Longevity Starts With Dual Cultivation - Chapter 21
The sudden turn of events threw the spacious deck into chaos.
Two black-clad bandit cultivators materialized right beside Ling Changqing, silently swinging their swords at him, only to be blocked by the multiple layers of watery blue light shields surrounding him.
“Think I’m an easy target?”
Ling Changqing snorted coldly, raising both hands as he unleashed over a dozen talismans all at once, Binding Spirit Talismans, Thunder Talismans, Earth Sink Talismans, Profound Ice Talismans…
Facing a life-or-death crisis, Ling Changqing had no intention of holding back, recklessly throwing out various talismans from his storage bag without regard for cost.
The two black-clad bandit cultivators couldn’t dodge in time. In the blink of an eye, their defenses crumbled under the assault. Their magical robes dimmed, multiple wounds appearing on their bodies as they screamed and hastily retreated.
Ling Changqing didn’t push his advantage, instead withdrawing toward the ship’s railing. His Qi refining fourth-level cultivation wasn’t particularly useful in this kind of chaotic melee, better to play it safe.
By now, dozens of pearl divers had been killed by the bandit cultivators, with even more injured, including members of the Ling family.
However, the Ling family members who had regained their composure were beginning to counterattack. Casualties also appeared among the attacking bandit cultivators, and the deck became littered with blood and flesh.
Ling Zifeng and Tian Wenhu were currently being frantically besieged by a group of bandit cultivators. The glow of various talismans and spells flashed back and forth as they struggled to defend themselves.
“How dare you!”
Tang Qiuyao’s angry shout came from nearby. Golden light instantly burst across the scene, dazzling to the point of blindness, as an immense net descended from above, sparse yet leaving no gaps.
Caught off guard, all the bandit cultivators on the deck were trapped by this magical artifact.
“Boom!”
A muffled explosion sounded as thick black smoke spread, immediately filling the space with a foul, fishy odor.
Ling Changqing silently retreated to the ship’s railing, flipped over the side, and dropped straight into the seawater.
The moment he entered the water, the Xuanzhen Black Water Scripture and Water Control Art activated. Ling Changqing immediately felt like he was back in his home territory, his form almost merging with the seawater as he reached the seafloor hundreds of feet deep in the blink of an eye.
Sure enough, the underwater environment was much safer. Ling Changqing organized his thoughts and began considering his next moves.
Ordinary rogue cultivator bandits wouldn’t dare provoke the Ling family, the risk-reward ratio wasn’t favorable. So this attack was likely orchestrated by another family faction targeting the Ling family from the shadows.
For example, the ever-watchful Wu family. They didn’t dare break into open warfare yet, so they secretly recruited a batch of bandit cultivators as cannon fodder to cause trouble for the Ling family?
Having figured out the cause and effect, what would happen next wasn’t hard to guess. The family head, Ling Qiyue, definitely wouldn’t let this slide and would seek severe retaliation afterward.
Of course, this had little to do with Ling Changqing. It probably wasn’t his turn yet to fight on the battlefield, he just needed to continue lying low and developing.
After pondering for a few moments, Ling Changqing drew his mid-grade artifact short sword and slowly began rising toward the surface.
“Splash! Splash!”
Faint sounds of heavy objects hitting the water came from above, followed by two dark figures flailing as they swam into the distance. Their movements seemed unnatural, as if they were injured, and both appeared to be at Qi refining fourth-level.
Mine now! Ling Changqing manipulated the water currents, silently closing in before thrusting his sword through the back of the bandit cultivator, simultaneously snatching the storage bag from his waist.
The next one didn’t escape either, Ling Changqing caught up with him and slit his throat in one swift motion, then stripped him of all his artifacts and valuables.
After waiting a few breaths, the sound of splashing water echoed as another dark figure dropped from above.
This one was even more formidable, seemingly at the seventh level of Qi refining. Despite severe injuries, his ferocity remained undiminished, he killed a pursuing Ling family disciple with a single slash, then activated a Water Escape Talisman in an attempt to flee.
“You’re not going back either. Stay here!”
Ling Changqing murmured inwardly, unleashing three Profound Ice Talismans in succession, instantly encasing the opponent in a massive sphere of ice.
“Bastard!”
The man roared furiously, his body glowing as shattered ice flew in all directions.
Just as he broke free from the restraint, two more Profound Ice Talismans descended, sealing him once again, followed immediately by a Binding Spirit Talisman.
By the time he mustered all his strength to break free once more, Ling Changqing had already closed in, releasing another Profound Ice Talisman, followed by the Profound Water Ice Arrow Technique.
“It’s over…”
Repeatedly struck, the bandit cultivator was completely drained, with no strength left to escape. Finally, Ling Changqing delivered a fatal blow from behind, severing his head.
As per the usual routine, weapons, artifacts, and storage bags were seized, while the useless corpses were discarded.
Thus, Ling Changqing prowled like a patient lone wolf in the waters around the sea vessel, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Whenever an injured bandit cultivator fell into the water attempting to escape, he would silently approach, deliver a stealthy finishing blow, and strip them of all their possessions.
Although the consumption was staggering, it remained within his limits.
Shortly after, the clamor of battle on the deck of the sea vessel finally subsided.
“…Elder Ling, are you alright?”
Tang Qiuyao retrieved her radiant golden net-like artifact, her snow-white jade-like face slightly pale, clearly drained from the exertion, though she showed no signs of injury.
“I’m fine, still alive!”
Ling Zifeng sighed regretfully as he examined his tattered high-grade artifact robe. The bleeding wounds on his body had already begun to heal, and aside from that, he suffered no major consequences.
However, the losses among the servants, guards, and Ling family disciples were staggering. Preliminary estimates indicated at least thirty Ling family disciples had perished, with even more injured.
As for the unfortunate pearl divers, over a hundred had died on the spot, with many more injured, a devastating toll.
Although the bandit cultivators who participated in the assault suffered similarly heavy losses, nearly annihilated, the Ling family’s losses were undeniably more severe.
“Damn the Wu family!”
Ling Zifeng cursed through gritted teeth. After this ordeal, the Ling family’s plans to gather undersea resources would inevitably face significant delays, potentially affecting their overall preparations for the impending conflict.
Tang Qiuyao’s expression turned icy. “I will report this to the family head upon my return. If the Wu family dare to resort to such tactics, do they think our Ling family won’t retaliate? They must pay an even greater price!”
The cause and effect of the incident were clear, and the Ling family’s counterattack was now inevitable. Unless the Wu family were thoroughly taught a painful lesson, this matter would not be considered resolved.
Truth be told, had Tang Qiuyao not coincidentally been present today, the Ling family’s losses would likely have been far more catastrophic. Ling Zifeng swallowed two Elixir Pills, hastily regulated his breathing for a moment, then forced himself to stand and began directing the surviving Ling family disciples to rescue the injured.
“By the way, where’s Ling Changqing?”
Tang Qiuyao’s expression shifted slightly as she scanned the crowd of wounded. As someone both she and family head Ling Qiyue had high hopes for, he couldn’t afford to fall to bandit cultivators.
“Senior sister, I’m here!”
A calm, steady voice came from the water’s surface as Ling Changqing dragged two bandit cultivator corpses and climbed aboard the deck.
“Eh? You’re actually unharmed? That’s wonderful!”
Tang Qiuyao immediately breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing in her beautiful eyes as she stepped forward to grasp and examine him, only relaxing after confirming he was indeed fine.
Ling Zifeng similarly felt relieved – if Ling Changqing had unfortunately perished here too, the loss would have been truly tremendous.
“Good, as long as you’re fine. Go rest for now!”
Tang Qiuyao spoke gently. These two bandit cultivators had both been at Qi refining fifth layer when alive. Though injured when they fell into the water, for Ling Changqing to have finished them off showed this young man’s fortune was indeed extraordinary.
Ling Changqing acknowledged without further words, turning to head toward the cabins.
Only after returning to his room did Ling Changqing truly relax, untying the leather pouch at his waist and tossing it onto the table.
Though uninjured, the Talismans in his storage bag were nearly depleted. If a few more bandit cultivators came, he probably couldn’t withstand them and would have to flee.
After resting awhile, Ling Changqing opened the leather pouch containing over twenty palm-sized storage bags – all contributions from those deceased bandit cultivators.
Since the storage bags were protected by spell restrictions, Ling Changqing expended considerable effort to break them open one by one.
The first storage bag contained over a hundred low-grade spirit stones, a mid-grade artifact longsword, a large pile of spirit sand, over twenty beginner talismans, several bottles of Qi Replenishing Essence Pills and Spirit Returning Pills, plus assorted spirit herbs, ores and such.
Bandit cultivators made their living robbing homes and plundering other low-level cultivators, so their possessions were usually quite substantial.
Moreover, they rarely had trusted relatives or friends, so most carried all their wealth and resources with them. Any accidental death meant everything went to benefit others.
Ling Changqing continued opening them one by one, sorting the contents into categories until several piles covered the table and floor.
Final tally: over twenty bandit cultivators contributed nearly three thousand low-grade spirit stones total, sixteen intact low and mid-grade artifacts, three high-grade magic robes and artifacts.
Over two hundred various Talismans, dozens of Elixir Pill bottles – mostly low-grade goods but including quality items like Spirit Returning Pills and Profound Yin Blood Essence Pills.
Over three hundred jin of Spirit Rice, over two hundred jin of various demon beast meat, over ten pots of spiritual wine, large piles of medicinal herbs and ores, Jade Slips recording certain low-level cultivation techniques, and even considerable mundane gold, silver and jewels.
“Men don’t prosper without windfalls, horses don’t fatten without night grazing. Robbery really is the fastest path to wealth indeed!”
Ling Changqing sighed faintly. If all this harvest were converted to spirit stones, it would nearly repay his spirit stone loan principal.
For a moment, Ling Changqing even felt tempted to consider switching careers to become a bandit cultivator himself. It’s a pity that opportunities like today’s are rare and cannot be sought after. Relying solely on Ling Changqing’s own strength, he had no confidence in confronting so many bandit cultivators head-on.
After some thought, Ling Changqing stored all the valuables back into his storage bag. No matter what, this unexpected windfall would be enough to sustain him for quite some time.
As for the items he couldn’t use himself, he could wait for the right opportunity to sell them off later.