The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 1703: Chapter 1800: The Black Sea Fish

“You don’t need to ask too many questions, just tell me,” Fang Lin responded coldly.

The woman in the black dress bit her lip, reluctantly saying, “Those three are, of course, still alive.”

Hearing this, Fang Lin nodded lightly. His expression remained unchanged, as he had already guessed this outcome, merely wanting to confirm it from the black-dressed woman’s mouth.

“Since those three are still alive, then the one who tried to attack me earlier is likely one of them,” Fang Lin thought to himself.

The black-dressed woman noticed Fang Lin’s silence and sneered. “What? Are you worried that the Sky Tower Sword Master and the other two might emerge into the world?” she said.

Fang Lin glanced at her but still said nothing.

Not bothering with his reaction, the black-dressed woman continued, “If all three of them truly choose to reappear, no one in this era could stand against them—not even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. The gap in cultivation years is simply too vast, something that can’t be bridged in mere centuries.”

Fang Lin frowned. “You talk too much.”

The black-dressed woman laughed and said, “First, I was suppressed by that bitch Bai Qingxue for tens of thousands of years. Then, I was suppressed by you, this brat. Of course, I’m going to take any chance I get to talk as much as I please.”

Fang Lin curled his lip and, tired of her rambling, directly sealed her back into his True Dragon manifestation, continuing to keep her suppressed.

As for how to deal with the black-dressed woman, Fang Lin hadn’t made up his mind yet. He certainly didn’t plan on killing her for now. After all, she was an Immortal-level expert and a remnant of the ancient past. Keeping her in hand might prove useful one day.

His gaze once again shifted to the volcano below. Fang Lin sighed. If even the black-dressed woman didn’t know its origins, it was likely not something he could easily meddle with at this moment.

Though curious about the secrets hidden within the volcano, Fang Lin suppressed his curiosity for the time being.

He chose to leave the place, deciding to return and explore when the time was right.

However, after Fang Lin left, a ghostly figure appeared once again near the rim of the volcano, raising its head to look in the direction where Fang Lin had departed.

In the next moment, the figure vanished once again. The entire volcano sank into a deep silence. No Sea Beasts roamed the surroundings—only the nine pitch-black, ominous chains remained as companions to the volcano.

····

Searching for someone in the vast ocean was like looking for a needle in the sea. Fang Lin had already roamed its boundless waters for two months, scouring several regions, yet still found no trace of the remnants of the Pill Saint Palace.

This left Fang Lin somewhat disappointed. Could it be, just as the black-dressed woman had said, that she had slaughtered all the remaining members of the Pill Saint Palace after breaking her seal? Not a single one left alive?

Though the likelihood of that was high, Fang Lin clung to a glimmer of hope in his heart, unwilling to give up lightly, and continued his search through the ocean.

The process, naturally, was not without its challenges. The sea was filled with strange and mysterious phenomena, and Fang Lin had encountered several incredibly powerful Sea Beasts along the way.

His first encounter was with a Sea Beast so massive it defied description. Fang Lin initially hadn’t noticed it, only realizing later that the entire ocean floor beneath him was trembling. It was then he understood he had been standing atop the creature’s back the entire time—its body spanning thousands of miles in every direction.

Fortunately, Fang Lin withdrew in time, avoiding a direct conflict with this colossal Sea Beast. Otherwise, it might have resulted in an earth-shattering battle.

The most perilous encounter, however, would make even Fang Lin shiver with lingering fear just thinking about it.

It was a seemingly inconspicuous small fish, moving leisurely amidst a school of ordinary ones, only distinguished by its darker coloration.

However, just as Fang Lin passed by, the school of fish scattered, leaving only that darker fish, which not only didn’t retreat but charged directly at him with such force that Fang Lin nearly coughed up blood.

It was only after the fact that Fang Lin realized he’d encountered an extraordinarily dangerous Sea Beast. Although seemingly unremarkable in appearance, the moment it struck him, Fang Lin felt as though he’d been slammed by a towering, ten-thousand-zhang-high mountain.

To subdue this strange fish, Fang Lin had to employ a variety of techniques, even releasing his True Dragon Qi. Yet the fish showed no fear—instead, it grew fiercer, colliding head-on with him multiple times.

Despite possessing the True Dragon Indestructible Body, Fang Lin found that his physical strength alone couldn’t outmatch this small fish. Only by fusing with his True Dragon manifestation to elevate his physique to the True Dragon Physique level could he possibly suppress it.

But Fang Lin refrained from doing so. Resorting to such extreme measures to deal with a mere Sea Demon Beast seemed excessive.

After several exchanges, the fish appeared to recognize Fang Lin’s strength. It blew a chain of bubbles his way and then swam off smugly.

Fang Lin couldn’t help but laugh and cry. Was this little fish simply looking to spar with him for fun, leaving satisfied once it had had its fill?

Fang Lin didn’t put too much stock into the encounter. After all, he was Human Clan—it wasn’t too surprising that such bold movements in the ocean might provoke some Sea Beasts.

In his third month in the ocean, Fang Lin began to feel the urge to wrap up and leave. The external situation was unstable—both the Nine Countries and Seven Seas might soon face significant upheavals. Moreover, the umbrella-wielding figure he’d encountered twice seemed to hint at an impending catastrophe. Though Fang Lin was skeptical of the figure’s intentions and didn’t fully trust their words, the forewarning still left him anxious.

Fang Lin decided he would linger in the ocean for one more month. If he found nothing by then, he would leave the Seven Seas and return to the Sky Swallowing Palace.

As days passed, Fang Lin brought the black-dressed woman out a few more times for questioning, revisiting several suspected regions for potential Pill Saint Palace survivors.

But still, there was no trace to be found.

However, Fang Lin noticed something peculiar. Across the areas he searched, there always seemed to be a jet-black fish lingering nearby.

Initially, Fang Lin hadn’t paid it any mind. After all, the ocean was brimming with countless fish of all kinds. Why would one ordinary-looking fish catch his attention?

But later, Fang Lin began to suspect. The black fish appeared a bit too frequently, seemingly always surfacing near him, as though it were following him closely.

This made Fang Lin grow uneasy. Was this fish truly something unusual?

Yet Fang Lin kept his composure, behaving as normally as ever to avoid alarming the black fish.

He deliberately ventured into regions devoid of fish, only for the black fish to appear again—always maintaining a certain distance. But under Fang Lin’s sweep of his Heavenly Eye, there was no way this fish could evade his perception.

“There’s definitely something off about this,” Fang Lin thought to himself.

ps: Third update complete, continuing to write—don’t forget to vote!