Su Qinghuang was never a person with a good temper, which could be seen in her interaction with Mrs. Yang. She was also always angry due to the fact that she could not create her own technique, to the point where she even had the nerve to yell back at the headmaster.
If it were in the past, she would’ve attacked them for getting so close to her. However, now that Chen Jingzhai held her hand, she didn’t have the heart to mind what other people were doing.
Hua Anxiang stood on the other side of Chen Jingzhai and introduced the disciples of the other two clans to him. First was the huge drum. It was a magic treasure that belonged to the Nascent Plane cultivator of the Mystic Sound Pavilion.
“It’s called the Ocean Taming Drum or the Dragon Summoning Drum,” Hua Anxiang whispered. “Lord Yu created it with the skin of a Grade 4 sea beast.”
“Dragon Summoning Drum? Can it really summon a dragon?” Chen Jingzhai asked.
“Of course not.” Hua Anxiang shook his head. “There isn’t a real dragon in the Eastern Ocean. Dragon-type sea beasts are rare as well. The drum is called that because it contains a dragon’s spirit.”
“There’s a dragon soul in it?” Chen Jingzhai exclaimed.
“It’s a true dragon Restriction made with a Grade 4 sea beast. I’ve heard from my master that the Ocean Taming Drum has almost become a spiritual treasure.”
With his eyes still widened, Chen Jingzhai was lost in thought.
“Since when did the people from the Mystic Sound Pavilion and Mystic Evil Clan get so close?” Jiang Lin asked. “Even Wu Qi from the Mystic Evil Clan is here. He’s the one who told everyone that he’s going to challenge Master-Uncle, right?”
Other than the cultivators from the Mystic Sound Pavilion, cultivators from the Mystic Evil Clan and the Eight Kings Clan were also present on top of the Ocean Taming Drum. The latter two were able to participate in the expedition by joining the Mystic Sound Pavilion.
Wu Qi was among those on the drum, but he was reluctant to make eye contact with Chen Jingzhai. It seemed that he had heard how Chen Jingzhai had managed to suppress a group of Golden Core Sages. Even if he had done it with the help of a puppet, it was still his puppet.
“Him? Challenge Master-Uncle?” Chu Jingsong scoffed. He had heard about how Chen Jingzhai had defeated four Golden Core Sages in the Tempest Ocean.
It proved that the Master-Uncle now possessed the battle strength of a Golden Core Sage. Wu Qi was just boasting.
“Hey! Refrain yourself from attracting too much hate. We have fewer people than them. Anything can happen in the abandoned residence. If we get separated, remember to value your own safety first,” Chen Jingzhai said using telepathy.
“Yes, Master-Uncle!” Jiang Lin and Chu Jingsong quickly nodded.
Chen Jingzhai was right. None of them could predict what would happen once they were inside.
The other clans weren’t the only threat. The biggest problem was the rogue cultivators who would be participating in the expedition as well.
No matter how prideful they were or how much they looked down on other cultivators, the fact remained the same—they were outnumbered.
As the disciples continued their conversations, the Golden Core Sages greeted each other.
Sage Meng even brought Sage Zhang to greet Lord Yu of the Mystic Sound Pavilion and Lord Nangong of the Emerald Wave Island.
Since Lord Nangong was a female cultivator, she had a veil over her face, and the elixir cauldron was her magic treasure.
The cauldron was covered with a lid, and a group of cultivators stood on top of it.
Other than the cultivators from Emerald Wave Island, a handful of cultivators from Elixir Twilight Clan could be seen enjoying a conversation with their host on top of the cauldron too.
The Elixir Twilight Clan was a hidden clan, and according to Sage Meng’s telepathy, they were there as foreign aid to the Emerald Wave Island.
Since only a few were dispatched from the Emerald Wave Island, working with the Elixir Twilight Clan would be more beneficial for them.
They weren’t interested in the item alchemy inheritance that Lord Ning had left behind. Instead, their goal was the magic treasures.
Even if the Emerald Wave Island was one of the Great Three Overseas Celestial Clans, they were still short of magic treasures and even spiritual treasures.
Su Qinghuang also introduced the Golden Core Sages of other clans to Chen Jingzhai through telepathy.
Although it had been a long time since she had left the mountain, she was still knowledgeable about all the other celestial clans.
Time slowly passed, and the abandoned residence had yet to appear. Instead, there were a few cultivators who had passed the stone bridge.
Among them were well-known rogue cultivators like the Little Item Alchemist Zhang Jiao, Little Jupiter Zhang Ye, and Ocean Overturn Beast Ni Kun.
They were the first to pass the test and arrived on the plantain leaf.
Cultivators from the Mingyuan Dao Sect tended to them right away.
The rogue cultivators and the group Chen Jingzhai was with didn’t talk to each other.
Fortunately, the leaf was big enough for there to be a gap between the two groups so that they wouldn’t feel cramped.
Another 15 minutes had passed, and the Golden Core Sages from the Great Three Overseas Celestial Clan flew toward the bridge.
They floated on top of it and activated a method that made the stone bridge disappear.
They then continued floating in the air. Some were smiling, while others were expressionless.
Those who didn’t pass the test at the time immediately knew that they had lost the chance to participate in the expedition.
They were depressed and angry, but none of them did anything out of line.
Powerful rogue cultivators had already passed the test, and those who remained weren’t strong enough to make a scene.
The Sages then waited until the rogue cultivators had left before sealing the entire space.
Another 15 minutes later, waves began to rage in the ocean.
It was clear that an earthquake was happening underwater.
The three lords activated their magic treasures and began diving into the water.
A light barrier covered the entire plantain leaf to stop the water from entering.
They dived for more than 3,700 feet before they noticed the water had turned slightly murky, and a group of sea beasts was all charging in one direction.
“Earthquakes will occur when the cave residence appears. The sea beasts will go wild because of the pure essence power the residence contains,” Sage Yuan Lie said to the disciples of his clan. “But we don’t have to worry about a thing because our lord is with us.”
A loud bang from a drum could be heard as soon as he was done talking.
Chen Jingzhai turned around and saw a line of wave patterns expanding in the water.
The sea beasts that touched the pattern would explode immediately.
Most Grades 1 and 2 could not escape the attack and were turned into clouds of blood.
Grade 3 beasts were smart enough to run toward the abandoned residence.
Unfortunately, they weren’t fast enough. As a result, there wasn’t only one wave of drum attack but three.
The attack might seem slow in the water to the naked eye, but it had already spread very far.
The Grade 3 beasts were heavily injured and couldn’t move while letting out painful roars.
It wasn’t that the drum wasn’t strong enough to kill the beasts, but that the Nascent Plane cultivator didn’t use his full power.
In the end, those that remained were Grade 3 sea beasts, and they would make very good ingredients. So it would be a waste to turn them into nothingness.
Chen Jingzhai scanned their surroundings and did not notice a single Grade 4 sea beast.
It proved that the southern region lacked the density of essence power compared to the northern region due to the lack of the Tempest Ocean.
He was actually surprised by the power of the Ocean Taming Drum.
Even he was shocked to see how devastating the damage was.
Not only that, but the Nascent Plane cultivator didn’t even use his full power.
Just as Chen Jingzhai was still recovering from the shock, Lord Yu had already ordered the Sages to recover the Grade 3 sea beasts.
The Golden Core Sages were all beaming happily as the Grade 3 sea beasts were something extra that they had not expected.
Yet every one of them managed to hold their urges back and only took a sea beast each.
Lord Yu of the Mystic Sound Pavilion couldn’t help but grin at that sight.
Chen Jingzhai was a little annoyed, but he didn’t do anything.
On the other hand, Jiang Lin and Chu Jingsong couldn’t avert their gazes from the sea beasts, while Sage Meng and Sage Zhang both went for the reward as well.
“Isn’t Master Aunt Su going?’ Jiang Lin whispered.
“There’s no need for that.” Chen Jingzhai shook his head with a smile, while Su Qinghuang had a poker face.
Jiang Lin laughed awkwardly as he suddenly remembered that his Master-Uncle could easily hunt a Grade 4 sea beast. So it was natural that Chen Jingzhai did not need the Grade 3 sea beasts, but Jiang Lin really wanted one, as these were pretty much free.
Even just a small part of a Grade 3 sea beast would be extremely valuable.
Although other ingredients were needed too, an entire one would be enough to create three magic treasures.
Jiang Lin could’ve exchanged one for a magic treasure from the clan.
He let out a sigh as he felt like a good chance was wasted while watching the Sages retrieve the rest of the sea beasts.
Jiang Lin wanted to try and get one for himself, but since other Foundation Establishment Plane cultivators remained standing on the magic treasures, it would be wrong for him to follow the Sages.
If it were in the past, he would never have wanted such a thing as he still had the blood of a Grade 4 sea beast in his calabash.
However, he had already reached his Complete Foundation Plane and was ready to gather his Golden Core.
The best scenario would be him getting his hand on a magic treasure before that happens.
Other than him, Chu Jingsong and the rest were staring at the sea beasts as well.
There was no way they wouldn’t want something that even Golden Core Sages found valuable.
It didn’t take long for the Sages to recover all the Grade 3 sea beasts and the blood of Grade 1 and 2 beasts.
Once that was done, the three magic treasures moved toward the abandoned residence.
