Chapter 89: Xu Qing's Law

A dark glint brewed within Xu Qing’s eyes.

He was no stranger to the organization known as the Sea Ghosts.

Back when he was at the Seven Blood Eyes, he had been short on spirit stones and killed several wanted criminals, among whom was Sun Dewang of the Sea Ghosts.

That man had lost everything in a gambling den run by Zhao Zhongheng, and after Xu Qing beheaded him, he had gained nothing but the bounty on his head.

It was also at that time that Xu Qing learned there were numerous pirate organizations on the Forbidden Sea, their members often being outcasts from various sects, islands, and clans.

Most were at the end of their rope, joining pirate organizations to operate on the Forbidden Sea.

There were several large-scale pirate organizations, and one of them was the Sea Ghosts.

The dozen or so figures walking up from the foot of the mountain at this moment all possessed cultivation fluctuations similar to Sun Dewang’s, with four of them clearly surpassing him.

To Xu Qing, they felt like peak Qi Condensation.

Especially since they were people who lived on the edge of a blade, their baleful aura was intense, far stronger than anyone Xu Qing had seen at the scavenger camp.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the sixteen figures of the Sea Ghosts as they approached rapidly; once they reached the basin, a sense of intimidation radiated from every cultivator among them.

Clearly, the reputation and ferocity of the Sea Ghosts caused everyone present to instinctively feel a sense of repulsion.

But as for these cultivators of the Sea Ghosts, they seemed completely indifferent to the other cultivators here; their expressions were mostly cold, and some even let their malice and sneers show without bothering to hide them.

Even toward Xu Qing and the old man from Banquan Road, they merely swept a cold gaze over them.

It was as if no one here was worth their regard.

Yet they did not act immediately; instead, they found an area and sat down cross-legged, and only then did one of them look coldly around and speak slowly.

"You lot can get lost. If you don't, then from now on, you can only watch the sea lizard skins, not snatch them. Otherwise... you die."

The voice carried a thick killing intent that permeated the surroundings, and everyone fell silent.

This scene left Xu Qing deep in thought; he had already had some guesses based on the others earlier, and now, combined with the arrival of the Sea Ghosts, he realized that something special might happen on Sea Lizard Island next.

"Should I leave first?"

Xu Qing pondered, and after sensing the cultivation fluctuations within his body, he made a decision; he stood up without the slightest hesitation and turned to leave.

His speed was so fast that he reached the distance in almost an instant.

His departure caused the surrounding cultivators to look over, and the old man from Banquan Road was even more surprised.

"That kid really left?"

Quite a few of the Sea Ghost cultivators glanced at Xu Qing’s back, but they didn't pay him any mind.

Just like that, Xu Qing descended the mountain at full speed, stepped into the jungle without a moment's pause, and half an hour later, his figure appeared on the beach by the shore.

There, Xu Qing’s expression was calm; with a wave of his hand, his magic boat appeared and landed in the sea, and he leaped onto it.

The moment he landed on the boat, Xu Qing took a deep breath and sat cross-legged; as he formed seals with his hands, the boat’s protective barrier hummed to life, and as the sea churned, the plesiosaur formed by his technique swam beneath the seabed, keeping watch in all directions.

After doing this, Xu Qing looked up at Sea Lizard Island, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

His vigilance and keenness had not diminished due to the smooth progress of his harvest on the island, nor had they weakened due to the improvement and strengthening of his cultivation; his character remained as it had always been.

Therefore, when he was close to a breakthrough, he did not arrogantly choose to stay on the island to advance.

Although it would likely have been safe to do so, and he had plenty of poison powder that could make anyone who approached bleed from their seven orifices and die, and he was strong himself.

But there was no need.

He had seen similar things in the slums; there were too many examples of people giving others an opportunity due to momentary arrogance and negligence.

Just like his principle of eliminating all threats to his life, Xu Qing would not create opportunities for others to strike at him.

This was the law of living in a chaotic world.

Some people, due to their own strength, slowly forget this, but Xu Qing’s experiences from childhood were carved into his bones, so he would not.

Now in a safe environment, Xu Qing closed his eyes, his internal cultivation erupted, and he began his breakthrough.

Meanwhile, beside the mountain basin on Sea Lizard Island, with Xu Qing’s departure, the poison there had also lessened, causing many cultivators to feel a sense of relief in their hearts.

But the words spoken upon the Sea Ghosts' arrival became a heavy threat, causing all the rogue cultivators there to feel oppressed; yet, unwilling to leave, each one hesitated and struggled with their choice.

There were also some who, after hesitating, chose to leave.

Soon, dusk descended.

The moment the evening glow faded, mist slowly appeared between the sea and sky in the distance.

This mist was thin and permeated all directions, as if an invisible god were breathing out its own essence, swirling over the Forbidden Sea and rolling in all directions.

For the Forbidden Sea, mist was not uncommon, so even if someone noticed it, they wouldn't pay much attention, until an astonishing fluctuation suddenly erupted from the sea surface in the direction of the coast, causing many cultivators to look up quickly.

The moment their gazes reached out, the spiritual energy at the coast released an even stronger fluctuation, erupting with a roar.

Endless spiritual energy surged from all directions at this moment, pouring toward the magic boat on the sea.

The range was so vast that in the blink of an eye, it covered over sixty zhang, and it continued to expand, reaching eighty-nine zhang in an instant.

It didn't end there; because of the sudden influx of spiritual energy, a massive whirlpool formed on the sea surface, centered on Xu Qing’s magic boat.

The whirlpool roared, the seawater churned, and like a bright lamp in the dark night, it attracted the attention of everyone within the many mountain ranges on Sea Lizard Island.

Gazes converged one after another, and the sound of gasping could be heard from every mountain range.

"He's actually breaking through here?"

"This feeling of a breakthrough... it's a bit strong!"

As for the cultivators in the basin, whether rogue cultivators or Sea Ghosts, they were all startled, staring at the whirlpool on the distant sea, their minds shaken.

"It's that Seven Blood Eyes disciple who left earlier!"

"He's actually breaking through his cultivation!"

Xu Qing could not hear the discussions of the cultivators; at this moment, on the boat within the whirlpool, his whole body was vibrating, and the spiritual sea within him, like the one outside, was eighty-nine zhang.

It was as if there were another world inside him, overlapping with the world outside his body at this moment.

Under this overlap, Xu Qing’s body vibrated more intensely, his entire body radiated a blinding purple light, and his breathing became rapid; as his cultivation circulated, the moment his internal spiritual sea broke through the final zhang to reach ninety zhang, the external whirlpool also suddenly expanded to ninety zhang.

The inner sea and the outer sea synchronized at this moment, turning into a roaring thunder that erupted continuously in Xu Qing’s mind.

Boom, boom, boom!

The eighth level of the Sea Transformation Scripture was broken, stepping into the ninth level!

It was not over!

Under this eruption, the whirlpool spiritual sea formed around him expanded again, its range increasing once more: ninety-one zhang, ninety-two zhang, ninety-three zhang...

The external expansion pulled at the spiritual sea within his body, causing it to spread and improve in tandem.

This scene was something Xu Qing had not encountered during his previous cultivation; this was because his breakthrough was happening in the Forbidden Sea, which, unlike the bay from before, had much denser spiritual energy.

At this moment, the range was still expanding.

Ninety-four zhang, ninety-five zhang, ninety-six zhang...

Until the external whirlpool reached a range of ninety-seven zhang, the spiritual sea within Xu Qing erupted as well, synchronizing to the ninety-seven zhang range; in an instant, a fluctuation of the ninth level of Qi Condensation erupted completely from his body.

The sea surface within a ninety-seven zhang radius was affected, instantly churning and rising high.

Seen from afar, it was a shocking sight.

Xu Qing’s eyes also opened at this moment.

The purple light lingered in his pupils for several breaths, and just as it was about to dim, an even stronger fluctuation erupted once more from Xu Qing’s body.

Behind him, the phantom of the Drought Demon manifested, roaring toward the sky like a fierce, violent, and cruel ghost, causing the churning sea surface, nearly a hundred zhang wide, to show signs of burning in an instant.

It turned into a sea of fire.

As this roar spread in all directions, the Ba phantom behind Xu Qing inhaled forcefully like a whale, and the ninety-seven zhang whirlpool of fire rushed toward the phantom’s gaping maw.

In an instant, it was all swallowed into its mouth.

And as it swallowed, the Ba phantom’s body shook violently, red light shining beneath its cracked skin, deepening continuously as if filled with magma, a shocking sight.

Finally, the light dispersed, forming a dazzling radiance that shrouded the surroundings, while a thick force of flame also erupted from outside Xu Qing’s body!

This was not a strange transformation of water and fire, but a miraculous fusion of water and fire, because within this flame, there were also water currents formed by the aura of the Forbidden Sea!

Only until this moment was Xu Qing’s breakthrough truly complete.

The purple light in his eyes vanished, and his figure slowly stood up, standing tall on the magic boat; the strength of his aura and the sharpness of his gaze caused everyone on Sea Lizard Island who saw him at this moment to have their minds severely shaken.

Especially the cultivators around the mountain basin on the island; they were even more so, their breathing becoming rapid as if facing a formidable enemy.

It was just that Xu Qing’s breakthrough was too astonishing, putting immense pressure on them, especially for those cultivators who had seen Xu Qing act before, whose inner horror was even greater.

One had to know that Xu Qing was already very formidable, and now that he had broken through, they could imagine that with such a person present, everyone’s harvest this time would likely become very small.

The old man from Banquan Road also widened his eyes, stared blankly, and then whispered to the large snake beside him.

"How about you go and seduce this kid? I feel like this kid is not simple; how is it that the ninth level of Qi Condensation feels even more fierce to me than Foundation Establishment!"

Just as everyone stared, their breathing stalled for a moment, because... they saw Xu Qing on the distant sea leap up and step onto the island again, his speed exceeding what it was before, his whole person turning into a long rainbow as he returned!

In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Xu Qing’s figure, carrying a violent aura, appeared outside the basin.

Ignoring everyone, he returned to the tree canopy he had occupied before with an expressionless face and sat down cross-legged, just as he had done before.

But this time, his appearance drew the high attention of all the Sea Ghost cultivators; their expressions became solemn, and a hidden wariness grew in their eyes.

The display of strength, while having both pros and cons, clearly had more pros than cons in the current environment.

Xu Qing was using his actions to tell the Sea Ghosts: don't provoke me.

The words you said about forbidding others from snatching sea lizard skins are... ineffective against me.