Liu Xing stood atop his floating shield, hands clasped behind his back, and observed the dozens of ships moving beneath him. The lead vessel was so immense that Liu Xing felt a sense of awe. He had never actually boarded a ship in his past life, but he had seen plenty of images and comparisons online. He was sure this vessel was as large as the biggest ships from Earth. It was painted blue, with numerous sails, each one catching the wind and propelling the ship forward. Thousands of people packed the ships. Most sat hugging their knees, while others paced the decks with pale faces and anxious eyes. The majority were mortals, but cultivators were present as well, manning the vessels to ensure they sailed smoothly. Liu Xing looked at the second ship and saw a similar view. The second ship was also large, though slightly smaller than the one in front. Its color was pure white, and similarly, mortals packed the ship while cultivators manned it.

  Dozens of ships were moving away from the southeast, and he could feel the fear and anxiety that permeated the air. They were wise. After all, ahead of Liu Xing was a war zone. Staying there was akin to inviting death into one's home. After observing them, he realized the group consisted of multiple small sects.

  Shaking off the question of where they would go, Liu Xing kicked his shield and flew forward. He flicked his wrist to summon the compass, reminded himself of the nearest island’s location, and then adjusted his direction.

  While he was indeed entering a war zone where he planned to massacre the perpetrators of this war, the Nether Lotus Sect, it would be foolish to confront Ye Xuanming while he was still too weak. So, Liu Xing needed to kill more demonic cultivators, amass treasures that could strengthen him, and gain more information. Only then would he be ready to face Ye Xuanming. It would be truly difficult for him to become a Sun Refining cultivator in such a short amount of time, but with the abundance of enemies in this place, it was not impossible. Moreover, from what he had gathered, it seemed that great sects other than his own were here. While they were not demonic cultivators, the moment they became his enemies—which was certain—he would try his hardest to kill them and use them as fuel for his cultivation.

  Liu Xing licked his lips. "Not only that, I also need to consolidate what I gain," he said.

  His Heaven Grade Technique, Eye of Lightning, needed to be upgraded. After he read the manual for the Lightning Clone Technique, he gained a closer understanding of what the new technique would look like once he processed all the information from Moon Flower. It was as she had said; the moment the technique was completed, the name Eye of Lightning would not quite fit. He needed more information to gain a true understanding of it, but in the meantime, he would sharpen his skills and strengthen himself through real fights.

  Soon, an island came into view. Knowing that it was a gathering place for disciples of the Nether Lotus Sect, Liu Xing decided to adorn himself with numerous treasures. He wore everything from a hairpin to necklaces and trinkets that adorned him and his red robes, which he had looted from Wuji Sanren and was currently wearing. The robes had high defensive capabilities.

  These treasures were not imbued with techniques, but rather, they were supporting types that strengthened him in many ways. To complete his outfit, he placed a white mask over his face. The mask was blank, as if cut from white jade, with mere slits for eyes. Yet, even through the slits, he could see as clearly as if he were not wearing a mask at all. The mask's function was subtle; it helped project his killing intent outward. This mental attack was useful in any situation. He realized that his potent qi would amplify the effects of these treasures, and he was sure that he looked quite fearsome.

  As he nodded, Liu Xing surrounded his gun with potent qi, created an Eye of Lightning and attached it to the weapon, and then let the gun go, making his form visible. Tide Walker, who had been swimming underwater, surfaced with its mouth twisted into a smile. Liu Xing attached another Eye of Lightning to the shark and created a ball of potent qi to feed it.

  "Do as I tell you," Liu Xing said.

  Last time, the shark had rampaged according to its own desires. This time, Liu Xing needed to direct it.

  He, his gun, and his shark moved straight toward the island. As Liu Xing saw a man in the robes of the Nether Lotus Sect cultivating on the edge of a cliff, he created more Eyes of Lightning and spread them over the island. This time, he would not have the advantage of his enemies being unable to leave, so he needed to surround them as best as possible.

  Offhandedly, he thought that this formation would be complete if he had his stone blade, or overwhelming if he had completed the Eye of Lightning technique. But he could do nothing about that now, so he just did the best he could.

  As Liu Xing approached, the man opened his eyes and looked at him. At that moment, Liu Xing activated all twelve of his treasures. The man was instantly paralyzed by the intense qi and aura Liu Xing projected. The gunshot killed him instantly.

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  Liu Xing, his gun, and his shark began their attack. The island was quite large, but there were no mountains or lakes. Instead, there were trees, buildings, mortals, and demonic cultivators. Surprisingly, there were only about one hundred demonic cultivators. When Liu Xing arrived at the temple, he saw that they were occupying the towering pagoda. He attacked.

  His shark chomped on their heads, necks, and bodies. His gun fired relentlessly at the enemy, and Liu Xing used his new sword in his right hand and his lightning blade in his left to tear through their ranks. It was as if Liu Xing and his weapons were sharks in a small aquarium. In a mere ten minutes, Liu Xing had finished all his enemies. One was sneaky enough to try to escape, but he was seen and soon had a hole in the back of his head.

  After he finished killing them all, he sent the remaining bullets into his consciousness and let his third core absorb them. Then, Liu Xing began to loot the bodies. Since they were not very formidable, the treasures they possessed were scant compared to the disciples of Wuji Sanren. Still, Liu Xing gathered their treasures, consumed any pills he could, and left the island to its natives. If they were wise, they would use this freedom to get the hell out of this place.

  ***

  Thus, Liu Xing began his assault. He would descend from the sky and attack the disciples of the Nether Lotus Sect. Sometimes he attacked them one by one with his gun; other times, he and his gun would separate to tear through their ranks. It was a true massacre. Every place Liu Xing landed, he left a literal trail of blood.

  Since the majority of his enemies were merely at the Lock Opening realm, Liu Xing had leeway to experiment with his newly gained treasures. The Harmony of Two Seas was quite ferocious. Using his potent qi, he could shoot a jet of water that tore through a cultivator’s flesh as if it were tofu against a sharp blade. When he wore the treasures that affected the mind, he could kill people just by gazing at them, though the process was long, and it was faster just to shoot them with his gun. He also experimented with his Lightning Missiles and his newly gained Lightning Clone Technique. The clone technique was not as effective as he had hoped. He could create up to ten clones at a time—fewer if he had many active Eyes of Lightning—and control them from afar. Their durability was poor; the moment they were destroyed, they exploded. He tried using them as bullets, but they were less effective than his Exploding Fist bullets. Nevertheless, employing lightning techniques deepened his understanding of the knowledge Moon Flower imparted, so he used them occasionally. Not to mention, they were a useful distraction.

  In just half a day, Liu Xing destroyed more than five bases of the Nether Lotus Sect. When night came, he did not stop. He plowed through the night, killing every demonic cultivator he saw. At one point, his body, from head to toe, was entirely drenched in blood. He smelled like death but ignored it in favor of killing.

  In truth, while Liu Xing tried to kill every Nether Lotus Sect disciple he came across, not all of them died. Some were lucky enough not to be at their base when he attacked, while others were smart or had a concealing or movement technique to escape. Liu Xing knew he was not as thorough as he could hope, but instead of chasing one person, he focused on killing the people in front of him.

  Thus, the few who successfully escaped Liu Xing fled to other islands and began to spread rumors about him.

  Some called him the Red Ghost since he was soaked in blood, some called him the White Devil for the white mask he wore, some called him the Prince of the Deep Sea since he was accompanied by a shark, and many, many more. By the next day, news of him had traveled quite far.

  On a floating island, a disciple read a report about him and took note, intending to bring it to an elder in case it was a trick by another great sect or the Nether Lotus Sect. The same thing happened on a flying ship, but the person in charge dismissed the report, stating that as long as the man did not intervene in their matters, he was of no concern. Several disciples of the Heavenly Lightning Sect theorized that he was one of them, since he seemed to be using potent lightning techniques. Meanwhile, those from the Burning World Sect, currently residing inside the belly of their giant fish swimming in the depths of a certain region of the ocean, brought this individual to the attention of the leader and strongest person on their expedition. Upon reading the report, an old man wondered whether this was his target—the demonic saint he needed to vanquish—and ordered some people to investigate.

  The news about Liu Xing also reached the Nether Lotus Sect. Ye Xuanming and his subordinates suspected he was from a great sect, and they dispatched some people to investigate further. Those who were sent were not particularly formidable; after all, the Nether Lotus Sect was in peril. Four of the five great sects surrounded them, and they could not afford to dispatch someone important for a matter that was likely a trap. However, within the Nether Lotus Sect, the news traveled to a man with a rotund belly. He wore the purple robe of the Purple Moon Sect, and his nose and face looked like a rat’s. Upon hearing the news about a person massacring Nether Lotus Sect disciples, he grudgingly sent a message to a woman with a lower cultivation than him, who had nonetheless successfully subdued him.

  In another place, an emperor with golden hair was also reading a report about him, and this emperor had a different thought than any other key player in this conflict.

  "Han Guilin," he addressed the man kneeling before him. "Do you think he could be an ally for us in our doomed and desperate war?"

  Han Guilin thought that if they were aligned, they could support each other in dealing with the Nether Lotus Sect.

  Thus, the great war within the Wild Tide Region was already upon Liu Xing.

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