Translator: AnubisTL
Boom!
A series of bubbles erupted from the depths, followed by a colossal wave that shook the sea.
Li Qing, hovering in mid-air, immediately grew alert.
The Boundless Sea teemed with sea beasts, some of them incredibly powerful and dangerous, capable of overwhelming ordinary cultivators.
As the towering wave crashed back down, two formidable auras spread across the water.
It was the clash of two third-tier demonic beasts locked in mortal combat!
On the surface, a deep purple, otherworldly tentacle clashed violently with a third-tier crag crab.
"An eight-armed purple octopus and a deep sea rock crab? I never expected to encounter such powerful third-tier sea beasts so soon after reaching the open sea!"
Li Qing's expression turned grave. He narrowed his eyes, suppressing his aura as much as possible to avoid disturbing the two formidable creatures.
Without a doubt, both sea beasts met the criteria for his expedition!
The eight-armed purple octopus was a colossal, violet-skinned cephalopod. Its tentacles were not only highly venomous but also capable of constricting with terrifying force.
Yet the deep sea rock crab was no ordinary opponent. Its body was forged from black, rock-like armor, crisscrossed by crimson fissures that glowed like molten lava.
The crab's claws were impervious to blades and spears, and their monstrous strength left deep, gruesome gashes on the eight-armed purple octopus's tentacles.
Bang! Bang!
Realizing the tenacity of its opponent, the octopus lashed out with several more tentacles, attempting to ensnare the ferocious crag crab.
In an instant, the battle between the two third-tier sea beasts intensified, their terrifying auras churning the surrounding sea into violent waves.
Li Qing remained a watchful observer, refraining from intervening in the conflict. To play the patient fisherman, one must possess unwavering patience; rash actions could easily spoil the plan.
The deep sea rock crab's carapace was terrifyingly resilient, impervious not only to blades and spears but also to the octopus's potent venom. No matter how fiercely the purple tentacles strained, they couldn't breach the crab's impenetrable shell, their efforts proving utterly futile.
After prolonged, fruitless attacks, the octopus's own tentacles bore numerous fresh wounds.
Just as Li Qing began to anticipate a prolonged stalemate, a faint cracking sound echoed from the churning sea.
A fissure had appeared on the deep sea rock crab's carapace, forced open by the simultaneous pressure from multiple tentacles.
Seizing the opportunity, the eight-armed purple octopus immediately unleashed a torrent of venom from the suckers on its tentacles.
Bright purple pus, as if squeezed from the crab's tentacles, flowed rapidly into the deep sea rock crab's body.
The moment has come!
Li Qing's eyes lit up as he condensed a talismanic seal crackling with black demon flame in his palm.
Shattered Origin Great Fire Seal!
Boom!
The fire seal, forged from the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame, shot forth with incredible speed, its terrifying heat scorching the air as it hurtled toward the entangled sea beasts.
Hiss!
The seawater evaporated instantly, billowing into thick clouds of steam.
The two third-tier sea beasts, locked in combat, immediately sensed the overwhelming danger.
Boom!
The Shattered Origin Great Fire Seal detonated, showering the sky with Spirit Devouring Demon Flame like a rain of black fire.
On the sea's surface, the shockwave from the explosion rippled outward, carrying a scorching heat wave that spread like ripples across the water.
As expected of heavenly spirit fire, its extreme heat vaporized vast quantities of seawater, causing the sea level within hundreds of miles to visibly sink.
Li Qing moved with astonishing speed. In a series of lightning-fast flashes, he charged forward, wielding a massive hammer.
The dense steam couldn't hinder him. His keen spiritual sense had already pinpointed the sea beasts' positions, and he swung the hammer down with devastating force.
Boom!
The Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer erupted with terrifying power. Li Qing's long-charged, earth-shattering strike seemed capable of shattering the very sea itself.
Thick water vapor was instantly blasted aside as the hammer slammed into a deep sea rock crab below. The crab, its body entirely composed of stone, had no time to evade the devastating blow.
Bang!
A deafening, muffled roar reverberated through the water. Cracks spiderwebbed across the crab's hardened carapace, threatening to shatter it completely.
But Li Qing's attention was elsewhere. He noticed the eight-armed purple octopus had reacted with astonishing speed, instantly freeing itself from the crag crab's massive pincers and fleeing the battlefield, sinking rapidly into the seabed.
"That purple octopus is quick, but since I've stumbled upon it today, it will surrender its inner core and essence blood!"
With that, Li Qing pointed his fingers at the critically wounded deep sea rock crab.
A frigid white flame shot forth like a sharp sword, striking the crab's wound with pinpoint accuracy and lethal speed, instantly ending the life of the third-tier demonic beast.
After storing the massive crab carcass in his storage pouch, Li Qing turned his gaze toward the depths of the Boundless Sea.
That was the direction the eight-armed purple octopus had fled. Li Qing hesitated for a moment.
His purpose for venturing out to sea was to hunt third-tier demonic beasts, obtain their inner cores to refine Spirit Nourishing Pills, and collect sufficient demonic beast essence blood to nourish the Blood Lotus Seed's growth.
Now that he had finally encountered a third-tier demonic beast whose strength had severely declined, how could Li Qing bear to let it escape?
"Even though we're underwater, it's not like I have no way to deal with you."
With these words, Li Qing moved without hesitation.
The Kunpeng Divine Power surged within him. He leaped into the air and plunged directly into the deep sea.
This was another form of the Kunpeng—the Kun, a creature capable of freely swimming in the ocean depths.
Having mastered the Kunpeng Treasure Technique, Li Qing was naturally unfazed by the boundless, dark sea. This was the true reason he dared to venture out alone to hunt demons.
Splash!
Li Qing's body stretched out as he dove into the water.
In the North Sea dwells a fish, its name is Kun!
Though Li Qing's body couldn't yet transform into the full size of a true Kun, his Kunpeng Divine Power allowed him to swim through the water with astonishing speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Following the trail of purple fluid, Li Qing darted through the seabed at breakneck speed.
Having unleashed the Kunpeng Treasure Technique, Li Qing moved through the deep sea with astonishing speed, his figure transforming into a black fish as he plunged into the abyss.
Whether in his past life or this one, this was Li Qing's first time diving into the ocean.
Contrary to his expectations of a magnificent underwater realm, the bottom of the Boundless Sea was pitch-black, with only the surface waters retaining their azure hue.
Darkness, depth, solitude!
As Li Qing extended his divine sense, he felt as if he had entered another world entirely.
Before he could fully appreciate his surroundings, he noticed the eight-armed purple octopus moving with extraordinary speed, matching even his Kunpeng Treasure Technique-enhanced velocity!
But the Kunpeng Extreme Speed was no ordinary technique!
Li Qing began channeling his Kunpeng Divine Power, his form gradually becoming ethereal, as if merging with the seawater itself.
In the next instant, his figure vanished completely, reappearing moments later right in front of the eight-armed purple octopus.
By now, he had descended to considerable depths, the surrounding water pressure crushing down on every inch of his fleshly body.
Yet this pressure posed no threat to him. His physical constitution was terrifyingly robust; he had even weathered a thunder tribulation with his bare flesh in the Nether Domain, proving himself no less formidable than these powerful third-tier demonic beasts.
Kill!
A chilling glint flashed in Li Qing's eyes, piercingly intense.
Three Po Jun Blades shot forth from his storage pouch, slicing through the water to strike the massive body of the eight-armed purple octopus.
Sensing the disturbance in the water, the colossal purple octopus contorted violently, as if squeezed by an invisible giant hand.
Pfft!
A stream of purple venomous fluid erupted from its body, instantly tainting the surrounding seawater.
This highly toxic substance would instantly corrode the flesh of any foundation establishment realm cultivator who came into contact with it, dissolving their bodies into putrid pus.
Undaunted by the encroaching purple venom, Li Qing remained calm. With a subtle mental command, his body erupted in a brilliant golden light.
In the pitch-black depths of the sea, Li Qing's presence became dazzlingly conspicuous.
The Golden Jade Garment!
This treasured garment's defensive capabilities were truly extraordinary. The surrounding purple venom was completely blocked, unable to harm Li Qing in the slightest.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the next instant, the three Po Jun Blades had plunged deep into the octopus's flesh, inflicting grievous wounds.
Swish!
Enraged, the third-tier sea beast whipped its tentacles at lightning speed, lashing out directly at Li Qing.
The octopus intended to crush Li Qing with its overbearing fleshly body, but Li Qing, being a body cultivator himself, showed no fear.
He abruptly reached out and seized the purple tentacle lashing toward him, unleashing a tremendous burst of force!
Before the powerful eight-armed purple octopus could react, Li Qing tore its body apart with brute strength, leaving it no chance to resist.
The octopus's fleshly body simply couldn't withstand Li Qing's overwhelming power. His grip clamped down, and the creature's body began to crack and shatter inch by inch.
During this, Li Qing mentally activated three Po Jun Blades, piercing three gaping holes through the octopus's body.
In an instant, the eight-armed purple octopus was dead beyond any hope of revival.
"As expected of the sea clan," Li Qing mused inwardly. "Even a mere early-stage third-tier creature is so difficult to deal with underwater."
On land, subduing such a third-tier demonic beast would have been effortless. A few divine abilities and a final strike with a magical artifact would have been enough to casually dispatch it.
Despite his musings, Li Qing's movements remained swift and efficient. He immediately stored the large, early-stage third-tier purple octopus into his storage pouch.
In this brief exchange, his storage pouch had already acquired two third-tier demonic beasts.
This harvest was already remarkably bountiful: two third-tier demon beast inner cores and two third-tier demonic beast bodies. From these, he could extract a substantial amount of essence blood to nourish the Blood Lotus Seed.
"Even with the Kunpeng Art, I can't fully unleash my combat prowess underwater," Li Qing mused.
"Given the unfamiliar environment and my lack of understanding of the surroundings, it's best to leave quickly. I shouldn't be too greedy!"
Although the deep sea teemed with abundant spiritual energy and resources, Li Qing remained wary of lingering, fearing unforeseen dangers.
Without hesitation, he began swimming toward the surface.
But in the next instant, a profound sense of impending crisis surged through his mind, sending a chill down his spine.
Since achieving core formation, few beings had been able to evoke such a primal fear in him. Only the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs he had encountered in the Great Wilderness Domain had stirred a similar dread.
"How dare you! Human, you dare slaughter my subordinates!"
A wave of divine sense pierced through the seawater, directly invading Li Qing's mind!
A sentient demon beast, and one with considerable intelligence!
This was undoubtedly a member of the sea demon race. Ordinary sea beasts couldn't possibly possess such advanced cognition.
Move!
Li Qing didn't even glance back. He immediately activated his Kunpeng Divine Power, unleashing the Kunpeng Extreme Speed and surging toward the surface.
Boom!
Below, the water currents erupted into violent chaos.
A terrifying aura surged from the depths, far surpassing that of the early third-tier eight-armed purple octopus and deep sea rock crab. Li Qing felt an overwhelming pressure.
Late third-tier!
This was undoubtedly a late third-tier member of the sea clan, likely only a step away from transformation!
Demon beasts could only achieve transformation upon breaking through to the fourth-tier, becoming beings equivalent to cultivators in the nascent soul realm.
Ordinary demon beasts rarely reached this stage; only those with exceptionally powerful bloodlines could.
Even Fan Tong had nearly died struggling to break through to the third-tier, almost losing half his life in the process.
Now, he had encountered a demon beast here that was on the verge of transformation!
Its bloodline was undoubtedly extraordinary!
With this realization, Li Qing desperately activated the Kunpeng Extreme Speed, propelling himself through the seawater with astonishing speed.
Regardless of the demon beast's species, engaging it in combat underwater would be foolish. He had to escape first.
The mysterious third-tier sea clan member below seemed to read Li Qing's thoughts, sending a cold telepathic message:
"Your speed is impressive, but you're naive if you think you can escape!"
In the next instant, the underwater currents surged violently, forming a massive whirlpool that relentlessly tore at Li Qing's body, as if trying to drag him down.
Li Qing reacted decisively, resisting the whirlpool's pull while channeling the Kunpeng Divine Power within him.
His figure rapidly became ethereal, dissolving into the seawater.
Kunpeng Extreme Speed—spatial traversal!
"Hmm? What kind of divine ability is this? It's utterly bizarre!"
"But do you really think escaping to the surface will solve everything?"
"How naive!"
Using the Kunpeng Treasure Technique, Li Qing successfully escaped the deep sea, soaring into the sky with incredible speed.
"Huff!"
Li Qing exhaled in relief. At least he was no longer underwater. He felt confident he could hold his own in a battle above the surface.
Just as this thought formed, Li Qing glanced down.
The waves on the sea's surface were churning even more violently, and the terrifying aura was rapidly closing in on him.
"Such immense power, such a ferocious aura! What kind of demon beast is this? It's even stronger than the Mountain-Bearing Turtle of the Shangqing Sect!"
Boom!
The water erupted, waves crashing endlessly!
A crimson, serpentine shadow shot out of the sea, its terrifying momentum stirring the ocean into a frenzy.
Its body resembled a snake, but its belly bore four clawed legs, each claw razor-sharp.
Crimson whiskers danced in the wind, but the most striking feature was the pair of massive, interlocking horns on its head, resembling the antlers of a stag.
Roar!
The creature that had emerged from the depths was none other than a crimson Flood Dragon!
(End of the Chapter)