Chapter 782: Professional Wang Qingling

With the Azure Lotus Cauldron in hand, Wang Changsheng intended to resume his puppet artistry and craft third-tier puppet beasts.

"Qingling, where did you find this Jinlang Stone?" he asked, suppressing his excitement.

Wang Qingling didn't conceal anything and truthfully recounted the entire incident.

"Ninth Uncle, I suspect there might still be Jinlang Stone in the Spirit Devouring Python's foraging area, but I can't dive ten thousand feet beneath the sea."

What Wang Qingling couldn't accomplish didn't mean Wang Changsheng couldn't. Furthermore, Wang Changsheng had the Sea Suppressing Ape with him, a descendant of the Sea Suppressing Sect's guardian spirit beast. During his expedition to the Sea Suppressing Sect ruins, Wang Changsheng had also acquired a spirit beast egg. Since he wasn't a spirit master, he was relying on Wang Qingling to help hatch it.

"Do you know where the Liu family's stronghold is located?"

Wang Qingling nodded and replied, "I just asked Tianrui; he said the Liu family's stronghold is on Black Pine Island, over eighty thousand *li* from Qingli Fang City. We should head to a place with an abundance of Green Sun Algae first."

"Over eighty thousand *li*? Qingling, you should come with me. I'm not adept at controlling insects or beasts. Qiuli, please gather all those materials as quickly as possible and have them transported back to Silver Snake Island."

"Yes, Ninth Grand-Uncle," Wang Qiuli replied.

Upon leaving the market, Wang Changsheng summoned a blue flying boat. They ascended high into the sky, disappearing into the horizon.

Half a month later, Wang Changsheng and Wang Qingling appeared above a desolate island spanning over ten *li*. The seawater below was green.

"With so much Green Sun Algae here, this must be the spot," Wang Qingling said with a smile, pointing at the green water below.

Wang Changsheng nodded, performed a hand seal, and the blue flying boat slowly descended.

He stowed the blue flying boat, then conjured a Mountain Sea Bead, which emitted a large blue light barrier, enveloping him and Wang Qingling as they descended into the depths of the ocean.

After descending a hundred *zhang*, they observed a multitude of demonic beasts: colorful fish demons, sea snakes with thick bodies, and enormous black sea turtles.

Wang Changsheng's expression remained calm, while Wang Qingling's countenance showed a hint of excitement at the sight of so many demonic beasts.

"Five-colored fish demons, purple-spotted pythons, black profound turtles…" Wang Qingling murmured to herself, naming them as if they were precious possessions.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they were ten thousand *zhang* beneath the ocean surface, standing on thick mud and sand. Even if Jinlang Stone truly existed here, locating it would be exceptionally challenging. Jinlang Stone itself emitted no spiritual energy fluctuations, meaning they would have to search slowly. This could take forever. Who could guarantee there was even any Jinlang Stone here? Once the Jinlang Sea Silkworm excretes Jinlang Stone, ocean currents can sweep it away. Therefore, Wang Changsheng would need to search an area spanning tens of thousands of *li*, or even further. Additionally, if large demonic beasts passed through during their search, they could potentially wash the Jinlang Stone into areas Wang Changsheng had already covered. Relying solely on the two of them, such a search would be impossible.

"Qingling, do you have any method for finding Jinlang Stone? If we search slowly, it will be incredibly difficult to locate."

Wang Qingling pondered for a moment before replying, "The Jinlang Sea Silkworm feeds on gravel, ore, and coral reefs, and it has a voracious appetite. We can check if there are any coral reefs in this area. If not, the Jinlang Sea Silkworms are likely not present, which means there won't be any Jinlang Stone either."

Enveloped by the blue light barrier, they slowly proceeded.

Half an hour later, they discovered a vibrant expanse of colorful coral reefs, with schools of fish swimming among them.

Wang Changsheng frowned slightly. Even with coral reefs present, it wasn't guaranteed that Jinlang Sea Silkworms would be there.

"Ninth Uncle, there should be Jinlang Sea Silkworms here," Wang Qingling said with some excitement.

"What makes you say that? I haven't detected any aura of Jinlang Sea Silkworms." Wang Changsheng was momentarily surprised. He extended his spiritual sense but didn't perceive the aura of any third-tier demonic beasts. His spiritual sense, after all, was comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator; if any third-tier demonic beasts were concealed nearby, he would surely detect them.

"Ninth Uncle, Jinlang Sea Silkworms are adept at concealing their auras. Even Nascent Soul cultivators might not be able to detect the presence of third-tier Jinlang Sea Silkworms. Furthermore, they are typically buried in the mud and sand year-round, only surfacing to feed," Wang Qingling explained patiently.

"Then how do you determine there must be Jinlang Sea Silkworms here?"

"There are very few parrotfish here. Parrotfish feed on coral reefs, and generally, their numbers are higher in areas with coral reefs. Parrotfish aren't large, but they can easily bite through coral. Parrotfish and Jinlang Sea Silkworms are in competition; where Jinlang Sea Silkworms are present, parrotfish are scarce or absent. If there were no Jinlang Sea Silkworms here, the parrotfish population wouldn't be this low." Wang Qingling gestured towards a dozen strange fish, each about the size of a watermelon, noting that their heads resembled parrots' and their bodies were shriveled.

Every profession has its specialists. Wang Changsheng nodded inwardly, grateful he had brought Wang Qingling along; otherwise, he might never have found anything.

"If the Jinlang Sea Silkworms are indeed here, would the Jinlang Stone be buried deep within the thick mud and sand?"

"Assuming Jinlang Sea Silkworms are present, they wouldn't be too far from the coral reefs. If we focus our search within a thousand-*zhang* radius of the coral, we might be able to find a piece of Jinlang Stone."

Wang Changsheng nodded, then conjured three Mountain Sea Beads. The three beads spun, rapidly grew in size, and began to rotate swiftly. The seawater around them churned, forming a massive vortex that swept up large quantities of sand and gravel with its powerful currents. Wang Changsheng unleashed his spiritual sense, scanning to see if he could detect any Jinlang Stone.

The seabed suddenly began to shake violently, as if something immense was stirring beneath. Wang Changsheng narrowed his eyes as a vast amount of mud and sand sank, revealing a hundred-*zhang*-wide pit, as though the seabed had collapsed.

"Just as I predicted, there really was a Jinlang Sea Silkworm here. Unfortunately, this creature is too timid and has likely already fled. Ninth Uncle, we're very likely to find Jinlang Stone in this sand pit."

Wang Changsheng nodded, and he and Wang Qingling flew towards the sand pit.

Over the next half-day, they found six pieces of Jinlang Stone of various sizes in the sand pit. The largest piece was about the size of a fist.

"Qingling, is there a high probability of finding Jinlang Sea Silkworms where coral reefs are present?" Wang Changsheng asked somewhat curiously. If Jinlang Sea Silkworms were indeed found wherever coral reefs existed, he wouldn't mind searching for them extensively.

Wang Qingling shook her head. "It's hard to say," she replied. "Jinlang Sea Silkworms are inherently timid; they flee at the slightest disturbance. They enjoy extended periods of sleep, burrowing underground to rest after eating their fill. Had it not been for the significant commotion you created, Ninth Uncle, it would likely still be asleep. This type of spiritual insect is not very aggressive and can easily be killed by other third-tier demonic beasts. Encountering even one third-tier Jinlang Sea Silkworm is already quite fortunate. Moreover, the time it takes for Jinlang Sea Silkworms to excrete Jinlang Stone is irregular; sometimes they produce a piece in a few decades, while other times over a century passes without any production."

"Regardless, there might still be more Jinlang Stone here. Let's continue searching!"

Wang Changsheng and Wang Qingling moved onward, continuing their search for Jinlang Stone.