Chapter 261 - 259: Setting Sail

'I might as well take this chance while there's nothing to do and cultivate.'

But just as Jiang Xu was about to leave, he heard Master Fatty speak again.

"We've only just set sail. We haven't officially entered the Youxian Sea yet, so nothing dangerous will happen."

"But after about a week, this Dharma Ship will be deep within the waters of the Youxian Sea."

"At that time, you'll see the ubiquitous flying Demon Beasts and countless Water Demonic Beasts of the Youxian Sea."

"Most of them won't actively attack the Cultivators on the ship, but there are always exceptions. If you're unlucky and run into one of the more aggressive Demon Beasts, it can still be quite dangerous!"

"Ah, Master Fatty, is it really that dangerous?" Master Fatty's words weren't just empty threats; the young Female Cultivator's face had already turned pale.

"Hehe, Qiao'Er, you don't have to be afraid. No matter what kind of Demon Beast it is, as long as Master Fatty is here, they won't be able to hurt you, no matter how many appear."

Master Fatty slapped his chest, sending a ripple through his layers of fat.

"Oh my, Master Fatty, you're so amazing!"

But the young Female Cultivator didn't seem to mind his flab at all, giggling as she pressed closer to Master Fatty.

Jiang Xu didn't bother getting involved.

Although Jiang Xu could see that the young Female Cultivator's intentions were not pure.

'Still, he's willing to play along and she's willing to use him. They're cut from the same cloth, a perfect match.'

Jiang Xu returned to his cabin. He had already taken Mumu out of its Spirit Beast Bag, and it was now off to the side, absorbing the seemingly endless Water Attribute Spiritual Qi in the air.

On the other side, Jiang Xu had also taken out the Mother-Child Spirit-Devouring Insect.

Right, it should be called "Insect" now.

Ever since reaching Foundation Establishment, he hadn't really used Insect much.

It wasn't that Insect had become useless after Jiang Xu's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

It was because Zong Ziqi had been by his side the whole time.

Because of the mortal enmity between Zong Ziqi and Insect, he had felt too awkward to bring it out.

Now that he had parted ways with Zong Ziqi, Insect could be put to use again.

Jiang Xu had heard that there were all sorts of Demon Beasts on this voyage.

'This time, they've really walked into the line of fire.'

'Insect's belly should get quite full.'

'And if... if Insect could devour enough Demon Beasts to reach Tier Three, wouldn't I be invincible among Foundation Establishment Cultivators?'

'I might even be able to hold my own against a Golden Core for a bit?'

It was a beautiful thought.

But the gap between the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment Realms was just too vast.

It wasn't a simple difference in combat power, but a complete, all-encompassing suppression on a fundamental level of existence.

To contend with a Golden Core Zhenren using Insect, Jiang Xu would have to stay hidden and let Insect fight the battle on its own.

However, there was another problem.

Jiang Xu wasn't entirely sure if his Insect Control Technique could control a Tier Three Spirit-Devouring Insect.

Even with a Perfect Level Insect Control Technique, Jiang Xu felt it would be a huge stretch to control a Tier Three Exotic Insect.

After all, his current Perfect Level Magic was basically useless against a Golden Core Zhenren.

Based on this, Jiang Xu figured that a Perfect Level Insect Control Technique would probably be of little use against a Tier Three Insect.

'But now there's this "perfection percentage."'

'Maybe an Insect Control Technique with a 100% perfection rating could control a Tier Three Exotic Insect.'

'But there's no room for error in something like this.'

'It can't be a "maybe," it has to be an "absolutely." If something went wrong, I wouldn't be able to handle a Tier Three Insect.'

'I'll have to first test if my other 100% perfect Magic is effective against those in the Golden Core Realm.'

Until he was absolutely certain he could control Insect, Jiang Xu felt it was best not to let it devour Demon Beasts indiscriminately.

Jiang Xu had always felt that this creature was inherently rebellious. The moment it regained the upper hand, it would digest him in minutes.

'Looks like I'll have to set a principle for Insect from now on. Killing is okay, but eating is not.'

The pitiful Insect had no idea of the miserable fate that awaited it.

It was still looking out the cabin window, sniffing the sea breeze, and dreaming of countless Demon Beasts filling its stomach, its Cultivation soaring, and finally, killing Jiang Xu to avenge its enslavement.

Jiang Xu took out the Water Escape Talisman, Water Spirit Pearl, and Water Tornado that Xiong Liangsheng had given him.

These were his guarantees for survival in the Youxian Sea.

If he ever fell into the water and had to engage in a battle there…

...his current abilities were still rather insufficient.

The items from Xiong Liangsheng were exactly what he needed to solve this pressing problem.

But Jiang Xu didn't rush to deal with these items. Instead, he took out Xiong Liangsheng's blood.

He had specifically asked for this when he was leaving.

This was the source of his confidence, the reason he had dared to accept this task and even swear a Heart Demon Oath.

Otherwise, with just the scant information Xiong Liangsheng had provided, and after several decades had passed, Jiang Xu felt he would never have been able to find them easily.

He probably wouldn't even know if Xiong Liangsheng had any relatives left.

With his now Perfect Level Seeking Technique, Jiang Xu could use the blood of a relative as a medium to find their direct and even collateral descendants.

Of course, if the family line was too large, or the time period too distant, even he would be helpless.

Jiang Xu held the small vial of Xiong Liangsheng's blood in his hand and slowly dripped a single drop from it.

'I have to be frugal with this vial of blood. Finding these people depends entirely on it.'

'If I'm not careful and end up just one drop short of finding them, I'll have no tears left to cry.'

With that thought, Jiang Xu placed the drop of blood in his palm and activated the Seed of Seeking with his Divine Sense.

In an instant, Jiang Xu sensed the auras of countless living and dead things from within the drop of blood.

The strongest aura, of course, belonged to Xiong Liangsheng himself.

Next were all the things he had come into contact with since he was young: people, objects, and every place he had ever been.

In a trance, Jiang Xu could even perceive all of Xiong Liangsheng's past, present, and future…

SLAP—!

Jiang Xu clapped his hands sharply in front of his face, instantly snapping himself out of the hallucination.

The hallucination this time was clearly not as perilous as the last.

Apparently, it was because Jiang Xu had prepared himself before using the Seeking Technique.

But that feeling of grasping everything was truly captivating.

Even with his preparations, Jiang Xu couldn't help but get lost in it.

Having recovered, Jiang Xu began to picture his desired target in his mind, bit by bit, to make the Seeking Technique's positioning more precise.

'Focus on blood-related relatives, specifically his children. No need to locate his elders…'

Jiang Xu continuously fed information into the Seeking Technique. In his eyes, the number of auras emanating from the drop of blood steadily dwindled.

Finally, only two faint auras remained hovering over the drop of blood.

'Oh, that's not quite what I was hoping for, but it's acceptable. At least I can still complete Xiong Liangsheng's commission.'

For Jiang Xu, the best-case scenario would have been if Xiong Liangsheng had no surviving descendants at all. That way, he wouldn't have to do anything.

However, since Xiong Liangsheng had left him quite a few things, a part of Jiang Xu actually hoped that he did have descendants.

'Preferably on the first island of the voyage.'

'That way, I could wrap this up quickly and put a nagging worry to rest.'

Thinking this, Jiang Xu extended his Divine Sense to touch the two auras.

"HISS—!"

The moment he made contact, Jiang Xu's brows furrowed.

'So far away... How can they be so far?'

Jiang Xu's consciousness drifted far away, but it couldn't reach its destination and was forced to return halfway.

Before, when Qian Jianjun was over a thousand kilometers away, Jiang Xu could still roughly determine his location in Canglang State.

But now, searching for Xiong Liangsheng's descendants, he couldn't even get a general location. He could only sense the direction they were in.

At this rate, Jiang Xu was afraid he wouldn't be able to complete Xiong Liangsheng's commission anytime soon.

However, Jiang Xu did discover one thing.

'The direction of these two auras is the same. They might be in the same place, so I won't have to search in different locations. I guess that's a bit of good news within the bad.'