At this moment, Jing Qian carried four White Fang Life Essences within him.
Considering his true age and the fact that it had been less than seven days since he had advanced to the Fatebinding Realm, this speed was already extraordinary.
Yet, even with the transcendent power of the Sumeru Life Pattern, which allowed him to slip into other dimensions and traverse the void…
Catching up with a Roc's flight speed was utterly impossible.
Fortunately, as his comprehension of the Sumeru Pattern deepened, the amount of mana required to walk through dimensions outside the Void Domain steadily decreased.
With four White Fang Life Essences, he could travel roughly ten miles beyond the outer world.
What worked in his favor was that the giant Roc had not flown too far. It hovered three thousand meters high, wings spread wide, conversing with a human cultivator.
Thus, Jing Qian managed to draw closer before his life essence and mana were fully depleted.
That human cultivator was quite peculiar. On his back, he bore a pair of metal-forged wings, which kept him aloft.
This wondrous contraption contained an advanced level of technology; its intricate design and exquisite craftsmanship were such that even in Jing Qian's past life, it would have been nearly impossible to reproduce.
The man spoke first:
"Master Mingji, such formidable power! With the war merits of these two slain Blue-Blood Demons, your Armaments Division will be well supplied for the next ten years!"
The Roc, however, opened its beak and spoke in human tongue:
"Driving the Dragon-Subduing Insight has consumed much of my lifespan. I must return to Hunzhou City at once.
This giant clam has swallowed a Golden Dragon Carp and now holds a faint chance of advancing. I must suppress it quickly!
No monster within Hunzhou's domain can be allowed to ascend to the sixth rank of the Violet-Eyed Realm!
As for this crocodile's corpse, I will send someone later to deliver it to the Ministry of Crafts. You may handle its disposal."
The winged cultivator nodded and replied:
"This emergence of the Dragon Gate Grass Dumpling has revealed an old mystery.
A century ago, the naval flagship Hunling set sail on behalf of Lord Zhizhou to seek a Scarlet-Scaled Dragon Carp. Yet three months after leaving port, the ship vanished, without a trace.
Its captain, Master Jing Chuan of the Dragon-Elephant Realm, and the soldiers aboard were accused of incompetence, their fates unconfirmed, and their families never granted full compensation.
But now, with the wreckage of the Hunling resurfacing, it is clear they were slain by great demons. There can be no further doubt.
I ask you, Master, once you return to the city, please report this to the Maritime Division so that the martyrs' families may at last receive their rightful honors.
Also, this half-ship that remains, forged from Yinji Wood, along with that seventh-rank Earth Anchor, is both of immense value.
With them, the Ministry of Crafts can refit and build several eighth- and ninth-rank treasure ships. Please notify the Maritime Division to arrange for their retrieval."
The Roc did not refuse. It merely replied:
"This is as it should be. I will see it arranged."
Then, the winged cultivator continued:
"Before we departed, the Prefect's Office received a distress signal from Jiangzhu Island. Would you like to investigate?"
But the Roc only said:
"That need not concern us. Qizhi Island has already bribed the Maritime Division; the matter is theirs to resolve.
As for the Jing and Su families, their lineages are unstable. It has been thirty years since either produced a cultivator in the Longevity Realm. For them to suffer calamity is only natural.
I'll take my leave now. Travel safely."
The Roc spread its wings and soared straight into the clouds, speeding north.
As for the human cultivator, he tossed a peculiar magical artifact down toward the sea beneath his feet.
The artifact plummeted rapidly, heading straight for the half-sunken ship.
Upon touching the water, it activated, swelling and expanding until it turned into a vast lotus leaf.
The lotus leaf anchored itself beneath the wreck, spreading its branches and swaying in the wind, marking the ship's exact location.
Afterward, the cultivator flapped the metallic wings on his back and drifted northward as well.
Although he could fly, his speed was entirely reliant on that strange artifact on his back, at least ten times slower than the Roc.
To return to Hunzhou Island, he would need to drift along for several dozen days.
But what he did not know was that, in another dimension, an unseen little brat was holding a large iron spike, waving it at his forehead, itching to stab him dead.
Both the Roc and this winged cultivator were high-level powerhouses with formidable backgrounds.
The man who had manifested the Roc Manifestation Form was named Ling Mingji, the head of the Armaments Division under the Hunzhou Prefecture Office. His cultivation had reached the Longevity Realm's peak.
In Hunzhou, where the Prefect had mysteriously disappeared, his mastery of the Dragon-Subduing Insight made him a force far above the rest, one of the core pillars upholding the Prefecture's authority.
The winged cultivator was Wu Liuyuan, a Chief Overseer of the Prefecture's Ministry of Crafts.
Though his cultivation was only at Dragon-Elephant Great Accomplishment, far weaker than Ling Mingji, he had already become a Hundred-Forge Master fifty years ago, one of Hunzhou's foremost artisans. His position was no less than Ling Mingji's.
Both had come because of the disturbance caused by the great demons, and now both left with rich rewards.
Inside the Void Realm, Jing Qian did not know their identities. He only understood this: those terrifying great demons he had thought so unstoppable were no match for these two cultivators.
Witnessing the true strength of high-level experts once more filled him with the determination to cultivate harder.
That winged cultivator looked exactly like a fat sheep, ripe for plundering.
Unfortunately, Jing Qian's strength was still far too weak; even with a sneak attack, he could not possibly take him down and could only watch him leave.
Still, from the conversation between the two cultivators, Jing Qian had already gleaned extremely vital information, guidance decisive for his next move.
Soon, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Crossing back through the dimension, Jing Qian returned to the Void Realm. His consciousness plunged into the Stele of Fate space.
There, just outside the safe zone, coiled the massive soul of the crocodile demon, occupying the very center.
Even the Snow Maiden's soul had been pushed aside!
As for the souls of the two captured cultivators, one tall and thin, the other short and stout, they had been squeezed right against the safe zone's barrier, trembling, not daring to move an inch.
Within the safety of the zone, Jing Qian rubbed his hands together excitedly like a hamster who had hoarded enough food for the winter. His mood soared!
Getting the soul of a seventh-rank Blue-Blood Demon for free was completely beyond his expectations.
His only regret was that his arms and legs were too frail, his strength too pitiful, and he could not refine this great demon's soul yet.
But good meals are worth waiting for, since he had already sealed it into the Stele of Fate, sooner or later, it would become nourishment for his advancement!
Jing Qian's desire to grow stronger became even more urgent.
Now that the outside world was calm and no longer distracting him, he turned his focus on the tall-and-thin and short-and-stout souls that had been completely suppressed and left with no room to resist.
Without hesitation, he shot out a thread of silk, wrapping it around the short one's neck.
He had already made up his mind that there was no need to wander the empty sea any longer.
All he needed to do was wait here, beneath the giant lotus leaf, until a ship came to pick him up.
And in the meantime, he would wipe out the two remaining souls that no longer posed any threat!
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