Flying Pigs

Hu Mang's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul level of Divine Sense was something that not only Lu Shuichan couldn't have imagined, but Hu Mang himself couldn't have foreseen either.

Of course, there are many reasons that can be found, such as the surge in Divine Sense brought about by repeated elixir formation, the Form-Emptiness Transformation brought about by Vajrayana, and even the changes brought about by the unification of the Three Flowers.

But in essence, it is Hu Mang's profound understanding of the Heavenly Gate cultivation system.

Then, this profound understanding allowed his Divine Sense to undergo a qualitative change from a quantitative one.

After all, this is the Azure Mysterious Realm. In such a world rich in Spiritual Qi, it's quite normal to have a sudden enlightenment.

During the meal, a remark by Lu Shuichan made Hu Mang fall into deep thought.

At that moment, Lu Shuichan was gnawing on a chicken leg. The chicken was a free-range chicken raised on a farm, with firm and chewy meat. As Lu Shuichan gnawed on the chicken leg, he mumbled something indistinctly.

"If you can refine your Golden Core to the sixth grade, do you plan to continue refining it?"

Hu Mang was taken aback. He knew that in Heavenly Gate, the National Standard Golden Core was the Innate Golden Core, which was already at the top level.

There's nothing higher up.

However, in the Azure Mysterious Realm, the Innate Golden Core is only a sixth-grade immortal pill. Above that, there are even Purple Mansion Immortal Pill and the legendary Nine Revolutions Immortal Pill.

The latter, in particular, is a genuine elixir of immortality, the kind brought down from the upper realm.

Therefore, when Hu Mang first heard that "National Standard Golden Core" could be upgraded, he indeed found it somewhat unbelievable.

But upon closer examination, it makes quite a bit of sense.

What do you mean by that, senior brother?

"What I mean is, if you're going to try that living person alchemy method again, you need to strengthen your physical body, otherwise you really might get roasted to death if you're not careful."

After finishing his own chicken leg, Lu Shuichan set his sights on the Xu Nuoning's bowl. However, the girl seemed quite wary, or perhaps she had been tricked many times before. Upon seeing this, she immediately protected the bowl and jumped off the table, running around in a flurry of activity.

There was nothing we could do; there were only two chicken legs, and only two "kids" on the table.

Hu Mang, on the other hand, pondered the other party's idea, and the more he thought about it, the more correct it seemed.

"Senior brother, does our sect have any body-refining Method Formula?"

"Yes, there are many such Method Formula, such as the 'Azure Cypress Skin-Fortifying Art,' 'Mysterious Gang Skin-Tempering Instruction,' 'Five Sacred Peaks Body-Shaking Technique,' 'Peak-Subduing Mysterious Body Instruction,' and so on..."

Lu Shuichan casually rattled off a long list of Body Refining Cultivation Method, but quickly changed the subject.

"There are many Body Refining Cultivation Method, but few are suitable for you. You'll need to keep your eyes open when choosing one."

Why is that?

"When refining elixirs, one must avoid adding too many medicinal herbs, otherwise the medicinal properties will change, and all efforts will be in vain," Lu Shuichan said meaningfully.

"If you use your physical body as the main medicine and your Dantian as the cauldron, then you need to consider the medicinal properties. Different Body Refining Cultivation Method produce different medicinal properties, and some may even conflict with your Golden Core."

Lu Shuichan finished off the leftovers on the table in one go, then picked up Xu Nuoning, who had slipped over, and wiped his mouth.

"You'll have to think about that yourself, after all, I've never practiced your physical alchemy technique myself."

Hu Mang nodded, stood up, and respectfully bowed to the other party, "Thank you for transmitting the Dharma, Senior Brother!"

"Hey, that's no fun. Our sect has enough idiots with just your senior brother, don't add any more."

Lu Shuichan waved his hand, making a move to leave, but after taking two steps with his short legs, he turned back.

"By the way, now that you've mastered the Three Flowers technique, according to the sect's rules, you should be doing an introductory quest, right?"

Hu Mang was taken aback. "That is indeed the case."

Have you chosen your mission?

Hu Mang briefly explained the sealing mission he had chosen to the other party, and after listening, Lu Shuichan's eyes gradually lit up. He took off on the spot, patted Hu Mang's shoulder, and said in an old-fashioned manner.

"Since your senior brother is not here, as the only one of the Five Dwarfs of Mystic Peak still in the sect, I have an obligation to take care of you in place of Chunwuzi."

Hu Mang squinted at the person bouncing around in front of him.

Do you really want to help me with the mission, or do you just want to go out and have some fun?

Earth Star, Nanyang, Palembang of Sumatra

The land on both sides of the port is low-lying and crisscrossed by waterways. Most of the houses are floating houses or stilt houses with wooden stakes deeply embedded in the mudflats.

The houses here either stand by the water or float on the waves. When the tide rises, the houses float, and when the tide falls, the houses are stable. This is a unique waterside dwelling landscape in Nanyang.

Buddhist followers, clad in ochre and earth-yellow robes, either walk barefoot along ancient paths on the mudflats or sit quietly in the shade of Bodhi trees beneath pagodas.

Undeterred by the damp heat and miasma, and undisturbed by the bustling city, they would either lower their heads to chant scriptures or raise their hands to give alms to passing merchants and fishermen, their fingertips twirling palm-leaf prayer beads. Their aura was serene and peaceful, allowing this bustling port, teeming with merchant ships, to always be enveloped in a layer of otherworldly Zen charm.

These believers, who resemble monks, are the very ones who inspire the Saha Continent.

Many locals, after a busy day, would go to these "inspirers" to listen to sermons and chanting.

In the eyes of these locals, they are living Buddhas.

A monk dressed in an ochre hooded coat hurried past, bypassed the crowd, and arrived at a stilt house. He knocked on the door three times and then pushed it open and entered.

The stilt house was not decorated in any special way, except for a local-style cot-shaped platform and a screen painted with an image of Buddha cutting off his own flesh to feed an eagle.

"Ahem, you're here again," the person behind the screen said, their voice sounding quite old.

Where is what I asked for?

"It's been prepared for a long time."

The other party pushed a stack of papers out from behind the screen. The mysterious cultivator opened it, glanced at it, and breathed a sigh of relief.

This is a stack of nautical charts, which not only mark certain special sea areas, but also indicate the ocean currents, Spiritual Qi currents, types of sea monsters, and pirate groups active along the nearby coastline.

The mysterious monk closed the blueprints and prepared to leave, but hesitated for a moment and then asked again.

Has anyone been secretly investigating me lately?

"You mean the bounties on the Demonic Net? Those are always posted, so any random bounty hunter could take them, or maybe a pirate captain would see them and steal them."

"I mean, the people from the Demonic Machine Hall, those modified cultivators."

"The New Demonic Path, huh? Ever since your old man was betrayed by the Zheng Family Garden, you lot have either died or scattered. In their eyes, you're no longer of any value."

The mysterious cultivator secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and was about to ask something else when suddenly a blood-red light flashed in his eyes, and his expression changed.

"I have urgent business to attend to, goodbye."

The mysterious monk left in a hurry.

As soon as he left, the screen was pushed open.

Inside the screen, a pale-faced Jiangtou from Nanyang, whose legs had vanished, was being held at knifepoint.

The one wielding the knife was a woman, dark-skinned and thin, holding two short knives in her hands, one reversed and the other pressed against the other person's neck.

"Aren't you going to chase after them?" the Jiangtou asked dryly.

"Someone will be chasing us. I'm only responsible for your side," Naimi said coldly, her aura revealing that she had Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

How did you find out about me?

The Jiangtou couldn't help but exclaim that he, an underground cultivator who sold information, had actually had his information betrayed.

"A message from your Jiangtou friends."

"Since we destroyed Mandala Islet, those Jiangtou have become much easier to talk to. They don't even need sacrificial offerings anymore when we ask for information."

"So it was you!"

The Jiangtou immediately recognized who the other party was, his gaze falling on the woman's pale hair roots, and he couldn't help but speak.

"If you use the ritual of extracting essence and marrow too often, your lifespan won't be long."

"No need for you, a seasoned shaman, to bother. I'll definitely outlive you," Naimi said calmly.

As soon as Shi Sha left the small building, his eyes twitched incessantly. He had actually sensed a faint trace of demonic energy behind the screen.

If it weren't for his recent breakthrough in cultivation, that aura wouldn't have been detectable at all.

Who is behind the screen?

The New Demonic Path cultivators, local forces, bounty hunters from the Demonic Net, or...?

These Old Devil cultivators are already like stray dogs; why would anyone still care about them?

Almost as soon as he stepped out of the small building, he began to contact his fellow disciples, but most of the numbers went unanswered.

Only one person received the call, but a piercing scream came from inside.

"Senior Brother Shi, hurry, let's go! We've been betrayed..."

Shi Sha's expression changed drastically. Without saying a word, he went straight to a dock known only to himself.

However, when he arrived at the dock, one figure after another emerged from the black boat. When one of them lifted his hood, the figure that was revealed made his pupils shrink.

"What, don't you recognize your master?" Elder Min said with a sinister smile.

"Old man, Master, you're still alive," Shi Sha said with a forced smile.

"We'll settle the score later for you taking money from the Demonic Machine Hall and betraying your master."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Elder Min into a bloody shadow and burrowed directly into the other party's face. Soon, "Shi Sha" pulled out a black token that was one-third of its original size from his close-fitting clothes.

"Luckily, you didn't lose my things."

Elder Min turned his head and glanced around.

"Let's go. This is Wanshun Sea Hall's territory, and these fake monks give me a very uncomfortable feeling."

Elder Min glanced at the "inspirant" who was educating the locals and frowned.

Soon, three specially made magical flying boats sailed out of the dock and headed towards the large ship that was there to pick them up.

However, the airship had only traveled halfway when former bounty hunter Along received a phone call. His expression changed, and he said:

My friend in Srivijaya told me that three local warships have set sail, heading in our direction.

"Shi Sha" frowned and tossed the token to the other party.

"I'll go stop them and put the things away safely. These are items specified by the Martial Hall Master; they're crucial to whether you can accept the modifications."

The next moment, "Shi Sha" transformed into a streak of blood-red light and vanished from the spot.

But soon, Naimi's expression changed again, "There are flying pigs behind us."

"How many times have I told you, don't secretly call me a fat pig!" Along turned around angrily, his expression changing. "Holy crap, he really is a flying pig!"

From the surging waves behind them, one dead pig after another emerged from the sea, densely packed, rushing towards the small boat where the group was.

After the dead pigs burst out of the waves, their bellies split open, from which black mist surged out, condensing into long, thin tentacles that waved in the air like the tentacles of an octopus.

They emitted a series of low, guttural sounds, like gurgling sounds squeezed from the depths of their throats, and then swooped down on the three flying boats, overwhelming and blotting out the sun, like a torrential downpour of rotting pork.