Chapter 164: The Great Demon Lord Is Filthy Rich

A piece of driftwood floated across the surface of the sea, and no one paid it any mind, but Ning Xianyu was determined to have that piece of wood.

Xiahou Fang thought she was being much too tedious. What was so good about a mere piece of wood?

"When we return, I will present you with a piece of divine timber. A wooden sword carved from it will be far harder than any cold-iron sword."

Ning Xianyu ignored him.

Over by the side, Xuanyuan Tunhan, who had been discerning their bearings, merely turned his head for a single glance, then casually flicked a finger and hauled the wood aboard.

It was a completely effortless gesture, and he gave it no further thought.

Ning Xianyu picked up the piece of wood and said, "Thank you, Old Ancestor."

Xiahou Fang looked at the two of them and muttered under his breath, "They really do spoil each other."

Old Ancestor Xuanyuan must truly have lived for too long and lost his wits.

Ning Xianyu had already placed the wooden board on the ground and examined it closely. Su Yun'er walked over, full of curiosity.

"Senior Ning, what is it?"

Truth be told, Ning Xianyu had always wanted to tell them not to call her "Senior," as she was still quite young.

On second thought, however, though the time she had spent in human form was short, the time she had spent as the Breath of Soil was exceptionally long. These people calling her Senior was entirely accurate.

Having her seniority instantly elevated made her quite pleased.

"Look right here, right on this spot."

Following the direction of her finger, Su Yun'er saw some carved patterns there.

"Patterns?"

Ning Xianyu nodded vigorously. "Indeed, patterns! And they were carved using tools. Only sentient creatures would create such patterns."

Su Yun'er was overjoyed. "I understand now! We haven't looked in the wrong place—living beings truly do reside here."

She happily shared this discovery with Yi Tianling and Xuanyuan Tunhan.

The several of them gathered around to examine it. The wood had not drifted in the water for very long, as its moisture content was still quite low.

This indicated that the wood had entered the water only recently and had not drifted very far.

"There must be living beings in this vicinity, but where are they?"

Yi Tianling looked all around, yet he still could not make out any sign of mountains.

Nonetheless, figuring that if wood was appearing in the sea, the mountain itself could not be too far away.

Thus, they drove their magical artifact to cruise back and forth across the sea surface, searching everywhere for the location of Mount Qingxu.

Ning Xianyu leaned over the side of the boat and asked, "Could it be at the bottom of the sea?"

Mount Qingxu, as they had seen through the full moon back then, lay right upon the surface of the sea—it appeared within the moon's reflection, which meant the mountain itself might very well be underwater.

If this mountain was inhabited entirely by cultivators who had fled there in years past, it was not impossible for them to set up a boundary barrier and live permanently on the ocean floor.

Deeming this possibility quite plausible, they actually descended to take a look.

It was also then that Ning Xianyu discovered this magical artifact could double as a submarine.

As long as one activated the boundary barrier and controlled the descent, one could truly reach the ocean floor.

"This magical artifact is simply too useful! I must buy one for myself in the future. Old Ancestor, where did you buy yours, and how many spiritual stones did it cost?"

It was dreadfully convenient, capable of soaring through the skies and plunging into the earth. Who knew, perhaps it could even be used for interstellar space travel.

With a dark expression, Xuanyuan Tunhan replied, "Five million superior-grade spiritual stones."

"How much?!"

Ning Xianyu was utterly shocked. A single flight artifact could cost this much?

Furthermore, this thing consumed spiritual stones to run—meaning not only was it expensive to purchase, but it was also expensive to operate.

Amused, Su Yun'er remarked, "A supreme-grade flight artifact of this caliber numbers only one or two in the entire Yunhuang Continent. It naturally commands such a price in spiritual stones."

Ning Xianyu was extremely displeased, feeling she had been swindled yet again.

[That great demon tricked me! Since a single flight artifact of his costs five million superior-grade spiritual stones, promising me ten million after the deed is done is really nothing at all.]

She had thought she struck it rich, but upon careful reflection, she was still a pauper.

The system comforted her: [Don't be upset. Ordinary disciples can't even produce ten thousand superior-grade spiritual stones. Since you now have four to five hundred thousand, you're already quite wealthy.]

Ning Xianyu felt not a whit of comfort and still felt she had been cheated: [I never imagined the great demon was such a tycoon. Where on earth did he get so many spiritual stones?]

The system replied: [He has lived so long; who knows how many spiritual veins he might have plundered.]

By this time, they had descended to a profound depth and were cruising back and forth along the ocean floor, yet they had gained nothing.

However, they did encounter many deep-sea creatures and spiritual beasts, which were quite interesting.

A colossal beast resembling a whale came at them in an attack, opening its massive maw as if to swallow them whole.

Just as the younger cultivators were wondering what to do, Xuanyuan Tunhan shoved Xiahou Fang out.

"I leave this to you, Brother Xiahou."

Caught completely off guard and pushed out into the water, Xiahou Fang swallowed a mouthful of seawater in his panic.

He glared fiercely back at Xuanyuan Tunhan before turning to charge at the fierce beast.

And then, the others watched as Xiahou Fang dispatched the beast in seconds.

Just when everyone thought he would discard the beast's carcass, he instead proceeded with practiced, deft movements to skin it, strip its tendons, dismantle every useful component to pack away, and toss the scraps directly into the sea.

When he returned, his face was still spattered with blood.

Outside the barrier of the magical artifact, everything was a blinding, bloody crimson where nothing could be clearly seen.

Yet he laughed heartily and said, "Alright, let's go."

With a wave of Xuanyuan Tunhan's sleeve, the magical artifact rapidly departed the area while simultaneously releasing a powerful aura of oppression that kept other fierce beasts from daring to approach.

Xiahou Fang chuckled brightly, and he had done it on purpose.

He even told Yi Tianling and the others, "These hides and tendons are prime materials for making human leather; they must not be wasted."

Yi Tianling could see that he had become somewhat perverted, but being adept at reading the situation, he merely said, "Senior, dismantling that thing directly in the sea will draw more fierce beasts with the scent of blood. It is not safe."

Xiahou Fang laughed. "What is there to fear? With Old Ancestor Xuanyuan here, are you truly afraid of mere fierce beasts?"

Even so, one ought not to invite trouble in unfamiliar territory; it was an unnecessary complication.

Ning Xianyu said ungraciously, "Are you here to help, or are you here to cause trouble?"

What sort of help was it if he caused trouble and left the great demon to clean it up?

Turning around, Xiahou Fang smiled. "I am here to help Young Master Yi, not the likes of you. If you were to lend me the Astrological Stone, however, I might consider it."

Ning Xianyu's face chilled as well. "Seniors really are quick to change their faces."

"Ha-ha, the feeling is mutual. Didn't you previously promise to hand over your own hide and skin to me? Aren't you reneging on that now?"

Xiahou Fang looked her up and down without a shred of restraint, his gaze making her flesh crawl.

Ning Xianyu gave a cold chuckle, refusing to be intimidated.

Since he could not harm her for the time being, and knowing she would not truly die, Ning Xianyu was no longer all that afraid.

Just as the two of them were at daggers drawn, the flight artifact suddenly jolted violently. Xiahou Fang, standing near the edge, tumbled straight to the ground, prompting him to shout angrily, "Old Man Xuanyuan, you did that on purpose!"

He was truly pampering this little paramour of his.

Xuanyuan Tunhan ignored him entirely and continued surveying their surroundings.

Xiahou Fang glared at Ning Xianyu once more before turning and stalking off to the side.

They searched the ocean floor for a long time without finding anything. As the hour grew late, they ultimately had no choice but to return to the surface of the sea.

Upon ascending, the moon had already emerged.

Only, the moon was now merely a sliver of a crescent, hanging in the sky with a very faint presence that appeared all the more desolate against the pitch-black night.

Ning Xianyu stared intently at the little crescent moon, tilting her head to inspect it from another angle.

With that look, she sensed something was amiss.

"Look at that moon, everyone. Doesn't it look as though it's being blocked by something?"