Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

However...

This was a Cultivation World.

Things harder than Ten Thousand Forged Divine Steel were few and far between, but... they existed!

For example:

The methods of a Nascent Soul True Monarch!

BUZZ!

Where the Flying Star Boat had crashed, a turbulent, surging spiritual light suddenly erupted!

The blood flames burning on the ground were suppressed by this spiritual light, and in just a moment, they were extinguished!

"Hmm?"

"Still not dead?" Su Ye faltered, quickly telling Jiaojiao to fire another round.

There was nothing a round of cannon fire couldn’t solve. If there was, then it was time for another round!

But.

At that very moment.

"Jade Void Sword Sect, I will have my revenge for this!"

Han Tiantong’s venomous and cold voice echoed in the air.

At the same time.

A white light flashed. From the crater, five figures rose into the air, and then... vanished!

"Huh?"

"Is that..."

"Teleportation? But... with the Celestial Observation Instrument active, how did they teleport?"

The crowd of cultivators was bewildered, their faces filled with astonishment and confusion.

Zheng Yunzhe pushed up his glasses, his expression stunned. "I know what it is! It’s a Small Void Shifting Talisman!"

"What?"

"A Small Void Shifting Talisman... They really spared no expense."

Hearing this explanation, the crowd had a strange reaction.

But it wasn’t hard to understand.

It was a Tier Five Top-Grade Spatial Talisman, after all. It made sense that it could break through the Celestial Observation Instrument’s blockade.

The Small Void Shifting Talisman could even forcefully penetrate the barrier of this volcanic Grotto Heaven. A single Celestial Observation Instrument was simply powerless against it.

"But the Small Void Shifting Talisman can only move five people..." A vicious look appeared on Lu Chen’s face. "Let’s find the rest of the Star Casting Hall cultivators and kill them all!"

The cultivators nodded, brimming with killing intent as they flew their treasures closer to the Flying Star Boat.

...

The wreckage of the Flying Star Boat.

Fragments of the spiritual ship, severed limbs, and minced flesh were scattered everywhere!

In the Jade Void Sword Sect’s ambush, all the Crystal Stage cultivators from the Star Casting Hall aboard the Flying Star Boat had been annihilated, their bodies and souls utterly destroyed.

With mere Crystal Stage cultivation, they were deader than dead after that combo.

However.

There were still survivors.

Golden Core cultivators!

Golden Core cultivators possessed Spiritual Treasures and had formidable life force.

Moreover, when Han Tiantong activated the talisman, the aftershock from the Small Void Shifting Talisman had extinguished the blood flames.

Therefore.

In the crater at this moment.

four Golden Core cultivators, though grievously wounded, were at least still alive.

However, these Golden Core cultivators were not the least bit grateful. Instead, they all started cursing Han Tiantong!

"Fuck!"

"Han Tiantong, you animal! You’ll die a dog’s death!"

"You had a Small Void Shifting Talisman and you didn’t take me? Fucking hell!"

Without a doubt, these four Golden Core cultivators were the very same evil cultivators who had been subjugated by the Star Casting Hall’s faction.

Clearly, even after having restrictive seals placed on them and going through life and death for him, these evil Golden Core cultivators were still untrustworthy in Han Tiantong’s eyes.

Therefore.

As for the five slots on the Small Void Shifting Talisman...

Besides his own sect members, Han Tiantong had also taken two Golden Core cultivators from the Immortal Peak Palace. As for the evil cultivators, they were left behind to die!

"Shit!"

"What do we do? Surrender to the Sword Sect?"

"Maybe the Sword Sect can remove the restrictive seals in our heads?"

As evil cultivators, integrity was not something they possessed.

The phrase "fight to the death without surrendering" was clearly not in their vocabulary.

But...

"Surrender my ass!"

"Before I was thrown into the Demon-Suppressing Tower, I slaughtered twelve spiritual islands in the Sword Sect’s territory just to refine a batch of Longevity Elixirs!"

"You think those damn Sword Cultivators would let me go? I’d rather be dead than fall into their hands!"

The old demon in black robes—who had an aquiline nose, narrow eyes, and a withered, ghoul-like appearance—cursed resentfully.

"Hahaha, Xiahou, you really..."

Another Golden Core cultivator, who was about to mock him, suddenly paused.

"Fuck!"

"I think I did that too!"

"Been locked in the Demon-Suppressing Tower for too long, my brain’s gone rusty!"

All present were veteran evil cultivators with countless blood debts to their names.

Even if they hadn’t targeted the Jade Void Sword Sect specifically, their names were still on the wanted lists of the True Treasure Pavilion and the Profound Light Cave!

Surrender?

It would most likely mean death!

"Let’s split up and run!"

"Every man for himself!"

"Alright."

At a time like this, it was their only choice.

WHOOSH!

Four streaks of Escape Light shot off in four different directions!

Lu Chen sneered. "Just as I thought. Some fish slipped through the net!"

Su Ye’s eyes shifted slightly. "The Late-stage Golden Core to the east is mine."

"No problem." Lu Chen didn’t question it. He was well aware of the conditions the sect had set for Su Ye to exchange for the Dragon Demon Heart.

He naturally wouldn’t compete for a mission target.

Lu Chen picked a direction and gave chase in his Dust Crossing Flying Boat.

As for the other two Golden Core cultivators, other cultivators gave chase to hunt them down. Of the four Golden Core cultivators, only two were at the Late-stage, and they had been claimed by Lu Chen and Su Ye.

The remaining two were only at the Mid-stage Golden Core, and injured at that. The elites of the Nine Sects of the Inner Sea could easily kill them!

...

FWOOSH!

The Ghostly Flood Dragon streaked through the sky, its scarlet tail flame roaring!

’Damn it all, why is it this devil!’

Xiahou looked back and cried inwardly in despair.

Su Ye!

Yehai!

This previously unknown cultivator from the Outer Sea had recently shot to fame!

If nothing else, the fact that he killed Yuanshan Xinglun, a true disciple of the Star Casting Hall, in front of everyone had made his name known throughout the Central Sea Region!

What’s more, Xiahou had been there himself.

When Yuanshan Xinglun was cleaved in two, he had been standing on the high platform, watching the terrifying scene unfold!

Therefore.

He was keenly aware of Su Ye’s strength.

Never mind his current, grievously wounded state; Xiahou thought to himself that even at his peak, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.

’Have the heavens truly decreed my death?’

A look of despair appeared on Xiahou’s face.

However.

The engine roared, but the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s speed wasn’t overly terrifying.

Aside from the occasional cannon fire that forced Xiahou to evade, the pressure from the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s pursuit wasn’t that strong.

Xiahou flew on, activating a Secret Technique to boost his speed. A quarter of an hour passed, and he still hadn’t been caught!

’Could it be?’

’This spiritual ship isn’t built for speed?’

His heart stirred with a hint of excitement. Even an ant clings to life, let alone a Golden Core cultivator!

Seeing a path to survival, he was naturally energized, focusing his entire being on trying to evade.

But.

At that very moment.

SWISH!

A spear swirling with black and white light, moving at a speed Xiahou couldn’t possibly react to, pierced through his Protective Treasure and his protective energy shield.

Like a hot knife through butter, it pierced his chest.

HSSSSS.

A cold, deathly intent eroded his organs, extinguishing his life force.

Divine Technique.

—End of Tracing Origin!

"What were you thinking? Did you really think you could escape after being marked with the Traceability Mark?"

Su Ye arrived in the Ghostly Flood Dragon and came to a slow halt, his eyes sweeping over Xiahou’s corpse with a hint of mockery.

WHOOSH.

With a flick of his Storage Ring.

He collected the corpse to use as proof for the exchange.

Then.

Su Ye did not leave in a hurry.

He stood with his hands behind his back, staring into the void. "Senior, you have deliberately guided me here. What instructions do you have for me?"

Just a moment ago, Su Ye had felt that sense of being watched again. This time, it had been incredibly clear, pointing him toward a specific direction.

A summons?

’You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can’t guard against one for a thousand days.’ He couldn’t stay on the defensive forever.

After some thought, Su Ye decided to take the initiative and meet them.

Of course.

He had also made preparations.

At the slightest sign of trouble, he would immediately flee.

「A moment later.」

A great deal of mist suddenly surged in the void, forming a pitch-black stone tablet.

The tablet flickered, and numerous tadpole-like characters, as if engraved, materialized upon it.

’By the looks of it, are they trying to send me a message?’

But the problem was...

"Er..." Su Ye frowned, a look of pure, unadulterated foolishness flashing in his eyes.

"Oh no. This script... I can’t read it at all."

...

「Meanwhile.」

The Dream Wardens:

"Huh?"

"Why isn’t he reacting?"

"Did you spell it wrong?"

"No way, my Sea Spawn script should be perfect."

"Should be?"

The Dream Warden sounded a little unsure.