Chapter 405 - 376: The Vast Black Tortoise Calm Sea

Chapter 405: Chapter 376: The Vast Black Tortoise Calm Sea

The last time he came to the Black Tortoise Calm Sea, he had hitched a ride on the Meng Family’s Flying Boat, just one among thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This time, he returned.

He stood at the prow, gazing out at the vast Black Tortoise Calm Sea, the Flying Boat of the Ye Clan beneath his feet. Two Golden Core True Masters, Meng Qianxun and Meng Changtu, accompanied him, along with a total of over sixty Foundation Establishment Cultivators from both within and outside Jinyun Valley, as well as four to five hundred Qi Refining Cultivators.

Even Chen Che himself couldn’t help but sigh at the disparity.

’It had only been a few years...’

"What’s going on down there?"

Breaking through the cloud layer, Chen Che’s gaze swept down and landed on two islands at the entrance to the sea, where he saw a tense standoff.

"Probably a fight between local cultivators and outsiders."

The old man glanced down once and guessed the situation. "This sort of thing is all too common..."

As the two spoke, the Flying Boat hovered in mid-air. It burst from the clouds like a Flood Dragon and soared through the sky.

Its massive shadow nearly enveloped both islands, making the cultivators on them seem like ants. Under such a vast and imposing presence, both groups of cultivators suppressed their every emotion to the absolute limit. No one made a sound.

Even the scent of gunpowder vanished.

"Golden Core?"

"The flag has Jinyun Valley’s insignia. That must be Valley Master Chen on that boat..."

Fei Li stared at the departing Flying Boat, stunned for a moment. Then he turned to the equally astonished Xu Ping and pointed at the vessel in the sky. "Jinyun Valley is here. You got the guts to repeat what you just said to their faces?"

"So what if it’s Jinyun Valley?"

Xu Ping glanced at the distant Flying Boat. Feeling that it was far enough away, he spoke without any scruples, "And so what about Valley Master Chen? The Black Tortoise Calm Sea isn’t Jinyun Valley’s territory. They can come as they please, and as for leaving..."

"BANG!"

Before the words had even left his mouth.

Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, Xu Ping’s body shuddered and then exploded on the spot like a smashed watermelon. Blood and viscera splattered everywhere, covering the nearby cultivators, whose eyes were wide with terror.

The two factions on the islands shivered in unison. They didn’t dare make another sound, much less mention anything about Golden Core.

"The nerve of him, daring to speak so recklessly about a Golden Core True Master!"

Meng Changtu slowly retracted his gaze. The Divine Sense of a Golden Core True Master was so vast that even from a hundred li away, he could hear their conversation as clear as day.

A Golden Core True Master is like a god.

How could they tolerate being offended by others?

’This was also a good opportunity to put the fear of god into these two gangs of cultivators, lest they interfere with the upcoming cleanup operation.’

Chen Che glanced back at the two islands, now silent as a cicada in winter. He didn’t think his father-in-law’s actions were improper. There were always those who feared power but not virtue, who would only realize their mistake when the blade fell.

The Flying Boat soared on, venturing deeper into the Black Tortoise Calm Sea.

After flying over five thousand li in one go, it finally slowed to a stop. By then, the deck was already crowded with cultivators who were ready for action. They all stood on their tiptoes, shielding their eyes with their hands as they stared ahead in astonishment.

"What’s going on? Why is this part of the sea so strange?"

"The surrounding Spiritual Qi is in chaos. That must be the main reason for this heaven and earth phenomenon. But why is the Spiritual Qi in such disarray? What on earth happened here?"

"Maybe it’s because the Primordial Sect and the Star-Picking Sect fought here!"

This stretch of sea was a world unto itself.

The sea ahead seemed to have become a forbidden land. The sky was thick with clouds, and Thunder Pythons slithered through them, causing the dim sky to flash between light and dark. In the torrential downpour, massive waves crashed relentlessly, with only a few reefs visible one moment and gone the next.

Most of the cultivators, of course, were unaware that this was all caused by the collapse of the Undersea Palace.

"I can’t imagine the scale of that palace to have caused a heaven and earth phenomenon of this magnitude. Trying to clear out the Aquatic Race from this area won’t be easy!"

Meng Qianxun swept the area with his Divine Sense and immediately frowned.

’This area is just too vast,’ he thought. ’And there are several powerful auras moving rapidly on the seabed, so fast that even my Divine Sense can hardly track them. This task isn’t just massive, it’s incredibly dangerous.’

’The few auras that just flashed past the range of my Divine Sense were definitely Golden Core Realm Great Demons, and there was more than just a few.’

"We’ll make our camp here."

Chen Che was naturally aware of this as well. With a glance, he pointed to several reefs jutting out of the sea.

The greatest difficulty in clearing out the Aquatic Race wasn’t anything else, but the vast, boundless sea and the sheer number of them. Cultivators couldn’t fight around the clock. Once exhausted, they needed to recover in time, or they would end up as food for the fish.

Therefore, they first needed to establish a camp to provide the cultivators a place to rest.

Using this as a starting point, they would gradually push inward.

"Agreed."

Meng Qianxun and Meng Changtu glanced at each other, both in agreement. The latter announced in a clear voice, "For the coming days, this will be our camp. Those who are ready may begin hunting the Demon Beasts."

RUMBLE—

The Flying Boat slowly descended.

SWISH!

SWISH!

SWISH!

Following that, the cultivators on the deck immediately transformed into streaks of Escape Light and shot into the downpour. Some cultivators released small Spiritual Boats, while others let out their amphibious Spirit Pets, slowly advancing into the waters ahead.

The Little Chick tilted its head, then spread its wings and shot out, breaking through the wind and flying into the waters ahead.

Meng Qianxun and Meng Changtu also released their Sword-Patterned Silver Flood Dragon and Green-Winged Flood Dragon, respectively. For Demon Beasts, this place was also a hunting ground. No place was richer in resources than the sea.

"I’ll go take a look as well."

With his hands behind his back, Meng Qianxun also stepped into the wind and clouds.

Chen Che, however, had no intention of going in.

Instead, he sat on the deck and began to carefully study the Water and Wood sections of the *Celestial Derivation Five Elements Skill*. The basic principles of these two parts were similar to the *Nine Transformations Spirit Flame Technique*. Both involved absorbing their corresponding energies and making them one’s own.

To put it simply, it was like a portable ’power bank,’ allowing one to draw on power even faster than a Golden Core True Master could borrow Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Nearby, Meng Changtu was handling business.

Following Chen Che’s suggestion.

On this trip to clear out the Aquatic Race, they wouldn’t just be doing it for free; they had to maximize their profits. A portion of the captured Aquatic Race members would be kept for their own use, while the rest could be sold to various influences in every state to earn Spirit Stones. Some promising Demon Beast cubs could even be sold to Beast Masters.

So far, they had already contacted nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment Influences.

SPLISH SPLASH...

Just then, from dozens of li out at sea, two small Spiritual Boats suddenly sped toward them, kicking up massive white waves as they moved with extreme speed. Hearing the commotion, Chen Che, who was reading, and Meng Changtu, who was handling business, both looked up.

They saw the Spiritual Boats begin to slow down from several li away, eventually coming to a stop.

"This junior, Fei Li, greets Valley Master Chen and Clan Leader Meng."

On one Spiritual Boat stood a square-faced man of about forty. He had an air of authority without being angry, and he cupped his fists and bowed his head low.

On the other boat stood a dark-skinned, fisherman-like man holding a trident and wearing a bamboo hat. He assumed the same posture.

’Aren’t these the cultivators from the two islands earlier?’

’Why have they come here?’

Chen Che and Meng Changtu exchanged a look. The latter spoke slowly:

"What is it?"