Chapter 136: Fishing for Dragons

Although Xu Qing had never experienced full-scale war, he had witnessed something similar. However, the scale was vastly different. What he had seen was a conflict between the small city where the slum was located and another city, a struggle that lasted for seven or eight days.

"So, how long will the Seven Blood Eyes Sect's war with the outside world last?" Scenes from the Mermaid Race's grand competition flashed through Xu Qing's mind. After a long moment, his gaze became restrained.

The captain was right about one thing: such major events were not for them to worry about. The sect's important figures were the ones in charge of it all.

"My goal is to never participate unless the benefits are substantial enough." Xu Qing turned and walked back into his cave abode. As he sat down cross-legged, he took out the jade slip for the Life Nourishing Art.

While the Fiendfire Devouring Soul Scripture was also a cultivation technique, it focused more on cultivation through killing, so in a way, it was akin to a magical art. As mystic apertures opened through its practice, corresponding magical spells and techniques also emerged. The Life Nourishing Art, however, was different. It purely relied on the cultivator absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth to cultivate, similar to the Sea Transformation Scripture, gradually strengthening oneself and opening one mystic aperture after another.

Therefore, Xu Qing felt that his previous idea was somewhat incorrect. These two cultivation techniques could actually be practiced together; it didn't matter which was primary or secondary, because everything in the Foundation Establishment stage primarily focused on opening mystic apertures to form life fire.

He sat cross-legged and began cultivating the Life Nourishing Art.

An entire night passed.

The next day, as the sky was dimly lit and the early sun rose, casting streaks of fire-like sunlight, Xu Qing opened his eyes. He calmly organized his weapons, poisons, and purchased talismans, then routinely suppressed his shadow. Only then did he open the door to his cave abode, gazing at the distant blue sky and white clouds, dyed crimson by the rising sun, which resembled a vast fiery furnace.

"I need to go to sea, kill sea beasts, obtain their souls, and assault mystic apertures."

Xu Qing stepped out, directly treading in mid-air. The plesiosaur beneath him materialized, roaring skyward. Its four dragon fins swayed slightly, transforming the sky into a vast ocean, and generating astonishing speed, carrying Xu Qing directly towards the horizon.

On the boundless sea, the waves were a deep black. Compared to the bright sky, this blackness exuded a strong sense of eeriness, like ink. Its profoundness and unknown nature inevitably instilled a strong sense of awe in one's heart.

Although it wasn't his first time going to sea, Xu Qing's mood at sea was still not much different from before; in fact, he was even more cautious. Inside the sect, there were still certain rules, but outside... anything was possible.

So Xu Qing did not fly ostentatiously. Instead, he took out his mystic ship and activated a concealment array, making his ship appear very ordinary. He then sat cross-legged on the deck, surrounded by protective defenses.

"It's more comfortable on the ship than in the cave abode," Xu Qing thought to himself as he steered his mystic ship directly towards a chosen area.

He had been to that area before; it was the same place where he, Zhao Zhongheng, and Ding Xue had encountered a plesiosaur. His hunting target was precisely the plesiosaur. Breaking open mystic apertures required souls, and since Xu Qing had decided to use sea beast souls as fuel, the plesiosaur that had shown hostility towards him naturally became his first choice. He knew it was unlikely to be the exact same one, but since plesiosaurs had appeared there, it was worth checking out.

Thus, Xu Qing navigated while meditating and cultivating the Life Nourishing Art, wasting no time. Simultaneously, his natal plesiosaur was withdrawn into his mystic aperture. His natal plesiosaur's aura was at Foundation Establishment, and Xu Qing worried that if it appeared, the cautious wild plesiosaurs might not reveal themselves.

During this time, he also saw some boats not belonging to the Seven Blood Eyes Sect. Each time, Xu Qing was extremely vigilant. Although he was now at Foundation Establishment, his guard did not lessen in the slightest. When encountering unfamiliar boats at sea, both sides generally did the same: guarding themselves and carefully moving away from each other.

Time passed in this manner. Three days later, with his Foundation Establishment speed, Xu Qing finally arrived at the sea area from that day. It was noon, and seabirds fluttered in the sky, their cries echoing. Xu Qing sat on the deck, looking down at the dark forbidden sea, his senses spread out, observing the fluctuations beneath the sea.

He waited for a long time, but no plesiosaur appeared. Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then restrained the fluctuations of his mystic ship as well. He looked up at the sky until, a moment later, he locked onto a pseudotooth bird circling nearby, seemingly testing if he was food. With a wave of his hand, a black iron spike instantly flew from his grip, directly towards the sky. The pseudotooth bird was startled and was about to flee, but it was too late; it was directly pierced through its wing by the black iron spike.

A sharp shriek came from the pseudotooth bird's mouth. Xu Qing controlled the black iron spike to forcibly bring it over, letting it float on the sea surface. After ensuring it couldn't escape no matter how much it struggled, Xu Qing waited vigilantly.

Time passed bit by bit. When the pseudotooth bird's struggles became feeble, Xu Qing's eyes suddenly narrowed. He sensed a dark current surging from beneath the seabed. Soon after, a plesiosaur even grander than the last, over three hundred zhang long, revealed its figure. Its aura was astonishing, hovering between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment. With its astonishing physique, its combat power was no longer something Qi Condensation cultivators could contend with. As it approached, it noticed Xu Qing's mystic ship.

But the fluctuations from Xu Qing's mystic ship were completely restrained, revealing nothing, and his body was the same. So, after the plesiosaur circled around, it suddenly approached. It didn't break the surface to swallow the pseudotooth bird; instead, it slammed violently towards Xu Qing's mystic boat. It seemed that to the plesiosaur, Xu Qing appeared even more delicious than the pseudotooth bird.

Seeing it draw near, Xu Qing remained calm. Only when the creature was completely close did a cold glint burst forth in his eyes. He suddenly raised his right hand and violently grabbed towards the approaching plesiosaur. Instantly, the seawater around the plesiosaur roared. A faint, large hand made of seawater actually bulged out, containing Foundation Establishment spiritual power, and grabbed towards the plesiosaur. At the same time, the black iron spike in mid-air rapidly pierced through the pseudotooth bird's body and headed straight into the sea. The Old Ancestor of the Vajra Sect inside it was now working extremely hard, wanting to show his worth, breaking into the sea and rushing rapidly towards the plesiosaur.

The plesiosaur let out a roar, forming a sound wave that penetrated the seawater, obstructing the black iron spike. Meanwhile, its dragon fins rapidly swayed, stirring up large waves on the seabed, trying to counterattack the grabbing large hand. Its eyes revealed astonishment and suspicion, and it retreated with all its might, about to leave. But it was still too late. Amidst the roar, as the large hand fiercely squeezed, and as light shone on the black iron spike, it broke through the sound wave and directly pierced into the plesiosaur's body, rapidly moving through its flesh and blood, heading straight for the heart.

"I want it alive!" Xu Qing said calmly. The black iron spike trembled. Although it pierced the plesiosaur's heart, it didn't dare to penetrate further, remaining motionless. Its heart being pierced, even though for the plesiosaur it was a tiny wound like a pinprick, the intense pain it brought still made it roar. Struggling, it couldn't escape, was grabbed by the large hand formed from seawater, and lifted from the sea surface into mid-air. Seawater spilled down like a waterfall. The plesiosaur's massive body in mid-air blocked the sunlight, casting its shadow over Xu Qing's mystic boat.

Xu Qing looked up at the plesiosaur before him, his expression calm. He raised both hands and began to form hand seals. The black flame in his mystic apertures slowly rose from within, spreading along his body to the outside. From a distance, Xu Qing's entire body was enveloped in black flames. The rising flames made fear appear in the plesiosaur's eyes, causing it to let out powerful roars and struggle even more violently. But it was useless. Soon, as Xu Qing formed more hand seals, more and more black flames rose from his body until, finally, they violently dispersed outwards, transforming into a devil-like phantom that let out cackling laughter and fiercely pounced towards the plesiosaur.

The moment it touched, the devil's body instantly spread along the plesiosaur's entire body, enveloping it in an instant and beginning to burn. It was not burning its body, but its soul. The entire process lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. As the plesiosaur's struggles and roars grew weaker and weaker, the black flames on its body violently rolled back, merging into Xu Qing's body. The plesiosaur's body suddenly went limp, motionless, with no signs of life. After losing its soul, its flesh and materials lost their spiritual essence and their value.

As the large hand made of seawater released its grip, the plesiosaur's body fell into the sea with a *boom* and sank. The black iron spike swiftly flew out from its body, obediently circling around Xu Qing.

As for Xu Qing, this was his first time performing the Fiendfire Devouring Soul technique. He was checking a small cluster of soul essence, white with a hint of green, that had appeared within his body. The appearance of this soul essence was precisely that of a plesiosaur.

"It is indeed white," Xu Qing murmured. According to the descriptions in the Fiendfire Devouring Soul Scripture, Qi Condensation souls are white, and Foundation Establishment souls are green. Among them, green souls are suitable for assaulting apertures, while white ones are much less effective.

"Let's try it," Xu Qing thought. With a thought, the plesiosaur soul essence within him roared into flames, like firewood, making the flames extremely vigorous. It finally rushed directly towards the third mystic aperture Xu Qing had chosen. Xu Qing's body suddenly trembled. His third mystic aperture vibrated, and a crack seemed to appear. But in the end, it still wasn't broken open, and the plesiosaur's soul power dissipated at that moment.

"It is indeed effective, but the process is too slow," Xu Qing pondered. He felt it might be due to his lack of proficiency. So he steered the mystic ship to a different area and continued to "fish" for plesiosaurs using the same method. The pseudotooth bird was just a lure; he also used himself as bait, emitting Qi Condensation fluctuations that lingered beneath this sea area. At the same time, he prepared to immediately ascend if things went awry, as this kind of "dragon fishing" still carried a certain possibility of catching some terrifying entities he couldn't resist. However, the probability was not high, as for those entities, the aura of Qi Condensation was not appealing.

Three days later, under Xu Qing's continuous enticement, the second plesiosaur approached. He dealt with it in the same way, turning its essence into soul power to continue assaulting, causing the third mystic aperture to develop more cracks. Finally, after changing multiple locations and continuing to "fish" for plesiosaurs for over half a month, and after he "fished" up the seventeenth plesiosaur, which was comparable to a Qi Condensation Great Perfection cultivator, his third mystic aperture was finally broken open by a small amount.

"It's too slow..." Xu Qing murmured, frowning. He calculated that at this rate, he would need to stay on the sea for at least three years, tirelessly, to open thirty mystic apertures. And he felt this estimation was too optimistic, because the opening of mystic apertures was clearly not a standalone process; it became more difficult the further he progressed, requiring more soul power. Therefore, Xu Qing felt the time would likely double. This didn't even account for returning to the main city or any potential unforeseen circumstances. If all were factored in, a conservative estimate would be around a dozen years.

"I still need to find a way to kill more sea beasts at once!" A cold light arose in Xu Qing's eyes. Suddenly, his expression shifted, and he looked up at the distance.

The waves on the distant sea surface suddenly surged at this moment. A Megalodon could be seen speeding through, its Foundation Establishment aura very strong. In the sky behind it, a figure stood on a giant ancient bronze sword, chasing and approaching. This figure was a young man, wearing the crimson Daoist robe of the Seven Blood Eyes Sect's First Peak. His long hair swayed, his expression was extremely stern, and his eyes held a cold glint. At this moment, he coldly glanced at Xu Qing from afar and spoke indifferently:

"Summoning wind and rain is too common, picking a star and hiding it in a bag."