Trapped in a Bewildering Formation
After flying about thirty miles, the Spirit Eye Technique captured another Demon Fish at the Second-Level Lesser Demon.
This is a Black Bream Demon, over three meters long, with a jet-black body, rough scales, and a sharp dorsal fin. When it swims, it looks like a moving black reef.
The meat of the Black Bream Demon is of average quality and can be sold for two Spirit Stone per pound. This one weighs about forty pounds and can be sold for eighty Spirit Stone.
As usual, Wang Mengde caught the fish, killed it, and put it into his Storage Bag.
After flying another twenty miles, a Red Bream Demon appeared in the field of vision of the Spirit Eye Technique.
The Red Bream Demon is 1.5 meters long and entirely crimson, resembling a burning flame swimming in the deep sea, making it exceptionally eye-catching.
The flesh of the Red Bream Demon is delicious and full of spiritual energy. One pound can be sold for five Spirit Stones. This one weighs about twenty pounds and can be sold for one hundred Spirit Stone.
With a flick of his wrist, Wang Mengde released the fishing line and easily caught the fish.
And so he flew and searched, occasionally catching a Demon Fish at the Second-Level Lesser Demon or Third Layer of Minor Demon.
After an hour, the Storage Bag contained twenty-one small Demon Fish of two or three levels, of various sizes and kinds.
A rough calculation shows that these low-level Demon Fish, just from the second and third levels, are already worth more than three thousand Spirit Stone.
Wang Mengde was in high spirits and continued flying southwest on his sword.
His Spirit Eye Technique swept across the deep sea, and suddenly, his gaze sharpened.
About sixty miles to the southeast, in the deep sea at a depth of six thousand meters, a giant octopus was lying on a reef, its eight long tentacles outstretched like a flower blooming in the water.
That was an Eight-Tentacle Demon Fish at the Fourth-Level Little Demon Realm.
The octopus's body is dark red, covered with tiny suckers, and each tentacle is three meters long and as thick as a child's arm. The ends of the tentacles are sharp like spears, making it look extremely terrifying.
Its two eyes were as large as fists, deep yellow, with a cold and bloodthirsty light shining through their vertical pupils.
It exuded a dense Yao Qi, far stronger than the small fish at the Second-Level Lesser Demon we had encountered before.
Wang Mengde's eyes lit up.
The Eight-Tentacle Demon Fish is considered a top-grade Demon Fish even among the Fourth-Level Little Demon.
Its tentacles are firm and elastic, making them ideal for sashimi;
The meat on the body is fatty and juicy, making it suitable for stewing in soup.
One pound of octopus meat can sell for thirty-five Spirit Stone, which is more than ten times more expensive than the Mystic Ice Fish.
He flew off in that direction on his sword.
After flying above the octopus, Wang Mengde took out a fishing rod and infused it with spiritual energy.
The fishing line shot out silently, piercing the seawater and extending towards the octopus.
The octopus seemed to sense something; its tentacles retracted slightly, and its two eyes looked around warily.
However, the fishing line was too thin and transparent to be seen in the seawater, so it did not detect the source of danger.
The fishing line silently entangled itself around one of the octopus's tentacles, then quickly wrapped around all eight tentacles and the octopus's body, binding them tightly.
The octopus then realized the danger and struggled desperately, exerting force with all eight tentacles at the same time.
Its strength was immense; it pulled the entire reef so hard it shook.
But the fishing line was incredibly strong, and no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't break.
With a flick of his wrist, Wang Mengde's fishing line began to be retrieved rapidly.
The octopus, being dragged along the fishing line, rose rapidly to the surface.
From 3,000 meters to 2,000 meters, and from 2,000 meters to 1,000 meters.
It struggled desperately in the water, waving its tentacles and opening and closing its suckers, trying to grab onto something to hold itself.
But the surrounding area was empty; there was nothing there.
With a flick of his wrist, Wang Mengde pulled the fishing line back up sharply, and the octopus burst out of the water, tracing an arc in the air as it flew towards him.
Wang Mengde used his Water Arrow Technique, shooting a water arrow towards the Eight-Tentacle Demon Fish.
The water jet instantly pierced the Eight-Tentacle Demon Fish's head, shattering its central nervous system.
The octopus's body twitched violently, then went limp, its tentacles drooping limply.
Wang Mengde caught the Eight-Tentacle Demon Fish, held it up to his eyes and looked at it. The octopus's tentacles stretched out and were three meters long.
This octopus is estimated to weigh 30 pounds.
One jin (500 grams) contains 35 Spirit Stone, so this one contains 1050 Spirit Stone.
Wang Mengde nodded in satisfaction, put the Eight-Tentacle Demon Fish into his Storage Bag, and continued his search.
Azure Cliff Island.
Alchemist Xuan Yun stared at the small dot on the talisman for a long time, and only after confirming that the dot was moving in a southwest direction did he nod in satisfaction.
She stood up, straightened her robes, and walked out of the quiet room.
She entered the courtyard, patted her Storage Bag, and in a flash of inspiration, a dark red Flying Sword appeared before her, with a faint red light flowing over its blade.
She leaped onto her Flying Sword, soared into the sky, and flew eastward toward Rosy Cloud Island.
After flying about fifty miles, the sea was empty, and there was no one around.
After carefully observing the surroundings and confirming that no one was around, Alchemist Xuan Yun quietly landed on a reef protruding from the sea.
The reef was small, only wide enough for one person to stand on, and its surface was covered with barnacles and seaweed, making it extremely slippery.
Alchemist Xuan Yun stood on the reef, reached out and patted his Storage Bag. With a flash of light, a Gray Mask appeared in his hand.
The mask was made of some unknown material, soft like leather, with no patterns on its surface, and was a dull, unremarkable gray.
She put the mask on her face and infused it with spiritual power.
The mask seemed to come alive, beginning to wriggle and emitting a soft hissing sound.
The edges of the mask blended seamlessly into her skin, becoming one with her face without leaving any trace.
Then, her face began to change.
The eyebrows became thinner, the corners of the eyes turned up, the bridge of the nose became higher, the lips became thinner, the face shape changed from round to oval, and the skin tone changed from fair to slightly yellow.
In the blink of an eye, she transformed from a charming middle-aged woman into a young woman in her early twenties.
She wasn't particularly beautiful; she was just pretty, the kind of person you wouldn't notice in a crowd.
She reached out and patted the Storage Bag again, and in a flash of inspiration, a complete set of robes appeared in her hand.
The robe was grayish-blue, with a plain style and material, and no patterns or decorations. It was exactly the same as the most common low-level robes on the market.
She quickly draped the robe over her shoulders, fastened the belt, and straightened the collar.
Her grey-blue robes, paired with her delicate yet ordinary face, made her look like an average female cultivator in the Qi Refinement Realm, utterly unremarkable.
Alchemist Xuan Yun glanced down at his attire and nodded in satisfaction.
She patted her Storage Bag, put away the dark red Flying Sword, and replaced it with an ordinary light blue Flying Sword.
Then the Flying Sword suddenly changed direction, bypassing Azure Cliff Island and speeding towards the location indicated by the Talisman.
The sea breeze howled, making her robes flutter loudly.
She flew incredibly fast, several times faster than before, her Flying Sword leaving a white trail on the sea surface at an astonishing speed.
They flew another two hundred miles, but the surroundings remained empty and deserted.
Alchemist Xuan Yun patted his Storage Bag, took out a grayish-white pill, and put it in his mouth.
The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, transforming into a cool liquid that slid into the stomach.
Immediately, the aura of the Peak Qi Refinement on her body rapidly decreased, from the Peak Qi Refinement Refining to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, then from the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement Refining to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement, and finally stopped at the Seventh-Level Qi Refinement, which was much weaker than the Peak Qi Refinement and was inconspicuous.
Alchemist Xuan Yun sensed the aura emanating from the body and nodded in satisfaction.
She took out the dark red Talisman. The small dots on the Talisman were moving at a moderate speed, generally in the southwest direction.
She determined the direction, used her sword to take a detour, and flew two hundred miles ahead of the direction the small dot was moving.
Throughout the flight, she frequently observed her surroundings to make sure no one was around before she felt relieved.
An hour later, she arrived at the designated location.
The sea was completely empty; as far as the eye could see, there was only the boundless ocean, without any islands, ships, or people.
Alchemist Xuan Yun hovered in mid-air, observed his surroundings again, and after confirming that there was nothing unusual, he patted his Storage Bag. A flash of spiritual light appeared, and a palm-sized array plate appeared in his hand.
The array plate was entirely black, made of an unknown material, and covered with countless fine runes, each as thin as a hair, densely covering the entire plate and emitting a faint spiritual light.
Alchemist Xuan Yun took a deep breath and channeled his spiritual energy into the array plate.
The runes on the array plate lit up instantly, emitting a dazzling spiritual light. The light grew stronger and brighter, like a small sun blooming in her hand.
Immediately, the array plate transformed into countless runes, like a swarm of fireflies, flying out of her hand and merging into the surrounding space.
The moment the runes merged, the space trembled slightly, emitting a low hum.
A trapping formation, spanning a hundred miles, quietly appeared.
The boundary of the trapping formation was a layer of pale golden light curtain, on which runes flowed and emitted terrifying power.
Once any living being is trapped inside, unless it possesses strength far exceeding that of the formation, it has no chance of escape.
Alchemist Xuan Yun nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the emerging trapping formation.
She formed a hand seal and channeled a beam of spiritual light into the energy.
Immediately, the light barrier trapping the formation began to fade, becoming increasingly faint and transparent. In less than three breaths, it completely disappeared without a trace.
The sea returned to normal, without any abnormalities, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
Alchemist Xuan Yun withdrew her gaze, touched her bracelet, and with a flash of light, a small fish-shaped spirit beast quietly appeared in her hand.
This is a Little Silver Dragon Fish, no more than three inches long, with a completely silvery-white body and fine, dense scales that shimmer brilliantly in the sunlight.
The fish has a long, slender body with smooth lines. Its tail is fan-shaped and sways gently. On its head grows a pair of small horns, which are pale gold and have a faint glow.
Her eyes were big and round, like two black gems, lively and bright, and were darting around.
This is a mid-grade Little Silver Dragon Fish spirit beast cub.
It is worth two thousand Spirit Stone on the market.
The moment the Little Silver Dragon Fish appeared in Alchemist Xuan Yun's hand, it nestled affectionately against her palm, its little mouth opening and closing, emitting soft chirps, as if it were being affectionate.
Alchemist Xuan Yun gently stroked the Little Silver Dragon Fish's head, and the Little Silver Dragon Fish comfortably squinted its eyes and arched its back even more happily.
She gave the command in a low voice, her tone gentle yet carrying an unyielding authority.
The Little Silver Dragon Fish nodded, leaped from her hand, streaked through the air in a silver light, and splashed into the sea.
The moment it entered the water, the Little Silver Dragon Fish seemed to have returned to its home turf. With a flick of its tail, it moved with astonishing speed, transforming into a silver lightning bolt as it swam swiftly towards Wang Mengde's location.
It disappeared into the deep sea in the blink of an eye.
Alchemist Xuan Yun watched the direction where the Little Silver Dragon Fish disappeared, a slow smile crept onto his lips.
Everything is ready; all that's left is for the prey to fall into the net.
Wang Mengde flew close to the sea surface on his sword, the sea breeze howling and his robes fluttering.
With the Spirit Eye Technique at full power, the entire sea area spanning dozens of miles was laid out before him, each layer of water beneath the surface as clear as an unfolding scroll.
As he flew, he searched, occasionally catching a Demon Fish of the Second-Level Lesser Demon or Third Layer of Minor Demon and storing it in his Storage Bag.
Over the course of two hours, the Storage Bag contained more than forty Demon Fish, with a total value exceeding six thousand Spirit Stone.
Wang Mengde was in a good mood and continued flying southwest on his sword.
His Spirit Eye Technique vision swept rapidly beneath the sea surface, and suddenly, his eyes lit up.
About fifty miles to the southwest, in the deep sea at a depth of three thousand meters, a small, silvery-white fish is swimming.
The fish was only about three inches long, its entire body silvery-white with fine, dense scales, shimmering brilliantly in the deep sea like a moving star.
The fish has a long, slender body with smooth lines, and its tail is like a fan, which can travel a long distance with a gentle sway.
The fish has a pair of small, distinctive horns on its head, which are pale gold in color and faintly glow with a spiritual light.
Baby Little Silver Dragon Fish.
A medium-grade Spirit Fish fry.
Wang Mengde's heart skipped a beat.
The value of a single baby Little Silver Dragon Fish is over two thousand Spirit Stone.
Wang Mengde was overjoyed, but years of caution prevented him from rushing forward immediately.
He suppressed his excitement, activated his Spirit Eye Technique to its fullest extent, and scanned his surroundings.
The sea was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.
They thoroughly investigated every layer of water, from the surface to the seabed, but found no cultivators, no Demon Fish, and nothing unusual.
Within a radius of fifty miles, besides him, there was only that Spirit Fish fry.
Wang Mengde waited a few more breaths to confirm that there was nothing unusual before he flew off on his sword towards the direction of the Spirit Fish.
The Flying Sword was pushed to its limit, drawing a white line across the sea surface at an astonishing speed.
The Little Silver Dragon Fish swam swiftly in the deep sea, like a silver lightning bolt, rushing towards the depths.
Its speed is astonishing; its small body, only three inches long, darts through the water like an arrow, covering hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.
While pursuing on his sword, Wang Mengde used his Spirit Eye Technique to pinpoint the location of the Spirit Fish fry.
He was much faster than the juvenile Spirit Fish, and the distance between them was rapidly decreasing.
Fifty li, forty li, thirty li, twenty li----
But soon, his expression changed drastically.
Suddenly, a pale golden light appeared on the sea ahead.
The light rose from the sea, like an invisible wall, blocking his way.
Runes flowed across the light, radiating terrifying power—the kind of spiritual light only found in formations.
He suddenly turned his head to look around, only to find that not only in front of him, but also on his left and right sides, and even behind him, there were faint golden lights appearing.
The rays of light rose from the sea, stretched into the sky, connected with each other, and formed a huge Light Barrier that enveloped him.
A trap formation spanning a hundred miles.
He had inadvertently stumbled into a trap.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his panic, and quickly calmed down.
The trapping formation, as the name suggests, is a formation used to trap the enemy; it has no offensive power itself.
The person who set up the formation went to such great lengths to create this trap, there must be a backup plan.
What he needs to do now is prepare for the approaching enemy.
With a thought, Wang Mengde rapidly channeled spiritual power into his mid-grade magic robe and mid-grade Law Artifact inner armor.
He then took out the jade talisman that Liu Yuanming had given him, which sealed the full-force attack of Foundation Establishment Late Stage expert, and held it in his left palm.
The jade talisman was dark blue, with a faint spiritual light flowing within it.
He unleashed his full power of the Spirit Eye Technique, warily scanning his surroundings.