Because the Simulator was her trump card, Bai Sha paid no heed to the numerous Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators whose gazes seemed ready to skin her alive.
“That damned Great White Shark. If it weren’t for her, Junior Brother Sun, Junior Sister Zhao, Senior Brother Wang—none of them would have died.”
“Let’s just kill her. Just looking at her makes my blood boil.”
“She actually thought she could borrow the Bloodthirsty Swordfish’s strength to escape? How utterly naive.”
The Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators spoke one after another, their expressions exceedingly hostile.
Ding Lei, however, waved his hand dismissively. “There’s no need to harm the Demon Cultivators we’ve already captured. Once we return to the Observatory, we’ll flay her and tear out her sinews, making her wish she were dead. Killing her now would only grant her a swift end and degrade the quality of the materials.”
Seeing that even Ding Lei had spoken thus, the Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators immediately fell silent.
…
Inside the cage, the three Demon Cultivators cast pitying glances at Bai Sha.
Bai Sha swept her gaze over them. “Don’t look at me like that. We’re all just materials here. The result will be the same.”
Hearing Bai Sha’s words, the Profound Water Turtle sighed deeply. The Tiger-Striped Seal slammed heavily against the cage. The Purple Horn Electric Eel simply started weeping pitifully.
With the defeat and death of the Bloodthirsty Swordfish, everything seemed to return to how it was before.
“They’re preparing to head back early,” the Profound Water Turtle said, looking at the Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators packing up outside. He sighed. “I overheard them talking. They originally planned to stay here for ten days, but after capturing so many Bloodthirsty Swordfish, the materials are probably sufficient for them.”
Heading back early meant the time they could cling to life was shortened.
Hearing this, Bai Sha glanced at her Status Panel. It seemed she would still have to use one Simulation Count, but… she would wait a little longer.
“Ahhh…”
Just then, agonized screams sounded from outside.
The Demon Cultivators in the cage looked over upon hearing the commotion. They saw Ding Lei, who had recently displayed such awe-inspiring might, cutting a swathe through the numerous Bloodthirsty Swordfish, now looking utterly wretched. He was rolling and thrashing in the seawater, seemingly enduring immense pain.
The Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators all glanced over at this, but did nothing more, as if this was a normal occurrence.
“He must be paying the price,” the Purple Horn Electric Eel assessed.
“The price?”
Bai Sha suddenly understood.
The Purple Horn Electric Eel had mentioned before that every use of an Ancient Forbidden Artifact required the user to pay a price.
Ding Lei rolled and thrashed in the seawater, roaring for a full quarter of an hour before finally stopping. Then, with a hoarse voice, he gave the order: “Return to the Observatory.”
The Spirit Gathering Formation they had set up here was already retrieved. Its core was a purple Array Plate, three feet in diameter.
An Array Plate was an incredibly convenient item; even a cultivator who couldn’t set up arrays could deploy a pre-prepared formation simply by infusing the plate with Spiritual Power.
After retrieving the Array Plate, the Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators used ropes to hoist up each cage one by one, then proceeded to ascend towards the top of the Coral Abyss.
“Swoosh…”
Amidst the surging currents, the cultivators, along with the cages, soon left the seawater behind.
Under the brilliant sunlight, the vast, choppy sea surface shimmered translucently. The salty sea breeze blew continuously through the air.
As all the seawater around her drained away through the gaps in the cage, Bai Sha felt deeply uncomfortable.
Even though, as a Demon Cultivator, she could survive outside the water, she ultimately felt far more comfortable within the sea.
Wriggling her body slightly, Bai Sha looked towards the Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators, each flying through the air.
‘So even at the Qi Condensation Stage, one can fly? If I master the corresponding Spell, could I fly as well?’
The thought couldn’t help but flash through Bai Sha’s mind.
…
On the coast of the Profound Verdant Continent, there was a city named Windward City.
And on a mountain not far from Windward City, lay the location of the Wind-Thunder Observatory. From the foot of the mountain to its waist, and all the way to the peak, it was completely covered with buildings. The numerous Daoist halls looked exceptionally imposing.
Within the Wind-Thunder Observatory, many cultivators could be seen coming and going. When they saw Ding Lei’s group returning with a large number of captured Demon Cultivators, these cultivators came forward to greet them.
Before long, Bai Sha and the other Demon Cultivators, still in their cages, were set down on a cleared area inside a building situated on the mountainside.
What awaited them now would certainly be nothing good. Despair filled every Demon Cultivator. Some, unwilling to accept their fate, slammed against their cages in futility. But alas, these cages, being Magical Tools, could not be shaken at all.
“Wuwuwu, Daddy,” the Purple Horn Electric Eel started crying again.
“What’s the use of constantly calling for your daddy? You think your daddy can come and save you?” The Tiger-Striped Seal asked irritably upon hearing the cries.
“My daddy could definitely save me if he came,” the Purple Horn Electric Eel said, aggrieved.
The Tiger-Striped Seal turned his head away, too tired to bother responding.
Bai Sha, however, felt a stir in her heart and asked, “Why are you so sure your daddy can save you? Is your daddy very strong?”
The Purple Horn Electric Eel answered between sobs, “My daddy is a Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator.”
The Profound Water Turtle sighed. “A Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator cannot save us now. The Wind-Thunder Observatory even has a Golden Core cultivator present, equivalent to a Demon Core Stage Demon Cultivator.”
Hearing this, the Purple Horn Electric Eel cried even louder.
Bai Sha reached out with a pectoral fin and patted the Purple Horn Electric Eel.
“What do you want?” the Purple Horn Electric Eel asked, tears still streaming down her face.
“Can you tell me about your daddy? And you, what’s your name?” Bai Sha asked, then introduced herself: “My name is Bai Sha.”
“My name is Yu Manman. A name my daddy gave me,” the Purple Horn Electric Eel replied, then asked, confused, “Why do you want to know about my daddy?”
“We have nothing else to do anyway. Just tell me about him,” Bai Sha said sincerely.
Since Bai Sha put it that way, and Yu Manman saw no reason not to tell, she gave her answer.
It didn’t take long for Bai Sha to learn the information she wanted to know.
But at that moment, a group of Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators arrived outside Bai Sha’s cage.
“It’s this Great White Shark. She must be the first we make an example of.”
“Let me see… a Great White Shark can be used to make Water-Repelling Talismans. That kind of Talisman Paper has very broad uses.”
“Let’s do it.”
The cage door was opened. The Wind-Thunder Observatory cultivators stood outside, looking at the several Demon Cultivators inside as if they were already dead objects.
