Chapter 481: Cloud Octopus

Li Qinghong paused slightly. A figure had already flown up on the wind, his Daoist robes fluttering. With hands clasped, he bowed and said,

"Your subordinate greets you, Sir."

Zong Yan had lived comfortably these past years. The absence of hardship over the last decade had completely changed his demeanor. His eyes were now bright and alert. Though faint traces of his former subservience as a demon follower remained, they were very slight now. He stood straight, like a proper person.

Li Qinghong, always polite, responded to him, listening as he recited every single expense on the island from memory.

Zong Yan finished speaking nervously. The accounts were naturally in deficit. The small island had no produce, and the things in the sea always belonged to the Dragon Clan, so no one dared touch them. How could it not be a deficit? However, the white-robed female cultivator in front of him seemed not to be listening, looking around at the island's scenery, which made Zong Yan feel uneasy.

Zong Yan's feelings towards the Li family were complex. Besides profound gratitude, there was also the almost limitless subservience to the strong in Eastern Sea customs, the extreme fear of a Foundation Establishment cultivator who could flatten an island in a fit of rage, and the worry of being abandoned, all of which made him tremble.

Li Yuanjiao had stayed here for a long time, and Zong Yan knew Li Yuanjiao was a person who disdained bullying and disliked blood food, so he felt a bit more at ease. Facing the still somewhat unfamiliar Li Qinghong, Zong Yan dared not take a chance.

Monk Kongheng had already arrived by flying on the wind, landing in the mountains, as always, with downcast eyes, hands clasped, and speaking softly,

"It's been many years. Fellow Daoist has made great progress."

The monk originally had small eyes, and with them cast down, it was even harder to see his expression clearly. Li Qinghong replied casually, her attention not truly on Zong Yan. She let him drone on about the deficit of several hundred jin of spiritual rice, precise down to the ounce, then simply waved her hand and said,

"Not bad. The population is still thriving."

Li Qinghong's first reaction upon arriving on the island was identical to her brother's: her spiritual sense searched for temples and statues. Seeing that there wasn't a single temple on the island, she felt a slight relief.

She gathered her beautiful hair. Li Qinghong had begun Qi Condensation early, and now, at just thirty, she had a less delicate and more dignified appearance. She said softly,

"I have come this time to first collect my brother's belongings."

At these words, Kongheng first froze, then closed his eyes, clasped his hands before his chest, and began muttering something.

Zong Yan was slightly stunned, only then realizing that the cold-faced, kind-hearted middle-aged man had perished. After mourning for a few moments, he remembered that the customs of the Eastern Sea were quite different. He did not say any polite words but directly led Li Qinghong to the entrance of Li Yuanjiao's cultivation cave.

Li Qinghong stepped inside and saw that the cave was clean and tidy, the ground smooth and spotless, and utterly empty. There were no incense burners, spiritual altars, jade tables, or jade chairs, only a single grey meditation mat in the center.

Li Qinghong remained silent. She could only pick up the mat. A sweep of her spiritual sense showed it was a very ordinary Qi Condensation item. She flipped her hand to put it away. Just as she was about to say something, the great formation rumbled loudly.

She raised her eyebrows and looked, connecting her spiritual sense to the formation. She saw a fish-headed, human-bodied demon standing outside the formation, with two fleshy wings on its back, squatting by the great formation with an impatient expression.

"Huiyao has arrived."

Li Qinghong glanced at it, her almond eyes subtly shifting. She thought to herself, "It seems this area around Zongquan Island is teeming with countless fish offspring. I merely flew over the sea, and this demon already got the news so quickly."

She rose with the wind, gently waved her sleeve, opening a gap in the great formation. Huiyao flapped his fleshy wings and flew in. This old demon had finally broken through to Foundation Establishment and transformed into human form, but he still stubbornly kept his fish head and enormous eyes.

Huiyao's eyes widened when he saw Li Qinghong's appearance. His gaze swept over the purple lightning beneath her feet, and he was slightly startled. His expression softened, and his fish head began to retract and transform, quickly becoming the appearance of an old man.

The Algae Viper clan are water creatures, mostly residing in water dwellings. They are naturally not handsome, and even when transformed into human form, they appear strange, with their faces split into two parts on either side, showing the characteristic transformation of fish.

Li Qinghong, with her aura of thunder, seemed more formidable than Li Yuanjiao. He also restrained himself and called out,

"Where is Li Yuanjiao?! He promised me he would go with me to kill the enemy, but now he's nowhere to be seen!"

Huiyao had run to this island several times, but Zong Yan claimed ignorance, and Kongheng always told him to stop eating blood food whenever they met. Huiyao feared being swayed, so he refused to say much to him.

Finally catching a member of the Li family, Huiyao rushed over. When asked in detail, Li Qinghong merely glanced at him and said softly,

"My brother sustained some injuries in the Green Pine Grotto-heaven and has returned home to recuperate. Also, because he killed a True Lord's disciple, he cannot leave home freely. For the next ten years or so, I will be stationed here."

She initially intended to conceal her family's identity, but cultivators who practiced thunder methods were few, and their Foundation Establishment immortal foundations, cultivation techniques, and even magical artifacts were easily recognizable. Huiyao now guessed that she belonged to the aristocratic Li family, so she relaxed her guard.

Huiyao grunted twice, not expecting the Li family to also get a share in the Green Pine Grotto-heaven, and even less that they had killed a True Lord's disciple. Half-believing, half-doubting, he retorted,

"Oh? Which True Lord, may I ask?"

This news had only spread within and outside the sea, not yet among the demon race, but it was likely to soon. Li Qinghong waved her hand,

"Your esteemed clan has excellent intelligence. You'll know in a month or two."

Saying this made Huiyao believe her somewhat, muttering, "Indeed! Indeed..." He then laughed,

"It is... Fellow Daoist, wielding thunder, this trip will be greatly beneficial! Let that stinky cloud octopus... fall into the sea!"

Li Qinghong asked,

"To where... Fellow Daoist intends to kill what kind of demon?"

Huiyao merely said,

"Just killing a cloud octopus. It cultivates the 'Mianjin' nature of the Twelve Qi, and its Dao foundation is 'Auspicious Qi'. It's a demon as greedy for wealth as its life, with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, two Foundation Establishment subordinates, and hundreds of Qi Condensation lesser demons."

"This wretched creature, relying on its ability to ride the wind and clouds, comes to my territory to plunder. And because its broken Dao foundation is highly valued by the Dragon Prince, I need to take advantage of this opening to kill it first, so that when the new Dragon Prince arrives here, it doesn't still lord over me."

Huiyao pointed south, saying strangely,

"Just go south from here. The more clouds and fog there are, the closer you are to the 'Sea Corner,' near the easternmost part of the South Sea. It dwells within that mist."

Li Qinghong calculated the battle strength of both sides, feeling they were slightly at a disadvantage, and asked,

"Do you have any other help? It won't just be you, a single demon general, will it?"

Huiyao said,

"There's also my two thousand three hundred and sixty-seventh brother, named Hui Er, who is at the mid-stage cultivation."

Li Qinghong was startled and said awkwardly,

"Your... mother certainly has a thriving lineage."

Huiyao transformed back into his fish head, leading the way, waiting for Li Qinghong and Kongheng to follow, muttering,

"My clan births once a year, with thirty-six thousand offspring in one birth, but only three Hui fish emerge. The rest transform into eels, morays, lampreys... not comparable to your human race."

These words greatly surprised both Li Qinghong and Kongheng. Huiyao sighed and whispered,

"My Hui fish are descended from the third son and fifth grandson of the flood dragon, who interbred with eels. Who knows how much the bloodline has degraded? We are only a thousand years old, so it's natural we look so wretched."

"Your human ancestors were born earlier, occupying countless 'Golden Nature fruit positions,' as stable as Mount Tai. You are even luxurious enough to use so-called surnames to distinguish different Golden Nature descendants... You have countless cultivation methods, how can we compare?"

"Even true Flood Dragon descendants... in ten thousand years, have only made some progress in Water Virtue and the Twelve Qi. In the end, we cannot compare to you."

Huiyao's face did not show the domineering presence of a Dragon Clan demon traversing the seas. Instead, he looked somewhat disheartened, shrugging,

"Otherwise... why else would we eat humans? It's truly a great tonic. To steal a small fraction from their foundation provides endless benefits."

The two listened in silence. Huiyao quickly changed the subject, explaining,

"This cloud octopus cultivates the 'Mianjin' of the Twelve Qi, also called 'Auspicious Qi.' Its frontal combat strength is not strong. Just don't let it escape."

Dao traditions like Water Virtue and Fire Virtue have many types, and the Twelve Qi is also one of them, with a total of twelve kinds. Several are particularly famous, such as the Purple Qi of the Purple Smoke Sect and the Xi Qi of the Golden Feather Sect.

And the most famous is the ubiquitous 'Minor Clear Spiritual Qi', belonging to the 'Clear Qi' among them. It is the easiest to collect, and most rogue cultivators practice it.

Kongheng had traveled extensively and seen many things, but Li Qinghong had not and was still somewhat curious. Together, they flew deeper south. The sky grew increasingly dim.

Hui Er was already waiting in the mist with a group of Hui fish. He was even uglier, his head resembling a split watermelon. He left his subordinates behind and followed silently.

Li Qinghong estimated their strength, concluding that this group of demons could not stop the two of them. She opened up some distance and slowly moved deeper south. Wisps of grey mist rose around them, lingering and circling around their magical light, and the spiritual energy gradually diminished.

After another quarter of an hour of flying, they saw surging whirlpools rise into the grey mist, transforming into rain that poured down. The spiritual energy here was still quite rich. Grey eight-armed octopuses fell from the sky, one by one.

Some cloud octopuses already had cultivation, flying through the air on clouds. Huge eight-armed creatures carried small and large animals and humans. When they saw the group, they scattered. Some even began to spew golden mist, hiding in the sea.

Seeing this scene, Huiyao was overjoyed. He laughed inwardly, 'Heaven wants to destroy you, old thing! I brought two righteous cultivators as helpers, let them witness your deeds, and let hatred grow in their hearts out of nothing!'

Kongheng slightly closed his eyes, saying nothing. Vague shouts came from the air. Li Qinghong frowned, feeling it was a bit rash. Unexpectedly, Huiyao stepped forward, pulling out a golden scroll from his embrace.

He gently unfurled it, pretended to look at it for a couple of seconds, and called out,

"Cloud Octopus, the Dragon Prince's esteemed presence has arrived in Zhulu. Hurry and come with me to greet him!"

As he spoke, the entire grey mist trembled. Indeed, a large grey octopus emerged, its tentacles weaving through the clouds. Its skin was covered with large and small sea beetles, and its eyes were black and large, like windows, staring directly at them.

The cloud octopus quickly transformed into human form, an old man with a saddle nose, a flat nose bridge, leaning on a wooden staff, displaying a look of doubt. He merely said,

"What is this! Where is the token?"

Huiyao cursed,

"You blind water-blob-eyed fool, how dare you even look at the token."

He revealed a cold sneer, pulled Hui Er by his side, and called out,

"Let's go! Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Then he flew off with the wind. The cloud octopus couldn't sit still; he dared not gamble on this. He quickly flew through the mist to chase after them, saying,

"I was just joking!"

He chased for several li and just barely caught up with the group. Li Qinghong thought to herself, "This demon has improved. This scheme is well-thought-out, good enough to deal with demons."

Huiyao shook his head, displaying a very domineering posture, clearly having meticulously planned this. He sneered,

"The Dragon Prince values me greatly, allowing me to personally welcome guests. You should show some respect."

The cloud octopus sized up Li Qinghong and Kongheng. Huiyao introduced them,

"These are disciples of the immortal sect..."

The cloud octopus had no choice but to step forward. However, after only a few steps, the four in front of him suddenly erupted. Thunder, flames, magical light, and demonic power simultaneously struck his body with a great roar.

"Boom!"

The cloud octopus let out a sharp shriek. A burst of golden mist erupted from his body, instantly enveloping an area of ten li. Violent crashes and explosions sounded, and his trace was gone from the original spot.

Huiyao burst into a hearty laugh, pulling out a bell from his embrace. It glowed with a shimmering green light. He raised it halfway into the air, blew on it, and gently shook it.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The dense sound of bells chimed. The surging waves that had just risen underfoot instantly calmed, becoming like a grey mirror, or a smoothly cut stone, utterly silent.

On the sea, it was like wind rustling through grass and trees. The golden mist instantly dispersed. Several spiritual senses that had been blocked one by one swept over the sea surface, chasing south together.

"You... you borrowed a magical artifact!"

The cloud octopus looked somewhat disheveled, his face scorched black, a look of fear appearing on it. Then, a purple light sped towards him, a long spear acting as its tip, piercing directly towards his back.

"Thunder method!"

The cloud octopus cried out. Since he was discovered, his human form had lost its concealment. Eight tentacles burst forth from beneath his robes. His lips transformed into a sharp, purplish-black hooked beak, like a bird's, quickly hiding amidst his rapidly rolling, massive flesh.

A gigantic eight-limbed creature appeared in the grey sea of clouds. Although Li Qinghong's cultivation was slightly inferior, she showed no fear. Her long spear swept, and thunder poured down like rain.

The purple mysterious-patterned bottle at her waist floated up, slowly aiming at the demon's eyes, condensing streaks of purple lightning. The sky immediately became covered with dark clouds, and thunder flashed.

Li Qinghong merely made a small move, not even using her trump card, the Thunder Pool Profound Lightning, but it was already enough to greatly alarm the demon. He realized this person was the most difficult to deal with and immediately said,

"Fellow Daoist... what grudge do I have with you!"

"Boom!"

The thunder arrived even faster than his words. A pillar of lightning erupted from the purple bottle's mouth, interwoven with purple and white, striking his body. It scorched him black, tearing his flesh. He let out a shriek of agony again, and his eight tentacles, as if enraged, clawed at the air.

"Clang!"

But then the narrow-eyed monk's entire body glowed with golden light. He sat cross-legged in the void, his eyes wide open, radiating unangered majesty. With one hand stretched forward, golden light rolled forth, forcefully pressing all of the octopus's tentacles back into place.

Kongheng had not cultivated in vain all these years. He was no longer the young monk who had just broken through to the Dharma Master stage, but now displayed a certain might. The golden light was extraordinarily hot, making all of the cloud octopus's tentacles curl up and shrink away.

Huiyao and Hui Er finally arrived late. The two demon fish exchanged glances, seeing confusion and fear in each other's eyes.

'Damn it... we weren't even needed!'