24: Chapter 24 Maritime Disaster

At the center of the Formation diagram, a pitch-black void with a diameter of about five zhang, its edges constantly twisting, suddenly appeared. At the entrance of the void, visible Spiritual Qi was frantically sucked in, forming swirling rings of spiritual light that emitted a low, mournful wail.

However, the void was not very stable; the spiritual light at its edges flickered, appearing as if it might close at any moment. The three Golden Core Cultivators did not dare to relax in the slightest, each channeling their Formation Talismans to ensure the stable opening of the passage.

"The Secret Realm is open, enter quickly!" Immortal Master Baicao's voice was like a booming bell, echoing throughout the valley.

As soon as his words fell, the crowd of Cultivators who had been waiting for a long time suddenly erupted, and over a hundred streaks of light shot towards the pitch-black void like arrows released from a bow, scrambling to be the first.

Half a cup of tea later, the three members of the Li Family seized a moment when the spiritual power vortex was relatively calm, their figures turning into streaks of shadow as they plunged into the bottomless darkness.

The moment they passed through the entrance, an intense sensation of weightlessness and spatial distortion washed over them. As Clan Leader Li Huaming stepped into the Secret Realm, it felt as if he had traversed the curtain of time and space. Before his eyes, white mist churned, flowing slowly like liquid silver gauze, while the bluestone path beneath his feet wound into the mist, its surface engraved with ancient Talismans that faintly shimmered.

Yet, there were no other Cultivators beside him. This was because when entering the Secret Realm, everyone would be randomly teleported to various areas within a thousand miles of the entrance. It seemed his luck was good; he hadn't been teleported directly into a pack of beasts or a swamp.

Green mountains rolled as far as the eye could see, the leaves of the trees showing a translucent jade green, with spiritual light drifting between the canopies like fireflies. In the distance, water cascaded down from a cliff, and the air was moist and cool, carrying the fresh scent of vegetation and a faint, elusive hint of sandalwood.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept by, bringing with it the intertwined sounds of distant beast roars and the clear ringing of swords. Clan Leader Li Huaming took a deep breath, tapped his toes, and leaped up. In an instant, everything around him fell silent, with only his heartbeat and breathing clearly audible.

Behind him, the Secret Realm entrance had vanished into thin air. Before him lay another world, and what awaited him and the other two elders of his Family were the unknown challenges and Opportunities deep within the Secret Realm.

...

In the Outer Sea of the Huangfeng Sea Area, the sea breeze, laden with salt and moisture, swept over the craggy, desolate island of "Black Reef Isle." This remote, desolate island, located on the edge of the Huangfeng Sea Area, was rarely visited, save for the occasional low-level Yao Beast that inhabited it.

The vast ocean near Huangfeng Prefecture is collectively known in the Cultivation world as the South Sea. The South Sea is divided into the Outer Sea and the Inner Sea; the area within a million kilometers from the land to the ocean is called the Outer Sea, while the deep sea area beyond that million-kilometer mark is called the Inner Sea.

The Outer Sea is divided into many sea areas. Generally, in the Outer Sea, Yao Beasts above the third rank rarely appear.

Three days ago, in the Huangfeng Sea Area, news of "sea marrow ganoderma" accompanied by "water wave lotus" appearing in a cold pool near Biyuan Island spread secretly like an undercurrent among the low-level Disciples of several small cultivation families and cultivation factions.

Both sea marrow ganoderma and water wave lotus are second-rank Spirit Medicine. They can serve as the main ingredients for refining the foundation establishment pill, or they can be consumed directly by Cultivators as Spirit Medicine. To some Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators who already possess a foundation establishment pill, they are even more important than the pill itself.

This is because the foundation establishment pill and these two Foundation Establishment Spirit Medicines do not conflict when taken together. For any Cultivator in the Qi Refinement Stage, this is an Opportunity worth risking one's life for.

Five Li Family members in the Qi Refinement Stage, led by Li Huayong, happened to be out training and treasure hunting in the Huangfeng Sea Area. After Clan Leader Li Huaming and the two elders went to the Myriad Spirit Secret Realm, Li Huayong had led four clansmen to the Huangfeng Sea Area.

Li Huayong had been stuck at the Bottleneck of the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Stage for nearly ten years, and his desire for progress in his cultivation was almost burning. The five people accompanying him were all clansmen with whom he had close ties and who were likewise trapped in the mid-to-Late Stages of the Qi Refinement Stage. They had all followed Li Huayong out to sea to hunt low-level Yao Beasts.

Three days ago, after a grueling battle with several first-rank "Cold-Armored Crocodiles," they discovered a bone-chilling cold pool deep within a hidden cavern on an island.

In the crevices of the rocks beside the pool, five stalks of "sea marrow ganoderma" with leaves like jade and caps shimmering with dense spiritual light were growing quietly. Two of them were already fully mature, while a "water wave lotus" in the center of the pool was budding, its clear radiance flowing. Wild joy instantly engulfed the five of them.

Li Huayong suppressed his excitement and quickly directed everyone to set up simple concealment and early-warning Formations, preparing to harvest them.

However, the moment Li Huayong used his spirit spade to place the first stalk of sea marrow ganoderma into his Storage Pouch, a sharp voice came from the entrance of the cavern, sounding like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's hearts.

"Put down the Spirit Medicine in your hands! Otherwise, you die!"

Before the words had faded, nine Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators suddenly descended, led by a Cultivator at the tenth level of the Qi Refinement Stage.

It was a sudden, unexpected encounter. A Seawater Gang deacon at the tenth level of the Qi Refinement Stage led six Seawater Gang Disciples in the Qi Refinement Stage to launch an attack on them; the opposing side far surpassed them in both numbers and cultivation level.

Under the Seawater Gang's brutal assault, the six Li Family Cultivators resisted with all their might, but they were at a disadvantage in both strength and numbers. Within two exchanges, a fourth-level and a fifth-level Qi Refinement Stage clansman had their blood spilled on the reef, dying on the spot.

"Split up! Meet at the old place!" Li Huayong's eyes were splitting with rage as he roared, slapping a treasured "divine movement Talisman" onto his body. At the same time, the other two clansmen each activated their own life-saving Magical Artifacts, fleeing desperately in different directions.

Behind them, the angry shouts of the Seawater Gang Disciples and the light of pursuing Spells followed closely, with many of the Seawater Gang Disciples chasing Li Huayong.

The road of escape was a long night soaked in blood and fear. After entering the vast sea, Li Huayong did not dare to fly into the sky on his Magical Artifact, as that would be no different from being a living target. He could only rely on his familiarity with the ocean currents to dive into the bone-chilling seawater and stealthily proceed.

The wailing of the waves constantly echoed in his ears, as if it were the mournful cries of his deceased clansmen, or as if the pursuers were getting closer and closer. Feeling the spiritual power fluctuations of the sea marrow ganoderma in his Storage Pouch, he knew he had to desperately bring this Spirit Medicine back to the Family to be worthy of his clansmen's sacrifice.

...

Three days later, in the Huangfeng Sea Area, a quiet and peculiar island.

This was a small spirit island ninety li long and thirty li wide. The island was covered year-round by a layer of pale purple spiritual mist; from afar, it looked like a hazy amethyst embedded in the azure waves, hence it was named Purple Mist Island.

Purple Mist Island was an important base for the Seawater Gang, with its vegetation consisting mainly of "golden spirit wood" and "silver lotus flowers."

The golden spirit wood was tall and straight, with pale golden bark; its wood was excellent material for making low-level Talismans and carriers for low-level Magical Artifacts.

Silver lotus flowers were scattered throughout the forest clearings. At night, their leaves would shimmer with tiny specks of light, like scattered starlight, and they were the main material for refining Body Tempering pills for Body Tempering Realm Martial Artists.

In the valleys and by the streams on the island, various low-level spiritual flowers and exotic grasses grew, such as the "spirit-calming flower" which could help Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators calm their minds, and the "spirit grain spike" which could be used to refine fasting pills. Although they were not rare varieties, they could still bring a continuous stream of income to the Seawater Gang.

At this time, in a quiet valley on Purple Mist Island, this was the place where the Seawater Gang Leader Dugu Ming Cultivated.

Dugu Ming was one hundred and sixty-three years old this year and had been at the Late Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm for nearly thirty years. He usually spent his days in seclusion in a secret chamber within the valley to Cultivate, and unless there was something important, members of the Seawater Gang would not disturb his deep cultivation.