Poison God's Heritage

Chapter 804: Respite

Amidst all the chaos and turmoil that surrounded him, Shen Bao had been diligently cultivating, his mind focused on the immense task ahead. The looming threat of the Rakshasa hung like a dark cloud over him, constantly reminding him of the fragility of his stability.

Gaining enough strength to both protect and preserve his territory had become his primary goal, a goal that felt increasingly urgent with each passing day. With his relatively low cultivation base, Shen Bao knew he was bound to hit a wall if he ever faced a truly powerful opponent. The thought of being unprepared gnawed at him, pushing him to train harder, to push his limits further.

He understood all too well that his enemies weren't just the Rakshasa themselves, but also the dangers that could come from other cultivators—especially the Cryptic Sun. The Cryptic Sun had been a thorn in Shen Bao's side from the very first time they had met. A man with a jealous heart, the Cryptic Sun couldn't stand to see others surpass him, and he would go to any lengths to stop those who tried.

This made him a dangerous and unpredictable adversary, one who could not be underestimated.

Shen Bao, however, was a genius in his own right. Not necessarily a cultivation genius, although his progress was far faster than any of his peers due to his unique cultivation technique. But his true genius lay in his analytical mind and deep understanding of the world around him. He was a master at weighing his options before making any decisions, careful but prideful.

Shen Bao would allow someone to cross him if he knew he couldn't handle them at the moment, but he would never forget nor forgive. His revenge was cold and calculated, and it knew no limits once he was crossed. This combination of patience and ruthlessness made him a formidable figure in the Beyond.

The mind of Shen Bao was a complex fusion of two distinct personalities. There was the calm, collected, and thoughtful side of Shen Bao—the man who had transmigrated from another world. And then there was the ruthless killer, Du Shen, the originator of the special cultivation manual known as the Poison God's Heritage.

These two personalities complemented each other, creating the man who was now making waves throughout the Beyond, a man feared and respected in equal measure.

At this moment, however, this powerful man had no idea what had just befallen two of his closest allies, YuYu and Liang Yu, who were currently heading to the Sea of Demons. Shen Bao was deep in cultivation within the territory of the Blue Sun, completely unaware of the events unfolding elsewhere.

The problem that had always plagued him—the inability to harness and feel the heavenly Qi—had finally been solved. Thanks to the Primordial Serpent God becoming one with him, they could now benefit from each other's unique prowess.

Shen Bao's uniqueness in harnessing Qi from all sorts of heavenly poisons and the natural ability of the Primordial Serpent God to draw in the heavenly Qi had created a synergy that was unprecedented.

The two of them were now cultivating as one, their energies intertwining and amplifying each other's power. Shen Bao consumed the pills he had painstakingly crafted over the last few days, while the Primordial Serpent God greedily gobbled up the natural Saint Qi that filled the atmosphere around them.

They were high above a great mountain, secluded and unbothered, surrounded by the serene beauty of nature that contrasted sharply with the chaos below.

But Shen Bao knew that this wasn't enough. He was well aware that his avatar, Shen Mo, needed to ascend in cultivation as well. He had been so preoccupied with the endless crises and battles that he had neglected Shen Mo's growth for far too long. Shen Mo was a demonic type cultivator, one who controlled demonic Qi, unlike Shen Bao's specialized Poison Qi.

In many ways, Shen Mo was an essential part of his power, and Shen Bao realized that if both he and Shen Mo had been at the same cultivation level, the fight against the Noble Black in the Bastion a few days ago would have ended very differently.

Shen Mo's body was more attuned to demonic energy, giving him a far greater output of physical prowess. If Shen Mo had been fully developed, he would have easily dismantled the Noble Black, turning the tide of the battle. This realization pushed Shen Bao to further focus on and invest in Shen Mo, who was becoming weaker in comparison to the Dark Soul he usually hosted.

The imbalance needed to be corrected, and Shen Bao was determined to do so.

Meanwhile, the Sea of Demons was undergoing a dramatic transformation. The relentless rain showed no signs of stopping, and the once barren landscape was being swallowed by water. Rivers and lakes began to manifest where there had once been dry land, and several hills were washed away, submerged beneath the rising tide.

The Sea of Demons had truly become a sea, its water level rising to cover what had once been a desert, transforming it into a vast, endless expanse of water.

The entire area's topography had changed dramatically, making travel increasingly difficult without the proper vessels. The sea water, still infused with a dangerous power, was capable of sealing a cultivator's Qi, even if only for a moment. This made it treacherous for anyone who tried to cross it without the right precautions.

Shen Bao had anticipated this and ensured that his cities were perfectly protected from the effects of this treacherous sea water. Even his puppets had been equipped with several protective charms and inscriptions to offset the water's ability to tamper with their internal Qi circuits. But Shen Bao didn't stop there.

He had also begun constructing several vessels capable of floating atop the water—transport ships and battleships, all manned by his tireless puppets.

These transport ships quickly became the primary method of moving between the eight cities, as no other normal ship could survive the treacherous waters of the Sea of Demons without having its Qi circuits fried and destroyed. Shen Bao's ships, however, were specifically designed to withstand the sea's unique challenges, and they became one of his primary sources of income.

These vessels could harbor more than a thousand cultivators at a time, transporting them safely and efficiently across the vast sea.

Some cultivators, too proud or too stubborn to use the ships, had tried to fly through the rain. They met terrible ends, drowning as their Qi was stripped away by the cursed water, their bodies falling lifelessly into the depths. The danger posed by the Sea of Demons was undeniable, and eventually, everyone agreed to use Shen Bao's ships, recognizing the necessity of his services.

Ironically, the problem of the endless rain became a source of protection for the dwellers of the Sea of Demons. The dreaded Walkers, undead creatures that terrorized the land, could not swim. Without Qi or breath, they found it incredibly difficult to move against the currents of the sea, providing a rare respite for the people of the Beyond.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the inhabitants of the Sea of Demons experienced an Endless Night where they could sleep soundly, without the fear of Walkers scaling the walls to slaughter their loved ones.

Shen Bao had managed to turn a seemingly insurmountable problem into an opportunity, transforming the Sea of Demons into a stronghold of relative safety. With this newfound security, he focused all his energy on increasing production. More puppets, more weapons, all to protect and defend his territory. The production levels skyrocketed, increasing a hundredfold.

The rapid pace was exhausting, and keeping up with the material demands became a constant challenge, but Shen Bao knew it was necessary. He couldn't afford to slow down, not with the threats that loomed on the horizon.

Several days passed in this frantic state of preparation before YuYu and Liang Yu finally arrived at the Sea of Demons, accompanied by the imposing Ant Queen. Because the Red Sun's territory had dealings with Shen Bao, there was a ship already prepared to transport the Ant Queen to the main city of the Sea of Demons.

The three of them boarded the vessel and set off across the high sea waves, the darkness of the night swallowing them as they journeyed through the newly formed sea.

The night was pitch black, the sky devoid of stars. The Beyond was a strange place, seemingly existing outside the scope of galaxies, in what Shen Bao had theorized to be a stable void rift. It was a theory that had occupied his thoughts for some time, though he had yet to find any evidence to support it. The very nature of the world around him was baffling. How could a world be flat?

How did it manage to exist outside a galactic ensemble, and how did it have its own sun?

He had scoured the library of the Lord of Lords, seeking answers, but even the most ancient texts offered no proper explanation. The Wisest Sun had made contact with the Vast Expanse, but even then, the Wisest Sun was the one who had created the Vast Expanse in the first place. So, who or what had created the Beyond?

The question lingered in Shen Bao's mind, a puzzle that refused to be solved, a mystery that perhaps would never be unraveled.

While all of this was happening, one of the slaves of the Death Sun had managed to board one of Shen Bao's ships. She had been tasked with gathering more information on the man who took over the sea of demons in one day. And she was determined to get recognition from her master, regardless of the cost.