Chapter 81: Fierce God Arrives on the Island

Grey-brown skeletal remains were scattered across the black sand beach. Some were weathered, revealing a coarse, frosted texture, while others seemed more recent, still clinging to decaying scraps of flesh.

The sea breeze swept over the sand, accumulating within the human and animal skulls and swirling around.

Sea Lizard Island, as Xu Qing saw it, was a place of gloom and brutality. Only the sunset, like a crimson leaf falling onto the beach, seemed to shroud their deaths in a burial cloth.

Yet, this burial cloth was also red.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze from the surrounding bones. As dusk settled, he calmly approached the jungle, disappearing into its depths as he drew closer.

The moment he stepped into the jungle, night descended like a vast hand, plunging the sky into darkness as day gave way.

Inside the jungle, Xu Qing moved like a phantom, incredibly fast, leaping from tree to tree. His gaze, sharp as a pseudo-toothed bird's, calmly scanned his surroundings as he advanced.

Xu Qing was no stranger to jungles.

Although this was an island and not the forbidden zone of his past, his jungle survival experience was universally applicable here. The ground vegetation even contained some common herbs, making the environment familiar and allowing him to move through the jungle with effortless agility, like a fish in water.

However, he gradually noticed some peculiar features.

Many trees in the jungle had fallen, and the areas where they lay usually formed a line extending from the ocean.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. Arriving at a fallen tree, he first observed his surroundings, noting where the tree had broken and its direction of fall, before scanning the ground and the damaged timber.

"There are scales on the trees..." Xu Qing picked up a palm-sized piece of grey-black flake from the broken wood on the ground. A faint fishy smell lingered on it.

"It's sea lizard skin, and it's been here a while." Xu Qing had already made his judgment: sea lizards clearly emerged from the ocean and moved into the jungle, knocking down trees along their path.

"There are multiple such paths, indicating that each sea lizard coming here to shed its skin takes a different route, which makes sense."

"I wonder if the sea lizards choose a random final location for shedding their skin, or if there's a general area."

Xu Qing pondered, then decided to follow this path, taken by a sea lizard an unknown time ago, to investigate. Once he made his decision, his speed suddenly increased, guided by the trail, moving faster and faster.

However, his sense of vigilance grew stronger.

Xu Qing wasn't sure if there were cultivators here beyond the Qi Condensation stage. Although he had analyzed on the way that sea lizard skin, despite its considerable value, was likely not appealing to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Nevertheless, he had to be cautious, as many situations couldn't be ignored based on simple assumptions.

At that moment, a forest breeze blew, carrying the scent of decaying plants. Xu Qing inhaled, detecting no other unusual scents, so he continued without pause.

Half an hour later, as the sky grew darker, Xu Qing leaped onto a tree canopy near the mountains. His eyes gleamed with a faint light as he gazed into the distance.

Before him lay a shattered piece of sea lizard skin, entirely grey-black and very dry, clearly ancient, seemingly torn during a struggle.

Xu Qing had researched before coming, knowing that sea lizard skin was only valuable if preserved by special methods immediately after shedding. Otherwise, if it had been shed too long, its spiritual essence would dissipate, rendering it worthless.

This was why the struggle for sea lizard skin was always bloody: everyone who came to the island, like Xu Qing, had to wait and then act to claim the skin the moment it was shed.

Xu Qing pondered, then left the tree canopy to expand his search area.

After circling and searching the mountains, and then ascending a certain distance along them, he found multiple such pieces of sea lizard skin. He also noticed that the shedding areas were mostly near the mountains, and significantly, the higher up the mountains, the larger and more numerous these remnants became.

All of this gave him an answer.

"Sea lizards shedding their skin must have specific areas, preferring higher ground?"

Xu Qing looked up at the highest of Sea Lizard Island's several mountains, his gaze sharpening.

"That must be the island's true treasure trove. Only powerful sea lizards would be able to reach that place, and their skin would be the most valuable!"

With this thought, Xu Qing no longer hesitated. He moved at full speed towards the highest peak, without stopping, agilely navigating the terrain. Along the way, he noticed cultivators waiting on various mountains.

These individuals were mostly rogue cultivators, around the fifth level of Qi Condensation. Though not particularly strong, the ruthlessness in their eyes was unmistakable.

They clearly had a sense of self-preservation, choosing smaller mountains. They watched Xu Qing's arrival with wary gazes, only relaxing when they saw he was merely passing through.

Xu Qing also breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that with so many low-level cultivators gathered, his previous judgment was likely correct: the chance of a Foundation Establishment cultivator being present was not high.

However, he did not let down his guard, because if a Foundation Establishment cultivator *were* present, they would most likely be in the very place he was heading.

In short order, propelled by Xu Qing's speed, he traversed mountain after mountain, finally reaching the highest peak on Sea Lizard Island. As he arrived, wisps of aura immediately erupted from the summit, locking onto him.

Xu Qing paused, and after carefully sensing the auras, his expression became somewhat peculiar. He still didn't detect any Foundation Establishment aura.

With a calm expression, he walked forward, also noting the large amount of shattered sea lizard skin on the mountain.

The auras emanating from these sea lizard skins indicated at least the fifth or sixth level of Qi Condensation, confirming Xu Qing's judgment that sea lizards indeed sought higher ground when shedding their skin.

As for the auras probing him, Xu Qing ignored them, heading directly for the summit and quickly reaching his destination.

The summit area was a large basin, surrounded by trees, where many cultivators were scattered. Their cultivation levels were noticeably stronger than those on other mountains, mostly around the eighth or ninth level of Qi Condensation, with even several at the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation.

There were indeed no Foundation Establishment cultivators!

The cultivators here all had fierce or sinister eyes, hinting at bloodlust, clearly desperate individuals.

Furthermore, humans were not the majority; instead, non-human races made up most of the population, some solitary, others in groups.

There were even some with a strong smell of the sea, clearly pirates who spent most of their lives at sea.

They were gazing at Xu Qing.

As Xu Qing walked, his gaze swept over them, immediately recognizing three to five individuals from the wanted list, and a strange glint appeared in his eyes.

However, he chose not to act, instead finding a large tree and sitting cross-legged upon it to rest.

Although he had some judgments about the absence of Foundation Establishment cultivators here, Xu Qing still felt that if there really wasn't even one, the reason might not be what he imagined.

Now sitting cross-legged, Xu Qing pondered while withdrawing his gaze from his surroundings. He was no stranger to the ill will of cultivators in such places; whether it was the slums or scavenger camps, they were all much the same.

So he sat there calmly, about to cultivate, but then his brows furrowed slightly. He looked up, his gaze cold, at the pirates nearby who were still staring at him.

These pirates were a small gang of eight cultivators: two humans and six non-humans. The non-humans had varied appearances; some were covered in tentacles, some had three eyes, and one even had wings on his back.

They watched Xu Qing with ill intent and a fierce glint in their eyes. The winged non-human whispered to his companion, and then Xu Qing saw the three-eyed non-human among the pirates rise and walk towards him.

"Disciples of the Seven Blood Eyes are not welcome here. So either get out now, or stay here and become nourishment." The three-eyed non-human approached, speaking with a sneer, simultaneously unleashing his Qi Condensation eighth-level cultivation fluctuations without restraint, forming a deterrent.

Xu Qing carefully examined the non-human before him, trying to determine if his neck was a vital point. Then he glanced at the non-human's companions nearby, understanding well that this was a test from their group of cultivators. If he seemed easy to bully, he would become their target for plunder.

As he watched, Xu Qing suddenly raised his right hand and snatched fiercely behind him.

In the next instant, a translucent figure that had suddenly appeared behind him was firmly grasped by Xu Qing's hand around its neck.

Amidst violent struggles, the translucent figure rapidly solidified, revealing a blue-haired, scale-faced non-human. From his attire, it was clear he was with the pirate group.

At this moment, terror showed in the non-human's eyes. He was about to counterattack, but as Xu Qing's right hand squeezed tightly, there was a crack, and the non-human's neck instantly shattered.

It wasn't over. The power of the Sea Transformation Scripture surged in, and in a blink, Xu Qing manipulated the non-human's blood, causing it to burst through his body, making the non-human's form explode with a loud bang.

Flesh and blood splattered across the ground, yet not a single drop touched Xu Qing.

Non-human internal organs differed from human ones, so Xu Qing didn't bother to distinguish vital points. Causing the body to completely disintegrate was equally effective for killing.

As he shattered the non-human, Xu Qing's gaze showed no ripple of emotion, as if he had merely crushed an ant. He continued to stare coldly at the three-eyed non-human in front of him.

The three-eyed non-human's body trembled slightly, his breathing becoming noticeably rapid. His companions behind him also showed changed expressions, each becoming extremely wary and serious.

"A misunderstanding," the three-eyed non-human said in a low voice, taking a deep breath and realizing Xu Qing was not to be trifled with. He slowly retreated.

However, he didn't know Xu Qing, nor did he know Xu Qing's principle: any existence that threatened his life must be thoroughly eliminated with all his might. Thus, almost the instant the three-eyed non-human retreated, Xu Qing moved.

His speed erupted, turning him into an afterimage. The moment the three-eyed non-human's expression drastically changed and he conjured a spiritual energy shield, Xu Qing was already upon him, directly unleashing a punch.

With a roar, the three-eyed non-human's spiritual energy shield shattered into pieces. Inside, the three-eyed non-human's eyes constricted to their extreme. He was about to speak, but Xu Qing's fist, unstoppable, landed directly on his chest with devastating force.

With one punch, the three-eyed non-human's body shuddered violently, his chest caved in, and all his internal organs instantly collapsed.

The pirates nearby had a complete change of expression. With low shouts, they stood up, about to attack, but Xu Qing's speed was faster. In fact, when he killed the first one, he had already decided to eradicate this entire pirate gang.

In a flash, Xu Qing moved with astonishing speed. Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding rogue cultivators and non-humans, he charged into the pirate gang. Piercing screams and the booming sounds of clashing spells immediately filled the air.

In the blink of an eye, six pirates were dead or wounded. The remaining winged non-human, an expression of unprecedented terror on his face, soared into the air to flee. But in the next instant, a sharp dagger whistled through the air, piercing directly into his glabella, sending his body plummeting from mid-air to hit the ground with a thud.

Everything was over.

Gasps of breath emanated from the surrounding cultivators. Their gazes, at this moment, became incredibly grave, each looking with apprehension at the expressionless Xu Qing, who emerged from the pirate corpses.

Ignoring the surrounding stares, Xu Qing used his dagger to cut off the heads of the pirate corpses one by one. He then walked back to his resting spot and hung the pirates' heads on a tree as a marker.

Having done this, Xu Qing sat cross-legged and looked to the other side of the basin. There was a rock formation, and behind it, a huge snake head emerged, with a familiar figure beneath it.

"He's here too!" Xu Qing felt a surge of vigilance. Knowing the other party's strangeness, he narrowed his eyes and glanced at the large snake behind them.

This figure was precisely the old man from the Banquan Road Inn. Seeing Xu Qing now, he felt a pang of vexation.

"Why is this kid here too!"

Their gazes met across the basin, but both quickly looked away.

"Bad luck," the old man muttered. The large coiled snake, however, clearly brightened.

"Gurgle gurgle."

"What are you saying, 'Hello, Senior Brother'? He can't understand your gurgling," the old man snapped, glaring at the large snake.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle."

"What's that? You want to ask if he likes snakes or likes to eat snake gall? Are you crazy? Is that even a question? Didn't you notice just now, he glanced at your gall again."

"Gurgle!"

"You don't believe me?" The old man was speechless.

"Gurgle gurgle."

"I'm not asking for you. Didn't you secretly sign up for the Seventh Peak's Intelligence Bureau behind my back? Go back and check how many snakes this kid has killed yourself."

The old man couldn't be bothered with the large snake beside him. He felt that ever since the snake saw that kid Xu Qing, it seemed to have gone mad, as if its brain was sick.

"It insists he was looking at your figure, hehe."

Is it time for an extra chapter this weekend, or should I go out and play for a bit?