Chapter 743: Search

The search for the Kunpeng egg wasn’t a group effort but rather a divided one.

After all searching for the Kunpeng egg was like looking for a needle in a haystack, relying on cultivators to dive into the deep sea, using their spiritual senses and the sensing talismans refined by various sects to scour every inch.

“Activate the communication talisman at once if anything comes up. If you receive a transmission, rendezvous immediately.”

Shen Baishuang, dressed in an elegant red dress exuding a cold and alluring aura, instructed Lu Changsheng and the others.

During this search process, friction and conflict between different forces were inevitable.

This was where the effectiveness of Nascent Soul True Lords came into play.

As long as a Nascent Soul expert was present, all cultivators searching for the Kunpeng egg would follow unspoken rules.

Unless the Kunpeng egg was found, there would be no all-out fights or lethal attacks.

If one side resorted to lethal force and enraged the other’s Nascent Soul True Lord, and the Nascent Soul expert then disregarded their status to attack Core Formation cultivators directly, it would be a one-sided massacre. Then it would be game over for everyone.

“Yes.”

Lu Changsheng and the others cupped their hands in response then dove into the sea to begin their search.

“Why is this woman’s spiritual sense focused on me?”

Not long after diving into the deep sea, Lu Changsheng felt a faint spiritual sense land on him, his heart skipped a beat.

With his Nascent Soul level Taiyi Spirit, he instantly knew this spiritual sense came from the Second Palace Master, Shen Baishuang.

After a brief thought, Lu Changsheng pretended to be oblivious, holding the sensing talisman and diligently searching the sea as if nothing was amiss.

Time gradually passed.

On this day, Lu Changsheng noticed Shen Baishuang’s spiritual sense on him had vanished.

He continued his search in the deep sea without any change in demeanor. After another three days, he confirmed that Shen Baishuang was no longer paying attention to him. He then arrived at a coral cluster, set up a barrier to isolate his aura, and finally unleashed his Nascent Soul level spiritual sense.

Although his Nascent Soul spiritual sense could extend over ten thousand feet.

Diving into this kind of deep sea would cause some interference.

Maintaining his spiritual sense for an extended period would also strain a cultivator’s mind, so normally, extending it a thousand feet was considered a lot.

Confirming there were no other cultivators around, Lu Changsheng raised his hand gently, tossing out his Divination Copper Coins. He decided to cast a divination for himself first.

Perhaps because a Nascent Soul True Lord was present who was also a diviner, Lu Changsheng felt the heavenly secrets and fate here were even more chaotic and hazy.

However, Lu Changsheng had already performed a divination for himself before coming, so he changed his strategy, sensing if there were any changes to the previous hexagram.

After a moment, learning the hexagram remained the same as before, fluctuating between fortune and misfortune, Lu Changsheng felt relieved. He then used his blood connection with his son, Lu Quanzhen, and the aura of the Kunpeng Nest to try and deduce the situation.

The heavenly secrets here were disrupted and affected. Even though Lu Changsheng had a divination medium and knew several possible locations of the Kunpeng egg, he still felt immense resistance, as if navigating through layers of thick fog.

His expression turned serious. He spat a mouthful of blood essence onto the three Divination Copper Coins to further his calculations.

As he consumed his blood essence and lifespan, paying the price, the dense fog of heavenly secrets before him gradually thinned and dissipated.

In the depths of his perception, he saw his son Lu Quanzhen merging with a giant egg, interwoven with golden and black light, standing within a deep-sea fissure.

The next moment.

The vision of the heavenly secrets vanished.

Lu Changsheng’s face was pale and weary, as if he had suffered severe blood loss.

“Quanzhen has merged with the Kunpeng egg? And he’s currently in a deep-sea spirit vein fissure?”

Although Lu Changsheng didn’t know the specifics of his son Lu Quanzhen’s situation, he realized he was in grave danger.

With a slight mental command, the Heavenly Yuan Lotus appeared in his hand.

“Buzz!”

The lotus bloomed with a mysterious blue light, forming a small swirling ripple.

Following that, a petite figure with a delicate and exquisite face emerged. She had two curved dragon horns on her head but wore angular, imposing armor.

“Master.”

Lu Lingjing’s two large, dark eyes looked at Lu Changsheng as she called out in a crisp voice.

“Lingjing, try to find a giant egg in this sea area, it’s located in a deep-sea fissure.”

Lu Changsheng immediately transmitted the vision he’d obtained from his divination to the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale, instructing her to help find his son, Lu Quanzhen.

As the overlord of the sea, the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale was even more sensitive to deep-sea spirit vein fissures than he was, a second-rank Dragon Seeker.

Moreover, as a true spirit-level bloodline beast, she might have a faint connection to the aura of the Kunpeng egg.

“Okay, Master.”

Lu Lingjing nodded blankly like a naturally naive girl then prepared to go find it.

“If you encounter other cultivators, try to avoid conflict. If there are any issues, activate the Sun-Moon Token or the communication talisman to send me a message.”

“If you encounter these two people, send me a message as well.”

Lu Changsheng transmitted the images of Wu Gu Old Demon and Shi Hai True Lord to Lu Lingjing, giving her further instructions.

He wasn’t worried about the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale acting alone.

Firstly, as a true spirit-level beast, even though she had only advanced to the fourth rank a few years ago, her strength surpassed many Nascent Soul cultivators, rivaling even veteran Nascent Souls.

Secondly, he carried the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror.

As long as she was near Black Reef Island, he could sense her approximate location through the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror and even communicate directly.

“Oh.”

Lu Lingjing nodded her small head, her large, dark eyes continued to gaze at Lu Changsheng, waiting to see if he had any further instructions.

“That’s all. Go now.”

Lu Changsheng gently rubbed her curved dragon horns and said with a smile.

Immediately, Lu Lingjing returned to her dragon whale form, using her innate ability to sense deep-sea spirit vein fissures, searching for the Kunpeng egg.

Lu Changsheng exhaled a turbid breath, took out a blood-replenishing pill he had prepared long ago from his Storage Ring, sat cross-legged, and began refining the pill.

Although he possessed the Chaos Body and could recover in seven or eight days with rest, time was of the essence right now.

Lu Changsheng clearly remembered his divination.

Fortune and misfortune fluctuated, unpredictable. Steading and not being greedy would result in more good fortune than bad! So during this process, he had to be extremely cautious, and could not skimp on these pills.

After a long while, once his physical condition had recovered, Lu Changsheng placed the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror from his storage pouch into his embrace, signaling it to enter a dormant state.

He then transmitted the vision he had obtained from his divination to the artifact spirit, Ah Wu, instructing it to help search and see if it could sense the location of the Sun-Moon Token.

He had previously given his son, Lu Quanzhen, a Sun-Moon Token.

However, according to his divination, his son was currently merged with the Kunpeng egg, his heavenly secrets isolated, making it difficult for these tokens to sense him.

Now he could only hope that the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror could sense it upon getting closer.

“Yes, Master.”

The emotionless voice of the artifact spirit, Ah Wu, responded.

At the same time.

Somewhere on Black Reef Island.

“I wonder what matter Palace Master Shen has summoned me for?”

A thin old man with a gaunt figure, high cheekbones, and a hooked nose addressed the beautiful woman in a red dress, whose figure was graceful and mature.

“Wu Gu Old Demon, what is the background of the cultivator named Zhao Wuzhen you brought from the Kunpeng Nest?”

Shen Baishuang looked at Wu Gu Old Demon before her, her expression cold.

On her way back, she learned that the Xuamu Daoist had come to the Starry Sea, partly to seek opportunities for Nascent Soul advancement, and partly to search for a family descendant, Zhao Wuzhen.

According to information obtained by the Divine Maiden Palace, this Zhao Wuzhen was a demonic arts inheritor who had entered the Kunpeng Nest with Wu Gu Old Demon and Shi Hai True Lord.

So on her way here, she inquired about the whereabouts of Wu Gu Old Demon and Shi Hai True Lord, wanting to take the opportunity to learn about Zhao Wuzhen’s situation.

“Zhao Wuzhen?”

Wu Gu Old Demon’s eyes, like bottomless black wells, narrowed slightly as he assessed the incomparably beautiful Shen Baishuang before him, speaking in a sinister tone, “Why does Palace Master Shen inquire about this matter?”

Lu Quanzhen was just a Core Formation cultivator he had encountered by chance, useful for triggering the opportunities within the Kunpeng Nest.

It was a pity that he had died in the Kunpeng Nest, wasting several of his treasures, but he hadn’t given it much thought.

Hearing Shen Baishuang’s inquiry, he instantly became vigilant, wondering if there was something wrong with that kid? He remembered that Lu Quanzhen had claimed to be a disciple of the Tianmo Sect.

“A senior of his asked someone to find our Penglai Island, so I came to inquire.”

Shen Baishuang said indifferently.

“Senior?”

Hearing this, Wu Gu Old Demon narrowed his eyes and chuckled, “He was just a rogue cultivator I met by chance who happened to cultivate the Kunpeng Demonic Art, so we traveled together. As for his background, I have no idea.”

Although Lu Quanzhen claimed to be a disciple of the Tianmo Sect, and he himself had used that as a cover at the time.

But he definitely wouldn’t admit to such a thing.

He didn’t believe a force like the Tianmo Sect would come all the way here to trouble him over a Core Formation cultivator.

“Rogue cultivator?”

Although this answer seemed plausible, Shen Baishuang didn’t believe it. Her voice turned colder, “Wu Gu Old Demon, you’d better tell the truth about this matter, otherwise.”

As she spoke, a sword with intricate golden patterns appeared in her hand, as if a phantom phoenix was coiled around it.

Wu Gu Old Demon’s expression darkened, then he spoke with a hint of anger, “Palace Master Shen, I’m already giving face to your Divine Maiden Palace by being willing to tell the truth. If you insist on using the might of your Divine Maiden Palace and your Spirit Treasure to bully others, then I’m willing to test your divine abilities!”

Although his strength was inferior to Shen Baishuang’s, he had reached the Nascent Soul stage centuries before her.

Being pressed so aggressively by a junior, he couldn’t help but feel angry, displaying his Nascent Soul aura! After all, one could lose the battle but not one’s dignity!

No matter what, he, Wu Gu Old Demon, was still a Nascent Soul True Lord!

“I will also inquire about this matter with Shi Hai True Lord, so you’d better tell the truth. Otherwise, I might have to pay a visit to your Wu Gu Island with my sister!” Shen Baishuang’s red dress fluttered, making her look like a magnificent peony blooming in the fiery glow of the setting sun, her presence peerless. She continued speaking, her aura imposing and domineering.

Hearing the mention of Shi Hai True Lord and her sister, Wu Gu Old Demon’s eyes, like bottomless black wells, contracted sharply, as if ghostly flames were flickering within.

Then, his voice turned sinister, as if suppressing his anger, “If Palace Master Shen doesn’t believe me, feel free to ask Shi Hai.”

“That kid was just a Core Formation rogue cultivator. Although he claimed to be from the Tianmo Sect, I could tell at a glance that he was just using it as a cover!”

Wu Gu Old Demon continued, his Nascent Soul aura surging around him.

In truth, he wasn’t sure if Lu Quanzhen was a disciple of the Tianmo Sect.

But even if he knew, he couldn’t admit it.

“Tianmo Sect?”

Hearing this name, Shen Baishuang’s beautiful eyes showed a thoughtful expression.

As the Second Palace Master of the Divine Maiden Palace, she had naturally heard of the Tianmo Sect.

However, the Tianmo Sect was a major demonic sect in the Southern Desolation, separated from the Starry Sea by countless miles. How could a Core Formation disciple of theirs appear here out of nowhere?

“Fine.”

Shen Baishuang’s beautiful eyes were cold, her expression unchanged. She responded indifferently, then took a light step, a red glow spreading beneath her feet before she vanished.

“Damn woman, if not for your sister and the Blade Forging Mountain, I’d have dealt with you long ago!”

After Shen Baishuang left, Wu Gu Old Demon’s gaunt face was dark as water.

Having cultivated to his level, unless he encountered a top-tier opportunity, it was difficult to make further progress. Therefore, he valued his reputation greatly.

Shen Baishuang’s attitude just now was utterly disrespectful to him as a ‘senior’.

He could still retaliate against Shen Baishuang alone, finding a few helpers and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

But Shen Baishuang’s strong personality and ability to survive until now were largely due to her sister, Shen Jianjia!

Anyone who dared to bully her would face the retaliation of Shen Jianjia and even the entire Penglai Island! Moreover, besides this relationship, she also had a Nascent Soul husband.

Although the Blade Forging Mountain’s strength was average, the network of connections of such a force, built on the foundation of artifact refining, was extraordinary!

“But why would she suddenly ask about that kid? Could he really be a disciple of the Tianmo Sect?”

“But the Tianmo Sect has no connection to the Divine Maiden Palace. Even if they wanted to use connections, they would go through the Six Paths Palace, right?”

Wu Gu Old Demon thought about Shen Baishuang’s words, his mind troubled.

Although Shen Baishuang was fiery and domineering, she wouldn’t cause trouble without reason.

So there must be a reason for her coming to find him.

“If he really is from the Tianmo Sect…”

Based on Lu Quanzhen’s performance at the time, even in a top force like the Tianmo Sect, he would be considered a true legacy disciple.

And he had also mentioned some Master back then.

“Damn it!”

Thinking about all this, Wu Gu Old Demon felt a headache coming on and couldn’t help but curse.

If he weren’t still thinking about the opportunity of the Kunpeng egg, he would have gone into hiding by now.

Time gradually passed.

Although there was no information about the Kunpeng egg in the Black Reef Island area, the various forces recently received another piece of news.

Another fourth-rank Demon King had arrived in the vicinity of Black Reef Island! The Nascent Soul cultivators were surprised and puzzled.

Many of them were resting in the Great Void, observing the situation. If an unknown fourth-rank Demon King arrived, they would definitely have noticed.

But they had no idea when a fourth-rank Demon King had appeared.

“Could it be a fourth-rank Demon King that was previously sleeping here?”

“This Demon King is not simple! It likely possesses space divine abilities or has mastered some disguise divine abilities.”

“Since it hasn’t actively harmed anyone, we’ll leave it alone for now.”

The reason this news spread was that some Core Formation cultivators searching for the Kunpeng egg had encountered it.

For Core Formation cultivators to encounter a fourth-rank Demon King and survive meant that this Demon King didn’t actively attack.

Otherwise, apart from a few Core Formation cultivators with exceptional life-saving methods, most would be doomed if they encountered a fourth-rank Demon King.

Under these circumstances, none of the Nascent Soul True Lords present were willing to go looking for trouble with a fourth-rank Demon King.

At this very moment.

The Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale, following Lu Changsheng’s instructions, was constantly sensing the spirit vein fissures in the deep sea around Black Reef Island, searching for a scene similar to the one in the vision.

After an unknown amount of time, as she gazed at a narrow fissure emanating a powerful sea pressure, a strange tremor suddenly arose from the depths of her bloodline, as if she had caught a whiff of something that greatly attracted her.

“Huh?”

Lu Lingjing looked at the scene before her, feeling that this deep-sea fissure was somewhat similar to the fissure in the vision her master had given her.

She wanted to enter this fissure, but her body was too large to squeeze in.

However, many Demon Kings could master size-shifting techniques upon reaching the third rank.

As a fourth-rank Demon King, this naturally wasn’t a problem for her. Her mountain-like form was enveloped in white light, gradually shrinking until she was only a few feet in size, then she entered the deep-sea fissure.