His gaze locked onto the few valuable Blood Antler Corals clinging to the massive, ash-white coral tree, his mind rapidly calculating whether his strength was sufficient to wrest these corals from the guardianship of the deep-sea monsters, weighing the potential gains against the losses—whether the venture was worth the risk. Ye Qin couldn't help but examine them more closely.
But upon seeing the pile of bleached bones beneath the coral tree, a chill ran down Ye Chun’s spine. Well-versed in Bone Refining Arts, he possessed an expert understanding of skeletal quality.
At a glance, he could discern that the heap of bizarrely shaped sea beast remains beneath the giant ash-white coral tree included skeletons of fifth and sixth-tier sea beasts, and even a small number of seventh-tier ones. This was clear evidence that many mid-tier and above sea beasts, including those at the Golden Core level, had desired to consume these Blood Antler Corals.
Yet, they had evidently perished in the jaws of the guardian beasts before they could ever obtain them. What kind of formidable sea beast could be guarding these few strands of Blood Coral, allowing them to grow undisturbed for thousands of years?
No sea beast without truly exceptional power could possibly safeguard such rare specimens. Moreover, the dense network of holes beneath that large coral tree likely sheltered an entire shoal of sea beasts, not just one or two.
These creatures must have been stationed there perpetually, preventing any other sea beast from coveting these natural treasures. The moment Ye Qin considered this possibility, he immediately calmed down and abandoned any plan to seize the Blood Antler Corals.
He possessed two puppets: a Skeleton Demon with early Golden Core strength, and a Silver Armored Guard puppet with high-stage Golden Core power. The Golden Core Skeleton Demon could grow, but only by consuming corpse essence and death qi; it could not increase its strength by devouring spiritual objects.
The Silver Armored Guard puppet, on the other hand, consumed only top-grade spirit stones, could not enhance its power, and ate nothing. The Blood Antler Corals were premium spiritual materials used for raising spirit beasts, offering superb benefits.
In other words, unless he planned to raise spirit beasts in the future, the Blood Coral was of little use to him—at most, he could sell it at the Baifu City market for some spirit stones. But he was not lacking in wealth; the occasional pill alchemy sessions were more than enough to cover his cultivation expenses.
For the sake of these few Blood Antler Corals, provoking a group of quite powerful sea beasts in this deep-sea passage was clearly not a worthwhile trade-off for him. However, Ye Qin’s lack of interest did not mean the other Golden Core cultivators present felt the same way about obtaining these corals.
The one showing the most intense greed was Jin Zhongshan. In Jin Zhongshan’s wide-open eyes, a blazing covetousness shimmered.
Before this exquisite spiritual treasure, he felt almost no resistance. He had not felt this impulsive even when encountering the stunning female cultivator in Baifu City.
“I don’t care! Regardless of whether sea beasts are guarding these Blood Corals or not, I must take them!
Sister Yao, Sister Xiaoji, Brother Pan Lin, do me a favor and stand guard for me. I’m going to retrieve these Blood Corals, and afterward, we will split these spiritual items equally.
How about it?” Jin Zhongshan could not suppress the urge to claim the precious Blood Coral, declaring fiercely. With that, he immediately released the large fiery-red gourd strapped to his back, preparing to strike and take the treasure.
His gourd was a top-tier fire-element magical artifact. In this environment rich with underwater spiritual energy, the power of this fire artifact was inherently diminished by about ten to twenty percent due to the geographical conditions—clearly making it less effective than a water-element artifact.
Normally, cultivators would avoid using artifacts constrained by the natural environment, opting for those suited to or unaffected by the surroundings. But Jin Zhongshan was a dual spirit root cultivator of Metal and Fire.
All his top-tier and above artifacts carried in his storage bag were predominantly fire and metal-based. Even if he wanted a water artifact, he couldn't conjure one.
Even if he could find one, he wouldn't be able to wield much of its power. This was unavoidable, given his Fire/Metal spirit roots.
It was also one of the reasons Jin Zhongshan was fundamentally reluctant to venture into this underwater passage. He felt intensely envious of the Water Pearl Spiritual Treasure in Ye Qin's hand.
“Relax, with my Great Five Elements Sword Array guarding us, even a Golden Core sea beast can be pinned down. Brother Jin, proceed with retrieving the treasure.” Zhou Yao had long desired the Blood Coral.
Although she didn't keep spirit beasts and had no plans to sell them, she deeply loved the color and spiritual energy of the Blood Antler Corals. Wearing them as personal accessories would undoubtedly be dazzlingly bright and eye-catching.
She agreed, and with a graceful wave of her hand, the five flying swords surrounding her instantly burst into radiant light. “Brother Jin, I will guard you!” Pan Lin eagerly flew forward, throwing out the Golden Jiao Scissors, which transformed into a streak of golden light over twenty feet long, swimming flexibly ahead like a golden serpent.
The golden light continuously flared, seemingly ready to strike at any moment. “Sister Liao, what about you?
If you don’t help, you won’t get a share of the Blood Coral. Didn’t you mention some time ago that you were preparing to personally train a rare spirit beast fowl in the future?
With this Blood Coral, the success rate of training a spirit beast would greatly increase, and its innate potential would be much higher than that of an ordinary spirit beast.” Jin Zhongshan called out loudly. “Fine!” Seeing everyone prepare to act, Liao Weizi hesitated briefly, then nodded, releasing a flowing, iridescent Hun Tian Scarf, preparing her defensive stance.
Zhou Yao and Liao Xiaoxi, the two women, both summoned their magical artifacts, ready to claim this underwater treasure. Four Golden Core cultivators were preparing to move in.
Only Ye Qin remained silent, floating to the side of the water, watching calmly. Jin Zhongshan was delighted.
Four Golden Core cultivators were more than enough. He didn't believe that four Golden Core cultivators couldn't handle the guardian beasts of these Blood Antler Corals.
Whether Ye Qin participated or not made no difference to him. In fact, he was happy to have one less cultivator splitting the spoils.
“Brother Ye, you don't want the Blood Coral? This is a rare spiritual material that is hard to acquire in the Baifu City market.” Zhou Yao, manipulating her five flying swords, turned back with a smile to ask Ye Qin.
Ye Qin glanced at the four of them, knowing their minds were set; they would take the Blood Coral come what may. He had no intention of depleting his own strength here, nor did he feel the need to dissuade them.
“If you’re going to act, do it quickly, lest you fall too far behind the other teams. We need to pass through this underwater passage as soon as possible and enter the Langya Secret Realm, where there may be even more precious spiritual items, perhaps no less valuable than this Blood Coral,” he said lightly after a moment's thought.
Nevertheless, Ye Qin still summoned the Water Pearl Spiritual Bead, formed mudras, and conjured a water dragon ten feet long to guard him, just in case. If the four of them managed to disturb the sea beasts beneath the coral tree, they would likely draw an attack.
The sea beasts would not care if Ye Qin intended to claim the treasure; they would certainly attack him. If necessary, as a member of the team, Ye Qin would indeed intervene.
Once the team members were fully prepared, Zhou Yao immediately declared, “Brother Jin, you go retrieve the Blood Coral. Brother Pan, cover Brother Jin.
Sister Liao and I will watch the caves, guarding against the beasts inside. As for Brother Ye… you just observe from the side.
These caves are rather strange; the sea beasts must be hiding inside, but our spiritual senses detect nothing.” After Zhou Yao assigned everyone’s roles, the four Golden Core cultivators spread out. Jin Zhongshan took the lead, Pan Lin provided cover, and Zhou Yao and Liao Xiaoxi supported them as they slowly approached the giant ash-white coral tree.
Though the distance was only about eighty feet, their movements were exceptionally cautious and slow. At close range, the sea beasts’ attacks could be ferocious.
Ye Qin floated in place, his expression composed, but his gaze was coldly fixed upon those underwater caves. Jin Zhongshan drew near the ash-white coral tree, yet the caves remained completely still.
The cultivators secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the caves were either empty, or the beasts inside had gone out foraging and were not guarding the location.
In any case, avoiding a fight with the sea beasts was a good thing. Jin Zhongshan casually retrieved a short, mid-tier golden blade artifact from his storage pouch, channeled his magical power, and fiercely stabbed it into the ash-white coral tree, attempting to cleanly excavate the Blood Corals clinging to it.
However, the grey coral tree proved extremely tough. Even with a full-force thrust, he managed to carve only a sharp indentation a few inches deep into its surface.
“Huh? Could this be Ironwood Coral?” Jin Zhongshan displayed annoyance and surprise.
He now noticed that this unassuming ash-white coral was itself a raw material with some value in artifact refining, capable of being forged into high-tier water-element spiritual artifacts. However, the grade was somewhat low, and they were abundant in the sea, so Golden Core cultivators usually paid them little attention.
“Brother Jin, can you dig out these Blood Corals?” Zhou Yao asked, concerned by the sight. “It’s fine, it will only take about half an incense stick's time.
You all guard the perimeter and watch out for sea beasts,” Jin Zhongshan replied casually, gripping the golden blade tightly with his two thick palms and continuing to dig with force. Ye Qin glanced in Jin Zhongshan's direction, then turned back to keep his focus on the entrances of the caves.
Suddenly, his eyelid twitched; the water at the mouth of one cave showed a faint ripple, as if something had just cut through the water. But when he looked again closely, he saw nothing.
He dared not let his guard down. His powerful spiritual sense swiftly swept over the surrounding coral forest for hundreds of feet, meticulously probing every corner, every inch of water.
Yet, what made his brow furrow was the inability to detect anything abnormal. “Everyone, be careful!
There seems to be movement in the caves!” Despite finding no concrete evidence, Ye Qin still issued a warning to the other cultivators in the team with vigilance. Zhou Yao, Liao Xiaoxi, and Pan Lin immediately looked around.
Naturally, none of them detected anything unusual either, and they looked at Ye Qin doubtfully, wondering if he had misjudged the situation. Ye Qin gave a self-deprecating thought; perhaps it was just a ripple caused by water currents or the movement of floating seaweed.
A dense series of clinking sounds echoed through the coral forest as Jin Zhongshan rapidly dug at the Blood Corals with his golden blade, trying to sever them as quickly as possible. Suddenly, several strange ripples appeared silently within the surrounding water, within ten feet of all the cultivators.
Without a sound, without any warning, these ripples materialized almost out of thin air. Accompanying them were over a dozen invisible, silent, ten-foot-long water blade flashes that lunged violently toward the five Golden Core cultivators.
The moment those ripples appeared, Ye Qin’s heart was already alerted, and he let out a sudden, sharp shout. The fiercely approaching streaks of light were already within striking distance.
His Water Pearl Spiritual Bead instantly blazed with vibrant blue light, and he commanded the nearby water dragon, ten feet long, to charge furiously toward that deadly streak of light.