Chapter 548

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Protagonist:

Yu Zhangsheng

"Actually, it is we who want to exterminate more pirate bandits; it's just that in this vast ocean, finding these cunning people is truly no easy task."

"So, I thought to travel together with the Captain, using ourselves as bait; as long as pirates appear, we will then strike and exterminate them!"

Li Zixin also understood Yu Zhangsheng's meaning at this time, and was overjoyed.

Originally he was still hesitating whether to continue forward after this incident.

He had luck to escape once, but might not have a second time.

But if he went back like this, he would definitely suffer heavy losses, so he was still considering whether to spend a fortune to hire Yu Zhangsheng and the others as guards.

Now he didn't even need to speak; Yu Zhangsheng actually proposed it himself, which could not be better.

"Good, good, good, as long as Steward Yu is willing, anything is fine!"

"During this period, all your food, lodging, and expenses, I am willing to bear; after the matter is accomplished, I am also willing to present a full gift of money."

With the agreement reached, Yu Zhangsheng began to tally up this trip's gains.

After all, there were over a hundred pirates, plus a Purple Mansion True Lord-level Daoneng, and adding the loot these pirates had plundered, Yu Zhangsheng accepted it all with a smile.

Lu Sandao watched with his own eyes and had no way out; he could only watch helplessly as his things were all taken away, without even a temper to show.

Who told him his skill was inferior to others? In front of Yu Zhangsheng, he appeared exceptionally honest.

As for those pirates, they were miserable; the things they fought life and death to rob were lost in a single morning.

Yu Zhangsheng selected from Lu Sandao's storage bag some materials for pills needed by his spirit beasts.

As for the other storage bags, they were all distributed to the other few Sect Purple Mansion True Lords. They followed him here to exterminate pirates; they couldn't just exert effort for nothing.

And the things inside those few pirate ships were likewise not few.

Although most were just living supplies, low-grade spirit stones also amounted to several hundred thousand, enough for the Sect to use for a period of time.

In the following days, Yu Zhangsheng kept hiding inside the merchant ship, waiting for the fish to bite.

Li Zixin also entertained him with good food and lodging, all the best configurations on the ship.

And during this period, they encountered another pirate raid on a fleet.

And this fleet's strength was even stronger than Lu Sandao's batch, boasting a full three Purple Mansion True Lord-level Daoneng.

However, under the practice of Yu Zhangsheng's spirit beasts and the other few Wanxiang Sect Purple Mansion True Lords, the pirates were completely no match.

In the end, of the three Purple Mansion True Lords, two were captured by Yu Zhangsheng, one was beheaded.

The other pirates also captured over three hundred people, greatly replenishing the manpower inside the mine cave.

Li Zixin stood at the bow of the ship; his mood at this moment was also quite complex.

On one hand, this kind of behavior was indeed dancing on a knife's edge; he acknowledged the strength of Yu Zhangsheng and the others.

In just a few days, Yu Zhangsheng killed so many pirates and captured so many; he was indeed formidable.

But the pirates on the sea are so numerous; if time drags on, he also worries that enemies Yu Zhangsheng cannot handle might appear.

On the other hand, with Yu Zhangsheng and the others present, he no longer had the previous nervous emotions; he only needed to do his own job well.

Even some pirates' unused cargo on the ship, Yu Zhangsheng directly gave to him as compensation, letting him make a big profit.

This kind of tense and exciting life made Li Zixin's spirit somewhat taut; he often talked to himself.

And Yu Zhangsheng these few days also wasn't idle; he kept refining pills from the materials obtained last time.

Inside the room, flames flickered, emitting a scorching aura.

Yu Zhangsheng patted his storage bag once, and numerous precious medicinal materials leaped out one after another, falling into the alchemy furnace.

After Yu Zhangsheng's flowing, cloud-like operations, the room instantly filled with a refreshing medicinal fragrance that intoxicated people, causing a commotion outside the room.

And Yu Zhangsheng couldn't care about that much; he set about stabilizing the flame, controlling the fire well, completing the final stage of refining.

Not long after, the refining finally completed; several crimson-red pills slowly emerged, emitting a strange radiance that brightened Yu Zhangsheng's eyes.

The pills refined this time were likewise of outstanding quality.

One can only say, as Yu Zhangsheng's refining attempts grew more numerous, his proficiency also grew along with it, and he began to become increasingly adept.

It was also of great help for Yu Zhangsheng's breakthrough to the next alchemy realm layer.

The pills Yu Zhangsheng refined this time were also Hongling Beast Pills, to help his spirit beasts enhance their strength.

Unfortunately there were only three pills; Yu Zhangsheng planned to temporarily supply all these pills to one spirit beast, to prevent the spirit beasts from fighting over them.

After thinking back and forth, Yu Zhangsheng decided to feed all the pills to.

Because last time, Yu Zhangsheng's pills were all supplied to the Golden-Winged Great Peng, Cai Xing Deer.

The two spirit beasts' strength had long since broken through to the late stage; it was temporarily difficult to improve further.

And Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon was, besides Turtle Senior, the first spirit beast to break through to the fourth rank; afterwards Yu Zhangsheng had never fed it resources again.

Yu Zhangsheng, adhering to the principle of fairness and justice, naturally had to take care of its feelings.

Thus, Yu Zhangsheng immediately released the Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon onto the sea surface; the incomparably huge Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon appeared, instantly startling all crew members, filling them with extreme fear.

Upon receiving the news that it was Yu Zhangsheng's spirit beast, they then breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately after, Yu Zhangsheng fed all the pills to the Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon.

【Consumed three Fourth-Rank One-Stripe Hongling Beast Pills, fed to Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon; Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon's physical strength, soul density, and cultivation base improved to a certain degree!】

【Reward Essence Points 300000!】

"This time's harvest is still too little; wanting the Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon's strength to continue improving looks like it still has some difficulty."

"However, as long as I exterminate more large demon-cultivator pirate groups on the sea, I may not be unable to gather the breakthrough materials needed by the Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon."

"The breakthrough of a Fifth Rank Spirit Beast is indeed still too difficult."

At this time, several other Wanxiang Sect Sub-Talisman True Lords also arrived upon hearing the commotion.

"I say, Changsheng, you've made quite a grand spectacle."

"I thought enemies were attacking and immediately came out to provide support."

"However, this Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon is indeed imposing; using it as the face of our Wanxiang Sect is more than sufficient."

"Hehe, truly an extremely rare Spirit Beast, making one envious beyond measure."

Several Wanxiang Sect Sub-Talisman True Lords praised the Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon without stinting their words of praise, and the Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon raised its head and let out a long roar, as if also responding.

"Changsheng, how come I smell a strange fragrance? What are you up to?"

Several Wanxiang Sect Sub-Talisman True Lords were also curious, all looking toward Yu Zhangsheng.

Yu Zhangsheng smiled helplessly and could only say:

"Just refining some Pills for the Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon to increase its Cultivation Base."

Only then did everyone suddenly realize, and they smiled bitterly in helplessness.

"Being an Alchemist is great; feeding such precious Pills to one's own Spirit Beast — I'm afraid even we Sub-Talisman True Lords don't have much chance to taste them."

"It seems this Chi Lian Purgatory Dragon truly has good Luck, to have followed such a good Master." After a few polite exchanges, Yu Zhangsheng then discovered that the several Sub-Talisman True Lords who had escorted the pirates earlier had also all returned, leaving only one person to guard the pirates at the Kuang Dong.

Those Sub-Talisman True Lord-level demonic cultivator pirates had all been placed under special Forbidden Restrictions, and their Cultivation Bases had also been restricted in part.

So leaving one Sub-Talisman True Lord to guard was more than sufficient.

"Changsheng, what is our objective next? Could it be we continue waiting for an opportunity on this merchant ship?"

"Yes, but after the previous two ambushes, those pirates probably don't dare to easily make a move on merchant ships anymore."

"If they truly come, it will likely be a powerful force, and we may not necessarily be a match."

"Do we need to formulate a new plan?"

Regarding the proposals of the several Sub-Talisman True Lords, Yu Zhangsheng also fell into contemplation.

What they said also had some reason; after all, the pirates on this Hai Yu are not fools.

Two pirate groups nearby disappeared one after another, while instead a merchant ship safely sailed to this Location.

Even an idiot could tell there were definitely experts inside the merchant ship; before figuring out the situation, there definitely wouldn't be any pirates daring to easily make a move on the merchant ship.

Continuing to wait might also just be wasting time.

Seeing this, Yu Zhangsheng also slowly nodded, "That's right, what the several of you say is correct; we should think of a way to respond."

"It seems only taking the initiative to attack is an opportunity."

Yin Tianba of Ba Dao Peak said: "However, those pirate groups with fixed Strongholds also all possess extremely powerful strength."

"There may be several or even a dozen Sub-Talisman True Lords; we may not necessarily be a match."

"Roving pirate groups have weaker strength, but their Location is elusive and difficult to find traces of."

Yu Zhangsheng frowned, pondered slightly, then proposed: "Since that's the case, let's first grasp enough intelligence before deciding."

"Didn't we catch two pirate groups before, with quite a few Sub-Talisman True Lord pirates? Obtain some information about pirate groups with fixed Strongholds from them."

"Then select a suitable pirate group from among them as a target."

The several Sub-Talisman True Lords also all nodded; this matter indeed required caution, the role of intelligence was crucial.

Yu Zhangsheng immediately sent out a Chuan Yin Yu Jian, having Wei Lao and the Sub-Talisman True Lord left behind interrogate those three Sub-Talisman True Lord pirates, to pry out some useful intelligence.

Not long after, the news from Wei Lao and the others came back.

Yu Zhangsheng immediately shared the intelligence with the other several Sub-Talisman True Lords.

On this Sea Surface, Lu Sandao and the others were merely the weakest group of pirates.

As for powerful pirate groups, such as the Hundred Beasts Pirate Group and the like, they even possessed over a dozen Sub-Talisman True Lord experts.

Behind them there was even the shadow of a Huashen-level Venerable, extremely difficult to deal with.

These pirate groups with fixed Camps dared to expose their own Strongholds without fear of being surrounded and suppressed; they certainly had something to rely on.

If Yu Zhangsheng and the others rashly launched a surprise attack on these forces, even if they could win, they would suffer heavy losses.

Currently everything in the Wanxiang Gate is progressing in a good direction, but the number of Sub-Talisman True Lords is still limited.

The Sect cannot afford to lose a single one; therefore they absolutely cannot rashly attack these powerful Strongholds.

The several Sub-Talisman True Lords fell silent upon hearing this; this matter didn't seem so easy to resolve.

Yu Zhangsheng had long anticipated this, "However, Lu Sandao still gave us a piece of useful information!"

The several Sub-Talisman True Lords immediately perked up, all listening with rapt attention.

"These roving pirate groups of theirs have low strength. But ultimately they can't possibly keep drifting on the sea forever; they always need a place to settle."

"Moreover, a group of big men, unable to touch women for long, will also cause trouble."

The several Sub-Talisman True Lords immediately reacted.

"That is to say, these small pirate groups of theirs also have a fixed Stronghold?"

Yu Zhangsheng nodded: "Correct! Different from those large fixed Strongholds, these small pirate groups' Strongholds are elusive."

"They change Location according to circumstances; the specific Location is known only to that group of pirates themselves."

"And as long as we go to those Strongholds, we can figure out the subsequent itineraries of many small pirate groups! Convenient for us to make a move."

The several Sub-Talisman True Lords' eyes lit up, all having hope.

"Hehe, this Lu Sandao selling out his own kind is truly without the slightest hesitation."

"Hmph, aren't these pirates just like that? Profit-driven, greedy for life and afraid of death, not a shred of credibility to speak of."

"But this does give us an opportunity to exploit; as long as this matter is indeed true, we can attempt it!"

Yu Zhangsheng smiled: "The reason Lu Sandao revealed such important information is also hoping to redeem himself through merit and gain our trust."

"Moreover, Lu Sandao also wants to personally lead us to the Stronghold. After all, only pirates can approach that kind of place."

Lu Sandao proposed temporarily releasing his pirate crew to lead us to their stronghold and infiltrate it.

Yin Tianba, however, found this improper; he simply could not trust these pirates.

"What if he intends to take this opportunity to use the other pirates at that stronghold against us, thereby escaping? What then?"

Yu Zhangsheng had naturally long since considered this concern; he would never blindly follow Lu Sandao's advice and was certainly on guard the whole time.

"I have also thought of this matter, so Lu Sandao must remain under our control at all times; should anything change, we will immediately execute him as a threat."

"That Lu Sandao is someone who can recognize the situation; as long as we give him sufficient benefits, combining kindness and authority, he should not easily betray us."

"As for risk, there certainly is some. But doing this sort of thing, how could there be no danger?"

"Several Peak Masters and Elders, how should this matter be handled? Everyone might as well discuss it."

After brief discussion, the several Sub-Talisman True Lords all nodded in succession; Yin Tianba hesitated, then could only agree to participate.

Several days later, a Sub-Talisman True Lord who had previously returned to rendezvous brought Lu Sandao and his pirate ship to join the merchant vessel.

Yu Zhangsheng had long since explained the situation to Li Zixin, having him slow down slightly to wait.

And he also indicated they needed to leave for a period of time.

He also gave Li Zixin a few choices: either depart on his own — with the previous two battles exterminating pirate crews, the merchant ship would be much safer.

Or wait in this relatively safe sea area for several days until matters at hand were settled, after which Yu Zhangsheng would continue the escort.

In the end Li Zixin naturally chose the second option; truly he dared not take the risk again, stipulating that as long as Yu Zhangsheng and the others did not return, he would not leave this sea area.

He even raised the reward for Yu Zhangsheng and the others, fearing they might not come back.

Having resolved Li Zixin's concerns, Yu Zhangsheng and the others changed into the clothing of Lu Sandao's pirate subordinates and boarded the pirate ship.

Seeing Yu Zhangsheng, Lu Sandao immediately scurried over with his tail between his legs.

"Boss Yu, when do we set out?"

Yu Zhangsheng was somewhat surprised by this sudden form of address; frowning, he said, "Lu Sandao, the conditions I spoke of before — have you considered them?" (Chapter End)