Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World

Jia Ren passed through the Devouring World Gate and found himself in the midst of a boundless Black Sea. Looking around, the Devouring World Gate had already vanished without a trace. He took out the World-Devouring Sentinel, blew it gently, and the Devouring World Gate reappeared. This meant that returning to the Sealed Land wouldn't be difficult.

Is this the Mysterious Realm?

The Spiritual Energy above the Black Sea wasn't particularly rich, only slightly better than that of the Western Extreme Sea. The sea area was vast; from a high vantage point, there seemed to be no end in sight.

Jia Ren entered the Mountain and Sea Pearl and began closed-door cultivation. His Cultivation Level was getting closer and closer to the Late Golden Core Stage, and with additional effort, he could reach the Nascent Soul Stage sooner.

His Insect External Incarnation took out the Tongluo Sound Disc to contact Wang Fugui. In an unfamiliar place, having someone to help could save a lot of trouble. Perhaps due to the great distance, the Tongluo Sound Disc could not connect with Wang Fugui. He could only rely on himself, so he took out the map of the Mysterious Realm given by Wang Fugui.

Black Demon Sea?

The map only marked the Black Demon Sea in the region outside the Sealed Land. Without reference points within the sea area, it was impossible to determine his exact location. The scariest thing at sea wasn't encountering powerful sea beasts; getting lost was the biggest problem. If one became lost in the endless sea, wandering in circles, they might never be able to leave.

The solution wasn't difficult: create a compass and travel persistently in one direction. Eventually, land and islands would be sighted. As long as he encountered other Cultivators and could communicate, the remaining problems would be easy to solve.

Immortal's Guidance.

The Insect External Incarnation wasn't sure if the sea area held unknown risks. If he encountered an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, the Immortal's Guidance from his star divination could reduce the danger. Whether it was accurate or not, however, depended on luck...

The Pathfinding Rod fell, and the direction it pointed was the direction he should go.

East!

The Insect External Incarnation, acting as a stowaway, carried a large number of Bizarre Demons, which could easily attract trouble. Not daring to linger, he donned the Invisibility Cloak, activated his Escape Light, and flew eastward. Food was not an issue; a Golden Core Cultivator could fast for extended periods, and he had a large stock of high-quality Fasting Pills. The Mountain and Sea Pearl also housed many Spirit Fish and Spirit Beasts. The sea area was a natural treasure trove, with no lack of Magical Beast resources.

There's something wrong with the Black Demon Sea!

The sea area was like a deathly realm, devoid of any sea beast aura. The peculiar scene made him extremely wary of this part of the sea, and he dared not land.

He flew over the sea for more than half a month. When his Spiritual Power was exhausted, his true self took over, and the Insect External Incarnation returned to the Mountain and Sea Pearl to recover its Spiritual Power. Day and night alternated as he flew for over a hundred thousand li. It was unknown whether it was just bad luck or if there was something inherently wrong with the Black Demon Sea, but he had not encountered a single human.

This place seems much more normal.

The water of the Black Demon Sea was black and exuded a strange aura, while the water here was somewhat clearer, indicating that he had left the Black Demon Sea.

ROAR!

A strong Spiritual Power Fluctuation and the cry of an unknown Magical Beast came from afar. The Insect External Incarnation activated Heavenly Vision, looking toward the source of the sound.

Dark clouds shrouded the distant sea area, where two Cultivators were flying in midair. One formed hand seals, summoning the Nine Heavens Thunder Shock; thunderbolts snaked down like lightning towards the sea. The other controlled nine Snow Silver Law Swords, their chilling lights plunging into the water.

A sea beast clad in Scale Armor had half of its head exposed above the water; it raised its head and roared. The thunderbolts striking its body had no effect. When the nine Snow Silver Law Swords slashed down, they only left shallow white marks on its black scales, unable to break through the sturdy black Scale Armor.

After suffering consecutive hits, anger flared in the sea beast's eyes. Countless orbs of black water coalesced and shot towards the sky. The black water orbs exploded with thunderous booms, like black water bombs. The light of defensive Magical Treasures and protective shields flared but didn't last three breaths against the black water's thunderous blasts before quickly dimming.

"Sunflower Water Dark Thunder!"

"This beast is far more difficult to deal with than expected! Let's go!"

Song Zhiqing's face turned pale. His body transformed into lightning, and he soared into the sky. Most of the secret techniques he had studied were thunder-attribute, which were powerful and highly effective against Magical Beasts. This time, he had thought hunting Magical Beasts at sea would be an easy task, but unexpectedly, he had encountered the rare Thunder Scale Beast. Engaging in combat in the deep sea to capture a nearly Fourth Rank Thunder Scale Beast was no easy feat.

Yang Xiu nodded. His nine Snow Silver Law Swords flew back to him, and both Cultivators ascended higher into the sky.

The Thunder Scale Beast, however, did not give up. New black water orbs flew up, pursuing them. As the Sunflower Water Dark Thunder continuously exploded, they could only use their Magical Treasures to defend. Amidst the pervasive water thunder, the two figures flew away, looking somewhat battered.

"My Magical Treasure is severely damaged! This damn beast!" Yang Xiu's expression turned ugly as he looked at the dimmed Spirit Jade at his waist. He only had one defensive Magical Treasure; if it were destroyed, and he gained nothing from this trip, the loss would be too great.

One Cultivator used Sword Transforms into Thunderous Sound, turning into a silver rainbow that shot into the distance, while the other's body crackled with leaping thunder, their Escape Speed equally fast.

The Thunder Scale Beast bore a grudge and pursued them relentlessly. Before the beast arrived, the Sunflower Water Dark Thunder preceded it. The water thunder exploded, and the two men, Driving Light Escape, tried desperately to shake off the tenacious Thunder Scale Beast. If they continued to fight, their chances of victory were low, and their defensive Magical Treasures were about to give out.

"In a few days, I'll find some familiar Fellow Daoists, and we'll join forces to deal with this beast."

Just at this moment, the sound of rending air approached from behind, and the incessantly rampant Sunflower Water Dark Thunder ceased. Song Zhiqing couldn't help but turn to look. The ferocious Thunder Scale Beast was bound by golden hoops around its limbs and head, coiled into a ball. No matter how it struggled, it was powerless to free itself from this treasure.

What kind of Magical Treasure is this? That a Third Rank Thunder Scale Beast was utterly powerless to resist was enough to prove the formidable power of this item.

The two of them looked into the distance, where a streak of silver light was shooting towards them at an astonishing speed.

The Insect External Incarnation stopped a hundred zhang away. With a lift of his finger, a pale green light flashed, leaving a lasting mark in the Void. A bloody hole abruptly appeared on the struggling Thunder Scale Beast's head. Its corpse fell into the sea, Demonic Blood staining the surface red. The newcomer had effortlessly slain the beast, its Scale Armor impervious to the nine Snow Silver Law Swords. It was an incredible sight.

The Insect External Incarnation gestured, and the Trapping Gold Hoop, carrying the Thunder Scale Beast's corpse, hovered before him. He smiled at the two and said, "Greetings, Fellow Daoists."

The Sealed Land originally belonged to the Mysterious Realm, and their languages were the same, so there was no problem with communication.

Song Zhiqing and Yang Xiu looked at the approaching Insect External Incarnation as if facing a formidable enemy. This person had nonchalantly killed the Thunder Scale Beast, which they had been powerless against; his strength far surpassed theirs. In these desolate sea regions, devoid of human presence, death was all too common. In such remote areas, killing for treasure was a regular occurrence. At sea, the most dangerous things were not the sea beasts, but rather…the Cultivators hunting Magical Beasts.

Song Zhiqing smiled to break the tension. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your timely assistance."

"This is a Magical Beast that you two were hunting. My intervention was rather presumptuous, please forgive me." The Trapping Gold Hoop disappeared into his palm, and Spiritual Power carried the freshly killed Thunder Scale Beast's corpse towards the duo.

A Third-order Monster Beast was immensely valuable to ordinary Golden Core Cultivators, but for someone as wealthy as Jia Ren, it was insignificant. He wished to glean information from the two; offering the Thunder Scale Beast could help bridge the distance and avoid much trouble.

"This..." Yang Xiu was briefly stunned, his face etched with disbelief.

Doesn't he know how valuable the Thunder Scale Beast is? Is this some young master from a Great Sect out to gain experience?

"It's too precious..." Song Zhiqing looked regretfully at the Thunder Scale Beast, then smiled. "We two do not possess the strength to deal with the Thunder Scale Beast; we cannot accept this."

The Insect External Incarnation laughed, unconcerned. "Meeting is fate. Without you two Fellow Daoists, I wouldn't have been able to hunt this Magical Beast either. How about we three divide it equally?" He then added, "I wish to sell some Demonic Beast Materials and would like to ask you, Fellow Daoists, for an introduction."

Who knows if the nearby Cultivators are connected to the Inspector? Asking for directions rashly would surely put them on guard. If we divide the Thunder Scale Beast, they'll likely take me to a Cultivator gathering place, where I can then ask others for information. The Demonic Beast Materials I offer will serve as an opening, easing their caution. This will also effectively reduce my connection to the Sealed Land and help avoid potential trouble.

"Since Fellow Daoist has put it that way, refusing again would be too discourteous," Song Zhiqing said, his heart already set on the Thunder Scale Beast's materials. Worried that Yang Xiu might refuse again and they'd miss the chance to share the spoils, he spoke up first.

With Song Zhiqing having said that, Yang Xiu didn't voice his refusal.

The most valuable parts of the Thunder Scale Beast were its Demon Soul, Demon Core, Scale Armor, and Thunder Crystal. The first three could be found on ordinary Magical Beasts, but the Thunder Crystal was unique to the Thunder Scale Beast and could be used to forge Thunder Attribute Magical Treasures.

"The Thunder Crystal is of great use to me. If there's a discrepancy in value, I can compensate you two Fellow Daoists," Song Zhiqing said with an apologetic look as he picked up the Thunder Crystal.

"I'll take the Scale Armor!" Yang Xiu, not wanting to take advantage, only took the least valuable part, the Thunder Scale Beast's armor. The Demon Soul, Demon Core, and Demon Beast Flesh were left for the Insect External Incarnation.

After divvying up the Magical Beast, the duo's wariness lessened, and their attitude warmed somewhat.

"Fellow Daoist, please take the Demon Soul," Jia Ren said, tossing the Magic Artifact that had extracted the Demon Soul to Yang Xiu.

Yang Xiu replied, "I've already been presumptuous enough to take the Thunder Scale Beast's armor, gaining quite an advantage. I cannot accept this as well. A late Third Rank Demon Soul can be used for Refining Demon Souls and crafting Spiritual Treasures. Many Sects collect them, so it won't be hard to sell."

Refining Demon Souls? Crafting Spiritual Treasures? To think he'd receive such good news just after arriving in the Mysterious Realm!

By utilizing the Sacrificial Fire of the Demon-Sealing Tower, a Magical Treasure could be rapidly elevated to God Transformation Level. Still, a Magical Treasure is ultimately only a Magical Treasure, not a Spiritual Treasure.

For a Magical Treasure to ascend to a Spiritual Treasure, that was a far more troublesome matter. Issues with the Spirit Treasure Inscription and the Spiritual Nature of Spiritual Treasures were not easily resolved.

The former was comparatively simpler. After coming into contact with the Lingbao Sect, whether he tried to join the Sect or used the Corpse-Eating Bizarre Pill to acquire the Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities mastered by Lingbao Sect Cultivators, both would be good solutions. As the Sect with the most Spiritual Treasures, specializing in crafting them and possessing the most Spirit Treasure Inscriptions, the Lingbao Sect was the prime place for this. Elevating a Magical Treasure's Cultivation Level and acquiring Spirit Treasure Inscriptions weren't the hard part.

What proved most troublesome was imbuing a Spiritual Treasure with Spiritual Nature—either waiting for a Magical Treasure to birth its own Spiritual Nature or hunting a Fifth-Order Magical Beast, i.e., a Divine Transformation Period Demon Beast, to extract its Demon Soul.

Yet Jia Ren hadn't even attained the Nascent Soul Stage. Hunting a Divine Transformation Stage Magical Beast? Was he suicidal? Furthermore, Divine Transformation Period Demon Beasts were scarce; they wouldn't be lining up just to be slaughtered by him. He would need to upgrade many Spiritual Treasures in the future, and finding a short-term solution for their Spiritual Nature was proving difficult.

But to be presented with a solution when in need was like getting a pillow when drowsy!

Upon hearing the words "Soul Refinement," the Insect External Incarnation's eyes sparkled. He swiftly probed, "How does Refining Demon Souls compare to Demon Souls from Divine Transformation Stage Magical Beasts?"