Chapter 412: Black Sail, Return

Seeing the Luo-family Foundation Establishment cultivator beckoning him aboard,

Qin Ming scrutinized this dilapidated black vessel once more and asked hesitantly, "Fellow Daoist Luo, are you certain this ship can deliver people to the Southern Wilds?"

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qin! This vessel is famously fast around here!"

"Getting you to the Southern Wilds Immortal Realm shouldn't be much of a problem," the Luo-family cultivator explained enthusiastically.

"You don't mean it sinks fast, do you?" Qin Ming curled his lip, barely able to keep his composure. "Isn't there any other ship?"

Just then.

"Hey! What's the dawdling about?! Are you lot coming or not?"

"If you don't get on board now, this old man is leaving!"

"He~tui~"

The ship captain standing at the prow bellowed toward the island at the top of his lungs, then spat a thick wad of phlegm into the sea.

Seeing this, the Luo family members hurriedly responded, "Senior Shi, we are taking the ship! We're coming right now!"

Then, the Luo-family cultivator urged Qin Ming, "Senior Lu, hurry aboard; this Guidao only has one ship setting out to sea."

Qin Ming: "."

Seeing the situation, Qin Ming had no choice but to follow the others aboard, half-believing and half-doubting.

Once on board, Qin Ming was startled to discover that every crew member looked like a fierce demon, radiating bloody killing intent.

Even more surprising to him was that many of these crew members were not human cultivators at all.

These beings each bore the head of a sea beast, yet their lower bodies were no different from humans, with fish gills growing on both sides of their necks.

There were even numerous skeleton-like ghost entities working alongside them inside the ship.

These strangely styled, eerie crew members all possessed cultivation around the second stage.

As for the passenger cultivators on this vessel, they clearly found nothing unusual about it, having grown accustomed to such sights.

Seeing that Qin Ming seemed to be taking a ship from Guidao for the first time, the Luo-family cultivator smiled and explained:

"Senior Lu, you may not know that the crew of this Black Sail are all from the Fishman Tribe of the Eastern Sea."

"They are masters of the Way of Water Control."

"I see," Qin Ming said with sudden realization, silently sighing that the customs and culture of the Eastern Sea Immortal Realm were indeed peculiar and unique! Yet the very next moment.

That scruffy ship captain tucked his old pipe into his waistband; besides the pipe, a long horizontal blade hung there as well.

A sinister grin spread across the captain's face as he walked toward the group.

"Junior! Is this your first time here? Do you have a Black Sail Token? Otherwise, hehehe!"

His hand rested on the long blade at his waist, his sharp gaze falling upon Qin Ming.

"Yo-ho! This old brat is even more arrogant than me; Master, let me out to teach him a lesson!" Shi Tian Shu, seemingly unable to watch any longer, transmitted voice to Qin Ming within the Small Xiao Lingjing, looking eager to jump into action.

"Just based on this bunch of stinking fish and rotten shrimp, they dare to threaten Master!"

"Calm down for now; let me see what's going on first." Qin Ming was not afraid; he immediately took the black wooden token Yue Lingyan had given him from his storage bag and handed it over.

The ship captain took the token, injected a strand of magic power into it with his hand, whereupon a phantom of a black sail floated up from the black wooden token.

He grinned, baring his teeth, and said, "Since you hold a Black Sail Token issued by this old man, you are an honored guest of this ship; everything can be discussed."

"But remember this!"

"I am Shi Jin; our Black Sail's main business is piracy, and running ships is merely our side hustle."

"Honest to children and elders alike; as long as the spirit stone price is right, not to mention long-distance voyages, we can even crush a Jin Dan stage cultivator!"

"A mere trip to the Southern Wilds Immortal Realm can be delivered within half a year!"

Qin Ming: "."

So after all that fuss, this was a pirate ship?

But since it was recommended by Yue Lingyan, there probably wouldn't be major issues; he chose to trust her.

"Hehe! Honored guest, for a voyage from Guidao to the coastal waters of the Southern Wilds, the fair price is eight thousand mid-grade spirit stones!"

A bare-chested youth nearby, looking as thin as a monkey, took a straw hat from behind his neck and extended it toward Qin Ming.

Hearing this, Qin Ming's face immediately twitched. "So expensive?"

Nevertheless, he still took out the spirit stones in full and handed them over.

That monkey-thin youth carefully counted the spirit stones several times before happily stowing them away inside the straw hat.

Even Qin Ming stared in blank surprise, clicking his tongue in wonder, 'I didn't expect this item to be a storage artifact.'

"Honored guest, you may go inside now."

"But do take note; do not wander around without cause. If anything happens, this ship bears no responsibility."

Perhaps because he had earned so many spirit stones at once, the monkey-thin youth admonished Qin Ming in a rather good mood.

Qin Ming nodded and followed the Luo-family cultivator and the others into the ship's cabin.

"Weigh anchor! Set sail!!!"

With a loud shout came the creaking of wood grinding together and the clanging of black chains.

Splash-splash-splash!

Under the strenuous efforts of the numerous Fishman Tribe crew members.

The Black Sail slowly sailed out into the great sea.

But shortly after departure, quite a bit of seawater began leaking into the ship.

Then, with a sudden lurch, it rapidly submerged into the seawater... "It really does sink fast."

Qin Ming had just found a seat by a window, but what he did not expect was this.

Not long after the Black Sail entered the sea, that Jin Dan stage ship captain named Shi Jin took out a black bead and began performing a technique.

A few breaths later.

From within the black pearl, bursts of black runes erupted, spiraling outward to envelop the entire ship.

The next moment.

Outside the Black Sail, the runes interwove, connecting into a sheet of light.

"Ao~"

The entire vessel now appeared wrapped within the illusory form of a colossal black shark.

"It's actually a third-stage late-phase beast soul; this Shi Jin truly has some substance!" Qin Ming observed silently, gazing outward.

Immediately, the merman crew began exerting themselves with heaves and hoos, causing the Black Sail to soar through the seabed like an incredibly agile black shark.

Its speed was astonishingly fast! It simply boggled Qin Ming's mind. 'Compared to the large merchant vessels of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, this is many times faster.'

'To navigate in such a manner, yet completely avoid the various storms of the Black Sea.'

Qin Ming felt he had truly broadened his horizons.

……

……

One month later.

Qin Ming sat cross-legged in his cabin room, eyes closed in cultivation meditation.

The Black Sail shuttled and soared through the deep sea; this ship's speed was indeed remarkably fast.

Yet the Black Sail's main profession was piracy; every few days, it had to surface to rob passing merchant ships.

This indeed wasted quite a bit of time.

Fortunately, the journey had been uneventful; through his observations, Qin Ming discovered that Shi Jin, this Jin Dan pirate, still possessed some principles.

Under normal circumstances, if cultivators on plundered ships agreed to sacrifice wealth to avoid disaster, their lives would be spared.

Of course, if they encountered stubborn fools who valued money over life, he was ruthless enough to kill without hesitation.

And if they encountered peers, he would not hesitate to engage in battle immediately.

This band of blood-stained pirates had roamed the Black Sea for so many years; they certainly possessed both skill and a way of survival.

On this day.

Shi Jin, leading his merman crew, successfully plundered another fishing boat and returned to the cabin in high spirits, the group clamoring loudly while drinking wine and eating meat.

Qin Ming had long grown accustomed to this.

"Senior Lu, we are about to arrive at Sea Crab Island, so we must take our leave now," the Luo cultivator said, bringing several family members to bid farewell to Qin Ming.

Qin Ming smiled faintly. "Then I shall not see you off. Fellow Daoist Luo, may we meet again by fate."

"Hehe! Senior Lu, take care," the Luo cultivator said, cupping his fists in greeting before leading his clansmen out of the room.

Immediately afterward, the Black Sail began to slowly ascend toward the surface.

Qin Ming walked onto the deck to get some fresh air.

In the distance before his eyes, a small cluster of islands scattered like stars appeared.

"Junior Qin Xiao You, have you grown accustomed to life on the ship? Hehehe!"

Shi Jin also walked to the bow to keep watch, smoking his pipe as he asked Qin Ming with a beaming smile.

"Hehe! In response to Senior Shi, this junior has grown quite accustomed," Qin Ming replied with a smile.

"This voyage has been quite smooth; I estimate we will reach the Southern Wilderness in another three months," Shi Jin said.

Just as the Luo cultivator and his companions prepared to disembark.

Shi Jin's previously smiling face suddenly changed drastically! His eyes became incredibly sharp, his nose twitching as he detected an intensely rich scent of blood! Clearly, a large-scale magical battle had occurred nearby, resulting in the deaths of many cultivators.

With his immensely powerful divine sense, Qin Ming had naturally detected the anomaly long ago.

Subsequently, he discovered that over a hundred li away in the water, another pirate ship, enveloped by a giant lizard curtain of light, was rapidly charging toward the Black Sail.

Its speed was even a notch faster than that of the Black Sail.

The reason was that before and behind this pirate ship, four extraordinary sea horses each trod upon the waves, all of them second-stage beast demons.

Furthermore, aboard that ship were two Jin Dan cultivators, their cultivation auras corresponding to the early and middle stages respectively.

Moreover, the crew on that ship likewise consisted of merpeople with bizarre appearances.

On the bow deck of the Black Sail, the Luo cultivator took out a dharma boat, preparing to lead his clansmen away.

"Hold it! If you don't want to die, get back here quickly, you bastards!"

Shi Jin roared wildly at the few of them, then issued a decisive order: "All hands! Prepare to engage the enemy!!"

"Grab your weapons, all of you, damn it!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! A dark red ship, a size larger than the Black Sail, shot up from the sea surface.

Rumble! From the opposing ship, dozens of spiritual energy cannons fired toward the Black Sail.

The defensive great formation on the Black Sail activated at full power, barely managing to withstand this wave of attacks.

"It's the Lou Twin Demons!"

Seeing two scar-faced burly men standing on the opposing bow, nearly identical in both stature and features, emitting terrifying Jin Dan cultivator auras.

The cultivators on the ship cried out in alarm, their faces filled with extreme terror.

Even the fierce Shi Jin displayed a rare grave expression.

Then, one of the Lou Twin Demons opposite produced a Barrier-Breaking Talisman in his hand, channeling magic power to release it toward the Black Sail.

The black Barrier-Breaking Talisman expanded with the wind, transforming into a pitch-black curtain of light that fell upon the defensive great formation.

Puchi!

The defensive formation surrounding the Black Sail shattered at the sound, turning into bubbles that scattered and dissipated.

"Lads, kill them all for me!"

Countless trails of escaping light took flight, spells thundered, surging toward the Black Sail like an overwhelming tide.

The cultivators of the Black Sail Ship also drew out their magical artifacts one after another, engaging the pirates opposite them in battle.

Meanwhile, the Lou Clan's Twin Demons, who had been watching hungrily from the side, also made their move, releasing a massive spiritual pressure and clashing with Shi Jin.

Even though Shi Jin was fierce by nature, brave and skilled in combat, and possessed unparalleled experience in magical duels, ultimately two fists could not oppose four hands; under the Twin Demons' sharp offensive, he gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

Taking advantage of Shi Jin's lack of preparation, the elder of the Lou Clan's Twin Demons secretly released a flying needle magical artifact at him.

Whoosh! Aided by the concealment of a spell, the flying needle magical artifact instantly pierced through the void, stabbing toward Shi Jin's skull! Shi Jin's long-blade magical artifact blasted out a streak of light, sweeping aside an opposing spell, and he likewise detected that sinister and hidden flying needle.

But it was already too late.

Puchi!

Emitting a bloody glow, the flying needle magical artifact easily broke through his magic power shield, plunging straight toward his head.

Shi Jin's heart immediately sank, and a trace of despair appeared in his eyes.

Ding! Shi Jin was astonished to discover that just as the flying needle magical artifact was about to reach the area near his brow, it seemed to be firmly pinned in place by something.

Boom! At that very moment, an even more massive spiritual pressure abruptly descended upon the scene, causing the nearby space to tremble violently.

The strength of the spiritual pressure was so great that everyone ceased fighting, their faces revealing terror and chill.

Even the Lou Clan's Twin Demons and Shi Jin in the sky were no exception! Shi Jin gazed at the source of the spiritual pressure, his pupils suddenly contracting! He discovered it was none other than his own passenger, who had acted to save his life.

"Not good! It's a Nascent Soul old demon!"

The Lou Clan's Twin Demons let out a shriek, and without another word, they activated their movement techniques to flee for their lives.

However, before the two could escape, dozens of pitch-black earth spikes suddenly shot out from the void, piercing both of them clean through.

With just a single strike, the Lou Clan's Twin Demons, who were famously renowned across the Black Sea, perished right there.

Subsequently, the figure of the Shi Tian Shu appeared nearby; it casually scooped up their two corpses and tossed them into the Small Xiao Lingjing.

"Daring to come out and rob with such weak strength?"

"Truly boring."

Now that it possessed a perfected third-stage cultivation, eliminating two small cultivators at the early Jin Dan stage required absolutely no effort.

The cultivators below, seeing the Lou Clan's Twin Demons die instantly and another great demon emerge, one after another abandoned their ships to flee for their lives.

Qin Ming waved his hand casually toward the pirates on the Lou Clan's Twin Demons' ship, activating the Thorn Technique.

In an instant, countless pitch-black vines erupted all over the entire vessel, bearing void poison thorns that made one's hair stand on end; like black tentacles rising from the seabed, they coiled back all those pirate cultivators who were running desperately to escape.

Subsequently, within merely a few breaths, all the fierce bandit cultivators on the opposite ship turned into dried corpses one by one.

As for those black vines, they transformed into beads of blood one by one, all falling into Qin Ming's hands.

Such a terrifying scene of slaughter left the many cultivators on the Black Sail Ship completely stunned in place.

From the moment Qin Ming acted until everyone on the opposite side was dead, only a brief moment had passed.

If this wasn't the method of a Nascent Soul old demon, then what was it? Shi Jin swallowed hard with difficulty, hurriedly flew over, bowed deeply in a great salute, and cautiously said, "Thank you, Senior, for saving me; this junior was blind and eyeless, I hope Senior will forgive my offense!"

Qin Ming's action this time was also out of helplessness; if all these people were killed, then no one would be left to take him back to Huinan.

The vast ocean was boundless; not only would they lose their direction, but there remained a very long sea journey ahead.

The Luo-surnamed cultivator not far away, whose soul had not yet settled from the sudden shock, also came over to bow gratefully, saying, "Thank you, Senior Lu, for the great grace of saving our lives!"

In this sudden encounter with a shocking change, two members of the Luo clan had also died.

Had Qin Ming not acted, everyone would have been finished. The Luo-surnamed cultivator trembled, not daring to breathe loudly; he could not even imagine that the person before him possessed such high cultivation.

With a snap of the fingers, even a Jin Dan old demon was reduced to ashes and smoke!

No wonder he dared to travel alone across the Black Sea.

After receiving permission from Qin Ming, he still left this Black Sail Ship and headed toward the island.

Subsequently, Qin Ming spoke faintly to Shi Jin:

"Shi Jin, quickly gather your subordinates and continue sailing."

"Proceed to Huinan at the fastest speed, and do not cause any further trouble."

His tone was filled with an unquestionable sense of command.

Shi Jin repeatedly agreed, not daring to act presumptuously before Qin Ming; soon after clearing the corpses and bloodstains from the deck, he ordered his subordinates to set sail at full speed.

Three months later.

The Black Sail Ship surfaced once again; Qin Ming walked to the bow, and a coastline very familiar to him appeared within his line of sight.

(End of Chapter)