Chapter 498: From Metamorphosing Spirit Chicken to Beast-Taming Cultivation Chapter 497: The Sea Journey

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Protagonist:

Yu Zhangsheng

Time flowed on, and another two months passed.

Lanzhou, the sea entrance, Lanbei Port sat nestled in a bay suffused with Spirit Qi.

Waves lapped against the reefs on the shore, splashing countless crystalline water droplets, within which Spirit Light faintly flickered.

Around the port, massive Spirit Boats and Immortal Ships were moored at berths in a staggered, orderly fashion. These Immortal Ships were of strange design; their hulls were forged from precious Spirit Wood, inlaid with various gems and Talismans shining with mysterious light.

The bows were carved with majestic strange beasts, as if ready to soar into flight at any moment.

On the dock, Cultivators came and went. Some wore magnificent Magic Robes, held Magic Treasures, and bore a lofty bearing; others wore plain Daoist Robes, their gazes deep, exuding an extraordinary, transcendent temperament. They were either waiting here to depart, or had just returned, exchanging stories and insights from their cultivation journeys.

In the air above the port, Sword-riding Immortals occasionally streaked across, leaving behind trails of gorgeous light and shadow. The porters responsible for moving goods possessed boundless strength, effortlessly hauling heavy Spirit Ores and Magic Treasures.

A scene of prosperity, bustling with crowds, inevitably gave rise to a trade market; thus, in the corners of the port, quite a few Cultivators had already set up stalls and were hawking their wares. The stalls were covered in all manner of bizarre Spirit Objects, and the stall owners used unique methods to demonstrate the items' miraculous effects.

"Fellow Daoist, how do you sell this Navigation Map?"

Before long, at a middle-aged Cultivator's stall, a youth stopped and bent low, picking up a scroll from the stall, and asked in a deep voice.

This youth had sword-like brows and star-like eyes, red lips and white teeth; a pair of pupils shimmered as if containing brewing stars. His appearance could not be called peerlessly handsome, yet he looked fair and clean, revealing a vigorous spirit. His features were distinct, a head of blue silk bound within a white jade crown, a blue-white long robe fluttering in the wind — truly a dashing young gentleman.

It was precisely Yu Zhangsheng after a fresh disguise; however, this time his features had been changed into Li Minghan's likeness.

Although the current place was no longer Wuzhou, relying on his fame and value, even if he revealed his original appearance, those who recognized him would certainly not be few; trouble might arise. To be safe, after entering Lanzhou, he changed his appearance into Li Minghan's likeness.

Leaving the Cloud Wave Desert, stepping into Lanzhou, hiding carefully all the way, he had finally, through danger but without mishap, arrived smoothly at the Lanzhou sea entrance.

"Navigation Map?"

The stall owner stared blankly, heard this, looked up at Yu Zhangsheng, and immediately smiled: "Dao Friend must be planning a long journey. The price of a Navigation Map naturally varies according to scale. You have indeed found the right person; in matters of navigation, this Poor Daoist is indeed experienced, having been to many Sea Domains, and my collection of Navigation Maps is the largest."

"Mm, is that so? Are there any particulars to this? How is the price calculated?"

Yu Zhangsheng raised an eyebrow, asking softly.

"Naturally," the middle-aged stall owner nodded, stroking his beard with a smile: "If Dao Friend only needs a Navigation Map within a hundred li range, then no payment is needed either; consider it a gift from me, forming a good karmic connection. It's not worth much anyway."

The middle-aged stall owner laughed hehe, paused, and continued: "If it's a thousand li range Navigation Map, I won't charge much either — a hundred Spirit Stones. If larger still, a ten thousand li range Navigation Map, the price is ten thousand Spirit Stones; fair to young and old alike."

"Just don't know where Brother is headed, and how large a Navigation Map you need."

The middle-aged stall owner asked curiously.

"Mm..." Yu Zhangsheng pondered, thought a moment, and said: "I need a map that can go straight through to the Beihai Yu. You see what's suitable."

"Straight through to the Beihai Yu?" The words barely fell; hearing this, the middle-aged stall owner instantly froze, blinked, looked deeply at Yu Zhangsheng, and exclaimed in surprise:

"Going to a place that far? Dao Friend isn't joking, right?"

"Mm." Yu Zhangsheng nodded lightly, complexion calm.

"Like this, ah..." The middle-aged stall owner was surprised, pondered a moment, and said:

"The Beihai Yu is distant from here; the Sea Domains along the way shift in complex ways, and the perils are even harder to estimate. If Dao Friend has the confidence to go, I won't swindle you either.

I have here a Beihai Yu Navigation Map obtained from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in my early years. It not only clearly marks the Sea Domain conditions along this entire route, but also gives clear accounts of certain perils and the Beihai Yu's customs and local conditions. One price: a hundred thousand Spirit Stones. How about selling it to you?"

The middle-aged stall owner finished speaking, patted his Storage Bag, took out a Jade Tube, handed it to Yu Zhangsheng, his tone sincere, expression solemn.

"Mm..." Yu Zhangsheng contemplated for a while, half a moment later nodded, received the Jade Tube, narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the middle-aged stall owner, and said in a deep voice:

"Deal. A hundred thousand Spirit Stones. But this thing had better be reliable. If there's any fake..."

Yu Zhangsheng's tone paused; without changing expression, a wisp of aura belonging to the Purple Mansion quietly settled upon the middle-aged stall owner.

The middle-aged stall owner's body instantly stiffened, his heart skipped a beat, a drop of sweat unconsciously trickled down his forehead, his face knotted up, and his eyes revealed terror yet he swore resolutely:

"I absolutely wouldn't dare deceive Senior. I stake my life on it — this map is entirely true, the pricing is also fair to young and old, with absolutely no concealment. Otherwise, I will surely incur Heavenly Dao punishment, let my soul fly apart and scatter, and die a terrible death."

The middle-aged stall owner, breaking out in cold sweat, spoke thus.

"Good."

Seeing this, Yu Zhangsheng waved his sleeve, produced a hundred-thousand-Spirit-Stone Spirit Note, received the Jade Tube, pressed it to his forehead and sensed it for a while, then gave the middle-aged stall owner a deep look, and turned to leave.

The contents within the Jade Tube he had already probed; it was indeed a large-scale Navigation Map reaching straight to the Beihai Yu. Some annotations also looked true and credible; there should be no problem.

After a long while, watching Yu Zhangsheng's departing back, the middle-aged stall owner wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, let out a long breath, patted his chest, and his surging emotions only then calmed down.

"Looking so young, a mere kid, yet he's actually reached the Purple Mansion Realm — truly inconceivable, hard to believe. Is he some peerless heaven's pride disciple from some Great Clan?"

The middle-aged stall owner murmured, his face unconsciously revealing a trace of relief. Watching Yu Zhangsheng's distant back, his eyes held reverence, impossible to conceal.

His cultivation, though he was a Loose Cultivator, had reached the Golden Core Realm thanks to some opportunities in his early years. Yet just now, the wisp of aura Yu Zhangsheng leaked pressed down on him, instantly making his mind boom and tremble; his Sea of Consciousness surged with shocking waves, as if facing not a youth but an unfathomable flood dragon or fierce beast.

Therefore, his form of address also changed to Senior; after all, in the cultivation world, the strong are respected.

And to make him, already at the Golden Core Realm, react like this — panic-stricken — the only explanation was that Yu Zhangsheng's cultivation far exceeded his, at least at the Purple Mansion Realm. An existence like that could pinch him to death as easily as pinching an ant, without any extra effort. Hence, in his terror, what he said was also true; naturally he didn't dare act rashly.

"Tch..." Thinking of this, the middle-aged stall owner sucked in a cold breath, his heart shaken even more. "Truly, one cannot judge a person by appearance. Such a young youth actually has Purple Mansion cultivation... However, speaking of it, a person like this in Lanzhou shouldn't be unknown and nameless, right? And going to the Beihai Yu without shirking hardship... What normal person goes there..."

The middle-aged stall owner muttered, his expression suddenly stunned, as if thinking of something. His eyes abruptly widened, a speculation surfacing in his heart.

"No, such a young Purple Mansion Cultivator... Could it be him? If it's him, fleeing the South Domain in such haste, heading for the Beihai, that would make sense too..."

The middle-aged stall owner fell silent for a long while, thoughts coiling in his heart. A trace of burning heat faintly appeared in his eyes; then, recalling Yu Zhangsheng's final gaze, the burning heat in his eyes also extinguished, leaving only relief.

"Forget it. A Deification opportunity isn't something a Cultivator like me, who hasn't even reached Purple Mansion, can covet. Even if he really is Yu Zhangsheng, then at that time, I'm afraid he'll have the fate to seize the opportunity but not the life to use it. Both sides are colossal beings. I'd better stay law-abiding and think of nothing at all — that's best."

The middle-aged stall owner fell silent, finally shook his head, and chose to forget this matter.

On the other side, Yu Zhangsheng, having obtained the Navigation Map, then continued to purchase many supplies.

In fact, beside such a large port, due to the dense flow of people coming and going, commercial trade was naturally developed as well. Besides these individually operated stalls, some Continental civilization Chambers of Commerce also had a presence — for instance, the Myriad Treasures Pavilion the middle-aged Cultivator just mentioned, the Myriad Guard Tower, and so on...

However, considering his own identity's sensitivity, and the fact that not many people needed to go to the Beihai Yu, to prevent anyone in those major powers from growing suspicious, Yu Zhangsheng still chose to buy the Navigation Map from an individual stall holder.

At this critical juncture, being a bit more cautious is always a good thing.

"The sea region is vast, and within it the winds and clouds change in who knows how many dangers; it is also easy to lose one's direction. With this navigation map, I can save myself a lot of trouble."

Yu Zhangsheng thought, and after Jiang Qita's many resources were also gathered, he returned to the dock.

There, at a temporary berth on the dock, a Spirit Boat was already moored. The Spirit Boat was not large, about ten meters long and five meters wide, shaped like a Peng bird with wings spread as if to fly, Spirit Light shimmering. On its hull were carved Dao Dao profound Patterns, joining together to form a Formation Array.

Inside the Spirit Boat, strange gems of various functions were set in one by one, their light restrained, Spirit Qi swirling around and turning into a faint mist that enveloped the hull. On both sides of the hull were movable splints, inside which were placed unique gun turrets, serving as the weapon system.

Sea waves undulated, wave after wave lapping against it, yet they could not cause the Spirit Boat the slightest deviation; instead it stood firm as a rock, unmoving as the sea-fixing needle.

Although the Spirit Boat's scale and size could not compare with the hundred-zhang thousand-zhang giant ships moored at the deeper port, it was small and exquisite, yet the aura that occasionally leaked out still made the other ships nearby glance sideways.

"A fourth-grade Formation Array engraved — this Spirit Boat belongs to who knows what person; its value is not small."

"The hull seems to be made from the bones of a Fourth Rank Spirit Beast — truly extravagant. With this Spirit Boat, sailing on the sea, even some low-rank sea beasts dare not approach, saving no small amount of trouble."

Cultivators stopped to observe, looking at the Spirit Boat, sighing in low voices.

For this group of people who often go to sea, a good Spirit Boat can play a very large role.

And this Spirit Boat naturally did not belong to Yu Zhangsheng, but to Wei Lao.

Ships that travel far to the Beihai Yu only sail once a year. Since the last ship bound for the Beihai Yu departed, two months have already passed.

And Yu Zhangsheng naturally could not wait for the next giant ship, so he rented a port berth, paid some fees, and planned to go himself; therefore he needed to buy a navigation map.

Now, the navigation map and other needed things, Yu Zhangsheng had all purchased clearly. He then leapt lightly, and amid the envious gazes of the other people, stepped into the Spirit Boat. The Spirit Boat's Protective Barrier temporarily opened, and after letting Yu Zhangsheng in, immediately closed again.

Making it so that from the outside, the Spirit Boat's internal Scene could not be seen.

"Back? Got the navigation map?"

On the Spirit Boat's splint, Wei Lao was lying leisurely on a grand teacher's chair, lightly crossing his legs. Sensing the movement, without turning his head he glanced at Yu Zhangsheng and spoke.

The Xuan Turtle, held in his embrace, had its head tucked in its shell, sleeping soundly with loud breaths.

"Mm, got the navigation map, should be no problem."

Yu Zhangsheng nodded lightly, hehe laughing.

"Then fine, no time to lose, let's set off. You go to the helm, I'll continue sleeping a while."

Wei Lao stretched lazily, yawned, then continued squinting his eyes, lying on the grand teacher's chair leisurely swaying, completely the picture of a hands-off shopkeeper.

Yu Zhangsheng: "……"

Yu Zhangsheng shook his head, a trace of a smile appearing on his face, returned to the pilot room, and after familiarly Launching a series of Formation Arrays, the entire Spirit Boat swayed slightly and slowly sailed out of the port.

The speed was slow at first; after leaving the port, it activated acceleration. Various Formations enveloped the Spirit Boat, forming protection. Sea waves surged wave after wave, striking the hull. The Spirit Boat rode the wind and broke the waves, steady and extremely fast.

Looking down from the high sky, the huge port surrounded the coastline. Spirit Boats like swords sailed out of the port, ten thousand sails leaving port, rising and falling on the azure sea surface, like a spider web spread horizontally.

The Spirit Boat flew swiftly, treading waves on the billowing sea surface, speeding toward the depths of the sea region. Before long, the originally dense clouds also quietly scattered, revealing the long-missed Sun.

Sunlight sprinkled on the azure sea surface; the light was not intense, but brilliant with gentleness, gently smoothing the sea water. Between sea and sky, it carried Yu Zhangsheng and Wei Lao's Spirit Boat swaying lightly, letting the sea waves push it forward.

Sea breeze brushed gently, bringing bursts of dense Spirit Qi, even more dense than on Land by several degrees, making body and mind comfortable. On the splint, Wei Lao lay on the chair bathing in the sky light, sea breeze blowing strands of hair, a picture of leisure and contentment.

"The sunlight is just right, the breeze not dry; the journey is the stars and the sea. Having come to this World for so long, I should indeed go out and have a good look."

Before long, Yu Zhangsheng walked out of the pilot room. Sea breeze blew the bangs on his forehead; amid the changing features, his true original appearance was revealed. His gaze was deep; across the sea surface he looked toward the Continent behind him and said softly:

"Wuzhou, there will come a day when I, Yu Zhangsheng, will return……" (Chapter End)