It is well-known that the behemoths dwelling in the oceans are far larger and more terrifying than those on land. Even with his current physical strength, Chu Xuan doubted whether he could withstand the crushing pressure of thousands of tons of seawater to delve into the deepest trenches of Blue Star.
Chu Xuan surmised that he needed to advance his physical cultivation further, breaking through to the twenty-first layer, to qualify for deep-sea exploration. If such was his predicament, naturally, he could not expect the operatives of Black Blade to venture into the oceanic depths.
Ah, the limitations of his subordinates were indeed a source of great frustration.
"Perhaps, my approach is flawed," he pondered. "If humans struggle to traverse the vast seas, what about the zombies?"
This thought invigorated Chu Xuan. With a flicker, he teleported to the farm where the Zombie Empress was energetically competing with the Zombie Matriarch.
Although they were mother and daughter from one perspective, such familial bonds were non-existent among zombies.
Competing with me for blood pearls? Then, you are not a daughter but a foe!
The arrival of Chu Xuan instilled immense fear in the Zombie Empress. It harbored a deep-seated fear of this human, despite being regularly fed blood pearls, elevating its Psionic level to the seventh rank. Yet, its fear remained profound.
"I need you to produce a new type of zombie," Chu Xuan commanded from above, looking down. "One that can swim in water and send messages from afar."
The Zombie Empress's eyes widened in panic. Such a demand... I cannot fulfill!
Seeing its reaction, Chu Xuan furrowed his brow. "You can't do it? Then, perhaps you are of no use to me..."
"Roar! Roar, roar, roar!" In desperation, the Zombie Empress bellowed as if to shout incessantly: I can do it; I must be able to do it!
Not far off, the Zombie Matriarch also roared, as if responding to Chu Xuan's challenge.
"Very well, whoever among you first creates such a zombie will claim these three large blood pearls," Chu Xuan announced calmly, displaying three large, lustrous blood pearls.
At the sight of the large blood pearls, both the Zombie Empress and the Zombie Matriarch were frenzied. So, there were larger blood pearls above the smaller ones! They had to succeed!
Chu Xuan observed the zombies' burning determination and smiled satisfactorily. This was exactly what he wanted. The energy concentration in the large blood pearls far surpassed that of the smaller ones—akin to the relief of air conditioning in summer or a heater in winter.
Chu Xuan's motivation proved effective. Within just two days, the Zombie Empress had delivered a perfect solution.
Chu Xuan gazed at the peculiar life form before him, his expression one of astonishment.
At first glance, this creation seemed to have no relation to zombies because it was essentially a small flesh boat. Inside, one could see mutated spines and ribs, as well as dark blue-black veins covering the entire body.
The hands and feet had mutated into paddles, yet the bow prominently featured a head with its mouth agape, reminding Chu Xuan that this indeed was a modified zombie.
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The Zombie Empress roared with high spirits, eagerly explaining the new product's capabilities to Chu Xuan. To him, however, it was merely a series of expressive roars.
"Hu, come here and listen. Then, explain it to me," Chu Xuan said as he massaged his temples, summoning Hu.
"Yes, master!" Hu nodded vigorously. After years of effort, Hu had mastered most common words, albeit still somewhat stilted and disjointed. But to Chu Xuan, it was more than enough for everyday communication.
Moments later, Hu respectfully spoke, "Master, it says this thing is called a 'Corpse Boat.' It can sustain itself while sailing... by catching fish or mimicking rotting flesh to attract and catch birds. It can also store meat on board to eat when hungry."
"Because it was produced by the Zombie Empress, it has a...," Hu struggled for the right word until Chu Xuan interjected, "Connection."
"Yes, yes, connection," Hu exhaled in relief.
Chu Xuan nodded, pleased. It really was quite impressive. The Zombie Empress roared proudly a few times.
At that moment, the Zombie Matriarch also began to call out. Curious, Chu Xuan walked over and laughed at what he saw. The Zombie Matriarch had also produced a new breed of zombie, but it had taken a different approach.
Parasitic Seed.
These zombies were only the size of a fist, but despite their small size, they were fully formed. They did not need to hunt for fish themselves; they merely needed to parasitize large marine creatures and could travel wherever their hosts went, thereby spreading the Parasitic Seed across various parts of the ocean.
This strategy was clearly more random—where they ended up was left to chance.
Chu Xuan nodded slightly. Both the Zombie Empress and the Zombie Matriarch had accomplished their tasks admirably. They had broken through the conventional barriers of their kind, transcended the confines of their previous forms, and positioned their products to revolutionize their ecological niche—a dimensional strike, one might say. In plain terms, they had done a splendid job!
Chu Xuan flicked his fingers, distributing the large blood pearls to both the Zombie Empress and the Zombie Matriarch. As they swallowed the pearls, they exhibited expressions of deep intoxication, like newborn creatures savoring the first nourishment provided by their mother.
Soon, the first batches of Corpse Boats and Parasitic Seeds were released into the ocean. They would serve as the vanguard, gathering various types of intelligence from other nations on Blue Star for Chu Xuan.
Meanwhile, the immortal cultivation world of the Yu, Yan, and Yue three kingdoms was experiencing minor changes.
Song Junjie and Qian Tang reported that just five days ago, the Hundred Refinements Sect and the Heaven Burning Sect had reached a non-aggression pact.
Chu Xuan remained unperturbed upon hearing this news. Recently, the Divine Star Sect leveraged the power of the Hundred Refinements Sect to annihilate the Mystical Sound Palace and Imperial Spirit Mountain, repelling the Heaven Burning Sect and unifying the immortal cultivation world of the Yue Kingdom.
Ideally, the Divine Star Sect could have played both sides between the Hundred Refinements and Heaven Burning Sects, using one against the other to grow into a force capable of contending with either sect. However, disputes over territory had soured relations with the Hundred Refinements Sect.
The purpose of this non-aggression pact between the Hundred Refinements Sect and Heaven Burning Sect?
Clearly, it was aimed against the Divine Star Sect. Chu Xuan surmised that the Divine Star Sect's days were numbered. This was advantageous; chaotic situations were always favored by demonic cultivators.
As expected, within just a month in Mystic Azure time, Song Junjie and Qian Tang relayed continuous updates about the fall of the Divine Star Sect, almost providing a live broadcast for Chu Xuan.
It began with the Hundred Refinements Sect and the Heaven Burning Sect launching a coordinated attack overnight. Within a few days, they penetrated deep into the heart of the Divine Star Sect.
Then, within the Divine Star Sect, two Golden Core cultivators originally from the Mystical Sound Palace and Imperial Spirit Mountain betrayed at a critical moment, severely damaging the Golden Core elder who guarded the sect's protective formation. The sect's protective formation crumbled without being attacked. Sect Master Mo Huanshan and other Golden Core cultivators fell in battle.
The Nascent Soul ancestor of the Divine Star Sect fled for over ten days but was eventually caught and executed by the ancestors of the Hundred Refinements and Heaven Burning Sects. Even his Nascent Soul was extracted.
After dividing the numerous treasures of the Divine Star Sect, the Hundred Refinements Sect and Heaven Burning Sect tactfully withdrew their forces simultaneously, turning the core region formerly occupied by the Divine Star Sect into a buffer zone between them.
Thus, the tripartite balance was ended, and the immortal cultivation world of the three kingdoms entered a state of North-South duality.