North Sea Commandery City

Time passed day by day.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed since Lei Zhan left the Water Mansion.

During these six months, Lei Zhan steered his sail-boat magic treasure northward across the North Dark Sea. Gazing down at the vast, magnificent ocean while the sea breeze brushed against him, he not only gained insights into the Way of North Wind but also deepened his understanding of the Dao of the Azure Sea.

More than half a year has passed. While comprehending the Dao above the North Dark Sea has allowed my progress in the Dao of the Azure Sea to advance by leaps and bounds, I have now hit a bottleneck, Lei Zhan thought silently.

Although he possessed supreme comprehension and the assistance of the Black Bead, once he hit a bottleneck, his innate talent could only do so much; he had to rely on the slow accumulation of time to grind through it.

Of course, there were other ways. If the Black Bead within Lei Zhan's body were fully charged with energy, any minor bottleneck could be resolved instantly through an epiphany.

Following the precedent of the previous two times, it will take another three years or so for the Black Bead to accumulate enough energy to assist me with an epiphany.

Lei Zhan looked inward at his Dantian Purple Mansion, where the infant-fist-sized Black Bead floated. The starlight within the bead had accumulated to nearly one-third of its capacity.

Although the Dao of the Azure Sea has hit a bottleneck, it only needs a single opportunity to be fully comprehended. The epiphany opportunity from the Black Bead is too precious; using it to help comprehend the Dao of the Azure Sea would be a waste. As for the Red Snow Spear Technique... I am close to fully mastering the second form.

There is still plenty of room for improvement in the Way of North Wind and the Way of Blazing Fire, Lei Zhan pondered. But if I want to increase my strength in a short time, I must start with the Qi Refining Path and God-Devil Body Refining.

As for the Qi Refining Path, the Nine Directions Fragment was a top-tier cultivation method. Even without Primordial Liquid, relying on the method itself to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was extremely fast.

It had been over a year since he broke through to the Purple Mansion stage, and through constant cultivation, he had even reached the middle stage of the Purple Mansion.

Suddenly.

"Hmm?" Lei Zhan seemed to sense something. He frowned, his eyes filled with a hint of helplessness.

"These people really don't have any brains! This is the seventh wave already!"

Just as Lei Zhan frowned, a Dragon-Head Warship transformed into a streak of light, instantly flying over from the clouds in the far distance.

Its target was none other than the black sail-boat Lei Zhan was steering.

"A lone person, and he dares to fly over the North Dark Sea?" A voice filled with doubt came from the distant Dragon-Head Warship. An old man in golden robes with a hooked nose stood on the deck, looking at Lei Zhan from afar.

"Big Brother, looking at the aura of that magic treasure, it's only a human-rank one. And this kid in the black robe is also just a Purple Mansion cultivator..." A short, fat, bald man behind the hooked-nose old man blinked. "This kid doesn't look like he has any oil to squeeze. Should we..."

"We're already here! We've been lurking in this sea area for over ten days, it's not easy to run into a cultivator!" another tall, thin man spoke up. "Big Brother, even a mosquito's leg is meat. Let the two of us brothers go and rob this Purple Mansion kid."

"Hmm." The short, fat, bald man nodded repeatedly. "Big Brother is a powerful Wanxiang True Person; naturally, you don't need to take action against a Purple Mansion cultivator. Let us two handle it."

"The two of you?" The hooked-nose old man in golden robes looked at Lei Zhan from afar. His Divine Sense at the level of a Wanxiang True Person instantly enveloped the entire black sail-boat like a tidal wave. "It was too far before, and my Divine Sense couldn't see clearly. I've just probed it; there is indeed only this kid on the boat. But the fact that he didn't flee when he saw us is a bit suspicious..."

"Only one?" The short, fat, bald man and the tall, thin man couldn't help but feel disappointed. Just one person, and a lone Purple Mansion cultivator at that—the spoils would be much less than those from a group!

"Enough! Be careful!" the hooked-nose man in golden robes said in a deep voice. "You two, be quick. It's less than an hour to the North Sea Commandery City after crossing this sea area. Cultivators could arrive at any time; don't let the fat sheep escape because you were careless!"

"Yes, Big Brother!" The short, fat, bald man and the tall, thin man responded respectfully, then transformed into streaks of light and flew off the Dragon-Head Warship.

Lei Zhan stood on the black sail-boat, watching quietly. Even when the wave of Divine Sense swept over him, he did not move.

During his time drifting over the North Dark Sea, Lei Zhan had naturally encountered many such predatory cultivators. He ran into them almost once every month.

However, most of those who targeted him while he steered a human-rank magic treasure were also Purple Mansion cultivators.

This was the first time he had encountered a Wanxiang True Person interested in a Purple Mansion cultivator.

This group of cultivators should only have this one Wanxiang True Person. Mid-stage Wanxiang? Lei Zhan looked at the hooked-nose old man. On the entire Dragon-Head Warship, only this person gave him a hint of a threat.

Whoosh~~~

At that moment, two streaks of light whistled over from the Dragon-Head Warship, instantly surrounding Lei Zhan's black sail-boat from the front and back. They were extremely skilled, showing they had done this many times before.

Whoosh! Lei Zhan's heart stirred. His powerful Divine Sense, like rolling waves, crushed toward all directions.

If the hooked-nose old man's Divine Sense was like a tide, Lei Zhan's vast and majestic Divine Sense was like a surging tsunami, instantly enveloping a radius of nearly a hundred miles.

"What? Divine Sense!" As the Divine Sense swept over, the hooked-nose old man's expression changed drastically. Such vast Divine Sense was far beyond what even those late-stage Wanxiang cultivators could compare to; it was almost turning into spiritual consciousness.

"Run! Run immediately! This Purple Mansion cultivator is playing the pig to eat the tiger!" The only thought in the hooked-nose old man's mind was to flee. Cultivators who preyed on others at sea were mostly opportunists; when they saw a bad situation, they naturally prioritized saving their own lives.

He didn't even care about his two Purple Mansion brothers. He steered the Dragon-Head Warship, intending to flee at top speed.

"Want to run? How could there be such a good thing?" Lei Zhan sneered. With a thought, a Water-Fire Grinding Disc, fully a thousand feet in size, instantly appeared above the sea.

In an instant, the massive Water-Fire Grinding Disc rotated, enveloping the two Purple Mansion cultivators surrounding the sail-boat and the Dragon-Head Warship together.

"Crack!"

"Crack!" "Crack!"

A series of teeth-grinding sounds rang out. The short, fat, bald man and the tall, thin man lasted less than an instant before being shredded and ground to death by the Water-Fire Grinding Disc.

The power of Lei Zhan's Water-Fire Grinding Disc was terrifying! It not only contained numerous Daos, but his understanding of the Dao of the Azure Sea was just one opportunity away from being fully comprehended.

How could mere Purple Mansion cultivators withstand it?

Even the hooked-nose old man, who was trying to flee at top speed in the Dragon-Head Warship, found that under the shroud of the Water-Fire Grinding Disc, his ship could only crawl forward with difficulty, like a turtle.

"Damn it! Which old Wanxiang monster is playing the pig to eat the tiger? Several Daos have reached the Domain Realm of the Dao... instead of breaking through to become a Primordial Spirit Daoist, he is actually fishing for prey on the North Dark Sea..." The hooked-nose old man gritted his teeth. He was filled with hatred!

Who among those who reached such a level of Dao comprehension hadn't already broken through to become a Primordial Spirit Daoist? Who wasn't dominating a region and establishing a force? Or perhaps joining a major sect or tribe to cultivate in peace?

"Die!" Under the Water-Fire Grinding Disc, Lei Zhan's figure moved like lightning, instantly transforming into a streak of light. He activated the Law of Heaven and Earth in an instant, and at the same time, the Cold Shadow Divine Spear in his hand grew even larger.

The Azure Sea surged, and the blazing fire roared.

Endless spear light crisscrossed, enveloping the hooked-nose old man like a blanket covering the sky.

"Damn it! Damn it!" The hook-nosed old man's eyes turned bloodshot instantly, a fierce, malevolent light flashing within his pupils. Trapped beneath the Water-Fire Grinding Disc with no hope of escape, he had just watched his two brothers perish in an instant.

One must know that even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a Wanxiang True Person who frequently plundered the North Dark Sea.

"So what if your insights are profound? Your aura... is still at the Purple Mansion level! Die!" The hook-nosed old man shrieked. The surrounding sky instantly plunged into night, filled with stars and a bright moon hanging high above. From within that cold, clear moon, a massive hand suddenly lunged toward Lei Zhan!

Simultaneously, a seal as gargantuan as a mountain peak appeared above the hook-nosed old man's head.

The mountain was majestic; although its speed was significantly hampered by the Water-Fire Grinding Disc, it still plummeted toward Lei Zhan with terrifying velocity, whistling through the air.

"A Wanxiang Dharma Form? A Heaven-grade high-tier magic treasure?" The icy coldness in Lei Zhan's eyes melted slightly. "To be able to bring out a Heaven-grade high-tier magic treasure, this human cultivator is actually wealthier than that Wanxiang Great Demon!"

"However, die!"

Complex, invisible divine patterns suddenly flowed across Lei Zhan's palms. His spear, like a python, lashed out horizontally.

In an instant, wherever the spear passed, the moon and the giant hand shattered, and the massive mountain peak was sent flying backward from the sheer force of the strike.

Under the explosive power of the Star-Plucking Hand, the Cold Shadow Divine Spear lost not a shred of momentum as it whipped directly toward the hook-nosed old man.

"This... this, what kind of technique is this?" The hook-nosed old man's eyes widened in horror, but the spear was already upon him. Even if he had other tricks up his sleeve, there was no time to deploy them in this split second.

"Die!"

The spear swept out, causing a howling gale to erupt across the heavens and earth. Then, with a twist, it instantly transformed into a furious thrust!

"Squelch!"

The spear pierced his skull. The hook-nosed old man's face, filled with unwillingness, was struck by the Cold Shadow Divine Spear and burst apart like a watermelon.

The hook-nosed old man was dead!

"Heh! There are quite a few who think they can play the role of the oriole!" Lei Zhan swept a casual glance toward the distant clouds, his Divine Sense rolling out like a mountain-toppling sea to sweep across that patch of mist.

Instantly, a warship with long sails fled at high speed, like a startled bird.

Whoosh~~~

Lei Zhan waved his sleeve, gathering up all the treasures left behind by the three cultivators.

"This Dragon-Head Warship is actually a puppet warship? Not bad, it should be worth quite a bit of elemental liquid!"

"I wonder which poor soul these people robbed to get this; it's my gain now!"

Lei Zhan looked at the Dragon-Head Warship, his magic power invading the puppet's core, and within moments, he had refined it.

With a thought, the black-sailed ship hovering in the air shrank down to the size of a palm. Lei Zhan flipped his hand to store it away and stepped directly onto the Dragon-Head Warship.

"This puppet warship is certainly more comfortable than my magic treasure. Let's go!" Lei Zhan smiled slightly, maneuvering the massive Dragon-Head ship as it transformed into a streak of light, flying toward the depths of the North Dark Sea.

The warship drifted further and further away, leaving only the faint, amused echoes of his voice lingering over the sea.

"Since I'm crossing this sea, it will only take an hour to reach the North Sea Commandery City..."

"The Commandery City is the heart of the North Sea Commandery; there will naturally be no shortage of fine food and wine!"

"I might as well go and taste the wine of the North Sea Commandery City!"

If a "diary" has three entries a day... that's a bit of a failure, isn't it!

Then this doesn't count as a diary!

Just now, right after finishing this chapter, I received a notification from the site!

I've secured the second round of new book recommendations!

I promised to add two chapters for the second round of recommendations. I originally intended to save them for the official launch, but I kept hoarding them, only to end up hoarding nothing at all. I might as well release them during the new book period!

However, thank you all for your support! Whether I can secure the third round depends on you guys!

Please keep reading! Please keep reading! Please keep reading!