Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 329 Passing through the Evil Kingdom, the Great Sea

There is no Qilin blood.

There is also no Suanni elixir.

The golden lion has no brains.

It took more than 20 days and four failed attempts for Su Qing to finally succeed in refining the first golden lion.

[Puppet Name: Flying Golden Lion]

[Quality: Tier 3, Superior]

[Type: Flying Beast-type Puppet.]

[Ability 1: Aerial Butcher, the Flying Golden Lion carries twelve Spirit Explosion Flame Cannons on its shoulders, capable of launching saturation attacks on the ground when necessary.]

[Ability Two: Void Manipulation. The Flying Golden Lion brand, imprinted with aerial aura and storm runes, allows the user to harness the power of storms to levitate all things and manipulate objects from the void.]

[Ability 3: Dual-wielding master, imprinted with the Flying Golden Lion battle weapon runes, and infused with the Earth-level combat skill—Swallow Dual Blades, possessing agile movements and masterful swordsmanship.]

[Ability Four: Beastly Instinct. The Flying Golden Lion can utilize many demonic arts of the Azure Lion clan, including but not limited to: Lion King's Roar, Azure Lion True Form, Devouring Heaven and Earth, and Suppressing All Beasts...]

That means there are only four abilities.

It's also the fault of those golden lions for being so disappointing.

I initially thought that although they weren't very bright and couldn't be imprinted with intelligent runes, they were brave and strong in the past battles, and their bodies might contain the bloodlines of mythical beasts like the Suanni, Qilin, and Pixiu, which could help them become relatives.

Unexpectedly, the imprinting of fourth-order divine beast runes repeatedly failed. After careful research, it was discovered that these golden lions did not have any divine beast bloodline at all, or rather, they originally had it, but it was forcibly taken away by outsiders!
"It must have been the Azure Lion clan themselves who did it, pouring the blood of many golden-maned lions into the White-faced Azure Lion King and other members of their clan, giving them the potential to revert to their ancestral divine beast form and advance to the level of a true king!"

The imperial family is the most ruthless, and so are the second-generation beasts.

Su Qing had no time to sympathize with these golden lions. She could only sigh regretfully and put the remaining five golden lion corpses and demon cores into her storage bag.

The Flying Golden Lions are quite powerful. He estimated that if all six Flying Golden Lions were refined and placed in Phoenix City for the battle, they would be able to hold their own against either the four Golden Core Elders or the three Fire Phoenix Elders.

But for him now, it's somewhat unsuitable.

He didn't want to fly; he wanted to escape into the sea.

What he needs is a water lion that can fight in the deep sea!
"To refine the Sea Lion, a third-tier water-repelling pearl is essential, and other precious materials from the Western Sea are also required. We need to go to the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom to procure these materials, so there's no need to rush!"

Flying into the Western Sea is forbidden. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Until one has the ability to overturn the existing rules, one can only act within the rules.

The vast ocean and the boundless sky—once you reach the Western Sea, you certainly can't explore the stars in the sky anymore, but the treasures in the sea are plentiful and varied. It's always a good idea to refine more sea-going puppets!
"Above lies Penglai, below lie Thousand Islands. The Western Sea is the essence of cultivation in the cultivation world, the place where all cultivation arts flourish. I wonder how many fellow cultivators I can trick or benefit with my puppetry skills!"

Inside the quiet room, Su Qing stood with his hands behind his back, looking out the dark window with great anticipation for the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom.

······
"Enter the Demon Kingdom, and the Earth Dragon leaps ten feet underground!"

"Link to the evil country and the evil website, request the evil root track service."

"It costs 126 spirit stones to obtain the second evil root track service."

"The Digging Dragon has entered a static state; the Evil Root is being transported via orbit..."

Inside the Digging Dragon, the caravan members looked relaxed. Their previously dull and lifeless eyes were now sparkling, reflecting their excitement before the end of their shift.

For Su Qing and other independent travelers who boarded the train halfway through the journey, the scenery of the Demon Kingdom was a sight to behold, and they were quite excited.

Su Qing extended his divine sense and saw countless ravines and tangled tree roots underground. Although there were many roots, they did not appear chaotic. Dozens of roots were extremely thick, with light green sap flowing rapidly inside. These were the main means of transportation in the Demon Tree Evil Kingdom.

These earth-digging dragons were currently inside one of the root systems, propelled by their sap, constantly changing tracks and shifting gears within a dense network of underground tracks, heading towards their destination, Wanghai City, at a speed far exceeding that of the earth-digging dragons themselves.

During the journey, Su Qing extended his divine sense upwards and observed the situation on the ground. He saw lush forests reaching the sky, blocking out the sun. Some cultivators had placed spirit houses in the trees as their dwellings, while some mortals had built cities in the trees to reproduce and thrive.

Apart from a few cultivators covered in black cloth who exude an unsettling aura unique to evil spirits, most cultivators and mortals in this immortal kingdom are no different from those in other immortal kingdoms.

However, Su Qing also knew that this entire immortal kingdom was the evil domain of the Great Evil Earth Demon Heaven. Cultivators who had been in this immortal kingdom for a long time would be corrupted by the Great Evil without realizing it. When necessary, the Great Evil could turn this entire immortal kingdom into a demonic entity.

Just like what the Old Evil of Yunshan did to the Yunshan Sect and the White Cloud Immortal City.

As the idol of most evil spirits in the Western Sea cultivation world, Di Motian has obviously done an excellent job.

The evil kingdom it established not only escaped the annihilation of the Western Sea Immortal Kingdoms, but was also able to openly trade with them. In the Western Sea cultivation world, its reputation was even better than that of the Fire Phoenix Immortal Kingdom.

For example, after entering this evil country, Rao Tingshan lowered his guard considerably, no longer as wary of everyone he encountered as he had been after being robbed by Princess Huofeng.

Compared to him, Liang Haishun, Shao Delong, and others had suffered at the hands of evil spirits, and even though the Earth Demon Heaven had a better reputation, they dared not slack off in the slightest.

They hid in the golden light array set up by Lao Liang, afraid of being tainted by any evil energy from the outside world.

"Fellow Daoists, there is no need for this. The Earth Demon Heaven and my Western Sea Yuan Alliance have an agreement that if we are just passing through, we only need to pay a toll, and neither the great nor the small evils in this Immortal Kingdom shall harm us."

"We cultivators from the Western Sea have been trading with the inland immortal kingdoms through this evil country for many years without incident. Surely it's not us who will encounter trouble this time!"

Rao Tingshan greatly admired the cautious attitude of his fellow independent cultivators. If one were to venture into the cultivation world of the Western Sea without such caution, one would not survive for long. However, for the time being, their actions were unnecessary.

Especially considering that the consumption of this third-tier golden light array is measured in spirit stones every moment, it is so extravagant that they don't feel bad about using it, but Rao Tingshan feels bad about it.

With so many spirit stones, wouldn't it be better to spend them on their caravan and buy some female cultivators from the Central Plains or cat demons from the Demon Kingdom?

No matter how he tried to persuade them, Liang Haishun and the others shook their heads vigorously, refusing to leave the Golden Light Formation, as if Rao Tingshan was trying to harm them. It was truly difficult to be a good person.

"Alright, since you have so many spirit stones, then spend them. We are currently on the Second Evil Tree track, which is the root system of the First Evil God, Wanmutong, under the Earth Demon Heaven. It is said that it already has the power of the fourth rank, and the speed of its root system flow is incomparable to other tracks."

"In other words, this trip is for official business, and the toll fees will be reimbursed by the headquarters. Otherwise, how could we enjoy the services of a fourth-tier Great Evil? At most, we would only be willing to buy the fifth-tier rail ticket that costs twenty spirit stones per trip." Rao Tingshan shook his head and prepared to go into the cabin to check the cargo so that he could hand it over to the people from the headquarters in Wanghai City after arriving at the destination.

"Fellow Daoist Rao, approximately how long will it take us to reach our destination?"

Liang Haishun, draped in black cloth, asked with difficulty.

Rao Tingshan only thought that this third-tier golden light array was a waste of money, but little did he know that it was also costing Liang Haishun his life.

"Three days, or three days at most if everything goes smoothly!"
Of course, having already paid the toll, the only possibility is a smooth journey; there are no unexpected situations!

Rao Tingshan spoke confidently, which made Liang Haishun frown as he smelled a familiar scent.

The smell of a flag being raised!
This made Lao Liang nervous, and he dared not easily remove the golden light array.

And his premonition was indeed correct.

"Something's up, fellow Daoist. We need to prepare to activate the protective array within the Earth-Digging Dragon!"

A sudden, loud shout came from Su Qing, causing all the cultivators inside the Earth-Digging Dragon to change color.

Before Rao Tingshan, who was full of doubt, could ask for details, the digging dragon, which had been sliding smoothly in the evil track, suddenly began to thrash violently.

In an instant, the second evil root system, which had been buried deep underground, was pulled out of the ground, forcing all the passengers who had boarded and bought tickets off the train and flinging them into the air.

Bang!
A loud, deafening roar.

The earth-digging dragon, which was thrown from ten feet underground to a height of ten thousand feet before crashing down, created a huge crater on the ground.

Even though Rao Tingshan was reminded by Su Qing to activate the protective array early, many parts of the puppet's surface were still damaged by the forceful expulsion of guests by the Wanmutong.

Leaving aside the damage to the Dig Dragon, a refund is out of the question.

At this moment, after all the cultivators inside the Digging Dragon had calmed down, they were more worried about whether this sudden change would affect their personal safety.

Rao Tingshan held a wooden plaque in his hand, probed it with his divine sense, and connected it to the evil network unique to the evil kingdom. After reading the notice issued by the Earth Demon Heaven, he solemnly addressed the cultivators.

"A notice has been posted on the evil website. Only the Second Evil Root Track is affected. It seems that an external evil has entered the evil kingdom, intending to challenge the position of the First Evil God General of the Myriad Wood Tubes!"

"External evil? What kind of external evil is this, daring to challenge Wan Mutong, a fourth-order local evil, as soon as it arrives in the Demon Tree Immortal Kingdom?"

Li Kuishan's eyes widened like copper bells. No one would feel good after suffering such an undeserved calamity. If that ignorant evil spirit appeared in front of him now, he would even have the urge to teach it a lesson.

"Fellow Daoist Li, look around! These external evils are everywhere!"

Su Qing gestured towards the surrounding demonic trees, and Li Kuishan and the others turned to look.

All over the Demon Tree Kingdom, large red lanterns were hanging from the lush Demon Trees that were everywhere.

The twisted tree trunk and the lingering, malevolent aura of the demonic tree, already inexplicably eerie, were further amplified by the human head lanterns swaying in the wind and emitting a ghostly red light, making the sight even more terrifying.

"This...this is the evil spirit from the Cloud Mountain Immortal City, Gao Erqiang with the Red Lantern?"

Li Kuishan, who had just been staring wide-eyed, ready to settle scores with the evil spirit, now dared not look at the lanterns with human heads, and cried out in panic.

The Baiyun Immortal City incident led to the destruction of the Yunshan Sect and the Yunshan Immortal Kingdom, and was accompanied by many shocking news such as the emergence of the Jade Wall Cave and the display of power by the Nascent Soul Old Evil, which had long since spread throughout many immortal kingdoms at home and abroad.

Gao Erqiang, this evil spirit who liked to use human heads as lanterns, also became famous and well-known to countless cultivators.

For the past three years, his name has appeared on the demon-slaying list of Penglai Immortal Island. On the black market of the immortal kingdom, the Huang family of Penglai has offered a reward of 10,000 spirit stones for him. Many immortal kingdoms have also included him on their unwelcome lists, either expelling him or trying to eliminate him.

Despite being universally condemned, this evil spirit has managed to survive for three years. Today, it is stirring up trouble in this evil land, seeking to become the number two figure in this evil land.

Without a second thought, Rao Tingshan, Li Kuishan, and the others knew how powerful this evil spirit was, and at this moment they had no interest in watching the two evil spirits fight. They only wanted to escape this place of trouble as soon as possible.

Su Qing, who had already released her divine sense and discovered the red lanterns, looked at them with a deep gaze and suppressed the urge to take advantage of the situation to harvest them and improve the completeness of the blooming moment.

Although he wished Gao Erqiang would die sooner.

Right now, he is fighting desperately with Wan Mutong. If I take the opportunity to fleece him, it is indeed very likely that I can help Wan Mutong kill him.

However, this place is, after all, the territory of the Earth Demon Heaven. Since Erqiang died here, the Earth Demon Heaven will not let go of the evil markings on his body. It is possible for the Earth Demon Heaven to collect his body, but there is no possibility for me to be the one to collect his body.

"Knowing that everyone hates you, you might as well come to this Demonic Country to seek the protection of the Demonic Heaven and slowly develop yourself? In that case, who knows when you'll be able to collect the corpses of Fellow Daoist Erqiang!"

Su Qing shook his head regretfully, gazing at the colossal tree at the very center of the Evil Kingdom, its height unknown and reaching deep into the sky. He pondered how many evil runes this old evil being possessed, while also concealing his aura and hiding within the golden light array, preparing to quickly transfer to other evil tracks with Rao Tingshan and the others.

At this moment, he had no ability to hunt down Di Motian or Gao Erqiang. On the contrary, if he were noticed by Di Motian, he might very well become the old evil man's prey.

The cultivators had no way of knowing where Wan Mutong and Gao Erqiang were fighting.

All that is known is that after Wanmutong removed all its roots to focus all its efforts on dealing with Gao Erqiang, the original underground track network had fallen into chaos and needed to be rearranged and reorganized, which was not something that could be accomplished in a day or a moment.

There are no wicked paths to follow, so all practitioners must travel their own way.

The Digging Dragon, carrying the Thousand Islands Sea and Sky Flag, moved freely across the ground, though it took many detours due to the numerous and winding paths posed by the many Demon Trees.

However, because the attention of the evil cultivators and evil spirits of the evil kingdom was drawn to the great battle between Gao Erqiang and Wan Mutong, which could potentially change the fate of the evil kingdom, no one paid attention to them, a group of passing cultivators. As a result, after months of anxiety, the group of cultivators finally arrived at their destination.

Wanghai City is jointly controlled by the Earth Demon Kingdom and the Thousand Island Immortal Kingdom.

This city is the starting point for the journey to the Western Sea, bearing the important responsibility of connecting the inland immortal kingdoms with the Western Sea immortal kingdoms for trade. Like a gluttonous beast lying on the edge of the Western Sea, it swallows and spits out massive amounts of goods and people every day, absorbing countless spirit crystals and spirit stones.

"With a fourth-order Dragon-Snake Land-Rising Formation deployed, and a Nascent Soul cultivator paired with a fourth-order puppet to suppress it, such a lineup truly lives up to the reputation of the number one city in the Western Sea!"

(End of this chapter)