Chapter 427: Hunter Demon Squad

The South Sea is home to numerous islands. Spirit Turtle Island, where Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan reside, is located within the Coral Sea. The South Sea is vast and comprises dozens of large and small sea regions; smaller regions might contain hundreds of islands, while larger ones can boast up to one hundred thousand. The Coral Sea is merely the area closest to the Eastern Barren Lands, and its cultivation resources are not the most abundant in the South Sea.

As the saying goes, one lives by what the land and sea provide.

Relying on its boundless ocean, the South Sea is infinitely vast and rich in demonic beast resources. It is even said to be the origin of the cultivation world, boasting abundant cultivation resources and a diverse array of races.

Wang Changsheng had cast his Concealment Art; while its effectiveness on cultivators above the Core Formation stage was uncertain, any Foundation Establishment cultivator seeing him would perceive him as being at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment.

Stepping out of the main hall, Wang Changsheng observed the passing cultivators with some surprise.

The bustling streets were predominantly filled with Foundation Establishment cultivators, with very few Qi Condensation cultivators. These individuals were dressed in diverse styles; he even spotted a beast-human with green skin.

As newcomers to the South Sea, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan were completely bewildered, unsure where to begin.

They toured all the shops on Spirit Turtle Island, thus gaining a certain understanding of its commerce.

Most of the shops on the island dealt in demonic beast materials, though there were also numerous pill, magic tool, and talisman shops.

With the South Sea's abundant demonic beast resources, hunting teams were plentiful. After a tour of the market, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan discovered no fewer than twenty such teams, far more than they would find in the Eastern Barren Lands.

To integrate into the South Sea, the best approach was to join a demonic beast hunting team.

To be honest, Wang Changsheng was unaccustomed to this lifestyle. He had always earned spirit stones by crafting puppet beasts and refining magic tools. Even when hunting demonic beasts, he had always done so with his own clan members, never with outsiders.

With his artifact refining skills, opening an artifact refining shop would certainly be profitable. However, using it as a means to find Natural Spirit Water would be difficult; it was highly unlikely anyone would volunteer information about its whereabouts.

Furthermore, the Wang family controlled very little territory and had few sources of income. He also wished to use this opportunity to pave the way for his family's future. Even the Grand Unity Immortal Sect had established a branch in the South Sea, which clearly demonstrated the abundance of cultivation resources there.

Wang Changsheng did not harbor ambitions of occupying territory. Instead, he intended to thoroughly understand the South Sea's landscape, establish a shop there, acquire local specialties, and transport them back to the Eastern Barren Lands for resale, effectively buying low and selling high.

Wang Changsheng had inquired and learned that Listening Rain Pavilion was the finest teahouse on Spirit Turtle Island. Many demonic beast hunting teams frequented it to drink tea, socialize, and recruit new members.

"Husband," Wang Ruyan carefully reminded him, "we must switch to storage pearls. If we keep wearing storage bags, they will certainly know we aren't South Sea cultivators. Practically all cultivators who hunt demonic beasts use storage pearls here."

Wang Changsheng chuckled softly. "My wife is indeed meticulous," he said. "I almost forgot about that."

Since the advent of storage pearls, South Sea cultivators had widely adopted them, replacing traditional storage bags. Their exquisite appearance and convenient portability made them particularly popular among female cultivators.

Besides storage pearls, South Sea cultivators also replaced spirit beast pouches with spirit beast pearls, which were similarly refined from clam pearls.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan purchased two strings of storage pearls, replacing their old storage bags. They also exchanged their spirit beast pouches for spirit beast pearls.

They went to Listening Rain Pavilion daily to drink tea, hoping to join one of the other demonic beast hunting teams.

Each demonic beast hunting team consisted of at least seven members, with some larger, more powerful teams exceeding twenty.

Wang Changsheng's displayed cultivation was at the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, and Wang Ruyan's was at the sixth. After several visits to Listening Rain Pavilion, they piqued the interest of many hunting teams.

Early one morning, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan arrived at Listening Rain Pavilion on time and enjoyed tea and snacks on the third floor.

"I am Qin Ming, the vice-captain of a demonic beast hunting team," a dark-skinned middle-aged man suddenly approached them, introducing himself sincerely. "Are the two fellow Daoists interested in joining our team?"

Wang Changsheng looked in the direction Qin Ming pointed, seeing four men and one woman. The highest-cultivated individual was a gaunt-faced, middle-aged man with a long scar on his head, at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment. The lowest-cultivated was a young woman in a green dress, in her thirties, at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, where do you plan to hunt demonic beasts?" Wang Changsheng asked via sound transmission. Given the South Sea's abundant cultivation resources, incidents of murder and robbery were frequent. Some rogue cultivators disguised themselves as hunting teams, deceiving Foundation Establishment cultivators into joining them, only to lead them to deserted islands for murder and plunder. Such incidents were not uncommon.

Wang Changsheng was not afraid of Foundation Establishment cultivators causing trouble, but he still inquired to avoid raising suspicion.

Qin Ming smiled faintly and replied, "We've always hunted demonic beasts in the Coral Sea. Our captain, Ye Lang, is quite well-known here; you can inquire about him."

Wang Changsheng had made prior inquiries and knew that several hunting teams in the Coral Sea were renowned; Ye Lang's team was among them.

With their lowest-cultivated member at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment and Ye Lang himself at the eighth, the strength of this hunting team was not to be underestimated, and their renown was well-deserved.

"Fellow Daoist Qin," Wang Changsheng replied, "my wife and I will discuss it back home and give you our answer tomorrow."

"No problem," Qin Ming agreed. "We will await good news from the two fellow Daoists."

Qin Ming agreed and turned to walk towards Ye Lang.

In the following period, several teams sent invitations to Wang Changsheng and his wife, including one with twenty members. Wang Changsheng neither refused nor accepted any of them.

Upon returning to their residence, Wang Ruyan openly asked, "Husband, which team do you intend to join?"

"Ye Lang's team," Wang Changsheng replied. "This team has some renown and isn't overly large. In the future, we can have our clan members come to the South Sea to hunt demonic beasts, which would pave the way for them."

The cultivation resources in the Eastern Barren Lands could not compare to those in the South Sea. For the Wang family to grow stronger, they had to find new sources of income, and Wang Changsheng had long set his sights on the South Sea as a land of opportunity.

The next morning, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan arrived at Listening Rain Pavilion, where Ye Lang and his group were already present.

"Fellow Daoists, I am Ye Lang," Ye Lang approached them and asked sincerely. "Regarding what Fellow Daoist Qin mentioned yesterday, what have you decided?"

Wang Changsheng smiled and nodded. "We are willing to join Fellow Daoist Ye's team," he said, "but there are a few matters we'd like to discuss in detail with you."

"No problem," Ye Lang replied. "Please follow me, fellow Daoists. Let's discuss this in a private room."

Ye Lang led Wang Changsheng and the others into a private room. After a brief introduction, Wang Changsheng inquired about the specifics of hunting demonic beasts, from locating them to dividing the spoils, and Ye Lang answered each question thoroughly.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, Fellow Daoist Qin," Wang Changsheng said politely, raising his teacup. "From now on, we'll be sharing the same pot; please look after us."

"Haha, not at all!" Ye Lang exclaimed. "Only by working together can we successfully hunt demonic beasts. I, Ye, raise this tea as a toast to welcome the two fellow Daoists to our team."

Ye Lang raised his teacup and drained it in one gulp.