Di Tujuh Mata Darah, tiap puncak memakai jubah dao dengan warna berbeda. Puncak Kedua oranye, Puncak Keenam biru, dan tentu saja violet untuk Puncak Ketujuh. Adapun Puncak Pertama, jubah mereka semerah darah.
Kalau bicara soal Tujuh Mata Darah, puncak paling terkenal di Phoenix Selatan dan Laut Terlarang adalah Puncak Pertama dan Puncak Ketujuh. Para kultivator petarung Puncak Pertama dikenal sebagai pembantai yang muram. Mereka jarang turun ke laut, dan lebih memilih berlatih di dalam Terlarang oleh Phoenix. Hanya kultivator Puncak Pertama yang benar-benar yakin pada dasar kultivasi dan kemampuan tempurnya yang berani keluar ke Laut Terlarang yang asing itu untuk berlatih. Karena itu, baik di dalam sekte maupun di laut, ini pertama kalinya Xu Qing melihat seorang kultivator petarung Puncak Pertama.
Mustahil salah mengenali sesama murid. Sebab jubah dao mereka mengandung pola tak terlihat yang terhubung dengan medali identitas dan aura pemakainya. Saat mereka mendekati jubah dao lain yang berpola sama, polanya akan berkilau sebagai respons. Alasannya, sekte ini terlalu besar untuk seluruh murid saling mengenal, jadi diperlukan cara mencegah orang luar menyamar sebagai murid.
Namun, meski ini sesama murid, Xu Qing sama sekali tidak melonggarkan kewaspadaan. Lagipula, ia tidak paham apa maksud puisi kriptik pemuda itu. Dugaannya, mungkin pemuda itu sedang memperingatkannya agar tidak merebut buruannya.
Bukankah tadi ia menyebut "kantong" dan "petak umpet" sambil memburu hiu giantfang.
Xu Qing mengawasinya dengan dingin, tusuk besinya berkilau di sisinya, bayangannya di bawah tampak biasa saja, tetapi siap melesat keluar atas kendali Xu Qing. Dharmaskiff-nya pun siaga, dan naga leher-ularnya berada di apertur dharmanya, deretan duri di sepanjang leher panjang itu berdiri tegak.
Saat hiu giantfang itu kabur ke arah Xu Qing, ia bisa merasakan aura luar biasa dari beast tersebut. Meraung, hiu itu berputar di tempat lalu menerjang murid Puncak Pertama yang datang, mulutnya terbuka lebar. Tiba-tiba kabut darah menyembur dari mulut hiu itu, berubah menjadi sekumpulan ikan dan udang yang melesat ke arah murid Puncak Pertama.
"Sungai perak bidadari cilik; menanti kusedot sekali teguk." Tangan kanannya berkilat dalam gestur mantra, dan pedang perunggunya berdening, memunculkan barisan demi barisan proyeksi pedang.
Dalam sekejap, lebih dari lima puluh versi kecil pedang perunggu itu terlihat, memancarkan aura pembantaian. Murid Puncak Pertama itu menggerakkan jarinya, dan seluruh pedang kecuali yang ia pijak melesat ke arah hiu giantfang.
Gemuruh menggetarkan bergema, ombak menyapu permukaan air saat hiu giantfang itu meraung. Tujuh atau delapan pedang menancap ke tubuh besarnya, darah memercik ke air sekitarnya saat ia kabur ke kejauhan. Darah itu mengandung aura Pembentukan Fondasi, jadi akan menakuti banyak beast laut. Sebaliknya, bisa juga darah itu menarik beast laut yang lebih kuat ke area tersebut.
Xu Qing hanya menonton.
Melayang di udara, murid Puncak Pertama itu mendengus dingin.
"Kelinci putih salju menyelip di langit; kodok hitam malam berenang lewat."
Begitu kata-kata itu keluar dari mulutnya, pedang raksasanya berdening lagi, membesar dan membesar sampai panjangnya kira-kira 300 meter. Lalu ia melesat di atas air memburu hiu itu.
Xu Qing tidak mengucapkan sepatah kata pun sepanjang waktu itu, juga tidak melakukan apa pun. Ia mendengar puisi konyol murid itu, lalu menontonnya melesat pergi, tetap waspada sepanjang waktu. Sekarang orangnya sudah pergi, Xu Qing mengarahkan dharmaskiff-nya ke arah lain. Berdasarkan yang ia rasakan, murid Puncak Pertama itu lebih kuat darinya, tetapi tidak jauh. Ia belum sampai pada tingkat bisa memasuki keadaan cahaya mendalam, dan mungkin punya sekitar 20 apertur dharma terbuka. Kalau sampai terjadi pertarungan mati-matian, Xu Qing merasa bisa menang. Tetapi beast laut Pembentukan Fondasi tidak sepadan untuk memicu pertarungan seperti itu.
Beberapa hari kemudian, Xu Qing tiba di tujuan berikutnya. Ia berada kira-kira di tengah-tengah antara Phoenix Selatan dan Kepulauan Westcoral, kurang lebih di tempat ia bertemu sulur merayap itu. Ada juga sebuah pulau di dekatnya.
Pulau itu tidak terlalu besar, tetapi bentuknya seperti aksara 凹, dengan teluk alami.
Ada banyak pulau tak berpenghuni di Laut Terlarang. Sebagian selalu ada di sana, sebagian datang dan pergi. Yang pertama pulau sungguhan, yang kedua sering kali semacam beast laut raksasa.
Mengenai pulau ini, Xu Qing memeriksa dasar airnya untuk memastikan itu pulau sungguhan. Peta lautnya juga menyatakan demikian, tetapi selalu baik memeriksa ulang hal seperti itu. Pulau itu sendiri gundul dan tanpa sumber daya, karena itulah tak berpenghuni.
Setelah menyisir permukaan pulau untuk memastikan keamanannya, ia menambatkan dharmaskiff-nya di teluk dan mengeluarkan botol kecil.
Di dalam botol itu ada cairan biru, yaitu darah kepiting tapal kuda kerinduan hantu. Dengan memurnikan darah itu menurut prinsip kutub yin-yang, dan menggabungkannya dengan tanaman obat lain, bisa dibuat zat yang menarik beast buas. Mirip dengan zat yang dipakai pemuda merfolk itu pada Xu Qing. [1]
Inilah metode yang akan Xu Qing coba demi membuka apertur dharmanya. Ia akan menarik banyak beast laut, lalu membunuh mereka dan mengambil jiwa mereka. Namun, ini sulit dikendalikan, dan sangat mungkin ia justru menarik beast yang tak mampu ia tangani.
Demi menyetel prosesnya, ia akan memakai kerang krisan, yang bisa berfungsi sebagai agen penyeimbang. Dengan aura mereka sebagai lapisan tambahan, ide Xu Qing masih berisiko, tetapi ia bersedia mencobanya. [2]
Begitu kumulai, ini tidak akan berhenti....
Duduk di geladak, ia mulai memurnikan darah kepiting tapal kuda kerinduan hantu. Butuh sekitar satu jam, dan hari sudah malam saat ia selesai. Ia melihat cangkang kerang krisan itu berubah biru; pada titik ini, yang diperlukan hanyalah setetes darahnya untuk memulai prosesnya. Melihat hari sudah gelap, ia memutuskan tak perlu buru-buru, lalu menutup mata untuk bermeditasi.
Malam berlalu tanpa kejadian. Pagi berikutnya saat fajar, ia membuka mata dan menebarkan racun ke area sekitar.
Karena ia berada di teluk, bubuk racun itu bercampur dengan air laut dan mulai menyebar. Karena sangat bertekad soal bagaimana peristiwa ini harus berjalan, ia menuangkan racun bahkan lebih banyak ke dalam air. Namun itu belum cukup. Ia butuh sesuatu lagi untuk memperkuat efek racunnya.
Karena itu, ia mengeluarkan sebatang dupa dan meletakkannya di samping. Itu sejenis dupa yang dirancang untuk merangsang racun. Begitu masuk ke air, dan ia menambah lebih banyak racun, airnya akan menjadi hiper-beracun.
Semuanya siap. Matanya berkilat penuh antisipasi, ia menggigit ujung jarinya dan meneteskan setetes darah ke kerang krisan biru itu. Begitu darah itu jatuh ke cangkang, kerang itu berubah biru lebih gelap. Bersamaan dengan itu, aroma sangat samar berdenyut dari cangkang, begitu samar sampai mudah terlewat. Saat aroma itu menguar, Xu Qing menatap pintu masuk teluk, matanya menyipit, dupa perangsang racun digenggam di tangannya.
Waktu berlalu.
Satu jam kemudian, matanya berkilat dengan cahaya dingin saat ia melihat gumpalan air besar di kejauhan. Seekor paus sepanjang 300 meter menembus permukaan, melepaskan pekik melengking, lalu menghantam kembali ke dalam air. Itu, pada gilirannya, memperlihatkan bahwa di dalam air di sekitarnya ada kawanan ikan mirip buaya. Mereka ikan buaya bersisik hitam, serupa dengan serigala bersisik hitam. Biasanya mereka berkumpul dalam kawanan lebih dari seratus ekor, dan umumnya mencapai tingkat kedelapan atau kesembilan Kondensasi Qi.
Adapun pausnya, ia berada di lingkaran besar Kondensasi Qi. Melihat ini, mata Xu Qing berbinar. Sambil ia menunggu, ikan buaya bersisik hitam itu membuat ombak bergelora saat mereka menyerbu ke arah teluk. Paus itu mengikuti dekat di belakang. Tak lama kemudian, suara gemuruh memenuhi teluk saat ikan buaya bersisik hitam itu masuk, berenang lurus ke arah Xu Qing dan menghantam pertahanan dharmaskiff-nya. Dentuman bergema, tetapi pertahanan dharmaskiff-nya kuat, bahkan tidak retak di bawah serangan itu.
Sama seperti di hutan wilayah terlarang, beast laut umumnya kultivator tubuh, dan sedikit yang punya teknik magis. Sebagian besar, wujud fisik mereka yang kekar adalah aset terbesar mereka.
Hanya sekitar seratus. Tidak banyak.... Tanpa ragu, ia memasukkan lebih banyak koin roh ke formasi untuk menggerakkan pertahanannya. Tak lama kemudian, ia melihat lebih banyak ombak di kejauhan.
Kali ini, kawanan ikan todak raksasa, lebih besar dari yang pernah ia lihat. Tampaknya ada ratusan. Sebagian besar berada antara tingkat ketiga dan kelima Kondensasi Qi, tetapi ada empat puluh atau lima puluh yang berada di tingkat kedelapan atau kesembilan. Mata mereka merah menyala saat mereka menyerbu ke dalam teluk. Saat itulah Xu Qing melempar dupa perangsang racun ke dalam air.
Seketika, lebih dari seratus jenis racun di dalam air itu meledak, dan air hitam berubah menjadi lebih hitam lagi, sampai tampak seperti tinta kental. Saat efeknya menyebar, ikan buaya bersisik hitam itu gemetar dan diam. Pausnya pun tak bergerak. Hal yang sama terjadi pada ikan todak. Setelah waktu sebatang dupa terbakar, seluruh teluk, yang barusan memercikkan air, menjadi benar-benar diam dan senyap.
Mata Xu Qing dipenuhi antisipasi, ia melambaikan tangan dan membuat gerakan menggenggam. Akibatnya, tangan raksasa yang terbentuk dari air menangkap semua beast laut itu dan menyeretnya ke arahnya.
Lalu, apertur dharma Xu Qing meledak dengan api yang menyambar untuk membakar mereka. Tentu saja, mereka belum mati. Racunnya kuat, tetapi ia tidak merancangnya untuk membunuh, hanya membuat mereka tak mampu melawan. Saat api hitam membakar, jiwa demi jiwa melesat masuk ke dalam Xu Qing. Di sana, di wilayah dantiannya, jiwa-jiwa itu menjadi bayang jiwa yang berfungsi sebagai kayu bakar saat ia menghantam apertur dharma ketiganya. Hanya sesaat kemudian, getaran menjalari tubuhnya, dan matanya berkilat saat apertur dharma ketiganya terbuka sepenuhnya. Saat itu terjadi, kekuatan roh mengalir masuk, dan kekuatan dharma menyebar ke seluruh tubuhnya.
Ia tidak berhenti di situ. Dengan api hitam yang masih menyerap jiwa, ia mampu mengarahkan kekuatan itu ke apertur dharma keempatnya. Terbuka!
Teluk itu telah menjadi tempat kematian. Meski tak ada apa pun di permukaan, di bawah permukaan ada banyak bangkai beast.
Dengan 4 apertur dharma terbuka di dalam dirinya, kekuatan dharma meluap di seluruh tubuhnya, dan auranya menjadi lebih kuat dari sebelumnya. Saat api hitam mengamuk, dan api di dalam 4 apertur dharmanya menyala, itu membuat Xu Qing tampak seperti dilalap api saat ia duduk di geladak. Meski ini masih jauh dari keadaan cahaya mendalam, jelas kekuatan dharmanya jauh lebih agung daripada saat ia pertama kali melangkah ke Pembentukan Fondasi.
Kecepatan seperti inilah yang kucari! Beberapa waktu kemudian, Xu Qing membuka mata, melihat sekeliling, lalu mulai membuat lebih banyak zat kepiting tapal kuda kerinduan hantu.
1. Pemuda merfolk itu mengoleskan zat itu pada Xu Qing di bab 73, tetapi perinciannya baru dijelaskan di bab 74. ☜
2. Ide menggabungkan kerang krisan dan kepiting tapal kuda kerinduan hantu pertama kali disebut di bab 109. ☜
Chapter 141: Opening Apertures on an Uninhabited Island
In Seven Blood Eyes, each peak used daoist robes of a different color. The Second Peak was orange, the Sixth Peak was blue, and of course violet was for the Seventh Peak. As for the First Peak, they had robes as red as blood.
When it came to Seven Blood Eyes, the most famous peaks in South Phoenix and the Forbidden Sea were the First Peak and the Seventh Peak. The First Peak warrior cultivators were known for being grim slaughterers. They rarely went out to sea, and preferred to do their training in Forbidden by the Phoenix. Only First Peak cultivators who had complete confidence in their own cultivation base and battle prowess would go out to the unfamiliar Forbidden Sea for training. Because of that, whether it was in the sect or out at sea, this was the first time Xu Qing had ever seen one of the First Peak warrior cultivators.
It was impossible to misidentify another disciple. That was because their daoist robes contained invisible designs that were connected to the identity medallion and aura of the disciple. When they got close to another daoist robe with such designs, they would shimmer in response. The reason for this was that the sect was too big for all disciples to recognize each other, and thus, there was a need for a method to prevent outsiders from impersonating disciples.
However, it didn’t matter that this was a fellow disciple. Xu Qing didn’t let his guard down in the slightest. What was more, he had no idea what this disciple meant with his cryptic poetry. His guess was that, perhaps, this disciple was warning him not to steal his prey.
After all, he did mention a “bag” and “hide and seek” while simultaneously chasing a giantfang shark.
Xu Qing watched him coldly, his iron skewer glittering at his side, his shadow beneath him looking like nothing special, but ready to leap out under Xu Qing’s control. His dharmaskiff was ready as well, and his snakeneck dragon was in his dharma aperture, the row of spikes running down its long neck bristling.
As the giantfang shark fled in Xu Qing’s direction, he could sense its extraordinary aura. Roaring, it spun in place and then lunged toward the incoming First Peak disciple, its mouth opened wide. Suddenly, a blood mist erupted from the shark’s mouth, which transformed into a host of fish and shrimp that shot toward the First Peak disciple.
“The puny heavenly maiden’s silver river; it’s waiting for me to drink in one gulp.” His right hand flashed in an incantation gesture, and his bronze sword thrummed, causing row upon row of sword projections to appear.
In the blink of an eye, over fifty smaller versions of his bronze sword could be seen, radiating an aura of slaughter. The First Peak disciple waved his finger, and all the swords except for the one he stood on shot toward the giantfang shark.
Shocking rumbling echoed out, and waves surged out across the water as the giantfang shark howled. Seven or eight of the swords stabbed into its massive frame, causing blood to splash into the water around it as it fled off into the distance. That blood contained a Foundation Establishment aura, so it would scare away many sea beasts. On the other hand, it was also possible it could attract even stronger sea beasts into the area.
Xu Qing simply looked on.
Hovering in midair, the First Peak disciple snorted coldly.
“The snow-white rabbit slips through the sky; the night-black toad swims on by.”
As the words left his mouth, his huge sword thrummed again, growing larger and larger until it was roughly 300 meters long. Then, he shot over the water in pursuit of the shark.
Xu Qing hadn’t spoken a word the entire time, nor had he done a single thing. He had listened to the disciple’s ridiculous poetry, then watched him race off, staying on guard the entire time. Now that he was gone, Xu Qing simply piloted his dharmaskiff off in a different direction. Based on what he had sensed, the First Peak disciple was stronger than he was, but not by much. He wasn’t at the level of being able to enter the profound radiance state, and probably had something around 20 dharma apertures opened. If it came to an all-out battle to the death, Xu Qing had the feeling he could come out on top. But a Foundation Establishment sea beast wouldn’t be worth getting in a fight like that.
A few days later, Xu Qing reached his next target destination. He was about halfway between South Phoenix and the Westcoral Archipelago, roughly where he had encountered the creeping vines. There was also an island nearby.
It wasn’t very large, but the island itself was shaped like the character 凹, with a natural bay.
There were a lot of uninhabited islands on the Forbidden Sea. Some of them were always there, others came and went. The former were real islands, while the latter were often some type of huge sea beast.
As for this particular island, Xu Qing checked the water underneath to confirm that it was a real island. His sea chart also indicated it was, but it was always good to double check things like that. The island itself was barren and had no resources, which was why it was uninhabited.
After scouring the surface of the island to make sure it was safe, he moored his dharmaskiff in the bay and took out a small bottle.
Within that bottle was a blue liquid, which was ghostlonging horseshoe crab blood. By refining that blood according to the principles of yin-yang polarity, and by combining it with other medicinal plants, it was possible to create a substance that would attract ferocious beasts. It was similar to the substance the young merman had used on Xu Qing. [1]
This was the method Xu Qing was going to attempt in the hopes of opening his dharma apertures. He would attract a large number of sea beasts, then kill them and take their souls. However, it was going to be difficult to control, and it was entirely likely he could attract a beast he couldn’t deal with.
In the hopes of fine-tuning the process, he would use chrysanthemum mollusks, which could function as a harmonizing agent. With their aura as an added layer, Xu Qing’s idea would still be risky, but he was willing to try it. [2]
Once I start it, it’s not going to stop....
As he sat on the deck, he started refining the ghostlonging horseshoe crab blood. It took about an hour, and it was nightfall by the time he finished. He watched as the shell of the chrysanthemum mollusk turned blue; at this point, all that was required was a drop of his blood to start the process. Seeing that it was already dark, he decided there was no rush, and closed his eyes to meditate.
The night passed without incident. The next morning at dawn, he opened his eyes and scattered poison around the area.
Because he was in a harbor, the poison powder mixed with the seawater and began to spread about. Being very determined about how the event should play out, he put even more poison into the water. However, that wasn’t enough. He needed something else to enhance the poison effect.
Therefore, he took out a stick of incense and put it off to the side. It was a kind of incense designed to stimulate the poison. Once it entered the water, and he added more poison, it would become hyper-poisonous.
Everything’s ready to go. Eyes flickering with anticipation, he bit the tip of his finger and spilled a drop of blood onto the blue chrysanthemum mollusk. The moment it fell onto the shell, the mollusk turned a darker shade of blue. At the same time, a very faint smell pulsed off of the shell, so faint, in fact, that it was easy to miss. As the smell wafted out, Xu Qing looked at the entrance of the bay, his eyes narrowed, the poison-stimulating incense gripped in his hand.
Time passed.
An hour later, his eyes flickered with cold light as he saw a huge plume of water in the distance. A 300-meter-long whale breached the surface, let loose a piercing cry, then splashed back down into the water. That, in turn, revealed that within the water around it was a school of fish that resembled crocodiles. They were black-scaled crocfish, which were similar to black-scaled wolves. They usually congregated in schools of over a hundred individuals, and usually reached the eighth or ninth level of Qi Condensation.
As for the whale, it was in the great circle of Qi Condensation. Seeing this, Xu Qing’s eyes lit up. As he waited, the black-scaled crocfish caused waves to surge as they rushed toward the bay. The whale was close behind. Shortly thereafter, rumbling sounds filled the bay as the black-scaled crocfish entered, swimming straight toward Xu Qing and slamming into his dharmaskiff defenses. Booms rang out, but his dharmaskiff defenses were strong, and they didn’t even crack under the assault.
Just as in the forbidden region jungle, sea beasts were primarily body cultivators, and few had magical techniques. For the most part, their tough physical form was their greatest asset.
Only about a hundred. That’s not much.... Not hesitating at all, he put more spirit stones into the formation to power the defenses. Before long, he saw more waves off in the distance.
This time, it was a school of huge swordfish, larger than any he’d seen before. There appeared to be hundreds of them. Most were between the third and fifth levels of Qi Condensation, but there were forty or fifty that were in the eighth or ninth level. Their eyes were bright red as they rushed into the bay. That was when Xu Qing tossed the poison-stimulating incense stick into the water.
Instantly, the more than one hundred types of poison in the water erupted, and the black water turned an even deeper black color, so that it looked like a thick ink. As the effect spread, the black-scaled crocfish trembled and went still. The whale was also rendered motionless. The same thing happened to the swordfish. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the entire bay, which had just been spraying with water, was completely still and silent.
Eyes filling with anticipation, Xu Qing waved his hand and made a grasping motion. As a result, a huge hand formed from water grabbed all the sea beasts and dragged them toward him.
Then, Xu Qing’s dharma apertures erupted with flames that shot out to burn them. Of course, they weren’t dead. His poison was powerful, but he hadn’t designed it to kill them, just render them incapable of fighting him. As the black flames burned, one soul after another flew into Xu Qing. There in his dantian region, they became soul shadows that served as kindling as he battered at his 3rd dharma aperture. Only a moment later, a tremor passed through him, and his eyes glittered as his 3rd dharma aperture completely opened. When that happened, spirit power rushed into it, and then dharma force spread out into his body.
He didn’t stop there. With the black flames still absorbing souls, he was able to send the power toward his 4th dharma aperture. It opened!
The bay had become a place of death. Though there was nothing on the surface, below the surface were numerous beast corpses.
With 4 dharma apertures opened within him, dharma force surged through him, and his aura became stronger than before. As the black flames raged, and the fire within his 4 dharma apertures burned, it made Xu Qing seem like he was engulfed in flames as he sat on the deck. Though this was a far cry from the profound radiance state, it was clear that his dharma force was far more majestic than when he had first stepped into Foundation Establishment.
This is the kind of speed I’m looking for! Sometime later, Xu Qing opened his eyes, looked around, and then started creating more of the ghostlonging horseshoe crab substance.
1. The young merman applied the substance to Xu Qing in chapter 73, but the details weren’t explained until chapter 74. ☜
2. The idea of combining chrysanthemum mollusks and ghostlonging horseshoe crabs was first brought up in chapter 109. ☜
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