The blue-finned shark sank into the depths and vanished.
Having narrowly escaped death, the people aboard the ship took quite a while before they were certain the beast was truly gone. They had actually survived, though it felt as if they were dreaming.
The two cultivators who had survived by sheer fortune were utterly exhausted, including the middle-aged cultivator.
He had already fallen into despair and found this unexpected turn of events almost impossible to believe. In the past, he had never heard of a demon beast voluntarily abandoning prey that was practically in its jaws.
Darting to the bow, he swept his gaze across the sea. There was no trace of the blue-finned shark, no bubbles rising to the surface, and its towering demon qi had completely dispersed.
Having survived the catastrophe, the middle-aged cultivator had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly spotted floating corpses in the distance. His heart clenched, and he called loudly to his companion, "Quick, come with me to save them! Someone might still be alive..."
The blue-finned shark had already fed to its fill on the giant sea beasts; it had slaughtered the people purely for sport and held no interest in their corpses.
Fearing the shark might return, the two plucked up their courage and flew off the vessel at top speed toward the floating bodies to see if anyone still drew breath.
Of the three cultivators, they found only two corpses.
The other had been struck right before their eyes by the shark's water arrow, blasted into several pieces; there was no chance he had lived.
"Senior, Zhang Yue isn't dead!"
The other cultivator held a youth in his arms and shouted in pleasant surprise.
The middle-aged cultivator flew over hastily and found that the youth indeed still had breath, though it was extremely faint, and he remained unconscious. Fortunately, they had ventured out to check; otherwise, he surely wouldn't have survived.
The two quickly conducted another sweep. Aside from Zhang Yue, one crewman was also alive—he had accidentally tumbled overboard when the ship had jolted violently.
Rescuing the two, they returned to the ship.
The shipmaster was on the verge of tears. Not only had he lost so many crewmen and sea beasts on this voyage, but even two Immortal Masters had perished, and more than half the cargo had been lost during the pursuit.
The middle-aged cultivator consoled the shipmaster and ordered him to turn around and head back to port, then hurriedly entered the cabin to inspect Zhang Yue's condition.
"Senior Wang, I administered the Qi-Restoring Pill to Zhang Yue as you instructed, but for some reason, he still hasn't woken up."
His companion had been tending to Zhang Yue. Seeing the middle-aged cultivator enter, he hastily stepped aside, his face etched with worry.
Placing a palm against Zhang Yue's forehead, the middle-aged cultivator examined him carefully, then mused thoughtfully, "His internal qi has stabilized, his wounds have closed, and he is out of danger. By all rights, he should have awakened by now. It is possible his origin soul was injured..."
"His origin soul?" The companion was alarmed.
The middle-aged cultivator nodded and sighed. "Injuries to the origin soul are the hardest to treat, and I have no suitable pills for that on hand. Let him rest quietly here for now. In a few days, once we return to the island, we can ask a senior on the island to treat him."
After discussing the matter a bit longer, the two gently pulled the cabin door shut and went outside to deal with the aftermath.
Not long after they left, a figure abruptly appeared in the room, shifting from illusory to solid. It was none other than Qin Sang.
He had followed the two aboard and remained hidden in the cabin the entire time. Given their cultivation, it was impossible for them to detect him.
Qin Sang raised a hand slightly, and Zhang Yue sat bolt upright. Qin Sang sat down facing him and channeled the demonic seed inside the youth's body to help catalyze the origin embryo.
It would take time for the demonic seed to fully merge with the youth's body. Once the initial integration was complete, he would 'awaken' and move about just like a normal person.
Qin Sang had already learned the backgrounds of the people on board. They came from an ordinary island named Lu Island, where the strongest cultivators were only at the Foundation Establishment stage; none of them could possibly see through his external incarnation's identity.
Including the youth, these cultivators were all rogue cultivators who had stumbled onto the immortal path by stroke of luck, without any powerful faction or sect backing them.
That was precisely why Qin Sang had decided to stay.
The youth's background was clean, and Qin Sang intended to preserve this identity—it might prove useful later.
The ship made its return journey.
The dragon head at the prow had long been shattered by the blue-finned shark, leaving the vessel looking battered and run-down.
They had set out in high spirits, but the return voyage was shrouded in gloom.
After sailing for seven or eight days, they were finally nearing Lu Island.
On this day, the middle-aged cultivator was surprised to discover that Zhang Yue had awakened. He spoke and moved normally, and his physical injuries had completely healed.
"Once we make landfall, go ask a senior on the island to check your origin soul. Do not be careless about this," the middle-aged cultivator urged after giving his body a thorough inspection, still feeling somewhat uneasy.
Zhang Yue shook his head and offered a self-deprecating smile. "It shouldn't be anything serious, so there's no need to make a fuss. Besides, my magic tools were destroyed in the fierce battle, and the spirit stones I have left are barely enough to buy a defensive tool. I'm afraid... I don't have the money to hire those seniors."
"Well..." The middle-aged cultivator understood how difficult life was for low-level cultivators and sympathized deeply. He could only say, "Then be careful yourself. If you notice anything amiss, seek medical aid immediately."
As they spoke, the ship docked. Zhang Yue took his leave of his companions and sped off alone toward his home.
Qin Sang had learned that Zhang Yue had a family—both parents were living, and he had several brothers and sisters. However, he was the only one possessing a spiritual root who had become a cultivator.
In life, Zhang Yue had only been in the Qi Refinement stage, ranking at the very bottom of the cultivation world. Yet he had still been a cultivator, and shielding a few mortals was child's play. Blessed by his presence, his family had lived quite comfortably.
One could imagine that with Zhang Yue dead and no successor in the family, the Zhang clan would soon fall into decline—except now, Qin Sang had arrived.
When Zhang Yue returned home, his family treated him with a mix of respect and awe.
After sharing a meal, Zhang Yue went to his parents' room and declared his intention: he wished to go to the Sacred Island to pursue immortality.
The Sacred Island was Tianxing Island, named for the Four Sacred Mountains upon it. Every human, whether cultivator or mortal, had heard of its existence. To most mortals, who would never see it in their lifetimes, it seemed to exist only in legends.
"Surviving this voyage made me realize just how insignificant I am," Zhang Yue explained his reasoning. "A minor demon beast could easily take my life. If I stay trapped here, I will never accomplish anything of note, living perhaps only a few decades longer than Eldest Brother and the others. I want to go to the Sacred Island. There are immortals there, and perhaps I can join an immortal's sect..."
He had given the same explanation to the middle-aged cultivator. Understanding that the youth had experienced a life-altering ordeal, the man had advised him to think it over carefully.
Though his parents were reluctant to part with him, they had no idea how to dissuade him and could only watch through tears as Zhang Yue took his leave.
Before departing, Qin Sang had Zhang Yue leave a sum of spirit stones for his parents to nourish their bodies, along with several foundational cultivation methods so that if any descendant with a spiritual root appeared in the Zhang family, they could practice cultivation.
That night, Zhang Yue bade farewell to his parents and said goodbye to his old friends.
Qin Sang took the external incarnation and quietly slipped away from the island, once again setting out on the journey back.
Along the way, Qin Sang channeled the secret art of the Origin-Seeding Demonic Embryo every day, refining the physical body. Once the demonic seed fully merged with the flesh and gave birth to the origin embryo, he could proceed to the next step: blood nourishment.
After a long journey, he finally returned to Tianxing Island.
The turmoil in the Liefeng Archipelago did not seem to have reached this far.
Everything in Tianxing City remained as before.
Entering the city, Qin Sang left his external incarnation in his cave dwelling, rested for a short while, and then made his way toward Xiang'an Auction House.
Chapter 824