Chapter 684: Seeking the Dragon

The Human World

Qin Sang stepped out of his cave dwelling and found the five individuals gathered in the outer hall, conversing.

"Always keep one person on alert outside to monitor the movements of demon beasts in the abyss. Others should not go out unnecessarily. Your judgment is good; this location is excellent. Even if there's turmoil in the abyss, you'll be able to detect it and escape immediately..."

Qin Sang made detailed arrangements, including leaving one Flying Yaksha outside as a hidden sentinel, unnoticed by anyone.

The old couple exchanged glances and pondered. "Reverend Taoist," the old man said, "we just discussed it and believe last night's anomaly was likely an accident. Even if the legendary demon beast royalty truly exists, it would only be found deep within the abyss, not in such a remote location. In fact, we once hunted a fish demon at the peak of the Demon Spirit stage nearby, and there was no further disturbance afterward."

Qin Sang's tone slightly deepened. "Prudence is the key to longevity; I shouldn't have to teach you that principle. I hired you at a high price to find flood dragons, and I don't want to lose my life over a flood dragon essence soul. If you obey my orders and work diligently for me, will I treat you unfairly? Cultivate in the cave dwelling for a month, and once we confirm nothing unusual happens, then we'll go out to search for flood dragons."

The old couple felt a chill in their hearts and said in unison, "We understand."

Qin Sang nodded. Just as he was about to turn back, he suddenly remembered something and turned around, asking, "By the way, does anyone here have a demon beast inner core?"

These five had hunted demon beasts in the Demon Sea for decades and were quite capable, so it wouldn't be surprising if they possessed demon beast inner cores.

Qin Sang planned to try other demon beast inner cores to see if the fat grub was only interested in poison cores or if other types of demon beast inner cores would also work.

"Demon beast inner cores?"

The five exchanged glances. The gray-robed man's eyes flickered, and he showed hesitation.

Seeing this, Qin Sang knew what they were concerned about. He said coldly, "Even if you take the demon beast inner cores back, you'd only be looking for someone to refine Fiend-Evil Elixirs from them, which would require a large sum of spirit stones to hire a skilled alchemist. I can directly exchange them for top-grade magical artifacts or Fiend-Evil Elixirs. I don't have any Fiend-Evil Elixirs at the moment, but I can promise you this: if the demon core you possess is what I need, I will immediately exchange it for a high-quality Fiend-Evil Elixir at the merchant association once we return."

As he spoke, Qin Sang waved his hand, and two magical artifacts appeared in his palm.

One was a bone sword, its texture like metal, emitting a faint, cold glow.

The other was a bone spear, with a long, slender tip, clearly extremely sharp.

These were artifacts he had forged himself while studying artifact refining, to validate his own ideas. Each possessed formidable power.

In comparison, the ones he had given to the Qiongyu Merchant Association were far more ordinary.

However, just like the gap between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Core Formation cultivators, there was an unbridgeable chasm between magical artifacts and Dharma treasures. Qin Sang was confident that few artifact refiners could surpass him in crafting magical artifacts, but he still dared not attempt to forge Dharma treasures.

All five were discerning individuals; upon seeing these two weapons, expressions of fascination appeared on their faces.

While inner cores were indeed precious, such magical artifacts were incredibly rare and hard to come by. Obtaining one would instantly boost their strength by 30%, so how could they not be tempted?

"We've long heard that your artifact refining skills are unparalleled on Duyuan Island, Reverend Taoist. Today, this junior has truly seen it with my own eyes..."

The old man exclaimed in admiration repeatedly.

The gray-robed man stared intently at the bone sword, then suddenly stepped forward and took out a jade bottle from his interspatial bag. "Senior," he said, "please examine this inner core. Can it be exchanged for that bone sword?"

Qin Sang took the jade bottle. Inside was a light blue inner core, imbued with potent water elemental energy, a common type found in the Demon Sea.

"Wait a moment..."

Qin Sang turned and returned to his cave dwelling, presenting the demon core to the fat grub. He found that the grub showed no interest in it, clinging only to the Azure Flood Dragon inner core.

"As expected, its innate abilities are related to poison; only poison cores will do."

Qin Sang returned the inner core to the gray-robed man, stating that he only required poison cores.

Deep disappointment showed on the gray-robed man's face, but he dared not say more, silently putting away the inner core. Since no one else had poison cores either, Qin Sang had to temporarily give up.

Thereafter, everyone began cultivating quietly on the island.

During this time, he had been observing the fat grub's changes. A full month passed, and the inner core had only shrunk slightly, yet the fat grub's cultivation had significantly improved.

Qin Sang estimated that it would take the fat grub at least several years to absorb this inner core, after which it should be able to transition to the mid-stage of its second transformation.

This was much faster than his own cultivation speed back then.

Fortunately, for the past month, everything in the abyss had been normal, with no signs of turmoil.

Seeing this, Qin Sang split them into three groups to delve into the abyss and search for flood dragons.

He and the gray-robed man formed one team in the center, while the old couple and the Wang sisters took the two flanks, maintaining a distance that allowed for swift mutual support as they extensively searched the abyss.

The requirements for the Nine Dragons Celestial Chariot Talisman were too stringent; even though the old couple and others had been active here for years, finding a suitable flood dragon essence soul was not easy.

After searching the abyss for over three consecutive months, they finally managed to hunt down a Scarlet Flood Dragon!

They encountered dangers during this period, but Qin Sang successfully resolved them all. The old couple and the others grew increasingly convinced of his abilities and understood that Qin Sang was not a heinous demon. Their worries gone, they focused on working for him.

Of course, this was also inseparable from the bulging interspatial bags at their waists.

Along the way, whenever they encountered demon beasts suitable for hunting, Qin Sang would also make a move. He would only take the most valuable parts, leaving the less desirable ones for the old couple and others to divide among themselves.

Qin Sang took the main share, while they received the rest.

On the boundless sea surface.

Two figures soared silently across the boundless sea. Only when they occasionally encountered a rocky island would they descend to rest briefly before continuing their journey. The two maintained a short distance from each other, wary of their surroundings; they were Qin Sang and the gray-robed man.

A month had passed since their last hunt for a Scarlet Flood Dragon, and they had resumed their long journey of searching for flood dragons.

While soaring above the sea, Qin Sang suddenly noticed a transmission talisman flying from a distance. The gray-robed man caught it, and they immediately stopped.

The gray-robed man read the transmission talisman and immediately flew over, saying, "Senior, the Wang sisters just sent a message. They found traces of flood dragon activity on an island. The traces are very recent, and it seems to be a considerable number of flood dragons."

"Let's go! Let's check it out!"

Qin Sang's spirits lifted. Aimlessly searching for flood dragons had become truly tedious.

The magnificent scenery of the Demon Sea had also become commonplace.

An hour later, Qin Sang and the gray-robed man landed on an island. The Wang sisters, who had been waiting there, immediately came forward to greet them.

"Senior, please take a look," the Wang sisters reported as they approached. "These are all traces left by flood dragons. They appear to be only a few days old, and it seems this flood dragon group is migrating. We also found some traces on a few islands ahead."