Sea of the Enchanted: Condemning the Heavens, #7

By Tinalynge

Leaving Yan Dalu, Xue Wei finds himself on the treacherous seas where danger lurks around every corner.
Here he encounters new races, uncovers secrets, and gains a better understanding of the world.
He finds new friends, but his life hangs on by a thread at times, lost with the slightest mistake.

 

In the continent of Chang'an humans had lived as livestock and slaves to the Primordial Beasts. These beasts were ferocious, bloodthirsty and overwhelmingly powerful, but even so, the humans managed to prevail in the face of despair.

As the human race grew stronger the Primordial Beasts fought back with relentless fierceness, rousing beast hordes to engage in frenzied battles over the land.

Every single child on the continent was taught martial arts for the sake of fighting these Primordial Beasts, yet many of them were sent straight to their death.

In this world filled with constant battle, a young boy was born. This young boy was hoping to become the most outstanding cultivator, but who would have thought that his talent was so poor that he could not even cultivate?

As the boy was filled with despair over his unfortunate situation, a life changing event occurred which would forever leave a scar in his mind, pushing him to transcend his limits and grow to become a legend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tinalynge
• Release date: Mar 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215087152

Book preview

Chapter 1 - The Delegation Arrives

It was a warm summer day, and the sun shone brightly in the sky, cascading rays of light down upon the capital of Yan Dalu. 

Time had flowed like water since the time that the Garden of Shadows had become the Snowfall Academy, and Xue Wei, alongside his friends, had personally witnessed the many changes that had occurred in the continent. 

The Yuan and Gu families were much more prominent now than the Baili family had ever been before—in fact, even the King had decided to step down from her throne, letting these two families conquer the top spot of their world. 

During these months of change, many things had happened, but Xue Wei had not participated in much of it apart from the wedding between his two good friends, Gu Bing’er and Yuan Bailong. 

The two of them had come to truly love one another; they each made up for the other’s weaknesses, and no matter where they went, they were inseparable. 

After stepping down from her position as king, the King had given up her riches and prestige, and sought out Xue Wei. She had declared that when the delegation from the Demon Phoenix Continent arrived, she would leave with them, as her dream had always been to become a pirate, not a king. 

The people had been in an uproar when they found out that their newly elected king was abdicating, but with the unprecedented amount of prosperity that the continent was enjoying, there was no need for any revolution. Everyone started to accept the changes—even the old officials who had purposefully tried to suppress it at the beginning. 

Xue Wei had brought changes with him to Yan Dalu, and he started to wonder why they had ended up here instead of the Demon Phoenix Continent to begin with. Was this Lan’s plan all along? 

After thinking it through, he shook his head and smiled dismissively at himself. Lan was not the kind of person who would behave like that; he was far too casual to have the greater good of a spirit in mind. 

While the months passed, Xue Wei and his friends were not chased nor threatened anymore. They were treated like the most important guests on the continent, and their cultivation benefited enormously as a result. 

Every resource they could dream about was delivered to them as soon as they said the word, and every meal they ate was stuffed with the most luxurious and power-filled of spiritual foods. 

With the assistance of all these things and the peaceful environment to cultivate, Xue Wei managed to raise his rank all the way to a seventh-layer Sky Knight in Qi levels, and a sixth-layer Sky Knight in his spiritual energy cultivation. 

Hei Gou had reached the ninth layer of the Sky Knight rank in Qi levels, while Lin Xiao had just overtaken him, impressively breaking through to the first layer of the Heavenly Knight rank.

Bai Tianyi had elevated himself to the eighth layer of the Sky Knight rank in spiritual energy, and while Luoluo was incapable of ranking her strength, she had grown back into a five-year-old child. 

Finally was the latest addition to their team, having shamelessly decided to tag along with them: the King. She was by now a third-layer Heavenly Knight in spiritual energy, and her Qi—which had been her main focus these past months—had just reached the ninth layer of the Earth Knight rank.

Their day of departure was nearing. Xue Wei had given up on cultivating for now, as he was now instead gathering resources, concocting pills, and preparing anything else they might need for their long voyage. 

He was unsure of exactly how long the trip would last, but he had been told that it would take a couple of years to cross the sea, as they were not moving through a spatial tunnel this time. 

The sea was vast, and the continents were far from one another. Although this was the closest continent to their own, it was far from being actually close to them—Bai Tianyi had used far too much power back when splitting the land into multiple continents; each one had been scattered so far.

When the delegation arrived, they would spend two months in Yan Dalu before it was time for them to set out to sea again. 

These two months were filled with festivities, celebrations, and excitement for the entire continent; citizens were flocking to the capital for a chance to meet the inhabitants of the illustrious Demon Phoenix Continent. 

Throughout the many months he had been in Yan Dalu, Xue Wei had done all in his power to get information about the Demon Phoenix Continent, but every time he tried, he was met with confusion and expectations rather than facts. 

Even the King was not aware of much truth about the Demon Phoenix Continent. 

They are very secretive when they arrive, she said, musing about her lack of actual knowledge. "I know that the continent is not as peaceful as Yan Dalu. Murder is much more common, and so is robbery and other crimes.

The experts that come here from the Demon Phoenix Continent are all two-eyed, but there are always Primordial Beasts amongst them. These Primordial Beasts are the leading ambassadors, but as to whether or not they are the same race, or what their rank in the continent is, we actually do not know.

Xue Wei nodded his head absentmindedly, wondering what he was getting himself into. He had to go, even if he was not willing to; he had to get his hands on the Thunder Flame Crown as he had promised Lan—and then somehow get back to Chang’an. 

When they had fled Chang’an, it was because they had not been strong enough to survive amidst the chaotic battles between humans and beasts, but now things had changed. 

Over two years had passed since they left Chang’an, and Xue Wei was filled with longing for his homeland. He especially longed for Wang Xiaoyun, unable to tell whether or not she had forgiven him in all this time. Had she thought of him? Did she still hate him?

Thinking back on how they had parted ways, his heart ached, but he had to believe in her. She would survive until the day they reunited, and then he would explain everything, and hopefully, she would be able to forgive him. 

Even Xue Wei himself did not know why he had fallen in love with Wang Xiaoyun the way he did. The moment he saw her, he felt that his forlorn heart had found a home. 

He had felt that he finally found somewhere and someone to belong to. As time had gone by, this emotion had only become more and more prominent—to the point where he felt that his life would not be complete, were he not able to see her again. 

It was also because of this that he hoped she would forgive him for being half beast. 

He could not wait to see her again, but at the same time, he had some things he needed to deal with before he saw her, because if she rejected him, then he was not sure how he would continue living. 

He had been betrayed far too many times. He still was unsure about why his uncle, Xiao Lei, had killed his father. He was unsure about how he had been created as a half-beast when mixed breeds did not exist anymore. 

There were answers he needed before he was ready to reunite with Wang Xiaoyun, and although he had been betrayed before, he was fortunate enough to find himself amongst a group of friends whom he trusted. He doubted that they would ever betray him since they had already gone to the end of the world for him, leaving behind everything they knew in Chang’an. 

As the days went by, excitement started bubbling in the hearts of the small group as they were waiting for the delegation to appear. 

By now, Xue Wei had filled multiple storage treasures with pills, herbs, ores, formations, and a multitude of other resources that they might need on their travels—so many that even if they ate pills like candy every day, they would still be able to sustain themselves for half a decade with ease. 

Having finished stocking up supplies, Xue Wei started touring the capital with Luoluo and spoiling her rotten. 

Luoluo was growing slightly, but she was still only a small child, and her behavior was that of a child. She loved sitting on Xue Wei’s shoulders and overseeing everything around them as she pointed in the direction she wanted him to go. 

Her favorite was going to the markets, where merchants from all over Yan Dalu came every day to sell their wares. 

Ever since assisting the Yuan and Gu families, Xue Wei had been showered in gold, and thus he often bought whatever Luoluo took a fancy to. 

She too had filled more than one storage artifact with treasures—or at least, things that she considered treasures. 

While Xue Wei was taking it easy, Lin Xiao and Hei Gou were in a constant battle about who would have the next breakthrough first. 

They were constantly doing their best to cultivate and improve themselves, but at this point in time, Hei Gou had fallen slightly behind, which annoyed him greatly but also motivated him to work even harder. 

Xue Wei understood that, while it was good to be so focused on cultivation, one still needed to solidify their base, and although their cultivation had skyrocketed, they were not able to use it to the fullest in battle, as their lives had become far too comfortable. 

Finally, the day arrived where a ship was spotted on the horizon. The first to know about it was the Gu family, who quickly went to inform Xue Wei, and after that, the rest of the capital was aware faster than anyone could expect. 

It took a few hours for it to transform from a dot on the horizon to a ship that was docked in the harbor. When it arrived, the Gu and Yuan families’ grand elders went to welcome the guests and welcome back the returning members of Yan Dalu, who had spent nearly an entire decade away from home. 

Everyone on the ship was stunned by what they saw. Usually, they would be greeted by the King, together with a bunch of officials. Yet this time, it was a group of four- and three-eyed experts. Even a two-eyed person, Xue Wei, was present. 

Surprised by what they saw, the guests all narrowed their eyes, but their shock became even more profound when they sensed that the majority of these experts were all at the ninth layer of the Sky Knight rank in Qi cultivation. Was it not said that they did not know how to cultivate Qi? 

At this point in time, everyone had realized that something had happened to Yan Dalu since the last delegation had been there, and the visitors made it their purpose to understand in detail what had transpired so that they could report it when they came home. 

Xue Wei was also curious about the visitors and what information they had about the Demon Phoenix Continent. When he saw them arriving, he narrowed his eyes. 

The captain, as well as all the higher-ranked officials and guests, were all Primordial Beasts. There were a few humans, but they were low in number, and their strength was nowhere near as overwhelming as the beasts’. 

The Primordial Beasts on board the ship all looked around the entourage that had come to greet them, and all of their eyes landed on Xue Wei. 

He was acutely aware that it was likely that they could sense the aura of the Azure Dragon on him, but he was calm and collected. He was, after all, a Sovereign Beast of blood far nobler than that of Primordial Beasts. They should be excited to meet him, not hostile. 

Feeling like this, Xue Wei returned their gaze, unwavering, showing no weakness. They were here as guests, so surely they would behave. 

Chapter 2 - Meeting a Sovereign Beast

Just as he had expected , the Primordial Beasts of the delegation looked at Xue Wei warily. 

Here in Yan Dalu, there were no Sovereign Beasts, so the Primordial Beasts of Yan Dalu had felt threatened and had an urge to submit when they saw him, but they had assumed it was due to a pure bloodline. These Primordial Beasts, on the other hand, seemed aware of Xue Wei's real identity. 

Perceiving their wary gazes, Xue Wei instantly understood that there were Sovereign Beasts on the Demon Phoenix Continent. 

As to whether or not they were Azure Dragons like him, or another race, he did not know; but he was able to guess that these Sovereign Beasts were of a rather significant position within the Demon Phoenix Continent.

Realizing that there were Sovereign Beasts in the Demon Phoenix Continent, Xue Wei suddenly felt a spark of interest he had not had before. 

Could this continent perhaps have some answers to his heritage? Could he understand more about himself, Xiao Lei, his father, and everything else about his past? 

He had come to terms with the fact that he was half-beast and half-human. Since he was a child, he had always been told that his mother died from a difficult childbirth, but now he knew she had likely died due to the laws of the world that did not permit a mixed breed to be born.

He wanted to know more about his mother. She was a Sovereign Beast, a creature revered by all beasts, a beast that was seen as a legend within the continent of Chang'an. 

Had she perhaps come from another continent, or was she local to Chang'an? 

He wanted to talk with the beasts in the delegation to get answers, but he knew that if he pushed too much, the beasts would feel uncomfortable and not answer. No one liked to be interrogated. 

Xue Wei was looking at the beasts with a curiosity that was hard to hide, and his inquisitive gaze was like daggers in the hearts of the beasts, who did all in their power to avoid him.

It was not before the ambassador, the leader of the entourage, stepped forward that the others heaved a sigh of relief.

Seeing the ambassador, Xue Wei frowned. 

This man had an aura that was very similar to his own. He was not as powerful, but his aura was unmistakably that of a Sovereign Beast.

Xue Wei's eyes glistened with excitement. This was someone like him! He wanted to know more about him!

To his surprise, the person looked directly at him. His eyes were filled with wonder and shock, but there was no hostility. 

What are you? He asked, shocked, while looking at Xue Wei. His words stunned every member that had appeared from the Yuan and Gu families. 

Was Xue Wei not a beast like the others? 

But to their surprise, he answered, The same as you. 

This answer was undoubtedly not one that others could understand, but all beasts present could feel the overwhelming urge to prostrate themselves in front of the two persons as if they were deities. 

The humans were completely oblivious to this sudden phenomenon. They were, however, worried about the sudden change in the ambassador when he saw Xue Wei. 

Could Xue Wei be a race that was not welcome in the Demon Phoenix Continent? 

But what happened next caused them to be relieved. Xue Wei and the ambassador both started smiling as if they had met a long-lost friend. 

The ambassador looked to be around twenty-five years old, but his real age was much older. 

He knew what it meant to be a Sovereign Beast; he was one himself, so seeing another here was far out of his expectations. 

The ambassador was curious about Xue Wei, just as Xue Wei was curious about him. 

He had been to Yan Dalu before, but in all the times he was here, he had never encountered or even heard about a Sovereign Beast–so where had this one come from? 

Where is the King? the ambassador finally asked. He wanted to get the formalities over with as soon as possible so that he could focus on this newfound comrade, but to his surprise, no one answered, and the two grand elders of the families stepped forward.

The King has abdicated, The Gu family grand elder said, with a bit of a sheepish expression on his face. Yan Dalu has changed greatly due to this young man. He came from a spatial tunnel, and he brought with him the winds of change. Thanks to him, we now have Qi cultivation methods and systems, and the structure of society has changed as well.

The ambassador was surprised when he heard this and glanced at Xue Wei. Spatial tunnel? Only the strongest amongst his clan were capable of creating one of those, and they were incredibly risky to enter.

If they encountered a spatial storm, or the tunnel broke down, then death was all that awaited them, not to mention you never knew where you would end up when you entered one. 

Had the elders of his clan made a spatial tunnel for him and sent him out to temper him? What a cruel way of doing so if that was the case!

The more the ambassador thought about it, the more curious he became, and the more he wanted to know about this unknown beast. 

After finishing all the formalities, the entourage went towards the palace. Although the King had abdicated, the palace still functioned as before; however, instead of asking for the King's intentions, messengers now went to get the opinions of the Gu and Yuan families. 

A wing of the palace had been prepared for the Demon Phoenix Continent's delegation, and everyone could feel the impatience of the ambassador, so they all rushed to take their leave, leaving only Xue Wei, his friends and the delegation in the chambers.

Okay, first of all, tell me, are you a Vermilion Bird? The man asked eagerly, but Xue Wei just frowned.

Vermilion Bird? He asked confusedly. I am not a Vermilion Bird, I am an Azure Dragon, he admitted readily. 

Oh. The man was not disappointed. That might even be better, he exclaimed. 

There were four races of Sovereign Beasts before the calamity that split the continents into many. The Vermilion Birds, the Azure Dragons, the Black Turtles, and the White Tigers.

"The Demon Phoenix Continent has forever been a place where the Vermilion Birds have resided. We took over the continent and work as the sovereigns. Even the kings and emperors have to listen to the Vermilion Bird Clan, but we rarely interact with them.

"We have been looking for the other clans, perhaps you can help us find the Azure Dragons!

Tell me, what continent do you come from? 

We are from Chang'an, Xue Wei admitted readily, but as to how many Azure Dragons are left, I really don't know, he said honestly, I only know of myself and my uncle.

What about your mother and father? The ambassador was eager to learn about Xue Wei and the other races, so he was not cognizant of the sensitive nature of his questions. 

Xue Wei pondered how to answer for some time. He knew that it was impossible to breed across races, so telling the truth, that his father had been a human, would cause problems. 

They are both dead, he said eventually. This was the truth, but only his mother had been an Azure Dragon. 

Hearing this, the ambassador started to understand something, and his expression turned apologetic. The continent you came from was not peaceful? He asked worriedly, and Xue Wei shook his head. 

"The continent only has humans and Primordial Beasts, the Sovereign Beasts have been in hiding for a very long time, and even the Primordial Beasts think they are just a myth.

"Long ago, the humans lived as livestock for the Primordial Beasts. They were nothing more than slaves and food. But as the years went by, they began cultivating, and eventually, they rose up in revolt, overthrew the beasts, and pushed them into the different forests and taigas, making them danger zones. 

Since then, the humans and beasts have fought for the land, constantly struggling to eradicate the other. Xue Wei shook his head in annoyance. 

I do not understand why they cannot live side by side instead. Humans and beasts are really not so different, so to always be fighting one another, there is really no reason to do so.

Hearing his words, the ambassador was also quite surprised. Then what about the Azure Dragons? He asked worriedly, but Xue Wei just shrugged his shoulders.

We are almost extinct I guess, he said, not sure of what else to say. 

What is your plan from now on? The ambassador felt pity towards Xue Wei, and he started to understand why he had decided to leave his continent. Although everyone had a connection to the continent they had grown up on, there were still some limits to what they could accept. 

Especially if he was a beast, and humans saw beasts as their nemesis, someone they could not live with, then it was hard to live a peaceful life. 

I am going to follow the delegation towards the Demon Phoenix Continent, Xue Wei said seriously. He was honest from the beginning and left a positive impression on the ambassador. 

That would be for the best, the ambassador said, nodding his head. We would love to invite you to join us in the Demon Phoenix Continent for some time; then you will be able to see what a world controlled by Sovereign Beasts looks like. 

Lin Xiao, who was standing at the side, was looking at them curiously. He had a sudden urge to find a Sovereign beast and see whether or not his beast taming skills could tame a Sovereign Beast, but because of Xue Wei, he held back. 

He also started wondering if he could tame all the other races–the races that originated from unions between man and beasts. Was this a possibility? 

In that case, could he not create a full army of beasts to do his bidding? While he was busy dreaming about all of this, Hei Gou was also looking at the ambassador, but his thoughts were completely different. 

He had previously mutated because of the blood given to him by Xue Wei; could he perhaps mutate again if he got the blood of another race? 

While Hei Gou and Lin Xiao were both deep in thought about testing out new things, Luoluo was dreaming about the next meal she would be getting, and Bai Tianyi was doing all he could to minimize his presence, as he was the reason for what the Vermilion Bird had called a continent-splitting calamity. 

Xue Wei, on the other hand, was busy hearing about the different Sovereign Beasts. He wanted to know as much as possible about them, and although he was slightly disappointed that they were not Azure Dragons, he was still relieved to know that other Sovereign Beasts existed. 

The delegation stayed for two months in Yan Dalu. During this time, their ship was repaired after its long journey, they stocked up on supplies, and they shared their news and information with the continent. At the same time, they got their hands on a large quantity of formations and spiritual energy resources and techniques.

After seeing what they were getting, Xue Wei finally seemed to understand that the Demon Phoenix Continent’s delegation was here to trade information for items that could be used back on their own continent. 

It seemed that the things that were made in Yan Dalu were the finest of their kind, considering that they specialized in spiritual energy, and thus even if the delegation had to travel for years to get it, it was worth the trip. 

During these two months, Xue Wei also purchased a large number of things. He had already created his own resources, but he wanted to buy some as well, after learning that they would sell for a hefty price back on the Demon Phoenix Continent. 

Chapter 3 - Departure from Yan Dalu

The two months passed rapidly. Xue Wei got familiar with all the crew onboard the ship, and even the ambassador, Tang Tao, became a friend of his. 

Everything was ready a few days in advance. The delegation from Yan Dalu that had been aboard the ship had returned home, and a new group of men had been found. 

Ten citizens of Yan Dalu had been picked. Amongst these was one of Yuan Bailong's brothers, and he was chosen to be the leader of the Yan Dalu team. 

This time, unlike any before, there was a third group of people joining the delegation between the two continents. This group consisted of Xue Wei, Hei Gou, Bai Tianyi, Lin Xiao, Luoluo and the King. 

This third group was led by Xue Wei, but they were mainly there as guests aboard the ship. 

Yuan Bailong's brother was named Yuan Qingshan, and he had been informed time and time again that he needed to be polite to all