The dominance of the Celestial Star Palace gave Qi Chuan a bit of a shock.

But then again, these are matters confined to the Chaotic Demon Sea, and Qi Chuan and Qingyun True Monarch are merely here to conduct some business for a short while. The entanglements between the Celestial Star Palace and the Broken Sea Sect aren’t of much concern to them.

As long as it doesn’t interfere with their collection of high-tier spirit materials located in the Thousand-meter Sea Abyss, 800 miles outside Haitang Island.

Thus, after learning that the Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator from the Celestial Star Palace was only there to collect some "tribute" and had already left, Qi Chuan and his companion waited just three days before setting off, departing from Haitang Island and heading to the Thousand-meter Sea Abyss 800 miles away.

When they arrived at the location of the Thousand-meter Sea Abyss, Qi Chuan saw nothing but an expansive ocean, with waves rising and falling, without any changes or anomalies.

"The Thousand-meter Sea Abyss is beneath this ocean surface. Even though it seems like there’s nothing here, Ye Duanhai has arranged numerous arrays on the seabed around the Abyss, leaving many devices with early-warning functions. If anyone gets close, they’ll send a message to Ye Duanhai on Haitang Island, who will rush here immediately, marking the end of our mission," Qingyun True Monarch explained with a smile while floating several feet above the sea surface.

"Then what should we do?" Qi Chuan asked.

"Simple," Qingyun True Monarch wasn’t worried. "It would be troublesome if we had to break through trapping and killing arrays, but if it’s just early warning arrays and devices, my Thousand Illusions and Ten Thousand Flowers Technique is enough to deceive and pass unnoticed. By chance, because of those Tier Four Lower Grade Sea Demons in the Abyss, Ye Duanhai hasn’t set up any traps or killing arrays at all."

Qi Chuan nodded.

As they say, every field has its expert.

Though Qi Chuan’s Sword Dao is strong, able to break arrays through brute force, it’s difficult to destroy these early warning arrays and devices without them sending out alerts first.

But Qingyun True Monarch’s Thousand Illusions and Ten Thousand Flowers Technique can manage it.

"Junior Brother Qi Chuan, stay within three steps behind me," Qingyun True Monarch instructed.

"Alright."

Qi Chuan agreed, then moved swiftly to position himself three steps behind Qingyun True Monarch.

"Thousand Illusions and Ten Thousand Flowers—Veil the Clouds, Obscure the Moon!"

Qingyun True Monarch clasped his hands into a seal, moving gracefully as if dancing, activating the divine technique with flair.

In an instant, a faint orb of light emerged from the seals of Qingyun True Monarch’s hands, expanding swiftly to envelop them both, rendering their figures somewhat blurred within.

Moreover, from within the orb, countless threadlike strands of light, too thin to be seen, silently shot out in all directions, vanishing into the distance without causing any disturbances.

At this moment, the faint orb surrounding them began to contract, transforming into tiny specks of light, adhering to their clothes, hair, and skin, occasionally emitting a barely noticeable vibration.

"Done," Qingyun True Monarch announced as he stopped his seal gesture.

Hearing this, Qi Chuan couldn’t help but extend his hands to examine himself, a hint of curiosity in his eyes—was it really finished?

"Let’s fall directly into the Thousand-meter Sea Abyss, keep close to me and follow my lead," Qingyun True Monarch said, then stepped forward, descending straight down towards the sea surface.

Seeing this, Qi Chuan naturally followed immediately. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The two entered the sea, leaving no ripples or waves on the surface.

Submerged in water, everything around was blue, except below, where it was a blue-black, faintly revealing the presence of a massive black abyss, like a terrifying behemoth entrenched at the sea bottom, whose contents remain unknown, inspiring a silent dread.

The specks of light on Qi Chuan and his companion shone radiantly in the azure water, rendering them quite conspicuous.

Yet the ordinary fish roaming around seemed unaware, passing by them as if they weren’t there at all.

Both had the Water Avoidance Technique cast on them, moving steadily downward towards the enormous abyss.

Soon they reached a level aligned with the seabed along the abyss, a height most likely to trigger the early warning arrays and devices placed on the abyss’s sides.

However, the two, illuminated by specks of light, continued descending toward the abyss with no change in speed. The surroundings remained undisturbed, as Qingyun True Monarch had assured—his Thousand Illusions and Ten Thousand Flowers Technique was effective in bypassing these early warning arrays and devices.

Yet witnessing this scene, Qi Chuan couldn’t help but silently harbor mischievous thoughts about Qingyun True Monarch in his heart.

"Could it be that Qingyun True Monarch, ostensibly a Supreme Elder of the Myriad Flowers Immortal Sect, with an elegant demeanor and straightforward actions, is secretly a master thief, stealing in countless places with this Thousand Illusions and Transformations Technique?"

Qi Chuan mused silently.

He believed his speculation was not unfounded.

It should be noted that the Thousand-meter Sea Abyss is officially under Haitang Island’s Broken Sea Sect, where Ye Duanhai, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage True Monarch, rules—a formidable, ruthless hero. Moreover, several Tier Four Lower Grade Sea Demons reside within the abyss.

One could say the difficulty of such theft would be exceedingly high. Qingyun True Monarch alone, without help, could not succeed.