studiobondurri Chapter 228: Set sail
Chapter 228: Set sail
Chapter 228: Set sail
Yuan Ming tucked away the jade flask and didn’t immediately leave the city. Instead, he headed to a secluded alley in the north of the city, stepping in and vanishing halfway as if merging into water. His vision blurred, and a bustling street appeared before him, crowded with cultivators. Shops lined both sides of the street, selling all kinds of pills, talismans, and magical instruments. This was a market within Ning City, which Yuan Ming had learned about while drinking with Master Xuanhua.
Yuan Ming glanced over the market, which was modest in scale and offered goods not surpassing those in Heiyan City’s market.
He was busy and had no interest in strolling through the market. Finding a bookstore, he purchased a volume detailing the sea beasts of the Eastern Sea. Confident in hunting the Vortex Beast, he still believed in the importance of preparation.
"Rest assured, customer, this tome was penned by a revered figure from Tieyun Temple after decades of travel in the Eastern Sea. It has been widely circulated for some time, with detailed and accurate content, and will surely not lead you astray," the bookstore owner declared confidently.
"Let’s hope so," Yuan Ming responded, flipping through the book right there in the shop, quickly finding the section on the Vortex Beast. The owner hadn’t exaggerated; the book thoroughly detailed the beast’s abilities, what powers it was vulnerable to, and its preferred prey. Satisfied, Yuan Ming stored the tome in his storage ring and left the bookstore. He then purchased some water-use talismans from nearby shops and headed towards the market entrance.
Just as he reached the entrance, two people approached from the opposite direction. One was Bai Lin, and the other appeared to be his attendant, a youth in a short robe.
The two hurried past without noticing Yuan Ming, who was a stranger to them. He listened as their footsteps faded and continued on his way.
Other cultivators new to this place might feel lost and unsure of where to begin, but Yuan Ming excelled at exploration. Releasing five Soul Crows to search the vicinity, he soon found a large coral island spanning over ten miles, covered in red coral that shimmered beautifully under the sun. To the north of the island was a vast whirlpool, dozens of yards in diameter, with roaring waters that thundered deafeningly.
Sensing the octopus sea beast’s condition through his spiritual consciousness, Yuan Ming nodded in satisfaction and ceased controlling the formation. The ropes vanished, and the beast regained its strength, hastily fleeing. Yuan Ming ignored the frantic creature and sat down in a concealed spot on the island. He set up a barrier with Four Directions Spirit-Sealing Talismans and then lit an Attracting Beast Incense in a censer. Wisps of white smoke rose and spread in all directions.
Yuan Ming took out a pair of black gloves, the magical instruments he had acquired from Sang Yan in Snake King Valley.
These gloves did not enhance offensive capabilities but contained an internal space for storing poisons or miasmas. Activating the runes inside the gloves, they each emitted a suction force, drawing in the white smoke from the incense. After absorbing for a good while, Yuan Ming extinguished the incense.
The internal space of the gloves was now filled with dense white smoke, nearly solidifying. Since the gloves had absorbed the smoke and Yuan Ming had erected a barrier, no beasts were lured in. He put away the censer and returned to the Thousand-Knot Water Rope Array, making a precise gesture.
A thick water rope rose from the formation, plunging into the nearby sea, and soon returned with a half-yard-long black sea snake. The snake also bore a demonic aura but was merely a low-tier sea beast.
Yuan Ming killed the sea snake, leaving some spiritual power within it, then controlled it with a Soul Crow, taking one of the black gloves to dive towards the Vortex Beast’s lair. It wasn’t long before they neared the destination.
Most of the spiritual power in the sea snake’s corpse had dissipated, but the Soul Crow manipulated the remaining power, channeling it into the black glove to stimulate the runes. A large cloud of white fog began to billow out, merging into the surrounding waters.