At this moment, three enormous fish carcasses were slowly sinking in the seawater beneath Zhao Sheng's feet.
The three second-tier demonic fish were intact, with neat scales and no visible injuries. However, their eyes had suddenly exploded into two fist-sized, bloody holes, from which thick, pinkish brain matter was flowing out and quickly spreading into the surrounding seawater.
The battle between humans and demons has not been intense so far; they have only exchanged a few quick moves. However, each exchange ends with the death of a second-tier Azure Swordfish.
The Blue Swordfish has a very simple attack method. It is known for its lightning-fast swimming speed and its indestructible spines.
Imagine a swordfish weighing several thousand kilograms, as large as a wild elephant, charging towards you at a terrifying supersonic speed with an incredibly sharp, sword-like spine. The force and destructive power would be immense.
Let alone a person, even if a mountain were to stand in its way, it would still be smashed into a hole.
In fact, when faced with sea monsters that convert super kinetic energy into lethality, the Six Harmony Mayfly Shield is too light and will fly away upon impact, making it completely ineffective.
As the saying goes, "The essence of military strategy lies in the mind, and the key to its application is in the mastery of the art."
Different enemies require different approaches.
When fighting underwater, the effects of seawater resistance must be taken into account.
Zhao Sheng simply stopped using the Golden Essence Flying Sword and relied solely on his magic to fight his enemies.
As he completed the qualitative change in his spiritual power, the Golden Essence Flying Sword, which was originally quite handy, gradually became unusable. Sometimes it was even less destructive than a single spell he cast, so he had to replace it with a higher-grade attack weapon.
The second-tier Azure Flag Swordfish were already extremely intelligent. After suffering three consecutive losses, they became incredibly cautious and rarely launched an attack. Instead, they circled Zhao Sheng rapidly, trying to wait for an opening to appear.
Seeing this, Zhao Sheng decided not to start a war.
Unbeknownst to anyone, outside the triple ice wall, teardrop-sized crystal droplets were rapidly gathering in the shadows, silently merging into the surrounding dark seawater once they took shape.
These crystalline water droplets are called "One-Element Heavy Water Swords" and possess characteristics such as "super weight, sharpness, penetrability, and stability".
It evolved from Zhao Sheng's magic, the Dripping Water Sword. The Dripping Water Sword originated from the Condensing Water Ring. The Condensing Water Ring was the first basic spell Zhao Sheng learned in his previous life.
The Water Condensation Ring is the simplest water-attribute spell, consisting of five basic runes forming a stable water vein ring. It can condense a large amount of water mist with just a little spiritual power.
In fact, a large number of first-order water-based spells such as Water Ball, Water Arrow, and Cloud Mist can be derived from the Water Condensation Ring.
The Dripping Water Sword is a new type of first-order spell that Zhao Sheng deduced in his previous life. It is his unique "ultimate move".
Having cultivated immortality in two lifetimes, Zhao Sheng gained a great deal of insight into the Dao of Water, and thus innovated and deduced the second-tier true technique, "One Yuan Heavy Water Sword".
...
In just a short while, nearly a hundred One-Element Heavy Water Swords had condensed into shape. This number had reached Zhao Sheng's control limit.
Looking at the second-tier demonic fish swimming around him, he smiled slightly and deliberately created an opening. The Six Harmonies Mayfly Shield suddenly slowed down. At the same time, the outermost layer of the triple Xuan Water Wall suddenly collapsed.
Animals are animals after all. Even though the second-tier demon fish has greatly increased its intelligence, it cannot escape the shackles of instinct.
Upon seeing their "prey" reveal a weakness, the five second-tier Azure Flag Swordfish, already tormented by their bloodthirsty instincts, instantly revealed a fierce glint in their eyes. With a sudden flick of their tails, their azure fins on their backs abruptly stood upright. A burst of azure light surged from between their scales, instantly enveloping their entire bodies.
Bang bang bang!
Five water explosions rang out almost simultaneously. As five vortexes of azure light exploded, five streaks of azure light, swift as lightning, covered a distance of three zhang in an instant. Five indestructible, sharp fish bones pierced towards Zhao Sheng's head, chest, abdomen, and other vital organs.
The two layers of ice walls crumbled under the immense impact, like brittle biscuits, collapsing at the slightest touch.
Cruel, cunning, cold-blooded, and ruthless!
The Blue Flag Swordfish truly lives up to its reputation as a killer in the sea, possessing an innate instinct to kill its enemy with a single blow.
Just as Zhao Sheng was about to be torn to shreds, his eyes suddenly blazed with divine light, and the world seemed to slow down dramatically.
With a thought, ten One-Element Heavy Water Swords, closest to the heads of the five second-tier demonic fish, shot out under the control of his divine sense, their target aimed directly at the demonic fish's eyes.
Bang bang bang!
A series of muffled thuds, like eggs being smashed, suddenly appeared in Zhao Sheng's mind.
He clearly saw a crystal-clear "tear" easily break through a hard eyelid, then forcefully crash into the eyeball of the Azure Flag Swordfish. As the fluid was squeezed out, a fist-sized hole slowly formed, leading straight into the depths of the demon fish's brain.
Pfft!
All the One Yuan Heavy Water Swords suddenly exploded in the brain marrow, instantly turning the brains of the five demon fish into a mess.
At the same time, Zhao Sheng slowly rose to the surface, dodging the fish bones and the huge fish body that were crashing into him.
Bang!
The world returned to normal in the next second, and the five huge bodies collided violently, their fish bones crisscrossing and deeply embedding themselves in the bodies of their companions.
In the Heavenly Pillar Realm, the average strength of a second-tier demonic beast is roughly equivalent to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, generally speaking, ordinary second-tier demonic beasts are often no match for Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the reasons are self-evident.
Zhao Sheng is a powerful late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, whose strength far surpasses that of most other Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Although there were as many as eight second-tier Azure Flag Swordfish, Zhao Sheng didn't need to use his skill to overcome their clumsiness as he had just done. Even if he faced them head-on, they would still be no match for him.
The reason for this is that from the beginning until now, there has been a big boss in the group of Azure Flag Swordfish that has never shown up, and it may be secretly watching him.
Zhao Sheng found it hard to believe that a large school of swordfish, numbering nearly a thousand, was led by eight second-tier fish minnows, and that there might be an even more powerful swordfish king among them.
This is one of the reasons why Zhao Sheng dared not engage in reckless battle.
Perhaps he was just overthinking it, or perhaps the big boss behind the scenes was intimidated by Zhao Sheng's ruthlessness and couldn't gauge the extent of his strength.
As soon as the eight second-tier swordfish died, the group of blue flag swordfish above them, like a flock of startled sheep, suddenly awoke from their bloodthirsty frenzy and scattered in all directions, fleeing madly into the deeper and more distant sea.
Zhao Sheng had no interest in chasing after a bunch of small fish. After collecting the corpses of the eight second-tier demon fish, he flashed out of the sea.
On the other side, as soon as the group of Azure Flag Swordfish fled, the fighting on the Qiong Turtle Treasure Ship ceased. When the Zhao family members saw the swordfish suddenly disappear, they were overjoyed and felt a sense of relief that they had escaped death.
puff!
Zhao Sheng suddenly broke through the sea surface, flew from the water onto the deck, and landed.
"Guest Zhao!"
"Senior Cen Hezi!"
"Master, you're finally back! We suffered a great loss this time!"
Upon seeing Zhao Sheng appear, Zhao Dingda, Zhao Gaojie, and other members of the Zhao clan immediately felt reassured and crowded around him, greeting him with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy.
...
Later, with Zhao Sheng's comforting words, everyone gradually calmed down.
Although the swordfish attack lasted only a short time, the casualties were devastating.
Not only were all members of the Zhao clan injured, but six of them also died, including a member of the Hong generation who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Moreover, the treasure ship was also badly damaged, with two masts broken.
As a result, the treasure ship had to stay in place for three days to repair itself before it could sail back to Biluo Island.
During the rest of the voyage, Zhao Sheng and his companions were attacked by sea monsters several more times, but none of them were nearly as formidable as the Azure Swordfish. The younger members didn't even need to lift a finger; Zhao Sheng easily dealt with them all by himself.
Seven days later, the Qiong Turtle Treasure Ship slowly sailed into a bustling bay. Rows of ships of various sizes were moored at the dock not far away, and thousands of sails competed and boats passed through on the nearby sea, making it exceptionally busy.
Looking around, one can see treasure ships of similar or even larger size slowly sailing in and out.
Clearly, news of Dragon Head Island's fall had spread throughout the Shattered Star Sea, instantly making Biluo Island the new core of the outer star sea. Under the influence of various complex factors, it temporarily fell into a distorted prosperity.
After waiting for a long time, an empty space finally appeared on the dock, and the Qiong Turtle Treasure Ship finally docked at the dock.
As soon as they reached the shore, the Zhao family members couldn't wait to disembark.
Zhao Sheng didn't need to worry about the Zhao family's purchase of grain and other reserve supplies on Biluo Island; there were dedicated personnel to handle it.
Before buying everything back, the treasure ship would dock at the pier for a few days.
This gave Zhao Sheng a few days of free time to take care of his own business.
...
Half a day later, at Dongbifang Market, at the Treasure Pavilion.
In the elegant room, a middle-aged man dressed in a plain white robe and with a refined appearance sat opposite Zhao Sheng.
Zhao Sheng said directly, "Manager Gao, I have come here to purchase a pearl, at least a thousand years old, and the higher the grade, the better. Does your establishment possess such a treasure?"
The refined middle-aged man smiled and said, "Of course, our establishment has thousand-year-old shell pearls. However, a spirit pearl nurtured by a thousand-year-old spirit shell is equivalent to a third-tier demon core, and its price is quite high. Moreover, such treasures generally cannot be traded with spirit stones unless the Daoist takes out high-grade spirit stones."
"High-grade spirit stones are rare, and I certainly don't have any. But how about this?"
As he spoke, Zhao Sheng took out the bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill, unsealed it, and handed it to the other party.
The refined middle-aged man's eyes widened in disbelief. "Foundation Building Pill?! Daoist Master, what a generous gift you have!"
"Is that alright?"
"Yes, yes, of course!" The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, as if pounding garlic.
"That depends on what grade of pearls Manager Gao can produce," Zhao Sheng said calmly.
"Please wait a moment, Master. I will be right back."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the refined middle-aged man hurriedly left the elegant room.
A short while later, the man returned, beaming with joy.
"Daoist Master, you've come to the right place. Our establishment just received a pearl that has been refined for three thousand years; in terms of quality, it's no less than a fourth-tier demon core..."
...
Half an hour later, Zhao Sheng walked out of the Treasure Pavilion with a blank expression and disappeared into the bustling crowd in a few moments.
...
Fifteen minutes later, Zhao Sheng, now in a different guinea pig shop called Qidan Pavilion, appeared.
Qidan Pavilion is the largest elixir shop on Biluo Island, and its owner is the Qidan Sect, a famous alchemy sect in the Shattered Star Sea.
Upon arriving at the store, Zhao Sheng made no attempt to conceal his powerful aura.
Sensing the powerful spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the front hall, the shopkeeper dared not delay and hurriedly went to the front hall to respectfully welcome Zhao Sheng to the back hall.
Foundation Establishment cultivators are the backbone of the cultivation world. In the Shattered Star Sea, a Foundation Establishment cultivator is enough to rule a spirit island, and at the late Foundation Establishment stage, they are definitely above a million people and below the Golden Core stage.
Take Jiuzhen Island as an example.
Nine True Island, one of the thirty-six constellation spirit islands, boasts an sphere of influence spanning thousands of miles of sea and nearly ten thousand cultivators, with over a hundred at the Foundation Establishment stage. However, after hundreds of years of accumulation, it openly only has three Golden Core cultivators. Even including suspected figures like Xu Chong, its Golden Core-level combat power is no more than seven.
In any cultivation realm, Golden Core cultivators are considered high-level combatants. Because their numbers are extremely small and they often cultivate in seclusion, they rarely appear in front of the world.
Therefore, cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage are often the highest combat power that people can see, and their high status is self-evident.
In the back hall waiting room, after the waiter served the spirit tea, the manager of Qidan Pavilion cautiously probed Zhao Sheng's purpose.
Since Zhao Sheng took the initiative to reveal his cultivation level, he naturally had his reasons.
He made no attempt to conceal his purpose, getting straight to the point: "This humble Taoist has come to your esteemed establishment today specifically to request a Golden Core Elixir!"
The manager of Qidan Pavilion was a short, stout old man with white hair and a youthful face. He wore a red robe that exuded a faint fragrance of elixirs.
The short, stout old man was taken aback upon hearing this, his expression instantly turning very strange. After hesitating for a moment, he said hesitantly, "Senior, please...please don't make things difficult for this old man. How could I possibly possess such a precious treasure as the Golden Core Pill? Not only does the Qidan Pavilion not have it, but I'm afraid none of the pill shops on the entire Biluo Island would dare to have such a treasure."
Zhao Sheng smiled slightly and said in a calm tone, "If you don't have it here, does the Qidan Sect not have it either? If you want to make a contribution, go and inform the Qidan Sect as soon as possible and have it send someone to trade. I can stay on Biluo Island for a while longer."
Upon hearing this, the short, stout old man felt a chill run down his spine, instantly realizing that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
"Please wait a moment, senior. I will send a message to the sect immediately."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he leaped up and dashed out of the room, showing no signs of old age whatsoever.
In the room, Zhao Sheng picked up his teacup, slowly sipping the spiritual tea while pondering silently.
In the past few days, while cultivating, he felt several times that the barrier to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment had begun to loosen, and he vaguely sensed the opportunity to advance to the ninth level.
Once he successfully advances to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, he will be close to Core Formation.
Therefore, Zhao Sheng must make preparations early.
Just now at the Treasure Pavilion, he exchanged two low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills for a three-thousand-year spirit pearl, which was a preemptive move he had prepared in advance.
The "Mysterious Origin Heavy Water Technique" that he is currently cultivating was obtained from the Guiyuan Sect (now the Blood Demon Sect) in his previous life.
He initially thought it was the complete book, but when he actually cultivated to the second half, he was shocked to discover that the Guiyuan Sect had also laid a trap.
The "Mysterious Origin Heavy Water Technique" is surprisingly missing key supernatural powers and magical techniques.
As mentioned earlier, Golden Elixir Masters are divided into two categories: True Elixir and False Elixir.
A true Golden Elixir Immortal lives for eight hundred years and can condense a Golden Elixir on its own without the aid of external objects. When the Golden Elixir is formed, extraordinary phenomena arise, and these phenomena originate from supernatural powers.
A Golden Core cultivator can surely condense a divine power technique. This divine power is somewhat similar to the innate spells of demonic beasts. It can be activated at a moment's notice, consumes very little energy, yet possesses tremendous power, making it more convenient to use than ordinary magic treasures.
The "Mysterious Origin Heavy Water Technique" deliberately omitted the section on how to construct the seed of one's innate divine power, which almost severed Zhao Sheng's right path to condense the golden elixir, forcing him to take the evil path of forming the elixir by borrowing external objects.
The last few pages of "Xuan Yuan Chong Shui Jue" are the section on magical treasures, which details the method of refining a magical treasure called the Zhenhai Pearl.