The sea breeze billowed the sails of the Purple Pearl, propelling the pirate ship away from the waters of Seagod Island.
Dongfang Jing stood at the stern, gazing at the gradually shrinking outline of the island, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
This voyage had been fraught with peril, but the rewards were immense.
Xiao Bai led several robust Demon Soul Great White Sharks, guarding the ship on both sides, protecting it.
With these top predators of the sea as escorts, ordinary sea spirit beasts dared not approach, making the voyage remarkably smooth.
Only after the ship had completely left the vicinity of Seagod Island and disappeared into the vast sea did a group of people slowly emerge from the dense forest on the shore.
Most of them were dressed in yellow, their auras calm and deep.
They were all Sea Spirit Masters at the Soul King level or above.
And the one they surrounded was a man dressed in black, with a dignified expression.
He was none other than Seahorse Douluo, one of the Seven Sacred Pillars guarding Seagod Island.
A Soul Emperor in yellow robes bowed and inquired, "Lord Seahorse, the island's guardian beast is so friendly to these outsiders, even personally escorting them. This..."
Seahorse Douluo's gaze was deep as he watched the ship depart, and he slowly shook his head, "We haven't received any decree from the Sea God. Lord Poseidon must have already seen through everything here. Since neither of you has issued a divine decree, we only need to fulfill our duties."
After speaking,he sighed inwardly, "The third ring is the Ten Thousand Year Continent, yet such a monster has emerged? I wonder what Lord Poseidon's plans are."
"I hope he won't join the Spirit Hall and ultimately fight against my Sea God Island."
With the Demon Soul Great White Shark leading the way, the Purple Pearl's return journey was astonishingly fast.
Before long, the familiar outline of Pearl Island appeared in their sight.
The ship slowly approached the shore, but the atmosphere was somewhat silent.
The moment of parting had finally arrived.
The three of them were filled with complex emotions.
Although Dongfang Jing and Zi Zhenzhu had some minor misunderstandings, they didn't know when they would meet again, so they naturally wouldn't bring up those misunderstandings again.
Dongfang Jing took two heavy bags of gold soul coins from the Gemini Star Vortex and handed them to Zi Zhenzhu.
Although this voyage ultimately led them to Xiaobai, Dongfang Jing wouldn't forget Zi Zhenzhu's kindness to them.
Zi Zhenzhu had always been straightforward.
She glanced at the money bags, then at the earnest-looking boy and the obedient girl beside him, grinned, and readily accepted the money:
"Alright! I'll shamelessly accept it! I'll use this money to expand my fleet and wipe out all those scum pirates in this sea! Once my name is known throughout the inland, you two brats have to come find me for a drink again!"
"Definitely." Dongfang Jing also smiled, a rare occurrence. "I'll definitely bring the best wine from the inland and drink with Sister Zhenzhu until we're both drunk."
Without further ado, he bid farewell to Zi Zhenzhu.
On the shore, two strong demon soul great white sharks were already waiting.
Dongfang Jing and Dongfang Yao mounted them,while Xiaobai followed beside them.
After all, its body wasn't so easy to ascend; only the Sea God himself or his chosen successor could.
The Demon Soul Great White Shark's speed far surpassed that of ships, cleaving through the waves like an arrow released from a bow.
In less than half a day, the outline of the Han Hai City docks became faintly visible.
However, Dongfang Jing did not choose to disembark in Han Hai City.
He has just obtained his third spirit ring, and it's still a long way from getting the fourth at level 40.
However, Dongfang Yao is already level 16, with innate full spirit power. As long as she focuses on cultivation and has the assistance of the Hall of Ten Thousand Mirrors, her spirit power will increase rapidly, potentially reaching level 20 in one or two years.
Sea spirit beasts are ultimately suitable for sea spirit masters to absorb, and finding one that matches their spirit will require considerable effort.
Therefore, they should go to the inland forests.
In that case, their next destination should ideally be a city close to a spirit beast forest.
Sunset Forest and Star Dou Great Forest are the two choices.
With Dongfang Jing's current strength, he can easily go to Star Dou Great Forest, and even if he encounters danger, he can use the Hall of Ten Thousand Mirrors to escape.
The cities closest to Star Dou Great Forest, in all directions, are—
Spirit City, Star Luo City, Star Glory City, Dragon Rising City, Häagen-Dazs City, Xilu City, and finally, Soto City.
They were currently located at sea west of the continent. If they chose to disembark at Hanhai City and reach the Star Dou Great Forest, they would have to pass through the Xiling Mountains, cross the Barak River and the Desolate Gold Plain, arrive at Barak City, and then head south to reach Soto City, the closest city to them.
The route was actually quite simple, but Dongfang Jing was only worried about one thing.
A year ago, when he was gathering information at a tavern in Hanhai City, he heard that wolf bandits roamed the Xiling Mountains and the Desolate Gold Plain.
Wolf bandits were hybrids of humans and a type of soul beast called the Gale Demon Wolf. They were born with the physique, speed, and some innate abilities of the Gale Demon Wolf, and also possessed a certain degree of human intelligence. They were extremely bloodthirsty and lustful.
Each wolf bandit was no less powerful than a level 20 or 30 Soul Master!
Dongfang Jing felt extremely troublesome just from hearing the description of the wolf bandits, so he did not intend to take this route and would avoid it if possible.
If they landed on the Fasno Wasteland in the Fasno Province and headed east, they would pass through a small town called Notting City. Finally, after crossing the Barak River and traveling a little further, they would reach Soto City directly.
South of Soto City lay the Star Luo Empire.
Therefore, Dongfang Jing decided to take this route, reaching Soto City first, and then deciding whether to enter the forest from the Star Luo Empire or choose another city.
He unfolded a map and traced a route with his finger: "Little White, please take us to the western coast of the Fasno Province; there's a wasteland there."
Little White nodded and led the tribe in the right direction.
The Fasno Wasteland coastline was sparsely populated, with only jagged rocks and crashing waves.
The two slid off the shark's back and onto solid ground.
"Little White, thank you so much," Dongfang Jing said solemnly.
Little White's massive head swayed gently: "My benefactor, there's no need for such politeness. If it weren't for you, the casualties of my clan would have been incalculable."
She paused, her tone turning serious, even tinged with hatred: "My benefactor, when you need a 100,000-year soul ring, please consider that Demonic Orca King! This monstrous creature is a scourge of the ocean. If it can be removed, my clan will do everything in its power to help!"
Dongfang Jing met her expectant shark eyes and nodded earnestly: "If that day ever comes, I will go to Seagod Island to find you."
Upon hearing this, Little White let out a joyful low cry, as if she were smiling at Dongfang Jing.
Without saying another word, her massive tail fin slapped the surface of the sea, then she led her clansmen slowly into the ocean, disappearing beneath the azure waters.
Dongfang Yao watched the sharks disappear into the distance and whispered, "Brother, so not all soul beasts are bloodthirsty and terrifying."
"Yes, all things have spirits and can communicate with language. Soul beasts that don't like killing are probably only a very small minority, like Xiaobai."
The young man withdrew his gaze and started walking. "Of course, Xiaobai is an extremely rare 100,000-year-old soul beast. We help her, and she helps us; this time is an exception."
The little girl nodded and quickly followed. "Brother, where are we going next?"
"Notting City."
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