Chapter 221: Meeting an Old Acquaintance Again

Wang Lin flew at an extremely fast speed, like a bolt of lightning. Before long, he arrived at the ancient Teleportation Formation where he had first come to the State of Chu. When he left that place back then, he had set up Restrictions to conceal it. After carefully checking it now and confirming there were no abnormalities, Wang Lin formed hand seals and quickly cast a Restriction.

Immediately, the scene before him blurred, like a stone dropping into a lake, creating ripples. Soon, the ancient Teleportation Formation within was revealed.

Wang Lin flickered and disappeared from his original spot. When he reappeared, he was already standing inside the Teleportation Formation. He patted his Storage Pouch, took out a few Materials from within, and placed them on the Teleportation Formation, reattaching the parts he had dismantled back then.

Immediately after, he looked up towards the Cloud Heaven Sect, his gaze filled with determination. He took out a rhomboid Top-Grade Spirit Stone, took a deep breath, and slowly placed it within the Formation.

Instantly, the Formation moved abruptly, and rings of light flickered out from within. The Top-Grade Spirit Stone rapidly emitted spiritual power, and with a 'snap', it shattered into ash.

At the same time, Wang Lin's figure instantly blurred within the rings of light, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

After a long while, the Formation slowly returned to calm.

In a desolate region within the Cultivation Devil Sea, where no one could be seen, there was a collapsed area on the ground. At this moment, a muffled sound suddenly came from underground. Immediately after, the collapsed stones were pushed away by a powerful force, scattering in all directions with a rumble. Amidst the dust, Wang Lin walked out, his eyes cold.

He looked at the familiar land before him, let out a deep breath, and floated up into the air. After a brief pause, he sped towards the east.

Wang Lin's goal was to find ancient Teleportation Formations and a map of Vermilion Bird Star. While in the State of Chu, he had collected a lot of information at the Cloud Heaven Sect, but he had never seen the location of the State of Zhao.

After analyzing, Wang Lin guessed that the State of Zhao was very likely on the other side of the Cultivation Devil Sea.

While flying, Wang Lin's expression changed, and a half-smile appeared on his lips. His powerful Divine Sense, comparable to that of a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator, had swept across the area and discovered an old acquaintance.

Since the Heavenly Tribulation appeared in the Cultivation Devil Sea, its mist had completely vanished. Years of continuous black rain had exposed the entire Cultivation Devil Sea beneath the blue sky, and its former mysterious veil had disappeared without a trace.

Within the nine hundred and ninety-nine main cities and the vast wilderness, countless wicked individuals from Vermilion Bird Star had gathered. These people were all wanted by their respective countries and had ultimately come to the Cultivation Devil Sea for refuge.

The disappearance of the mist triggered a series of chain reactions. First, several Grade Four cultivation Countries, which had been eyeing the Cultivation Devil Sea, turned their attention to it.

Next, various large and small Schools and cultivation Families successively dispatched their Disciples to investigate the truth in the Cultivation Devil Sea. A storm was about to unfold.

As for the black rain that fell from the sky, it was moved away by some great Divine Ability users. Otherwise, the Cultivation Devil Sea would have become uninhabitable. This rainwater contained a certain toxin; initially, there wasn't much abnormality, but over time, various plagues surged forth. Although Cultivators were not afraid of ordinary plagues, this particular plague was extraordinary. In just a few short years, it had already killed countless low-level Cultivators.

Finally, with the combined efforts of several powerful Cultivators in the Cultivation Devil Sea, the black rain was completely purged from the Cultivation Devil Sea. However, after this battle, the Cultivation Devil Sea suffered significant damage to its Origin Qi.

This black rain was like a prehistoric beast to human Cultivators, but for the indigenous Yao Beasts within the Cultivation Devil Sea, it was a tonic. Under the showering of the black rain, the overall strength of these Yao Beasts continuously increased, and even Ancient Beasts appeared!

Although the black rain calamity was resolved, the Yao Beast chaos became increasingly fierce, making the vast Cultivation Devil Sea even more desolate than before. Outside the main cities, almost no Cultivators could be seen.

At the same time, a new profession emerged, specifically for hunting Yao Beast inner cores. These Cultivators often formed groups of three to five, each possessing a certain level of cultivation, and made a living by killing beasts, extracting their cores, and selling them.

On this day, outside Xuandi City in the inner Cultivation Devil Sea, a white-robed Cultivator stood majestically on the city wall, gazing into the distance. This man was middle-aged, handsome, dressed in a brocade robe, and had intelligent eyes.

After a long while, the man frowned slightly, flicked his sleeve, and floated down gracefully along the city wall.

As soon as he landed, two people suddenly emerged from the city, one man and one woman. The man was slightly hunchbacked and coughed incessantly, looking dispirited and listless, even struggling to walk.

The woman beside him, however, was the complete opposite: exceptionally beautiful and heroic, with the aura of a female hero.

Both of them were dressed in blue robes, seemingly from the same School.

After the two came out, the white-robed middle-aged man's frown relaxed, and he smiled, "Has something unexpected happened?"

The woman snorted lightly, glared at the sickly man beside her, and said, "It's all because of him! I had already found a shop, and they offered an excellent price for that Low Grade Spirit Beast inner core, but he insisted on not selling it, wanting to trade it for a broken Scabbard instead. It's infuriating!"

The middle-aged man let out a soft 'hmm' and looked at the dispirited man, saying, "Brother Li, what kind of Scabbard? May I, Qiu, take a look?"

The man surnamed Li smiled bitterly, flipped his right hand, and a rather ancient-looking Scabbard appeared in his hand. He said, "I felt this Scabbard was quite peculiar, seemingly containing a unique aura within, which is why I insisted on buying it. Never mind, this time it's all on me, Li. Just deduct it when we divide the cores next time."

The woman snorted again, glanced at the Scabbard, and grumbled, "What a broken Scabbard, to trade a Low Grade Spirit Beast inner core for it!"

The middle-aged man surnamed Qiu beckoned with his right hand, and the Scabbard immediately flew into his grasp. After examining it intently, the middle-aged man nodded and said, "This Scabbard is indeed a bit strange. Brother Li's acquisition isn't entirely without merit." With that, he flicked his right hand and handed the Scabbard back to the other person.

"Alright, let's go, Brother Qiu. Let me ask you one more time, are you sure there's an Eight-Clawed Beast in that place?" The woman looked at the man surnamed Qiu, her tone solemn.

The man surnamed Qiu smiled slightly and nodded.

He patted his Storage Pouch with his right hand, and a huge boat immediately flew out from within. He launched himself onto it and sat down, while the other two also moved and sat inside.

The boat sped away, instantly transforming into a long rainbow, rushing far into the distance and disappearing into the horizon.

During the flight, apart from the man surnamed Qiu, the other two closed their eyes and meditated. This was not their first time riding this boat, but each time, they needed to concentrate on breathing to stabilize their spiritual power; otherwise, they simply couldn't withstand such speed.

A hint of disdain appeared in the eyes of the man surnamed Qiu. Although these two both had Late Core Formation Stage cultivation, their Foundation was too poor. He recalled that when he was also in the Late Core Formation Stage, he could sit on this boat safely and soundly.

Back when he was in the Late Core Formation Stage, even among Cultivators of the same rank, very few could resist him. After all, both his Divine Sense and Cultivation Technique far surpassed others, and his Magic Treasure, in particular, was almost unstoppable, coupled with his rich combat experience. He had once believed himself to be absolutely the number one person below the Nascent Soul Stage.

All of this changed until he met someone! A cold, white-haired man!

His eyes flickered, and the image of that person surfaced in his mind. After a long while, a cold smile appeared on his lips, and he thought to himself, "Brother Wang, after devouring the Nascent Soul, I have successfully formed my Nascent Soul. I wonder if you have succeeded… If not, then when we meet again, I, Qiu, will surely avenge my past humiliation!"

Four days later, the boat stopped above a wilderness. The man surnamed Li and the heroic woman both opened their eyes. The woman's eyes flickered with a cold light, and she frowned, saying, "Brother Qiu, where is the Eight-Clawed Beast?"

Qiu Siping took a deep breath, and without a word, took out his Storage Pouch and pulled out a palm-sized piece of mud. As he activated it with spiritual power, a pungent, fishy odor immediately emanated from the mud.

This smell was extremely strong. After slowly spreading out, even the wind couldn't disperse it. Soon, the scent spread wider and wider. Just then, a cry like that of a baby suddenly came from a distance. Immediately after, Qiu Siping's eyes narrowed, and the boat beneath him suddenly sped up. At the same time, the woman's face showed a hint of joy, and she said, "Brother Qiu's mud is indeed miraculous; there really is an Eight-Clawed Beast here!"

Qiu Siping's expression was normal, and he smiled, "I, Qiu, have been watching this beast for several months, so I naturally understand its habits. If my cultivation wasn't insufficient, I would have caught it long ago. This time, I'll have to trouble you two."

The woman raised her chin and immediately said, "Naturally, your cultivation is only at the Middle Core Formation Stage. Leave the task of capturing and killing this beast to us."

Saying that, she leaped out of the boat. As for the dispirited man surnamed Li, he gave a bitter smile and quickly followed.

Qiu Siping sneered inwardly. For a Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivator like him, concealing his cultivation from two Core Formation Stage juniors was too simple. If it weren't for the fact that the method to kill this beast required poison, and it needed to be temporarily prepared with the beast's saliva, he wouldn't have brought these two here.

He followed unhurriedly. Soon, the woman's sharp cries came from ahead, and various Magic Treasure lights flickered at the same time.

The Eight-Clawed Beast was actually a giant octopus in the Cultivation Devil Sea. This beast's cultivation was already not low, and with the nourishment of the black rain, its intelligence had greatly increased, reaching the level of a Low Grade Spirit Beast.

However, this Eight-Clawed Beast was quite peculiar. Even ordinary Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators often found it troublesome when they encountered it. Although its Divine Ability was Low Grade and not difficult to deal with, its skin and flesh had reached Spirit Rank Medium Grade. Thus, unless it was a Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, it was simply impossible to harm it.

Therefore, any Cultivators who hunted Yao Beasts disliked getting entangled with this beast and would immediately leave upon seeing one.

However, the inner cores of this Eight-Clawed Beast were extremely attractive. Unlike other Yao Beasts, it had eight inner cores. Coupled with the Corrosive Powder from the Poison Demon Palace, which had a miraculous effect on this beast, killing this beast became an exclusive activity for the Poison Demon Palace, and its Disciples often enjoyed it tirelessly.

Qiu Siping had already made up his mind that after the two Core Formation juniors prepared the poison and killed the beast, he would kill them and take their cores.

However, at this moment, a massive Divine Sense suddenly swept over from a distance. The man and woman, who were entangled with the Eight-Clawed Beast and preparing to collect its mucus for medicine, immediately changed their expressions, showing surprise and uncertainty.

Even more bizarrely, under the sweep of this Divine Sense, even the Eight-Clawed Beast trembled all over. It was a beast after all, with innate spiritual sensitivity. From this Divine Sense, it immediately felt a terrifying ferocity, which made it cry out several times. Its entire body shrank into its burrow in the ground, trembling and daring not to emerge.

Qiu Siping's perception was the most acute, as he already possessed Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivation. When this Divine Sense fell upon him, he immediately felt as if he was being seen through, inside and out, as if he had become transparent. Not only that, but his Nascent Soul even became somewhat uncontrollable, with a faint tendency to escape his body. This feeling immediately made his face change drastically, and he was inwardly horrified. He immediately thought of the Soul Transformation Stage Old Monsters who had appeared in the Cultivation Devil Sea years ago when the black rain was moved.

The man surnamed Li quickly retreated several zhang, put away his Magic Treasure, and his demeanor was extremely respectful. Even the woman, who usually knew no fear, was now well-behaved, standing beside the man, utterly respectful.

"Fellow Daoist Qiu, long time no see!"

A powerful Divine Thought was transmitted from afar. Qiu Siping was startled and said with a hint of surprise, "Senior knows me?"

At the same time, a white-haired young man slowly approached from a distance. He didn't seem to be moving fast, but in reality, he crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, appearing about ten zhang in front of the three.

Qiu Siping stared blankly at this person, gasped, and exclaimed, "It's you!"

This person was none other than Wang Lin. He glanced at the man surnamed Li and the woman, finally fixing his gaze on Qiu Siping with a half-smile. With his shrewdness, he naturally saw through Qiu Siping's malicious intentions at a glance.

"Brother Qiu has such refined taste, playing with these two juniors with your Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, how interesting!" Wang Lin spoke slowly, but to the man and woman, it was like a clap of thunder, shaking their bodies and minds.

These two were not ordinary people either. Hearing Wang Lin's words, their faces immediately turned extremely ugly. After exchanging glances, their gazes towards Wang Lin were filled with gratitude. They cupped their fists slightly and quickly retreated, transforming into two long rainbows and speeding away.

Qiu Siping smiled bitterly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Without a word, he patted his Storage Pouch, and a small drum immediately appeared in his hand. After lightly tapping it, two almost imperceptible black threads shot out, speeding away.

The black threads were extremely fast. Just as they were about to catch up to the two, a green light appeared behind them. The black threads were immediately trapped within the green light. After the green light disappeared, the two had already fled without a trace.

Qiu Siping's face was quite grim. Although he hated Wang Lin to the bone, he took a deep breath on the surface and said with a bitter smile, "Fellow Daoist, long time no see."

——

Only one update today, please forgive me.