A few days later, Ye Qin, Huangfu Bing'er, and Bai Xiuer arrived at Linhai City and boarded the Great Wing Warship. The Immortal-Demon War of Linhai City was still ongoing, with large waves of beast hordes periodically assaulting the city, though the most perilous phase had passed.
Ye Qin and his companions had intended to depart unnoticed, but they were somewhat taken aback by the large crowd of cultivators who had gathered to see them off.
Naturally, the cultivators from the Northern Sects—Purple Sword Palace, Green Pill Palace, and Vast Language Palace—were present. Beyond them, there were even members of the elusive Saint Sovereign Palace, such as Yin Lingsu and Shi Hanyang, female cultivators from Huangfu Bing'er’s own Water Cloud Palace, and even representatives from the Elder Council of the Northern Sect of the Heavenly Dao Alliance. What surprised Ye Qin the most was the presence of tribal chiefs from major Earth Clan settlements, who had come to bid farewell to Bai Xiuer.
Though he wasn't sure how they received the news, observing Bai Xiuer's evasive glances, Ye Qin could easily surmise the reason.
Niu Qin felt a touch of surprise; he hadn't expected Bai Xiuer to command such high prestige among the East Sea Earth Clans.
“Elder Ye’s contributions to the Purple Sword Palace have been extraordinary; your departure is a significant loss for our sect. Elder Ye is the most likely successor to inherit the Eight Trigrams Sword Formation, second only to our founding ancestor, the Purple Sword Divine Monarch. Today, this sect shamelessly announces that as long as Elder Ye does not deem it beneath him, he shall forever serve as a Guest Supreme Elder of the Purple Sword Palace!” Palace Master Zhou of the Purple Sword Palace stated with a broad smile, yet with profound solemnity.
Ye Qin understood it was an honorary title and accepted it with deference, “Palace Master Zhou’s cultivation grows deeper daily, not far from the Divine Transformation realm. Perhaps we shall have opportunities to meet again.”
Palace Master Zhou waved his hand with a smile, then called out loudly, “Elder Ye, the journey to the other continent is long. It is a pity that our sect is bound by mundane affairs and cannot accompany Elder Ye. We can only hope to meet again by fate in the future. We wish you and your honored companion smooth travels and an early breakthrough to the Divine Transformation cultivation!”
“We wish Elder Ye a smooth journey and an early breakthrough to the Divine Transformation realm!”
The assembled cultivators also bid their farewells in unison.
Amidst the chorus of goodbyes, the Great Wing Warship gradually sailed away. Linhai City, massive and magnificent, bearing countless memories, finally shrank to a black dot in the eyes of the three before vanishing completely.
Both Huangfu Bing'er and Bai Xiuer were feeling quite downcast. This departure meant separating from their parents, fellow sect members, and clansmen, perhaps never to meet again.
Ye Qin was somewhat affected as well; while not sorrowful, he felt a certain degree of melancholy.
The Great Wing Warship slowly moved further from Linhai City.
Ye Qin led Huangfu Bing'er and Bai Xiuer back to a cabin within the ship to meet the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon Saint, Qing Qiu Li. Qing Qiu Li had remained hidden inside the cabin since boarding.
Inside the cabin, the two women, both possessing unparalleled beauty, locked eyes upon meeting.
Qing Qiu Li, with her naturally somewhat seductive eyes, observed Huangfu Bing'er’s pure and refined beauty with a degree of astonishment—to think such a beautiful woman existed in the East Sea!
Huangfu Bing'er blinked her icy eyes, already aware of the true identity of the exquisite Fox Saint before her. Meeting her now, the breathtaking visage of the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox involuntarily caused her to feel a slight pressure. “Junior Huangfu Bing'er pays respects to Senior Qing Qiu!” Hearing of the Demon Realm Demon Saints from Ye Qin was vastly different from meeting one in person.
The Great Wing Warship flew towards the vast southern seas.
On an unnamed island somewhere, several low-level Ghost Cultivators were rummaging through the corpses of sea beasts.
The East Sea Immortal-Demon War was raging fiercely, leading to a noticeable increase in Ghost Cultivators. The immortal cultivators of the East Sea avoided troubling the Ghost Cultivators, and the Demon Clans were equally unwilling to clash with them.
In a sense, the Ghost Cultivators maintained neutrality, not participating in the East Sea conflict.
They suddenly noticed the Great Wing Warship passing overhead emitting a strange screeching sound, mumbling incomprehensibly.
Soon after, those Ghost Cultivators anxiously flew off towards another stretch of sea.
Above a certain expanse of the East Sea, a colossal Skeleton Warship, two thousand zhang in length, was moving slowly.
The backbone of this Skeleton Warship was constructed from the remains of a gargantuan Demon Whale. Its hull sides and deck were armored with abundant scales and carapaces from high-tier demonic beasts, rendering it exceptionally sturdy. Along both sides of the hull were rows of hundred black, gaping siege emplacements crafted from giant bone—clearly, these were Ghost Cannons.
The entire vessel was shrouded in thick, pervasive ghost mist, which blocked out the scorching sun overhead.
On the sails, two large characters were inscribed: “” (Huang Ling), harboring countless swirling high-tier vengeful spirits and fierce souls.
At the front of the skeleton ship's deck, hundreds of Nascent Soul stage Ghost Cultivators stood shoulder to shoulder. Behind them, a dense, uncountable mass of Golden Core stage Ghost Cultivators extended.
Among them were ghost cultivators who had lost their physical bodies and remained as mere spirits, those with skeletal bodies, those utilizing zombies as forms, and former demon cultivators who had transformed into ghost-demon cultivators. At this moment, they stood together, looking up with immense reverence toward the Huang Ling Ghost Lord standing at the bow.
If the Ghost Race of the Blood Sea had a singular sovereign, it would undoubtedly be the Ghost Lord of the Desolate Spirit Island. In this vast expanse of ocean, no Ghost Cultivator dared to challenge the authority of the Huang Ling Ghost Lord. The Huang Ling Ghost Lord had already swept through the entire sea region, conquering all scattered Ghost Cultivators, unifying them under the banner of “” (Huang Ling).
The ship was eerie and deathly silent.
A towering skeleton ghost cultivator, nearly ten zhang tall, carrying a bone broadsword nearly twenty zhang wide in one hand, clad in heavy bone armor, took a few lumbering, slow steps forward, kneeling on one knee before the Ghost Lord at the bow.
“My Lord, subordinates just reported sighting the Great Wing Warship in the southern sea area! The ones aboard are precisely those whom the Master seeks. Allow this subordinate to lead a contingent to break the warship and capture the cultivators within!”
The Skeleton General, Che Tu, braced himself with one hand on the deck, raised his skull, and roared, his eyes blazing with fierce black flames.
At this moment, another figure completely shrouded in a black robe emerged from the ghost mist, bowing without yielding. It was a Zombie Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivator, hideously ugly, its skin faintly exhibiting a dark, inky hue, revealing a pair of foot-long, pitch-black fangs.
“My Lord, over these years, countless Nascent Soul and Demon Clan cultivators have perished in the East Sea cultivation world. Their lonely souls refused to dissipate; any who transformed into Ghost Cultivators have defected to our Desolate Spirit Island. We have recruited a massive force of Ghost Cultivators, even forging the terrifying Skeleton Warship. My Lord’s power has surged dramatically, sufficient to contend with any Palace Master or Titan from the Heavenly Dao Alliance or Heavenly Demon Alliance.
Now, it is time to realize my Lord’s great aspiration! Upon breaking through the realm, my Lord will become the strongest Divine Transformation stage Ghost Cultivator in the East Sea, and the entire East Sea cultivation world will know of my Lord’s awe-inspiring prestige! This subordinate will stop at nothing to fulfill this great wish for my Lord.”
The Corpse King, Che Wang, his voice sharp, gloomy, and radiating intense excitement, declared.
The Ghost Lord, a spectral shadow enveloped in black mist, fixed its piercing black, spectral gaze upon the rows of excited Nascent Soul and Golden Core Ghost Cultivators on the deck. Though it showed no change in expression, it was equally excited internally.
It tightly clenched its withered claws, recalling past humiliations.
The last time, in Black Sand Immortal City, it attempted to capture Ye Qin, who was hiding within the city, forcing him to hand over the Ice Lotus Seed.
As a result, it was thwarted by a group of Nascent Soul cultivators from Black Sand Immortal City. The cultivators of Black Sand City, relying on superior numbers, had ganged up on it, and it nearly suffered a major setback.
Capitalizing on the grim Immortal-Demon War, it had amassed and gathered a vast number of Nascent Soul and Golden Core Ghost Cultivators, its power multiplying by scores, even hundreds of times compared to before.
Its original plan was to gather an immense Ghost Cultivator force to intimidate the East Sea Heavenly Dao Immortal Alliance into surrendering Ye Qin. Taking advantage of the urgency of the Immortal-Demon War, it had a fair chance of success. If the Alliance refused, it would even attack the Immortal City by force to capture Ye Qin.
Unexpectedly, fate favored it; Ye Qin was piloting the Great Wing Warship and flying alone towards the South Sea region.
The Ghost Lord had seen Ye Qin’s Great Wing Warship when passing through the Demon Realm passage, and had long ago ordered numerous subordinate Ghost Cultivators to track Ye Qin’s movements, seeking any opportunity to seize him. Now that the Great Wing Warship was located, it would certainly not let this chance slip.
“Activate the Desolate Spirit Warship and pursue this Lord! I want to capture him with my own hands! Is he not adept at fleeing? I have pursued and hunted him time and again, yet he always escaped. This time, I have the Skeleton Warship and hundreds of Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivators—I want to see how he can escape my grasp. Once he leaves the East Sea, those East Sea cultivators won't be able to save him!” the Huang Ling Ghost Lord ground out through clenched teeth.
Obtaining the Ice Lotus Seed would allow it to forge a great divine ability level Ghost Artifact. Its ascension to the Divine Transformation realm would then be just around the corner! This was destiny aiding it; nothing could stop it!!!
The Ghost Lord, shrouded in eerie black energy, emitted a terrifying, invisible majesty that made the ghosts aboard tremble. “Yes, My Lord!” On the skeleton ship, the myriad Nascent Soul and Golden Core Ghost Cultivators collectively knelt down in a dense black wave, roaring in unison with chilling voices.
The previously slow-moving “” (Huang Ling) Skeleton Warship began to accelerate. It transformed into a massive streak of black light, soaring rapidly across the East Sea sky. Wherever the Skeleton Warship passed, countless sea beasts scattered in terror under the pressure of the oppressive death aura.
“Charge through!”
The Great Wing Warship was a relatively small vessel; while the addition of wing sails granted it higher maneuverability, its speed was not fast, comparable only to an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, far slower than large warships.
The Great Wing Warship had been flying over the sea for over ten days, having moved far from Linhai City, currently traversing an empty expanse of ocean.
Crossing the sea was exceedingly monotonous; apart from cultivation, there was little to do. Reaching the Southern Demon Continent would take at least five or six years of flight. Qing Qiu Li was constantly preoccupied with the gray egg, while Bai Xiuer had prepared a large collection of items to alleviate the boredom.
One day, as Ye Qin was meditating in the ship's cabin, he inexplicably sensed an intense wave of death aura rapidly closing in from behind the warship, raising his sense of alert.
He opened the door and stepped out, seeing Huangfu Bing'er also emerging from her room in confusion.
Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er ascended to the deck together and walked to the stern.
A colossal Skeleton Warship, flying a sail marked “” (Huang Ling), appeared a hundred li behind the Great Wing Warship, rapidly closing the distance.
“The Huang Ling Ghost Lord!”
“Why is it pursuing us!” Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er exchanged glances, both their complexions visibly shifting.