Chapter 130: Frenzied Devouring, Vitality Surges!
Chapter 130: Frenzied Devouring, Blood Qi Skyrocketing!
Chapter 130: The Might of the Furnace, the Azure Python!
On the sea.
"So, entering the top one hundred with this wooden talisman unlocks a high-grade inheritance. No wonder these people are fighting so desperately for it."
Bai Xuan understood.
The Desolate Blood Pill Furnace was a mid-grade inheritance and was already terrifying enough; he could hardly imagine the level of a high-grade one. Although achieving a complete inheritance was immensely difficult, if one were to succeed, it would be enough to easily rank among the top ten on the Heaven Ranking. This proved that a high-grade inheritance could change everything, allowing even top-tier experts to be reborn.
Of course, for ordinary fishermen, even a rebirth would not compare to entities like Duan Haiyuan, and they would still be slaughtered.
"This wooden talisman emits smoke that can guide me toward nearby inheritances. Let me try..."
Bai Xuan condensed his Heaven and Earth Momentum.
From the wooden talisman, smoke rose, but it split into two distinct directions.
One was a thin, ordinary wisp of green smoke, while the other was an extremely thick, blood-colored plume pointing straight in a specific direction, marked with an eye-catching "two."
For him, the desire for this pill was immense. If he could consume it, a single pill could increase his blood qi by an entire river's worth—it was incredibly potent!
"You simply do not understand..."
Far away.
Rumble!
That white streak tore through the air, closing in instantly!
"What a terrifying Grandmaster!"
The master blinked.
Bai Xuan's expression hardened.
"Two?"
Duan Haiyuan's voice was calm. "To me, or to the Ten Divine Spears, ordinary inheritances are already useless."
Bai Xuan understood.
"This... My Lord, this is a ninth-grade pill..."
Duan Haiyuan was shrouded in heavy armor, his voice deep.
Suddenly, he unleashed his Undying Source Flow to its full extent. Within a thousand-meter radius, the boundless Heaven and Earth Momentum surged, transforming into countless rivers of blood qi that rushed into the furnace!
"No, this is a Grandmaster. What do we do?"
A master whose blood qi was surging knelt on one knee, respectfully holding up a tray.
It held an incredibly sharp, formless intent of the spear!
"This must be the only Grandmaster who uses a spear on these seas."
"Because everyone's blood qi and strength have limits. We have cultivated at the peak for too long and reached our limits. Within these limits, how much one can unleash is the key to the struggle for the seas."
Wan Yongdao, Lu Ming, and the others all had their expressions change drastically. They saw the white streak and felt the overwhelming, ocean-like pressure!
He saw it clearly; this was the first time he had encountered such a powerful expert.
Duan Haiyuan clenched his five fingers, and a fist mark appeared. It contained a trace of Dao essence, seemingly holding boundless, terrifying power!
"The Ten Divine Spears possess the bones and blood, but lack the spirit. I have both spirit and blood, but I lack the bone of fist intent."
Bai Xuan's expression tightened.
"Or perhaps, what we crave is a final battle against an equal at the very end to achieve enlightenment and transcendence!"
Bai Xuan had certainly heard of the Black Pirates, the former overlords of the seas before the Star-Hunting Pirates.
On the sea.
"And these things are not stronger than our own power."
This expert was famous, though Bai Xuan had never seen him before.
The opponent's blood qi was like a vast ocean—a true "blood qi as a sea." But even more terrifying was the intent hidden within that blood qi.
"Any technique, martial art, or magical artifact will consume our own strength when used."
He scanned the direction, seeing a terrifying surge of blood qi, vast as an ocean, flying at a frightening speed and transforming into a white streak!
...
On a terrifying island, blood mist permeated the air. Hundreds of martial artists, all wearing robes with star-like patterns, had their strong blood qi shattered into mist.
On the flagship.
"What do we do?"
"Desolate Blood Pill Furnace, open for me!"
Not far away, seven or eight warships shattered and were sinking into the sea.
"Of course, this is how it's done."
The King of the Black Pirates, the Ten Divine Spears!
Bai Xuan remained calm.
"My Lord, we have obtained the inheritance here. There are three 'Vast Sea True Essence Pills' to offer to you!"
Among them, each of the three pills was surrounded by astonishing spiritual light, vibrating with blood qi that nearly manifested as clouds!
"Bestow them upon you all."
Duan Haiyuan's voice was indifferent. "What we lack now is not ordinary inheritance, but high-grade inheritance, or even more terrifying top-tier ones. In the entire East Sea, there are only a handful."
...
That intent acted like a skeleton, supporting the blood qi and causing a qualitative change, as if it had been stretched from a mere skin into a living person.
Over a dozen fist marks enveloped the small island, causing everything to shatter and even the small hills to collapse!
"Yes! Master!"
The beast furnace was pleased, opening its mouth to spew forth.
Rumble!
The hundreds of meters of fire sea reappeared. This time, it didn't retract; it surged continuously, burning across the sea!
The flames shot into the sky, flowing deep into the ocean, piercing through this area of the sea, cutting off hundreds of meters, sweeping across everything in an almost infinite display!
"Let's go."
Bai Xuan held the pill furnace in one hand, the Heaven and Earth Momentum swirling around him like the eye of a storm. He spoke calmly.
On deck, the gale raged, nearly blowing the sailors away!
蜉蝣子 (Fuyouzi) had his eyes widened in shock, stunned until Bai Xuan glanced at him, bringing him back to his senses.
"Yes! Captain!"
Rumble!
The *Sea-Swallowing* slowly raised its sails, activating the propulsion talisman array to ride the waves. Behind the warship, the hundreds of meters of fire sea cut off everything!
...
Whoosh!
The white streak stopped, and with a boom, the Ten Divine Spears revealed his true form.
Even the Ten Divine Spears, seeing this continuous, heaven-spanning sea of fire, felt a surge of immense astonishment!
"What kind of fire is this? Can blood qi true fire at the Divine Image level be used like this?"
"This sea of fire could turn an entire fleet into ash in an instant. I fear even ordinary Divine Images could not fight within it for long; their blood qi would burn, and their flesh and bones would not be able to withstand it."
"Who can unleash true fire to this extent?"
The Ten Divine Spears understood the power of these flames well.
He reached out a hand to grab at the fire sea, and when he pulled back, a wisp of flame flickered in his palm.
Sizzle!
The flame burned wildly. In an instant, the Ten Divine Spears' own blood qi was being incinerated; he could not withstand this beast fire!
But.
"Myriad Gods Infinite!"
The Ten Divine Spears narrowed his eyes.
Boom!
From ten acupoints across his body—the Sea of Qi, Shenque, Baihui, Mingmen, and others—boundless blood qi erupted. In an instant, it condensed into ten human-like figures, each surrounded by a faint halo, with ethereal, vast chanting echoing out!
These were ten divine statues, like true gods singing, instantly pushing his blood qi power to the extreme!
The flames struggled to burn through his blood qi. Then, a vast martial intent surfaced in the Ten Divine Spears' eyes.
A razor-sharp spear intent emerged, combining with the holy chants of the ten gods to push his blood qi to its peak.
The Ten Divine Spears clenched his hand, and with a boom, he crushed the fire to dust!
So what if it was Divine Image-level fire?
With one palm, he could crush and extinguish it!
But.
At this moment, the Ten Divine Spears' expression held little excitement.
"It took that much effort to crush a single wisp of fire... Sigh, this beast fire truly has the might of a Divine Image."
The Ten Divine Spears frowned, looking at the fire sea.
Though he crushed a wisp easily, how terrifying was this entire sea?
There were likely thousands, tens of thousands of such wisps, endless and continuous!
He was confident he could charge into this sea, but whether he could come back out was another matter.
His eyes flashed with a vast, divine light, and he saw the figure holding the pill furnace behind the fire sea.
The figure stood straight, holding the furnace in one hand and slowly drawing a weapon from his back with the other.
It was a long spear!
Boom!
The figure pointed the spear, and his bones and blood vibrated, the terrifying roar echoing from far away through the fire sea!
At this moment, boundless fighting spirit welled up in the Ten Divine Spears' eyes. He grabbed at the air, and boundless blood qi condensed into a completely invisible, transparent long spear!
"Good, good, good! How long has it been since anyone dared to challenge me like this?"
"And an expert who uses a spear! Good, very good!"
The Ten Divine Spears' fighting spirit surged.
The opponent had issued a challenge; if he didn't fight, how could he be the Ten Divine Spears?
But.
Just as he prepared to charge into the terrifying sea of fire, his eyes caught the Azure Python flag fluttering on the warship.
"The Bai family! So it is someone from Thousand Mountain Island!"
The Ten Divine Spears stopped.
His fighting spirit remained, but seeing the Azure Python flag, a look of understanding surfaced in his eyes, followed by a faint regret.
...
"I wonder if the Ten Divine Spears will come to fight."
Bai Xuan held the furnace, pondering.
The opponent had pursued him, but he was not afraid. If the opponent truly charged into the fire sea, he would leave the ship and fight him in the water.
Once in the water, with his trace of Dao essence, he could unleash his full strength. The fusion of water and fire would be terrifying!
Even if he couldn't win.
In the water, it was his home turf; if he couldn't win, he could flee. He would return to fight after promoting to Grandmaster. Even if the Ten Divine Spears chased him through the fire, he wouldn't be able to catch him.
He had just grasped a trace of Dao essence and was looking for someone to test his learning.
"Water-Fire Fragment... Combining this water-fire might to truly unleash it—that would be interesting."
Bai Xuan also felt the fighting spirit.
This was the second-best martial artist in the East Sea, and like him, he used a long spear!
The opponent's strength was likely on par with Duan Haiyuan. Fighting him, the chances of winning were slim, and the chances of losing were high.
But.
"It is time to test a true expert."
Bai Xuan gripped his Subduing Sea Spear.
He had mastered the Water-Fire Fragment; was he just going to beat up ordinary masters who could be killed by a mouthful of flame?
Just then.
He heard a holy sound, as if countless chants had merged, shaking the air and splitting the fire sea to reach the *Sea-Swallowing*!
"Whale Hunter!"
"This fire sea is not bad, but it is not enough. However, I can feel... your strength is more than just this!"
"Pity, what a pity! If it weren't for Duan Haiyuan, or the Master of Thousand Mountain Island, I would have fought you here."
The Ten Divine Spears' voice echoed from afar.
Bai Xuan raised an eyebrow.
The Master of Thousand Mountain Island?
He understood.
Since the Ten Divine Spears said so, this battle would not happen.
At this moment, everyone was listening to the voice.
"The Master of Thousand Mountain Island... I was only a teenager when he was still on the sea."
The Ten Divine Spears' voice was filled with nostalgia.
"Behind every invincible martial artist on this sea, there is an immortal master who provides enough pills and supplies."
"Duan Haiyuan has Luo, and I was luckier. The one I traded with was the Master of Thousand Mountain Island, an invincible expert at the peak of Dao Entry!"
"Even a casual bit of guidance or the pills he bestowed were enough to help me reach an extremely high level."
"He may not have considered me a disciple, perhaps just like the Bai family, casually offering a pointer or two. But I have never forgotten the grace of that guidance."
"Pity... twenty years ago, he left the sea, drifting away. It is said he went to challenge a highly dangerous broken route, saying he could not wait for the Cave Heaven Route to open."
"Twenty more years of life!"
The Ten Divine Spears' voice was filled with endless longing.
"With twenty more years, the route opens; who else could rival him?"
An invincible immortal master had just disappeared from the East Sea, never waiting for the new era to arrive.
Bai Xuan understood.
Since the opponent had a history with the Master of Thousand Mountain Island, naturally... this battle would not unfold in this way.
"What you are holding should be his immortal talisman... forget it. Your current power is strong, but to defeat or even kill me, I fear there is still a distance."
The Ten Divine Spears' voice was calm. "Next time, when your blood qi is complete, we will have our battle!"
Boom!
Outside the fire sea, the figure moved and instantly vanished from the sea, gone without a trace!
"Phew... Captain, this great battle has actually dissipated into nothingness."
Wan Yongdao stood on deck, looking shocked.
...
If the Ten Divine Spears hadn't said it, who would have known he had a history with the Master of Thousand Mountain Island?
However, the Black Pirates had always been polite to the Master of Thousand Mountain Island, speaking with respect.
"It's fine."
Bai Xuan remained calm.
If the beast furnace in his hand couldn't be pushed to this level, and he hadn't mastered the Dao essence of water, would the opponent have left?
Hard to say!
It was very likely he would have casually taken the Desolate Blood Treasure Furnace, and at most, out of respect for the Master of Thousand Mountain Island, spared their lives—nothing more.
Just as when the Black Pirates plundered the Thousand Mountain Island fleet, they always took half the property out of respect for the Master, but never stopped the plundering.
"On the East Sea, strength is king."
Bai Xuan was very clear about this.
He did not pursue.
Fighting the opponent while holding the pill furnace made sense, but chasing after the Ten Divine Spears to provoke him would have been unreasonable.
"However, this battle will come sooner or later."
Bai Xuan knew.
When the day came that his blood qi was complete, this battle would arrive, and it wouldn't be long!
Boom!
He reached out, and the beast furnace opened, swallowing the hundreds of meters of fire sea back into itself, calming down.
In the distance.
"What the hell was that?"
On another warship, a burly man swore, his eyes shocked as he looked toward the fire sea.
He had come to seize the furnace, rushing over a hundred miles in fear of being too late.
But seeing that fire sea, he felt as if his eyes were blind, as if he were hallucinating!
"Only a Divine Image could push that fire to such an extent... Even the Ten Divine Spears retreated; it's better to slip away."
The burly man was decisive.
He didn't think he could charge through that fire.
If the Ten Divine Spears wouldn't fight, was he crazy to try and take the Whale Hunter's treasure?
"Bai Xuan... I'll remember that name. This person definitely has some terrifying methods. Next time I see him, I'll stay far away."
...
The *Sea-Swallowing* rode the waves, heading toward the next inheritance location.
In the captain's quarters.
"Master, although your Undying Source Flow is powerful, using the furnace fire like this is still a bit weak."
"Spreading the fire like this only serves to burn; it doesn't even maximize the refining effect."
"If you could master a trace of Fire Dao essence and then cultivate the 'Pure Furnace Alchemy Technique,' you could manipulate the changes of water and fire, refining all living things within hundreds of meters into pills!"
"That refining power would be much more powerful."
The beast furnace offered advice.
It was loyal to Bai Xuan, having been refined with his blood and connected to his blood qi. It lay on the table, retracting its fiery aura so as not to damage the table, speaking in a muffled voice.
"Don't even think about Fire Dao essence."
Bai Xuan said calmly.
Fire Dao essence?
He cultivated diligently and had a firm will; sometimes these qualities were more important than talent.
But this did not mean he could defy objective reality.
He had mastered water to the point of perfection, merging with the Vast Sea, which was why he could easily grasp the water essence.
He had no such talent for fire.
To cultivate Fire Dao essence in a few months was simply unreasonable.
Without a Dao body, it was normal for it to take decades or even a century; otherwise, the East Sea would be full of Dao Entry and Divine Image experts!
"However..."
Bai Xuan pondered.
It might not be impossible.
If the new path he opened next could grant him power over fire, it was entirely possible.
And the path of alchemy was very likely to possess the power of fire!
"Let's not think about that for now."
"It's time to cultivate the 'Pure Furnace Alchemy Technique'."
Bai Xuan reached out, grabbed the beast furnace, held it in his hand, closed his eyes, and began to contemplate.
The Pure Furnace Alchemy Technique was the alchemy inheritance left by the owner of the Desolate Blood Pill Furnace; its level was terrifyingly high.
Without the changes of water and fire, it was hard to enter the gate. But once mastered, one could instantly surpass most of the immortal masters on the East Sea and possess top-tier alchemy skills!
...
In the distance.
"There seems to be a pillar of light here, flickering on and off. I don't know if it's real or fake."
A fleet was patrolling, flying the Azure Python flag—it was the Thousand Mountain Army.
The flagship was the *Kaiyang*.
"I wonder where that kid Bai Xuan ran off to."
Bai Yuanji said nonchalantly, "Sometimes I'm really puzzled. There is no such ship as the *Sea-Swallowing* in the entire Thousand Mountain Army, and when I ask, no one says anything, as if they've been gagged!"
"What do you mean 'ran off to'? Captain Bai Xuan is on the ranking, isn't he?"
A sailor nearby reminded him kindly, "Ninety-eighth on the East Sea Heaven Ranking, Bai Xuan!"
A burst of laughter erupted on the deck.
This had recently become a kind of good-natured joke on the ship; many of the remaining sailors claimed to be experts brought up by Bai Xuan. Most people thought... the name was likely a coincidence, as the East Sea was vast, and such a name wasn't that rare.
"It really is. Big brother, what do you think?"
Bai Yuanji grinned, but he saw that Bai Xuanji's expression was not one of amusement, but rather confusion.
"Have you ever thought that the name might really be Bai Xuan?"
When the question was asked, Bai Yuanji was startled. "Big brother, don't scare me. You mean..."
The two brothers looked at each other.
Suddenly, there was a roar in the distance. On a remote, barren island, a pillar of light shot up, spiritual light swirling around it, vibrating incessantly!
"There really is an inheritance!"
Bai Xuanji didn't care about anything else. His expression hardened. "The *Kaiyang* will take two ships over; the remaining ships will maintain vigilance and patrol, rotating daily!"
"Send word to the island that we have discovered an inheritance."
Bai Xuanji's expression was grave.
He saw the pillar of light shooting into the sky, strong to a terrifying degree, stretching thousands of meters, piercing the clouds, and vaguely forming the phantom of an azure python!
This inheritance was likely extremely precious and, to some extent, might be very compatible with the Bai family's constitution!
(End of chapter)