Chapter 823: External Incarnation

Just as that cultivator had said, Qin Sang encountered several patrol teams along the way.

Sensing danger, he moved with extreme caution, avoiding them all until he finally exited Windy Archipelago. Even then, he remained vigilant until he had completely left the southwestern seas. Only then did he release the Two-Headed Hou.

***

The blue sea and sky stretched endlessly.

It was noon, the scorching sun high overhead.

The weather was cloudless and stifling, the sea utterly still, with not a single breeze to stir the suffocating heat.

A large ship with a dragon head prow sailed alone, pulled by massive sea beasts tethered with thick ropes. Though they were not demonic beasts, their huge frames and formidable power drove the ship swiftly through the waves.

Compared to the vast ocean, the dragon-headed ship seemed small and insignificant.

The hold was packed with cargo, and mortal sailors bustled about on deck.

The sea was calm, and the sailors, while quietly grumbling about the oppressive heat, did not dare to raise their voices. Their eyes often strayed toward the cabin with a trace of reverence.

Everything appeared perfectly ordinary until the ship suddenly lurched to one side.

Cries of alarm rang out as the sailors staggered, discovering that one of the sea beasts had begun thrashing wildly as though trying to break free of its harness.

The beast was several zhang long, its great strength making the entire ship sway violently.

These creatures had been tamed since birth and had never caused trouble before. Today, for reasons unknown, one had gone mad.

The sailors clutched at whatever they could as the cargo shifted dangerously. The captain burst from the cabin, shouting, "Quick! Go see what’s wrong. Blow the sea conch and calm them!"

A sailor rushed forward and pulled out a conch, blowing it with all his might.

The conch was their beast-taming tool. Normally, the sound would soothe the beasts instantly. But this time, the sea beast seemed deaf to it, bellowing instead with a roar that held an edge of fear.

Worse still, the other beasts began to show signs of panic.

Chaos loomed.

The captain’s anxiety was rising when the sound of air splitting came from the cabin. Several streaks of evasion light shot to the bow, revealing five figures of extraordinary bearing.

"Immortal Masters, the sea beasts are in turmoil. Please help us subdue them."

The captain hurried toward them, only to find all five wearing grim expressions, staring not at the beasts but at the empty sea, as if searching for something unseen.

Following their gaze, he saw nothing.

"Cut the ropes!" the eldest among the immortal masters shouted.

The captain did not understand but, meeting the man’s eyes, felt a sudden chill. Realizing something was wrong, he shouted, "Quick! Do as the immortal master says!"

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The taut ropes broke one after another with sharp reports. Freed, the panicked beasts scattered instantly.

The captain’s heart ached, but the feeling was quickly replaced by terror.

The fastest beast had not gone far when the water ahead erupted with dense bubbles. The next moment, it was yanked under as though by an enormous force, vanishing without a trace.

A moment later, bright red blood welled up, staining the waves in a wide circle. Then another beast vanished.

Such enormous creatures were dragged under without even a splash, devoured whole by some unseen predator.

A shadow crossed the middle-aged cultivator’s face. "A demonic beast... A Blue-Finned Shark! Turn back, quickly!"

The captain paled. "A demonic beast... How could such a powerful one be here?"

The ship spun about, fleeing at full speed.

Behind them, the remaining beasts were slain one after another. The shark never surfaced, yet the sea was stained crimson for as far as the eye could see.

Their relief was short-lived. Dense bubbles rose behind them, racing toward the ship.

Panic gripped all aboard, even the cultivators, though the middle-aged one kept his composure and barked, "Do not panic! We cannot sit here and wait to die. Quickly, form up with me!"

The other four, visibly unnerved, fumbled into position.

They all summoned their artifacts, awaiting the order. At his shout of "Strike," they unleashed them all at once, beams of different colors piercing into the water where the bubbles roiled.

They hoped the beast would be killed or frightened away.

Instead, the bubbles multiplied. A massive dark shadow rose slowly from the depths. Under the sailors’ horrified stares, the Blue-Finned Shark surfaced, bearing several shallow wounds that only enraged it further.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Crap! Dodge!" the middle-aged cultivator shouted, but it was too late.

The shark opened its jaws, spewing a water column that split into countless arrows, hurtling toward the bow.

The middle-aged cultivator’s artifact shielded him, but the others were slower.

One young man was struck in the abdomen by a water arrow, a gaping hole torn through his body. He toppled into the sea without a sound.

"Xiao Ning!"

Cries of grief rose, mingling with despair.

Some distance away, a young man rode swiftly atop a two-headed demonic beast, eyes closed, a spirit stone in hand as he cultivated. It was Qin Sang, returning from his long journey.

Sensing the disturbance, he opened his eyes and murmured to himself, "We’re close to Tianxing Island now. The surrounding islands are densely populated, the most prosperous area of the human race. Great demons are usually cleared out or driven to remote seas, but a few slip through. Looks like someone just died... The devil seed is fully matured. I can find a host and refine my external incarnation."

A glint flashed in his eyes as he patted the Two-Headed Hou, changing its course.

He had been away from Tianxing Island for several years while traveling to Windy Archipelago. All the while, the devil seed had been growing within him. Recently, it had fully matured, and he was ready to begin refining an external incarnation.

The requirements for the host body were minimal; even a low-level cultivator would do, since the incarnation’s cultivation speed was not tied to the host’s strength.

Soon, Qin Sang spotted a battered ship being hunted by a Blue-Finned Shark.

Only two low-level cultivators still fought on, but they were barely holding out.

The shark was toying with them, the sea around them littered with more than a dozen corpses it ignored entirely.

Finding the body of a young cultivator floating nearby, Qin Sang recalled the Two-Headed Hou and slipped invisibly onto the shark’s back. With a light press of his palm, the beast went limp, dragged lifeless into the depths.

After killing the shark in silence, Qin Sang drifted to the young man’s body. Confirming the youth was indeed dead, he sent the devil seed into him.