Translator: Cinder Translations
Song Wen took out the alchemy furnace and, unconcerned with his surroundings, began refining pills. He was preparing to make a third-tier Demon Attractant Incense.
Six Shadow Gu were monitoring the area, but Song Wen wasn't afraid of the Cui family's cultivators suddenly infiltrating the hiding cave.
As for Cui Xinyi, Song Wen hadn't even considered her a threat.
The process of refining the Demon Attractant Incense went smoothly. Three days later, the powder was successfully completed.
Song Wen placed the powder in a jade box, then left the cave. He traveled several dozen miles to the foot of a reef and found a small crevice between the stones to hide the jade box.
The box had a small hole, and the Demon Attractant Incense would slowly leak out through it.
Song Wen retreated to a cave about forty miles away, hiding inside.
As the Demon Attractant Incense spread, it began to attract some of the sea creatures.
Most of these creatures were still low-level sea beasts, and they swam around the outside of the jade box. Only a few small sea beasts managed to squeeze inside the crevice.
However, the jade box was specially made and very hard. The small sea beasts couldn't break it, so they could only circle around it.
As time passed, more and more sea beasts gathered around.
Reef Sea Area, Sea Surface.
Four Golden Core cultivators from the Cui family frowned in worry.
Cui Xinyi had mysteriously disappeared!
There was no sign of her, no trace of her body!
For three entire days, they had searched the entire reef island sea area, but they found nothing.
Cui Xinyi's sudden disappearance had forced the entire trial to be halted.
Before they could investigate the cause of Cui Xinyi's disappearance, the four cultivators didn't dare allow any other junior members of their family to continue the trial. After all, these juniors could also fall into the same danger.
"Cui San, when you encountered that cultivator from Wu Ji Island, did you recognize his identity?" asked a peak Golden Core cultivator.
This cultivator was Cui Xinyi's grandfather, Cui Gu.
In the restless Chaotic Sea, all major forces gathered information about each other. The number of Golden Core cultivators in each faction was limited, making their information easy to collect.
Cui San shook his head. "There was no matching description of that person among the Wu Ji Island cultivator profiles. I suspect his appearance isn't real but a disguise. Furthermore, he only mentioned Wu Ji Island but didn't confirm if he was from there."
"This is troublesome. Cui Xinyi has likely fallen into his hands, and we don't even know if she's alive or dead."
Cui Gu's voice carried heavy concern. He clearly cared greatly for his granddaughter, Cui Xinyi.
Cui San said, "I didn't protect Cui Xinyi well."
Cui Gu responded, "This isn't your fault. Cui Xinyi was too arrogant and overbearing, which likely made that Golden Core cultivator resent her."
Cui San said, "It's no use staying here. I'll search the nearby area again."
With that, Cui San dove into the sea.
Cui Gu turned to the other two Golden Core cultivators and said, "You stay here and guard the family members. I'll go search again. If it's really impossible, we'll have to end the trial."
Cui San reached the seabed and soon noticed the abnormal situation near the Demon Attractant Incense.
The surrounding sea beasts within several dozen miles had been drawn to the area, making it difficult not to notice.
Cui San didn't act rashly. He contacted Cui Gu with a communication jade slip, then hid among the stone pillars of a reef, more than ten miles beneath the sea, to observe secretly.
Not long after, Cui Gu arrived at his hiding spot.
"This is the scent of Demon Attractant Incense?" To avoid alarming the sea creatures below, Cui Gu sent a voice transmission.
Cui San sent a voice transmission, "It's definitely Demon Attractant Incense, and it's a third-tier version. Who could be behind this?"
Cui Gu responded, "It should be the Golden Core cultivator you encountered earlier."
Cui San said, "He knew our Cui family was here. Why would he do this? Is he deliberately trying to lure us here?"
Cui Gu replied, "I can't guess what this person is thinking. However, it now seems like Cui Xinyi might still be alive."
Cui San asked, "What should we do next?"
Cui Gu said, "Let's wait a bit longer and see what this person's goal is."
About two quarters of an hour later, the seabed, which had been calm, suddenly began to stir with moving waters.
A massive strange fish, its origins unknown, suddenly shot out from the depths.
The fish was several meters long, with a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth. It had two fins on its belly, resembling muscular arms. What was most unusual, however, was its tail, which was not a fish tail, but two long, frog-like hind legs.
"A third-tier late-stage Toad Shark, even it has been attracted here. What is this person really trying to do?" Cui San transmitted, surprised.
Cui Gu frowned deeply, his face showing confusion as he stared at the activity on the seabed.
The Toad Shark opened its large mouth and forcefully pushed off with its powerful legs, speeding towards the crevice containing the Demon Attractant Incense.
Countless sea creatures were swallowed whole by the shark. Their tough exoskeletons were easily shattered by its sharp teeth.
Once consumed, the fish creatures immediately scattered in all directions.
The Toad Shark did not pursue them. Instead, it approached the crevice and slammed into the nearby rocks, trying to retrieve the jade box containing the Demon Attractant Incense.
The rocks splintered.
But the jade box didn't fall out of the crevice. Instead, it was carried deeper into the gap by the flowing water.
The Toad Shark shook its massive head, disoriented. The rocks at the seabed were exceptionally hard due to the constant pressure of the water, and the previous impact had left the shark a bit dazed.
However, the temptation of the Demon Attractant Incense was too strong for the Toad Shark to give up. It opened its mouth wide, and a long, barbed tongue shot out like lightning.
The tongue easily pierced the hard rocks and slipped into the crevice.
It wrapped around the jade box and began to pull it back, but then something unexpected happened.
A strange beast, resembling a large moth but with features similar to an octopus, suddenly appeared.
The creature was black-purple in color, with a sharp beak-like mouth. Its body was covered in tumor-like growths, and it had a pair of fleshy wings on its back. These wings, half a meter long, looked incredibly odd and mismatched compared to its five-meter long body.
Its tail was covered in five thick tentacles, each lined with barbs and suction cups.
What drew the most attention were its eyes.
Its eyes glowed with a blood-red light, as if two huge blood-red lanterns were shining in the pitch-black depths of the sea.
This was a peak third-tier demonic beast. It swung its five tentacles and lashed at the Toad Shark.
The Toad Shark was startled by the sudden appearance of the strange beast. It kicked off with its powerful legs, knocking away the two tentacles that came at it. Then, it sped up and darted forward.
At the same time, knowing it couldn't match the demonic beast, the Toad Shark whipped its tongue out and threw the jade box away.
Upon seeing this, the tentacles stopped chasing the Toad Shark and turned toward the jade box.
Forty miles away, in his hidden cave, Song Wen's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"An Abyssal Abyss Sea Butterfly! There's really an Abyssal Abyss Sea Butterfly residing among these reefs."
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