Volume One: Youthful Encounters in Quiet Times Chapter 108: The Great Battle Against the Netherbeasts

The Blade Sage’s strike merely parted the seawater, revealing the bare seabed. The Netherworld Beast lurking beneath the ocean had already slipped away before the Blade Sage even made his move. Those who fell beneath his blade were nothing more than weak sea demons.

No one had ever expected that a single strike from the Blade Sage could slay or even wound the Netherworld Beast. The purpose of having the Blade Sage act was to provoke the beast’s wrath, to compel it to reveal itself from the depths of the Netherworld Sea.

After all, the Netherworld Beast, hidden within the Netherworld Sea, was neither something they could capture nor harm.

The Netherworld Beast was unlike ordinary beasts. They believed that, endowed with profound intelligence and an inherently proud demeanor, it would not simply tolerate such provocation from a human without retaliation.

Dealing with a sentient demon beast sometimes required no elaborate schemes—just treating it as one would a human was enough. Yet they overlooked one crucial point: projecting one’s own nature onto another can be misguided, especially when the other party is far from ordinary. The circumstances then become entirely different.

After the first strike, the Netherworld Beast did not emerge; instead, it retreated deeper into the ocean.

It was not as foolish as the humans imagined. Although it had already awakened intelligence, it was no mindless spirit beast. For several days, it had sensed the arrival of many powerful cultivators in Tianmen Town. Moreover, an obscure power within it had begun to stir inexplicably, forcing it to suppress its nature and hide to ensure its survival.

Seeing the Blade Sage and his entourage, the Netherworld Beast realized their hostile intent. If it charged forward recklessly as before, it would suffer a great loss.

The Blade Sage, having unleashed his blade, was not anxious when the beast did not appear. Instead, he quietly sensed the beast’s hiding place, deepening his interest in the Netherworld Sea before him.

He had never seen a place capable of perfectly eluding the perception of a Fourteenth Realm master.

Thus, he resorted to his second move: every strike drawing blood.

With this move, within a thousand-mile radius centered on him, aside from the human-inhabited area protected by their group, the rest was engulfed in a sea of blade light. After the strikes, countless sea fish and demon beasts floated lifeless on the surface, instantly slain by the Blade Sage.

Regrettably, even this effort failed to provoke the Netherworld Beast’s appearance. Those on the shore grew impatient, calculating that if the beast remained elusive, they might miss the best opportunity to open the Heavenly Gate.

Driven by urgency, some pressed the Blade Sage, urging him to cease holding back and unleash his strongest move, confident that it would force the beast to reveal itself.

Observing the farce from the void, the Daoist sneered disdainfully, “Still so foolish! Heaven has granted them exceptional cultivation talents but not the brains to match. It seems, after all, that Heaven is fair.”

His words were playful yet cutting, a blow to the spirit. But who was the target? The speaker was a grand cultivator who had already stepped into the Fifteenth Realm. Who else could he regard with such contempt? In other words, in this world, there were only those he chose not to mock, never those he dared not.

By his side, Old Luo no longer entertained any thought of speaking with the Daoist. He lacked the courage to mock such eminent figures of the cultivation world behind their backs. Such audacity was not merely a matter of bravery; it involved the resonance cultivated at high levels with Heaven and Earth. Words uttered at that stage could be sensed by others. Compliments were fine, but insults invited retribution.

After finishing, the Daoist muttered to himself, “Well, they wished to lure out the Netherworld Beast, did they not? I might as well lend a hand, so they don't merely watch without tasting.”

With that, a radiant orb of spiritual light emanated from the Daoist’s body, descending unseen into the ocean below.

Meanwhile, the Blade Sage, irked by their urging, shot them a displeased glare, silently signaling, “Mind your own business. If you think you can do better, step up.”

Soon, he calmed himself and struck again. This time, his blade was crueler, more domineering—named “Severance of Life and Death.”

If the first strike embodied resolute finality, and the second spoke of unyielding bloodshed, then the last was about eternal separation, an unrelenting severance between life and death.

This final strike surged outward in all directions.

In truth, the Blade Sage did not expect to force the Netherworld Beast out. Even with his first two strikes, he discerned the beast was far smarter than they anticipated. It knew their grand scheme was aimed at capturing it; how could it reveal itself so easily? The more they struck, the deeper it would hide.

What surprised him was that the Netherworld Beast actually dared to appear after this last strike—but something was off about its expression.

When it appeared, it did not seem roused by anger or provocation from the Blade Sage’s group. Rather, it looked as if someone had struck a sore spot or taken something precious, compelling it to come forth.

No one saw that as the beast surfaced, a ball of light shot out from the sea, floating back into the void.

Above the ocean, the crowd caught their first glimpse of the legendary Netherworld Beast, utterly stunned. They had never imagined that the terrifying beast they had heard so much about was...actually so adorable.

Yes, adorable. Aside from its enormous size, the beast was genuinely cute. It bore a round, plump form with two huge eyes like little moons—round, black, devoid of any ferocity. There was no hint of a vicious predator, only harmlessness. It lacked limbs, possessing instead four fish-like fins. Perhaps due to its massive body, these fins appeared short and stout, making it seem all the more endearing.

The Netherworld Beast let out a roar at the crowd—a sound that, upon careful listening, carried traces of grievance, dissatisfaction, and anger. The onlookers assumed it was directed at them, but only the Blade Sage, who had the closest contact with the beast, understood its true feeling.

The roar was clearly not aimed at them.

Old Luo watched the unfolding scene and asked the Daoist, “May I ask, Daoist, was this your doing as well?”

The Daoist nodded proudly, “That little fellow was disobedient. I taught it a lesson and, in doing so, drew it out. Consider it my contribution to their cause.”

Old Luo frowned, perplexed. “But Daoist, earlier you said you did not want them to open the Heavenly Gate. Isn’t what you just did aiding them in opening it? Doesn’t this contradict your prior plan?”

The Daoist replied, “Preventing them from opening the Heavenly Gate is true, but helping them prepare to open it is also true. The difference lies in one achieving success, the other merely preparing for it.”

Old Luo remained puzzled, but the Daoist declined further explanation. Resigned, Old Luo suppressed his curiosity and awaited the final moment, knowing they would soon uncover the Daoist’s true intentions.

Once forced out, the Netherworld Beast could no longer retreat.

Everyone followed the plan to encircle it tightly.

First, three members of the Li family unleashed their strongest Spirit Control techniques. Although these techniques were diminished in Tianmen Town, the fact that three elders of grand ancestor caliber wielded them made trapping the Netherworld Beast possible.

Though not a creature of the mortal realm, the Netherworld Beast was a spirit beast, with a spirit that could not escape the binding of Spirit Control.

Next, the five great families of Tianmen Town took action.

While they were not the strongest among those present, having lived in Tianmen Town for many years, their every breath and movement had harmonized with the town’s aura. Their power was not the greatest, but the most profound and substantial, for they enjoyed the blessings of the town’s temporal and spatial advantages.

Following them came members of the six major sects and various independent cultivators, pairing up to cover each direction. Using the positions of reality and illusion, they sealed off all escape routes, simultaneously wearing down the beast’s strength to prepare the perfect opening for the next strike delivered by the great swordsman from Qingshan.

With these layers of preparation, the Netherworld Beast was trapped, unable to move.

It was not afraid—they could wound it, but never take its life. Yet the Daoist lurking in the shadows was a different matter. If he truly acted, the beast knew it would perish here.

Recalling the Daoist’s earlier words, the beast trembled inexplicably.

“If you keep hiding, I will make you part of the Netherworld Sea once again.”

“If you do not cooperate, I will turn the Netherworld Sea into a dead sea.”

These two sentences struck the beast’s greatest vulnerability. It never imagined anyone could know its origin—its greatest secret.

As long as it remained within the Netherworld Sea, it was invincible. No injury nor pursuit could reach it easily, for it was the sea, and the sea was it.

But now that the Daoist knew its secret, how could it not be afraid?