yī tīng mù biāo zhǐ shì liàn qì zhōng qī de xiū wèi ， jiāo xiū yuǎn lì mǎ fàng sōng xià lái 。
一听目标只是炼气中期的修为，焦修远立马放松下来。
Upon hearing that the target was only a middle-stage Qi Refining cultivator, Jiao Xiuyuan immediately relaxed.
lì mǎ dà bāo dà lǎn dào ：“ nín fàng xīn ， xiǎo xiǎo liàn qì xiū shì ér yǐ ， bǎo zhèng bāng nín bǎ tā de dǐ xì chá de qīng qīng chǔ chǔ 。 zhǐ shì zhè jià qián ma ……”
立马大包大揽道：“您放心，小小炼气修士而已，保证帮您把他的底细查的清清楚楚。只是这价钱嘛……”
"Rest assured," he said, taking on the task with great enthusiasm. "It's just a small Qi Refining cultivator. I can guarantee you'll get all the details about him. As for the price..."
lǐ fán xiào le xiào ：“ zhǐ bù guò xiǎo xiǎo de liàn qì xiū shì ér yǐ ， xiǎng bì yě yīng gāi yòng bù zhe duō guì ba 。”
李凡笑了笑：“只不过小小的炼气修士而已，想必也应该用不着多贵吧。”
Li Fan smiled. "Just a small Qi Refining cultivator. I imagine it won't cost too much."
jiāo xiū yuǎn hèn bù dé gěi zì jǐ yī bā zhǎng ， shàn shàn dì shuō dào ：“ zuò zhè xíng de ， duō duō shǎo shǎo yǒu diǎn fēng xiǎn 。 yào bù ， nín gěi zhè ge shù ？”
焦修远恨不得给自己一巴掌，讪讪地说道：“做这行的，多多少少有点风险。要不，您给这个数？”
Jiao Xiuyuan wished he could slap himself. He stammered, "This line of work comes with some risk. How about this amount?"
tā bǐ le gè bā de shǒu shì 。
他比了个八的手势。
He made an 'eight' gesture.
“ sì shí diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， bù néng zài duō le 。” lǐ fán yáo tóu 。
“四十点贡献度，不能再多了。”李凡摇头。
"Forty points of contribution is the maximum," Li Fan shook his head.
“ āi yō ， nín shā jià yě shā de tài hěn le ！ liù shí diǎn hái shì yào de ba ？ yào bù yòu shì yī bǐ kuī běn mǎi mài ！” jiāo xiū yuǎn xīn téng de jiào le chū lái 。
“哎哟，您杀价也杀的太很了！六十点还是要的吧？要不又是一笔亏本买卖！”焦修远心疼的叫了出来。
"Oh, you're really haggling hard! Sixty points are still needed, right? Otherwise, it's a loss for me!" Jiao Xiuyuan cried out in distress.
lǐ fán zhuǎn tóu jiù zǒu 。
李凡转头就走。
Li Fan turned to leave.
“ bié ， bié ！” jiāo xiū yuǎn lián máng lán zhù le lǐ fán 。
“别，别！”焦修远连忙拦住了李凡。
"No, no!" Jiao Xiuyuan hurriedly stopped him.
“ wǔ shí diǎn ba ， zhēn bù néng zài shǎo le 。” tā yī liǎn ròu tòng de shuō dào 。
“五十点吧，真不能再少了。”他一脸肉痛的说道。
"Fine, fifty points. I can't go lower," he said with a pained expression.
lǐ fán zhè cái zhǐ zhù le jiǎo bù 。
李凡这才止住了脚步。
Li Fan finally stopped walking.
“ nín xiān gěi shí diǎn gòng xiàn dù de dìng jīn 。” jiāo xiū yuǎn shuō zhe ， dì gěi le lǐ fán yī kuài tōng xùn líng fú 。“ děng yǒu jié guǒ le ， wǒ jiù huì tōng guò zhè kuài líng fú tōng zhī nín 。”
“您先给十点贡献度的订金。”焦修远说着，递给了李凡一块通讯灵符。“等有结果了，我就会通过这块灵符通知您。”
"As a deposit, you should give ten points of contribution first." Jiao Xiuyuan handed Li Fan a spirit token for communication. "I'll notify you once I have the results."
lǐ fán jiāng líng fú shōu xià ， yòu ná chū yī kuài zhōng pǐn líng shí jiāo gěi jiāo xiū yuǎn 。
李凡将灵符收下，又拿出一块中品灵石交给焦修远。
Li Fan accepted the token and gave Jiao Xiuyuan a middle-grade Spirit Stone.
méi yǒu zháo jí lí kāi ， fǎn ér yòu dǎ liàng qǐ wū zi lǐ de qí tā fàn mài de dōng xī 。
没有着急离开，反而又打量起屋子里的其他贩卖的东西。
Instead of leaving immediately, he began to look around at other items on sale in the shop.
jiāo xiū yuǎn yī kàn jīn tiān zhè shì lái le gè dà kè hù ， yù fā rè qíng le 。
焦修远一看今天这是来了个大客户，愈发热情了。
Seeing that today's customer was a big one, Jiao Xiuyuan became even more enthusiastic. "Do you need anything else?"
“ nín hái yào diǎn shén me ？”
“您还要点什么？”
"Do you have any True Arts for sale? Preferably遁术 or something similar to Concealment Talismans," Li Fan asked.
“ nǐ zhè yǒu gōng fǎ mài me ？ zuì hǎo shì dùn shù ， huò zhě shì gēn cáng xíng fú xiào guǒ chà bu duō de yě xíng 。” lǐ fán wèn dào 。
“你这有功法卖么？最好是遁术，或者是跟藏形符效果差不多的也行。”李凡问道。
Jiao Xiuyuan's face froze.
jiāo xiū yuǎn liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng dùn shí jiāng zhù le 。
焦修远脸上的表情顿时僵住了。
"Haha, are you just trying to make me laugh? Why don't you look at other items instead? This Mystic Ambush Formation Diagram is top-notch. Once activated, it can trap a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator for an entire day."
“ hē ， nín zhè shì ná wǒ xún kāi xīn ne ba ？ yào bù nín zài kàn kàn qí tā de ba ， zhè tào mí zōng zhèn tú zěn me yàng ？ jué duì shì jīng pǐn dāng zhōng de jīng pǐn 。 yí dàn shī zhǎn ， néng gòu kùn zhù zhù jī hòu qī xiū shì yī tiān 。”
“呵，您这是拿我寻开心呢吧？要不您再看看其他的吧，这套迷踪阵图怎么样？绝对是精品当中的精品。一旦施展，能够困住筑基后期修士一天。”
"This Frost Talisman Sword is also quite good; perfect for ambushes..."
“ zhè tào hán bīng fú jiàn yě bù cuò ， shì hé yòng lái tōu xí ……”
“这套寒冰符剑也不错，适合用来偷袭……”
"Wait! Don't go!"
“ āi ， nín bié zǒu a ！”
“哎，您别走啊！”
...
……
……
Leaving the Thousand Mile Hall, Li Fan returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror.
cóng qiān lǐ táng chū lái ， lǐ fán jiù yòu huí dào le tiān xuán jìng zhōng 。
从千里堂出来，李凡就又回到了天玄镜中。
He planned to first refine his Dark Spirit Illusion True Art to a late-stage Qi Refining level. Once the Blue Flame Phantom Spirit was fully stabilized, he could unleash it for battle.
tā dǎ suàn xiān bǎ 《 míng líng huàn gōng 》 xiū liàn dào liàn qì hòu qī zài shuō 。
他打算先把《冥灵幻功》修炼到炼气后期再说。
With the auxiliary cultivation mode activated, Li Fan once again entered seclusion.
děng lán yán huàn líng chè dǐ wěn dìng hòu ， biàn kě yǐ fàng chū shā dí le 。
等蓝炎幻灵彻底稳定后，便可以放出杀敌了。
...
suí zhe fǔ zhù xiū liàn mó shì de kāi qǐ ， lǐ fán yòu zài cì jìn rù bì guān zhī zhōng 。
随着辅助修炼模式的开启，李凡又再次进入闭关之中。
A month later, in the Eastern Flame Crystal Island area of Cunyun Sea.
……
……
In the deep sea, Li Fan concealed his aura and followed behind a group of Fiery Sharks. There were about ten of them, hunting an isolated Redback Whale.
yí gè yuè hòu ， cóng yún hǎi dōng fāng yán jīng dǎo hǎi yù 。
一个月后，丛云海东方炎晶岛海域。
The Redback Whale was massive, feeding on underwater crystal flames for years, its skin as hard as rock.
shēn hǎi zhī zhōng ， lǐ fán shōu liǎn qì xī ， gēn zài yī qún chì yán shā shēn hòu 。
深海之中，李凡收敛气息，跟在一群赤炎鲨身后。
The Fiery Sharks had sharp teeth and swift movements, working in perfect coordination.
zhè qún chì yán shā yǒu shí jǐ tóu ， zhèng zài wéi liè yī zhī luò dān de chì zuò jīng 。
这群赤炎鲨有十几头，正在围猎一只落单的赤座鲸。
Though they couldn't deal significant damage to the Redback Whale at first, their slow but steady attacks gradually drained its essence energy.
chì zuò jīng shēn qū páng dà ， cháng nián yǐ hǎi dǐ yán jīng wèi shí ， pí fū wǎn ruò yī céng jiān yìng de yán shí 。
赤座鲸身躯庞大，常年以海底炎晶为食，皮肤宛若一层坚硬的岩石。
Several times, the Redback Whale tried to break free from the Fiery Shark pack's blockade, but failed each time. Its resistance grew weaker with every attempt.
chì yán shā zé shì yá chǐ fēng lì ， xíng dòng xùn sù ， pèi hé wú jiàn 。
赤炎鲨则是牙齿锋利，行动迅速，配合无间。
Seeing this scene, Li Fan knew it was time for action.
suī rán yī shí bù néng duì chì zuò jīng zào chéng duō dà de shāng hài ， dàn què kě yǐ dùn dāo zi gē ròu bān ， màn màn sǔn hào tā de yuán qì 。
虽然一时不能对赤座鲸造成多大的伤害，但却可以钝刀子割肉般，慢慢损耗它的元气。
The Blue Flame Phantom Spirit appeared and turned into a thin blue light, swiftly passing through the ten or so Fiery Sharks and Redback Whale.
chì zuò jīng de jǐ cì shì tú chōng pò chì yán shā qún de fēng suǒ ， dàn dōu méi néng chéng gōng 。
赤座鲸的几次试图冲破赤炎鲨群的封锁，但都没能成功。
In an instant, he returned to his识海.
jiàn jiàn dì ， tā de fǎn kàng yě yuè lái yuè wú lì 。
渐渐地，它的反抗也越来越无力。
The Fiery Sharks and Redback Whale suddenly stopped moving. A cold aura emerged from within them, freezing their bodies from the inside out.
lǐ fán kàn zhuó yǎn qián zhè yí mù ， zhī dào shì shí hòu le 。
李凡看着眼前这一幕，知道是时候了。
Instantly, ice sculptures appeared on the seabed, lifelike but devoid of life.
lán yán huàn líng xiǎn xiàn 。
蓝炎幻灵显现。
"Blue Flame Phantom Spirit's power is indeed formidable."
suí hòu huà zuò yī dào xì xì de lán guāng ， qǐng kè jiān zài shí jǐ tóu chì yán shā hé chì zuò jīng jiān yī yī fēi sù chuān guò 。
随后化作一道细细的蓝光，顷刻间在十几头赤炎鲨和赤座鲸间一一飞速穿过。
"These sea creatures mostly have Qi Refining level cultivation and thick skin, making them hard to hunt with ordinary means. After using the Blue Flame Phantom Spirit to launch a mental attack, they're like lambs to the slaughter; no resistance at all," Li Fan nodded, satisfied with his initial test of the Phantom Spirit's destructive power.
piàn kè zhī hòu ， yòu huí dào le lǐ fán shí hǎi zhōng 。
片刻之后，又回到了李凡识海中。
Recently, after spending over twenty days, he finally broke through The Dark Spirit Illusion True Art to a late-stage Qi Refining level. To test its power and earn some contribution points, he took on this "Hunt Fiery Sharks for their internal beast cores" task.
chì yán shā hé chì zuò jīng dǒu rán tíng zhù le dòng zuò 。
赤炎鲨和赤座鲸陡然停住了动作。
Each beast core was worth five points of contribution, roughly earning him sixty points. Adding in the materials from the Redback Whale, his total could be around eighty points.
suí hòu ， yī gǔ bīng lěng de qì xī zì tā men tǐ nèi yǒng chū 。 yóu nèi ér wài ， jiāng tā men dòng zhù 。
随后，一股冰冷的气息自它们体内涌出。由内而外，将它们冻住。
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
zhǐ chà nà jiān ， hǎi dǐ jiù chū xiàn le yī zuò zuò guǐ yì de bīng diāo 。
只刹那间，海底就出现了一座座诡异的冰雕。
Previously, he always earned contributions in multiples of a thousand, so this small amount didn't stir any significant emotions within him.
shén qíng dòng tài wǎn ruò shēng qián ， dàn zǎo yǐ shī qù le shēng mìng qì xī 。
神情动态宛若生前，但早已失去了生命气息。
Just as Li Fan prepared to harvest the Fiery Sharks' beast cores, he suddenly felt an enormous figure approaching from deep beneath the sea.
“ lán yán huàn líng wēi lì guǒ rán bù sú 。”
“蓝炎幻灵威力果然不俗。”
His expression changed. Ignoring the nearby beast core, he quickly retreated.
“ zhè xiē hǎi shòu dà duō xiāng dāng yú liàn qì qī de xiū wèi ， bìng qiě pí cāo ròu hòu ， xún cháng shǒu duàn nán yǐ liè shā 。 yòng lán yán huàn líng fā dòng shén shí gōng jī hòu ， jū rán rú dài zǎi gāo yáng ， yī sī yī háo fǎn kàng zhī lì dōu méi yǒu 。” lǐ fán diǎn diǎn tóu ， chū shì huàn líng shā shāng lì ， tā hěn mǎn yì 。
“这些海兽大多相当于炼气期的修为，并且皮糙肉厚，寻常手段难以猎杀。用蓝炎幻灵发动神识攻击后，居然如待宰羔羊，一丝一毫反抗之力都没有。”李凡点点头，初试幻灵杀伤力，他很满意。
A large, dark brown creature with a grotesque face and a deformed bump on its forehead emerged from the shadowy depths of the sea. It wasn't quite a dragon or fish but something in between.
bù jiǔ qián ， huā fèi le èr shí duō tiān ， tā zhōng yú chéng gōng jiāng 《 míng líng huàn gōng 》 tū pò dào le liàn qì hòu qī 。
不久前，花费了二十多天，他终于成功将《冥灵幻功》突破到了炼气后期。
Its massive mouth opened wide, swallowing several Fiery Sharks along with the Redback Whale in one gulp!
wèi le shì yàn huàn líng de wēi lì ， shùn biàn zhuàn diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， tā jiē xià le zhè ge “ liè shā chì yán shā ， huò qǔ qí tǐ nèi lèi shòu dān ” de rèn wù 。
为了试验幻灵的威力，顺便赚点贡献度，他接下了这个“猎杀赤炎鲨，获取其体内类兽丹”的任务。
The creature swam around, then headed off in a specific direction.
yī kē shòu dān 5 diǎn gòng xiàn dù ， yī gòng dà gài néng zhuàn gè liù shí duō diǎn 。 zài jiā shàng chì zuò jīng shēn shàng de cái liào de huà ， zhè yī tàng néng yǒu gè bā shí duō diǎn gòng xiàn dù de shōu huò 。
一颗兽丹5点贡献度，一共大概能赚个六十多点。再加上赤座鲸身上的材料的话，这一趟能有个八十多点贡献度的收获。
Just as Li Fan narrowly avoided the beast, he watched helplessly as his prey was taken away.
zěn me shuō ne ， liáo shèng yú wú ba 。
怎么说呢，聊胜于无吧。
This was unacceptable.
yǐ wǎng měi cì gòng xiàn dù de huò dé dōu shì yǐ “ qiān ” wèi dān wèi ， zhè me yì diǎn ， shí zài nán yǐ yǐn qǐ lǐ fán nèi xīn de bō dòng 。
以往每次贡献度的获得都是以“千”为单位，这么一点，实在难以引起李凡内心的波动。
Anger surged within him. But quickly, the Yellow and White Spirit Refining Spell kicked in, calming him down.
lǐ fán zhè me xiǎng zhe ， zhèng zhǔn bèi shàng qián shōu gē chì yán shā de shòu dān 。
李凡这么想着，正准备上前收割赤炎鲨的兽丹。
Wait, isn't this creature the one that destroyed the island where the spirit fog grass was planted?
què hū rán gǎn dào xià fāng hǎi dǐ shēn chù ， yí gè jí qí páng dà de shēn yǐng zhèng zài jiē jìn 。
却忽然感到下方海底深处，一个极其庞大的身影正在接近。
Recalling something, Li Fan froze.
lǐ fán miàn sè yī biàn ， gù bù dé jìn zài zhǐ chǐ de shòu dān ， kuài sù wǎng hòu tuì qù 。
李凡面色一变，顾不得近在咫尺的兽丹，快速往后退去。
When he accepted the task to hunt the Fiery Whale, he had also seen another bounty notice. Although it wasn't directly related to him, he still checked it out.
yī tóu shēn hè sè ， miàn mù zhēng níng ， é tóu chù yǐn yǐn yǒu zhe jī xíng tū qǐ ， shì lóng fēi lóng 、 shì yú fēi yú de shēn hǎi jù shòu ， cóng hǎi dǐ de yīn yǐng zhōng tū rán chū xiàn 。
一头深褐色，面目狰狞，额头处隐隐有着畸形凸起，似龙非龙、似鱼非鱼的深海巨兽，从海底的阴影中突然出现。
It turned out, those who had hyped the spirit fog grass suffered heavy losses and even went bankrupt. Their resentment was palpable, making it hard for them to focus on cultivation.
jù zuǐ zhāng kāi ， jiāng shí jǐ tóu chì yán shā lián dài zhe chì zuò jīng ， yī kǒu tūn xià ！
巨嘴张开，将十几头赤炎鲨连带着赤座鲸，一口吞下！
But they couldn't take matters into their own hands against Green Wood Incarnation True Monarch or the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, so they decided to vent their anger by hunting down the creature that destroyed the spirit fog grass island.
shēn xíng yī zhèn huàng dòng ， jù shòu yóu dàng yī quān ， yòu biàn bié zhe cháo mǒu gè fāng xiàng yóu qù 。
身形一阵晃动，巨兽游荡一圈，又辨别着朝某个方向游去。
Witnesses claimed that the attacker was a Dragon Whale with Foundation Establishment level power. The island's guardian was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
kān kān bì kāi jù shòu de lǐ fán ， shàng wèi lái jí fǎn yìng ， jiù zhè me yǎn zhēng zhēng dì kàn zhe zì jǐ de liè wù bèi qiǎng zǒu le 。
堪堪避开巨兽的李凡，尚未来及反应，就这么眼睁睁地看着自己的猎物被抢走了。
But the Dragon Whale was too large; even the island's defenses couldn't harm it, leaving them to watch as it ravaged the island and devoured most of the spirit fog grass.
zhè néng rěn ？
这能忍？
Later, Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance Golden Core cultivators arrived but were unable to kill the Dragon Whale after a single strike. It fled back into the deep sea, eluding their attempts at revenge for over ten days.
lǐ fán nù huǒ dǒu shēng 。
李凡怒火陡生。
The Cunyun Sea was vast; they couldn't find it in that time. Reluctantly, they pooled what little contribution points they had left and issued another bounty: two thousand points of contribution for anyone who could kill the Dragon Whale.
dàn hěn kuài xuán huáng liàn xīn zhòu yùn zhuàn ， ràng tā shāo wēi lěng jìng le yī xià 。
但很快玄黄炼心咒运转，让他稍微冷静了一下。
Back then, with a Foundation Establishment cultivator proving ineffective against the Dragon Whale, Li Fan, being just a middle-stage Qi Refining cultivator, naturally didn't take on the task.
děng děng ， zhè ge jù shòu ， hǎo xiàng jiù shì zhī qián cuī huǐ zhòng zhí líng wù cǎo dǎo yǔ de nà zhǐ ？
等等，这个巨兽，好像就是之前摧毁种植灵雾草岛屿的那只？
But now...
hǎo xiàng xiǎng qǐ le shén me ， lǐ fán dùn shí lèng zhù le 。
好像想起了什么，李凡顿时愣住了。
The situation had changed!
Upon hearing that the target was only a middle-stage Qi Refining cultivator, Jiao Xiuyuan immediately relaxed.
"Rest assured," he said, taking on the task with great enthusiasm. "It's just a small Qi Refining cultivator. I can guarantee you'll get all the details about him. As for the price..."
Li Fan smiled. "Just a small Qi Refining cultivator. I imagine it won't cost too much."
Jiao Xiuyuan wished he could slap himself. He stammered, "This line of work comes with some risk. How about this amount?"
He made an 'eight' gesture.
"Forty points of contribution is the maximum," Li Fan shook his head.
"Oh, you're really haggling hard! Sixty points are still needed, right? Otherwise, it's a loss for me!" Jiao Xiuyuan cried out in distress.
Li Fan turned to leave.
"No, no!" Jiao Xiuyuan hurriedly stopped him.
"Fine, fifty points. I can't go lower," he said with a pained expression.
Li Fan finally stopped walking.
"As a deposit, you should give ten points of contribution first." Jiao Xiuyuan handed Li Fan a spirit token for communication. "I'll notify you once I have the results."
Li Fan accepted the token and gave Jiao Xiuyuan a middle-grade Spirit Stone.
Instead of leaving immediately, he began to look around at other items on sale in the shop.
Seeing that today's customer was a big one, Jiao Xiuyuan became even more enthusiastic. "Do you need anything else?"
"Do you have any True Arts for sale? Preferably遁术 or something similar to Concealment Talismans," Li Fan asked.
Jiao Xiuyuan's face froze.
"Haha, are you just trying to make me laugh? Why don't you look at other items instead? This Mystic Ambush Formation Diagram is top-notch. Once activated, it can trap a Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivator for an entire day."
"This Frost Talisman Sword is also quite good; perfect for ambushes..."
"Wait! Don't go!"
...
Leaving the Thousand Mile Hall, Li Fan returned to the Ten Thousand Immortals Mirror.
He planned to first refine his Dark Spirit Illusion True Art to a late-stage Qi Refining level. Once the Blue Flame Phantom Spirit was fully stabilized, he could unleash it for battle.
With the auxiliary cultivation mode activated, Li Fan once again entered seclusion.
...
A month later, in the Eastern Flame Crystal Island area of Cunyun Sea.
In the deep sea, Li Fan concealed his aura and followed behind a group of Fiery Sharks. There were about ten of them, hunting an isolated Redback Whale.
The Redback Whale was massive, feeding on underwater crystal flames for years, its skin as hard as rock.
The Fiery Sharks had sharp teeth and swift movements, working in perfect coordination.
Though they couldn't deal significant damage to the Redback Whale at first, their slow but steady attacks gradually drained its essence energy.
Several times, the Redback Whale tried to break free from the Fiery Shark pack's blockade, but failed each time. Its resistance grew weaker with every attempt.
Seeing this scene, Li Fan knew it was time for action.
The Blue Flame Phantom Spirit appeared and turned into a thin blue light, swiftly passing through the ten or so Fiery Sharks and Redback Whale.
In an instant, he returned to his识海.
The Fiery Sharks and Redback Whale suddenly stopped moving. A cold aura emerged from within them, freezing their bodies from the inside out.
Instantly, ice sculptures appeared on the seabed, lifelike but devoid of life.
"Blue Flame Phantom Spirit's power is indeed formidable."
"These sea creatures mostly have Qi Refining level cultivation and thick skin, making them hard to hunt with ordinary means. After using the Blue Flame Phantom Spirit to launch a mental attack, they're like lambs to the slaughter; no resistance at all," Li Fan nodded, satisfied with his initial test of the Phantom Spirit's destructive power.
Recently, after spending over twenty days, he finally broke through The Dark Spirit Illusion True Art to a late-stage Qi Refining level. To test its power and earn some contribution points, he took on this "Hunt Fiery Sharks for their internal beast cores" task.
Each beast core was worth five points of contribution, roughly earning him sixty points. Adding in the materials from the Redback Whale, his total could be around eighty points.
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
Previously, he always earned contributions in multiples of a thousand, so this small amount didn't stir any significant emotions within him.
Just as Li Fan prepared to harvest the Fiery Sharks' beast cores, he suddenly felt an enormous figure approaching from deep beneath the sea.
His expression changed. Ignoring the nearby beast core, he quickly retreated.
A large, dark brown creature with a grotesque face and a deformed bump on its forehead emerged from the shadowy depths of the sea. It wasn't quite a dragon or fish but something in between.
Its massive mouth opened wide, swallowing several Fiery Sharks along with the Redback Whale in one gulp!
The creature swam around, then headed off in a specific direction.
Just as Li Fan narrowly avoided the beast, he watched helplessly as his prey was taken away.
This was unacceptable.
Anger surged within him. But quickly, the Yellow and White Spirit Refining Spell kicked in, calming him down.
Wait, isn't this creature the one that destroyed the island where the spirit fog grass was planted?
Recalling something, Li Fan froze.
When he accepted the task to hunt the Fiery Whale, he had also seen another bounty notice. Although it wasn't directly related to him, he still checked it out.
It turned out, those who had hyped the spirit fog grass suffered heavy losses and even went bankrupt. Their resentment was palpable, making it hard for them to focus on cultivation.
But they couldn't take matters into their own hands against Green Wood Incarnation True Monarch or the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance, so they decided to vent their anger by hunting down the creature that destroyed the spirit fog grass island.
Witnesses claimed that the attacker was a Dragon Whale with Foundation Establishment level power. The island's guardian was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But the Dragon Whale was too large; even the island's defenses couldn't harm it, leaving them to watch as it ravaged the island and devoured most of the spirit fog grass.
Later, Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance Golden Core cultivators arrived but were unable to kill the Dragon Whale after a single strike. It fled back into the deep sea, eluding their attempts at revenge for over ten days.
The Cunyun Sea was vast; they couldn't find it in that time. Reluctantly, they pooled what little contribution points they had left and issued another bounty: two thousand points of contribution for anyone who could kill the Dragon Whale.
Back then, with a Foundation Establishment cultivator proving ineffective against the Dragon Whale, Li Fan, being just a middle-stage Qi Refining cultivator, naturally didn't take on the task.
But now...
The situation had changed!