Chapter 231: Borrowing Two Hundred More Years from the Whale! (8K)

Lord Zhao sent Yun Yi to find Gao Ming, naturally because Gao Ming could transport him to the Edge of Eternal Night to eat.

Merely for this single trip, procuring a Mid-tier Scout quota for Yun Yi was troublesome; as for a High-tier Scout quota, giving it to Yun Yi would not be an investment, but harming him.

Finding Gao Ming posed no problem; Gao Ming, this courier, would not go exploring for treasures, but merely transport goods for various groups.

That is to say, although he lacked the qualification to search for treasures, he could run freely throughout the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven.

He was essentially a Transit Commissioner within the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven.

Turning Yun Yi into a temporary Transit Commissioner and taking him to the edge of the Edge of Eternal Night involved no difficulty whatsoever.

Zhao Xing dispatched a straw-man clone to deliver a batch of spirit fish to Yun Yi.

He said not a single other word.

Yun Yi had expected Yuanrang Marquis to say something to him, but he did not.

This left him sitting on the boat, eating fish with a bewildered expression.

He was not the only one bewildered; there were seven or eight others on the boat.

Yun Yi surveyed the situation inside the hall.

Those who could sit at a separate table to eat fish, aside from himself, included only one strange man named 'Li Fuhan'.

Why call him strange? Because this man's way of eating fish was very peculiar.

Li Fuhan used no chopsticks, but rather knives, forks, and silver needles; he also did not use the bowls Gao Ming prepared, but instead held something resembling a spring bucket or a mortar, fiddling with it there.

Li Fuhan also brought a box, seemingly adding ingredients into it.

This man ate fish with extreme meticulousness; even the fish bones, he crushed, sucking out the marrow inside.

Not even bone fragments were wasted; he wrapped them in paper and put them into the box.

All such things made Yun Yi extremely curious.

It was clear this was a physician, but physicians were not usually this strange... Yun Yi thought.

Zhao Xing was likewise observing Li Fuhan.

"Indeed, even if a person lives for a very long time, these small habits do not change."

"Itinerant Physician Li Fuhan, I presume you are here to make a trip to the Southern Barbarian Battlefield; I did not expect you to arrive so late."

"Fortunately, I did not miss him, or perhaps my fortune has exploded?" Zhao Xing thought.

Li Fuhan would become the Imperial Physician-in-Chief in the future; this position was the highest official of the Great Zhou Medical Bureau!

However, this official rank was only Second Grade, Positive.

But the Imperial Physician-in-Chief controlled precious medicinal herbs throughout the world; even if his own rank was merely Second Grade, he could heal First Grade experts.

Li Fuhan was a native of Jingcheng; at this time, he was merely an Eighth Grade Itinerant Physician.

Since numerous Insect Witches and Blood Witches had appeared on the Southern Barbarian Battlefield, employing bizarre methods, a large number of physicians rushed in from all corners of the world.

However, when Li Fuhan arrived following his teacher, the Imperial Physician-in-Chief, they happened to encounter the March ceasefire.

Originally, Li Fuhan intended to return, but his teacher visited an old friend in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven, so they settled in Yang City.

This man had a reclusive nature and was not military personnel; previously, Zhao Xing had truly not found him.

Had the spiritual beauty of the Grotto-Heaven not erupted, they would likely have passed this person by without meeting.

"Wu Di once asked Li Fuhan to treat Liu Tianning's madness; under his treatment, Old Liu truly recovered his sanity for a period."

"This man's Resurrection Saint Hand and Ghost Gate Needle later reached great perfection; he also recompiled the 'Medical Classic' and created many top-tier medical techniques, especially the 'Blood Plague Classic' targeting Southern Barbarian Insect Witches and Blood Witches, which played a major role in the Wu Di era's campaigns against the barbarians."

"And the 'Medical Classic: Life Soul Chapter' he created based on Old Liu's condition..."

It is not that high cultivation prevents illness; within the Life Soul, there still exist parasitic creatures like the 'Sleepy Bug', let alone the physical body?

It is merely that high cultivators rarely fall ill. But when a problem arises, it is a major illness!

"It is just that Li Fuhan has some quirks; when he treats patients, he always ignores their feelings, loves to use drastic medicines, and pursues high efficiency."

"This man's motto is: 'Better to live poorly than to die well'."

"If the final result is a cure in both cases, but one must choose between 【High-Efficiency Severe Pain】 and 【Low-Efficiency Painless】, this man will definitely choose the former."

"Seeking treatment from Li Fuhan requires mental preparation; in his hands, scraping the bone to cure poison is nothing but basic operation," Zhao Xing muttered in his heart. "Buying insurance, I hope the day I need him never comes."

Besides investing, Zhao Xing was not idle in his cultivation either.

He refined the Straw-Man Technique, and also focused heavily on cultivating another method: the 【Turtle Coin Divination Method】.

The spirit turtles of the Edge of Eternal Night were of far higher quality than those in the Canglan River.

When Zhao Xing had free time, he began his path of turtle-slaying.

May 19th: eighty-two turtles slain.

May 20th: one hundred and fifty-seven turtles slain.

May 21st: two hundred and fourteen turtles slain.

Starting from the fourth day, the number of turtles slain increased sharply.

May 23rd: one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two turtles slain.

May 24th: two thousand two hundred and forty-five turtles slain.

May 25th...

Why ask why the number slain kept increasing?

Mainly, when Zhao Xing exchanged resources with other exploration groups, turtle life frequently appeared on the list.

As the saying goes: "If the superior likes it, the inferior will surely imitate it!"

Liu Tianning's disciples stopped causing trouble; they only wanted turtles? They could still exchange them for resources; was that not simple? Everyone, go catch them for me! Catch as many as you can!

In fact, Pei Pei Yuanchang, the direct grandson of the Ling Frost King, was even the main force in catching turtles.

He did not know where he heard it, but Zhao Xing had a habit of killing turtles.

They had specially prepared a sea vessel to catch spirit turtles for Zhao Xing.

Therefore, Zhao Xing was in no shortage of turtles to use.

It just looked quite puzzling to observers.

For the first couple of days, killing turtles and refining turtle shells, the people on the Wanfa Lou ship hadn't felt anything amiss.

But after a few days, Zhao Xing was still killing, and seemed to be getting more and more addicted to it.

Even Princess Youruo couldn't help but be drawn to him.

"Do you have some grudge against turtles?"

Princess Youruo asked, watching as Zhao Xing skillfully pulled out the turtle's head.

"Pfft~" With a swift hand and a falling blade, the turtle's head was severed in one stroke.

"Were you bitten by a turtle when you were young?"

"No, Master's wife," Zhao Xing looked up. "I am cultivating."

"Oh? Is it a divination method?"

"Master's wife's insight is as sharp as a torch."

Princess Youruo was somewhat surprised: "Turtle shell divination is an ancient method from before the Yin dynasty; you know quite a lot."

"However, since you are not an official in our dynasty, it is hard to achieve any success; at best, you will reach a high-level tier. You are wasting your effort."

"Master's wife, I am currently just a humble sixth-rank official," Zhao Xing smiled. "If I can master a high-level method, how could this be wasted practice?"

"Doesn't your master scold you?" Princess Youruo asked. She knew that Liu Tianning had very high demands for his disciples.

"My master has said so," Zhao Xing nodded. "But since my progress with the Straw Man Method is not slow, he no longer persuades me."

Princess Youruo watched for a while longer: "If you only need turtle shells, when you reach the East Sea in the future, you can come to Zixiao Island to find me."

"I do have some collections."

"What collections does Master's wife have?" Zhao Xing's eyes lit up.

"There should be quite a few at the level of ten-thousand-year Profound Turtles," Princess Youruo said lazily. "Those leaders of the water tribes send such useless things every year; there is no novelty."

Princess Youruo was a direct descendant of Your Majesty Yuanjun; her mother was the Sect Master (Dean) of the Bishui Sect, and she was also Emperor Jing's beloved daughter.

Their lineage held strong authority over the water tribes in the various regions of the East Sea.

Therefore, on the Wanfa Lou ship, amidst a full vessel of spiritual elegance, Princess Youruo didn't even glance at it. She had truly seen far too many treasures from the sea.

"Thank you, Master's wife," Zhao Xing was overjoyed.

"You carry on," Princess Youruo waved her hand; after watching for a while, she found it boring.

"Master's wife, take your time leaving."

Watching Princess Youruo leave, Zhao Xing continued to chop turtles.

If Princess Youruo was merely surprised.

Others were somewhat intimidated.

When Liu Cheng'an, the son of Prince Xin, and another titled Wang Shizi named Wu Zhengting passed by.

Seeing the scene of turtle chopping, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their lower bodies.

"Brother Wu, Brother Liu, good morning," Zhao Xing straightened his back, revealing a smile.

"Good morning." Liu Cheng'an and Wu Zhengting felt their scalps tighten.

Zhao Xing holding the knife, grinning with bared teeth, was far too terrifying.

"Liu Tianning's Wanfa Palace has too many avatars; it makes people feel eerie."

"Why does this disciple have such a hobby too?" After walking past, Liu Cheng'an transmitted his voice.

"Otherwise, how could they be called master and disciple?" Wu Zhengting recalled Zhao Xing's smile. "Both of these master and disciple are intimidating."

But there were also those who liked to come watch Zhao Xing kill turtles.

Such as Ji Zixuan.

Every day she would carve out some time to accompany Zhao Xing, simply watching Zhao Xing slaughter turtles in silence.

"Senior Brother, are you tired? Do you need me to do it for you?" Ji Zixuan rolled up her sleeves. She seemed genuinely interested in the matter itself, not solely to please Zhao Xing.

"Do you think I'm killing them for fun?" Zhao Xing pouted.

"Whatever Senior Brother does must have deep meaning," Ji Zixuan squatted down. "I just want to help Senior Brother."

? ￠o

"You can't help; I can't teach you this technique either."

If this world developed as it did in the previous life, then Ji Zixuan, this Shadow Assassin, would stand on the opposite side of him.

Teach this divination method to Ji Zixuan?

What kind of joke is that!

An assassin who can divine would be so annoying that even if she couldn't kill, she would annoy one to death.

"Oh, then is it okay if I just watch, Senior Brother?" Ji Zixuan had a spirit of perseverance.

"As you wish." Zhao Xing pointed, and the turtle meat quickly withered, its flesh and blood soaking into a black turtle shell.

Through Zhao Xing's turtle shell refining method, it had already absorbed the vital blood of thousands of its own kind.

After being soaked multiple times, the turtle shell was black as purple, and the turtle patterns on it emitted a faint dark glow.

The power of the Turtle Coin Divination Method relies more heavily on external objects.

Zhao Xing was currently refining turtle shells just to practice; for long-term use, he would need the turtle shells of the 'ten-thousand-year Profound Turtle' that Princess Youruo mentioned.

"The Turtle Divination Method is more laborious, requiring the killing of turtles to practice; the Coin Divination Method is much simpler, but it lacks divine ancient artifacts like the Great Luck Coin and the Purple Gold Ancient Coin."

Such items are not sold in the Soldier Realm; in the Great Zhou official market, they are basically unavailable.

To find them, one must still search through ancient, inherited families.

A shortened lineage won't do.

"The best approach is to try digging up a tomb; open an ancient great tomb, and perhaps you'll find quite a few ancient coins."

The Hongyun Coin and the Purple-Gold Ancient Coin are themselves a kind of 'Luck Coin'!

They are extremely unique; though they contain luck, they cannot be absorbed.

However, possessing the Hongyun Coin and the Purple-Gold Ancient Coin can temporarily increase luck.

Such treasures are basically never sold by any family.

Who would sell their own luck?

Zhao Xing glanced unintentionally at Ji Zixuan, his heart stirring: "Junior sister, have you ever heard of the Hongyun Coin, or the Purple-Gold Ancient Coin?"

Seeing Zhao Xing ask, Ji Zixuan pondered, "I have heard. It is rumored that in ancient times, the Divine Court cast various coins using luck. They used this method to replace the national dynasty's luck for baptism, bestowing them upon officials to hold."

"Thus, in the ancient era's luck dynasties, dismissing an official simultaneously meant confiscating their family, because the bestowed Hongyun Coins had to be reclaimed."

"The same applies to Law Coins." Ji Zixuan displayed her knowledge. "Law Coins is the general term for spell coins; they are also called Law Notes or Law Currency. For instance, the Li Dynasty once issued the Lei Ting Law Note."

"Officials only needed to carry them on their persons to cast thunder spells and attain the corresponding spell realm."

"However, this method was too outdated and easily led to great corruption, and these great corrupt officials were often immensely powerful, with luck overflowing."

"Far inferior to the modern luck dynasties, where a single imperial decree could bestow it, or reclaim it." Ji Zixuan commented.

Zhao Xing smiled, neither confirming nor denying. He had no intention of discussing institutional issues with the other party.

"Then have you ever seen such items?"

Ji Zixuan shook her head: "No. These things have all been lost to time, or were collected by the royal family... Senior brother desires such items?"

Zhao Xing brushed it off: "Just asking casually."

From June 11th to June 20th, Zhao Xing stayed in the Ten Thousand Spells Tower Ship, slaying turtles and cultivating the Straw Man Method.

Occasionally, when certain familiar names came to mind, he would search in the Earth Mirror, trying to bring those people to the Eternal Night Sea to do a favor, investing in the future.

As for whether it would interfere with others' destinies?

Zhao Xing couldn't say for sure, but his investments didn't simply push people up to a high realm all at once.

He cultivated the Five Fingers of Heaven's Mandate, and the spiritual talents he selected all had some background.

From Zhao Xing's understanding of fate, these people were not in their youth; they had already set foot on the cultivation path.

Their temperaments and ambitions were mostly set; those meant to rise would rise.

There was no reason that giving them a push upward would make them fail.

If a change truly occurred, it didn't matter; it was merely done on a whim.

During this period, Long Xiao, Chen Shijie, Xia Jing, and Ji Ji Ziyun also stayed on the ship, because they were acting as members of Liu Tianning's group. They boarded the ship not long after, basically eating their fill of everything edible.

However, regarding the Yin-Yang Fish and the Luck Talents, the four of them'consumption was far inferior to Zhao Xing's.

The Luck Talents were something they lacked the 'Five Elements Qi Cultivation Art' to fully absorb, so naturally, they couldn't break through their luck level.

The Yin-Yang Fish were relatively rare; once discovered at the very beginning, the Dark Stone Coral Reef was swarmed by large numbers of people, and they were caught clean.

Missing that period made it very hard to find them again.

June 25th, Mao hour.

Zhao Xing calculated with his fingers: "Suitable for travel, acquiring wealth; fortune lies due east."

He opened the door, stepped onto the ship's Dark Corridor, and gazed out at the sea.

By the fourth quarter of the Chen hour, sure enough, something good happened.

The Ten Thousand Spells Tower Ship suddenly moved.

Heading east.

"Zhao Xing, come to the Ten Thousand Spells Hall."

Liu Tianning's voice rang out.

Zhao Xing's figure instantly vanished from the Dark Corridor.

"Teacher, is there news of the Dragon Whale?"

He had long since handed over the positioning disk of the Seven-Star Hook to Old Liu; when to cut the whale was up to Old Liu, because Zhao Xing couldn't cut it himself.

If the Dragon Whale dove into the deep sea, even a Fourth-Rank cultivator could do nothing but stare blankly.

Once it surfaced, a powerful weapon would still be needed.

The specifications of the Ten Thousand Spells Tower Ship happened to meet the conditions for hunting the Dragon Whale.

"The Eternal Night Sea is thawing; most of the giant fish schools beneath have floated up."

"The Dragon Whale, unable to find food, has slowly moved from the deep-sea zone to the shallow-sea area to forage."

"It has maintained itself in the shallow-sea layer for three consecutive days; it is time to act." Liu Tianning explained.

"Teacher, what effects do you estimate it might have?" Zhao Xing asked.

? ￠〇

"The Dragon Whale is valuable from head to toe, but the situation in the Eternal Night Sea cannot be treated the same as the outside world." Liu Tianning looked at the sea chart. "We will only know after eating it."

"Does Teacher have confidence?"

Liu Tianning pondered: "According to your description, the Dragon Whale's size has already exceeded that of external Dragon Whales by a hundredfold; it must possess at least the strength of a Fourth-Rank Strange Beast."

"If it undergoes no further changes, when it surfaces, I am confident I can kill it."

Zhao Xing also fell into thought; in his past life, he had never heard of the existence of giant Dragon Whales.

Was it because they couldn't be killed?

The Dragon Whale over a month ago was Fourth-Rank, but even he himself was constantly evolving; would the Dragon Whale, which had devoured numerous spiritual fish, have reached a higher level?

…………

Regardless, the operation to hunt the dragon whale had begun.

Liu Tianning's Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship and Pei Yuanchang's four sea vessels flew together toward the designated area.

The five colossal vessels flew eight hundred li eastward and finally arrived at the designated area.

They had not yet spotted the dragon whale, but instead encountered three Black Dragon warships.

It was indeed the two brothers, Ji Chen and Ji Ye.

"The two of them have been active in this area," Pei Yuanchang said. "I wonder if they have also discovered the existence of the dragon whale."

"It matters not; ignore them," Liu Tianning said indifferently. "Yuanchang, go make preparations."

"Yes." Pei Yuanchang immediately returned to his own sea vessel to take command.

To hunt a dragon whale, tools were indispensable.

Even if Liu Tianning could kill the dragon whale, he would find it difficult to drag such a colossal creature; they still needed the sea vessels to prevent the dragon whale from sinking.

"Young Master, the Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship is approaching." On the Black Dragon warship, someone quickly reported to Ji Ye.

"That bastard! What does he want now!" Ji Ye now truly hated Liu Tianning.

Since his subordinate was beheaded by Liu Tianning, his morale had suffered a great blow, and many groups had detached themselves from his allegiance.

His prestige had also been greatly diminished.

"Young Master, endure for a moment, and the wind will calm and the waves will settle," a subordinate advised. "Liu Tianning is not someone we can deal with."

Ji Ye's face shifted between gloom and agitation.

Previously, after Qin Chongwu and Brother Huangfu Song were killed, he had acted like a turtle hiding its head; now, doing so a second time came easily.

Without considering for long, Ji Ye gritted his teeth and said, "Retreat!"

"Yes."

Ji Ye led his people away, but his brother Ji Chen did not leave.

Not only did he not leave, but he even sent someone to ask Liu Tianning if he needed assistance.

After receiving a refusal, Ji Chen's warship continued to wait on the periphery.

He was quite patient; if one visit failed, he would try a second; if the second failed, he would try a third.

Ji Chen firmly believed that sooner or later, he could make Liu Tianning soften his attitude.

"The Thirteenth Prince is indeed quite patient; despite being rejected multiple times, he persists unyieldingly."

Zhao Xing watched the small boat depart; this was the envoy who had just come to show favor.

However, this time brought no change; Liu Tianning still did not even show his face.

…………

They waited for half a shi.

Inside the Ten Thousand Dharma Hall, Liu Tianning suddenly opened his eyes.

"It is coming up."

"Yuanchang, be ready."

Pei Yuanchang's phantom had been inside the Ten Thousand Dharma Hall the whole time; he immediately said, "Rest assured, my lord, everything is ready."

Liu Tianning's figure flashed, and he flew out of the Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship, arriving on the sea surface.

Zhao Xing hurriedly ran to the deck to observe Liu Tianning's actions.

Xia Jing, Chen Shijie, Long Xiao, Liu Cheng'an, Ji Zixuan, Murong Xue... everyone on the ship rushed out.

Hunting a dragon whale was a rare sight indeed.

And Zhao Xing, Xia Jing, Chen Shijie, and Long Xiao wanted even more to see Liu Tianning's strength.

"Splash~"

The sea spray began to grow larger.

At the same time, Liu Tianning's figure split into two, the two into three, continuously birthing phantoms from his true body.

"This scene..." Chen Shijie could not help but show a look of shock on his face. "Although I have seen it within the Mirage Pearl, seeing it firsthand feels completely different."

"My lord Liu has stored his phantoms within his Inner Heaven and Earth. His Yin-Yang Benwo Sutra and Hou Tu Guiyuan Secret Scripture must have already been cultivated to a profound level."

"The Pure Origin Space is truly vast," Zhao Xing said admiringly.

In the Inner Five Elements Heaven and Earth, Pure Origin soil is born; the size of the space varies from person to person.

Some Agricultural Officials, if not from the Benwo Sect, could not even cultivate Pure Origin soil at the Fourth Grade.

Even within the Benwo Sect, some Fifth Grade Agricultural Officials had Pure Origin soil that could likely only accommodate the planting of a single tree, and they were very picky about quality.

But someone like Liu Tianning, who could accommodate thousands of straw-man phantoms and also had to accommodate plant soldiers, had opened up a Pure Origin Space of unimaginable scope.

"Although I am an outsider, just watching this scene makes me feel shocked," Long Xiao murmured to himself. "Even if I could command three thousand swords, I am afraid I still could not defeat Liu Tianning."

"Old brother, you have chosen the wrong target to pursue," Xia Jing said. "Since the time of the Grand Ancestor, there has been only one person who has reached this realm with the Straw-Man Method. Stop obsessing; he is not a martial artist like us."

"Splash~ Splash~"

Liu Tianning released three thousand Ten Thousand Dharma phantoms; the sky above the sea area was filled with his figures in every direction.

At this moment, a massive shadow emerged beneath the sea surface, and the seawater within a radius of ten li seemed to turn black.

Zhao Xing activated the Heaven Eye Technique to look at the sea surface and could not help but draw in a sharp breath of cold air: "Compared to more than two months ago, it has grown larger again."

Now, the dragon whale gave Zhao Xing the feeling of a mountain emerging from the water.

In reality, the dragon whale's size was indeed like a mountain.

Watching it emerge with the Heaven Eye Technique, Zhao Xing even felt a sense of suffocation.

"Splash~"

The flat sea surface suddenly began to rise, and the amplitude grew larger and larger.

A quarter-hour later.

In the sea below, a small island suddenly appeared.

On the island stood a volcano, yet what it erupted was not flame, but water vapor.

"Whoosh~" A massive amount of water vapor was spat out, shooting straight up into the sky.

"Moo~ Wuu~"

A desolate voice emerged from the great ocean, as if striking directly at the soul.

Zhao Xing and the others all felt their emotions affected, inexplicably becoming depressed.

However, immediately after, they rallied and cast spells to block this influence.

"Even a sound made at random can affect the human mind; such a colossal creature is simply terrifying." Ji Ji Ziyun's face turned slightly pale.

"I feel its pain. Could this be a false sensation?" Long Xiao asked curiously.

"Not false." Zhao Xing smiled. "It truly is in great pain. The Seven-Star Hook remains lodged in its body. Did you forget the Seven-Star Hook's characteristics?"

"It grows larger when encountering strength?" Long Xiao realized.

"Yes. A sixth-rank Seven-Star Hook; it cannot digest it, nor can it expel it. The hook will snag its flesh." Zhao Xing said.

"Can your master handle it?" Xia Jing asked. He did not doubt Liu Tianning's strength; it was simply that this dragon whale had become terrifyingly huge.

Especially in Xia Jing's eyes, the dragon whale had become even more terrifying.

"If even my master cannot handle it, I fear only a figure of the Luo Hou Wang or King Tianyan level could manage it." Zhao Xing said.

Perhaps in his past life, it truly was a King-level powerhouse who intervened to handle it... Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Because judging by the current situation, a mere fifth-rank cultivator simply could not handle this beast; even a fourth-rank would be doubtful.

He had never heard of it in his past life; likely, a King-level powerhouse had intervened, taking this colossal creature away to prevent it from ravaging the Eternal Night Sea.

However, now that Old Liu, this anomaly of the fifth rank, has arrived, can he handle the dragon whale?

Above the sea surface.

Liu Tianning delayed acting, seemingly considering where to strike.

Half a quarter-hour later, Liu Tianning, who had remained motionless, began hunting the whale.

In the sky above, a blood-red cloud appeared.

It was neither large nor small, just enough to cover the dragon whale.

"Blood Cloud Domain." Zhao Xing gazed at the clouds. "A Cloud Technique Domain at the Perfection level."

At the same time, points of light rose from the sea surface, merging into the blood cloud.

Immediately after, twenty-four tokens flew out from within Liu Tianning's body.

The tokens shimmered with different lights, floating in the low sky.

"Twenty-four Solar Term Tokens."

"They have at least reached the Settled Realm!"

Chen Shijie could not help but exclaim in amazement.

The twenty-four Solar Term Tokens encompassed the Knowledge, Settled, and Change Realms; yet Liu Tianning had actually reached the Settled Solar Term realm for all of them.

"Vroom~"

The twenty-four Solar Term Tokens rotated in a cycle, spinning above the dragon whale.

The momentum of heaven and earth around them switched rapidly.

"How many did you discern?" Chen Shijie asked. "I discerned fifteen."

"I discerned twenty-six." Zhao Xing stared intently.

The twenty-four solar terms cycled in turn, with seventy-two pentads changing, yet Chen Shijie and Zhao Xing could only perceive a portion.

"Strange, why is this dragon whale not moving?" Ji Ji Ziyun asked in surprise. "My Lord Liu has already cast such spells, yet it seems as if it has not noticed at all."

"It has been deceived." Zhao Xing brushed his brow, opening the Heavenly Eye. He could see within the dragon whale's body a dark energy shadow.

That was the dragon whale's soul, but at this moment, it was wrapped in a pale golden dome.

If examined closely, one could see many shadows of Liu Tianning on the golden film.

"Old Liu indeed knows the method of Life-Soul Attack!" Zhao Xing's expression shook. "It is precisely this technique that put the dragon whale into a deceived state, effectively severing the connection between the Hun and the Po."

"Thus, the dragon whale encounters danger without knowing it, and shows no reaction to attacks."

That Liu Tianning knew the method of Life-Soul Attack did not surprise Zhao Xing.

After all, with so many Myriad Technique Avatars, if he lacked Life-Soul techniques, his soul would have long since dried up.

The Life-Soul is the master of the physical body; if the Life-Soul is blocked, one would show no reaction even if slashed dozens of times.

At this moment, the dragon whale began to show countless wounds.

Liu Tianning seemed to have an obsession; the flesh wounds he opened on the dragon whale's back were completely square.

Scales were lifted one by one, revealing the flesh and blood beneath.

"Vroom~"

A light flared in the Origin Dantian of Liu Tianning's true body, and subsequently, projections appeared on the eighteen square wounds on the dragon whale's back.

Eighteen green lights appeared on the red flesh.

"Hmm? This is..." Chen Shijie examined closely, shocked. "The path of the Benwo Sect is truly so miraculous..."

As one who primarily cultivates the Dili Sect, Chen Shijie, having observed Liu Tianning's spellcasting, was now wavering!

It was not because Liu Tianning had grown some miraculous plant on the dragon whale.

On the contrary, it was merely the most common 【Tough Vines】.

They are first and second-rank plants.

Yet at this moment, the life aura of these 【Tough Vines】 had actually reached the sixth-rank standard!

"The upper limit was merely a first or second-tier Resilient Vine, yet it has grown to the sixth tier..."

Chen Shijie's worldview suffered a tremendous shock.

The earth nurtures all things, yet all things have a growth limit.

But these eighteen Resilient Vines before his eyes had shattered Chen Shijie's understanding.

Breaking the growth limits of plants time and again, allowing Resilient Vines to reach the sixth tier—this was simply incomprehensible!

"Not entirely Resilient Vines," Zhao Xing said. "These are derivative species, possessing traits of the Floating Parasitic Species."

"Rooting into flesh to absorb nutrients, they perhaps also blend the traits of two other plants."

Chen Shijie said, "I feel I cannot watch any longer; if I continue, my Dao Heart cannot withstand it..."

Zhao Xing smiled and said, "At worst, you can switch your cultivation path. Do you possess a Heart of the Earth?"

They watched from the tower ship while the Resilient Vines below frantically rooted into flesh, coiling around the Dragon Whale's spine.

"Hiss hiss hiss~"

The vines seemed like living creatures, their roots drilling into the flesh while the vine leaves crawled across the surface.

Soon, the parts of the Dragon Whale floating on the water were entirely covered by green vegetation.

Three thousand and something Liu Tianning reached out and grabbed.

The other end of the Resilient Vines was held in his hand.

"Rise!"

Liu Tianning let out a loud shout and yanked upward with all his might.

The Resilient Vines were instantly pulled taut.

"Moo~ Screech—"

Facing the threat to its life, instinct finally awakened the Dragon Whale's Life Soul.

It frantically resisted Liu Tianning's Life Soul attack.

At the same time, its body began to tremble violently.

A massive whirlpool appeared on the sea surface.

The clouds in the sky collapsed by dozens of meters.

Heaven-Swallowing Whirlpool, activate!

"Fire!"

Seeing this, Pei Pei Yuanchang ordered the four sea ships to immediately launch thick arrowheads.

The arrowheads were connected by chains; each arrowhead was fifty units long with a diameter exceeding eight meters.

Driven by the immense force of the mechanism, these arrowheads struck into the Dragon Whale's body like burning meteors.

The four sea ships launched a total of eighty-one arrowhead chains.

"Soul-Locking Chains?" Xia Jing was startled. "Good heavens, I never knew the Wang family of Lingshuang possessed such massive Soul-Locking Chains."

"Drag!" Pei Pei Yuanchang immediately ordered. The four sea ships went full throttle, and the thick chains were pulled taut.

The instant they went taut, the golden light of the runes on the chains lit up.

Inside, the arrowheads instantly unfurled, forming spiral-shaped spikes like propellers.

Moreover, they continued to grow larger.

"These chains and iron hooks are made of the same material as the Seven-Star Hooks; no wonder Pei Pei Yuanchang asked me back then if I had bought Seven-Star Hooks... His subordinates must have seen it," Zhao Xing realized.

"Vroom~" The spiral drill bit churned frantically, instantly turning the interior into a bloody mess.

"Moo moo~" The Dragon Whale struggled violently.

Zhao Xing stared intently, his heart racing.

He felt an incredibly strong craving; the Inner Five Elements Heaven and Earth Circulation "Five Fingers Heavenly Mandate" combined with this intense craving.

Zhao Xing immediately understood what kind of Spiritual Essence was primarily contained within the Dragon Whale.

"Lifespan Spiritual Essence, a vast amount of Lifespan Spiritual Essence!" Zhao Xing's mouth went dry and his eyes instantly turned red. "This Dragon Whale contains astonishing Lifespan Spiritual Essence; Old Liu, we must kill it!"

"The Dragon Whale seizes the blessings of Heaven and Earth; if we kill it, the two of us can borrow two hundred more years of lifespan from it!" Zhao Xing shouted internally.

The second installment is delivered; if there are typos, I will correct them upon waking, as I truly cannot hold on any longer.

Additionally, I recommend a sapling novel; a big shot from Tomato came over, having previously written a book with 2.8 million concurrent readers.