Chapter 44: Where Is My Foolish Disciple?

Boundless aquatic energy converged, refined by Chen Yang into strands of profound black threads. The threads danced in midair, pressing the surrounding space into rippling waves. Although these dark threads appeared light and airy, they were in truth incomparably heavy.

There are seven types of primordial water. The True Water of Heaven One can fuse with all things, making it the supreme material for pill-making and treasure forging. Yet the Xuan Yuan Water Control Banner forged here was cultivating another kind of primordial water, known as: Primordial Heavy Water. This heavy water is hailed as the commander of all waters, unrivaled in its ability to control water with water.

The members of the Four Seas Trading Guild watched Chen Yang forge his treasure, their hearts filled with boundless admiration, unable to muster the slightest urge to steal his technique. For such a method of treasure refining far surpassed their imagination. When they forged magical treasures, each required countless spiritual materials, whereas Chen Yang, using only ordinary seawater, could produce such strange and powerful artifacts. To them, it was simply inconceivable.

In truth, Chen Yang himself had not possessed such abilities before. He had to thank his late master, Red Lotus, whose kindness in gifting him the Blood God's Sutra allowed him to merge both Daoist and demonic insights, propelling his understanding of Daoist arts to new heights. Without this, he could not have so easily crafted one of the seven primordial waters: Primordial Heavy Water.

Demonic cultivation is founded on thought, immortals on energy. Whether demon or immortal, upon reaching the supreme realm, both possess world-creating techniques. A demon can give birth to worlds by a single thought, while an immortal uses the ancestral energy to generate myriad forms. Though Chen Yang had not yet attained such power, as his comprehension deepened, it became no difficult matter to combine various elemental energies and conjure pills or treasures of considerable might.

The treasure ship sailed for more than half a month, finally leaving the coastal waters. Once beyond, the landscape of heaven and sea changed dramatically. Sky and ocean joined in a single line, direction lost; gazing out, one felt the vastness of the world, with every direction alike.

Along with this transformation, all manner of sea beasts grew more numerous. Some powerful ones, equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage, possessed intelligence. Upon witnessing Chen Yang’s treasure forging, they kept their distance. Only the lesser beasts attempted attacks.

One day, the weather over a thousand-mile stretch of sea suddenly changed. In a brief moment, the surface rose over ten fathoms.

This ten fathoms referred to the sea surface over hundreds of miles rising simultaneously. A massive water column shot skyward, and a sound like both dragon’s cry and whale’s song reverberated across the heavens. Such a display, akin to the might of heaven and earth, left even Sima Changfeng and the other Nascent Soul cultivators powerless; Chen Yang himself, if truth be told, lacked sufficient magical strength, relying only on his formidable techniques and inscrutable spells.

The being responsible for this upheaval had yet to reveal itself. No matter how potent Chen Yang’s arts, he could do nothing for now. He could only shake the unfinished Xuan Yuan Water Control Banner, manipulating the boundless waters to steady the ship.

Seeing Chen Yang act, Sima Changfeng sighed in relief. Instinctively, Chen Yang was now seen as omnipotent in his eyes.

“Senior, this is an ancient Dragon Whale, gentle by nature, usually slumbering at the ocean’s depths. It surfaces to feed once every few decades or even centuries. Please, guide the ship from this region; we need only wait a few days…”

Before Sima Changfeng could finish, Chen Yang shook his head.

“It’s coming straight for us.”

Barely had he spoken when countless dark currents arose. The Xuan Yuan Banner, still incomplete, could not withstand them. The ship, built to resist attacks from Nascent Soul-level beasts, groaned in agony and split in two at once.

This was but the turbulent current stirred by the Dragon Whale’s passage.

An indescribably huge shadow swam beneath the waters, waves towering and swirling, threatening to engulf the ship. Sima Changfeng and the others panicked, releasing their treasures in hopes of escape. As for the specialists they had brought, faced with such overwhelming force, even those with some magical power were as feeble as ants.

Chen Yang uttered a soft command, and a multicolored haze enveloped the broken ship and all aboard, pulling them from the vortex.

“So it’s just a big, dumb beast with little intelligence.”

Upon seeing the true form of the Dragon Whale, Chen Yang could now employ his arts.

The Dragon Whale stretched over a hundred miles, resembling a whale but adorned with two long dragon whiskers, each several miles in length. These whiskers, imbued with a trace of true dragon blood, granted it extraordinary abilities and served as its primary means of hunting.

Despite its immense strength, the creature possessed no magical powers; its whiskers were naturally gifted, owing to its dragon lineage. Its intelligence was low, only slightly above common livestock. Though it could stir mighty forces across a thousand miles of sea, it posed no real threat to Chen Yang.

Though the group was carried from the vortex by the multicolored haze, they remained anxious, for the shadow below grew ever larger and more distinct.

“Senior, be careful,” they cried, watching Chen Yang standing atop the waves.

As the Dragon Whale neared the surface, its ascent slowed, and by the time it reached Chen Yang’s feet, the waters were calm. It let out a cry, somewhere between dragon and whale, its whiskers swirling the air and causing ripples in the void.

“You destroyed my ship, so you’ll carry us to the East Sea!” Chen Yang laughed, bending to pat the giant creature’s head.

The Dragon Whale gave another long, strange cry, which, to the group’s ears, sounded almost joyful.

Sima Changfeng and the others were dumbfounded.

Despite its lack of magical power, the sheer size and the dragon whiskers born of true dragon blood made even a Nascent Soul or a divine transformation cultivator wary. For the human race, immune to dragon blood suppression, it was formidable enough; for beasts and demons, not only divine transformation but even higher realms would tremble and submit, swallowed whole without resistance.

These sea beasts generally live for millennia, yet why do they not overrun the seas? It is because of these ancient Dragon Whales. Though they feed only once every few decades, each feeding decimates the beasts within thousands of miles. Only those with intelligence, the Nascent Soul-level “demons,” can escape in advance.

Yet this acknowledged, insurmountable ancient beast in the demon world now resembled a docile pup, happily submitting to Chen Yang’s touch.

“Senior, you must truly be an immortal descended from the heavens,” Shangguan Yun could not help but exclaim. The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Four Seas Trading Guild nodded in agreement, then shared strange looks. Remembering Chen Yang’s various methods, they found him hardly resembling an immortal—more like…

Having subdued the Dragon Whale, Chen Yang withdrew his arts, letting everyone settle atop its back, which resembled a small island. The ruined ship was casually discarded.

After half a day, Chen Yang realized something was amiss.

“Where is my foolish disciple?”