Sea Cultivation: Giant Ships and Heavy Artillery Knock on the Door to All Races

Chapter 267 Solo Mission, Demon King's Cave

"I have some personal business to attend to and need to go out for a while. I'll be back in four or five days at the earliest, and at most ten days at the latest..."

The Tianji ship plans to dock here for more than half a month. On the one hand, the commercial potential here is huge, and it is necessary to maximize the turnover of inventory and replenish goods. On the other hand, the storms will become more and more severe later, so it is necessary to minimize long voyages and reduce risks.

Of course, the most important thing was to cover Lin Qianfan's secret search for the magic treasure, which was the reason for initially choosing to stop here.

The Third Elder was surprised.
What private matters could Lin Qianfan possibly have? Could he really be involved with that Jiang Zhenchuan? That shouldn't be the case. So he offered to accompany Lin Qianfan to avoid any unexpected dangers.

"It's not what you think. We're just acquaintances, nothing more. Actually, I came to Cangxia Mountain this time to take care of my personal business..."

Lin Qianfan tried to persuade the Third Elder. Although he did not explicitly mention the matter of finding the magic weapon, he laid out the logical thread and let him understand.

"Alright then, you have your secrets, I won't pry, but you need to remember that even the most brilliant genius is meaningless if he can't develop his talents. Before doing anything, you must consider whether you can afford the corresponding losses, otherwise, never take the risk!"

"I will remember this! I will definitely act within my capabilities!"

Lin Qianfan then took all his life-saving equipment, changed his appearance, and used the random teleportation array on the fifth floor to teleport a thousand miles to the east, directly leaving the Cangxia Mountain directly controlled area.

Random teleportation arrays are not entirely uncontrollable; you can still choose the specific orientation and approximate distance. The word "random" is simply to distinguish them from the point-to-point precise teleportation mode of directional teleportation arrays.

hum~
Thousands of miles away,

With an ordinary appearance and dressed as a rogue cultivator, Lin Qianfan, whose cultivation level was only at the second level of Foundation Establishment, appeared out of thin air. After slightly discerning the direction, he unfolded his Void Wings and flew directly at the maximum speed of the second level of Foundation Establishment.

"There are still more than two days of travel left. I hope everything goes smoothly!"

The sea is fraught with danger. There are many unclaimed areas between Golden Core cultivators, which are usually occupied by second-tier demonic beasts. Weak Foundation Establishment cultivators dare not fly around recklessly.

However, Lin Qianfan was alright. Excluding Xiao Xinglan, Lin Qianfan himself had the combat power of the late Foundation Establishment stage, and had a great chance of winning against ordinary late-stage second-tier demonic beasts. He could ignore the risks and fly at high speed.

However, it is still necessary to avoid some potentially dangerous places along the way, such as the places where some notorious demons roam and the location of the demon king's water palace. Unnecessary risks should not be taken.

Two days later,
Guided by the Vast Ocean Spiritual Guide, Lin Qianfan arrived at a place marked as such where even Foundation Establishment cultivators could obtain unclaimed magic treasures.

But things didn't go smoothly. It turned out there was a demon king's cave here, and the magic weapon was inside. Although no one had seen the demon king in person, that's what the local cultivators all said, and it was true that there were traces of the demon king's activities nearby.

"No, how did you lead the way? Is this place really unclaimed?"

Lin Qianfan doesn't have the strength to force his way into the Demon King's cave right now, and even sending Xiao Xinglan to steal it would be too risky.

Lin Qianfan was not in a hurry. Instead, he secretly went to a nearby second-tier market to gather information, as he needed to verify the information since he was new to the area.

Congyunfang Market

This was the closest market town to the Demon King's cave. Lin Qianfan disguised himself several times and made purchases in different shops to gather information about the Demon King's cave, trying to verify the initial information.

It turns out that this demon king's cave has a long history, no less than a hundred years, and there is indeed a Black Fang Demon King living inside, with the strength of the early stage of the third rank.

The reason it wasn't wiped out by the surrounding Golden Core cultivators wasn't because it was so strong, but because it was once a contracted spirit beast of a Golden Core cultivator, and was not only harmless to the surrounding ecosystem but also beneficial to it.

The Golden Core cultivator who had made a pact with him had perished a hundred years ago. He did not choose to leave, nor did he stay in the family that had fallen to the Foundation Establishment level. Instead, he guarded him from a distance.

According to the agreement between the two parties, if that family cannot produce another Golden Core cultivator within two hundred years, the Black Fang Demon King will have to leave this place completely and go to the outer sea to find his own freedom. After all, the Foundation Establishment family can't give him any help and is just a burden.

"So that's how it is! Another hundred years? No, wait a minute, with this level of danger, the Vast Ocean Spirit Guide shouldn't have brought me here!"

When Lin Qianfan used the Heart-Binding Sea-Drawing Technique, he added restrictions. Now that he has arrived and the sea map is still lit up, there must be an unclaimed magic weapon that can be obtained.

"There's probably more to this than meets the eye!"

Lin Qianfan did not act rashly or venture into the Demon King's Cave. Instead, he planned to start with the Cao family to find a way to break the deadlock.

Since the Cao family patriarch did not die accidentally a hundred years ago, but passed away due to old age, his magic treasures were either sold or given away to surrounding Golden Core forces for safety, or refined into talismans and became part of the Cao family's resources. They should not have appeared in the Demon King's cave.

Whose magic treasures are those unclaimed in the Demon King's cave?
There must be a crucial condition missing! Once we find that condition, everything will become clear!
into the night,

Lin Qianfan concealed himself and secretly sneaked into the Cao family's residence.

As a former Golden Core family, and with the Cao family patriarch having made detailed arrangements for his affairs before his death, the Cao family is not living in poverty. Even after a hundred years of decline, there are still late Foundation Establishment cultivators in the clan, making them a dominant force in the surrounding area.

Once inside their core territory, with layers upon layers of various formations, Lin Qianfan couldn't move freely and could only start with the weaker members of the Cao family's Qi Refining clan.

It's not difficult for Foundation Establishment cultivators to search the souls of Qi Refining cultivators. With Lin Qianfan's mastery of the soul, he searched the souls of several core members of the Cao family without anyone noticing, without harming their souls at all.

However, the results of the soul search were not satisfactory.

They didn't know much about the Black Fang Demon King, only that the two sides maintained a distant yet close relationship. This way, the Cao family wouldn't be oppressed or coveted by other Golden Core forces, but they also couldn't expand by taking advantage of the Black Fang Demon King's power, and could only rely on themselves.

Clearly, the information Lin Qianfan wanted was highly confidential; the Cao family members, who were at the Qi Refining Realm, did not know it, and even the management did not know it.

"It seems we still have to start with Foundation Establishment cultivators! Can you search the soul of a Foundation Establishment cultivator without leaving a trace?"

"Yes, but a medium is needed!" "I mean Foundation Establishment cultivators who have cultivated soul cultivation techniques. As a former Golden Core power, the Cao family's Foundation Establishment cultivators will more or less dabble in soul cultivation!"

"Of course! As long as you're not practicing a high-level soul cultivation technique like yours, there shouldn't be any problem with the help of a medium!"

"Alright, let's find someone with low cultivation level and give it a try."

Lin Qianfan did not rashly take action on the Cao family's territory. The two sides had no enmity with each other, and if he were to take action on the Cao family's territory and accidentally expose himself and cause casualties, it would only make him an enemy. There was no need for that at all.

Lin Qianfan soon returned to Congyun Market.
The garrisoned cultivator of the second-tier market closest to the Demon King's cave is a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Cao family. Moreover, it is said that she only has the strength of the early Foundation Establishment stage, making her the perfect target for soul searching.

Lin Qianfan then disguised himself as a passing cultivator, revealing his Foundation Establishment Level 2 cultivation, and presented his calling card to express his intention to make a deal and arrange a meeting with the other party.

Stationed at the monks' residence,
"Fellow Daoist Mu, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

This person was a middle-aged or elderly female cultivator. She dressed very simply and did not put much effort into her appearance, which showed her age. Although her cultivation level was relatively low in the Cao family's Foundation Establishment stage, she was old and of high seniority, so she should know some of the Cao family's secrets.

"I have long admired the Cao family... I would appreciate it if Fellow Daoist Cao could appraise the price. If it is reasonable, I will sell it to you!"

Lin Qianfan took out a jade box containing a high-quality second-tier spiritual herb, Dragon Beard Vine, one of the auxiliary ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills!
"Let me take a good look..."

Suppressing her restless emotions, the female cultivator calmly began to examine the Dragon Beard Vine. The moment her fingers touched the spiritual medicine in the jade box, Xiao Xinglan successfully invaded her soul and began to steal her memories without leaving a trace.

"Fellow Daoist Mu, although this dragon beard vine is of good quality, its spiritual essence has begun to dissipate due to the long period of time it has been stored. How about a price of two thousand eight hundred low-grade spirit stones?"

"Thirty mid-grade spirit stones! Dragon Beard Vine is priceless, I can easily walk a bit further to Tianhai Market, I don't think I'll have trouble selling it there, anyway, the least valuable thing for us rogue cultivators is time!"

"Twenty-eight mid-grade spirit stones! I've squeezed out all the excess from the spirit stone exchange rate..."

"Fellow Daoist Cao, this is excellent merchandise, no bargaining required!"

Lin Qianfan made a gesture to put the jade box away. He couldn't remember exactly where he got the Dragon Beard Vine, but as a traveling merchant, he knew the market price very well and didn't overcharge.

Moreover, this stuff is not only an auxiliary ingredient in refining Foundation Establishment Pills, but also a component in several other rare second-tier pills, and it sells very well.

"Hey~ Fellow Daoist Mu, don't be in such a hurry, thirty it is!"

The female cultivator immediately stopped Lin Qianfan's outstretched hand, quickly took out thirty mid-grade spirit stones, and immediately put away the jade box.

Second-tier spiritual herbs are not something that can be obtained frequently. For a large Foundation Establishment power like the Cao family, which has its own ability to refine second-tier pills, it should buy them if it comes across them, even if it is not in urgent need at the time.

"Fellow Daoist Cao, please take a good look at the goods. I won't acknowledge them once I leave!"

"Of course I trust you. If you have any good goods next time, Fellow Daoist Mu, you can come directly to Yunfang Market. The prices are fair!"

"Next time? We'll see!"

Lin Qianfan didn't linger; he turned and flew away.

"Hmph! These Foundation Establishment cultivators are so cunning, they won't suffer any loss. Qi Refining cultivators are much easier to fool!"

After confirming that Lin Qianfan had flown far away, the female cultivator murmured to herself.

……

"How about it?"

"We have the results! Let's head straight to the Demon King's cave!"

Even though the female cultivator from the Cao family had once cultivated a soul technique, her cultivation level was too low. When she was attracted by the Dragon Beard Vine and touched it, she was completely unaware that Xiao Xinglan had spied on her memories.

It turns out that a momentous event occurred in the Cao family ten years ago:
That means the spiritual connection used to sense the Black Fang Demon King is no longer working. This implies that the Black Fang Demon King either perished unexpectedly or left the area and went to a very far place in a short period of time.

Regardless of the outcome, it was devastating news for the Cao family. Instead of publicizing it, they attempted to secretly investigate the Demon King's cave to find the cause.

However, a new restriction has been placed there, preventing them from entering. Forcibly breaking the restriction would inevitably cause a great commotion. If news of the Cao family's guardian deity's disappearance were to spread, who knows who might become interested in the Cao family's Golden Core inheritance/relics?
Therefore, they dared not make a fuss, nor did they dare to forcibly break the prohibition. They could only remain silent, pretend that nothing had happened, and persist for a hundred years. If things became unmanageable by then, they would resort to other methods.

"I see!
So there's no Black Fang Demon King in the Demon King's Cave right now, so there's no great danger! The Vast Ocean Spirit Guide was right!
It's a pity it can't talk!

Ten years ago? Ten years ago was when the beast tide began. Was the Black Edge Demon King dealt with by a passing sea demon king?
That doesn't make sense either. Most of the demon kings who sneak in from the outer sea are weak and insignificant. They shouldn't have the ability to eliminate a demon king who's been associating with humans without anyone noticing.

Filled with doubt, Lin Qianfan dived hundreds of feet into the sea.
Near the Demon King's cave,

Even though no demon kings have been active here for ten years, the aura of demon kings around has not completely dissipated, and their residual power remains. This is one of the reasons why Lin Qianfan dared not approach when he first came here.

Lin Qianfan activated his Divine Realm Eyes to see into the Demon King's cave. Although he couldn't see it completely due to the restrictions, he was relieved to confirm that the Black Fang Demon King was not inside.

"It's a pity that this technique has too small a detection range; it doesn't seem to work well in situations like this."

"Don't try to act innocent after getting the advantage! You're only at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, yet you managed to catch up with me with just this one move. That's practically defying the heavens!"

(End of this chapter)