Chapter 79: Deep Sea Dragon Shadow

The story tells all Seven Blood Eyes disciples that if they ever encounter this strange scene at sea, they should not take any action, touch it, or disturb it.

Xu Qing was silent.

As the records from the Sea Lore Pavilion surfaced in his mind, he sat cross-legged inside his Dharma Boat, looking up at the countless hideous specters rising into the sky in groups and swarms amidst sharp, piercing roars.

“The main point of the Sea Lore records is not the story itself.”

Xu Qing gazed at the sky, murmuring softly to himself amidst the chilling atmosphere of his surroundings.

“Rather... its description of all this uses the word 'story,' not 'legend.'”

“Compared to a legend, the term 'story' often represents an event that truly happened.” Xu Qing took a deep breath, gazing around.

Countless specters filled the heavens and earth, constantly surging, their cries growing more piercing. This scene was enough to terrify the faint-hearted, making them tremble in fear.

But for Xu Qing, he was used to it.

He had seen the eyes of a god, survived for over half a month in a dead city filled with fierce beasts and anomalies, and from childhood, he had witnessed too much life and death in the slums, where human darkness lingered.

Inside the restricted zone jungle and Seven Blood Eyes, he had undergone tempering and baptism. For him, it wasn't just these anomalies that could claim lives; anything in this world could lead to death.

Therefore, while such a scene might instill fear in others, Xu Qing remained calm.

In this calm gaze, Xu Qing, in the darkness of the night, slowly seemed to hear a faint echo of music amidst the roars of the ascending specters.

Xu Qing closed his eyes, motionless, as if listening.

From a distance, both he and his Dharma Boat seemed insignificant in the vast ocean, swaying and gradually being obscured by the Specter Night Procession.

Only the lingering melody in Xu Qing’s ears grew clearer and clearer, persisting for a long time...

The Specter Night Procession, the Specter Night Dance, the Specter Night Melody.

This night slowly passed amidst Zhao Zhongheng's tension, Xu Qing's listening, and Senior Sister Ding's curiosity about Xu Qing's state.

As dawn arrived, the night melody dissipated. Xu Qing opened his eyes, a faint echo still swirling in his mind.

Senior Sister Ding's beautiful eyes fixed on Xu Qing, and she couldn't help but ask.

“Junior Brother Xu, were you listening all night? Did you hear anything?”

Xu Qing didn't respond, somewhat displeased at being disturbed. He didn't blink, still immersed in the slowly, almost imperceptibly, fading echo in his mind.

This made Senior Sister Ding even more curious. She looked at Xu Qing, then patted her right hand on her storage bag, immediately pulling out a jade box and handing it over.

“Junior Brother Xu, this contains a Clarity Pill. It’s very effective for nourishing the soul. It’s a gift for you; will you tell me the answer?”

On the Phoenix Bird, Zhao Zhongheng's eyes instantly widened, his breathing quickened, and the fire in his eyes almost erupted. This very pill was a gift he had given Senior Sister Ding earlier when he noticed her impatience...

Now, Xu Qing was displeased, and Senior Sister Ding also gave a gift...

This scene drove him completely mad.

“A Clarity Pill?”

Xu Qing's attention was instinctively drawn. He knew about Clarity Pills, their considerable value, and their rarity.

So, somewhat surprised, he turned, took the jade box, opened it, glanced inside, checked it to confirm it was fine, and put it into his pocket.

Seeing Xu Qing accept it, Senior Sister Ding was very happy, smiling as she looked at him.

“Junior Brother Xu, please tell me. I know the Sea Lore mentioned that few people can hear the Specter Night Melody; only those with acute perception can hear it.”

Xu Qing nodded, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

“I heard the sound of my teacher’s patient instruction when he taught me about plants and herbs.”

“Junior Brother Xu, you actually know the Way of Plants and Herbs? That’s amazing!” Senior Sister Ding’s face was filled with admiration. As for Zhao Zhongheng on the Phoenix Bird, he curled his lips in disdain, muttering.

“Anyone can brag!”

Senior Sister Ding ignored the jealous Zhao Zhongheng. She diligently stayed by Xu Qing’s side, inquiring about the Way of Plants and Herbs.

Out of consideration for the Clarity Pill, Xu Qing, though feeling a bit impatient, reluctantly replied a few times.

Along the rest of the journey, Zhao Zhongheng was clearly more anxious. To win Senior Sister Ding back, he began to curry favor in various ways, frequently sending gifts.

However, Senior Sister Ding mostly refused with a cold face, only reluctantly accepting occasionally when there was no other choice. Yet, she showed no sign of wanting to switch boats; instead, bell-like laughter often emanated from Xu Qing’s boat, which filled Zhao Zhongheng with burning frustration.

Especially over the next few days of travel, Senior Sister Ding's laughter was more frequent than it had been in a year of facing him. Often, he saw Senior Sister Ding actively seeking conversation with Xu Qing, asking about plants and herbs, even though Zhao Zhongheng clearly knew that Ding Xue normally had no interest in medicinal ingredients whatsoever.

If Xu Qing didn't speak, she would offer gifts as consultation fees, and those gifts were all ones he had given her.

This scene often made Zhao Zhongheng feel somewhat dazed, vaguely as if all this felt very familiar; it seemed he and Senior Sister Ding were... somewhat similar.

This realization filled Zhao Zhongheng with sorrow, yet he was unwilling to give up. He could only force himself to cheer up, trying hard to blend in and keep pace.

To attract Senior Sister Ding’s attention, Zhao Zhongheng even unleashed his cultivation power along the way, constantly catching various sea beasts and inviting her to taste them. This method indeed had some effect, which revived Zhao Zhongheng’s spirits.

Until noon on the third day, as Xu Qing’s Dharma Boat and the Phoenix Bird were sailing forward on the sea, a sharp shriek suddenly came from the sky.

Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged on his Dharma Boat, opened his eyes and saw a Pseudotooth Bird circling in the sky. Its massive, slender wings spanned over two zhang, and its greenish body was speckled with mud. Most strikingly, its astonishing beak resembled two huge iron pliers, suggesting a terrifying bite force.

At this moment, the sea was calm, as peaceful as a huge black mirror. From a distance, sea birds frequently appeared in the sky.

The Pseudotooth Bird was just one of them. In the distance, many tiny black dots could also be seen – different species of seabirds, hunting for prey at noon.

At this moment, the Pseudotooth Bird circling high in the sky seemed to have identified Xu Qing and his companions as its prey, so it followed them for a while. However, it also seemed to sense danger, and after circling a few times, it was about to leave.

Xu Qing looked up at the Pseudotooth Bird in the sky, then lowered his gaze to the calm sea. A glint flashed in his eyes, but he paid it no mind.

However, Zhao Zhongheng on the Phoenix Bird showed delight in his eyes and, smiling, called out to Senior Sister Ding, who had also noticed the scene in the sky.

“Senior Sister Ding, the Sea Lore mentioned that this Pseudotooth Bird seems to taste quite good. I’ll help you catch it, and we can eat it for lunch.”

“Junior Brother Xu, would you like some Pseudotooth Bird for lunch?” Senior Sister Ding stood up, looked at the Pseudotooth Bird in the sky, and smiled sweetly at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing still had some goodwill toward Senior Sister Ding. Her eagerness to learn reminded him of his past self. Although she often consulted him about plant and herb knowledge, it was always compensated; the value of the items she offered was nearly two hundred spirit stones.

At the same time, after spending these few days together, Xu Qing gained a deeper understanding of these two core disciples from the Seventh Peak. However, he wouldn't hastily dismiss all core disciples based on their behavior.

Core disciples were also human, and as long as they were human, they couldn't all have the same personality. Some were smart, some foolish, some astute, some reckless.

Therefore, among the core disciples, while some were naive, there were certainly others filled with the same fierce aura as the gray-robed cultivators who emerged from the brutal environment down the mountain. Xu Qing felt it was simply because he had encountered very few core disciples and hadn't seen them yet.

And Zhao Zhongheng wasn't actually bad; he was just a very foolish simpleton, as the captain had described him.

Senior Sister Ding wasn't foolish either; she was simply too well-protected, somewhat out of place in this chaotic world. But precisely because of this, it further proved her significant background.

Xu Qing could also confirm this from Zhao Zhongheng's attitude.

Especially recalling how her hand was always on her storage bag during the Specter Night Procession, Xu Qing could conclude that she possessed astonishing life-saving means, which was why her elders felt at ease letting her go to sea.

So Xu Qing offered a reminder.

“The sea surface is too calm; something isn't right.”

“Coward!” Zhao Zhongheng on the Phoenix Bird sneered upon hearing this, raising his hands to unleash a spell and capture the Pseudotooth Bird.

But at that very moment, the Pseudotooth Bird, which was originally about to leave the sky, seemed to sense Zhao Zhongheng’s intention. It became aggressive, made a turn in mid-air, changed direction, and no longer departed. Instead, its body suddenly accelerated, like a meteor descending from the sky, whistling obliquely from behind their boats.

From a distance, its figure cut through the sky, creating air currents that produced sonic booms, indicating astonishing speed.

“Good timing,” Zhao Zhongheng laughed heartily, his body swaying as he leaped, leaving his boat to rise into mid-air, about to strike.

Xu Qing’s expression changed, growing alert. He rose and looked at the sea surface behind his Dharma Boat, where an area spanning dozens of zhang was now violently churning as the Pseudotooth Bird whistled closer from the sky.

It was as if something immense from the seabed was rapidly approaching the surface!

A cold glint flashed in Xu Qing’s eyes. He swiftly formed hand seals, and in an instant, his Dharma Boat transformed into a defensive stance.

The moment this stance was formed, through his Dragon Whale, he clearly saw a colossal creature approaching at an astonishing speed behind his Dharma Boat. In the blink of an eye, it emerged from the seabed and instantly burst through the water surface.

Boom!

Amidst the thunderous roar, the sea surface behind the Dharma Boat exploded, creating a hundred-zhang-wide radius of churning water.

A colossal, pitch-black, scale-covered head, resembling both a dragon and an alligator, emerged from the sea, exuding unprecedented ferocity and savagery.

A fishy, bloody smell instantly permeated the surroundings, and the sea waves churned violently. The head opened its massive mouth and swallowed the approaching Pseudotooth Bird in one gulp!

The Pseudotooth Bird appeared large, but compared to that gaping maw, it was like a small snack. It was completely swallowed by the dragon-alligator-like mouth in an instant, and with a roar, the head plunged back into the sea.

The surging waves rolled like a torrent, spreading outwards with a roar in all directions, causing Xu Qing's boat and Zhao Zhongheng's Phoenix Bird to be involuntarily swept backward like two leaves on the ocean. However, the former remained controlled, while the latter was on the verge of losing control.

Zhao Zhongheng’s face instantly changed, revealing a look of horror.

At that moment, he had flown into mid-air. Fortunately, his speed wasn't very fast; otherwise, if he had approached the Pseudotooth Bird just then, it might not have been only the bird that was swallowed.

The intense palpitation brought on by the near-death experience made him, soaked by the churning seawater, retreat rapidly with a pale face. He retreated with full force back onto the Phoenix Bird, and even after his feet landed on the deck, his body still trembled uncontrollably.

It was as if he feared that if he retreated too slowly, that terrifying maw would reappear from the sea below.

However, his basic qualities as a Seventh Peak disciple still instinctively allowed him to control his Dharma Boat, gradually bringing his vessel back under control.

“That’s... a Serpent-Neck Dragon! Senior Sister Ding, quickly come here, we need to leave this area immediately!”

Amidst the churning waves, Zhao Zhongheng, standing on the swaying Phoenix Bird, urgently spoke while controlling his Dharma Boat.

“Shut up! If it weren’t for your foolish attempt to provoke the Pseudotooth Bird, it would have flown away. Why would it attack? The Sea Lore records that Pseudotooth Birds are the Serpent-Neck Dragon’s favorite prey. It’s clear that the Serpent-Neck Dragon was attracted by the Pseudotooth Bird in the sky. If you hadn’t interfered, it would have surely left with it.”

Senior Sister Ding’s expression was grim. Indeed, for a Seventh Peak disciple, among the hunters in the Restricted Sea, the Serpent-Neck Dragon, while not the strongest, was still known for its ferocity, capable of living in the Restricted Sea permeated with endless anomalies. Moreover, it was difficult to judge each one's strength based on cultivation level.

After all, its colossal body offered a significant advantage; unless there was a clear disparity in combat power, victory would most likely belong to it.

Zhao Zhongheng wanted to argue, but he opened his mouth and found nothing to say, only able to reply bitterly.

“Maybe it will leave in a while...”

Senior Sister Ding’s composure was clearly much better than Zhao Zhongheng’s. Even with her emotions stirred, she still circulated her cultivation power throughout her body and drew out a green longsword, ready to strike at any moment.

At the same time, her right hand rested on her storage bag, as if she could pull out a trump card at any moment, and she looked cautiously at the sea.

Compared to the two of them, Xu Qing was much calmer. He had sensed that something was amiss with this area of the sea earlier, so he had already set his Dharma Boat to a defensive stance.

Now, huge waves churned, and roaring torrents, like giant hands, fiercely slapped against Xu Qing’s Dharma Boat, causing it to continuously recede amidst the waves.

Overall, however, the Dharma Boat's stability was excellent, so it did not lose control but rather retreated in an orderly fashion, utilizing the waves.

His composure also helped Senior Sister Ding calm down, and her gaze slowly sharpened.

“It hasn’t left!” Xu Qing said in a low voice, his eyes glinting sharply.