54: Jade Tide Island, Stormbird

The route of the Blue Ray Sea Vessel was different from the one Su Ling had taken to get here.

Three days after setting out to sea, they encountered an extremely exaggerated storm.

The waves kicked up were hundreds of zhang high!

However, it had no effect on the Blue Ray Sea Vessel, which was a high-grade magic treasure; a faint blue light flashed, and within a three-mile radius of the vessel, the wind and rain stopped abruptly as if it were on level ground.

By the fourth day, the surrounding sea surface suddenly became calm and tranquil.

The number of islands appearing in the vicinity gradually increased.

Cultivators on the sea vessel also began disembarking one after another, driving flying Magical Artifacts toward their respective destinations.

On the seventh day, the Blue Ray Sea Vessel approached a small island over a hundred miles in circumference and stopped several miles away from it.

Su Ling's destination was this island known as Jade Tide Island.

Leaping down from the sea vessel, Su Ling utilized the Flowing Wind Technique, treading upon the waves as he rode the sea breeze.

That posture was as elegant as a grandmaster from a Wuxia novel performing peerless Qinggong.

Just as Su Ling was feeling good about himself...

A voice full of mockery rang out, "A dignified immortal Cultivator doesn't even have a dharma boat and actually travels like a Mortal? How embarrassing!"

Su Ling frowned slightly upon hearing this and looked up, only to see a magnificently styled colorful flying boat streaking past overhead.

Its speed was so fast it was comparable to Yun Qingluan's Nether Sparrow.

Before long, Su Ling discovered that the person who had just spoken was the female Cultivator Yu Yao, who had shown contempt for Mortals on the day of departure.

She was standing inside the flying boat together with the Core Formation Stage Aunt Lan.

It seemed that Aunt Lan was once again admonishing Yu Yao.

'Hmph, a woman with all chest and no brains...'

Su Ling snorted coldly, too lazy to pay any mind to the matter.

After all, the other party had a Core Formation Stage elder as a Protector; being in an unfamiliar place, Su Ling did not want to cause unnecessary trouble.

He immediately veered off course, speeding toward the beach on the other side... The waters of Jade Tide Island were rich in Tide Sound Shell demons, Red Jade Crabs often appeared on the beaches, and several types of flying Yao Beasts frequented the island's interior.

One of these Yao Beasts, called the Storm Bird, was said to be able to travel through storms, with strength ranging from the second to the fourth-tier.

Its wings were excellent Artifact Refining Materials; many flying boats would incorporate Storm Bird feathers or demon cores during their refinement.

Of course, the Storm Birds on Jade Tide Island were at most Early Third-tier.

If there were fourth-tier existences, Su Ling wouldn't dare come here.

When he was still a hundred zhang from the beach, a bright red pincer suddenly lunged out from the sea, stabbing fiercely toward Su Ling as he trod the waves.

"Middle Stage second-tier?"

With a flash of a phantom shadow, Su Ling dodged the Red Jade Crab's sneak attack; his Divine Sense swept over it, instantly judging the opponent's strength.

However, he didn't plan on killing this Red Jade Crab immediately.

Ever since learning of the preciousness of fire-attribute Yao Beasts or Magical Artifacts, Su Ling had decided to avoid exposing the molten fire shield as much as possible.

The Blue Ray Sea Vessel was slowly turning at this moment, and there were at least several thousand people still on board.

Here at Jade Tide Island, some twenty or thirty Cultivators had disembarked, and they were currently either on boats or treading waves nearby.

Once he used the molten fire shield, he would surely be targeted.

Su Ling immediately deployed the Phantom Shadow Technique, coordinating it with the Flowing Wind Technique to flee rapidly toward the shore.

Behind him, the Red Jade Crab, having missed its strike, broke through the waves in pursuit.

The moment he stepped onto the sand, the tiger bone bow's string was drawn wide, and a bolt of magical power shot out, directly piercing the Red Jade Crab's pincer.

The Red Jade Crab was furious; its massive pincer, wreathed in seawater, smashed heavily into the spot where Su Ling had just been standing.

Su Ling used the momentum to fly backward, firing several more arrows.

A water-blue shield emerged around the Red Jade Crab, blocking the magical power arrows.

Several Foundation Establishment Cultivators nearby stopped in their tracks, their gazes shifting over with uncertain looks.

Su Ling's expression was cold as he fused a wisp of ice flame into his magical power, condensing a frost arrow.

Drawing back with power.

One breath.

In the next instant, the frost arrow shot straight through that layer of water-blue shield and pierced the Red Jade Crab's head.

The tall Red Jade Crab crashed to the ground, layers of frost spreading over its body.

Su Ling gave the surroundings a faint glance, stepped forward to store the thoroughly dead Red Jade Crab into his bag, and turned to walk into the forest.

Seeing him kill a Middle Stage second-tier Red Jade Crab so effortlessly, the eyes of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators watching from the side narrowed.

They then began to flee in different directions one after another.

Compared to Yao Beasts of the same tier, unless a Cultivator had high-level Cultivation Techniques or powerful Magical Artifacts, they were normally a notch weaker.

Su Ling did not hesitate to use the Nether Abyss Ice Flame precisely to show a bit of his strength to deter those with ulterior motives... Three days later, Su Ling appeared in the middle of the forest.

Jade Tide Island wasn't large, but the Yao Beasts were quite dense, mostly moving in groups.

As a result, Su Ling had to act cautiously, turning back and hiding several times before he finally reached the central area where the Storm Birds gathered.

"One Early Third-tier, one Peak second-tier, and eight below Late Stage second-tier... This is a bit of a headache!"

Looking at those three massive bird nests among the branches, Su Ling felt a bit depressed.

Storm Birds lived in groups as a Family, and there would be at least one lead bird at the third-tier or above.

The strongest group had over forty birds, led by a Late Stage third-tier Storm Bird.

Fortunately, Storm Birds fed on sea fish; unless a ground-based Yao Beast actively provoked them, they generally wouldn't attack.

Relying on his breath concealment talisman and Turtle Breath Technique, Su Ling had scouted several surrounding groups; the ten birds before him were already the weakest bunch.

The others were manageable, but that lead bird was difficult to handle.

After squatting for over an hour, Su Ling still hadn't found an opportunity to strike.

In his helplessness, he prepared to give up for now, planning to come back for the Storm Birds after reaching Peak Foundation Establishment or Core Formation.

Just as he turned to leave, countless vines suddenly rose up in the woods, entangling three third-tier birds from a nearby group of Storm Birds in one go.

"Someone is making a move?!"

Su Ling's eyes lit up, and he hid his figure once more, crouching down.

"Skree!"

Disturbed by this, the cries of many Storm Birds immediately rang out in the forest.

Gusts of wild wind swept through as the Storm Birds that weren't entangled quickly launched a counterattack.

One Wind Blade after another whistled through the air, slashing at those thick vines.

But the treasure light emanating from the vines bounced all those Wind Blades away.

"Mere Wind Blades think they can break Aunt Lan's Magic Treasure? Simply delusional."

Deep in the forest, a voice full of disdain rang out.

It was none other than that female Cultivator, Yu Yao!

"Yu Yao, hurry up and kill those second-tier Storm Birds."

Aunt Lan's urging voice sounded; although she was using a Magic Treasure to trap three third-tier Storm Birds simultaneously, their struggle was very strong, and there was no benefit in dragging it out.

Several nearby groups of Storm Birds, seeing the commotion, had already spread their wings and were flying toward them.

"I know, Aunt Lan."

Yu Yao pursed her lips and flicked her slender hand, sending dozens of needle-type Magical Artifacts flashing with cold light shooting out.

In an instant, they killed two Early Foundation Establishment Stage Storm Birds.