Chapter Twenty-Five: The Emergence of Abbot Island, The Young Ones Depart the Island

Suddenly, an angry shout rang out, jolting Chen Xing from his thoughts about the future. For so many years, there had truly been no one who dared to speak to him in such a manner. He turned his head and saw a most wretched-looking fellow, burdened with a thick shell on his back, leading several hundred shrimp and crab soldiers, swaggering aggressively toward him.

Chen Xing was at a complete loss for words. He had been searching for sea creatures devoid of intelligence to prepare a seafood feast, simply because he did not wish to kill sentient beings. In his heart, any creature capable of developing intelligence was, on some subconscious level, akin to a human; to eat them would leave him with a sense of guilt. Yet now, a great horde of seafood had delivered themselves right to his door. To refuse would almost be embarrassing.

"Who are you, daring to steal from the East Sea? Do you not know that all things in these waters belong to the Dragon Clan? Hand over everything you have immediately, and I shall plead for your life before the clan chief," the wretched fellow barked viciously before Chen Xing could even respond.

"Are you speaking to me?" Chen Xing replied coldly, the smile that had graced his features slowly fading. Though he intended, in time, to truly immerse himself in the wilds and temper his heart, such minor characters were beneath his notice.

He could not be bothered to wait for a reply. With a flick of his finger, he instantly wiped out the souls of these creatures. In a flash, the sea surface was strewn with hundreds of seafood—shrimp, turtles, sea cucumbers, and more.

Staring at these creatures, Chen Xing could not help but swallow, as if a grand seafood banquet had unfolded before his eyes. With a wave of his hand, he gathered up these "ingredients" and disappeared from the sea's surface.

In the grand hall of the East Sea Dragon Palace, the Ancestral Dragon was deep in council with his subordinates, discussing vengeance against the Phoenix Clan to avenge Long Tian. Suddenly, the Turtle Prime Minister, seated just below him, turned deathly pale and leapt to his feet in fury. "Brazen thief! To dare slay my grandson—I will not rest until you pay!" he roared.

The Ancestral Dragon, displeased by the outburst, admonished, "Prime Minister Turtle, what is the meaning of this? Do not forget we are in council."

The Turtle Prime Minister hurriedly bowed and, voice choked with grief, cried, "Lord Ancestral Dragon, my grandson was just slain in the East Sea! I beg you, avenge my clan!"

At these words, the Ancestral Dragon was instantly enraged. "Who dares slay a member of the Dragon Clan in my own sea? I shall see them destroyed!"

Already seething over the death of his son at the hands of the Phoenix Clan, the news that someone dared commit murder within his own domain drove the Ancestral Dragon to a murderous fury. His sleeve billowed, and with the Turtle Prime Minister at his side, he vanished from the hall in an instant.

Moments after Chen Xing had disappeared from the sea, the Ancestral Dragon and the Turtle Prime Minister arrived at the very spot he had occupied. The waters were now calm, with no sign of life. Realizing the culprit had fled, the Ancestral Dragon's rage blazed anew. For someone to commit murder in the East Sea was a naked slap in his face!

In the blink of an eye, the Ancestral Dragon transformed into a colossal dragon, a hundred zhang long, and soared through the heavens. Within a few breaths, he had scoured ten thousand li in all directions, but found nothing.

Frustration consumed him; his cheeks seemed to ring with the echo of repeated slaps. When had the Dragon Clan ever suffered such humiliation? First his son was killed, now this! Even with his near-saintly powers, he could not divine the identity of the perpetrator. The Ancestral Dragon was nearly driven mad. With a sweep of his tail, he raised waves a thousand zhang high across the sea.

As he vented his fury, the Turtle Prime Minister sidled up to him and spoke in a venomous whisper, "My lord, by sacrificing some of my clan's essence and lifespan, I have used the Xuan-Tian Tortoise Shell, our most precious heirloom, to glean a trace of the culprit. The one who slew my grandson is still nearby—they cannot escape." As he finished, the Turtle Prime Minister's face twisted with murderous intent.

The Ancestral Dragon knew well that the Xuan-Tian Tortoise Shell, the sacred treasure of the Black Tortoise lineage, could, at a price, peer into the workings of Heaven itself, revealing any clue hidden by beings whose cultivation was no more than one major realm above his own.

At this thought, a killing intent surged anew across the Ancestral Dragon's face.

Yet neither could have imagined that, were it not for a certain someone's deliberate arrangement—merely a minor game to hone his followers—such a deduction would have been impossible. The odds of success were otherwise nonexistent.

---

On Fangzhang Island, the crowd gaped, dumbfounded, at the array of seafood ingredients laid upon a stone table—giant lobsters with crystal-clear flesh radiating intense spiritual energy, a turtle as large as a millstone stripped of its shell, several pieces of its tender meat especially tantalizing, and other delicacies that made everyone’s mouths water.

How could the creatures of the primordial age comprehend the Chinese people’s devotion to fine cuisine? Before them, Chen Xing donned an oddly styled garment and a tall, white hat. In front of several objects he called "pots," he sometimes wielded a square "knife," chopping rapidly with a rhythmic clatter, and sometimes used a strange spatula to flip and stir, leaving the assembled beings dazzled.

Faced with this assembly of "country bumpkins," Chen Xing curled his lip, sneaking a glance at Little Demon and Nuwa, secretly gloating: "Wait until they taste my seafood feast—let’s see how they think to escape the palm of my hand then! Heh heh!"

An hour later, Chen Xing shed his chef's attire, waved his hand, and announced to the crowd, who had been watching him cook with rapt fascination, "Dinner is served!"

Some of the newly transformed little ones did not quite understand what "dinner is served" meant, but realizing they were being invited to eat, they rushed up, reaching out to grab the food by hand.

Chen Xing quickly stopped them, flipping his palm to produce a large bundle of chopsticks, distributing a pair to each person and teaching them how to use them.

At first, no one could manage to pick up the food. Little Demon, after several failed attempts to seize a large shrimp, pouted in frustration, blaming her brother for not letting her eat on purpose, especially seeing how deftly he wielded his chopsticks.

Finally, after everyone had mastered the chopsticks, they tasted Chen Xing’s authentic, earthly seafood feast for the first time. At the first bite, the food seemed to melt in their mouths, filling them with exquisite flavor—a sensation so addictive they could hardly stop. Even the usually composed Fuxi could not help but speed up his picking.

When the group had finished the first true seafood banquet in the wilds, Chen Xing brought out some spiritual fruits that Nuwa and the others had gathered, placing a plate before each person. Then he sat down and addressed them: "There is another matter I wish to discuss with you all today."

Hearing this, everyone immediately ceased their movements, turning to Chen Xing in anticipation.

"Since I established my Dao field on Fangzhang Island, I have taught you the ways of cultivation, but I have never allowed you to leave the island. I thought that with my protection, you could live here without a care. Yet I neglected your own desires.

"Now, I intend to reveal Fangzhang Island to the world. So long as you remain on the island, no disaster shall befall you. But if you leave, your fate will be determined by Heaven, for better or worse. I urge you all to consider carefully."

With that, Chen Xing began eating the spiritual fruit, saying no more.

---

Hearing Chen Xing's words, Nuwa and Little Demon were surprised, but said nothing, respecting his decision. Now, it was up to the other inhabitants of the island to choose for themselves.

Only Chen Xing noticed the trace of worry in Little Demon's eyes. He understood that, after all, her feelings for the others ran deep, and she feared for their safety. He gave her a reassuring smile. Seeing this, Little Demon set aside her last shred of anxiety, knowing her elder brother would never truly abandon the island's creatures. She beamed at him, then lowered her head to enjoy her fruit.

After some time, a few among the crowd stepped forward. A boy who looked about thirteen or fourteen, with an honest face and a pair of horns atop his head, bowed and asked, "Master of the island, may we travel the wilds together with Sister Little Demon?"

Looking at this seemingly guileless, yet shrewd-eyed youth, Chen Xing was both amused and exasperated. "Why ask me? Go ask Little Demon yourself!"

"Yeah!" The little ones who had stepped forward cheered, clapping hands in celebration.

Seeing them mark the occasion with a gesture he had taught them in idle moments, Chen Xing couldn't help but smile as well. He no longer intended to deliberately send them into the world to gain experience, but neither would he let them come to harm.

Since they wished to rely on Little Demon for protection, Chen Xing would not refuse them. By now, Little Demon had reached early Quasi-Saint stage, more than capable of keeping these youngsters safe.

Little Demon, naturally, did not refuse. She beckoned to the horned boy, "Niu Zhengwei, come here first." Niu Zhengwei was the name the little bull demon had given himself.

He skipped over, sweetly calling out, "Sister Little Demon." She patted his head, then summoned the others, and together they went aside to discuss their plans.

In the end, it was decided that Little Demon would lead the group, with Niu Zhengwei as the chief among the seven little ones, to travel the wilds, while the others would leave in batches at a later time.

Seeing everything settled, Chen Xing rose into the sky, radiating boundless majesty. With a gesture, a thunderous rumble shook the island. The inhabitants felt Fangzhang Island begin to ascend, light blossoming across its surface as sunlight from the nine heavens poured down, illuminating every corner.

It turned out that in ordinary times, Fangzhang Island was hidden in the void by the naturally formed "Thirty-Six Star Primordial Converging and Immortal Severing Array," its true form never revealed to the world. Usually, those entering and leaving were transported directly by the array. Today was the first time the island was fully manifested.

Once the island was revealed, Chen Xing lowered his hands, summoned a string of fruits to himself, and handed them to Little Demon. "Distribute these Yellow Jade Plums to those leaving the island. In ten years, we will depart together."

Seeing the Yellow Jade Plums, Little Demon was overjoyed. She had worried that the little ones' cultivation was lacking, but with these fruits, their weakness was remedied and she had no further concerns.

Taking the fruit from Chen Xing, she called out sweetly, "Thank you, brother!" Then she happily went to share the Yellow Jade Plums with Niu Zhengwei and the others.