Xiuxian: Start with the medicine boy

Chapter 1744 Arrival, Soul Search!

suddenly!

In the once empty seabed, invisible ripples seemed to spread from Cheng Buzheng's toes.

Wisps of silvery-gray mist surged like swimming fish, shattering everything within a radius of ten feet.

next moment!

A cyan figure seemed to pierce through the barrier of space, enveloped in a faint glow, appearing suddenly on the seabed with unparalleled power.

The newcomer wore a blue robe, the hem of which fluttered gently with his subtle movements, revealing cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread at the cuffs—

The cloud patterns were simple and elegant, subtly revealing an indescribable Taoist charm.

That handsome face was unlike any ordinary person's; it was as if a celestial being had descended to earth.

However, when he raised his eyelids, his deep eyes were even more captivating—

These are not the eyes of an ordinary person.

It was clearly a vast and boundless sea of ​​stars!

Countless tiny starlight flows slowly within, sometimes transforming into a dazzling Milky Way, sometimes condensing into a swirling nebula, making one feel as if their soul is being sucked in when they look at it.

"Little demon," he spoke, his voice calm and even, yet possessing a strange penetrating power that clearly reached all directions.

"Although you are somewhat shameless, you are right about one thing:"

Natural treasures and rare resources should indeed be reserved for those of virtue.

The words paused.

He slightly raised his eyes and said with a half-smile:

"But I believe you are not a virtuous demon!"

"Who?!"

The crab demon, who was carefully peeling the medicinal herb from the crevices of the coral reef, suddenly raised its head, covered with hard blue armor, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Its compound eyes, about the size of a bowl and gleaming with an eerie light, instantly locked onto the direction from which the sound came.

Eight claws covered with fine, sharp spines carved eight swift streaks in the water.

It suddenly retreated rapidly, and the resulting undercurrent even overturned several low-lying sea anemones nearby.

Alarm bells rang loudly in the crab demon's mind.

This sudden aura made it instinctively feel a deadly threat!

It cautiously extended its tentacles, trying to sense the depth of the other's body.

The next instant, a vast and boundless aura, like an invisible mountain, crashed down!

The terrifying aura it exuded far surpassed that of any powerful demon it had ever encountered, not even the supreme elder revered by its clan.

Its aura is far inferior to even a fraction of this!

"Gulu..."

An awkward rolling sound came from the crab demon's throat, and the flesh beneath its shell trembled slightly.

It clearly felt that it was as insignificant as a speck of dust in a storm before this aura, and could be crushed to dust at any moment.

A sense of fear and unease, originating from the depths of the soul, instantly overwhelmed it like a cold tide.

"Your teachings are truly admirable!"

The crab demon suppressed its fear, quickly retracting its claws and tightly clutching the newly acquired, spiritually potent herb to its chest. Its posture was extremely humble, and its voice trembled slightly with tension.

"This little demon...this little demon is certainly not a virtuous demon!"

But you're different, senior!

You look like a highly respected and venerable elder!

"This junior...this junior was blind and ignorant today, and has offended you, senior. I beg you to be magnanimous and spare my life!"

Talking!

It carefully cradled the medicinal herb with its two largest claws, offering it forward with trembling grace, as if it were holding not a medicinal herb, but a priceless treasure:

"Senior, this is a 'Nine-Aperture Stone Milk Grass' that I obtained by chance. It is of great benefit to cultivation."

"This humble demon is willing to offer it to you, senior, only begging for your mercy this time!"

Cheng Buzheng quietly watched the crab demon's trembling and cautious appearance, and a faint smile involuntarily appeared on the corner of his mouth, which seemed to be both mockery and admiration.

"You little devil, you're quite sensible."

He spoke softly, his voice remaining calm, revealing neither joy nor anger:

"However, I have no interest in your elixir."

"If you do me a small favor, I'll forgive and forget about it."

Upon hearing this, the crab demon's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and a hint of surprise and anticipation flashed involuntarily in its eyes.

It nodded vigorously, as if pounding garlic:

"Please feel free to give any instructions, senior!"

I will go through fire and water for anything that I can do!

"Absolutely no excuses!"

"Yeah"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Buzheng raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Before he finished speaking, his fair and slender right hand slowly rose and gently stretched out towards the crab demon.

"Wow——!"

In an instant,

An indescribable, terrifying power erupted from his palm, like an invisible giant hand gripping the crab demon's throat, violently pulling its body forward!

The power was far beyond the crab demon's imagination. It didn't have time to make any effective resistance before it felt its body flying uncontrollably toward the palm that was floating in the air.

That palm looked ordinary, but it was covered with mysterious and unfathomable dark gold patterns.

Each line seemed to possess a life of its own, flowing slightly in the dark void, exuding an ancient and eerie aura.

"Soul fluctuations...it's a soul-searching technique!"

The crab demon was shocked, and a chill ran from its tailbone straight to the top of its head!

It instantly recognized this vicious spell as recorded in its demon clan's ancient texts!

Human cultivators often use this technique to forcibly strip living beings of their memories and souls. Those affected may suffer complete loss of cultivation or even become mentally impaired.

In severe cases, the soul will be scattered and the spirit will never be able to be reincarnated!

"Senior, spare me! Senior, spare me!" The crab demon was terrified and struggled desperately, his voice filled with despair.

However, Cheng Buzheng ignored his pleas for mercy.

His expression was indifferent, and his eyes showed no emotion, as if he were dealing with a trivial matter.

"Oh!"

There was a muffled sound.

Drawn by immense force, the crab demon's hard head slammed precisely into the center of the hand covered in strange patterns.

At the same time, the dark gold patterns on Cheng Buzheng's palm suddenly shone brightly, and the dark blue light surged into the crab demon's head like a tide.

The crab demon's screams suddenly rang out, a sound so shrill it seemed to come from the deepest hell, filled with endless pain and fear.

Its body convulsed violently, its eight claws flailing wildly, creating bursts of water.

After a few breaths,

The pain in the crab demon's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a deathly stillness and confusion.

Its life force, like the receding tide, seemed to be waning soon...

This crab demon, who could live for eight or nine years at the Golden Core stage, was about to reach the end of its life.

"As expected..." Cheng Buzheng calmly observed the scene and spoke softly.

"The vitality of the demon race is indeed more resilient than that of the human race of the same level."

His tone was flat, as if he were merely stating a trivial fact, showing no sympathy for the crab demon's tragic fate.

after all!

At the same level, the lifespan of the demon race is indeed longer than that of the human race.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to withstand the soul-searching spell for so long; their souls would have been scattered long ago.

It is precisely because of the powerful vitality of the demon race that it is sustained.

However, no matter how strong the life force of the demon race is, it cannot withstand the soul-searching spell for a long time.

A moment later, the crab demon's head drooped limply, completely losing all signs of life.

Bang!

The crab demon's resilient body crashed into the churning seawater below, splashing up a cloud of murky water.

Cheng Buzheng casually waved his hand, and the dark blue light in his palm instantly subsided, along with the mysterious patterns, restoring his original fair and smooth appearance.

He glanced indifferently at the lifeless corpse of the crab demon and the equally dead shrimp demon not far away, his tone completely calm:

"Little demon, you're just unlucky!"

This spiritual herb is definitely not something a lowly demon like you can covet!

"Of course, if you can withstand the torment of soul-searching and survive, I might consider sparing your life."

As for the soul being shattered and turning into an idiot, that was not within Cheng Buzheng's consideration!

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his sleeve.

A soft light flew out from his sleeve, instantly enveloping the corpses of the crab demon and the shrimp demon.

In the light, the two demonic corpses vanished.

Even the Nine-Aperture Stone Milk Grass, which the crab demon treasured, vanished without a trace.

It left only a shallow pit in the original spot, with a faint medicinal fragrance still lingering at the bottom.

Then, Cheng Buzheng raised his hand again and grabbed at the air.

A chaotic light surged from his palm, rapidly spreading out and erasing all traces of the battle that had just taken place—

This includes fluctuations in aura, residual energy, and even a faint ripple in space—

They were all thoroughly stirred up, merged, and annihilated.

In the blink of an eye, the void returned to its original state, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

As the last glimmer of chaotic light dissipated, Cheng Buzheng's figure had quietly vanished from the spot.

at the same time.

Above the distant True Dragon Sea, amidst the endless, churning sea of ​​clouds, a streak of azure light quietly emerged.

Cheng Buzheng's figure appeared in the flowing light.

As he channeled his magic power and sped toward the depths of the True Dragon Sea, he also immersed his consciousness in his mind, carefully sorting through the scattered information he had just gleaned from the crab demon's sea of ​​consciousness.

"Golden Dragon Clan, Black Tortoise Clan, Black Spirit Tiger Shark Clan..."

"Yes, the specific locations and approximate strength distribution of these long-established top-tier clans have been basically determined."

He thought to himself:

"However, the exact locations of the Sea Serpent Clan and a few other slightly weaker but still powerful clans need to be confirmed further."

The vastness of the True Dragon Sea far exceeds outside imagination, and it is almost comparable to the Endless Sea.

This is precisely why so many sea creature forces can coexist here.

As for those two tiny Golden Core stage crab demons and shrimp demons, their activity range was probably limited to those few inconspicuous sea areas directly north of the True Dragon Sea.

However, this amount of information was sufficient for Cheng Buzheng's plan.

After compiling the information related to geographical location, he began to sort out the recent power changes and important events in the True Dragon Sea.

"The Sea Whale Demon Sect... was recently forcibly swallowed up by a mysterious great demon, and not a single demon survived."

"Half a month ago, the Unicorn Demon Lord successfully broke through his realm and his cultivation level reached a new level. He took the opportunity to annex part of the territory of the neighboring Spirit Elephant Demon Lord, which led to a fierce battle between the two sides. Now they have issued their respective orders to conquer, and a great war is probably inevitable."

"Seven days ago, reliable sources claimed that the Eight-Headed Demon Lord had cuckolded the Daoist partner of the Demon Lord Mi Zhi..."

Tsk tsk, even powerful demons of the demon race play such elaborate tricks?

That's actually quite interesting!

One piece of information after another, big or small, flashed through Cheng Buzheng's mind like shooting stars.

Suddenly, a piece of intelligence caught his attention.

"The Black Spirit Tiger Shark Clan... recently issued an emergency mobilization order, seemingly carrying out some kind of large-scale mobilization, the intention of which is unclear."

Cheng Buzheng frowned slightly, analyzing the situation in his mind.

For the first operation, it is essential to proceed with caution.

At least enough benefits must be obtained first, so that even if the Dharma body used this time is unfortunately destroyed, there will be no loss.

Immediately afterwards, he swiftly and precisely sifted through the massive amount of disorganized intelligence to identify all recent developments related to the Black Spirit Tiger Shark Clan and several other top-tier clans.

Soon, several seemingly insignificant pieces of information, which he keenly observed, attracted his close attention.

"Within the Black Spirit Demon City, the prices of various spiritual items have recently shown an upward trend to varying degrees, especially cultivation resources and demon cores, where the increase is particularly significant."

"..."

"The Black Spirit Army has been unusually active recently, launching large-scale operations."

Furthermore, they ruthlessly wiped out all known sinful demons in the various subordinate demon cities and markets under the Black Spirit Tiger Shark Clan, leaving no survivors.

As intelligence was continuously extracted and integrated from the fragments of memory, the light in Cheng Buzheng's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Although other top-tier clans have also made various moves recently, none can compare with the Black Spirit Tiger Shark Clan in terms of frequency, scale, and scope.

Especially recently, the Black Tiger Shark Clan has been making increasingly frequent moves, hinting at an impending storm.

Cheng Buzheng speculated that this was very likely related to the news that Luo Sha Demon Lord and several resurrected ancient demon lords had apparently perished in the Forbidden Sea.

"The Black Spirit Tiger Shark Clan is probably tightening its defenses to guard against unforeseen circumstances?"

Or perhaps, they intend to seize this opportunity to launch a full-scale attack before other forces learn of the Demon Lord's demise.

They plunder the treasured resources of other forces to help their clansmen, who are at the semi-saint level, break through bottlenecks and strive for higher realms.

In the midst of this impending turmoil that will engulf the True Dragon Sea, how can the Black Spirit Tiger Shark clan ensure its survival?

Thinking of this, the hesitation in Cheng Buzheng's eyes was gradually replaced by a determined light.

"Fine!"

Since the Black Spirit Tiger Shark Clan has been making the most noise and acting the most aggressively lately, let's go there first!

"If the Black Spirit Tiger Shark Clan truly intends to annex other forces and plot something big,"

The rear is empty, which is perfect for me;

If they are merely bluffing and have no real action, then I will simply turn to other targets.

"Hmm... the relatively weaker sea serpent race is also an alternative. It can be considered as a backup option."

In the blink of an eye, Cheng Buzheng had already made his decision.

next moment,

Above the boundless sea of ​​clouds above the True Dragon Sea, that streak of azure light, originally hurtling towards the southeast...

Its trajectory veered slightly, and it shot straight toward the sea area ruled by the Black Tiger Shark Clan.

...(End of chapter)