Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

Chapter 508: Chapter 459: Exploration Complete, The Bronze Door

"Hmm..."

"Yehai... he’s truly astonishing..."

Qin Wuyou stared at the armguard, a complex expression on his face.

As a fellow Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, Qin Wuyou could fight a great cultivator to a standstill, remaining undefeated for a hundred moves. He had considered himself invincible among his peers at the Mid-stage Golden Core realm.

But...

This Yehai from the Outer Sea.

Now, it seemed he was more than just a little stronger than him.

First, he had cut down the Star-forging True Disciple before everyone’s eyes. And now, he had single-handedly slain the armored Corpse Refinement and the Thousand-legged Demon Centipede within it—a foe that four Golden Core cultivators like them had struggled to handle.

Such strength...

’Someone like Yehai is the only one who can truly be called invincible in his realm...’ Qin Wuyou thought with a wry smile. ’I have no idea how he cultivates...’

This level of combat power couldn’t be explained away by mere talent or hard work.

It had to be the result of a fortuitous encounter—a top-tier one at that!

"Hmm..."

At this thought, Qin Wuyou stopped himself.

’Don’t think about it.’

’It’s useless to even try.’

In a way, Yehai’s combat power was already approaching, or perhaps even equal to, that of his senior brother, Four Extremes Sword Lu Chen.

With that kind of strength, he had clearly already matured, unlike some lesser cultivator who might stumble upon an opportunity but be unable to protect it.

Besides, no matter what, the man had saved the four of them by slaying the Thousand-legged Demon Centipede.

He had to acknowledge this debt of gratitude!

’I should help cover for Yehai...’

Qin Wuyou thought, his expression turning pensive.

But a moment later, he smiled, his expression relaxing. ’What am I worried about? Yehai isn’t some Loose Cultivator...’

’Mr. Li is in the Day Flame Sea Region right now!’

With a Nascent Soul True Monarch for protection, it was no big deal for Su Ye to possess a great opportunity.

Yaoguang was vast and boundless, and there was no shortage of cultivators who obtained top-tier opportunities... In fact, there were many even within the Nine Sects of the Inner Sea!

But those who were coveted, ambushed, and had their opportunities stolen were almost always Loose Cultivators.

Just as he was thinking this, words appeared on the armguard.

Along with a technique formula.

"A door-opening formula?"

"To get to the second basement level?"

Qin Wuyou studied the armguard, his face showing hesitation.

He didn’t doubt the door-opening formula itself; a formula provided by Su Ye was credible enough.

What worried Qin Wuyou was the strength of the monsters they might encounter while exploring the second basement level.

The armored Corpse Refinement, along with the Thousand-legged Demon Centipede inside it, was located on the first basement level, and its combat power had already been astonishing.

Qin Wuyou, Feng Shaochai, Zheng Yunzhe, and Wu Yiling—four Golden Core cultivators with late-stage combat power—had fought together, yet three of them had been left crippled.

They had only secured victory by relying on Su Ye to kill it.

Go to the second basement level?

"Fellow cultivators, what are your thoughts?" Qin Wuyou asked, finding it difficult to make a decision.

"Ahem..." Zheng Yunzhe walked over, coughing. His face was a little pale, a clear sign that he was not in good condition.

However, after the Thousand-legged Demon Centipede was slain and the battle ended, Zheng Yunzhe and the other Golden Core cultivators were able to focus on healing and recovering their Magical Power.

After a short period of rest, relying on Antitoxic Pills and their own resistance, the Golden Core cultivators had mostly purged the poison and restored their combat power to seventy or eighty percent.

"Go to the second basement level?"

Zheng Yunzhe adjusted his monocle. "I don’t see a problem with that decision."

"Historically, sealed secret realms always have a core area, equivalent to the core of an Array. We can only escape this place by destroying it."

"I agree with Mr. Su’s deduction that the core is on the second basement level."

Feng Shaochai frowned. "But... Zheng, it’s just the four of us... uh, five."

Besides the four Golden Core cultivators, there was also Chen Xuankong, a Mid-stage Golden Core from the Jade Void Sword Sect. Since he had been heavily injured from the start and was relatively weak, he lacked much of a presence.

"For five Golden Core cultivators to venture deeper underground... the risks are unpredictable."

"Indeed."

Wu Yiling nodded.

Her face was also very pale.

Compared to the other cultivators, her injuries were the most severe; she had lost an arm.

Even with a Spirit Pill that could regenerate a severed limb after consumption, it would still take time.

"Why don’t we rest for a while? We can talk about it again after my arm has grown back. If we go to the second basement level in this condition, I suspect our chances of survival will be slim."

Wu Yiling suggested.

"In that case..."

"That works," Qin Wuyou mused, nodding slightly.

"Let’s explore the first level, look for the other cultivators, and focus on healing. Once we’re back in top condition, we’ll head to the second level."

All the cultivators present agreed with this proposal.

...

「The Dreamscape.」

Su Ye glanced at the armguard.

’Resting? That’s fine.’

The Rotten Knight and the Thousand-legged Demon Centipede—two monsters that could rival a Golden Core Perfection cultivator in the dreamscape—would certainly not be easy to deal with in the real world either.

It was understandable that Qin Wuyou and the others needed to recuperate.

Forget them—even Su Ye himself needed some time to recover his Magical Power.

That’s right. Even in the dreamscape, Su Ye’s Magical Power was limited. He could even take out Spirit Medicine from his Storage Ring and consume it.

’This dreamscape is so realistic...’ Su Ye mused as he took a pill.

It was clearly a dreamscape, but... his Moonfall Halberd, Storage Ring, and other items were all there, almost identical to how they were in the real world.

’A technique like this... it clearly blurs the line between reality and dream, possessing a power that can reverse yin and yang. The strangeness of it surpasses even that of the Mist Forest Divine Kingdom.’

"Divinity Transformation... can an ordinary Divinity Transformation cultivator do this?" Su Ye murmured, feeling doubtful.

"A seal..."

The word "seal," spoken by the Rotten Knight, gave Su Ye much to think about.

By now, he had a considerable understanding of the Far South Continent’s history.

This Volcano Grotto Heaven, or Volcano Divine Kingdom, was definitely established during the Third Era—that is, before the world of immortal cultivation overlapped with this one and its cultivators invaded.

So... that raised a question.

What was the entity sealed here?

’First of all... I don’t think it could be the lord of the Divine Kingdom.’

After hearing about the seal, Su Ye’s first thought was that the cultivators of the Ancient Era had sealed the lord of this Divine Kingdom here to be dealt with later.

But that deduction was hard to justify.

The reasoning was obvious. The lord of this Volcano Divine Kingdom clearly had an affinity for ’flame’.

But the cold, decaying aura emanating from the divine temple was the complete opposite of this ’flame’ characteristic!

Moreover, the living armor, the Rotten Knights.

The fact that these guards, which had originally belonged to the lord of the Divine Kingdom, had all been corrupted... also indirectly proved that the one imprisoned within this seal was definitely not the Divine Kingdom’s lord.

"So..."

’Is the one in the seal a mighty immortal cultivator from the Ancient Era who invaded the Divine Continent?’

Su Ye’s spirits lifted.

It wasn’t for any other reason, but rather... after this period of exploration, he had faintly discovered that the cold aura in the dreamscape contained the principles of multiple laws.

One of which was ’Life and Death’!

...

Afterward, Qin Wuyou and the others found a corridor and set up an Array to serve as a temporary base.

Meanwhile, the Golden Core cultivators took turns standing guard, remaining vigilant while consuming pills to heal their wounds and regulate their breathing, aiming to recover their Magical Power and health.

As elites of the Nine Sects of the Inner Sea, these Golden Core cultivators were of high status.

The pills they carried were naturally of premium quality.

Nourished by the pills, it took them two days to fully recover their condition.

Even Wu Yiling, who had lost an arm, successfully regenerated the limb and completely restored her combat power.

Once the five Golden Core cultivators were fully recovered, they began exploring the first basement level.

They didn’t encounter any more lethal dangers.

The few ghoul-like monsters they occasionally ran into were not difficult to handle.

These monsters were relatively average in strength, only equivalent to an ordinary, newly-ascended Golden Core cultivator, and their methods were simple.

There was no need for Su Ye to step in and annihilate them.

Zheng Yunzhe and Wu Yiling could seal them just by setting up a few Arrays.

It seemed the armored Corpse Refinement from before had been the most threatening presence on this basement level.

During their exploration, Qin Wuyou and his group found five more Golden Core cultivators and over ten Crystallization cultivators.

Setting aside the Crystallization cultivators, of the five Golden Core cultivators, one was from the True Treasure Pavilion and one was from the Profound Light Cave.

It was worth mentioning that the Golden Core cultivator they found from the Profound Light Cave was none other than Wu Yiling’s blood relative, the middle-aged, burly-looking, Mid-stage Golden Core Wu Guanyuan.

But a question arises.

They found five Golden Core cultivators, so why were only two introduced?

Uh...

Gazing at the large, human-shaped crimson stain on the wall and the mangled remains on the ground—crushed several times by a heavy hammer until they were completely unrecognizable—

"Miss Lin, may you have a safe journey."

Qin Wuyou said with a sorrowful expression, sighing as he collected her remains.

In addition to Miss Lin from the Jade Void Sword Sect, two Golden Core cultivators from the True Treasure Pavilion were also found dead.

Judging from the hammer marks on their bodies, it was obvious that their killer was the armored Corpse Refinement.

Unlike on the surface, where the living armors’ strength could hardly threaten a Golden Core cultivator, but on the first basement level, the armored Corpse Refinement was incredibly vicious. Any lone Golden Core cultivator who wasn’t at the Perfection Realm was basically dead if caught by it!

"Deaths and injuries are unavoidable when exploring a secret realm." Feng Shaochai said with a complicated look, patting Qin Wuyou’s shoulder.

As he spoke, he took out a wine gourd and poured the liquor onto the ground.

He had been on fairly good terms with the two fallen Golden Core cultivators from the True Treasure Pavilion.

"Mr. Xu, Mr. Zhang... have a drink. May you have a safe journey."

...

Having finished exploring the first basement level, seven Golden Core cultivators had regrouped, and the remains of three others had been found.

"That makes ten Golden Core cultivators accounted for."

"At the same time, Yehai is trapped in another layer of space. This means that out of the fifteen Golden Core cultivators who entered the Grotto Heaven, eleven have now been clearly located."

"Currently, only four cultivators are still missing."

"Among them is Four Extremes Sword, Mr. Lu."

Zheng Yunzhe summarized, acting as the group’s strategist.

"Mr. Lu..." Qin Wuyou’s expression flickered. The other Golden Core cultivators might have died suddenly somewhere, but given Lu Chen’s strength, Qin Wuyou refused to believe it.

"So..."

"He’s either in an Overlapping Space, like Mr. Su,"

"or he’s on the second basement level!"

To escape this place, and also to find Lu Chen, the group in the real world made their way to the junction between the first and second levels.

Before them stood a towering, majestic bronze door, intricately carved with patterns.

...

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