It was just as that person had said.
Along the way, Qin Sang encountered several patrol squads.
Sensing danger, he proceeded with extreme caution, steering clear of them until he finally emerged from the Liefeng Archipelago. Even afterward, he remained vigilant until he had completely left the southwestern waters, only then releasing the two-headed hou.
***
Blue sea and azure sky.
At midday, the blazing sun hung high overhead.
The clear sky stretched for tens of thousands of li without a single cloud, and not a breath of wind stirred across the ocean's surface, making the air stiflingly humid.
A large dragon-headed ship sailed alone. Tied to the bow with thick ropes were several tamed sea beasts. Though not demon beasts, they were massive and remarkably fierce.
Cleaving the waves, they pulled the great vessel swiftly forward.
Compared to the boundless ocean, the dragon-headed vessel appeared minuscule.
The hold was filled with cargo, and on deck, crew members bustled about—all mortals.
The sea was calm, and the crew grumbled among themselves about the sweltering heat, yet none dared to speak loudly. From time to time, their eyes darted toward the cabin with reverence.
Everything seemed perfectly tranquil.
Suddenly, the ship tilted violently.
Cries of alarm erupted as the crew tumbled about. Looking over, they discovered that one of the sea beasts hauling the vessel was thrashing frantically for reasons unknown, struggling desperately to snap its tether.
The sea beast was dozens of feet long and possessed immense strength, violently rocking the ship.
Tamed from youth, these sea beasts had rendered great service and never caused trouble before; today, something had gone terribly wrong.
Unsure of what was happening, the crew gripped whatever was nearby. Seeing the cargo swaying wildly, they shouted in panic.
Just then, the shipmaster rushed frantically out of the cabin, shouting, "Quick! Go see what's going on! Blow the conch to calm them!"
The crew dashed to the bow. One retrieved a sea conch and blew into it with all his might.
The sea conch was a beast-taming tool. In the past, whenever the beasts grew restless, hearing its tone would soothe them. This time, however, it failed. The beast seemed not to hear the sound at all, letting out an earth-shattering roar tinged with terror.
Not only that, but the other sea beasts began showing signs of agitation as well.
Chaos was imminent.
Just as the shipmaster was in despair, whooshing sounds rang out from the cabin. Several streaks of light flew to the bow, revealing five striking figures of extraordinary demeanor.
"Honored Immortal Masters, the sea beasts have gone wild! Could the Immortal Masters lend a hand to tame them?"
Seeing his saviors, the shipmaster ran to their side, only to discover in surprise that all five Immortal Masters wore solemn expressions, staring out at the empty sea as if searching for something.
He followed their gaze, but saw nothing at all.
"Sever the ropes!" the eldest middle-aged Immortal Master suddenly barked.
The shipmaster did not understand, but meeting the Immortal Master's gaze, his heart skipped a beat. Realizing something terrible must have happened, he immediately ordered the crew, "Quick! Do as the Immortal Master says!"
*Thud, thud, thud...*
Rope after rope was chopped through.
The sea beasts were already in a frenzy. Taut under immense strain, the ropes snapped with loud cracks. Free at last, the beasts scattered in all directions.
The shipmaster's heart bled at the loss.
Soon, however, he had no time to mourn—only terror filled his face.
The swiftest beast had barely darted forward when dense bubbles suddenly surfaced on the water ahead. An instant later, as if dragged down by tremendous force, the beast was hauled beneath the waves and vanished.
The next moment, bright red blood welled up from the depths, dyeing a vast swath of the ocean crimson and stinging the eyes.
Then, another beast vanished.
Beasts of such enormous size were devoured raw in succession by some terrifying creature without kicking up a single wave, yet the ship's crew had not even glimpsed the culprit. Utter panic swept over everyone aboard.
The middle-aged cultivator's gaze darkened, and he shouted in alarm, "It's a demon beast—a blue-finned shark! Turn around! Turn back, quickly!"
The shipmaster blanched in terror. "A demon beast... How could there be such a formidable demon beast here..."
The vessel veered around to flee.
Behind them, not a single sea beast was spared, slaughtered one after another. The blue-finned shark never surfaced from start to finish, yet the entire sea was stained red—a chilling sight.
Before they could feel any relief, dense bubbles emerged behind them, hurtling toward them at incredible speed.
Terror seized everyone, including the cultivators. Only the middle-aged cultivator retained some calm, shouting, "Do not panic! We cannot sit here waiting to die! Form a formation with me, quickly!"
Full of unease and flustered, the other four barely managed to assemble a battle formation.
Each summoned their magic tools and awaited the middle-aged cultivator's command. The moment the shout of "Strike!" rang out, they unleashed their magic tools with reckless abandon.
For a moment, flashes of light in varying colors shot into the water, striking dead center into the mass of bubbles.
They hoped to slay the demon beast or force it to retreat.
Their hopes were dashed. The bubbles grew denser, and a horrific dark silhouette slowly rose from beneath the sea. Under everyone's terrified gaze, the blue-finned shark revealed itself. It bore a few shallow cuts, but they were mere superficial wounds and far from lethal—only serving to drive it into a frenzy.
"Not good! Dodge!"
The middle-aged cultivator screamed, but it was too late.
The blue-finned shark opened its jaws wide and spewed a torrent of water that fractured into dense water arrows, hurtling toward the people at the bow.
The middle-aged cultivator drove his magic tool to shield himself, but the other four were far too slow.
One young man failed to react in time. A water arrow struck him straight through the abdomen, gouging a massive hole. He tumbled into the sea, showing no further signs of life.
"Xiao Ning!"
Cries of grief broke out, and despair engulfed them all.
Meanwhile, in the distance, a young man rode atop a two-headed demon beast, speeding forward. Perched on its back with spirit stone in hand and eyes closed, he was actually cultivating.
This was none other than Qin Sang, who had made the long trek here.
Sensing a disturbance far off, he awoke from his meditative trance and muttered to himself, "This place is no longer far from Tianxing Island. The surrounding islands are dense; it could be called the most bustling region of the human race. Great demons are either eradicated or driven to remote seas, but some slipped through the net after all. It seems someone has died. Conveniently, my demonic seed has completed its gestation. I can find a physical body and refine my external incarnation..."
With a thought, Qin Sang patted the two-headed hou, bidding it to shift course.
Having traveled all the way to the Liefeng Archipelago, he had been away from Tianxing Island for several years. The demonic seed had been gestating inside him all this time, only completing its maturity recently, leaving him ready to begin refining the external incarnation.
The requirements for the body were not high; a low-rank cultivator would suffice. The cultivation speed of the external incarnation was tied to that of the primary body.
Soon, Qin Sang spotted a battered vessel being pursued by a blue-finned shark.
Only two low-rank cultivators were still holding out bitterly, but they were already in dire peril.
The blue-finned shark was plainly far stronger than them; it was merely toying with its quarry. A dozen or so corpses floated upon the sea, entirely ignored by the creature.
Qin Sang located the corpse of one cultivator—a youth.
Recalling the two-headed hou, he concealed his presence and drifted down onto the blue-finned shark's back. With a gentle press of his palm, the shark was robbed of all power to struggle, forced under the surface into the ocean depths.
After slaying the blue-finned shark, Qin Sang returned to the youth's side. Confirming that the boy had already breathed his last, he channeled the demonic seed into the body.
Chapter 823