Chapter 182

Chapter 182

They had been busy in the space for most of the day. Then Wen Qiao nurtured a large cluster of Purple Jade Spirit Bamboo that had been gnawed down to a few stalks by Wen Guangun, before they left the space.

When leaving, she brought out both Wen Tutu and Wen Guangun.

Perhaps due to the influence of the Yin and Yang Spring's aura in the deep-sea space, the two beasts had an inexplicable fear of the Yin and Yang Spring. Even though Ning Yuzhou's space contained a smaller version of the spring, they still refused to stay in any space with it.

In contrast, Damaoqiu and the two Yellow Crystal Ants, who had not directly experienced the power of the Yin and Yang Spring, remained calm and showed no desire to leave the space.

Why leave when there is food and shelter here?

Only fools would go outside where everything is wet.

"Look at your lack of ambition," Ning Yuzhou said, clearly disdainful of the beasts' behavior.

Wen Tutu loudly protested to Ning Gege, believing no beast could resist the power of the Yin and Yang Spring.

Wen Guangun also took out a stalk of Purple Jade Spirit Bamboo and slowly started gnawing on it, intending to calm its nerves with some bamboo.

This little beast was quite shaken too.

Wen Qiao thought Wen Tutu made a good point—the Yin and Yang Spring's aura was indeed terrifying. If not for its beneficial effects, many cultivators might be affected by its aura, thinking their souls were frozen, leading to self-destruction.

Ning Yuzhou took out his tea-making tools and brewed a pot of hot tea. The two sat together and enjoyed it.

"The Yin and Yang Spring is a natural treasure. As a treasure, it has its own spirit. Whether it conceals itself or emits an aura affecting the soul, these are all protective measures. The Primordial Nourishing Pill was created by ancient cultivators specifically to obtain the Yin and Yang Spring. Later, it was used to nourish the primordial spirit," Ning Yuzhou explained as he sipped his tea.

Wen Qiao understood the principle of treasures concealing themselves but never thought the aura affecting the soul was also a protective measure.

Indeed, all things in the world have their own spirit.

She took a sip of tea and asked, "Husband, although there is a Yin and Yang Spring in your space, it cannot regenerate like the one in the deep sea. Once used up, it's gone, right?"

"That's true. Unless we encounter another Yin and Yang Spring in the future, we must use it sparingly."

Ning Yuzhou felt regretful about this. He wanted to take more, but taking too much would be unjust. He dared not take too much, leaving enough for the spring to survive and find another space after the current one collapses.

He didn't know if they would ever have such luck again.

However, their situation had turned out well.

Although they were tricked by Fairy Flowing Cloud into coming to the Endless Sea, they were fortunate to encounter the Yin and Yang Spring and even befriended imperial and royal-level demon cultivators. These connections in the Endless Sea could be cultivated further.

Wen Qiao didn't know Ning Yuzhou's thoughts and sipped her spirit tea leisurely, feeling lazy.

After visiting the space with the Yin and Yang Spring, despite being carried by Lan Jinshang, the collapse of the space had kept them on edge until now.

After finishing their tea, they went to bed to rest.

After a night's rest, feeling refreshed, Ning Yuzhou stayed in the room to refine pills, planning to try refining another batch of Primordial Nourishing Pills for future use.

Wen Qiao, along with Wen Tutu and Wen Guangun, left the palace to find the sea beasts of Star Crossing Gorge.

The sea beasts had been waiting and quickly surrounded them upon their appearance.

As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. Now, facing so many high-level sea beasts, Wen Qiao remained calm, and even Wen Tutu no longer panicked. Wen Guangun, slow to react, found nothing to fear and continued eating calmly.

The sea beasts, experienced, lined up and pushed water balls containing items to Wen Qiao, asking how many spirit pills they could exchange and reporting which ones they wanted.

Now, regardless of their personalities—whether fierce, domineering, cunning, or selfish—they no longer tried to snatch the spirit pills but obediently exchanged items according to Wen Qiao's rules. Anyone who disobeyed would face punishment from Lan Jinshao—or rather, Yansheng alone was enough.

While Wen Qiao was conducting a friendly spirit pill exchange with the sea beasts, Yansheng suddenly appeared in front of the palace.

Seeing the sea beasts queuing up like kittens to exchange spirit pills, Yansheng couldn't help but frown.

His expression darkened as he glanced at Wen Qiao, thinking of Xuanlun inside the palace. He didn't say anything but walked over and called the sea beasts who had finished exchanging, giving them detailed instructions.

After completing the exchange, Wen Qiao planned to return the items to Ning Yuzhou but noticed Yansheng hadn't left. He stood nearby, staring at her, clearly with something to say.

If there wasn't something important, this tiger shark, who harbored a strong bias against human cultivators, wouldn't stand there.

"Senior Hu, is there something you need?" Wen Qiao asked, ignoring his unfriendly look.

Yansheng grunted, seemingly struggling to speak. "Xuanlun's injuries have stabilized. If there are no complications, he should fully recover in a few months..."

"Really? That's great news," Wen Qiao said happily.

Seeing her sincerity, Yansheng's expression softened slightly. "I heard from Aunt Lan that your efforts helped heal Xuanlun's injuries."

Wen Qiao nodded naturally. "Indeed, without my husband, Senior Xuan wouldn't have recovered."

Though true, stating it so plainly was frustrating for demons.

Yansheng, feeling frustrated, thought this female cultivator was infuriating. He stiffened and finished his words: "Anyway, thank you for your help. You are benefactors of Star Crossing Gorge. I apologize for my previous prejudice—though I still think human cultivators are no good, except for you."

Wen Qiao responded with an "oh," not angered by his attitude but instead sympathetically said, "It seems you've encountered many scoundrels. I can't believe you met all the bad people in the world. But meeting us two good people means your luck isn't all bad."

Yansheng: "..."

Suddenly, he felt like hitting someone.

Feeling there was nothing more to discuss with this narcissistic cultivator, Yansheng left with a stern face.

After sparring with Yansheng, Wen Qiao returned to the palace, feeling relieved.

After Ning Yuzhou finished refining a batch of pills, Wen Qiao handed him the items exchanged with the sea beasts and told him what Yansheng had said.

"Husband, once Xuanlun recovers, can we leave the Endless Sea?" she asked hopefully.

Ning Yuzhou nodded with a smile, "If everything goes as expected, that's indeed the case."

Wen Qiao and Wen Tutu were both delighted. Although the resources under the sea were abundant and they had been quite comfortable in Star Crossing Gorge, they still disliked being surrounded by water all the time and preferred to return to the mainland, where they could feel solid ground beneath their feet.

"For Senior Xuan's injuries, Senior Lan will likely be too busy to attend to other matters for some time. We'll stay in Star Crossing Gorge for now. If you find it boring, you can practice your skills with those sea beasts," Ning Yuzhou suggested, adding thoughtfully, "Also, you can seek out Yansheng for sparring. A tiger shark at the King level is tough-skinned and sturdy, making it an ideal opponent for practicing the Celestial Fist."

Wen Qiao's eyes lit up. A King-level demonic beast was equivalent to a cultivator at the Primordial Emperor realm. Having a Primordial Emperor cultivator as a sparring partner was almost unimaginably beneficial.

It was only because they were now considered benefactors of Star Crossing Gorge that they could make such a request.

Wen Qiao was quite tempted and planned to bring up the matter the next time she saw Yansheng.

She believed that even if Yansheng was reluctant, he would agree, and during the sparring sessions, he would be cautious about making any aggressive moves.

***

In the days that followed, as Ning Yuzhou had predicted, Lan Jinshang did not appear.

Wen Qiao guessed that the family of three was probably still staying at Xuanlun's recuperation spot, fostering their bond while waiting for his injuries to stabilize. Although the waters of Yin and Yang Spring could neutralize the internal energy, Xuanlun's injuries over the years had affected his core, requiring a period of rest before he could leave the recuperation area.

With Lan Jinshang absent, Wen Qiao and her companions settled comfortably in Star Crossing Gorge, occasionally trading items with the sea beasts who brought water spheres. Their days were peaceful and leisurely.

One day, a group of visitors suddenly arrived at Star Crossing Gorge.

Before they could get close, Yansheng appeared outside Star Crossing Gorge, looking stern and wary.

The group consisted of about ten individuals, one of whom was an Imperial-level demonic cultivator, while the others were all at the King level.

Given the sudden influx of so many demonic cultivators, it was understandable that Yansheng would be on guard, considering Star Crossing Gorge had only two King-level demonic beasts, and the sole Imperial-level one was still recuperating.

The Imperial-level demonic cultivator was an elderly man with white hair and beard, looking kind and gentle. He smiled warmly at Yansheng and asked, "Why are you the only one here? Where are Xuanlun and Lan Jinshang?"

Facing an Imperial-level demonic cultivator, Yansheng restrained himself but still exuded the natural ferocity of a tiger shark. "My apologies, Lord Wu. Senior Xuan needs to recuperate and rarely leaves his quarters. Senior Lan stays with him."

Lord Wu, the elderly man with white hair and beard, looked surprised. "Xuanlun's injuries haven't healed yet?"

Yansheng, not adept at acting, could only nod stiffly. Fortunately, he usually had a fierce demeanor, so no one noticed anything amiss.

"How could Xuanlun's injuries still not be healed after more than a hundred years?" Lord Wu sighed, his worried expression suggesting genuine concern for Xuanlun's prolonged recovery.

However, the sea beasts knew better. Despite his kind appearance, Lord Wu was a cunning old fox. His benevolent looks were merely superficial. Similarly, Xuanlun, despite his gentle appearance, was not someone to be trifled with; those who dared bully him often ended up as bones at the bottom of the sea.

Seeing Yansheng silent, Lord Wu continued, "By the way, have any of your beasts left Star Crossing Gorge recently?"

Hearing this, Yansheng's heart skipped a beat, remembering Lan Jinshang's instructions. His face grew stiffer.

He replied stiffly, "I don't know, sir. As you know, some sea beasts are free-spirited and like to wander around. I can't keep track of them."

"Have you and Lan Jinshang gone out?" Lord Wu pressed, with the other King-level demonic cultivators watching closely.

Yansheng continued stiffly, "As you know, Senior Xuan's injuries have not healed, and Senior Lan stays with him. If there's nothing urgent, she rarely leaves Star Crossing Gorge. As for me, I need to manage the beasts here, so I can't leave either."

This was true, and the demonic cultivators familiar with Star Crossing Gorge nodded in agreement.

Star Crossing Gorge's territory was not the largest in the domain of the Purple-eyed Venerable, resulting in a limited number of high-level sea beasts. Apart from the recuperating Xuanlun, only Lan Jinshang and Yansheng remained. Recently, a peak ninth-level sea beast attempted to transcend its form but failed, ultimately perishing in the heavenly lightning.

Due to the shortage of transformed demonic cultivators, Lan Jinshang and Yansheng rarely left Star Crossing Gorge.

Lord Wu stroked his white beard and squinted his eyes. "Has any demonic cultivator or powerful sea beast passed through Star Crossing Gorge recently?"

"No!" Yansheng answered firmly.

He wasn't lying; there really hadn't been any.

Lord Wu asked a few more questions, to which Yansheng answered truthfully.

After questioning, the demonic cultivators found no reason to doubt him and were puzzled.

A month ago, a dormant volcano at the boundary between Star Crossing Gorge and Warren erupted, releasing a powerful and terrifying energy wave that broke through the sea and reached the skies above the Endless Sea, causing significant disturbances and alarming nearby demonic cultivators, who rushed to investigate.

The energy wave lasted for three days before subsiding.

The alarmed demonic cultivators speculated that a treasure might have emerged and rushed to the site. However, upon arrival, they found the volcano empty, with no traces left behind.

Puzzled, they wondered how something so powerful could leave no trace. Could someone have taken the treasure first?

Convinced a treasure existed, they gathered and searched the surrounding areas, suspecting the sea beasts and demonic cultivators of Star Crossing Gorge and Warren. They split into two groups to investigate both territories.

Despite Yansheng's less-than-stellar performance, his fierce demeanor made it hard to discern anything suspicious. The demonic cultivators familiar with Star Crossing Gorge found no flaws in his answers and soon stopped suspecting them.

Lord Wu bid farewell to Xuanlun and left with the group, planning to ask elsewhere.

Yansheng watched them depart until they disappeared, then turned and entered Star Crossing Gorge.

Shortly after Yansheng entered Star Crossing Gorge, a demonic cultivator appeared nearby.

The demonic cultivator approached a sea beast leaving Star Crossing Gorge and asked, "Has Senior Lan or Senior Tiger left Star Crossing Gorge recently?"

The sea beast, instructed by Yansheng, shook its head dumbly.

The demonic cultivator questioned several sea beasts from Star Crossing Gorge, receiving the same answer each time, and eventually left.

After he departed, the sea beasts hurried back to Star Crossing Gorge to report the incident to Yansheng.

Yansheng's expression was calm as he said, "I understand. You did well this time. In the future, if anyone else asks, respond in the same way. Given your good performance this time, I will allow you to continue exchanging spirit pills with those two cultivators."

The sea beasts looked at him but remained silent.

Even if Lord Tiger opposed it, they would still exchange with them. At worst, they could do it secretly without letting Lord Tiger know.

Yansheng dismissed the sea beasts and returned to the palace, heading straight for where Xuanlun was recuperating. He then told Xuanlun and Lan Jinshang about what had just happened.

As for the two cultivators residing in the palace, Yansheng had not even considered looking for them.