Chapter 2601: Golden Crab Island

The Tianbang Archipelago is renowned for its abundant sea clams. Golden Crab Island, when viewed from above, strikingly resembles a golden crab, which is how it got its name.

Over 50,000 years ago, the Qin family was merely a third-rate clan, with only about a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators. Later, Heavenly Illusion True Monarch, who possessed the Heavenly Illusion Spirit Body, was born. He led the Qin family to grow and prosper. In less than ten thousand years, the Qin family boasted three Integration cultivators. Heavenly Illusion True Monarch distinguished himself greatly in the racial wars, slaying multiple Integration-stage Witch cultivators. His reputation soared, but unfortunately, he was unable to ascend to the Mahayana stage.

There are countless examples of cultivation families rising and falling due to a single pivotal figure. A powerful clan member can lead a family to glory, and the same holds true for immortal cultivation sects and even certain races. The Xu family is just one such example.

After years of development, the Qin family had no fewer than four Integration cultivators. The clan itself comprised over 100,000 cultivators, with more than a hundred affiliated forces, allowing them to mobilize millions of cultivators. They were a leading major human force in the Qingli Sea Domain. With Qin family disciples studying under True Monarch Qianjin, their development momentum improved even further.

Golden Crab Island is one of the major markets controlled by the Qin family, with an Integration cultivator stationed there year-round. Clam shells and pearls from the island can be used for artifact refining or array formation. Merchants frequently travel there year-round to purchase these clam shells and pearls, transporting them to other places for sale to earn a profit.

Two streaks of light appeared on the distant horizon. Before long, they stopped, revealing the figures of Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

Wang Changsheng had obtained a significant amount of Styx Water from the Heavenly Demon Cave. He planned to seclude himself for a period of cultivation. He possessed Heaven-Eroding Fruits, Nine-Revolution Jade Spirit Fruits, and Heavenly Soul Nether Lotuses. If he cultivated to the late-stage Void Refinement perfection, he could consider attempting to break through to the Integration stage. However, he had not been in the late-stage Void Refinement for long; even with intensive cultivation, he wouldn't reach late-stage Void Refinement perfection so quickly. He would definitely need to cultivate diligently for some time.

Venerable Hundred-Insect's storage ring contained many valuable items. These included two bottles of sixth-grade pills for cultivating spirit insects, a batch of sixth-grade materials, eighteen types of Dharma Idol materials (mostly Five-Element), and nine Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures. Among the treasures, one was a mid-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure called the Black Dove Blade, while the remaining eight were low-grade. He also found over 300 supreme-grade spirit stones, twenty-seven cultivation techniques (five of which could be cultivated to the Integration stage), and insights into cultivating spirit insects and spirit beasts.

He examined the jade slips in the storage ring. Their contents were diverse, including items from many immortal cultivation families or sects. Clearly, Venerable Hundred-Insect had slain many Void Refinement cultivators. If it weren't for his greed for the Heavenly Buddha Bell, Venerable Hundred-Insect would not have been killed. More importantly, the Golden Falcon Twin Immortals were betrayed by True Monarch Bloodblade. Had True Monarch Bloodblade not agreed to join forces with them, the Golden Falcon Twin Immortals would likely not have dared to confront Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

The Adamantine Insects cultivated by Venerable Hundred-Insect were indeed remarkable. His storage ring even contained some Adamantine Insect eggs. Sixth-grade Adamantine Insects could devour Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures, making them incredibly powerful, but unfortunately for them, they encountered Wang Ruyan. Adamantine Insects were like a growth-type treasure. Venerable Hundred-Insect had a fortunate encounter that granted him powerful divine sense, allowing him to command hundreds of thousands of Adamantine Insects in battle. The Wang family possessed the "Grand Void Divine Forging Art," and after cultivating its first four layers, clan members could also develop powerful divine sense. If one could control a million Adamantine Insects, even Integration cultivators would have to retreat. However, even Wang Changsheng might not be able to command a million Adamantine Insects in battle.

In addition to these items, Venerable Hundred-Insect's storage ring also contained numerous Yin Beads. This trip yielded significant gains, though it was a pity that the Demon-Slaying Arrow treasure was destroyed, as it was a powerful weapon against ghostly entities.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan flew towards Golden Crab Island. Soon after, they appeared on a wide and clean street, which was bustling with people and traffic. The shops lining both sides of the street mostly dealt in demonic beast materials, and most female cultivators wore artifacts and magic treasures crafted from clam pearls.

As they passed a street corner, Wang Changsheng stopped, his gaze fixed on a small shop over a hundred zhang in size. The shopkeeper was a skinny, bamboo-like old man in green robes, whose cultivation was only at the Nascent Soul stage. Numerous materials, such as clam shells, ores, spirit wood, and so on, were displayed on the shelves.

Wang Changsheng entered the shop and picked up a golden ore whose surface was pitted and uneven. "How much for this golden tin ore?" he asked casually. "Senior, just pay what you deem appropriate," the old man in green robes said cautiously.

Wang Ruyan paid 300,000 spirit stones, far exceeding the ore's actual value. "Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to transfer this golden tin ore to me? I am willing to pay ten times the price," a gentle male voice spoke.

Wang Changsheng turned his head to see a handsome, fair-skinned young man in white robes walking towards them. His aura was slightly stronger than Wang Changsheng’s. "My apologies, but I cannot oblige," Wang Changsheng refused.

"Very well! My name is Lin Shuheng, and my master is Venerable Tian’ou of Tian’ou Island. If Fellow Daoist changes his mind, you can find me at Tian’ou Pavilion. The price is negotiable." The young man in white robes introduced himself politely, then turned and left.

"What is the background of Venerable Tian’ou?" Wang Ruyan took out a high-grade spirit stone and tossed it to the old man in green robes. "Venerable Tian’ou is an Integration cultivator. He established his sect over 3,000 years ago and has several Void Refinement cultivators under his tutelage. Senior Lin is Venerable Tian’ou’s senior disciple. Seniors, perhaps you should just let him have that golden tin ore!" the old man in green robes said cautiously. He had also realized that the golden tin ore was special, and he did not want to get involved in a dispute between high-level cultivators.

Wang Changsheng did not take it to heart; there was a teleportation array in the market, so they could simply teleport away if necessary. They browsed around the market, selling off batches of items they didn't need, exchanging them for over a hundred million spirit stones, and purchasing some artifact refining materials. Three hours later, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan appeared in a secluded small courtyard with blue tiles. Inside the courtyard was a three-story blue pavilion, and some Green Wind Bamboos were planted near it.

Wang Changsheng took out the golden tin ore, crushed it forcefully, and a completely black crystal fell out, emitting a faint aura. "Jade Soul Crystal! No wonder you didn’t want to give it up, dear husband," Wang Ruyan exclaimed, suddenly realizing. Jade Soul Crystals could be used to set up arrays, assisting them in cultivating the "Grand Void Divine Forging Art." They had searched for years on the Profound Spirit Continent without finding a single one, only discovering two in the Azure Cloud Sect's treasure vault. This was their third Jade Soul Crystal, but as the cultivation layers of the "Grand Void Divine Forging Art" increased, more Jade Soul Crystals would be needed.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had no immediate use for it, but the Jade Soul Crystal could be given to other clan members to cultivate the "Grand Void Divine Forging Art," or used to feed the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicadas. "I didn't expect to find a Jade Soul Crystal here. In fact, I owe it to the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicadas' alert, otherwise I wouldn't have discovered it," Wang Changsheng said with a smile, as Soul-Devouring Golden Cicadas were highly sensitive to yin-soul type materials. They had devoured many ghostly entities in the Heavenly Demon Cave, and he believed that given some time, it wouldn't be difficult for them to advance to the sixth-grade mid-level.