Chapter 476: Out to Sea

More than two months passed quickly.

Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, with a two-foot-long azure flying sword and a red command flag suspended in mid-air.

The hilt of the sword was carved with a small azure fish, and the blade featured faint azure spirit patterns. The entire flying sword emitted a powerful spiritual energy fluctuation.

The red command flag was enveloped in a layer of red light, and numerous mysterious runes were faintly visible on its surface.

These were the Azure Fish Sword and the Fire Cloud Flag. During the refinement of the Azure Fish Sword, some Azure Fish Tears were incorporated. Azure Fish Tears are a unique refining material from the South Sea, known for increasing the durability of magical artifacts. The Fire Cloud Flag was refined from the hide of a third-tier Fire Cloud Rhinoceros, a piece of Fire Rhinoceros Wood, and various other materials.

He spent over two months successfully refining these two natal artifacts.

Wang Changsheng beckoned with one hand, and the Azure Fish Sword and Fire Cloud Flag flew into his grasp. With a gentle flick of the Azure Fish Sword, a crisp sword cry resonated. A light wave of the Fire Cloud Flag caused a large swath of crimson firelight to appear out of thin air.

He nodded with satisfaction, put away the Azure Fish Sword and Fire Cloud Flag, and walked out.

Wang Changsheng and the other three resided in a quiet courtyard. Inside the courtyard stood an azure pavilion. Wang Ruyan, Wang Qingshan, and Wang Qingjun were currently in the stone pavilion, drinking tea and chatting. Wang Qingshan and Wang Qingjun had been frequenting the Listening Rain Pavilion recently.

"What are you all chatting about?" Wang Changsheng asked casually as he descended from the pavilion.

"Ninth Uncle, we've gained some understanding of how cultivators in the South Sea hunt demonic beasts," Wang Qingshan replied honestly. "However, our numbers are too few. Hunting teams usually consist of at least seven or eight people, sometimes dozens."

Wang Changsheng nodded, then flipped his palm, and the Azure Fish Sword appeared in his hand. He said with a smile, "Qingshan, this Azure Fish Sword is a natal artifact I personally refined for you. See what you think?"

"A natal artifact!" Wang Qingshan exclaimed, taking the Azure Fish Sword with a hint of excitement.

Holding the Azure Fish Sword, he swished it towards the void. The blade sliced rapidly through the air, producing a crisp sword cry.

Seeing this, Wang Qingjun's face revealed a look of envy.

"What a fine sword! Thank you, Ninth Uncle." Wang Qingshan, seemingly unable to put it down, expressed his gratitude.

"Don't thank me yet," Wang Changsheng said, taking out the Fire Cloud Flag and handing it to Wang Qingjun. "This Azure Fish Sword isn't free; it will be deducted from your merit points. Qingjun, this Fire Cloud Flag is for you, also a natal artifact, and it will also be deducted from your merit points. Once you both have refined your natal artifacts, we can then go hunt demonic beasts."

Wang Qingjun took the Fire Cloud Flag, thanked him, and appeared exceptionally excited.

Cultivators in demonic beast hunting teams were at least at the third level of Foundation Establishment. With a natal artifact, his strength would significantly increase.

After a brief chat, Wang Qingshan and Wang Qingjun excused themselves. They were eager to return to their residences and refine their natal artifacts.

"My dear, take these flying needles and refine them," Wang Changsheng said, producing thirteen blue flying needles and handing them to Wang Ruyan.

This set of flying needles incorporated third-tier materials, making them more powerful than high-grade magical artifacts.

Wang Ruyan accepted the flying needles without ceremony.

The couple chatted for a while, then returned to their room to cultivate.

Seven days later, Wang Changsheng and the three others departed from Lingbie Market City, flying southeast.

Wang Changsheng concealed his spiritual energy fluctuations, appearing to be only at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment in the eyes of other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

More than two months later, over a certain sea area, a blue light streaked rapidly across the sky.

The blue light was, in fact, a blue flying boat, with Wang Changsheng and the other three standing inside.

They had been roaming for over two months without hunting a single demonic beast, though they had encountered several hunting teams.

Wang Changsheng suddenly sensed something. He changed his hand seals and cast a spell onto the blue flying boat.

The blue flying boat glowed brighter and accelerated.

An hour later, a rectangular island appeared within the sight of Wang Changsheng and the others.

Over a dozen enormous golden turtles lay on the beach, basking in the sun.

These turtles had fish-like heads and turtle bodies. The largest ones measured several zhang, while the smaller ones were only about a zhang in size.

The moment Wang Changsheng and the three others appeared, one golden turtle let out a strange roar. All the golden turtles immediately flipped over and rushed towards the sea at incredibly fast speeds.

Wang Changsheng raised a hand, and the Black Flood Dragon Flag flew out. With a twirl, its surface burst forth with dazzling spiritual light, instantly expanding to about a zhang in size.

Holding the Black Flood Dragon Flag, he gently waved it, and countless blue light specks appeared on the beach, forming a blue water wall several zhang high and over ten zhang long, blocking the path of the dozen or so golden turtles.

Wang Ruyan conjured an azure pipa. Her slender fingers rapidly swept across the pipa strings, unleashing a wave of azure sound that swept towards the dozen or so golden turtles.

Wang Qingshan shrugged his shoulders, and a series of crisp sword cries rang out. Nine azure flying swords flew out from his sword scabbard, quickly merging into a single, five-zhang-long azure giant sword, which emanated a formidable sword intent.

The azure giant sword circled once and slashed towards the golden turtles.

Meanwhile, Wang Qingjun conjured a palm-sized red porcelain bottle, which instantly expanded and spewed out dozens of watermelon-sized crimson fireballs, hurtling towards the dozen or so golden turtles.

Upon contact with the azure sound wave, the dozen or so golden turtles were sent flying backward.

They landed on the beach, and before they could right themselves, dozens of crimson fireballs shot towards them.

"Boom!" A loud explosion resounded as dozens of crimson fireballs slammed into the golden turtles, transforming into a vast sea of crimson fire that engulfed their forms.

An azure long rainbow flew in, briefly vanishing into the sea of crimson fire, from which a series of shrill screams emanated.

Wang Ruyan's slender fingers quickly swept across the pipa strings, and over a dozen giant wind blades, as long as doors, shot out, vying to plunge into the sea of crimson fire, producing dull thuds.

A strange roar echoed, and a dazzling golden light shone within the crimson sea of fire, causing the flames to flicker wildly and then extinguish.

Several golden turtles lay in pools of blood, but most were unharmed, enveloped by a thick golden light shield.

Wang Qingshan formed a hand seal, and the azure giant sword burst forth with dazzling azure light, from which hundreds of azure sword qi flew out.

The azure sword qi struck the golden light shields, producing dull thuds like rain hitting banana leaves.

A sharp glint flashed in Wang Qingjun's eyes. He cast a spell onto the red gourd, which then glowed with countless red runes on its surface and spewed a thick stream of crimson flames, engulfing several golden turtles.

After three breaths, the crimson flames dissipated.

The golden turtles retracted their heads into their hard shells, the surfaces of which were covered by a faint golden glow.

Wang Qingshan commanded the azure flying sword to strike the turtles' backs, resulting in a dull thud.

A hint of surprise flashed in Wang Qingshan's eyes; the golden turtles' defense was unexpectedly strong.

If heavy-type magical artifacts were used to attack the golden turtles, even if they could be killed, their shells would be shattered and could not be sold for a high price. The shells of turtle demonic beasts are excellent materials for refining defensive magical artifacts.

Wang Changsheng formed a hand seal, and the Black Flood Dragon Flag quickly flew towards the golden turtles. With a gentle shake, a large expanse of blue light specks appeared, transforming into a vast pool of clear blue water that submerged the golden turtles' bodies.

Upon contact with the clear water, they thought they were back in the sea and all extended their heads.

Over a dozen blue lights shot forth, instantaneously piercing the golden turtles' heads. Several golden turtles collapsed into pools of blood.

The dozen or so blue lights circled once and returned to Wang Ruyan's hand. They were precisely the thirteen glistening blue flying needles, the set Wang Changsheng had given her.

Wang Changsheng conjured a soul-collecting bottle and gathered the spirits of the dozen or so golden turtles.

He controlled the blue flying boat to land on the beach. Wang Qingshan and Wang Qingjun exited the flying boat to process the demonic beast materials.

"Four second-tier demonic beasts and thirteen first-tier demonic beasts, Ninth Uncle!" Wang Qingjun exclaimed, somewhat excited. "The demonic beast resources in the South Sea are truly abundant! We might not even have hunted four second-tier demonic beasts after several months in Ten Thousand Serpent Valley."

Two months at sea had yielded more income than he had earned in the previous half-year.

Wang Changsheng smiled faintly and said, "The demonic beast resources in the South Sea are indeed plentiful, but don't get too excited too soon. This time we were lucky. If our luck were poor, we might not hunt a single demonic beast even after a year of roaming."

After processing the demonic beast materials, the blue flying boat carried Wang Changsheng and the three others high into the sky, disappearing into the horizon.