The sudden turn of events threw the spacious deck into chaos.
As luck would have it, two black-clad Tribulation Cultivators appeared beside Ling Changqing. They silently rushed at him, swords swinging, only to be blocked by the multiple layers of a watery blue light shield around him.
'Do they think I'm a pushover?'
Ling Changqing snorted coldly. With a flick of his hands, Spirit Binding Talismans, Thunder Talismans, Earth Sinking Talismans, Profound Ice Talismans... a dozen or so Talismans in total, all came flying out at once.
In this life-or-death crisis, Ling Changqing had no intention of being frugal. He tossed out the various Talismans from his Storage Pouch as if they were free.
The two black-clad Tribulation Cultivators couldn't dodge in time. In a flash, their defenses crumbled, the light from their Magic Robes dimmed, and they sustained multiple injuries, screaming as they hastily retreated.
Ling Changqing didn't press his advantage. He retreated toward the side of the ship. His Qi Cultivation 4th Layer cultivation wasn't of much use in this chaotic melee; it was better to play it safe.
By now, dozens of Pearl Gatherers had been killed by the Tribulation Cultivators, and even more were injured. The Ling Family disciples were no exception.
However, the Ling Family disciples who had snapped out of their shock had already begun to fight back. Casualties appeared among the attacking Tribulation Cultivators as well, and the deck was now a gruesome scene of flying flesh and blood.
Ling Zifeng and Tian Wenhua were currently being swarmed by a group of Tribulation Cultivators. The light of various Talismans and Divine Techniques flared up one after another, and they were struggling to hold their ground.
"How dare you!"
Tang Qiu Yao roared angrily from nearby. A brilliant golden light erupted on the deck, so dazzling it was nearly blinding. A massive net descended from the sky, its wide-meshed form seemingly impossible to escape.
Caught completely off guard, all the Tribulation Cultivators on the deck were enveloped by this Magical Artifact.
BANG!
A dull explosion sounded, and a large plume of black smoke billowed out, instantly filling the air with a foul, acrid smell.
Ling Changqing silently retreated to the ship's rail, vaulted over it, and dropped straight into the sea.
The moment he hit the water, he activated the Profound Truth Black Water Scripture and the Water Manipulation Technique. Ling Changqing immediately felt like he was back on his home turf. His body practically merged with the seawater, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the seabed a thousand feet below.
'As expected, it's much safer under the water,' Ling Changqing gathered his thoughts and began to consider his next move.
'Ordinary Loose Cultivators and Tribulation Cultivators wouldn't dare to provoke the Ling Family; the risks don't justify the rewards. So this is most likely another family clan making a move against the Ling Family in the shadows.'
'For instance, the Wu Family, who have always been watching like a hungry tiger. They don't dare to start an open war right now, so did they secretly recruit a batch of Tribulation Cultivators to act as cannon fodder and cause trouble for the Ling Family?'
Once he understood the cause and effect, it wasn't hard to guess what would happen next. The Patriarch, Ling Qiyue, would definitely not let this go. Afterward, she would find a way to retaliate fiercely.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Ling Changqing. It wasn't his turn to fight on the battlefield yet. He just needed to keep laying low and developing his strength.
After a few moments of contemplation, Ling Changqing drew his Middle Grade Magical Artifact Short Sword and slowly floated up toward the surface.
PLOP! PLOP!
He faintly heard the sound of heavy objects hitting the water above. Immediately after, two dark figures thrashed about, swimming into the distance. Their movements were unnatural, as if they were injured. Both appeared to be at the Qi Cultivation 4th Layer.
'Gimme that!'
Ling Changqing manipulated the water currents to approach silently. With one thrust, his sword pierced the Tribulation Cultivator's back, straight through the heart. At the same time, he snatched the Storage Pouch from the man's waist.
The other one didn't get away either. Ling Changqing caught up and slit his throat with his sword, looting all the Magical Artifacts and valuables from his body.
After waiting for a few breaths, he heard the water churn as another dark figure fell from above.
This one's cultivation was higher, seemingly at the Qi Cultivation 7th Layer. Despite being heavily injured, his ferocity was undiminished. He killed a pursuing Ling Family disciple with a single strike of his blade, then threw out a Water Escape Talisman, attempting to flee.
'You're not going back either. Stay here!'
Ling Changqing chanted silently, activating three Profound Ice Talismans in a row, instantly freezing his opponent into a large ball of ice.
"Bastard!"
The man roared in anger. As his body flashed with brilliant light, shattered ice flew in all directions.
Just as he struggled free from his icy prison, two more Profound Ice Talismans descended, sealing him again, immediately followed by a Spirit Binding Talisman.
By the time he used all his strength to break free again, Ling Changqing had already closed in. He unleashed another Profound Ice Talisman, followed by the Profound Water Ice Arrow Technique.
The Tribulation Cultivator, who had been hit repeatedly, was now at the end of his rope. "It's over..." he despaired. With no strength left to escape, he was helpless as Ling Changqing came up from behind and, with a single slash of his sword, took his head.
As per his usual routine, he took the weapons, Magical Artifacts, and Storage Pouch, and discarded the useless corpse.
Just like that, Ling Changqing prowled the waters around the Sea Boat like a patient lone wolf, waiting for the right moment to hunt.
Whenever an injured Tribulation Cultivator fell into the water to escape, he would approach silently, deliver the finishing blow, and then take everything from their body.
Although the consumption of his resources was immense, it was still within an acceptable range.
A short while later, the sounds of fighting on the Sea Boat's deck finally subsided.
"...Steward Ling, are you alright?"
Tang Qiu Yao retracted the dazzling golden net-like Magical Artifact. Her fair, jade-like face was slightly pale, a clear sign of massive exertion, but she showed no signs of injury.
"I'm fine, not dead yet!"
Ling Zifeng looked ruefully at his tattered Top Grade Magic Robe. The few bleeding wounds on his body had already begun to heal, and other than that, he was largely unaffected.
However, the losses among the surrounding servants, guards, and Ling Family disciples were staggering. A preliminary count showed at least thirty Ling Family disciples had died in battle, with many more injured.
As for the unfortunate Pearl Gatherers, over a hundred died on the spot, and a great many were injured. The losses were truly disastrous.
Although the attacking Tribulation Cultivators also suffered astonishing losses and were nearly wiped out, the Ling Family's losses were clearly even greater.
"Damn that Wu Family!"
Ling Zifeng cursed through gritted teeth. After this incident, the Ling Family's plan to gather undersea resources was bound to be severely delayed, and it might even affect their overall war preparations.
Tang Qiu Yao's face was ice-cold. "I will report this to the Patriarch when I return. If the Wu Family dares to play these kinds of tricks, does that mean our Ling Family can't? We must make them pay an even greater price!"
The cause and effect were obvious, so the Ling Family's counterattack was now inevitable. This matter wouldn't be over until the Wu Family was made to feel some serious pain.
In truth, if Tang Qiu Yao hadn't happened to be present today, the Ling Family's losses would have been even more devastating.
Ling Zifeng swallowed two Elixirs and quickly meditated to regulate his breathing for a moment. Then, he forced himself up and began directing the surviving Ling Family disciples to rescue the wounded.
"By the way, where is Ling Changqing?"
Tang Qiu Yao's expression changed slightly as her eyes scanned the piles of wounded. 'As a promising talent valued by both myself and Patriarch Ling Qiyue, he can't be lost to these Tribulation Cultivators,' she thought.
"Senior Sister, I'm here!"
A calm and steady voice came from the water's surface. Ling Changqing, dragging two Tribulation Cultivator corpses, vaulted onto the deck.
"Eh? You're actually okay? That's wonderful!"
Tang Qiu Yao immediately breathed a sigh of relief. A smile appeared in her beautiful, limpid eyes. She stepped forward, grabbed him to inspect him for a moment, and only relaxed after confirming he was unharmed.
Ling Zifeng was also filled with relief. If Ling Changqing had also unfortunately perished here, it would have been a huge loss.
"Alright, as long as you're okay. Go below and rest!"
Tang Qiu Yao said gently. 'These two Tribulation Cultivators were both at the Qi Cultivation 5th Layer when they were alive. Even though they were injured when they fell into the water, Ling Changqing was able to finish them off. It seems this kid's luck is truly extraordinary.'
Ling Changqing acknowledged her with a word and, without saying more, turned and headed towards the cabins.
Only after returning to his own room did Ling Changqing truly relax. He untied the leather pouch from his waist and tossed it on the table.
Although he hadn't been injured, the Talismans in his Storage Pouch were almost completely used up. If a few more Tribulation Cultivators had come at him, he probably wouldn't have been able to handle it and would have had to flee.
After resting for a while, Ling Changqing opened the leather pouch. Inside were more than twenty palm-sized Storage Pouches, all contributed by the dead Tribulation Cultivators.
Because each Storage Pouch was protected by a magical Restriction, Ling Changqing had to put in some effort to break them open one by one.
The first Storage Pouch contained over a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, a Middle-grade Magical Artifact Longsword, a large pile of Spiritual Sand, twenty-some Early Grade Talismans, and a few bottles of Qi Nourishing and Essence Storing Pills and Spirit Revitalizing Pills, plus some assorted Spirit Medicine and Spiritual Herbs, Ore, and the like.
Tribulation Cultivators made a living by robbing and plundering other low-level Cultivators, so their personal fortunes were usually not too shabby.
Moreover, they rarely had trusted relatives or friends, so they tended to carry all their wealth and resources with them. If they died unexpectedly, it meant everything would fall into someone else's hands.
Ling Changqing opened them one by one, sorting the contents and placing them in different piles. Soon, several piles of goods covered the table and the floor.
After a final tally, the twenty-odd Tribulation Cultivators had contributed a total of nearly three thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. The haul also included sixteen intact Early and Middle Grade Magical Artifacts, one Top Grade Magic Robe, and three other Magical Artifacts.
There were also over two hundred assorted Talismans and dozens of bottles of Elixirs. Most were Early Stage quality, but there were also high-quality goods like Spirit Revitalizing Pills and Profound Yin Blood Essence Pills.
In addition, there were over three hundred catties of Spirit Rice, over two hundred catties of various Demon Beast Meat, more than ten jugs of Spirit Wine, large piles of Medicinal Herbs and Ore, Jade Scrolls recording some Low Rank Techniques, and even a good amount of worldly gold, silver, and jewelry.
'A man can't get rich without a windfall, just as a horse can't get fat without late-night grass. Robbery really is the fastest way to get wealthy!'
Ling Changqing sighed with emotion. If this entire haul were converted into Spirit Stones, it would be almost enough to pay off his Spirit Stone loan, not counting the interest.
For a fleeting moment, Ling Changqing couldn't help but entertain the idea of changing careers and becoming a Tribulation Cultivator himself.
Unfortunately, a golden opportunity like today's was a rare find. With his own strength, Ling Changqing had no confidence in facing so many Tribulation Cultivators head-on.
After a moment of thought, Ling Changqing put all the valuables back into a Storage Pouch. In any case, this unexpected windfall would be enough to support him for quite some time.
As for the things he couldn't use, he could find a suitable opportunity to sell them off in the future.