Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Chapter 228 Vast Waters, Yu Huai River Marsh

Looking at the golden full moon in the water and the surface of the water, which was like a deep blue gemstone, the dreamlike night scene was exceptionally charming and refreshing. Lin Changsheng was stunned.

Having lived in the cultivation world of Yue for many years, he had never experienced anything like it.

Looking out, the endless night meets the vast water in a single line, stretching to the horizon.

"How can there be such a large lake? It gives people a feeling of vastness, like the ocean."

Lin Changsheng sighed inwardly.

After looking around for a while, Lin Changsheng activated the flying boat magic artifact beneath his feet and ascended into the air.

Even when hovering hundreds of feet in the air, all around is still a vast expanse of water, with no end in sight.

This truly shocked Lin Changsheng.

In his and 'True Poison Master's' memories, the widest rivers and lakes in the entire Yue Kingdom and even the 'Qianzhou' cultivation world were far inferior to the waters they were in.

"It seems that this place is probably not within the territory of the 'Qianzhou' cultivation world, nor within the area that 'True Man of Heavenly Poison' once traversed."

Lin Changsheng looked around, pondering to himself.

But this is normal.

In the world of cultivation, even powerful Nascent Soul cultivators cannot guarantee that they can venture into all regions.

Even in ancient and modern times, some ancient books have recorded and passed down stories of death zones where even Nascent Soul cultivators risk perishing if they enter.

Therefore, it is not surprising at all to arrive in an unfamiliar place.

On the vast expanse of water, without any reference points, relying solely on the moon and stars is insufficient for accurate navigation.

However, this didn't seem to matter to Lin Changsheng.

Since he was alone in this place, he was completely clueless, and no direction was familiar to him.

The only thing that interested him was the vast expanse of water below.

Lin Changsheng was curious about the size of this body of water and what cultivators or immortal forces were nearby.

Although he was new to this place, Lin Changsheng had already used his divine sense to investigate the basic situation here.

The air contains spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but it is not dense. Generally speaking, there are no large spiritual veins, so there are no large forces occupying the area.

At most, there will only be some small forces, mainly composed of cultivation families.

It poses no threat to him.

The source of this spiritual energy of heaven and earth is the water below.

At the interface between the water and the air, wisps of spiritual energy continuously rise.

In other words, the waters here contain spiritual energy.

Perhaps it is because there are spiritual veins in the water.

Lin Changsheng began to analyze the situation in his mind.

……

Half an hour later.

Lin Changsheng activated his flying boat magic artifact and flew away above the water.

After circling the area for several miles, nothing else was found except for the calm waters.

However, the silver-haired white ape that had been teleported here with him was swept away by the underwater turbulence and disappeared without a trace.

Who would have thought that beneath the seemingly calm surface of the waters, turbulent currents were surging?

Even a peak second-tier demonic beast was caught up in it.

If Lin Changsheng hadn't used the exquisite 'Water Escape Talisman' in time, he probably would have suffered the same fate.

"Senior Aoki..."

Lin Changsheng called out softly.

In his sleeve, the phantom image of the Azure Wood King Butterfly's demonic infant was almost completely transparent and had fallen into a deep sleep.

It is so difficult to distinguish even with the naked eye.

Only a faint trace of demonic power could be sensed, like a candle about to burn out.

Clearly, the previous battle had pushed Aoki King Butterfly to her limit.

After calling out twice without success, Lin Changsheng gave up.

Although the Azure Wood King Butterfly Demon Infant is severely depleted, it should be able to hold on for a while longer without much trouble.

Now that he has just arrived here, he is still unclear about the situation and needs to conserve his magical power for any eventuality.

"Since we can't find that white ape, it would be best to leave this place as soon as possible."

Lin Changsheng had a plan in mind.

Although the waters appeared calm, he had personally experienced the power of the turbulent currents below.

Although we've temporarily escaped the crisis, who knows if there are other crises lurking nearby?

So, Lin Changsheng activated the flying boat magic artifact and arrived at the position where he had previously flown out of the water.

After rummaging around for a while, he pulled out a refined second-grade low-level magic weapon from his storage bag and threw it into the water with a splash without hesitation.

Then quietly feel the ritual implement sink to the bottom of the water, sinking deeper and deeper.

In the end, the magical artifact had long since escaped the realm of divine perception, leaving only a faint and indistinct sense.

Lin Changsheng's actions were a last resort to mark the location of the water area.

This place is simply too vast, and there are no obvious landmarks within a radius of several miles.

In such an unfamiliar environment, if he were to leave now, he would probably forget the location of the teleportation array in no time.

Although they had lost their way in the water while frantically trying to escape the turbulent currents.

However, as long as one carefully searches the surrounding area using the place where the magical artifact was sensed as the center, finding the teleportation array from which one came should not be difficult.

However, these are things to consider a long time from now. Perhaps it won't be long before I become familiar with this place and find my way back to the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom. At that time, I won't need this teleportation array anymore.

After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and confirming that the location of the magical artifact would not change, Lin Changsheng once again activated the flying boat artifact and randomly chose a direction to flee into the distance.

While traveling on his flying boat, Lin Changsheng took out some healing pills he had prepared in advance from his storage bag to cure the injuries he had suffered from the water pressure.

With the blood-activating and stasis-removing effects of the specially prepared superior healing pills, and nourished by his own Everlasting Spring Technique, his injuries continued to improve.

……

He flew away in the middle of the night.

It spans a distance of at least a thousand miles.

As far as the eye could see, there was still only a vast expanse of water, with no trace of human beings in sight.

This made Lin Changsheng even more curious about this body of water.

However, during this time, Lin Changsheng sensed the aura of demonic beasts several times underwater.

Apart from some schools of fish that possess a faint demonic power.

There were also the auras of many first- and second-tier demonic beasts.

Lin Changsheng even encountered a third-tier toad demon!

The enormous toad, several meters in size and with bumps all over its back, seemed to regard Lin Changsheng as food, and stuck out its tough, long tongue toward the flying boat artifact beneath his feet!

Fortunately, after sensing the powerful demonic energy, Lin Changsheng decisively activated the third-tier escape talisman to escape the attack. However, the third-tier toad demon seemed unwilling to give up and relentlessly pursued him from beneath the water's surface. Thus, the man and the demon engaged in a chase, one fleeing and the other pursuing.

In the end, another unfortunate, unnamed second-tier demon beast in the water crashed into the toad demon and was swallowed whole by the toad demon in place of Lin Changsheng.

This also bought him ample time to escape.

……

Finally, just before dawn, Lin Changsheng sensed a change in the water beneath his feet.

The color became increasingly lighter, and his divine sense faintly touched the bottom of the water.

"We're almost at the shore. It seems we didn't go wrong in the direction we were flying."

Lin Changsheng was slightly pleased.

So he increased his speed again and sped forward.

The air currents created by the flying boat artifact carved a long trail of spray on the water below.

Less than half an incense stick's time later, the water below was only about a hundred feet deep.

At the edge of his consciousness, a small boat, about ten feet long, appeared, with a faint light hanging near the water's surface.

On the small boat, a thin fisherman's boy dressed in burlap was crouching down, holding a harpoon and quietly close to the water's surface.

Looking around, all that could be seen in the pitch-black waters was the faint, flickering light of the lamp on the bow of the boat.

On the water's surface, illuminated by the lights, a dozen or so fish of varying sizes gathered, frolicking and chasing the flames.

Under the candlelight, the young fisherman's face showed a mixture of surprise and trepidation.

Although my heart was pounding, I managed to suppress my excitement and didn't dare to breathe too loudly.

Among the group of fish gathered merrily under the boat's lamplight, there was a small fish that was more than three inches long and as thick as a thumb. It was noticeably more active and its appearance was different from the surrounding fish.

"Wow!"

In a flash, the boy seized the opportunity and suddenly stabbed down with the harpoon in his hand.

The candlelight reflected in the water shattered, creating ripples.

The sound of splashing water echoed through the silent waters.

He raised the harpoon, which held a small fish with its belly pierced, still struggling.

The young fisherman anxiously removed the lamp from the bow of the boat and approached the harpoon.

After clearly identifying the small fish on it, an excited look appeared on his youthful face.

"Lights to lure fish."

Just then, a calm voice suddenly came from behind the boy.

"ah!"

The boy instinctively shuddered and nearly dropped the harpoon in his hand into the water.

Looking back, he noticed that a gentle and refined young man in white robes was standing close behind him, looking at him with a hint of curiosity.

Strangely, the young man in white was also riding in a boat-like object, but it was quietly suspended in mid-air, several feet above the water!

"You...you are...the Immortal Master!"

After the initial astonishment, the boy quickly showed excitement, but then seemed to realize something, and his expression turned somewhat fearful as he spoke respectfully.

Seeing this, Lin Changsheng did not speak immediately.

This young man was not a cultivator, but from his expression and reaction, it was not hard to tell that he was familiar with the methods and identities of cultivators.

It is clear that he has come into contact with other cultivators.

Furthermore, although the boy's accent was roughly the same as the common language of Yue, there were obvious regional differences.

"My esteemed immortal master, I have just acquired a spirit fish, and it is still alive! If you are interested, I am willing to offer it up!"

Seeing that Lin Changsheng did not speak, the young fisherman seized the opportunity and quickly offered up the spirit fish in his hand, saying with a hopeful expression.

"A spirit fish?"

"Hehe, this 'spirit fish' you mentioned contains some spiritual energy, making it more agile and difficult to catch. Its value far surpasses that of ordinary fish. Are you really willing to offer it to me like this?"

Lin Changsheng smiled faintly and said jokingly.

“Spirit fish are the possessions of immortals, not something that we mortals can own. Perhaps our success in capturing the spirit fish today is due to the blessings of the immortal master, but I would never dare to claim it for myself.”

Upon hearing the words of the young immortal master before him, the fisherman's eyes revealed a hint of reluctance, but he still appeared completely willing.

He could only sigh helplessly in his heart.

The spirit fish contains a kind of 'celestial energy', which is very important to immortal masters.

If he hadn't encountered the immortal master today, he could have taken the spirit fish to the market and handed it over to the merchants who specialize in buying spirit fish for immortals, and even had the chance to earn spirit sand.

Encountering a celestial master in the wild or in a marshland, especially if the master discovers your spirit fish, is an extremely dangerous situation.

If you're lucky, you might encounter a kind-hearted immortal master and be able to exchange the spirit fish for some opportunities.

However, most immortal masters regard mortals as no different from animals, and it is perfectly normal for them to rob them. It is already a blessing to be able to keep a life.

"It's just a pity about the spirit fish we just caught."

The young fisherman kept sighing at his bad luck.

"Alright, since you're so willing to show your filial piety, I can't refuse."

Lin Changsheng smiled calmly and waved his hand without any politeness.

An invisible force surged forth, and then the spirit fish in the fisherman's hand floated up, turning into a wisp of light and disappearing.

The fisherman boy felt the struggling force in his hand disappear. He carefully looked up and saw that the spirit fish had vanished. The young white-robed immortal master in front of him remained silent about the matter of reward.

Seeing this, the young fisherman, though still maintaining a respectful expression, couldn't help but feel disappointed.

The joy of finding a treasure had barely begun when it vanished.

Such dramatic ups and downs were hard for the young fisherman to accept.

"Hehe, since we've met, it must be fate. I'll ask you a few questions, and you must answer them truthfully. You'll naturally reap the rewards later."

Sensing the fisherman's dejected mood, Lin Changsheng smiled warmly and said calmly.

"This immortal master happened to pass through this place and is not very familiar with the area. Tell me about this place, for example..."

Having determined that the other party was merely an ordinary person without any magical powers and was not unfamiliar with cultivators, Lin Changsheng asked some basic questions about this place.

He needs at least some basic understanding of the area before he can formulate appropriate countermeasures and future plans.

"My lord, this is the Yu Huai River basin in the eastern region of the Great Wilderness Marsh..."

Upon hearing Lin Changsheng's question, the young man was first taken aback, then revealed an uncontrollable look of ecstasy!

It must be said that this fisherman's boy looks to be fourteen or fifteen years old, with a slightly childish appearance.

However, his thoughts were extremely clear, and through his introduction, Lin Changsheng quickly gained a general understanding of the place.

"It turns out that this vast body of water is the Yu Huai River basin, which belongs to a branch called 'Da Ye Ze'."

Lin Changsheng silently repeated it to himself several times.

It was confirmed that neither he nor "Tian Du Zhenren" had ever heard of the name "Da Ye Ze".

Within the Yu Huai River basin, there are many immortal masters, among whom two immortal master forces are the main ones, controlling everything in this area.

They are located north of the Yu Huai River Marsh, in a place called 'Yan Zhang Jian', a gathering place for immortal masters.

And south of the Yu Huai River, in 'Dafang Township', there is a family of immortal masters.

As for the cultivation forces outside of the 'Yu Huai River Marsh', the young fisherman knew nothing about them.

Because the waters here are so vast, ordinary people dare not venture too deep and are confined to the Yu Huai River basin for their entire lives.

"What reward do you want?"

After a long pause, Lin Changsheng nodded, his tone indifferent.

It's unclear whether the person is satisfied or dissatisfied with the answer.

“My lord, I come from a fishing family and have nothing else to offer but my fishing skills. I am considered one of the best fishermen in the village. I have heard that learning the methods of immortals can make mortals have clear hearing and eyesight, nimble hands and feet, and quick reflexes.”

"If I can learn some immortal techniques, my success rate in catching spirit fish will be much higher. Therefore, I am willing to exchange my loyalty for the next ten years and catch spirit fish for you day and night!"

The young fisherman looked somewhat uneasy, and gripped the harpoon with a slight tightening of his hand.

Looking at the hopeful expression on the boy's face.

Suddenly, Lin Changsheng seemed to recall the scene from years ago when he first entered Huangling Market and begged the young lady for a chance to become an immortal.