76: Diving into the sea, the Whale Swallow

Upon parting, Zheng Cheng handed Su Ling a small booklet, "Brother Han, I know you are not lacking in Magical Artifacts or Medicinal Pills and talismans. This is some information I collected back in the day for my own Core Formation; you can keep it and take a look."

"Many thanks, brother. When I return one day, you and I shall go to the Drunken Immortal Tower for a good drink."

Su Ling took the booklet, cupped his hands in farewell.

"Take care of yourself while you are out!"

"Take care, brother!"

Su Ling immediately turned around and headed straight for the city gate.

Watching his receding back, Zheng Cheng stood with his hands behind his back and sighed slightly.

"Shopkeeper, Brother Han is going out alone, and it is full of dangers..."

Qing Ming came to Zheng Cheng's side and said in a low voice, filled with a hint of reluctance.

"Rest assured, do you really think Brother Han is some fool who only knows how to cultivate behind closed doors?"

Zheng Cheng glanced at Qing Ming with a half-smile and said indifferently, "The Evil Qi hidden in his bones is something you might not be able to learn in a lifetime."

During that drinking session at the Drunken Immortal Tower a year ago, both of them had had a bit too much.

Zheng Cheng talked about the battles he had experienced during his early years of training.

At the time, Su Ling was noncommittal, but Zheng Cheng keenly felt that Su Ling seemed to look down on him for not being decisive enough in killing.

It was only then that he realized this younger brother did not seem as simple as he had imagined.

"Qing Ming, once you have saved enough Spirit Stones for a Magical Artifact, go out and travel around!"

With a light sigh, Zheng Cheng patted Qing Ming on the shoulder and turned to walk into the Treasure Pavilion, "How can one speak of longevity without experiencing life and death..."

Qing Ming listened, lost in thought. When he looked up again, Su Ling's back had already disappeared.

...

Leaving Thousand Star City, Su Ling piloted the startling swan boat, and in just a quarter of an hour, he arrived at the port of Thousand Star Island.

Massive sea vessels were docked at the port, and the bustling crowd going up and down was busy and lively.

Su Ling then walked over to a sea vessel that resembled a giant whale.

【jingtun vessel, a high-grade magic treasure for flight, refined from the shell of a fifth-order Void Abyss Ink Whale. It can sail, dive, and fly, and possesses certain offensive and defensive capabilities.】

"Night Cry Island, one person."

The manager of the jingtun vessel looked up at him and said indifferently, "Lower-class cabin, two hundred Spirit Stones; middle-class, five hundred; upper-class, two thousand."

The route of the jingtun vessel was further than the lan yao vessel, with its final destination reaching Night Cry Island, eighty thousand li away.

On Night Cry Island, a type of Spiritual Plant called Blood Cloud Grass is produced, which can assist a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in condensing mana crystals.

Su Ling had seen it before at an auction at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, but at that time, he did not dare to bid because he was saving for the Golden Scale Python essence blood.

Later on, he managed to buy two bottles of Medicinal Pills with similar effects.

Otherwise, after three years, he wouldn't have even been able to condense one-tenth of his mana crystals.

This trip out, besides simply wanting a change of pace, was also to see if other islands had Spirit Pills more suitable for him.

"Middle-class."

Su Ling took out five hundred Spirit Stones and placed them on the table.

This trip would take at least a month, and he wanted to stay somewhere comfortable.

"Room 345 in the Qian section. We set sail in at most half an hour, so please board the ship as soon as possible!"

Seeing that Su Ling chose a middle-class room, the manager's expression improved significantly. He handed a jade tablet to Su Ling and urged him.

"Understood."

Su Ling took the jade tablet and turned to walk toward the boarding ladder.

The middle-class room, located above the pectoral fin section of the jingtun vessel, had a space of about three zhang, furnished with a bed, table and chairs, and a small resting area.

It was indeed much more spacious than the lower-deck cabins of the lan yao vessel.

The downside was that the lan yao vessel had a deck for viewing the scenery.

The jingtun vessel was shaped like a giant deep-sea whale and had no deck.

However, cabins of middle-class and above all had circular glass windows to see outside.

After confirming the room location, Su Ling followed the signs and arrived inside the belly of the jingtun vessel.

Inside, there were specially established taverns and tea shops, and even a small trading area.

At this moment, there were already thousands of people inside, either consuming goods or browsing.

If the lan yao vessel was a sea ferry, then the entire jingtun vessel was essentially a luxury cruise ship from his previous life.

This left Su Ling amazed.

Just looking at the number of cabins, the jingtun vessel did not seem to have as many as the lan yao vessel.

But the Spirit Stones earned by the jingtun vessel were definitely more exaggerated than the lan yao vessel.

One had to admire the business acumen of the jingtun vessel's owner.

Half an hour later, the jingtun vessel let out a resounding whale call, and its massive tail fin rose high.

"Boom!"

A giant wave, like a tsunami, rushed toward the port's defensive array, causing a burst of shimmering light.

The pectoral fins of the jingtun vessel swayed, and it slowly swam toward the open sea.

After traveling less than a hundred li, it plunged into the deep sea.

...

Half a month later, behind a porthole on the jingtun vessel, Su Ling quietly watched the bizarre and fantastical scenes in the sea, as well as the schools of Yao Beasts fleeing frantically.

Even though he had grown accustomed to such magical scenes over these past few days, Su Ling could not help but sigh in admiration.

It was indeed worthy of being a high-grade magic treasure; it could actually dive and travel in the deep sea.

The aura emitted by the remains of the fifth-order Void Abyss Ink Whale had a powerful deterrent effect on Yao Beasts of the fourth order and below.

Throughout the journey, not a single Yao Beast dared to approach the jingtun vessel.

Unlike the lan yao vessel, which returned between Thousand Star Island and Peiming Island, the jingtun vessel would continue to the next island after arriving at Night Cry Island.

The entire route required at least a year for a round trip.

Without powerful strength to escort and protect, it would be impossible to guarantee the safety of the passengers.

Over these past few days, Su Ling had felt the aura of a Nascent Soul Stage Expert more than once.

He gained a bit more understanding of the power behind the jingtun vessel.

While sighing, just as Su Ling was preparing to head to the small market in the whale's belly, two extremely majestic auras suddenly rose from the deep sea.

"Fifth-order Yao Beast?!"

Su Ling looked back at the porthole and saw a deep blue radiance suddenly light up in the pitch-black deep sea.

Countless low-order fish and shrimp were directly stunned into unconsciousness.

"Vile Yao Beast, how dare you provoke my sea vessel!"

A majestic and grand Divine Soul voice instantly spread across the sea for dozens of li.

Immediately after, the jingtun vessel's massive fins swayed, and it rapidly ascended toward the sea surface.

"Boom!"

A muffled sound came from the deep sea, and a water-blue halo illuminated the surroundings.

Continuous roaring sounds echoed through the deep sea, and streaks of water-blue halos kept appearing.

It seemed that the Nascent Soul Stage Expert escorting the jingtun vessel had already clashed with these two fifth-order Yao Beasts.

A quarter of an hour later, the daylight gradually brightened.

The jingtun vessel broke through the sea and flew directly into the high sky.

Immediately following that, two more figures broke through the sea surface, and Spells of immense power bombarded downward.

The sea surface was like boiling water, exploding with countless water columns shooting into the sky.

In deep-sea combat, human Cultivators are naturally weaker than sea Yao Beasts.

But just protecting the jingtun vessel as it exited the sea was not too much pressure.

After all, although Yao Beasts are strong, the jingtun vessel, being a high-grade magic treasure, is not weak itself!

"Shhh-shhh-shhh!"

Countless dense friction sounds rang out, shaking the Cultivators inside the jingtun vessel until they were thrown into chaos, each clutching their heads and wailing continuously.

A flash of golden light quickly passed over the surface of the jingtun vessel, and that friction sound rapidly faded away.

The next moment, two shark-type Yao Beasts with pitch-black bodies and scales like steel broke out of the sea.

Behind them followed groups of much smaller shark Yao Beasts.

【Deep Sea Black Scale Shark, fifth-order Middle Stage Yao Beast.】

【Deep Sea Black Scale Shark, fifth-order Early Stage Yao Beast.】

【Deep Sea Black Scale Shark, fourth-order Late Stage Yao Beast.】

【...】

Seeing those Yao Beasts through the porthole, a series of prompt messages immediately appeared in Su Ling's mind.

"Black Scale Shark pack!"

Su Ling was startled; this type of shark Yao pack was famous throughout the entire Yaoxing Sea.

It was just that he hadn't encountered them when he took the lan yao vessel out to sea last time.

He didn't expect to run into such a large pack only half a month after setting sail this time.