping its wings. "How could he be so shameless! Bitch! He actually attacked you, Naruto! Dammit! Lord Fifth was viciously sealed that year, otherwise, it wouldn't matter that the bastard didn't have fur or feathers, I would have popped him anyway!"
"What's a false Immortal?" asked Naruto. His hand was pushed up against his chest as intense pain wracked his entire body. Gradually, a violet light appeared in his eyes as he drew upon his longevity to heal himself.
"False Immortals are low-lifes who can never experience the luck to reach Immortal Ascension!" raged the parrot. "They don't have their own Dao, and yet, they refuse to die. In their unyieldingness, they conform themselves to the Dao of another, and use that to become Immortal. That's a false Immortal!
"Some people would rather die than become a false Immortal who belongs to someone else. Others, in order to avoid death, will pay any price. The latter are basically betrayers of the Dao!
"In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the greatest of the false Immortals are the Hebi Clan. The Hebi Clan changed the Heavens, and their Immortals are all false Immortals, and also the strongest of all the false Immortals!
"Next are all the various Clans and Sects. After gaining enlightenment of the Daos of their ancestors, they trod the path of the false Immortal!" This time, the parrot didn't hold any information back.
Naruto silently considered all of this. He had come to find that the Violet Pupil Transformation was becoming less and less effective in healing himself, and didn't heal as quickly as before. Although it still worked, it was far, far too slow. His heart sank.
"Some people with high aspirations, those who truly strive after the Dao, who live in the morning and die in the evening, would rather acquire their own personal Dao. Such people can face death willingly.
"When people like that succeed, they are true Immortals!
"However, after the Hebi Clan changed the Heavens, true Immortals are seldom seen. Perhaps every thousand years, one might appear on any given planet. Only on the four great planets can the Dao be confirmed and Immortal Ascension achieved. Once someone reaches Immortal Ascension on a planet, then in the next thousand years, a second person may not. Therefore, to say that in ten thousand years in the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, a few dozen true Immortals appear, would be an overstatement.
"When you add in true Immortal Tribulation, the number of true Immortals who can survive in the four great planets won't exceed ten!" By this point in its speech, the parrot sounded grieved and indignant.
"True Immortal Tribulation?" asked Naruto. He sent his Divine Sense into the blood-colored mask. When he saw that the mastiff was there recovering, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Those who wish to search for their own Dao and become true Immortals must face it. Succeed, and it is inconsequential. Fail, and they perish to become a natural law of Heaven and Earth.
"Success mean ascension to being a true Immortal. Afterwards, when any Immortal Tribulation falls, that person will rise to prominence. Other than another true Immortal, no one else could possibly be a match." It was hard to tell what exactly the parrot was thinking, but all of a sudden, its tone was gloomy.
Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked at the parrot and then asked another question. "That 10th Madara said something about a Perfect Dao foundation. What did he mean?"
"You cultivate the Sublime Spirit Scripture. Although I don't understand too much about it, I do know that it's one of the three classic scriptures. If you cultivate it to completion, you will be a Sublime Spirit Doyen!
"However, the Perfect stratum lies only beneath Spirit Severing. That is, Chakra Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul, four stages. As for how to cultivate it after that, nobody knows except for past generations of Sublime Spirit Doyens.
"As for the Perfect Dao foundation, that is something that only those who cultivate the Sublime Spirit Scripture are qualified to have. Furthermore, anyone with such qualifications will have a much, much greater chance of reaching true Immortal Ascension.
"As far as false Immortals are concerned, if they can acquire your Dao foundation, then it means they would have another chance to make a choice! With enough experience and preparation, they might be able to change their path from that of false Immortal to the realm of the true Immortal!
"Most importantly, possessing a Perfect Dao foundation means that if you fail in true Immortal Ascension, then you won't perish! You can shed your Dao foundation and escape death that one time!"
After hearing this explanation, Naruto now understood everything that Madara had said.
He also understood why the Hebi Clan had virtually never come looking for him. Most likely, many threats that he didn't even know about had been resolved in secret by Madara.
He was like a Dao Protector. Except, his purpose in protecting Naruto was to steal his Dao foundation!
"What happens if my Dao foundation gets taken away?" asked Naruto slowly, a profound gleam swirling deep in his eyes.
The parrot thought for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "If a tower has no foundation, what happens?"
"It collapses," replied Naruto coolly. "It's unstable and is destroyed."
"The same would happen to you. If someone steals your Dao foundation, then you'll die."
"Naruto, get out of here!" cried the parrot anxiously. "That bastard definitely got away. From what he said, he set you up as a Dao seed long ago. Flee! Flee until you've grown up a bit more!
"As for your aura, the meat jelly can conceal it. If the Uchiha Patriarch finds you any time soon, it won't be a good thing!"
Naruto stood there silently, indescribable emotions stirring him into a somewhat vicious mood. Gradually, his lips twisted into a cold smile.
He knew that compared to Madara, he was nothing more than a bug. However, his heart still thumped with viciousness. Now that this matter had been raised, it would not fade away. Instead, it had turned into something like a seed.
It was like a seed that was buried deep in the recesses of his heart.
"I came to understand the law of the jungle a long time ago," Naruto muttered to himself. "One day, I will achieve my Dao, and Madara will die. If the Uchiha Clan gets in my way, then when I have my own great Dao…
"I will ensure that the Southern Domain has no more Uchiha Clan, ever!" Filled with determination, the viciousness in his heart once again surged.
He took a deep breath and looked around. Then, he looked off in the direction of the Milky Way Sea, his eyes glittering. He began to fly at top speed, healing himself at the same time.
Eventually, he reached the invisible wall that completely separated the Violet Sea and the Milky Way Sea. He slammed into it, and then pierced directly through it. A fishy, sea aroma filled the air. This… was the Milky Way Sea!
A boundless sea surged in all directions. Off in the distance, the sun was setting. In the glow of twilight, all that could be seen were beautiful waves and a deep orange glow.
"I need to be cautious in all matters, prepared for all contingencies…." He lifted up his hand, within which was the teleportation jade slip. It was definitely on the verge of shattering now. After a moment's hesitation, his eyes filled with determination and he pressed down. Based on his understanding from previous usage of the item, he could tell that the teleportation distance was determined by how much Cultivation base power was sent into it.
He pushed down hard and, a moment later, a black vortex appeared around him. He was sucked in, and then disappeared.
After he vanished, enough time passed for an incense stick to burn. Suddenly distortions appeared in the air in the position he had just left from. A moment later, the image of Madara emerged. He looked around and then frowned.
"Very crafty, child," he said coolly. "Your aura disappears from here. However, I've already determined that you are in the Milky Way Sea.
"You can't evade me. Your Perfect Dao foundation belongs to me. You may enjoy hiding yourself, but I will find you." With that, his body flickered, and he vanished.
The Milky Way Sea was located in the middle of the lands of Lands of Ninshu, splitting everything into two continents, one comprised of the Eastern Lands and the Northern Reaches, the other of the Southern Domain and the Western Desert.
The area taken up by the Milky Way Sea is huge, far greater than either of the two continents. If you compared it in size with the Southern Domain, the Milky Way Sea would be approximately five times as large.
Therefore, it was divided up into four sections called Rings. The part outside of the Four Rings was called the Outer Sea.
The boundless sea was constantly plagued with hurricanes that swept about, causing huge waves to spring up. Still, there were many islands to be found, some large, some small, which meant that there were Cultivators too.
Of course, sea beasts swam to and fro within the sea waters. Their flesh and blood were often prized by Cultivators, especially the sea beasts that were similar to Cultivators, and were called Sea Demons. Their Demon hearts were highly valuable. Even one Demon heart could emit spiritual energy similar to a mid-grade Spirit Stone.
For these and a variety of other reasons, the Milky Way Sea had been a destination for Cultivators for many years. People settled down, multiplied, expanded, and soon power structures emerged.
There were both strong and weak powers in the Milky Way Sea, and they were distributed amongst the various islands that dotted the surface of the waters. Most of the powers existed in the Fourth Ring. Only some very powerful Sects or Clans qualified to reside in the Third Ring.
Of course, there were many legends that passed from ear to ear in the Milky Way Sea. Many seemed unlikely, but at the same time, many people believed them to be true. It seemed that when anything changed in the Milky Way Sea, there were always people who would attribute it to something strange.
It was a vast sea that would never be peaceful and calm, but would always be brushed over by hurricanes. This… was the Milky Way Sea.
In the Outer Sea region of the Milky Way Sea, a ship approximately three hundred meters long was moving along at high speed.
At the prow of the ship, a middle-aged man was casually recounting some Milky Way Sea legends to some youngsters who were gathered around him.
"According to the legend, there is an ancient ship which can be seen in the Milky Way Sea. Anyone who sees that ship will receive great blessings…. They say that an old man sits cross-legged at its prow.
"He wears a dilapidated suit of armor, and his eyes are closed. He never moves…."
The youngsters looked very excited. Apparently, this was a story they could hear a hundred times, but never get tired of.
Water sprayed up from the surface of the sea, and high up above the ship, a silk flag snapped in the salty breeze. Embroidered on the flag was the word "Zhang," along with the representation of a flying sword. That indicated that this ship belonged to the Isobu Clan, a Cultivator Clan of the Milky Way Sea.
There were approximately fifty people on the ship, most of whom were fit and strong, but mortal. There were only a handful of Cultivators, all of whom sat cross-legged in meditation. The only one who didn't was the middle-aged man at the prow of the ship, who was in the late Foundation Establishment stage. He was the one telling stories to the younger generation Clan members.
"Our Isobu Clan's Patriarch saw that ship a few hundred years ago," he continued in a low voice, taking advantage of the situation to subtly influence the younger generation of the clan. "He received a blessing just as the legends say; he had a Cultivation base breakthrough, and became a Core Formation expert.
"It was for that reason that he was able to occupy an island in the Outer Sea, and establish our Isobu Clan as a local power. All of you need to remember this!"
Among the group of youngsters was a strapping young boy who instantly spoke up. "We know that story, Uncle Bansai!" he said. His tone pleading, he said, "Tell us about Saint's Island!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, some of the other children began to beg for the same thing.
The middle-aged man laughed silently, not quite sure of what to say. He was about to begin speaking, when suddenly he sensed something. He turned his head to look at the ship's quarterdeck, and saw a beautiful young woman emerging. She wore a nautical silk jacket and skirt, and was naturally beautiful, radiant, and enchanting. A slight smile could be seen on her face as she stepped out of the quarterdeck. However, despite the smile, it was impossible to cover up the anxiety and unease in her eyes.
Holding her hand was a child of six or seven years old, a boy. He had plump cheeks, and looked quite adorable. As for the young woman, her Cultivation base was at the great circle of Foundation Establishment.
"Greetings, Clan Leader!" said the middle-aged man respectfully. He clasped hands and bowed deeply.
The other youngsters around him also bowed to her.
"We're all fellow Clan members, there's no need for such politeness," said the young woman, laughing. "Yagura wanted to see the sun setting over the ocean, so I brought him out to have a look."
The boy next to the young woman looked at the middle-aged man with wide eyes and piped: "Uncle Bansai, did I just hear someone mention Saint's Island?"
The middle-aged man laughed, and a doting gleam appeared in his eyes. To him, all the hope of the Clan rested on the future of this boy.
"Ah, Saint's Island," said the man, smiling. "It's the number one island in the Fourth Ring, and its Footloose Sect is the number one Sect in the whole Fourth Ring!
"Saint's Island is very large, almost like a continent! It's far, far larger than our island. There is even a nation of mortals that exists there, called the Great Turtle Country.
"Because the Footloose Sect has a Spirit Severing Cultivator, it can strike awe into the hearts of all the other forces in the Fourth Ring. It has many Cultivators; Chakra Condensation and Foundation Establishment Cultivators are everywhere. There are even dozens of Core Formation Cultivators! And when it comes to Nascent Soul experts… they have seven!
"In the entire Fourth Ring, there isn't a single Sect or Clan who could possibly fight back against their power. The Footloose Sect is fully deserving to be regarded as the overlord of the Fourth Ring.
"You all know the reason we're going there. Therefore, when we arrive, all of you need to be very respectful. Young Master Yagura has the best latent talent of anyone born in recent years.
"The Footloose Sect is accepting disciples, which means that our Clan has an incredible opportunity!" As of this point, the man's eyes shone with anticipation.
"If Young Master Yagura can join the Footloose Sect, then with his latent talent, he'll definitely be able to reach Foundation Establishment. There would even be the possibility that in the future, he could reach Core Formation! Then, he could be just as heroic as our Clan Patriarch, all those years ago!
"When that happens, our Isobu Clan will once again be able to rise to prominence in the Outer Sea!" The middle-aged man's voice was filled with passion. The youngsters around him looked over with admiration and envy at the boy standing next to the young woman.
The young woman tousled his hair, and was about to say something when, suddenly, her expression flickered. In the same moment that she looked up, so did the middle-aged man.
From the middle of the ship, a man and a woman suddenly flew up into the air. Both of them looked to be about fifty years old, and had Cultivation bases in the late Foundation Establishment stage. They stood on flying swords, expressions of shock on their face as they looked up into the air.
Everything was quiet, and everyone on the boat looked on, stunned.
What they saw was a huge rift soundlessly open in mid-air. It rapidly turned into a pitch-black vortex, which rotated rapidly as it turned into a black hole.
A man staggered out, blood spraying from his mouth.
He had long gray hair, and wore a white, blood-stained robe. His aura was unstable, and his face was pale white. Of course, it was Naruto.
The parrot perched on his shoulder, and its disdainful gaze swept around the area.
As soon as Naruto appeared, his internal injuries once again exploded out, which was something he hadn't anticipated. The second teleportation had actually ripped open the old wounds, causing the injuries to become even worse.
He hovered in mid-air, looking down at the people on the ship and the various expressions on their faces. It didn't matter that he was currently injured, as soon as his gaze swept across them, their hearts began to tremble and pound. They felt as if they were being stared at by an ancient, wild beast.
"My injuries are too severe," he thought, looking away. "I need to quickly find somewhere to begin healing." Ignoring the people on the ship below, he took a deep breath, and was just about to force his Cultivation base to rotate so that he could move off into the distance.
On the ship, everyone stood around as mute as cicadas in winter. Except for the young woman.
"Senior, there's no need to leave!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt regret. When Naruto looked back at her, she trembled, but then forced herself to clasp hands and bow deeply.
"Senior," she went on, trembling, "you're seriously injured. If you're searching for a place to rest and heal, our ship has first-class cabins as well as some medicinal pills. If you'd like, you can always treat yourself here." She clenched her teeth, and her heart pounded with nervousness.
When they heard her words, the faces of the surrounding Foundation Establishment Cultivators, including the middle-aged man, all fell. They couldn't understand why the Clan Leader would do something like this. They wanted to do something to stop it, but didn't dare to open their mouths.
Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he paused in mid-air to look at the young woman.
When he looked in her eyes, the young woman felt as if all Heaven and Earth were roaring, and she began to tremble even harder.
"What place are you going to?" he said, retracting his gaze.
"Our humble Clan is going to Saint's Island in the Fourth Ring, so that my son can join the Footloose Sect." The young woman didn't dare to hide anything, and also spoke very respectfully. As of this point, the other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators had guessed what her purpose was. Although they continued to tremble inwardly, they also felt a bit of anticipation.
Naruto didn't know where exactly this Saint's Island was, nor did he understand the power structures and various regions of the Milky Way Sea. After a moment of thought, he nodded and then floated down onto the ship. The young woman respectfully guided him to a private cabin protected by a spell formation.
Naruto nodded, then sat down cross-legged. As he closed his eyes, the young woman respectfully made her exit.
As soon as she left, the parrot disapprovingly said, "Why did you pick this place? Don't tell me you've taken a liking to that young lady? She doesn't have much fur. I actually checked her out a few times earlier…."
"It doesn't matter where I hide in the Milky Way Sea, it's all the same," replied Naruto coolly. "Even if I'm at the bottom of the sea, once Madara detects my aura, he'll be able to find me. Since that's the case, I might as well hide here. Who knows, I might even gain some unexpected benefits." With that, he began to rotate his Cultivation base. Violet light gleamed underneath his eyelids as he began to treat his injuries.
Time passed by. On the morning of the second day, the young woman brought some local Milky Way Sea food products. She also gave him a jade slip that had information about Saint's Island, as well as a sea map of the surrounding areas.
The map was the most valuable thing to Naruto. Although it seemed simple, it had actually been produced by information gathered by successive generations of the Isobu Clan.
The young woman wasn't sure of Naruto's origins, but just to be safe, she gave him the map as a show of good faith.
Naruto took the jade slip, looked it over, and then smiled. The young woman instantly felt a bit more at ease. She reached up to pull a strand of hair back over her ear. Her features were naturally beautiful, but the mixture of anxiety and relief caused her to look even more entrancing. Suppressing her own excitement, she respectfully left.
Naruto watched her leave. Based on his experiences, the reason she had asked him to stay was because she had experienced grave danger in the past. Thus, she had taken the risk to call out to him.
He then focused his attention on the jade slip. "So the Milky Way Sea is divided into four Rings…. The area outside the Fourth Ring is called the Outer Sea.
"Saint's Island. Great Turtle Country. Footloose Sect." After a bit of time, he put the jade slip away and then continued to treat his injuries.
Time passed by slowly….
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
Naruto spent the entire time with eyes closed in meditation, treating his injuries. During the seven days, the injures gradually healed by about thirty percent. Unfortunately, his fleshly body still couldn't hold together without the help of the meat jelly. It still needed time to grow stable. However, the wounds were gradually fusing shut.
Every day, he would eat three meals of fruit, personally delivered by the young woman. She was always very respectful.
She even offered up some Spirit Stones. Whatever Naruto requested was provided in full, and all his questions about the Milky Way Sea were answered in detail.
In addition to healing himself, Naruto was able to gain quite an understanding about the area.
During the seven days, the surface of the Milky Way Sea was calm and quiet. The Zhang ship from the Outer Sea bravely proceeded onward as it had from the beginning. Of course, now that Naruto was on board, everyone was a bit more nervous than before. However, nothing untoward occurred.
As time passed and Naruto continued to stay in secluded meditation, the young woman gradually felt more at ease. Her previous cheerful and playful attitude returned. Occasionally, her laughter rang out, filled with a bit of childish naivety.
The other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the boat were as nervous as ever. They understood what the Clan Leader was thinking, but in their opinion, what she was doing was like asking a tiger for its own skin, expecting a bad person to act against his own interest. In their opinion, young people like her didn't understand the ruthlessness of the Cultivation world. On the other hand, the three of them, having practiced cultivation up to the level of Foundation Establishment, and having maintained the position of the Clan on their island in the Outer Sea, had experienced many situations of deadly crisis.
They well knew that in the Cultivation world, the law of the jungle prevailed, and danger was the norm. One bad thing could lead to complete destruction, and could even affect an entire Clan.
Naruto had randomly appeared out of a bizarre black hole. Although he was weak and severely injured, the look he had given them seven days ago had caused them to feel as if they were frozen dead in the middle of winter.
They had the intense sensation that if Naruto wanted to kill them, then it wouldn't matter if he was even more severely injured, they would all be destroyed.
Currently, all of three of them stood at the stern of the ship, frowning and giving voice to the same concerns.
"This matter with the Clan Leader… it's not wise!"
"That man was severely injured, and arrived via teleportation. From the look of things, he must but the subject of pursuit. If his pursuers catch up with him, it could bring about the destruction of all of us!"
"Ai! I know what the Clan Leader is thinking. This journey to Saint's Island is our last shot. If we succeed, we can strike some fear into the Vain Clan so that they don't dare to act recklessly."
"We can only hope that Yagura will fight to excel. Hopefully he can stick out in the Footloose Sect's competition for new disciples."
The three of them exchanged glances and then sighed lightly.
The Patriarch of the Isobu Clan had founded their island in the Outer Sea. However, after he passed away in meditation, they had been forced to tread as carefully as if walking on thin ice. Another Core Formation Cultivator hadn't appeared in the Clan, which meant that the island they occupied soon came to be eyed greedily by surrounding neighbors.
Were it not for the spell formation left in place by the Patriarch before he passed away, as well as the magical items and social connections he had made, then they would have long since lost their island and become an auxiliary Clan.
They had managed to hold on for a while, until finally a crisis loomed. The Vain Clan, who occupied a nearby island, had long since begun to glare at them like a tiger eyeing its prey. Slaughter had been on the verge of breaking out.
During that moment of critical danger, the Isobu Clan Leader, which was none other than the beautiful young woman, had made a difficult decision. She took all of her people and left the island in secret to deliver her son to the Footloose Sect.
If he became a disciple of the Footloose Sect, then his identity would be enough to intimidate anyone in the Outer Sea. It would protect the Isobu Clan for at least around a hundred years.
The three Foundation Establishment Cultivators continued to discuss matters.
"This whole thing is going to be very difficult…. There's no need to even mention that after arriving at Saint's Island, it's impossible to know if Yagura will be able to distinguish himself amongst the crowd and enter the Footloose Sect. Regardless of anything, our path is going to be one of extreme danger."
"That's right. Rumors will have spread, and the news leaked. The Vain Clan won't be willing to accept this…. We can only hope that they react too slowly. Hopefully we left early enough to seize a superior position and evade their pursuit."
"In addition to the Vain Clan, there are also the numerous sea beasts that roam between the Outer Sea and the Fourth Ring, not to mention the cruel rogue Cultivators. How could our path possibly be one of peace and security?"
"However, this really is our only chance…." The three once more sighed and then lapsed into silence. They understood what the Clan Leader was trying to do, and since she had already made her decision, there was no need to spend time worrying.
Who knew? Perhaps… inviting the wounded expert to stay with them might have some extraordinary outcome.
At the same time that the three of them were having their discussion, the Isobu Clan Leader, the young woman, stood at the prow of the boat, clasping her son's hand. She looked off into the sky up above, unable to conceal her expression of anxiety and unease.
"Our voyage will continue for three more days before we reach the Fourth Ring," she murmured. "After leaving the Outer Sea behind, then we really will have evaded the Vain Clan…." Although the Vain Clan was not weak, that was only when speaking in terms of the Outer Sea. In the Fourth Ring, they could be considered bugs. In the analysis of the young woman, once they entered the Fourth Ring, the Vain Clan would most likely give up any pursuit and not dare to follow.
After all, she and her Clan were at the end of their rope, whereas the Vain Clan wouldn't dare to rashly put themselves in danger.
She looked down at her son and patted his head. "Yagura, you need to remember, the Footloose Sect pays a lot of attention to seniority. After we arrive, you must not make any breaches of etiquette."
The boy didn't seem to understand what she meant, but he nodded his head obediently. Her eyes filled with a doting expression, and she was just about to lean over to pick him up when her expression flickered and she suddenly looked behind her.
At the same time, the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the stern also looked back.
What they saw was a pitch-black ship speeding toward them at top speed. The flag flying on the ship was clearly emblazoned with a huge word.
Vanity!
This was a ship from the Outer Seas Vain Clan. They had been in full pursuit for days, and had finally caught up. On the prow of the ship stood four people, three of whom wore extremely respectful expressions. The other was clearly different than them.
He was an old man with an aloof expression. His eyes flashed like lightning, and he held his hands clasped behind his back. His voluminous robe flapped in the wind, and his long, white hair made him look completely extraordinary.
His Cultivation base emanated the ripples of the early Core Formation stage. It was for this reason that the Vain Clan ship had been able to pursue at top speed for so many days.
As soon as the young woman caught sight of the old man, the blood drained from her face. She began to pant, and her hands clasped down tightly onto her son.
The other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Isobu Clan also felt their hearts beginning to pound. Their faces paled, and their eyes filled with despair.
"Vain Clan… Patriarch!"
As the Vain Clan ship neared, the appearances of the old man and the other three who accompanied him grew clearer. Behind them appeared seven or eight Chakra Condensation Clan members, all of whom wore expressions of disdain.
Standing next to the Vain Clan Patriarch was a middle-aged man. He smiled and said, "Suiren, what's your hurry? Now that you've abandoned your Isobu Clan island, where exactly do you think you're going?"
Suiren walked to the stern of the ship, took a deep breath and then said, "Junior offers greetings, senior Vain. Senior, we've abandoned our island, and would simply like to get as far away as possible. Our two Clans were friends in the past. Don't tell me you won't even give us a chance to survive?" The other Isobu Clan Cultivators gathered around her, their faces filled with extreme grief and indignation.
The young woman's words were directed, not toward the man who had spoken, but toward the Vain Clan Patriarch. Despite matters having reached their current state, she still addressed him respectfully.
The Vain Clan Patriarch said nothing; he merely looked on with a proud expression. The Clan member standing next to him was the one to respond, his tone of voice filled with ridicule. "What a joke! Do you really take us to be three-year-old children? Do you really think we don't know of your plan, Suiren? You're obviously journeying to the Footloose Clan!"
"Junior can abandon everything, even deliver our island to you, senior. I can also swear that we have no intention to encroach on what is not ours. I just beg of you to be a bit lenient…." Suiren's face was pale, but before she could finish speaking, the Vain Clan Patriarch frowned.
"Pipe down!" he said coolly, his voice echoing about like thunder in all directions. The seawater roiled, and the minds of the Suiren and the other Clan members filled with a droning sound.
One sentence, two words. All of the Chakra Condensation Clan members coughed up blood. Only Suiren and the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators got by with only pale faces. Their expressions were filled with increasing hopelessness.
"Where do you come up with so much nonsense?" said the Vain Clan Patriarch, his voice cool. "Kill them all! Old people, children, don't leave a single one alive!" With that, he waved his sleeve, and the surrounding Vain Clan members flew up into the air, vicious expressions on their faces.
Suiren clenched her teeth and looked back at the ship's quarterdeck. "Senior Liu!" she suddenly cried. "If you have a quarrel with the Isobu Clan, you can kill us, but do you really dare to trifle with our honored guest?!"
"Still making things up?" said the Vain Clan Patriarch with a cold snort. "You expect me to believe that the Isobu Clan has a Nascent Soul guest aboard? Or is it a Spirit Severing expert? Wouldn't that be a bit more threatening?" He had already swept the ship with Spiritual Sense, and had detected only the Isobu Clan Cultivators and mortals on the ship, no one else.
By this point, the Vain Clan Cultivators were closing in. A glowing shield sprang up from the Isobu Clan ship, blocking their progress. However, it couldn't do anything to stop the Vain Clan Patriarch. With a single palm strike, he caused a deafening boom to ring out. The ship sank down by more than half into the water, and the shield shattered into fragments.
The Vain Clan Cultivators proceeded onward with vicious grins. As soon as they reached the boat, Suiren and the other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators unleashed magical items and flashed incantations to summon magical techniques. Booms instantly rang out.
The massacre had begun.
"The Patriarch has issued the orders! Eliminate them completely, root and branch. They can only blame their own name of Zhang."
Some of the Vain Clan Chakra Condensation Cultivators, with hideous grins on their faces, headed toward the pale-faced and terrified youngsters. Suiren's eyes turned red, and the Clan members next to her were on the verge of going crazy and risking everything.
The Vain Clan Patriarch hovered in mid-air, staring superciliously out of the corner of his eyes. To him, all of these people were clearly insects.
However, it was at this moment, a calm voice suddenly echoed out from within the Isobu Clan's ship.
"Pipe down!"
It was only two words, but as the sound expanded out, it instantly suppressed all other sounds. It was louder than thunder, and gave rise to three echoes. It was also filled with intense pressure that weighed down on everything.
At the same time, within his cabin, Naruto's eyes opened. His gaze seemed to pass through the ship, making everything outside visible.
The instant his voice rang out, it gave rise to the first echo. Ripples appeared that headed toward the Vain Clan Chakra Condensation disciples who were about to attack the youngsters. They began to tremble, then blood sprayed from their mouths as they were sent tumbling backward. Then, their bodies simply exploded in mid air, countless pieces flying about in all directions. At the same time, all the other Vain Clan Chakra Condensation disciples suffered the same fate. They first watched on with blank expressions, then were shattered into chunks of blood and gore.
When the second echo rang out, the Vain Clan's three Foundation Establishment Cultivators' faces went pale white. They felt as if an enormous, invisible hand were bombarding them. They tumbled backward through mid-air, screaming miserably. In the blink of an eye, countless tears and rips could be seen in their bodies, and then, a moment later, they exploded into pieces.
The third echo caused the Vain Clan Patriarch, who was floating up above, to shake. His face instantly filled with an expression of disbelief and horror. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he retreated backward. He couldn't prevent his body from beginning to rip apart.
"This… this…." His mind roared with a terror he had never known, and then he suddenly thought back to how Suiren had mentioned an honored guest.
"Senior, spare me…." he screamed, his terror having reached the pinnacle. However, even as the words left his mouth, he suddenly burst into pieces, causing blood and flesh to rain down in all directions.
In that instant, everything went deathly silent….
Everyone who remained on the Vain Clan ship were all mortals, who were now watching on with pale faces, their bodies shaking.
As for the Isobu Clan members, including Suiren, they all stared in shock, and were also shaking. That was especially true of the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, whose faces were completely pale. They had no way to even imagine what kind of Cultivation base could destroy all their enemies with a single statement.
And that included an early Core Formation Cultivator, someone whose Cultivation base was the same as their own previous Patriarch!
"Nascent Soul eccentric!" That was what was now floating in the minds of the three.
Suiren's body trembled. She also had never imagined that the person she invited to stay on their ship would be so fearsome. Originally, she had taken him to be a Core Formation expert, but what she had just seen left her astonished to the extreme.
Had she known that Naruto possessed such a Cultivation base, she might not have had the courage to speak up and urge him to stay behind. However, she was the Clan Leader. Therefore, her first reaction was to instantly turn toward the ship's quarterdeck, then drop to her knees and kowtow.
"Thank you, senior… for your action just now…." Her voice quavered as she spoke. At the same time, the other members of the Clan, their minds trembling, began to drop to their knees to kowtow.
"Come on, let's keep going," replied Naruto from within his cabin. Suiren ignored the Vain Clan ship, and, her anxiety deepening, respectfully complied, having the mortal members of the Isobu Clan send their own ship forward.
Moments later, the Isobu Clan ship was moving on just as before. As for everyone on board, absolute silence reigned amongst them.
They remained in that state for three days, until finally the ship entered the Fourth Ring, and then everything finally changed.
However, everyone still acted extremely cautiously. Whenever any of them happened to pass Naruto's cabin, they would stop outside to bow before proceeding on their way.
Half a month later, the ship was speeding along through the Fourth Ring, and they drew ever nearer to Saint's Island. Although they weren't sure why, they hadn't encountered even a single sea beast or rogue Cultivator. Perhaps it was luck. That was not even to mention the pirate Cultivators who would cause anyone who discussed them to grow pale in the face.
Naruto had treated his injuries to the point where he was now sixty percent recovered. The meat jelly had finally sloughed off of him; his fleshly body was now recovered to complete stability. As long as he didn't get involved with a magical battle of the Spirit Severing level, he would be fine.
"This injury was inflicted by Madara, who has a Dao Seeking Cultivation base. That's why the Violet Pupil Transformation has been so ineffective." His eyes finally opened. After taking a moment to examine his Cultivation base, a smile appeared on his face for the first time in many days.
His Cultivation base, which had originally been compressed to 8 parts, now only consisted of 7 parts. The deadly pressure he had experienced in the magical battle with Madara had fused it together.
"My path to Spirit Severing is already opened. Soon… if I encounter anything that wishes to dominate me, I will have to be stronger than it and anything!" He rose to his feet and pushed open the door of his private cabin. For the first time in a month, he finally stepped foot outside.
The parrot had long since left for who knew where. Its personality was such that it couldn't remain quietly in one place for days on end. Once the meat jelly removed itself from Naruto, the two of them flew off to have fun somewhere.
It was midday, and the sun shone brightly. When Naruto stepped out onto the deck, the warm sun fell onto his back, and it felt good. There were a few youngsters of the Isobu Clan playing nearby. One of them was the boy named Yagura, and he was also the first to notice that Naruto had emerged. At first, his little face filled with hesitation. But then he remembered what his mother had said to him about being courteous. Ignoring his fear, he clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.
"Yagura offers greetings, senior uncle."
His words caused the other youngsters to notice Naruto. Instantly, their young faces went ghastly pale and filled with fear. The scene from half a month ago had been like something from a nightmare. All of them quickly began to bow.
Seeing the children caused a smile to break out on Naruto's face. He liked children. Even back in Konoha County when he was a scholar, he had been especially fond of kids.
After so many years had passed, after traveling the path of Cultivation and acquiring a longevity that far exceeded any mortal, there were many wonderful things about being mortal that seemed increasingly far away.
Seeing these children caused his eyes to grow soft and gentle. Glancing them over, he could see that their latent talent was all completely ordinary, except for the one called Yagura. His was slightly above the others.
Naruto smiled and asked, "What are you guys playing?"
"We're playing… hide-and-seek," replied Yagura a bit nervously. The other youngsters around him were even more nervous as they nodded their heads.
"He can hide really good…." said one of the other children bravely. He was a boy of about eleven or twelve years of age.
"Yeah, that's right! Every time he hides, nobody can ever find him!" said another child. Soon, all of the kids starting talking, one after another, saying this and that. Naruto's warm smile widened as he listened. Gradually, the nervousness they all felt began to dissipate.
"It's not that I'm good at hiding," said Yagura, his voice strong and clear. "You guys are just stupid and can't find me!" He glared around at the others.
When Naruto heard this, he laughed and looked at Yagura.
"Where exactly do you hide?" he asked with a smile. Some of the other children cocked their ears, obviously quite curious.
Yagura's face went a little red as he looked at the other youngsters. He seemed to be considering whether or not say anything. After all, if he told everyone his hiding place, then where would he be able to hide in the future? Finally, he took a few steps forward, and Naruto scooped him up in his arms. Yagura rested on his shoulder and then carefully whispered into his ear.
"Senior uncle, I always hide under my mother's bed. I just go where nobody else can go, it's simple, right?"
Naruto's eyes glittered. It really was a simple truth. If you were playing hide-and-seek, you should hide where no one else can go. In that case, of course they would be incapable of finding you.
Now that he thought about it, he and Madara were essentially playing a game of hide-and-seek.
It was in this moment that Suiren suddenly emerged from the quarterdeck. When she saw Naruto with the children, and especially the way that he was holding Yagura, she immediately started panting, and grew incredibly nervous.
"Yagura…." she said. She tried her best to remain outwardly calm, but her voice still quavered a bit.
When Naruto saw her looking over at them, he put the boy down and tousled his hair.
"Sly little fox," he said with a smile. Yagura blushed and then ran to hide behind his mother.
"Junior offers greetings, senior," said Suiren, breathing a sigh of relief as she bowed.
Naruto nodded, and was just about to say something when suddenly, his expression flickered. He looked off into the distance. There, within the range of his Divine Sense, an island had appeared. It was incredibly large, and just glancing at it, almost seemed like a continent.
Mountain ranges could be seen, as well as many areas swirling with mist that blocked his Divine Sense. He only examined the place for a moment before retracting his Divine Sense. According to the map in the jade slip he had been given, Naruto knew that their voyage was almost at an end.
"Senior, we have only half a day left. When evening falls, we will reach Saint's Island. Many thanks for your assistance," she continued, her voice sincere. "Our entire Clan will remember you from generation to generation, senior!" She gave Naruto a curtsying bow. She really was extremely appreciative; however, the awe and reverence she felt occupied the most of her heart.
By now, many of the others on the ship had gathered. They watched Naruto with heads bowed; they were so nervous that they didn't even dare to look up.
Naruto glanced over at Yagura and then casually said, "He's going to join the Footloose Sect?"
"That's right," replied Suiren quickly. "My son has the best latent talent in the Clan. The Footloose Sect is recruiting disciples right now, so if he can distinguish himself, he will put himself in a superior position, both for himself, and our entire Clan.
"The Footloose Sect is the most powerful Sect in the entire Fourth Ring. You could consider it the overlord, a force that nobody dares to provoke. They pay very close attention to seniority, and the Sect rules are very strict. In fact, they say that there is virtually no fighting between members."
"The Great Turtle Country," thought Naruto. "The Great Turtle Country." He said nothing, instead opting to stare off into the distance.
Seeing him remain silent, the rest of the people around didn't dare to speak. Time passed slowly, and Saint's Island grew nearer and nearer. The sky was starting to grow dark. In the murkiness of evening, the island resembled some enormous creature lying there on the sea. From a distance, it looked very grand and magnificent.
At the same time that Naruto neared the island, an old man wearing a Daoist robe sat in a luxurious palace deep in the mountains.
He bore the semblance of a transcendent being, and was dignified in appearance as he sat on his white jade throne. Next to him was an incense burner, beside which stood a beautiful girl. The girl yawned as she lazily fanned the burning incense, causing the tendrils of incense smoke to spread out.
Originally, the palace was completely silent, but suddenly, the meditating old man opened his eyes. He trembled, and a perplexed look could be seen in his eyes.
"Strange," he said, his eyelids twitching involuntarily. "Why do I feel so jumpy all of a sudden?"
"Rainy, what do you think is going on?" murmured the old man toward the girl as she languidly fanned the incense. "Why does the Patriarch suddenly have this feeling that something huge is going to happen?" The old man was obviously ill at ease, and in no mood for meditation.
"Maybe you did too many bad things?" replied the girl, glancing over at him.
"No, not me! The Patriarch has spent these years cultivating life and spirituality. It's been a long time since I even stepped outside." The old man found that his eyelids were twitching even more rapidly, and for some reason, the unease he felt in his heart was growing more intense. He stepped down from his throne and began to pace back and forth inside the palace.
The uneasy feeling kept growing stronger, leading him to believe that something akin to a disaster was just around the corner.
If the other members of the Footloose Sect saw his current appearance, they would be truly shocked, as if the Heavens had fallen. They would all drop to their knees to kowtow immediately. That was because this old man was none other than the Patriarch of the Footloose Sect.
In the entire Footloose Sect, his position was the highest, and absolutely without compare. In fact, he was the founding Patriarch of the entire Sect.
The Footloose Sect paid special attention to seniority; it was actually a Sect rule that he had established. People with different levels of seniority were required to show proper respect to those above them, which made a clear distinction between everyone.
As for him, he was Patriarch Footloose, a position without compare. In all of Saint's Island, he was the most supreme existence. A mere word from him could determine the existence or destruction of the entire island.
"Something fishy is going on! Something is definitely about to happen!
"I'm feeling more and more nervous, more and more jumpy!" The old man's face flickered, and the girl suddenly looked a bit suspicious.
"Something big is definitely about to happen," he said. "The Patriarch's premonitions cannot be wrong!" With that he suddenly stopped in place and looked up. A glow appeared in his eyes that seemed capable of splitting Heaven and Earth.
At the same time, an indescribably majestic Divine Sense suddenly spread out from him. It swept out in all directions, the mountaintop palace being the point of origin.
In the blink of an eye, the Divine Sense had covered the entire island. Every inch of dirt, every scrap of rock, every district, every person, every life.
Whether it be flying creatures in the sky, or the plants or animals on the ground, everything on the island was scanned and examined carefully by the Divine Sense.
"Nothing out of the ordinary?" said the old man. Now he looked even more baffled. He scanned back and forth several times, but couldn't detect anything that should make him anxious. Then, without even thinking about it, he caused the divine sense to expand out a bit further, to cover the sea area surrounding the island.
It was at this point that a tremor suddenly ran through the old man's body. His eyes went wide, and he looked off in a certain direction, a look of disbelief on his face.
In that direction, he could see a ship with his Divine Sense, a ship currently on its way toward the island.
In the prow of the ship was a man with gray hair, a pale face, and a long white robe. As soon as the old man saw him, his heart was thrown into chaos.
Beads of cold sweat began to pour down his forehead, and he started panting in unprecedented fashion. He almost didn't seem capable of believing what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes vigorously a few times, just to make sure he wasn't mistaken. Then, he let out a mournful wail.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit…."
Eyes filled with disbelief and blankness, he stared at the white-robed man. Although he looked different than before, the old man instantly recognized who he was.
"Naruto!" The old man gnashed his teeth, and a vicious expression appeared on his face. His entire body began to shake, as if he were infinitely furious.
"I hid here from you, and you, you, you… you actually tracked me down, you bastard!?
"You actually came from the Southern Domain looking for me?
"You, you, you….
"Won't you ever give up?! The League of Demon Sealers is a bunch of bastards! Yeah, that's right. All bastards! Stinking bastards!"
This old man… was none other than Patriarch Reliance!
The so-called Saint's Island was in fact the former Five Elements Nation. However, it had been transformed into something completely new by Patriarch Reliance, to the point where even the residents of the Five Elements Nation would never recognize it.
As for the Great Turtle Country, it was the new name for the old Five Elements Nation….
Regarding the Footloose Sect… it was nothing less than the old Reliance Sect. The Cultivators who made up the Sect were all previous members of the old Sects that had existed in the Five Elements Nation. After having fled the Southern Domain, the old turtle Patriarch Reliance had forced them into a corner, and they had joined the new Footloose Sect.
Hundreds of years had passed, so by now, they were all fully integrated into the Footloose Sect, and followed Patriarch Reliance's orders without question. As for Patriarch Reliance, in his efforts to hide himself from Naruto, he had changed his name to Patriarch Footloose.
In his mind, he had been conned all those years ago, and had been given no choice but to become the Dao Protector of the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer. With the Demon Seal in place, he couldn't fight back, and definitely couldn't harm Naruto.
However, even though he couldn't fight, what he could do, was hide. In his mind, hiding within the vast Milky Way Sea meant that he would most likely never meet Naruto again in his life. In that way, he could live a happy, footloose life. That was how he had come up with the new name Patriarch Footloose.
However, after seeing Naruto, everything changed in the blink of an eye.
"AAAARRGGGHHHHHHHH!" roared Patriarch Reliance. "The Patriarch's life is filled with suffering! I hide out here, and… dammit, I hide out here and the bastard can still find me!?" All the lands trembled slightly, and the seawater surrounding the island began to churn. It almost seemed as if there were some enormous creature under the water, flailing about.
"How could I possibly end up running into that Heaven-damned little bastard again?! That year in my Immortal's cave, he took away all of my treasures, all of my savings! He took my good luck charm, my Thunderclap Leaf, my Outlander Tree, my divine spirit plants, my Spirit Stone mountain!" Patriarch Reliance was obviously stingy to the extreme; he still clearly remembered everything that Naruto had taken from him hundreds of years ago.
In response to Patriarch Reliance's angry ravings, the beautiful girl next to the incense burner suddenly looked up. A look of reminiscence appeared in her lovely eyes.
She thought back to all those years ago, to the vow made by the young man on the shore, who wanted to help the North Sea turn into a real sea.
"Naruto…." said the girl, covering her smile with a hand. She started to laugh, and then, without even looking at Patriarch Reliance, flew into the air. The instant she emerged from the palace, she saw an old boatman leaning up against the wall, looking at her with a doting expression.
"Boat Spirit! Naruto is back!" This girl was none other than Haku!
A look of concentration appeared in the old boatman's eyes, and then he laughed. The girl shouted out in excitement, and then the two of them began to make their way off into the distance.
Patriarch Reliance suddenly looked up and then roared: "You two aren't going anywhere!"
Suddenly, the entire mountain that the palace was located on completely vanished.
At least, that is what someone looking from the outside would see. From the perspective of the mountain, everything on the outside disappeared.
"Fudge! Do I need to flee again?!
"Dammit! I lived here footloose and carefree for hundreds of years. Hundreds of years!
"No. I need to get away before he finds me. I can't allow him to figure out that I'm here." Gnashing his teeth, Patriarch Reliance flicked his sleeve. He was just about to send his Divine Sense back into his true self and then flee before Naruto stepped foot on the island, when suddenly, his eyes turned up thoughtfully.
"Wait a second. From the look of things, the little bastard doesn't know I'm here!" Patriarch Reliance's eyes suddenly grew bright. As for Haku, she didn't look very happy as she returned into the palace with the Boat Spirit.
"If he doesn't know that I'm here, then that must mean that he's not here to look for me, right? He just happens to be passing by!
"If that's the case, then what do I need to flee for? I don't! I don't need to flee! He doesn't know I'm here, so all I need to do is make sure he leaves without a hitch. As long as he doesn't detect me, then he won't have any reason to suspect anything!
"Hahaha! It turns out the Patriarch is the cleverest as usual. This way, I can continue to live here footloose and fancy free without any further complications!" The more he continued to talk, the brighter Patriarch Reliance's eyes glowed. As he paced back and forth within the palace, Haku watched on, her face growing increasingly unsightly.
"Didn't you make a promise to the Patriarchs from his Sect?" she asked, unable to hold back. "Why back out? Being his Dao Protector doesn't mean nothing good will come to you. Why do you have to constantly hide?"
"Silly little girl!" said Patriarch Reliance, glaring at her. "You don't know a damn thing!
"Hmm. You know, it was just recently that I remembered something. I feel like a long, long time ago, I met another little bastard who had the same name as this bastard!
"That other bastard went way overboard. It was back when I was little, and he bullied and humiliated me to the extreme!
"I almost forgot about it. It wasn't until recently that it suddenly came to mind!" Patriarch Reliance's eyes went wide with both humiliation and curiosity. He really had no idea why it was only recently that he had suddenly recalled the matter.
In fact, the clearness of the memory also contained haziness.
"Have you ever wondered why the Patriarch carries an entire continent on his back? You think I want to? It's a humiliation!" It wasn't clear what Patriarch Reliance was thinking about exactly, but his face was filled with fury.
"He must just be here to handle some matter or another. After he takes care of his business, he'll be gone. Once the little bastard is out of here, then everything will be fine!" Patriarch Reliance took a deep breath, and his eyes flashed like lightning. Having made his decision to get Naruto to leave as quickly as possible, he would now spare nothing to accomplish his goal.
Meanwhile, evening was approaching and the sky was growing dim. The seawater gurgled as the Isobu Clan ship neared Saint's Island. Naruto stood at the prow, looking at the sandy beach up ahead, and the densely packed docks. Scattered Cultivators flew about above the island, and people bustled about busily on the beach.
For some reason, Naruto felt as if he weren't in the Milky Way Sea, but rather, back in the Southern Domain.
In the following moment, Naruto noticed that the entire island seemed to tremble. His eyes narrowed. At the same time, the surrounding water surged with waves, causing the ship to rock up and down. Everyone on the ship cried out in alarm.
Naruto was astonished at the sudden appearance of the waves, however, in the space of just a few breaths, they calmed down. His brow furrowed, and he stood there thoughtfully for a moment before sending his Divine Sense out. Although he didn't detect anything out of the ordinary, he remained vigilant inwardly.
Not much time passed before they entered the docks. After the ship was secured, they disembarked, and finally managed to step foot onto Saint's Island.
Naruto didn't know it, but as soon as he stepped foot onto land, Patriarch Reliance's heart trembled.
The docks were constructed into the beach, and seemed quite simple. However, the atmosphere was incredible. For one thing, there were countless uniformed disciples directing the boats here and there.
These disciples weren't very old, and most of them had a Cultivation base at the Chakra Condensation stage. Occasionally, a Foundation Establishment disciple would stroll past on patrol.
They didn't wear haughty expressions, however, it was clear that deep in their bones, they held themselves high above the masses. The feeling wasn't very intense, but it was there. Despite that, they treated all the guests very courteously.
On the far side of the docks, horse carriages were lined up in rows. The horses that pulled these carts looked very bizarre. They didn't have four legs, but rather, six. Also, they had horns coming out of their heads. They looked like horses, but were also covered with tentacle-like feelers.
This was a unique wild beast in the Milky Way Sea that happened to be easy to tame. They were called Heavenly Horses.
Far off in the distance, three towering pagodas could be seen. Burning lights flickered inside, which would make them visible even from far off in the sea.
As Naruto looked at the three pagodas, he noticed that sitting within each of them was a cross-legged Cultivator. All were middle-aged; one had a Cultivation base at the mid Core Formation stage, the others at the early Core Formation stage.
Obviously, they were here to keep guard over the area and prevent any disorder from erupting.
The entire dock and beach could be considered a point of entry and exit of Saint's Island. Everything proceeded in quite an orderly fashion, despite the relatively large number of people present. Therefore, even though evening was falling, a clamor of noise and voices filled the air.
Even as they docked, Naruto saw at least ten more ships arrive, to be directed by the locals into various locations in the harbor.
No one actually approached the docked ships to receive any of the outsiders. This was Saint's Island, and the Footloose Sect was the greatest Sect in the entire area. Despite the stellar reputation of the enormous organization, they wouldn't send disciples to personally receive tiny Clans from the Outer Sea.
Of course, that included the Isobu Clan. During the time period in which the Footloose Sect was recruiting new disciples, many, many Clans from the Outer Sea would come. In fact, right now there were literally hundreds of boats moored to the docks. And this was only one side of the island. If you counted the docks on the other sides of the islands, the number of boats would exceed a thousand.
In addition to the people coming to join the Footloose Sect, there were others who had arrived to do business. Saint's Island was a huge place, and the Cultivator cities there were exceedingly famous.
In fact, there were some types of Cultivation resources that could be only be acquired in full on Saint's Island.
Right now, the sky was getting dark, and the ocean breeze blew across their faces, bringing with it the pungent smell of saltwater and sea life. Naruto breathed in deeply as he stood there on the deck, looking at the shadows that were distant mountains of Saint's Island.
The Isobu Clan members, under the leadership of Suiren, were preparing to disembark. The group of youngsters looked around with both nervousness and curiosity. Deep in their eyes could also be seen anticipation.
Yagura clasped his mother's hand tightly as he looked around. He looked a little bit scared.
As the Isobu Clan Foundation Establishment Cultivators engaged in the proper formalities with the Footloose Sect disciples in charge of the docks, Suiren turned to Naruto and gave him a curtseying bow. Her voice low, she respectfully said, "Senior, this is Saint's Island. Anyone below the Core Formation stage is prohibited from flying here, so we will need to travel by horse carriage…."
Naruto nodded but didn't say anything. It didn't take long for the Isobu Clan members to finish up with the Footloose Sect disciples, who then led the group toward three horse carriages.
This was the first time for the children, including Yagura, to see Heavenly Horses. They looked at them wide-eyed, desiring to near them, but also afraid. This was also Naruto's first time seeing such beasts, and he couldn't help but stare a bit.
It was at this point that some Cultivators walked off of the deck of a newly arrived boat off in the distance. They wore resplendent clothing, and were led by man of roughly thirty years of age. His appearance was beyond ordinary, and he had a Cultivation base at the great circle of Foundation Establishment. He was followed by a group of four or five Foundation Establishment Cultivators, who in turn led seven or eight children along with them. The whole group casually looked over Naruto and the others as they neared.
The thirty-year-old man in the lead position suddenly made an "eee?" sound. He stopped in place and looked at Suiren. She saw him as well, and her face flickered.
"Wenfang!" the man said slowly, obviously recognizing her.
She pursed her lips, a complicated expression on her face as she curtseyed to him with clasped hands.
"Brother."
Upon hearing her words, the rest of the Isobu Clan members' faces also flickered. As for the Cultivators behind the thirty-year-old man, they all seemed to be thinking the same thing as they looked over.
The thirty-year-old man stood there silently, his gaze as sharp as a blade. When he saw Yagura standing there holding Suiren's hand, he frowned.
Suiren bit her lip, then finally lowered her head and said to her son, "Yagura, this is your uncle."
"Hello, uncle," said Yagura in his clear, crisp voice. A bit of fear could be seen on his face.
The thirty-year-old man snorted coldly.
"Wenfang," he said coolly and in a very impolite tone, "Father and Mother are still furious about what happened all those years ago. If you have a heart, you'll come home and let them talk to you. Don't continue to lose face and make a fool of yourself among these outsiders!
"As for this child…. Don't have him call me uncle. Did you really bring him here to try to get him into the Footloose Sect? You've overrated yourself from when you were young, and now you're getting your own son to do the same. You're just going to disappoint people." The people behind him began to chuckle, especially the group of children, within whose eyes scorn could be seen.
Yagura was shaking, and looked even more scared. Suiren suddenly looked over to glare at her brother. Breathing heavily, she said, "I already cut off all ties with you people that year."
"Suiren!" growled the man, his eyes growing wide.
"Ass Hole of the Hole Clan, I am Clan Leader Suiren of the Isobu Clan," she retorted coolly. "You aren't even qualified to speak with me." With that, she tugged her son's arm to get into a horse carriage.
The other members of the Isobu Clan glared with hostility at the members of the Hole Clan, then began to enter the horse carriages. As for Naruto, his expression was the same the entire time, and he did not speak a word. In fact, he had long since taken a seat up front on the bench seat of one of the horse carriages.
No one dared to try to convince him to sit anywhere else. They all lowered their heads wordlessly as the horse carriages began to slowly make their way off.
"Slut!" said Ass Hole coldly, his voice loud enough for all the Isobu Clan members in the horse carriages to hear. "I offer to give you some face, and you reject it? Our Clan suffered shame because of you, and now you dare to bring that bastard son here to join the Footloose Sect!?
"Since you insist on bringing your little Isobu Clan bastard here to lose face, then I look forward to seeing just how far he can get through the competition!"
The Isobu Clan Cultivators clenched their fists, and Suiren sat there in the horse carriage, her face pale and her arms wrapped around Yagura. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, but tears were streaming down her face.
"Don't cry, mother," said Yagura, wiping the tears off of his mother's face. "I'll definitely get into the Footloose Sect!" he guaranteed, his voice soft.
Naruto sat on the bench seat of the horse carriage. As the Heavenly Horses sped along the well-maintained road, he looked up at the canopy of stars overhead. He also heard what Yagura said inside the horse carriage.
"What a good kid," he whispered, shaking his head. Based on his experiences, it was simple for him to understand the situation with the Isobu Clan. Obviously, there was an unapproved marriage, after which the husband died. The Clan then began to deteriorate, leaving the wife responsible for her husband's role of leading the Clan.
The Heavenly Horses sped along through the night. At dawn the following morning, a city appeared up again. Even from a distance it appeared majestic and magnificent. Despite the early hour, the city was still like a seething cauldron of activity. People walked hither and thither, and a buzz of excitement filled the air.
Up in the air, colorful beams of light could occasionally be seen flying about. Those would be Core Formation Cultivators.
Naruto looked everything over, and suddenly got the feeling that there was something out of the ordinary with this Footloose Sect. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about Saint's Island that felt very familiar to him.
Upon close examination, he was sure he hadn't seen any of these places before, but he still had an intense sensation of familiarity. However, after much thought, he wasn't able to determinate what the source of that familiarity was. They entered the city through the east gate, and then eventually reached a tavern. Suiren respectfully escorted Naruto to a luxury room, and then was about to go to arrange rooms for everyone else.
She wasn't sure what Naruto was thinking, and wasn't certain that he would continue to escort them. Before leaving, she hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and asked, "Senior, there are still ten more days until the Footloose Sect begins the formalities of recruiting new disciples…."
Naruto nodded, but didn't respond. Suiren respectfully left.
It was currently early morning. Naruto opened his window and looked out at the people walking around on the street below. There were quite a few mortals mixed in with the Cultivators. The rays of the rising sun shone down to illuminate everything.
He took a deep breath, then sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, surrounded by the sounds of the bustling city.
"Why does this place seem so familiar?" he thought once more.
Despite the fact that Naruto's current Cultivation base allowed him to fight First Severing Cultivators, he still couldn't detect the stream of Divine Sense that cautiously swirled beneath his feet.
The owner of the stream of Divine Sense was of course Patriarch Reliance, who sat in his palace, more jumpy than ever.
"Fudge! The little bastard is here. And it turns out he's escorting some people who want to join the Footloose Sect!" Patriarch Reliance was incredibly depressed. If he had known this was the situation, he would have simply canceled the Footloose Sect's call for new disciples.
That way, he could have completely prevented Naruto from even coming.
"I can't let this stand. With him here, the Patriarch can't sleep well. I need to get him out of here as soon as possible…. Dammit, there's still ten days before the recruiting begins? No, that won't work. We'll start tomorrow…. FUDGE! Let's start now!" with that he raised a hand, causing a jade slip to appear. Instantly, flames appeared on its surface and it flew into the air.
It transformed into a shocking beam of light which then sped directly toward the Footloose Sect.
The Footloose Sect was located in the east region of Saint's Island, in a boundless stretch of wild mountains. There, nine great valleys could be seen, spread out in concentric rings. Although they looked majestic, there was also something strange about them. Inside of the nine valleys were countless richly ornamented palace buildings. Everything was luxurious and lavish.
The jade slip immediately entered the ninth valley, and a huge temple that lay therein. It came to stop in front of an old man who sat there cross-legged, somberly providing admonition to the group of people sitting in front of him.
As soon as he saw the jade slip, a tremor ran through the old man's body. He quickly pinched the jade slip, then prostrated himself on the ground and lifted it high above his head. Instantly, the voice of Patriarch Reliance could be heard.
"Disciple recruitment begins immediately!"
It was only four words, but as they echoed out through the Footloose Sect, and the other deep valleys, colorful beams of light immediately shot out to gather in the main temple of the ninth valley.
These people were the Sect Leaders of the various auxiliary Sects from the other valleys. Their Cultivation bases were extraordinary, and some of them were Cultivators with whom Naruto had butted heads in the past.
Moments later, bells could be heard tolling throughout the Footloose Sect. Footloose Sect disciples flew out by the hundreds to head off in all directions. It was time to notify the visiting Clans that the disciple recruitment was beginning!
Naruto was flabbergasted. And it wasn't just him. The group from the Isobu Clan were also shocked. In fact, everyone who had come to Saint's Island with the hope of joining the Footloose Clan were completely astonished.
The day for disciple recruitment was clearly ten days away, but then suddenly, the date was moved up. Many people began to feel nervous and alarmed, as if something incredible was about to happen.
An enormous event like disciple recruitment was no child's game. As such, even if the date were moved up, it shouldn't have been changed to earlier than the next day. There definitely should never have been a situation in which… it began that very day.
After all, it was already noontime….
Most importantly, there were many people who were still out at sea, hurrying on their way.
There were many speculations and inquiries, of course. Even the Footloose Sect disciples were complaining. They had no idea what major event was underway; all they could do was carry out matters according to the orders from the Sect.
Therefore, the Footloose Sect dispatched large numbers of disciples to begin to gather together all the prospective new disciples and bring them to the main gate of the Footloose Sect.
Before the Isobu Clan left the tavern, Suiren hesitated, then invited Naruto to proceed along ahead with her. Naruto muttered inwardly for a moment, but then he saw the anticipation on Yagura's face, and he couldn't refuse. He joined the Isobu Clan as they went to be teleported to the Footloose Sect.
When they arrived near the main gate, a hubbub of voices could be heard. Already, more than a thousand people could be seen, although only about three hundred were actually there to join the Footloose Sect. The rest were just along as escorts.
Among the crowd was the Hole Clan, who, when they caught sight of the Isobu Clan, gave cold, contemptuous laughs.
The Isobu Clan had arrived somewhat late, and so were forced to wait at the end of the very long line. In the Footloose Clan's disciple recruitment, there were three trials by fire, each one of which could only have three participants.
Of course, in addition to the members of the various Clans present, there were also quite a few Footloose Sect disciples, there to maintain order. They acted very courteously, but it was also impossible for them to hide the pride they felt in their bones.
In the crowds, everyone was talking about the goings on.
"Three trials by fire. The first tests willpower, the second tests latent talent, and the third tests powers of insight. In every stage, you can earn first, second, third, or fourth rate marks…. anyone who gets three first place marks is worthy of the title Chosen."
"Yeah, that's right. In all the years, I don't think anyone ever got three first place marks. At the most, there may have been some people who got two."
"Furthermore, the Footloose Sect is very strict in its requirements for recruiting disciples. You have to get at least full third rate marks to get into the Sect. Even one fourth rate mark means that you're out."
Back at the end of the very long line, Naruto yawned as he listened to the conversations around him. According to his calculations, it would take at least two or three days for the Isobu Clan to get to the front of the line.
Yagura was extremely nervous. Suiren stood next to him, offering quiet words of encouragement. Naruto looked around, and even sent out his Divine Sense to sweep over the Footloose Sect.
"This Sect is a bit odd," he murmured to himself, his gaze flickering. "It's made up of nine valleys."
At the same time, Patriarch Reliance sat in his palace, wearing a worried face.
"This is taking too long…. The little bastard is escorting someone to join the Sect, but, hey, couldn't you go to the front of the line, huh?! Why did you run to the back!? What do you think you're doing?!" Patriarch Reliance clenched his teeth, then sent his Divine Sense out to cover over the whole Footloose Sect. Eventually, it came to rest on a disciple near Naruto and the others.
The disciple was currently looking coldly out at the crowds, inwardly confused about why the Sect suddenly moved up the date for recruiting disciples. Even in the midst of his contemplation, his body suddenly trembled, and then his eyes began to grow brightly.
As of this moment, he was no longer himself. Instead, he had become a clone of Patriarch Reliance. He began to walk forward, eyeing Naruto and shivering a bit. Then he turned toward the Suiren and Yagura.
"Are you the Isobu Clan from the Outer Sea?" asked the Patriarch Reliance-controlled Footloose Sect disciple. His voice was cheerful as he stepped forward to examine Suiren and the other members of the Isobu Clan.
Suiren was taken aback, as were the other Clan members around her. In fact, the members of other Clans that were lined up ahead of them couldn't help but turn around to look.
"Yes, we're the Isobu Clan," replied Suiren as quickly as she could.
"Wonderful, wonderful. The descendant of an old friend is here!"
The Footloose Sect disciple sighed emotionally. "Years ago, I used to be very close to your husband, and even owed him a favor. To be able to see all of you here today is nothing less than fate. Come, let me escort up to the front." With that, he quickly grabbed Yagura and began to walk forward.
Suiren stared in shock, wracking her brain to try to remember what past incident the man must be referring to. The other Clan members were also astonished. Even after thinking for some time, they truly couldn't recall their previous Clan Leader having a close relationship with any Footloose Sect disciples.
"This…." Suiren hesitated for a moment, but seeing that the disciple had already begun to pull her son away, she quickly followed. The other members of the Isobu Clan also went along. Naruto watched everything happening, and then joined them.
The group made their way from the very back of the line toward the front, which instantly attracted the attention of everyone who was waiting. That was especially true of the Hole Clan, who watched on in astonishment as everything happened.
Immediately, people began to call out questions.
"Fellow Daoist of the Footloose Clan, dare I ask why they get to go from the back of the line to the front?"
"Yeah! They were in the back! They can't just randomly cut in line! How come they can so brazenly go all the way to the front!?"
Now even more people were paying attention. As soon as they saw what was happening, they were shocked, and couldn't understand why the Footloose Sect, which normally paid such close attention to rules and regulations, would allow something like this to happen.
Meanwhile, there were other Footloose Sect disciples who saw what was happening. One of them happened to be a Core Formation Cultivator who was in charge of maintaining order in the area. When he saw what was happening, he frowned.
"Ittetsu!" he shouted, a dignified expression on his face. That was the name of the Footloose Sect disciple who Patriarch Reliance was controlling with his Divine Sense. "What are you doing? It doesn't matter if you're longtime friends with these Zhang people, you…" Before the Core Formation Cultivator could finish speaking, Patriarch Reliance up in the palace gave a cold snort, and sent out more Divine Sense.
A virtually imperceptible tremor ran through the Core Formation Cultivator, and then his eyes glittered brightly.
"Wait, these guests are the Isobu Clan from the Outer Sea?" His expression one of excitement, he immediately stepped forward to glance over the group from the Isobu Clan.
This scene caused all the surrounding Footloose Sect disciples as well as the visiting Clan members to exchange astonished looks.
"The Heavens finally take notice, and allow me to see you members of the Isobu Clan!" said the Core Formation Cultivator, looking very excited. "The descendant of an old friend is here….
"Years ago, I was close friends with your Isobu Clan, and even benefited from a great kindness on the part of the Clan. Come come, I'll take you to the first place in line!" With that, he took gaping Yagura from Ittetsu without any further explanation, and headed off toward the front of the line.
Suiren stared in astonishment once more. She felt as if her mind was spinning. She looked back at her other fellow Clan members, but they had looks as blank as hers. No matter how they wracked their memories, they couldn't think of any time in which their Patriarch had any close friends at all.
The rest of the Clans who were here to join the Footloose Sect all watched on in astonishment, especially the Hole Clan. Their eyes were widest of all, and filled with disbelief.
It was in this manner that, under the leadership of the Core Formation Cultivator, the Isobu Clan continued on from the back of the line directly toward the front. The entire time, the Cultivators of the Isobu Clan almost couldn't believe what was happening.
However, their expressions of confusion quickly turned into excitement.
Right now, more than half of the Outer Sea Cultivator Clans had come. There were even some Clans from the Fourth Ring. As of this moment, everyone now took note of the Isobu Clan, and many people began to discuss the matter in hushed tones. Many people glanced over at them with admiration and envy.
The Hole Clan members all had faces pale and filled with disbelief.
"This… this is impossible!"
By the time Yagura arrived in the very first place in line, Naruto's shock at the sudden change of events caused him to feel that something fishy was going on.
Meanwhile, back in the Saint's Island palace, Patriarch Reliance looked quite proud of himself.
"Humph. The Patriarch prevails again! The only thing to do is to get the little bastard out of here as quickly as possible. I don't care what price I have to pay!
"Wait. No. I need to speed things up. The best thing would be to settle things within ten breaths of time. I need to make sure he has no reason at all to stay here. That way he'll screw off as quickly as possible!" Again, Patriarch Reliance sent Divine Sense out to cover the Footloose Sect.
In the blink of an eye, the Divine Sense split into dozens of streams that all settled into different individuals.
And then…..
Suddenly, an old man flew out from within the Footloose Sect. He obviously had a Core Formation Cultivation base, and as soon as he appeared, he laid eyes on Zhan Wenfang. "The Isobu Clan is here?! The Isobu Clan from the Outer Sea?"
The Clan members in the line immediately gaped.
"That's Hidero!"
"Hidero is one of the most powerful experts in the Footloose Sect. He has an incredibly high position!"
"Don't tell me… that he also owes a favor to the Isobu Clan?"
The old man quickly approached. "So, it really is the Isobu Clan. Excellent, excellent! The descendant of an old friend is here! I will definitely take advantage of this day to pay back the favor I owe to the Isobu Clan!"
However, before he could even get close, before the crowds in line could digest what was happening, while the Isobu Clan members were all still in a daze, roaring shouts could be heard from within the Sect.
"The Isobu Clan is here?!"
"So, it really is the Isobu Clan! They actually made it to the Footloose Sect!"
"The benefactor is here! I, Scrub, must go to pay my respects!"
Shockingly, ten figures appeared from within the Footloose Sect. Each and every one was of the late Core Formation stage, and they actually comprised more than half of all the Core Formation Cultivators in the Clan.
As they flew out, a buzz could be heard from within the crowds in line. All of the Cultivators from the Outer Sea Clans were trembling in astonishment. The Fourth Ring Cultivators were even more dumbstruck as their gazes followed those of the ten Core Formation Cultivators to fall onto the Isobu Clan.
Suiren stood there dully, as did the other Isobu Clan Cultivators.
They were even starting to get a bit frightened. They had never heard anything about their deceased Patriarch having so many friends….
Naruto's eyes were wide as he watched on. What was happening really was far too strange….
"Heavens, it's actually true! Those ten or more Footloose Sect Honor Guards are all figures who could shake the entire area with the stomp of a foot. And they all… actually owe a favor to the Isobu Clan!"
"The old Isobu Clan Patriarch was only at the early Core Formation stage. How could he get these people from the Footloose Sect to owe him a favor?"
The crowd was abuzz, and the Isobu Clan were standing there wide-eyed.
"Was the Patriarch… really so illustrious back in the day?" thought Suiren. She looked a bit dazed. She had never heard such a matter spoken of back in the Clan. In her memory, before the Patriarch died, although he'd had a few friends, few were the sincere type. Besides, he had been dead for so long that any friendly sentiments had long since faded away.
Were that not the case, the Clan wouldn't have been forced into the dead end they had been, with no choice but to give up their island and come to this place.
However, what was happening right now was very real, causing Suiren to grow even more confused.
Intermittent gasps could be heard coming from the crowds in line, and their faces were filled with disbelief and astonishment. All eyes in the area were completely fixed on the members of the Isobu Clan.
Although most of them dared not allow their envy and jealousy to show on their faces, such feelings filled their hearts.
That was especially true of the Hole Clan, whose faces were pale white, and whose hearts had seized with terror. How could they ever have imagined that the people they had just looked down upon and even shamed, the down and out Isobu Clan, could have such a glorious past?
"No wonder little sis cut ties with the Clan to marry into the Isobu Clan," thought the man from the Hole Clan. "I didn't understand back then, but now…." Having gained this new understanding, he suddenly felt a bit different.
As for the other Outer Sea Clans who had conflicts with the Isobu Clan, they were now scared witless and panting heavily. Not only were their hearts filled with fear regarding what might happen later, they were also inundated with intense animosity.
"I can't believe the Isobu Clan has such incredible connections…. Why didn't they say something earlier? Nobody in the Outer Sea would have dared to pick on them."
Suiren subconsciously glanced at some of her fellow Clan Members. What they all saw was mutual shock regarding what was happening.
"Could it be because of me?" thought Naruto. He couldn't help but think this, and as he did, his eyes glittered. He looked at the Honor Guards from the Footloose Sect, and although it was impossible to tell what they were thinking, his eyes narrowed.
"Descendants of our benefactor, please accept our salute!" With that the Footloose Sect Honor Guards excitedly clasped hands and began to bow. There were even a few of the elderly members who had tears streaming down their faces. The joy they felt seemed beyond description.
The Isobu Clan members were overwhelmed by the unexpected show of favor, and even tried to shrink back. Suiren had no idea what she should say. However, her heart filled with joy that she simply couldn't suppress. It was like the saying "when the bitterness ends, the sweetness begins." Tears began to roll down her face.
From the day she had married into the Clan until now, she had never experienced anything like this. The proud and elated feeling and the looks on the faces of her Clan caused the excitement in her heart to be equal to that of the Footloose Sect members in front of her.
The ten Honor Guards all began to speak one after another.
"Does this child wish to join the Footloose Sect?"
"What need is there to wait in line? We've been waiting for the descendant of a benefactor to come join the Sect! We can accept you immediately! Inner Sect disciple!"
"That's right! He's an Inner Sect disciple!"
They reached their decision very quickly.
The scene caused all the other Outer Sea Clans who were waiting in line to be filled with envy. Any Clan would wish their child to be treated in such a way. Who wouldn't want to be invited into the Clan, as opposed to have to pay respects to enter?
Meanwhile, in the palace of Saint's Island, Patriarch Reliance's face was covered with a complacent grin. He stood up and began to stroll back and forth, giving Haku no choice but to watch on helplessly.
"The Patriarch is the smartest yet again," he said. "Hahaha! Now the little bastard has no reason whatsoever to stay behind. Get out of here immediately, kid! Screw off with no delay!" As Patriarch Reliance thought about how proud he was of himself, he began to laugh heartily.
However, in the midst of his laughing, his face suddenly fell, and he sent his Divine Sense out one more time.
Even as the Honor Guard members were excitedly discussing their decision to accept Yagura as an Inner Sect disciple, a cold voice like that of a thunderclap suddenly filled the Footloose Sect. The voice immediately caused everyone's hearts to tremble.
"What's the commotion!?" The cold voice which echoed out from the mountains belonged to that of an old man. "Accepting new disciples is a great matter within the Sect, and yet you people are here causing a racket! What a travesty!"
As soon as the grim-faced old man appeared, the ripples of a Nascent Soul Cultivation base emanated out. Everyone immediately began incredibly nervous.
"That's… that's Lord of the Third Valley!"
"The Great Valley Lord came personally! Don't tell me he's also friends with the Isobu Clan?" The crowds in the line, as well as the other Footloose Sect disciples who were not affected by Patriarch Reliance's Divine Sense, were all making the same guesses inwardly.
"Even if you all are old friends with this Clan," the old man said coolly, "the Sect still has its rules, and those rules won't change." His expression was not one of anger, but power. His words instantly shook everyone present.
"In the Footloose Sect," he continued, "there is nothing more important than rules. Anyone who wishes to join the Sect must do so according to the rules." His ice-cold gaze fell onto the members of the Isobu Clan. "All of you, go back to your original position in line. After enough time passes, you will naturally reach this position."
Immediately, the Cultivators from the other Clans in line felt roused. They had felt that what was happening was unfair, but didn't dare to give voice to such thoughts. Now that they saw a Valley Lord of the Footloose Sect administering justice, they felt that the rumors about the Sect were true; they really did strictly adhere to Sect rules.
Suiren's face was pale white. She immediately bowed her head and voiced compliance. The feeling caused by joy being reversed into the opposite filled her with complete shame. However, she feared causing problems for the Footloose Sect Honor Guards who were friends of the Clan, so she immediately acquiesced, grabbing Yagura, who was trembling with fear, and began to make her way back to the end of the line with her other fellow Clan members.
The Hole Clan immediately went wild with joy when they saw this. They said nothing, but the looks of ridicule and disdain in their eyes were impossible to cover up.
"As for the lot of you," continued the old man, his eyes cold, "you're Honor Guard members of the Footloose Sect. Your actions just now were completely beyond the bounds of propriety! You will all be punished by being confined to your quarters for three months!" His words rang out, filled with an incredible feeling of might and dominance.
However, as soon as the old man spoke the words, he suddenly heard a furious voice echoing in his own ear: "I'll punish your ass!"
The raging voice was like thunder, although no outsider could hear it, only the old man. As soon as the powerful sound echoed about in his head, his face fell.
Naturally, he knew exactly who it was who was speaking to him.
"All of this was by the order of the Patriarch!" raged Patriarch Reliance, sounding flustered. "Fudge! You completely ruined my big plan! I'll skin you alive!" He seemed truly enraged.
Just when the goal he had worked so hard to reach was about to be accomplished, a bit of interference ruined everything. Of course, Patriarch Reliance was scared. He was scared that Naruto would figure out that something was going on. He was so furious that he wanted to slap this old man to death immediately.
When he sensed the Patriarch's rage and killing intent, the Lord of the Third Valley instantly began to shake. Suddenly, he looked up at the Isobu Clan retreating toward the end of the line, and his mind became very clear.
"Wait!" he cried, immediately hurrying forward.
"Are you people from the Isobu Clan?" he then asked, his voice filled with excitement. Teardrops could be seen forming in the corners of his eyes. His voice caused the other Outer Sea Clan members in line to instantly gape in shock. They simply couldn't wrap their minds about what was happening….
They weren't the only astonished ones. The surrounding Footloose Sect disciples all had blank expressions on their faces. The events of the day were simply… too strange for them to understand.
As for the Isobu Clan members, they stopped in their tracks, then turned to look at the old man who was scurrying over.
Suiren looked at him and hesitated for a moment before quietly responding, "Senior…. We… we are the Isobu Clan from the Outer Sea."
"So it is the Isobu Clan after all!" said the old man. He stamped his foot, causing the nearby mountain peaks to rumble, and the ground to quake.
"This is all my mistake," he said. "Earlier I was inside, and when I sensed that something big was going on, I came out. However, I didn't recognize you! Aiya! I have only myself to blame!" With that the old man laughed emotionally. From his expression, he seemed to be thinking about past times.
"I'll never forget how your Isobu Clan Patriarch showed me such kindness that year. He even saved my life six times! If it weren't for him, I would not be alive today. The descendant of an old friend is here. Ah, the descendant of an old friend is here." He sighed again as his words echoed about. Everyone was instantly stunned.
That was most true of the Hole Clan, who watched on with wide eyes, breathing heavily, their minds trembling. They truly could never have imagined that the Isobu Clan would have such deep relationships, to the extent that one of the nine Valley Lords of the Footloose Sect owed them a great favor.
"Now that his descendant has come to the Footloose Sect, even if we have to bend the rules a bit, I will assume all the responsibility," said the old man resolutely. "I will not allow a descendant of the Isobu Clan to suffer any shame here!" His gaze swept about, and all of the Outer Sea Clan members had no choice other than to bow their heads. Inwardly, they were completely shaken.
Naruto's eyes narrowed, and a slight smile had appeared on his face. Although he could sense no familiar aura, considering his past experiences, how could he not see through the bizarreness of the goings on?
"Interesting," he thought. "As far as I can recall, there's only one old bastard who likes to handle things in such an unreliable fashion."
Suiren was currently trembling. The joy and surprise that had come her way was almost too much to handle. Currently, her blankness and confusion were almost at the pinnacle. She was just about to say something when suddenly, the Third Valley Lord took a few steps forward and then picked Yagura up into his arms.
"They look alike!" he said. "They really look completely alike! A single glance at this child and I can't help but think of the Isobu Clan Patriarch.
"Child, are you willing to accept me as your Master?"
At the moment, most nervous of all was Patriarch Reliance, who panted in his palace as he watched the scene down below. He was dying to hear Yagura voicing his acceptance.
"Hurry up and agree, child!" he murmured. "Come on, hurry up! I beg you, just agree…. The Patriarch promises you, if you agree, then from now on, I will watch over you in the Reliance Sect, er, no, I mean the Footloose Sect!" However, he didn't dare to do anything to obvious, lest Naruto sense something amiss.
Yagura was extremely nervous, and even scared. His face was pale, and without even thinking about it, he turned to look back at his mother, and then for some reason, Naruto.
Had he not looked at Naruto, then Naruto wouldn't have inserted himself into the matter. However, considering how helpless the child looked in his inability to make a decision, Naruto couldn't help but smile and then casually say, "No need to rush into things. Considering the child's latent talent, I think he should have a bit better standing in the Sect."
When Patriarch Reliance heard this, blood sprayed out of his mouth like a geyser. He lifted his head back and let out a howl of indignation.
"You little bastard! What do you want? What are you doing!?" Patriarch Reliance clenched his hand into a fist and then slammed it into the ground. A boom filed the palace, causing the entire mountain to shake. In fact, waves rolled out across the sea surrounding the island.
"You're messing with me, aren't you, you little bastard!" fumed Patriarch Reliance. "I'm acting with good will and good intentions! I helped you pull everything off smoothly, and then you refuse!?" His voice rolled back and forth within the palace, but did not echo outside. He was now agitated to the extreme, and on the verge of flying into a rage.
"Are you really trying to push the Patriarch into going insane! FUDGE! The Patriarch refuses to play your little game. I'll just take the Footloose Sect and leave. The Patriarch can't afford to provoke you, so he'll just avoid you completely!" Patriarch Reliance was just about to follow through with his words, when suddenly he seemed to think of something.
"Wait. No!" A look of suspicion suddenly appeared on his face.
"That little bastard is crafty to the extreme. At the moment, he still doesn't know that I'm here. If I appear, then the cat will be out of the bag. If he finds out I've been hiding in the Milky Way Sea…." Suddenly, Patriarch Reliance's eyes flashed.
"Hmmpphh. The Patriarch is intelligent, divine and mighty. How can I possibly be fooled?" Patriarch Reliance's voice dripped with disdain. "Clearly the little bastard is feeling out the situation. Therefore, I will not reveal myself, no matter what happens. I'll just hold on…. So what if he takes a Master? That doesn't count for crap! He won't accept one Nascent Soul Master? How about a group then!? I can't believe that he'll refuse!" Once again, his Divine Sense spread out through the entirety of the Footloose Sect.
Meanwhile, outside the main gate of the Footloose Sect, Naruto's words echoed out, causing Suiren to gape in surprise. Yagura looked at Naruto wide-eyed for a moment, then immediately spoke in his crisp, clear voice.
"I don't accept…."
The Third Valley Lord's heart immediately quivered, and he glared at Naruto hatefully. He was just about to say something when, all of a sudden, eight streams of Divine Sense shot toward them.
Eight figures became visible in mid-air. Although their faces were not clear, the ripples of a Nascent Soul Cultivation base were quite clear. The entire Footloose Sect trembled, and the sky flashed with a riot of colors. The wind and clouds were thrown into upheaval, and brilliant rays of light shone out in all directions.
It instantly caused countless disciples to approach the area; as for the Footloose Sect disciples who were already at the main gate, their faces flickered and they all began to drop to their knees to kowtow.
The Outer Sea Clan members in line began to pant. They watched the scene in shock, their minds trembling.
"The nine great Valley Lords are all here!"
"What exactly is going on? Don't tell me… don't tell me all of them are friends with the Isobu Clan?"
The Isobu Clan members stood there trembling, filled with blankness and also fear because of everything that was happening.
A deathly silence then filled the air. Naruto looked up, eyes glittering. Although all of these people were Nascent Soul Cultivators, there were odd ripples emanating from their bodies. With Naruto's Cultivation base, he could sense them, but couldn't see clearly exactly what they were.
Of course, considering they were Lords within the Sect, they would certainly possess some secrets to elevate their level of dignity, which Naruto understood.
"This child has destiny connecting him to the Footloose Sect!" said an archaic voice from within one of the eight streams of Divine Sense up in mid-air. The voice echoed out throughout the entire Footloose Sect.
"After discussion, we nine great Valley Lords all accept this child as an apprentice! He will join the Footloose Sect as a Conclave disciple!"
The voice reverberated out into the ears of everyone present. The other Clan members from the Outer Sea watched on, panting with unprecedented anxiety. Far too many unexpected turns of events had occurred, to the point that they would be unable to forget this day for the rest of their lives.
The disciples of the Footloose Sect were completely shocked, and they all began to look over at the young child held in the arms of the Third Valley Lord.
It must be stated that within the Footloose Sect, there were only three Conclave disciples! As of this moment, there were four!
Complete silence followed, after which an explosion of sound could be heard. That sound was caused by the voices of the crowds in line as they expressed their disbelief and utter shock.
The matter that had just occurred would soon spread out through the entire Outer Sea, as well as the Fourth Ring. Throughout all the years, such an event had never occurred in the Footloose Sect. The Nine Valley Lords had all accepted a single person as an apprentice! That person would quickly become completely famous.
As for the Isobu Clan, they would experience a meteoric rise because of the events of the day. Whether it be in the Outer Sea or the Fourth Ring, because of their relationship with the Footloose Sect, no one would ever dare to provoke them. It wouldn't take very long for word of this matter to spread everywhere.
The Isobu Clan was destined to rise to fame.
Suiren panted at this unexpected blessing. It was simply too amazing, causing her entire person to tremble, and tears to pour down her face. The Isobu Clan members around her were also excited to the extreme.
Naruto smiled. When he noticed Yagura looking back at him again, he nodded.
Yagura mustered his courage, and then clearly spoke out. "Yagura accepts the senior grandpas as Masters!"
His voice wasn't very loud, but as soon as it rang out, everyone, be they Footloose Sect disciples or Outer Sea Clan members, knew that as of this instant, this boy was… completely different from them!
With the nine great Valley Lords as his Masters, he would be the number one person in the entire Footloose Sect. In fact, as long as his latent talent wasn't extremely poor, he would surely reach Core Formation!
From now on, the Isobu Clan would be like a blazing sun in the sky. Everyone who had ever looked down upon them would be forced to bow their heads in compliance. Anyone who had disputes with them in the past would only be able to writhe in fear and send gifts of apology in great numbers.
Anyone who had blood enmity with them would be forced to immediately flee the Outer Sea. Otherwise, they would never be able to find shelter anywhere.
The Isobu Clan was like the carp who leaped over the dragon gate and received the highest reward. That was the final assessment of everyone present.
Tears streamed down Suiren's face. The joy in her heart caused the most brilliant smile she had ever smiled to appear on her face. "Husband, is your spirit watching all of this from the underworld…?"
The other Isobu Clan members watched on with wild joy, as if they could see the countless possibilities that had now opened up for their future. They thought back to the past, and then considered the future, and seemed to have acquired new enlightenment. Their new understanding would keep them going as they reached out to a higher realm.
Most excited of all, however, was no member of the crowd, and no member of the Isobu Clan. Instead, it was Patriarch Reliance, up in his palace. He was so excited that his body trembled as he paced back and forth. He looked over at Haku with a scornful expression.
He, of course, didn't care about what was happening with the Isobu Clan. Intense anticipation appeared in his eyes as he looked off at the Footloose Sect and Naruto. He hoped fervently that all of this was enough to cause Naruto to leave Saint's Island.
"You have no reason to stay behind, you little bastard, so why don't you go? Hahaha! Screw off at top speed! Do not under any circumstances allow me to see you again!" Patriarch Reliance thought about what it would be like if Naruto left with absolutely no suspicions. Then he would be able to openly live a footloose and fancy free life. When he thought about that, it filled him with excitement, almost as if he had gotten some sort of revenge. The more he thought about Naruto leaving, the more anticipation he felt.
Currently, the entire Footloose Sect was in an uproar. Naruto was laughing, and his eyes glittered. Then, his expression returned to normal as he looked over at Suiren and the others.
From the look in his eye, it seemed that he was still worried about the Isobu Clan members, apparently concerned about their safety in the future.
Although others might not be able to read his expression, Patriarch Reliance was completely focused on Naruto, and immediately sensed it. Without hesitation, he sent his Divine Sense into the nine Valley Lords.
Almost as if they knew what Naruto was thinking, the nine Valley Lords instantly began to speak.
"The members of the Isobu Clan are close friends with the Footloose Sect. You will stay on Saint's Island in your own area, which will belong to you in perpetuity."
Instantly, waves of intense envy and jealousy filled the hearts of the various Clan members from the Outer Sea. After all, one of the reasons they hoped to join the Footloose Sect was to not just for the opportunity for a single member of the Clan, but for the entire Clan to have the chance to move to Saint's Island.
It was an honor, and a very high position. After moving to Saint's Island, the Clan would never again need to worry about its continued existence in the future. The Footloose Sect would be their biggest protector.
Now, everyone watched on as the previously down and out Isobu Clan received such incredibly good fortune. Various complex thoughts filled the hearts of everyone present. Everyone immediately made the decision that they would spare no effort or cost to become friends with the Isobu Clan.
As for the Hole Clan, their hearts began to pound with fear and intense terror. They worried that retaliation would come from the Isobu Clan, which would turn into a great catastrophe that they couldn't withstand.
This particular phase of a disciple becoming apprentice to a Master was now concluded. The crowds of Clans waited to continue with the process of trying to join the Sect, while the Isobu Clan, to everyone's envy, was led away respectfully by Footloose Sect disciples. As for Naruto, Patriarch Reliance watched with eager anticipation as he finally parted ways with the Isobu Clan.
Yagura gave Naruto a deep look. He waved, his face filled with unwillingness to part.
Naruto reached out to tousle the boy's hair. Then he muttered for a moment and slapped his bag of holding to produce a bottle of medicinal pills, along with a few magical items, all of which he gave to the boy.
"Focus on practicing cultivation," said Naruto. "You never know, we might meet again someday in the future." With that, he patted Yagura's shoulder and then turned to walk off into the distance.
Suiren watched Naruto walking off, and then looked at the gifts he had given Yagura. Her eyes filled with deep gratitude, she dropped to her knees and respectfully kowtowed to him.
Perhaps through all eternity, they would never know the real reason why Yagura had been accepted as an apprentice.
Naruto made his way off.
Under Patriarch Reliance's anticipatory gaze, he left the Footloose Sect mountains. As soon as this happened, Patriarch Reliance smiled, and was so excited that he almost let out a huge roar.
He couldn't help but feeling happy at how superior he considered his intellect to be. Right now, it seemed like everything he looked at filled him with happiness. His eyes squinted with joy as he watched Naruto making his way further and further away.
However, in the midst of all his smiling, he suddenly gaped.
That was because even as Naruto turned into a beam of prismatic light that shot throughout the air, he suddenly stopped and looked down. There below him, not far away from the Footloose Sect, was one of the largest Cultivator cities on Saint's Island!
"Uhh? Come on, get going!" said Patriarch Reliance, staring. "What are you waiting for, huh?"
Naruto hovered in mid-air, rubbing his chin. Although it was impossible to tell whether or not he was doing it on purpose… he began to mutter to himself.
"Before I leave, I really need to purchase some items. It probably won't be easy to find a Cultivator city like this one out on the Milky Way Sea.
"Furthermore, these Footloose Sect Cultivators are good people. The prices here probably will be pretty low, and definitely not too high. If they were too high, then I might be forced to stay on Saint's Island for even longer." Clearing his throat, he flew toward the city.
Patriarch Reliance watched on blankly as Naruto descended upon the city. He wanted to cry, but had no tears, and was on the verge of going mad. He began to pant and walk in circles in the palace, gnashing his teeth.
"I've already mostly succeeded. If I have to keep on, then so be it! I'll deal with it! No Spirit Stones! Fudge! I'll give you some!
"As long as you leave, I'll do anything!"
Naruto was in a good mood….
It was a warm, sunny day, and evening was approaching. The color of the sky and the scenery around him all looked incredibly beautiful. The more he looked at it, the better he felt.
His body flickered as he shot through mid-air toward the city. Almost in the same moment in which he was about to arrive, seven or eight streams of Divine Sense suddenly neared him. Almost as immediately, they dispersed in amazement.
Naruto had only revealed an early Nascent Soul stage Cultivation base. Even still, that caused quite a bit of shock amongst the people in the city. No one dared to block his way, and they allowed him to enter the city.
The Cultivator city was crowded and bustling with activity. All types of shops could be seen, and although most of the Cultivators were in the Chakra Condensation stage, there were some Foundation Establishment and even the occasional Core Formation.
When it came to Nascent Soul Cultivators, Naruto saw a few. Clearly, they were not members of the Footloose Sect but rather, Cultivators come from the Fourth Ring to do business.
As soon as he entered the city and began to stroll about, he saw shops on both sides of the street filled with luxurious products; customers were constantly walking in and out. As for the streets themselves, they were paved with green limestone, making the whole place seem even richer.
As he walked, Naruto noticed a mid Core Formation stage Cultivator up ahead. He wore a light green robe, and looked quite mighty, even threatening despite his lack of angry expression.
He was walking up ahead of Naruto, and was just about to enter a shop off to the side, when suddenly a growl could be heard off in the distance, and a bright beam of light shot toward him at top speed.
"Banna, you traitor! So it turns out you hid here after daring to steal my Spirit Stones!? Well I, Iwaji, swear that you will be slain this very day!" A middle-aged Cultivator could be seen approaching. His Cultivation base was at the Core Formation stage, and his power seemed boundless. He performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing two flying swords to emerge with sharp glows. They instantly shot toward the Cultivator with the light green robe.
The man's face fell, and he had no time to evade. Instantly, fighting broke out between the two of them. Attacks exploded out, forcing quite a few nearby onlookers to dodge out of the way.
They fought openly, surrounded by explosions that rose up into the sky. Magical items and divine abilities were unleashed, and both men coughed up blood and then fell back. Almost in the same instant that they fell back, the Footloose Sect disciples in charge of maintaining order rushed toward the scene. A cold snort filled the entire area.
"Magical fighting is prohibited in Saint's Distance City! The two of you screw off immediately!"
The echoing voice caused the face of the Cultivator named Iwaji to flicker. As he looked up, the Cultivator named Kanpu took advantage of the pause to retreat further. It was hard to tell whether or not it was intentional, but his movement brought him right next to Naruto's side. Before any observer could see what happened, the man slipped a bag of holding to Naruto.
"Please watch over this for me, Fellow Daoist," he said. "I'll be back within three days at the least. If I haven't come to get it within three days, then everything inside belongs to you." With that, he flew up into the air. The Cultivator named Iwaji let out a roar and then began to chase him. The two of them quickly vanished.
Naruto stood there blinking. The fight had started far too quickly, and ended even faster. Naruto looked down at the bag of holding, wiped away the brand mark without hesitation, and then scanned it with Divine Sense. Instantly, a strange expression appeared on his face.
There was nothing inside other than Spirit Stones…..
Furthermore, there were more than 30,000 of them.
Naruto cleared his throat, then calmly put the bag of holding away, his expression the same as ever. There really was nobody he knew so unreliable as to be able to pull off something like this which was so full of sloppy mistakes.
Upon first stepping foot onto Saint's Island, Naruto hadn't thought too much about why the place seemed so familiar. But then he realized that it looked so different from that familiar place in his memory that it seemed obvious someone had altered it, even moving mountains and rivers to make it different.
And then… everything went completely smoothly, especially all the matters to do with the Footloose Sect. Naruto couldn't help but start getting a bit suspicious. Considering everything, it was only natural that he realize what was happening.
"It's a good thing that when I went to the Bridge of Immortal Treading that year I got a bird's eye view of the Milky Way Sea, and realized that the old bugger was hiding there," he thought. "If it weren't for that, I might have had my suspicions, but I couldn't have been sure.
"The old bastard really is good at hiding. Even my Demon Sealing senses couldn't pick up on his aura." Naruto coughed lightly, then, without batting an eyelid, continued onward.
Meanwhile, back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance was nervously staring at Naruto. He watched him put away the bag of holding and then let out a sigh. Then, he started to complain regretfully.
"Oh, my Spirit Stones. Those are the Patriarch's 30,000 Spirit Stones… gone, just like that. Everything here on Saint's Island belongs to me, only to be gone, just like that….
"Dammit, you little bastard! Nothing good ever happens when I run into you!" Patriarch Reliance gnashed his teeth, but there was nothing else he could do. He could only silently pray that Naruto would leave as quickly as possible.
As for Naruto, he patted his collection of free Spirit Stones, and then glanced around. Soon he caught sight of a shop that specialized in magical items. His eyes narrowed as he strode toward it.
Even on the outside, the shop looked extremely luxurious. Upon entering, he could see that it had three floors, and that the glow of magical items was shocking. The products available started from the Chakra Condensation stage and even went up all the way into the Nascent Soul stage. There were special and incredible items available for all stages.
Currently, there were about seven or eight Cultivators in the shop, looking through various treasures, followed by salespeople with radiant smiles. In the middle of the shop was an incense burner, from which wisps of smoke radiated out, filling the entire first floor with an elegant aura. As soon as someone entered, it was possible to calm the mind and simply enjoy the high-end atmosphere of the shop.
As soon as Naruto stepped foot inside, an old man wearing a long gown approached smilingly. He clasped hands and bowed deeply to Naruto.
"Fellow Daoist, welcome to one of the top ten shops in all of Saint's Distance City. We guarantee quality, and are honest with all customers. You can set your mind at ease when you do business here.
"What exactly are you looking for?" The old man's smiling words seemed somehow familiar to Naruto. After thinking about it for a moment, he realized that they were almost exactly the same words he had used in his own shop back in the Reliance Sect.
The old man had a passable Cultivation base of the early Foundation Establishment stage. His latent talent was ordinary, and he was not on the verge of any sort of breakthrough, which was why he maintained such a position in this shop. He quickly measured up Naruto. Although he couldn't clearly see Naruto's Cultivation base, based on the way he carried himself, the old man could see that he was full of money.
"You're funded by the Footloose Sect?" asked Naruto, sounding a bit surprised.
The old man looked both proud and embarrassed as he laughed and nodded.
"Fellow Daoist," he said, "is this really your first time to Saint's Island? There are three Cultivator cities here, and many of the shops in those cities are the property of the Footloose Sect.
"Take a look here." The old man pointed to a wooden plaque next to the door, upon the surface of which was clearly carved a design that looked like a turtle….
"That mark," continued the old man, "indicates that this place is property of the Footloose Sect."
Even as the old man made his explanation, Patriarch Reliance's heart began to pound, and he started wailing in anguish.
"I'm finished, FINISHED!" he cried. "How could the Patriarch in all his intelligence forget about THAT!? Dammit! That design…. Please, DO NOT let it attract the attention of that little bastard!"
In his anxiety, Patriarch Reliance quickly sent his Divine Sense into the old man that Naruto was talking to. An imperceptible tremor ran through the old man, and his expression changed. As of this moment, he was no longer himself, but rather, an incarnation of Patriarch Reliance.
"Fellow Daoist, look over there!" he said quickly, stepping in front of Naruto to block his line of sight. "All of the treasures in this shop are very extraordinary, really!"
Inwardly, Naruto gave a cold laugh, but outwardly, he looked in the direction in which the old man was pointing. There was a flying saber, completely silver and radiating icy coldness. The price listed next to it was 1,500 Spirit Stones.
It was a magical item useful to the early Foundation Establishment stage. Naruto looked it over and then frowned.
"Too expensive!" he said, his voice serious.
The old man laughed on the outside, but inside, he was cursing Naruto's stinginess. "The Patriarch just gave you 30,000 Spirit Stones, and now you're saying it's too expensive?!"
"Fellow Daoist, today is your lucky day! It just so happens to be our crazy, once-a-decade sale! All products in the entire shop are half off! You can have this item for only 750 Spirit Stones!"
Naruto didn't look satisfied. "This thing is worth 30 Spirit Stones at the most. Forget it. I think I'll go to some of the other shops in the city. Then I'll probably go to some of the other Cultivator Cities as well." With that, he turned to leave.
However, as soon as the words left his mouth, a tremor ran through Patriarch Reliance. When he heard that Naruto planned to stroll around the city, he began to grieve inwardly. Gritting his teeth, he decided to throw all caution to the wind.
"Fine. 30 Spirit Stones! It's yours!"
Naruto spun back around and grabbed the little saber, his face awash with joy. Then he waved his finger at the hundreds of other magical items on display on the first floor of the store.
"I want all of them," he said.
Patriarch Reliance stared in shock. However, in his desire to get Naruto away as quickly as possible, he could only grit his teeth and endure the drops of blood that were being squeezed out of his heart.
It was in this manner that, under the shocked gazes of the other customers, Naruto purchased everything on the first floor of the shop. Then, even as Patriarch Reliance was starting to get excited, Naruto didn't leave, but rather made his way toward the second floor.
"Everyone says that the people from the Footloose Sect are good people. Although I've seen many things, I have to say that this is the most honest shop I have ever been into. Alright, I'm going to take a look at the second and third floors. Assuming I like what I see, I'll take it all. 30,000 Spirit Stones should be enough for everything, right?" He swished his sleeve magnanimously.
Patriarch Reliance, in the form of the old man, almost coughed up an entire mouthful of blood. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was just about to howl out in rage, when Naruto continued to speak in a soft voice.
"I'll leave after I finish shopping."
The sentence caused Patriarch Reliance to gasp. He continued to remind himself that he just had to hang on a little bit longer. As he comforted himself in this way, he gave a smile that looked worse than a wailing grimace, and then escorted Naruto through the second and third floors. He moved as quickly as possible, and soon, Naruto had gathered up all of the magical items.
In the final calculation, there were several thousand items. Even at the price of only 30 spirit stones per item, he still needed over 100,000 Spirit Stones.
Patriarch Reliance felt as if his heart were being slashed by daggers. His face was pale as he stared helplessly at Naruto, seemingly on the verge of crying.
When it came time to settle the bill, Naruto rubbed his bag of holding, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
"I don't think I have enough Spirit Stones," he said a bit bashfully. When Patriarch Reliance heard this, he gaped in shock.
"What… what are you trying to pull?!" cried Patriarch Reliance. The old man he was controlling trembled as he pointed at Naruto and nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance stamped his feet with fury and let loose a torrent of cursing. His fury surged to the Heavens, and he seemed on the verge of going insane.
"You little bastard! You, you, you… you have no money?! Then what are you doing!?
"You have no money and then try to buy so many things?! Dammit! You have no money?! The Patriarch just gave you 30,000 Spirit Stones!? 30,000! 30,000 whole Spirit Stones! The Patriarch lived a bitter, frugal life to save up all those Spirit Stones!" Years ago, Naruto had defied all sorts of difficulties and danger to attract all the Cultivators from the Five Elements Nation to the Reliance Sect to free Patriarch Reliance. At that time, Patriarch Reliance's heart had filled with joy. However, he had only rewarded Naruto with a single low-grade Spirit Stone. From that could be seen the level of stinginess which had long since become a part of Patriarch Reliance's very being.
"Furthermore, every item in that shop belongs to the Patriarch! You have no money and want to buy everything? Ridiculous!"
Seeing Patriarch Reliance raving the way that he was caused Haku to purse her lips. However, her expression quickly returned to normal, except for the glint of shrewdness in her eyes.
"The old turtle really is looking for trouble," she thought, feeling a bit sorry for Patriarch Reliance. "Naruto conned the entire Five Elements Nation back then. There are people who still remember that down to this day. And yet the old turtle is still trying to match wits with Naruto? He's simply looking for trouble….
"Although, you can't really blame the old turtle. He's getting old, and his brain is somewhat addled. Perhaps it's because he was beaten in the head when he was young?" The more she thought about the matter, and of all the things that had happened in the past years, the more she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Patriarch Reliance.
Of course, Naruto had no way to see or even know what was going on in the palace. He looked apologetically at the old man who stood in front of him.
"How about this," he said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "How about I do some work for you? I'm sure that in a few dozen years, I can clear all of my debt! Yeah… I'm pretty good at concocting medicinal pills."
Patriarch Reliance, in the form of the old man, stared fixedly at Naruto. He began to pant, and it almost seemed as if steam was rising from the top of his head…. Inside his mind, two people suddenly appeared. One of them was giving advice, and the other was venting angrily.
"Alright Patriarch, it's time to risk it all!"
"No way! I've worked so hard, and almost pulled it off! I'm just about to succeed! I just have to hold on a little bit more! A little bit more is all! Then, I'll finally be able to gaze upon hope!
"The sunshine always comes after the storm!" Even as Patriarch Reliance was feeling conflicted, Naruto cleared his throat.
"Or, maybe I just shouldn't buy these things," he said. "I think I should go browse some of the other shops. I'll try to finish going through them all within a year. After that I'll head over to the other cities…."
These words were like a trump card that Patriarch Reliance couldn't match.
"How much money do you have?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Naruto blushed. "I have 5,000 Spirit Stones in my bag of holding."
"You…." Patriarch Reliance almost screamed out that he had just given Naruto 30,000 Spirit Stones. However, he suppressed his heart for a long moment; he felt as if he had just been stabbed through, and there was no blood left to ooze out….
"Ha ha…." he said through clenched teeth. However, to achieve his goal, he had no choice but to continue to endure. Even if it caused Naruto become somewhat suspicious, he had no choice. After forcing out his laugh, he said, "You're… you're really lucky! Today is… our opening-day celebration! We have a huge… sale! 5,000 Spirit Stones gets you everything in the store!"
Eyes sparkling, Naruto quickly placed 5,000 Spirit Stones in front of the old man, then collected together all of the magical items into his bag of holding. Then he smiled and gave a light sigh.
"The people of Saint's Island, and especially the members of the Footloose Sect, are all good people," he said. With that, he spun and left, flying directly up into the air and shooting off into the distance.
When Patriarch Reliance saw this, his deeply injured spirit was finally able to recover a bit.
"As long as you leave, that's all that matters…. Just go!" he said, gnashing his teeth. "You little bastard! I don't ever want to see you ever again in my life!" He gradually calmed his mood, then stopped thinking about Spirit Stones and magical items. If he did, he was worried that he might not be able to take it and then explode with fury.
However, even as Patriarch Reliance struggled to improve his mood, Naruto suddenly stopped flying. He looked down as he noticed a second city down below.
When he saw this second city, a smile appeared on his face.
Currently, it was the middle of the night, and yet, the city was still filled with bright lights and activity. Even at this hour, the shops weren't closed. The whole city was bustling, making the entire city seem like a bright, dazzling pearl.
Patriarch Reliance: "…."
He stared blankly, veins popping up on his forehead.
Then he saw Naruto shamelessly floating down toward the city, and he couldn't take it any more. He finally exploded.
"Ridiculous! Shameless!" he bellowed, causing the entire palace to shake. He waved his right hand in front of him, causing countless streams of Divine Sense to shoot out. They sped toward the city and immediately entered the various shops.
Before Naruto could even get close, all of the shops in the entire city suddenly closed their doors and turned out the lights.
It was the middle of the night, so the previously brightly lit city was suddenly cast into darkness. Of course, everyone within the city noticed this and was instantly alarmed.
Up in mid-air, Naruto's face twitched a bit.
"That damned old turtle," he thought. "All I took was a few Spirit Stones and magical items. In total, it's only worth a few tens of thousands of Spirit Stones!
"The old turtle is far too stingy. After all these years, he still hasn't changed. I bet that right now, he's in such pain that he wants to die.
"He wants me to leave, and is worried that I'll plunder him even more, so he instantly caused all the shops to close. Shameless! Completely shameless!" Naruto hovered indignantly up in the air, staring down at the city for a long moment. Then, he continued to fly.
Back in the palace, an unprecedentedly wide smile appeared on Patriarch Reliance's face, as well as a look of intense pride as he reveled in his superior intellect. Patriarch Reliance currently felt incredibly refreshed.
"Little bastard! No matter how crafty you are, you can't outsmart the Patriarch!
"As usual, the Patriarch is the most intelligent! How else could I come up with so many plans? Hahaha! Let's see what you try to do now!" By now, he had long since forgotten that he was trying to hide. Nor did he consider that such overt actions might cause Naruto to be suspicious.
His complacency had reached the pinnacle, and the feeling of finally being able to vent his frustrations gave him a bit of hope. Hope to see Naruto finally leave!
"No matter where you go, I'll just close all the shops! Let's see what other reason you could possibly come up with to stay here!" Patriarch Reliance's eyes sparkled as he glanced over at Haku.
"Well, what do you say? Is the Patriarch clever, or not?"
Haku blinked, then smiled. "The Patriarch is definitely brilliant."
Patriarch Reliance seemed more pleased than ever, and his smile grew even wider.
As for Naruto, he frowned as he flew through the air. About an hour later, he suddenly stopped in place, then looked down toward a mountain down below.
As soon as he even glanced at it, a rumbling sound suddenly filled the air as the entire mountain collapsed right in front of his eyes.
Naruto stared in shock. This time, it was true and utter shock.
"Patriarch Reliance!" he thought, "Aren't you being a bit too obvious, bitch? Can't you pretend even a little bit? Dammit! What do you want me to do? Pretend that I don't notice? Pretend that I do?" Naruto was conflicted about exactly what course of action to take.
If he pretended not to notice anything suspicious, that would be too obvious….
But if he pretended to notice something fishy, then it would also tip off Patriarch Reliance. In Naruto's opinion, Patriarch Reliance was so unreliable, there was no way to know how he might flip out if that happened.
"If I scare him too much," Naruto thought, "he might just take this whole place with him and run away at top speed. This time, I have to make sure he doesn't flee." Naruto really was unsure of what to do. Inwardly, he cursed Madara. How could a Dao Seeking Cultivator be so slow? Naruto had already let his aura begin to emanate out, and yet the old man still hadn't come looking for him yet.
Naruto was consumed with the desire to beat the living daylights out of the old turtle. Currently, he just couldn't think of how to deal with the unreliable Patriarch Reliance.
Even as he went back and forth in his mind, he continued to proceed forward. However, he quickly found that if he stopped for even a moment, nearby mountains would collapse; even the rivers would change their course.
Almost everywhere he went rapidly turned into flatlands.
"Could there possibly be anybody more unreliable…?" Naruto thought. "If things keep going on like this, even if I really did beat him in the head in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, he should be able to understand that I'll notice things are obviously off." Naruto hesitated for another moment before his eyes began to glitter. At this point, he completely ceased suppressing his internal injuries. He let out a blood-curdling scream and then coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His face immediately went pale.
"My injury is playing up again!" he cried loudly. Bowing his head, he sank down toward the ground, picking a random area to sit down cross-legged to meditate and treat his injuries.
His injuries truly were not completely healed. They were only healed by approximately seventy percent. The remaining thirty percent were filled with the power of Dao Seeking, which was very difficult to heal with the Violet Pupil Transformation.
According to his calculations, the final thirty percent would take years to completely heal using his current method. Therefore, he didn't mind allowing the old turtle to see that the injuries and the blood were very real.
"In order to deal with this unreliable old turtle," he thought, grinding his teeth, "I just have to be more shameless than him. In that case, you bastard, I'll just stay here indefinitely!"
Now it was Patriarch Reliance's turn to be stunned. He rubbed his eyes vigorously as he watched Naruto sit down cross-legged to meditate. Then his eyes began to shine brightly as he saw that Naruto truly did have serious internal injuries.
Patriarch Reliance began to pant. He stared for a long moment, then grabbed at his long hair and began to pull it hard. He paced back and forth within the palace, his face unsightly to the extreme, looking like a volcano that was about to explode.
"Dammit! Who was it that hurt him!? Why didn't you just directly kill him?! Why leave an injury like that to flare up at a time like this?!
"What do I do? What is the Patriarch supposed to do…? That injury won't be healed for years. After everything I've done so far, just when I was about to succeed, then this kind of thing has to happen!" Patriarch Reliance ground his teeth. Inwardly, his hatred toward whoever had injured Naruto continued to grow.
Haku almost couldn't stop herself from bursting out laughing. Right now, she almost couldn't take it any more. She had to know, which of these two unreliable fellows would outdo the other….
"I'll just sit here and wait for Madara to come," thought Naruto complacently. "In the meantime, I'll treat my injuries and just let time pass." He sat there cross-legged in the remote mountain forest, surrounded by silence. The night was dark and charming; a soft breeze brushed gently against his face.
He rotated his Cultivation base as he slowly treated himself. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. A few days passed.
The parrot and the meat jelly emerged during that time, then left to go play on the sea. It was impossible to tell what vices they had indulged in, but they came back smelling like seawater. They made quite the commotion as they returned to perch on Naruto's shoulder.
"You are immoral!" cried the meat jelly, preparing to launch into a speech. "That white crane…."
"SHUT UP!" replied the Parrot, glaring. It was just about to continue speaking when suddenly it made an "eee?" sound and then looked around. Before it could say anything, Naruto's eyes snapped open and he stuffed the parrot and the meat jelly into his bag of holding, then cleared his throat and continued to meditate.
At the moment, Patriarch Reliance was completely torn about what to do, so he didn't notice what had just happened. He was utterly helpless in terms of Naruto; during the past few days, he had grown increasingly anxious. It was now clear based on Naruto's actions that he planned to stay long term to restore himself to health.
"You little bastard, you just wait. The Patriarch is going to go all out!" Patriarch Reliance lifted his head up and roared. He had been in conflict over the past several days, and at this point, couldn't wait any more. Clenching his teeth, he waved his sleeve, causing his body to grow transparent. It appeared as if he had separated some of his essence, which then began to swirl in the air above his hand, emanated a multicolored glow.
It rapidly turned into what appeared to be a Spirit Fruit, from which a delicate fragrance wafted out. Anyone who looked at it would instantly feel themselves palpitating with eagerness.
Off to the side, Haku's eyes went wide and she began to breathe heavily. She recognized this object; it was a strand of essence from Patriarch Reliance's clone form.
Clenching his teeth and enduring the distress of it all, Patriarch Reliance lifted his right foot and then stamped it down onto the surface of the palace. Instantly, a white crane appeared. As soon as it flew out, it began to change shape into a gray eagle, which then grabbed the Spirit Fruit with its talons. After that, it passed through the walls of the palace and shot off into the distance.
Patriarch Reliance watched anxiously as the gray eagle left. He felt distressed, and couldn't stop from stamping his feet back and forth in nervousness.
"Screwed over. I'm screwed over big time…. However, as long as that little bastard leaves, the Patriarch can deal with it!"
The gray eagle shot through the sky with incredible speed toward Naruto's location. In only the space of a few breaths, it appeared near him.
It kicked up a stiff wind that caused Naruto's eyes to open. He looked up into the sky, and as soon as he caught sight of the gray eagle, his pupils constricted. Clearly, the most important part was the Spirit Fruit it held in its talons.
At a single glance, he could sense the ripples that emanated out from within the fruit, as well as the colorful glow which surrounded it. It almost looked like an Immortal Fruit. Even just glancing at the Immortal Fruit provoked a reaction from his internal injuries.
"This thing can really heal injuries…." thought Naruto. He hesitated for a moment, then smiled bitterly. Patriarch Reliance really had hit him in a soft spot with this particular move. He sighed inwardly.
"But it's such a blatant move…. Well, he is Patriarch Reliance, after all, so I guess it's not that strange." It was with a wry smile and a conflicted heart that he watched the gray eagle start to fly in circles over his head. It seemed as if it was simply waiting for him to snatch the Spirit Fruit.
"Snatch it!" roared Patriarch Reliance. "Come on! Why aren't you snatching it!?" At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to throttle Naruto.
After struggling back and forth for a while, Naruto took a deep breath. His eyes filled with determination. He simply couldn't ignore such temptation. He had just made the decision, and was about to make a move, when suddenly, the gray eagle loosened its talons.
The Spirit Fruit slowly fell down from the sky with great accuracy to land directly in front of Naruto.
Patriarch Reliance burst out with hearty laughter, and he looked extremely proud of himself. Then he harrumphed to express the superiority of his intellect. Finally, he sent his Divine Sense into the gray eagle, causing it to let out a cheerful cry filled with complacent pride.
Because Naruto was staring in shock, he didn't notice that at some point, the parrot had stuck its head out of the bag of holding and was looking intoxicatedly at the gray eagle. Suddenly, it transformed into a black streak of light that shot out at top speed.
Back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance's Divine Sense was still in the gray eagle, controlling it as it flew off into the distance. "You little bastard! The Patriarch has lived for years and years, and you want to try to compete with me? Let's see what reason you can come up with to stay now! Hahaha! The Patriarch is… huh? Ahh? AAGGHHH!" In the midst of his complacency and laughter, he suddenly shuddered, and his eyes went wide with disbelief.
He could clearly see the black beam of light shooting out from Naruto's bag of holding. Then, the black shadow shot through the air to penetrate the rear end of the gray eagle.
"What… what is it doing?" said Patriarch Reliance, trembling.
The gray eagle shook. It was illusory, after all, so it twisted and then transformed into countless dots of glittering light that spread out in all directions.
A tremor ran through Patriarch Reliance and he stared blankly. Because his Divine Sense had been inside the gray eagle, everything that had happened just now… he had also experienced.
His face was filled with disbelief, but it only took a moment for him to react. His eyes went wide and were shot with blood as he lifted his head up and roared.
"You, you, you… you actually….
"Ridiculous! You actually….
"AAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" After understanding exactly what had happened, Patriarch Reliance was filled with unspeakable, unprecedented rage and madness.
All of the the lands of Saint's Island shook, and enormous waves rolled out across the sea. The faces of all the Cultivators on the island flickered as they wonder what had just transpired.
Naruto was also a bit frightened. When he saw the parrot returning, that intoxicated look on its face, his scalp went numb.
"Damned bird," he thought, taking a deep breath. "It… it actually did… it did Patriarch Reliance?" The parrot's expression was one of deep emotion as it returned. Everything that had happened completely exceeded Naruto's imagination.
The parrot still seemed to be savoring the aftertaste of what had just occurred. As it returned, Naruto could hear it muttering.
"Strange. How come it couldn't handle being done? I barely started and it disappeared?"
Naruto grabbed the parrot and violently threw it into his bag of holding. Then he smiled wryly and collected up the Spirit Fruit. He quickly popped it into his mouth, then transformed into a beam of light and shot up into the air.
"What's going on in this place!" he yelled loudly. "I can't stay here!" He immediately shot off into the distance. Even as he did, the area he had just been in collapsed into a huge crater.
The ground trembled and shook, and huge waves surged across the sea. Patriarch Reliance was completely in a rage; his fury was burning to a shocking level. Although he couldn't do anything to Naruto, he still couldn't accept such humiliation. He was just on the verge of revealing his true self to swallow up the parrot, when Haku came running over. She grabbed Patriarch Reliance's arm.
"Patriarch, calm down!" she said. "Think about what's most important!"
"Go away! The Patriarch is gonna go all out with this guy!" Patriarch Reliance took a few steps forward. A rumbling sound filled the air as the palace opened up to reveal the lands of Saint's Island stretching out below.
"Patriarch, think three times before you act!" urged Haku. "Naruto's already gone! If you reveal yourself now, you'll undo all your previous hard work!"
Patriarch Reliance stopped in place with his foot in the air. Veins bulged out on his face, and his entire person resembled a volcano that might erupt at any moment. His face twisted with struggle; on one hand, he was thinking about the happiness he could enjoy in the future. At the same time, he was thinking about the revenge that needed to be exacted for what the parrot had done to him.
In the midst of his struggle, he stomped his foot down. Forcing himself to endure everything, his body trembled and his head seemed about to explode. Clearly, his restraint had reached its very limits.
Patriarch Reliance could feel an indescribable fire burning inside of him. He felt as if he had to find someone to beat up to vent the rage and toxic anger that raged in his heart.
As he forced himself to continue to be patient, Saint's Island ceased trembling, and the sea returned to calmness. Naruto transformed into a beam of light that shot through the air. His face was unsightly, but his internal injuries were now healing at a shockingly fast rate.
In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, all the pores on Naruto's body seemed to have opened. The injuries inside of him were healed, and an intense coldness rushed out through his skin into the air, transforming into flakes of black snow that drifted in the air.
Naruto took a deep breath and increased his speed. His mind spun with countless ideas as he tried to come up with more reasons to stay on the island. However, he knew that Patriarch Reliance's rage had been kindled to its peak, and the slightest mistake on his part could cause it to explode out.
If that happened, Patriarch Reliance would definitely run away again, and that did not fit in with Naruto's plan.
"It's all the fault of that bastard parrot. It ruined my big plan." He sighed as he neared the border region of the island. He decided to slow down a bit, but when he did, the land beneath him would quake and the nearby mountains would collapse.
Naruto smiled bitterly and then continued to speed along. Soon, he saw the sea off in the distance, as well as the last Cultivator city of Saint's Island. Right now it was day, and the city should have been bustling with noise and excitement, but instead, all the shops were closed.
"Patriarch turtle, you've pushed me into a corner!" cursed Naruto inwardly. He clenched his teeth and then suddenly stopped in mid-air. His eyes began to glow with an intense light, and his expression was incredibly grim.
The look on his face caused Patriarch Reliance's fuming heart to suddenly begin to thump.
"I've been hiding in this ancient palace for years," he thought, "completely cut off from anything to do with the Demon Sealers. He shouldn't be able to sense me…. Not good, not good! Maybe what I did just now was too obvious! When you add in the fact that I couldn't control my temper, maybe the little bastard saw through it all!"
Naruto looked around, his face grim. Finally, he spoke in a cold voice: "I'm not sure which member of the senior generation in this place doesn't want Naruto to stick around. Fine, I'm leaving!"
Complete silence was the only response.
When Patriarch Reliance heard Naruto's words, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief.
"So, he doesn't know I'm here. He actually thinks I'm someone else. Alright, that will do."
Naruto glanced around before his gaze finally came to rest on the city up ahead. He lifted his hand up and pointed at it.
"However, I'm lacking in Spirit Stones, and happen to have a random assortment of magical items in my bag of holding. I'll sell them in this city, and as soon as I'm finished, I'll leave this place!" With that, Naruto flicked his sleeve and headed toward the city.
Patriarch Reliance hesitated for a moment. Had Naruto not directly stated his intentions, he would never have allowed him to enter the city. However, Patriarch Reliance couldn't help but glance at the sea, and then back at the city.
Finally, he violently clenched his teeth.
"This is the last time," he said decisively. If Naruto tried to pull any more tricks after this, then he would go for broke and run away with the land on his back.
Naruto headed toward the city at top speed. Inside, the shops had all closed their doors, which left the Cultivators quite confused. Soon, quite a commotion could be heard.
Naruto's arrival didn't attract much attention. He picked a relatively open area where he then sat down cross-legged. Waving his sleeve, he caused a vast quantity of magical items to suddenly appear in front of him. They flew out into the surrounding area, causing a bright glow of light to spread out in all directions.
When thousands of magical items suddenly appeared all at once, glowing and shining resplendently, it instantly caught the attention of quite a few bystanders. When they saw the magical items, gasps could be heard.
The sounds of discussions soon filled the air.
"So many magical items!"
"How can that guy have so many magical items!? He has things from the Chakra Condensation stage all the way to the Nascent Soul stage! He has everything!"
"Don't tell me he sacked a shop somewhere?! All of those magical items are clearly new! Not a single one is used!"
Soon, people began to approach to examine the magical items that floated in the air around Naruto.
Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he quickly listed prices for each item, which were based on the original amount he had purchased them for, multiplied several times over. Then he closed his eyes and sat there silently.
More and more people crowded around, their eyes glittering as they occasionally glanced over at Naruto. Some people wanted to buy things, but the prices were clearly quite high. There were even some magical items whose price was several times greater than normal. Because of this, many people began to curse inwardly.
Time passed by, and soon quite a crowd had built up. Right now, all of the shops in the city were closed, so Naruto's flagrant display quickly attracted the attention of the vast majority of Cultivators in the city.
Unfortunately, although there were a lot of people, few people were willing to buy at the exorbitant prices Naruto had listed.
Naruto didn't feel anxious at all. In fact, he wanted to stretch time out as long as possible. Patriarch Reliance, on the other hand, was getting very nervous back in his palace as he watched the scene unfold. Soon, evening was falling. Of the thousands of magical items Naruto had for sale, he had only managed to get rid of a few. Patriarch Reliance was now incredibly worried.
"Well, this is the last time!" said Patriarch Reliance, stamping his foot. He sent his Divine Sense out into several people in the city.
Before long, seven or eight Cultivators approached Naruto's vendor stall. They moved at top speed, causing quite a disturbance as they arrived in front of Naruto.
"I want 500 of these magical items!" said one of their number, an old man. He tossed out a bag of holding. Naruto's eyes instantly opened. He looked at the man, then slowly opened the bag of holding. He then removed all of the Spirit Stones from inside and began to count them one by one. After checking the number thoroughly, he waved his sleeve, causing five hundred magical items to fly toward the old man.
The old man's face twitched as he gathered up the items, then turned and walked off. After he left, another person approached, and, in exactly the same fashion as the man before, began to purchase magical items.
"That was the manager of the Auspicious Pavilion. He has a considerable social standing, and a close relationship with the Footloose Sect…. Why is he here buying magical items from this guy?"
"I've seen that guy before. That's the shopkeeper from Chen Manor! He's here too…."
The surrounding crowds watched on in astonishment as the seven or eight Cultivators wasted nearly two hours purchasing various items. Soon, all of Naruto's magical items were gone.
Of course, the reason it took so long was that Naruto fastidiously counted every single Spirit Stone. Otherwise, he could have taken care of selling all the items in the space of a few breaths.
Considering how many Spirit Stones Naruto ended up taking, it was no surprise that the crowds eyed him greedily, like hungry wolves.
Naruto calmly secured all of the Spirit Stones into his bag of holding. In total, he had acquired several hundred thousand, making his trip to Saint's Island somewhat profitable after all.
Finally, he rose slowly to his feet and sighed. Back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance's patience could stretch no longer as Naruto transformed into a beam of light that shot up into the air.
As soon as that happened, four or five Cultivators down in the city took out jade slips that they then used to send voice transmissions.
Moments later, three Core Formation Cultivators flew out from a secret location. At the same time, an old man in a red robe sat cross-legged on a ship near the seashore. Suddenly, his eyes opened and began to glow with a brilliant light. The ripples of an early Nascent Soul Cultivation base emanated out from him.
He was the type of person who was threatening without showing anger. As soon as his eyes opened, he produced a brightly glowing jade slip. When he sent his Divine Sense into the slip, his eye narrowed.
"A Cultivator flying around with hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones?" said the man coolly, rising to his feet.
"On Saint's Island, only Core Formation Cultivators are permitted to fly….
"He sold a lot of items, most of them suitable for Chakra Condensation and Foundation Establishment. However, his Cultivation base clearly wasn't Nascent Soul. He must be a Core Formation Cultivator.
"Most likely, he's at the great circle of Core Formation. In my hands, though, someone like that is a mere insect." A slight smile appeared on the man's lips.
"If I can get my hands on a few hundred thousand Spirit Stones, then this trip will have been no waste." The man used minor teleportation to instantly vanish. When he reappeared, he was in mid-air above Saint's Island. After confirming his exact position, he picked a direction and started flying.
Naruto frowned as he flew through mid-air. He really couldn't think of another reason to stay behind, and it almost felt like he was being banished. It didn't make him happy.
After all, the person doing the banishing was supposed to be his Dao Protector.
"If I'd known this was going to happen, I would have thrashed that little turtle a bit more back in the Demon Immortal Pagoda!" murmured Naruto angrily. He proceeded onward, watching the seashore get closer and closer.
By now, Patriarch Reliance was getting incredibly excited. Anticipation filled his eyes as he watched Naruto get further and further away.
"He's leaving! The little bastard is finally leaving! Hahaha! What an excellent feeling!" The more Patriarch Reliance thought about it, the happier he felt. He even started to hum a little tune.
If Naruto were there, he would instantly recognize that tune. It was the very same tune Patriarch Reliance had hummed back in the Reliance Sect.
Currently, Naruto's face was unsightly. The sea was clearly visible off in the distance, but he still couldn't think of a reason to stay behind. Even as he was beginning to hesitate, a whistling sound could be heard from behind him.
When Naruto heard the sound, he was instantly both surprised and very happy. He quickly looked back to see three beams of light shooting toward him. An expression of joy appeared on his face.
In the same moment that Naruto turned to look back, a cold voice could be heard coming from one of the three pursuers. "Fellow Daoist, please slow down for a moment!"
The three pursuers were middle-aged men, one of whom was in the mid Core Formation stage, the other two were in the early Core Formation stage. They flew through the air very quickly, and arrived in the blink of an eye.
Back in his palace, Patriarch Reliance watched on in shock.
"What are you people doing!?" Naruto shouted, shrinking back.
The eyes of the three men glittered with killing intent. The mid Core Formation Cultivator looked Naruto over closely. Earlier, he had been somewhat hesitant because of not being able to clearly see Naruto's Cultivation base. Now, though, it was obvious to him that it was at the early Core Formation stage.
Furthermore, Naruto's words and expression seemed to be filled with alarm, which left the man feeling even more calm.
"The three of us would like to borrow something from you, Fellow Daoist," said the man with a false smile. "Hopefully you can help us achieve our aim." With that, the other two moved to surround Naruto.
The eyes of all three radiated ill intentions as they coldly stared at Naruto. The greed in their eyes couldn't be more apparent.
"What… what do you want to borrow?" Naruto replied hurriedly.
"Just some Spirit Stones, that's all," said the man with a smile. "Fellow Daoist, you have several hundred thousand Spirit Stones in your bag of holding. Do you mind loaning them to us?" As he spoke, killing intent glittered in his eyes. Just when he was reaching out to attack….
"Okay! I agree!" said Naruto. He slapped his bag of holding and instantly caused hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones to fly out. The sight of so many Spirit Stones instantly caused the three Cultivators to stare, panting.
For the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, a sound almost like the gurgling of water could be heard as the Spirit Stones poured out onto the ground. Soon, they had formed together into something like a small mountain.
Even though it was evening, the Spirit Stones glittered and shone, causing the eyes of the three men to shine brightly.
However, as Naruto was backed up, the tip of one of the magical items from the Demon Immortal Sect suddenly appeared. Naruto's face fell, and he quickly covered it up.
"Hahaha!" said the middle-aged man, his eyes flashing. He was all smiles as he spoke, although he was working hard to control the excitement inside of him. "Fellow Daoist, you seem to be in such a good mood, so I hate to tell you that in addition to Spirit Stones, I also happen to need some magical items. I noticed just now that you have some inside your bag of holding. Hand it over now for me to take a look."
The other two were palpating with eagerness at how rich they were about to become.
Meanwhile, back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance was panting, his eyes filling with rage as he clenched his fists tightly. He wanted nothing more than for Naruto to leave as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, these blind fools dared to intercept Naruto and delay him. This was enough to cause Patriarch Reliance to explode like lightning.
"Are they looking to die?!" roared Patriarch Reliance, waving his hand out. At the same time, the three people surrounding Naruto, in the very midst of their most ultimate excitement, suddenly began to tremble. The sound of someone roaring exploded out in their minds.
Then, in the blink of an eye, their eyes went wide and their bodies burst into pieces. A haze and blood and gore filled the air, which rapidly vanished into nothing.
Naruto smiled bitterly, then moved to collect up the Spirit Stones on the ground. However, it was at this point that he suddenly smiled excitedly once again. Off in the distance, a beam of light approached him at top speed from the direction of the ocean.
It was the early Nascent Soul stage old man.
"Take out your Spirit Stones and… huh?" Even as the old man's cold voice rang out, he suddenly gasped. He had just seen the huge Spirit Stone mountain laying there on the ground.
"Another one?" Patriarch Reliance's rage once again flared up. He was incredibly indignant. After all the untold difficulties he had gone through to accomplish his goal of sending Naruto away, he had almost reached his goal.
And yet, at the critical moment, one blind fool after another came to stir up trouble. Patriarch Reliance was extremely nervous that Naruto would seize some new chance to stay behind on the island. Thus, his rage burned up into the sky. He was about to reach out and crush the newcomer with a palm, when suddenly, a tremor ran through his body. He looked up, and there wasn't a trace of rage on his face. Gone was the easily changeable mood from when he was dealing with Naruto. Now, his expression was very serious.
He stared off into the depths of the sea.
Next to him, Haku also got a strange feeling seemingly from nowhere. She looked up, and her expression flickered. The Boat Spirit appeared soundlessly next to her, and also looked off into the distance.
Meanwhile, the overbearing old Nascent Soul Cultivator saw the huge pile of Spirit Stones, and it caused his heart to tremble. He glanced around the area, and, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, turned to look frowning at Naruto.
Naruto looked back at him, and as their gazes met, he laughed.
The scene caused the old Nascent Soul Cultivator to get a very strange sensation. He suddenly had the feeling that something fishy was going on, and immediately backed up a few paces.
He was just about to say something when Naruto's face suddenly flickered. He jerked his head to look off onto the distance. At the same time, his entire person erupted with an intensely fierce aura. He didn't grow any larger, but in the eyes of the old man, he suddenly seemed indescribably huge. The old man suddenly felt as if he were nothing more than a bug in front of Naruto.
The explosive aura that roiled off of Naruto caused the old man to tremble and pant. His eyes went wide with disbelief, and his mind filled with roaring.
"Great circle of the Nascent Soul stage!" he thought, both his mind and body trembling. The blood drained from his face.
In the blink of an eye, Naruto's aura continued to rise, breaking through a certain barrier that suddenly caused the wind and clouds to surge, and the sky and land to dim. The crackle of thunder could be heard.
His energy swept over everything for thousands of kilometers in every direction, and a vortex appeared. The vortex spun rapidly, rising up to the point where it seemed to connect Heaven and Earth. Rifts appeared in the air, as if the world itself couldn't handle the explosive power of Naruto's Cultivation base.
"Spirit… Spirit Severing!" Being in the middle of the tempest made the old man feel like he was a tiny leaf the midst of the raging sea, or a lone boat on the verge of being crushed into tiny pieces.
His mind buzzed and went completely blank, and his face completely drained of even the slightest bit of blood, until he looked almost dead. His body trembled like a screen, as he stared wide-eyed at the vortex, and Naruto, who looked almost like an Immortal.
"I… I actually tried to rob a Spirit Severing eccentric…." The man's trembling soon was completely replaced by astonishment and indescribable fear. The turn of events left him thoroughly discombobulated. In his estimation, he had just done the most insane thing he had ever done in his entire life.
As he trembled, he was suddenly incredibly glad that he hadn't finished speaking earlier. Perhaps he still had time to turn around and leave.
"Senior…. Senior, I…." Even as he began to stammer an explanation, Naruto flicked his sleeve. Instantly, all of the Spirit Stones vanished. Completely ignoring the Nascent Soul Cultivator, he flew up into the air and looked off into the distance.
What he saw was a long beam of light shooting across the sky above the sea. It seemed capable of splitting Heaven and Earth as it shot toward him. Rumbling could be heard, and soon, the image of a white-robed Cultivator became visible within the beam. He didn't look old, but rather, middle-aged. His hands were clasped behind his back as he strode through the air inside of the beam.
His hair floated around him, and everywhere he passed, distortions spread out. It seemed as if in every place that he passed, the natural laws of the world would change because of him. Waves surged in the sea down below, roaring and rumbling.
If you looked closely, you would be able to see that in that part of the sea, the waters were sunken down as if by some incredibly shocking pressure.
"He's finally here!" thought Naruto. His eyes glittered brightly, and without hesitation, he entered the Ninth Anima!
Boom!
His body shook violently as an energy even more powerful than before was unleashed within him. He had a Spirit Severing fleshly body, and an energy capable of shaking everything.
Down below, the Nascent Soul Cultivator coughed up a mouthful of blood and sank down to the ground, quivering. To him, it was like the Heavens were crumbling.
Of course, the approaching figure was none other than Madara!
He strode forward, his expression cold, seemingly filled with infinite killing intent. He appeared capable of causing everything around him to collapse into destruction, and each step he took made everything rumble and shake.
"You dared to disseminate your aura to draw me here," he said coolly, his voice crackling like thunder. "Who exactly are you relying on for help? Ask them out immediately." His voice caused the entirety of Saint's Island to shake. Mountains crumbled, and countless people on the island cried out in alarm.
In the Footloose Sect, dozens of beams of light flew up into the air, and the faces of everyone instantly began to flicker with various expressions.
Up in mid-air, the wind and clouds surged into an enormous, rumbling vortex. It looked almost like doomsday had arrived.
As Madara entered the airspace over Saint's Island, waves raged in the surrounding sea, from within which could be heard something like desolate howls that echoed about in all directions.
"If you have nobody to rely on for help, well then, you simply won't be able to escape this time." Madara's voice was calm, and did not seem to contain even a scrap of emotion. His eyes were cold as his gaze fell onto Naruto.
As soon as the gaze touched him, a rumbling sound surrounded Naruto. Inside of him, the power of seven Cultivation bases within him exploded out, and the strength of his fleshly body radiated out to slam into the pressure of the gaze.
Boom!
Rumbling filled Naruto's body, and he felt an incredible pressure. This feeling was even more intense than the last time, causing his face to pale. Underneath the pressure, his Cultivation base suddenly condensed from seven parts into six!
It seemed as if the pressure from Madara was like a grindstone, and Naruto… was the blade!
At the same time, the intense power of his Cultivation base exploded out and fought back.
RUMBLE!
Blood oozed out of Naruto's mouth, and he was sent spinning backward. However, a bright light shone in his eyes as he relied only on his own power to resist the pressure of the gaze.
Madara's eyes flickered as he gazed deeply at Naruto. This was not the same clone that had faced Naruto back in the Southern Domain. This was a flesh and blood body, a true clone.
It was far, far more powerful than the Divine Clone from last time. After all, the will within its gaze could kill a person.
Down below, the Nascent Soul Cultivator's astonishment had reached a pinnacle. He had no way to even imagine what level of Cultivation base could cause a Spirit Severing expert to be incapable of fighting back.
"This place is a nightmare…." He began to tremble violently, and wished he could simply lapse into unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, back in the palace, Patriarch Reliance's eyes were glittering as he silently observed what was happening.
A look of anxiety appeared in Haku's eyes.
Hovering in mid-air in the seaside region, Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth and backed up.
As for Madara, he was now even more excited about Naruto's Dao foundation. "It truly is worthy of being called the Perfect Dao foundation…."
He took another step forward toward Naruto.
It was at this point that Naruto suddenly shouted out: "Patriarch, save me!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Patriarch Reliance's face twitched. He pretended as if he hadn't heard, but Haku, looking more anxious than ever, quickly turned to look at him.
Boom!
Even as he spoke the words, Naruto fled at top speed, his body flickering with a bloody glow. However, Madara instantly appeared in front of him.
"Patriarch Reliance," said Naruto, using his Cultivation base to cause his words to echo out through all of Saint's Island, "I'm the only remaining disciple of the Reliance Sect. Even in the Footloose Sect, considering my level of seniority, I should be considered a respected Elder. Can you really just watch on while I get killed?" Everyone in the Footloose Sect could clearly hear the words he had spoken. Naruto instantly tried to retreat again, but Madara waved his hand out. His shocking killing intent, which contained the will of Dao Seeking, transformed into a black beam that shot toward Naruto.
It moved with incredible speed, but Naruto was on guard. The Immortal's sword appeared, which instantly caused Madara's pupils to constrict.
In that instant, back in the palace, Haku gritted her teeth and then suddenly vanished. She transformed into a drop of rainwater, which then shot out of the palace. At the same time, the Boat Spirit also vanished.
When the raindrop reappeared, it was in front of Naruto. It instantly transformed into a sheet of falling rain, which blocked the incoming black beam of light.
Hakus voice suddenly sounded out. "Your fleshly body is strong, but you can't use it now. Rain is water. Water can become a lake, and that lake wishes to transform into sea. The surface of the sea can ripple; vibration can resist countless powers!"
As soon as Naruto heard her, his eyes went wide. Although he recognized the voice, there was no time to reminisce right now. The words seemed to bring him to his senses, and he began to vibrate his body.
All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in the blink of an eye.
The black beam neared, and as it passed through the rainwater, more than half of it dissipated. What remained slammed into Naruto, causing a boom to rattle out. The vibrations of Naruto's body, however, transformed into a strange power that caused all the defensive power within his fleshly body to be consolidated into one location. Within the blink of an eye, a hundred vibrations occurred, fighting back against the black beam.
Naruto's body shook, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. As he fell backward head over heels, the rainwater transformed into a young girl who caught him in her arms. The Boat Spirit appeared as well. He waved his sleeve, causing the air to ripple and distort in protection of Naruto as they retreated.
Although they had dispelled the black beam, the ripples that had been sent out as a result had completely destroyed the surrounding land. Everything had been crushed and destroyed, leaving behind a massive crater.
As Naruto retreated, an angry look appeared in his eyes.
"Old turtle Reliance, you're my Dao protector! I can't believe that the restrictive spells placed on you would allow you to just sit by and watch while I perish!" Even as he spoke, Madara neared. A look of derision appeared on his face, and he lifted his right hand up. The will of extermination appeared in his eyes as he struck out with his palm.
As soon as the palm began to move, everything grew dark, as if the the entire world now belonged to that palm. As it descended, Naruto, as well as everything in the entire area, began to topple and disintegrate.
Seeing what was happening, Patriarch Reliance lifted his head up and roared. Naruto's words had stabbed him to the heart. He truly couldn't just sit by complacently and watch him die. "Fudge! Fine, the Patriarch is coming!"
When you added in the flames of fury which still raged inside of him, and the fact that Madara was destroying the entire land with his palm, it all made Patriarch Reliance howl and finally…
Leave the palace!
As soon as Patriarch Reliance appeared on the outside, all of Saint's Island trembled. He wore a long azure robe, and his hair swayed in the wind. He looked ancient, but his eyes glowed with a bright light, and veins bulged out on his forehead. The anger and fury within him had reached the point that they absolutely had to be vented.
In a single step, he crossed half of Saint's Island to appear in front of Naruto, directly between him and Madara!
He lifted his right hand, and instantly, a sheet of steam rose up. It emanated shocking Demonic Chakra, as well as prismatic light. Instantly, Madara's palm slammed into it.
"I'm the Patriarch! Now screw off!" he raged, lifting his head up and roaring. His voice echoed out in all directions like thunder.
The mist and the palm slammed into each other, causing an enormous roaring to fill the air. Patriarch Reliance was sent tumbling backward, as if a raging wind had just swept over him. When he looked up, a vicious expression filled his eyes.
Madara also trembled, and his eyes gleamed brightly. But then, he gave a cold laugh.
"A trifling Spirit Severing Cultivator?" he said coolly. "Child, this is the person you are relying on? Allow me to destroy him, and your hope along with him!" From the way he spoke, destroying Patriarch Reliance would be incredibly easy for him.
Actually, from his point of view, destroying a Spirit Severing Cultivator truly was a simple matter. In fact, normally speaking, Naruto could not have stood up to him for even half a moment. The only reason he could was that the 10th Uchiha Patriarch needed to be very careful not to kill him. If he killed him, it would be impossible to steal his Dao foundation.
Truth be told, the Uchiha Patriarch had many Daoist magics that could easily destroy everything in sight.
"I am a Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan. An ancestor of the Clan invented three finger attacks, two of which have since become lost arts. However, the Extermination Finger is still being passed down via legacy." With that, Madara waved his finger in the air. It seemed to possess the power of extermination; the life force of all living things instantly began to wither under the power of the finger attack.
Naruto's eyes flickered as he sensed his own life force rapidly fading. A cold light suddenly appeared in his eyes as he fell back yet again. Having just gained enlightenment regarding the vibration technique, a hundred vibrations instantly appeared within him, locking down his life force so that the withering effect was instantly slowed down.
"Now is not the time to leave," thought Naruto, countless thoughts racing through his mind. "I need to wait a bit longer, until the fight between old turtle Reliance and the Uchiha Clan bastard reaches the peak. When the true flames of fury flare, that is the time to flee." The entire reason he had stayed on Saint's Island was to attack Madara here, and use Patriarch Reliance's power to destroy him, thus giving himself a way out of his current crisis.
Haku stood next to him, a serious look on her face. As for the Boat Spirit, his eyes shone brightly as he stood protectively off to the side.
Because of the transformations occurring in Heaven and Earth, and the quaking of Saint's Island, the experts of the Footloose Sect sped over as fast as possible. They knew that they were flying into danger, but the rules of the Footloose Sect were very strict. Seniority was the most important thing of all. If the Patriarch was in battle, then it didn't matter that they couldn't match up to him, unless he specifically ordered them away, they were required to come.
Most nervous of all was the Nascent Soul Cultivator down below, the one who had tried to rob Naruto. He was shaking violently, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. Everything that was happening caused him to breath rapidly. His mind spun, and he had lost the ability to even think. It didn't matter if it was Naruto, Patriarch Reliance, or Madara, none of them were people that he could even come into contact with. To the Nascent Soul Cultivator, getting involved in this conflict was clearly the most unlucky thing that had ever happened to him in in his entire life.
Heaven and Earth were sinking into extermination. The finger attack of Madara caused the entire world to turn gray. The only thing that had color was Madara himself.
The finger descended, and the world shook.
Patriarch Reliance's eyebrows shot up, and he performed an incantation with his right hand. Instantly, Demonic Chakra swept out.
"What dog crap Extermination Finger are you talking about?!" he said. "The Patriarch has never heard of any such thing. Demonic Art, Heaven and Earth Cleaving!" Patriarch Reliance also waved a finger. From the look of it, his fingernail became the Heaven, and the flesh of the finger became the Earth. As for the tip of the finger, it transformed into something that looked like a sharp blade which could cleave both Heaven and Earth.
Both finger attacks slammed into each other in mid-air.
BOOM!
The massive explosion caused the Nascent Soul Cultivator down below to cough up blood as he was sent spinning backward. Naruto fell back, his eyes glittering as he saw the plants around him rapidly wilting and drying up. As for Patriarch Reliance, starting with his extended finger, his entire body began to shrivel.
In the blink of an eye, his hair had fallen off, and his entire body was emaciated. He almost looked like a desiccated corpse. Then, a pop could be heard as he exploded, transforming into countless dots of light that floated away.
Madara's expression was the same as ever. He seemed to have utmost confidence in his finger attack just now.
"That's who you were relying on?" he asked coolly. He looked over at Naruto with eyes full of ridicule.
Naruto's expression was calm. Next to him, Haku's expression was similar. This caused Madara to gape in shock. He obviously could tell that something was not quite right. Just as he was about to take a step forward, a shocking roar suddenly filled the air.
"Dammit! This bastard actually dared to extinguish the Patriarch's clone!?" Instantly, a pulsing cloud of steam appeared out of nowhere, which gradually reformed back into the shape of Patriarch Reliance.
This new Patriarch Reliance's Cultivation base was a bit weaker than before. As soon as he appeared, his rage boiled up into the sky, and a demented gleam appeared in his eyes. He instantly shot forward.
"With me here," he roared, "nobody can kill that little bas… er, ahem, nobody can kill Naruto!"
If he hadn't spoken such words, then Naruto wouldn't have taken anything to be amiss. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto's heart started to pound with fear, and his face flickered. He absolutely did not believe that Patriarch Reliance would utter such words and truly mean them.
"Dammit, what technique has the old turtle come up with to get out of the Demon Seal…?
"It must have something to do with the words he just spoke. Don't tell me that whatever technique he's using can actually get out of having to fight here?" Naruto was no longer the unseasoned Cultivator he had been long ago. After everything he had experienced, he had long since honed his powers of reasoning. Based on Patriarch Reliance's words just now, he could obviously pick up on some clues as to what was going on.
Even as Naruto's mind was racing with countless thoughts, Patriarch Reliance neared and then stood between him and Madara. He flicked his sleeve.
"Naruto, get out of here!" he said, then charged once more toward Madara.
Naruto shivered and then began to pant slightly. Madara gave a cold snort and took a step forward, then once again attacked with his Extermination Finger.
As before, the finger attack caused everything to turn gray, and all life to be destroyed. Patriarch Reliance lifted his head up and let out an indignant howl.
"Life is to be treasured! Promises are even more eternal! I am Patriarch Reliance, and I promised to be Naruto's Dao Protector! Even if I am torn into a thousand pieces, I will abide by my promise!"
Seemingly completely unafraid of death, Patriarch Reliance charged forward. He seemed to prefer to die in battle to block the momentum of Madara. As he charged forward, he performed an incantation gesture, unleashing a Demonic art as he fearlessly attacked.
Anyone who was watching would definitely feel the complete and utter valiance on display. Giving up one's life to keep a promise; such were the actions of a true man!
However, Naruto understood Patriarch Reliance all too well. He knew that the damned old turtle would never act like this. Sweat began to pour down his forehead as a very bad feeling filled his heart.
Without hesitation, he cast aside his previous plan and began to flee in the opposite direction. Haku looked at fleeing Naruto, and then back at Patriarch Reliance as he seemed to face death unflinchingly. Then she sighed.
BANG!
Under the power of the Extermination Finger, Patriarch Reliance's body withered rapidly and then collapsed into pieces.
However, at the same time, a roar suddenly could be heard. The mist formed together again, once more turning into Patriarch Reliance. Yet again, he risked death to block the way of Madara.
"I can die with no regrets, but Naruto… must not die!" cried Patriarch Reliance. "That is my promise from years ago!"
A strange glow appeared in the eyes of Madara as he looked at Patriarch Reliance.
"So, a promise truly can give rise to someone so brave as to use their own essence to come back to life in this way!" From the perspective of Madara, Patriarch Reliance must be drawing on the essence of his true self to return to life.
To Cultivators of his realm, one's essence was the most prized of all possessions. Wasting it could lead to severe injury that would be difficult to recover from. It truly was extremely precious.
A look of respect appeared in the eyes of Madara. He suddenly realized that if this Patriarch Reliance were a member of his own Clan, then he would definitely make an excellent guard.
Naruto was cursing inwardly. By now, he had realized exactly what Patriarch Reliance was doing. Currently, Naruto employed all the speed he could muster to flee, although he wished he could move thousands of times faster.
"Hahaha!" thought Patriarch Reliance. "It turns out this method is working after all. The Patriarch is the most intelligent yet again! The Demon Seal only requires that I become a Dao Protector. Dao Protector, huh. That just means protecting! And the true meaning of Dao is to temper oneself. Therefore, the identity of a Dao Protector doesn't mean I have to prevent the little bastard from dying. All I have to do is protect him a bit. If any accidents happen, as long as I'm trying hard, then it won't matter.
"And I'm already trying hard! This might just be a clone, but I did have to expend some essence, right?! As for the Demon Seal, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Hahaha! The Patriarch is far too intelligent!
"This time, it won't count as defying the Demon Seal!" Patriarch Reliance felt quite proud of himself. On the outside, though, he looked furious. He seemed to be going all out to block the way of Madara. Once again, his body withered and then collapsed.
The next time he appeared, he was even weaker than before. By now, Madara was truly in admiration of Patriarch Reliance's loyalty. This time, when Patriarch Reliance's body withered away, Madara didn't wait for it to reform before shooting off to pursue Naruto.
When Patriarch Reliance reappeared, he was extremely weak. In fact, his body was so shapeless that the illusory image of his true self could actually be seen.
He now looked like a fearsome turtle, who stood there watching as Madara chased after Naruto.
His expression one of incredible grief and indignation, Patriarch Reliance shouted, "Don't kill him! Kill me instead!" Inside, Patriarch was laughing up a storm, but on the outside, his eyes were bloodshot. He lifted his head up to roar, and then offered pursuit.
"Kill me, okay?! I have to keep my promise even if I die. Don't kill him! I'm not just his Dao Protector, I'm his Patriarch! He is the highest ranking disciple in the Footloose Sect next to me! He is my equal, the future and hope of the Footloose Sect. You are not permitted to kill him!"
"Shameless!" growled Naruto through clenched teeth. Without hesitation, he pulled out the good luck charm and was about to press down on it hard, when suddenly…
Madara turned his head. There, he saw Patriarch Reliance, looking both complacent and indignant. He was in turtle form now, and his eyes glowed with a strange light.
Madara was moved. "I've seen many Demon beasts in my life, but this is definitely… the most loyal one I've ever encountered!"
In order to create the most realistic act, Patriarch Reliance filled his roars with incredible power. Everyone on the island, including the Cultivators of the Footloose Sect, could hear him clearly.
Their faces all flickered with various emotions. The people near the battlefield didn't dare to get too close. Their expressions were that of shock, and they were panting.
"Naruto? Who's that? It sounds like he's really important in the Footloose Sect!"
"What kind of person would the Patriarch risk his life to protect? He must be the hope of the whole Footloose Sect! He can't die!"
"Naruto? I remember! He was an Inner Sect disciple of the Reliance Sect! The Patriarch was right! He's the highest ranking member of our Sect next to the Patriarch!" The astonished Cultivators immediately committed Patriarch Reliance's words to heart, engraving them there to remember always.
Actually, Patriarch Reliance's words were filled with such realistic emotion that even he was starting to believe them. Tears appeared in his eyes as he roared out. It was at this point that Madara stopped in mid-air, his eyes wide with shock.
"Why aren't you chasing him?" said Patriarch Reliance, blinking. He was now far larger than Madara, and had inserted himself between him and Naruto. He glared angrily. "Kill me, and then you can pass!"
Patriarch Reliance was now fully immersed in the game. To him, it was actually quite fun, and when he spoke, his voice burst with incredible power.
"With me here, nobody can hurt Naruto!" roared Patriarch Reliance. Of course, inwardly, he was laughing. He wanted Madara to strike him down as quickly as possible, and then go take care of the little bastard. Then he himself would finally be freed.
However, Madara didn't seem to have any intention of chasing Naruto. From his perspective, there was no way for Naruto to truly escape; he would catch him sooner or later. However, the Demon beast in front of him was something quite rare.
In fact, it was rare enough that Madara couldn't possibly let it go!
"What an incredible, loyal Demon beast," he said slowly. "In all my life, I've never seen anything like it!" The admiration in his eyes grew stronger as he looked at Patriarch Reliance, nodding and smiling. "For a Demon beast like this to follow that child is a real pity. Demon turtle, I am Madara. Are you willing to be my follower? If so, then from now on, you will be the Divine Beast Dao Protector of the Uchiha Clan!
"The day I achieve Immortal Ascension, I will bring you with me into the Heavens!"
Naruto was just about to press down on the good luck charm when he heard the words of Madara. He stopped in place and looked back. When he saw the scene, and especially the trembling Patriarch Reliance, he wanted to laugh out loud.
He knew Patriarch Reliance, and that he most valued his freedom. In order to get rid of Naruto, Patriarch Reliance might be able to forget about some other matters, but as for his freedom… talking about that was one good way to really piss him off!
"I never imagined it would play out this way," thought Naruto. "But I like it. Come on, be a bit more realistic, you old turtle. Keep up the act, I want to see more!"
Patriarch Reliance stared with wide eyes for a moment, and then his heart began to pound. He felt like he was about to explode; madness suddenly surged through his mind.
"What did you just say? What did you call me?" He almost couldn't believe that someone would try to turn him into a guard beast. Actually, this was the second time such a humiliation had occurred to him since he grew up.
The first time had been at the hands of the League of Demon Sealers.
To Patriarch Reliance, the level of irritation this caused him exceeded anything else in the world. His body began to tremble and distort, and it was only because of the little bit of rationality left that he was able to suppress his rage.
"You're not pleased, little Demon turtle?" said Madara, his face sinking. He had offered this Demon turtle a rare, moving opportunity. Normally speaking, considering his temper, he would have just instantly killed it.
"Fudge! YOU'RE the Demon turtle!" roared Patriarch Reliance. "Everyone in your whole Uchiha Clan are all Demon turtles, and you're the bastard son of a turtle! Do you really dare to try to make me your security guard!?" Moments later, though, he inwardly urged himself to just hold on a little bit longer. All he had to do was hold on, and then great good fortune would come his way.
By this point, though, his body had grown incredibly blurry. Furthermore, his real body was actually trembling some, causing huge waves to surge out on the sea, along with echoing rumbling sounds.
"Well, it's beyond your control," said Madara, his voice cool. "If you're willing, good. If you're not willing, it doesn't matter. When I make a decision, nobody can change it. I'll put some restrictive spells on you, and then from now on, you'll be the Demon turtle of my Uchiha Clan!" Apparently, he felt his own words to be the will of Heaven, like laws and statutes that couldn't be broken.
Naruto was going wild with joy, and almost started laughing out loud. He knew that currently, he could leave at any time he wished. Besides, if Patriarch Reliance couldn't endure through all this, then Naruto didn't mind facing a bit of danger just to be able to see that happen.
As Madara spoke, he raised his right hand and performed an incantation. Instantly, thousands of restrictive spell symbols appeared in mid-air. They circulated around in the area to form a huge net, which then shot toward the illusory, turtle-form Patriarch Reliance.
Patriarch Reliance's body was blurry, but it was still possible to see how furious he was. His panting sounded like explosions, and his fury… finally reached the point of detonation!
His eyes were wide; earlier, he had done everything he could to hold back his rage. But now, he couldn't suppress even a tiny bit of it. In the blink of an eye… his fury exploded!
Thunderous booming sounds echoed out in all directions as Patriarch Reliance lifted his head up and let out an unprecedented howl of rage!
"AAARRGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" In this moment, he didn't care about Naruto or the Demon Sealing Sect. All he cared about was the towering rage he felt from being offended in such a way.
Such overt humiliation made him think back to how he had felt being restricted by the League of Demon Sealers. It was like an old wound had been ripped open. Patriarch Reliance's rage filled his mind, and he roared again.
"Dammit! Dammit….
"The League of Demon Sealers is one thing, but you, tiny child, you actually dare to humiliate the Patriarch!?"
Patriarch Reliance was so immersed in his rage that he completely forgot about the act from before. His eyes were bright red, and the entirety of Saint's Island was shaking violently. The land quaked, as if some enormous creature were waking up beneath it.
The surrounding seawater was covered with massive, roaring waves, as if the sea in the area was about to explode.
Far beneath Saint's Island, deep in the blackness of the sea, something like two oil lamps suddenly appeared. They were bloodshot, and filled with madness, the madness instigated by old wounds being ripped open. It was a madness stemming from humiliation.
BOOM!
Huge fissures ripped open in the land. The sky grew dark, wild colors flashed about, and the sea raged. All of these sudden changes caused Madara's face to fall.
However, before he could even make a single move, an aura exploded up from deep within the sea. The aura was filled with intense rage, and as soon as it appeared, it caused even the air to be shredded. It seemed as if Saint's Island were being ripped out from the very world.
As soon as Madara sensed the aura, his face completely filled with shock. He immediately took a deep breath and then flew up into the air, his face pale.
"Immortal!" he said, his voice faint.
"This is the aura of an Immortal!
"Demonic Chakra like an Immortal. This is the will of a Demon Immortal!"
A deep, growling voice could suddenly be heard from within the ground, causing the earth to shake and mountains to tremble. "You actually dare to call the Patriarch a Demon turtle? You actually dare try to make me your security guard!"
The voice came up from the ground and from within the sea. The seawater churned and seethed and began to spin around Saint's Island until it transformed into a huge vortex.
"You actually dare to try to put restrictive spells on me! Are you… worthy?!"
BOOM!
The sea exploded up, causing water to shower about in all directions. A huge force seemed to shoot up into the sky, and at the same time, a gargantuan head became visible within the sheets of water. It stretched out to blot out the entire sky. Its shadow was so huge that it could obstruct both the sun and the moon. It covered over everything!
It was the colossal head of a vicious turtle, its skin covered with wrinkles. It was pitch black and terrifying, and when it opened its mouth, sharp, yellow teeth could be seen. And then there were the eyes, which seemed blurry at first, but then clearly radiated intense fury and rage.
This was… the head of Patriarch Reliance's real body!
An indescribable energy pulsed out from Patriarch Reliance. His aura emanated out, causing all living things to tremble with fear. Up in mid-air, Madara slowly forced himself to turn around. Then he saw the indescribably gigantic head filling the entire sky.
He gaped, and his mind filled with a roaring sound. His eyes went wide, filled with an expression of astonished disbelief.
He suddenly understood why his opponent could so frivolously waste its essence. It was because, its essence… was incredibly, astonishingly vast….
"You…." stammered Madara, his scalp going numb. For years, he had swept across Planet Lands of Ninshu, but he had never seen a shocking, terrifying Demon beast like this.
"You want the Patriarch to be your security guard?" raged Patriarch Reliance. The sound of his voice was like thunder, filled with madness. Countless mountains on Saint's Island collapsed, and huge waves rolled out across the sea.
Madara staggered backward several paces. Patriarch Reliance's roar just now caused him to cough up a huge mouthful of blood. His face was pale white.
Panting, he thought back to what he had said about making his opponent a guard. Then he took a deep breath. Obviously, he had absolutely no qualifications whatsoever to try to make a Demon Immortal act as a guard.
"Senior, please calm your anger," he said quickly, continuing to back up. "This is all just a big misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding my flipping ass!" roared Patriarch Reliance. The echo of his roar sounded back and forth, causing the sea itself to roar, making it sound like there were countless Patriarch Reliances all roaring at the same time. But then he said, "Allow the Patriarch to bestow you with some good fortune!"
This was the second time that Naruto had seen Patriarch Reliance's real body. It was as shocking now as it had been before. Suddenly, he thought back to how he had vented his spleen on Patriarch Reliance in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, and he felt a little scared. But then he remembered that he could restrain Patriarch Reliance with the Demon Sealing Scripture, and he felt a bit calmer.
It was at this point that Naruto heard the words 'good fortune,' and his eyes began to shine brightly. He quickly began to back up; he knew that now was the time for him to make his exit.
Madara was momentarily stunned by the mention of 'good fortune.' Roaring, Patriarch Reliance's gargantuan head shot toward him at incredible speed.
He moved so fast that ghost images sprang up, and the air itself cracked.
BANG!
Rage flared up in the eyes of Madara. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and a glittering shield sprang up. However, cracking sounds echoed out, and it began to shatter into small pieces. His face went pale, and he started performing a double-handed incantation, calling the wind and summoning the rain. Instantly, magical power swirled around him, and an incredible magical art shot toward Patriarch Reliance. Madara coughed up more blood and sped backward, having narrowly escaped complete catastrophe.
His mind was overcome with terror; after reaching Spirit Severing, he had never encountered anything that he had feared. That was not to mention his position after reaching Dao Seeking. In all of the lands of Lands of Ninshu, he was afraid of nothing; even the idea of double-crossing the Hebi Clan didn't get him scared.
Now, though, he was afraid. He fled without even the slightest bit of hesitation, at the same time producing several dozen magical items. Each of these magical items could be considered a treasure of great value. He had spent years collecting them all. Unleashing them caused a bright light to shine out and swirl around his body as he fled.
However, Patriarch Reliance's eyes flashed with killing intent. His head shrank back, but then shot out again as fast as lightning.
A bloodcurdling scream echoed out from the mouth of Madara. This time, he couldn't dodge. His precious treasures were destroyed, and a crunching sound could be heard as half of his body was crushed and ripped away by Patriarch Reliance.
His scream was matchlessly desolate. The Uchiha Patriarch continued to try to escape with the remaining half of his body. He was clearly in an unprecedentedly horrific and terrible situation.
Blood sprayed about in all directions, and Naruto's eyes glittered. Without stopping to even look back, he waved his arm, causing some of the blood to swirl over to him. Then he continued off into the distance.
Behind him, Patriarch Reliance wasn't finished venting. Even as his head shot once more toward Madara, he sensed that Naruto was getting further and further away. However, his rage did not lessen. Instead, it boiled up from his insides. He instantly changed directions, moving like a bolt of lightning to suddenly appear right next to Naruto. His enormous mouth opened as if he were about to consume him.
In that instant of malice, though, layers of restrictive spells flared up around him. Countless magical symbols could be seen, connected together like chains that glittered with bright light. They covered Patriarch Reliance's entire body, no matter how he strained against them. Even his shell was affected; cracks spread out, as if he were about to be crushed alive.
The pain caused Patriarch Reliance to let out a miserable cry. His head shot back and he glared hatefully at Naruto.
"Nothing good ever happens when I run into you!" roared Patriarch Reliance.
"One of these days, Naruto's turtle is gonna beg for me to ride him!" Naruto shot back hatefully, looking over his shoulder coldly at Patriarch Reliance as he continued to shoot off into the distance.
Naruto's words seemed to move Patriarch Reliance inwardly. His eyes turned bright red, and he slipped further into madness. However, he didn't try to consume Naruto again. The glowing chains could still be seen on him, causing his entire body to be wracked with pain. The rage inside of him was impossible to describe. Being incapable of doing anything to kill Naruto, all he could do was flash back toward the Madara to continue to vent his anger.
Madara was scared out of his mind. Even in his wildest dreams, he could never have imagined that he would run into a Demon Immortal in this place. It completely exceeded his understanding of Planet Lands of Ninshu.
"This is impossible! How could there be a Demon Immortal in the lands of Lands of Ninshu?! Dammit! The Hebi Clan is completely useless! How could they permit a Demon Immortal to hide in the Milky Way Sea!?" By this point, having lost half of his body, Madara knew deep inside that he was going to die. There was no way that he could flee a Demon Immortal.
"Damnable Naruto! First, the kid pulls out an Immortal's sword to kill my clone, and now he has a Dao Protector like this! Just how lucky can one person be?!" Madara almost felt as if he couldn't accept it. But then, he realized that perhaps it was because Naruto had such luck that he was able to form the Perfect Dao foundation.
"Thankfully, this is only a clone. Granted, it's a flesh and blood clone, and I'll sustain some damage when it dies. However, I don't have any other options right now…. Well then, if I'm going to die, I'll go out fighting this Demon Immortal!" A bright light appeared in his eyes as Patriarch Reliance's head closed in on him. With a roar, Madara spun around and began to perform an incantation.
Naruto was fleeing at high speed. He was going so fast that he barely had time to clasp hands and bow to Haku off in the distance. As of now, Naruto's plan had succeeded, and now all that was on his mind was to get away.
Patriarch Reliance's head was now far away from Naruto. He was enraged, and also frustrated. Whenever he encountered Naruto, nothing good happened. The first time, he had been forced to leave with the Five Elements Nation. Now, he had been humiliated into taking action.
The feeling of vexation only served to kindle his fury. Patriarch Reliance felt the overwhelming desire to vent his rage, so it was with intense killing intent that he shot toward Madara.
Booming sounds echoed out along with miserable shrieks. Naruto didn't stop for even a moment. He shot forward at the highest possible speed, transforming into a beam of colorful light. It only took the space of a few dozen breaths for him to reach the border of the sea.
Up ahead were some disciples of the Footloose Sect. When they saw Naruto, they were instantly shaken inwardly. There were a couple Cultivators among their number who actually recognized Naruto from his time back in the Five Elements Nation.
"Greetings, Patriarch Naruto!" they said, clasping hands and bowing deeply.
Seeing their actions caused the others to realize that the person in front of them was none other than Naruto, the person their Patriarch was risking his life to protect. This was the person whose seniority was highest in the entire Sect, second only to the Patriarch himself. Of course, because their Cultivation bases were not high enough, they had no way to know about the matter of Patriarch Reliance trying to consume Naruto.
Furthermore, in the Footloose Sect, nothing was more important than matters of seniority. It was built into the Sect rules, and had long since been imprinted deeply in their hearts, and was something that no one would dare to defy. To see Naruto and not immediately bow would be far too excessive.
"Greetings, Patriarch Naruto!" said the group, all of them clasping hands and bowing. Naruto's eyes glittered, and a smile appeared on his face. He nodded to the group as he shot past them.
When Patriarch Reliance saw this happening, he very nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his rage burned even higher than before. He felt as if he had just hoisted up a rock to crush Naruto, only to drop the rock on his own foot. His act from before had been completely convincing to all of the surrounding disciples, leaving them shocked and amazed. It only took a short time for Naruto's name to be spread around the entire area.
"Nothing good ever happens to me around Naruto! DAMMIT!" His rage rocketing to unprecedented heights, Patriarch Reliance bit toward Madara, to begin the torment.
Naruto had originally planned to leave, but then he stopped. He considered the act Patriarch Reliance had put on, the relationship between the two of them, as well as the two displays of killing intent just now. Then he decided to pull a quick little con. He turned back to the Footloose Sect disciples.
"Take out all your Spirit Stones and give them to me," he said. "Later, Patriarch Footloose will repay you a hundredfold! Don't worry, Patriarch Footloose is willing to give up his life for me, do you really think he cares about some trifling Spirit Stones?" As he spoke, he imbued his voice with his Cultivation base, causing his words to echo about throughout the entirety of Saint's Island.
When Patriarch Reliance heard the words, his anger burned even hotter. He looked at Madara in front of him, gasping on the verge of death, and had half a mind to go after Naruto once again and try to kill him. However, he knew that if he did that, he would be restrained by the restrictive spells. Furthermore, if he spoke up to contradict Naruto, then it would be a huge loss of face, and people would suspect his previous actions. Right now, Naruto's words were echoing in the ears of the Footloose Sect members throughout Saint's Island; it seemed that in the future, Patriarch Reliance would have no choice but to pay back the Spirit Stones for Naruto.
"Hmph!" he said, comforting himself. "How many Spirit Stones could a few trifling disciples have? Who cares if I have to pay them back a hundredfold! My spit is worth more than that!" With that, he jerked his head to the side. Madara, who was currently clasped viciously in his jaw, let out a miserable shriek.
The group of Cultivators stared in shock at Naruto, then produced their bags of holding and gave him all the Spirit Stones therein. These were all Footloose Sect disciples with extraordinary Cultivation bases. They had quite a collection of Spirit Stones numbering in the tens of thousands. Naruto nodded happily as he collected them all together.
"I accept your 100,000 Spirit Stones!" said Naruto loudly, his voice echoing throughout Saint's Island. "Make sure to keep ahold of this receipt!" He quickly tossed out a jade slip, then shot off into the distance.
The group gaped in astonishment. They had clearly handed over less than 50,000 Spirit Stones. How could it have suddenly turned into 100,000? After a moment, their eyes began to glitter as they realized that Naruto had blessed them with good fortune. Their hearts filed with joy, and they all bowed deeply to Naruto's retreating figure.
"We bid you respectful adieu, Patriarch Naruto!"
Patriarch Reliance heard their words, and began to tremble. Then he let out an indignant bellow.
"Naruto!"
"Patriarch, there's no need to escort me away!" cried back Naruto. "Disciple will take his leave now. Patriarch, you risked your life for me, leaving disciple very moved! I won't put you to any more inconvenience!" By this point, he had flown off of Saint's Island and was over the sea. Further back, Madara's clone was a mass of blood and gore. He let out a final bloodcurdling screech, and then was shredded into pieces and then swallowed by Patriarch Reliance.
Patriarch Reliance's head swiveled to glare hatefully at Naruto's retreating figure. After a long moment, he lifted his head up and roared. Massive waves seethed on the sea, forming into huge vortex formed. It swept around Saint's Island, and, to the shock and alarm of everyone, caused the entire island to speed away with incredible speed.
Wind swept about, and waves crashed. In the blink of an eye, not even a shadow of the island remained. The only thing remaining on the sea was Naruto, floating in mid-air.
Meanwhile, back in the Uchiha Clan in the Southern Domain….
Madara's true self lay in the coffin in his tomb underneath the mountains. He suddenly opened his eyes and then coughed up a mouthful of blood. He sat up, and as he did, his aged figure grew even older. He became more withered, and his aura was thrown into chaos and disorder.
His archaic, wrinkled face was pale as he grasped the side of the coffin. He looked up, and within his pupils appeared an intense, venomous hatred.
After a long moment passed, his eyes glittered.
"So, there is enmity between that Patriarch Reliance and Naruto. He attacked him twice… but was unable to destroy him because of the restrictive spells.
"The only reason he attacked me was because I accidentally offended him.
"In turn, that means that he won't be helping Naruto a second time.
"Next time…. Next time I catch up with him, will be the day Naruto loses his Dao foundation!" Madara breathed heavily as a cold glow appeared in his eyes.
The Milky Way Sea was split up into four rings, outside of which was the Outer Sea, and area mostly made up of small islands occupied by various Cultivator Clans. Among such Clans, the strongest Cultivators were of the Core Formation stage.
To them, the Fourth Ring was an incredibly dangerous place, populated not only by thieves and murderers, but also filled with ferocious sea beasts. In addition, there were powerful Sects and Clans.
Some of those Sects and Clans were led by Nascent Soul Cultivators, which made the whole place very dangerous. However, everyone knew that it was not impossible to scrape out some good fortune there, much like the Isobu Clan had.
Of course, to the Cultivators in the Fourth Ring, the Third Ring… was like a forbidden zone filled with both danger and opportunity!
Any who entered the Third Ring without being in the Nascent Soul stage did so at great risk to their lives. Even Nascent Soul Cultivators could die easily in the Third Ring if luck wasn't with them. That was because the Third Ring was filled with inordinate amounts of sea beasts.
Despite that, there were still many Cultivators who attempted to get into the Third Ring. In fact, there were even some experts who made their home there.
What attracted Cultivators to such a place of profound danger was none other than the potential profits there!
The sea beasts there were known as Sea Demons, and their hearts were considered precious treasures. They were objects similar to Spirit Stones, and served a similar function. A single Demon heart was superior to a low-grade Spirit Stone, and in fact was more similar to a mid-grade Spirit Stone in terms of quality.
There were even some hearts from especially powerful Sea Demons that… could compare to high-grade Spirit Stones. Such things were valuable treasures that no Cultivator could afford to ignore.
After all, the Milky Way Sea had no Spirit Stone quarries, and thus, no way to even produce Spirit Stones. Considering how valuable Cultivators viewed Spirit Stones, it was no wonder that Demon hearts quickly became a trade item in the Milky Way Sea.
In fact, there were even some precious items that could only be acquired by purchasing them with Demon hearts!
In order to acquire Demon hearts, one had to enter the Third Ring and take some risks to earn a chance for good fortune. Of course, the powerful Sea Demons there had fierce and savage dispositions, and regarded all Cultivators with extreme hostility. The two were as incompatible as fire and water!
Even still, there was no way to prevent the thirst of Milky Way Sea Cultivators for Demon hearts!
Many, many tales were told in the Milky Way Sea about people who had struck it rich overnight in the Third Ring. Therefore, throughout the years, countless Cultivators had come to brave the almost certain death of the Third Ring.
Naruto was well aware of this, thanks to the information provided him in the jade slip from the Isobu Clan. Although it didn't contain a wealth of details, there was enough of an introduction for Naruto to gain a basic understanding.
Currently, in a particular part of the Fourth Ring of the Milky Way Sea, a beam of light screamed through the air, causing the seawater below to seethe and churn.
A man could be seen, wearing a green robe, his long, gray hair whipping in the wind. He looked young, but also emanated a faint, archaic air.
His eyes were like stars, and his features were handsome. He looked somewhat like a scholar. This was of course, Naruto.
He was now a month away from Saint's Island. The entire time, he had sped along across the surface of the Milky Way Sea, during which time he had come to a much greater understanding of the entire area.
Currently, his eyes glittered brightly as he proceeded forward, thinking all the while.
"It might not have been the true self of Madara that died. It would be great if it was his true self, but if not… then I only have a temporary respite from danger. It won't be too long before I'm in another deadly crisis."
Naruto continued to think as he proceeded onward. The parrot flew nearby. Occasionally, it would dive down into the water and then shoot up again off in the distance. It was clearly having a lot of fun.
Naruto pulled out the jade slip given to him by Suiren and closely examined it yet again.
"A never-ending tempest exists between the Fourth and Third Rings," he thought. "It's a windstorm that can shred anything alive. It's like a huge divide that prevents anyone from entering the Third Ring…." The map in the jade slip portrayed the sea, and not much else from the Fourth Ring. It was already relatively useless to Naruto.
His body flashed as he continued on into the deeper regions of the Milky Way Sea.
"Although I don't have a map, the Milky Way Sea is arranged in ring-like areas. All I have to do is keep going deeper." He increased his speed, and the parrot went faster to keep up.
Time continued to pass. Soon, it was two months later.
Naruto was shocked by how large the Fourth Ring was. He had been flying for three months, although he hadn't gone nonstop. Occasionally, he would catch sight of islands populated by various Sects and Clans.
These were groups who had inhabited the Milky Way Sea for generations, and were quite knowledgeable about the area. Considering the level of Naruto's Cultivation base, it was a simple matter for him to acquire maps from such groups. It didn't take long before he had a thorough outline of the entire Fourth Ring area.
In addition, he also learned a bit about the Third Ring.
"There are three Saints in the Third Ring!
"The so-called Three Saints are three Spirit Severing Cultivators who lead three Sects. The Sea Divinity Sect, the Flying Immortal Sect, and the Sun Soul Society!
"Those three Sects determine who is allowed to enter the Third Ring. In addition, they built three Sea Cities in different locations surrounding the Third Ring, where people have to pass through on their way in and out. Anyone who wants to go in must pay a certain amount of Spirit Stones. Furthermore, anyone who leaves must also pay Spirit Stones, based on how long they stayed inside…." Naruto floated there in mid-air thinking about the information gleaned from the jade slip he held in his hand.
"Those three Sea Cities all possess a special method for bringing people in and out of the tempest safely.
"According to the rumors, there wasn't always a tempest surrounding the Third Ring. Supposedly, the ancestors of the Three Saints joined forces to summon it. Then, successive generations of descendants were able to pass through it.
"The three Sects have vast resources, and tens of thousands of members. For unknown reasons, each Sect only produces a single Spirit Severing expert. However, because of their deep resources, even Dao Seeking Cultivators would think twice before tangling with them."
Naruto's eyes glittered as he put the jade slip away. After some thought, he decided not to head toward one of the three Sea Cities. Instead, he would use the maps he had acquired to make his way directly through the hurricane.
"If the Uchiha Patriarch is truly not dead, then getting into the Third Ring via the Sea Cities would leave behind a trail that he could follow. The best method will be to force my way through on my own!
"That way, the three Sects won't have any record of me. Even if Madara comes looking for me, with my altered aura, it will be difficult for him, at least temporarily." Having made his decision, Naruto flared his aura and shot forward at top speed.
A few days later, a gray mass of storm winds appeared up ahead.
Rumbling sounds emanated out, and the closer he got, the more the storm winds resembled a huge wall that stretched up into the Heavens. It was ring-shaped, and seemed to have no end; it stretched off as far as the eye could see.
Fog pulsed in and out, along with howling, screaming sounds. It almost seemed as if devils and fiends lurked inside, waiting to stop any Cultivators who entered, and preventing any Sea Demons from charging out.
"According to the information from the jade slip, though, the Fourth Ring also has Sea Demons. That just goes to show that the storm winds might be powerful, but do contain weak spots." He hovered outside of the storm winds, his hair flying around him, his clothes whipping violently.
Inside the storm winds, lightning crackled. As for the seawater in the area, it seemed to be divided. Although waves surged outside the tempest, they were incapable of entering inside. They could only crash on the outside, which caused the whole area to be filled with an almost permanent blanket of rain.
Naruto examined it for a moment, then looked down at the surface of the sea. His eyes glittered for a moment, and then he rotated his Cultivation base. Soon, the surface of the sea began to grow transparent to his eyes, allowing him to see into the world underneath.
What he saw was that the storm winds actually extended down into the sea. Although they didn't appear to interfere with the flow of the water, when Naruto extended his Divine Sense deep down, he could vaguely sense that there were shocking things in the water that he didn't dare to touch.
He pulled back his Divine Sense, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Currently, he fluctuated with only five portions of Cultivation base power inside of him. As time passed, he would slowly be able to fuse them together into one.
After adjusting his aura, Naruto's eyes opened, and they glowed with a light that made it seem as if he was prepared to take Heaven and Earth by force. His aura exploded up, and he entered the Ninth Anima.
Naruto's fleshly body hummed, and in the blink of an eye, reached the pinnacle of his power. A dreary expression of death covered his face, and the energy of his Cultivation base surged out with monstrous power. The air around him shattered and cracked, and any rain that fell near him was instantly pushed three hundred meters away.
Naruto took a deep breath. His body was like an arrow pulled tight against a bowstring. Suddenly, he shot forward; in the blink of an eye, he made contact with the storm winds. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he entered in.
From a distance, the tempest looked like a vicious, primordial beast that opened its mouth and then swallowed up Naruto.
As soon as he entered the storm winds, he was battered by an intense force. Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he surged forward. Rumbling sounds could be heard as the fog up ahead seemed to be ripped apart. The sweeping wind also seemed to collapse.
They were completely incapable of doing anything to stop Naruto. His hair whipped around, but he didn't sustain even the slightest injury. Compared to the Underworld Wind he had experienced in the Demon Immortal Sect, this was almost nothing.
As he charged forward amidst the booming roars, the fog within the storm winds scattered and seethed. In a very short moment, Naruto had already traveled three thousand meters in.
He was surrounded by screaming winds and pitch blackness, interspersed with flashes of bright lightning. His face was expressionless as he proceeded forward relentlessly. His Spirit Severing fleshly body and terrifying Cultivation base made it possible for him to move further and further in.
Every time he breathed, countless bolts of lightning would shoot toward him. When they struck him, though, he would simply absorb them. If any outsider saw what was happening, they would surely be completely shocked
From ancient times to modern, few people had ever qualified to charge alone through these storm winds on the Milky Way Sea.
"There's a trick to this Milky Way Sea Stormwind Divide," Naruto murmured. The winds screamed around him, and lightning crackled. The winds could flay any Nascent Soul Cultivator alive, and the lightning could reduce them to powder.
However, all the wind could do to Naruto was blow against his face. It couldn't shake him in the least. As for the lightning, it was like a tonic that helped his Cultivation base rotate a bit faster.
The parrot gripped his shoulder, also completely disdainful of the storm winds. Occasionally it would squawk and fly out into the winds with the meat jelly bell.
Anyone who saw this scene would certainly be astonished. In the entire Milky Way Sea, the only people who would dare to traverse the Stormwind Divide alone were Spirit Severing Cultivators.
And when it came to Spirit Severing Cultivators, there were only three in the Milky Way Sea.
Those were the Three Saints of the three Sects.
Other than those three, no one would dare to try to cross the Stormwind Divide.
The divide was actually huge. Naruto had proceeded forward with arms clasped behind his back for more than thirty thousand kilometers, and still had not emerged from the other side. As he continued onward, the winds raged, carrying whimpering sounds with them through the pitch black darkness. It sounded like countless demons and fiends were howling at him.
Lightning danced in sheets, sending rumbling booms out in all directions.
This was a place where Nascent Soul Cultivators fundamentally couldn't exist. Their fleshly bodies would be destroyed, their Nascent Souls shattered. However, to Naruto, none of it counted for anything.
Two hours later, Naruto had proceeded along even further, although he wasn't sure exactly how far. Within the darkness, the wind was like a sharp blade that forced him to slow down a bit. However, because of the strength of his fleshly body, he was still able to proceed onward.
He pushed through the storm winds for another day. They grew more and more astonishing, and lightning struck down everywhere. There were even flickering magical symbols that could be seen in the area. Naruto's eyes flickered when he felt the pressure exuding out from the magical symbols.
At first they were scarce, but the following day, Naruto couldn't help but frown and slow down. The magical symbols around him were no longer flickering, but rather, glowing brightly. Oftentimes, he would see ten or more magical symbols fused together to create spell formations.
At one point, he eyed one of the spell formation with flickering eyes. "This spell formation could cause Spirit Severing Cultivators to tremble!" He did nothing to avoid it, but rather, allowed the magical symbol spell formation to touch him.
A boom rattled out, and his body trembled a bit, but he didn't retreat. A smile of confidence broke out on his face as the magical symbol spell formation collapsed into pieces right in front of him.
He brushed off his clothes and then continued onward. A few days later within the Stormwind Divide, Naruto's expression flickered. He transformed into a green smoke and shot past a collection of magical symbols that had been shooting toward him.
Rumbling echoed out; the magical symbols seemed to be imbued with a will that could exterminate anything in Heaven and Earth. As they passed by, Naruto noticed that the fog in the area dissipated slightly because of the domineering air cast about by the ball of magical symbols.
As the ball made its way off into the distance, it encountered other scattered magical symbols and appeared to consume them, absorbing them into itself.
"That thing was made up of hundreds of magical symbols!" A serious look appeared in his eyes. The spell formation made from hundreds of magical symbols caused him to feel a clear sense of menace. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to stand up to it were he hit.
"I really can't afford to underestimate this Stormwind Divide," he murmured. He sent his Divine Sense out as he proceeded forward.
Gradually, he saw more and more spell formations formed from hundreds of magical symbols. Eventually, they became commonplace, and soon, he caught sight of even bigger spell formations.
Those formations were formed from thousands of magical symbols, and no longer looked like simple spheres, but rather, were formed into the shape of magical items. He saw one that looked like a battle-ax sweeping about through the wind. Other spell formations made from hundreds of magical symbols avoided the battle-ax, and didn't dare to get anywhere near it.
The battle-ax was dozens of meters tall, and glittered brightly. A bleak, killing will spread out from it, as if it constantly desired slaughter. Looking at it, it appeared completely beyond ordinary.
Naruto was able to sense a Spirit Severing aura on the battle-ax, which surprised him. A glow of interest could then be seen within his eyes.
"The magical symbols here are very intriguing. On an individual level, they aren't very powerful, but in groups of ten, they emit powerful pressure. Hundreds together are something Spirit Severing Cultivators wouldn't dare to touch, and when thousands coalesce….
"It emanates the aura of Spirit Severing, and is clearly like a Spirit Severing Treasure!" Naruto was moved. Based on what he knew of cultivation, after reaching Spirit Severing, in addition to acquiring enlightenment regarding the Domain, one could also create a Spirit Severing Treasure.
This was done by fusing the will of the First Severing blade into a magical item, using the Nascent Divinity to nourish it, and then transforming it into the Spirit Severing Treasure. Such a magical item was created with life force, making it incredibly powerful.
Furthermore, the weakness or strength of the magical item upon its creation would determine the weakness or strength of its later form.
Naruto's eyes glittered, and he did nothing to evade it. After measuring it up for a moment, he lifted his right hand up to perform an incantation. The image of a mountain appeared above his hand, after which he pointed forward. The mountain rumbled out, heading directly toward the battle-ax shaped collection of hundreds of magical symbols.
As the mountain neared, the battle-ax did nothing to avoid it. When the mountain slammed into it, a huge boom could be heard, and the mountain collapsed. There was absolutely no change whatsoever to the battle-ax. However, it suddenly stopped in place, almost as if it had a spirit that was now staring in shock.
It was as if it possessed its own will, and was currently thinking about how nothing in its memory had ever dared to attack it.
Naruto frowned. The battle-ax was far more powerful than he could have imagined. It was in this moment that the battle-ax finally reacted; it instantly shot toward Naruto, blade first.
Furthermore, a black mist rose up around it, within which two eyes were visible, staring dead at Naruto. A furious rumbling sound emanated out from within the battle-ax as it sped toward him.
"Interesting," he said, smiling. His days spent traveling through the Stormwind Divide had actually been somewhat monotonous, so how could he shrink back from something intriguing like this?
Moments ago, he had just been testing it out. Now that the battle-ax was charging toward him, he suddenly lifted his right hand, causing the illusory image of a mountain thousands of meters tall to appear around him. He then waved both hands outward, causing the mountain to grow until it was 15,000 meters tall. Then, the battle-ax slammed into it.
A boom could be heard that resonated up into the sky. The fog in the area churned, and the sound echoed out into the far regions of the storm winds.
In fact, quite some distance away within the Stormwind Divide was a pitch-black ship that flew a pitch-black flag. As it proceeded through the storm winds, it emanated a bloody aura, as if the ship itself were filled with fresh blood.
Blood-colored magical symbols rose up from the blood, which, in combination with the sails of the ship, allowed it to proceed safely through the winds that would cause even Spirit Severing Cultivators to wince.
The wind could do nothing to the boat, and when the lightning neared it, it didn't hit the ship, but actually avoided it. Even the balls of magical symbols seemed shaken when they saw the ship, and would sink into dormancy.
There were a dozen or so Cultivators on the ship, pale-faced and panting as they looked out at the terrifying scene outside. Most of them were Nascent Soul Cultivators, with only a couple being of the Core Formation stage.
In charge of the ship were three old men. They wore haughty expressions, and would occasionally glance over at the other passengers with looks of scorn.
"What's all the fuss about?" said one of them. "We still have a long ways to go. There's at least six months of travel before we reach our destination."
"The Sun Soul Society ferry isn't the fastest in the three Sects, but it's the safest. Your Spirit Stones will not have been spent in vain."
In response to the words of the old men, the passengers on the ship forced smiles onto their faces. They were already scared witless by everything they had seen on their journey. There were only two of their number who had calm expressions; it seemed they were already familiar with the frightening sights of the Stormwind Divide.
All of these people were Cultivators on their way to search for good fortune in the Third Ring. This ship was a special vessel to transport them there, for a certain amount of Spirit Stones of course.
In the Milky Way Sea, there was only one way to get into the Third Ring, and that was to go to one of the Sea Cities of the three Sects, pay the price, and then board one of these special ships.
Of course, Naruto's illegal method did not count as a valid method of entry.
The people on the ship had just squeezed out smiles onto their faces when, suddenly, muffled booms could be heard from off in the distance. Immediately, the storm winds in the area rippled, and the lightning twisted. Furthermore, many of the magical symbols twitched and then seemed to awaken from slumber.
The sight caused the faces of everyone on the ship to flicker as they wondered what had just happened.
As for the two people who previously had completely calm faces, they opened their eyes, and a strange light could be seen therein. They exchanged a glance, and then looked off into the distance.
The three old men from the Sun Soul Society who were piloting the boat also looked up. Strange looks could be seen in their eyes, but only for a moment. Then they began to laugh coldly, and expressions of derision could be seen clearly on their faces.
"Someone is trying to rely on their own power to illegally pass through."
"Whoever it is, they are paying for their unlawful travel with their life! Serves them right!"
"How could somebody possibly pass through the spell formation set up by the ancestors of the three Sects? That person is simply looking to die. Although, to cause such a reaction shows that his Cultivation base is definitely not weak."
"Who cares? He most likely ran into a ten-symbol formation. If it was a hundred-symbol formation, then he's definitely dead!"
When the other Cultivators heard the words of the three old men, they began to chuckle. Every year there were always Cultivators who tried to get through on their own power, in order to avoid paying the fee to take a ship. However, nobody ever succeeded; they always died inside.
The Cultivators on the ship had never imagined that they would encounter such a person on their own journey.
"It's too bad we're so far away," said one of them. "Otherwise we could personally witness him dying. It must be a spectacular sight."
"It's already perilous enough trying to get into the Third Ring. To place oneself out in the Stormwind Divide is really stupid."
"Now that I think about it, all those Spirit Stones I spent were really worth it."
Everyone on board seemed to be a bit more relaxed now.
Cultivators were just people, so naturally, they also possessed the seven emotions and six pleasures, and tended to think of themselves as superior to others. Such a feeling of superiority would often turn into a type of happiness.
Oftentimes, that feeling of superiority really is… the source of happiness.
For example, the feeling that you are safe while someone else is not, can be happiness. Another example would be drinking a cup of water when you are thirsty, while someone else has nothing to drink except their own saliva. That can also be a kind of happiness.
The people in the boat were currently experiencing exactly that type of happiness.
Because of such happiness, they were not as nervous about the danger that surrounded them. Instead, they were laughing and chatting about the unlucky fool on the outside who had overestimated himself.
Of course, Naruto was the unlucky fool to whom they referred. Booming surrounded him as the mountain around him collapsed. At the same time, the gigantic battle-ax also started to collapse too.
The backlash rocked the battle-ax, causing it to be torn to pieces right in front of Naruto. However, the magical symbols that had formed it did not disperse; instead, they formed back together into a huge hand. Instantly, the hand grabbed toward Naruto, radiating intense ferocity and hatred.
Naruto's expression was calm as he lifted his hand and pointed forward. Instantly, his finger turned the color of blood. This was the Blood Finger!
Next was a second finger, a third… and finally, five fingers stretched out, turning into the Blood Palm! It was fully thirty meters wide, seemingly illusory, but at the same time, incredibly realistic. Backed by the power of the Ninth Anima, it shot directly toward the ax-cum-hand.
A huge boom could be heard as both the Blood Palm and the huge hand formed of magical symbols both exploded into little pieces. Naruto didn't hesitate for a moment; he instantly moved forward, performing an incantation gesture with his right hand and then waving his sleeve. A killing air immediately spread out. The glow of the Greenwood Tree could be seen, along with the extinction of the Violet Sea, raging flames, and the Frost Soil.
This was a five elements magical technique that instantly caused five characters to appear. They exuded vicious pressure down onto the dissipating magical symbols of the battle-ax.
A rumbling could be heard as the hundreds of magical symbols which had made up the battle-ax began to tremble. They seemed to be struggling to escape, but before they could, Naruto neared. His hand clenched into a fist, which then punched out, backed by the intense power of his fleshly body.
The air vibrated, and a gust from the surrounding storm winds bore down on him. It slashed into the magical symbols, instantly cause them to scatter and disperse.
This time, the magical symbols flashed, but did not re-form back together. Naruto gave a cold snort, then performed another incantation, simultaneously rotating his Cultivation base. Instantly, no less than a thousand tiny mountains appeared and then shot out.
This thousand mountains technique was formed by the Mountain Consuming Incantation, and as it descended, each mountain exerted intense pressure onto a magical symbol. Instantly, they were all suppressed. Naruto waved his hand, and the mountains crushed down onto them.
In the blink of an eye, the mountains began to consolidate together. Rumbling could be heard as a thousand-meter tall mountain appeared, sealed inside of which, shockingly, was a battle-ax.
It struggled, attempting to free itself, but Naruto waved his hand through the air and the mountain shot toward him. As it did, it grew smaller and smaller, until it could fit onto the palm of his hand.
The battle-ax inside was suppressed down, shrunken. It struggled more and more fiercely, until cracking and popping sounds could be heard. After the space of a few breaths of time, the battle-ax successfully destroyed the mountain, and then began to charge out from within.
Naruto's face was calm as the index finger of his left hand pushed onto the mountain.
"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"
His coolly spoken words caused a 'hex' character to appear and cover the mountain peak, sealing it. The battle-ax let out a mournful wail. It was completely incapable of extricating itself now.
Naruto felt a bit relieved, finally. He left behind a strand of Divine Sense, added a few more restrictive spells, and then finally smiled and put the mountain into his bag of holding.
"This will count as a treasure," he thought, his eyes glittering brightly. Although it had seemed a simple matter to subjugate the item, it actually took all the power of his Cultivation base, as well as the support of his incredibly powerful fleshly body. Were it some other Spirit Severing Cultivator along the likes of Patriarch Hashirama, they could by no means collect up the battle-ax in the relaxed manner which Naruto just had.
"The more spirit treasures I have like this the better," he thought. "Who knows what kind of price I'll be able to sell them for in the future." Eyes shining brightly, he looked around until his gaze fell upon a group of one hundred magical symbols floating around off in the distance.
The collection of symbols seemed to possess a certain amount of sentience. Perhaps because he had been touched by the aura of the battle-ax, as soon as he looked at the one-hundred symbol spell formation, it instantly appeared to be shocked, and then attempted to flee.
"Since this entire area was planned out like a structure to block Sea Demons, it wouldn't be very reasonable of me to take away all the spell formations. Besides, the one-hundred symbol formations can't even form into anything specific, so it would be mostly useless to try to take them away." Muttering to himself, Naruto turned and flew off into the distance, ignoring the one-hundred symbol spell formations.
Quite some distance away, the passengers on the pitch-black ship could hear the muffled booms off in the distance, and their smiles grew even happier.
"That guy must be dead already."
"He overestimated his own ability, and didn't even have enough Spirit Stones to pay to get on the ship. No wonder he wanted to risk it all in the Third Ring. What a pity he's not very intelligent. Who does he think he is to try to charge through the Stormwind Divide? One of the Three Saints?"
As the others chatted and laughed, the two calm Cultivators closed their eyes and ignored the goings on. The three old men from the Sun Soul Society who were responsible for the boat looked more arrogant than ever. They had been running this boat for a full sixty-year cycle of time, and during that time had never heard of anyone successfully charging through the Stormwind Divide.
However, after a few days passed, the sense of happiness felt by everyone had lessened a bit. But then, more of the magical symbols in the area, as well as the lightning and even the gusts of wind, seemed to be under pressure, even nervous. More explosions could be heard from off in the distance.
The sounds caused the group to grow even more excited. This time, they didn't need any explanation from the three old men. Everyone knew exactly what the sounds were, even if they couldn't see the source. Soon, the sound of their conversation could be heard.
"Hahaha! Don't tell me another person is trying to charge through?"
"Another person who doesn't know their own limits? I never imagined that this trip to the Third Ring would be so fascinating."
"What a pity. I truly wish I could watch with my own eyes."
Everyone was excited, but the three old men were actually somewhat shocked. Just about every time they piloted the ship, they would hear explosions like this. However, it was very rare to hear such a series of explosions twice, like they had this time.
The three old men exchanged smiles, but didn't think too much about it, and focused instead on piloting the ship forward.
The sounds didn't last for very long, only as long as it takes an incense stick to burn. Then they faded away, and another round of talking and chuckling began on the ship.
However, about four days later, the sounds could be heard once again. The passengers on the ship were astonished.
"What's going on? How could there possibly be three people all trying to cross the Stormwind Divide?"
"Something doesn't seem right…."
"Everyone; do you think… that perhaps the person from the very beginning didn't actually die?" These final words were spoken by the person with the weakest Cultivation base of the whole group, the young Core Formation Cultivator.
As soon as he spoke the words, everyone went quiet. The two Cultivators who had sat there calmly the entire time suddenly opened their eyes, seemingly astonished by the implication of the young man's theory.
The three men in charge of the ship also looked shocked, but quickly recovered.
"No unfounded ravings allowed onboard!" growled one of them.
"This is the Stormwind Divide!" said another. "Other than the Three Saints of the Milky Way Sea, nobody can cross it!"
"Obviously what we're hearing is an entire Sect trying to cross. It's not the first time something like that has happened." The rest of the passengers weren't quite sure whether or not to believe the words of the old men. In any case, the happiness of their mood had clearly lessened by quite a bit.
Meanwhile, Naruto flew quickly through the storm wind gusts. Currently, he faced a 150 meter long whip. The whip was about three meters wide, and completely savage in appearance. However, it was surrounded by an enormous mountain, which was gradually suppressing it.
After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, it made an unyielding howl. Then the mountain descended, completely sealing it. It shrank down into Naruto's hand, after which he put it into his bag of holding.
"Number four!" he said, eyes shining brightly. With a smile, he turned and proceeded to speed along his way.
Two more months passed by. During that time, the group on the ship heard one set of explosions after another. Soon, they had heard the sounds seven times. By now, their mood had changed from one of curiosity to shock.
By the time the thirteenth set of explosions rang out, they were filled with dread. Even the three old men were panting.
After the two months passed, and the twentieth set of explosions reached their ears. Everyone on the boat was now completely and utterly dumbfounded. That was especially so after they realized… that the sounds of the explosions were getting closer!
During the two months, Naruto ran into more magical symbols in the shape of treasures. Whenever he did, he would instantly attack and exert full power to subdue them.
By this point, he was in the very depths of the Stormwind Divide, and was getting much closer to the pitch-black ship.
As he got deeper in, his speed was continually reduced. The intensity of the wind was now hurting him, and was even causing his body to start to break apart.
Right now, he had to continuously disseminate power from his Cultivation base in order to hang on.
As for the lightning, it was now possible to see illusory figures within it that apparently possessed sentience. Naruto was shocked.
At one point, he suddenly caught sight of a bright white light in the otherwise pitch blackness. It seemed to be consuming lighting, which caused Naruto to take a deep breath and then change his course.
What he saw was a toad, gobbling up lightning. This was the first time he had seen magical symbols shaped into the form of a beast. The toad was at least three hundred meters long, and in Naruto's estimation, was formed from around ten thousand magical symbols.
"I wonder how far away I am from the edge of this place…." he thought, avoiding the toad. The toad noticed him, but completely ignored him as it continued to consume lightning.
Naruto looked away, and was just about to speed off into the distance when suddenly he made a slight "eee?" sound. He turned his head and sent Divine Sense out. Sure enough, he could sense a ship, speeding along through the air.
"Perfect. I can jump onto this ship and rest a bit while I go the rest of the way." His eyes glittering, he proceeded on toward it.
That ship, of course, was the Sun Soul Society ship who had listened to the ruckus caused by Naruto this entire time. Whether it was the three old men, the two calm youths, or the rest of the passengers, all of them were bewildered and filled with dread. Everyone wanted the ship to emerge from within the Stormwind Divide as soon as possible.
During the past two months, they had heard the sounds of explosions more than twenty times. By now, they had all begun to speculate that it wasn't a group of people trying to pass through the Stormwind Divide, but rather, a single individual!
That person must be incredibly powerful, fearsome to the extreme in order to be able to brave the spell formation and not be destroyed.
Most important of all was that the ship happened to have a Esoteric compass that the three old men had pooled their power together to use a month previous.
The Esoteric compass was something rarely used on the ship. It had only one function; it could send out invisible waves into the Stormwind Divide, which would then cause a map of the area to appear on the surface of the compass. The map would reveal the location of any powerful spirit creatures formed of magical symbols.
A month ago, they had used that function of the map to reveal the spirits, which were all represented in by white dots of light. The entire area around them was densely covered by such white dots. However, there in the middle of all of them… was a red dot!
That red dot caused everyone to be filled with horrified astonishment.
A red dot represented an outside Cultivator!
Furthermore, during the past month, the white dots in the area had been significantly reduced. It seemed to indicate that the magical symbol spirits were intentionally avoiding the area. In addition, the red dot that represented the outside Cultivator only continued to grow brighter and more resplendent, like fresh blood. Everyone looked on with wide eyes, panting.
That was even more the case when they realized… that the red dot was actually moving at high speed toward the yellow dot on the map. That yellow dot… represented the ship they were on! Panicked cries of alarm could be heard.
"He's coming!"
"The Cultivator who's crossing the Stormwind Divide, he's… heading right toward us!" The more than ten Cultivators aboard the ship were all pale-faced. Some of them even rose to their feet in terror, their faces filled with fear and awe of the unknown.
The three old men in charge of the boat exchanged pale-faced glances. They could see the bitterness and complex emotions in each other's eyes. The three of them could never have imagined that they would ever witness such a shocking scene.
They didn't know who this outsider was, but the three of them did know with complete certainty that anyone who could survive in the depths of the Stormwind Divide would most definitely be of the Spirit Severing stage!
"Spirit Severing eccentrics have strange dispositions. If he kills all of us, the Sect wouldn't do anything. It wouldn't risk offending a Spirit Severing expert just for the likes of us three."
"Dammit! Why is this happening? If he wants to cross, fine, but why does he have to come after us…?"
They sat there, perturbed. It was at this point that everyone watched in astonishment as a huge gust of wind from the Stormwind Divide suddenly blasted against the right side of the boat, causing the bloody glow that emanated up from the ship to dim, as if it were being completely covered up.
Not a single sound could be heard onboard. Everyone sat there apprehensively, looking out in the direction of the gust of wind. The fog outside roiled, and a stifling pressure began to bear down on them.
Soon, a green figure could be seen, striding forward through the air. His salt and pepper hair floated about him as he laid eyes on the ship. It was, of course, Naruto.
Even as he caught sight of them, everyone on the ship looked at him.
As soon as the three old men saw him, they began to tremble. "Third generation disciples of the Sun Soul Society offer greetings to you, senior," they said in unison. The intense pressure radiating from Naruto caused them all to breath raggedly. They even felt the Nascent Souls inside of them quivering under the pressure.
Intense terror began to build up inside of them, especially when Naruto looked directly at them. His gaze was like a sharp blade. It was almost like he could read their hearts and minds with a single glance. It was as if they were completely transparent in front of him. Without any hesitation, the three old men quickly clasped hands and bowed deeply
At the same time, the more than ten passengers on the ship also clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.
Naruto's face was expressionless as he strode forward toward the ship. As he neared, a red shield suddenly sprang up, a defensive mechanism of the ship.
When the shield sprang up, the three old men felt their hearts starting to pound, and their faces completely fell. Inwardly, they felt intense regret, and were sure that a misunderstanding was about to occur. Obviously, the shield wouldn't be able to do anything to hinder an expert who could survive out in the Stormwind Divide. At the most, it might slow him down for a moment, but in the end, the unlucky ones in the whole matter would be themselves.
They were about to try to lower the shield, but before they could, Naruto pushed directly into it. Zapping sounds could be heard, but his face was the same as usual as he walked through it.
Most of the others on the ship actually couldn't see what was happening, but the three old men couldn't help but gasp with shock. They had never imagined that their shield would be so ineffective in blocking Naruto.
What was happening completely exceeded their imaginations; they instantly dropped to their knees and kowtowed.
There were others who noticed the strangeness of the goings on. The two calm youths had been to the Third Ring before, on more than one occasion. Therefore, they understood quite a bit more about the ship than the others. Currently, their faces flickered, and their hearts began to pound.
Naruto said nothing. He boarded the ship, looked around, and then sat down cross-legged on the prow.
He didn't speak at first, and the rest of the people on the ship were as silent as cicadas during winter. The three old men didn't dare to rise to their feet. The entire ship was quiet.
After a bit of time passed, Naruto casually said, "Do you happen to have a map of the Third Ring?"
Without the slightest hesitation, the three old men produced jade slips from their bags of holding and respectfully offered them to Naruto.
Naruto accepted, glanced at the jade slips, and then eyed the Esoteric compass off to the side. His eyes glittered, and he nodded.
"You're going to the Third Ring?" he asked.
"Senior," replied one of the three old men, "we are currently under orders to pilot this ship and deliver these passengers to the Seahold in the Third Ring."
"Would it be convenient for you to take me along?" asked Naruto coolly.
"Senior, you are most welcome aboard our ship. Many thanks for staying to watch out for us. We members of the junior generation can't thank you enough." The three old men were attempting to be as respectful as possible, and in their fear of offending Naruto, spoke in a borderline fawning tone.
"Well, let's get moving," said Naruto, closing his eyes.
The three old men immediately voiced their agreement, then carefully rose to their feet. Inwardly breathing sighs of relief, they sent the ship forward at the highest speed possible. As they proceeded onward, no one dared to speak. The ship was completely quiet.
The ship didn't move as quickly as Naruto could move, but the advantage was the ease with which he could proceed. He sat there cross-legged, meditating for a few days. Then, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked over at the Esoteric compass. There, he could clearly see that a thousand-symbol spirit was floating not too far off in the distance.
After enough time passed for half an incense stick to burn, the thousand-symbol spirit was close enough to see with the naked eye. It looked like an iron chain floating there in the storm winds. It completely ignored the ship, although it occasionally attempted to consume lightning as it drifted about.
Naruto suddenly stood up.
"Stop the ship. Wait for me!" With that, he strode out. The three old men and the other passengers were shocked. They watched on as Naruto left the ship. Immediately, the iron chain appeared to sense him. It whipped around in his direction, and an intensely bleak killing will rose up to the Heavens. Suddenly, the lightning in the area turned red and shot whistling through the air toward Naruto.
However, before the iron chain could even get near him, Naruto performed an incantation gesture. Instantly, the characters for metal, wood, water, fire, and earth appeared. As they surrounded the iron chain, Naruto stepped forward and punched.
The iron chain collapsed, sending a thousand magical symbols spreading out in all directions. He then performed another incantation gesture, and the Mountain Consuming Incantation caused a thousand mountains to appear. They covered the magical symbols, then merged together to form a huge mountain peak. Next, the mountain peak shrank down into Naruto's palm, where he sealed it.
After putting it into his bag of holding, he spun around and returned to the ship.
The entire spectacle only took ten breaths of time. Naruto's actions were as natural and unforced as floating clouds and flowing water. Everything was completely efficient, as if he was completely used to doing such things. Everyone who watched on was thoroughly shaken.
The people on the boat stared blankly, and the two Cultivators who had been to the Third Ring before were breathing heavily. They were well aware of how mighty a thousand-symbol spirit was, which caused their fear of Naruto reach a new peak.
By now, they were absolutely certain the reason they had heard explosions more than twenty times in the past. Back then, they could never have imagined that it was a terrifying Cultivator who could subdue and capture magical symbol spirits.
Most shocked of all were the three old men. They were disciples of the Sun Soul Society, and were far more knowledgeable about the Stormwind Divide than the others.
Although others were unaware that the magical symbol spirits could be subdued, they were well aware of the fact. Every few hundred years, powerful experts from the three Sects would enter the spell formation under the leadership of a Patriarch, with the sole purpose of collecting magical symbol spirits. Such spirits were useful to the Patriarchs.
Although no one knew exactly how the Patriarchs used them, it was known that the magical symbol spirits were the essence of the spell formation. That was especially true of the thousand-symbol spirits, which were comparable to Spirit Severing Cultivators. They were unpredictable and virtually indestructible; only the Three Saints were capable of subduing them.
"S-s-senior… sir… how many thousand-symbol spirits have you acquired during your journey?" asked one of the three old men, his face pale, his voice quavering.
"More than twenty," replied Naruto from his position seated cross-legged on the prow. He glanced at the old man.
"More than twenty!" The old man's face completely fell, and he began to pant. He suddenly turned to look at the other two old men and then roared, "Get the ship moving again! Top speed!"
They actually didn't need any reminders. Having heard what Naruto said, they trembled, as if they had just thought of something even more terrifying than Naruto. They rotated their Cultivation bases at top speed to control the boat and push it forward as fast as it could.
Naruto's eyes flickered as he looked at the old man who had just spoken.
The man looked back with a wry smile, and a face full of anxiety.
"Senior, perhaps you are unaware that in a hundred year period, no more than five of the thousand-symbol spirits can be collected. That number can't be exceeded, or else…. It will cause the yellow springs Underworld Ship to appear….
"The yellow springs emerge, the Underworld Ship appears, Dao Seeking forbidden zone!"
As soon as the old man spoke the words, the storm winds around them suddenly seemed to stop moving. The lightning stopped in mid-air, and the fog came to a standstill!
It seemed almost as if time, as if the very natural laws of the Heaven and Earth, had suddenly become completely motionless.
At the same time, an archaic voice could be heard. It was filled with an air of time; it sounded as if a veil of rot had been lifted. The hoarse voice echoed out from off in the distance.
"Long ago, you chose to continue onward to the end, until there was nothing of you left….
"Long ago, I chose to continue onward to the end, until only I was left….
"Who am I? Who are you…? Unfathomable bleached bones. The beginnings of eras. My Dao… is nigh."
As the voice echoed out, all of the hair on Naruto's body stood on end. An indescribable feeling washed through him, and it felt as if some ancient, icy hand were gently caressing his neck.
An aura of putrefaction filled the area. As for the ship he was on… everything suddenly seemed to slow down. In one fleeting moment, it seemed as if thousands of years had passed.
Everyone on the ship went pale white and began to shiver. Unprecedented expressions of fear could be seen on their faces. Even those who didn't know of the yellow springs Underworld Ship could tell from the current situation that they were in a situation of critical danger!
Terror filled the hearts of the three old men. They employed all of the power of their Cultivation base, and even consumed medicinal pills, to push the boat forward with all the speed possible.
Naruto took a deep breath and rotated his Cultivation base to dispel the intense coldness. One of the three old men who sat nearby yelled out in a hoarse voice: "Don't look back! All of you, listen to me. Under no circumstances look back!
"One must not gaze upon the path to the yellow springs! If you turn your head, you're done for!"
There were a few people on the ship who had been contemplating turning to look back. However, after hearing the old man's words, they sat there trembling, not daring to turn their heads even a little bit.
Naruto's eyes flashed. Behind him, he could hear sobbing sounds rising and falling. It sounded like the weeping of a crowd of countless people. Gradually, everything around grew even colder. In the dim light, it was possible to make out strands of white fog that looked like hair, swirling about in the air.
"The end of my Dao… is nigh…." said the voice, filled with an aura of decay. It seemed to be getting closer.
A cold gleam gradually appeared in Naruto's eyes as he stood there on the prow. Although he didn't turn his head back, the energy in his body gradually grew more and more focused.
The ship picked up speed, but everything around it was motionless. Even if it moved much faster, it would still be incapable of escaping the white strands that filled the area and were continuing to grow more numerous.
It almost seemed as if the ship itself were mired within a painting, a painting in which everything was motionless. It didn't matter if the three old men went all out with power, they still weren't moving fast enough.
The aura of rot grew closer, as if the Underworld Ship that the old men had talked about was getting closer and closer.
Even though their own ship wasn't moving, the passage of time on board seemed to be speeding up. Everyone trembled, as they sensed signs that their life force was beginning to drain away.
Despair welled up in the hearts of the three old men.
Naruto silently lifted up his right foot and then stamped it down softly onto the deck. Instantly, his Cultivation base rumbled, and power poured into the ship. Much of the deck directly shattered, but at the same time, the ship surged forward with incredible speed.
The speed was such that it seemed they would break free from the world of motionless within which they were stuck. The three old men gasped, and hope appeared in their faces as they assisted with all the power they could muster. It finally seemed that the ship would break free from the painting. Movement in their surroundings even became visible.
Eventually, they reached a speed that was capable of combating against whatever law it was in the area that caused everything to remain motionless. The air began to move, and the stillness seemed to be on the verge of shattering. It was at this point, when everything seemed to be just about to begin moving again, when Naruto heard a sigh in his ear.
Then he heard the voice of a man, a voice filled with boundless love. "Naruto… have you been safe and sound all these years…? Back then, your mother didn't agree, but as your father, I… I insisted that it must be this way. Don't blame your mother…."
Naruto trembled. He recognized the voice. Bits and pieces of it actually remained in his memories. Even after so many years had passed, he recognized that this was the voice of his father!
He stood there silently. He didn't look back as the ship sped forward. The motionlessness in the area was rapidly giving way to movement. The white strands that floated in the air were slowly moving backward, freeing the ship.
Just then, though, Naruto heard another voice.
"Naruto… do you… still remember me? I'm your mother…. Look back, let me see your face. It's been so many years…. We've missed you."
Naruto's entire body trembled, and his head moved slightly. A complex expression appeared in his eyes as he stood there breathing. He didn't look back; instead, he focused all his energy on controlling the boat. A rumbling sound could be heard as the front of the boat finally pierced out of the painting of stillness.
Naruto could see the border of the still region just up ahead; they were almost out of the painting.
"Deep in your heart, is obsession." This voice was not the voice of his parents that existed in his memory. It was the ancient, decaying voice.
The voice seemed confused, as if it it, too, were filled with infinite obsession.
"You are a living being that I have encountered on the path to the yellow springs. I can… help you to fulfill your obsession. Look back, and you will be able to see what your parents look like."
Naruto's Cultivation base suddenly stopped moving. He poured no more power into the ship, but instead stood there on the prow. Directly in front of him was the edge of the painting of motionlessness; after passing beyond that border, they would be free.
Naruto well knew that if he looked back, something untoward would likely happen. However, the words spoken to him just now had left him completely shaken.
No one else could hear the words spoken into his ear just now, not even the three old men. Everyone just sat there, trembling and in a daze. Naruto was the only lucid one among them all.
In his silence, Naruto suddenly smiled. It was an unrestrained smile, a smile filled with a will of purification.
He suddenly murmured, "What's the harm in turning my head? In my life of cultivation, I cultivate my heart. My path is one of understanding and truth.
"If I don't look back, how could I claim to cultivate my heart?" His eyes filled with a bright light as he casually turned to look behind him.
The first thing that caught his attention were the countless white strands that floated in the air, twisting and twining around the ship. The strands originated from an enormous battleship!
The ship was fully three thousand meters long, and radiated an archaic air, as if it had existed for countless ages. It was dilapidated in a way that suggested it had experienced the baptism of war.
At the prow of the battleship, a figure could be seen. It was an old man wearing a pitch-black suit of armor. It was impossible to see his features clearly, but his body looked like it had been rotting inside the armor for innumerable years.
As for the white strands, they were actually the man's hair!
As soon as Naruto laid eyes on him, the old man seemed to take notice. His head lifted up, and he looked at Naruto.
As soon as their gazes met, Naruto's mind filled with rumbling. Next, a vision appeared to him. He saw a coffin, its surface covered with carvings of nine butterflies.
The coffin rested on an ancient battlefield. The surroundings were devoid of any colors except for black and white.
The vision lasted for only a few breaths of time. Then it dissipated. Naruto panted as he regained consciousness.
"His… Dao seed…." said the armored figure softly, his voice hoarse as it echoed about. "In all the years, of all the living things I have encountered, I have seen countless Dao seeds…. You, however, are different than them.
"Go." The old man sat there cross-legged in his armor. It looked like he would never, ever stand up. When he spoke, his voice seemed to be filled with reminiscence. Slowly, his hair pulled away from the ship Naruto was on. At the same time, the archaic, three thousand meter battleship slowly began to back away. At the same time, it started to fade, as if it were about to vanish into thin air.
The stillness in the area also began to slowly disappear.
As the ship began to vanish, Naruto suddenly opened his mouth to speak. "Senior, you still haven't fulfilled your promise!" Immediately, the stillness returned. The old man on the battleship gave Naruto a profound gaze.
That gaze seemed to contain the transformations of the entire world. It contained the turnings of time as it poured into Naruto's eyes. Instantly, a roaring sound filled his mind.
This time in his vision, he saw Mount Myoboku!
Outside of Mount Myoboku was a whistling violet wind. Fog roiled about, covering the entire mountain, and eventually, Konoha County.
Within the city, the lamps inside the houses were instantly extinguished, except for one house…. Inside that house, the lights danced, illuminating a middle-aged man who stood next to the window. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
The sounds of weeping could be heard within the bedroom. Through the cracks in the door, the silhouette of a woman could be seen. She held a boy in her arms, and tears streamed down her face.
The boy had intelligent eyes, but right now, they were filled with confusion and puzzlement.
The violet wind blew the violet fog until it completely covered Konoha County. Far up above in the black night sky, a violet sun suddenly became visible.
The violet sun caused an indescribable pressure to suddenly weigh down on Konoha County.
It was in that moment that the man pushed open the front door and walked out into the violet fog. The woman wiped the tears from her eyes and looked back at the boy for a moment. Then she turned and walked away.
In that moment, Naruto was able to clearly see her face.
She was beautiful, gentle, and her tears seemed to be filled with infinite reluctance to part. However, she left the boy behind in the room, frightened, confused and helpless.
"Dad…. Mom…." cried the boy. He seemed to be growing more frightened. He ran out into the fog.
"Dad…. Mom…. Where are you? I'm scared…." The boy's voice was young and tender, and quavered when he spoke. He seemed terrified. The wind around him was cold, and the fog was all-encompassing. However, it couldn't do anything to suppress the boy's cries, which echoed out into the fog.
His sobbing grew more and more shrill as he ran. He suddenly tripped and fell, scraping his knees and tearing his garment. His hair was in disarray, and tears streamed down his face to fall onto the ground. All he wanted was his dad and mom, but what he didn't notice was that behind him, a black, spectral hand stretched out toward his head from within the fog.
Naruto watched the scene playing out with the boy, who was obviously himself. And yet, as he searched through his mind, no memory such as this existed. He remembered that night, and he remembered the violet-colored wind, as well what seemed to be countless bizarre voices.
That was the night his dad and mom went missing. He remembered waking up fuzzily, not quite able to remember what had happened. The only thing he remembered… was that his garment had been torn.
When he saw what was happening in the vision, it felt like lightning was striking through his mind.
Then he saw the spectral hand reaching out toward the boy. In that moment, a man appeared behind the boy. He gave a cold snort as he gripped the spectral hand between his fingers and then snapped it off.
The spectral hand disintegrated into powder, and a bloodcurdling scream could be heard. A ghostly figure flew off into the violet fog.
The boy was alarmed, but then he turned his head, and a look of joy appeared on his face. Tears rolling down his cheeks, he rushed into the arms of the man.
"Dad… where did you go? I couldn't find you. I…"
The man did not pursue the ghostly figure. He knelt in front of the boy, his face filled with both love and doubt. Gazing at the boy, he reached out and tousled his hair.
He was silent for a long moment before he spoke out in a soft voice, "Don't cry, Naruto. Mom and dad have to go away for a while. We'll all see each other again one day."
As soon as he heard the words, the boy reached out and grabbed the man's robe tightly. "Where are you going? I don't want you to go…."
The man didn't say anything. He patted the boy's head, and then, after another long moment passed, said, "The Eastern Lands."
His expression was filled with intense love, and also pain. Then he reached out to touch the boy. His hand flickered with a glowing light, and the boy's eyes closed and he fell asleep.
The man held the boy in his arms as he turned and walked back into the house. He gently placed the boy down onto the bed, then stood there watching him. Time passed, and he finally sighed.
Naruto was able to see the man's profile, outlined by the lamplight. He was handsome and dignified, and looked both familiar and yet also strange. Looking at him caused Naruto's heart to begin to pound.
After another long moment, the man leaned down and kissed the boy on the top of the head. When he raised back up, his expression was one of both pain and farewell. He left the house, and walked off into the violet wind and fog. He left Konoha County, left Mount Myoboku, and disappeared.
As the vision ended, a tremor ran through Naruto's body and he regained clarity. He stood on the deck of the ship. The only thing around them was storm winds. There were no white strands of hair, no Underworld Ship. There was only the Stormwind Divide.
Everyone else on the boat was asleep.
The surroundings were quiet. Naruto looked around, then sat down cross-legged and stared off into the distance, somewhat in a daze.
After a bit of time, the three old men awoke. Then, one by one, so did the others. They looked at Naruto with a mixture of dread and gratefulness. Naruto didn't speak, so of course, neither did they dare to say a single word.
It was in this manner that the ship continued on its voyage for several more months. Eventually, amidst the silence, it neared the end of the Stormwind Divide.
The entire time, Naruto never rose to his feet. When they encountered symbol spirits, he didn't even look at them. He only stared out in front of the ship; no one had any idea what he was thinking.
After the months passed, and the boat reached the end of the Stormwind Divide, a dock could be seen through the darkness, their final destination.
Naruto stood up and sent his Divine Sense to spread over the entire ship, and the people on it. This was a minor magical technique that he had picked up in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, a Daoist magic that would erase any trace of him from the minds of these people. After that, he flew out to disappear into the storm winds.
About ten breaths of time after Naruto vanished, everyone on the ship regained their senses. They looked a bit confused, but after a moment, the ship reached the dock. At that point, they seemed to break through some invisible barrier. The previous blackness gave way to a sudden burst of intense light.
It was sunlight shining down onto the sea and the waves. The group on the boat inhaled the salt air, and they knew… that they were now in the Third Ring!
Even as exclamations of joy rang out from the ship, Naruto emerged alone from within the Stormwind Divide. He stood on the surface of the sea, looking up at the sun.
"Whether that vision was real or not, the Eastern Lands… are definitely where I need to go!
"After I resolve this crisis with Madara, then I'll definitely be heading to the Eastern Lands!
"I'll visit the Sky Country, I'll visit Chang'an, and I'll fulfill my childhood dream…." He looked off toward the east, wishing that his Cultivation base was sufficient to be able to see the Eastern Lands right now, no matter how far away it was.
"Maybe I can find some clues about dad and mom, and what happened that year. What was the violet wind and violet fog, and what did it have to do with me…?
"And also…" He lowered his head and looked down at the back of his hand. Every time he had a Cultivation base breakthrough into a new stage, there was the symbol that appeared there.
That mark had been with him for a long time, and if he couldn't come to understand what it meant, he would feel as if he had wasted all his years of cultivation.
"It's not like I didn't notice how strange Karin was acting all those years ago…. Am I just unwilling to accept the truth?" In his thoughtfulness, a rare bit of weakness could be seen in his eyes. Finally, he sighed and pushed all the thoughts down into the bottom of his heart.
He suddenly felt very lonely. It was the type of loneliness where you look around and wonder where your home is. He had practiced cultivation for hundreds of years, but right now, had no friends to keep him company.
Such thinking caused the weakness in his eyes to grow a bit stronger.
"Is this cultivation? A path… that a person must stick to alone?" He closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them, no weakness was visible. Instead, there was the unswerving determination that usually resided therein.
Naruto took a deep breath and looked around, a sharp gleam in his eyes.
Everything around looked almost the same as the Fourth Ring. However, Naruto could sense that much more Demonic Chakra flowed through the Third Ring.
No one else would be able to detect it, but as a Demon Sealer, Naruto could naturally sense it.
What Naruto didn't know was that in this very moment, countless eyes suddenly opened on the seafloor of the Third Ring. All of them stared up in his direction.
In the deepest part of the sea, the undercurrents swirled, and it seemed as if a tempest were forming. Countless red eyes emanated intense desire, as if they had finally seen hope for the first time.
Up above on the surface of the waters, Naruto muttered to himself for a moment and then sped off. After flying for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he suddenly frowned. The sea up ahead of him suddenly exploded up as a giant tentacle shot out from the water toward him.
It moved with such incredible speed that it looked like nothing more than a shadow. It almost looked like a flaming whip as it ripped through the air.
It was an attack that contained power similar to the Nascent Soul stage. Naruto gave a cold snort, then waved his hand toward the incoming tentacle and made a grasping motion. The tentacle stopped in mid-air just a few feet in front of him, almost as if it had been seized by some enormous, invisible hand.
The tentacle was completely black, and covered with countless suction disks. It squirmed and wriggled, seemingly struggling to free itself. It was sickening to look at, and if you followed it to its source, you could see what appeared to be an enormous creature in the churning waters below.
At the same time, whooshing sounds could be heard as more than ten additional tentacles burst out from the water toward Naruto. He watched on with a cold gleam in his eyes, then clutched out with his right hand and pulled.
Boom!
The sea exploded under the incredible power of Naruto's hand as an enormous, three hundred meter long cuttlefish was wrenched up out of the waters to hover in mid-air.
Naruto relaxed his hand, and then took a step forward. He instantly disappeared, only to reappear directly in front of the cuttlefish. His right hand formed into a fist which he then struck out. A massive boom could be heard as the cuttlefish directly exploded into countless pieces that then rained down onto the surface of the sea.
Within the shredded meat and flesh was a bluish crystalline object about the size of a finger. As soon as Naruto saw it, he grabbed it. When it touched his palm, it let off a gentle glow, along with the ripples of spiritual power.
"This looks like a mid-grade Spirit Stone. It must be a Demon heart." After examining it for a while, he put it away into his bag of holding, then began to make his way off. However, it was then that he frowned. He sent his Divine Sense out, and immediately, his face sank.
Within the range of his Divine Sense, he could sense more than twenty different kinds of Sea Demons in the area. All of them were speeding along through the sea in his direction.
Each one emitted violent auras, as well as intense avarice. They seemed to view themselves as hunters and him as the prey.
"Is this why the Third Ring is so dangerous?" he thought, his brow furrowed. With that, he waved his hand toward the sea down below. Instantly, the surface of the sea rumbled and sank down, forming into what looked like a crater, roughly three hundred meters wide. With another wave of his hand, Naruto caused the crater to begin to rotate.
The rotation caused a huge roaring sound to lift up into the sky. It almost looked like a black hole was forming in the water. Great waves surged about, revealing seven or eight vicious Sea Demons.
These Sea Demons didn't have very high Cultivation bases; all were roughly at the early Nascent Soul stage, and a few even were in the Core Formation stage. They looked at Naruto with red eyes and vicious greed. It seemed that they couldn't wait to consume Naruto, as if even taking a single bite of him would give them some type of enlightenment.
Their gazes caused Naruto to be filled with a sensation of disgust. He almost felt as if he were being looked at by Madara.
Coldness flickered in his eyes, and he made a cold snort as the fingers of his right hand slowly clenched into a fist.
At the same time, the vortex in the sea slowly constricted, tightening down and closing. The seawater instantly turned red with blood, and miserable howls could be heard. When Naruto opened his fist, the waters spread back out and the vortex resumed spinning.
A moment later, Naruto waved his sleeve, causing more than twenty Demon hearts to fly up from the reddened water. He put them into his bag of holding, then transformed into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.
The only thing that was left behind was the blood, which slowly dissolved into the seawater. Everything was calm and peaceful.
The Third Ring was very large and contained a great number of Cultivators. Most organized into groups of three or perhaps five to go hunting Sea Demons in various regions of the Third Ring. To encounter a Sea Demon was a lucky break in and of itself. Of course, there were some powerful Sea Demons who could also bring incredible disaster.
There were even some areas within the Third Ring that were specially noted in jade slip maps. Anyone who wanted to enter such areas had to prepare special items ahead of time.
Furthermore, there was one particular city in the Third Ring called Seahold that had been established jointly by the three Sects, which made it convenient for Cultivators to trade for supplies. The city was enormous, and towered up above the surface of the water like a huge fortress. It was covered with shocking spell formations that had protected it for countless years against the attacks of Sea Demons.
Within the city were garrisoned more than 10,000 Cultivators from the three Sects. In addition, there was always one of the three Saints in command of the city. They rotated every one hundred years.
For years, the three Sects had maintained an incredible reputation, to the point where even the powers in the Southern Domain, Eastern Lands, Western Desert, and Northern Reaches acknowledged them.
Several days later, Naruto flew in mid-air over the Third Ring. He lifted up his right hand, and lightning crackled. Instantly, a thirty-meter long Sea Demon comparable in power to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was destroyed.
This particular Sea Demon didn't even have a Demon heart. However, for some reason, as soon as it detected Naruto's aura, it had seemed to go crazy, and had attacked him with complete abandon. Naruto had run into seven or eight other Sea Demons just like this in his travels so far.
"Something's not right!" he thought, frowning. It almost felt as if he were going around the Third Ring with a big target on his back. No matter where he went, Sea Demons would come for him.
His eyes flickered as he thought for a moment, then sent his Divine Sense out. After searching for about three days, he was able to find a group of Cultivators, five of them, who were cautiously hunting for Sea Demons.
He followed them from a distance, and they were unaware of his presence.
However, after only half a day, he sensed eight frenzied Sea Demons closing in. All of a sudden, they burst out from the water, howling. The faces of the five Cultivators instantly filled with shock.
"How could there be so many Sea Demons!"
"Don't tell me some sort of treasure is in the area!?" The five of them began to flee in alarm. Of course, the Sea Demons weren't after them, so they were able to get away easily.
Naruto floated there in mid-air, his brow furrowed. Having observed what was happening, he now understood that it was he himself who was attracting the Sea Demons!
"Is there something special about me that drives them crazy?" he thought, his eyes flickering. Down below, the Sea Demons were charging across the surface of the water at top speed. Naruto let out a cold snort, then waved his right hand. Instantly, the sword tip with 30,000 years of Time power flew out. Under Naruto's control, it turned into a black beam of light that shot directly toward one particular Sea Demon which looked like a crab.
When it shot through the Sea Demon, the creature instantly turned completely gray, as if had just passed through tens of thousands of years of time. In the blink of an eye, it turned into nothing more than ash.
The beam continued on to pierce through six more Sea Demons, all of whom, regardless of the level of their Cultivation base, instantly withered up and turned into nothing more than ash.
As for the final Sea Demon, it looked like a sea turtle. When it saw everything that happened, its eyes filled with terror. Despite that, it didn't seem to be able to resist the urge to charge toward Naruto. It was like an instinct that it was unable to control. With a howl, it charged onward.
Naruto glanced coldly at the sea turtle, which was only a few dozen meters long. He put away the Time Sword tip, then performed an incantation. The Mountain Consuming Incantation appeared, and an enormous mountain peak descended. It smashed down onto the sea turtle, completely sealing it inside. Naruto waved his sleeve to collect up the mountain, as well as the other Demon hearts in the area. Then, he proceeded off into the distance.
Not too long later, Naruto materialized out of thin air to appear near an island. Instantly, roaring could be heard from the island. Naruto frowned somewhat grudgingly. He had no idea what type of ferocious beast or Sea Demon was there, but without waiting to find out, he sent a palm strike down. The entire island shook and trembled as the palm attack slammed into the area where the roaring came from.
The island trembled, and then was completely silent. Whatever creature was there had been killed with a single strike.
Naruto sat down cross-legged, then waved his right hand. Immediately, the mountain peak flew out from his bag of holding, within which was sealed the body of the sea turtle.
The first thing that Naruto thought about when he looked at the sea turtle was old turtle Reliance. He frowned for a moment, then waved a finger, causing the mountain peak to vanish. The sea turtle glared at him viciously with red eyes. Then it howled and charged in attack. Naruto's right hand instantly waved down.
A boom rattle out as a huge, invisible palm crushed down onto the sea turtle. No matter how it struggled, it was incapable of freeing itself. It could only look at Naruto and roar.
"You want to eat me?" asked Naruto coolly. He sent out some of his Demon Sealer aura, but it didn't seem to provoke any special reaction from the sea turtle. It continued to roar and snap at him as if it wanted to swallow him in a single bite.
"So, it's not because I'm a Demon Sealer?" he thought. He retracted the aura and then started to remove all of the bags of holding he possessed and place them off to the side. What he discovered was that the sea turtle didn't even glance at them. It continued to glare directly at him and him alone.
"It's not anything in my bags of holding either. Could it really be me personally? Is it because of the Fleshly Sanctification?" After a good period of thought, he couldn't come up with any better explanation.
After all, he did have some of the characteristics of the Demon Immortal Body. Naruto found it plausible that it could be attractive in some way to the Sea Demons.
After more thought, his eyes began to shine brightly. He raised his right hand, sliced a cut into the tip of his finger, and then squeezed out some blood. The sea turtle instantly went into a frenzy, howling and writhing as it attempted to charge forward and get at the blood.
"So that's what's going on," thought Naruto. The wound on his finger instantly healed back up, and he rose to his feet. Then, he lifted up his hand to do away with the troublesome sea turtle. However, before he could complete the motion, his hand stopped.
"What if that isn't the complete explanation…?" he thought. He glanced at the turtle again, and then closed his eyes to recall a divine ability he had picked up in the Demon Immortal Pagoda that was similar to the one he had used earlier to erase memories.
Based on his previous Cultivation base, using the ability would have resulted in a backlash. However, if he used it now, he could reduce the effects of the backlash to a minimum. His body flashed, and he appeared directly next to the sea turtle. Even as it eyed him hungrily, his hand pressed down onto the turtle's head.
"Soulsearch!" It was only a light touch, but the sea turtle's body immediately went stiff.
White light emanated out from Naruto's eyes. In a scant moment, his senses entered into the mind of the sea turtle. He sensed brutality, madness, and desire.
There were also a random assortment of memories that flooded into Naruto's mind. Being his first time using this technique, Naruto felt a bit out of sorts. However, his powerful Cultivation base pushed down the ill feeling, and he began to search for an answer in the sea turtle's memory.
He searched for quite some time, until suddenly his concentration peaked. Within the intact memories inside the sea turtle, he had encountered a word.
"… lily …."
Naruto's face flickered and he pulled his right hand away. The sea turtle was now laying prone, gasping for breath. A Soulsearch like the one he had just performed would leave it either dead or injured.
"Lily…." murmured Naruto. With that, he looked down at himself, then used his right hand to violently push down onto his belly. His entire body shook, and then began to grow weaker, both in terms of Cultivation base and in his Chakra and Blood.
As he grew weaker, he performed an incantation gesture. A seal appeared, which he placed onto himself, causing his energy to fade. Underneath the pressure, his Cultivation base sank to the Nascent Soul stage, then the Core Formation Stage, and then the Foundation Establishment stage….
Now that he had weakened himself to this extent, another bizarre aura silently appeared. This aura was none other than the aura of the Resurrection Lily!
Normally speaking, Naruto was too powerful, and kept the aura suppressed to the point where it wouldn't be easily noticeable. Now, though, by intentionally weakening himself, he caused the aura of the Resurrection Lily to be revealed more openly.
As soon as the aura appeared, something happened that caused Naruto to be deeply shocked.
The sea turtle, which moments ago had been gasping on the verge of death, suddenly lifted its head up. Its eyes focused, it let out a shocking roar and then charged toward Naruto. Its body was being suppressed, but it didn't seem to care. It roared and struggle until its shell began to crack and shatter. Its body began to fall apart, but its eyes were bright red and its head stretched out violently until it literally ripped off of the body. Blood spattered about as the dying head stretched out toward Naruto, its mouth gaping.
Naruto backed up a few paces. He could clearly see the desire and madness in the dying eyes. His face flickered as he looked out at the surrounding sea. Huge waves rolled across its surface, and countless shocking auras could be sensed charging from all directions, filled with madness.
Naruto immediately severed the aura and released the seal. His energy rapidly rose, and the Resurrection Lily's aura was suppressed. The madness in the sea around him was reduced by a small measure.
Naruto instantly transformed into a green smoke and vanished.
When he reappeared, he was in mid-air off in the distance.
"So, the Resurrection Lily is what's attracting the Sea Demons!
"Now that I think about it, Master told me about someone who came to him looking for medicine to help with the Resurrection Lily infection. As to whether he is alive or dead now, I have no idea. I just remember that he was from… the Milky Way Sea.
"If I can find him, maybe he could use his understanding of the Resurrection Lily to help me with mine." After thinking for a moment, Naruto vanished again.
Meanwhile, far from the Third Ring, in the depths of the Second Ring….
The water in this area was black, and everything was quiet. Even the surface of the sea was calm, without any waves or even ripples. There was also a black island, upon which sat a cross-legged figure. He had the physical appearance of a Cultivator, except that a spiraling horn stuck out from his forehead. He was surrounded by vast quantities of bones, many of which were the bones of Cultivators.
His eyes suddenly opened, and within each eye, two pupils could be seen. A savage aura exploded out from him.
"Resurrection… Lily…."
A month flashed by.
During that time, Naruto swept freely across the Third Ring. Considering the level of his Cultivation base, there were no Sea Demons who could stand up to him. The instant any appeared and got close to him, he would destroy them.
Sometimes he didn't actually even need to do anything personally. He would simply send the Wooden Time Sword tip flying out to circulate around him. A mere thought could send the tip speeding to the attack at any time.
Twenty-five days earlier, a group of adventuring Cultivators, roughly a dozen or more in number, had been speeding along, pursued by two roaring Sea Demons.
Even in the midst of their hopelessness, a black beam appeared. It shot through the two Sea Demons, transforming them into ash. The Demon hearts flew out, and then vanished into thin air.
Twenty days earlier, a haughty-faced man was fighting at close quarters with a Sea Demon, when a black beam suddenly appeared out of nowhere to transform the Sea Demon into ash.
Fifteen days earlier, ten days earlier, five days earlier, similar scenes played out in different areas in the Third Ring. In fact, almost every day such things occurred. Gradually, rumors began to spread about the black sword tip.
After a month of domination, Naruto had collected nearly a thousand Demon hearts. Most were low-grade, with only a few being mid-grade.
Naruto wasn't very happy with the results, although anyone else would have been wild with joy.
"Chosen from the Sects and Clans of the Southern Domain, Northern Reaches, and Eastern Lands all owe me large quantities of Spirit Stones. My gains in the past month have been too negligible. This doesn't compare at all to conning people." He currently hovered in mid-air, looking out at the boundless sea, wondering how many Sea Demons existed underneath the waters.
"If I could get some high-grade Spirit Stones, or even… ultra high-grade Spirit Stones, then things would be worth it!" He had some ultra high-grade Spirit Stones in his bag of holding, but not many. They were incredibly valuable, and every time he thought about how he had wasted two thousand of them all those years ago, it made him sick.
"Short on money again…. If I had enough Spirit Stones, I could copy more Wooden Time Swords, or maybe even the Time Sword tip. Except, I would need, at the least, more than ten million Spirit Stones to do that." He looked down at the surface of the sea, and clenched his jaw.
"If Madara isn't dead, then danger will be coming my way. The most important thing for me to do now is get stronger as fast as possible. I need to go all out!" Determination appeared in his eyes, and then he vanished into thin air.
Several days later, Naruto sat cross-legged on a certain large island within the Third Ring. The entire area around him had long since been cleared, and the Time Sword tip circulated around him. He looked down at his bag of holding as a small mountain flew out.
Sealed inside of the little mountain was a battle-ax, which was none other than the thousand-symbol spirit he had captured.
After looking at it for a moment, he lifted his right hand up into the air, causing the mountain to vanish. The battle-ax instantly began to emit a rumbling sound, and was just about to attack when Naruto waved his wide sleeve, causing a huge pressure to envelop the area. He reached out with his hand, but the battle-ax made a popping sound and transformed into over a thousand magical symbols. Naruto's hand grasped nothing but air.
The magical symbols cascaded about, seemingly quite proud of themselves. They swirled behind Naruto, where they once again formed into a battle-ax, which then chopped down toward Naruto.
"Hex!" said Naruto coolly. He didn't even turn his head to look; he simply pointed backward with his left index finger.
The thousand magical symbols trembled and struggled in mid-air. However, when Naruto punched out, the battle-ax collapsed into a mass of magical symbols. Then he performed an incantation, and the Mountain Consuming Incantation appeared in the form of a thousand mountains, which covered over all the magical symbols.
Naruto performed all these actions smoothly and spontaneously, as if he hadn't been troubled in the least bit. Then, his expression indifferent, he caused the magical symbols to approach him one by one. He imprinted them with Divine Sense, a process that took several hours to complete. After it was all done, his eyes glittered as he allowed the thousand mountains to loosen and free the magical symbols.
The symbols seemed as if they had lost their sentience. They simply floated there, flickering with light, but unmoving.
"Consolidate!" said Naruto coolly. Immediately, the symbols formed together into the shape of a battle-ax, which then rotated around him. After exercising control over it for a few moments, Naruto then used the same method on the more than twenty thousand-symbol spirits in his bag of holding. He finished a few days later, after which, more than 20,000 magical symbols all whistled through the air around him.
They turned into a vortex of storm winds that emanated an incredibly threatening pressure.
A strange light appeared in Naruto's eyes. The incredible power of this treasure was second only to the symbol spirits he had seen in the Stormwind Divide that formed into enormous ferocious beasts.
"However, it wastes too much of my Cultivation base," he thought after a moment. After consuming some medicinal pills, he sat down to meditate. It wasn't until dawn of the following morning that he finally opened his eyes.
"The time has come!" he said. Taking a deep breath, he performed an incantation, placing multiple seals onto his body that caused his energy to rapidly weaken. Soon, the aura of the Resurrection Lily once again appeared.
Previously, Naruto had assumed that only he could sense the aura. However, after arriving in the Third Ring, he understood that to Sea Demons, the Resurrection Lily was like some hitherto unknown tonic that, if consumed, could provoke incredible transmogrification.
As soon as the aura spread out, the surrounding sea began to churn. Countless glowing red eyes snapped open in the depths of the sea in the Third Ring. In the blink of an eye, the Sea Demons shot with incredible speed in the direction of something they instinctively knew they had to consume.
Some distance away, a multicolored jellyfish was just under the surface of the water, stalking a group of Cultivators, waiting for the right opportunity to attack. However, just in the moment when it was about to make a move, it suddenly trembled and then shot away under the water.
In another location, a group of a few dozen Cultivators were locked in close combat with three Sea Demons. Suddenly, the Sea demons roared, dove down into the water, and vanished.
Scenes like this played out throughout various locations in the Third Ring. Quite a few Cultivators noticed the phenomenon. Some Cultivators up in mid-air were shocked to see waves sweeping across the sea, and the countless Sea Demons swimming through the water.
"Don't tell me it's a Beast Tide!"
Even while so many people were shocked, Naruto sat calmly waiting on the island. After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, an enormous pincer suddenly shot out from the seawater toward him.
At the same time, multiple Sea Demons burst out from the water to charge toward Naruto.
His eyes glittered with coldness as he waved his right hand, causing a thousand-symbol battle-ax to fly out. It swept out, filling the area with the sounds of explosions as it destroyed the Sea Demons.
Even as they died, an additional hundred or more Sea Demons emerged from the water, their visages that of wildness and greed. It was almost like Naruto had turned into a whirlpool that caused desire to well up within all the Sea Demons of the Third Ring.
Naruto was calm and unhurried as he manipulated the magical symbols. With the wave of a finger, 1,000 magical symbols flew out, surrounding the island, making it impossible for any Sea Demon to get even more than three hundred meters onto the island.
Four explosion-filled hours passed. More than a thousand Sea Demons had charged out from within the shocking waves. They didn't seem to even understand the difference between life and death; disregarding even their own lives, they charged forward relentlessly.
Booms rang out as Naruto's hands moved even faster to control the 8,000 magical symbols, which whistled through the air. They formed into various magical items, including the battle-ax, and emanated incredible might.
Another four hours passed, during which time, Naruto consumed medicinal pills on three occasions to support the rotation of his Cultivation base. Currently, the island was surrounded by densely packed groups of Sea Demons. There were so many that he almost couldn't see anything else.
The sight was enough to shock anyone who might see it, even Naruto. However, he wanted even more Sea Demons. The magical symbols were now 13,000 in number, whistling about to create a droning sound that filled the ears.
From afar, the island appeared to be surrounded by a vortex of storm winds, and a black fog. Outside of the storm winds were endless amounts of Sea Demons that charged forward in their attempts to get onto the island.
The roaring was astonishing, and blood showered about everywhere. Naruto was unsure of how many Sea Demons he had killed in the relatively short period of time. The only ones who knew were the parrot and meat jelly.
That was because they were flying around, boring their way in and out all over the place. As the Sea Demons died, they gleefully collected up the Demon hearts.
It was in this moment, however, that a howl split the air from off in the distance. This howl was unique; it sounded like a weeping girl, and it instantly caused Naruto to look up. His Divine Sense swept out, and off in the distance, he could see the Sea Demons all trembling and making way for an enormous seven-colored jellyfish which was slowly swimming forward.
On top of the head of the jellyfish, shockingly, was… a white flower!
It was a Whitebone Lily, a flower that looked like bleached bones. It swayed back and forth, causing all the color in the area to vanish and be replaced with only black and white.
As Naruto looked over, he suddenly felt the island shake beneath him, as if some enormous creature down below were attacking it.
His face flickered for the space of a few breaths, but he was powerless to support the island. Cracks spread out on its surface, and then the island simply collapsed into countless pieces.
Huge waves rolled out across the seawater as, in the blink of an eye, the entire island sank down into the water. As for Naruto, he was also pulled down into the sea.
In that instant, the Sea Demons in the area grew even more frenzied. The world underneath the surface of the waters was their domain, so it was with even more madness that they charged forward.
Naruto's eyes glittered. The world underneath the surface might be the domain of the Sea Demons, but it was also his world!
He had formed the water character of the five elements totem, and had also practiced cultivation on the bottom of the Violet Sea for a hundred years. Why would he possibly care about the pressure exerted under the sea? His expression was cold as he lifted his right hand to cause 20,000 glittering magical symbols to circulate out. They transformed into twenty magical items which shot toward the Sea Demons and began to slaughter them.
The explosions did not pass out of the seawater, but they did give rise to enormous waves which swept out through the Third Ring. The Cultivators who saw them were shocked, and intrigued about what was happening.
Furthermore, some of the incredibly powerful Sea Demons of the Third Ring were now in motion, heading toward Naruto, filled with madness.
Naruto was under the water, surrounded by 20,000 magical symbols which swept around him in the form of a tempest. The water seethed, and the Sea Demons were unable to get within even three hundred meters of him.
Of course, the Sea Demons attacked with reckless abandon, impelled by instinct to fight even if they died. Naruto's eyes flickered as the magical symbols surged around him, carrying out an incredible slaughter.
Waves surged out, affecting more than half of the Third Ring, and more and more Sea Demons arrived. Soon, even the Third Ring's Seahold city was affected, causing even more Cultivators to look around in shock and wonder what was occurring.
In fact, the waves even crashed into Seahold, the city created by the joint efforts of the three Sects. The sounds of bugles filled the air, and the Cultivators garrisoned there armed themselves and entered battle formation, as if they were preparing to fight some incredible enemy.
The powerful experts within the city emerged one by one, their faces grim and filled with intense harshness. They looked off into the distance at the countless waves that surged toward them.
"Could it be that the Sea Devils of the Second Ring are on the attack?"
"Impossible! The Sea Devils of the Second Ring are few in number. They rarely appear, and almost never enter the Third Ring. To them, the Sea Demons of the Third Ring are like common animals. They view themselves as the emperors and kings!"
"But if it's not the Sea Devils, then what is causing these great transformations in the Third Ring?!"
Everyone was discussing the matter, and as soon as the Sea Devils were mentioned, faces filled with fear.
Outside the city, crashing sounds could be heard as the waves slammed into the city walls.
The sounds could be heard without cessation, and echoed throughout the city, causing the Cultivator's faces to flicker with various expressions.
In the middle of Seahold was an enormous tower nearly three thousand meters tall. The areas surrounding the tower were a forbidden zone which no one could enter without being invited first.
This was a cultivation area set aside for the three Saints. At the highest level of the tower sat a middle-aged man wearing a voluminous red robe, who happened to be surnamed Lin. He had long black hair, and currently stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out a window. He was frowning, and it was impossible to tell exactly what he was thinking.
"The waves are higher by three meters, and seemingly for no reason," he said coolly. "It seems something has provoked the Sea Demons. They're all heading in the same direction. Are they going to pay respects, or have they been summoned? Or enticed?" His eyes shone with a brilliant light, and as he spoke, his words seemed to cause ripples to spread out in the air.
"In any case, the Sea Demons are not intelligent. It must be desire which is driving them!" He suddenly took a step forward, and then vanished. Shockingly, he reappeared outside of Seahold, far off in the distance. Waves surged beneath his feet as he clasped his hands behind his back and strode forward.
With a single step, he vanished and then reappeared far, far off. Then he repeated the process. It was with incredible speed that he moved, a speed that a Nascent Soul Cultivator could never achieve, not even by bringing harm to their own life.
At the same time that the red robed man proceeded forward, Naruto was surrounded by 20,000 surging magical symbols. Blood filled the water around him as countless Sea Demons were completely destroyed. He had no idea how many he had killed, but as he sank down deeper, the Sea Demons that surrounded him seemed endless.
It was at this point that a five-colored bolt of lightning suddenly appeared, shooting through the hordes of Sea Demons. Wherever it went, Sea Demons directly exploded. The lightning itself seemed to be filled with the power to destroy Heaven and Earth. In the blink of an eye, it slammed into the magical symbols that surrounded Naruto.
Boom!
A thousand of the 20,000 magical symbols instantly collapsed. It shot onward toward Naruto, who immediately looked up. When the island collapsed and began to sink to the sea floor, he had already noticed the approaching Whitebone Lily jellyfish.
However, after sinking down, despite being unhampered by the surroundings, he found himself in a different situation than when he had been in the Violet Sea. Here, his Divine Sense had limitations.
Of course, he was as vigilant as ever, so as the lightning bore down on him, he lifted his right hand and pointed forward with his index finger. The Blood Palm instantly appeared and shot forward.
A boom could be heard as the five-colored lightning bolt spread apart, surrounding the Blood Palm, as if it wished to bore directly into it.
Naruto's eyes glittered, and he let out a cold snort. He flicked his sleeve, performed an incantation, and then pointed forward. Immediately, a face appeared in front of him. It looked like Naruto's face, although its eyes were closed as it shot forward. This, of course, was the first form of the Blood Immortal divine ability.
Booming filled the bottom of the sea. As the lightning collapsed, the face's eyes opened, and the lips began to speak with a soundless voice.
The soundless voice seemed to rip the jellyfish out into the open. Six ripple-like formless sound waves swept out in front of Naruto. The first of them caused thousands of Sea Demons to instantly explode. The second, third, and fourth sweeping ripples caused more than 10,000 Sea Demons to collapse.
The fourth and fifth ripples seemed to open a path that revealed the enormous jellyfish off in the distance. The Sea Demons in front of Naruto all scrambled clear as the sixth ripple shot directly toward the jellyfish. The water seethed and distorted to form the face of Naruto, which rumbled toward the jellyfish.
A brilliant, five-colored glow spread out from the jelly-fish, which transformed into a five-colored shield that shot out in defense. A huge boom could be heard, which transformed into an even more intense attack that spread out in all directions. Naruto gave a cold snort, and was just about to directly slay the bizarre jellyfish when suddenly, he sensed an incredible force shooting toward him. The intensity of the force caused him to tremble inwardly. The magical symbol tempest around him shuddered, and another thousand symbols instantly collapsed.
As the force neared Naruto, his eyes glittered. Giving up any plans to slay the jellyfish, he spun around. His right hand clenched into a fist, which then punched directly toward the incoming force.
A bang could be heard, and the seawater exploded out in all directions. It was as if two enormous, incredibly shocking fists had slammed into each other in the middle of the water.
A deep growl could be heard as an enormous figure retreated backward from the force of Naruto's punch.
It was at this point that Naruto could clearly see the Sea Demon that was the source of the powerful force from just now.
It was a giant!
A three thousand meter tall giant, with two heads and scale-covered skin that was completely blue. Its eyes, however, were bright red as it stared at Naruto.
This was what had caused the island to collapse!
Shockingly, located behind the giant could be seen a Whitebone Lily, swaying back and forth!
The Whitebone Lily was a ghastly white color, and looked completely shocking. That was especially true because, when he looked at it, Naruto could almost see a human face, staring back at him with a strange expression.
The gaze was filled with many emotions, with avarice and with… concentration, almost as if it were… staring at something like itself.
Naruto's eyes glittered. As of this point, he had seen two bizarre Sea Demons in the Milky Way Sea's Third Ring, both of whom had strange Whitebone Lilies on them.
In fact, when Naruto looked at the Whitebone Lily, he could clearly sense that the Resurrection Lily inside of him felt provoked, and even emanated the desire to attack.
Apparently, the pressure from Naruto, as well as the intensity of the current danger, had caused it to intentionally allow some of its aura to seep out into his blood vessels.
Naruto's mind trembled. He had been fighting with the Resurrection Lily for years, and although he always succeeded in suppressing it, he only did so with the use of force. This was the first time that the Resurrection Lily had given up on any resistance, and merge its aura with Naruto of its own initiative.
As the aura merged into him, a bizarre light appeared in Naruto's eyes. He did not resist, but rather, allowed the aura of the Resurrection Lily to spread out within him. Instantly… a five-colored Resurrection Lily appeared behind him!
The flower formed into a face that was split into two parts. One part looked like Naruto, as mild as jade; the other looked as vicious as a wicked spirit!
Two faces, five petals, five glowing colors. In the blink of an eye, the light spread out to fill the sea floor. As it did, Naruto's mind suddenly trembled, and a strange glow appeared in his eyes. As of that moment, he could… sense the energy of Heaven and Earth!
This was not the first time he could sense the energy of Heaven and Earth, but this was the most direct connection he had ever felt. He almost felt… as if he were favored by Heaven and Earth, as if his existence was approved.
With every breath he took, the power of Heaven and Earth flowed into him. Regardless of whether it was spiritual energy or Demonic Chakra, or other types, anything that could be of benefit to him flowed in.
The feeling was indescribable, as if Heaven and Earth would do anything for him.
The power was boundless!
It felt like his destiny grew deeper, as if the Heavens had opened their eyes to gaze upon him. It was like any living thing that wished to harm him would become an object of loathing to Heaven and Earth.
The indescribable feeling was like a mysterious premonition.
"The day the Resurrection Lily blooms with seven colors, flowers bloom and flowers descend, one thousand years…. Don't tell me that it really is impossible to kill it!?" The realization hit Naruto, but he had no time for consideration at the moment.
Almost in the same moment that the five-colored Resurrection Lily appeared behind him, the hosts of Sea Demons around him went into a frenzy. Their eyes were red, and seal marks appeared on their bodies.
The seal resembled the face of a spirit, almost like the earliest version of the Resurrection Lily, except white. However, if you looked closely, you could see that it was not the Resurrection Lily, but, shockingly… a Whitebone Lily!
"This Whitebone Lily definitely has some direct connection with the Resurrection Lily. But why are there so many Whitebone Lilies in the Milky Way Sea!? It seems like almost every single Sea Demon has one!" His mind trembled as he looked around at all of the Whitebone Lily seals, and his scalp began to grow numb.
"I wonder if it has something to do with the Reverend Silverlamp of the Milky Way Sea that Master spoke of?!" Naruto's face flickered as he once again looked around at the enormous giant and the jellyfish, and realized that they were different from the other Sea Demons.
What existed on them was not a mark of the Whitebone Lily, but an actual, living flower.
Currently, the two Whitebone Lilies were swaying back and forth, and looked as if they were about to bloom, each of them with three petals.
"I remember Master told me that Reverend Silverlamp came to him seven hundred years before, asking for help in solving the problem of the Resurrection Lily. Master was able to help a bit, but couldn't truly solve the problem. Then, Reverend Silverlamp returned a few hundred years later, having dispelled the poison of the Resurrection Lily!
"Could it be… that these transformations in the Sea Demons in the Milky Way Sea have something to do with Reverend Silverlamp?"
Naruto's mind trembled, and his eyes flickered. However, he knew that he could not let himself feel anxious, but rather, needed to allow time for the clues to appear. Right now, the constant slaying of Sea Demons, coupled with the level of his Cultivation base, had left him feeling quite exhausted. Considering how many Sea Demons there were in the area, even if he kept killing them for days, he still wouldn't be able to kill them all.
Also, he knew that since the drastic changes in the sea would cause widespread repercussions, it wouldn't be too long before outsiders came to investigate.
"Well, first I'll just have to kill you!" he said, turning toward the enormous giant. If the giant hadn't destroyed the island, then Naruto wouldn't be in his current situation under the water.
He quickly exercised control of the magical symbols, sending them spreading out to clear a battlefield. The giant approached, roaring, surrounded by bubbles as it charged.
Naruto gave a cold snort and then clenched his right hand into a fist.
"First Heaven Destruction!" he said, his eyes glittering. An illusory image appeared on his hand; it almost looked as if two hands had appeared and merged together. This was a Daoist magic that Naruto had acquired in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, the Nine Heavens Destruction.
After leaving the Demon Immortal Sect, he had occasionally contemplated it inwardly. After that, when he met with Haku, he was enlightened regarding the matter of vibrations. That caused the seed to sprout in his mind, and he then thoroughly understood.
The Nine Heavens Destruction was vibration!
The fist descended and water exploded. The bubbles collapsed, and Naruto's fist shot like lightning to slam directly into the giant.
Bam!
"Second Heaven!" Naruto punched again, and the water seethed, exploding out to create gigantic waves.
"Third Heaven!" Killing intent flickered in his eyes as the fist descended. The giant let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed out despite its location on the seafloor. Naruto's fist slammed into the giant's chest, causing a huge hole to explode out.
Within the mangled flesh, a crystalline stone about the size of an infant's hand could be seen. It almost looked like a heart. Naruto's right hand stretched out to immediately grab the resplendent crystal, then wrench it away. The giant shook violently. At the same time, the illusory Resurrection Lily behind Naruto savagely enveloped the giant and then flickered as a ghost image appeared over the Whitebone Lily. It appeared as if some sort of invisible fight were taking place.
All of this happened in only the space of a few breaths. Naruto grabbed the Demon heart and then backed up. The Whitebone Lily trembled and then shattered into pieces, which the five-colored Resurrection Lily instantly consumed. The Resurrection Lily looked even more ferocious, as if it had been reborn; the five-colored petals all grew even more resplendent.
"Time to go!" Naruto growled. His voice instantly echoed out to the parrot, who had been silently going around collecting Demon hearts. It instantly flickered, returning to Naruto's side. Naruto then transformed into a green smoke and a black moon, which shot up toward the surface of the water.
Hordes of Sea Demons tried to obstruct his path, and the jellyfish went into even more of a frenzy, shooting out countless lightning bolts. However, none of it was able to hinder Naruto even the slightest bit. He quickly performed an incantation, causing the more than 10,000 magical symbols to spin around him into a tempest that emanated black fog. Then, he directly shot out of the water.
In that instant, countless Sea Demons flew out as well. However, they were incapable of stopping him as he shot up into the air, transforming into a beam of light that shot off into the distance.
At the same time, he forcefully suppressed the aura of the Resurrection Lily. It didn't matter whether the Resurrection Lily was willing or not, nor how much it struggled; it was completely pushed down by Naruto.
He moved with incredible speed until he was around 3,000 meters away. Finally, he was about to check how many Demon hearts he had acquired, when suddenly, his expression flickered as he noticed a red cloud speeding toward him from off in the distance.
Shockingly, within the red cloud could be seen a huge face. It rumbled as it shot toward Naruto, emanating an aura of Spirit Severing which seemed to cover everything.
Naruto's eyes glittered and he raised his hand, causing the magical symbols to shoot up into the air in the form of a tempest, which then moved directly to intercept the red cloud face.
A huge boom rattled out. The cloud dispersed, and Naruto's magical symbols collapsed. As they scattered about, Naruto shot backward, his face grim. He looked off into the distance to see a middle-aged man wearing a red robe, striding forward with an expressionless face.
He glanced coldly at Naruto, his gaze sharp. The Spirit Severing aura within Naruto could now be seen, his energy pulsing brightly.
The red-robed man's eyes narrowed slightly. Then he saw all of the tempest magical symbols, and he immediately understood that the person in front of him was not weak.
However, 'not weak' meant little to him.
"Your first offense was to cause chaos in the Milky Way Sea!" he said coolly. "I don't care where you got those symbol spirits, they belong to the three Sects. Outsiders are not permitted to possess them. That is your second offense.
"Two crimes. Allow me to explain your punishment…." The red-robed man waved his hand, employing some special technique that instantly caused all of the magical symbol spirits to tremble and then wrest themselves free from Naruto's control and shoot to the side of the red-robed man.
"I am a Saint, and these objects belong to me. Thus, I will take them back. Now, produce all of the Demon hearts you acquired and then get the hell out of the Milky Way Sea!
"I'll give you three days. If you're still in the Milky Way Sea at that time… well, I happen to be lacking a puppet mount." A cold gleam could be seen in the man's eyes, as well as a look of superciliousness. His aura was one that invoked profound reverence, and made it seem that his words were like the will of Heaven when spoken out on the Milky Way Sea.
Naruto's expression was the same as ever. He had never seen this red-robed Cultivator before, but with a single glance at his Cultivation base, he could tell that he was different from Patriarch Hashirama. This man was apparently at the Second Severing level.
In that case, the man's identity was obvious.
"Can't we talk this over?" asked Naruto.
"No. No talking it over," replied the red-robed man calmly.
"But, I don't want to hand over the Demon hearts," said Naruto coolly, "nor the symbol spirits."
The red-robed man responded with a cold snort and a cool detachment. He waved his right sleeve, causing more than 100,000 symbol spirits to rush out from within. In the blink of an eye, they blotted out the sky and cast everything into shadow.
"Well, then you can just stay behind. Whatever Sect or Clan you belong to can come to me and pay a ransom price to get you back." With that, the 100,000 symbol spirits spread out into the air and shot toward Naruto.
As they neared, Naruto slapped his bag of holding, causing an enormous bronze wheel to fly out. It was covered with magical symbols which instantly glowed with brilliant light as it began to rotate.
At the same time, a sense of the power of Time appeared. It spread out to fill the area, causing the magical symbol spirits to suddenly reveal ancientness. They began to move slower, allowing Naruto to casually move forward through their midst.
"A Time treasure!" thought the red-robed man.
At the same time, Naruto performed an incantation and then pointed forward. Instantly, the Time Sword Formation appeared. As it rotated, it transformed into the shape of a lotus, which caused the raging power of Time to sweep out in all directions. It seemed to be working in unison with the Wheel of Time as Naruto flicked his sleeve, causing it to fly toward the red-robed Cultivator.
"A Time treasure…." the red-robed man said coolly. "It seems I underestimated you." He waved his right hand through the air, causing a tremor to run through the 100,000 magical symbols. Instantly, 10,000 of them exploded, causing an immaterial explosion to rip through the power of Time. The rest of the symbols continued to shoot toward Naruto.
"Mountain Consuming Incantation!" Naruto proceeded forward, extending his right hand and then pushing it down toward the sea. Instantly, the seawater roiled, and from its depths rose up a trembling mountain. The mountain shattered into countless fragments which then shot out in front of Naruto, reforming together into the shape of a small mountain.
After coming to the Third Ring, this was Naruto's first time using a real mountain to fight an enemy with the Mountain Consuming Incantation.
As soon as the art appeared, the massive collection of 90,000 magical symbols fought back against the mountain. Booming sounds could be heard, but Naruto continued to proceed forward. He was now roughly three hundred meters away from the red-robed man.
The man frowned, then performed an incantation with his right hand. He pointed up to the sky, causing the bright gleam of swords to shoot up into the sky from nearby Seahold.
Three swords flew through the air, emitting a droning sound. Their incredible speed was such that they rapidly became invisible.
Many of the Cultivators in the Sea City saw what was happening, and were completely shocked. Their faces flickered as they came to the conclusion that the Saint had encountered a formidable foe!
Almost simultaneously, the three swords appeared in front of the red-robed man. They didn't pause for even a moment, but rather, shot directly toward Naruto.
The red-robed man's voice was cool as he said: "These three swords of mine were forged with a Sky-Sun Bone, something rarely seen in the Milky Way Sea, even in ten thousand years. It borrows the power of the stars and refines it into an undying strength that can overcome any obstacle."
As the three swords neared, Naruto waved his right sleeve, causing the Time Sword tip to fly out. It moved with incredible speed, piercing through the air, sending out ripples of Time power as it headed toward the red-robed man.
Shockingly, a strand of silk was connected to the the sword tip, flashing coldly in the sunlight.
"This sword tip of mine comes from a 70,000 year old Spring and Autumn Tree," said Naruto coolly. "The rest of the sword was destroyed by an Immortal, but the tip is eternal. Time did not harm the sword tip, and I refined it into a treasure. It can kill and exterminate countless forms of life, and nothing can stand up to it without withering away.
"The silk behind it is something rarely seen in Heaven and Earth. If the silk remains unbroken, I cannot be killed."
When the sword tip appeared, the red-robed man's three swords seemed to hold back.
The red-robed man's pupils constricted as he stared at the sword tip. He could sense the incredible power of Time emanating off of it. He felt that if he got too near it, he would begin to wither, and his life force and longevity would be reduced.
"You're a Time Cultivator," said the man, looking at Naruto.
"You're Saint Sun Soul of the three Sects!" replied Naruto.
The red-robed man was none other than one of the three Saints of the Milky Way Sea, Saint Sun Soul of the Sun Soul Society!
He was fond of red garments, and his three swords could shake Heaven and Earth. The last time the Demon Tide arrived to destroy Seahold, he single-handedly wielded his three swords in defense. The Sword Chakra penetrated all the way to the Second Ring.
It was completely shocking, and frightened the Demon hordes into retreat.
Naruto had learned of these things before coming to the Third Ring. Therefore, when the red-robed man appeared, he easily guessed who exactly he was.
At the moment, Naruto's Time Sword tip pressed on toward Saint Sun Soul, even as Saint Sun Soul's three swords stopped 7 inches away from Naruto, emanating a frigid aura.
The two of them stared at each other as they carried out their invisible struggle. This was no battle of magical techniques, but rather, a contest of Divine Will. Any observer would not be able to see or hear anything. However, to the two of them, everything was rumbling violently, lightning crackled, and the world seemed on the verge of collapse as even the wind moved in reverse.
Red-robed Saint Sun Soul looked at Naruto, and his pupils slowly constricted. "You're not a match for me."
"And you can't kill me," replied Naruto calmly.
Saint Sun Soul looked back at Naruto silently. He had to admit that what Naruto said was true. He really had no way of killing him. Naruto's Cultivation base was very strange, and although he couldn't say exactly why, it gave him the feeling that Naruto could trample all of the Sea Cities in the Milky Way Sea.
It was as if… he had some indescribable, unknown connection to the whole place.
Saint Sun Soul suddenly raised his right hand and flicked his sleeve, causing the three swords to instantly vanish. When they reappeared, they were circulating around him.
Simultaneously, Naruto's eyes glittered, and the Time Sword tip flew back to rotate around him.
Saint Sun Soul looked at Naruto and then slowly said, "In the past, I swore an oath to never again kill a Cultivator. My sword will only kill the Outsiders!
"You may stay in the Milky Way Sea, but that aura of yours displeases me. If I discover you have anything to do with the Sea Devils of the Second Ring… well then, I will be forced to use the precious treasure of the Sun Soul Society ancestor and its Dao Seeking power to destroy you."
Naruto looked back at the red-robed man. Although it was only moments ago that they had drawn swords on each other, he didn't find him to be detestable. In fact, he could sense that the man was proud, and not the type to speak falsehoods.
People such as this, while simple, had unshakable principles.
"I'll do as I please," said Naruto coolly his eyes shining with a bright, cold light.
Saint Sun Soul's eyes gleamed with a similarly cold light. His face cold, he gave Naruto a final deep look, then turned to depart.
Before he could leave, Naruto quickly said, "It took a lot of effort for me to collect those magical symbol spirits."
Saint Sun Soul stopped and looked back. "These symbols belong to the three Sects."
Naruto didn't respond immediately. Instead, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a bottle gourd with alcohol in it. He tossed it over.
Saint Sun Soul caught it. When he looked down to examine it, he stared in shock.
"That's bit of alcohol from my hometown," said Naruto unhurriedly. "I took some with me when I left."
Saint Sun Soul looked at the alcohol flagon, then looked back at Naruto. He thought for a moment, his face expressionless. Then he turned to leave. As he did, he flicked his sleeve, causing the 10,000 magical symbol spirits he had taken to suddenly flicker as he severed his connection with them. Then, they flew back to swirl around Naruto.
Naruto looked away, then turned into a beam of colorful light that vanished in the blink of an eye.
Several days later, on a relatively small island in the Third Ring, Naruto sat cross-legged, the 10,000 magical symbol spirits circulating around him like a shield.
The parrot was in front of him, glaring at him angrily, as was the meat jelly, who stood next to the parrot.
The three had been facing off against each other like this for nearly ten breaths of time.
"Five creatures with fur or feathers. No discussions and no wiggle room. When Lord Fifth risks life and limb, it's not for nothing!"
"Yeah. Lord Third wants three bullies! No discussions! When I say three, I mean three!"
Naruto was silent, and a pained expression could be seen on his face. After a long moment, and seemingly completely against his will, he forced himself to nod. Seeing Naruto like this caused the parrot to laugh proudly. Then it tossed out a feather, which flew off not too far into the distance, then exploded with a popping sound. Instantly, it transformed into a heaping mountain of Demon hearts.
The meat jelly also looked extremely proud of itself. It opened its mouth and spit out a multi-colored cascade of lights that transformed into a second mountain of Demon hearts.
Naruto laughed inwardly. He was all too familiar with these two nitwits. Their demands were simple, but Naruto knew that if he agreed too quickly, or gave them the feeling that he didn't care, then it would only lead to more trouble.
Therefore, he intentionally pretended to consider and struggle in order to please the two ninnies.
Having dealt with them, Naruto's eyes shifted to look at the two mountainous piles of Demon hearts. There were clearly well over 100,000 of them.
Furthermore, it seemed that nearly half were mid-grade Demon hearts. There were even some high-grade hearts, which vastly increased the value of the collection.
"I wonder if I can use Demon hearts to duplicate things with the copper mirror?" he thought, his eyes glittering. He lowered his head thoughtfully. Currently, the greatest danger he faced was the deadly threat of Madara.
"That old codger's Cultivation base is just too high, so I'm not a match for him at all. The only thing I can do… is figure out a way to escape from him next time I run into him." He looked over at the Time Sword tip.
"If I had ten or more sword tips, I could form them into the Lotus Sword Formation. With that, maybe I could take him by surprise…. Unfortunately, I don't have enough Spirit Stones." He frowned, but then his eyes began to shine with a bright light.
"I can duplicate Wooden Time Swords, though. Given the level of my Cultivation base now, I should be able to seal seven sixty-year cycles of Time into the sword. If I had over a hundred of them…
"Then I could unleash the third form of the Lotus Sword Formation. I wonder how powerful that would be." Having reached this point in his train of thought, Naruto immediately produced a Wooden Time Sword. Then he took a deep breath and began to seal Time into it.
During the half month that followed, rumbling booms occasionally echoed out. Naruto's brow was furrowed the entire time. On the last day, though, his frown disappeared. Floating there in front of him was now the only Wooden Time Sword that he possessed.
The veins of wood were clearly visible on it, and when the power of Time emanated out from within, it contained the ripples of seven sixty-year cycles of time. Naruto had no other magical item that possessed as much power of Time.
"All the other Wooden Time Swords were destroyed in the process. This is my only one left, but it was worth it…. It's a good thing that in the end, I only need one instance of success!" With that, he pulled out the copper mirror and began to duplicate it.
Unfortunately, it required a vast amount of Spirit Stones to duplicate a Wooden Time Sword with seven sixty-year cycles of Time. This time, the pain Naruto felt in his heart was real. By the end, he used all of the Spirit Stones in his bag of holding to make ten copies.
Including the original sword, he now had a total of eleven.
After a moment's thought, he tried to use the Demon hearts to duplicate some things. After putting seven or eight Demon hearts into the mirror and then observing the results, he stopped.
"They're no different than Spirit Stones…" he thought with a frown. Originally, he had assumed that although the Demon hearts seemed very similar to Spirit Stones, they must have some other unique function.
After all, they were Demon hearts, not Spirit Stones.
"I'm able to attract large quantities of Sea Demons here in the Third Ring. But that's unique. Other people would probably be able to save up a few hundred Demon Hearts at the most.
"People really come risk there lives here for a trifling few hundred Demon hearts?" A contemplative look appeared in Naruto's eyes.
"That Saint Sun Soul also mentioned wanting Demon hearts. Considering the level of his Cultivation base, and his status, he wouldn't care about a few million Spirit Stones, much less a few hundred Demon hearts…. Therefore, Demon hearts must have some use of which I'm unaware!" After further thought, Naruto was sure that there must be something he had overlooked. After a bit more consideration, he rose to his feet, his eyes glittering. He then waved his sleeve to collect up all the Demon hearts.
He remained on the island for a while thinking. Finally, his eyes flashed and flew up into the air, heading off into the distance at top speed.
"Since I don't know," he thought, "I guess I'll need to find someone who does."
As he flashed through the air, he changed his appearance and reduced his Cultivation base to the Nascent Soul stage. After speeding along for a few days, he suddenly stopped and looked off into the distance.
Not too far away, he spotted a several hundred meter wide whirlpool, within which was an enormous seahorse. It roared as pulses of coldness emanated out from it, causing everything around it to freeze.
Hovering in mid-air in front of the seahorse were two people, a man and a woman. The man was old and hunchbacked. He had a Cultivation base at the early Nascent Soul stage, and wizened features. His face was pale, and he clutched a pearl in his hand, which emanated pulses of flame power. It transformed into a rain of fire that filled the entire area, including the spot occupied by the seahorse.
Next to the old man was the woman, who wore a mask that made it impossible to see what her face looked like. However, from the rest of her skin that was visible, it was possible to determine that she wasn't very old.
Her Cultivation base was at the early Core Formation stage, and although she watched intently as the old man fought back against the Sea Demon, deep within her eyes flickered intense hatred.
Seeing the old man's pale face, she said, "Senior, let's just forget about it. Why don't we go find a weaker Sea Demon…."
"We've been out here for months," said the old man through gritted teeth. "This is the first Sea Demon we've found. How could we possibly let it go!?" He spit out a mouthful of blood, causing the pearl he held to turn bright red. Next, a sea of flames exploded out, causing steam to rise up from the seawater below. The seahorse, which was caught up in the flames, roared. Intense coldness exploded out from it as it charged forward into the fire. Immediately more than half of the sea of flames was extinguished.
The old man's face flickered, and he clenched his jaw. However, it was in this exact moment that suddenly, a bright beam of light approached from off in the distance.
Inside the beam, of course, was Naruto.
His sudden appearance shocked the old man. The face of the young woman next to him also flickered. As for the old man, when he saw that Naruto's Cultivation base was at the early Nascent Soul stage, he relaxed a bit, but at the same time, also frowned.
"Fellow Daoist," he said, "please keep your distance. I discovered this Demon, so according to the custom, it belongs to me."
With a faint smile, Naruto stopped and didn't get any closer.
The old man frowned and exchanged a look with the young woman. Then he focused his strength on controlling the magical items in front of him, and causing the sea of flames to descend once more.
The seahorse roared, and a blue light spread out from its body. It seemed to be going all out; the light exploded in all directions, and everywhere it passed turned into ice, even the sea of flames. The ice sealing caused the old man's face to fill with shock. His pearl completely froze over, after which he shot backward at top speed. He grabbed the young woman and then made to leave. Unfortunately, he had been injured, and the blue light was too fast. At the moment, he seemed incapable of escaping….
An expression of struggle appeared in the old man's eyes, but it lasted only for the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. He looked at the young woman, preparing to throw her back into the blue light to block its way.
In that moment, Naruto lifted his hand up and pointed his finger out. The expanding blue light suddenly stopped moving, allowing the old man and the young woman to escape from the area.
At the same time, Naruto waved his hand again, causing a Wooden Time Sword to fly out. It shot like lightning toward the seahorse, and stabbed it through in the blink of an eye. It was only one sword with seven sixty-year cycles of Time power, but as soon as it pierced the seahorse, a bloodcurdling shriek could be heard, and the seahorse began to wither up.
Its eyes filled with terror, and it began to sink down into the water. However, even as it did, Naruto let a certain bit of aura seep out, which caused the seahorse's eyes to go red. It instantly charged him again. The old man and the young woman watched on in astonishment as the Wooden Time Sword stabbed it through seven or eight more times.
The howls of the seahorse echoed out in all directions as its body rapidly withered. In a short moment, it was transformed into a desiccated corpse floating on the surface of the sea….
Naruto neared the corpse of the seahorse, then pushed down on it with his right hand. Immediately, a Demon heart flew into his hand. Up in midair, the old man and the young woman looked at Naruto with complex expressions. They looked as if they were on guard, especially when it came to the shocking sword he had used.
When Naruto looked up at them, the old man pulled the young woman into a position behind him, and also began to rotate his Cultivation base. He then clasped hands and bowed to Naruto.
"Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist," he said, slowly backing up at the same time. He was obviously terrified of Naruto's sword. "That mid-grade Demon heart is yours. If fate ever allows us to meet again, then I'll definitely repay you."
Naruto shook his head. "Don't be in such a hurry to leave," he said. Then he sent the Demon heart flying toward the shocked old man, who caught it without even thinking about it. He looked at the Demon heart and then looked back at Naruto, his heart filling with anxiety and doubt.
The young woman stared fixedly at the Demon heart in the old man's hand and began to pant. The hatred deep in her eyes flickered again; she was obviously well aware of what the old man had almost done to her earlier.
"Fellow Daoist, you…." the old man said hesitatingly.
Choosing to not beat around the bush, Naruto said, "The two of you have pretty strong Cultivation bases. That Demon heart seems to be virtually the same as a mid-grade Spirit Stone. Why do you care so much about it?"
His words left the old man completely at a loss. The young woman also looked at Naruto with a quizzical expression.
The old man was quiet for a moment, then looked at Naruto and said, "Fellow Daoist… don't tell me this is your first time in the Milky Way Sea?"
Naruto nodded.
The old man took a deep breath, then muttered a few things to himself as he put the Demon heart away.
"You're right," he then said. "The spiritual energy in this Demon heart is similar to a mid-grade Spirit Stone. However, one mid-grade Spirit Stone couldn't buy you any Demon hearts at all!
"In the Three Sects' Seahold, there are special locations that purchase Demon hearts.
"As for the exact value, it fluctuates. If I recall correctly, when I last left Seahold, one low-grade Demon Heart was worth 500 low-grade Spirit Stones!
"There were even some places that would pay 1000!"
When Naruto heard this, it didn't matter that he had such a high Cultivation base, his mind filled with a roaring sound anyway. His bag of holding contained about 80-90,000 low-grade Demon hearts. If you calculated it out, they were worth… 80-90,000,000 low-grade Spirit Stones.
That number sent great waves crashing about inside of Naruto's mind. His brain trembled, and he almost couldn't believe it. During his entire life, he had never possessed so many Spirit Stones. He immediately began to breathe heavily.
"How much did you say?" he blurted without even thinking about it.
"Low-grade Demon Hearts range in value from several hundred to a thousand Spirit Stones…." said the old man. He didn't seem to think anything about Naruto's reaction was strange. Anyone who heard about the matter for the first time would be astonished.
"What about mid-grade Demon hearts?" Naruto followed up immediately.
The old man hesitated for a moment and rubbed his bag of holding, but continued on with his explanation: "Their value fluctuates too, but not too much. One mid-grade Demon heart is worth about 10,000 low-grade Spirit Stones!"
Naruto's mouth went so dry that he couldn't speak. Within his bag of holding were more than 30,000 mid-grade Demon hearts. After he calculated the number, his mind once again filled with roaring.
Now, he suddenly understood why people risked their lives to come here.
"I'm rich!" he thought. "I really am super rich!" Naruto couldn't control the excitement that exploded out within him. The fact that his lifelong desire had suddenly been fulfilled caused his heart to begin to pound rapidly.
The old man looked at Naruto and continued, "Of course, there are even more rare Demon hearts, the high-grade variety. I'm actually not sure exactly how much they are worth, because they only appear in auctions.
"However, I do remember that at the last auction I attended, a high-grade Demon heart was sold for the incredible price of 670,000 Spirit Stones!"
When Naruto heard that, he went even more wild with joy. He had nearly 10,000 such high-grade Demon hearts in his bag of holding. All of a sudden, he felt as if an enormous golden ingot had fallen directly onto him.
Moments later, though, his face suddenly flickered when he remembered that among the seven or eight Demon hearts he had used to test out the duplication powers of the copper mirror, four had been high-grade Demon hearts.
He suddenly felt a twisting stab of pain in his heart.
"That means… I… yet again wasted more than 2,000,000 Spirit Stones? Fudge! That's…." He had the sudden impulse to scream and curse. After taking a few deep breaths, he told himself that it wasn't any worse than the matter with the 2,000 ultra high-grade Spirit Stones. After a bit of time, he calmed himself.
"Is there a type of Demon Heart even more precious than what you've already mentioned?" he asked. "Something similar to ultra high-grade Spirit Stones?" He happened to have exactly just such a Demon Heart in his bag of holding, the one he had acquired from the Whitebone Lily giant.
The man thought for a moment and then replied, "No such thing exists. Well, perhaps my Cultivation base isn't high enough, or maybe I just have never encountered someone with access to such riches. However, in the Third Ring, there is something called a Whitebone Demon heart. They are incredibly rare precious treasures. Something like that would be priceless."
Naruto's heart trembled. He was almost certain that the Demon heart in his bag of holding, the one that was the size of an infant's hand, was the Whitebone Demon heart that the old man had just mentioned.
"One more thing," said the old man. "And probably the most important. In the Three Sects' Seahold, most items can only be purchased with Demon hearts. That's another reason why I value them so much.
"With this mid-grade Demon heart, I now have enough saved up to acquire Fortification Pill Powder. With that my… my apprentice can safely continue on through the Core Formation stage." Having finished speaking, the old man backed up and bowed once again to Naruto.
Naruto gave a faint smile, and nodded. He was in an excellent mood now, and the only thing he could think about was going to Seahold to trade his Demon hearts for Spirit Stones.
"With so many Spirit Stones," he thought, "I feel quite confident that I can… duplicate a hundred Wooden Time Swords that contain seven sixty-year cycles of Time. Then I can unleash the third form of the Lotus Sword Formation!" He took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement. He well knew that no one other than him would ever be able to possess one hundred Wooden Time Swords. Be it in the past, or in the future, it would be something completely rare, perhaps even absolutely unique.
It was only because of… the copper mirror, and its Heaven-defying duplication ability. Without that, it would be impossible to forge one hundred Wooden Time Swords. Every time he attempted to seal Time into the swords, a failure would leave the sword completely destroyed. Furthermore, the rate of failure was simply far too high.
"Actually, I might even be able to duplicate the Time Sword tip!" he thought, the brightness in his eyes growing even brighter. He was just about to turn and leave, when suddenly, the young woman gritted her teeth and then, seemingly throwing all caution to the wind, clasped hands and bowed toward Naruto.
"Senior," she said, "please allow me to offer my respects."
Naruto had already begun to leave when he heard the young woman's words, and looked back.
Simultaneously, the old man's face flickered, and he reached an arm out to hold back the young woman. A cold gleam of killing intent appeared in his eyes.
"Fellow Daoist, my apprentice is immature, please forgive her. Farewell!" With that, he grabbed the young woman and prepared to leave. He had already sealed her Cultivation base, making it impossible for her to speak. However, her eyes radiated despair, almost as if she wished she could die as the man pulled her away.
Naruto frowned. He had already realized that these two people were not apprentice and Master. In fact, based on his experiences, he had already formed some speculations about the old man's true motivations.
Originally, he didn't want to interfere, but after seeing the despair in the young woman's eyes, he suddenly recalled the image of another woman.
"The look in her eye back in the Black Sieve Sect Blessed Land was exactly the same as this," he thought.
"Hold on a moment," he said. Sighing to himself, he suddenly appeared directly in front of the old man.
The old man's face flickered again. He hadn't sensed anything at all just now. Moments ago, Naruto had clearly been behind him, but now, all of a sudden, here he was. The old man's heart began to thump.
"Let her finish," said Naruto. The old man had just given him some valuable information, so Naruto wasn't willing to simply attack him.
The old man stood there silently for a moment, then loosened his grip.
A tremor ran through the young woman as her Cultivation base was restored. An unprecedentedly bright light appeared in her eyes, a light filled with hope. She once again gave Naruto a deep bow.
"Senior, it's your first time to the Milky Way Sea. There are many things you don't know, and the Three Sects' Seahold has very strict rules. Regarding where to stay, outsiders would have a very hard time figuring out matters on their own.
"Senior, I grew up in Seahold, and know the place inside and out. If it would please you, I'm willing to act as your guide. I can save you a lot of time, if you're willing."
The woman's words caused the old man's face to grow very unsightly. He once again clasped hands to Naruto.
"Fellow Daoist, my apprentice doesn't understand the way of things. Please, don't take offense. Seahold might be large, but everything there is handled in an open and clear way. Once you go, Fellow Daoist, you will naturally understand."
The young woman bit her lower lip, and said nothing more. She simply gazed at Naruto with a pleading look.
The old man was starting to get a bit worried. "Fellow Daoist," he continued, "I answered all your questions without holding anything back. My apprentice is merely homesick. However, if we Cultivators wish to make progress, must step out of our comfort zones. That's why I took her out into the world, to gain some experience."
Naruto looked over the young woman and the old man, and then sighed inwardly.
"In the cultivation world, the law of the jungle prevails. I can't do anything about that. However," he said, shaking his head, "when it comes to our actions and decisions, there is an unwritten truth; habitual unjust behavior can prevent you from reaching Spirit Severing."
"Many thanks for helping me achieve my aim!" said the old man, reaching out to grab the young woman.
"Senior!" continued the young woman, "when you had a weak Cultivation base, didn't you ever have a benefactor that was willing to help you…?" Before she could finish speaking, the old man's hand latched onto her, and she immediately became like a puppet, capable only of shedding tears filled with despair and the desire to die.
When Naruto heard her words, he suddenly said, "Did I say you could leave?"
The words were simple, but as soon as the old man heard them, his mind trembled. The Nascent Soul inside of him began to tremble, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. He immediately stopped in place and slowly turned around, an expression of disbelief and shock on his face as he looked at Naruto.
It was in that instant that he realized that the Cultivation base of the person in front of him far, far exceeded his own.
Naruto's voice was cool as he said, "This young woman has a unique physique suitable for certain dual-party cultivation techniques that extract the Yin to strengthen the Yang…. Your goal is nothing more than to use that power to break through a Cultivation base blockage." With that, he lifted his right hand, causing ten mid-grade Demon hearts to fly toward the old man.
"Normally I wouldn't interfere in such a matter," he continued slowly, "but having encountered this young woman, it seems the two of us are connected by destiny. Thank you for answering my questions just now. Take these Demon hearts and leave."
The old man struggled inwardly for a moment, but in the end, released the girl and collected up the Demon hearts. With a bitter smile, he clasped hands and bowed to Naruto, then hurried off into the distance.
Naruto's Cultivation base was beyond his comprehension, and the gap between the two of them far too large. The old man didn't even have the nerve to feel resentment, but rather, simply resigned himself to his fate.
As the old man made his way off into the distance, tears flowed ceaselessly down the young woman's cheeks, and she bowed over and over again to Naruto.
"Thank you for your kindness in rescuing me, Senior. I grew up on my own in Seahold, and will spare no effort to aid you." The gratitude she felt was clearly visible in her eyes. She had just evaded a huge calamity, and as a result, her voice quavered as she spoke. It seemed that all the courage she had shown just now completely vanished, and turned into weakness.
"What's your name?" asked Naruto, looking her over.
"Amaru…. Junior's name is Amaru," she replied softly, lowering her head to conceal the sorrow she felt because of her name.
Naruto nodded, but did not ask for any further details. Then, he flicked his sleeve, sweeping up the young woman to fly off into the direction of the Three Sects' Seahold, which was notated on the map he possessed.
Amaru hesitated for a moment as she flew alongside Naruto. She looked around at the mist that surrounded them, and felt the incredible speed with which they were moving, something she had never experienced before. Her voice soft, she finally said, "Senior… are you… are you a rogue Cultivator?"
"Why do you ask that?" replied Naruto calmly.
"In the Third Ring, all the Nascent Soul Cultivators are either rogue Cultivators, or belong to Sects and Clans that provide special flight treasures. Such treasures make it possible to avoid a lot of trouble, and also allow you to meditate and practice cultivation while traveling."
Amaru hesitated again, worried that she might somehow offend Naruto with her words. "Furthermore, upon entering Seahold, if you have such a flight treasure, you won't be interrogated."
"So that's how it is," said Naruto. After a moment's thought, he said, "Well, after I get to Seahold, I guess I'll just have to buy a few." He realized that he truly didn't have any sort of special flight treasure. Considering that it was possible to practice cultivation while riding such a treasure, Naruto started to feel somewhat excited.
Amaru's eyes went wide, and she almost went on to tell Naruto that such flight treasures were extremely expensive. However, she didn't dare to actually open her mouth on the subject. Then she thought about how he had casually produced ten mid-grade Demon hearts, and she realized that he most likely had an incredible social standing.
After a long moment, she looked over Naruto's plain and unadorned robe, and then said, "Senior… you should probably change into a different set of clothing. In Seahold, you can purchase Daoist garments crafted from Sea Demons. According to the rumors, the highest quality garments can even resist an attack from the Spirit Severing level.
"If you prefer simple and unadorned clothing, Seahold has those too. However, regardless of whether it's in terms of the quality of material, or the defensive capabilities, such garments are unique to the Milky Way Sea. Every year, people come from various outside Sects and Clans to have them custom made."
Naruto looked down at his robes and nodded. He had never really paid much attention to his attire, but after listening to the young woman's words, he realized that they made sense.
"Hmm, yes. When we get there, I'll buy a few sets."
"Senior, there's also the matter of bags of holding. In the Milky Way Sea, you can get special holding treasures with a capacity a hundred times normal. Some even have other mysterious properties.
"In fact, the highest quality holding items can even store spiritual energy. That way, if you ever run low on magical power, you will have at least one chance to open your bag of holding."
"Such items exist?" asked Naruto. It all sounded so new and interesting to him. He nodded. "Okay, when I get there, I'll buy a few."
"Senior, do you have any voice transmission talismans on you? None? You should definitely buy some of the voice transmission talismans available in the Seahold. That way, you can communicate directly with anyone on the outside, no matter where you are in the Milky Way Sea."
"Alright! I'll buy several!"
"Senior, considering the level of your Cultivation base, you probably don't need magical rings, but I still suggest that you buy a few…."
"Excellent. I'll definitely purchase a handful."
"Senior, if you plan to stay in the Third Ring for a long time, you might want to buy an Immortal's cave in the city. Of course, the prices vary depending on the location…."
"I'll buy the best one!"
As they traveled, Amaru continued to evaluate Naruto from top to bottom. If it were any other situation, Naruto wouldn't really pay attention. However, considering how many Demon hearts he had in his bag of holding, and the number of Spirit Stones he could trade them for, his heart surged with joy.
Filled with the feeling of being rich and imposing, and accompanied by someone describing all the amazing things he could buy, roused his spirit. He flicked his sleeve and decided to buy everything.
Several days later, Naruto peered at Seahold from some distance away as they approached. He had already lost track of how many things Amaru had described to him, nor could he remember exactly what he had said he intended to buy.
However, Amaru was very professional, and she had long since taken out a jade slip to keep meticulous records.
Up ahead, the Seahold looked matchlessly huge. It was like an ancient sea beast, slumbering upon the surface of the water. At the moment, it was evening, and the city was ablaze with lights. A cursory examination left Naruto with the impression that at least 100,000 Cultivators were inside.
The area was surrounded by patrolling Cultivators of the three Sects. Also visible in the middle of the city was a huge tower, adorned with resplendently glowing pearls. They also emanated invisible ripples that no one but Naruto could see, which spread out to cover the entire city.
The entire city was surrounded by a towering wall, part of which stretched down below the surface of the water. The wall was completely black, and looked very somber and ominous. Vicious-looking spikes encircled the city, upon which were impaled the dried-up corpses of Sea Demons.
Naruto's eyes glittered. Within Seahold he could sense, at the very least, hundreds of restrictive spell formations. Clearly, if he attempted to charge directly into the city, it would be impossible.
If they were activated, these restrictive spell formations could easily destroy a Spirit Severing Cultivator.
If that were all there were to it, it might not be a big deal. However, Naruto could also sense an aura deep within the city that caused his scalp to grow numb. It seemed to be partly the aura of a Cultivator, and partly the aura of a magical item.
It was impossible to distinguish clearly, but Naruto was certain that whatever thing emitted this aura… vastly exceeded the power of Spirit Severing.
After glancing the city over, his eyes came to rest on the huge tower in the middle of the city. In that very moment, red-robed Saint Sun Soul sat cross-legged in that very tower, meditating. Suddenly, his eyes opened.
His gaze passed out from within the tower until it reached Naruto off in the distance. Although Naruto had changed his appearance, he still recognized him.
The two of them were separated by quite a difference, but they could both sense each other looking at each other. After a moment, they retracted their gazes.
Seeing that Naruto had stopped in mid-air, Amaru looked at him and said, "Senior?"
After a moment, she continued, "Senior, do you have an identity medallion?
"If you do, then you can just enter directly. If you don't, well, that will be a bit more troublesome…."
Naruto frowned. He did not have an identity medallion, and currently, they were standing directly in front of the city gate. Inside, three men sat cross-legged, meditating. In front of them stood a dozen or so Cultivators clutching command medallions. Occasionally, they would glance around with cold expressions.
It was already evening, but there was still quite a line of people outside, waiting to enter the Seahold.
When Naruto and Amaru arrived, the three old men all opened their eyes at the same time. In that moment, Naruto could sense the fluctuating ripples coming from nearby restrictive spell formations.
He knew that if he showed even the slightest bit of malice, those spell formations would activate.
"Senior," said Amaru, "if you have no identity medallion, then I can go into the city first to buy one for you. Unfortunately, the price will be quite high. Also, I will only be able to get the most common type of identity medallion, which will cause problems later. However…." Even as she was in the middle of speaking, a bright beam of light suddenly flew out from within the city.
Inside was a beautiful woman wearing a pink garment. She was elegant and poised, and as soon as she appeared, the Cultivators in the city gate bent at the waist to bow deeply.
"Respects, Madam Himeno!"
At the same time, respectful expressions appeared on the faces of the other Cultivators in the area. One after another, they clasped hands and bowed.
"Greetings, Madam Himeno!"
The poised and stately woman nodded and smiled. She passed through the crowds of people until she reached Naruto. As for Amaru, she nervously backed up. Naruto's expression was completely normal as he watched the woman everyone called 'Madam Himeno' approaching. She stopped in front of him, and, as everyone watched, gave him a curtseying bow.
She didn't speak, but she smiled and handed a gold-colored command medallion to Naruto.
"Someone asked me to pass you a message. The alcohol is quite strong." She smiled and gave Naruto a deep look, then turned to leave.
As she walked away, everyone in the crowd turned to look at Naruto. Amaru stared blankly at him, eyes wide.
As the elegant woman left, the surrounding Cultivators began to cry out in surprise. "First-rank Seahold medallion!"
All eyes were on Naruto, and especially the gold-colored command medallion he was currently fiddling with.
"A first-rank Seahold medallion… only the Three Saints of the three Sects can give out such a gift!"
"This is only the second time I've ever seen that type of command medallion. This person must be an incredibly honored guest!"
As the buzz of conversation spread out, Naruto looked down at the command medallion. It was completely gold, and the image of a Seahold was carved on its surface. On the other side were the characters: Sun Soul Society.
A faintly discernible pressure would be felt emanated from within.
Amaru's eyes were wide and filled with disbelief. She stared blankly as she followed Naruto through the crowd to enter the Seahold. Everywhere they passed, the Cultivators of the three Sects would immediately clasp hands and bow to them with extremely respectful expressions.
Even after they had made their way well into the city, Amaru's mind was still abuzz. Finally, she took a deep breath and then looked at Naruto. He seemed to get only more and more mysterious to her.
Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer, and asked, "S-senior…. Sir, don't tell me you know Saint Sun Soul?"
"No, not really," replied Naruto casually, who was currently looking around. It was evening, but the city still bustled with noise and excitement, like a boiling cauldron.
Amaru walked on for a few paces, but didn't seem convinced. "That's impossible. If you don't know him, why did Madam Himeno personally give you a Seahold medallion? She's one of the revered Saint Sun Soul's two beloved, and she usually never appears in public."
Naruto looked back at her with an enigmatic smile. "I gave him a flagon of alcohol a while back."
A serious look appeared in Amaru's eyes. She wasn't quite convinced, but what had happened earlier was just far too bizarre. On the other hand, to believe what Naruto just said, well, it seemed unimaginably fantastic.
"Forget about it," said Naruto, smiling. "Now, why haven't you taken me to one of those places that purchases Demon hearts?" Although he didn't act very imperious, Amaru started to get a bit nervous. She quickly murmured her assent and then began to give an explanation.
"Senior, there are three locations in the Seahold that specialize in Demon hearts. Those would be the three Sea Pavilions belonging to the Sea Divinity Sect, the Flying Immortal Sect, and the Sun Soul Society.
"The prices they give might not be the highest, but they are always honest with all customers. No matter how many Demon hearts you bring, they can convert them into Spirit Stones.
"In addition to the locations run by the three Sects, there is also the Milky Way Auction House, which of course hold auctions.
"Furthermore, there are other random shops throughout the city that buy Demon hearts. Of course, when all is said and done, this is the Milky Way Sea, and usually you can just buy things directly with Demon hearts.
"In fact, Senior, if you plan to purchase a lot of items, I recommend that you… don't exchange your Demon hearts into Spirit Stones right away. The majority of items in the Seahold can only be purchased with Demon hearts."
Naruto thought silently for a moment, then nodded his head. "First, let's go somewhere that sells flying magical items."
"Senior, what type do you wish to purchase?" asked Amaru.
"The best type!" declared Naruto loudly.
Amaru's eyes began to shine, and she immediately began to lead him off in a certain direction. She really was very familiar with the area. Evening continued to descend as she led him through Seahold for roughly the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Eventually, they came to a stop outside a particularly impressive pavilion.
It was built to look like an enormous, plum-colored airship. Although night was now falling, the entire building glowed with resplendent light. Ripples emanated out, and in front of the doors were two gigantic stone qilins, mighty and extraordinary in appearance.
As for the main door itself, it was roughly fifteen meters tall, and was constructed of deep sea driftwood. Looking at the structure from the outside, it truly seemed as if every bit of building material had been carefully selected, and was imbued with abstruse meaning. There were even magical symbols that were filled with strong spiritual energy. Almost anyone who looked at the building would be shocked by the level of luxury.
"When it comes to magical flight items, there are a total of eleven shops in Seahold where you can find them. The best is the Flying Immortal Sect's Cloudburst Pavilion. The flying magical items here are often sought after even by outside Clans and Sects." Amaru was starting to get somewhat excited. In her world, the Cloudburst Pavilion was a place she could never step even half a foot into, let alone purchase any of the magical flight items inside.
The cost of such magical flight items far exceeded her imagination. The most she could normally do would be to glance in from outside. Now, though, she had a chance to actually enter, which left her very excited.
Naruto stood outside the Cloudburst Pavilion, studying it. He could see that the interior was decorated with beautiful extravagance. Bright lamplight illuminated everything, and the floors were actually paved with Spirit Stones.
Four or five customers could be seen inside, proud expressions on their faces as they walked about, listening to the Flying Immortal Sect disciples introduce the various magical flight items.
From the clothing they wore, it was possible to tell that they were wealthy and respected people. At a single glance, it was clear that they came from great Sects and Clans; these were definitely not nameless, rogue Cultivators.
Sitting cross-legged next to the entryway were two old men wearing brocaded robes. Their faces glowed with health, and they sat there meditating with eyes closed. Shockingly, their Cultivation bases were at the early Nascent Soul stage. To have Nascent Soul Cultivators acting as door guards would be enough to strike fear into the hearts of any rascals or thieves.
Inside the shop, three more Flying Immortal Sect disciples could be seen, two men and a woman. They were chatting happily, and occasionally, the woman would chuckle lightly. Her eyes sparkled enticingly, and she gave of an enchanting air.
However, they all completely ignored Naruto and Amaru as they stood there outside the shop. They were used to people standing outside and gazing in with envy and admiration.
Naruto was just about to walk in, when suddenly, the sounds of laughing and chatting could be heard behind him. A group of Cultivators suddenly appeared, clustered around a woman. They made their way directly toward the shop.
Everyone on the road scurried to the side to make way for the group, their expressions filled with respect. Each and every Cultivator in the group were Chosen of the three Sects, figures who the others on the road would never dare to offend.
Regardless of whether you looked at them in terms of the clothes they wore, or their dispositions, they were imposing in all aspects.
Despite that, these Chosen of the three Sects were currently smiling, laughing, and gushing all sorts of flattery regarding the woman that they were escorting.
The woman was beautiful, and seemed incredibly delicate. Furthermore, her eyes occasionally flashed with a captivating look, which filled her with a tempting allure.
When the Cultivators that surrounded her managed to catch a glimpse of her smile, it caused their hearts to palpitate with eagerness.
Next to the woman walked a young man with slanted eyebrows and eyes that sparkled like stars. He was exceedingly handsome, and wore a long white robe. Overall, he looked completely dashing, with an extraordinary jade-like face.
"Guren," he said, smiling at the indescribably beautiful and striking woman. "This is the Cloudburst Pavilion of the Flying Immortal Sect. Please, step inside!" As he passed, his cool gaze passed over Naruto and Amaru.
Immediately, the two old men sitting cross-legged in the shop opened their eyes and rose to their feet. The other three disciples also rushed forward. All of them bowed to the young man with deep respect.
"Greetings, Junior Leader."
The young man nodded. His somewhat arrogant and complacent expression became gentle and refined as he turned to look at the woman named Guren. As they all entered the shop, the four or five customers inside quickly clasped hands and bowed deeply.
In contrast to the hubbub inside the shop, Naruto continued to stand outside calmly. However, a barely discernible, enigmatic smile tugged at his lips. Next to him, Amaru had a look of extreme respect as she stared enviously at the woman named Guren.
"What a coincidence," thought Naruto. "I never expected to run into her in this place!" This woman was none other than Guren, whose promissory Naruto still possessed in his bag of holding.
"Come on," he said coolly, "let's go in." Amaru followed him as he stepped foot into the shop. Nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to them. Everyone circled about the Chosen of the three Sects, respectful smiles plastered on their faces.
Naruto waited for a moment, but no one came over to greet him. In the entire first floor of the Cloudburst Pavilion, not a single person even looked at the two of them. Naruto's expression immediately darkened.
"So, this is how the Cloudburst Pavilion receives customers, huh?!" His voice immediately echoed out through the entire Cloudburst Pavilion, drawing the attention of everyone inside. Even Guren looked over, although she couldn't recognize Naruto because of his changed appearance.
The Junior Leader of the Flying Immortal Sect frowned but continued to interact with Guren, occasionally pointing out various magical flight items.
Of course, the two old men noticed his furrowed brow. Immediately, their hearts began to thump. Looking a bit impatient, one of them pointed to the female Flying Immortal Sect disciple.
"Go deal with it," he said.
Originally, the woman had been quite excited because of the arrival of the Chosen from the three Sects. She had hoped that her good looks might give her some special opportunities.
But now, having heard the old man's words, resentment instantly bloomed in her heart. She didn't dare to refuse the order, though, so, face grim and heart filled with irritation, she walked over to Naruto and Amaru.
She glanced over the two of them, and felt more than ever that they weren't even worth looking at, and were here to just cause mischief. "What kind of magical flight item do you want?" she asked coldly. "The cheapest magical item here costs fifty low-grade Demon hearts. If you can't afford it, please leave."
She couldn't see Naruto's Cultivation base, but this was the Cloudburst Pavilion of the Flying Immortal Sect. Even if he did have a high Cultivation base, it would be nothing she would hold in awe.
In this place, nobody would ever dare to make a scene.
Amaru was a bit upset, but at the same time nervous. She looked over at Naruto.
"Show me the most expensive thing you have," Naruto said coolly, his expression the same as ever.
"The most expensive?" replied the woman with a light laugh. She couldn't prevent the look of ridicule from appearing in her eyes. She had worked in this place for years, and had seen far too many people just like this, people who believed themselves to be incredible. In the end, they would always leave ashen-faced and depressed.
The woman laughed coldly. "The most expensive item we have costs 5,000 low-grade Demon hearts. Fellow Daoist, do you want to have a look?"
Naruto thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, why not."
"Well, a treasure like that is not something that anybody can just look at," she replied. "If you want to see it, then according to the regulations, you have to pay a thirty percent down payment. Fellow Daoist, do you really want to look at it?" The ridicule in her tone was quite obvious. At the same time, she noticed that the group of Chosen was heading toward the second floor of the pavilion. Suddenly, she started to get a bit anxious.
"The door is over there, Fellow Daoist," she said suddenly. "You can see yourself out." With that, she turned to catch up with the group of Chosen.
To be the subject of such scorn here for no apparent reason caused Naruto to frown. If he revealed his Cultivation base, it would instantly resolve the situation. However, it was with great difficulty that he had managed to strike it rich. Therefore, since he could solve the problem with his Demon hearts, he didn't want to use his Cultivation base to intimidate people.
Almost in the exact moment that the woman went to leave, Naruto slapped his bag of holding. Instantly, a rush of clattering could be heard as 1,500 low-grade Demon hearts piled up in the middle of the pavilion. They looked like a small mountain.
Glittering light flickered out, forming a resplendent scene. In addition, the sound that echoed out, along with the strong spiritual energy, immediately caused all of the Chosen who were about to go up to the second floor, to subconsciously look back. Looks of shock instantly appeared on their faces, after which bright glows appeared in their eyes.
Guren looked back at the Demon hearts. Despite her identity and Cultivation base, she was still shaken inwardly. She clearly knew the value of Demon hearts, and couldn't stop herself from looking over at Naruto.
Next to her, the young man also gaped and began to breathe raggedly. Although he was a Junior Patriarch, the sight of more than a thousand low-grade Demon hearts piled up together was something even he would rarely see.
As for the female Flying Immortal Sect disciple, she was actually the last person to realize what had happened. When she saw everyone looking behind her, she subconsciously looked back. Then she saw the mountain of Demon hearts, and her mind went blank.
Roaring sounds filled her head, and she could scarcely believe what she was seeing. How could she possibly imagine that these two plainly dressed, almost rustic Cultivators, would actually… have so many Demon hearts?!
"S-senior… I…." stammered the woman.
"Is that enough?" asked Naruto coolly. "Now bring out your best product." He waved his right hand.
RUMBLE!
A second mountain of Demon hearts appeared. Then, another rumbling could be heard, and a third mountain could be seen. In total, three small mountains of Demon Hearts now lay on the floor of the pavilion, a total of 5,000 Demon hearts. The resplendent light that shined out from them filled the entire area. Intense spiritual energy made the entire area seem like a Celestial paradise.
The woman's mind was now roaring, and she was almost incapable of standing up straight. Her face was pale and filled with intense disbelief. She was literally incapable of imagining how the person she had just ridiculed could actually be such an ostentatious moneybags.
The other Chosen from the three Sects who currently stood on the stairs were also panting. Their eyes were wide as they stared at the Demon hearts. They dearly wanted to grab them for themselves.
Guren also stared in shock. She looked at Naruto, and gradually, a burning fervor rose up in her. As for the young man next to her, he took a deep breath as he stared at the Demon hearts.
The entire pavilion was filled with complete silence.
It was at this point that a peal of laughter could suddenly be heard coming from the second floor. A young woman walked out, wearing a set of revealing clothing. She seemed to be innately seductive; as she walked out, a fragrant aroma preceded her, and her forehead was adorned with a five-colored crystalline pattern. Even before Naruto could say anything to her, a charming smile could be seen on her face. An aura of maturity emanated out from her, filled with an intense attractiveness.
She walked slowly down the stairs, completely ignoring the Chosen as she passed them. In contrast, all of the Chosen bowed their heads and clasped hands to her.
As for the Junior Leader of the Flying Immortal Sect, when he saw the woman, he immediately lowered his head respectfully.
"Earlier today, I heard the magpies calling, so I knew that an honored guest would come to call. I've been waiting all day, although it was nothing more than resting, really. Now the honored guest is here.
"I am Azami. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."
Naruto glanced at Azami and saw that she had a late Nascent Soul Cultivation base. She hid it well, but to Naruto's eyes it was clearly visible.
His glance instantly caused Azami's heart to quiver. His look gave her the feeling that he could see through every defense she had, all the way into her heart. It seemed almost like all her secrets could be thoroughly revealed, no matter how she tried to hold them back.
Instantly, she became nervous, although her expression did not change in the slightest. Her demeanor continued to be one of maturity and charm.
"Fellow Daoist, please come up to the second floor," she said with a smile. "I'm sure that the Cloudburst Pavilion has everything that you need." In both terms of her wording and her inner feelings, she was extremely respectful to Naruto.
He nodded, then walked up ahead to climb the stairs. Amaru followed, her heart pounding. Everything that she had seen so far today had opened up a new world to her. She was both nervous and excited as she trailed after Naruto.
She was just about to step foot onto the stairs when suddenly she hesitated and quietly said to Naruto, "Senior, the Demon hearts…."
"No one in Seahold would dare to take my Demon hearts," said Naruto slowly, continuing up the stairs. When his words echoed out into the ears of everyone present, their hearts trembled.
Such wording was incredibly domineering.
Azami's eyes glittered. When she thought back to Naruto's penetrating glance just now, she couldn't help but be a bit more cautious than before.
As for the Chosen on the staircase, be they from the Flying Immortal Sect, or other Sects, without even thinking about it, they backed up to make way for Naruto. When he neared Guren, she looked up over curiously.
In return, he completely ignored her and proceeded on to the second floor.
Azami followed. As she passed the Chosen, she suddenly stopped and looked back at the two Nascent Soul Cultivators, as well as the other Flying Immortal Sect disciples whose job it was to receive guests.
"The two of you screw off," she said coolly. "Go back to the Flying Immortal Sect immediately." The two old Nascent Soul Cultivators tremblingly voiced their acknowledgement.
"The other four of you can also screw off. Go to the Flying Immortal Dungeon, where you will be punished for half of a sixty-year cycle!" Immediately, the Flying Immortal Sect disciples' faces went deathly pale. They began to tremble, and appeared to be completely filled with terror.
"And as for you…." she said, looking at the dazed female disciple standing in the middle of the pavilion. "If I get in any trouble from the Sect because of you, you pathetic, dog-eyed slut, well, you wouldn't be able to pay me back if you had ten lives. You're expelled from the Flying Immortal Sect. Get out of here. The farther you screw off, the better." With that, she turned and continued on to the second floor. When she passed Guren, she nodded and smiled.
The Cloudburst Pavilion only had two floors. The second floor was roughly the same size as the main hall. It was grand and imposing, and had an incense burner directly in the center. It was carved with strange creatures, and the smoke that wafted out from it made the second floor seem almost as if it were filled with mist.
After stepping foot onto the second floor, Naruto sat down in a nearby chair. Amaru stood next to him, looking around. Her heart was nearly bursting with excitement; she had never imagined that one day she would be able to stand in a position like this.
Naruto's expression was calm. He sat there, eyes closed, unspeaking. Moments later, Azami approached, her smile seemingly covering up the bitterness she felt inwardly.
"Senior, you left so many Demon hearts sitting in the main hall, I can't help but be a bit nervous."
Naruto opened his eyes and looked at her with an enigmatic smile. As soon as his gaze fell upon her, she got a bit more nervous, and even her smile started to feel a bit forced.
"I want a magical flight item," he said calmly. "The best you have."
"I already have everything prepared, Senior," said Azami. She clapped her hands three times, after which three women clad in delicate gauze skirts floated out from the smoke of the incense burner. Each of them carried a silver platter, which they held up high as they respectfully approached.
By this point, Guren and the others had arrived on the second floor and were looking over from off to the side. Obviously, they were less interested in the magical flight item and more interested in Naruto.
The items on the three silver platters included a reddish, copper short sword, a violet wooden boat, and a flying shuttle.
Azami looked at Naruto and smiled.
"Red Copper Sword," she said. "It expands when it rushes against the wind, becoming three thousand meters long. Nine levels of ghost images will appear inside of it, and it can accommodate three hundred passengers. It also contains a swarm of 10,000 short swords.
"Violet Wooden Boat. It can accommodate two hundred passengers, and has no offensive spell formations, nor any defensive spell formations. However, its speed… is similar to a First Severing Cultivator. Unfortunately, it consumes Spirit Stones at a high rate, one low-grade Spirit Stone for every three breaths of time!
"Soul Flying Shuttle. It is only nine meters long, with average speed. However, its most powerful advantage is its Wind Blade function. Every hour, it can produce a single Wind Blade. As long as you have enough Spirit Stones, there is no limit to the number it can produce.
"These three items are the highest level flying items that we manufacture here at the Cloudburst Pavilion. Which one would you like, Fellow Daoist?"
When the Chosen from the three Sects saw the three magical flight items, their faces filled with longing. They well knew that these items were incredible.
Naruto frowned slightly. Others might view the items as high quality, but considering the level of his Cultivation base, they didn't quite meet up to his expectations.
Seeing Naruto's frown caused Azami's heart to quiver, and she started to pant a little. His frown, coupled with what had happened earlier, caused her to start to formulate some speculations about Naruto.
She hurriedly continued, "Although, I actually advise you not to purchase these items, Fellow Daoist. They seem incredible, but are actually relatively ordinary. Despite being expensive, they are standard manufacture items; in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, you will find quite a few people who own them."
"Oh?" said Naruto, looking at Azami.
"Senior," she said softly, her eyes glittering, "if you have enough Demon hearts, then the Cloudburst Pavilion can offer you a one-of-a-kind precious treasure!" She raised her right hand and performed an incantation, then pointed at the incense burner.
Immediately, the incense burner began to rumble, attracting all eyes in the room. Suddenly, vast quantities of smoke poured out from inside, within which could be seen, shockingly, an illusory bronze war chariot!
The war chariot emanated an air of ancientness, and was surrounded by crackling lightning. It was also covered with cracks that made it seem as if it had experienced the baptism of flames of war and countless battlefield bloodbaths.
An indescribable pressure spread out from it, and visible on its surface were numerous flying beasts that almost looked alive. Although no one else could tell, when Naruto looked at them, they almost seemed alive.
To his eyes, all of the beasts were living, and struggling, letting out roars that caused his mind and heart to tremble.
He made a slight "eee?" sound, then reached his right hand up to touch his left eye. Then he blinked nine times, causing the Immortal Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way to circulate inside of him. When he looked at the war chariot this time, the flying beasts all merged together to transform into a black wing!
Unfortunately, there was only one.
Naruto looked away and closed his eyes. After a moment he opened them again and looked at Azami.
"How much?" he asked.
Azami's heart was trembling. Things were not quite going according to her plan for this item. Then she thought of Naruto's actions earlier, and she started to regret.
"Fellow Daoist, this item isn't for sale. It's…."
Naruto's face immediately darkened, and suddenly, a shocking pressure emanated out from him to envelop the entire area. It almost seemed as if a storm were coming.
Naruto looked at Azami for a moment, then retracted his energy. The second floor returned to normal. However, the pressure just now had caused sweat to begin to stream down her back. The feeling she got was the same as that you might feel when facing some ancient beast.
However, the only one to feel the pressure had been Azami, and no one else. Neither Guren nor the Chosen from the three Sects had felt anything. The only thing they had noticed was the change in Azami's expression.
"Name a price," said Naruto coolly. To hear himself saying such words caused Naruto's heart to surge. In his hundreds of years of practicing cultivation, his money purse had always been empty. Even when he occasionally fell into some profit, it would inevitably be sucked away by the copper mirror.
But now, he finally had the confidence derived from achieving the dream he had kept in his heart since childhood….
I'm rich, fools!
Next to him, Amaru's eyes shone brightly. She continued to have the strong feeling that Naruto was almost glowing, emanating an indescribable aura that battered against her face.
Azami, feeling somewhat intimidated by Naruto's display, nervously said, "It really isn't an issue of the price…."
"6,000 low-grade Demon hearts," said Naruto, lifting his chin up proudly.
"That's…."
"Not enough? How about 8,000?" Naruto's expression was the same as ever, but inwardly, that surging feeling grew more intense. To suddenly go from being broke to rolling in wealth gave Naruto the feeling that he could buy the entire shop if he felt like it.
This was a confidence that had nothing to do with Cultivation base. The more confident he felt, the more powerful his words became.
I'm REALLY rich, fools!
Even Azami, who was so experienced and knowledgeable, was shocked by the confidence and power in his words. Her eyes went wide, and she sucked in a deep breath. 8,000 low-grade Demon hearts was an extremely high price!
Amaru stared blankly at Naruto with wide eyes. Mentally, she was calculating how much 8,000 low-grade Demon hearts were worth in Spirit Stones.
As for the Chosen of the three Sects, and Guren, when they heard Naruto's words, their jaws dropped and they stared in shock. As of now, they suddenly realized that he really did exude the air of a rich person….
The eyes of a few of the female disciples began to shine brightly as they looked at Naruto. Although they hadn't noticed before, they could see now… this guy was incredibly handsome and had an extraordinary air. He was elegant and dashing, clearly different from the average person.
Although Naruto's tried to keep his expression the same as usual, anyone who looked at it would feel as if the following characters were clearly written there:
I'm Mr. Moneybags!
Azami's eyes were wide, and her heart was pounding. "I think…."
"Still not enough?" said Naruto. Waving his hand in imitation of the rich folk he remembered from Konoha County, he cleared his throat and said. "No problem. 10,000 low-grade Demon hearts works for me."
When he saw the shock on the faces of the bystanders when they heard this, Naruto felt quite pleased inwardly, even more so than if he had just experienced an increase in Cultivation base.
Azami gasped. Guren's eyes were fixed on Naruto. As for the Junior Leader of the Flying Immortal Sect, and the Chosen from the three Sects, all of them gaped with wide eyes and slack jaws.
Azami struggled visibly for a moment before replying, "Senior, this war chariot was delivered to us only recently. Apparently, it appeared on the border between the Second and Third Rings. I haven't even notified the Sect about it yet."
Naruto's expression was calm, but his eyes flickered. He definitely did not mind being addressed as Senior.
"If my speculations are correct, Senior, you have come to the Milky Way Sea because of the Sea Devils in the Second Ring, as well as… the legendary ancient battleship!
"This bronze war chariot is filled with ancientness, and is obviously an object from ancient times. For it to appear here indicates that there is a high possibility it originated from the ancient battleship.
"I only have one request, Senior. When you go searching for the ancient battleship, can you take Junior with you? You don't have to provide me with any assistance. As long as I step foot onto it, all obligations will have been fulfilled.
"In return, I will sell the item to you for 5,000 Demon hearts."
Naruto's eyes glittered.
"And what if I don't go looking for the ancient battleship?" he asked coolly.
Without hesitation, Azami replied, "If that is your wish, Senior, then I will have to resign myself to such an outcome." She quickly performed an incantation with her right hand and then pointed toward the incense burner. Instantly, the smoke inside parted, and the bronze war chariot flew out, almost as if it were trying to escape the pavilion.
Naruto waved his right hand, causing the war chariot to immediately stop in midair. It was irresistibly pulled down, shrinking down to the size of the hand of an infant as it landed on Naruto's palm. He immediately put it into his bag of holding.
He stood up, completely ignoring Azami. Accompanied by Amaru, and beneath the burning gazes of the Chosen of the three Sects, he walked in the same manner as the number one moneybags of Konoha County, Steward Ebisu. He clasped his hands behind his back and strolled toward the stairs.
It was when he stepped foot onto the first stair that Naruto finally looked back at Azami.
"Give me a voice transmission talisman," he said.
Azami instantly went wild with joy. Panting, she took out a voice transmission talisman and respectfully handed it over.
Naruto put the talisman away and, escorted by Azami, walked down the stairs and left the Cloudburst Pavilion.
Outside, the sky was already dark, and the sea breeze blew against his face. Amaru was sweating, and a bit in a daze as she glanced back and forth between Naruto and the Cloudburst Pavilion.
Considering how late it was, Naruto chose not to go to any more shops, but instead relied on Amaru's assistance to find a place to stay. In the end, he rented a private residence with its own main gate.
The residence was actually an Immortal's cave, and the most expensive type available in Seahold. It had a defensive spell formation, as well as a passageway connecting it to the seafloor, where there was a special chamber designed for secluded meditation. Despite being on the seafloor, the meditation chamber still fell under the general defensive spell formations of Seahold, which meant that no sea beasts would come near it.
At first, Naruto planned to actually purchase the residence, but after further thought, he couldn't bear to spend so many Spirit Stones, and decided instead to rent it.
The residence had many rooms, which meant that Amaru had her own private room. As the night wore on, she thought back to everything that had happened during the day, and also about how Naruto had saved her. Subconsciously, she had allowed Naruto's visage to be deeply imprinted into her mind. However, she knew that there was a vast gap between them in terms of status and identity, and after considering the matter for a while, she sighed and then closed her eyes to meditate.
As for Naruto, he sat cross-legged in his own room, surrounded by quiet. Around the time of the third watch, he suddenly opened his eyes.
"I'm finally rich," he murmured. "It's too bad that Steward Ebisu has long since passed away. If I have a chance in the future, I'll find some of his descendants and pay back those three pieces of silver that I owe.
"Or… nah, I'm rich now! I'll pay back a little bit extra." He smiled and patted his bag of holding.
Then he lifted up his hand, upon which appeared the bronze war chariot.
It was impossible to tell how many springs and autumns the bronze chariot had passed through, but it was covered with flecks of rust, and filled with an air of ancientness, as if it had been buried in the darkness for countless years.
Looking at it caused a strange feeling to well up in Naruto. It almost seemed as if the bronze war chariot were currently retelling the stories of the bloodbaths it had witnessed, as if it were describing an explosive, bloodthirsty bellicosity of some long forgotten age.
The beasts carved on its surface looked like dead things, but in Naruto's eyes, they were alive. It was as if they had been sleeping for tens upon tens of thousands of years, waiting for the day in which they would awaken and then roam carefree in Heaven and Earth.
Naruto's eyes glittered as he sent out some Cultivation base power through his right hand into the bronze war chariot. Immediately, faint ripples emanated out, and the war chariot began to expand in size.
Naruto was prepared for this, and quickly stepped out into the courtyard. Then he raised up his right hand. With a rumbling sound, the war chariot flew up into the air, continuing to expand until it was roughly nine meters large.
Ripples spread out, and the war chariot glowed with light. The ripples, however, seemed to be filled with decay, and the glow was somewhat dim.
Naruto's body flickered to reappear inside of the war chariot. His right hand touched its side, and he sent out more Cultivation base power. The war chariot trembled and then began to speed up into the air.
It moved with such incredible speed that Seahold quickly became a tiny dot below him. Although the war chariot screamed through the night air, it didn't vibrate or shake even the least bit.
In exactly this same moment, Saint Sun Soul sat cross-legged meditating in the tall tower in the middle of Seahold. Next to him was the elegant and poised Madam Himeno, who gripped a huge feather in both hands, which she was using to perform a conjuring. The feather emanated an aura of rot and decay. At the same time, swirling white lights wafted through the air, to be breathed in by Saint Sun Soul, who currently wore a black robe.
Even in the middle of the cultivation, Saint Sun Soul's eyes suddenly opened, and he looked off into the distance.
"What's wrong?" asked Madam Himeno, looking over at him.
"Nothing," he replied. "That troublesome fellow from before is testing out a magical item. Hmph. The both of them are equally mediocre." His face grew dark, and it was hard to tell exactly what he was going on in his mind.
"Didn't he give you a flagon of alcohol as a gift?"
As soon as Saint Sun Soul heard the word 'alcohol,' his face twitched.
"He was actually threatening me," he said.
Madam Himeno stared in shock, but didn't respond. As for Saint Sun Soul, he didn't bring up the matter of the alcohol again.
Meanwhile, Naruto was up in mid-air, frowning. He stood there in the war chariot, examining it with a puzzled expression.
"This thing is about as fast as a First Severing Cultivator. However, it expends a lot of Cultivation base power. Too bad I can actually move much faster without it.
"Furthermore…." His eyes flickered as he looked at the rust marks on the chariot, which were actually slowly growing larger. "The more I use it, the more the damage spreads. Soon, the rust will fill the whole thing, and it will be useless." With that, Naruto lifted up his right hand and then slapped it down onto the chariot.
A boom could be heard, and the chariot trembled. Low-pitched roaring sounds emanated out from within, and illusory figures began to surge out.
They were the images of fierce beasts, each one unique. There was a giant ape, a horned lion, even a two-headed giant bear. The various fierce beasts all lifted their heads up and roared.
However… they all were restrained by amorphous chains which connected them to the war chariot. Also… all of their eyes were closed!
Not a single one had opened its eyes.
As soon as they appeared, an intense pressure appeared in the area. Even still, the frown on Naruto's face deepened. He had just noticed that the rust was spreading through the war chariot even faster than before.
"At the most, I can use it only ten more times." Naruto examined the rust. It almost looked like rot, that, wherever it went, caused the bronze to turn into scrap metal.
"I almost feel like I'm not using it properly," he murmured to himself. "If using it damages it, then… huh?" Suddenly, his heart trembled.
"Not using it properly?" His eyes glittered, and the trembling of his heart increased in intensity as he thought back to the scene revealed by Immortal Shows the Way, back in the Cloudburst Pavilion.
After a moment's thought, Naruto once more slapped the war chariot. Instantly, the beasts surrounding the war chariot vanished, and chariot began to shrink down. Soon it was yet again the size of an infant's hand, resting on his palm.
He floated there in mid-air, and after a moment of detailed inspection, he suddenly began to pick up on some clues.
"Its surface is inscribed with ancient magical symbols that don't seem to be an actual part of the war chariot….
"And then there are the chain carvings. They don't seem to merge perfectly with the original chariot, as if they were added later." His eyes glittered for a moment before he suddenly closed his right eye. He blinked nine times and also unleashed the Immortal Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way, pouring it into his eye. Immediately, the bronze war chariot's appearance changed.
It was no longer a war chariot, but rather, a mass of ferocious beasts. They were intertwined together such that, from a distance, they looked like a black wing!
The black wing was indistinct, but Naruto was sure that it was actually the wing of a butterfly!
His heart trembled, and he took a deep breath. He circulated some more Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way, then focused closely… on the butterfly wing.
The instant he looked at it, a roaring filled his mind. The world in front of him shattered, almost like a mirror breaking. Within that breaking, the mirror turned into countless flickering images that Naruto couldn't see clearly.
However, there was one image that instantly branded itself into his memories!
He saw a land in which clouds roiled in the sky, filled with crackling lightning. A man wearing black garments stood in the war chariot, looking down coldly at the lands below.
It almost seemed as if the man were the Heavens, the will of the sky itself.
An interminably rotating vortex could be seen on his forehead, and in his right hand was a string of blank, white prayer beads that seemed to be waited to receive sealing marks.
As for the war chariot in which the man stood, it looked very similar to the one Naruto had just recently acquired, except that there were no magical symbols on it.
Beneath the war chariot was an endless sea, in the center of which was an enormous tree that towered up into the sky. Sitting at the crown of the tree was a small boy who smiled as he looked out over the world.
Fluttering in the air around the boy were nine butterflies. Off in the distance were countless living things practicing cultivation.
Everything was very quiet and peaceful….
Naruto's mind roared, and then the vision faded away. He panted, and a strange light gleamed in his eyes as he looked at the war chariot in his palm.
"That vision…." His eyes flickered, and after taking a few breaths, he lifted up his left hand and pushed it down onto the bronze war chariot to slowly wipe away a magical symbol.
In total, there were ninety-nine magical symbols on the war chariot.
A gentle but also ferocious light rose up from Naruto's hand. He continued to rub the war chariot until he finally succeeded in wiping away a magical symbol. By this point his face was pale. It didn't seem difficult to wipe away the magical symbol, but actually, he had wasted a significant amount of Cultivation base power to do so.
As soon as the magical symbol was wiped away, the bronze war chariot trembled. Sounds like howls erupted out from within, as if some ancient sleeping giant was suddenly beginning to awake.
When the sound reached his ears, Naruto's spirit was shaken.
"These magical symbols and chains were actually added later. If it wasn't done as a seal, then it was a method to try to control the chariot due to a lack of understanding of its proper usage.
"That improper usage is actually the source of the damage!" He took a deep breath, and was just about to wipe away a second magical symbol when suddenly, his hand stopped, and a look of doubt could be seen in his eyes.
"Why is it that only I could see the images on the war chariot? Anyone who saw them would know that something was different about it on the inside." His eyes flickered as he looked down at his own torso.
After a long moment, he slowly murmured, "Immortal Shows the Way…. Gaara!"
The reason he could see the images on the war chariot, and also know the correct way to use it, was all because of the Immortal Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way.
"Could it be that this is an Immortal treasure?" He thoughtfully lifted his left hand up again and began to slowly wipe away a second magical symbol.
The bronze war chariot began to glow with even more intensity, and the howling from inside grew clearer.
Next, Naruto wiped away a third magical symbol, then a fourth. When he wiped away the tenth magical symbol, the bronze war chariot began to emit a droning sound, and expanded until it was thirty meters large.
The glow emanated out in all directions, as well as a pulsing pressure. Even Naruto could feel that he was affected by the intense pressure, which made it impossible to get close to the chariot; he was instantly forced back a bit.
His eyes shining brightly; having erased ten magical symbols, his Cultivation base was virtually exhausted. After closing eyes for a while to recover, he frowned.
"The more magical symbols I wipe away, the more difficult it gets." His body flickered as he shot toward the war chariot. As he neared, a ring of yellow light suddenly appeared around the chariot.
It quickly began to expand out, filling Naruto's mind with a sense of danger. He shot backward, quickly emerging from within the yellow light. Then he forced out a bit of the Immortal Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way to circulate through his body, then shot back in his original direction.
This time, no circle of yellow light appeared. He moved with incredible speed, arriving at the war chariot in the blink of an eye. He didn't have very much Immortal Chakra in his body, and it wouldn't last long before vanishing.
He placed his hand onto the war chariot. After a moment of thought and rest, he rotated his Cultivation base, pouring power into the war chariot. However, the power seemed to disappear like a rock sinking down into the ocean. There was no reaction whatsoever from the war chariot.
Naruto stilled his Cultivation base, and then, without the slightest hesitation, sent out some more Immortal Chakra. It was only a sliver, but the instant it flowed out from his hand into the war chariot, the entire world seemed to start rumbling.
A gigantic vortex appeared up in the sky, booming as it spun. Countless bolts of lightning crackled out in all directions. The entire area seemed to have suddenly gone wild, as if all Heaven and Earth were suddenly collapsing.
Naruto suddenly felt as if he were fusing with the war chariot, becoming one with it. Then he saw the image of the black-clothed man with the vortex on his forehead, the one from his vision moments ago.
At the same time, a thrumming sound could be heard from the chariot as the images of countless ferocious beasts appeared up ahead. All of them were fastened with chains, and let out soundless roars. They began to run forward, pulling the war chariot with them through the sky. It transformed into something like a shooting star that flew off into the distance with indescribable speed.
The speed with which it moved caused rumbling booms to fill the sky as it shot forward. Yellow ripples emanated out, sweeping through the night sky, filling it with a yellow glow.
At the moment, black-robed Saint Sun Soul suddenly stood up within the tower in Seahold. A look of astonishment appeared in his eyes as he suddenly vanished and then reappeared outside in mid-air. He looked off into the distance, his expression changing multiple times.
"What magical item is that!?" he gasped. Moments ago, his Cultivation base had twitched with a feeling of terror. The feeling was not something he was completely unfamiliar with; it was something he might experience when facing the Sect's ancestral legacy treasure.
"Is that a legacy treasure?" he thought to himself.
Naruto's heart was filled with shock. The strand of Immortal Chakra that he sent out from Immortal Shows the Way caused the war chariot to leave Seahold behind in the blink of an eye. Although there was still seawater underneath him, he had no way to tell whether or not he was still in the Third Ring.
This stretch of sea looked very strange, and the waters, almost black. Everything was quiet; not even a single ripple could be seen on the surface of the water, much less any waves.
"Where… where did that speed come from!?" said Naruto with a gasp. He looked down at the war chariot, a look of shock on his face.
"This is a precious treasure!
"Unfortunately, only the power of an Immortal can make it work. This treasure… will not even recognize my Cultivation base." He sighed. The only Immortal Chakra he had was from Immortal Shows the Way. He could use bits of it to employ the Celestial Vision technique, but to use it in battle was like trying to put out a burning horse cart with a single cup of water.
"Immortal Chakra…. So this thing really is an Immortal treasure. It only works when fueled by Immortal Chakra…." As he considered these matters, his heart suddenly trembled as a bizarre notion appeared in his mind.
"Is the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way really Immortal Chakra? Is it possible… that it really isn't Immortal Chakra, but rather, something else….?" Before he could consider the idea very much, he suddenly looked down at the sea below.
The previously still waters were now suddenly filled with ripples. A crocodile appeared, three hundred meters long… heading in his direction.
Crocodiles were not something that would normally appear in the sea, but there was one here right now. It was completely black, and its eyes were somber and cold. On its back were countless ferocious looking bumps and lumps.
Sitting cross-legged amidst the bumps and lumps was a man wearing a dilapidated set of clothing. His expression was cold as he… looked up at Naruto.
In the instant in which he looked at Naruto, the man's eyes filled with a bloodthirsty killing intent.
"Cultivator?" he said, his unpleasant voice hoarse and grating. When he opened his mouth to speak, blackened teeth could be seen. To Naruto, his entire person seemed to radiate complete vileness.
An aura of Spirit Severing suddenly exploded out of him. At the same time, the crocodile suddenly lifted its head up and roared, also exploding with a Spirit Severing aura. The seawater was in chaos, and a pulsating, fishy stench rose up.
"This is the Devil Sea," said the man. "Now that you're here, you won't be leaving." With that, he made a grasping motion, causing the air in the area to condense. An incredible pressure then weighed down.
Naruto gaped. "Devil Sea?"
Naruto gave a cold snort as he looked at the young man and how he caused the air in the area to seemingly collapse under the pressure of a gesture. Naruto was just about to make a move when he stopped. He stood there in the war chariot, motionless.
He allowed the thunderous roaring to descend upon him, but then, even as it neared, the war chariot automatically emitted a yellow ring of light. The ring expanded out and then slammed into the collapsing air.
A boom rattled out, followed by cracking sounds. Everywhere the yellow ring of light passed was left completely calm and tranquil.
A red glow appeared in the eyes of the man on the crocodile. He then leaped into the air and shot toward Naruto, followed by the crocodile, who opened its gaping mouth as it ferociously charged out of the water.
The man closed in, and he didn't perform an incantation, but instead reached his hand out in a claw-like gesture. Instantly, his fingers all turned pitch black and began to emanate a black fog. The black fog from his five fingers swirled and twisted, transforming into a vicious flood dragon that then charged toward Naruto.
A boom echoed out as the flood dragon slammed into the expanding yellow ring of light, and was deflected away. The snapping crocodile also hit the yellow ring, whereupon it let out a bloodcurdling scream as its teeth were shattered. It then retreated at top speed.
Naruto gave a faint smile. As for his opponent, he retreated backward a bit, a look of anxiety and doubt on his face as he stared fixedly at Naruto.
Naruto's smile turned wide and splendid. As of now, he realized that the war chariot truly was a precious treasure. As long as he was inside it, it would activate defense powers even if he didn't imbue it with Immortal Chakra.
"There is neither any enmity nor hatred between us," said Naruto. "Why engage in magical combat? I came here by accident, so I'll take my leave now." With that, he placed his hand onto the war chariot and then circulated Immortal Shows the Way, and was about to send the war chariot speeding away.
Suddenly, though, the expression of man in the dilapidated clothing grew even more vicious. He lifted his head up and let out an ear-piercing shout. At the same time, his body began to distort and expand. In the blink of an eye, his skin was replaced by black scales. At the same time, his shape began to change, until he didn't look like a person, but rather… a black flood dragon!
His body flickered again, and he was now over three hundred meters long. His eyes radiated savagery and avarice as he stared at Naruto there in the war chariot.
"You will stay," said the flood dragon. As it spoke the language of humans, black flames accompanied the words. "Consuming you will help improve my Cultivation base. As for that treasure of yours… that also will stay behind."
The black flames spit out by the flood dragon emanated a green glow along with a rotten stench that seemed to indicate they were imbued with poisons. They shot toward Naruto at top speed.
A sea of flames surrounded him, emanating intense heat and power that caused everything to ripple and distort. Waves undulated on the surface of the sea below, as if it couldn't bear the level of heat. The crocodile had long since retreated off into the distance; it floated there in the water, staring at Naruto.
Naruto's face darkened as he looked coldly at the flood dragon on the other side of the black flames. He lifted up the hand that he had placed onto the war chariot, and ceased to rotate Immortal Shows the Way.
"I thought you were a Cultivator, but it turns out you're a Sea Demon," said Naruto calmly. "Since you're looking to die, I guess I'll help you fulfill your wish." Naruto's personality was fully on display; the calmer he was, the greater his desire to kill.
Even as he spoke, Naruto started to move forward. He stepped out of the war chariot and entered into the black sea of flames. Seeing that he dared to emerge left the flood dragon astonished, and he immediately began to back up.
"I can be crafty too!" said Naruto. He waved his hand, and another sea of flames sprang up. These flames were red, and sprang up high into the sky around Naruto. As soon as the red flames touched the black flames, an intense rumbling sound could be heard. At the same time, Naruto emerged on the outside.
The flood dragon's face fell, and he continued to move backward in retreat. However, before he could get very far, Naruto turned into a green smoke. As for the flood dragon, his heart was pounding in his ears. The fact that Naruto dared to emerge from the war chariot was obviously not a good thing. Even as he retreated, Naruto suddenly appeared behind him.
A hand raised up, and a fist descended.
The fist seemingly landed on nothing but air. However, a huge rumbling could be heard, and the flood dragon felt as if a mountain were crushing down onto him. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face. He let out a miserable shriek.
At the same time, the crocodile opened its mouth wide and charged, ignoring any danger whatsoever as it shot toward Naruto.
"Trifling First Severing Cultivation base," said Naruto. "You're not the first one I've killed like that." Not even deigning to look at the crocodile, he punched backward.
BAM!
A tremor ran through the crocodile and then, starting from its head, it began to shatter. In the blink of an eye, the shattering spread out through its entire body. A final bang could be heard as it exploded into bloody pieces.
A fist-sized black Demon heart transformed into a black beam of light that flew into Naruto's hand. He put it into his bag of holding and then looked at the flood dragon. The flood dragon's trembling increased in intensity.
He took a deep breath, and then turned around. Clouds suddenly circulated beneath him, a divine ability which would enable him to shoot down into the waters below.
Naruto's right hand flickered in an incarnation gesture, and he pointed out.
"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"
Demonic Chakra appeared, transforming into numerous invisible, thin strands that wrapped around the flood dragon. It instantly stopped moving, which left the flood dragon scared witless. Even as he struggled, Naruto waved his right hand, causing ten Wooden Time Swords to fly out one after another and then pierce through the flood dragon.
A bloodcurdling shriek echoed about as the flood dragon began to rapidly wither. His expression was one of intense fear as he could feel his life force rapidly disappearing.
Feeling death approaching, he suddenly shook and then spit a pearl out of his mouth. The pearl was about the size of a fist, and was not black, but completely and utterly white.
As soon as the pearl appeared, it emanated a soft glow, along with a thick, fragrant aroma. The spiritual energy in the area even grew stronger. A powerful shockwave spread out, causing rumbling booms as the dragon shook free of the binding strands, forced back the wooden swords, and then shot down toward the sea, carrying the pearl with it.
In the blink of an eye, he splashed into the water and then disappeared.
A strange light appeared in Naruto's eyes. He looked at the white pearl, and the first thought that ran through his mind was that he was sure he could sell the thing for an exorbitant price.
As soon as the thought entered his mind, the last trace of his hesitation disappeared as he flashed through the air, circulating Immortal Shows the Way as he stepped foot onto the war chariot. His hand touched the chariot, and it instantly began to vibrate and shoot down toward the sea.
In the blink of an eye, he was underwater. Everything around was pitch black, but it only took a moment for Naruto to catch sight of the vicious flood dragon up ahead, feeling quite confident that he had just escaped disaster.
Even as the flood dragon felt as if he had managed to scrape out and extra life, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound. He turned, and his eyes went wide and filled with shock when he saw the thirty meter war chariot!
It wanted to dodge out of the way, but was too slow!
Bang!
The war chariot directly struck the flood dragon, causing it to let out a miserable howl. Then, its body began to break apart into pieces. It exploded, and the white pearl flew out. Shockingly, inside the pearl could be seen a miniature flood dragon, its face covered with terror and astonishment.
The pearl and the miniature flood dragon shot off at high speed, but no matter how fast they could go, it was too slow compared to Naruto's war chariot.
Naruto instantly shot in pursuit. Inside the white pearl, the flood dragon's face was unyielding and filled with madness. It then let out a miserable cry that it amplified with Divine Will.
"Dawn Immortal, save me!"
When Naruto heard the name 'Dawn Immortal,' his mind instantly trembled. It was a name he would never forget. However, this was not the time and place to think about it in detail. His eyes glittered, and he pushed the war chariot in pursuit. His hand stretched out and he grabbed the white pearl.
The struggling of the flood dragon made no difference. Naruto sealed the pearl and then quickly put it into his bag of holding.
However, in that instant… a faint sigh could suddenly echoed about in the darkness of the seafloor.
It was a single sigh, but it instantly caused Naruto's scalp to go numb. Cold sweat broke out all over his body, and his face fell. Suddenly, the Resurrection Lily inside of him seemed to go mad.
It seemed as if, regardless of anything, it wanted to reveal itself and let out a cry to be noticed by whomever had just made the sigh.
Naruto's mind trembled, and he instantly caused the war chariot to begin moving. He began to build up the Immortal Chakra, and was just about to speed away when a tentacle suddenly shot toward him from within the deep sea.
Immediately, an intense feeling of crisis rumbled through Naruto. At the same time, the struggling of the Resurrection Lily reached a peak.
BOOM!
Naruto released the entirety of his Immortal Chakra, causing it to enter the war chariot. It rumbled, and then shot at incredible speed up and out of the water, transforming into a beam of light that quickly disappeared. Almost simultaneously, a gigantic tentacle erupted from the surface of the sea.
As he shot away, Naruto had just enough time to glance back at the enormous tentacle before the world turned blurry.
What he saw caused Naruto's mind to quiver and tremble with confusion.
"What… what is that…?" His face was pale white, and his expression one of disbelief. Given his Cultivation base, his experiences, his level of focus, in the Milky Way Sea, only the ancient Underworld Ship could cause his expression to change in such a way.
However, there was now something else!
In fact, because of his own condition, what he saw caused him to be even more astonished than the ancient Underworld Ship.
"That's… the Dawn Immortal?"
What he saw was a gigantic black tentacle, smooth and glossy, almost whip-like in appearance…. Furthermore, at the very end of the tentacle were a few black leaves.
This was not the tentacle of some beast! It was the branch of a plant!
Anyone else probably would not realize it, but because of his own situation, as soon as Naruto saw it, he knew that this… was…
A Resurrection Lily branch!
From this single branch, Naruto had no problem reaching the conclusion that deep in the black, dark depths of the sea was… an incomparably enormous Resurrection Lily!
What he was seeing was simply a branch, but it was able to stretch up from deep within the sea; he could only imagine how large and terrifying its main trunk was. The frightening speed with which it moved caused Naruto to pant. It could even match up to his war chariot!
Furthermore, Naruto knew that the only reason he could get away was that his original position was actually not very far away from the surface of the water. Although it seemed he and the branch had emerged from the water at the same time, the war chariot would have actually been no match for the Lily's frightful speed.
"How many colors does it have…?" thought Naruto, panting. By now, the war chariot had left the black area of the sea. The waters below looked normal, and up ahead, he saw storm winds. Naruto knew that he was now near the edge of the Third Ring, and was not far from Seahold.
He took a deep breath and thought for a moment. The sky up above was turning light as he put the war chariot away into his bag of holding. Then his body flashed as he headed toward Seahold at the fasted speed he could muster.
He arrived back at his residence before the sky was completely lit. He sat down cross-legged, his expression dark and unstable. The events of the night had left him quite shaken.
"That flood dragon called itself a Devil. It must have been one of those so-called Sea Devils.
"A black sea. That must be the Second Ring of the Milky Way Sea…. I never imagined that that… a terrifying Resurrection Lily would be hiding at the bottom of the Second Ring!
"Was that… the Dawn Immortal?
"No wonder the Resurrection Lily inside of me was going crazy!
"How exactly are the Third Ring and the Second Ring connected? The Third Ring has Demons with Whitebone Lily seals on them. The Second Ring has Devils that can turn into people, and venerate the Dawn Immortal!
"And then, there's that Reverend Silverlamp. Where exactly is he…? There are so many mysteries in the Milky Way Sea. First, there was the Underworld Ship and then that ancient battleship. And now, the Dawn Immortal has made an appearance!" He continued to think, and a complex expression appeared on his face. However, soon his eyes began glittering brightly.
"Things just keep getting more complicated and dangerous. I need to be even more careful regarding the matter of Madara. I wonder who is more powerful, the Dawn Immortal or Madara?" As soon as the question appeared in his mind, he knew the answer.
"Of course it's the Dawn Immortal!" Although he had no proof, Naruto was sure he was right.
He sighed inwardly, then closed his eyes. He ceased focusing on the frustrating matters, and began to meditate.
It was now early morning, and sunlight flickered down onto the sea. The crystalline, shimmering waters surrounded Seahold, which looked like a giant, slumbering beast that was opening its eyes and awakening. Gradually, the city began to bustle with noise and excitement.
Many people came and went, most of whom were not residents of the city. Some came to recuperate or resupply, some came to sell Demon hearts, others left the city to go hunting. People were everywhere.
When Amaru came to pay respects, Naruto opened his eyes. After tidying up a bit, he had Amaru take him to a shop that specialized in clothing.
He was finally able to put aside the worrisome events of the previous night. The feeling of being a rich person once again conquered all. He even considered purchasing a set of clothing for Amaru.
Although the quality of the clothing was good, when he saw how it didn't match her mask, he decided to save some Spirit Stones and not buy it after all.
Amaru felt a bit wronged, but she didn't dare to say anything directly to Naruto. She could only follow along irritated as Naruto flaunted his superiority.
Everyone in the shop was in awe of Naruto and his domineering attitude. He walked around with a trail of people following. If he saw something he liked he would simply point, and someone would rush to package it up for him.
"It feels really good to be rich," he thought. He left the store looking completely different than before. He wore a long robe that was as blue as the sky and emanated ripples of magical force. When the sun fell on it, it looked even more beautiful and delicate.
The sleeves were embroidered with silver dragons, and the materials of the entire garment were harvested from an impressive Sea Demon. It had a variety of built-in functions, and overall, made Naruto quite pleased.
He also purchased a gold belt trimmed with violet decorations, as well as some jade pendants. Each and every item was quite expensive. When he walked down the street, the people he passed couldn't help but look at him. Naruto let out a long, emotional sigh.
Amaru walked along behind him, pouting and glaring at his back.
"Alright, let's go buy a bag of holding!" he said, swishing his sleeve. Internally, Amaru gave a cold harrumph. Now that she was more familiar with Naruto, little remained of the awe she had felt for him before. Instead, her deepest impression towards him was that he was a haughty moneybags.
When Naruto stepped foot into the shop specializing in holding items, his clothing, coupled with his handsome features, plus the obvious domineering air of a rich person, caused everyone in the shop to immediately look over at him with glowing eyes. They knew that a big spender had arrived, and they immediately greeted him.
Naruto looked around and then immediately voiced his desire to buy ten bags of holding.
After they left the shop, a bit of hope flickered in Amaru's eyes, and she couldn't hold back from asking, "Senior, why did you buy so many?"
"For fun!" replied Naruto earnestly.
Amaru gaped. She suddenly had the feeling that the person in front of her was not the person who had saved her. He seemed… a different person completely. If he wasn't a different person, how could there be such a disparity?
Naruto cleared his throat, quite pleased at Amaru's shock. He patted his bag of holding, then waved his hand and lifted his chin in much the way that Steward Ebisu used to.
"Okay, let's go buy some magic rings!"
In the magic ring shop, Naruto's domineering air once again shocked everyone present, both customers and employees alike. They gaped in astonishment as, in a single breath, he bought three hundred magic rings.
All of the magic rings had a single function; they could self-detonate.
All you had to do was throw one of the rings out, and it would explode. Furthermore, the cumulative force of three hundred explosions would be incredibly terrifying. Such rings were expensive, and the shop didn't have very many. However, Naruto decided to buy however many they did have.
In the end, he could only sigh and leave, shaking his head the entire time. He glanced around Seahold, thinking about how there was nothing here that he couldn't buy.
It was in such a manner that Naruto spent the entire day, with Amaru leading him around. Soon, word began to spread. Many people were talking about how an incredibly rich fellow had appeared in Seahold.
Soon, evening was falling. Having accompanied Naruto all day, Amaru was a bit tired. However, from Naruto's expression, he didn't seem to be any more tired than he had been at the beginning of the day. Amaru could only smile wryly.
"Senior, NOW where do you want to go?"
"Let's go to the Sun Soul Society's Demon heart exchange shop," he said. The day had passed in a very fulfilling fashion for him, and he had finally fulfilled his desire to live like a rich person.
He hoped that he could continue to live such a life in the coming days, and it was with completely high spirits that he continued to walk along.
"Senior, you're going the wrong way, it's this way," said Amaru, looking at Naruto a bit grudgingly.
Naruto stopped in place and then turned around.
It was evening, and the two of them walked through the city under the light of the setting sun. Naruto wore his blue robe, and all ten of his fingers were adorned with rings. He stood straight and tall, looking incredibly impressive; obviously he was rich and respectable.
However, it also was also fairly obvious that he had just recently stumbled into his wealth.
The Sun Soul Society's Demon heart exchange shop was located in the city center of Seahold. The structure itself was very strange. It was pure white and looked like a skull. Quite a crowd was gathered inside.
Despite the late hour, people continued to go in and out of the shop to exchange their Demon hearts for Spirit Stones to be used in cultivation.
When Naruto entered, his heavily bejeweled figure immediately attracted a lot of attention.
Instantly, everyone began to talk about it.
"That guy is…."
"I saw him earlier today. He's the super rich guy I was just telling you about. He went to the Magic Ring Pavilion and purchased more than three hundred magic rings in a single breath!"
"So, that's him! I heard that a lot of the shops in Seahold were completely sold out today!"
"Who is he? How could he possibly have so many Demon hearts?!"
Naruto's expression was the same as usual. He entered the shop and looked around, eventually catching sight of a Sun Soul Society disciple. When the man saw Naruto looking at him, he quickly approached, clasped hands, and bowed.
"Greetings, Senior. How many Demon hearts would you like to exchange? If it's a small quantity, I would be happy to help you. If it's a large quantity… well, in that case, I can take you to the second floor, where a Sect Elder will receive you."
"Second floor, then," said Naruto placidly.
The Sun Soul Society disciple's eyes began to shine brightly when he heard this. He quickly transmitted a message to the Elder, at the same time leading Naruto toward the staircase.
Everyone watched on enviously as Naruto and Amaru walked up to the second floor. As soon as they arrived, a smiling, white-haired old man walked out.
"I am Iwaji. Greetings, Fellow Daoist." When he saw Naruto's clothing, and the rings on his fingers, he knew exactly what kind of person he was dealing with. His smile grew even more resplendent, and he said. "Come come, please, follow me." He led Naruto to a chair, after which two maidservants appeared with teapots to serve him tea.
"This is a local specialty, Skysea Tea," explained Iwaji, smiling. "It grows only in the Second Ring, and there are only seven parent trees that produce it. Please give it a try, Fellow Daoist. What do you think?"
Naruto smiled and then lifted the cup up to examine the tea. He took a sip, after which his eyes misted up, and his expression grew radiant. His scholar's aura suddenly became especially prominent. Despite his current state of luxury, it was impossible to completely block. It was almost like he suddenly became a different person. After a long moment, he put the teacup down. The mistiness in his eyes faded away, and they then began to glow with admiration.
"Ah, the cleansing of disquiets both past and present, the livening of the spirit that can only come from… excellent tea!" said Naruto.
Iwaji smiled broadly, and a strange gleam flickered in his eyes. At first glance, he could tell that Naruto was newly rich. However, when he spoke of the tea, his entire person emanated a light and pleasant air. The air that Naruto now emanated caused the old man to suddenly question his previous judgement.
Amaru stared in shock at Naruto. What had occurred just now yet again caused her to think that she was yet again dealing with a completely different person.
At this point, Iwaji directly asked, "Fellow Daoist, how many Demon hearts did you come here to exchange? The exchange rate today is one low-grade Demon heart for six hundred low-grade Spirit Stones."
Naruto was just about to reply when suddenly, footsteps and voices could be heard coming up the stairs from the first floor.
"Don't worry, gentlemen. When I, Kanpu, make a promise, the results are never disappointing. I can get you seven hundred Spirit stones for one low-grade Demon heart."
When Naruto heard this, he had to bite his tongue to hold back from speaking. He lifted the teacup and took a sip.
Iwaji's face twitched, and glared toward the staircase.
A middle-aged man was currently smiling as he led a group of seven older men up to the second floor.
The seven old men wore long brocaded robes, and in a single glance, anyone could tell that they were famous and extraordinary figures. Their eyes were bright and shining, and their Cultivation bases extraordinary. All were at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. Although they smiled, their smiles were filled with unyielding pride.
"After you, Fellow Daoists!" said the middle-aged man with a sincere smile. His expression was one of excitement as he led the seven old men up to the second floor. He caught sight of Naruto and Amaru, but after a glance, completely ignored them.
Iwaji was originally frowning, but when he saw the seven old men, his eyes immediately grew bright. Laughing loudly, he rose to his feet and hurried over to receive them.
"So, it turns out to be the Seven Tycoons of Seahold!" said Iwaji, continuing to laugh as he clasped hands and bowed. "Your presence brings light to our humble establishment!"
The seven old men all smiled and clasped hands in return.
Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he continued to sip tea. As for Amaru, after she saw the seven old men, her pupils instantly constricted. Her voice filled with awe, she turned to Naruto and said, "Senior, these seven men are all famous shopkeepers here in Seahold. Their Cultivation bases are extraordinary, and they control vast amounts of Demon hearts….
"The Demon heart exchange shops set up by the three Sects here in Seahold do not just cater to the masses of ordinary Cultivators. There is a strict requirement of the various shops in the city that they exchange Demon hearts on a yearly basis.
"Of course, as for which particular Sect they pick to do business with, that is up to them. The three Sects have no say in the matter…."
Naruto lifted his teacup up and took another sip. His eyes seemed a bit clouded, even empty, as if he weren't present mentally. Amaru wasn't even sure if he had heard her speaking.
Joy filled the heart of Iwaji as he looked over at the middle-aged man, and his eyes flickered with admiration. The middle-aged man looked quite excited, and treated the seven shopkeepers with incredible courtesy.
The whole group laughed and exchanged pleasantries as they walked over to the area with the seats. Iwaji was just about to have one of the maidservants serve some tea when the middle-aged man frowned and looked over at Naruto and Amaru. Then, he directed his attention to Iwaji and transmitted, "Elder Iwaji, who are these two?"
"Customers who arrived earlier to exchange some Demon hearts," he responded via the same method.
When he heard this, the middle-aged man felt a bit more at ease. At first, he had taken the people to be friends of Iwaji. "Elder, the Seven Tycoons are honored guests, shouldn't you have someone from downstairs take care of these other loafers?"
Iwaji hesitated for a moment, then turned to Naruto, clasped hands, and smiled.
"Fellow Daoist, I truly beg your pardon. Would you mind going downstairs? I'll arrange for someone to help you exchange your Demon hearts. What do you say?"
When he heard Iwaji speaking, the cloudiness in Naruto's eyes vanished, and he put down his teacup. Instantly, one of the maidservants stepped forward from the group led by the middle-aged man, and collected it up.
Naruto frowned, rose to his feet, and looked over at Iwaji. "Fine," he said. "By the way, what is the current exchange rate?"
"Set your mind at ease, Fellow Daoist," he said with a smile, "the price is set at six hundred Spirit Stones for one Demon heart." With that, he clapped his hands together, and a Sun Soul Society disciples immediately came up from the first floor. After giving Naruto a respectful bow, he gestured for Naruto to follow him downstairs.
Naruto smiled, albeit faintly, and his expression was calm. First they had taken away his tea and tried to shoo him away. If the price they gave him was acceptable, he could have accepted the matter, but instead, they offered him a different amount of Spirit Stones than the seven old men.
Continuing to smile, he sat back down.
The action caused Iwaji to instantly frown. In his mind, Naruto wasn't acting very sensibly.
The middle-aged man was starting to look a bit impatient. As far as he was concerned, Naruto would surely be exchanging no more than a few hundred Demon hearts at most. "Friend," he said, "this shop is owned by the Sun Soul Society. I myself am an honor guard of that very same Sect. This… is not the place for you to cause a disturbance. To go downstairs of your own accord is much better than being assisted to do so."
He had seen many such people, people who couldn't possibly compare to the Seven Tycoons. Each one of the seven had vast amounts of Demon hearts, and he himself had expended quite a bit of effort in order to attract them here.
"Go ahead and try," said Naruto coolly.
The words instantly caused Iwaji's expression to turn serious. The middle-aged man frowned, suddenly unsure of who exactly Naruto was.
The seven old men didn't look very pleased. They could exchange their Demon hearts at any shop they wished. The main reason they had selected this location was because of the diligent attention paid them by the middle-aged man. Of course, even more important was the fact that the exchange rate here was slightly better than at the other two Sects.
After all, the Saint currently in command of the city was none other than Saint Sun Soul.
The old man who occupied the center position among the seven calmly said, "Elder Iwaji, Kanpu, the seven of us have very limited time. We can't stand around waiting for very long. Why don't we consider doing business another time?"
The words immediately caused the man named Kanpu to feel very anxious. He was just about to drive Naruto away forcibly when suddenly Elder Iwaji stepped forward.
"Fellow Daoist," he said, looking at Naruto, "the Spirit Stones aren't an issue. I make the decisions here, so how about I give you seven hundred Spirit Stones per Demon heart? What do you say?"
Hearing this, Naruto felt a little bit embarrassed. Smiling, he rose to his feet and was about to go downstairs when suddenly, the old man standing in the right-most position among the seven sneered.
"So, it turns out anybody can get seven hundred Spirit Stones," he said. "Well, then, Kanpu. How many Spirit Stones will we be getting?"
Immediately, the other six old men began to nod. The shops run by seven of them were backed by their own various Sects and Clans. Furthermore, they were intelligent people who would definitely take advantage of any opportunity they saw come their way.
"If that man can get seven hundred Spirit Stones," said another of the old men, "then we should get at least eight hundred per Demon heart. In any case, it is unacceptable that we be given the same price as a random passerby. Kanpu, that was your promise to us, was it not?"
"Correct," said another man. "Kanpu, the reason we demand more Spirit Stones is because we will be exchanging a huge amount of Demon hearts. In fact, we have more Demon hearts than you usually exchange in several months down on the first floor. If someone with a trifling few hundred Demon hearts can get the same price as us, how can we maintain any face?"
Iwaji's face flickered as he realized he was in somewhat of a predicament. As for Kanpu, his face was also quite unsightly as he glared over at Naruto and Amaru.
"Elder Iwaji, this really is a bit inappropriate, don't you think?" asked another of the men.
Iwaji hesitated for a moment, then sighed inwardly. However, before he could even open his mouth, Naruto began to speak.
"So you guys have a lot of Demon hearts?" he asked the seven men.
"More than you, I can assure you," said the first man who had spoken, his voice cool.
Naruto's eyes flashed. He gave a cold harrumph and then flicked his sleeve. "Do the lot of you dare to have a little competition?" he asked. "The loser will forfeit all of the Demon hearts to the winner."
His words caused the expressions on the faces of the seven old men to flicker. They looked over at Naruto, and suddenly, the atmosphere grew very stifling. Iwaji hastened to step forward and clasp hands to both parties.
"Gentlemen, there's no need to get angry. All of this is my fault, for not providing proper introductions. Fellow Daoist, these are the Seven Tycoons, who run the seven largest businesses in Seahold. Every year, they exchange a huge quantity of Demon hearts.
"Why don't you give me a bit of face, and just drop the matter? How about it?"
Having heard this, Naruto's face flickered imperceptibly. Yet again, he gave a cold snort. However, this time, his words were a bit softer. "Very well, Elder Iwaji, for you, I can let the matter drop." With that, he turned to head downstairs.
The eyes of the seven old men flashed as they stared at Naruto. Suddenly, one of them flickered and reappeared directly in front of Naruto, blocking his way. "Hold it right there!"
"What are you people trying to pull?" growled Naruto. An alarmed and suspicious look flickered in his eyes. From the time he was young, he had grown accustomed to conning people. Furthermore, after all the hundreds of years, he had also grown quite used to putting on an act. It was an ability that had long since seeped down into his bones.
The seven old men might be shrewd and astute, but if they thought they could figure Naruto out by looking at his expression, well, that was simply impossible.
Kanpu laughed coldly, his eyes were filled with scorn.
Iwaji frowned as he looked at Naruto, and then turned back to the seven old men.
The old man who blocked Naruto's way stood there, eyes glittering, unspeaking. As for the six other old men, their expressions were that of excitement. Suddenly, one of them said, "You said you wanted to have a competition, so let's compete. The loser will turn over all Demon hearts to the winner."
Iwaji once again clasped hands and bowed. "Seven Tycoons, this Fellow Daoist came to exchange a few hundred Demon hearts. He may have spoken some sharp words, but I implore the seven of you to give me a bit of face…."
Naruto sighed in relief audibly, then walked around the man who blocked his way. Followed by Amaru, he headed toward the staircase. As for the cold smile which twisted the side of his mouth, nobody could see it.
According to his estimation, the seven old men would definitely fall into his con. As it turned out, he was completely correct. By now, because of their probing for information, the old men were certain that even if Naruto did have a good collection of Demon hearts, it couldn't possibly match up to their own.
Sure enough, Naruto had only walked down six stairs when two of the seven old men suddenly flickered, appearing in front of him to block his way.
"Careless talk can lead to a lot of trouble," said one of them. "Since you brought up a competition, a competition is what will take place."
Naruto's face looked unsightly, and he stood there silently for a moment. His face grim, he turned and headed back up the stairs.
Iwaji smiled bitterly and gave Naruto an apologetic look. As for Kanpu, the ridicule in his expression was quite obvious.
Naruto gritted his teeth, and, looking like he was getting ready to go for broke, said, "How do we compete?"
One of the seven men stepped forward, a lofty expression on his face. "I alone will suffice," he said, lifting up a bag of holding.
"Inside this bag of holding are 13,000 low-grade Demon hearts. Fellow Daoist, how many Demon hearts do you have?" With that, he tossed the bag of holding over to Kanpu, who accepted in and then scanned it with Divine Sense. He nodded, and then, in order to ensure impartiality, produced a stone slab.
It was three meters tall and carved with nine dragons. When Kanpu placed the bag of holding onto the slab, the first dragon began to glow with light, making it look very lifelike. As for the second dragon, it was thirty percent lit.
"On the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale," said Iwaji, "each dragon represents 10,000 low-grade Demon hearts." With that, he produced an identical stone slab for Naruto's use.
The old man competing with Naruto loftily said, "I wonder how many Demon hearts you have, Fellow Daoist. Please produce them so that we can widen our knowledge."
The other six old men looked at Naruto with enigmatic smiles, seemingly completely confident of the outcome.
Kanpu's smile grew even more radiant. He hadn't liked Naruto from the beginning, and now, the ridicule in his gaze was even more obvious than before. He couldn't wait to see Naruto's expression in reaction to what was happening.
Amaru looked over nervously at Naruto. She truly was worried about what would happen if Naruto lost. The price he would pay would be incredible….
Naruto's face was expressionless as he pulled out a bag of holding and tossed it onto the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale. As soon as the bag of holding touched its surface, one of the dragons carved onto the stone slab started glowing with a bright light.
Everyone watched closely as the scene played out, especially the seven old men. Their expressions flickered, and then quickly began to shine with happiness.
They weren't worried about losing; they were worried that Naruto's bag of holding wouldn't have very many Demon hearts in it. Seeing that it had 10,000, they knew that even after splitting it up, the seven of them would make a tidy profit.
As smiles appeared on the faces of the seven, Kanpu's eyes went wide and he felt a bit of regret. Before, he had assumed that Naruto would have a few hundred Demon hearts, or at the most a few thousand. However, it turned out that he actually had 10,000.
His regret quickly vanished, though, as he realized that there was no way Naruto could win. He would lose in the end, and then the Seven Tycoons would have more Demon hearts to exchange.
It was in this moment that the second dragon started to glow, until it was half-lit. That indicated that Naruto's bag of holding had 15,000 Demon hearts in it.
"You lose!" he said immediately. Joy and excitement appeared on his face, although he appeared to be struggling to suppress it.
"Said who?" laughed the old man standing in front of him. "The competition is between you and the seven of us. The contest isn't over until it's over, and no one is allowed to interfere. In this competition, one party must hand over all Demon hearts to the other in the end." The other six men all started nodding.
The first old man walked back a few steps, and a second old man proudly stepped forward. He produced a bag of holding, then looked contemptuously at Naruto as he tossed it onto the stone slab.
A buzzing sound could be heard, and the stone slab began to vibrate. The dragons on its surface almost seemed alive, and were emanating pulsing ripples. The second dragon was now completely glowing, making it look very lifelike. Furthermore, the third dragon was also fully lit.
"A total of 30,000 Demon hearts!" said Kanpu excitedly.
"Do you have more?" asked the old man, looking at Naruto.
The other six men were doing the same thing. All of them were imagining a situation in which Naruto had a few more Demon hearts, but not many, and the competition would end on a relatively anti-climactic note.
Naruto's expression was grim as he slowly placed his right hand into his robe. Then, he pulled out another bag of holding, which he threw over to the stone slab. As soon as it landed, the third dragon completely lit up, as did ten percent of the fourth dragon.
Kanpu gasped and looked over at Naruto. "31,000…"
Iwaji's eyes were wide, and he almost couldn't believe it. Inwardly, he was laughing bitterly. If he had known Naruto possessed so many Demon hearts, there would never have been such a commotion.
Even the seven old men were shocked. Each of them possessed over 10,000 Demon hearts, but none had an accumulation that exceeded 20,000. And yet, their opponent unexpectedly produced 30,000. As of now, they couldn't help but start to form various speculations about him.
It only took a moment, though, for the seven men to exchange glances. All of their eyes were burning with passion, as they realized that they were actually much more interested in this contest than they had been before. Considering that their opponent had around 30,000 Demon hearts, if they won, it meant each of them would get approximately 5,000. The mere thought of it caused their hearts to begin to thump rapidly.
Then, the seven of them began to chuckle. It was at this point that the second old man stepped back and the third walked forward. He waved his right hand, causing a bag of holding to fly out. Immediately, the fourth and fifth dragons lit up, although the fifth was only ninety percent lit.
"49,000 low-grade Demon hearts!" said Kanpu, who then looked over at Naruto. It wasn't just him. Everyone, including Amaru, were now staring at Naruto.
"I refuse to believe that you can continue to compete," said the third old man, his voice cool.
Naruto said nothing. It seemed as if he had an endless supply of bags of holding in his robe. He produced yet another, which he tossed out, causing the fourth, fifth, and sixth dragons to completely light up!
The bag of holding turned out to have 30,000 Demon hearts in it!
Kanpu's mind was spinning, and he was breathing heavily. He stared blankly at the six glowing dragons on the stone slab.
"60,000… Demon hearts!"
The faces of the seven old men flickered, and they stared dead at Naruto. Then they exchanged glances, and reached a consensus. In their opinion, this had to be the last bag of holding their opponent would produce.
"60,000 Demon hearts! No wonder he was so domineering!"
"I never imagined that he would have so many Demon hearts. However, compared to the seven of us, he can't match up!"
"The best would be if he had 70,000, then each of us would get 10,000. That's quite a hefty profit. Well, even if this guy has someone powerful backing him, does he really think he can fight back against the seven of us altogether?!"
The seven old men chuckled as the fourth and fifth of their number stepped forward at the same time. The two of them tossed out bags of holding, which, as soon as they landed onto the stone slab, caused a blinding light to shine out. It wasn't the just the sixth dragon which lit up; the seventh did too, and even fifty percent of the eighth.
"75,000 low-grade Demon hearts!" said Kanpu, his amazed voice echoing about.
The fifth old man laughed heartily. "Fellow Daoist, however many low-grade Demon hearts you have, bring them out. We'll keep up with you until the end." His expression was proud, and his heart was filled with joy that he could not cover over.
The others also smiled complacently as they pondered what it would be like to split up all of Naruto's Demon hearts.
Naruto blinked, and then reached yet again into his robe. The eyes of the seven men narrowed as Naruto produced another bag of holding, which he tossed over to the stone slab.
A rumbling sound echoed out as the seventh and eighth dragons lit up. Only the ninth dragon remained dark.
Seeing this, the seven old men burst into hearty laughter. Even Kanpu let out a sigh of relief. Clearly, Naruto only had 80,000 Demon hearts, otherwise, the ninth dragon would already have begun to shine with light.
Iwaji had long since begun to pant, and his heart was pounding. When he saw Kanpu's expression, he truly wished he could simply step over and slap the man across the face. "What an idiot! Someone who possesses 80,000 Demon hearts is not someone to provoke lightly. Perhaps he just didn't dare to fight against the power of the seven combined. But now we have this situation here in the Sun Soul Society. He definitely won't give up!"
"This farce is over," said the sixth old man. "Fellow Daoist, it's time for me to teach you a lesson. Never forget, there are always Heavens beyond the Heavens you know, and there are always people out there who are better than you." He didn't even step forward. He simply tossed out a bag of holding. It landed with a bang onto the stone slab, causing the eight dragon to light up completely, along with seventy percent of the ninth dragon.
"87… 87,000 low-grade Demon hearts!" gasped Kanpu.
Naruto's brow furrowed, and he felt around in his robe. However, he did not produce another bag of holding. All of the low-grade Demon hearts that he possessed had been there in his robe.
When she saw the expression on Naruto's face, Amaru's heart began to pound. The expressions on the faces of the seven old men were of completely complacency. One of them stepped forward, and reached out toward the bags of holding which Naruto had placed onto the stone slab.
"Did I say you could touch those?" said Naruto. He waved his right hand, causing a mild attack to fly out that pushed the old man back. The old man's face flickered, and as he looked over at Naruto, the other six old men stepped forward, displeased expressions clouding their faces.
"Being a sore loser, Fellow Daoist?" asked one.
"Even if you are, it doesn't matter," said another. "You must admit your defeat. You lost, so those Demon hearts belong to us now."
Naruto's expression was the same as ever. Then he smiled, a faint, bashful smile.
"The competition isn't over yet, so how could I have lost?" His words caused the hearts of the seven old men to suddenly sink, and they exchanged flabbergasted looks.
"You have more low-grade Demon hearts?"
"Low-grade Demon hearts? No, I'm out," replied Naruto. It was at this point that he slapped the bag of holding at his side, from within which unexpectedly appeared another bag of holding. This was one of the special bags of holding that he had purchased in Seahold.
Hefting it, Naruto looked at the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale. "Why don't we use something else other than this slab? It would be a shame for an incredible treasure like it to be damaged."
Hearing this, the seven old men could only stare in shock at the bag of holding in Naruto's hand. Then, however, one of the old men sneered. "The stone slab only has nine dragons, but if the number exceeds 100,000, then they will change color. To date, I have never heard of anyone being able to use Demon stones to damage a Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale."
Naruto looked over at Iwaji, who hesitated for a moment before smiling wryly and nodding his head.
"Very well, then," said Naruto, tossing over the bag of holding. When it landed on the stone slab, it caused a boom to ring out that was audible even down on the first floor. At the same time, the ninth dragon completely lit up.
Looks of concentration appeared on the men's faces.
Next, the first dragon began to change color, turning blue.
The sight of it caused the faces of the seven old men to fall.
After that, the second dragon, the third dragon, in fact, all of the nine dragons turned blue.
Then they changed color again, starting with the first and going all the way to the ninth, until they all glittered with bright violet light.
The seven old men were trembling, and looks of shock and disbelief covered their faces. A few even said, "Impossible!"
However, the changes didn't stop with the violet light. Once more, the dragons began to change color, this time to orange.
"Orange light… that's… that's orange light!" The minds of the seven old men were spinning, as if they were being struck by lightning. They shook, their eyes blank with astonishment.
However, the light was not finished changed. Once again it began to transform, for the fifth time, causing the dragons, one after another, to shine with a glow the color of blood!
The changes in color left the people in the area completely and utterly shocked. They stared with wide open mouths, their minds roaring, as the nine dragons turned completely the color of blood. And then…
The nine dragons flickered brightly, as if… they were about to change to yet another color.
However, the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale had apparently reached its limit, and the color couldn't change. A rumbling sound filled the building, and soon was audible even outside. Shockingly, the sound was coming from the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale itself. Cracking noises could be heard as, in the full vision of everyone present, it suddenly… completely disintegrated!
Naruto cleared his throat. As he looked around at the shocked people around him, he thought to himself that being rich… felt great!
In the moment in which the stone slab exploded, Saint Sun Soul sat in his tower in Seahold. His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he sent his Divine Sense down into the city. It immediately locked onto the location where Naruto was.
After examining the situation, his face twitched again.
"Trying to compete in Demon hearts with him? Those seven are courting death!
"He mustn't be given any opportunity to flip out. If he seizes the moral high ground, he's bound to cause a crisis to develop…." Saint Sun Soul looked up at the bottle gourd which was placed off to the side, and felt a bit of a headache coming on. When he thought about the alcohol inside, his face grew unsightly.
He flicked his right sleeve, and immediately, a person approached from outside the tower. Once inside, he immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed.
"Greetings, Master."
It was a middle-aged man wearing a long, violet gown. His expression was one of veneration, and his eyes sparkled with energy. His Cultivation base was at the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, not far from Spirit Severing.
"Go to the Sect's Demon heart exchange pavilion," said Saint Sun Soul coolly. "There's a man there I want you to invite here. Remember to be extremely courteous. Treat him as politely as you treat me."
The middle-aged man immediately nodded, but the fact that his Master spoke no more caused him to pause for a moment.
"Master, what is name of this respected member of the senior generation?"
"Just go, you'll recognize him." Saint Sun Soul didn't appear to want to discuss the matter further.
The middle-aged man stood up and, feeling a bit perplexed, left the tower.
Meanwhile, back on the second floor of the Sun Soul Society's Demon heart exchange shop, Naruto stood there with hands clasped behind his back. He looked down at the shattered remnants of the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale, and then looked over at the old men, who stood there as dumbstruck as wooden chickens, completely speechless.
They were struck thoroughly and completely senseless. Their heads filled with unprecedentedly large crashing waves, and they felt as if their minds were about to be torn into shreds.
Then, they began to calculate….
"Changing colors once indicates a complete doubling in the number of Demon hearts….
"In total, there were six changes in color, which means that the number of Demon hearts would be six times the amount before…. Before, there were 80,000 demon hearts. Don't tell me that his bag of holding actually has 500,000 Demon hearts!?
"If you changed 500,000 Demon hearts into Spirit Stones, that… that would be….
"Over 300,000,000!" Their minds roared as they looked over at Naruto, terrified.
"No way!
"The Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale does indeed have a limitation. According to the standard of low-grade Demon hearts, it's supposedly able to accommodate 1,000,000. 500-600,000 wouldn't cause it to shatter. Something's going on here!" The old men gasped and looked over fixedly at Naruto.
However, before they could figure out where the problem lay, Kanpu and Elder Iwaji, despite being thoroughly shaken, also suddenly realized that something was off. They too looked over at Naruto.
The eyes of nine people all turned red.
As of now, the expressions of the seven old men were that of complete exasperation as they finally considered… the possibility of losing.
"You cheated!" they roared, their voices hoarse.
If they lost, their Demon hearts would become Naruto's. It was a vast sum that they fundamentally couldn't accept. After all, these weren't their Demon hearts, but rather, the property of the various Sects and Clans that they represented.
"You definitely cheated! The Demon Heart Scale can accommodate 1,000,000 low-grade Demon hearts. I don't believe that your bag of holding has more than 900,000!
"I don't know how you did it, but it's definitely not fair! Such actions deserve death!" The killing intent in the old men immediately grew more obvious.
"Do you, or do you not, dare to compete one more time!? Take the Demon hearts out of your bag of holding, and we can compare numbers directly!
"If you don't dare, then it proves you cheated! To behave so treacherously in front of us means that you won't step foot alive out the front door of this Demon heart exchange pavilion!"
The seven old men were acting in a very domineering fashion. They strode forward, their Cultivation bases unleashed, transforming into an intangible tempest which spread out in all directions.
Amaru's face was pale, and were she not hiding behind Naruto, she wouldn't be able to take it, and would directly explode.
The old man who had reached out to take Naruto's bags of holding just now suddenly produced another bag of holding which he tossed onto the stone slab. The nine dragons flickered, and suddenly, a blue light appeared.
However, it wasn't completely blue. Only about half of the first dragon had turned blue.
"98,000 low-grade Demon hearts. This is all the Demon hearts I possess. Do you dare to gamble again?!"
Kanpu and Iwaji stood off to the side silently watching. This time, even Kanpu didn't react; he didn't want to be involved with the matter any more.
Naruto coldly looked over the seven old men, then waved his right hand. Instantly, all of his bags of holding flew out from the rubble of the destroyed stone slab. Seeing this, the several old men roared and closed in on him.
However, before they could get close, Naruto opened the last of the bags of holding, and expressionlessly removed a Demon heart. It emanated with bright colors, along with dense spiritual energy. Naruto waved his sleeve, causing the Demon heart to fly over to Iwaji.
"Elder Iwaji, would you mind appraising that for me?" he said coolly.
The seven old men stopped in their tracks and looked at the Demon heart in Iwaji's hand. Their faces fell. They didn't need to look closely at it. Based on the spiritual energy, as well as its color and size, it was easy to determine….
"Mid-grade Demon heart!" Iwaji gasped. His words instantly crushed any last bit hope the seven old men had to come out on top.
Iwaji took a deep breath and gazed at the Demon heart. His face flickered through various emotions, and then he turned to stare at the bag of holding in Naruto's hand. The seven old men were doing exactly the same. All of them were inwardly forming speculations about what was going on, which caused their faces to become more and more unsightly.
"The price of mid-grade Demon hearts doesn't fluctuate very much," said Iwaji. "A single one is worth 10,000 Spirit Stones, or ten low-grade Demon hearts. Of course, it doesn't work the other way around." He looked up at Naruto and then slowly said, "Fellow Daoist, how many mid-grade Demon hearts do you possess?"
Naruto didn't say anything in response. He simply waved his sleeve, causing a glittering, crystalline waterfall to spill out of his bag of holding. The entire area instantly filled with dense spiritual energy. The second floor turned into something like a land of Immortals.
10,000 mid-grade demon hearts piled up all around. Immediately, everyone present began to pant, and their minds shook.
"10… 10,000 mid-grade Demon hearts. That's equal to 100,000 low-grade Demon hearts. They could be traded for… 100,000,000 Spirit Stones!" Iwaji struggled to maintain his composure as he spoke.
Kanpu, on the other hand, felt his vision growing dim, and he almost passed out. How could he ever have imagined that the person he scorned so openly would end up having so many mid-grade Demon hearts?
As for the seven old men, they trembled in place and looked almost as if they had just aged ten years.
"There is no need to directly compare," said Iwaji, looking over at Naruto. He clasped his hands and bowed courteously. "Fellow Daoist, you are the victor."
Amaru stood behind Naruto, her mind reeling. She knew Naruto was rich, but she had never imagined that he would be… THIS rich.
Naruto lifted his right hand, collecting up the bags of holding belonging to the seven men. The old men watched on with red eyes. Their killing intent was even more intense now, and seeing Naruto dare to take their bags of holding put them in the mood to go all out and attack.
"Hold on a minute!"
"Fellow Daoist, you certainly do possess more Demon hearts than us. However, you still haven't explained the matter of the cheating earlier!"
"Even if you do have 10,000 mid-grade Demon hearts, that's still not enough to destroy the Nine Dragons Demon Heart Scale! You cheated, which means the bet doesn't stand! We refuse to accept this!" Of course, the seven old men were now resorting to sophistry, and they knew it. However, what else could they do? There was no way the could simply allow Naruto to take away their Demon hearts.
"Well then, I'll just have to make you accept it," said Naruto calmly. He waved his hand, causing the remaining 20,000 mid-grade Demon hearts in his bag of holding to fly out. They piled up everywhere, nearly completely filling the second floor.
The eyes of the seven old men widened as Naruto then sent the high-grade Demon hearts flying out from the bag of holding. The splendor of the high-grade Demon hearts caused them to instantly become the focus of all eyes on the second floor.
The spiritual energy they produced transformed into a pillar-like aura that shot up into the air above Seahold. Wild colors flashed in the sky, and the wind and clouds roiled.
Every Cultivator in Seahold instantly looked over in stupefaction. The buzz of conversation instantly rose up from all areas of Seahold.
Back in the Demon heart exchange pavilion, Iwaji stared with slack jaw at the high-grade Demon hearts. He picked one up and looked at it closely, then hoarsely said, "This… this… is a high-grade Demon heart!"
Such items were considered treasures, and were rarely seen. A single one would normally be sold at auction, and in all the past years, he had only seen less than a hundred.
"The starting auction price for high-grade Demon hearts is 500,000 Spirit Stones. They can be exchanged for 50 mid-grade Demon hearts, or 500 low-grade Demon hearts…. There are 10,000 here… that means they are worth… worth… 5,000,000,000!"
Kanpu's vision now went completely dark.
As for the seven old men, their faces were deathly pale, and their minds filled with roaring. How could they ever have imagined that they were actually gambling with someone so enigmatic and impossible to predict?
They, who had Demon hearts worth a few dozen million Spirit Stones, were betting about who was richer… with someone who had 5,000,000,000.
Naruto cleared his throat, then waved his hand. Immediately, all of the Demon hearts flew back into his bag of holding, including the roughly 100,000 belonging to the seven old men. The seven old men lifted their heads up and roared. Their eyes were red as the complete power of their Cultivation bases exploded out and they charged Naruto.
Naruto's expression suddenly turned cold.
"Screw off!"
Two words caused minds of the seven men to feel as if they were filled with lightning. Blood sprayed from their mouths. They weren't able to even get close to Naruto before they were sent tumbling backward. They looked at him and coughed up blood, their expressions filled with unprecedented looks of astonishment and fear.
"Spirit… Spirit Severing!" Their faces drained of blood, and they began to tremble violently. This time, Kanpu really did pass out, falling flat onto the ground.
Iwaji gasped, stepped forward, and then bowed with clasped hands. "Junior offers greetings, senior!"
Right in the middle of Seahold, Naruto unleashed his aura, causing the seven old men to scatter backward, blood spraying from their mouths. In that same moment, a jagged black cloud filled with crackling lightning flew through the air in the Fourth Ring, right outside of the Flying Immortal Sect.
Then, the cloud dissipated to reveal an old man wearing a long black robe. His features were ancient, and the feeling of time seemed to circulate around him. He hovered in mid-air, looking down at the surface of the sea with an abstruse light glimmering in his eyes.
If Naruto were here, he would recognize him immediately. This old man… was none other than Madara!
"No more delays," he said coolly. "This time… I'll definitely wrest away his Dao foundation. If this clone gets defeated, then I'll simply lock down on the location and come here with my true self via greater teleportation. Even if the Immortality Bestowal Dais does notice, I will achieve my aim!" A sharp gleam appeared in his eyes, which contained both determination and a desire to slaughter.
"There are no traces of him whatsoever in the Fourth Ring. Before coming here, none of my auguries could produce any clue to his position. However, I was able to determine that he is still in the Milky Way Sea!
"If he's neither in the Fourth Ring, nor the Outer Sea, then that means he must be… in the Third Ring!
"The Third Ring… is a forbidden zone for Dao Seeking…." He frowned, then suddenly flew directly down toward the Flying Immortal Sect.
He remained inside for only the amount of time it takes an incense stick to burn. After he flew out, the entire Flying Immortal Sect suddenly burst into activity. Saint Flying Immortal had issued orders. More than half of the Flying Immortal Sect disciples flew toward the Flying Immortal Sect Sea City in the Third Ring.
Tens of thousands of disciples soared through the air, each one of them clutching a jade slip that contained an image of Naruto, along with a bit of Madara's Divine Sense.
Even as the Flying Immortal Sect disciples entered the Flying Immortal Sect Sea City, checks were made of the Third Ring entrance records. However, no traces were found of Naruto. After that, the Flying Immortal Sect unleashed all the power it could muster, along with all of its ships, to begin to travel through the Stormwind Divide. They were on their way to the Third Ring to accomplish their task.
Meanwhile, Madara was paying a visit to the Sea Divinity Sect. Although it was impossible to determine what exactly he promised them, when he left, Saint Sea Divinity issued orders that caused tens of thousands of Sea Divinity Sect disciples to spring into action. They transformed into countless sword auras that shot toward the Sea Divinity Sect Sea City, jade slips in hand. After a thorough check was made of the records of entry into the Third Ring, the tens of thousands of disciples began the process of entering the Third Ring, exactly as the Flying Immortal Sect disciples had.
Even Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity, two Spirit Severing experts, joined the forces who left the Sect and entered the Stormwind Divide.
Two of the three great Sects were driven into action by Madara. However, because Saint Sun Soul of the Sun Soul Society was stationed in the three Sects' Seahold in the Third Ring, it was impossible for an agreement to be reached. Therefore, although Madara was able to check their records, no forces were mobilized.
After thinking about the matter for a moment, a gleam of insight appeared in the eyes of Madara. "This kid is extremely cunning. However, the more I think about it, the fact that there are no records makes it even more likely that he's in the Third Ring!"
He left the Sun Soul Society's headquarters and then entered the Stormwind Divide.
"I've already flung out an inescapable dragnet into the Third Ring. I can't believe that Naruto… will disappear under the noses of tens of thousands of disciples from two Sects!
"Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity have already promised to go to the Third Ring. Their Cultivation bases are ordinary, but with their Sect's legacy treasures in hand, they are forces not to be trifled with.
"Nobody understands the Third Ring better than them. Naruto, if you can escape them, then I'll admit your superiority.
"It won't just be them looking for you either. I'm confident that I can win over the Sun Soul Society. Then, a hundred thousand disciples from three different Sects will be looking for a single you…. And as if that weren't enough, I've also posted a handsome bounty. When the time comes, all the Cultivators in the Third Ring will be my eyes and ears!
If only one person tracks you down, then I will know!" Madara strode through the Stormwind Divide. Everywhere he went, the black mists spread away from him, opening a path. It was as if nothing dared to stand in his way.
"This time, I must succeed. Too much time has passed, and the Hebi Clan is growing suspicious…." Madara's face was grim. How could he ever have suspected that a trifling member of the junior generation would turn out to be so troublesome, and even defeat him twice in a row?
It was in the same moment that the tens of thousands of Flying Immortal Sect and Sea Divinity Sect disciples flew into the Stormwind Divide that, back in the Third Ring, in the Sun Soul Society's Demon heart exchange pavilion in the three Sects' Seahold, Naruto made a grasping motion that caused all of the Demon hearts to fly into his bag of holding.
The seven old men were as mute as cicadas in winter. Their faces were pale, and they didn't dare to do anything to hinder Naruto. The pain that filled their hearts had long since seeped out to completely inundate them.
Panting, and eyes burning with passion, Iwaji suddenly spoke up. "Senior, if you wish to exchange those Demon hearts, please rest at ease, the Sect will definitely give you a satisfactory price!" He knew that if he personally could handle the exchange, it would count as an incredible meritorious service to the Sect.
Such meritorious service might even prompt a personal reaction from Saint Sun Soul, and could potentially affect his Cultivation base. He might even have a chance to enter the Spirit Severing stage!
Even if he couldn't, he would definitely become famous within the Sect.
"Can your Sun Soul Society alone handle this many Demon hearts?" asked Naruto, looking at him.
Iwaji gaped for a moment, then made some calculations. His face looked a bit unsightly as he realized that even employing all the resources of the Sun Soul Society, it still might be a difficult task to exchange Spirit Stones for so many Demon hearts.
In his moment of hesitation, a bright beam of light flew urgently toward the pavilion. It was Saint Sun Soul's apprentice, who, with a flash of minor teleportation, appeared on the second floor. As soon as he arrived, he saw the seven ashen-faced old men. Then his gaze fell upon Naruto.
All it took was one glance for him to ascertain that this was definitely the member of the senior generation to whom his Master had referred.
The reaction was a type of intuition on his part. After a sharp intake of breath, the middle-aged man instantly clasped hands and bowed.
"I am Han Feng of the junior generation. Greetings, senior. I come on orders from my Master to invite you to have a chat with him."
As soon as the man arrived, Iwaji's face flickered and he clasped hands in greetings. When the seven old men saw him, looks of awe appeared on their faces, and they also bowed.
Naruto looked at the middle-aged man, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Then he turned his head to look at the tower that rose up in the middle of Seahold.
"Your Master is Saint Sun Soul?" he asked coolly.
"My Master is indeed Saint Sun Soul," replied the man, his tone respectful.
Naruto looked back at Iwaji. "I'll be with Saint Sun Soul," he said. "You get the Spirit Stone situation sorted out and then come looking for me. How many Demon Hearts I give you will depend on how many Spirit Stones you can afford offer." Saint Sun Soul's apprentice gaped in response to Naruto's words, and Amaru stood there nervously.
Iwaji immediately sent a message. He didn't provide specific details; he just related the information about how many Demon hearts Naruto had. The apprentice's eyes went wide, and he gasped.
Now he understood why his Master had sent him here.
"How could he possibly have so many Demon hearts?" he thought. It was with even more reverence that he escorted Naruto as they flew off toward the tower.
Amaru was with them, and the closer they got to the tower, the more nervous she got. In the short period of time in which she had followed Naruto, she had seen more incredible things than she normally would have seen in her entire life.
That was especially true of the scene that had just played out regarding the Demon hearts, which seemed as if it might cause her heart to stop beating entirely. She had known Naruto was rich, but could never have imagined… that he was THAT rich.
Perhaps his wealth couldn't compare to that of an entire country, but it was no exaggeration that it could rival a great Sect.
Soon, the three of them reached the tower. Naruto turned to look back at Amaru.
The apprentice immediately clasped hands and bowed.
"Senior, don't worry. I, of the junior generation, will arrange accommodations for this Fellow Daoist."
Naruto nodded. Seeing that Amaru did not object, he turned and flew directly toward the top level of the tower, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
When he reappeared, he was inside the tower.
Black-robed Saint Sun Soul sat cross-legged behind a wide table, his face expressionless. Next to him was the elegant and poised woman, his wife. She was sniffing a flagon of alcohol when Naruto appeared. She looked at him and smiled warmly.
"You offered me some alcohol," said Saint Sun Soul. "Now, I'd like to offer you some in return." Even as he spoke, his wife brought the alcohol flagon over. She then produced two glasses, into which she distributed the alcohol. After that, she sat down next to Saint Sun Soul and looked over curiously at Naruto.
Naruto said nothing as he sat down directly across from Saint Sun Soul. He picked up the glass of alcohol, looked it over, then drank it in one mouthful.
When the alcohol entered his mouth, it felt freezing cold, and made his entire body feel as if it were being frozen. It even seemed as if the alcohol were about to extinguish the flame of his life force.
The coldness entered his Chakra passageways and spread throughout his entire person. Even his Cultivation base was frozen in the blink of an eye. His Divine Sense slowed down, and he almost began to slip into slumber. It was even hard to think.
He was so cold that frost appeared on his skin; it almost seemed like the alcohol in the cup could turn him into a statue of ice.
This alcohol would most certainly kill any ordinary Spirit Severing Cultivator who drank it. However, Naruto's fleshly body was far too powerful for that. Although his Cultivation base and Divine Sense had been frozen over, his fleshly body only vibrated slightly. In a short moment, thousands of these vibrations occurred. The frequency of the vibrations seemed to accord with some great Dao, and within the space of about ten breaths, white steam began to rise up from the top of his head. It filled the entire top level of the tower, and even caused the walls to make cracking sounds as they frosted over.
A serious expression appeared in the eyes of the elegant woman, and although Saint Sun Soul's face was expressionless, his eyes were cold as he stared at Naruto.
"Your alcohol isn't very strong, at least, not as strong as mine." Naruto slapped his bag of holding to produce, not another gourd bottle, but Han Shan's bronze alcohol flagon. He also pulled out a glass which he then filled with alcohol and slid across to Saint Sun Soul.
"Please, be my guest," he said coolly.
Saint Sun Soul's face twitched as he looked down at the glass. He hesitated, which was something he rarely did.
After a few breaths of time, a look of determination filled the eyes of Saint Sun Soul. He lifted up the glass of alcohol and then tossed it down his throat.
After it went down, his body suddenly started shaking, and veins bulged out on his face. A pained expression appeared but he doggedly endured, raising his hand to rotate the full power of his Cultivation base. His wife's face flickered, and she was about to rise to her feet when Saint Sun Soul stopped her with a look.
He panted for the space of about ten breaths, then suddenly pointed out with his right index finger. A blue aura appeared, filled with an intense sharpness. It shot out through the wall of the tower, after which, a monstrous Sword Chakra sped off over the horizon.
Saint Sun Soul breathed deeply, and his face was pale white. He looked over at Naruto.
"Does everyone in your hometown drink this type of alcohol?"
His expression the same as ever, Naruto lifted up the bronze alcohol flagon and took a long drink, all the while staring Saint Sun Soul in the eye.
Saint Sun Soul's face twitched again. He watched as Naruto had no reaction whatsoever to the alcohol, and in fact, even took another drink. He sighed.
"In all the years I've practiced Cultivation, this is the first time someone has ever threatened me with some alcohol."
"How could treating you to some alcohol be a threat?" asked Naruto, sounding a bit hurt. "In my hometown, everyone really does drink this. It's just that when I left, I was in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't bring very much with me. Next time, I'll make sure to bring you a bit more."
Saint Sun Soul sat there quietly. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Naruto's arrival. The Sword Chakra in the alcohol was very strong, and moments ago he had actually been rocked both physically and mentally. Then he saw Naruto drink it without any reaction at all. He couldn't help but think that Naruto was even more mysterious than he had seemed at first.
"He can attract Sea Demons to the point of driving them crazy," he thought. "He has this strange sword alcohol and a shocking fleshly body, and even canceled out my freezing Chakra…. On top of that he's also a Time Cultivator. So… why exactly is he here?" He lifted up the glass with the freezing alcohol and took a drink.
"Why don't you exchange your Demon hearts with the Sun Soul Society? The exchange rate won't be incredibly high, but neither will it be very low."
Naruto looked back silently at Saint Sun Soul for a moment. Then he asked, "Why do the three Sects value Demon hearts so much?"
"Generally speaking, that is a secret," replied Saint Sun Soul coolly. "However, considering the level of your Cultivation base, you'll figure it eventually on your own.
"The history of the three Sects go back a long way," he continued. "As for how long exactly, even I'm not too sure. I only know that the first generation of Patriarchs of the Sects jointly summoned the Stormwind Divide. After that, this area was sealed off all the way down until this day.
"As to whether those Patriarchs are still alive or dead, nobody knows. However, they left behind a legacy treasure that requires Demon hearts to ensure that it will continue to exist. Furthermore, the cultivation techniques of the Cultivators of the three Sects are different from that of outsiders. To us, Spirit Stones are only moderately effective. Demon hearts, on the other hand, are a different story.
"Furthermore, and most importantly, every rotation of the great spell formation that protects the three Sects requires a shocking amount of Demon hearts. Without the Demon hearts, it can't be operated."
Having heard all of this, Naruto chuckled a bit. "I suppose there is another reason, isn't there?"
"Yes, but I can't tell you," replied Saint Sun Soul, staring at Naruto.
"It has something to do with the yellow springs Underworld Ship in the Stormwind Divide," said Naruto, smiling and eyes glittering.
Saint Sun Soul looked back at him expressionlessly. "There's no need for you to probe for information. That matter is a secret of the three Sects, which cannot be told to outsiders. However, you know of the yellow springs Underworld Ship…. That's a bit unexpected."
Although his tone of voice was the same as ever, inwardly, Saint Sun Soul was shocked to hear Naruto mention the yellow springs Underworld Ship. Yet again, he found himself more in awe.
It was at this point that a jade slip suddenly began to glow inside Saint Sun Soul's bag of holding. He took it out and looked it over, then placed it down onto the table.
"If you don't want to tell me, then forget about the matter," said Naruto, giving up on his efforts to probe for information. "As for the Demon hearts… as long as you give me a huge enough quantity of Spirit Stones, then of course I'll exchange them with you!" He pulled out a bag of holding, which he loosened and then placed on the table.
Glancing at the jade slip on the table in front of Saint Sun Soul, Naruto smiled and said, "You most likely know exactly how many Demon hearts are inside. Name a price."
"5,000,000,000 low-grade Spirit Stones," replied Saint Sun Soul. He waved his hand, causing a ring to fly out which Naruto then snatched.
He scanned it with Divine Sense, whereupon he saw that the inside of the ring was densely packed with a vast quantity of Spirit Stones!
They were not low-grade, nor even mid-grade. No, all were high-grade Spirit Stones!
Naruto's pupils constricted. According to his understanding, even great Sects and Clans would have a hard time accumulating so many high-grade Spirit Stones. And yet Saint Sun Soul's attitude was… relatively cavalier.
Naruto muttered to himself inwardly about how this cold-faced man turned out to be the truly rich one. However, he still couldn't wrap his mind about why the trifling Sun Soul Society would have so many Spirit Stones.
His eyes flickered as all of a sudden, he thought about Demon hearts.
"Could it be that there is something about the Demon hearts themselves that cause the Sun Soul Society to be so rich?" he thought.
"Our transaction is complete, you can take your leave now." Saint Sun Soul closed his eyes and paid no more attention to Naruto, as if even looking at him caused him to feel somewhat annoyed.
Naruto smiled, clasped the ring in hand as he stood up and prepared to leave. However, after taking only two steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back.
"Considering how many Spirit Stones your Sun Soul Society has," he said, "perhaps you would be interested in forming a cooperation."
Saint Sun Soul opened his eyes and looked at Naruto.
"What sort of cooperation?"
"The two of us join forces to kill Sea Demons. I'll help you to draw them out."
Saint Sun Soul's eyes glittered, and after a moment of silence, he said, "What's the split?"
"For every ten we acquire, you keep nine and I keep one. Furthermore, when it comes to exchanging the Demon hearts for Spirit Stones, I'll give you a ten percent discount!"
"Fifty percent!" retorted Saint Sun Soul.
"No way," said Naruto, shaking his head. "It's not easy to attract the Sea Demons, and that's my responsibility. It's just that with your help things will go a bit faster. Also, the Third Ring belongs to your three Sects. If it weren't for that, I could just do it all myself."
"Oh, so you do know what it means to be in the Third Ring after all!" shot back Saint Sun Soul. The two of them continued to negotiate the terms of their cooperation. Off to the side, Saint Sun Soul's beautiful wife covered her smile with her hand as she watched on. She hadn't heard Saint Sun Soul speak so much in years.
She understood her husband well. He seemed cold on the outside, but he viewed the people he approved of as close friends. As for the people he didn't approve of, even people who were incredibly powerful, they would not hear more than three sentences come out of his mouth.
She could see that although her husband and Naruto didn't seem to get along, in truth, they both admired each other.
Naruto slapped his hand down onto the table, causing the jade slip to fly up into the air. "You listen to me, swindler, I've been going easy on you so far, don't make me get serious! You've tasted my hometown alcohol, so you know that a fifty percent discount is not going to happen!"
Saint Sun Soul gave a cold snort. "For hundreds of years in the Third Ring, the Saints have controlled everything! Without my permission, will you be killing any Demons at all?"
The two of them faced off angrily. Smiling, Saint Sun Soul's wife rose to her feet to refill their glasses of alcohol. Her voice soft, she said, "There's no need to act like this, you two. Instead of sticking to fifty percent or ten percent, why don't you both back down a bit and settle on thirty percent?"
Naruto thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. "Fine, thirty percent it is!" After all, this was the Third Ring, and when it came to Saint Sun Soul, unless he used some of his trump cards, he wouldn't quite be a match. Although the two of them didn't quite know how to deal with the other, Naruto couldn't help but think about how annoying it was to try to earn his Spirit Stones only to be interfered with by other random people.
Saint Sun Soul hesitated for a moment and then nodded.
Naruto rose to his feet, "Alright, swindler. Since we're in agreement, then we'll head out in a few days."
"I'm a Saint and my name is Menma!" said Saint Sun Soul through gritted teeth.
"Thanks for telling me, swindler," replied Naruto, flicking his sleeve and preparing to leave.
It was at this point that Saint Sun Soul's eyes flickered, and he suddenly swept his sleeve across the jade slip sitting on the table, sending it flying toward Naruto. Naruto turned and grabbed it, then looked at Saint Sun Soul.
"Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity sent me some news. Take a look." He took another drink of alcohol, then closed his eyes and said nothing further.
A serious expression on his face, Naruto sent his Divine Sense into the jade slip. After looking at the information therein, a tremor ran through him. According to the jade slip, Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity were currently on their way to the Third Ring, along with seventy thousand of their disciples.
In addition to that information, there was also a picture of Naruto, as well as an message to Saint Sun Soul, inviting him to join in the search.
Finally, there was a message indicating that Madara was coming personally to meet with Saint Sun Soul to explain the rewards he would receive for participating in the search.
Naruto's face was expressionless as he tossed the jade slip back, where it hovered in the air in front of Saint Sun Soul.
Saint Sun Soul took and put it away, then coolly said, "Han Feng."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Han Feng teleported into the room to stand in front of Saint Sun Soul. He clasped hands and bowed.
His voice calm, Saint Sun Soul said, "Go out into Seahold and get rid of any information about Master's friend here. It doesn't matter how many people saw him or had dealings with him, go take care of everything. Spare no cost.
"That includes people who have left the city in the past few days. Clean it all up."
Han Feng gaped for a moment, then bowed his head and voiced his assent. He glanced over at Naruto and then turned and left.
Naruto's eyes glittered as he watched these things happen, but he didn't speak.
"Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity are passing through the Stormwind Divide. Given the speed they can attain, it will take them two months to get here. As for that 10th Madara, even if he does have a Dao Seeking Cultivation base, it will also take him about two months.
"I will agree with the requests of the other Saints, as well as of Madara. That way, it will be much harder for traces of your passage to be picked up in my territory."
Naruto was silent for a moment before clasping hands and bowing. "Many thanks!"
"I'm not helping you, I'm helping our business," replied Saint Sun Soul coolly. Then he cleared his throat and looked at Naruto. "Eighty percent discount!"
Naruto gritted his teeth. Although his expression was the same as usual, he glared at Saint Sun Soul, who was beaming in self-satisfaction. "Forty percent, that's the most you'll get!"
A short while later, Naruto left the tower, his face grim and unsightly. In the end, he had been conned by that swindler; they ended up agreeing to a fifty percent discount.
Naruto had always felt as if he lived a life in which he conned others. Rarely did others con him. He especially never imagined that he would be conned by such a solemn-looking, unprincipled swindler like Saint Sun Soul. The whole matter left him feeling extremely exasperated.
"I can't believe that swindler conned me like he did…." sighed Naruto. Saint Sun Soul's apprentice led him, not to the city area, but to a private villa nearby.
That was the arrangement set up by Saint Sun Soul. By staying in this private district belonging to the Sun Soul Society, contact with outsiders could be kept to a minimum, which would make it much easier to get rid of any traces of his presence.
When Amaru saw the look on his face, she didn't dare to speak. Every time she looked over, he seemed to have a different expression. Sometimes he gritted his teeth, sometimes he sighed, sometimes he seemed to be in indescribable pain.
"What's wrong with him?" she thought in astonishment. What she didn't know was that to Naruto… Spirit Stones had long since become his entire life! For someone to, in one blow, reduce the number of Spirit Stones he could earn, was like a knife stabbing through his heart.
After Naruto left the tower, Saint Sun Soul Menma began to chuckle complacently. Feeling quite happy, he raised the alcohol glass to his lips and took a long drink.
His wife sat off to the side, shaking her head. She was also very happy, not because of how much her husband had managed to take advantage of Naruto, but rather, the fact that a friendship was slowly developing between the two of them.
Her husband had never had any friends, and she could sense how happy he actually was.
Later that night, Naruto sat cross-legged in his room, thinking over his current situation. He still felt a bit of pain in his heart; the feeling of turning from the con-man into the conned left him repeatedly sighing.
"Madara, you bastard. Just you wait and see!" Naruto had always felt himself to be quite a reasonable person. After thinking the matter over, therefore, he came to the conclusion that the one responsible for these crimes was actually Madara.
Gritting his teeth, Naruto probed his Cultivation base. Currently, only three majestic portions of Cultivation base power remained, and they were in the process of fusing.
"The more progress I make, the slower it goes," he thought, retracting his Divine Sense. This was his path to Spirit Severing. Eventually the three portions would become two, and finally one. When that happened, he would be able to enter Spirit Severing.
"I wonder what I will Sever for the First Severing…?" He was a bit hesitant about this point. Despite having thought about the matter quite a bit recently, he still hadn't received any sort of enlightenment. The entire matter was still somewhat blurry to him.
Lost in thought, he produced the ring of holding and looked over the Spirit Stones inside. When he saw them glittering and shining, it made him feel a little bit better.
"So, that bastardly Madara isn't dead, and he's working incredibly hard to track me down. It seems he really thinks he's going to take my Dao foundation this time." A cold glint appeared in Naruto's eyes as he took out the Wooden Time Sword and the copper mirror, then began to make copies and refine them with further Time sealing marks.
"Just wait until I get a hundred Wooden Time Swords. They'll make a huge formation that will give me the power to defend against even the Dao Seeking stage, at least to some extent!"
Now that his Spirit Stones had been completely replenished to the pinnacle, Naruto could immerse himself in duplication. Gradually, more and more Wooden Time Swords began to build up.
Several days later, he finally produced the one hundredth copy. All hundred of the swords contained eight sixty-year cycles of Time power.
He wanted to keep working, but there wasn't enough time. His meeting with Saint Sun Soul was set for dawn of the following morning. He glanced over the one hundred Wooden Time Swords with their eight sixty-year cycles of Time power, and his eyes glittered. But then, he gritted his teeth and examined the vast quantities of Spirit Stones in his ring of holding.
"Spirit Stones are very, very, very important. However, if I die, they'll end up belonging to someone else…." His eyes flickered, and he took out the Time Sword tip.
He stared at it for a moment and then began to breathe heavily.
"I don't need many copies of this sword tip, only ten…. then, I can create the first form of the Lotus Sword Formation. The power of such a sword formation would be equivalent to 100,000 years of Time." He looked at the sword tip, and then the ring of holding. Finally, he began to work with the copper mirror.
Before beginning to duplicate the sword tip, he braced himself mentally. He knew that once he started, he couldn't stop until the duplication was complete. Therefore, he prepared to go all out. Spirit Stones began to pour into the copper mirror.
Ten Spirit Stones, one hundred Spirit Stones, one thousand Spirit Stones….
Naruto's movements were somewhat wooden. He watched the accumulation of Spirit Stones in the ring of holding getting smaller and smaller. Two hours later, the copper mirror suddenly began to emanate bright light in all directions. Naruto's eyes burned with passion as the mirror's pupil-like surface slowly seemed to turn into a watery film, from which two identical sword tips immediately appeared.
Naruto was panting as he picked them up. Then, he raised his head and started to laugh.
The power of Time within both sword tips was completely identical!
However, even as he laughed, he started to calculate how many Spirit Stones he had spent and he felt a sharp pain stabbing through his heart.
"I actually spent 1,000,000,000!
"Dammit, it's ridiculously expensive!" Pain filled him.
"Uchiha Clan Patriarch, you bastard, things aren't over between us!" His eyes were red and he felt deep pain, all of which transformed into rage toward Madara. Then, gritting his teeth, he began to make another duplicate.
With his original accumulation of 5,000,000,000 Spirit Stones, Naruto was only able to copy four Time Sword tips. Including the original, he now had five. As for the remaining Spirit Stones, he used them to duplicate medicinal pills, Wooden Time Swords and other miscellaneous objects.
Eventually, he was absolutely and completely equipped for battle. However, his bag of holding was virtually empty. The ring of holding was also empty. To Naruto, even though it was early morning and the sun was shining brightly in the sky, everything seemed dark.
The night before, he had been unbelievably wealthy. The next morning, he was back to normal. Other than smiling bitterly, the only thing Naruto could do was… well, smile bitterly.
"Perhaps I'm just not destined to be rich…. To me, Spirit Stones are just something I need to copy magical items and other things. Besides, if I chose to cultivate the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal, which absorbs magical items into my body, then the Spirit Stone wastage would be virtually endless." He sighed. The Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal was the Daoist magic he had acquired in the Demon Immortal Pagoda, the one that could be used to temper his fleshly body!
It was a Daoist magic that, even in the ancient Demon Immortal Sect, could be considered a famous Dao. In fact, the only reason it was ranked behind the art of Fleshly Sanctification was because the latter was a secret art. The Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal required cultivation year in and year out, and the sealing technique was not difficult. However, the resources that ended up being wasted was something that most Sects could not afford.
The combination of both the Daoist magic and the secret art could be used to temper the body to an ultimate level. It was only by combining them that their true power could explode out.
"Fleshly Sanctification is a secret art, which means that it most assuredly has other functions. My Cultivation base just isn't sufficient to invoke them.
"Cultivating the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal… is a shortcut to improving my fleshly body. For others, it would be too difficult. However, as long as I have enough Spirit Stones, there is no end to the number of magical items I can duplicate. Therefore, I could continue to cultivate the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal indefinitely." Naruto sighed. The entire reason he hadn't begun to practice the Nine Heavens Treasured Body Seal was because of not only matters of enlightenment, but, more importantly, the fact that he was poor….
"Spirit Stones. I need Spirit Stones!" Naruto's eyes were red as he lifted up his head; his thirst for Spirit Stones had reached a pinnacle. His entire person radiated a somber aura as he flew out.
When Saint Sun Soul Menma arrived and saw Naruto, he was instantly astonished.
"Who pissed you off?" he asked.
Naruto didn't say anything, but the somber air grew even more obvious. His body flashed as he flew off into the distance. Saint Sun Soul followed, even more perplexed. The two of them moved at top speed, and within the blink of an eye, were gone from Seahold.
When they were quite some distance away from Seahold, Naruto stopped in mid-air and then glanced down at the sea.
"Alright, swindler, are you ready?" he said, looking over at Saint Sun Soul.
"You have no respect for your superiors," replied Saint Sun Soul, frowning. "How old are you again? Come on, stop wasting time. Let's get started."
Naruto took a deep breath. Saying nothing further, he began to suppress his Cultivation base. As for the Resurrection Lily, it had become much more active after the encounter with the Dawn Immortal. As soon as it saw an opening, it made its appearance.
When the aura appeared, Saint Sun Soul's eyes flickered and he backed up. He looked at Naruto suspiciously.
"That aura…." he thought. "It's similar to that of the Sea Devils…. However, he's clearly a Cultivator." It was in that moment that the sea suddenly began to churn, and great waves began to roll across the various sea districts of the Third Ring. One Sea Demon after another trembled, then began to head toward Naruto, eyes red.
In the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, hundreds of Sea Demons were already in the area, closing in.
"No, it's not a Sea Devil aura," he thought. He could sense that something about it was different. "If the aura of a Sea Devil appeared, it would cause most Sea Demons to capitulate. But in this case, they are attacking him as if they are archenemies. It looks like they want to eat him even if they destroy themselves in the process."
RUMBLE!
Hundreds of Sea Demons burst out of the water to savagely attack Naruto.
He gave a cold snort, then raised his right hand. Immediately, 10,000 magical symbols appeared to sweep about the area. Even as the booms rang out, thousands more Sea Demons appeared off in the distance.
"Not very many," mocked Saint Sun Soul.
Naruto didn't reply. He sank down to the bottom of the sea and allowed the aura of the Resurrection Lily to spread out even more. The entire sea trembled as if it were on fire.
Of course, that fire was none other than countless Sea Demons, burning their own life forces in exchange for shocking speed to rush toward the aura of the Resurrection Lily. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of Sea Demons appeared off in the distance. Even further off were hundreds of thousands, causing the sea to swell into towering waves.
In addition, there were seven or eight especially shocking roars that echoed out from over the horizon.
Face flickering, Saint Sun Soul sank down into the water, whereupon he saw Naruto surrounded by one hundred wooden swords, which were formed into ten shapes like lotuses. As they swirled around Naruto, it became clear that each of the flowers was actually a petal, all of which formed together… into an enormous spell formation that looked like a lotus!
The formation swept about for three hundred meters around Naruto, and any Sea Demons that got close withered up and disappeared. It was as if in the blink of an eye, they had passed through an entire life's worth of time.
In fact, even the water in the area seemed to show signs of wastage. Apparently there was nothing that could escape the power of Time!
The scene caused Saint Sun Soul's heart to tremble.
"Ten swords constitute a lotus," thought Saint Sun Soul. "Ten lotuses constitute a formation!
"One hundred swords, and an enormous formation, all filled with the power of Time. When the power ripples out, nothing remains unwithered!
"Most intriguing of all is that every sword flower contains thousands of variations. When the ten lotuses turn into the massive formation, the variations increase exponentially. There must be tens of thousands of variations hidden within!
"Such a large formation requires a shocking level of Divine Sense to control. All of that, however… is merely secondary. Most importantly, the formation requires both a physical form and an internal spirit. His Lotus Sword Formation has both of those things!" Saint Sun Soul's mind trembled. He already had a high opinion of Naruto, but now, he couldn't stop his pupils from constricting as he realized that he actually had underestimated him.
"So, it turns out that he was actually only using a portion of his power in our initial fight. If he used this sword formation, then even I… would have a hard time extricating myself from it!
"Time Cultivators are inherently rare, but he is even more shocking than I expected. And then there's that flagon of alcohol…. I think there's an eighty percent likelihood it really is from his hometown. The only problem is that I don't know where exactly that is!" Having personally witnessed the power of Naruto's sword formation, Saint Sun Soul was inwardly shaken. Currently, hundreds of thousands of Sea Demons were now rushing toward them.
In the blink of an eye, the sea was completely thrown into chaos. Roaring sounds echoed out as Naruto's sword formation rotated at an incredible speed.
Naruto was mentally calculating how many Demon hearts were building up with each Sea Demon he killed. Seeing Saint Sun Soul standing there in a daze, he couldn't help but get annoyed. "Hey, swindler! If you don't make a move soon then I won't even give you a thirty percent discount!"
Saint Sun Soul gave a snort and then waved his right hand. Instantly, 100,000 magical symbols flew out from his sleeve, swirling around to form into ten magical symbol beasts. They roared as they charged into the surrounding Sea Demons and began to slaughter them.
Now that Naruto and Saint Sun Soul were working together, the speed of the massacre increased rapidly. Without the stimulus provided by the Resurrection Lily, it would be impossible to kill so many Sea Demons in the Third Ring. Right now, the Sea Demons seemed to have lost any ability to reason and were filled with madness.
Blood dyed the sea red as the slaughter continued for approximately an hour, when suddenly four earth-shattering roars echoed out from the surrounding area.
It was at that point when, shockingly, four enormous Sea Demons with Whitebone Lilies on them approached, one from each direction.
One of the four Sea Demons was a huge jellyfish. Of the other three, one was a gigantic violet sea turtle, and the other two were sea dragons that looked completely identical.
As they neared, huge waves rolled out across the sea as the aura of Spirit Severing rippled out.
"Two for each of us, huh?" Naruto said as quickly as he could. "You want to have a little competition to see who can kill them faster? If I win, the discount will be ten percent. If you win, I'd be willing to set it at forty percent. What do you say?"
Saint Sun Soul blinked. He had never met someone so shameless. After directly refusing Naruto's offer, he waved his sleeve, causing two illusory, glowing swords to appear in front of him. They scraped against each other, causing ghost images to appear. Hundreds of swords turned into a sword rain that shot toward the two sea dragons.
Seeing that Saint Sun Soul couldn't be easily fooled, Naruto said nothing more. He turned back around and then performed an incantation gesture with his right hand. Immediately, five Time Sword tips flew out, shooting with incredible speed toward the gigantic violet sea turtle. At the same time, the Time Sword Formation vanished and then reappeared, surrounding the jellyfish.
Naruto was located in the middle of the two formations, surrounded by a tempest of 10,000 magical symbols.
"Attack!" he growled. Instantly… the five Time Sword tips circulating around the gigantic sea turtle began to rotate and emit a shocking power of Time. The gigantic sea turtle howled, and the Whitebone Lily on its back began to sway. It was about to rush forward, but when the aura of Time power entered it, it shuddered, and then a look of astonishment appeared on its face. Without any hesitation, it retracted its head into its shell to defend itself.
Unfortunately, nothing can remain unwithered under the power of Time!
Five sword tips emanated a power of Time exceeding 100,000 years. As the power circulated out, the body of the giant sea turtle rapidly withered. A bloodcurdling shriek could be heard, then a boom. A giant sea turtle which possessed the power of Spirit Severing was instantly turned into nothing but ash and smoke….
The speed and savagery of the kill caused even Naruto to suddenly focus in concentration. His eyes gleamed with a brilliant light.
"My Spirit Stones were not spent in vain!" he thought.
At the same time, the jellyfish was trapped in the Lotus Sword Formation. It struggled, but its body was beginning to wither. After the space of about ten breaths, a bang could be heard as the sword formation transformed it into nothing more than ash drifting about in the seawater.
By this point, Saint Sun Soul had only managed to kill one of the sea dragons. He jerked his head to look over his shoulder and saw the impressive power of Naruto's Time treasures. His pupils constricted, and suddenly he found Naruto to be even more profoundly enigmatic.
Time passed. Several hours later, they were still surrounded by densely packed groups of Sea Demons, who charged at them one after another. The seawater was stained red. Even Saint Sun Soul was shocked at the level of carnage.
However, as they continued to kill and kill, his excitement only grew greater. He even summoned the three swords of Seahold; wherever they passed, they left nothing but death in their wake.
In the end, Naruto actually didn't need to do anything. He just stood there, maintaining the circulation of the sword formation and the magical symbols. Saint Sun Soul was in a frenzy as he slaughtered the Sea Demons. It was almost like he had turned into a different person, flying back and forth and crying out at the top of his lungs.
"DIIIIEEEE!" he shouted, laughing the entire time. Despite being under the water, his Cultivation base caused his muffled laughter to fill the entire area.
Naruto looked at blood-soaked Saint Soul Sun and thought. "In the future, I definitely shouldn't provoke this guy…." The man's formerly somber face was twisted ferociously, and his previous taciturn personality was now deranged with madness as he continued rant and rave.
"He's gone crazy…." thought Naruto, blinking. "Could it be that the little swindler has just repressed himself for too long?" The more he watched, the more he got the impression that Saint Sun Soul really was a bit crazy.
At some point the parrot appeared and perched on Naruto's shoulder. Its eyes went wide when it saw the slaughter being carried out by Saint Sun Soul. "He really has gone crazy…." it said.
The meat jelly was off to the side, nodding vigorously. "Don't offend that lunatic, Naruto. I've seen people like him before, and they're all psychos!"
"Why aren't you out there collecting the Demon hearts!?" snapped Naruto. The parrot and the meat jelly, eyes glittering, immediately flew out and began to make their way back and forth across the seafloor to pick up the Demon hearts.
Saint Sun Soul saw this, but didn't pay any heed. At the moment, he was happy to be killing things.
More time passed. Saint Sun Soul was thoroughly engrossed in the slaughter. He even employed a multitude of magical items, causing the sounds of explosions to fill the air. As for Naruto, he was even more idle than before. He finally just sat down cross-legged inside the spell formation and closed his eyes to meditate, focusing on fusing the three portions of Cultivation base power within him.
Time passed by. The slaughtering continued for four more hours. Saint Sun Soul's voice was getting hoarse, and yet his desire to kill had not lessened, but rather, had increased.
After a while, Naruto opened his eyes. The seawater that surrounded them was now thoroughly red. After glancing at Saint Sun Soul, he closed his eyes again.
After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, a tremor ran through him. He suddenly stood up and turned his head to look at the seafloor off in the distance. A feeling of imminent disaster suddenly washed over him.
At the same time, the Resurrection Lily sprang into action, and a feeling of excitement radiated out from it, as if it desired to burst out from inside. Such an omen filled Naruto's mind with a roaring sound. He suddenly strode forward toward Saint Sun Soul and then waved his hand, causing the war chariot to appear.
"This is fun!" laughed Saint Sun Soul, his eyes completely bloodshot.
"Fun my ass," Naruto immediately growled in exasperation. "Let's go!" With that, he reached out to grab Saint Sun Soul. Saint Sun Soul's eyes went wide, but he did nothing to stop Naruto, allowing himself to be pulled onto the war chariot.
RUMBLE!
The war chariot shot out, smashing into countless Sea Demons. After it broke through them and charged towards the water's surface, a sinister aura rose up from deep within the sea that caused Saint Sun Soul to feel incredibly cold.
A faint voice could suddenly be heard within the cold and sinister aura. "My son…. come back… come back…."
As the voice echoed out, a huge tentacle shot out from the depths of the sea, like an enormous black shadow. In the blink of an eye, it was upon them.
It moved with such incredible speed that it seemed to be on the verge of wrapping around Naruto's war chariot. Naruto's eyes instantly went bloodshot. As fast as possible, he circulated the little bit that remained of the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way.
The power of the Chakra caused Saint Sun Soul's eyes to go wide. Then he looked back at the enormous tentacle, and his scalp went numb. However, at the same time, an even stronger desire to go to battle welled up within him.
He waved his right hand, causing the three swords that circulated around him to shoot toward the tentacle.
Naruto looked up, and his eyes flickered with killing intent. He also waved his right hand, causing five Time Sword tips and the one hundred sword Lotus Sword Formation to appear and follow the three swords.
A huge boom could be heard. Blood sprayed from the mouths of both Saint Sun Soul and Naruto. However, the combined power of the two, and their shocking magical items, caused the tentacle to suddenly pause.
Even in the instant in which they called back their magical items, the war chariot started to move. It shot out of the ocean at incredible speed, and then vanished.
The Resurrection Lily branch exploded out from the red seawater, but then slowly descended back down. Red waves spread out for a while, but then the water grew calm again.
Far away, closer to Seahold, a swishing sound could be heard as the war chariot suddenly appeared. Naruto's face was pale, as was Saint Sun Soul. The two of them exchanged a glance.
"Dammit, what the hell was that?!" said Saint Sun Soul through clenched teeth. "And how did you manage to attract its attention? You're simply too adept at causing trouble. First there's Madara, and now that damned thing!?"
Naruto didn't hesitate at all in responding, "I seem to remember you saying something about you controlling everything in the Third Ring. If you don't know what it is, then how do you expect me to know?!"
The two snorted and then stared at each other angrily. For a moment, neither spoke.
Finally, Saint Sun Soul said, "How many Demon hearts did we get?"
Naruto did some calculations, and then his eyes began to shine. "About twice as many as last time," he said.
When Saint Sun Soul heard this, he instantly smiled. "Let's go back to Seahold and rest for a few days, then we'll do it again, alright?"
Saint Sun Soul watched enviously as Naruto put away the war chariot. After holding back for a long moment, he finally said, "That treasure of yours is pretty nice, want to sell it?"
"NO," replied Naruto without hesitation.
"Fine, forget about it!" replied Saint Sun Soul with a cold harrumph. "Crappy thing. I wouldn't take it if you gave it to me for free."
"If you give me one for free, I'll take it," said Naruto, blinking.
"Screw off!" replied Saint Sun Soul angrily.
"Look, swindler, the Demon hearts are all in my bag of holding. Say 'screw off' one more time and see what happens!" A bright gleam appeared in his eyes, as if he looked forward to finally be on his own again.
Saint Sun Soul opened his mouth, but struggled to control himself and didn't say anything in response.
A long moment passed, and when he finally did speak again, he changed the subject. "Alright, no screwing around. What was that thing back there?"
"A damnable, accursed Resurrection Lily," replied Naruto frankly. "Assumably, it resides in the Second Ring."
"Resurrection Lily!" Saint Sun Soul's eyes narrowed and flickered.
Shortly thereafter, the two arrived back at Seahold, undetected. Back in the tower, they divided their spoils. Although Naruto frequently conned people, when he gave his word, he would never go back on it. Therefore, he wouldn't be secretly stingy. Although he was responsible for collecting the Demon hearts, he didn't hold even a single one back.
According to their previous agreement, Naruto got ten percent of the Demon hearts and the rest he sold to Saint Sun Soul at a fifty percent discount. A vast amount of Spirit Stones poured into his bag of holding. Naruto once again was struck with the realization that Saint Sun Soul… was filthy rich!
As he left the tower with his Spirit Stones, Naruto once again adopted Steward Ebisu's manner of carrying himself. He returned to his own residence, then gritted his teeth for a long moment. Then he considered how incredible the Time Sword tip was, and finally pulled out the copper mirror to make a duplicate.
This time, he made five in one go. Altogether, he now had ten Time Sword tips, which meant that he could utilize the first form of the Lotus Sword Formation!
Now that the form was complete, its power was increased exponentially. Naruto sent the formation flying back and forth a bit, his expression one of excitement.
Then he retrieved his Wooden Time Swords and began to imbue them with more Time power.
Several days later, he and Saint Sun Soul once again snuck off to a distant area of the Third Ring and used the same method as before to slaughter Sea Demons. They worked together even better this time. Saint Sun Soul grew more and more excited at the killing, and Naruto sat there with eyes closed in meditation, remaining on guard against the Dawn Immortal.
A month passed by, during which time the two of them ran amok in the Third Ring. Other Cultivators in the Third Ring were shocked to suddenly find that there were virtually no Sea Demons around.
Furthermore, the Third Ring was so often filled with enormous waves that it made it impossible to go out.
Of course, the profits made by Naruto and Saint Sun Soul Genma were incredible. In addition, Naruto's Cultivation base had now been reduced from three portions to two.
The day that he could perform his Spirit Severing was just around the corner.
Furthermore, the one hundred Wooden Time Swords in his Time Sword Formation were now filled with ten sixty-year cycles. When the formation was unleashed, its power was incredible. Of course, his most deadly killing move was the ten Time Sword tips.
Even alone, they were enough to shock Saint Sun Soul. However, if he combined them with the Time Sword Formation, making them the nucleus of the lotus, then Sword Chakra would fill the surrounding thousand meter area of Seahold.
Naruto also purchased a large amount of self-detonating magical items from Saint Sun Soul. Such items were now piled up like a mountain inside his bag of holding.
He was now armed to the teeth, and his overall strength was far more than before.
They didn't encounter the Dawn Immortal again, although Naruto's vigilance in keeping guard never lessened.
Currently, Naruto sat cross-legged within the spell formation. Countless Sea Demons filled the area around them, and Saint Sun Soul was engaged in slaughter. "Just how many Sea Demons are there in the Third Ring?" asked Naruto. "We've killed so many, and yet every time there are still tons of them."
Saint Sun Soul killed eight Sea Demons with a sweep of his sword and then looked back at Naruto. "They're endless. Actually, there was once a legend floating around the three Sects that three Star Portals exist underneath the Milky Way Sea!
"Supposedly, the Star Portals connect to the Ninth Sea, and that's where most of the Sea Demons come from. Of course, the Star Portals have limitations preventing any incredibly powerful Sea Demons from entering."
A month before, Saint Sun Soul would never have told Naruto about the Star Portals. However, they had been working together for a whole month now, and despite their daily bickering, their bond of friendship had actually grown stronger.
"Three Star Portals?" said Naruto, staring in shock.
"One in the Third Ring, another in the Second Ring, and a third in the Inner Ring!" replied Saint Sun Soul.
Naruto sat there thoughtfully for a moment, and was just about to ask some more questions when suddenly, he sensed a cold, evil aura. Without hesitation, he rose to his feet and started walking forward, pulling out the war chariot at the same time.
When Saint Sun Soul saw this, his face flickered and he instantly headed toward Naruto, who grabbed him and pulled him into the war chariot.
Naruto was about to send the war chariot flying off, but then, his eyes flickered. He had just noticed that the reaction of the Resurrection Lily inside of him was strangely different this time.
It did not seem active and excited like before. Rather… it was trembling, as if it were terrified. It was almost like it had run into something it considered deadly; it even began to retract its own aura, not letting a scrap of it emanate out.
Naruto made a light "eee?" sound, and then spurred the war chariot into movement. It was in that moment that he suddenly heard an ancient voice in his ear.
"The day the Resurrection Lily blooms in seven colors, the flower blooms, Immortal Ascension, one thousand years….
"Immortal Ascension failed, and a Whitebone Lily appeared…."
When he heard the voice, Naruto's mind trembled. The Resurrection Lily inside of him trembled even more violently. At the same time, the war chariot shot up out of the sea and then flew at top speed through mid-air.
"I was unable to sever the Resurrection Lily," continued the voice, "so I could only sever myself…. From then on, the Resurrection Lily was no more, and the Whitebone Lilies bloomed from shore to shore …."
Naruto took a deep breath and then looked down at the sea beneath him. Then the war chariot split the air as it vanished off into the distance.
When it reappeared outside of Seahold, Saint Sun Soul's face was a bit unsightly. He had been in charge of the city for many years, besides which, the three Sects called themselves the Lords of the Milky Way Sea. However, in recent days he had come to the realization that there were secrets lurking in the depths of the water that even he wasn't aware of.
The voice which Naruto had heard just now, he had also heard. Furthermore, every time he and Naruto came back from their journeys, he had gone to search through the ancient records. Gradually, he had come to an understanding of the Resurrection Lily.
Naruto and Saint Sun Soul were silent as they returned to the tower, where they sat down cross-legged on either side of a table.
After a moment of silence, Saint Sun Soul looked at Naruto. "That Resurrection Lily has most likely been here for many years, but has never made an appearance. Why would it suddenly emerge after you show up?"
"Because I have a Resurrection Lily inside of me," replied Naruto coolly. He tossed a bag of holding filled with Demon hearts over to Saint Sun Soul.
Saint Sun Soul's pupils constricted. Naruto's answer to his question was a conclusion he had already speculated about.
A long moment passed, after which Saint Sun Soul took the Demon hearts and then produced Spirit Stones to give to Naruto.
He was just about to say something else when a jade slip began to glow inside his bag of holding. He took it out immediately and glanced it over, then frowned. He looked up at Naruto.
"Saint Flying Immortal, Saint Sea Divinity, the seventy thousand disciples… even Madara are all emerging from the Stormwind Divide and are on their way here!"
Moments ago, countless ships had begun to emerge from the Stormwind Divide that separated the Third and Fourth Rings. Sitting cross-legged atop the ships were crowds of Cultivators. Rumbling sounds filled the air.
They were densely packed together, and from a distance their numbers almost seemed endless.
Flying in mid-air were two middle-aged men. One wore a blue robe, the other, a white one. Their auras were bright, and their Cultivation bases were shocking enough to fill the sky with a riot of colors. Next to the two flew an old man.
That old man was none other than Madara.
As soon as they emerged, they contacted Saint Sun Soul, and then began to speed toward Seahold. Behind them, seventy thousand disciples charged along, blotting out the sky.
Back in Seahold, Naruto's expression was the same as ever as he listened to Saint Sun Soul. However, deep in his eyes, a bright glow appeared. He stood up.
Saint Sun Soul muttered to himself for a moment then waved his right hand, causing a jade slip to fly out, which Naruto grabbed.
"I'll do my best to help you," said Saint Sun Soul. "This jade slip describes an area controlled by the Sun Soul Society. You can hide there temporarily with no problems. After everyone heads out to start searching for you, I'll arrange for someone to get you out of the Third Ring.
"That will make it harder for them to track you down."
Naruto looked at the jade slip, then turned to leave without saying another word. Saint Sun Soul looked at his retreating figure, a complicated expression on his face.
Just as he was about to step foot out of the tower, Naruto stopped.
He had suddenly thought of a question he had been contemplating for over a month. "There's something I've been wondering about for a while. Is it just the Sun Soul Society that has such a shocking amount of Spirit Stones, or is it all of the three Sects?"
Saint Sun Soul gave a faint smile.
"Are you aware of what exists in the Stormwind Divide? A quarry. Inside that quarry are three astonishing veins of Spirit Stone deposits. The Sun Soul Society… doesn't care at all about Spirit Stones!"
"That make sense," said Naruto. "But, would it be possible for you to tell me why you buy so many Demon hearts? What do they do?"
This time, Saint Sun Soul hesitated for a long moment. He didn't really need to answer the question, but after looking at Naruto for a long moment, he finally said, "Demon hearts have a far more important function. Actually, it would be best for you not to sell the Demon hearts that remain in your bag of holding. As for what exactly they do, even my understanding is incomplete. However, I can tell you that seventy percent of the Demon hearts collected by the three Sects… end up being sent away from the lands of Lands of Ninshu. We use a special method to deliver them to a Sect in the stars who specially collects them.
"The price we purchase them for… is actually far lower than the price we sell them for."
Naruto nodded, and then his body flickered as he left the tower. Before departing, he found Amaru and gave her a large sum of Spirit Stones. Then he took out the war chariot and disappeared over the horizon.
Not too long after Naruto left, Madara arrived, along with Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity. They moved with incredible speed; in one breath, they were far off in the distance, in the next breath, they were in Seahold.
Saint Sun Soul strode out from within the tower, his expression cold. He now looked exactly the same as he had when Naruto first met him as he glanced over the three approaching Cultivators.
The next day, something completely shocking rocked the Third Ring. 100,000 disciples from the three Sects left Seahold to spread out throughout the entire Third Ring. Each one held a jade slip within which was the picture a person for whom they searched!
The entire Third Ring was shaken by the event. Even the Three Saints emerged to join the rigorous search. If that were all, it might not be a big deal. However, the next thing that happened was that notices appeared in all the shops of Seahold, offering valuable treasures to any Cultivator who joined the search.
Thus, Cultivators could be found virtually everywhere, searching on the surface of the sea. The Third Ring was in a state of complete lockdown.
Madara stayed in Seahold. He had divided his Divine Sense up into countless strands which were imbued into the jade slips. If anyone even got near Naruto, he would instantly be able to sense it.
Madara was even prepared for the possibility that Naruto had changed his appearance and aura. He would rather kill the wrong person by mistake than let Naruto escape.
Even as the Third Ring boiled into a frenzy, Naruto sat cross-legged on an island, his face grim. In his hand was the jade slip that Saint Sun Soul had given him.
"I don't want to put someone else's loyalty to the test," he murmured softly, "nor do I want to place my hope in the hands of others." He crushed the jade slip, then stood up and flew down into the sea. Since he couldn't hide on the surface of the sea, then he would conceal himself in its depths.
In the moment that the jade slip was crushed, Saint Sun Soul was flying along in mid-air. He suddenly stopped in place, then smiled broadly. He understood Naruto's decision, and that was because… he had been waiting to make his own decision.
"This way works, too," he thought. "I have one more friend and one less enemy." He sighed inwardly, thinking back to everything that had happened in the past month, and all of their battles with the Sea Demons.
At the same time, Naruto sped along at the bottom of the sea. The aura of the Resurrection Lily was completely suppressed, with not a bit emanating out. Occasionally he would look around the area; if anything abnormal appeared, he was ready to take out the war chariot the instant anything abnormal appeared.
"To leave the Third Ring would require passing through the Stormwind Divide. However, Madara is no doubt prepared for that. Going to the Stormwind Divide would be casting myself into his net.
"However, I definitely can't stay in the Third Ring. If I do, then I'll definitely be found eventually, and then…." His eyes flickered.
"But the Second Ring… is where the Dawn Immortal lurks." He thought silently for a moment.
"A fiend up ahead, and an army chasing from behind. Ah, who cares!" His eyes shone with a cold gleam.
"In life, one can only hope to have freedom and independence; in life, one can only seek his own happiness! I knew all along that Madara would be coming. Therefore, what's the point in hesitating?
"My only option is the Second Ring. That's where the Dawn Immortal lurks, and that's where I'll lure Madara. It is only within ultimate danger that I can go all out to snatch a chance to survive!
"Although, for the Flying Immortal Sect and the Sea Divinity Sect to choose to help Madara so quickly indicates that the compensation they were offered was incredible!" Killing intent flickered in his eyes. He had already had enough of hiding and fleeing.
After returning from the Demon Immortal Sect, all he had done was flee nonstop. The resentment and desire to kill had reached a peak of intensity. It was something that killing no amount of Sea Demons could resolve. He needed to kill… people!
"First sow chaos in the Third Ring, then lure Madara to me. After that… determine victory or defeat in the Second Ring!" Naruto was just about to carry out his plan when suddenly, he stopped in mid-stride.
A sinister, vicious aura was once again approaching him. Yet again, the Resurrection Lily was nervous and trembling with terror.
The terror of the Resurrection Lily shook Naruto; he took out the war chariot, but didn't immediately spur it into action. Instead, he looked down toward the bottom of the sea.
This place was actually the same location where he had heard the voice last time.
The same ancient voice once again spoke, shattering the stillness. "Immortal Ascension failed, and a Whitebone Lily appeared….
"I was unable to sever the Resurrection Lily, so I could only sever myself…. From then on, the Resurrection Lily was no more, and the Whitebone Lilies bloomed from shore to shore…."
As he listened to the voice for a second time, Naruto could sense grief, indignation, and monstrous resentment in it. Others who heard the voice would be so terrified their hair would stand on end. Naruto, on the other hand, actually felt twinges of sympathy.
He stood there silently for a moment before determination shone in his eyes. He sent the war chariot forward in the direction of the voice. Not much time passed before Naruto caught sight of the nearby region on the seafloor that was the origin of the sinister and vicious voice.
It was an area filled with countless white bones. They were the bones of both Cultivators and Sea Demons, and seemed never-ending. From a distance, all of them seemed to form the shape of a lily.
A Whitebone Lily.
At the very center of the Whitebone Lily was a patch of black seaweed, within which was a skeleton, sitting there cross-legged. Its skin had long since rotted away, and it floated there gently amidst the seaweed, which curled and wrapped around it.
Naruto's mind trembled as he slowly neared. The closer he got, the more the Resurrection Lily trembled. In fact, it had even started to emit terrified shrieks inside of him. When he got within 300 meters of the Whitebone Lily, veins bulged out all over his body. A five-colored Resurrection Lily appeared behind him, and it appeared to be going mad.
In the exact instant in which the five-colored Resurrection Lily appeared, the skeleton swaying within the seaweed suddenly stopped moving. It looked up, staring at Naruto with its empty eye sockets.
Naruto's mind roared as what seemed to be memories from the corpse poured into him from the corpse's empty eye sockets.
He saw an old man wearing a long golden robe, sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the sea. In front of him was a silver-colored lamp that emanated a gentle glow. Even at the bottom of the sea, the lamp's flame could not be extinguished, and its light enveloped the old man.
The old man's face was twisted ferociously, and occasionally twitched as if he were struggling against something. It seemed that he was experiencing an indescribable pain. Veins bulged out on his face, and he suddenly lifted his head up and roared angrily.
"I am Reverend Silverlamp! I have practiced cultivation for a thousand years, and am at the peak of Dao Seeking! How could I possibly lose to a trifling Resurrection Lily!?
"I clearly succeeded! I clearly expunged it! How could it have come back to life!?" As the man howled, an enormous illusory image appeared around him.
It was nearly a thousand meters tall, and shockingly, had six colors…. This was… a six-colored Resurrection Lily!
When it appeared, the old man began to tremble, and his body started to wither. It was as if all of his life force, all of his Cultivation base, all of his memories, were all being sucked away by the Resurrection Lily.
"Immortal Ascension…. If the Resurrection Lily achieves Immortal Ascension, it sucks away the life force of the host. If I want to reach Immortal Ascension, then I must make use of the destiny of the Resurrection Lily!
"I will not yield!" As the old man howled, his eyes filled with hatred and determination.
"I shall reach Immortal Ascension!
"It is all for Immortal Ascension!
"I am destined to be Immortal, and I have my path to Immortality. I was an Immortal in my last life, how come… I cannot continue as an Immortal in this life?!
"If I cannot sever the Resurrection Lily, then I must sever myself! Sever my Immortal destiny, sever my path to Immortality! Use the cultivation of my past life to transform my resentment into a sea of white bones!
"Henceforth, my bones will float at the bottom of the Milky Way Sea, and my blood will stain the waters. I will use my bones to disperse the will of the Resurrection Lily, and cause countless Whitebone Lilies to bloom!" With that, the old man lifted his right hand and slapped his own chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his body withered rapidly. However, his blood oozed out into the water, spreading out in the currents and attracting large numbers of Sea Demons.
"From this day on, my soul will become white bones, which will live as parasites in countless other life forms, and will be… the archfoe of the Resurrection Lily!" The old man began to laugh maniacally, and then once again spit out blood. His blood and even his flesh began to balloon outward, and at the same time, countless Sea Demons pounced on him.
The sounds of crunching and tearing could be heard, as if countless fangs and mouths were consuming the old man's flesh and blood. Naruto couldn't see the old man, but he could hear his voice, filled with enmity and hatred.
"Archfoes!"
At the same time, the six-colored Resurrection Lily behind him began to wilt. It was one with the old man, so as the old man was consumed, it too was devoured. It struggled, but to no avail.
After a certain amount of time had passed, a rumbling boom echoed out and the Sea Demons were all driven away to reveal a white skeleton completely devoid of any flesh or blood. It slowly sank down into the seaweed below. The black seaweed encircled it, wrapped it up, and then it began to float there back and forth.
As for the Resurrection Lily, it had completely vanished. Everything in the area grew quiet. As for the Sea Demons that had consumed his flesh and blood, suddenly they began to explode. Their flesh and blood attracted more Sea Demons, which consumed the flesh and blood, and in turn, exploded.
The process repeated for a full sixty-year cycle. By this time, the Third Ring of the Milky Way Sea was filled with the aura of the old man's flesh and blood. Because of that aura, all of the Sea Demons in this part of the sea were branded with the Whitebone Lily.
Naruto's mind trembled as the vision faded away and everything returned to normal. He was still surrounded by countless white bones. The skeleton in the seaweed lowered its head and once again began to sway back and forth.
Naruto began to pant, and his face was ashen.
"The Resurrection Lily…. It seems I've underestimated it!
"That skeleton is Reverend Silverlamp. He once traveled to the Violet Fate Sect, and Master said that he helped him dispel the Resurrection Lily!
"And yet… in the end, he died here, perishing together along with the Resurrection Lily to become its archfoe, the Whitebone Lily!
"And he… didn't have a seven-colored Resurrection Lily, but rather, a six-colored one!
"Reverend Silverlamp was unable to control a six-colored Resurrection Lily, and the Resurrection Lily inside of me already has five colors!" When he thought about this, Naruto's face fell.
He once again realized that he had made a serious misjudgement when it came to understanding the Resurrection Lily.
"If my Resurrection Lily blooms with six colors, then my fate will be exactly the same as Reverend Silverlamp's!" His face flickered, and his eyes flashed as he looked around.
"The Resurrection Lily inside of me is currently terrified to the extreme…. I might not be able to thoroughly dispel it using my own power, but that doesn't necessarily mean it would be impossible if I borrowed the power of Reverend Silverlamp!" His eyes narrowed and then began to shine with a bright glow. His body flickered as he headed directly toward Reverend Silverlamp.
Allowing the Resurrection Lily inside of him to struggle madly, it was without hesitation that he crossed his legs and sat down next to the seaweed. In that instant, a faint, sinister voice could suddenly be heard drifting toward him from far off in the distance.
"Leave that place, my child…."
As the voice drifted out, Naruto suddenly looked slightly distracted, as if he were suddenly empty inside. He slowly rose up from his cross-legged position.
"Leave that place, my child…. Come to me….
"I've been waiting for you for over two hundred years….
"Come. Come….
"Your blood is most suited to reach maturity, and your soul… needs to slumber….
"Come…. I'm waiting here for you…."
Naruto's expression grew more blank, and he began to walk away from the seaweed. When he was about thirty meters away, the Immortal Shows the Way inside of him suddenly began exude a faint stream of Chakra that bored into his Nascent Soul. Immediately, his Nascent Soul grew faint, and then suddenly, deep inside, a Flying Rain-Dragon became visible!
It was very small, and seemed to be sleeping. However, the stream of Immortal Chakra found it and bored directly into the Flying Rain-Dragon.
In that instant, the Flying Rain-Dragon opened its eyes and roared.
As the roar sounded out, an enormous Flying Rain-Dragon fully 30,000 meters long appeared around Naruto. Shocking ripples emanated off of it as it roared.
ROOOAAARRRRR!
The Dawn Immortal's aura vanished, and a tremor ran through Naruto. His eyes suddenly became clear, and looked up at the astonishing Flying Rain-Dragon.
The Flying Rain-Dragon turned its head to look at him, and in that instant, Naruto felt as if he were looking at himself.
Then, the Flying Rain-Dragon vanished. Naruto's face was pale white as he thought back to what had just happened. Then he cast his vision inside of himself, to find that the Resurrection Lily had sent countless tendrils throughout the entirety of his body.
Naruto's eyes flashed with killing intent, and he returned to his original spot next to the seaweed. The Resurrection Lily trembled and shrank back, and by the time Naruto sat down cross-legged, it had completely hidden itself.
"Right here, right now, I'm going to borrow the power of Reverend Silverlamp to thoroughly sever away the Resurrection Lily!
"The method I will use to do so… is the power of Spirit Severing! My path of Spirit Severing… my First Severing, will be of the Resurrection Lily!
"I wish to be the master of my own life. I will not allow any outsider to control me. What I want is freedom. My path in life is a journey, and my Dao is a direction! I will continue on in that direction and pursue truth. I will exercise control over my own freedom, and live with independence!
"That is my will of Spirit Severing! I will crush all obstacles, and destroy anything that blocks my way. Whatever stumbling blocks I encounter will be trampled underfoot!
"Fearful of nothing! Freedom! Independence!
"The Heavens will not obscure my gaze, and the Earth will not shackle my feet!
"For freedom, I can pay any price!
"For independence, I will sever anything!
"The Resurrection Lily is like a mountain obstructing my way on the path of life! When I pass it, then my path will stretch out into the distance!
"The Resurrection Lily is a fetter, a cage restricting my freedom. I will sever it… and in the instant of that severing, I will have my independence, and can practice cultivation in freedom!
"This is my First Severing!
"This is my Spirit Severing Domain!
"This is my Dao of Spirit Severing!"
Naruto's eyes glowed with enlightenment. He had remained submerged in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage for too many years. He had undergone the baptism of the Demon Immortal Sect and had been doggedly pursued by Madara. All of that left him feeling as if he had been reborn, purified by fire. Finally, in this moment, he reached complete understanding.
In the moment that he was enlightened, Naruto's Cultivation base began to rumble. The two Cultivation base portions within him that were struggling to combine, suddenly began to fuse together at high speed.
It seemed that his thinking just now had governed the rotation of his Cultivation base. In that instant of realization….
RUMBLE!
Naruto's entire body began to tremble, and the two portions of Cultivation base instantly merged together. His Nascent Soul vanished, and at the same time, Naruto's body began to shine with brilliant, multicolored light.
The light circulated around the area, swirling about to slowly form together in front of Naruto, transforming into a blade as he opened his eyes.
A multi-colored blade that contained a great Dao of Heaven and Earth!
The blade contained the full power of Naruto's Cultivation base, which was the combination of his nine Nascent Souls, including the five elements of Heaven and Earth.
It also contained the memories and experiences of his two hundred years of cultivation. When Naruto looked at the blade, it was like looking at himself!
In this moment, Naruto's heart contained neither joy, nor sorrow. It was as if he had forgotten everything except for his thirst for freedom, and his desire to pursue independence.
The Resurrection Lily inside of him seemed to sense that it was in danger. It could hide from his Divine Sense so that Naruto couldn't sense it, but it could not hide even the slightest bit from this blade.
The intense sense of impending death caused the Resurrection Lily to begin to struggle, as if it wished to burst out from inside of Naruto. It wanted to once again wrest away the initiative, and yet, as soon as it moved, a dim light began to emanate out from the skeleton floating in the seaweed. Up above, the surface of the sea in the Third Ring began to surge.
Next, imprints of the Whitebone Lily began to shine on all of the Sea Demons in the Third Ring. The marks looked like grotesque faces, and emanated ghastly auras.
Those auras combined to suppress the Resurrection Lily.
Boom!
The Resurrection Lily struggled, and then began to shriek with a voice that no one except Naruto could hear.
What was more, the illusory image of a five-colored Resurrection Lily sprang up behind him. It was in a completely frenzy, and struggling madly. Naruto's expression was calm, although his body was withering rapidly, as if his life force and Cultivation base were being sucked away by the Resurrection Lily.
Nevertheless, he remained there motionless, staring at the blade in front of him.
The Resurrection Lily screamed and shrieked, and its struggles grew more intense. However, the suppressive power coming from the Reverend Silverlamp's Whitebone Lily rushed in. It seemed to deal a severe blow to the five-colored Resurrection Lily. Its body was on the verge of dissipating, and it had no choice but to once again attempt to absorb Naruto.
Some time afterwards, when Naruto's body had shriveled and become almost skeletal, the blade in front of him jerked slightly, then slowly rose up.
As the blade lifted up, an immeasurably powerful, heaven-shaking aura arose with it. Instantly it pierced through the surface of the sea and up into the skies, forming a connection with the vast heavens!
From a distance, the Third Ring seethed and churned as a beam of light shot up into the dark night, making it seem like daytime.
In that moment, as Saint Soul Sun hovered above the Milky Way Sea, his face flickered and he suddenly turned his head to gaze at it.
"Someone is performing Spirit Severing. But how could this Spirit Severing provoke such transformations in Heaven and Earth!?"
At the same time, Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity also got the same feeling. They looked at the beam of light, and how the sky was being illuminated, and their faces filled with astonishment.
Madara currently sat cross-legged in meditation in Seahold. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he looked off into the distance, an expression of joy appearing on his face.
"Those… are the ripples of Spirit Severing. It's him! So he is here! He truly is exceptional! His Spirit Severing can connect with the Heavens of Hebi, and provoke changes in the sky!
"However, you dare to perform Spirit Severing in front of me? Let's see how you escape this time!" Madara gave a cold snort and stood up. It was at this point that his face suddenly flickered with an expression of disbelief. Even with his level of willpower, what he saw left him speechless.
"Impossible!"
The beam of light shooting up from the sea did not stop in the sky. It shot out into the starry sky, causing the heavenly bodies themselves to emanate bursts of starlight as they suddenly changed position to form an astral blade!
The blade shined down on the lands of Lands of Ninshu, and soon, everyone therein could look up into the sky and see the image of the massive blade.
It was almost as if it had shattered the sky above the lands of Lands of Ninshu and was now descending upon it.
Simultaneously, the aura of a great Dao descended from the sky toward the Milky Way Sea. It penetrated the surface of the waters and fell on the blade floating in front of Naruto.
"The blade of the First Severing actually provoked transformations among the stars!" exclaimed Madara. "What Dao did he gain enlightenment of?!
"Daos have rankings, they can be great or small. This Naruto's Dao… just what is it? It can cause the stars to transform into a Heavenly Blade that will assist him in Dao Severing!
"The Heavenly Blade is a Heavenly Dao. The blade of the First Severing is also the first Dao of Spirit Severing!" Madara's face filled with complete astonishment, and he stopped moving. As of this moment, he didn't dare to get even close to Naruto's location. A great Dao was coming, and with his Cultivation base, if he got near, he would die for sure.
Meanwhile, the Five Elements Nation floated in the Milky Way Sea on top of Patriarch Reliance. The entire island suddenly rumbled, and an enormous head stretched out from the water to look up into the sky.
"That little bastard is performing Dao Severing…. Dammit. The little bastard is an inhuman among inhumans! The Patriarch needs to get out of here! Fudge! You really piss me off, you little bastard!"
In the lands of the Southern Domain, Hinata was in the midst of cultivation when suddenly a tremor ran through her, as if she had just sensed something. She rushed out of her Immortal's cave and looked up into the sky. It seemed as if she could actually see Naruto.
In the Violet Fate Sect, Pill Demon was concocting pills when he suddenly froze. He looked up into the sky, and his face broke into a smile.
Next to him was Sakura, who also seemed to sense something. She looked up, and seemed to lose herself staring at the sky.
In the same moment, Fatty, Guy, and all the other people in the Southern Domain who knew Naruto, all had different reactions. However, none came close to those of Hinata and Pill Demon.
With one exception.
In the Blood Demon Sect, a middle-aged man wearing a red robe was surrounded by a blood-colored glow. He stood on the peak of a mountain, looking up into the sky, a faint smile on his face.
"You and I are connected by destiny. The Blood Demon Sect… is definitely the home you shall return to."
The first blade of Spirit Severing!
The first Dao of Spirit Severing!
Naruto sat cross-legged at the bottom of the Milky Way Sea. Around him stretched skeletal remains that formed the outline of a flower. Amongst the swaying seaweed, the skeleton pulsed with a faint light, which gradually turned into a ghastly white color, like that of bones.
It weighed down on the five-colored Resurrection Lily, suppressing it so that its struggling turned into a frenzy.
Naruto's body withered, continuing to look weaker and weaker, until he looked like a bag of bones. However, his eyes shined with an unprecedented life force.
It was as if he was embodying the Dao; all of his mind and heart and will were focused in his eyes, which rested on the multicolored blade in front of him.
He completely ignored everything in the outside world. His entire focus was that blade!
The blade moved!
It slowly raised up! As it did, the blade in the Heavens above, which contained innumerable constellations, also rose high, casting its light down onto the lands of Lands of Ninshu as it did.
Immediately, gigantic waves swelled up across the entirety of the Milky Way Sea, crashing and thundering far and wide. The movement of the blade even caused the Violet Sea in the Western Desert to begin to roil violently.
All of the Cultivators, and in fact, all living things, in the Outer Sea, the Fourth Ring, and the Third Ring, were all flabbergasted.
Madara's face was unsightly to the extreme as he stared up into the sky. Although his face flickered with various emotions, he didn't dare to take even a step forward toward the area where Naruto was performing his Spirit Severing.
He well knew that a great Dao was nearing. Were he to step foot into that area, that great Dao would exterminate him in body and spirit. The reason was that this Dao… was not his Dao.
"Dammit!" he cursed, killing intent growing with intensity in his eyes. "Well, eventually your Spirit Severing will come to an end. You absolutely must not kill yourself in the process, child, otherwise I'll never acquire your Dao foundation!
"However… I still want to know, just what Dao did you come to understand?"
Within the Third Ring, the Three Saints' faces also flickered. In contrast to Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity, Saint Sun Soul's eyes glowed with a strange light. He was instantly able to determine that the Spirit Severing was being performed… by Naruto!
"So, it turns out you were actually only a half a step into Spirit Severing!" he thought, taking a deep breath.
Meanwhile, as the astral blade slowly rose up, the struggling, illusory image of the Resurrection Lily had reached the point of insanity. It quivered in terror because of the unprecedented feeling of deadly crisis; this was the first time it had ever truly experienced dread.
It could clearly sense that the blade in front of Naruto had the power to sever it away. That blade was backed by the power of a great Dao, something it was powerless to resist.
A faint voice could suddenly be heard coming from the skeleton in the seaweed, and the eyes of the long dead Reverend Silverlamp suddenly glowed with lucidity. "The Dao of freedom, of independence…."
He looked at Naruto sitting in front of him, and murmured, "Were it not for the fact that he was steeled by the Resurrection Lily, this kid would never have been able to comprehend such a great Dao of Heaven and Earth….
"Sever the fetters, and achieve true independence…. The interesting thing is that it's impossible to tell whether he was tempered by the Resurrection Lily, or whether the Resurrection Lily was tempered by him.
"I can just barely sense that both he and the Resurrection Lily each have someone watching over them…. One is the Dawn Immortal of the Second Ring, mother of the Resurrection Lily who exists in the lands of Lands of Ninshu. The other… is in the Eastern Lands."
Even as Reverend Silverlamp was looking at Naruto, a sinister gaze shot out from the black depths of the sea in the Second Ring, bearing a boundless evil. Despite the evil, it still exhibited a trace of Immortal Will as it peered towards Naruto.
"I bloomed at dawn," thought the owner of the voice, "and my consciousness emerged…. On the day of vicissitudes, I achieved Immortal Ascension, and met someone I should not have met.
"The eighth demon sealer stole away my heart, a heart… that contained all of the longing from my previous life…. It sank down into the Milky Way Sea and was sealed in a formation of stone, locked away in a copper coffin… restrained by countless chains.
"What was locked away was my goodness. Eventually, it transformed into a roc, which now weeps in the Rebirth Cave.
"The League of Demon Sealers. The Ninth is the pinnacle. Is he your hope…? I knew long ago that if I could not find you, then I would destroy the hope of the League of Demon Sealers."
The gaze coming from the Second Ring looked at Naruto with complex emotions. There was coldness, confusion, hatred, and viciousness.
Meanwhile, in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, a woman was looking in the direction of the Milky Way Sea. Her gaze penetrated through the air, through the Milky Way Sea, all the way to Naruto.
It was a gaze filled with concern, worry, nervousness, and anxiety. All of that transformed into an endless love that wrapped up her heart.
She stood atop a lofty Sky Tower, gazing far off into the distance. Next to her stood a man who silently clasped her hand. He could feel her trembling, and could feel the dampness of sweat in her palm.
"This is Naruto's tribulation," he said softly. "I just wanted him to be able to live a normal, mortal life. And yet, he ended up choosing the path of cultivation…. Now there's no looking back.
"If he fails," he murmured, "then the both of us can go receive him when he is reincarnated. We can spend a whole life with him, walk a whole sixty-year cycle of springs and autumns…." He seemed to be speaking both to the woman, and himself.
"You know, you're very cold-hearted," said the woman. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
A tremor ran through the man, and he closed his eyes. Deep in his heart existed bitter pain, which spread out to fill his entire being. He seemed to be recalling the fragile child running through the fog that year, weeping as he cried out to his father and mother. He remembered how the boy limped about trying to find him. When the boy caught sight of him, he could see the tears in the boy's eyes, and he realized how much the boy relied on him.
"Li, you don't understand…." The man did not speak these words, but rather, whispered them in his heart.
RUMBLE!
At the bottom of the Milky Way Sea, Naruto's eyes shined with an intensely bright glow. He slowly looked up at the blade in front of him as it rose ever higher. In the Heavens far above the sea, the astral blade also reared up simultaneously.
As they moved toward an apex, the blades seemed to be building up power. By the time they reached that apex, all living beings in the Milky Way Sea were watching on….
The astral blade then suddenly began to slash down toward the Milky Way Sea.
Rumbling filled the sky, and the sea suddenly started to split apart. The seafloor, which throughout countless ages had never been touched by sunlight… was revealed to the world for the first time.
Exposed therein was Naruto, as well as the Resurrection Lily, struggling in all of its madness.
Also visible was the multicolored blade hovering in front of Naruto.
The first blade of Spirit Severing!
"Heaven and Earth are just resting places for the myriads of living creatures," he murmured. "Time represents the passage of hundreds of generations of passing travelers." A glow of determination appeared in his eyes, and the blade descended.
"My life is just such a resting place. Wherever my footsteps lead, that is my direction!" His voice echoed out, softly at first, then louder and louder.
"Sever the fetters, and achieve true independence, acquire true freedom!" The sound of his voice caused everything in the area to shake and rumble. The parted sea water roared, and the glow of the astral blade increased tenfold!
It almost seemed to have formed a resonance with Naruto!
That resonance caused Heaven and Earth to dim. The wind whipped and the clouds churned. The glow of the astral blade spread without end, and the multicolored blade in front of Naruto emanated a shocking will.
This was… the resonance of a great Dao!
The glow grew more intense, transforming into ripples and then vibration. The air around Naruto twisted and distorted, and countless ghost images sprang up. When Madara felt it, his face fell.
"The resonance of a great Dao!"
In the Second Ring, the eyes of the mother of the Resurrection Lily went wide. As for the couple in the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, both of them trembled.
Only great determination and incredible enlightenment could form a resonance like this!
Spirit Severing is not difficult when compared to causing a Dao…. But even more difficult is to form a resonance!
Naruto's heart, will and mind all fused with the descending great Dao. They became indistinguishable!
I am the great Dao, and the great Dao is me!
In that moment, be it in the Southern Domain, the Northern Reaches, or the Eastern Lands, the Patriarchs and almighty members of all the Sects and Clans could all sense the resonance of the great Dao.
The resonance formed the first blade of Spirit Severing, a blade that would sever, not Naruto's life or existence, but rather… any flaws within him that did not conform to his Dao!
Use the Dao to sever the Dao. It was like a baptism that cleansed any disharmonies, that purged the self. Any nonconforming Dao was absolutely unnecessary.
And of course, the Resurrection Lily was just such a flaw, just such a disharmony, just such a nonconforming Dao. It was absolutely unnecessary!
"Free and unconstrained, at liberty to walk about anywhere in Heaven and Earth! No one can restrict me! Heaven cannot impede me and the Earth cannot restrain my heart! This is my Dao!
"Freedom! Independence!" Naruto's voice was like that of a god, each word cracking like thunder. The Milky Way Sea rumbled. The Dawn Immortal shook. The couple in the Eastern Lands trembled, as did Madara.
The words he had spoken just now were filled with Naruto's great determination!
Everything trembled as the astral blade arrived. It merged with Naruto's multicolored blade, transforming into a Dao blade that slashed down into the top of his head in the exact moment that he finished speaking.
The blade moved with incredible speed; no sooner had his words finished than it had pierced the top of his head into his neck, and then his heart. It passed through his dantian region, and then all the way through him, completely bisecting him!
However, Naruto didn't move a muscle, and his face even showed hints of a smile. In contrast, the five-colored Resurrection Lily behind him let out an unprecedentedly bloodcurdling scream. It trembled violently as any connection it had to Naruto… was instantly broken!
Five colorful strands were snapped, and the five-colored Resurrection Lily began to wither up rapidly. It was not willing, and it virtually exploded with resentment and madness. But unfortunately, there was nothing it could do. In that moment, its will completely vanished.
Vanished for all eternity.
Naruto's first blade of Spirit Severing severed the fetters, carving out his freedom. He had obtained independence!
In that moment, he erupted with a boundless, endless life force. His previously withered fleshly body was restored. Naruto looked up, and even as the image of the Resurrection Lily was about to completely dissipate, he reached out and grabbed it.
"You lived in me for 200 years, parasite. Do you really think the old scores could be settled so easily! From now on, you are my Spirit Severing Treasure. The day I get you to bloom with seven colors… is the day I reach Immortal Ascension!"
Spirit Severing Treasures were items that every Spirit Severing Cultivator had. They were refined in the actual moment of Spirit Severing, created from an object unique to the enlightenment of each individual.
As for Naruto, he chose to use the fading five-colored Resurrection Lily as the basis of his Spirit Severing Treasure, which conformed with his Dao.
The soulless Resurrection Lily was incapable of struggling. As soon as he grabbed it, it merged into his palm, transforming into the mark shaped like a flower.
He took a deep breath as he rose to his feet, his Cultivation base flaring. This was a true Spirit Severing Cultivation base, with a three thousand meter Area that belonged solely to Naruto.
Of course, all Spirit Severing Cultivators had their own Area.
Naruto was more slender, and having immersed himself in the great Dao, his fleshly body was now stronger and taller. In the blink of an eye, he reached the absolute pinnacle of the Spirit Severing fleshly body. It was actually impossible for it to progress any further. If it did, it wouldn't be a Spirit Severing fleshly body, but that of Dao Seeking!
His Cultivation base rocketed up; all the years of practicing cultivation while restricting himself to the Nascent Soul stage had created a buildup that could now explode out.
In an instant, he was at the limit of the First Severing, a breakthrough which gave him the power of a Second Severing Cultivation base. Now all he lacked was a Second Severing Domain.
Once he received enlightenment, and actually performed the Second Severing, Naruto was confident that he would instantly be… at the peak of Spirit Severing.
His longevity also increased under the powerful life force. His hair turned black, his physique matchless. He looked younger than before, although, his features also radiated a certain ancientness that was clearly visible.
His entire person experienced a tremendous, earthshaking transformation as he was completely and thoroughly reborn!
Some distance off in the Milky Way Sea, Madara was panting as he stared off into the distance. His eyes shone with a bizarre light and intense avarice.
"With latent talent and good fortune like that, no wonder he has a Perfect Dao Foundation. It's mine! Definitely mine!" In that instant, he vanished.
At the same time, in the black depths of the Second Ring, the Dawn Immortal's eyes closed. When they opened again, infinite coldness could be seen therein.
In the Sky Country of the Eastern Lands, the couple stood there. Tears streamed down the face of the woman, tears of joy.
"Without Severing the Spirit, one cannot live past one thousand. My son practiced cultivation for only two hundred years and succeeded in Spirit Severing. He even provoked the descent of a great Dao." She turned to look at the man. "How does such latent talent compare to the people of your Clan, huh?"
The man stood there silently for a long moment before sighing. "I'm not worried about him having poor latent talent. Even if it was worse, he's still our son. Is Immortal Ascension that difficult? What I fear… is that his latent talent will be too good. The path of cultivation is not easy to tread. How many people perish upon it? How many people are completely eradicated? How many people are destroyed in body and soul…?"
The woman shivered and didn't say anything.
"He also has to deal with his Spirit Severing Tribulation," continued the man softly.
The woman's face flickered, and she took a step forward. The man grabbed her arm.
"This is his real Tribulation, and there is Karma in everything. If you help him, it will cause the sown Karma to grow greater. When the time comes to reap it… the reckoning will also be greater.
"In cultivation, you cannot build up without first tearing down. If he can transcend the Tribulation, then when his day of Immortal Ascension comes, I will take him to the lands of East Victory!" The man spoke with determination that could chop nails and sever iron. However, what the woman couldn't see was that concealed in his hand was a medicinal pill.
It was a type of medicinal pill that was rarely seen in the lands of Lands of Ninshu, to the extent that it could be considered a precious treasure.
"Naruto," thought the man, "if you fail, father will come to look for you in the cycle of reincarnation. Even if you perish, this medicinal pill can bring you back to life…. However, I truly wish that you… can transcend the Tribulation on your own."
Back in the Milky Way Sea, Naruto lifted his head up and roared in laughter as his Cultivation base exploded up. The sensation of the power he now grasped filled him with passion. The feeling of finally acquiring freedom made it so that his thinking was suddenly incredibly clear.
His Divine Sense spread out. It could now reach the 300,000 meter mark. Hosts of magical techniques and divine abilities flashed through his mind, many of which he instantly gained enlightenment of.
Even as he began to fly up into the air, two beams of light appeared from off in the distance. As they sped toward him, two middle-aged men could be seen, Saint Flying Immortal and Saint Sea Divinity.
As soon as they caught sight of Naruto, they knew that this was the person they were searching for.
In the success of his First Severing, not only was the Resurrection Lily severed, but also his false appearance, revealing his true features.
"Naruto!" cried Saint Flying Immortal, his voice rumbling like thunder. The sea churned in response, as if it were about to explode.
A cold radiance appeared in Naruto's eyes. As soon as he looked at the two men, he knew who they were.
In the moment that Saint Flying Immortal spoke, a glittering glow covered the body of Saint Sea Divinity. Instantly, a set of armor appeared on him, and he strode forward. Even he couldn't help but be moved by the reward promised by Madara; if he could capture Naruto, the greatest benefits would go to him.
He shot with incredible speed directly toward Naruto, performing an incantation gesture to summon an enormous trident. Shockingly, the sea stirred, and then vast quantities of seawater shot up into the air to circulate around. As he neared, he pointed out with the trident. The seawater roared as it formed together into the shape of an enormous hand that reached out to grab Naruto.
"Are you looking to die?!" said Naruto. He was already somewhat displeased at the behavior of the Flying Immortal Sect and the Sea Divinity Sect. Now that Saint Sea Divinity was attacking, Naruto's killing intent flared. He did nothing to evade, but simply took a step forward.
That step caused him to slam into the incoming seawater hand. A huge boom echoed out, and the hand collapsed. Naruto wasn't harmed in the slightest, and when he emerged from the water, he was directly in front of Saint Sea Divinity. He reached out with his right hand, upon which the Mountain Consuming Incantation manifested. The wave of a hand caused a thousand mountains to appear, all of which smashed down toward Saint Sea Divinity.
Saint Sea Divinity's face fell and he retreated, waving his arm to cause 100,000 magical symbol spirits to appear. They formed into ten symbol beasts, all of whom radiated the power of a Spirit Severing Cultivation base as they charged Naruto.
Naruto gave a cold snort, but didn't dodge. A thousand mountains sent out shocking ripples, and the symbol beasts made from 100,000 magical symbols immediately exploded. It was as if they weren't qualified at all to stand up to the thousand mountains, which then shot toward Saint Sea Divinity.
Everything was happening too quickly. Saint Flying Immortal had no chance to even react, and Saint Sea Divinity's mind filled with an intense feeling of deadly crisis. He suddenly shouted out, causing his trident to begin to flicker and glow. It instantly transformed into an enormous wall of black sea water in front of him.
Boom!
The wall exploded. At the same time, Naruto's thousand mountains also disappeared. However, the aftershock of the explosion caused Saint Sea Divinity's face to go pale. As he retreated backward, Naruto strode toward him.
He raised his hand, killing intent flickering in his eyes. He did not use any sort of magical technique or divine ability, but instead, punched out directly.
As the fist descended upon Saint Sea Divinity, it seemed to blot out the sky. Energy like that of Heavenly might surged, causing Saint Sea Divinity to feel intense fear. He quickly spit a glowing, blue pearl out of his mouth, which then shot toward Naruto. Naruto's fist slammed into it, and the pearl shattered; it was completely incapable of standing up to Naruto's fist, which continued onward to connect with Saint Sea Divinity.
BAM!
As the sound echoed out in all directions, blood sprayed from the mouth of Saint Sea Divinity. Cracking sounds could be heard as his armor shattered into pieces. His terror had now reached a pinnacle.
"Flying Immortal, help me!"
Saint Flying Immortal's face flickered, and he took a deep breath. He had never imagined that Naruto, having just stepped into Spirit Severing, would be so terrifying.
"Dammit, even if his Spirit Severing caused strange phenomena in Heaven and Earth, and even if he caused a great Dao to descend, there's no explanation for him to be so inhuman!" He was still in the midst of feeling shocked when Saint Sea Divinity called for his help. Gritting his teeth, he shot forward, raising his right hand toward the sky. Instantly, a sword of light appeared, which he grasped in his hand. At the same time, his speed increased rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, he was upon Naruto.
"Area," said Naruto coolly, not even turning back to look at Saint Flying Immortal. In that instant, a three thousand foot Area sprang up, a world that contained Naruto's Dao and will.
The Area world!
Saint Flying Immortal's speed was suddenly reduced. His mind trembled as Naruto once again punched out.
"Nine Heavens Destruction!" The first punch of the Nine Heavens Destruction, the First Heaven, caused a boom to rattle out. Blood poured out of Saint Sea Divinity's mouth, and his body seemed to be on the verge of exploding. Even as he let out a bloodcurdling scream, Naruto stepped forward and punched out with the Second Heaven.
Then the Third Heaven, and the Fourth Heaven. Saint Sea Divinity's body was blasted apart . His Nascent Divinity flew out, screaming miserably.
"Legacy treasure!" he howled, instantly causing a statue to fly out from inside the Nascent Divinity. The statue was pitch black, and depicted a faceless figure.
As soon as the statue appeared, it let out a pulsating aura of Dao seeking, which transformed into a wall that expanded out to surround Saint Sea Divinity.
"Legacy treasure?" said Naruto. He punched out with the Fifth Heaven and the Sixth Heaven. Booms filled the area, and the statue trembled. Then the Seventh Heaven and the Eighth Heaven. The statue shook, and the wall trembled. Inside, despair filled Saint Sea Divinity's face.
"Ninth Heaven… Destruction!" said Naruto calmly. He lifted his right hand, and this time, it wasn't a fist, but a palm that softly pushed out.
BANG!
The wall collapsed, and the statue was sent tumbling back. Inside, Saint Sea Divinity's Nascent Divinity let the last scream it ever would. He was now destroyed in body and spirit!
"How can he be so strong!?" thought Saint Flying Immortal. Having personally witnessed Saint Sea Divinity perishing, his scalp went numb, and his heart filled with astonishment. He quickly bit down on the tip of his tongue and spit out a mouthful of blood. He burned life force, not hesitating to waste longevity to struggle free from Naruto's Area world. He transformed into a beam of light that fled at top speed.
Naruto turned back to look, and his eyes flickered. He raised his hand to collect up Saint Sea Divinity's bag of holding, then waved his arm to summon the war chariot.
"Anyone who chased me along with that 10th Uchiha Clan bastard will have to pay the price!"
"How can he be so strong!?
"A great Dao descended, making it a great Dao Spirit Severing, different from mine. But, it still doesn't make sense for him to be so terrifying!
"He hasn't even used any magical techniques or items! He's only relying on his fleshly body!
"Dammit! Just what level is his fleshly body at? Magical items are completely ineffective, nor could it be shaken by divine abilities! What type of fleshly body is it!?" Saint Flying Immortal's fear had reached the pinnacle. In his entire life of practicing of cultivation, he had never encountered a Cultivator of the same stage who caused him to be so terrified.
"Damn you, Madara, you conned me! If I'd known this Naruto was so inhuman, you couldn't have said anything to convince me to join you…." He flew forward at top speed, fearful of being pursued. He even spit out some blood and burned more life force to go faster.
But it didn't matter how fast he went, he couldn't go faster than the war chariot.
Naruto was mounted on the war chariot, fueling it with a sliver of the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way. Thrumming, it caught up with Saint Flying Immortal in only a moment. Then it slammed violently toward him.
Saint Flying Immortal's face fell. He was incapable of evading; he only had time to wave his sword of light behind him to block. A huge boom could be heard as the sword of light shattered into pieces. Saint Flying Immortal's body then directly exploded.
His Nascent Divinity flew out, clearly in a sorry state. Naruto exited the war chariot and waved his hand, employing the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. Saint Flying Immortal didn't even have a chance to move before countless invisible strands of Chakra seemed to entwine his quivering Nascent Divinity.
His mind was instantly inundated with a profound sense of imminent death. His eyes bulged and he struggled violently, but he could do nothing as Naruto waved his hand, causing a hundred Wooden Time Swords to fly out. They circulated around Saint Flying Immortal to form a swirling Lotus Sword Formation.
A miserable shriek could be heard as Saint Flying Immortal's Nascent Divinity rapidly began to wither up. In the space of about ten breaths, it shrank, much like it would if it was being refined. Then, it withered into nothing; he was dead in body and spirit.
Naruto waved his hand to collect up Saint Flying Immortal's bag of holding, and then looked over the Lotus Sword Formation.
"The lotus is also like the act of refining…." he thought.
It was at this point that the crackling of thunder could be heard in the sky off in the distance. The wind whipped about, and in the blink of an eye, the sunny day turned dark. Countless pitch-black clouds surged up, forming a dense mass that looked like a gigantic face. It was none other than… the face of Madara.
The face was surrounded by crisscrossing bolts of lightning and heralded by peals of thunder; on the forehead of the face, an old man could be seen, his eyes glittering brightly.
"Naruto!"
The voice drowned out the thunder, like a Heavenly being's majestic roar, blasting an enormous craterous depression into the Milky Way Sea down below, which rapidly transformed into a rumbling, spinning vortex.
Naruto took a deep breath and looked coldly at Madara.
"Another clone," he said. His Divine Sense was much more powerful than before, and he understood a lot more about Madara now that he had fought two of his clones before. How could he not notice that this was indeed just a clone?
Naruto raised his right hand into a fist, and the Mountain Consuming Incantation appeared. One thousand mountains appeared around him, then more, until tens of thousand of mountains could be seen. The mountains were not small, and appeared to contain seawater. These represented all of the underwater mountains that existed in the range of Naruto's Divine Sense.
"The Mountain Consuming Incantation is divided into three aspects; the mountain, the soul, and the will!
"Along with my Cultivation base breakthrough, I was enlightened regarding the soul.
"This soul aspect more or less can be controlled by means of my Demon Sealing powers. With the art of Righteous Bestowal, I can extract the souls of mountain and insert them into my mountains. That is the complete second stage of the great art of Mountain Consuming!"
Naruto's eyes shone with a strange light. As he faced up against Madara, he felt pressure bearing down on him, but at the same time, an intense desire to do battle. He raised his hand and then pushed it down toward the sea.
"Righteous Bestowal!
"Mountains of the Milky Way Sea, you are sunk beneath the waters, living in a world without daylight. Today, I, Naruto, will borrow your souls. I will split open the Heavens and Earth and allow you to bathe in the sunlight!
"EMERGE!"
In response to his shout, the sea began to seethe as, one by one, the mountains within the sea began to tremble. At the same time, an invisible aura began to spread up from them toward the surface.
As the sea blustered, the souls of the mountains appeared, merging into the mountains summoned by Naruto's divine ability. Thousands upon tens of thousands of mountains, a world-shaking sight, completely incomparable!
As the mountains spun around Naruto, he stretched his arms out wide. Hair flying around him, and eyes blazing with the desire to do battle, he suddenly swept his hands out in front of him. The tens of thousands of mountains all shot through the air with shocking rumbling sounds heading directly toward the gigantic face floating in mid-air.
Madara's face flickered as he performed an incantation gesture. The face that surrounded him immediately sped toward the mountains. They neared each other, and then slammed into each other, giving rise to a rumbling boom that filled the entirety of the Third Ring.
One mountain after another collapsed, and the face was riddled with gaping wounds. A moment later, amidst deafening roars, all of the mountains collapsed, and the face fell apart into pieces.
Naruto didn't pause for a moment. He flew up into the air, waving his arm to cause one hundred Wooden Time Swords to appear and form into the Lotus Sword Formation. Instantly, the formation shot toward Madara.
At the same time, he began to clench and unclench his fist. Every time he did this, his energy would redouble. It was none other than the Nine Heavens Destruction!
Now that his Cultivation base was truly in the Spirit Severing stage, he had gained complete enlightenment of it.
Madara's pupils constricted. He could clearly sense that Naruto was completely different than he remembered, and was far, far more powerful.
"And yet, you are still… an insignificant bug!" he said with a cold snort. He waved his right hand, causing a red glow to appear in the cloud-choked sky.
It was a sun! A red sun!
"Setting Sun!" he said coolly. The red glow spread out to fill Heaven and Earth, instantly causing Naruto's one hundred Wooden Time swords to slow down.
"Time Combustion!" growled Naruto.
In response to the words, the one hundred Wooden Time Swords and their ten sixty-year cycles of Time power, instantly began to burn. The combustion of Time caused their speed to increase dramatically. They pierced through the layers of redness to appear near Madara, where they spun around him slowly.
Merely a single rotation caused Madara's face to flicker. He could sense that his clone had, in the blink of an eye, lost several thousand years of longevity.
"A trifling Time treasure? Shatter!" He gave a cold snort, and the red glow grew even more shocking. It now emanated intense heat that spread out and began to shatter the Wooden Time Swords.
Naruto was already moving forward. "Detonate!"
BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!
Of the one hundred Wooden Time Swords, seventy simultaneously exploded. When the Spring and Autumn trees detonated, they unleashed an insane power of Time that turned into a Time vortex. Madara's face fell as the rumbling echoed out. His body began to wither, and he was just about to retreat when Naruto shot forward as fast as lightning. His right fist had already clenched eight times in a row; now it clenched for the ninth time and then punched toward Madara.
"Nine Heavens Destruction!"
"Setting Sun, Falling Clouds!" Madara's body emanated a monstrous red glow that billowed out.
Naruto faced it head on, and his body ignited into flames. However, his fist still struck its target.
A huge boom rattled out, and Madara fell back, his face pale. Killing intent radiated from his eyes as he saw that Naruto, blood pouring from his mouth and body in flames, was actually pursuing him.
Naruto's hoarse voice once again rang out: "Detonate!"
The detonation from before had been that of seventy Wooden Time Swords. There were still thirty left, all of which exploded at the same time. A tempest of Time was created in Madara's path of retreat, finally managing to wound him.
Blood sprayed from his mouth, after which he lifted his head up and roared with rage. Of three clones, two had been slain. This third clone was somewhat weak, was not carrying any magical items, and was limited in the divine abilities it could use. However, it had a Dao Seeking Cultivation base! How could it be injured in this way?
To Madara, it was a humiliation!
After panting a few times, he stifled his rage and then looked at Naruto approaching him. "He's intentionally trying to exasperate me. I must under no circumstances come here with my true self. He may still be able to use that Immortal's sword, and the threat that could pose to me… must not be underestimated!"
Glaring at Naruto, he cried, "Call the Wind, Summon the Rain!"
Black clouds containing black dragons whistled around him as a deluge drenched the vicinity, each raindrop contained killing intent. The raindrops seemed to cover Heavens and Earth as they headed straight for Naruto.
"Even if I have to sacrifice this clone, I need to draw out that Immortal's sword. After he uses it, then my true self can come!"
Naruto, his body in flames, quickly retreated. A violet glow appeared in his eyes, and he burned life force to restore his flesh, which visibly healed at a rapid rate. Even as Madara neared him, Naruto stepped into the war chariot.
It was in that moment that the black dragons roared, and the dense rain of killing intent began to close in.
Naruto pushed down onto the war chariot with his hand. Even while continuing to heal himself, he sent the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way into the war chariot. Then, instead of fleeing, he shot toward Madara with all the power the war chariot could muster.
Outside of the war chariot, one vicious beast after another materialized, roaring. The sounds of their chains echoed about as they charged at top speed toward Madara, whose face immediately flickered. He hadn't sensed earlier that the war chariot was extraordinary, so seeing what was happening now left him shaken inwardly. He instantly moved to evade.
However, his speed was no match for the war chariot!
A boom could be heard as it slammed into him. Any black dragons along the way collapsed and the rainwater was destroyed. A massive energy swelled up, slamming into Madara. Blood poured from his mouth as he performed a double-handed incantation and then shoved his hands out forward. His face was twisted ferociously as he utilized the entire power of his Cultivation base.
Even still, he was shoved backward by three hundred meters. By the time he came to a stop, blood was gushing out of his mouth, but his body had not been destroyed.
"Before Spirit Severing, he was no weakling. However, I never imagined that after reaching Spirit Severing, he would be so swift and fierce.
"I must have this Perfect Dao foundation!"
Naruto stood in the war chariot watching as Madara fell backwards swiftly. Killing intent flickered in his eyes, and he waved a hand, causing Han Shan's bronze Immortal's sword to suddenly appear.
Madara's pupils constricted, and he did nothing to dodge or evade. In fact, a cold gleam appeared in his eyes, and he fully rotated his Cultivation base, causing his aura to surge with scintillating brightness. Nascent Divinity flames even began to burn his body.
"So, he finally drew the sword," he thought. "From the look of it, he can only use it one more time. I'll use this clone to make him use all of its power. When he slays my clone, then my true self can teleport here!" A strange gleam appeared in his eyes.
Just when it seemed Naruto was going to attack with the Immortal's sword, the sword suddenly vanished. Then, ten glowing beams flew out of his bag of holding. The power of Time roiled off of them as they sped toward Madara.
They moved with incredible speed, plus, Madara was mostly focused on the Immortal's sword. Therefore, Naruto was once again able to take advantage of a critical moment. Ten Time Sword tips flew forward with shocking speed, as well as over 100,000 years of Time power.
As they neared Madara, his face flickered as his body rapidly withered, and he retreated immediately at top speed. Of course, the faster he moved, the faster the war chariot moved.
Naruto was racing against the clock, so he didn't hold back any of the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way. He pushed the war chariot until it rumbled, shooting toward Madara.
The Uchiha Patriarch let out a furious roar, and then, all of a sudden, his right arm directly exploded. This was a type of self detonation that pushed him away violently, enabling him to sidestep the attack. As he did, Naruto's eyes flickered with killing intent.
"Detonate!" One Time Sword tip, worth 1,000,000,000 Spirit Stones, exploded. It transformed into a tempest of Time Power that spiraled toward Madara, who was still in the middle of dodging away from the war chariot.
He let out a desolate roar and caused his Cultivation base to explode out with full power within the tempest. When he finally managed to completely dissipate the tempest, his body was incredibly withered, and his face ashen. He looked like nothing more than skin and bones. He let out another furious roar.
Naruto had no time to feel any pain in his heart because of the loss of Spirit Stones. His ability to defeat this clone of Madara depended, not just on his Cultivation base, but also… his wealth!
He had Spirit Stones, and he had the Heaven-defying Time treasures. Detonating the one hundred Wooden Time Swords was only the beginning. The Time Sword tips were his trump card.
Madara's clone was being defeated by Naruto's Spirit Stones!
"Detonate!"
As the words left Naruto's mouth, a second Time Sword tip blew up. A massive explosion ripped out, and a Time tempest surged out in all directions. The air aged, the sea dried up, in the blink of an eye, everything seemed to pass through ten thousand years.
Madara's clone exploded, and a Nascent Divinity flew out, screaming shrilly.
"Naruto! You're DEAD!" The Nascent Divinity suddenly began to spin, transforming into an enormous vortex, within which flickered countless magical symbols. As it rotated, it turned into a spell formation.
At the very center of the spell formation appeared a black hole, a passageway leading to the unknown. A pressure that Naruto had never experienced before then emerged from within.
It was an aura that caused cracking sounds to fill the air around the black hole as multiple fissures suddenly appeared.
When he saw the fissures, Naruto's pupils constricted as he watched the fissures spread out to fill what looked like an elliptical shape.
From a distance, it actually looked like an eye!
The spell formation vortex was the iris, the black hole was a pupil, and the area around it was the white of the eye. As for the fissures, they were… veins of blood!
Naruto's entire body went cold; the intense pressure weighing down on him made it feel like he was about to explode. What was even more shocking was that the eye seemed to be fixed on him…. He could clearly sense something inside his body, something that had long since fused with him, begin to tremble, as if it was being forcefully extracted.
Naruto wasn't sure how exactly to describe what it was, but he could vaguely sense it. Finally, he realized that it was his foundation. It was his stable, solid foundation, built up after two hundred years of cultivation!
"Dao foundation…." he thought, panting. He could almost hear his heart pounding; everything around him was now completely silent.
The only thing that moved was the vortex….
Naruto wanted to struggle, but at the moment, it felt as if his body wasn't under his own control. He couldn't move a muscle, and it felt as if his internal foundation was about to separate from him. In fact, he could even see what appeared to be white mist seeping out from his nose and mouth. Not just his nose and mouth, but also, his eyes, ears, and in fact, all of the pores that covered his body.
This was not life force, this was his Dao foundation!
"My Dao, is freedom and independence!" Naruto's eyes went red as, in that very moment, his Cultivation base suddenly flared up. It was a forced eruption that caused him to cough up three successive mouthfuls of blood. His body also wasted away. But in exchange, he was now able to move again.
In that moment, though, a sigh could be heard from within the vortex. The sound of it stabbed into Naruto's ears, causing him to tremble. He coughed up another mouthful of blood, and his face went deathly white as he saw a coffin slowly emerging from within the vortex.
As soon as the coffin appeared, and ancient aura seeped out to fill the entire Third Ring. All of the Sea Demons underneath the water instantly went motionless. Even the Sea Devils in the Second Ring trembled.
Throughout all of the Milky Way sea, all of the Cultivators, all life forms, suddenly went still and quiet.
The sea did not move. The world was still. There was only the ancientness, roiling out to fill everything.
This was Dao Seeking!
The true peak of Dao Seeking!
Naruto did not need to speculate. He immediately knew that this… was Madara's true self.
The true self had finally arrived!
Naruto's scalp went numb, and his eyes were completely shot with blood. Without the slightest hesitation, he waved his hand, immediately causing seven of the remaining eight Time Sword tips to fly toward the vortex.
"DETONATE!" he roared, his voice hoarse. A huge boom rattled out as the seven Time Sword tips exploded, transforming into a terrifying storm of Time power.
At the same time, Naruto didn't hesitate for even a moment to pull out Han Shan's sword. He hefted the bronze alcohol flagon and took a drink, then spit it out. Sword Chakra billowed up, and the Immortal's Sword surged with the last bit of Sword Chakra that he had kept, just in case.
A tempest of Time ripped into the vortex, and even the coffin began to wither. In the blink of an eye, cracks appeared all over it. However, even as the tempest raged, a withered hand suddenly stretched out from inside the coffin. It began to clench into a fist, and the violent Time tempest immediately began to shrink down into the fist. When it was completely inside, the fist clenched tightly.
BOOM!
The tempest vanished, and an old man slowly rose up from within the coffin. He wore burial garments, and looked emaciated and frail. His face was a bit flushed, but the flush rapidly disappeared, leaving his face pale white.
His eyes were not large, but the feeling of ancientness that emanated out from him was intense to the extreme. He looked at Naruto and grinned. But then he noticed the Immortal's Sword that Naruto held, and his pupils constricted.
The grin caused Naruto's hair to stand on end. It was a grin that revealed no teeth whatsoever in his mouth; this man was ancient to the extreme.
Even as he smiled, Naruto raised up the Immortal's sword. Sword Chakra raged up, filled with a song, shocking to the extreme. However, before the sword could slash down, a tremor ran through him, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Dammit!" His face was pale white as he sent Immortal Chakra out of Immortal Shows the Way. The chariot rumbled and shot off into the distance. A gleam of foresight appeared in Naruto's eyes, and he panted. He had intentionally not struck down with the sword, purposefully making it seem like the sword was without power. He could tell from his encounter with Madara's clones that the man was wary of the sword.
Since that was the case, Naruto refused to believe that he wasn't prepared for it. Everyone knew that the best time to use something was when you could do so along with the element of surprise.
"This guy is a wily old fox. He's definitely prepared for the sword. If I want to use it, I have to catch him off guard. My Cultivation base isn't a match for his; if I want to transcend this Tribulation, I have to use my wits!
"Using the Immortal's sword at the right time… is the key to victory!" Naruto's face was grim as he thought about how this opponent had crushed the Time tempest with a single fist. That left him trembling in fear.
"This is the peak of Dao Seeking, the power of a False Immortal!" Naruto had personally felt the terrifying power of Madara, and he well understood the vast difference between the two of them. He was also well aware that the white mist that had begun to emanate out of him was the Perfection that was part of him. By now, it had been loosened and was being forced out of him. The thought of it was frightening.
"There's no need to run," said a hoarse voice from behind Naruto. "Your life has been prepared for me. It's your destiny…." The ancient voice echoed about in all directions. It seemed as if the wind was rotting, and when Naruto heard the voice, his entire body went as cold as ice.
He didn't turn to look back, but poured all the power of Immortal Shows the Way into the war chariot. In the blink of an eye, he had shot off into the distance with shocking, incredible speed.
"I knew about you way back when you were in Foundation Establishment. I've been waiting for many years for the opportunity to reach Immortal Ascension, and you are that opportunity." Madara's voice seemed nearer this time. Veins bulged out of Naruto's pale face. He could push no more power out of Immortal Shows the Way. Immortal Chakra tore through his Chakra passageways as it flowed out into the war chariot.
The speed with which he moved was incredible. The seawater down below was no longer that of the Third Ring. It was black, indicating that he had entered the Second Ring.
"This is the Dao of Karma. It is a decision made by destiny. You can't refuse.
"Do you think you can refuse the Dao of Karma? Do you think you can you refuse the choices of destiny? Since you can't refuse, why not just willingly give me your Dao Foundation? On the day that I reach Immortal Ascension, you will be in the underworld of the Fourth Mountain. Even after you have drunk the tea of old lady Uzumaki, and forgotten everything about your past life, you will still have a feeling of glory and honor." This time, it sounded like Madara was right next to him.
"What glory and honor, bitch!?" raged Naruto from within the war chariot. He was originally a scholar, and was not the type of person to curse at others. However, after the parrot awakened, it had quite a wicked influence on him, and he had inevitably learned to swear.
Unfortunately, after all the years, he had only mastered this one curse.
Madara laughed hoarsely. The sound of it was filled with ancientness, like a cold wind blown from somewhere amidst countless years of time.
"I'm sorry," he said, "but all the women in my immediate family are dead. If you'd like, we could make a deal. I'd be happy to deliver their skeletons to you. What do you think?"
Naruto's face was extremely unsightly as he sped along in the war chariot. Madara continued to follow, and actually gained on Naruto. Naruto could clearly sense that his own body was continuously emitting white mist. He was filled with the pain of having something within him forcefully separated, which caused anxiety to fill his eyes.
"It's still not time to use the Immortal's sword!" he thought.
"Foundation Seizing Grand Magic!" said Madara. His voice echoed out in all directions, but Naruto was incapable of looking back. However, he could sense the speed with which the white mist poured out of him suddenly increase by severalfold. An indescribable pain filled him, and he couldn't hold back from letting out a despondent shout.
Shockingly, something that looked like red veins could be seen pulsing on his face, and in fact, his entire body. It almost appeared as if he was about to be torn to pieces, from the inside out!
Naruto began to shake, and blood sprayed from his mouth. He was now unable to continue to employ the Chakra of Immortal Shows the Way, so the war chariot came to a stop and shrank down. He put it into his bag of holding and then, enduring the intense pain, lifted his right hand to produce the flag of three streamers. He waved it out in front of him, and instantly, dense fog billowed up.
Down below, the seemingly never-ending black seawater seemed almost to be congealed in place. Not a single ripple could be seen on its surface!
Madara floated in the air some distance away, grinning at Naruto.
It was a ghastly grin, filled with greed, almost as if to him, Naruto was food. His expression caused Naruto's scalp to go numb. He waved the flag of three streamers, causing the monstrous black mist to sweep toward Madara.
"That magical item… looks a bit familiar," said Madara, his eyes glittering. He performed an incantation with his right hand, and then pointed forward.
"Moonrise Over the Sea ," he said in his hoarse voice. Down below, the black seawater immediately turned violet. Then a red-colored moon suddenly rose up from within. The appearance of the red moon caused flames to fill the world. They transformed into a massive fireball that shot toward Naruto's flag of three streamers.
When they slammed into each other, the flag wasn't damaged, but the black mist immediately fell apart. The red moon, on the other hand, faded like an extinguished lamp, completely defeated and dispersed.
Next, the flag of three streamers expanded, spreading out to blot out the sky and also push Naruto and Madara apart.
Madara's face flickered, and he said, "This treasure… is very familiar. I'm sure that I've seen it somewhere before!"
Looking very serious, he performed a double handed incantation, then raised his hands high above his head and touched his ten fingertips together.
"Power of the rising sun, disperse all darkness of night!"
At the moment, everything was pitch black, with no light existing anywhere. The flag of three streamers seemed to have become part of the darkness of night.
But then, a beam of light appeared, shooting out from Madara to swirl around him. It was almost like… he had turned into a rising sun in the middle of the dark night!
The rising sun had appeared, and a bright glow began to spread out in all directions. Its power began to dispel the power of the dark night. The boundless blackness vanished under the light, and was completely cast away!
Naruto couldn't take it, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. The flag of three streamers rumbled and began to glow blurry. It spun backward, shrinking down at the same time. The entire world filled with brightness, and Madara floated there in mid-air. If you looked at him, it was impossible to tell whether he was a person or a sun!
Naruto's mind trembled. This was a divine ability, a Daoist magic that he had never even heard of!
"What divine ability is this!?" A tremor ran through his body, and blood poured from his mouth. When the sunlight had dispelled the darkness of night, it seemed he was considered to be part of the night. His body burst into flames, and he let out a shrill cry. Violet light flickered in his eyes as he frenziedly healed himself. However, it was still amid thunderous rumbling sounds that he fell down toward the black sea below.
Madara's voice was filled with pride as he said, "That was another art personally created by the Uchiha Clan ancestor. For you to have seen it with your own eyes means that you can wear a smile on your face as you go to the underworld." His face was a bit paler than before; clearly it was not a simple thing to use the art he just had. Were it not for the fact that he needed to end the battle, he wouldn't have used it.
The bright glow filled a vast area, and the seawater was turning violet. As Naruto splashed into the water, Madara's eyes flickered.
"Even now, he still doesn't unleash the power of that Immortal's sword?" he thought. "When I first arrived, he could only use about half of the power. Now, on the verge of death, he still doesn't utilize it…. I can thus be seventy percent certain that the Immortal's sword is now useless!" He suddenly flashed through the air, stretching his right hand out to grab at Naruto.
"Foundation Seizing Grand Magic!" A black glow spread out from the five fingers of his right hand. The light transformed into something like a black hole that emanated a shocking gravitational force.
Naruto's entire person appeared to be decaying. His flesh split and tore, his hair fell out, and he looked withered to the extreme. His life force faded rapidly. Compared to Madara's peak Dao Seeking cultivation base, Naruto's own cultivation base… was too weak.
Even as Madara closed in, madness suddenly burned in Naruto's eyes. Despite the fact that his blood vessels were shattered, and he was gravely injured, he still managed to slap his bag of holding with his right hand. The alcohol flagon appeared, and he took a drink. Then the Immortal's sword could be seen, and he spit the alcohol out of his mouth.
Immortal Chakra exploded out, swift and fierce to the extreme. When Madara saw that it was about to slash toward him, his heart trembled, but after only a slight moment, he smiled coldly. He had long since prepared for exactly this situation. He immediately began to perform an incantation that would cause a body double to appear in his exact position. However, it was at this point that a violent tremor ran through Naruto. Apparently, he couldn't keep his grip on the Immortal's sword. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his entire right arm instantly exploded into a haze of blood and gore. The Immortal's sword tumbled down into the sea.
No matter how you looked at it, it seemed clear what had happened. Naruto was not capable of handling the power of the sword, and yet had still tried to forcefully control it. His right arm couldn't sustain the power, and had exploded.
Naruto laughed bitterly, and a look of despair appeared on his face.
"I can't accept this!" he howled, his voice filled with extreme grief and indignation.
Madara watched on smiling. As of this point, he was now eighty percent certain that the Immortal's sword could be of no more threat to him. A ferocious expression appeared on his face.
Of course, having lived for so many years, he was wily and cunning, and even more so, cautious. Despite the current situation, and Naruto having lost an arm, he was still not off guard regarding the Immortal's sword.
Instead of trying to lay hands on the Immortal's sword, he headed toward Naruto.
When Naruto saw this, anger sprang up in his heart. However, it only took a moment for a completely ruthless idea to spring up in his head. The ruthlessness of the idea actually did not target Madara, but rather, himself!
Madara neared. Hovering in front of Naruto, he lifted his right hand up and pushed the shimmering blackness onto Naruto's chest. Then he dug his hand into Naruto's flesh, his fingernails literally ripping through Naruto's flesh.
"Your skin is thick and your body tough," grated Madara. "Not bad. If you were able to take your fleshly body to the next stage, then perhaps I wouldn't be able to deal with you. But right now… it's just not quite good enough." His fingernails stabbed deep into Naruto's chest.
"Foundation Seizing Grand Magic!" A strange light appeared in the eyes of Madara, a thirst, a desire, and an excitement. His fingers tightened viciously, and a rotating black hole appeared inside of Naruto.
The gravitation force it exerted was shocking, and completely filled Naruto.
His body began to tremble as unthinkable pain filled him. Countless blood-colored strands appeared all over his body. These strands had long since fused into him; this was his Perfect Dao foundation!
It was the foundation upon which he would achieve his Dao in the future!
Now, though, the blood-colored strands twisted and distorted as they shrank down, relentlessly sucked toward the black hole in his chest.
They were sucked toward his chest from his legs, his arms, his head, from every position in his body.
"From now on, your Perfect Dao Foundation belongs to me!
"Henceforth, my path to Immortal Ascension will be open!
"I will no longer be a false Immortal, but rather, a true Immortal!
"I will pursue the path of the ancestor and become an almighty expert of Heaven and Earth!" Madara was so incredibly excited that he lifted his head up and laughed out loud. He slowly pulled his right hand back, and as he did, countless red strands stretched out between it and Naruto's body.
The red strands shone resplendently, and anyone who saw them would think of Perfection. Absolute Perfection without blemish!
Naruto's body withered and grew old. His cultivation base also fell. He could feel his Chakra Condensation foundation vanish. His Dao Pillar foundation disappeared. His Perfect Core also faded away.
His expression was hollow, as if he had lost all power to fight back. He lay there blankly, bitterness filling his face. Pain wracked his body, although it couldn't even come close to matching the pain he felt in his heart.
Madara looked at the red strands that were building up in his hand, and intense desire built up in his eyes. His heart filled with excitement and elation. In fact, he was more excited now than he ever had been in his entire life.
In this moment, he completely set aside any preparations he had made to defend against the Immortal's sword. His entire heart and mind was completely focused on extracting the Perfect Dao foundation.
It was then, after he had abandoned his defenses, that grim coldness suddenly appeared in Naruto's blank eyes.
"Anybody who wants to take my Dao foundation must first pay the price!
"Immortal's sword!" Naruto's eyes were filled with madness that caused Madara's mind to tremble. Suddenly, the Immortal's sword that had sunk down into the sea exploded with an earthshaking Sword Chakra. It shot out from within the water, moving at incredible speed.
Shocking Sword Chakra billowed out as the Immortal's sword flew up from the bottom of the sea, moving with indescribable speed.
Madara's face fell, and an intense sense of deadly crisis filled him. He was about to dodge to the side when Naruto's left hand suddenly stretched out and grabbed down onto Madara's arm.
Naruto's eyes were shot with blood, and his expression was one of utmost ferocity, as if he were a devil or a fiend. He glared at Madara, his hand filled with the power of his life force, his stubborness, and his madness.
"You…." said Madara, his face flickering as he sent the power of his cultivation base bursting out in all directions. His mind trembled with the sense of impending doom. He knew that he could not make any mistakes, but because the sword aura completely filled the entire area, he could not tell where exactly the Immortal's sword was coming from.
What he could do, though, was completely lock down the entire area.
RUMBLE!
The Immortal's sword did not fly up out of the sea to attack Madara! That would slow it down a bit, and right now… at this juncture, each moment counted for everything!
In his madness, Naruto had been waiting for this very moment. In the end, he used the Immortal Chakra and the Immortal's sword to…
Stab himself!
The sword pierced into his back to appear directly in front of Madara!
Madara had locked down all other avenues of approach, but he had forgotten about… Naruto's body.
There was no way he could ever have imagined that Naruto would possibly be so ruthless. This was not a ruthlessness toward enemies, but a ruthlessness toward himself. The Immortal's sword stabbed through his body with lightning-like speed, then shot out from his chest toward Madara.
Madara's mind spun. His first mistake was not realizing that Naruto would actually wait until the very last possible moment to unleash his desire to kill. The second mistake was not realizing that Naruto would use his own body as the vessel with which to deliver the blow of the Immortal's sword.
He wanted to defend himself, but could not! He wanted to ward off the blow, but was unable!
"If I can't live, then we will perish together!" said Naruto. "What's to fear in death? Mortals can live for a hundred years at most. I, Naruto, have already lived more than two hundred years. What's the harm in dying?!
"From the moment I stepped onto the path of cultivation, I was prepared. I don't care about dying, but what I do care about… is living a life of freedom and independence!
"The Resurrection Lily turned into fetters that held me back. And as for you, Madara, you want to do the same? Well then, I'll just have to sever you!"
Naruto's level of determination and decisiveness could shake Heaven and Earth!
BAM!
The Immortal's sword and its shocking Sword Chakra stabbed directly into Madara. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, then jerked his right arm to shake off Naruto's hand. Naruto's body lurched up as vast quantities of red, Perfect Dao foundation strands were wrenched out of him. They transformed into a resplendent red cloud that hovered up above.
Madara immediately pulled the brightly shining red strands of Perfection into his body. It was a moment in which he should have been extremely smug.
Instead, he screamed in miserable and shocking fashion.
The Immortal's sword pierced through his chest, exploding his heart and sending blood spraying about in all directions. He retreated, his mind filled with astonishment and terror. The wound to his body was secondary to the unbridled Immortal Chakra which tore through his body.
But all of that was actually not even worth mentioning when compared to the trembling of his soul.
That was the most terrifying thing to him; his soul shook to the point where it felt as if it were going to be torn to shreds.
"NOOOO!"
Madara howled as he sensed that the three spiritual aspects and seven physical aspects of his soul, which formerly had been fused harmoniously, were now being ripped apart by the stabbing of the Immortal's sword. In fact, all aspects of his soul were rapidly beginning to fade.
"Naruto! DIIEEEEE!" Unprecedented madness filled Madara. He lifted his head up and howled as his entire body filled with rumbling sounds. Blood and gore oozed out from his mutilated chest. Suddenly, his withered body expanded as the red strands of the Perfect Dao foundation fused into his arm and the rest of his body. Suddenly, a trace of his own Immortal Chakra bloomed inside of him.
Unfortunately, it didn't matter that Immortal Chakra had appeared, he was unable to prevent the collapse of his soul.
"Immortal! I will become Immortal!" he raved. Shouting, he flew toward Naruto, his expression vicious. He raised his right hand into the air; everything shook, Immortal Chakra rose up into the sky, and the seawater vibrated.
Naruto had lost his Dao foundation, and his cultivation base had fallen. He no longer looked like a young man. He was old now, withered, with only a single breath of life left.
And yet, he smiled, a smile filled with contentment, freedom, and viciousness.
"If you want to take away my Dao foundation, you have to pay the price."
As Madara's massive palm strike descended, the sky grew dim. Just as the power of the attack was about to envelop him, suddenly, a sigh could be heard coming from within the sea. Black fog roiled out, covering over Naruto. In the blink of an eye, the fog ebbed and he vanished from beneath Madara's palm.
Something else appeared at the same time as the fog. A ship.
Its aura was ancient, and it was filled with the vestiges of the passage of time. The deck was dilapidated, and the entire ship seemed completely ancient. This was none other than… the ancient Underworld Ship!
At the prow of the ship, a man sat cross-legged, wearing a dilapidated suit of armor. Next to him lay Naruto; his eyes were closed, and it was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead.
Madara's palm strike slammed into the sea, sending water splashing everywhere as a huge depression appeared. Madara was screaming and going crazy. Although the aura of an Immortal grew more clear on his body, his expression was one of madness. His soul was on the verge of dissipating. He had already lost one physical aspect of his soul, leaving him with only three spiritual and six physical aspects.
"I won't accept this!" he roared. His hatred toward Naruto had reaching the pinnacle. His mind and thinking were no longer clear, and the only thing on his mind was that before he died, he needed to kill Naruto.
He charged forward, but at the same time, the Underworld Ship began to drift away. No matter how Madara pursued it, he couldn't catch up. He could only watch as the Underworld Ship disappeared off into the sea.
"DIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!" roared Madara. Blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He violently slammed his palm onto the top of his head, causing blood to spray out. However, in that moment, he suddenly regained some of his clarity.
"I will reach Immortal Ascension! My soul must remain complete! I can't die! I haven't reached Immortal Ascension yet! I'm just on the verge!" His eyes bloodshot, he opened up a rift in the air and then vanished.
Shockingly, when he reappeared, he was back in the Southern Domain, in the Uchiha Clan.
"I will reach Immortal Ascension! I will become Immortal!
"I cannot die! I will not die!
"I have the Perfect Dao foundation, and am destined to be Immortal! Immortal Chakra has already appeared!
"How could I possibly die!?" As he raved, his mind was thrown into complete chaos. Right now the only thing he could think about was reaching Immortal Ascension. His eyes were completely bloodshot as he flew down toward one of the cities of the Uchiha Clan.
The city was populated completely by members of the Uchiha Clan. There were mortals and cultivators, elderly people and children. As he shot toward the city, several hundred cultivators flew out. When they saw the appearance of the 10th Patriarch, their faces fell.
"Patriarch!"
"Patriarch, you… AAIIEEEEE!" Even as the people opened their mouths to greet him, Madara grabbed one of the Uchiha Clan members and then crushed his fingers down. The cultivator's head exploded, and his soul flew out to be inhaled by Madara.
The other Uchiha Clan members were shocked, but before they could react, Madara turned into a black wind that whistled toward them. Miserable shrieks began to echo out in all directions as hundreds of people were all eradicated, their souls absorbed by Madara.
"I will reach Immortal Ascension!" he raved. "I will not die!" His eyes red, he shot down toward the city. Everywhere he passed, bloodcurdling screams rang out. Countless souls flew toward him, which he absorbed. In the space of only about ten breaths, the entire city was deathly silent. Everyone in the city… was dead!
Only Madara remained. He flew up into the air, howling.
"Return to me, my soul!" he howled.
There were a total of three such cities within the Uchiha Clan. Madara suddenly vanished, to reappear outside the second city.
The scene that played out was exactly the same as before. Miserable shrieks could be heard as countless lives met heartrending ends. A black cloud covered the entire city as all members of the Uchiha bloodline had their souls consumed by Madara. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
And yet, the spiritual and physical aspects of his soul were still dispersing; of the original ten total, one spiritual aspect and two physical aspects had already vanished.
"NOOOO!" he howled, shooting toward the third city. This city was the location of the Uchiha Clan's ancestral mansion in Lands of Ninshu. As he neared, thousands of cultivators shot out from within, including two Spirit Severing experts. Their faces were filled with shock.
"The Patriarch has gone mad!"
"He massacred two cities full of clan members! He's insane!"
BOOM!
Within the the territory of the Uchiha Clan were the mountains in which successive generations of Patriarchs were buried. Seven mountain ranges in particular suddenly emanated shocking roars. In the blink of an eye, seven coffins appeared, from out of which exploded seven emaciated old men. Each and every one was in a rage.
"10th Patriarch, what are you doing!?"
"10th Patriarch, stay your hand!"
Their shocking roars rose up like thunder, causing a bit of lucidity to suddenly appear in the eyes of Madara. In that moment, he realized everything that he had done, and his body began to tremble. In his heart, he felt pain from having slaughtered countless members of his own clan.
Intense pain filled him, but only for a moment. Then, his eyes shone with determination.
"I'll kill you and consume your souls too! Then, I will achieve Immortal Ascension! The whole clan can die, as long as I remain alive!"
