Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

"I’ve already considered that problem."

Shishanzi raised a hand and calmly retrieved a Spirit Stone from his Storage Ring.

He formed a hand seal and cast a spell, infusing a stream of Magical Power, along with his Sword Intent, into the Spirit Stone to modify it.

Before long,

the Spirit Stone was completely transformed.

"Though I suffered a backlash from the divination, it wasn’t entirely without gain. At the very least... I have now committed to memory the aura of this evil entity and its unique principles."

"I’ve infused this Spirit Stone with a trace of my Sword Intent. Anything related to the evil entity that comes near this stone will trigger a reaction,"

Shishanzi explained.

In other words, this Spirit Stone could now be called a Detection Stone.

He then repeated the process, creating several dozen Detection Stones and handing them to Fuyunzi.

At the same time,

Shishanzi sank into thought as if he had just remembered something. "Right. The vision that first manifested during the divination should be Volcano State, here in this sea region."

"That continent might have a deep connection to the unknown Nascent Soul cultivator."

"Our sect’s disciples are currently there. You can arrange for a few of them to investigate it thoroughly."

"Alright."

Fuyunzi agreed without hesitation.

"One of my disciples is in Volcano State right now. This is the perfect task for him."

"Your disciple... Oh, Jiang Wenyuan."

Shishanzi’s eyes lit up slightly; he had some impression of the name.

A Golden Core Perfection cultivator, even one lacking the potential to ascend to the Nascent Soul realm, was still a major figure of considerable importance.

"I can rest easy with him on the case." Shishanzi nodded in approval.

Then,

with the decisive nature of a Sword Cultivator, Fuyunzi acted swiftly, taking his leave from Shishanzi.

The flying sword at his waist shot out of its sheath, transforming into an Escape Light as he rode it away.

SWISH.

The nameless, desolate island.

Once again, it fell silent.

After Fuyunzi was long gone, Shishanzi’s face paled, and he began to cough repeatedly.

A sweet, metallic taste welled up in his throat, and the aura of his Magical Power grew unstable.

"Sigh..."

’This time... I’ve truly suffered a great loss.’

Shishanzi wiped away the trace of blood, let out a soft sigh, and smiled bitterly.

He had used the Netherworld Skill as a catalyst for his divination this time, which had caused the result to point to the Nether Mirror.

That sixth-rank deity naturally possessed Personhood, which had triggered the backlash.

Moreover,

the backlash this time was even more severe than Fuyunzi had imagined.

’Two hundred and forty years of my lifespan...’

Shishanzi sighed mournfully.

Besides the loss of his lifespan, he was also worried about the future of the Jade Void Sword Sect.

For some reason, the oppressive feeling that lingered in his heart had not subsided at all after the divination.

This left Shishanzi deeply unsettled.

’I don’t know if my countermeasures are right or wrong.’

’Oh, fate...’

The more one practiced the art of divination, the more one felt the unpredictability of heavenly secrets and the fickleness of fate.

...

「Several days later.」

Volcano State.

Inside a grotto-mansion.

Su Ye, dressed in black robes as dark as ink, had a cold and detached expression. His long, raven hair was draped over his shoulders, tied back simply.

He walked out of the grotto-mansion with a steady, calm gait. The fluctuations of Evil Qi around him had completely vanished.

"Greetings, Master."

Zhao Shao, who was standing in attendance nearby, bowed.

"Mm."

"How did it go?" Su Ye asked casually, glancing over.

"I have successfully carried out my mission."

Zhao Shao said with a serious expression as he handed over a Communication Talisman.

HUM.

Su Ye raised his hand.

With a flicker of Magical Power, he took hold of the Communication Talisman.

Lu Chen’s voice emanated from the Communication Talisman.

"Yehai, welcome aboard. We will fight side by side in this ruin exploration. As for the distribution of spoils, we will follow the same precedent as last time..."

"Once you exit your seclusion, please head to the Grotto Heaven passage immediately. We will all depart together."

Lu Chen’s tone was cheerful. He was clearly very welcoming of Su Ye’s request to join the exploration team.

Su Ye wasn’t surprised; he had anticipated Lu Chen’s reaction.

In the current situation, anyone with half a brain wouldn’t refuse powerful reinforcements like Su Ye!

"Not bad."

Su Ye nodded slightly.

After putting away the Communication Talisman, he looked at Zhao Shao and asked out of habit.

"Has anything happened within Volcano State’s borders these past few days?"

Su Ye wasn’t expecting much, but Zhao Shao nodded and replied.

"Reporting to you, Master."

"Yesterday, a disciple from the Jade Void Sword Sect took one of our ships from the direction of Cloud Sea Immortal City and arrived in Volcano State."

"Oh?"

Su Ye wasn’t surprised that there were Jade Void Sword Sect cultivators stationed in Cloud Sea Immortal City.

After all, he was the one who had instructed the Flame Alliance to gift those strongholds to them. The cultivators of the Jade Void Sword Sect used this very stronghold in the immortal city to purchase supplies and replenish consumables.

After all,

dozens of Crystallization Realm cultivators required resources for their daily cultivation.

"However, the spirit ships that transport supplies run on a set schedule. It has only been a few days since the last shipment."

"Furthermore, Jade Void Sword Sect disciples rarely travel alone."

"He looked to be in quite a hurry. I would venture a guess that this Sword Sect cultivator might be transporting something precious... or perhaps delivering an urgent message?"

"Of course, that is just my speculation," Zhao Shao added cautiously.

Su Ye’s mind stirred, and he tapped his chin lightly, his expression unchanging.

Inwardly, however, his vigilance soared, and his thoughts began to race.

He had just clashed with Fuyunzi of the Jade Void Sword Sect not long ago.

The sudden arrival of this Sword Sect disciple was very likely... related to him!

"Interesting..."

"Is there any other information about this Sword Sect cultivator?"

Su Ye feigned interest and continued to press for details.

"Umm..."

Zhao Shao was at a loss for words.

Disciples of the Jade Void Sword Sect were of a caliber that looked down on everyone else.

Among the Flame Alliance cultivators, besides Su Ye, there were very few who a Sword Sect disciple would even deign to look at as an equal.

Under such circumstances, how difficult would it be to pry for information?

However,

since Su Ye had asked, Zhao Shao could only furrow his brow and rack his brain for any useful information.

After a long moment, Zhao Shao’s head shot up as if he had just discovered a treasure.

"That’s right!"

"After disembarking, this Sword Sect disciple asked for the location of Mr. Jiang."

’Jiang Wenyuan...’

Su Ye’s gaze deepened as he fell into thought.

The arrival of a Sword Sect cultivator signified a potential threat, and he had to act with caution.

’Judging by Lu Chen’s attitude, at least... the Jade Void Sword Sect doesn’t know anything for certain.’

’The problem isn’t too serious. After all... the ruin exploration is about to begin.’

’Once I enter the Grotto Heaven, it’ll be my home turf!’

Su Ye muttered to himself.

...

WHOOSH.

The Ghostly Flood Dragon streaked through the sky, transforming into a streak of bloody flame.

Su Ye piloted the spirit ship, flying through the sky toward the Grotto Heaven node to meet up with Lu Chen.

HUMMM.

Two hours later,

a golden gate of light, flowing with magma and stretching from the heavens to the earth, came into view.

It was the Grotto Heaven node passage. Near the golden gate, two large Arrays stood in opposition to one another, each containing a group of elite cultivators!

Judging by the fluctuations in their auras, the two Arrays belonged to the Jade Void Sword Sect and the Star Casting Hall, respectively.

Information quickly surfaced in Su Ye’s mind: both sides had discovered this node at almost the same time and had built opposing Arrays, making it impossible for either side to claim sole dominion.

At this moment,

the arrival of the Ghostly Flood Dragon drew a great deal of attention.

Gazes filled with joy, admiration, wariness, and even fear.

"The Ghostly Flood Dragon!"

"It’s Yehai."

"That fiend is here!"

As Su Ye had repeatedly taken action with impressive results, his fame had spread among the cultivators. Friend and foe alike held him in a certain degree of awe.

The awe reserved for the truly powerful!

"Yehai, you’re here at last."

Lu Chen smiled when he saw Su Ye arrive and went forward to greet him.

"Mr. Lu..."

Su Ye nodded slightly and exchanged a few pleasantries with Lu Chen.

"This ruin exploration is fraught with danger, and we have those thieves from the Star Casting Hall eyeing us like tigers. But now that you’re here, Yehai, I feel much more confident."

Lu Chen clearly had a great deal of confidence in Su Ye.

"You flatter me, Mr. Lu."

Su Ye replied nonchalantly, but his mind was elsewhere.

His Divine Sense spread out quietly, searching for Jiang Wenyuan.

However,

it seemed the Long Rainbow Sword was not here.

"Huh?"

"Mr. Lu, where is your sect’s Mr. Jiang?"

"Well... Mr. Jiang will be here shortly." Lu Chen paused, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"Oh, right... Yehai, Mr. Jiang... he hasn’t been in the best of moods lately. If he offends you in any way, please try to bear with him."

...