Chapter 174: Wandering Sea, Sealing Dragon

The sea roared.

As the waves spread, Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged on his magic boat, began to tremble slowly. His breathing became rapid, and the chill in his eyes quickly transformed into madness.

He was hungry!

An unprecedented hunger!

One source of this hunger was his withered body, which required immense replenishment to return to its normal state. Even the purple crystal couldn't assist with this. While the purple crystal could accelerate injury recovery, it couldn't provide him with qi, blood, or nutrients out of thin air.

The other source of hunger was behind Xu Qing! Behind him was an empty space, seemingly devoid of anything. However, both the Vajra Sect Patriarch and the shadow were incredibly tense; in their perception, immense danger and ferocity seemed to lurk behind Xu Qing.

Xu Qing knew that it was not empty behind him. More accurately, what made the Vajra Sect Patriarch and the shadow intensely wary and tense was his back beneath his clothes, where a totem had formed when the Golden Crow opened its eyes earlier. This totem was exactly the shape of the Golden Crow, emitting waves of awe-inspiring aura.

This was the second stage of activating the Seed of Inheritance! Over the previous ten days, Xu Qing had studied the information regarding the Golden Crow Refining All Spirits. He clearly understood that activating its Seed of Inheritance required two steps. The first step was to activate the Seed of Inheritance, transforming it into a totem imprinted on the body. The second step involved making this totem appear externally, forming a qi-blood shadow. Only then would the Seed of Inheritance be fully activated. This second step required a massive amount of qi and blood for nourishment, which explained his feeling of hunger.

At this moment, with his rapid breathing, Xu Qing's eyes were bloodshot as he turned to look at the Vajra Sect Patriarch. The Vajra Sect Patriarch instantly shivered. Under Xu Qing's gaze, he felt as if the other party was about to devour him. Trembling, he quickly displayed his body, deliberately making himself somewhat transparent to indicate he had no qi or blood.

Xu Qing shifted his gaze to the shadow. The shadow also trembled under his gaze.

Xu Qing's voice, hoarse from his withered body, commanded them to be sent up. As he spoke, the shadow showed no hesitation. The part of it merged beneath the sea violently flicked, and instantly, a gigantic iron-backed fish broke through the water surface and was presented before Xu Qing.

Xu Qing stared at the iron-backed fish. The totem on his back suddenly warmed, seemingly wanting to materialize, but it couldn't yet. Instead, it could only conjure golden feathers, like phoenix plumes, around Xu Qing. As these feathers rapidly spun around him, they created a suction force, drawing in the iron-backed fish.

The next instant, the hundred-zhang-long iron-backed fish trembled, and all its qi-blood power flowed out of its body. This qi and blood gathered to form a blood sphere dozens of zhang in size. It continuously contracted and was refined until 99% of it dissipated, leaving behind a single drop of pale golden blood. The golden phoenix feathers suddenly enveloped it, absorbing it. At the same time, with a wave of Xu Qing's hand, a ball of black fire also enveloped the iron-backed fish, extracting its soul. The shadow couldn't help but take a gulp, devouring the residual, alien spiritual energy left after the soul and qi-blood had been consumed, wasting not a single bit. Like a meal, the shadow quickly brought forth the second sea beast, then the third, and the fourth.

Over the previous ten days, having studied the Golden Crow Refining All Spirits, Xu Qing had intentionally bred some sea beasts. Consequently, the phoenix feathers formed by the totem on his back quickly absorbed a total of twenty-three sea beasts. As the phoenix feathers continued to absorb, not only did more of them become visible, but they also provided nourishing feedback to Xu Qing, alleviating his dryness and pain. He recovered somewhat. He also clearly felt his physical strength, which had previously been stagnant, progressing further. As his speed increased and his power grew, he also gained some strange perceptions.

This perception felt like a resonance with certain magical techniques. Xu Qing vaguely felt as if he could directly conjure spells he had never learned, without needing to use hand seals. But after trying, he couldn't do it.

Xu Qing wondered if this was what the Golden Crow Refining All Spirits referred to as seizing racial talent, speculating that perhaps he had refined too little, which was why it hadn't fully materialized yet. He pondered, but his hunger was only slightly alleviated; he was still very hungry. This left him no time for further thought. With bloodshot eyes, he simply stood up, put away his magic boat, and stepped directly into the sea.

The instant he entered the sea, Xu Qing's body boomed as he activated his Profound Abyssal state. The totem on his back emitted an aura that suppressed all directions, causing the pressure emanating from Xu Qing to become exceptionally heavy. Beside him, the Vajra Sect Patriarch was enveloped in lightning, with thunder patterns gleaming on his black iron sign, whistling as he followed Xu Qing on his left. The shadow spread out, permeating the surroundings; hundreds of eyes were vaguely visible, and as they opened, they outlined the silhouette of a large tree, a truly shocking sight.

At this moment, Xu Qing's overall combat strength had long surpassed Guan Jing's. While he still couldn't act without restraint in this forbidden sea, within certain limits, he could already dominate a region.

The sea surface roared, and turbulent currents surged beneath the water. Xu Qing's figure instantly vanished into the distance, commencing his slaughter. He needed more sea beasts, more primordial blood. Only by obtaining these could he alleviate this maddening hunger and enable his Seed of Inheritance to complete its second stage, thereby fully activating it.

Days passed, and half a month later.

In a remote part of the forbidden sea, the seawater suddenly churned and instantly exploded. A gigantic sea dragon, over five hundred zhang long, leaped out from within. Its ferocious appearance, terrifying aura, and sharp teeth that remained exposed even when its mouth was tightly shut, made it a nightmare for most merchant ships and cultivators in the forbidden sea whenever it appeared. Sea Dragons were clearly marked in the Seven Blood Eyes Sea Record as a top-tier predatory species within the forbidden sea. Their inherent ferocity and terrifying bodies, combined with their mutated cultivation power, made their combat strength astonishingly formidable.

At this moment, this particular sea dragon was even more extraordinary. As it leaped out of the sea, two masses of red flame could be seen burning within its body—this was a sea dragon that had cultivated to the level of two life flames. Its powerful aura caused a roar in all directions the moment it appeared. The sea surface exploded for a thousand zhang, but at this moment, its eyes held no longer their usual indifference, but deep terror. A closer look would reveal an arm-encircling mark crawling prominently on its belly. This mark was shaped like a large tree, with hundreds of eyes opening and blinking continuously like gaping mouths, frantically devouring its shadow.

Simultaneously, beneath the ruptured sea surface, a series of earth-shattering lightning bolts whistled forth. Within them, a black iron sign surrounded by lightning was clearly visible, approaching at an incredibly astonishing speed, directly piercing through the sea dragon's body. With a boom, the sea dragon's body violently shook, and the pierced area exploded. The intense pain forced its tightly shut mouth wide open, trying to unleash a wail. But its massive mouth couldn't open! Its wail couldn't fully escape, turning into a muffled whimpering sound. At that moment, as sunlight scattered, a youthful figure could clearly be seen standing in its mouth. This youth, dressed in a purple Daoist robe, stood between the sea dragon's teeth, his black, jade-like hair shimmering faintly, with visible water droplets.

As the sea dragon violently shook, the youth's long hair fluttered, shedding water droplets as dark as ink, like a continuous drizzle. Some even spattered on his face, flowing down his delicate, porcelain-like skin, revealing his face in the sunlight. It was an exceedingly beautiful face, with long brows like willow leaves and a physique like a jade tree. His long black hair cascaded behind his neck, exuding both wildness and stunning allure. His eyes held an enchanting quality, but his allure wasn't just in that intoxicating face; it was in the mysterious aura emanating from his entire being.

He now had one hand raised, hooked into the sea dragon's upper jaw, and his feet were like nails, fiercely piercing into its lower jaw. He was actually using his own strength to firmly lock the sea dragon's massive mouth, preventing it from opening! This youth was precisely Xu Qing!

For the past half-month, he had killed an enormous number of sea beasts, bringing the totem on his back close to completing its second stage. He himself had also grown increasingly formidable under the Golden Crow totem's absorption of primordial blood and its nourishing feedback. Not only had his body returned to normal, but his growth in strength and speed was terrifying, far surpassing his past capabilities. Even now, his physical strength alone was enough to prevent this sea dragon from struggling or opening its mouth. This demonstrated his incredible power.

At this moment, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and the Black Fiend Fire within him erupted, enveloping the sea dragon he had pursued for half a day. Simultaneously, the totem on his back conjured countless golden phoenix feathers. These phoenix feathers continuously spun, creating a suction force to refine the sea dragon. The sea dragon roared, struggling with all its might to plunge back into the sea. Just as it began to sink, a plesiosaur suddenly burst forth from beneath the water, slamming into it with its body, obstructing the sea dragon. Although the plesiosaur quickly collapsed, this brief obstruction allowed Xu Qing to fully cover the sea dragon with the Black Fiend Fire. At this moment, the Golden Crow Refining All Spirits technique also fully unfolded.

A piercing roar emanated from between its teeth, and with a boom, the sea dragon's body dispersed countless qi and blood. These were continuously gathered and refined, eventually forming a mass of primordial blood that merged into the phoenix feathers. At this moment, its soul also appeared within Xu Qing's body, burning as fuel, abruptly blasting open his forty-seventh and forty-eighth dharma apertures!

During this period, Xu Qing had engaged in extensive slaughter, having already opened forty-six dharma apertures before this. As they burst open at this moment, his internal magic power surged instantly. Simultaneously, nourishment from the Golden Crow Refining All Spirits surged in once more, causing crackling sounds throughout his body. His already beautiful face became even more striking, and his physical strength increased significantly again!

He murmured that just a few more sea beasts would complete the second stage of Golden Crow Refining All Spirits. By then, the totem would materialize, and his emperor-level cultivation method would truly be integrated into his body, impossible to strip away.

Muttering, Xu Qing's body swayed, and he instantly sped away. The sea dragon, now a dry corpse stripped of everything, sank to the seabed. The shadow rapidly spread out, hastily following Xu Qing, while also conveying feelings of vexation. It felt its shadow-devouring was too slow; before it could exert its full power, the sea dragon was already dealt with. Thus, it conveyed some aggrieved emotions to the nearby Vajra Sect Patriarch.

Unusually, the Vajra Sect Patriarch didn't seize the opportunity to fool the shadow. He looked up at the departing Xu Qing, at the youth's back with long hair fluttering in the sunlight and purple qi draped over him. His mind was already filled with endless ripples. He had witnessed Xu Qing's slaughter, his madness, his strong appeal to other species, and, most importantly, his continuous path of growing stronger. All of this made a thought strongly emerge in his mind at this moment. This was the protagonist of the storybook! He thought that if he got the chance, he must record this and publish a storybook in the future.