Chapter 176: Golden Crow Descends

The moment the black bead dropped from the black wooden ship, Xu Qing sensed a subtle fluctuation of Sea Corpse Race alien energy emanating from the sky.

This led him to conclude that the three ships most likely belonged to the Sea Corpse Race.

Xu Qing had no particular fondness for the Sea Corpse Race, having killed many of them.

The incident today was an unprovoked misfortune for him. While the black bead itself couldn't inflict significant harm, the power it contained was remarkably potent.

It was comparable to a full-strength attack from a Life Flame realm cultivator!

Even more remarkable were the runes sealed within, which appeared profoundly intricate.

Xu Qing recalled the scene he had just witnessed: the rune flashed, causing the black bead to instantly appear on his Dharma boat as if by teleportation.

This sudden maneuver made it impossible for Xu Qing to react quickly enough to evade it.

“If that bead’s power reached the level of a two-flame or even three-flame cultivator... then this item would be a true treasure!”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint emerging.

He understood that a cultivator capable of casually deploying such a single-use treasure either possessed formidable cultivation with an abundance of such items.

Or their cultivation was unremarkable, but their identity was extraordinary. He considered the latter more probable.

“Therefore, it’s highly likely they have protectors.”

Xu Qing maintained his gaze, his sea-lizard-shaped Dharma boat speeding underwater as he rapidly pursued the three ships, which had now become black specks in the sky.

Xu Qing had no intention of acting rashly before ascertaining if higher-level cultivators were present on the ships.

He was accustomed to stealthily trailing and observing, acting like a hunter assessing prey’s weaknesses and gauging its strength.

Meanwhile, aboard the leading black wooden ship in the sky, the white-robed Sea Corpse Race member sighed.

He stood at the ship’s edge, gazing down at the sea with a look of vexation.

He had faintly sensed an aura from the depths below, locking onto their three ships.

This aura was very familiar to him.

“Brother Xu Qing, please don’t be upset. I was already being very discreet. I originally intended to throw three divine thunder pearls, but I only threw one.”

The Third Princess covertly glanced at the white-robed Sea Corpse, and seeing his lack of reaction, she stepped forward, grasped his arm, and shook it playfully.

“Okay, okay, I promise I won’t throw things around anymore on the rest of the journey, alright? Brother Xu Qing, please don’t be angry. Why the frown? What’s on your mind?”

Hearing Xu Qing’s name, the white-robed Sea Corpse sighed once more, then turned to face the Third Princess.

“I’m trying to figure out how to keep that fellow from killing you, and also how to prevent him from discovering what I secretly did. Otherwise, he might just lose his temper.”

“Brother Xu Qing, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

The Third Princess gave a pure, sweet smile, feigning ignorance.

The white-robed Sea Corpse waved his hand, not bothering to elaborate further.

He inwardly lamented that he had found contributions difficult to acquire, so he had sought a shortcut by taking on the task of finding the Third Princess, which he had successfully accomplished.

Now, simply returning her to the Sea Corpse Race would earn him enough contributions to exchange for a high-grade Corpse Heart. Moreover, having gained the Third Princess’s trust, he could then proceed to the Sea Corpse ancestral treasury to complete his second plan.

His plan was already well underway, with less than a month’s journey remaining until they entered Sea Corpse territory from their current direction.

Yet, this Sea Corpse princess had to go and throw that divine thunder pearl.

Just as the white-robed figure was musing, he suddenly uttered a soft exclamation and peered down into the sea.

The aura of Xu Qing he had sensed locking onto their location had seemingly given up and was no longer trailing them.

“What’s happening? Did this youngster change his ways? Or did he have other urgent matters?”

The white-robed Sea Corpse was puzzled. He observed for a long time, and even after the black wooden ships had left the area and three more days had passed, he finally confirmed that Xu Qing was not following.

“How strange.”

Though curious, the white-robed figure felt a sense of relief. He wasn't concerned about Xu Qing discovering his plan to visit the Sea Corpse Race; rather, his unease stemmed from having impersonated Xu Qing’s identity.

“It’s nothing, I did this to find him a Dao companion. Yes, as his superior, I care about my subordinate’s personal life, so I personally went out to find him a partner. He should be grateful to me for this!”

The white-robed Sea Corpse coughed, finding his reasoning increasingly sound, but still issued the order to accelerate their pace.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the waves, Xu Qing’s sea lizard Dharma boat remained in place!

Only, at this moment, a dark shadow shrouded the Dharma boat: it was the Shadow itself.

Three days prior, while Xu Qing was tracking and locking onto them, he realized he had been detected. He feigned a departure, but secretly manipulated the Shadow to envelop him, completely merging his aura with the forbidden sea’s anomalous energy.

He then continued to follow and observe, and this time, he no longer felt detected, having achieved true stealth.

This incident also allowed him to indirectly glean some information, such as the high probability that these three black wooden ships contained no Golden Core cultivators, and likely not even three-flame cultivators.

Otherwise, had they sensed his aura three days prior, they would have immediately descended to suppress him, rather than allowing him to depart.

Over these three days, Xu Qing had also observed much, notably discerning the concealment of the three ships’ exterior through his meticulous scrutiny.

Secondly, their accelerated speed.

Combining all these observations, Xu Qing was eighty percent certain that the three ships did not contain cultivators overly confident in their strength.

“In that case,”

Xu Qing’s eyes gleamed with killing intent. He was, on one hand, deeply irritated by the black bead from earlier, and on the other, having recognized the nourishment for Dharma Aperture activation, he saw no reason to let it slip away.

Moreover, since his Golden Crow Refines Ten Thousand Spirits cultivation had been delayed by them, the Sea Corpse Race was obligated to provide the final nourishment needed to complete it. Only then would it be fair and reasonable.

Thus, as the third night descended, painting the sky in deep black and dimming the moonlight, Xu Qing, from his Dharma boat beneath the waves, raised his hands to form a seal and pressed down decisively.

Instantly, his Dharma boat vibrated, the sea lizard’s wings dramatically unfurled, and its massive, dozens-of-feet-long body shot directly towards the surface.

In a flash, it burst from the sea and soared skyward. The sea lizard’s massive maw opened, and as golden light surged and coalesced throughout its body, a brilliant golden beam erupted from its mouth.

This golden beam was an attack condensed from the divine essence contained within the sea lizard Dharma boat.

Its emergence instantly altered the landscape, causing winds to swirl and clouds to churn.

The black night sky blazed with golden light, blindingly bright and incredibly swift, carrying a sacred aura as it shot directly towards the second of the three black wooden ships!

The next moment, the golden light struck. Regardless of how the ship’s defenses were activated, it was futile; the beam tore through them in an instant, directly impacting the vessel.

As the entire ship violently shook and warped, the sea surface erupted once more. A colossal Canglong, over three hundred zhang long, burst forth, roaring skyward before fiercely ramming into the leading black wooden ship!

Simultaneously, Xu Qing leaped from his Dharma boat. His life lamp ignited, a volcanic roar erupted within him, and his entire body became engulfed in roaring flames as his speed instantly reached its zenith, hurtling towards the final black wooden ship!

The Shadow and the Adamantine Sect Ancestor, without a moment’s hesitation, unleashed their speed and charged towards the second ship, which had been struck by the divine attack.

While this takes time to recount, it all unfolded in a mere flash.

Within moments, the sky roared ceaselessly as Xu Qing, moving faster than lightning, directly burst onto the third ship.

The moment he approached, he didn’t hesitate; his physical power exploded as he violently crashed into the ship’s defenses.

Cracking sounds resonated everywhere, as numerous dense fissures appeared before Xu Qing. Then, with a resounding crash, the defenses shattered, and Xu Qing’s figure surged inside.

There were over thirty Sea Corpse Race members aboard this ship. Besides one early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who had ignited a life flame, there were two others who had not yet ignited theirs, and the rest were Qi Condensation cultivators.

At this moment, all these individuals wore expressions of horror, their movements sluggish. Even the life flame within the single-flame Foundation Establishment cultivator had only just begun to ignite.

Xu Qing cast a cold glance, his body not pausing even slightly. He took a single step, and like a bolt of lightning, he appeared directly before the Sea Corpse Foundation Establishment cultivator who had just ignited their first flame.

The instant terror and despair flickered in the opponent’s eyes, Xu Qing’s right hand was already raised, pressing his palm onto their brow.

With a resounding boom, the Fiendfire Soul Devouring Scripture activated!

With a hiss, the totem on his back transformed into countless phoenix feathers, enveloping the Sea Corpse Foundation Establishment cultivator. In a blink, as both cultivation techniques activated simultaneously, the Sea Corpse’s body rapidly withered.

Its soul was extracted, and its intrinsic blood was similarly refined.

It was a mass of deep blue blood, and as the phoenix feathers around Xu Qing eagerly devoured it, Xu Qing’s body jolted. A fierce burning sensation emanated from the tattooed totem on his back.

Xu Qing’s mind stirred. His Golden Crow Refines Ten Thousand Spirits cultivation had been a mere sliver away from completing the second stage of its inherited seed. Now, having devoured the intrinsic blood of a Sea Corpse, the Golden Crow Refines Ten Thousand Spirits finally took full form!

The next instant, a shriek capable of reverberating through the nine heavens suddenly echoed from behind Xu Qing. The phoenix feathers surrounding him instantly ignited, transforming into black flames that converged behind him.

Countless phoenix feathers and black flames ceaselessly converged, forming a vast, towering sea of fire dozens of feet high behind Xu Qing. Its intense light cast everything around them in shades of black.

“Brother Shen!” “Hmm!” As Shen Changqing walked, he encountered acquaintances, exchanging greetings or nods.

But no matter who it was, everyone’s face was devoid of superfluous expression, as if indifferent to everything. Shen Changqing had grown accustomed to this.

Because this was the Demon Suppressing Division, an organization dedicated to maintaining the stability of Great Qin. Its primary duty was to slay demons and monsters, though it also had other subsidiary tasks.

It could be said that everyone in the Demon Suppressing Division had a great deal of blood on their hands. When one becomes accustomed to life and death, they grow indifferent to many things.

When he first arrived in this world, Shen Changqing was somewhat unaccustomed, but he eventually grew used to it over time.

The Demon Suppressing Division was vast. Those who could remain in it were powerful masters, or individuals with the potential to become masters.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

The Demon Suppressing Division was divided into two professions: Suppressing Envoys and Demon Eradicators.

Anyone entering the Demon Suppressing Division began as a low-level Demon Eradicator,

and then gradually ascended, ultimately hoping to become a Suppressing Envoy.

Shen Changqing’s previous self was a probationary Demon Eradicator in the Demon Suppressing Division, the lowest rank among them.

Possessing the memories of his predecessor, he was very familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppressing Division.

Without taking too long, Shen Changqing stopped in front of a pavilion.

Unlike other grim and somber places in the Demon Suppressing Division, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, presenting a different kind of tranquility amidst the blood-soaked atmosphere.

At this moment, the pavilion’s main door was open, with people occasionally entering and exiting.

Shen Changqing hesitated only for a moment before stepping inside.

Upon entering the pavilion, the atmosphere abruptly shifted.

A scent of ink, mixed with a faint hint of blood, wafted over him, causing his brows to instinctively furrow, but they quickly relaxed.

The smell of blood clinging to everyone in the Demon Suppressing Division was almost impossible to wash away.