Chapter 3349: Wang Mengbin's Crisis

"A Nine-Aperture Nascent Soul? How many apertures did Heavenly Venerate Xuanling open?" Wang Ruyan asked curiously.

Chen Yueying shook her head and replied, "I don't know. Who would tell others how many apertures they've opened, unless they're killed? You're close to Immortal Ye. If you meet her again, you can inquire; perhaps she knows!"

"If I encounter Immortal Ye again, I will certainly ask her," Wang Changsheng said, nodding with a hopeful expression. He then recalled something and continued, "By the way, Senior Sister Chen, our Wang family has a shallow foundation and very few collected ancient texts. I'd like to bring a clansman to browse the Zhenhai Palace's scripture repository. We're not interested in cultivation techniques, secret arts, pill recipes, talismans, wine formulas, formations, or beast-taming methods."

It's possible that the Zhenhai Palace's scripture repository contains ancient texts describing immortal scripts. If we could identify the characters on the walls of the Azure Lotus Creation Cauldron, that would be ideal.

"No problem at all, it's a minor matter. You can go and check right away," Chen Yueying readily agreed. In her eyes, the most valuable texts in the scripture repository were cultivation techniques and pill recipes. Other texts were not considered particularly precious, and she knew they truly weren't.

The Wang family's foundation was indeed shallow, and Zhenhai Palace wasn't significantly better off, having only developed for tens of thousands of years longer. Chen Yueying was the first Mahayana cultivator of Zhenhai Palace, just as Wang Changsheng was the first for the Wang family.

"Thank you, Senior Sister Chen," Wang Changsheng said gratefully.

"It's a small matter. Junior Brother Wang, when do you plan to hold your Mahayana Grand Ceremony?" Chen Yueying asked. She thought that if Wang Changsheng held such a celebration, Ye Xuanji might even come to congratulate him.

"It's not too late to hold it after notifying the Ye family. I also want to focus on secluded cultivation for a while, and then I'll settle accounts with the Silver Shark clan," Wang Changsheng said, his face filled with murderous intent by the end of his statement.

Having advanced to the Mahayana stage, Wang Changsheng was sure to expand his territory. The Fiery Spirit Clan and the Yaksha Clan were allies and difficult to contend with. Towards the sea, he only needed to deal with the Silver Shark Clan, as the Golden Scale Clan was relatively docile.

He hadn't yet mastered any new divine abilities, so he couldn't defeat Yin Qing. However, once he did, and with the addition of a high-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure and Chen Yueying's cooperation, Yin Qing wouldn't stand a chance.

He hadn't forgotten the death of Wang Yuling. Over the years, the Silver Shark Clan had frequently clashed with the Wang family. Wang Changsheng was determined to make an example of them, also to avenge his deceased clansmen.

If he and Chen Yueying joined forces, even if they couldn't eliminate Yin Qing, severely injuring her would be no problem.

Chen Yueying nodded and said, "That's how it should be. You should focus on your cultivation first. As an artifact refiner, if you can forge a high-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, you'll have a greater advantage when dealing with the Silver Shark Clan."

She had originally intended to ask Wang Changsheng to help forge a high-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, but now that he had advanced to the Mahayana stage, she had to abandon that thought.

One must always be wary of others. In the face of immense personal gain, she was unwilling to gamble on human nature.

For the sake of their cultivation path, even blood brothers might turn against each other, let alone outsiders. Apart from Wang Changsheng, even a Mahayana cultivator from the Ye family would be tempted if they knew Chen Yueying possessed Nine-Lang Stone.

Wang Changsheng nodded. After chatting for over half an hour, he, Wang Chuanlin, and Chen Yueying left Azure Lotus Island and headed for Floating Cloud Island.

---

The Azure Glaze Sea, Seven Stars Island.

On the streets, people bustled and traffic flowed.

The door to a secret chamber opened, and Wang Qingfeng emerged, his face wreathed in smiles.

He had already advanced to the Mid-Integration stage. His cultivation speed was not fast, but it was moderate.

As he stepped outside, he saw Dong Xueli sitting in a green stone pavilion, with Wang Yongqian reporting to her. Dong Xueli held a golden invitation in her hand.

"Madam, Yongqian, what are you two discussing?" Wang Qingfeng asked casually.

"True Man Xuanhuo of the Han family has advanced to the Integration stage and is holding an Integration Grand Ceremony, to which we've been invited," Dong Xueli said, shaking the invitation in her hand.

After many years of recuperation, the Han family was slowly recovering its strength.

The Wang family and the Han family were now connected by marriage, so it was natural for the Han family to invite Wang family cultivators to their Integration Grand Ceremony.

Wang Qingfeng nodded and said, "Since the Han family extended an invitation, we should go. Let's call Meng Bin and Yu Qi; perhaps we can exchange for the cultivation resources they need."

"Someone discovered a mid-seventh-tier Golden Lightning Crane in the Myriad Whirlpool Sea. Father, Meng Bin, and Yu Qi have gone out to hunt it," Dong Xueli replied.

The Myriad Whirlpool Sea is a dangerous area within the Azure Glaze Sea, characterized by numerous whirlpools and frequent celestial winds. Clan members from the Demon Hunting Hall found a mid-seventh-tier Golden Lightning Crane there. Duan Tongtian and two others went to eliminate this beast, hoping to obtain a Lightning Absorption Pearl.

Wang Qingfeng suddenly understood. Wang Mengbin and Duan Tongtian were stuck at bottlenecks, still in the early Integration stage. With the three of them working together, eliminating a mid-seventh-tier Golden Lightning Crane would pose no problem.

If they could obtain a Lightning Absorption Pearl, the Wang family could acquire another set of Lightning Transformation Arrays.

"Yongqian, you'll come with us then! Select some clansmen who have performed well and bring them along to attend True Man Xuanhuo's Integration Grand Ceremony," Dong Xueli instructed.

Wang Yongqian acknowledged and left to carry out the order.

---

In a vast, azure sea, multiple gigantic whirlpools churned rapidly on the surface, creating powerful suction. High above, deafening roars echoed, as a golden lightning sphere and a streak of green saber light flared, sending out surging airwaves.

A shrill bird cry pierced the air, and a giant golden crane, completely golden, plummeted from high in the sky. Numerous feathers detached from its body, which was covered in blood, and its left wing appeared unnaturally twisted.

The void rippled, and a colossal white palm materialized out of thin air, striking towards the golden giant crane.

Countless golden electric arcs surged from the golden giant crane's body. It opened its mouth and spat out a golden electric arc, shattering the colossal white palm.

A thick silver lightning pillar descended from the sky, striking the golden lightning crane and engulfing its body in silver light.

After a moment, the lightning dissipated, and the golden lightning crane appeared largely unharmed. It clearly possessed a Lightning Absorption Pearl; otherwise, it wouldn't have escaped so easily.

A piercing whoosh cut through the air, and a massive, hazy green saber light descended from the sky. Before it even landed, the void itself tore open, and the seawater split in two.

The golden giant crane fiercely flapped its wings, about to dodge, when a man's thunderous roar, echoing through heaven and earth, caused its reaction to falter.

The Heaven-Reaching saber light slashed down, severing its head. The moment a miniature golden crane emerged from its body, it was enveloped by a white mist and instantly drawn into a white jade bottle, disappearing from sight.

The golden giant crane's corpse swiftly plummeted towards the seabed. A cluster of silver lightning flared, revealing Wang Mengbin's figure.

Wang Mengbin grasped the golden giant crane's corpse and head, then found a glistening golden spherical pearl inside its head.

"A Lightning Absorption Pearl!" Wang Mengbin's face lit up with joy. Over the years, they had eliminated many lightning-attribute seventh-tier demon beasts, but had only ever found Lightning-Attracting Pearls at best. This was the first time they had obtained a Lightning Absorption Pearl.

A Lightning Transformation Array, powered by a mid-seventh-tier Lightning Absorption Pearl, would be exceptionally effective at resisting lightning tribulations.

Bai Yuqi and Duan Tongtian flew in from a distance. Upon seeing the Lightning Absorption Pearl, their faces also lit up with joy.

Just then, the void above Wang Mengbin's head rippled, and a hazy green bird claw materialized out of thin air, striking towards his crown.

Wang Mengbin reacted quickly. A brilliant silver light erupted from his body, and a thick silver lightning bolt shot skyward, shattering the green bird claw.

Wang Mengbin gazed towards the distant horizon, where he saw four men and one woman. They had long ears, prominent noses, and a pair of large bird-like wings on their backs. Leading them was a short, stout old man in a green robe. Judging by his energy fluctuations, he was clearly a late Integration stage cultivator.