Immortal Cultivation and Life-Saving Guide

Chapter 383 The Mermaids' Hospitality 6
The giant clam shell rippled slightly, then burst open with a loud bang, splashing seawater that shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

Upon closer inspection, two strong mermaids stood inside the giant clam. The one on the left was a female mermaid, and the one on the right was a male mermaid, both with crimson tails that shimmered with a pale golden light.

Compared to the two half-grown merfolk, Kui'er and Kui Xun, these two are clearly more beautiful. Their decorative fins on both sides of their beautiful faces are fully open, making them look extremely fierce.

Before Wei Xi could even admire the beautiful mermaids, he heard the two fish shout in unison, "Mermaid territory, no unauthorized entry allowed!"

Feng Shi was highly experienced in dealing with merfolk. He cupped his hands and handed over a token, saying, "Ten members of the Feng family from the Dingxin Sect are escorting trade goods. In addition, three disciples from the Qingcheng Sect are visiting friends, and your sect has already been informed!"

After verification, the merman on the left extended a stick wrapped with seaweed and tapped the lead turtle, "Come with us!"

After saying this, the giant clam shell suddenly closed and then sank into the sea.

"Hurry! Follow me!"

At Feng Shi's command, Wei Xi and the other two dared not let their guard down—although they were not required to control the sea turtles, if they lost their footing and fell, it would cause trouble.

Given the nature of these returnees, it's clear they won't consider the passengers' feelings. Dizziness and blurred vision are the least of their worries; those with weaker constitutions are almost guaranteed to fall seriously ill.

Fortunately, Wei Xi's physical condition is now considered robust even among cultivators, and he works from the moment he opens his eyes every day! A mere sea turtle is no problem for him.
Well, the process of manned sea turtles diving is still quite frightening—it has nothing to do with courage, but purely the sense of oppression brought by the ocean and the lingering instinctive fear in the body.

Imagine being surrounded by a massive, heavy weight of seawater, your head pressed down, and the deep blue water all around you, completely engulfed and unable to escape. Then, strangely shaped fish and shrimp suddenly dart out from your surroundings, further irritating your already sensitive nerves.

Even a white streak in the waves would have to think twice, let alone a "chocobo" like Wei Xi who lives deep in the mountains.

If not for a stroke of luck, Wei Xi probably would never have dived to a depth of two or three hundred feet in his life.

At this depth, Wei Xi no longer dared to go against the giant sea turtle—if the senior sea turtle suddenly went on strike, he would probably have to go up as a floating corpse.

Considering the number of organisms the ocean can hold, there's a high probability that not even a floating corpse will remain.

Wei Xi was thinking about the most pathetic way to die, while his hands kept sticking water-repelling talismans onto Ling Yin's furry chest.

Whether it was the power of the merman's stick or not, the giant sea turtle under Wei Xi's feet didn't stretch its neck for food during the descent. Instead, it was diligent and hardworking, as if it were a different turtle.

"It's a pity your cultivation level isn't high enough," Qin Feng's voice, muffled by the seawater, reached Wei Xi's ears. "Otherwise, a simple water-avoidance spell would have saved you so much trouble!"

The sea turtles followed the giant clam as it descended, finally coming to a stop with a dull thud.

The scene before them was somewhat strange. If Wei Xi had to describe it, the sea turtle seemed to be resting on some kind of transparent, huge, hard object.

The giant clam shells rose and fell, and the sounds they made from colliding created an unpleasant melody.

Immediately afterwards, Wei Xi felt a powerful pulling force, and he and the tortoise plummeted downwards.

Before Wei Xi could react, the tortoise shell beneath his feet disappeared, replaced by seawater that flowed without any hesitation.

"We've arrived at the Devouring Sea Sect!" Feng Shi said with a smile. "Young Fellow Daoist Wei, there's no need to be nervous. The seawater here is different from others; people can breathe in it! We don't need to step on those sea turtles anymore!"

As Feng Shi spoke, a string of bubbles appeared around his mouth, but he showed no signs of suffocation. "This is truly miraculous!" Qin Feng exclaimed, "Could it be the work of a mermaid cultivator?"

"I don't know about that," Feng Shi replied. "Alas, some things are better left unsaid!"

The fierce mermaid that emerged from the giant clam shell ignored him, so Wei Xi gave up on asking any further questions.

Looking down at the merfolk's settlement—or rather, the Sea Devouring Clan—you'll find they're located near a massive underwater mountain range.

Whether it's a tradition of the merfolk or not, many settlements are built around the remains of enormous sea monsters. Over time, the remains of these sea monsters have been relentlessly eroded, exhibiting a distinct jade-like quality, giving them a strange and dignified beauty.

The most striking feature is a colossal mermaid statue. Standing atop the highest point of the mountain, its fishtail is submerged in the overgrown seaweed, its spear points towards the sea, its bulging muscles on its upper body are clearly defined, and its flowing hair traces the direction of the water flow.

Wei Xi wanted to see the face of this magnificent statue, but was surprised to find that the statue's head was shrouded in a school of colorful fish; upon closer inspection, the fish disappeared, replaced by a sunken ship lying on top of it...

In the blink of an eye, the scene changed several times, which was clearly the effect of magic.

Wei Xi was speechless: I didn't expect this fish to be so shy. Why doesn't it shrink its broad chest?
However, when Wei Xi looked up, he saw a thin, light blue membrane covering the area, which he guessed was what isolated the area from the outside world.

Wei Xi inwardly admired them. Of all the sects, the Qingcheng Sect was the poorest. Forget the merfolk's extravagant spending; even the sect's main gate was just ordinary wood. But don't let the plain material fool you; the quality was impeccable, and the repairs and maintenance on it were unparalleled among sects!

With a merman leading the way, the group successfully passed through several checkpoints and arrived at one of the settlements.

"Feng Shi! Long time no see!" A pale purple merman swam over, speaking fluent Dongyi dialect. "How have you been lately? Has your cultivation improved?"

"I've been waiting for your team for several tides! I've taken the sea turtles to the surface three times! Do you know how awful those bird calls are!"

"Crab Sturgeon!" Feng Shi, overwhelmed by a barrage of questions, stepped forward. "Long time no see! What have I been up to? Just drifting through life!"

"It is indeed a bit late this time. The largest country on land fought a major battle in Dongyi! The aftershocks of the war have not yet subsided! This has caused some delay!"

"These three are Qin Feng, Wei Xi, and Lian Gouyan, all disciples of the Qingcheng Sect! They've come to pay a visit to the disciples of your esteemed sect whom we met during the sect competition last time..."

Before Feng Shi could finish speaking, Crab Sturgeon said in broken Northern Frontier dialect, "Ah! It's the disciple of the long-bearded, colorful old man! I remember it was his disciple who dealt with the Devouring Sun Beast! That's how Kui'er and Kui Xun, the two little sharks, were able to return safely!"

What could the old man in colorful clothes' disciples say? They could only respectfully bow to their elder (...the long shark?) and that would be enough!
It was clear that the Crab Sturgeon was still quite friendly to the humans, which relieved Wei Xi. After all, the other merfolk had treated her no differently than enemies along the way, and she was worried that her plans would fall through.

Judging from what this shark said, the Devouring Sea Sect doesn't seem to hate him, so he can probably get more information about the Bone Reef Sea out of Kui'er.

Lian Gouyan was already trying to get closer to them, saying, "The Devouring Sea Sect lives up to its name; the underwater scenery alone is irresistible! I wonder if we could take a look around the area?"

The fish fins twitched, and the crab-sturgeon laughed, "According to the rules of your human race, you should bring a few people to take a look."

"It's just that the timing isn't ideal. It's currently the underwater beast tide, and the area around Yuangehai is not peaceful. You can only stay in this vicinity..."

Crab Sturgeon paused, then continued, "Kui'er is currently fighting off the underwater beast tide and we don't know when she'll return! But Crawling is recovering from her injuries; you can go and check on her!"

The languages ​​of the Dongyi and Beijiang are inseparable, while those of the Nanjiang and Xiyu regions are more diverse.