Chapter 1553: Patrolling Sea Yaksha

The commotion outside caught the attention of the cultivators inside the ship's cabin, who all rushed out, thinking they had encountered an enemy.

It was just a small, newly enlightened demon.

Such small demons were not uncommon in the outer seas. After many days of sailing, everyone was already accustomed to them and paid them no mind. Seeing Zhou Jin's actions, however, they all looked a bit strange.

Zhou Jin conjured a hand from his true essence, grabbing the fish demon's head and squeezing hard. The fish demon let out a pained whimper, its body spasmed, and its skull suddenly cracked open, releasing a yellowish pearl.

The pearl shimmered with a faint yellow light, and inside, shadows writhed.

Zhou Jin was about to grab the pearl.

With a 'snap,' the internal phantoms suddenly collided, and the pearl shattered into powder.

The instant the pearl self-destructed, a distinct fluctuation, clearly not from the fish demon, flashed and vanished.

A gasp went through the crowd.

Sensing the fluctuation, everyone's expressions changed.

All present were at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, widely experienced, and immediately realized what was happening. The more astute among them instantly summoned their magic tools and treasures.

Someone flew into the air, scanning the surroundings.

"Someone is controlling the fish demon?"

The others looked at Qin Sang.

The fish demon had been discovered by them first, and Qin Sang was clearly the leader among the three.

Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly. He said calmly, "I hadn't paid much attention before, but after entering this sea area, I repeatedly encountered the same type of fish demon, which raised my alert. Now it seems this fish demon was definitely artificially controlled. As for whether the entity behind it is human or demon, it's still uncertain. However, this method of control doesn't seem like a human technique."

"Friend, you mean this is a high-level demon beast's scout? Why would a high-level demon beast set up a secret post here?"

A commotion stirred on the ship, and someone gasped.

To be able to employ secret agents with such subtle methods... Could it be that they had accidentally trespassed into the territory of a transformed demon king? Which transformed demon king would choose a cave dwelling so close to the inner sea?

Qin Sang's thoughts were also racing.

High-level demon beasts controlling fish demons to monitor this sea area—could there really be some secret?

If he was mistaken, and a cultivator was controlling the fish demon, it would be even more worth pondering.

At this moment, the person who had flown into the sky returned to the ship. Facing the others' inquiring gazes, he shook his head helplessly, having found no unusual signs.

A monk suggested withdrawing. "Fellow Daoist Leng," he said, "there are still a few places we haven't visited, but I don't see the need to go there anymore. It's not advisable to stay here long. We should return to the Chinnan Island Chain as soon as possible, observe the situation, and then make further plans. What do you all think?"

The true purpose of most people on the ship was not treasure hunting, and no one wanted to lose their lives investigating information. They quickly reached an agreement.

The ship tilted, turned around, and headed back to the Chinnan Island Chain.

Everyone spread out to keep watch.

Qin Sang was not in a hurry to leave the group with the Zhou and Ruan couple. The situation was unclear, their opponent's objective and location unknown, and exposing their identities at this time might lead to more complications.

No one lacked spirit stones, so they set the ship's speed to maximum.

Initially, they sped for the duration of an incense stick.

The sea remained calm and everything seemed normal.

Just as everyone thought they had escaped danger, Qin Sang's expression suddenly changed. A sharp glint appeared in his eyes, and with a slight movement of his spiritual sense, an ice blade floated into his palm, its aura silently pulsating.

This blade was named the Snow-Treading Divine Blade, one of several magic treasures recorded in the 'Qingwei Scroll'. The most powerful was Yin Changsheng's Hanging Sword Tower, but its refining difficulty was too great. After considering, Qin Sang chose one of the easiest to refine – the Snow-Treading Divine Blade.

Qin Sang's avatar was still primarily for support and as a resurrection backup. At least until his main body was ready to break through to the Soul Transformation stage, he didn't plan to expend too much effort on it. Using the relics of Hall Master Yin and some of the gains from helping Tong Lingyu control the Xuan Tian Palace, he refined a blade embryo for his avatar. The avatar had been nurturing it until recently, when it finally matured into a blade.

In terms of quality alone, it was slightly inferior to the Golden Sunken Sword that Qin Sang had refined multiple times, but it was more compatible with the avatar.

Furthermore, the avatar had also achieved minor success in the 'Xuan Tian One-Chi Great Grasping Hand'. The 'Ice Soul Divine Light' had made no progress for a long time, essentially being half-abandoned. Qin Sang now deeply understood how difficult this divine ability was, realizing why the Snow-Listening Pavilion had declined. Although he cultivated a version improved by Liuli and had refined Ice Soul Astral Essence, the divine ability remained incredibly difficult due to its incompatibility with him, forcing him to switch to cultivating the 'Xuan Tian One-Chi Great Grasping Hand'.

With the Four-Mounted Teng Snake Seal, the Snow-Treading Divine Blade, and the 'Xuan Tian One-Chi Great Grasping Hand,' he could even contend with Grand Cultivators. Treasures were valued for their quality, not quantity, so the avatar returned the Golden Sunken Sword and the Sun God Tree to the main body.

Soon, others also noticed the abnormality.

'Splash!'

The treasure ship stopped abruptly, and the sight ahead made everyone gasp.

On the horizon, a dark cloud appeared, obscuring the sky and sun. Demonic aura surged into the heavens, churning as it approached.

A closer look revealed it was a demonic cloud formed by countless demon beasts. A horde had formed here at some unknown time, perfectly intercepting them on their way back and surrounding them.

No one believed this was a coincidence.

"Beast tide!"

Someone exclaimed.

If it were just a beast tide formed by low-level demon beasts, it wouldn't be difficult for the cultivators on the ship to break out together. However, at this moment, they sensed a threatening aura from within the beast horde—clearly high-level demon beasts at the Demon Core stage!

Only when the beast horde appeared did the roars of the demon beasts erupt. Clearly, this group of demon beasts was well-trained and undoubtedly controlled by an intelligent great demon. The East Sea demon race had also been drawn here.

Even if there were no ancient immortal sect ruins, there must be some unknown secret here. However, their current concern was not these secrets, but how to escape!

"Senior Qin, what should we do?"

Zhou Jin and Ruan Yu huddled close to Qin Sang. With Qin Sang present, they weren't as tense, but they were still worried that there might be a transformed demon king behind the beast horde, in which case Qin Sang might not be able to look after them.

"Let's wait and see first."

Qin Sang gripped the Snow-Treading Divine Blade tightly, poised but not striking. With his other hand, he flicked a finger, sending out a cold glint and summoning an inconspicuous ice chain.

At the same time, the treasure ship's protective rune array was activated to full power. The array formed a light barrier, enveloping the ship, but it appeared very thin and fragile before the beast tide.

"Everyone, today we can only break out together! There's no need for me to explain what will happen if we fight individually and get surrounded by the beast horde." Leng Qi stated in a deep voice.

Everyone naturally understood this principle and no longer dared to hide their individual abilities. For a moment, spiritual light flashed from everyone's bodies. A myriad of divine abilities and magic treasures emerged endlessly, representing all paths: Buddhist, demonic, and ghostly.

"'Drum of Divine Wind! So it's a fellow Daoist from the Yuanfeng Sect. The legend says that once the Drum of Divine Wind appears, it melts flesh and corrodes bones. It truly lives up to its reputation!'"

One person summoned a pouch-shaped magic treasure, which spouted a stream of greenish divine wind that swirled around his body, making his figure blurry. The moment the magic treasure appeared, it was recognized by someone nearby. The person calmly glanced at the other's armor. "My Drum of Divine Wind probably can't break the Primordial Armor of the Hunyuan Sect," he remarked.

The other person's expression faltered slightly, and he chuckled awkwardly.

Similar conversations occurred frequently. Their actions were unaffected. Knowing their companions' origins and divine abilities boosted their confidence, and they clearly divided their roles: some helped Leng Qi strengthen the treasure ship's defenses, while others poised themselves, ready to deliver a fierce blow to the beast horde.

The ice chain formed a loop and hung above Qin Sang's head.

Zhou Jin continued to wield the jade ring, standing ready for battle.

A thin veil surrounded Ruan Yu, protecting her from injury.

The beast horde gradually approached. Everyone was able to see the full extent of it. The number of demon beasts was not as great as imagined; it didn't quite reach the scale of a beast tide. This made sense; otherwise, if such a large beast tide had gathered around the Chinnan Island Chain, rumors would surely have spread long ago.

"Roar! Roar!"

The roars were like thunder, and the pressure from the charging beast horde was suffocating. All sorts of strange demon beasts filled the sky and sea, a dense, dark mass. They appeared to be a disorganized rabble, but in reality, they were not entirely without order. Demon Core stage demon beasts were mixed among them, and they were the ones commanding the horde!

"Here they come!" Someone whispered.

Before the words had faded, with a sudden 'boom,' a massive wave surged into the air. The treasure ship shook violently, its bow rearing high and soaring into the air, nearly capsizing.

With the help of several cultivators, Leng Qi exerted all his strength to keep the treasure ship stable. At the same time, some demon beasts within the tide spat out demonic light, some cast demonic spells, and others shot out scales and feathers from their bodies, converging into the first wave of attack like a torrent.

The Demon Core stage demon beasts in the horde were mostly a type of blue shark. Half their bodies were submerged underwater; they had created the giant wave just now. Now, they all opened their blood-red mouths, spitting out water orbs that concealed the attacks of other demon beasts.

The treasure ship was about to be engulfed by the torrent.

'Whoosh!'

The treasure ship's forward momentum suddenly stopped dead. Mysterious yellow light suddenly appeared on its hull, and the ship transformed into a mountain, seemingly losing all weight, heavily plunging headfirst into a hollow in the sea. The giant wave 'slammed' down, striking the treasure ship to the seabed. However, this also allowed it to evade the beast horde's strongest attack.

Everyone cheered loudly. The treasure ship's defensive capabilities were limited; if it had taken the full impact, it would probably be on the verge of breaking apart. Yet, under the manipulation of Leng Qi and the others, it turned decay into wonder, and everyone remained unharmed.

Leng Qi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and controlled the rune array on the treasure ship to change again. The treasure ship swayed, shedding the impact, and then surged back out of the sea. They found themselves surrounded by an overwhelming number of demon beasts, having charged into the center of the beast horde.

This was exactly their pre-determined strategy: to rush into the beast horde. While seemingly surrounded, the beast horde would in fact be unable to organize the kind of sweeping attack they had just faced, allowing them to leverage their individual strengths.

The blue sharks let out furious roars. The demon beasts, fearless of death, surged forward one after another, frantically assaulting the defensive light barrier.

"Kill!"

Everyone shouted in unison, their momentum soaring to the heavens, even overpowering the roars of the demon beasts. Blade light and sword glints, and various divine abilities unleashed a great massacre. The treasure ship became a flesh and blood grinder at the center of the beast horde, devouring countless lives.

In an instant, the seawater changed color, its pungent smell of blood indicating the demon beasts' sacrifice. Countless severed limbs and body parts floated on the sea surface.

The defensive light barrier flickered, at times bright, at times dim, and finally could no longer hold out. The treasure ship disintegrated as expected, torn into shreds by the beast horde. Everyone had anticipated this, and they all soared into the air, maintaining their formation.

The current situation was favorable to them.

Qin Sang, too, pressed down on the Snow-Treading Divine Blade, controlling the ice chain. He moved back and forth through the beast horde, harvesting a swath of demon beasts wherever he went. After all, he was a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even while holding back, he could perform brilliantly with precise control and keen insight, far surpassing others in efficiency.

Qin Sang always felt it wouldn't be this simple. His mind wasn't focused on the battlefield, but on searching everywhere.

Indeed, he found an anomaly!

Diagonally behind the beast tide, in the distance, a blue shark lay quietly submerged beneath the sea surface, revealing its dorsal fin and part of its body. Astride the blue shark was a burly man. The burly man was ugly, bare-chested, and held a steel trident, like a patrolling Yasha of the sea. His cheeks still resembled fish gills, clearly indicating he was a transformed great demon.

At the same time Qin Sang discovered the Patrolling Yasha, the Patrolling Yasha also seemed to sense something, and his huge, bell-like eyes narrowed. The blue shark beneath him, sniffing the scent of blood, excitedly shifted its body, poking its head out of the water, its eyes revealing a bloodthirsty glint.

'Slap!'

The Patrolling Yasha slapped the blue shark's body, nearly breaking its spine. The blue shark yelped in pain, crouched down, and dared not move recklessly.

Gazing at the battlefield for a moment, the Patrolling Yasha let out a cold snort. He lifted the steel trident with one hand, gave a whistle, aimed at the center of the beast horde, and hurled it fiercely.

'Whoosh!'

The steel trident transformed into a silver-white lightning bolt. The sound of it tearing through the air was like a thunderclap. Before the attack even arrived, the battling cultivators felt a sense of dread and were startled.

At the same time, the beast horde suddenly parted to both sides. Only then did everyone see the Patrolling Yasha in the distance and the steel trident descending from the sky, revealing expressions of horror.

"Transformed Great Demon!"

The exclamation had just sounded. Among the crowd, a streak of white energy suddenly soared into the air. Everyone, still in a panic, was stunned and turned sharply around.

Qin Sang looked up at the steel trident. He swept one hand over his head, and profound energy transformed into a large hand, tearing through the air to seize the trident at an equally swift speed. Wherever the profound energy hand passed, strange fluctuations appeared in the void.

The steel trident, heading directly for the palm, encountered an invisible barrier. Its speed suddenly decreased sharply, and its light was compressed, revealing the trident's true form. The profound energy hand, having gained the upper hand, showed no mercy. It rushed to the front of the steel trident, its five fingers closing, intending to directly seize the trident and snatch the opponent's treasure.

The Patrolling Yasha's mouth puffed out, and two streams of water shot from his gills, merging into the steel trident. After a 'hum,' the steel trident split into three, shaking off the profound energy hand.

Just then, the Patrolling Yasha suddenly felt a chilling sensation. Blade light erupted from Qin Sang's hand, firmly drawing the Patrolling Yasha's gaze. The surrounding cultivators also couldn't help but shiver.

'Swish!'

Wherever the Snow-Treading Divine Blade passed, it left a path of snow on the sea surface. The demon beasts in its path, unable to dodge in time, were frozen into ice sculptures by the blade's intent.

The Patrolling Yasha's expression changed drastically. He squeezed hard with his legs, and the blue shark plunged headfirst into the seabed.

"Protect them well, or I'll hold you accountable!" Qin Sang left behind a cold shout, his figure flickering repeatedly as he departed, treading on the path of snow.

With the demon king fleeing, the beast horde naturally couldn't be maintained. The demon beasts scattered in all directions, leaving behind countless corpses.

Only then did everyone come back to their senses. They all looked at the Zhou and Ruan couple, with varied expressions, and remembering Qin Sang's command before he left, they instinctively guarded them in the center.

Leng Qi offered a conciliatory smile. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, does Senior Qin have any other instructions?"

Zhou Jin said gravely, "We must return to the Chinnan Island Chain quickly."

"Yes, yes, yes... we mustn't burden Senior Qin..." everyone echoed in agreement.