Chapter 3852: Caravan Ambush

Ten thousand years passed swiftly.

On Green Lotus Island, the morning sun rose, casting golden light across it, as if adorning the island with a golden cloak.

With the sound of three melodious bell tolls, a new day began, and the Wang family members grew busy.

Inside a spacious and brightly lit hall, a plaque above its entrance read "Divine Arms Hall." This was where the Wang family's immortal artifact refiners forged their creations.

Wang Jiye sat on the main seat, listening to a graceful young woman in a white dress. The young woman had picturesque features, skin as fair as snow, and bright, lively eyes.

She was Wang Ruixue, an early True Immortal stage cultivator and the Deputy Hall Master of the Commerce Hall.

"These are the materials our Divine Arms Hall requires," Wang Jiye said. "Ruixue, please keep an eye out for them, try to collect all of them, and have them transported back."

Wang Jiye flicked his sleeve, and a red jade slip flew out, landing in front of Wang Ruixue.

Wang Ruixue took the red jade slip, acknowledged the task, and then departed from the Divine Arms Hall.

Not long after, she arrived at a vast bluestone plaza. At its center rested a colossal azure ship, over a hundred zhang long. On board was a thirty-six-story azure pavilion, and its sails bore the two silver characters "Green Lotus," shimmering with spiritual light.

This flying immortal artifact was used by the Commerce Hall for transporting goods. Whenever it embarked, the family would dispatch experts to guard it, as many evil cultivators frequented the Heavenly Morning Sea Domain, with some forming teams to rob merchant convoys.

Many cultivators had gathered in the plaza, most of whom were from the Commerce Hall, though there were also family members from other halls.

Wang Ruixue flew onto the deck, and the other cultivators swiftly followed.

"Depart!"

Wang Ruixue performed a hand seal, and the azure ship glowed with a dazzling blue light before ascending into the sky, departing from Green Lotus Island.

Three days later, the azure ship appeared over an endless expanse of sapphire sea, where a gentle breeze blew and the sun shone brightly.

Wang Ruixue stood silently on the deck.

The sea surface churned violently, and a colossal vortex appeared out of nowhere, generating a powerful suction force. At the same time, a red light flashed in the sky, revealing a small, red-glowing seal. The seal then emitted a blinding red light, rapidly expanded in size, and plunged downwards.

A powerful restraining force appeared out of nowhere, trapping the azure ship in mid-air.

"Oh no, enemy attack, enemy attack!" the Wang family members cried out in alarm as loud alarms blared.

Wang Ruixue remained calm, conjuring a small, white-glowing mirror and infusing it with immortal essence. The mirror's surface glowed with a dazzling white light, emitting a sheet of white mystical light that enveloped the descending colossal red seal.

As the white mystical light touched the colossal red seal, the red seal instantly froze, and its descent halted.

Wang Ruixue flicked her sleeve, and a white-glowing orb flew out, floating above the azure ship. She cast a spell into it, and the white orb immediately shone brightly, sweeping out a white halo. Wherever it passed, the air filled with white ice shards.

An azure light shot out from the ship's cabin, striking the air with a tearing sound. The restraining force vanished, and the azure ship accelerated, dodging the descending colossal red seal.

The sea surface erupted, and a colossal water tornado shot skyward, heading directly for the azure ship. Wang Ruixue slapped her right hand towards the air, and a giant white hand appeared out of nowhere, rushing towards the water tornado.

With a thunderous roar, the water tornado instantly froze.

Family members below the True Immortal stage quickly returned to the cabin for shelter, simultaneously activating communication arrays to notify the family and request reinforcements.

Lin Yiming, Long Qingfeng, and Wang Ruixue stood on the deck, their expressions cold.

Four men and one woman appeared, encircling them. Leading them was a short, stout old man in a blue robe, with a pale, beardless face and a strong aura of malevolence. He wore a blue hoop earring on his left ear.

"Ghost Cloud Master! You're still alive," Wang Ruixue frowned. Ghost Cloud Master was a True Immortal cultivator renowned for many years, known for raising True Immortal stage ghost creatures. His last appearance had been over a hundred thousand years ago.

"Since you recognize me," Ghost Cloud Master said, his tone icy. "Leave behind the immortal cultivation resources on the ship, and we can let you go."

Among the five of them, three were mid-True Immortals and two were early True Immortals, all having opened three orifices, which was quite formidable. They lived by killing and plundering treasures, rarely operating, but when they did, their gains were immense. They rarely failed. Their last robbery was a cultivation family's fleet, but one True Immortal cultivator managed to escape. When the news spread, they were put on a wanted list and had not shown themselves for over a hundred thousand years. This location was a considerable distance from Green Lotus Island, meaning even if True Immortal Taihao received the news, he wouldn't be able to arrive quickly.

"Enough talk with them," an ample young woman in a blue dress said with a frown. "Let's eliminate them quickly. If True Immortal Taihao arrives, we'll be in trouble."

She performed a hand seal, and the sea surface churned violently, sending water tornados shooting skyward directly towards the azure ship.

Wang Ruixue activated a hand seal, and the white orb unleashed a vast expanse of bone-chilling white cold energy that rapidly spread. The water tornados instantly froze upon contact with the white cold energy.

Azure light erupted from Long Qingfeng's body, transforming him into a colossal azure flood dragon. Its right claw swiped at the air, causing ripples to appear above the blue-dressed young woman, from which an azure dragon claw emerged, striking towards her head. A loud beast roar emanated from her body, and the blue jade pendant on her chest immediately glowed intensely. A water-blue light barrier then appeared, enveloping her body. A miniature whale constantly swam across the surface of the blue water barrier. The azure dragon claw struck the blue water barrier with a muffled thud, causing it to cave inwards, but it quickly returned to normal.

Lin Yiming's eyes flared with dazzling black light, each shooting out a black light beam that struck a certain spot in the air. A piercing ghostly wail resounded as a black specter with a greenish face and fangs appeared, green smoke rising from its body. Judging by its aura, it was a True Immortal stage ghost creature.

"Wielding ghost-control techniques in front of me! You seek death."

Lin Yiming's expression turned cold. He performed a hand seal, and his eyes emitted a black halo that shot directly towards the specter. He possessed the Netherworld Ghost Eyes, which naturally restrained ghost creatures.

Just as the ghost creature was about to evade, a powerful restraining force appeared out of nowhere, and simultaneously, a giant white hand materialized, striking towards it. The ghost creature let out a piercing wail and spat out a black sound wave that struck the air, causing it to shatter and numerous cracks to appear.

The giant white hand struck the ghost creature, which groaned as its body rapidly froze. However, black light soon flared from its body, and the ice melted away. The black halo swept past the ghost creature's body, causing it to let out a mournful wail as green smoke rose from its form.

A cold gust of wind blew past, and a colossal ghost creature appeared—a blood-red specter covered in multiple eyes. This was the Hundred-Eyed Blood Ghost, a ghost creature cultivated by Lin Yiming, currently at the early True Immortal stage.

The eyes on the Hundred-Eyed Blood Ghost's body glowed brightly, shooting out beams of blood-red light that pierced through the black specter's body, riddling it with holes until it transformed into a black orb. The Hundred-Eyed Blood Ghost grabbed the black orb, swallowed it, and an expression of ecstasy appeared on its face.

Less than three breaths of time had passed from the moment Lin Yiming made his move to the annihilation of the True Immortal stage ghost creature.