Chapter 2629: 400 Years, Wang Changsheng Emerges from Seclusion

In the Qingli Sea Domain, on Jinxie Island of the Tianbang Archipelago.

In a secret room, Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes closed. Above his head, a giant humanoid phantom shimmered, and countless wisps of blue mist drifted through the air.

The blue mist seemed to be guided by something, flowing towards Wang Changsheng.

After a while, Wang Changsheng opened his eyes.

The humanoid phantom above his head dissipated and vanished, and the blue mist in the air also dispersed.

After over four hundred years of intense cultivation, Wang Changsheng's magical power had significantly improved.

Wang Changsheng stood up and walked out. As he emerged, the Double-Pupil Rat scurried over and quickly climbed onto his shoulder, letting out a series of sharp "chirping" sounds.

"I know you're about to undergo your tribulation," Wang Changsheng said, gently stroking its head to comfort it, "I'll take you out to face the Grand Heavenly Tribulation."

Had it not been for the Double-Pupil Rat's impending Grand Heavenly Tribulation, Wang Changsheng would not have emerged from seclusion so soon.

A golden light flew over; it was the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada. It had devoured many spectral creatures in the Demonic Cave Heaven, including several at the Void Refinement stage, and had successfully advanced to mid-tier Tier 6. Although the Double-Pupil Rat had advanced earlier than the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada, it was still low-tier Tier 6, while the cicada had surpassed it.

Wang Changsheng took out a pitch-black Yin Bead and tossed it to the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada. This was a Yin Bead left by a Tier 6 spectral creature, obtained from Immortal Master Baichong.

The Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada emitted a golden glow, enveloped the Yin Bead, rolled it into its mouth, and swallowed it. The Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada flapped its wings, emitting a joyful chirping sound.

The Double-Pupil Rat chirped, wagging its tail back and forth, seemingly saying, "Master, I want some too!"

Wang Ruyan was cultivating, so Wang Changsheng did not disturb her. He decided one person was enough to protect the Double-Pupil Rat during its tribulation. Wang Changsheng took out a three-thousand-year-old Golden Sun Ginseng and fed it to the Double-Pupil Rat.

He placed them into his spirit beast bracelet, changed his appearance, and walked out. He hadn't forgotten Lin Shuheng; it was better to be cautious.

Not long after, Wang Changsheng appeared on a bustling main street, where crowds surged like tides, creating a lively atmosphere.

A quarter of an hour later, Wang Changsheng arrived at the entrance of a magnificent, golden palace. The plaque above read "Golden Crab Hall," and many cultivators were entering and exiting.

Just as he was about to enter, a familiar figure emerged from the Golden Crab Hall: Master Miaode. A gentle and refined monk in a blue robe walked beside Master Miaode. He was at the early Soul Transformation stage and wore a string of blue Buddhist beads on his chest. The blue-robed monk was tall and slender, with fair and clear skin and a kind, approachable face that exuded an easygoing aura. With Master Miaode as his teacher, it was difficult for the blue-robed monk's cultivation speed to be slow.

Master Miaode walked past Wang Changsheng, but it was the blue-robed monk who glanced at Wang Changsheng several times. This might have been because Wang Changsheng had just taken out the Yin Bead to feed the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada.

"Yuankong!" Master Miaode called out. The blue-robed monk responded, nodded to Wang Changsheng as if apologizing, and quickly followed. Soon after, Master Miaode and Yuankong disappeared into the crowd.

"Yuankong! He truly is his disciple," Wang Changsheng thought to himself. It was normal for Buddhist sects to have generational names.

Inside the Golden Crab Hall, a dozen teleportation arrays appeared before Wang Changsheng. People were constantly being teleported away or arriving. Wang Changsheng walked onto one of the teleportation arrays, paid the fee, and a guard struck it with a magical incantation. The array vibrated slightly, then lit up with a dazzling spiritual light, engulfing his figure.

After a moment, the spiritual light faded, and Wang Changsheng appeared in a spacious and bright hall. Outside, a clamor of voices could be heard. He walked out to the street, where people flowed like a river. Wang Changsheng walked around the market, found nothing unusual, and then left.

Half a month later, Wang Changsheng appeared above a hundred-mile-wide deserted island. The island's terrain was higher in the south and lower in the north, and it was covered in lush vegetation. Wang Changsheng unleashed his divine sense and, finding no other cultivators, descended. With a flick of his sleeve, over a thousand yellow-glowing formation flags flew out. He performed an incantation, and the yellow flags burst with spiritual light, transforming into streaks of yellow light that sank into the ground and vanished.

Wang Changsheng took out a constantly flickering yellow formation disc, inserted several incantations, and the ground trembled slightly. Countless yellow mists surged forth, forming a sea of yellow fog that enveloped the entire island. He released the Double-Pupil Rat, the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada, and the Wood Demon, allowing them to move freely. Wang Changsheng entered a cave, took out refining materials, and began crafting puppet beasts.

The Double-Pupil Rat's Grand Heavenly Tribulation was still within a hundred years, so there was plenty of time.

Speaking of which, he didn't know where his clone, Wang Xiangrong, was. He could confirm that the clone hadn't perished, but he had no idea of its location. The clone was an independent entity and could move freely. Wang Changsheng could sense the clone's presence within a certain range, but beyond that distance, he lost the connection. Wang Xiangrong had been studying the Dao of formations all these years. By now, he should have integrated into the Qingli Sea Domain.

Xuanguang Continent.

The Sky Tiger Mountain Range was located in the southeastern corner of the Xuanguang Continent, which was the territory of the Sky Tiger Clan. The Sky Tiger Clan was merely a minor clan on the Xuanguang Continent, with fewer than five Integration cultivators.

A deafening roar echoed, shaking the ground. A ball of crimson flame lit up high in the sky, strikingly conspicuous.

Deep within the mountain range, in a vast yellow desert, Chen Yueying stood high in the air, her face slightly pale. A burly man in a golden robe lay in a sand pit, with a bloodied hole in his chest and another in his head.

"It's finally done," Chen Yueying breathed a sigh of relief. She and Yang Qinglong had traveled from the Xuanling Continent to the Xuanguang Continent, relying on a mid-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure for flight, which took nearly a thousand years. During their journey, they had even forcibly commandeered the teleportation arrays of several minor clans to reach the Xuanguang Continent, encountering many Tier 7 demonic beasts along the way. However, by combining forces, they had made the journey without significant incident.

The Xuanguang Continent also had humans, but their strength was not comparable to those on the Xuanling Continent.

A blue streak of light flew from a distance. Soon after, it stopped, revealing Yang Qinglong, clad in a blue robe stained with some brownish blood.

"Dealt with it?" Chen Yueying asked.

Yang Qinglong nodded, saying, "Yes, dealt with it. I captured his soul and found some useful information: Ye Xuanji has appeared on the Xuanguang Continent."

"Ye Xuanji!" Chen Yueying's expression hardened.

"The Blood Shadow Clan sent several Integration cultivators to capture Ye Xuanji," Yang Qinglong stated gravely, his face serious. "But Ye Xuanji fiercely fought her way out of the encirclement, killing many Integration stage cultivators. The Blood Shadow Clan has now offered a reward of one billion spirit stones for her capture."

"A one-billion spirit stone reward! The Blood Shadow Clan has really hit a snag this time, provoking Ye Xuanji. I hope we get to encounter her," Chen Yueying said with a light chuckle.

She searched the corpse for valuables, then threw a fireball to incinerate it before leaving the area with Yang Qinglong.

Three years later, several minor clans claimed to have been attacked by human experts and offered a reward of five hundred million spirit stones for the culprits' capture, but no one came forward to claim the reward.