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

Chapter 273 A Hundred Miles of Calamity Clouds, The Abyss High Priest

"No rush!"
Everyone should go about their business. Wan Tongya has openly violated several rules of Cangxia Immortal City. No matter how much they try to protect him, they should make a public statement.

Besides, Jiang Nanyan has already promised to help Tianji Lun, so let's see how things go!

Lin Qianfan appeared to be on the defensive in this confrontation, but he did not suffer any losses. In fact, he even made a fortune. Now that many issues have been exposed, he is no longer afraid of any open or covert attacks.

Since Lin Qianfan and the mastermind behind the scenes don't have any core interests to contend with, as long as the other party isn't a fool, they should know when to stop. Otherwise, Lin Qianfan will dig deeper, which won't benefit him or her!
"Huh? Aren't you afraid someone else will cause trouble?"

Some people worry that this is too conspicuous now, and that this bet is tantamount to a slap in the face to the true lineage of Cangxia Mountain and the Wan family.

"Now, whoever stirs up trouble is the one who pushes things along. I think things will calm down for a while, and no one will provoke us anymore. Besides, the storm is too intense right now, so let's rest here for a while longer!"

Late that night,

Lin Qianfan bid farewell to the Third Elder and set off again through the random teleportation array on the fifth floor, his destination being the Whirlpool Sea in the south!
Cangxia Mountain is located at the junction of the Northwest Region and the Western Region. The further south you go, the sparser the population becomes, and you gradually reach the uninhabited area that forms the boundary.

The no-man's-land is because the ocean here is too deep and there is no spiritual vein land for humans to stand on. The more sparsely populated the place, the faster Lin Qianfan can fly, and he can travel without any worries.

In potentially dangerous areas, they fly at high altitudes; in relatively safe areas, they ride the Silver Scales across the sea, traveling non-stop throughout the journey.

Behind Cangxia Mountain, in the imprisoned water cave.
According to the laws of Cangxia Immortal City, Wantongya's use of a talisman to attack without activating the martial arts formation is a serious crime. However, the punishment depends on the person, and local nobles are not subject to punishment!

As a true disciple of Cangxia Mountain, Wan Tongya could not be severely punished. He was only disciplined by the Immortal City and then sent back to Cangxia Mountain, where he was confined to his residence for ten years by his nominal master.

The ten-year ban was to give certain people an explanation; after all, Cangxia Mountain has more than one will, and it cannot be without rules.

However, the matter was downplayed and resolved, with the punishment being mild and even keeping him away from the center of the storm.

puff puff~

A blood-feathered dove, about the size of a pigeon, flew into the water prison cave.

"Ancestor, you've arrived?"

"Cuckoo~"

"Help me kill him! I want him dead!"

This time, Wantongya not only lost money and incurred considerable debt, but also lost face and dignity. He lost everything!
Being defeated by someone two levels higher than him in a single match has made him a laughingstock. Even worse, he lost the match in front of Jiang Nanyan, and his sneak attack failed.

This is a complete failure as a person; he acted utterly incompetent!

In the first wave of attacks, he was ambushed by Lin Qianfan, but he could still find excuses not to admit he was inferior. In the second wave, he was the one who initiated the ambush, but it was still perfectly neutralized, which illustrates the difference in skill.

Honestly, he couldn't do it in his own shoes, but that wasn't enough to make him swallow his anger whole.

Especially since Lin Qianfan was an outsider from out of town, all alone and helpless, he couldn't tolerate being humiliated like this!

If the inside tricks don't work, then try the outside tricks!

"It's true that I owe your grandfather a favor, and it's also true that I promised to protect you three times, but this person is no ordinary person, Gugu~"

Although the Lin family of the Fish-Dragon Islands is far less powerful than that of the Cangxia Mountain family, it is much stronger than the Wan family. Although he is only a nominal disciple of the Martial Might Hall, he has still been placed under their observation.
So he definitely can't die without a clear explanation. Right now, no matter how clean we do it, you're still everyone's prime suspect. You'd better think this through, hehe~"

"If I don't kill him, my Dao heart will not be stable!"

"Sure! But there will be too many problems later... I'll have to pay extra, so I'll just have to wait a bit longer~"

"Twice! Killing him counts as attacking twice! A mere Foundation Establishment Stage 4..."

"He also has a fake Core Formation cultivator by his side. This kind of fake Core Formation cultivator is definitely a deadly assassin from the Lin family. Once a fight breaks out, he'll fight to the death!"

"Twice is not too many. It's just a mere fake pill, and in your presence..."

"three times!
I'll kill him at sea for you, and from that point on, my relationship with your grandfather will be wiped clean! I owe you nothing!
You also need to take the Forget-Me-Not Pill to erase this memory! After killing someone, I'll run away far away, so you won't be implicated, Gugu~

"Fine! Three times it is! I just want him dead!"

Wan Tongya is like a gambler who has lost everything. Instead of thinking about how to break the casino's trap for him, he sets his sights on taking revenge on another person involved in the game, believing that losing money is the other person's fault.

The Blood-Eyed Dove looked at Wantongya with pity in its eyes, though it was unclear what exactly it meant.

Several days later, the Whirlpool Sea,
Unlike the dynamic balance of ocean currents in the outside world, the entire sea area here belongs to one large whirlpool. Water flows continuously towards the center of the whirlpool and then randomly erupts to other places, hence the name Whirlpool Sea.

The water jets that were constantly being sprayed out and then randomly falling were extremely dangerous and were known locally as the "whirlpool disaster."

That's right, there are locals in Whirlpool Sea too!
However, the population density here is extremely low because it is not suitable for ordinary people to live here. Ordinary people cannot resist the disaster of the whirlpool, nor can they reproduce and grow their race in the special ocean currents.

The population here consists of only a small number of cultivators, and there are no first or second-tier cultivator organizations. There are only a very small number of Golden Core forces and Foundation Establishment cultivators who fled here for their lives. The population is mainly replenished from the outside world.

"We've arrived at Ring Serpent Island!"

With the help of Xin Qihai's guidance, Lin Qianfan successfully found the small island reef with a third-order spiritual vein.

This place originally belonged to a "Serpent Demon King," but it only returned here to rest during the winter and was not here at other times, so it could become Xinglan's place of advancement.

It's only storm season now, and with the help of the Vast Ocean Spirit Guide to eliminate danger, the chances of encountering the Ringed Serpent Demon King are very small. Once Xiao Xinglan successfully transcends her tribulation, she won't be afraid of him anymore.

"There's no sign of human habitation for miles around, nor any powerful demonic beasts to disturb us. Plus, it's currently storm season, and the ocean currents are at their strongest, so it's unlikely we'll encounter any passing cultivators. How about we undergo our tribulation here?"

"Good location! Help me set up the formation!" The two then set up the Spirit Gathering Formation and the Breath-Suppressing Formation. The Spirit Gathering Formation helped to shrink spiritual energy, while the Breath-Suppressing Formation helped to hide before the lightning tribulation.

"How long will this tribulation take?"

"It will happen very soon! I've been at the peak of the Mermaid Cry Realm for too long. As long as I actively draw upon the Heavenly Tribulation, I can quickly transcend to the High Priest Realm, and then I'll be invincible at the early stage of the third tier!"

"Go for it, Xiao Xinglan! I believe in you!"

After setting up the formation, Lin Qianfan affectionately touched Xiao Xinglan's forehead to encourage her. Even with confidence, there were still risks. Lin Qianfan was worried about her, but there was nothing he could do to help her now. He could only ride the silver scales to stay far away so as not to disturb her.

"Do not worry!"

The Gaya Sea royal family has its own major hierarchical divisions, much like the major realm divisions in the human world, such as Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul.
Second-tier merfolk are Deep Sea Merfolk, third-tier merfolk are Abyss High Priests, and fourth-tier merfolk are Eternal Silence Royal Dukes.

Although Xiao Xinglan transformed into a completely new species, the "Soul-Rending Banshee," due to a mutation in her life form, her innate talent still originates from the Gaya race. Therefore, her realm classification still follows the traditional rules of the Gaya race.

Today's tribulation is the tribulation for the Mermaid Cry Realm to advance to the High Priest Realm!
As a former high-ranking being, she was very familiar with those powers. Now, she was simply reclaiming her own power in a different life form, so she wasn't nervous.

As for the items needed to overcome the tribulation, aside from the magical artifact that Lin Qianfan helped her find, she had prepared the other items beforehand. Therefore, she was quite confident that she could easily face this tribulation.
one day later,

Having adjusted his state to its optimal level, fulfilled all the prerequisites for facing the tribulation, and felt the time was ripe, Xiao Xinglan actively drew upon the heavenly tribulation, and thunderclouds immediately began to gather in the sky.
"This scale? Could it be the legendary... Hundred-mile lightning tribulation?"

The term "hundred li" is not a literal number; any tribulation exceeding ninety li in scale is generally referred to as a "hundred-li lightning tribulation," considered the highest level of lightning tribulation for advancing from the second to the third tier.

Only the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir can summon a hundred-mile-long lightning tribulation for humans!

Previously, whether it was Lin Dayan, Lin Datao, or the Blood Hunter Demon King, the lightning tribulations they faced when advancing to the third rank were all below twenty miles, which shows how big the difference was!
Rumble~
Thunder rumbled,

Purple lightning could be faintly seen flashing within.

"Gulp~ This intensity... isn't it a bit too much? Will I have to face this kind of test in the future?"

Having witnessed Golden Core cultivators undergoing tribulations many times and possessing relevant experience in his memory, Lin Qianfan was still quite shocked when he saw the scale of Xiao Xinglan's tribulation. The might of the heavens was awe-inspiring!

Boom ~

The first bolt of lightning struck, its target clear.

Unlike ordinary lightning strikes, this purple lightning bolt faintly revealed the shadows of other creatures. The phantom lightning, with its claws outstretched, hurtled towards the closed-eyed Xiao Xinglan.

"Disperse!"

As the thunder was about to strike, Xiao Xinglan opened her eyes and eyebrows. The sonic attack was as powerful as her words, and the purple thunder immediately dissipated.

Rumble~
The thunderclouds churned and rolled intensified, as if they had provoked the wrath of the heavens!
Then, several bolts of purple lightning struck down in succession, each containing a blurry phantom, seemingly evil spirits sent specifically to hinder Xiao Xinglan's advancement.

Xiao Xinglan remained fearless, skillfully using sound waves and spells to counter the increasingly powerful lightning bolts until all nine bolts of lightning in the first round were defeated.

"This is only the first round, and the intensity has already surpassed the final round and final challenge of the Blood Hunter Demon King. Is this the difference?"

What you learn from books is never enough!
Although such extreme cases are extremely rare, they are not entirely undocumented. Lin Qianfan had seen descriptions of similar situations in the library of the Wuwei Hall.

But those ancient written records and the awe-inspiring power I felt today are completely different things. The feeling of being as insignificant and powerless as a mayfly in the vast ocean was particularly profound, as if the power of heaven was invincible!
Rumble~
After a short rest, the second round of tribulation lightning soon arrived.
The intensity of this round of lightning has greatly increased. It is estimated that the intensity of the subsequent strikes will increase to the level of a mid-stage Golden Core attack. He has only just been promoted to High Priest and is already facing such a challenge.

But Xiao Xinglan remained calm and fearless, summoning the surrounding ocean tides to gather and form an outer protective layer to jointly resist the heavenly tribulation.

As the darling of the sea,
Xiao Xinglan's affinity for the ocean is even higher than that of the water-attribute celestial spiritual root. Although she has only just entered the position of chief priest, her ability to mobilize the ocean far surpasses that of ordinary newly promoted golden core cultivators, and her proficiency can even be described as effortless.

Boom ~

This round of purple lightning was even larger, and the phantoms within it were almost solid. They could be seen as huge marine creatures of different species, seemingly filled with boundless hatred, trying to hinder Xiao Xinglan's advancement, all roaring in resentment!

However, their power was infinitely diluted when it struck the huge water shield and was conducted into the sea. Mother Ocean helped Xiao Xinglan share a lot of the pressure, while the remaining small amount of lightning power was channeled into her body to help her temper her soul body!
Boom ~

By the time of the sixth lightning strike in the second round, its power had reached the terrifying level of the mid-stage Golden Core realm. In other words, this strike was equivalent to a serious strike from Lin Haichao, the Grand Elder of the Lin family!
"A Lament for the Sea!"

Instead of taking the initiative to defend, Xiao Xinglan mobilized the power of the ocean to actively counterattack the heavenly tribulation, constantly pushing the point of impact back to the highest point, so that the power of thunder could be dispersed and dissipated to the greatest extent.

The same principle applied to the last two even more powerful bolts of lightning; they were both neutralized by Xiao Xinglan's powerful water-attribute magic, even though these bolts were comparable to attacks from a fourth-level Golden Core cultivator.

However, they were not actually used by someone at the fourth level of the Golden Core stage. They had the strength, but the rules were a bit rigid. This was a loophole deliberately left by the Heavenly Dao rules, otherwise they would have all been killed!
The third round of lightning tribulation was even more terrifying.
The illusory images of demonic beasts within each bolt of lightning were clearly visible. They should all be sworn enemies of the Gaya Sea royal family, but the Gaya race is one of the five superior races and has existed for several eras. Therefore, they shouldn't have any truly formidable demonic beast enemies now.
Therefore, these phantom creatures may not exist in reality. After all, Lin Qianfan doesn't know their names or recognize them. They may have disappeared into the long river of history long ago, and are only manifesting now by taking advantage of the rules of the Heavenly Tribulation to cause some trouble.

This round of lightning strikes all had the strength of mid-stage Golden Core cultivators, and even gradually reached the attack strength of the sixth level of Golden Core cultivators, but it became much simpler after Xiao Xinglan summoned a high-grade magic weapon, the Ocean Scepter.

A high-grade magic weapon is a rare treasure capable of easily withstanding attacks from a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. A mere lightning tribulation of this intensity couldn't even leave a decent mark on it.
The only drawback is that it is too difficult to activate, and it cannot even unleash its full power, mainly relying on the essence of the magic weapon to resist.

Boom ~

Thunderstorms raged, but Xiao Xinglan handled them skillfully.
When Xiao Xinglan successfully blocked the ninth bolt of lightning in the third round of tribulation, it signified that this tribulation was a complete success without any setbacks.

"It's alright, it didn't damage the essence of the magic weapon too much. Help me collect some of the five elements' essence to replenish it later. It's just too exhausting. My already meager magic power is almost completely depleted!"

"Congratulations on your return to the High Priest's Realm!"

Once the threat of death dissipated, Lin Qianfan, looking delighted, and Yin Lin, looking envious, finally dared to approach the Ringed Serpent Island.

Xiao Xinglan at this time was completely different from before, or rather, the word "little" no longer suited her.

Now it's the complete adult version of Xinglan!
(End of this chapter)