Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil in the Cultivation World Chapter 854 - 431: Return to the Yiling Secret Realm, Guided by Fate

Meanwhile, within the Yiling Island Group.

Daoist Shi Tai, a cultivator at the Fifth-Layer Nascent Soul stage, presently governs this expanse of sea. He also holds the prestigious position of Supreme Elder within Sunset Valley, a renowned Nascent Soul Sect located on the Southern Continent.

Yu Ruolin, the daughter of Red Whale Daoist, was previously a True Disciple of Sunset Valley.

However, after discovering a supreme treasure during an exploration of an Ancient Cave Mansion, Yu Ruolin vanished completely and retreated to the Yiling Island Group.

Such defiance was intolerable to Daoist Shi Tai. Consequently, he departed from Sunset Valley to hunt her down, relentlessly searching for any sign of his former True Disciple.

To his frustration, Red Whale Daoist escaped alongside Yu Ruolin, and their current location remains a mystery to this day.

The whereabouts of the father and daughter are unknown to all.

This situation left Daoist Shi Tai consumed by a simmering rage.

A fortuitous opportunity that should have been his was stolen away by others.

Because of this, Daoist Shi Tai remained stationed in the Yiling Island Group for several decades. Even though the environment was poorly suited for the cultivation of a Nascent Soul expert, he refused to depart, hoping to uncover a single lead regarding Yu Ruolin.

Naturally, another significant motivation for his stay was the rumored existence of the Yiling Secret Realm.

It is whispered to be a Mystical Transformation Realm.

In the past, Daoist Yiling utilized the resources within this realm to achieve a meteoric rise, nearly reaching the Divinity Transformation stage.

Regrettably, he met a premature end.

If Daoist Shi Tai could seize the fortunes within the Yiling Secret Realm, his own cultivation might finally break through its current bottleneck.

Thus, he waited patiently in these waters, biding his time for the Yiling Secret Realm to manifest once more.

With the extensive lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator, he possessed the luxury of time.

"Hmm? What is this? Has the Yiling Secret Realm finally opened?"

Suddenly, while in the midst of meditation, Daoist Shi Tai was jolted awake inside his Quiet Chamber. He could sense the Spiritual Qi across the entire sea area beginning to churn violently.

A formidable and cryptic force rippled through the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

The sensation caused even a master like him to feel waves of trepidation.

Boom~~

Daoist Shi Tai’s face paled instantly. High in the heavens, a monstrous entity appeared. It looked like a colossal jellyfish, sprouting innumerable transparent tentacles. Its surface was encrusted with thick black runes that resembled parasitic larvae, accompanied by patches of dark, viscous slime.

A moment later, those countless transparent tentacles lashed out in every direction.

One of the appendages came hurtling straight toward him.

"What is happening?"

Daoist Shi Tai attempted to fight back, but his efforts were futile. The tentacle shredded his defenses with ease and slammed into his frame.

He felt as powerless as a mere insect.

In that heartbeat, he felt as though he had reverted to the days before he began his journey of cultivation—a time when he was so frail that a common Qi Cultivation Stage practitioner could have ended his life.

Following a dull roar, his eyes lost their luster. His soul seemed to be cast into a limitless Illusion Realm as he slumped to the floor. His pupils rolled back, turning white, while the internal energy of his body began to leak away.

The transparent tentacle began to ravenously consume Daoist Shi Tai’s soul.

He was not the only victim; every living soul within the Yiling Island Group suffered the same fate.

Simultaneously, they all fell into a profound trance, their forms ensnared by the translucent limbs.

The entire sea fell into an eerie, absolute silence.

It was as if the region had turned into a graveyard of water, hauntingly still.

The silence was so heavy that the drop of a needle would have sounded like thunder.

Faintly, the wet, crunching sounds of the creature feeding echoed through the air.

A thick, white fog rolled in to shroud the sea, cutting it off from the rest of the world.

The area had been transformed into the monster's private larder.

......

Whoosh!

At that precise moment, the Gate of the Void tore open, and a figure stepped onto one of the islands in the Yiling Island Group.

The traveler was Jiang Fan.

Having been alerted by the fate prompt, he had rushed to this sea area without delay.

Boom~~

He immediately unfurled his Spiritual Sense, spanning tens of thousands of kilometers in an instant.

Jiang Fan witnessed the sight of humans strewn across the ground in a deep sleep.

From common mortals to powerful cultivators, they all lay motionless, wearing expressions of blissful joy.

It appeared as though they were lost in beautiful dreams.

"Is this the terrifying power of the Soul Devourer Dream Demon?"

"It has only just broken free, yet it is already this formidable."

"If it manages to recover its full strength, the consequences will be dire."

Jiang Fan’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Without the guidance of the fate prompt, he would likely be confused by the bizarre state of this sea area.

But with the knowledge of the Soul Devourer Dream Demon, he understood that this haunting display was the work of that Ancient Demon. Having just escaped its prison, its power was at its lowest ebb.

This was why it was desperately harvesting the souls of the masses to replenish its vitality.

Fortunately, his arrival was timely.

Had he been even slightly late, allowing the Soul Devourer Dream Demon to absorb enough soul energy, he might have been forced to flee rather than fight.

If that happened, not a single soul on the Southern Continent would remain alive.

"A living being... there is a living one here!"

"Ga ga, what a potent soul, such an exquisite soul aura!"

"Devour him! Hurry, devour him!"