Chapter 84

Chapter 84: Enlightenment From the Sea

Through the eyes of the dragonwhale, Xu Qing clearly saw that that terrifying existence in the depths of the sea hadn’t left yet.

Instead, it swam a distance away before stopping. Its long neck swayed, and it turned its crocodile-like head to face them.

Its cold gaze revealed killing intent as it locked on to Xu Qing’s boat and the dragonwhale in the water. It seemed to be measuring the strength of its prey and could attack at any moment.

Its huge body was sleek and streamlined, over 600 meters long in total. It had four majestic flippers that were swaying slightly in the water, and they were covered with barnacles that had innumerable tiny tentacles extending from them. But the most eye-catching thing was its long and slender neck that had rows of sharp black spines protruding out.

It was indeed a plesiosaur!

According to the sea records, this was a commonly seen predator of the Forbidden Sea.

Xu Qing’s breathing hastened slightly, but he remained calm. His experiences in the jungle forbidden area taught him that when faced with a powerful beast, unless it was absolutely impossible for him to put up a fight, he must not show any fear.

Moreover, the sea records’ description of the plesiosaur mentioned that it was cautious by nature. If it felt that its prey wasn’t easy to deal with, it would often choose to leave.

Thinking to this point, a cold light flashed through Xu Qing’s eyes.

“Both of you, spread out your cultivation bases at full force!”

Senior Sister Ding complied without hesitation, and her cultivation base immediately erupted, causing violent fluctuations to spread into the surroundings. And although Zhao Zhongheng was an idiot, he wasn’t completely hopeless. At this critical moment, his own cultivation base immediately burst forth, and the phoenix boat took an offensive posture.

All of this made the plesiosaur a little wary. Its body swayed slightly, but it was unwilling to give up.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and let out a cold snort, forming a hand seal with one hand. Immediately, the eight wing-like sails of the magic boat folded inwards, and the protective barrier was activated to its fullest extent. Furthermore, his own cultivation base circulated at full speed inside his body.

Rumbling sounds echoed out, and the aura of the eighth level of the Sea and Mountain Art burst forth as the Droughtdemon Shadow appeared behind him.

It had dry, cracked skin, and its body was blue all over. There was a spiral horn atop its head, and its blood-red eyes were filled with madness. As soon as it appeared, the Droughtdemon Shadow unleashed a savage roar towards the deep sea.

Waves of astonishing heat spread out violently.

Moreover, this heat was extremely strange, burning the on the sea surface like an inextinguishable flame. Seawater immediately began to evaporate, causing a mist to spread in the surroundings. The plesiosaur became restless, as if this sudden change made it very uncomfortable. It retreated a little, but not by much.

This scene made Senior Sister Ding’s eyes widen, and a strong light appeared in her gaze. Zhao Zhongheng inhaled sharply, and his gaze when he looked at Xu Qing once again revealed astonishment.

Xu Qing ignored the two, focusing all his attention on the plesiosaur. Along with the Sea and Mountain Art, his Sea Transforming Scripture also circulated at full power. Suddenly, the seawater around the magic boat became filled with undercurrents, and the dragonwhale released a violent aura that locked on to the plesiosaur.

That wasn’t all. The horn at the bow of the boat and the four legs at the sides all glowed with a resplendent light that carried an intense deterrent as it spread out.

The devouring power in the horn and the over 3,000 spikes in each leg were ready to burst forth at any moment. The astonishing chilling deterrent formed by all of this caused the plesiosaur’s entire body to shake and the spines on its neck to vibrate rapidly. It clearly felt a strong sense of threat as it began to stare Xu Qing down.

Xu Qing replied with a cold gaze sent through the dragonwhale’s eyes.

Just like that, a stick of incense’s worth of time passed.

After the plesiosaur swam a few circles in the deep sea, it felt that Xu Qing wasn’t easy to mess with. Thus, it slowly backed away, and finally gave up on the hunt, flicking its tail and disappearing into the distance.

Xu Qing didn’t relax at all, maintaining his offensive state as he controlled the magic boat to advance. It was only after half a day passed and the magic boat completely left that sea region that he let out a deep breath.

Senior Sister Ding at his side and Zhao Zhongheng on the phoenix boat were also finally relaxed.

“The sea records said that this sea beast doesn’t like to take risks and will only take action once it’s fully confident. This is indeed the case.”

Xu Qing raised his head and looked at the sea in front of him.

He knew that this place was actually still considered the coast. The real deep sea was much farther in.

But even just the coast was already so dangerous. He could only imagine how dangerous and bizarre the entire Forbidden Sea was.

Xu Qing’s eyes fell on the fragmented face of God in the sky.

Everything... was because of His arrival.

Under His influence, all living things were force to change, becoming more savage and terrifying.

Xu Qing fell silent and stared at the sea for a long time… The image of the plesiosaur just now slowly appeared in his mind, and he revealed a pondering gaze.

“That sort of appearance… must be more suitable for surviving in the Forbidden Sea.”

After analyzing for a while, Xu Qing sat down cross-legged and formed a hand seal with both hands. In an instant, the Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale beneath the boat began to gradually morph.

At the same time, Senior Sister Ding and Zhao Zhongheng felt the relief of having narrowly escaped danger. Both of their gazes turned to Xu Qing.

Although Xu Qing hadn’t truly made a move, the strength of his aura and the horrifying Droughtdemon Shadow just now, as well as the existence of the Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale, made them realize that Xu Qing was clearly much stronger than either of them had thought.

“Qi and Blood Form a Shadow… This Xu fellow not only formed the Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale but also reached the peak of Body Refinement[1]. How can he be so strong!!”

“This Junior Brother Xu is not only very attractive, but his cultivation is also stronger than I thought, and he might even have hidden cards that I haven’t seen yet. Someone like him has a high probability of entering Foundation Establishment in the future…”

As the two’s thoughts were running in different directions, the dragonwhale beneath Xu Qing’s boat was gradually transforming.

Its neck gradually became long and slender, with a row of sharp spines protruding out. Four flippers extended from its body, making it look more and more like the plesiosaur.

As it changed, an increasingly powerful ferocity appeared on it.

Before meeting the plesiosaur, Xu Qing couldn’t optimize the dragonwhale’s shape much, but now that he had seen it, he felt that taking on the plesiosaur’s appearance would allow the dragonwhale to become faster and nimbler.

At the same time, as he circulated the Sea Transforming Scripture, swordfish and false-tooth birds also formed from water droplets around the dragonwhale. Moreover, as more and more water droplets gathered, even the faint outline of that giant appeared.

In the next moment, the surface of the sea exploded, and the modified dragonwhale flew out into the sky with a roar. Streams of water-formed swordfish followed it, forming arcing rainbows under the sunlight.

Senior Sister Ding and Zhao Zhongheng’s eyes immediately widened. After feeling the spiritual energy fluctuations of the Seventh Peak’s Sea Transforming Scripture, they felt like they were going crazy.

Not every disciple at the eighth level of the Sea Transforming Scripture had the fine control necessary to form a dragonwhale.

But not all disciples who formed a dragonwhale possessed the extreme control necessary to change its form.

All of this made Senior Sister Ding and Zhao Zhongheng even more shocked than they already were.

Whether it was the plesiosaur or the swordfish, these weren’t transformations recorded in the Sea Transforming Scripture. Instead, they were Xu Qing’s own enlightenment from this journey out to sea.

The great sea was like a Dao teacher.

Although it was deep and mysterious, if a person had the heart to do so, they could learn from its wordless instruction and obtain enlightenment.

Just like that, time passed slowly. On the ensuing voyage, Zhao Zhongheng became more and more bitter and dejected. He had fully understood that this Xu Qing… wasn’t someone he could offend. Xu Qing had a high chance of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future, and when that time came, Zhao Zhongheng would have no choice but to greet the other party respectfully when they met.

He also didn’t dare to ask his grandfather for help. He had encountered similar situations in the past, and although his grandfather’s support allowed Zhao Zhongheng to suppress the other party, he would end up just as miserable. A few times he even felt that his grandfather was really going to beat him to death.

Thus, he could only pray for the voyage to end soon so Xu Qing would leave.

For the next few days, the sea was calm and the trio didn’t encounter any danger. Their magic boats gradually approached the Western Reef Archipelago until the faint outline of the islands finally appeared in the distance.

Along the way, Senior Sister Ding’s enthusiasm continued to rise. From the time she boarded the ship until now, the value of the gifts she had given for Xu Qing to answer her questions had already exceeded 300 spirit stones.

Thanks to this, Xu Qing had a positive impression of Senior Sister Ding’s thirst for knowledge and felt that she was a good person. After all, he had originally headed out to sea in order to hunt, and if that didn’t go well, he might not have even made 300 spirit stones…

But thinking of all the time he spent explaining plants and vegetation to Senior Sister Ding that could have been used to cultivate, as well as how he was responsible for her safety along the way, Xu Qing concluded that the transaction between them was fair and reasonable.

However, for this last half a day, although Xu Qing still patiently answered all of Senior Sister Ding’s questions, he didn’t accept any more gifts from her. He admired her eagerness to learn.

When Zhao Zhongheng saw this scene, he sighed in despair. If a gigolo stopped accepting money, he must have started to develop feelings…

Thus, he looked at the Western Reef Archipelago in the distance, wishing they could arrive immediately so Xu Qing would leave sooner.

Just like that, the day gradually turned to dusk, and although Senior Sister Ding was reluctant, they came closer and closer to the Western Reef Archipelago.

After arriving at Senior Sister Ding’s destination, Zhao Zhongheng was extremely excited. He looked expectantly at Senior Sister Ding, who was still on Xu Qing’s boat.

“Junior Brother Xu, do you really not want to come with us? I’m going to visit my aunt. Her cultivation base is extremely deep and she likes to help the younger generation. If you come, you’ll definitely make great gains.” Before Senior Sister Ding disembarked, she turned to look at Xu Qing and tried to persuade him.

Zhao Zhongheng suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. He felt a lump in his throat as he stared at Xu Qing closely, afraid of seeing him nod his head.

“No need, I have other matters. Senior Sister Ding, take care.”

A polite smile appeared on Xu Qing’s face. Senior Sister Ding slowly disembarked from the boat, continuously turning her head back to look at Xu Qing. After she stepped onto the shore, a muffled sound came from Xu Qing’s magic boat and it slowly backed away before turning around, about to sail into the distance.

Behind him, Senior Sister Ding’s Daoist robe billowed in the sea breeze, and her hair fluttered as she lifted her beautiful face. She looked at Xu Qing with bright eyes and suddenly shouted loudly.

“Junior Brother Xu, take care. After we return to the sect, I’ll seek guidance from you again.”

Zhao Zhongheng’s heart skipped a beat again when he heard this, and a crestfallen expression appeared on his face.

Xu Qing nodded slightly and waved his hand. His magic boat gradually sailed off into the distance.

Once he left the island, the magic boat became tranquil once more. Xu Qing’s peaceful expression gradually turned sharp.

As he stood on the magic boat, he gradually seemed to turn into a sharp sword about to be unsheathed. His eyes became cold as he stared at the sea behind the archipelago.

In that direction was his destination for this trip, Sea Lizard Island.

At his current speed, he would arrive in two days at most. Sea Lizard Island was a public resource point that was rich in sea lizard skins, so there would definitely be a lot of fighting and killing going on.

A cold light flashed through Xu Qing’s eyes. After many days of traveling, he had become familiar with the Forbidden Sea. At the same time, he was ready… to take action.

“I must be more vigilant…”

With a wave of his right hand, the magic boat suddenly accelerated rapidly, stirring up waves in its wake as it jetted across the surface of the sea. The position of Sea Lizard Island marked on the sea chart was getting closer and closer.

As he approached, he began to prepare, putting away his dagger, donning his gloves, sharpening the black skewer, and reorganizing his poisons.

One day passed, then two…

When the dusk of the third day arrived, the red afterglow of sunset spilled out over the great sea through gaps in the dark clouds, and the wind began to howl and pick up speed. An island finally appeared in front of Xu Qing.

The entire island was pitch-black, as if shrouded in dark clouds and hiding vicious beasts. A rotting and damp smell lingered around it, revealing a sense of death and decay.

Hundreds of boats floated in the surroundings. Each of them had their own unique points, but none of them were the magic boats of the Seventh Peak.

Scattered around the beach, there were some corpses of humans and animals that had been dead for an unknown amount of time, giving the entire place an eerie feeling.

Looking further in, a dark jungle formed a ring around the inside of the island, and further up there were mountains upon mountains. The whole island gave off a chilling killing intent that pressed down on the surroundings. It was like the black clouds of dusk in the sky, spreading a cold and desolate feeling in all directions.

As Xu Qing’s magic boat approached, gazes suddenly appeared from within the mountain jungle, coldly locking on to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing could clearly sense the hostility in these gazes. Raising his head, he slowly narrowed his eyes. His expression was placid, but his body exuded a sharp aura like an unsheathed sword.

He seemed to have instantly transformed into a lone wolf, causing those gazes to freeze before they retracted one by one.

Xu Qing expressionlessly stepped onto the beach and put away the magic boat with a wave of his hand. Flicking, the dust off his clothes, he walked towards the jungle. When he passed by the corpses on the beach, he glanced down.

[1] – Reminder that Body Refinement is the name of an actual realm-equivalent to Qi Condensation. This in no way means that cultivators can only refine their bodies up to the level of peak Qi Condensation.

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