Picking Up Treasure

The reason Hu Mang recognized this thing was because it was so famous—it was agarwood from the seabed.

Originally sperm whale excrement, it has transformed into a top-grade fragrance material after hundreds of years of oxidation and weathering.

However, this does not seem to be ordinary ambergris, because the surface of this grayish-white stone is covered with dense, blood-like veins.

The blood-red pattern was exactly the same color as the surrounding Dragon Blood Tide.

Stimulated by it, even the Eye of the Tribulation Dragon of the Hu Mang twitched slightly.

"Good heavens! Ordinary ambergris is a top-grade incense material, so the fragrance emitted by this Dragon Blood Ambergris can attract Dragon Vein?"

Thinking of this, Hu Mang's eyes lit up, and without saying a word, he stuffed the thing into his Storage Bag.

This kind of good stuff can't be handed over.

Without saying a word, he went straight for his second target, which was the object with the second strongest Spiritual Qi within his Divine Sense range.

Soon, the Hu Mang found the thing.

It was a section of charred wood, its surface covered with fine cracks, and deep within the cracks, faint traces of silvery-white lightning could be seen.

"Lightning-struck driftwood!"

This is most likely a piece of wood that was struck by lightning and sank to the bottom of the sea. After being nourished by Spiritual Qi for thousands of years, the wood has become semi-jade-like, making it an excellent material for crafting lightning-type Law Artifact.

None of that matters. The important thing is, this piece of lightning-struck wood is damn long!

The Hu Mang gestured underwater, indicating it was nearly 10 feet long, or three meters.

Lightning-struck driftwood of this length is enough to make not only wooden plaques and swords, but also gun barrels!

"Using this thing as a gun barrel, its ability to ward off evil spirits and ghosts would be incredibly powerful."

Hu Mang now has two spears: an Immortal Weapon Shattering Thunder and a Mystic Iron Spear.

The former is for suppressing demons and slaying immortals, while the latter is a blank slate.

Hu Mang thought, "Another Ghost-Slaying Spear would be just as good."

Without a doubt, such a treasure was meant to be kept secret. With a flash of light from the Storage Bag, the lightning-struck driftwood vanished.

However, as soon as the log disappeared, the seawater turned black, and then streams of Yin Qi seeped into the Heavenly Devil Field from the seawater.

The seawater trembled violently.

A grayish-white shadow burst forth from the murky seawater, moving so fast that its outline was almost invisible, leaving only a blurry afterimage trailing across the water.

However, the Hu Mang's "Yin Eye" accurately detected its opponent.

It was a water ghost, its skin covered with fine wrinkles, its limbs unusually long, its fingers and toes covered with a translucent webbed membrane, and its nails were jet black and sharp, like ten small daggers.

The most horrifying part is its face; it has no eyeballs, its eye sockets are two black holes, and its mouth is grinned at an abnormal angle, revealing jagged teeth filled with black silt and tiny fragments of seashells.

It pounced on the Hu Mang with incredible speed, carrying a strong, putrid stench, its gaping maw aimed straight for the Hu Mang's neck.

Hu Mang did not retreat. He raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and a ball of gray-black flame ignited in his palm out of thin air.

The moment the Profound Yin Devil Fire touched the water ghost's body, it burst into flames. The gray-black flames spread rapidly along the water ghost's skin, from its chest to its limbs, and from its limbs to its head and neck. In the short span of a breath, the entire water ghost was enveloped in a black torch.

However, one white shadow after another flickered around the Hu Mang, and the Yin Qi energy at the bottom of the sea visibly rose, surging out like a tide, even more ferocious than the Ghost Qi the Hu Mang had seen in the Many Gates Garden.

However, Hu Mang was no pushover. His three-zhang-long Heavenly Devil Field quickly transformed into a three-zhang-diameter black fireball, radiating billowing demonic energy.

Any water ghost that ventured into the Heavenly Devil Field was instantly ignited by the gray-black flames, turning into burning black fireballs that writhed and twisted in agony in the water before gradually turning into charred remains.

Soon, hundreds of black fireballs appeared in the sea, like hundreds of ghostly lanterns hanging in the deep sea, illuminating the surrounding waters with flickering light.

But the number of water ghosts only increased.

"How can there be so many? Have I stirred up a den of monsters?"

A single water ghost possesses the strength of a mid-to-late Foundation Establishment. These hundreds of water ghosts are definitely beyond the capabilities of ordinary Golden Core cultivators... especially Golden Core from the Heavenly Gate!

However, just as Hu Mang was pondering a solution, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly looked down.

With the aid of his Yin Eye, his vision pierced through the murky seawater and layers of Yin Qi, revealing the deeper seabed.

There, the silhouette of a huge black ship lay silently in the mud and sand of the seabed.

The ship was extremely ancient in design, its hull covered with a thick layer of barnacles and shells. The mast was broken, and several large holes were torn in the hull. Judging from the remaining outline, its size in its heyday was no less than that of any ocean-going freighter. At this moment, thick streams of Yin Qi were gushing out of the holes in the hull like fountains, continuously spreading into the seawater. Those pale water ghost figures were crawling out of this shipwreck.

After these thousands upon thousands of water ghosts were sprayed out, they actually lifted the bottom of the boat and moved towards the Hu Mang.

Although it appeared to be moving extremely slowly, with each step, a terrifying ghostly Ghost Qi, almost tangible, would transform into a surging tide of ghosts, rushing towards them.

Hu Mang's expression changed drastically.

He wasn't unfamiliar with ghosts, but this one felt even more ferocious than the thousand-year-old ghost he'd encountered before.

If I had to compare, it's somewhat like the Soul-Binding Willow of the Liu Household —a better-growing Soul-Binding Willow.

"This wrecked ship must have fallen to the bottom of the sea countless years ago. Nourished by the Sea Dragon Vein day and night, its ghostly power is accumulating more and more. It might even have ten thousand years of cultivation. We can't afford to make an enemy of it. Let's run!"

Having only managed to retrieve two treasures from the Dragon Blood Tide, Hu Mang witnessed its ferocity.

Without saying a word, he suddenly turned around in the water, and the Heavenly Devil Field contracted to its fullest extent, turning into a black film that clung tightly to his body, pushing away the surrounding seawater. Then, he kicked off with both feet, and his whole body shot out like an arrow.

Behind him, the ghost ship, carried by thousands of water ghosts, continued to move slowly forward, with the intense Ghost Qi clinging to him like a leech, as if it would not stop until it swallowed him whole.

One minute later, in a certain area of the sea.

Something feels off!

The blood-red seawater surrounding the Hu Mang had turned completely black.

However, relying on his perception of the Profound Yin Devil Fire, the Hu Mang moved and appeared directly in front of a charred corpse, the demonic fire still burning fiercely on the water ghost's body.

Hu Mang immediately understood.

"Damn it, not only are there sea ghosts in the ocean, but there are also ghost walls!"

The roaring and dragging sounds of the ghost ship grew louder and louder, shaking even his Heavenly Devil Field.

"I'm on the edge of the Dragon Blood Tide, and if this thing can appear on the edge, how exaggerated must the risks be at the core?"

Hu Mang took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the demonic light in his eyes had faded, replaced by a deep and serene golden glow. The transformation from demon to Buddha was just a thought away.

With a thought, the surrounding Profound Yin Devil Fire, like fledglings returning to their nests, all merged into the Heavenly Devil Field and directly transformed into a layer of pure golden Buddhist light.

The stronger the demonic fire, the brighter the Buddha's light.

Finally, when the Buddha's light reached its peak, it seemed as if a phantom of a Buddha appeared and disappeared within the light.

The Buddha pointed his finger, and in the next instant, the surrounding black seawater receded like a tide.

By the time the outline of the ghost ship appeared amidst the Yin Qi, the Hu Mang had already vanished without a trace.

On the Hidden Boat

Old Zhu and Old Sha stood on the deck, watching one returning crew member after another.

At the beginning, within three minutes, two crew members were unlucky enough to run into the underwater vortex of Spiritual Qi; if they hadn't run fast enough, they would have been killed.

Naturally, they got nothing.

However, one after another, they all made considerable gains. The later the crew returned, the more valuable items they brought out: high-grade Spirit Stone, water pearls, silver ingots, and most precious of all, a thousand-year-old coral covered with spirit crystals.

The value of this plant is equivalent to that of a ship that runs for ten years. Even if you cut the "brokerage fee" by 45%, the ship won't need to run for five years.

However, whether they were the first or the second to return, the first thing they did was take out Spirit Stone and enter a recovery state.

There was no other way; the consumption of Spiritual Qi during the Dragon Blood Tide was simply too terrifying.

Even in the peripheral areas, Foundation Establishment cultivators face extreme difficulties.

"On the bright side, if they only search around the hull, they won't go far, and the chances of encountering danger are slim."

"And the places we dived into were all relatively safe areas."

Old Zhu paused, his gaze falling on the spirit crystal coral that Xiao Yu had brought back.

"If you're lucky enough, you can make a fortune."

Old Sha nodded in agreement:

"The Dragon Blood Tide usually lasts seven to ten days, offering many opportunities to make money, but safety should be the top priority."

Old Zhu glanced at the time and frowned. "Ten minutes are almost up, and there's still one person missing."

"Wait three more minutes. If they don't come in three minutes, we'll set sail. There's some filth on the seabed; getting tangled in it will be a real problem."

Old Sha said expressionlessly.

The Dragon Blood Tide presents both risks and opportunities. Golden Core can die easily, and Nascent Soul can perish. It is not surprising that anyone dies.

Fortunately, just under ten minutes in, a light came on.

Hu Mang, carrying a sack and a flashlight, charged back from the sea.

"Phew, I almost missed it."

Hu Mang flicked the water droplets from his head and laughed.

Old Zhu and Old Sha exchanged a glance. A flashlight?

"This thing is really useful underwater; it can be used to absorb Yin Qi."

Hu Mang took back the flashlight the old security guard had given him, then tossed the opening of the sack aside.

Water-based Spirit Stone, ancient bronze coins, starfish fossils, and dragon scales vary in value, and some even require appraisal.

However, this half-sack of harvest equaled the combined total of the others—except for that spirit crystal coral.

After avoiding the ghost ship, Hu Mang went to several other locations but didn't find anything particularly good, nor did he encounter any major risks.

Old Sha glanced around and nodded.

"Okay, let's move the boat and change positions."