He Was Still Alive

Among the cultivators of the Human Realm, only Purple Mansion True Persons could enter the void and disregard spatial distances. Only Purple Mansion True Persons were formless and shapeless, able to change their physical appearance at will.

In other words, only upon reaching the Purple Mansion realm could Human Realm cultivators take the form of Demon Beasts.

Besides Purple Mansion True Persons, there were other human cultivators who could turn into Demon Beasts: those whose Lineage or sect practiced beast taming could also transform into Demon Beasts upon reaching Late-stage Qi Refinement, using a secret technique and taking a secret medicine.

Two months earlier, Tang Yuan had experimented and found that, although he was only a Meridian Opening cultivator and knew no secret techniques, he could still transform into a Demon Beast by using the Nine Snake Serpent Demon Core in his Dantian and taking a Beast Transformation Pill obtained from the Demon Realm.

It was just that the Demon Beast he became had no innate Divine Ability to speak of, only boundless strength...

Having transformed into a giant sea turtle, Tang Yuan gradually sank to the seabed and waited for the storm to subside.

But the storms above the sea sometimes raged for more than twelve double-hours. Even as a sea turtle, Tang Yuan sometimes couldn't hold his breath any longer. He had no choice but to rise gradually, follow the dark iron chain to the surface, and briefly breathe for a few moments before diving again.

Sometimes, Tang Yuan saw that the sea had grown calm and was just about to return to human form when he discovered another storm approaching.

Sure enough, even ghosts would be afraid if they came to this Ghost-Fearing Sea.

I'd better come here less often in the future. The giant sea turtle Tang Yuan's mouth twitched, and he had no choice but to dive again...

...Ten thousand li to the east, the sky over the Emerald Creek Island docks was cloudless.

Dressed as a scholar, Liu Hanchuan waved the folding fan in his hand and gazed anxiously westward.

"Little Liu, why haven't you gone fishing again today? Don't forget,

"Only after you've presented the Xi Household with a hundred jin of spirit fish each month do the rest of your catches count as your own." Kang Cang strolled toward the fish stall. He was on duty there again today.

"Fishing, my ass.

"I've already signed an agreement to order the hundred Red Spirit Eels Tang Yuan wanted from someone else.

"If Tang Yuan died in the Ghost-Fearing Sea, I can only sell those hundred Red Spirit Eels to the Xi Household. I'll lose ten Spirit Stones out of my own pocket.

"I've spent ten hard years fishing for the Xi Household, scrimping and saving, delivering messages and running errands on the side, just to save up twenty-five Spirit Stones. Losing ten Spirit Stones all at once is going to kill me." Liu Hanchuan looked pained.

"Little Liu, you're the one who begged Tang Yuan to let you buy the Red Spirit Eels for him in the first place.

"I told you to start next month, but you wouldn't listen. You just had to take half the share out of my hands." Kang Cang curled his lip.

"Wasn't I in a hurry to make money? I wanted to buy a wisp of lower-grade fifth-tier Spiritual Qi for thirty Spirit Stones and consume and absorb it, so I could break through to the Meridian Opening Seventh Layer..." Liu Hanchuan was full of regret.

"Come to think of it, Old Kang, why aren't you worried?

"If Tang Yuan doesn't come back, you'll lose ten Spirit Stones too."

"Young people are just too impatient." Kang Cang put on the air of a seasoned elder.

"Tang Yuan's only been gone nine days. Driving a fishing boat with Spiritual Qi, a round trip to the Ghost-Fearing Sea takes at least ten days.

"Don't worry. Tang Yuan will definitely return within three days.

"Even a Qi Refinement Great Perfection cultivator can't stay in the Ghost-Fearing Sea for twelve double-hours."

"Nine days ago, a lot of people saw it: Tang Yuan didn't use his own Spiritual Qi to drive the fishing boat to the Ghost-Fearing Sea this time. He used a Spirit Stone directly.

"They even thought he was a Xi Household wastrel to dare waste a Spirit Stone like that." Liu Hanchuan's face was ashen.

"What?!

"Tang Yuan used a Spirit Stone to drive the fishing boat!

"In that case, the boat would travel twice as fast. A round trip to the Ghost-Fearing Sea wouldn't take three days." Kang Cang rose to his feet, his face full of shock.

"That's what I'm saying. Nine days have already passed.

"Either Tang Yuan never went to the Ghost-Fearing Sea at all, or he's already ended up in a fish's belly..." Liu Hanchuan sighed softly.

"No, we need to see him alive or see his corpse.

"Help me mind the fish stall for a while. I'll go ask Deacon Xi..." Kang Cang muttered anxiously, stepping onto a bamboo-leaf flying boat and flying east.

"Whoa, Old Kang, I couldn't tell you cared so much about Tang Yuan.

"Ah, as his schoolmate, I truly hope nothing happened to Tang Yuan either." Liu Hanchuan shook his head helplessly.

As Kang Cang traveled through the air, he cried out bitterly in his heart. I don't care whether Tang Yuan lives or dies, though I don't want anything to happen to him either.

But even if Tang Yuan is dead, the fishing boat he rented mustn't be lost.

A fishing boat is worth three hundred Spirit Stones. I also hold a deputy post managing the boats. If one goes missing, I won't be able to escape responsibility...

An hour later, Kang Cang returned with a troubled look.

Since it was now the last third of the month, the winds and waves at the Ghost-Fearing Sea were at their fiercest. Deacon Xi had ordered them to wait until the beginning of the next month before sending anyone to investigate.

Deacon Xi had also said that if the fishing boat really had been lost, Kang Cang would bear thirty percent of the responsibility...

Human Realm, fourth day of the fourth month, year 4024 of the New Immortal Calendar, Emerald Creek Island docks.

Kang Cang and Liu Hanchuan stood on a fishing boat, gazing longingly at the western horizon.

"Elder Kang, I'm only at the Meridian Opening Sixth Layer, while you're at the Qi Refining Second Layer. How about you drive the fishing boat during the day, and I'll drive it at night?" Liu Hanchuan said with a smile.

"Hmph, we won't need to drive it," Kang Cang snorted.

"Speaking of which, you seem quite concerned about Tang Yuan too."

"After all, when over a hundred immortal seedlings sought immortality under Daoist Gou, Tang Yuan and I were already on good terms.

"Even if Tang Yuan is gone, I hope we can find his remains.

"Of those hundred people, only Tang Yuan and I came to the Xi Household. Aside from the other three who entered the Purple Sword Sect, whom we occasionally hear from, we've lost touch with the other ninety-odd people.

"In this vast sea of people, they were all just passing travelers in our lives." Liu Hanchuan sighed and looked at Kang Cang.

"Elder Kang, you said just now that we wouldn't need to drive the fishing boat. Is someone from the Xi Household coming?"

"She's here." Kang Cang looked at a young woman in green approaching from nearby and turned his head to indicate her. "Her name is Xi Yunshu. She's just sixteen, the fourth daughter of Xi Xinfeng, the current head of the Xi Household.

"Household Head Xi Xinfeng also has three sons, but they're all good-for-nothing layabouts. Xi Yunshu, on the other hand, not only has a high-grade Spirit Root, but is also diligent and eager to learn. She's already at the Qi Refining First Layer. Word around town is that Xi Yunshu might even become the Xi Household's first female head, so mind what you say."

"Good heavens, she's only sixteen and already at the Qi Refinement realm.

"Ah, she's a great Qi Refinement cultivator who could take on dozens of us. On top of that, she's direct lineage among the Xi Household's direct lineage. I'll definitely watch my words." Liu Hanchuan looked at her enviously for a moment, then immediately lowered his head, blushing like a sheltered young lady shyly beholding a sweetheart far above her reach.

This Liu Hanchuan does know how to conduct himself... Kang Cang nodded casually.

Xi Yunshu walked onto the dock, jumped aboard the fishing boat, and took out a Spirit Stone.

Kang Cang understood at once. He took the Spirit Stone and installed it in the fishing boat's power compartment, driving the boat westward as fast as wind and lightning...

The fishing boat had traveled for most of the day when they began to see scraps of boats and cultivators' clothing floating on the sea. Xi Yunshu's expression also grew somewhat troubled. The waters of the Ghost-Fearing Sea were rich in fish and belonged to no cultivation Lineage. There were always some daring cultivators from the Western Spirit Ten Thousand Islands Region and Rogue Cultivators who went there to hunt.

"Could Tang Yuan really have..." Liu Hanchuan sighed quietly.

Before Kang Cang could offer any words of comfort, Xi Yunshu pointed ahead. "What's that up ahead?

"It looks like a cultivator. Judging by his clothes, he seems to be a spirit worker of my Xi Household."

Liu Hanchuan stepped onto his bamboo-leaf flying boat and flew over. In less than three breaths, he turned back and shouted excitedly, "It's Tang Yuan! He's holding on to a piece of driftwood.

"Heaven has eyes! He's still alive!"...