Inside the cabin, Lin Sheng frowned slightly as he looked at the unconscious sailor.
Ignoring the sailor, he grabbed another one. With a flicker of dark light in his eyes, the sailor soon regained consciousness.
However, he also fainted without being able to explain what exactly happened.
Lin Sheng woke up the remaining sailors one by one.
Finally, one sailor didn't faint as quickly as the others. He managed to reveal a string of fragmented information before finally losing consciousness.
Lin Sheng had no intention of acting again on these unconscious sailors. Although they appeared to be in no immediate danger, their Mental Energy had suffered severe damage, and they wouldn't live much longer.
“Luring people with songs, is this some kind of Yao Beast?”
Lin Sheng's gaze fell on Nong Yu nearby as he asked.
From the information these sailors had just revealed, he roughly understood what had happened.
This Red Sea Trading Company caravan, while in the deep ocean, heard a strange melody emanating from the sea. Subsequently, the company members on the ships seemed to fall under a spell, jumping into the sea like dumplings, never to return.
The reason the ship they were on returned was because it was at the very back of the fleet, furthest from the source of the singing. Upon witnessing the bizarre events unfolding ahead, it immediately turned back. Although they still lost a large number of personnel, these few sailors fortunately survived.
Of course, they were only temporarily alive.
This strange phenomenon of luring sailors with songs reminded Lin Sheng of the mythological tales from his previous life on the Blue Star; there seemed to be similar legends.
“Sea Beasts that can bewilder minds with songs are quite rare. And although the few Sea Beasts that this servant knows of possess such abilities, the strength of the Mid-Sea Trading Company is not weak. This caravan must have had a large number of experts accompanying it. Logically speaking, these types of Sea Beasts shouldn’t have such capabilities.”
Nong Yu's face showed a thoughtful expression.
Even though she usually researched Sea Beasts, hearing this still made her feel confused.
But soon, as if she had thought of something, a hesitant expression appeared on her face, and she spoke with hesitation.
“However, when this servant was young, I heard my grandfather mention that in ancient times, there was a type of Sea Beast called a Ghost Shark in the deep ocean. Its upper body resembled a human, and its lower body was that of a fish. Whenever a heavy rain approached, it would emit a song, causing people to fall into illusions and approach it willingly, becoming its blood food. Even a powerful God-Form Martial Artist would find it difficult to escape if they encountered one.”
“But as this servant knows, this type of Sea Beast called a Ghost Shark has not appeared for several hundred years, so this servant cannot be certain if it still exists in the East Sea.”
“Ghost Shark?”
Lin Sheng murmured the name after hearing Nong Yu’s words.
Regardless of whether this thing was a Ghost Shark or not, based on its abilities, it was definitely an existence with extremely powerful Mental Energy.
Being able to simultaneously affect a caravan of no less than several hundred people, such a feat indicated that its Mental Energy was far from ordinary; it was likely a Yao Beast.
Lin Sheng was quite interested in this Sea Beast.
There was no need to guess; he knew it would definitely bring a good Mental Energy boost. It was just a pity that if it was a Yao Beast, it wouldn't be so easy to deal with.
Compared to high-level Spirit Beasts, Yao Beasts, in a sense, were already an entirely new species. The gap between the two was like a chasm.
Every Yao Beast could bring extremely powerful attribute enhancements.
As for this so-called Ghost Shark, even if it wasn't a Yao Beast, just finding its whereabouts would take a considerable amount of time.
The Red Crystal Mine's excavation was nearing its end, so he clearly couldn't afford to waste much time on this.
He shook his head slightly, his gaze falling on the sailor bound to a pillar on the other side of the cabin. This sailor's attire was noticeably better than the others, and his cultivation was good; he was a Bones Transformation triple-layer Martial Artist.
Lin Sheng extended his palm and cut through the iron chains binding his body.
As soon as he was free from his restraints, the disheveled sailor immediately charged towards Lin Sheng and Nong Yu. Scales grew on his skin, emitting a bloodthirsty aura, showing signs of bestial transformation.
Seeing this, Lin Sheng was somewhat surprised, but then he struck out with a palm. The sailor's chest immediately caved in, and he fell to the ground, losing all signs of life in an instant.
With his Mental Energy almost collapsing, it was indeed possible for him to undergo bestial transformation at the Bones Transformation Realm.
Nong Yu, on the other hand, carefully examined the sailor, then suddenly realized.
“It's Zhou Yuan, the second Young Master of the Red Sea Trading Company. I didn't expect it to be him. This Zhou Yuan has good Bloodline talent and the ability to control Sea Fish. It seems the reason this ship could travel at such speed and escape even without anyone controlling it was likely due to the Sea Fish he controlled.”
“So that’s how it is.” Lin Sheng nodded. This explanation made sense.
“Alright, let’s go back.”
Soon, the two left the cabin. By then, Wu Chuan's small merchant ship had also approached.
Beneath the surface of the sea, half-meter-long Sea Fish frantically fled, clearly these were the Sea Fish controlled by Zhou Yuan.
Wu Chuan also reacted at this moment, and his unease dissipated.
Following the principle of not wasting anything, Lin Sheng had Wu Chuan move the black crystal coral from the ship onto his own.
These black crystal corals were quite valuable. This ship's worth was estimated to be around two to three hundred thousand silver taels, so naturally, they couldn't be left behind.
Before long, all the black crystal coral was moved, and the small merchant ship no longer lingered, heading towards the Hai Cao Town ferry.
Nothing else happened on the way.
Two days later, the merchant ship docked.
Upon returning to Hai Cao Town, Lin Sheng first went to the outpost to check on the bounty he had issued.
Seeing that no one had accepted the commission, he immediately began to cultivate in seclusion.
This time, with the Aurora Jellyfish integrated into his body, his Mental Energy and perception had improved once again, especially the perception boost, which had almost undergone a qualitative change.
In the quiet, secluded room.
The smoke from the Tranquilizing Incense drifted out of the incense burner, filling the entire quiet room.
Lin Sheng sat in the center, his upper body bare, revealing strong muscle lines. His eyes were slightly closed, his five hearts facing the sky.
Despite it being the hottest part of summer, the room was filled with an indescribable chilling aura.
Lin Sheng's body was motionless like a statue, even his breathing had stopped.
Unlike the external stillness, his consciousness space at this moment was exceptionally eerie.
With the Long-Bearded White Ape, Aurora Jellyfish, Three-Colored Mother Bird, and Wind-Listening Dog integrated into his body.
His Mental Energy and perception had reached an unprecedented level.
At this moment, the previously pitch-black environment within his consciousness space had undergone significant changes.
The visible range, which was originally only about three to four meters in front of him, had now expanded to about six to seven meters.
Although beyond this range it was still a murky black, within the six to seven meters in front of him, a large amount of grayish-green demonic aura was clearly visible. As the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture's method operated at this moment.
The grayish-green demonic aura in his perception, as if drawn by a force, slowly gathered towards him, attaching itself to his body.
Moreover, unlike before, where he could only vaguely sense the existence of his body, he could now fully perceive the location of his body within this strange space.
At this moment, his body in his perception appeared exactly as it did when he first entered this space—a horrifying mummified corpse.
Parts of his body were covered by a large amount of grayish-green moss-like substance, and these moss-like substances were precisely the demonic aura, which had accumulated in large quantities and was even darker in color.
As the demonic aura he attracted attached itself to his body, these demonic aura also gradually merged with his body, transforming into tiny specks of moss adhering to his skin.
The efficiency of his cultivation had significantly improved compared to before.
However, along with this, Lin Sheng felt that the strange chilling sensation became increasingly intense as more and more of the demonic aura he attracted gathered around him.
Soon, five days passed in a flash.
Outside the quiet room, Nong Yu walked in from outside the courtyard.
However, as she approached within ten meters of the quiet room, she instinctively shivered, feeling her hair stand on end and her body grow cold, causing her to instinctively stop and retreat backward.
It wasn't until she had retreated several meters away that the chilling sensation finally disappeared.
“Young Master…”
Nong Yu's face showed surprise.
She came from a prominent family and had extraordinary knowledge, but this was the first time she had encountered such a situation. The feeling she just experienced made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, filled with dread.
She was somewhat worried that something had gone wrong with Lin Sheng's cultivation and was about to immediately go out and call for help when Lin Sheng's calm voice came from inside the room.
“I’m fine.”
Hearing this, Nong Yu finally let out a sigh of relief, then spoke.
“Senior Bai Can just came by and asked me to inform Young Master that you will be departing tomorrow.”
“I know, you may go.”
Lin Sheng’s voice once again sounded from within the room.
Nong Yu bowed respectfully, then turned and exited the courtyard.
Inside the room, Lin Sheng's eyes suddenly opened, both completely filled with blackness, with no trace of white visible.
However, as he heavily exhaled a breath of white Qi, his eyes quickly returned to normal.
“The sixth demonic pattern is complete…”
Lin Sheng stretched his muscles. At this moment, black patterns were continuously surging on his back, finally converging into a new black rhomboid imprint.
“As expected, after my perception improved, it also had a good promoting effect on the cultivation of the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture. I broke through again in just five days, entering the Late Stage of Blood Transportation, and I’m just one step away from returning to Bones Transformation.”
He murmured softly, a smile on his face.
However, his smile soon faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
“What exactly is that strange space?”
Thinking of the pitch-black space he was in during cultivation, the omnipresent grayish-green spore-like demonic aura, and his own appearance resembling a mummified corpse that had decayed for years.
He felt as if it were a bizarre nightmare, yet so real.
He thought of the descriptions in the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture.
Demonic aura is everywhere. Since he could sense the presence of demonic aura in that space, why was it not present in the real world?
He was quite puzzled, as if he had touched some kind of barrier, and only by breaking it could he know the truth.
Thoughts flashed through his mind, but he had no clue. He shook his head slightly, suppressing the chaotic thoughts.
Because at this moment, the chilling sensation in his body still existed, and there was a hint of it eroding his being.
This situation had become increasingly severe with his cultivation after the dissipation of his Qi and Blood energy when he dispersed his Cultivation Technique.
If an ordinary person lacked sufficient willpower and physique, they would likely find it extremely difficult to cope.
The chilling sensation currently eroding his body had reached a rather troublesome point. Not to mention a Blood Transportation Warrior, even a Martial Artist in the Mid or Late Stage of Bones Transformation might not be able to withstand it.
He knew this was the backlash from refining and devouring the demonic aura, but this backlash was somewhat beyond his expectations.
Perhaps, if it were others, even the seed Geniuses of Dark Star, few would be able to withstand the pressure of this backlash at the Blood Transportation Realm.
However, for him, it was nothing. As the Scarlet-Eyed Flame Dragon entered his body, the chilling sensation disappeared in an instant.
In fact, even without integrating the Scarlet-Eyed Flame Dragon, with his current physique, he could withstand the pressure of this backlash. It would just take some time to completely eliminate it.
As the backlash was completely suppressed, the chilling aura in the room also disappeared.
“The pressure from this demonic aura’s backlash seems to be increasing a bit too quickly. After I Breakthrough again, it will undoubtedly increase much more… It seems that the cultivation difficulty of the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture is a bit too high. Even if one’s Mental Energy and perception meet the requirements, if they cannot suppress the backlash, the outcome will be very miserable…”
Lin Sheng stroked his chin, pondering the reason.
Although few people in Dark Star cultivated the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture, there were some. Lin Sheng was very curious how they met the demanding requirements of this Cultivation Technique.
Soon, he understood, slapped his head, and chuckled wryly.
“No, the reason why I experience such strong backlash pressure when cultivating the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture is related to my cultivation speed. My Mental Energy and perception are not inferior to, and perhaps even stronger than, ordinary Divine Transformation Realm Martial Artists.”
“This powerful Mental Energy and perception greatly enhance the cultivation efficiency of the Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture, but correspondingly, it also brings a backlash several times stronger than that of others, which is why there is such immense pressure.”
Having understood this, he couldn't help but feel a little helpless.
If he were to choose again, he would definitely do the same, and even further enhance his Mental Energy and perception to accelerate his cultivation efficiency.
As for the backlash from the demonic aura, compared to the progress in cultivation, it was nothing.
It would not be too late to consider it when it reached an unbearable point.
“Once my cultivation advances further, I will meet the conditions for the first shedding of the demonic carcass. I wonder what kind of changes that will bring. It’s truly something to look forward to, I hope it won’t disappoint me.”
Lin Sheng picked up his outer robe, put it on, pushed open the door, and murmured softly as he looked at the scorching sun in the sky.
The Supreme Heavenly Demon Scripture, Nine Transformations of the Demonic Carcass.
Each shedding of the demonic carcass was a watershed moment.
He had now reached the Peak of the Blood Transportation Realm, but this profound Cultivation Technique had not yet unleashed its true power. In Lin Sheng's perception, the various improvements it brought were only slightly stronger than when he cultivated both the Qingniao Chasing Star Finger and the Bai Xiang Zhen Yue Gong (White Elephant Mountain-Suppressing Skill).
Only by shedding the demonic carcass would the true transformation occur.
Entering the Bones Transformation Realm was the threshold for the first transformation.
Therefore, he was very much looking forward to what kind of changes this profound Cultivation Technique would bring at that time.
However, the Red Crystal Mine had already finished excavation, so he couldn't continue his seclusion and could only cultivate on the road.