Chapter 1953: Divine Power Astonishes Everyone

It's true that "a craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well."

Six Sea-Stabilizing Beads could effortlessly destroy a mid-Fifth-Rank One-Eyed Octopus during a sea battle. If all eighteen Sea-Stabilizing Beads were deployed, even a typical high-Fifth-Rank demon beast would likely be unable to resist. There's a clear reason why wealthy cultivators spare no expense to acquire complete sets of Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures.

"These are truly Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures," Wang Changsheng thought, his eyes filled with joy. "Their power enhances water-element divine abilities by more than several times. And this is just with six Sea-Stabilizing Beads; imagine the destructive force if all eighteen were deployed!"

Meanwhile, Chen Xin was locked in combat with a high-Fifth-Rank One-Eyed Octopus. He swung his massive golden staff, creating a flurry of shadowy blows that landed on the octopus's tentacles. Though the strikes produced dull thuds, they inflicted little actual damage. High above, a colossal crimson fire cloud hovered, radiating an astonishing heatwave. Numerous crimson fireballs erupted from the cloud, repeatedly slamming into another One-Eyed Octopus. Each impact generated tremendous roars, with flames shooting skyward and crimson and black light intertwining. Concussive airwaves rolled, and white mist permeated the area. Elsewhere, Sun Wu and twenty Nascent Soul cultivators were jointly attacking an One-Eyed Octopus. Although dazzling spiritual light engulfed the creature, its thick hide and robust body made it difficult to defeat quickly.

Wang Changsheng formed a hand seal, causing the massive water waves to dissipate. The sea surface boiled once more as six enormous black water orbs suddenly materialized. These orbs churned violently, rapidly increasing in size as they hurtled toward the high-Fifth-Rank One-Eyed Octopus. Dozens of the One-Eyed Octopus's thick tentacles coiled around the golden staff, then violently flung it, sending Chen Xin hurtling backward to crash heavily onto the ocean surface. Chen Xin coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face visibly pale, and he was breathing heavily. Octopus-type demon beasts are notoriously difficult to handle, their tentacles having a powerful suction grip that clung tightly to the golden staff.

A tremendous roar echoed as six black water orbs, each the size of a small mountain, rolled across the sea surface, directly approaching the One-Eyed Octopus. The One-Eyed Octopus's numerous thick tentacles thrashed wildly, then suddenly lashed out. *Boom!* The six black water orbs shattered into countless fragments upon impact. Tens of thousands of black water arrows, several feet long, shot forth, striking the One-Eyed Octopus repeatedly. Muffled thuds resounded, but the creature's thick hide and robust body meant it sustained no significant damage.

Wang Changsheng formed another hand seal. Centered on the One-Eyed Octopus, the seawater within a ten-thousand-mile radius began to boil violently, forming a colossal vortex of the same diameter. The immense whirlpool spun rapidly, generating a powerful current. With an earth-shattering roar, a massive waterspout surged skyward, engulfing the One-Eyed Octopus within its black depths. The immense water pressure caused the creature to emit agonizing roars. A thunderous explosion followed, blowing open a gap in the black waterspout. The One-Eyed Octopus shot out, flying rapidly into the distance.

Just then, a piercing whoosh filled the air as a barrage of staff shadows descended from the sky, resembling a colossal mountain falling upon the One-Eyed Octopus. A pained roar erupted as the concentrated staff blows struck the One-Eyed Octopus, sending it plummeting to the sea surface. Strangely, despite its enormous size, it didn't sink but remained floating. Wang Changsheng's gaze turned cold, and he slammed his right hand down towards the void. Amidst a tremendous roar, the seawater churned violently as four colossal black water mountains erupted from the surface. Each mountain soared a thousand zhang high and stretched a hundred zhang long. These four black water mountains swiftly converged on the One-Eyed Octopus, sending rolling airwaves and shaking the very void.

The One-Eyed Octopus's eye widened in terror, and it let out a series of piercing, strange roars. Its thick tentacles frantically thrashed at the sea surface, as if something was blocking its escape route, preventing it from diving to the seabed. Six Sea-Stabilizing Beads hovered on the seabed, their runes flickering. The seawater within a ten-thousand-mile radius became an impenetrable wall, leaving the One-Eyed Octopus utterly helpless. It was only after the Sea-Stabilizing Beads were upgraded to Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures that they truly demonstrated the full meaning of their name. With tremendous roars, the four black water mountains successively slammed into the One-Eyed Octopus, pulverizing it into a bloody pulp and shattering its demon core.

Chen Xin was secretly astonished, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. The last time they met, Wang Changsheng's power hadn't been this formidable. More than a century had passed, and even if he had advanced to the mid-Spirit Transformation stage, his strength shouldn't have increased so rapidly—unless his natal artifact was a complete set of Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures. Seeing the grim situation, the other two One-Eyed Octopuses, despite their severe injuries, plunged into the seabed and vanished.

At that moment, hundreds of celestial gales were less than three miles away. "Senior Brother Chen, Senior Brother Lu, retreat now!" Wang Changsheng shouted, raising his hands high as if to embrace the air. With a thunderous roar, the sea surface suddenly erupted into a violent boil. A black water wall, over ten thousand zhang tall and several thousand zhang long, materialized out of thin air, stretching horizontally across the ocean like an insurmountable mountain, blocking their path. Seizing the opportunity, Chen Xin and the others swiftly retreated to the green flying boat. Chen Xin formed a hand seal, causing the green flying boat's spiritual light and escape speed to surge. It then rapidly flew back the way they had come. Wang Changsheng formed a hand seal, and the six Sea-Stabilizing Beads flew out from the seabed, transforming into six streaks of blue light that vanished into his sleeve.

A flicker of envy simultaneously crossed the eyes of Chen Xin and the other two. Wang Changsheng actually possessed a set of Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures, and six of them at that. The cost of the materials alone would be immense. With a deafening roar, the black water wall was shattered by hundreds of black water pillars. The entire void twisted and warped, and several small islands were instantly pulverized by the powerful airwaves, vanishing without a trace.

Half a day later, a streak of green light pierced the sky. After a few blinks, it came to a halt above a small island roughly a hundred miles in circumference. The escaping light vanished, revealing a green flying boat with Wang Changsheng and his companions standing aboard. The area was bright with sunshine, the sky clear for thousands of miles, and a gentle sea breeze rustled.

"This time, we truly owe a lot to Junior Brother Wang," Chen Xin remarked. "Otherwise, we would have suffered significant losses." Chen Xin sighed, noting how critical the situation had been. If they hadn't dealt with the One-Eyed Octopus swiftly, the incoming celestial gales would have inflicted substantial losses. They had personally witnessed hundreds of islands being shredded into dust by the celestial gales.

"Indeed!" Sun Wu added enviously. "One-Eyed Octopuses are incredibly tough and hard to kill. I never imagined Junior Brother Wang possessed a set of Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures. I doubt even a typical late-Spirit Transformation cultivator could stand against you!"

"Senior Brother Chen, Senior Sister Sun, you flatter me," Wang Changsheng humbly replied. "I merely relied on the power of the treasures. In truth, I owe much to Uncle-Master Song's guidance; without it, my artifact refining skills wouldn't have improved so quickly." The Uncle-Master Song he referred to was Song Yuchan. To Chen Xin and the others, however, the Uncle-Master Song he spoke of was Song Feng.

"Junior Brother Wang, you're too modest," Lu Guanghong said, his face showing approval. "Treasures are also a part of one's strength. I finally understand why Uncle-Master Li holds you in such high regard." He had initially assumed Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had gained their positions through connections, but he now realized they possessed genuine ability.