Chapter 2017: Encounter with Tong Tianhua

The corpse of this Golden Thunder Eagle can be used to refine a puppet beast. Unlike ordinary puppet beasts, those created from the skeletons of monster beasts can utilize some of the monster's original divine abilities.

The Golden Ape puppet beast wasn't of much help in defeating the Golden Thunder Eagle this time. It was too cumbersome to contend with a fifth-order Golden Thunder Eagle.

The Golden Thunder Eagle possessed powerful divine abilities, so a puppet beast refined from its remains would undoubtedly be formidable.

Wang Changsheng formed a hand seal, retrieving his nine Sea Stabilizing Orbs and the Ice Soul Spirit-Slaying Needle.

He approached the Golden Thunder Eagle's corpse, cut open its abdomen, and extracted a pale golden monster core. Faint golden electrical arcs pulsed across its surface.

He placed the Golden Thunder Eagle's corpse into his storage ring and flew back towards the cave.

Shortly after, Wang Changsheng emerged.

With the Golden Thunder Eagle dealt with, Wang Changsheng didn't linger. He transformed into a streak of light and ascended into the sky.

He had barely flown a thousand *li* when a deafening roar echoed from the void ahead. A colossal red mushroom cloud abruptly bloomed high in the sky, an unmistakable sight.

A golden streak of light shot out from the red mushroom cloud, moving at an incredibly high speed. Trailing the golden light were several other streaks, seemingly in pursuit.

Wang Changsheng had no intention of meddling; conflicts among different races were no concern of his.

"Oh!"

Wang Changsheng exclaimed softly, surprised to realize that the golden streak of light belonged to Tong Tianhua. Decades earlier, Wang Changsheng had met Tong Tianhua in Tianjiao City. Tong Tianhua was a member of the Seven Star Alliance. For him to conduct business in non-human territories, he must not only possess exceptional personal abilities but also be highly valued by the Alliance's senior leadership.

Saving this person and forming a good connection might prove beneficial; perhaps he would need Tong Tianhua's assistance in the future. Given that Tong Tianhua did business with the Merman race, it would be justifiable for Wang Changsheng to intervene and rescue him.

At that moment, Tong Tianhua also spotted Wang Changsheng. His expression shifted as he assumed the other man intended to block his escape.

"Fellow Daoist Tong," Wang Changsheng called out, offering a friendly smile, "I am Jiao Yunhai. We met in Tianjiao City."

Tong Tianhua's expression softened. "Fellow Daoist Jiao," he said, recalling something, "the Beastkin race is pursuing me, and they are quite powerful."

"Don't worry, repelling them won't be an issue for me," Wang Changsheng assured him. "Fellow Daoist Tong, you should go now! Perhaps we'll meet again."

Wang Changsheng slapped his right hand towards the seawater below. The surface immediately churned violently, raising colossal waves that resembled towering blue mountains lying across the sea, forming a barrier in front of Tong Tianhua.

Tong Tianhua took out a pale blue token and tossed it to Wang Changsheng. "Fellow Daoist Jiao, I am infinitely grateful for saving my life," he said. "This is a VIP token from our Seven Star Alliance. Should you ever need my assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to ask. Farewell."

With those words, Tong Tianhua's escape light intensified dramatically, and he vanished into the distance.

At that moment, two men and one woman gave chase. Leading them was a Beastkin nearly three meters tall, with an ape head, a human body covered in blue fur, a greenish face, and fangs. His aura was even more powerful than Wang Changsheng's. The other two Beastkin were both at the early Nascent Soul stage; one had an ape head and human body, while the other had a fish head and human body.

"A Merman!" the ape-headed Beastkin sneered, his face contorted with disdain. "Hmph, since when did your Merman race align with the human race? This isn't your territory. If you want to save someone, you'd better be capable enough."

"It's not about who has more people," Wang Changsheng retorted dismissively. He formed a hand seal. Dozens of towering waves surged rapidly, resembling colossal hands, crashing down upon the three Beastkin.

The three Beastkin, naturally, did not stand idly by. They all moved to resist. With deafening roars, dozens of colossal waves exploded sequentially, dissolving into a shower of spray. Several small islands were shattered into dust by the powerful concussive force.

The seawater began to churn violently, forming a massive whirlpool spanning ten thousand *li* in diameter. Concurrently, a powerful airflow was generated, and a dull humming sound emanated from the void.

The three Beastkin's bodies plunged uncontrollably towards the sea surface. The ape-headed Beastkin's expression darkened. He let out a sharp, piercing roar and unleashed a bluish sound wave that struck the giant whirlpool. With a loud boom, the giant whirlpool rippled slightly but remained largely unaffected.

Ripples spread through the void above their heads as a giant, bluish hand materialized out of thin air, shimmering with spiritual light as if it were solid. Just as the three Beastkin were about to cast defensive spells, a deafening roar reverberated. All three cried out in agony, clutching their heads, feeling as if their sea of consciousness was being torn apart.

Seizing the opportune moment, the blue hand slammed down. Three screams echoed as the three Beastkin rapidly plummeted towards the giant whirlpool. The ape-headed Beastkin's body flared with intense blue light, enveloping a large area of seawater and momentarily halting their descent.

Wang Changsheng had injured them with a single strike and was about to summon his magic treasure to finish them off. He frowned, glancing towards the distant sky. His divine sense had detected two Nascent Soul cultivators flying in their direction, apparently the Beastkin's companions.

Wang Changsheng decisively gave up, transforming into a blue streak of light and diving into the sea. The three Beastkin attempted to block him, but the giant whirlpool exploded, unleashing countless blue water blades that shot towards them, threatening to slice them into mincemeat.

They hastily conjured their magic treasures to defend themselves. The dense blue water blades struck their defenses, producing a series of dull thuds. After a short while, the blue water blades vanished, and so did Wang Changsheng.

Two streaks of light arrived from the distance, stopping after a few blinks. The leader was a middle-aged man with golden feathered wings on his back.

"What happened? Where is that guy?" he demanded, his brow furrowed and his tone heavy.

"A Nascent Soul Merman blocked our path," the ape-headed Beastkin quickly reported. "His divine abilities are formidable, and he even mastered a spiritual sense attack technique. We were caught off guard and he injured us."

"A Merman?" The middle-aged man's face darkened. "With this delay, Tong Tianhua has also escaped. He's lucky," he coldly snorted. "The three of you couldn't even defeat a single Nascent Soul Merman; you've truly brought shame upon our Beastkin race."

The three Beastkin exchanged bitter smiles, not daring to argue.

"Mermen are adept at water escape techniques, so we won't be able to catch him," the middle-aged man said. "Never mind, let's go back! If you dare to be negligent again during our trip to Xuanfeng Grotto-heaven, don't expect me to be lenient."

The three Beastkin shivered and readily agreed, patting their chests in assurance. The five of them returned the way they had come, disappearing from sight shortly after.

The sea surface near Xuanying Island suddenly erupted as a streak of light shot out from beneath the waves; it was Wang Changsheng.

Ying Tianheng immediately flew out from Xuanying Island. He took a closer look, let out a long sigh of relief, and a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Senior Jiao, you've returned," Ying Tianheng asked cautiously. "Did you take care of the Golden Thunder Eagle?"

Wang Changsheng nodded, flicked his sleeve, and a green storage ring flew out, landing in front of Ying Tianheng. "You've rendered a meritorious service this time. This is your reward."

Wang Changsheng's tone was cordial, as he still needed Ying Tianheng's assistance. Ying Tianheng was instantly overjoyed and thanked him profusely.

"I need a batch of artifact-refining materials," Wang Changsheng stated. "Please make a trip for me. Here is the list and the spirit stones." He took out a blue storage ring and handed it to Ying Tianheng.

"Senior, rest assured, I will attend to it immediately," Ying Tianheng declared, patting his chest in assurance.