Chapter 557 - 301: First Appearance of Demonic Traces

Moreover, Ling Changqing had a premonition that another lucky woman in his harem would soon be with child.

But he didn’t dare say it aloud, or else the women, in their excitement, would cling to him even more fervently for Dual Cultivation.

"Darling, let’s cultivate a little longer. It’s still early!" Liu Ying Meng Luan murmured, gently caressing his shaft, her eyes heavy with desire.

Ling Changqing said nothing, and so a new, fierce battle erupted. His consorts joined forces, supporting one another and taking turns in their assault.

Unsurprisingly, the final result was Ling Changqing’s defeat. After all, given the women’s Cultivation Realms, he was currently no match for their combined efforts.

When the ordeal was finally over, Ling Changqing got out of bed and soaked for a while in the hot spring bath to recover. Then, with the help of the maids, he began to dress.

In the outer room, Song Xuelan had already directed the maids to set out a sumptuous feast. A dazzling array of mountain delicacies and treasures from the sea, all capable of greatly replenishing one’s Primordial Qi and enhancing Cultivation, covered the table alongside caskets of Spirit Wine Nectar.

Once fully dressed, Ling Changqing took his seat at the table. A moment later, the graceful and stunning Ziyunxi appeared. She wore a deep purple palace gown embroidered with brocade blue luan birds and elegantly took the seat beside him.

Ling Changqing glanced at her, then down at his own clothes. ’They’re the same shade of deep purple. It feels a bit like we’re wearing matching outfits. I wonder if she did that on purpose.’

"Darling, eat up. These are all rare delicacies from the Sect’s storehouses!"

Ziyunxi said with a radiant smile, her eyes shimmering like water.

The ingredients for the many delicacies now served to Ling Changqing were almost all Rank Four or higher, including the Spirit Wine Nectar and Spirit Fruit Snacks.

His rate of growth was inextricably linked to the personal interests of his women and the powers supporting them, so no one dared to be negligent in his care.

As long as Ling Changqing could stomach it, the women would not hesitate for a moment, no matter how extravagant the expense.

A short while later, Qin Yun, Bai Qingyi, Yu Ruoshuang, and the others also finished dressing and came to take their seats at the table, where they began to feast heartily.

Only after they had all eaten and drunk their fill did Ling Changqing go to see Ling Qiyue. He held her tenderly for a moment in the Inner Study, murmuring a few words of advice before finally departing, escorted by the other women.

As the Tianzhou Skyboat slowly ascended into the heavens, the dark blue ocean below came into full view, along with its countless islands of various shapes, scattered like stars across the water.

Although the five sea regions formed a single, contiguous territory, their total area was immense, spanning tens of millions of miles from south to north and east to west.

Even for a Golden Core Master, touring the entire family territory would take about ten years, though most of that time would be spent just traveling.

In terms of land area and resources alone, the Ling Family was now on par with a veteran Nascent Soul power. However, if the abundant resources of the seabed were included, they were surely approaching the threshold of a Divinity Transformation power.

Because they were on an inspection tour, the Tianzhou Skyboat traveled at a leisurely pace, only approaching the southernmost tip of their territory after more than two months.

By this point, large islands over ten thousand miles across were rare; most were smaller islands, only a few hundred to a thousand miles wide.

As for the reefs and islets measuring mere dozens or hundreds of yards across, they were as numerous as the hairs on an ox and impossible to count.

However, some of these small islands possessed rare and unique local resources that the family’s leadership could not ignore, making it essential to protect and develop them properly.

The journey had been peaceful so far. They hadn’t seen a single thieving Tribulation Cultivator attempting an ambush, making the trip feel no different from a scenic tour.

Tens of thousands of feet in the air, the Tianzhou Skyboat glided along. Multiple layers of pale green light screens, both inside and out, effortlessly blocked the fierce, cold winds of the upper atmosphere, keeping the cabins within as warm as a spring day.

Ling Changqing leaned back in a plush chair while Xue Qingtan and Yu Yalan knelt on the carpet. With their heads bowed, they carefully massaged his legs, their beautiful eyes shimmering with flirtatious charm.

Behind him, Flow Shadow Ice Cicada and Mu Yunxiu, both dressed in thin robes that did little to hide their dazzling, snow-white skin, kneaded his shoulders with attentive care.

With his eyes half-closed, Ling Changqing listened to Ziyunxi, Zhao Qingzi, and the others chat idly about gossip and interesting tales from within the Sect, creating a warm and cheerful atmosphere.

"...Master, something seems to be wrong!"

Without warning, Gong Ling’s voice echoed in his sea of consciousness.

"Hm? What is it?"

Ling Changqing’s eyes snapped open. He gently pushed away the two women kneeling before him, stood up, and straightened his clothes.

"My Lord?"

All of the women turned to look at him, their expressions filled with confusion.

"This feels wrong. Could those otherworldly creatures have drifted into this sea region?"

Ling Changqing’s expression was grim. ’With the might of the Era Star Palace, it’s extremely sensitive to the auras of these creatures. It must have found something.’

"I’ll go take a look! Meng Xuan, will you come with me?" Bai Qingyi declared. The two of them had the highest Cultivation and possessed numerous special abilities, so they had no fear of a sneak attack from these creatures.

Qin Mengxuan nodded. With a wave of her hand, she summoned an octagonal, pagoda-shaped Spiritual Treasure that hovered above her head. Strands of profound yellow light cascaded down from it, forming several resilient layers of light that enveloped both her and Bai Qingyi.

An instant later, the two women transformed into streaks of light and vanished.

The Tianzhou Skyboat rapidly decelerated. Surrounded by the other women, Ling Changqing left the cabin and walked out onto the spacious foredeck.

The boundless surface of the sea was sparsely dotted with dozens of small, oddly-shaped islands. Most were barren and desolate, without a blade of grass to be seen—impoverished lands where only a few species of seabirds deigned to linger.

"Over there!"

Ling Changqing scanned the area and, following Gong Ling’s guidance, quickly pinpointed the target.

The creature’s aura was coming from a lush, relatively flat island several hundred miles away.

The island had a decent environment, with several Grade One Spirit Veins and relatively fertile soil. As a result, hundreds of thousands of mortals had settled there to cultivate the land and build their lives.

The Tianzhou Skyboat approached stealthily and began to slowly lose altitude. At the same time, Bai Qingyi and Qin Mengxuan also sped in from the distance.

"Besides this one, there are three other islands with problems. We’ll have to check them all," Qin Mengxuan said in a low voice.

"Alright."

Ling Changqing nodded.

A moment later, Ling Changqing led the women off the Tianzhou Skyboat and landed near a small town.

"We were a step too late," the Kunpeng Maiden, Qingsi, said softly as she sensed the surrounding environment. "The mortals here... I think they’ve all been slaughtered."

Ling Changqing frowned, remaining silent. He could also sense the thick miasma of death and resentment permeating the air.

As they entered the town, the aura of death grew stronger, mixed with the presence of some otherworldly creature—a violent, chaotic energy that carried an indescribable, sinister chill.

At the mouth of a narrow street, Ling Changqing saw dozens of mortal corpses strewn about haphazardly.

Or more accurately, desiccated husks.

The expressions frozen on their faces were of terror and agony, as if they had witnessed something utterly horrifying before they died.

Liu Ying Ziyi’s eyes swept over the scene, and she sighed, shaking her head. "All of their blood has been drained, and their Divine Souls have been devoured. They’ve lost even the chance to reincarnate."

’These abominations from the Outer Heaven... they aren’t some kind of vampire race, are they?’

Ling Changqing mused internally. Of course, from the distant Ancient Era until now, there had been more than one or two non-human races that fed on human blood.

But later, as the Destiny of the Human Race flourished and they gradually became the masters of the world, countless experts and Great Powers emerged. Those races that preyed on humans for their blood were branded as demons and monsters and purged from existence.

Just as Ling Changqing turned his head to say something to Ling Yulu beside him, the feeling of danger in his heart suddenly intensified.

"Courting death!"

Qin Mengxuan bellowed. She unleashed her Flying Sword, which instantly multiplied into millions of fiery strands of Sword Aura. They wove together into an impenetrable Sword Net, trapping the attacking creature just in time.

The temperature plummeted as Bai Qingyi and Ziyunxi also attacked.

SKREEE! A hoarse, grating shriek, like metal scraping across sand, echoed out, filled with incredulous rage.

Ling Changqing focused his vision and saw the creature: a pitch-black, ferocious, and ugly beast shaped like a massive gorilla.

Judging by its aura, the creature’s Cultivation was at the True Pill Level, and its potential was all but exhausted. Without some other great fortune, it would be difficult for it to ever advance further.

"Is that all?"

Ling Changqing shook his head in disappointment. ’This is just cannon fodder. No matter how many of them show up, they’re not even worth watching. Only an expert at the level of a Nascent Soul True Monarch would be worthy of my attention.’