Cultivation Starts from Farming Chapter 1019 - 436: Canghua Divine Wood Sword Breakthrough (Part 2)

Unending water spirit energy, much like loyal subjects adoring their sovereign, surged with joy into his magnificent dragon form, bestowing upon him strength that seemed boundless. Even when confronted by the united might of the Star Palace Saints, he stood firm, showing no inclination to yield. His draconic roar reverberated through the firmament, compelling the very waters of the ocean to coalesce into innumerable colossal water dragons, which then crashed ferociously against the starlight and moonlight, utterly annihilating them.

"Ao Guang, while the dominion of the open sea grants you favor, today your defeat is sealed!" The Star King's voice, carrying a chilling intent to kill, pierced through the thunderous pronouncements of the laws.

"Insolent!" A draconic roar of earth-shattering magnitude erupted from Ao Guang, its sonic waves manifesting as a tangible force that shattered several approaching meteor silhouettes.

The conflict immediately escalated to a feverish intensity.

Boom!

An explosion of deafening magnitude occurred, accompanied by a blinding radiance that momentarily incapacitated onlookers on the battlefield below.

An energy tempest swept outward, purging the sky of clouds and transforming the ocean surface into a vast expanse of vacuum.

Amidst this intense light and turmoil, a cold glint appeared in the Star King's eyes. His divine consciousness instantly united with the Moon God beside him, reaching a mutual understanding.

With a sudden tap on his brow's ancestral aperture, a deceptively simple and unadorned talisman silently launched forth—it was the Deception Talisman.

The talisman ignited in mid-air, devoid of flames or smoke.

Only an invisible, intangible, yet profoundly mysterious power disseminated instantly.

This power was not aggressive but possessed an overbearing aura of 'deception'.

It manipulated perceptions and severed sensory connections, akin to forcibly draping a veil of falsehood over the tangible world.

Crucially, Ao Guang and the water spirit energy began to appear blurred and distant.

It was as though the world had suddenly 'forgotten' the existence of this water sovereign.

"Deception Talisman?" For the first time, a palpable sense of seriousness tinged Ao Guang's draconic roar, which resonated like a colossal bell.

He clearly recognized this artifact and was acutely aware of its formidable power.

If this talisman were to fully take effect, he would temporarily forfeit the blessings of the open sea's laws, inevitably leading to a decline in his strength.

However, as a fifth-rank Dragon King who had existed for untold millennia, Ao Guang, the ruler of this realm, naturally possessed countermeasures against such tactics.

Ao Guang abruptly opened his abyss-like maw and, instead of unleashing a dragon breath capable of scorching mountains and boiling seas, expelled a bead the size of a fist—the Reality Piercing Dragon Pearl.

This pearl was not a weapon for annihilation but one of the sacred artifacts of the Dragon Race, designed to dismantle all illusions, barriers, and deceptions within celestial stratagems, targeting the origin and restoring true reality.

"Break!" Ao Guang roared once more, propelling the dragon pearl forward.

Instantly, the Reality Piercing Dragon Pearl emanated a light as clear as autumn water and as gentle as moonlight.

The distorted, illusory curtain woven by the Deception Talisman, under the luminescence of this 'true' light, emitted a peculiar hissing sound, like thin ice succumbing to a scorching sun, rapidly melting and disintegrating.

The warped space was forcefully smoothed by an unseen power, and the blurred perceptions snapped back into sharp clarity.

The vast water spirit law Hovering in the heavens once again enveloped and blessed Ao Guang's majestic dragon form as obedient subjects.

"Puff....." The Star King's figure wavered almost imperceptibly, a fleeting hint of paleness crossing his face.

The Deception Talisman, having been forcibly nullified by the dragon pearl imbued with primal faith, inflicted a minor backlash upon his divine spirit tethered to the talisman.

...Several days later, on Blood Bone Island.

Within the Blood Bone Hall.

Xu Ping, absorbing the account from Yan Feng, whose aura was noticeably diminished, finally displayed a trace of undisguised astonishment.

"What?"

"The Demon Race suffered a defeat? And even the fifth-rank Dragon King, Ao Guang, was wounded and forced to retreat?"

This outcome, though Xu Ping had previously contemplated the possibility of the Star Palace prevailing, the swiftness and totality of the defeat, bordering on a rout, truly surpassed his expectations.

After all, he was a fifth-rank Dragon King who benefited from the strategic advantage of the open sea, favored by the universe's inherent laws.

Yan Feng's countenance was etched with bitterness and apprehension as he explained in a hoarse voice, "Fellow Daoist Xu may not be aware, but the Star Palace Saints are both ruthless and meticulously prepared. They deployed two Deception Talismans consecutively!"

"Two Deception Talismans?" Xu Ping's eyes narrowed.

He had come across knowledge of such an item before, a treasure of the fifth-rank, capable of concealing heavenly secrets and severing perceptions. Even cultivators in the Divinity Transformation stage would covet such an artifact of immense worth.

Could the Star Palace truly possess the means to deploy two of these simultaneously?

Yan Feng went on to explain, "Furthermore, the Star King and the Moon God, without hesitation, expended their primordial qi and unleashed several incredibly potent Great Divine Powers in unison. They seized the opportune moment when Ao Guang was weakened, thereby forcefully inflicting a severe injury upon him."

Had Ao Guang not employed a certain life-saving divine technique unique to the Dragon Race at the very last moment to escape, the wounds sustained could have been far more grievous.

"Indeed, this is the way of it..."

A look of profound gravity settled upon Xu Ping's features.

This maneuver by the Star Palace Saints undeniably represented them revealing their ultimate trump cards. Their determination was immense, willing to sacrifice their primordial qi to ensure Ao Guang's critical wounding.

It could be predicted that the subsequent actions undertaken by the Star Palace would only escalate in magnitude and boldness.

"What course of action did the Star Palace take after vanquishing the coalition?" Xu Ping inquired further.

Yan Feng provided the answer: "They did not press their advantage in the open sea. Instead, they ceased their advance and focused their energies on the fringes of their newly acquired oceanic dominion. There, they extensively erected the 'Spirit-Locking Sea-Stabilizing Formation' to dissipate the pervasive demonic qi."

This particular formation served to pacify the oceanic territory and subtly manipulate the fundamental laws of the local realm, shifting them to disadvantage the Demon Beasts.

This overt strategy, advancing methodically, aimed to gradually encroach upon the Demon Race's territories and constrict their available living space.

Though its effects manifested slowly, the approach was steady and bore a high probability of success.

Upon absorbing this information, Xu Ping's brow furrowed in contemplation.