Since Song Chuanyao knew that the trip was very dangerous, he did not persuade further and returned to his room.
"Master, are we leaving?"
Shui Wen walked up to Chu Lingwei. Song Chuanyao knew that their trip was dangerous but insisted on going. They had no need to help him.
"Let's go."
Chu Lingwei nodded. Chu Lingwei had no habit of doing other people's favors. She and Song Chuanyao were not related, and she wouldn't help him just because he had to go.
"Fellow Daoist Song, we will be leaving now."
Chu Lingwei bid farewell to Song Chuanyao with Shui Yi.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, if you really intend to leave, you can wait for a ship to come before departing." Song Chuanyao had held a sliver of hope in his heart earlier, but upon hearing Chu Lingwei's decision to leave, he could only smile bitterly.
"No need, I have a flying magical artifact, and I can leave."
Chu Lingwei summoned her flying magical artifact and left directly with Shui Yi.
The other three on the ship, knowing Chu Lingwei had left, hurried out. "They're gone?"
"Yes." Song Chuanyao nodded. "If you also wish to leave, you can go now."
The three exchanged glances, each calculating their next move.
"Shui Yi, do you think they will reach the place where the Water Jade Qilin gives birth?" Chu Lingwei and her group were heading in the direction of the Water Jade Qilin.
"That depends on their luck." If their luck was exceptionally good, they might indeed reach the Water Jade Qilin's birthing grounds.
However, the young of the Water Jade Qilin were considered quite precious. It was likely that many people in Songcheng knew Song Chuanyao was seeking them. Even if he returned safely, there would likely be a struggle.
"Then let's go and see if he has that luck."
Chu Lingwei sat in her flying magical artifact. As long as they didn't encounter sea perils or powerful water spirit beasts, they could fly in the air continuously.
However, in the world of cultivation, such good luck was rare.
A day after Chu Lingwei departed, the sky darkened, the entire sea turned as black as night, and strong winds raged. Chu Lingwei's flying magical artifact was blown into the sea by these gales long ago.
"The hurricane at sea is too strong!" Chu Lingwei sat on a spirit ship, watching the gusts of wind outside. The spiritual energy carried by these hurricanes here was enough to capsize spirit ships with excellent defenses.
"There are many dangers at sea. Cultivators rarely venture onto the sea, and they are largely unaware of the dangers there." Shui Yi looked at the familiar hurricane with a sense of familiarity. She had grown up in such an environment and loved such scenes.
"It seems that Fellow Daoist Song's spirit ship has likely been capsized and is at the bottom of the sea." Chu Lingwei had warned Song Chuanyao about the dangers of this trip, but he had insisted on going. She could only feel regret for this outcome.
"It's quite impressive that they managed to get this far."
Everyone could see that Song Chuanyao's spirit ship would not be able to leave the waters of Songcheng. Reaching this point was indeed beyond expectations.
Suddenly, the sea waves surged in front of their spirit ship, and huge waves crashed towards them.
"Not good, it's a Serpent God Fish!"
Shui Yi's expression changed in alarm. A powerful aura surged towards them. "An eighth-rank spirit beast!"
Chu Lingwei sighed inwardly. No wonder the sea had such peculiar changes; it turned out to be an eighth-rank spirit beast.
"Master, do you wish to capture it alive, or..." Shui Master was a Merman who had cultivated to the Supreme Realm and was unrivaled in the water.
"Deal with it quickly so we can leave."
The appearance of an eighth-rank spirit beast here could easily attract powerful beings traveling at sea.
Shui Yi nodded, jumped into the water, transformed into her Merman form, and the pressure of a Supreme Realm expert scared the Serpent God Fish away.
"Master, it has left and will not reappear for now."
"Let's leave quickly. Several auras are already closing in on this area." Chu Lingwei nodded and left with Shui Yi.
Shortly after they departed, several figures appeared. "Strange, are there other Supreme experts appearing at sea?"
After sailing for three days towards the Water Jade Qilin's birthing grounds, Chu Lingwei smelled a strong scent of blood.
She quickly arrived at the source of the bloody smell. In the water floated a bloody Water Jade Qilin. All its useful organs, skin, and bones had already been taken by someone.
The young were nowhere to be found.
Someone had arrived here before them, taken the young, and killed the Water Jade Qilin.
"It seems we are one step too late." Chu Lingwei sighed. Given her speed, she should have arrived earlier than Song Chuanyao. It couldn't have been him.
As Chu Lingwei prepared to return, a faint aura was detected. Chu Lingwei and Shui Yi were startled.
"It's a young one."
Shui Yi was surprised. As a Supreme Realm expert, she had not concealed her cultivation since following Chu Lingwei. Now that she was at her peak, how could she not sense this life force without spiritual energy?
"It's likely that the Water Jade Qilin used some special method to protect it."
Chu Lingwei stepped forward and looked at the fingernail-sized young floating in the water. "Can it still live?"
The Water Jade Qilin cub seemed to understand Chu Lingwei's words and struggled to swim towards her, as if pleading for help.
Chu Lingwei extended her hand, and the cub swam into her palm.
She collected the cub into her spatial ring, set up a spiritual spring pool within it, and let it stay there temporarily.
"Master, why did this Water Jade Qilin choose to protect only this one cub?"
The Water Jade Qilin should have known very well that once its young were taken by cultivators, they would be kept as spirit pets and not be slaughtered. Moreover, Water Jade Qilins typically gave birth to dozens of young at a time. They understood which ones would survive was a matter of their own fate.
Only under special circumstances would one cub be deliberately protected.
"That cub is very spiritual." Chu Lingwei knew this cub was different as soon as she saw it. It seemed to understand its predicament and knew how to choose its master.
Shui Yi remained silent, stepping back behind Chu Lingwei.
"Let's go."
As Chu Lingwei left the Water Jade Qilin's birthing grounds, she was suddenly surrounded by a group of cultivators, including several Supreme Realm experts.
"Who are you people?"
Shui Yi stepped forward, blocking Chu Lingwei's path.
"Miss Chu, our Master requests your presence." The Supreme Realm expert stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Chu Lingwei.
"Who is your Master?" A hint of surprise flashed in Chu Lingwei's eyes.
She knew only a few people who could be referred to as "Master."
"This, Miss Chu will know when she meets him."
The Supreme Realm expert did not reveal his identity.
"What if I refuse?" Chu Lingwei took a step back, her mind forming a general guess. She hadn't expected the Meng family to have been lingering at sea all this time, never leaving.