NOVPUBWang Ba thought silently:
"Then there is the Enlightened Turtle, whose back is said to be inscribed with patterns that can help one comprehend the Dao and mysteries. I haven’t yet had a chance to try..."
"And there is the cultivation of Spirit Beasts... I should figure out how to cultivate a Fourth-Order Spirit Beast."
"Ah, that’s right, there’s Erya too, who also needs proper nurturing."
"The Ice Daoist, with the aid of the Taixu Qi Pill, has stored quite a bit of icy spiritual energy, so I don’t need to worry about it for the time being..."
He contemplated various arrangements related to cultivation in his mind.
Although this trip outside lasted only about a year, it brought him tremendous gains.
Once he had digested the gains from this past year and made all the necessary arrangements for the cultivation of the Spirit Beasts, he would focus on improving his cultivation base, aiming to integrate what he had learned into his Golden Core and sprint towards Nascent Soul.
Soon, the iron ship landed at Heishui Port.
Ying He immediately threw out all the Rogue Cultivators who were Golden Core practitioners and those in the Qi Refining stage who had followed them.
Taking them along had initially been an act of compassion from Ying He’s own conscience, and on the way there, they did serve some purpose. On the return trip, having a Great Cultivator like Chijian aboard, Ying He was not worried that the consumption of his mana would be affected, so the journey back had Ying He and Li Yingfu taking turns piloting the iron ship, while those people were kept in another cabin, not allowed to step outside.
Upon disembarking, these cultivators profusely thanked Ying He on the iron ship, as well as the unseen Golden Core dignitary.
This expedition to the Northsea Continent, led by Ying He and Li Yingfu, also yielded great rewards for them.
Seeing these continually grateful Rogue Cultivators, Wang Ba’s previously somewhat heavy heart felt slightly relieved.
Although this act of aiding others wasn’t his doing, he had endorsed the decision which allowed Ying He to bring them along.
Hence, hearing the voices of thanks, he felt at complete ease.
Ying He also soon showed a look of regret:
"I wanted the Chief Division Master to stay in Guangling State for a while longer, I didn’t expect you to be in such a hurry to leave."
Wang Ba laughed and waved his hand:
"I need to go back to deal with affairs of the Sect."
"Besides, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. When you return to the Sect for your duties, you must come and find me. I’ll host you; the delicacies from Shixian Peak and the spirit wine from Spirit Wine Peak are unmatched."
Hearing this, Ying He also couldn’t help but laugh and nodded repeatedly.
As they were speaking,
Wang Ba suddenly felt a slight jolt and took out the trembling Spirit Rhinoceros Stone from his sleeve.
It wasn’t that someone was looking for him at that moment, but because of the cold currents near the Northsea Continent before, and the reverse onslaught of the currents on the way back, filling the entire North Sea and causing communication to be cut off. Now that he was back on land, the Spirit Rhinoceros Stone had left the range of the cold currents, and thus had sensed something and issued an alert.
Grasping the urgently vibrating Spirit Rhinoceros Stone, a shadow suddenly surged in Wang Ba’s heart, which had just slightly eased.
He quickly infused it with mana.
Soon, the voice of Ma Shengxu, which was anxiously suppressed but still somewhat anxious, came from the stone:
"Nephew-disciple... can you hear me?"
"... hurry back to the Sect..."
"Nephew-disciple... can you hear me..."
"Nephew-disciple, your Martial Uncle Ling Weizi and Martial Uncle Hu Zaixi, both have disappeared! If you receive this message, rush back to the Sect immediately..."
Wang Ba was shocked to his core.
Martial Uncle Ling Weizi and Martial Uncle Hu Zhaixi, disappeared?!
With a thought, other voices soon came out of the Spirit Rhinoceros Stone, including Master Yao Wudi and Martial Uncle Wei Rong from Jinhuang Peak, among others.
And what they were discussing was the same matter:
Martial Uncles Ling Weizi and Hu Zaixi had both vanished simultaneously in Sen State.
