As the days passed.
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed since Lei Zhan left the Water Mansion.
During those six months, Lei Zhan had controlled his sailboat magic treasure and drifted north through the skies above the North Dark Sea. As he gazed down at the vast, boundless ocean and felt the sea breeze brush against him, he had not only comprehended the Way of North Wind, but had also deepened his understanding of the Dao of the Azure Sea.
"More than half a year has passed. I've been comprehending the Dao above the North Dark Sea. Though I've made rapid progress in the Dao of the Azure Sea, I've now hit a bottleneck." Lei Zhan fell silent.
Though his comprehension was peerless, and he had the Black Bead to aid him, he had still hit a bottleneck in his cultivation of the Dao. Comprehension helped, of course, but now he could only rely on time to slowly accumulate insights and chip away at the obstacle.
Naturally, there were other ways. For instance, once the Black Bead inside Lei Zhan had accumulated enough energy, even the slightest bottleneck could be swept away by a moment of sudden enlightenment.
"Going by the previous two times, it'll still take more than three years for the Black Bead to store enough energy to help me achieve sudden enlightenment."
Lei Zhan peered into the Purple Mansion in his dantian. A Black Bead about the size of an infant's fist bobbed within, its specks of starlight having accumulated to nearly a third of its capacity.
"The Dao of the Azure Sea may have hit a bottleneck, but I only need a chance to fully comprehend it. The Black Bead's chance to grant sudden enlightenment is too precious to waste on something as simple as fully grasping the Dao of the Azure Sea. And as for the Red Snow Spear Technique... I'm close to mastering the second move."
"There's still plenty of room to improve the Way of North Wind and the Way of Blazing Fire," Lei Zhan mused. "But if I want to increase my strength in the short term, I'll have to focus on the Qi Refining Path and God-Devil Body Refining."
As for the Qi Refining Path, the Nine Directions Fragment was already one of the finest cultivation methods available. Though he had no Essence Liquid, simply using the method to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was still extremely fast.
More than a year had passed since he broke through to the Purple Mansion realm, and with constant cultivation, he had already reached the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm.
Suddenly—
"Hm?" Lei Zhan seemed to sense something. His brow furrowed, and a trace of helplessness showed in his eyes.
"These people really never learn! Is this the seventh wave already?"
As Lei Zhan frowned, a Dragon-Head Warship shot from the distant clouds like a streak of light.
It was heading straight for the black sailboat Lei Zhan controlled.
"There's only one person, and he dares fly over the North Dark Sea?" A puzzled voice came from the distant Dragon-Head Warship. A gold-robed old man with a hooked nose stood on its deck, gazing at Lei Zhan from afar.
"Big brother, judging by the aura of that magic treasure, it's a Human-Grade Magic Treasure. And that kid in black is a Purple Mansion cultivator, too..." Behind the old man stood a short, stout, bald man, who blinked as he spoke. "He doesn't look like he's carrying much. We..."
"We're already here! We've been lying in wait in these waters for more than ten days, and we've finally come across a cultivator!" said another man, tall and thin. "Big brother, even a mosquito's leg is meat. Let us two younger brothers handle this Purple Mansion kid."
"Mm." The short, stout bald man nodded repeatedly. "Big brother is a mighty Myriad Phenomena True Person. There's no need for you to deal with a Purple Mansion cultivator. We'll take care of him."
"You two?" The gold-robed old man with the hooked nose looked toward Lei Zhan. His Divine Sense, at the level of a Myriad Phenomena True Person, instantly swept over the entire black sailboat. "He was too far away before, so I couldn't get a clear read with my Divine Sense. I've just checked, and there really is no one else aboard. But it's strange that he saw us and didn't run..."
"Only one?" The short, stout bald man and the tall, thin man couldn't help feeling disappointed. A lone Purple Mansion cultivator carried even less loot than the groups they usually targeted!
"Enough. Be careful!" the gold-robed man with the hooked nose said sternly. "Make it quick. We'll reach North Sea Commandery City less than an hour after crossing these waters, and cultivators could show up at any time. Don't scare off our fat sheep!"
"Yes, big brother!" the short, stout bald man and the tall, thin man replied respectfully, then transformed into streaks of light and shot away from the Dragon-Head Warship.
Lei Zhan stood on the black sailboat, watching quietly. Even when a wave of Divine Sense swept over him moments earlier, he hadn't moved.
During his time drifting through the skies above the North Dark Sea, Lei Zhan had naturally encountered plenty of cultivators like these, who robbed travelers. He ran into them almost once a month.
However, most of those who targeted Lei Zhan as he flew above the sea on a Human-Grade Magic Treasure were Purple Mansion cultivators.
This was the first time he had encountered a Myriad Phenomena True Person who was interested in robbing a Purple Mansion cultivator.
"This group of cultivators should have only one Myriad Phenomena True Person. Mid-stage?" Lei Zhan looked at the hooked-nosed old man. Of everyone aboard the Dragon-Head Great Ship, only this one gave him a faint sense of danger.
Whoosh—
Just then, two streaks of light howled over from the Dragon-Head Warship. In an instant, they had surrounded Lei Zhan's black sailboat, one in front and one behind. Their practiced movements made it clear they had robbed plenty of cultivators at sea.
"Whoosh!" Lei Zhan's thoughts stirred. His powerful Divine Sense surged out in every direction like rolling waves.
If the hooked-nosed old man's Divine Sense had been like a rising tide, then Lei Zhan's vast, surging Divine Sense was like a roaring tsunami. In an instant, it enveloped nearly a hundred miles around him.
"What? Divine Sense!" The hooked-nosed old man's expression changed drastically as Lei Zhan's Divine Sense swept over them. Even those late-stage Myriad Phenomena cultivators could scarcely compare with such immense Divine Sense. It was almost transforming into divine consciousness.
"Run! Get out of here, now! That Purple Mansion cultivator was pretending to be weak and luring us in!" That was the only thought in the hooked-nosed old man's mind. Cultivators who preyed on others at sea were generally good at reading the wind and adjusting their sails. When things looked bad, they naturally put their own survival first.
He didn't even have time to worry about his two brothers, who were at the Purple Mansion level. He immediately controlled the Dragon-Head Warship and tried to flee at full speed.
"Trying to run? As if I'd let you!" Lei Zhan sneered. At a thought, a Water-Fire Grinding Disc a thousand zhang across appeared in the sky above the waters.
In the blink of an eye, the enormous Water-Fire Grinding Disc began to turn, enveloping both Purple Mansion cultivators who had surrounded the sailboat, along with the Dragon-Head Great Ship.
"Crack!"
"Crack!" "Crack!"
A series of teeth-grating sounds rang out. The short, stout bald man and the tall man lasted less than an instant before the Water-Fire Grinding Disc ground them to dust.
How terrifying was the might of Lei Zhan's Water-Fire Grinding Disc? It contained many Dao insights, and he was only one opportunity away from fully comprehending the Dao of the Azure Sea.
How could mere Purple Mansion cultivators possibly withstand it?
Even the hooked-nosed old man, who was piloting the Dragon-Head Warship in a desperate bid to escape, could only make it crawl forward beneath the grinding disc's crushing force.
"Damn it! Which Myriad Phenomena old monster is pretending to be weak and luring us in? He's reached the Domain Realm of the Dao in several paths... Instead of breaking through to become a Primordial Spirit Daoist, he's piloting a magic treasure over the North Dark Sea to fish for victims..." The hooked-nosed old man gritted his teeth. He was furious!
Whoever reached such a level of insight would usually break through to become a Primordial Spirit Daoist. Who wouldn't establish a power and dominate a region? Or join a great sect or a major clan and cultivate in peace?
"Die!" Beneath the Water-Fire Grinding Disc, Lei Zhan's figure flashed like lightning and became a streak of light. He unleashed Law of Heaven and Earth in an instant, while the Cold Shadow Divine Spear in his hand grew enormous.
Azure waves roared, and blazing flames surged.
Countless spear shadows crisscrossed, blotting out the sky as they descended upon the hooked-nosed old man.
"Damn it! Damn it!" The hooked-nosed old man's eyes turned bloodshot, a savage glint flashing through them. With the Water-Fire Grinding Disc trapping him, he couldn't escape, and his two brothers had died in an instant.
A cornered rabbit would still bite, let alone a Myriad Phenomena True Person who often robbed cultivators on the North Dark Sea!
"So what if your Dao insights are powerful? Your aura... you're still at the Purple Mansion level! Die!" the hooked-nosed old man shouted. The sky around them instantly turned into night, filled with stars, with a bright moon hanging high among them. From within that cold, clear moon, a giant hand reached for Lei Zhan!
At the same time, an enormous seal as big as a mountain appeared above the hooked-nosed old man's head.
The mountain loomed majestically. Though the Water-Fire Grinding Disc had slowed it down considerably, it still shot toward Lei Zhan at tremendous speed.
"Myriad Phenomena Aspect? A high-grade Earth-Grade magic treasure?" The icy look in Lei Zhan's eyes softened a fraction. "This human cultivator is better off than that Myriad Phenomena great demon if he can afford a high-grade Earth-Grade magic treasure!"
"But you're still going to die!"
Complex Divine Patterns, invisible to the naked eye, suddenly flowed across Lei Zhan's palms. His spear lashed out like a python.
In an instant, the great hand of moonlight shattered, and the enormous mountain was sent flying backward.
With the explosive force of Star-Plucking Hand, the Cold Shadow Divine Spear lost none of its momentum as it swept straight toward the hooked-nosed old man.
"W-what... what kind of move is this?" The hooked-nosed old man stared, eyes wide. But the spear was already before him. Even with all his abilities, he had no time to use them at this critical moment.
"Die!"
The spear swept out, and a howling gale rose across the heavens and earth. Then the shaft turned, and its sweeping strike transformed in an instant into a vicious thrust!
"Pfft!"
The spear struck his head. The hooked-nosed old man's face, twisted with unwillingness, was pierced by the Cold Shadow Divine Spear and burst like a watermelon.
The hooked-nosed old man was dead!
"Heh! Quite a few people were hoping to play the oriole after the mantis, weren't there?" Lei Zhan casually glanced toward the distant clouds. His Divine Sense rolled out like a mountain-shaking, sea-surging torrent and swept over them.
In an instant, a warship with a tall sail fled as fast as a startled bird.
Whoosh—
Lei Zhan swept his sleeve, gathering every treasure the three cultivators had left behind.
"So the Dragon-Head Warship is a puppet ship? Not bad. It should fetch a fair amount of Essence Liquid!"
"I wonder which unlucky fellow they stole it from. Well, lucky me!"
Lei Zhan looked at the Dragon-Head Warship and sent his mana into its puppet core. In moments, he had refined it.
With a thought, the black sailboat floating in the air shrank back to the size of his palm. Lei Zhan flipped his hand and put it away, then stepped aboard the Dragon-Head Warship.
"This puppet warship is more comfortable than my magic treasure. Let's go!" Lei Zhan smiled faintly and controlled the Dragon-Head Great Ship, which shot toward the depths of the North Dark Sea like a streak of light.
The warship sailed farther and farther away, leaving only a voice tinged with laughter drifting across the waters.
"Once I cross these waters, North Sea Commandery City will be less than an hour away..."
"Commandery City is the heart of North Sea Commandery. There's bound to be plenty of fine food and wine!"
"Then let's go try the fine wine of North Sea Commandery City!"
If Street-Pavement Diary put out three episodes a day... that'd be a little too much of a flop, wouldn't it?
Then this won't count as a diary anymore!
Just now, after I finished writing this chapter, I got a private message from the site!
I got the second-round new-book recommendation!
I promised two bonus chapters for the second-round recommendation. I'd planned to save them for when the book went on sale, but I kept trying to stockpile chapters and ended up with nothing to show for it. So even though it's still in the new-book period, I'm posting them now!
But thank you, brothers, for your support! Whether I can get the third-round recommendation next depends on you!
Please keep reading! Please keep reading! Please keep reading!