Chapter 136: Wrapping Up and Leaving the Myriad Star Sea

"Not practicing insect magic?"

Shen Lian nodded, looking as though he completely believed it.

Women would only slow down the speed of drawing one's sword, and a woman skilled in worm sorcery might even cause one's sword to go completely limp.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, there is still one more Daoist friend who has not yet arrived. Let us wait a moment longer."

After leading Shen Lian into the private compartment, Lin Yixing spoke once more.

Shen Lian nodded and casually found a spot to sit cross-legged.

The compartment fell into silence once again.

Before long, the door of the compartment opened again, and a wave of fragrant wind surged into the interior like a tidal current.

The lingering fragrance rushed straight into the nostrils, causing one's mouth to water and stimulating the appetite to the point where one couldn't help but crave something soft.

For a moment, restrictive spiritual lights flickered across the spirit warship, causing the spiritual energy to vibrate chaotically.

Atop the highest pavilion of the spirit warship, a cultivator resembling an elderly woman narrowed her eyes and surveyed the surroundings.

"Fellow Daoist Ye."

One of the other two items was the cracked white seashell obtained from the puppet controlled by the Black Cliff Old Demon.

"I wonder if becoming a Tier 3 Artifact Master would allow one to forge a spatial grotto magic treasure."

"Fellow Daoists, although we come from all corners of the world, we must share weal and woe for the time being. It would be best to briefly introduce ourselves so we can be somewhat prepared should we encounter a crisis."

Another item was the sealed jade box left behind by the old demon.

Seizing this golden opportunity instantly, Shen Lian's divine sense enveloped the entire spirit warship in a flash.

Of course, it was not necessary to discard all spiritual objects. For instance, those belonging to the True-Refining Old Ancestor need not be thrown away, as the tattered banner and the jade box carried the lowest risk.

"Splash."

Under Lin Yixing's guidance, the group arrived at a private compartment on the second floor of the spirit warship.

Her slightly slender eyes lifted upward slightly, inadvertently revealing a trace of detachment.

"Hmph..."

Otherwise, Shen Lian would have thrown them away long ago.

*Master did not deceive me. Such a large... tiger.*

Upon entering, the female cultivator bowed to the cultivators in the compartment, projecting an air of full-blown allure.

The entire pavilion structure was constructed from Tier 2 spiritual wood; while not particularly exquisite, it should be quite durable overall.

"Fellow Daoists, please return to your respective compartments as soon as possible."

Soon, everyone chose a quiet room and began to regulate their breath individually.

Ye Mei rolled her eyes and walked straight into a quiet room, casting one last glance outside before closing the door.

Monopolization was the name of the game; did they really expect to reach the Southern Sea Region without spirit stones?

After bustling about for the better part of an hour, the group finally boarded the spirit warship.

Moreover, the spirit warship was quite dilapidated; as it was set in motion, various runic restrictions that should have remained completely motionless actually began to stir on their own.

Having risen early, Shen Lian sat cross-legged on his bed and brought out a sealed jade box.

After finishing this, Shen Lian headed toward the direction of the long-voyage spirit warship.

"Oh?"

Before long, the entire spirit warship let out a roaring vibration.

The danger level of the black seashell from the sea clan ranked second.

Looking from afar, the entire spirit warship, right down to the hull, was engraved with intricate array restrictions, overlapping densely in countless layers.

Outside the city docks, treasure ships and spirit warships were either entering or leaving the harbor, presenting a bustling scene everywhere the eye could see.

Fellow Daoist Heishan did not even twitch an eyelid; his heart was as firm as a boulder, completely unwavering.

A slender, graceful figure stepped into view, clad in a tightly fitted dharma robe that accentuated her proud and curvaceous figure.

Two of the items came from the True-Refining Old Demon, one of which was his tattered remnant banner.

Shen Lian glanced up.

"Since all fellow Daoists have arrived, let us depart."

However, for cultivators riding the spirit warship, this was not good news. How could an early-stage Golden Core cultivator compare in might to a mid-stage one, and their deterrence differed as well.

Shen Hang clearly had little experience venturing outside. Under the watchful gaze of his senior brother, he spoke up: "Fellow Daoists, I am Shen Hang, an inner disciple of the Fog Mountain Sect, skilled in swordsmanship, primarily practicing the sect's inherited Fog Mountain Shadow-Tracing Sword."

Not only had she veiled her face, but for some reason, the two bountiful fruits on her chest had also been magically shrunken.

Stored within a storage dharma artifact after being sealed, these spiritual objects would not leak any aura outward.

...

"Junior brother, you speak first."

Inside the compartment, Lin Yixing offered a bitter smile.

After removing the seal, a white seashell with cracks was revealed.

Coupled with Tier 3 arrays and restrictions, along with a large quantity of Tier 2 and Tier 1 spiritual materials, the overall construction cost of a single spirit warship was no less than several million spirit stones.

On both the fore and aft decks of the entire spirit warship stood two spirit-restriction cannons. Such dharma artifacts, powered by spirit stones, required tens of thousands of spirit stones for a single bombardment.

Shen Hang gave a sharp start and then closed his eyes.

Inspecting his reserves, Shen Lian wore a thoughtful expression.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, Junior Brother and I cultivate in the same quiet room."
This was quite normal. Crossing the ocean was fraught with danger; even Foundation Establishment cultivators had to be cautious, and for Qi-condensation level cultivators, following along was practically a direct ticket to reincarnation.

"The Deep Sea spirit warship is expected to set sail in half a month. We will gather at the dock then."

After setting up the array, Shen Lian did not rush to open it. Instead, he pasted a divine sense talisman onto the wall in front of him.

"Lu Yang, practicing fire magic."

These spiritual items had all been sealed by Shen Lian and hidden inside his storage bag.

His junior brother raised his head once more, paying him a gaze of intense scrutiny.

Upon boarding the spirit warship, many cultivators bowed toward the pavilion at the highest point of the vessel.

There were illicit goods and purchased spiritual items, categorized in a dazzling and complex variety.

On the other hand, Ye Mei, who had previously dressed quite revealingly, was dressed much more plainly today.

His actions were hardly unusual; several people in the compartment were busy setting up their portable arrays.

Currently, he possessed four unidentified spiritual objects in his hands.

While his divine sense was blanketing the area, he discovered that Fellow Daoist Qiyu in the neighboring compartment was also engaging in petty maneuvers.

Shen Lian stood on the dock, studying the layout of the spirit warship. In the central area of the vessel stood a cluster of pavilions.

Seeing Ye Mei's actions, Lin Yixing felt a bit helpless and even gave his junior brother a kick.

After spending half a day, Shen Lian carefully checked every single spiritual object within his storage dharma artifacts.

"The Deep Sea, the long-voyage spirit warship this time, is commanded by True Person Kunyuan of the Earth Star Sect, whose strength is at the early Golden Core stage."

Shen Lian leaned against the wall of the quiet room, pinpointing the locations of the divine senses that had been prying.

As he walked toward the compartments on the warship, Shen Lian took in the layout of the vessel.

Subsequently, several more wisps of divine sense spread over, belonging to those at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.

Portable miniature arrays could not match the power of large-scale arrays of the same tier, but their advantage lay in their convenience.

On the contrary, the white seashell remained tied to the Black Cliff Old Demon. After causing a massive commotion in the Myriad Star Seas, that old fellow had vanished once more.

"This humble concubine, Ye Mei, greets all fellow Daoists."

...

To open the items left behind by the True-Refining Old Demon, he would have to wait until he advanced to the Golden Core realm.

Even from a long distance away, Shen Lian could feel a heavy sense of oppression.

Under the scorching of the golden-white flames, the white seashell gradually began to curl at the edges.

"Five cultivators at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment."

Additionally, a fellow Daoist suggested searching for cultivators with low spiritual roots to deduce 'body-refinement' cultivation methods. However, he had no such plans for body-refinement at present. Firstly, true dual cultivation of body and essence would surely become uncontrollable later on.

There was also the black seashell he had previously obtained from the sea clan cultivator in the deep-sea grotto-heaven.

Lin Yixing's ability to invite peers to travel together proved that he was a prudent person, but the female Daoist friend he had chosen was somewhat lacking in prudence.

After chatting for half a day, everyone knew who made up the team, and then they dispersed.

At the dock, quite a few cultivators were already waiting, while more gathered in groups of three or five, forming teams.

Though called introductions, no one revealed too much about themselves, and the truth or falsehood of their words could not be verified in a short time.

Anyone daring to release their divine sense so openly was a ninth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator confident in the strength of their own soul.

"I have arrived late; apologies to all fellow Daoists."

"The journey is long. If any fellow Daoist cannot restrain themselves, you may come to my place. I have two sweet, large, juicy fruits... sweet without a trace of salt..."

Shen Lian had tried multiple times to open it, but so far without success. To protect the contents inside, he had refrained from using violent force.

As his fingers rubbed together, a crimson firebird materialized at his fingertips. The flame quickly transitioned from crimson to a blinding golden-white, enveloping the seashell.

"Sister Ye, shall we take adjacent rooms?"

The compartment was extremely spacious and divided into large and small chambers, clearly prepared for multiple cultivators to share a roof.

Heishan ignored Ye Mei's words, turned around, and walked straight into the nearest quiet room.

"Fellow Daoists, the living room is a public area. You may freely choose any of the remaining rooms."

You could share living quarters with other Daoists, but you still had to pay to purchase a compartment.

It could be said that every time the spirit warship set sail, it consumed a vast amount of spirit stones.

Even the aforementioned Female Daoist Ye, who joked about running a half-open-door business, meticulously set up a high-grade Tier 2 array.

Now about to leave the Myriad Star Seas, he pondered whether he needed to process these spiritual objects.

The vast majority of passengers riding the spirit warship were Foundation Establishment cultivators, with only a handful at the Qi condensation level.

"When leaving the sect, how did Master instruct us? Have you forgotten?"

The items piled up in his storage dharma artifact were simply too numerous.

*Coming out to the Star Sea on this trip, Master instructed before departure: female cultivators outside the mountains are like tigers; upon seeing them, you must flee far away.*

Qiyu looked toward Ye Mei.

"Hum."

On the spirit warship, stationed cultivators drove away lingering people with cold expressions, acting as if everyone owed them spirit stones.

"Greetings, True Person."

"Ye Mei, rogue cultivator, skilled in seducing male cultivators."

On the day the spirit warship set sail, inside an ordinary inn in the city.

As the initiator of the group, Lin Yixing gave a few coughs, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.

"Little sister, I wish to room adjacent to Fellow Daoist Shen Hang."

Half a month's time was merely the blink of an eye to a cultivator.

Blue and white spiritual lights intertwined, mirroring the exact appearance of the waves on the sea surface.

Clearly, much like Lin Yixing, they knew the dangers aboard the spirit warship were theirs to bear alone, and had united to huddle together for warmth.

The entire spirit warship was over three hundred zhang long, yet the structures atop it were not particularly tall, measuring only about thirty zhang, resembling a moving miniature city.

"Seven cultivators at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment."

Previously, Tier 3 items were defined as spirit treasures in earlier chapters, but a Daoist suggested they should be Tier 3 magic treasures instead. Upon reflection, that was indeed correct—Tier 3 was too low for a spirit treasure, and magic treasures fit better. Subsequent chapters will use magic treasures, and earlier chapters will be modified once unblocked by the editor.

See? There was no need to rush to pry into others; there were plenty of Daoists who would eagerly dote on you.

"Once we reach the long-voyage spirit warship, we can rent a larger compartment together so we can respond promptly to any emergencies."

Unlike spirit boats, spirit warships had strict hierarchies and much more complex construction. The keel of a Tier 3 spirit warship required Tier 3 spiritual wood.

Between the spirit-restriction cannons stood ten-zhang-tall stone pillars, their surfaces engraved with deep-sea beast totems, with spiritual light flashing between every single carved line.

It all boiled down to three words.

"Heishan, practicing dual fire and earth-attribute spells."

Although the Deep Sea spirit warship had been a mid-grade Tier 3 vessel back in the day, it had suffered severe damage on multiple occasions over the years. The quality of its arrays and hull had degraded, bringing its overall might down to roughly the early Golden Core level.

Of course, Shen Lian's miniature array was different—he had pasted talismans onto the array itself.

"Rumble!"

Seeing this, Shen Lian naturally chose not to stand out and bowed in a similarly standard manner.

Such a series of rumors was enough to prove that the old demon was on par with Ziyang Ancestor—both were figures dedicated to stirring up trouble and letting nothing stand in their way.

Within a very short time, the divine sense talisman lit up five times.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Fellow Daoist Lu, you've arrived quite early."

If the ticket prices weren't set high, the owners would lose money on every voyage. Losing one ship every three years meant the entire sect could be bankrupt in less than a decade.

Upon entering her room, Ye Mei cast a glance at the occupants inside. Seeing that only Shen Hang directed a gaze of intense scrutiny at her, she deliberately flashed a meaningful, seductive wink.

If he possessed a spatial grotto magic treasure, he could build a huge storage warehouse and capture... well, using puppets was safer.

Anything that could be called a grotto-heaven had transcended the scope of ordinary storage dharma artifacts and was capable of accommodating living creatures.

As for the other three, Qiyu kept her eyes fixed on her fellow female cultivator's physical assets.

"Qiyu of Wushan, primarily practicing needle techniques, skilled in acupuncture, available to give Fellow Daoist Shen a couple of pricks to boost his yang energy."

Costing one thousand spirit stones per copy, only Shen Lian purchased one among the group.

Upon entering the quiet room, Shen Lian waved his hand, causing over a dozen streams of light to envelop the entire chamber.

Seeing that everyone lacked enthusiasm for introductions, Lin Yixing did not force the matter. After all, it was a temporarily cobbled-together team, and once they reached the Southern Sea Region, they would go their separate ways.

"Hum!"

In the eastern sea, a mountain-like spirit warship hovered over the water, emanating a dense wave of coercion.

Spirit warships crossing the Myriad Star Outer Seas were quite exploitative, operating on a strict "one passenger, one berth" system. The entire vessel consisted solely of private compartments, with prices ranging from ten thousand to twenty thousand spirit stones.

This was the secondary offensive measure of the spirit warship, sealing beast souls within the stone pillars using a puppet-like technique.

Before long, the divine sense talisman flickered with a faint spiritual light.

"Sizzle..."

Everyone nodded, and Shen Lian raised no objections.

Collecting the ashes, he walked toward the dock and scattered them into the vast ocean.

Upon returning to the Coastal Blessed Land, Shen Lian retrieved all his storage bracelets, immersing his divine sense into each one to inspect their contents.

If it broke, it could only be repaired; did you expect a brand-new replacement as if your family owned a mine?

As for Shen Lian, he simply frowned.

While Shen Lian observed the spirit warship, Lin Yixing and the others arrived successively from various parts of the city.

"Fellow Daoists, the compartment chosen by my junior brother and me is rather large. Why not rest in our quarters?"

When boarding the vessel, some cultivators stood at the entrance selling route maps.

The second category referred to heavenly materials and earthly treasures used by body refiners, which had been nearly exhausted by predecessors in a manner akin to draining a pond to catch fish—otherwise, where would the Heavenly Dharma Tribulation come from?

What body refiners were doing, magic refiners were doing as well; it was simply that body refiners had finished doing it first.

Immortal cultivation was merely fantasy rooted in life; in a word, they brought it all upon themselves, digging their own graves.

(End of Chapter)