Chapter 187: All Sea Ban Wanted

The sky was clear and bright, and the sea stretched for thousands of miles, its waves rolling. Under the midday sun, the blue sky and black sea created a somewhat magnificent spectacle. Especially as the sea surface undulated and swordfish darted about, stirring up waves, the sunlight reflecting off the water refracted into a spectrum of colors. The beauty of the rainbows and the warmth of the sunlight somewhat dispelled the mystery of the black, cold sea, making the moment feel more tranquil.

This sea region was very far from Seven Blood Eyes and closer to the Sea Corpse Race's homeland. Due to the war, merchant ships were scarce, and because of the dense exotic energy, there was a noticeable abundance of large sea beasts beneath the waves.

Deep underwater, a Canglong was moving at high speed. Its ferocious face, sharp teeth, and the aura emanating from its entire body caused most sea beasts it encountered along the way to scatter frantically. Unimpeded, the Canglong's speed underwater became even more astonishing. However, if a Core Formation cultivator were to observe it closely, they would discover that this Canglong was not a living creature!

It was formed by a magical technique, and within it, a young man sat cross-legged. A black canopy hovered above the young man's head, with streaks of flowing flames that enveloped him and concealed his aura. His clothes were tattered, and he was bruised and battered. His body bore multiple indentations, his breathing was unstable, and his injuries were extremely severe. Furthermore, a faint black thread lingered within him. This thread was not corporeal, but a phantom-like entity deeply embedded in the young man's flesh, hindering his recovery. Wherever it went, his flesh withered, even causing a sensation that his body was about to break apart.

The young man was Xu Qing, who had escaped from the Sea Corpse Race.

His previous teleportation had been relatively smooth because the Seventh Corpse Ancestor idol was located in a nearshore area. Although he wasn't directly transported into the sea, he appeared on the coastline. Relying on his disguise, he endured the onset of his injuries, quickly submerged himself in the sea, and escaped far away. Although he encountered powerful Sea Corpse Race cultivators during his journey, Xu Qing's careful caution ensured he escaped without major incident, despite some scares. The most crucial factor, of course, was that following the Core Formation boy's report, the Sea Corpse Race focused most of their energy on the captain, the primary culprit. While Xu Qing was also rigorously investigated, there was a clear difference in the intensity of their pursuit.

Ten days had passed since the nose of the Sea Corpse Race's Corpse Ancestor idol collapsed. In these ten days, Xu Qing had ventured deep into the forbidden sea, utilizing the Canglong's speed. What weighed on his mind, however, was the unprecedentedly slow recovery of his injuries. The primary impediment to his healing was the phantom black thread within his body. This thread originated from the three-headed, six-armed Core Formation cultivator of the Sea Corpse Race. Although Xu Qing had successfully escaped, this black thread appeared in his body after his departure.

The thread was incredibly tenacious; even Xu Qing's Life Fire couldn't eradicate it. While the suppression from his Life Lamp's power clearly terrified it, Xu Qing's cultivation was insufficient to unleash the Life Lamp's true potential. Thus, he could only render it inactive, but not destroy it. Consequently, Xu Qing manifested his black umbrella to prevent the thread's aura from leaking, and over these ten days, he employed the Golden Crow Refines All Spirits technique to refine the black thread. The Golden Crow Refines All Spirits technique was exceptionally profound. Thus, even though Xu Qing's cultivation couldn't fully unleash its power, by combining it with the Life Lamp's strength, he gradually wore down the thread. Eventually, he even directed his shadow to devour it, and with the combined power of these three methods, the black thread finally began to show signs of dissipating.

After the Canglong he inhabited stealthily traveled underwater for another seven or eight days—making it half a month in total—Xu Qing finally completely eradicated the black thread within his body. The moment it completely dissipated, he spat out a large mouthful of black blood. This blood clearly contained potent venom. Seeing it about to contaminate the Canglong and spread into the surrounding seawater, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, quickly retrieved a small bottle, and collected the blood he had spat out. He could sense that the blood he spat out contained a type of venom he had never encountered, or more accurately, it wasn't truly venom. He could feel countless tiny black insects in the blood, imperceptible to the naked eye. The black thread within him earlier had been formed by a massive congregation of these tiny black insects.

"I should study this; this blood could also become one of my trump cards," Xu Qing murmured. He took a deep breath, carefully put the bottle away, and then began to fully focus on healing his injuries.

Without the hindrance of the black thread, Xu Qing's injuries noticeably began to recover normally. During this recovery, he reflected on his gains from this endeavor, feeling immense satisfaction, especially as he sensed the burning of his sixty-five dharma apertures.

"It was worth it!" Xu Qing murmured. Especially since there was still an item in his storage bag—an irregularly shaped object, over thirty meters in size, whose nature was almost impossible to guess at first glance. Only those who had seen its complete form would know that this object was precisely the nose of the Sea Corpse Race's Seventh Corpse Ancestor idol! However, after leaving the Sea Corpse Race's territory, the nose's material had changed, becoming an ordinary, gray object, devoid of any mystical aura. Yet Xu Qing couldn't bear to discard it. He believed it might have other uses, after all, it was the nose of a Sea Corpse Race sacred artifact.

Xu Qing was unaware of the magnitude of the storm his actions would eventually unleash. Although he had some suspicions, he didn't actually believe the matter was extremely serious. At most, he and the captain had consumed some spirit liquid, and at worst, the captain had gnawed on one of the idol's toes, triggering internal instability that led to the idol's nose collapsing. "It's nothing," Xu Qing thought. He had heard the captain describe the peculiarities of the nine Corpse Ancestor idols, knowing their excellent regenerative capabilities. Perhaps they had already recovered to their original state by now.

As for the captain... "He won't die," Xu Qing mused. For some reason, he always felt that the captain wasn't someone who would easily perish, so he didn't dwell on it. He remained seated cross-legged within the Canglong, recovering from his injuries while steering it towards the Merfolk Island. He planned to return to Seven Blood Eyes. However, this location was too far from Seven Blood Eyes; traveling back directly would realistically take at least six months to a year. Therefore, using the teleportation array on the Merfolk Island was the most convenient option. Moreover, as a participant in the war, teleportation was free, making it Xu Qing's preferred choice.

Meanwhile, as Xu Qing healed and journeyed, the entire Sea Corpse Race was in an uproar. The matter of the Seventh Corpse Ancestor idol's nose, though initially sealed off to prevent outsiders from seeing it, had gradually leaked out. Such an event was a catastrophic blow to the Sea Corpse Race; it spread like wildfire almost immediately, and countless members of the Sea Corpse Race became aware, their fury instantly reaching its peak. Especially intense were the emotional reactions of those Sea Corpse Race members who had historically been affected by the Seventh Corpse Ancestor idol. A complex and subtle connection existed between them and the Seventh Corpse Ancestor, much like that between a child and its mother. Therefore, the disappearance of the Seventh Corpse Ancestor's nose was the ultimate humiliation for them. What brought this humiliation to its peak was the Sea Corpse Race's discovery, after investigation, that the two individuals who deserved a thousand cuts were merely Foundation Establishment disciples from Seven Blood Eyes.

While Foundation Establishment cultivation might seem powerful to mortals, it was insignificant to an entire race. For such low-level cultivators to commit such a monstrous act within their main stronghold, the entire Sea Corpse Race was utterly enraged. Not only were ordinary clansmen absolutely furious, but even the Sea Corpse Race's nobles and kings were incandescent with rage, especially the ancient elders.

Consequently, after this matter spread like a storm throughout the Sea Corpse Race's territory, it inevitably spilled over onto the battlefield with Seven Blood Eyes. Large numbers of Sea Corpse Race members rioted and fought frantically on the battlefield. While this brought a temporary surge of ferocity, it was precisely this venting-like aggression that altered their battle formations and led to numerous unstable emotional fluctuations. In warfare, while some commanders were skilled at harnessing the rage of their subordinates, such tactics were a double-edged sword; a slight misstep could lead to a complete collapse.

As for Seven Blood Eyes, how could their cunning old foxes let such an opportunity slip? They immediately intensified their efforts, causing the scale of the war to escalate frequently over the past half-month. The higher-ups of Seven Blood Eyes were initially puzzled, but they soon learned the reason, realizing that two Seven Blood Eyes disciples had committed this earth-shattering act within the Sea Corpse Race. They were all startled upon hearing the news. Several peak masters immediately looked towards Old Man Seventh, as in their understanding, such audacious acts seemed to be exclusively perpetrated by the disciples of his Seventh Peak. Notably, Old Man Seventh himself had committed similar acts sixty years prior, though none as astonishing as this current incident. Nevertheless, this event greatly boosted Seven Blood Eyes' morale, and their Ancestor was absolutely delighted, personally ordering that these two Seven Blood Eyes disciples be handsomely rewarded for their great merit.

As for the names of the two disciples who had committed such a monumental act, Seven Blood Eyes had not even completed their investigation when the Sea Corpse Race themselves provided the information. As their identities were unearthed, the Sea Corpse Race quickly updated their "Must-Kill War Wanted List"!

This wanted list had existed prior, with Blood Refiner ranked first, carrying exceptionally generous rewards. Old Man Seventh was second, followed by the peak masters and deputy peak masters of various peaks. Only beyond the first dozen or so individuals were Core Formation cultivators.

But now, the list had been updated.

**Must-Kill Wanted List.**

**First:** Chen Erniu. This individual, a Seventh Peak disciple and current head of the Bureau of Capture and Punishment, is the primary perpetrator in the desecration of our Sea Corpse Race's Corpse Ancestor. Any Sea Corpse Race member who encounters him must dismember him into ten thousand pieces and devour his flesh and blood, at all costs! Whoever kills this individual will be rewarded with the Sea Corpse Race's Grand Dao inheritance, a position in the royal lineage, the right to choose ten items from the treasure vault, and one hundred million spirit stones!

**Second:** Xu Qing. This individual, a Seventh Peak disciple and current deputy head of the Bureau of Capture and Punishment, is an accomplice in the desecration of our Sea Corpse Race's Corpse Ancestor. Any Sea Corpse Race member who encounters him must kill him! Whoever kills this individual will be rewarded with a position in the Sea Corpse Race's royal lineage, the right to choose ten items from the treasure vault, and seventy million spirit stones!

**Third:** Blood Refiner, Ancestor of Seven Blood Eyes.