Ch. 240 - I have now finally realized what it means to cultivate immortality

The speed of the giant ship had slowed down. The big black ox no longer dared to control it recklessly. The ancient ship resembled a warship, with a terrifying will within it.

In the Forbidden Sea, it was impossible to distinguish between day and night; the sky was always dim, with only occasional rays of sunlight or moonlight breaking through.

**Buzz—**

**Buzz—**

"Brother Xun, there's a fleet!" Little Red exclaimed, standing on the crane's head and looking ahead. "No people, just an ancient ship."

Chen Xun and the big black ox followed the sound. After the time it took to burn two sticks of incense, they could finally make out the scene.

In the misty fog, where water vapor filled the air, an ancient ship drifted on the sea, followed by a fleet. But the fleet behind was eerily lifeless, giving off a deeply unsettling vibe.

The fleet was clearly made of something other than ancient ships. Their hulls were intact, with The Great Li Realm cultivators aboard; their faces were pale and bloodless.

The cultivators lay in various postures, limp and lifeless, as if they had been killed in an instant. Judging by their state, they hadn't been dead for long.

Chen Xun's eyes gleamed with a dark light—he finally saw many storage rings.

"Little Red, don't touch the ancient ship. We'll clear the way for you." Chen Xun leapt into the air, landing on the calm sea. "Take all the storage rings from these cultivators."

"Moo!" The big black ox bellowed, standing on the opposite side of the sea. They stood one on each side, facing the massive ancient ship-like mountains.

**Gurgle! Gurgle!**

The sea began to boil. The ancient ship seemed to have sensed the presence of living beings and stopped, looming over the tiny figures of Chen Xun and the ox-like ants.

Purple mist rose in thick clouds, and Chen Xun and the black ox's eyes flashed with a chilling light. Their auras became dangerously sharp.

Behind them, two terrifying apparitions began to rise, casting a dark glow over the sky. The power of annihilation shot through the sea!

Waves surged across the sea. The Forbidden Sea was no longer calm as if the will of the ancient ship was enraged by the obstruction.

"Brother Xun, Brother Ox, I'm going in!" Little Red transformed into a streak of red light, moving through the air, bypassing the ancient ship, and heading toward the fleet behind. Every time the purple mist attacked, it was shattered by the annihilation power.

Chen Xun and the black ox activated their divine apertures. Dark energy raged across the sea, emitting powerful waves that immobilized the purple mist.

"Old Ox, don’t touch the ancient ship," Chen Xun said coldly, his robe fluttering. His entire body was shrouded in a layer of dark light, as was the Nascent Soul apparition behind him. "Just suppress the remnants of the purple mist’s will."

"Moo~" The big black ox responded, surrounded by five-element formation flags. Its speed was incredible, and the power of annihilation continued to pour into the sea.

The ox understood what Chen Xun meant. There was no way they could loot the corpses on the ancient ship. Forcing their hand would bring forth a terror they didn't want to face again.

Little Red gritted his teeth and boarded the fleet, his mischievous eyes scanning the surroundings as he unleashed his natural talent. Flames filled the air as he swiftly gathered the storage rings from the cultivators.

Seeing the miserable state of the Great Li Realm cultivators, Little Red felt no fear—rather, he took a perverse pleasure in it, without a trace of guilt.

"Brother Xun, Brother Ox, I got them!" Little Red called out timidly from the edge of a large ship, surrounded by a string of storage rings. "Should we make a run for it?"

"Perform a ritual!"

"Moo moo!"

Chen Xun and the big black ox moved swiftly over the sea, a cold sweat forming on their foreheads, heading directly to the rear of the ancient ship, their eyes on the lifeless fleet.

**Boom!**

Chen Xun and the big black ox stepped onto the fleet, their brows furrowing. The will of these cultivators had been utterly crushed. Now, they were merely empty shells of flesh. Unlike the creatures of the underground, they had no chance of resurrection.

Their divine sense and spiritual energy were completely gone, utterly dissipated, with no hope of revival.

"Open the altar and perform the ritual to send our fellow Daoists to ascend to immortality." Chen Xun sat cross-legged on the large ship, the dark light from his divine apertures still fiercely suppressing the purple mist. He chanted quietly, "As for the storage rings, we’ll be taking those!"

"Moo moo~~" The big black ox also sat down, and an incense burner flew out from its storage ring.

Little Red's eyelids twitched wildly, and he instinctively glanced at the ancient ship. His two elder brothers were really in the mood—they actually intended to perform a ritual! He had thought it was just a casual remark.

They positioned themselves in a triangle and began chanting sutras to send off the dead. The faces of the tragically killed cultivators gradually softened, becoming less eerie.

They turned into faint starlight, their bodies slowly dissolving as they formally ascended to immortality.

The giant ship also passed by the ancient ship, moving toward the fleet to be on standby.

The Forbidden Sea’s ancient ship, the remnant will of the purple mist, the lost fleet, the tragically dead The Great Li Realm cultivators, and the three black-clad figures chanting the ritual all formed an eerily haunting scene.

"Let's go!"

"Moo!"

"On it, Brother Xun!"

They transformed into three beams of light, swiftly returning to the giant ship and hastily sailing away. The empty fleet, devoid of corpses, continued to follow the ancient ship, drifting aimlessly.

Chen Xun and the big black ox were panting on the deck. The power of annihilation had been greatly depleted, and dealing with one ancient ship felt like going up against the entire Forbidden Sea—the pressure was far beyond imagination.

"Brothers, well done," Chen Xun said with a smile. "Little Red, how many rings?"

The big black ox nudged Chen Xun, unconcerned. There wasn’t any real danger—just some mental strain.

"Brother Xun, 132 rings!" Little Red shrieked excitedly, running around Chen Xun and the big black ox. "We've hit the jackpot!"

"Hahaha…" Chen Xun’s grin nearly stretched off his face. He slapped the big black ox forcefully. "Old Ox, wasn’t I right? Coming to the Forbidden Sea was the best decision!"

"Moo~~~" The big black ox’s eyes bulged as it exhaled hot air, feeling overwhelmingly excited.

Little Red’s face flushed red, and his whole body trembled with excitement. They had only taken a small risk, yet the rewards were immense.

**Clink, clink!**

The storage rings floated into the air, and the big black ox began breaking their seals one by one. Mountains of hexagonal spirit stones poured out onto the deck, piling up.

They were of various colors, filled with the pure spiritual energy of different attributes. Cultivators in the world of immortals might dislike many things, but never spirit stones.

Before long, the entire giant ship was overflowing with spiritual energy, and there were even more mid-grade spirit stones than low-grade ones!

*Ten thousand…*

*Thirty thousand…*

*Fifty thousand…*

*One hundred thousand…*

Chen Xun, the big black ox, and Little Red all trembled in disbelief. What was going on? This fleet must have brought all their assets with them when they entered the Forbidden Sea!

Little Red’s eyes were already rolling back in his head, struggling to handle the overwhelming windfall. So many cultivation resources—this was something you could only dream of.

"Moo!" The big black ox suddenly gasped. What was wrong with Chen Xun?!

"Brother Xun!"

Little Red cried out in panic as Chen Xun grabbed a mid-grade spirit stone. Whether due to exerting too much force or something else, he crushed it to dust and then sat down in meditation.

His eyes filled with emotion as he gazed into the distance. "Thank you, heavens, for your blessing. Now I finally understand what it means to cultivate."

"Moo moo?"

"It’s endless spirit stones and endless cultivation resources. That is true cultivation." Chen Xun scooped up the powdered remains of the mid-grade spirit stone and began grinning crookedly. "Hehehe…"

"Brother Xun?!" Little Red staggered back in fear. Could Brother Xun have gone mad?

"Moo~~~" The big black ox nodded, grinning crookedly at Chen Xun. It understood its elder brother's meaning perfectly.

Little Red glanced left, then right. Oh no, Brother Ox had gone mad too!

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