Chapter 542 - 233: Avoiding a Storm and Gaining Evil Qi; Crossing the Ash Sea and Encountering a Strange Snake
Chapter 542: Chapter 233: Avoiding a Storm and Gaining Evil Qi; Crossing the Ash Sea and Encountering a Strange Snake
After organizing his Storage Ring, Xiao Chen continued to refine his True Essence on the island with the help of Replenishing Essence Pills.
Two more days passed like this, and the fog blocking his path finally dispersed, revealing the azure sea surface.
But one trouble followed another.
After traveling for less than 150,000 miles, the clear sky unexpectedly began to grow dim, covered by an unbroken stretch of dark clouds.
’Don’t tell me I’m this unlucky, running into another thunderstorm right after I set out?’
Xiao Chen gazed into the distance. For the thousands of miles he could see ahead, the gloom only grew denser.
In truth, thunderstorms themselves weren’t a major problem for Cultivators.
Under normal circumstances, they could evade any abnormal weather phenomena in advance.
Unless they were doing it intentionally, few would willingly dive headfirst into a thunderstorm and risk their lives.
In this particular situation, Xiao Chen was more concerned that the thunderstorm would disturb the nearby High-Tier Sea Fish.
If that were to happen, being surrounded by a large number of Golden Core Sea Fish or encountering a Nascent Soul Sea Fish, all without a safe place to land, would be an extremely perilous situation.
’Going back to wait isn’t a good plan either. I might as well just take a detour.’
Xiao Chen didn’t want to go back to the island and wait.
First, the duration of the thunderstorm was uncertain, and it might move, meaning the small island behind him wasn’t necessarily safe.
Second, his Escape Speed was far greater than that of an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator, so taking a detour would still be faster than waiting idly.
Thus, Xiao Chen turned and flew along the edge of the dark cloud bank, heading southeast.
KABOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning fell straight from the sky, and he could feel its immense pressure even from over ten thousand miles away.
The Eastern Domain generally classified thunderstorms into three grades based on their danger level: major, moderate, and minor.
Xiao Chen visually estimated that this was likely a major thunderstorm of the highest grade.
In the face of such heavenly might, Golden Core Cultivators could only look on in awe, and even Nascent Soul Cultivators could merely linger on the periphery.
Perhaps only the legendary Divinity Transformation Cultivators had the power to approach and pass through its core.
’Huh? What’s that?’
Xiao Chen suddenly saw a colossal figure leap from the sea’s surface in the distance, illuminated by a flash of purple and white lightning.
But in an instant, it was slammed back down by a bolt of lightning.
His mind instantly flooded with possibilities.
’Whoa, could that be a Divinity Transformation Demon Beast?’
’To be visible from this far away, it must be tens of thousands of feet long, right?’
’There aren’t many Demon Beasts that enormous. Could it be the legendary Kunpeng?’
RUMBLE~!
More lightning descended, the intersecting flashes blinding him. Coupled with the vast distance, it was impossible to see what was happening tens of thousands of miles away.
To find out the truth, he would have to get closer.
However, an old saying warns that curiosity killed the cat.
So, Xiao Chen prudently averted his gaze and sped up, flying away in the opposite direction.
’I’ll come back and explore that area some other time.’
「Several more days passed in the blink of an eye.」
The distant lightning was long gone, and a heavy rain had fallen in the interim. Afterward, the sky for thousands of miles was washed clean, without so much as half a cloud in sight.
It was the sixteenth day of the eighth month. The full moon hung in the sky like a white Jade Plate, casting down a silvery glow.
’Where in the world am I?’
Xiao Chen followed the moonlight with his gaze and saw a shimmering, hazy mist floating where the sea met the sky.
As he drew a bit closer, he realized it wasn’t a misty light at all, but a mass of dark purple algae floating on the surface, swaying with the waves.
The patch of algae stretched as far as the eye could see, covering an area of at least a thousand square miles.
The tips of the fronds lit up with faint points of light, as if stars had fallen into the sea, attracting schools of small fish that darted back and forth.
Xiao Chen silently increased the altitude of his Flying Sword, putting more distance between himself and the sea’s surface, just in case.
He was not one of those small fish. He understood all too well that in the world of cultivation, the more beautiful something was, the more dangerous it was likely to be—and that included people.
Therefore, upon encountering such a strange sight, he grew even more vigilant, even as he admired its beauty.
After flying forward for about another thousand miles, a weeping willow a full sixty feet tall suddenly appeared on the surface of the sea.
It extended tens of thousands of willow branches, all piercing the surface of the sea.
Below the surface, the branches were entwined with dense mats of algae; the parts that reached deeper into the water had practically fused with it.
’A willow tree... growing on the sea?’
Xiao Chen was taken aback. Its location was more than a little strange.
SPLASH!
Just as he paused to watch out of curiosity, he heard a splash from below.
Looking down, he saw that a Late-stage Golden Core Sea Fish had the front half of its body ensnared by the willow’s roots and was desperately thrashing its tail.
But it wasn’t long before the fish was completely enveloped by the dark purple algae and reduced to nutrients.
’What a find! This has to be a Tier Four Spirit Wood!’
Xiao Chen sized up the willow tree. He wasn’t exaggerating; if he could take the entire plant with him, one this large could easily sell for several million Spirit Stones.
But in a sense, this willow tree was likely equivalent to a Nascent Soul being.
The Realm of that Sea Fish wasn’t low, yet it had been completely powerless to fight back.
It was clear this willow tree was quite ferocious, and he had very little confidence that he could defeat it at his current level.
’Sigh... Nascent Soul.’
Xiao Chen felt a pang of regret. If he had Nascent Soul Cultivation, he could have picked up a Spiritual Object for free today.
But the problem was, he didn’t. All he could do was note its approximate location and save it for another day.
He had already prepared to continue his journey, but just as he was leaving via Sword Control, he saw a tree root burst out of the sea.
In an instant, it shot up hundreds of feet, heading straight for him.
Keep in mind that to ensure his safety, Xiao Chen was flying a good thousand feet above the sea’s surface.