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

Chapter 284 Misty Rain Island, Undercover Investigation of Liuzhu Market
During the previous decade of large-scale development of the outer sea, the demon kings of the Silent Sea were not behaving themselves. Every storm season there were cases of them attacking the coast. Even though the coastal forces organized several counterattacks and clearing operations, it was of little use.

Now that the City of a Thousand Stars is going to govern them, if they are smart, they should abandon everything and run away early, and they might still have a chance to survive. Otherwise, when the net is closed, they will probably be wiped out in one fell swoop.

Twenty days later,

The Zhentao warship, sailing alone on the desolate sea, finally approached the waters under the jurisdiction of Chaochun City.

The sea is relatively calm in spring, allowing for faster sailing. In addition, the Zhentao ship's normal speed is much faster than that of the Baijing ship. Even so, it took more than twenty days and nights to cross the Silent Sea, which shows how far the distance between the two sides is.

Given this enormous distance, Chaochun City is still the closest fourth-tier immortal city to Thousand Star City. The other four adjacent immortal cities are even further apart, making the exchange of resources inconvenient.

"Coming!"

The nautical chart clearly marked several Golden Core cultivators in this direction. Their existence, similar to that of Spirit Trace Island, relied on cross-border trade for their livelihood. The Zhou family of Biting was one of the more prominent ones among them.
However, due to fierce competition among the various factions and severe homogenization of their functions, it is almost impossible for this area to develop a large Golden Core power like Lingji Island; their scale is relatively small.

Without hesitation, the Zhentao warship sent a message directly to the Zhou family, inquiring about the specific reasons for the detention. At this distance, they could communicate freely through the ship's third-order communication array.

The other party replied that the matter was somewhat complicated and could not be explained in a short time, and invited the Lin family's guests to come over for a meeting.

The Zhentao ship continued to press for answers, but the other party refused to provide any specific explanation, leaving both the ship owner infuriated and completely baffled.

"Could this be a trap?"

"We have no conflict of interest with the Zhou family; on the contrary, we have a long-term cooperative relationship with them. This shouldn't be the case!"

"No rush. Let's go to Misty Rain Island next door to check out the situation and find out about the Zhou family's current situation first."

"Alright! We really can't just rush over there, otherwise we'll be in a very passive position and won't be able to listen to everything they say."

Although the Zhentao warship is powerful, this is a foreign land, putting it at a disadvantage from the start. It should not engage in direct conflict with the other side until it has a certain degree of confidence.

Fortunately, there are other groups doing the same kind of business as the Zhou family in this area. This kind of business doesn't have much intrinsic value. As long as the location is good enough, people from other places can bring in goods and wholesale them directly. Then, they can find good downstream buyers to sell the goods and earn some profit from the price difference.

Misty Rain Island is the closest Golden Core cultivator to the Zhou family on Biting Island. The two are openly competitors, but Misty Rain Island is much smaller than the Zhou family, making it a good place to gather intelligence.

Toot~
The largest port on Kirisame Island,

The Zhentao ship, with its distinctive design, sailed majestically into the port, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.

"Huh? Why is there a warship on Kirisame Island? Which faction does this warship belong to? I don't remember it at all."

"I don't know. Aren't warships usually active outside the northeastern defense line? We rarely see them here. But no matter which side's warships they are, Kirisame Island can't afford to mess with them, right? Tsk tsk tsk~ Judging from their posture, they're probably up to no good!"

“Zhentao? That’s a pretty grand name. Don’t spread rumors. This should be forces from across the Silent Sea. Judging from their port entry process, they’re probably not here to cause trouble.”

Before a Tier 3 ship can dock, the Golden Core faction needs to communicate with the island to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Only after obtaining permission can it easily dock; otherwise, it will be considered an offense.

"Hahaha~ Welcome Fellow Daoist Lin to my Misty Rain Island. Seeing is believing. Today I am honored to meet you. Fellow Daoist Lin is indeed as majestic and extraordinary as the rumors say."

A hearty, burly man in blue robes flew out to greet them, clearly taking the Zhentao ship's docking very seriously, even though the two sides had not previously established a stable cooperative relationship.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Lord Misty Rain Island!"

The other party is a Golden Core Level 3 cultivator, the top cultivator of a Golden Core power, which is quite a show of respect, Lin Dayan responded solemnly.

After exchanging pleasantries, Lin Dayan explained his purpose and went straight to inquiring about the Zhou family next door.

Although they are competitors, asking this question might be a bit presumptuous, but it is the most efficient way. The other party is unlikely to refuse, and it is not impossible for the two sides to cooperate in the future. Moreover, the Lin family's trip is likely to cause friction with the Zhou family.

"Brother Lin, you've come to the right person this time. We live nearby, so we know everything that's going on over there. Biting Island has really run into trouble lately, and I didn't expect your family to get involved too..."

On the island of murmured rain,

Dressed in plain clothes, Lin Qianfan went to the local Tingfeng Pavilion and paid to inquire about the situation of Biting Island, the Zhou family, and the White Whale. Since the two islands are very close, Tingfeng Pavilion had quite comprehensive information.

"An undeserved disaster? A frame-up? Or a case of using someone else to harm you?"

Through the information he bought, Lin Qianfan gained a general understanding of the situation on Biting Island.

"I just hope the Eighth Elder is alright!"

It turns out that the Zhou family has been facing the most serious internal power struggles and other problems in recent years. The Zhou family is divided into two major branches, Bimai and Tingmai, with mid-stage Golden Core cultivators supporting both branches.

For the past two hundred years, the Azure Vein has been in charge because the Azure Vein's mid-stage Golden Core elders have higher cultivation levels, are older, and are highly respected. There is nothing wrong with this, and everyone is convinced of its authority.

The problem lies in the fact that when the elderly Master Biting retired to enjoy his later years, he did not follow the usual practice of passing on the most resounding Daoist title of Biting Island, 【Biting】, to the first cultivator of the Ting lineage, who was also at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Instead, he gave it to a young Golden Core cultivator from the Biting lineage.

This is unacceptable. It's equivalent to Lin Haichao giving the Daoist title "Fish Dragon" to Lin Dayan when he stepped down, while bypassing Lin Rongrong. This is not just a matter of personal reputation, but also represents the legitimacy of power on Biting Island, breaking with past conventions.

Whether it was senility or something else, this incident directly triggered various long-standing conflicts within the Zhou family.

This was originally a Zhou family matter and had nothing to do with outsiders, but the problem was that the White Whale was unexpectedly involved. Moreover, the Lin family had negotiated the cooperation with the previous Bi Ting Zhenren back then, but this time it was the current Bi Ting Zhenren who seized the White Whale and even injured people. It is said that the Eighth Elder was at the center of the incident and was seriously injured.

Back on the Zhentao ship,
Lin Dayan and Lin Qianfan checked the details of the two sources. The contents were similar, and neither mentioned "colluding with demonic cultivators". It seems that this term was fabricated by the Zhou family.

"Now that we've roughly figured out what happened, what should we do? Should we go directly to their door to demand their return, or should we gather evidence first?"

"Don't be reckless, gather evidence first! Then strive for the maximum benefit; at worst, we can stop cooperating with them in the future." The course of events is simple.
It was during a casual stroll through an ordinary second-tier market called Liuzhu Market, which was under the jurisdiction of Biting Island, that the ship's shipwright, Eighth Elder, stumbled upon a rare inheritance jade slip that no one else would recognize.

This jade slip is extraordinary; it's not an ordinary second-tier inheritance, but a third-tier inheritance concerning shipwrights. Bringing it back would greatly supplement the Lin family's existing shipwright heritage. In the eyes of the Eighth Elder, this jade slip is extremely important, and he attaches great importance to this matter.
However, before he could even take his belongings out of Liuzhu Market, he was surrounded and arrested by the Zhou family. The reason given was that he had illegally stolen the core inheritance of the Zhou family. He was caught red-handed, and the White Whale, which was docked for repairs and was preparing to return to the Western Regions, was immediately seized.

"Alright, then let me go to Liuzhu Market. This is obviously a frame-up. The Zhou family can't possibly not see it. Those involved in this will be punished severely."

Lin Qianfan volunteered, as dealing with ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators was not difficult; sending others would only draw too much attention.

"be careful!"

The Zhentao warship remained docked on Wuyu Island, refusing to take the initiative to negotiate, thus putting invisible pressure on Biting Island. Lin Qianfan and the Third Elder set off overnight to secretly investigate the details on Biting Island.

Biding Island is not large, about the same size as Yundu Island, but as a trading port, it has ports of all sizes and corresponding markets in all directions, with Liuzhu Market being just one of them.

The Third Elder stayed outside the market to keep watch.
Lin Qianfan then sneaked into Liuzhu Market alone. Although this market was not large, it was considered good in comparison to other local markets. In Lin Qianfan's eyes, this market was quite good, ranking in the middle, and had several Foundation Establishment cultivators residing there.

Lin Qianfan disregarded the disturbances and went straight to the garrison headquarters, where one of the witnesses, among all the evidence, was located.
To outsiders, the garrisoned cultivator here is a powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator, but Lin Qianfan knows that he is a subordinate of the Zhou family, and there will definitely be gains by starting with him.

With his strength intact, Lin Qianfan entered the mansion uninvited, without being noticed by the two Qi Refining cultivators guarding the gate.

"Who is the honored fellow Daoist to grace us with their presence? I, Liu, have failed to greet you properly!"

The people inside were very alert and seemed to be idle. They immediately noticed Lin Qianfan, the uninvited guest.

"Fellow Daoist, do you still remember...?"

As soon as the opponent appeared, Lin Qianfan immediately activated his Divine Soul Shock. An ordinary mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't withstand even one round from Lin Qianfan. He immediately restricted the opponent's mobility and removed their weapon.

"Fellow Daoist, what are you doing? Let's talk this out. This place belongs to the Zhou family, and I am a retainer of the Zhou family. Fellow Daoist, please don't act rashly!"

Although the man was subdued, he did not seem too panicked, and even seemed fearless.

"I will ask, you will answer. If there is the slightest hesitation or concealment, the Zhou family alone cannot protect your life!"

Lin Qianfan exuded a powerful aura, seemingly not taking the Biting Zhou family seriously, which surprised the other party.

"Fellow Daoist, please ask. I will answer everything I know and will not hide anything!"

"Do you belong to the Bi vein or the Ting vein?"

"I was able to successfully establish my foundation thanks to the support of the Azure Vein, so I naturally belong to the Azure Vein."

"Oh? Then tell me about what happened that day!"

"Judging from this, you must be from the Lin family, right? Actually, the matter is very simple. It's just that a noble cultivator colluded with a traitor from the Zhou family to steal the core inheritance of the Zhou family and was caught red-handed. The traitor from the Zhou family has already admitted to this, so no matter how much your Lin family tries to deny it, it will be useless."

Clearly, this person is not telling the truth.

"Nonsense! Aren't you afraid I'll search your soul?"

"If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. Besides, fellow Daoist, you shouldn't have the ability to search my soul. If you do, please feel free to do so!"

This person acted as if he were completely unfazed, showing no regard for Lin Qianfan's threat of soul-searching.

Lin Qianfan's face immediately turned angry, once again intimidating the other party. At the same time, Xinglan secretly made a move, bypassing the other party's soul defense methods and stealing the other party's deep memories.

The memory encryption that the other party was so proud of was useless in Xinglan's eyes, and he could easily steal it without disturbing him.

"This kid is really dishonest. On the surface, he is a member of the Bi Mai, but in reality, he has already been bought off by the Ting Mai. This whole thing was a scheme he set up with the Ting Mai. It's quite a coincidence that it wasn't intentionally targeting the Lin family. The target was a local rogue cultivator, but the Lin family just happened to interfere, which led to the current situation by accident."

"Now that everyone knows it's the Lin family, why do they still dare to escalate things? Why do they still dare to extort money from people?"

"They're just deceiving their superiors and subordinates. They only think of reporting it to their superiors when things get out of hand, but by then it's too late. I guess their superiors can't do anything about it. They can only make the best of a bad situation and try to lure the Lin family into the game to gain even greater benefits."

"How dare you? Aren't you afraid the Lin family will investigate this matter?"

"Although his soul strength is not high, he has cultivated a good anti-soul-searching secret technique. Once his soul is forcibly searched, he will self-destruct. At that time, even if the Lin family kills the witnesses, the Lin family's destruction of evidence is equivalent to directly confirming the evidence. It's a trap."

"...Interesting!"

Upon receiving the results, Lin Qianfan immediately bound and took away the cultivator surnamed Liu. His defense mechanism was nothing in front of Xinglan, who could break it and force him to tell the truth in public. It could also allow others to search his soul, which was important evidence and had to take him away.

"There is another witness, namely the Zhou family member who stole the inheritance jade slip and eventually confessed to his crime. It seems that he must also be a pawn hired by the Tingmai. As long as we find him, everything will be clear and we will not need to find anyone from the Tingmai to corroborate our story."

"This matter is clearly an attempt by the Tingmai to suppress the Bimai. If we make it public, it will likely cause a fierce internal conflict between the two Zhou families. We should be cautious. It is time to notify the Zhentao ship to go to the Zhou family for a confrontation."

According to the memories of the cultivator surnamed Liu, the other witness was originally a talentless ordinary member of the Zhou family, but in recent years he has made great progress and even successfully established his foundation, which has earned him the Zhou family's trust.

This time, he stole the Zhou family's inheritance jade slip and attempted to sell it to the demonic cultivators who were there to meet him in Liuzhu Market.

That's right, this person is practicing demonic arts. Demonic arts can weaken the limitations of spiritual roots and talents on cultivation to the greatest extent. As long as one finds special resources that match his demonic arts, one can continuously take shortcuts. The reason he has made such great progress in recent years is because he is using demonic arts to cultivate.

The Eighth Elder, who "unexpectedly picked up" the inheritance jade slip in Liuzhu Market, which was Bimai's own territory, was naturally labeled as a "demonic cultivator." With conclusive evidence, it became reasonable for Bimai to seize the White Whale.

(End of this chapter)