Eastern Sea.
Crash, crash, crash!
Rushing waves slammed into the reef of a small island, exploding into countless sprays of white foam.
Fierce winds howled overhead. The sky hung dark and overcast.
This uninhabited islet was utterly unremarkable amid the vast Eastern Sea, yet at this moment four Gu Immortals lurked upon it.
"Ren Xiuping, you've gone too far!" Miao Mingshen roared, his eyes bloodshot. Wounds marked his body, and a thick fury and hatred radiated from him.
He was a famous rogue cultivator of the Eastern Sea — a Seventh Transformation practitioner who specialized in the Dao of Space, possessing the means to expand the space within one's Immortal Orifice. He made his living doing just that, expanding Immortal Orifice space for many Eastern Sea Gu Immortals, and was quite popular for it.
Miao Mingshen was of average height and build, with above-average but otherwise unremarkable features. The only thing that stood out was his broad nose. In terms of appearance alone, he was entirely unexceptional. Yet he harbored great ambition, excelled at humbling himself to treat others well, and could be said to possess considerable personal charisma. Three fellow rogue immortals of the Eastern Sea — Hua Die the Female Immortal, Feng Jiang, and Gui Qiye — all followed Miao Mingshen's lead, and the four of them had formed a very tight-knit small group.
But at this moment, Gui Qiye lay unconscious, his entire skin flushed a venomous purple. His condition was dire.
Standing beside Miao Mingshen, Feng Jiang and Hua Die the Female Immortal were equally disheveled — clearly they had just been through a fierce battle, and all bore injuries.
"Miao Mingshen, my lord, what are we to do now? Gui Qiye was stung by an Ice Poison Starfish. This venom — we have absolutely no way to neutralize it!" Hua Die's face was full of worry.
Only a short while ago, the four of them had fallen into Ren Xiuping's trap and been ambushed by him.
Ren Xiuping was a peak Seventh Transformation cultivator — a Servitude Dao Gu Immortal who had enslaved Ice Poison Starfish in an attempt to assassinate Miao Mingshen. At the critical moment, Gui Qiye had thrown himself in front of Miao Mingshen and taken the lethal strike.
Once Miao Mingshen realized what had happened, he hastily gathered the unconscious Gui Qiye along with Feng Jiang and Hua Die, fought their way out through a brutal slaughter, and broke through the encirclement.
Feng Jiang's face was as cold as ice: "The Ice Poison Starfish's venomous sting is cunning, but I've heard that Su Chen and Fairy Jiuyue are both capable of treating it."
Su Chen was a member of the superpower Su family. He excelled at healing and was renowned throughout the Eastern Sea. He was also a very kind person.
Fairy Jiuyue, on the other hand, was a rogue cultivator with a cold temperament. Hiring her to treat Gui Qiye would cost considerably more.
Miao Mingshen shook his head: "I don't intend to seek out either of them. Su Chen is a member of the Su family, and Fairy Jiuyue has a hidden connection with Ren Xiuping — most people don't know this, but I do. I strongly suspect that Fairy Jiuyue may very well be a trap that old scoundrel Ren Xiuping has laid!"
"Then what—" Hua Die started to speak but stopped short.
Miao Mingshen forced a thin smile: "Have you forgotten? The venom of the Ice Poison Starfish can be washed away with Yan Huang Water."
Feng Jiang's eyes widened slightly: "Yan Huang Water is an Eighth Transformation immortal material. Even in the Eastern Sea, it's extremely rare. My lord, do you actually have some on hand?"
Miao Mingshen shook his head: "Of course not. I plan to trade a Zhou Ji Root for it in the Treasure Yellow Heaven."
Feng Jiang and Hua Die immediately understood.
The Zhou Ji Root was a Time Dao Eighth Transformation immortal material that had fallen into Miao Mingshen's hands long ago. He had been keeping it in storage, reluctant to sell. This was something Feng Jiang and Hua Die both knew.