Chapter 610: The Sect Arrives

The immortals also boarded the ship one after another, landing on the deck, each laughing and saying, "Well said. The yellow qi is too heavy, the dark qi too light, making it truly difficult to walk across the sea as if on flat ground. Young lady, you may be a profiteer, but this ship is one we have no choice but to take."

The young woman on the ship had rosy lips and white teeth, her smile radiating sunshine. Being called a profiteer seemed to be the greatest compliment in her eyes.

"We're not profiteers. We simply know that some fellow cultivators prefer to walk and will inevitably exhaust themselves, so we came to earn some hard-earned money."

The young woman smiled as she stepped forward and asked, "And where might all of you honorable guests be headed?"

The crowd remained silent, all eyes turning to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi smiled and said, "We're heading to the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace."

The other immortals chimed in one after another, "We too are heading to the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace."

"The Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace?"

The young woman was quite startled. She took a deep look at Chen Shi, her expression turning somewhat solemn. "That is the territory of Houtu Huangdiqi. To reach that place, I'm afraid our ship may not be up to the task... Mute, you take over steering. I'll collect the fares."

A mute man came over making "ah ah" sounds, gesturing frantically at everyone. Each person paid their fare, and the ship gave a slight lurch before setting sail toward the depths of the ocean.

The mysterious yellow sea was like an ocean formed of clouds. The clouds formed waves, and as the ship traveled, it would sometimes climb upward to the cloud peaks, sometimes descend to the valley floor. It was truly wondrous.

It was only then that Chen Shi noticed thick chains extending from the ship's hold, their other ends disappearing into the mysterious yellow sea. Something in the sea seemed to be towing the ship forward.

A massive beast swam past between two waves of yellow qi, revealing a broad fin that stood upright like a raised banner.

It was a colossal fish. Its back was cyan, its belly crimson, its body spindle-shaped. Whenever it swam through the mysterious yellow sea, the scales on its body radiated waves of light, forming peculiar Dao pattern designs that allowed it to move through the yellow sea as easily as a fish in water.

"This is a creature of the mysterious yellow sea."

Chen Shi was greatly astonished. Though this sea bore the name of a sea, it contained not a single drop of seawater. What filled it was actually yellow qi. He never imagined living creatures could survive here!

"I wonder if it's edible?"

Black Pot also craned his neck to look. Chen Shi said, "Black Pot, why don't you ask them later whether this fish tastes good and how it's prepared?"

Black Pot nodded eagerly.

The great fish in the mysterious yellow sea seemed to hear his words. It turned its head back and cast a resentful glance at them.

Chen Shi exclaimed in surprise, "It can understand us!"

"Young man!"

The great fish spoke in a deep, rumbling voice, "I have lived for eighteen thousand years, and you are the first person who, upon seeing me, wanted to eat me!"

Chen Shi looked embarrassed and quickly apologized repeatedly.

At that moment, the young man behind them holding a folding fan smiled slightly and said, "There are two bounties, yet we number more than a dozen. How shall we divide the credit?"

The young woman with a white mink coiled around her neck laughed, "How else? Whoever seizes the bounty earns the credit."

The flute-playing youth chuckled, "At that rate, only two people would get credit. The top two bandits on the Immortal Slaying List carry no small price tags. Either one of them is worth an entire sacred ground, one that could allow someone to cultivate all the way to the Tai Yi Golden Immortal realm! So who gets these two sacred grounds?"

An old woman who was trimming her nails with a pair of golden scissors cackled, "So two sacred grounds are enough to buy all of you off? In this old woman's opinion, the value of the top two bandits is far more than two mere sacred grounds. Think of how many renowned immortals' Dao Realms they've plundered, how many earthly treasures and spiritual roots they've seized! Their true value lies right here!"

The crowd's eyes lit up, their breathing growing ragged.

Chen Shi and Black Pot occupied the second and first spots on the Immortal Slaying List respectively. Their victims were all prominent immortals of the Earth Immortal Realm who had offered enormous bounties: cultivation techniques, medicinal pills, sacred grounds, magic treasures, everything imaginable. Countless immortals had been drawn by the rewards.

However, those who searched for traces of Chen Shi and Black Pot had scoured the entire Earth Immortal Realm without finding them.

Some even speculated that Chen Shi and Black Pot had fled to the lower realm and went there to search, but still found nothing.

Who would have thought they'd encounter Chen Shi and Black Pot here in Fenyin Province?

Earlier, they hadn't dared to be certain these were the man and dog from the Immortal Slaying List, since the second name on the list had no identifiable face. But the moment they saw Black Pot's form and Chen Shi's silhouette, they could confirm that this man and dog were indeed the very pair on the Immortal Slaying List!

The reward of two sacred grounds was certainly tempting, but the golden scissors old woman's proposal made their hearts race even faster.

Two sacred grounds were excellent, and the Golden Immortal Realm techniques, immortal pills, and magic treasures were indeed valuable. But compared to earthly treasures and spiritual roots, they were hardly worth mentioning.

What's more, this man and dog had stolen who knew how many earthly treasures and spiritual roots!

Just then, a large, fat monk holding a golden bowl, his eyes narrowed to slits like a temple Buddha, smiled and said, "Having so many earthly treasures and spiritual roots in one's possession means nothing if one isn't alive to use them. Take these two benefactors, for example. They gave in to greed, and even with hundreds of earthly treasures and spiritual roots at their disposal, they'll never get to use them."

The white mink girl nodded, saying, "If we seize the earthly treasures and spiritual roots from them, then we'll become the top two on the Immortal Slaying List. It's simply not worth it."

"So the question returns once more. How do we split the two sacred grounds?" The folding fan man smiled.

The others frowned, casting wary glances all around, highly suspicious of one another.

Just then, a clear, crisp laugh rang out, "You haven't even captured your quarry yet, and you're already discussing how to split the spoils. Aren't you afraid you might not be able to take them down?"

Everyone turned toward the voice. The speaker was none other than the young woman who had charged ten times the fare, gazing at them with a smile.

She was sweet and lovely, with a slightly baby-faced roundness that made her look youthful. Her smile betrayed not a hint of guile. "The famed Twin Dao Thieves, capable of venturing even into the Dao Realms of immortal lords, are no pushovers. Are you all truly a match for them? Best be careful you don't lose your lives."

Hearing this, everyone's gazes fell upon Chen Shi and Black Pot.

Suddenly, the scholar with the folding fan raised his hand. Violet lightning erupted from the fan, countless bolts converging in an instant to form a violet dragon that shook its head and lashed its tail. A draconic roar resounded as it lunged at Chen Shi!

Black Pot stepped diagonally forward, reached out, and seized the violet dragon by the neck. The Heavenly Cycle Fire Domain erupted from his palm, and with a whoosh, the violet dragon was shattered into nothing!

Countless bolts of violet lightning merged into the Heavenly Cycle Fire Domain, activating the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler.

The iron ruler swelled to colossal size and slammed toward the folding fan scholar. Without a moment's hesitation, the scholar thrust both hands forward. A ferocious ape materialized above the fan, roaring as its powerful arms extended from within the fan to meet the iron ruler.

His fan was a rare treasure called the Wish-Fulfilling Mist. It was a mass of primordial true qi he had discovered in a ruined grotto-heaven and blessed land while cultivating in the lower realm. This mass of qi could transform into different things according to his will.

He had refined this qi into his fan, and with a mere thought, the corresponding object would materialize from it.

But the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler's power was staggering. With a thunderous boom, the folding fan scholar, along with the ape in his fan, was sent flying backward.

"Whoosh—"

The Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler expanded a thousand li in an instant. The folding fan scholar, bones broken and sinews snapped, appeared a thousand li away, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

The other immortals on the ship were all startled. They leaped into the air to evade the Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler and struck out simultaneously.

The old woman launched her golden scissors, which transformed into two golden dragons in the sky, crossing to shear toward them.

The white mink girl sent her mink flying, and a heaven-devouring maw materialized in the air, lunging at Black Pot.

The jade flute youth sent his flute into the air. The flute played by itself, its notes crisp and melodious, but the wind it blew was a dismal, baleful gale that burrowed into Black Pot and Chen Shi's acupoints, corrupting their cultivation and damaging their Dao practice.

The other immortals attacked as well. Though the ship was spacious, it was suddenly filled with flashing blades and clashing swords everywhere!

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The Heaven-Measuring Iron Ruler shrank rapidly as Black Pot swung it, blocking every attack. The crowd's hearts clenched in shock when suddenly a woman cried out sharply and hurled a net into the air, catching Black Pot, pole and all, within its mesh.

The woman dragged the net and fled, leaping off the ship. She laughed heartily, "Gentlemen, I don't need two sacred grounds. One will suffice!"

The crowd hurried in pursuit. They had barely flown off the ship when the net burst apart. Black Pot leaped out from the shattered meshwork, his feet treading yin and yang, suppressing the woman's Dao Realm. Within two exchanges, he had sent her flying with blood spewing from her mouth.

Black Pot vaulted onto the crest of a yellow qi wave, evading the siege of immortal artifacts. The other immortals retrieved their treasures and gave chase.

The group and the lone dog darted between the towering waves of yellow qi. Each clash was over in the blink of an eye, like a falcon striking a rabbit. With every exchange, someone would come crashing down into the mysterious yellow sea with a scream, or be sent flying with broken bones, tumbling into the fathomless dark qi sky.

Back on the ship, Ten-Times Girl and the mute watched the distant battlefield. Black Pot and the immortals moved with blinding speed, weaving through one massive wave after another. In the span of a few short breaths, seven or eight immortals had already been rendered combat-incapable.

"May I ask your name, young lady?" Chen Shi asked with a kindly smile.

Ten-Times Girl's eyes flickered as she looked at him, her pearl-white teeth lightly biting her lower lip. "This humble one is Luo Xiyao. Greetings to you, Young Master. Aren't you worried about your companion?"

Chen Shi shook his head. "These immortals are merely scattered immortals. The techniques they cultivate are only at the Celestial Immortal level. Whether in cultivation base, divine abilities, Dao techniques, or magic treasures, they lag far behind us. There's no need for concern."

Luo Xiyao walked toward him, smiling, "Then your inheritance, Young Master, must be extremely formidable as well."

Chen Shi smiled faintly. "No stronger than the disciples of the great sects. Nothing particularly outstanding."

Luo Xiyao drew close to his side, exclaiming in surprise, "Then Young Master must have come from a prestigious school. Might I ask whose teachings you follow?"

Chen Shi activated the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection. The vast starlight of the primordial star region was stirred, and around him, stars began to manifest one by one, forming a miniature Heavenly Cycle formation. He smiled, "Do you recognize my lineage?"

The mute man's expression shifted. He hurried forward, bowed deeply to Chen Shi, then grabbed Luo Xiyao and turned to leave. With a single leap, he vaulted off the towering ship and vanished into the depths of the mysterious yellow sea.

His cultivation was immensely powerful. In a few bounds, he had left the ship far behind, carrying Luo Xiyao as he fled thousands of li away.

"Mute Uncle-Master, what's wrong?"

Luo Xiyao pulled her hand free, confused. "With our strength, we could easily capture them. Why give up this opportunity? Two sacred grounds would be enough for our Five Rivers Sect to rise again and re-establish itself!"

The mute man waved his hands frantically, gesturing wildly. Luo Xiyao's expression grew grave. "Is his lineage truly so powerful that we dare not offend them? But if we had those two sacred grounds, our Five Rivers Sect could be saved."

The mute man shook his head, indicating that Chen Shi's lineage was far too terrifying. He pulled her along and left.

Without a ship to cross the sea, their journey became arduous. With every step, their feet grew heavier, but they could only grit their teeth and push on.

They walked for a long time. Just as they were about to reach Landing Sea Town, they saw immortals everywhere in the town, swarming like fish crossing a river in an endless stream. More immortals were arriving without pause.

"The Twin Evils of the Immortal Slaying List have finally appeared! This is our chance to make our mark and earn glory!"

The mute man and Luo Xiyao finally made it ashore only to see tower ships one after another sailing into the mysterious yellow sea. Those without ships simply chose to walk across the sea, preparing to set out on foot to search for Chen Shi and Black Pot's whereabouts.

Suddenly, a brilliant golden light blazed in the sky. The pressure of its aura suppressed the immortals in Landing Sea Town so heavily they could barely breathe.

"A Gold Immortal has arrived!" The immortals in town trembled with awe.

"This Gold Immortal also came for the sacred grounds... No, he's here for the earthly treasures and spiritual roots!"

Someone speculated, "A Gold Immortal only needs to pledge allegiance to a major power to receive a sacred ground for cultivation. But earthly treasures and spiritual roots are extremely rare, capable of protecting one's life through Opening the Calamity!"

The mute man's face was grim. The others hadn't sensed it, but he detected it with perfect clarity. Just now, three other Gold Immortals had also arrived at Landing Sea Town!

News of the top bandit on the Immortal Slaying List appearing had clearly spread. Before long, immortals from across the Earth Immortal Realm would surely come flooding in. The number of immortals in the mysterious yellow sea would only grow greater and greater!

Suddenly, the mute man tugged at Luo Xiyao and jerked his chin toward the distance.

Luo Xiyao looked. A fragrant carriage was approaching through the sky. It was very wide, pulled by six azure qilins. On all four sides of the carriage, fairy maidens sat on clouds playing zithers and instruments, while others stood at the sides holding flower baskets, scattering petals in every direction.

The mute man had no tongue and spoke with difficulty, stammering, "S-Sect!"

Luo Xiyao was puzzled. "Sect? Whose sect? Wait, Uncle-Master, do you mean the second bandit's sect has arrived!"

She gazed at the fragrant carriage and murmured, "The second bandit's sect certainly has presence... Uncle-Master, what kind of origin does the second bandit's sect have?"

"The Im-Mortal Court!" the mute man said.

"The Immortal Court?" Luo Xiyao looked bewildered. She had clearly never heard of the Immortal Court.

The mute man watched the fragrant carriage with a grave expression as it passed without stopping, heading straight into the mysterious yellow sea.

The mute man was dumbfounded. He scratched his head.

Luo Xiyao immediately understood his confusion, for she was equally puzzled: "The second bandit's sect entered the sea without taking a ship. Do they have some way to cross the mysterious yellow sea?"

After a long while, the six azure qilins were exhausted, frothing at the mouth and panting heavily as they came to a stop.

The women on either side of the carriage abandoned their flower-scattering duties and hastily lifted the beaded curtain, stepping inside.

"Young Master Xi, the yellow qi of the mysterious yellow sea is far too heavy. The azure qilins can walk no further."

A graceful young man stepped out of the carriage, frowning at the half-dead qilins, then looked around. The mysterious yellow sea stretched boundlessly in every direction, not a single ship in sight.

"I should not have been so overconfident as to rush into the sea so recklessly." The young man was rather regretful.