Chapter 1212: White Bone Immortal

"This is a list of rewards. The exact reward will depend on the contributions you make. To be frank, we've just discovered the whereabouts of a fourth-tier Yin Beast."

Li Ru took out a green jade slip and handed it to Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng scanned it with his divine sense, pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright! I'll make this trip. I hope my disciple hasn't been harmed."

Li Ru smiled without speaking. They had been cornering two fourth-tier Yin Beasts for several months. Before that, the fourth-tier Yin Beasts had killed many cultivators. She estimated that Wang Changsheng's disciple had already been killed.

"Fellow Daoist Wang," Li Ru said, "I am about to lead a team to the Myriad Ghosts Sea. You can follow along!”

Leaving the market, Li Ru raised her hand, and a dark green flying boat flew out, instantly expanding. She was the first to jump aboard, followed by over a dozen Core Formation cultivators. Wang Changsheng and Ye Haitang also flew onto it.

"Let's go."

As Li Ru gave the command, the green flying boat glowed brightly and soared through the air.

Seven days later, they appeared in the Myriad Ghosts Sea. The Myriad Ghosts Sea hadn't changed much; it was still permeated with Yin energy, and the faint sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling could be heard.

Li Ru explained to Wang Changsheng the full story of the fourth-tier Yin Beast's appearance. Fourth-tier Yin Beasts usually operated deep within the Myriad Ghosts Sea, rarely appearing in its outer regions. Six months ago, a fourth-tier Yin Beast appeared in the outer regions of the Myriad Ghosts Sea. Initially, it didn't draw much attention, but later, Yin Beasts frequently attacked treasure-hunting cultivators. If it weren't for a seventh-layer Core Formation cultivator who luckily escaped, the Nascent Soul cultivators would still be in the dark.

"At our current speed," Li Ru said with a smile, "we'll reach our destination in another day. Fellow Daoist Su and his group have been waiting for a while.”

The Yin energy ahead suddenly grew dense, making it impossible to see one's hand. Chilling winds blew, and mournful wails of ghosts occasionally echoed in their ears.

"Master, there's a fourth-tier Yin Beast below!" Ye Haitang suddenly spoke, her expression grave.

Wang Changsheng and Li Ru were slightly stunned; neither of them had detected anything unusual.

Wang Changsheng knew Ye Haitang wouldn't speak idly about such matters. The Myriad Ghosts Sea was a special place where divine sense was restricted, so it wasn't strange that he couldn't detect the Yin Beast. But how did Ye Haitang detect it?

This was not the time to ask questions. Wang Changsheng's right fist glowed with a faint blue mist, and he struck the empty space below.

The void distorted, and a blue fist-shaped shadow, over ten zhang in size, flashed out, striking the black seawater below.

Rumble!

The blue fist-shadow hit the sea surface, sending waves over a dozen zhang high.

A strange roar echoed, and the calm sea violently churned, as a black whale, over ten zhang long, surfaced.

Almost simultaneously with its appearance, Li Ru conjured a palm-sized green mirror and infused it with a spell incantation. With a flash of green light, hundreds of fist-sized green thunder-fire projectiles shot out, striking the black whale.

Continuous roars sounded, and a large expanse of green flames engulfed the black whale's body.

Wang Changsheng and the others also cast spells, attacking the black whale. Various magical light enveloped the black whale's body.

"Stop," an unhappy male voice suddenly rang out, "don't ruin my prey.” A black cloud flew from afar. After a few flashes, the black cloud stopped.

A flash of black light revealed a tall, thin old man in black robes. His cheeks were gaunt, his eye sockets sunken, and his skin sallow. A string of white skulls hung from his waist.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Zheng," Li Ru said, "why are you here? Weren't you pursuing another fourth-tier Yin Beast with Fellow Daoist Liu and the others?”

Wang Changsheng looked at the black-robed old man, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

If he wasn't mistaken, the black-robed old man was Zheng Guqi, the infamous Bone Immortal from the South Sea. He was an early Nascent Soul cultivator and one of the few Nascent Soul stage ghost cultivators in the South Sea. A rogue cultivator, he was known for often slaughtering people and wiping out entire clans. Other forces disapproved of Zheng Guqi's actions, but as long as he didn't provoke them, they left him alone.

"That fourth-tier Yin Beast has already been dealt with by me," Zheng Guqi said indifferently, "it's the one you were attacking." He made a hand seal, and the wailing of ghosts grew louder.

At this moment, the colorful spiritual light dissipated, and the black whale floated on the sea surface, belly up. Its body was shriveled, and over a dozen watermelon-sized white skulls were biting into its abdomen. Strangely, not a single drop of blood flowed out.

A flash of black light, and a miniature whale flew out from the corpse. However, before the miniature whale could fly far, a gloomy black banner descended from the sky. It spun rapidly around the miniature whale, and the black banner's size rapidly expanded. A white skull pattern appeared on its surface. The white skull seemed to come alive, two white bony hands extending from the banner, grabbing the miniature whale like lightning and swallowing it whole.

Wang Changsheng could naturally see that the Yin Beast's essence blood had been completely drained by the dozen white skulls. No wonder it had actively surfaced.

Ye Haitang cultivated ghost cultivation techniques, making her most sensitive to ghostly entities. She likely detected the Yin Beast because of the presence of the ghostly entities.

Ye Haitang gazed at the white skulls hanging from Zheng Guqi's waist, an envious expression on her face. So many ghostly artifacts! She wondered how Zheng Guqi had acquired them, as even a fourth-tier Yin Beast couldn't overcome these ghostly entities.

"Hehe," Zheng Guqi chuckled, "my trip wasn't in vain." He conjured five dark, gleaming flying daggers and sliced the black whale into six pieces. Indeed, as Wang Changsheng had expected, there was no blood at all; the Yin Beast's essence blood had been completely drained.

He made a hand seal, and the dozen white skulls released their grip. They flew back to him, forming a string of white skulls that hung from his waist.

"I have other matters to attend to," Zheng Guqi said, "so I'll take my leave now."

Zheng Guqi put away the black whale's corpse, transformed into a streak of black light, and vanished into the air. He showed no intention of sharing any of the spoils with Wang Changsheng or Li Ru.

Wang Changsheng and Li Ru exchanged glances. Neither of them said anything. Those with nothing to lose fear no one; the last thing they wanted to provoke was a rogue cultivator like Zheng Guqi.

"Let's go! We need to speed up,” Li Ru said. She made a hand seal, and the green flying boat glowed brightly, accelerating its speed.

A dozen li away, Zheng Guqi hovered in mid-air, watching Li Ru and her group leave, a peculiar expression on his face.

"Interesting," Zheng Guqi muttered to himself, "to encounter a ghost cultivator here. She actually made my ghostly entities feel fear. It seems she must possess some special treasure. For a Core Formation cultivator to have such a treasure, she's certainly not simple.” He added, "Never mind. Important matters come first. I'll deal with you another time if the opportunity arises.”

Zheng Guqi transformed into a black light and shot through the air, disappearing into the horizon, as if he had never been there at all.