Chapter 351: The Ancient Kingdom of the Merfolk, a Mysterious Curse

The dangers here far exceeded any of the places they had previously patrolled.

The slightest carelessness could result in the loss of one's life.

Finally, after flying for an entire day, the two reached their destination.

Before them lay a vast expanse of ruins.

In the center of the ruins stood a pitch-black stone stele that towered into the clouds.

On the stone stele, three ancient characters were engraved—Demon Suppressing Monument.

This Demon Suppressing Monument was the core of the Seal holding the Heavenly Demon Marshal.

Zhou Chen and Wangliang landed before the Demon Suppressing Monument, looking up at the massive stele.

The stele was ten thousand zhang tall, pitch black throughout, and covered in densely packed runes.

These runes emanated a terrifying pressure, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at them.

“So this is the Demon Suppressing Monument…” Wangliang murmured.

“The great experts of that era joined forces and spent countless efforts to refine this monument.”

“It is said that as long as the Demon Suppressing Monument stands, the Heavenly Demon Marshal will never be able to escape. I wonder if it's true.”

Zhou Chen nodded, but he soon discovered something unusual.

A tiny crack had appeared at the base of the Demon Suppressing Monument.

This crack was extremely minute, almost invisible to the naked eye.

But Zhou Chen could sense that it was precisely this crack that had greatly diminished the monument's power.

“A crack has appeared on the Demon Suppressing Monument.”

Zhou Chen said in a heavy voice.

Wangliang's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly stepped forward to check.

When she saw the crack, her expression became extremely unsightly.

“This crack was man-made,” Wangliang said through gritted teeth.

“And judging by the direction of the fracture, someone used special means to damage it from inside the Demon Suppressing Monument.”

Zhou Chen's brow furrowed tightly.

Being able to cause damage from inside the monument meant that person's strength was incredibly formidable.

At the very least, they possessed a Venerable Realm cultivation.

“Let's go. The mission is complete; it's time for us to return,” Zhou Chen said.

Wangliang nodded, and the two steered their flying boat away from the Demon Burial Ridge.

On the way back to the academy, neither of them spoke.

Zhou Chen was thinking about how to handle what was coming next.

The situation at Demon Burial Ridge was even more serious than he had imagined.

Five Imperial Clans, three Demonic Path Holy Lands, and countless small to medium-sized forces were all involved in the plan to destroy the Seal.

This force was extremely massive.

Even Jixia Academy might not be able to withstand it.

Furthermore, there were moles within the various academies.

This made the situation even more complicated.

Zhou Chen had to increase his strength as quickly as possible to protect himself in the coming storm.

He decided that upon returning to the academy, he would immediately enter seclusion to charge toward the Venerable Realm.

Only by reaching the Venerable Realm would he be qualified to participate in the upcoming great war.

Three days later, Zhou Chen and Wangliang finally returned to Jixia Academy.

The two immediately headed to the Discussion Hall to report the results of their patrol to the academy's upper echelon.

Inside the hall, Vice Palace Master Bai Chongming and several Elders were waiting for them.

“Zhou Chen, Wangliang, you've returned,” Bai Chongming greeted them with a smile.

“What are the results of the patrol?”

Zhou Chen and Wangliang exchanged a glance and reported their experiences over the past few days in detail.

Upon hearing about the state of the Seal at Demon Burial Ridge, the expressions of Bai Chongming and the Elders turned extremely grim.

“Several Imperial Clans, three Demonic Path Holy Lands…”

Bai Chongming murmured.

“Has this force already grown to such a powerful extent?”

One Elder said in a heavy voice, “Vice Palace Master, we must immediately summon the other academies to discuss a counter-strategy.”

“Otherwise, once the Seal collapses, the entire Tianxuan Continent will fall into disaster.”

Bai Chongming nodded. “I will contact the other academies immediately.”

“Furthermore, the moles within the academy must be rooted out as soon as possible.”

As he spoke, his gaze swept over everyone present.

“From this moment on, the academy enters a state of martial Law.”

“No Disciple may leave the academy without permission.”

“Every Elder must undergo investigation to ensure there are no traitors.”

Everyone nodded in succession.

Bai Chongming turned to look at Zhou Chen.

“Zhou Chen, you completed this mission very well. One million contribution points will be recorded for you; you can collect them at the Mission Hall.”

“Thank you, Vice Palace Master!”

Zhou Chen was delighted. One million contribution points had so many uses; not only could they be exchanged for Cultivation Techniques and treasures, but they were also enough to exchange for dozens of sessions like the Grand Elder's lecture last time.

They could also be used to exchange for time in special cultivation rooms, saving years of bitter cultivation.

However, for now, Zhou Chen still planned to consolidate his strength first.

In the dark, he had a vague premonition that some major event was about to occur in this world.

After leaving the Discussion Hall, Zhou Chen went directly back to his Immortal Cave.

This trip to Demon Burial Ridge had yielded great harvests. Not only had his strength improved, but more importantly, he had gained a large amount of intelligence regarding the demons and the traitorous forces.

Zhou Chen sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, closing his eyes to rest his mind.

The lingering essence of the Grandmist Mysterious Ice Imperial Marrow within his body was still slowly flowing, nourishing his Meridians and Divine Soul.

Three perfected Laws—the Law of Severance, the Law of Slaughter, and the Law of Ice—interwove and circulated within his body, forming a perfect cycle.

“Sovereign Realm, Seventh Layer, with three perfected Laws.”

Zhou Chen opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them.

“I'm only three small Realms away from the Venerable Realm.”

However, he knew very well that the further one progressed, the more difficult it became to increase one's Realm.

From the seventh layer to the tenth layer of the Sovereign Realm, every layer was a natural chasm. Not to mention breaking through to the Venerable Realm, which required not only the accumulation of cultivation but also a profound comprehension of the Dao.

“Now that I have three perfected Laws as a foundation, my certainty in breaking through to the Venerable Realm is quite a bit higher.”

Zhou Chen calculated in his heart.

According to common knowledge in the cultivation world, to break through to the Venerable Realm, one needed to comprehend at least three types of Dao Laws, and each Law had to reach over seventy percent.

Just then, the System notification sounded.

[Ding! Detected that the Opportunity for the Child of Destiny, Gu Jifeng, has refreshed.]

Zhou Chen's spirits rose, and he immediately checked the opportunity panel.

[Name: Gu Jifeng]

[Realm: Sovereign Realm, First Layer.]

[fate: Child of Destiny (Five-Colored), Longevity Dao Body (Seven-Colored)]

[Destiny: A long-lived one with a lifespan of a million years. Lives a life of low-key development, staying hidden to the extreme, and stopping at the First Layer of True Immortal Realm.]

[Recent Opportunity: One month later, travels to the Ancient Kingdom of the Merfolk on the shores of the South Sea. By resolving a mysterious curse afflicting the Merfolk race, receives the Merfolk's gift of the sacred object, the Top-Grade Emperor Rank Sea-Fixing Pearl, using it to break through to the Third Layer of the Emperor Realm.]

Zhou Chen's eyes lit up.

The Sea-Fixing Pearl.

It was said to be formed by ancient experts from the essence of the deep sea, containing pure Water Origin, which could assist in the comprehension of water-based Laws.

Possessing the Sea-Fixing Pearl would not only significantly increase the power of water-System Cultivation Techniques but, more importantly, accelerate the comprehension of the Law of Water.

“Ancient Kingdom of the Merfolk, mysterious curse…”

Zhou Chen murmured to himself.

The Merfolk are an ancient race living in the depths of the South Sea. Legends say they can breathe freely in water, their tears turn into pearls, and their songs can entrance the human heart.

However, the Merfolk are extremely low-key and rarely have contact with the outside world. He hadn't expected them to appear this time.

As expected of the favored son of the heavens; Gu Jifeng's opportunities were blooming everywhere.

“One month… the timing is just right.”