Chapter 73: Forbidden Sea Dragon Whale

Moonlight spilled onto the sea, illuminating the magic boat where the protective array had collapsed, and falling upon Xu Qing. He listened to the respectful voices of the Seventh Peak disciples outside, his expression somewhat dazed.

Although this breakthrough was anticipated, the perilous process made his heart pound. The thought of his body feeling as if it were about to shatter during the breakthrough of the Sea Mountain Art made Xu Qing involuntarily gasp. Had it not been for the purple crystal's restoration, the Wraith Shadow might not have even appeared before he would have disintegrated and died. However, the gains from such a dangerous endeavor were quite astonishing. Especially the Wraith Shadow, now slowly dissipating above his head, its terrifying power emerging within it, filled Xu Qing's eyes with anticipation.

A moment later, Xu Qing emerged from the cabin. Under the moonlight, with his black hair and gray long robe, he stood as tall and straight as a pine tree. His handsome face was etched with a coldness, as if sculpted, faintly emanating the spiritual essence of the Sea Mountain Art's recent breakthrough.

"Thank you, fellow disciples," Xu Qing said calmly from the cabin, bowing with clasped fists to the congratulating disciples around him.

Immediately, the disciples on the surrounding magic boats returned his bow. They seemed to notice that the cultivation fluctuations around Xu Qing had not yet dispersed, leading most to surmise that this breakthrough was not the end of his cultivation for the night. So, after returning his bow, and with another tremor in their hearts, everyone wisely returned to their cabins, careful not to disturb him. This scene would have been unimaginable just a few months ago when Xu Qing first arrived at Seven Blood Eyes, but now it was happening.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and returned to the cabin. Sitting cross-legged, he looked at the discarded spirit stones in the Spirit Gathering Array, which were now riddled with cracks, and then at the damaged cabin. His brows furrowed slightly. He knew the protective barrier had collapsed because the instantaneous burst of energy was too immense, causing the core spirit stones to crack and shatter.

"I wonder if the next breakthrough of the Sea Mountain Art will be like this again..." Xu Qing murmured, his heart still palpitating, but now with added distress. After all, repairing the magic boat would cost money. However, the thought of the gains from killing the Merman youth made Xu Qing feel slightly better.

But this was not the time to dwell on such matters. Xu Qing calmed the lingering palpitations from his Sea Mountain Art breakthrough. He could feel his Transformation Sea Scripture rumbling and churning within him, seemingly on the verge of its own breakthrough. He took a deep breath and replaced the discarded spirit stones in the Spirit Gathering Array with new ones.

The next moment, the protective barrier on the magic boat reactivated. Gazing at the moonlight streaming through the damaged cabin, Xu Qing pondered, then decided to insert another spirit stone. As he formed a hand seal, the magic boat rumbled. With two spirit stones as the core, the activated protection was much stronger and denser, faintly obscuring even most of the moonlight.

Having done this, Xu Qing sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and sensed the colossal power surging within him, several times greater than before. It was important to note that Xu Qing's previous strength had already reached the Grand Completion of the Sea Mountain Art. This breakthrough shattered all limitations, elevating his physical power to an even higher level. The sheer might of this power gave Xu Qing a strong feeling that he wouldn't need to use the techniques of the Transformation Sea Scripture; a full-force punch from the Sea Mountain Art alone would likely astonish even the Ancestor of the Vajra Sect.

After all, he was the first person in history to cultivate the Sea Mountain Art to such an extent. Before him, the Wraith Shadow was the ultimate form, but now it had transformed into an unprecedented Ba, containing not only the aura of mountains and seas but also endless scorching flames. The madness of scorching everything and incinerating all living beings still lingered in Xu Qing's perception. This was only the eighth layer, and the Ba was merely nascent, not yet fully formed. Xu Qing couldn't imagine what it would be like after the ninth layer, or if the Ba would change again upon reaching the tenth layer's Grand Completion. No one could guide him on the path of the Sea Mountain Art, not even its creator.

Xu Qing fell silent. After a long moment, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes before he closed them again, beginning to circulate the Transformation Sea Scripture.

Time slowly passed. An hour later, a wind began to stir in the depths of the night at Port 79. This wind swept across the sea, converging on Xu Qing's magic boat, forming a vortex, an absorbing force, as if transforming into a black hole. With successive roars, it drew in spiritual energy from all directions. The sea swayed, and all the boats rocked. The Seventh Peak disciples within them all looked towards the source of this phenomenon, seemingly there to witness Xu Qing's rise.

At this moment, vast spiritual energy surged from all directions, rushing into Xu Qing's boat and then into his body. The spiritual sea formed by his Transformation Sea Scripture swelled comprehensively. Each layer's advancement in the Transformation Sea Scripture, though seemingly only adding ten zhang to its range, was actually a comprehensive improvement, affecting both its length and depth. From a flat perspective, it was like the difference between a small circle and a large one. And its depth was even more significant. At this moment, with Xu Qing already possessing the foundation for a breakthrough, as the spiritual energy containing the aura of the Sea Ban arrived from outside, his body instantly rumbled. A series of cracking sounds echoed in his mind as the spiritual sea within Xu Qing rapidly expanded. It directly broke through the final one-zhang limit, reaching a full eighty zhang. The moment it reached this, his body trembled violently. Endless spiritual energy swiftly filled the additional one zhang, and it didn't stop there; it continued to expand.

Eighty-two zhang, eighty-three zhang, eighty-four zhang… It wasn't until it reached eighty-seven zhang that Xu Qing's spiritual sea signaled saturation. As Xu Qing opened his eyes, a dazzling purple light shone, and an increasingly distinct ethereal aura emanated from him.

"Dragon Whale," Xu Qing whispered, taking a deep breath. He raised his right hand and waved it, and instantly a dragon's roar resonated within him. A colossal head, resembling both a dragon and a whale, directly emerged from Xu Qing's chest. Its entire body was black, profoundly deep, and simultaneously exuded a breathtaking aura. Now, with a roar, this sea whale surged directly from Xu Qing's body, growing larger and larger, tearing through the protective barrier, and rushing towards the sky. As it howled upwards, it revealed its entire form! Its massive body, fully eighty zhang long, radiated a soul-stirring presence. Its numerous fluttering tentacles each glowed with a blue luminescence. As it appeared, the sea instantly roared, seemingly drawn to it and forming huge waves. Even a mere downward slap from this Dragon Whale would be enough to shake mountains and earth.

The disciples in the surrounding magic boats were all astounded. "Forbidden Sea Dragon Whale!""This is a specific technique of the eighth layer of the Transformation Sea Scripture, but not everyone can form a Dragon Whale at the eighth layer; it requires extreme control!""The physical power Xu Qing just exuded was already shocking, and now his spell arts have also reached the eighth layer...""Such combat power..." Everyone gasped.

Only Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged in the magic boat, looked up at the Dragon Whale soaring in the sky, his eyes gleaming intensely. This was the day he had been waiting for. The Transformation Sea Scripture recorded that upon reaching the eighth layer, one could use an eighty-zhang spiritual sea to conjure a Forbidden Sea Dragon Whale. This Dragon Whale, formed by spell arts, would exist permanently. It would roam the sea, accompanying the boats of the Seventh Peak disciples on their journeys. This would provide the Seventh Peak disciples with greater assistance when venturing out to sea. However, forming the Forbidden Sea Dragon Whale required extreme control from the cultivator, so not all eighth-layer disciples could achieve it.

"Finally, I've reached this level," Xu Qing murmured. With a thought, the Dragon Whale, which had been roaring in mid-air, abruptly swayed and descended into the sea with a thunderous crash, sending up huge amounts of seawater. Its form then merged with the ocean and vanished. Only Xu Qing could, with a single thought, conjure its form from the seawater. The existence of the Forbidden Sea Dragon Whale was, in fact, a turning point for the Seventh Peak disciples!

"At this moment, if I encounter the Ancestor of the Vajra Sect at sea, I can likely slay him!" A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. "If not at sea, and if I go all out without holding back, there's also a certain probability I could severely wound the Ancestor of the Vajra Sect!"

"So now, I must first go to sea. On one hand, to temper my cultivation, and on the other, to acquire resources. After returning… I need to find a way to slay the Ancestor of the Vajra Sect as soon as possible!"

"As soon as dawn breaks, I'll upgrade the magic boat. If there's enough time, I'll depart tomorrow; if not, I'll set sail the morning after!" Xu Qing took a deep breath. He could feel that his shadow, empowered by his dual breakthrough in cultivation and physical body, was now even more agile to control. This gave him even greater confidence.

Meanwhile, as Xu Qing's eighth-layer Forbidden Sea Dragon Whale from the Transformation Sea Scripture appeared, its roars echoed throughout the harbor, causing many disciples in other ports to hear the dragon's cry. This sound was unique; outsiders might not recognize it, but for the Seventh Peak disciples, it was familiar.

"Someone has reached the eighth layer again, and specifically the eighth layer capable of forming a Dragon Whale. Looking at this aura, it's not ordinary… quite interesting."

Within the Sea Defense Department, at Port 32, a colossal departmental warship was slowly sailing out of the harbor. Unlike the magic boats of other disciples, the Sea Defense Department's warships were specially made by the sect. A young man in gray robes stood on the warship. He exuded powerful fluctuations from head to toe, and beneath his blue hair were golden eyes. He gazed into the distance, murmuring softly.

"Senior Brother Ding, should we go inquire about it?" Behind him stood seven or eight disciples from the Sea Defense Department. One of them spoke in a low voice. Zhou Qingpeng was indeed among them, positioned at the very back, his expression cautious. Clearly, he had finally achieved what he spoke of at the gathering that day, being introduced to the Sea Defense Department's prodigy. That blue-haired youth was none other than Ding Xiaohai, hailed as the top Qi Condensation cultivator of the Seventh Peak, whom even some core disciples treated with respect as a fellow Daoist.

"Let's wait until we return," Ding Xiaohai said indifferently, withdrawing his gaze.

At the same time, in the Hunter Dispatch Office, the captain of the Sixth Team was comfortably reclined in a chair, holding a rare five-pointed fruit. He was merrily eating one of its points. Seemingly sensing something, he looked up towards Port 79, a smile appearing on his face.

"He's feeling clear-minded, so he broke through. Simple and direct. This kid... I like him. But he's still a bit weak. How can my team members be so weak? Should I find him a few more people to kill?" The captain of the Sixth Team truly lived up to Zhang San's description of him as a pervert. As he muttered, he actually put down his fruit and very seriously pondered this question.

Throughout this night, Xu Qing's Dragon Whale attracted considerable attention from many in the Seventh Peak, leaving some feeling complex emotions: anticipation, envy, or jealousy. Yet there were others consumed by extreme anger and sorrow, unable to find an outlet for their emotions. These were the cultivators of the Merman race.

At this moment, in the alley where the Merman youth died, several figures appeared in the dark night. The two leading figures, one tall and one short, were the Merman youth's elder sister and the Third Prince's concubine. The elder sister seemed calm, but her younger sister, standing beside her, trembled, breathing rapidly in the alley. The gills on her face flared, and her eyes revealed immense murderous intent.

Beside them stood an elderly Merman, who spoke in a bitter, low voice. "The Prince's aura disappeared here, but this place has clearly been cleaned up; there are no traces left. However, given the Prince's strength and status, it's highly probable he isn't dead, merely missing. I wonder about the clan's life-slip..."

"The Prince's life-slip... it shattered," the younger of the two Merman women interjected through gritted teeth, before the elder could finish.

The elder fell silent, his face gradually paling. As a guardian, he knew what his fate would be. Yet, it was precisely the Prince's stern instruction not to follow him, and he had also roughly guessed the Prince's preferences. But he never imagined such an incident would occur...

"Could it have been a high-ranking member of Seven Blood Eyes who acted?" the elder hesitated.

"If a high-ranking member of Seven Blood Eyes wanted to kill someone, would they need to conceal it?"

"We must investigate further, especially since there was a wish box in the Prince's storage bag. That item is crucial; it cannot fall into anyone else's hands," the elder sister among the Merman women said coldly, taking a deep breath.

"Sister, the Prince has fallen! We must avenge him! Why are you still concerned about the wish box?!" the younger sister beside her glared.

"You should know the importance of the wish box. It's a gift from the previous epoch."

"All I know is the Prince has fallen, and we must find the murderer!"

The two sisters' gazes met. After a long silence, the elder sister spoke calmly. "You seek revenge, I'll retrieve the box. This can be done. As a member of the royal family, the Prince carries a bloodline guide. If we encounter his killer at close proximity, we will sense it."

"Now, search for everyone who had conflicts with the Prince during this period, including the families of those he brutally killed. We must investigate them one by one. I truly want to know who is so audacious as to kill our clan's young master!"

"Once found, I will surely torture them, making that person and their entire family wish for death but be unable to die, wailing in agony, their souls entering fish and shrimp. I will tear them apart bite by bite and swallow them whole!!" the younger sister beside her gnashed her teeth, a look of madness in her eyes.