Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Bronze Dragon Carriage

The sun in the sky emitted a dazzling light, piercing into the unruly Forbidden Sea and provoking great waves the surged into the sky with loud rumbles.

Before the rumbles faded, the waves fell back down, splashing heavily on the surface of the sea and scattering droplets of black water everywhere. Some of the droplets ended up landing on the protective barrier of Xu Qing’s magic boat.

Xu Qing stood at the bow of the boat and looked at the sea warily. He raised his hand to form a hand seal, and spiritual energy fluctuated before the seawater that contained rich heterogeneity slowly disappeared from the barrier.

Just like the fragmented face of God in the sky, the Forbidden Sea that surrounded the entire South Phoenix continent would always be the subject of people’s awe and veneration, not only because it was vast and deep, but also because it gave everyone a sense of eternal wonder.

This sense of wonder made Xu Qing lift his head and stare into the distance, where the sky met the Forbidden Sea at the horizon. In his eyes, the two seemed to blend together at the end of his vision.

Compared to the vast sea, the ships passing through Seven Blood Pupils were like feathers floating gently on the surface. They were completely insignificant.

And the people on magic boats were even more so.

Xu Qing fell silent. Looking far into the horizon and gazing at the boundless Forbidden Sea, a sense of smallness appeared in his heart.

“According to the sea records, it’s not unusual at all for most disciples to feel this sense of smallness when they go out to sea for the first time. At the same time, they also often produce thoughts of conquering the sea as well.”

Xu Qing looked out into the endless black sea. This was his first time going out to sea and also the first time he truly saw the great sea.

But he didn’t have any thoughts of conquering it.

He didn’t have any great ideals or grand ambitions. He only wanted to survive in this chaotic world.

If he could live a little better, that would be even better.

Thus, Xu Qing raised his vigilance to the extreme. Even when he sat down and cultivated, he set aside some of his attention to guard against the surroundings.

Just like that, time flowed as the boat rocked in the waves. Finally, when noon arrived, a commotion rang out from behind, attracting Xu Qing’s attention.

A sharp light flashed through his eyes as he turned his head to take a look.

Seven or eight magic boats were sailing over from the direction of the Seven Blood Pupils port, splashing loudly as they crashed through the waves.

Besides the one at the front, most of the others were Level Five or Level Six magic boats.

As for the magic boat at the front, judging from its spiritual energy fluctuations, it was Level Eight or Level Nine. It looked luxurious and majestic, with an entirely golden body and covered with golden feathers that glistened in the sun.

In this black Forbidden Sea, the boat was incredibly eye-catching. It was like a pheasant that thought itself a peacock, gaudy and ostentatious.

The phoenix sculpture at the prow should have revealed elegance, but surrounded by the golden color and luxuriousness of the rest of the boat, it seemed to have lost its soul, revealing an ostentatious aura as if afraid that others wouldn’t be able to see it.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and drew his dagger.

Although the Seven Blood Pupils main city was dangerous and cruel, there were at least certain rules. For example, Foundation Establishment cultivators would almost never attack a Qi Condensation cultivator. But Xu Qing knew that out at sea… there was only the law of the jungle.

Whether it came from a member of an alien race, a fellow human, a fellow sect member, or even the Forbidden Sea itself, danger was everywhere. If he was unlucky and encountered a hostile alien cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm, his life and death could be decided with a single thought.

Anyone could suddenly become an enemy in an instant.

Moreover, the arrival of these magic boats was too showy, and from the phoenix boat came the voice of one of Xu Qing’s enemies.

At sea, the wind was strong, easily carrying the voice over to Xu Qing’s ears.

“Senior Sister, many people are curious about how many spirit stones I spent on this phoenix boat. In fact, the reason I don’t want to answer this question is because my answer will cause them to feel despair. You should have the same feeling, right? Ever since we were born, for people like us, our only problem with spirit stones is how we can spend them all.”

“You know, I don’t know why, but people keep asking me for my opinion on the sect’s magic boat rankings. Those guys kept insisting, so I allowed them to raise my boat to 17th place. It doesn’t matter though, I’ve never cared about this sort of thing.”

“Personally, I don’t care how many spirit stones this phoenix boat cost me. What I care about is that it carries my dream. You see, my dream is to one day become like a phoenix, soaring in the sky.”

“Senior Sister, I hope that there will be a beautiful figure at my side that will accompany me to look at the scenery, pursue our dreams, and share our worries with each other.”

The owner of the voice carried on the wind was none other than Zhao Zhongheng, the one whom the captain had called a useless idiot.

He was standing proudly on the golden phoenix boat, and beside him was a young woman in a light purple Daoist robe.

This woman looked to be in her twenties and had a charming appearance. From a distance, she had a slim and elegant figure, and her purple robe made her look like a flower.

But as she listened to Zhao Zhongheng’s words, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her pretty face already showed impatience.

At that moment, the sea breeze blew over, causing her purple robe to flutter in the wind. She seemed to have noticed Xu Qing on his magic boat in the distance.

As sunlight beat down, a whale breached the surface between the two ships and soared into the air, echoing like a flute with an ethereal quality.

As it crashed back down, droplets of water splashed out and spread into a fine mist.

In the woman’s eyes, the sunlight seemed to separate into seven colors, turning into colorful beams of light that flickered radiantly, reflecting off of Xu Qing’s Daoist robe and obscuring his face.

Nevertheless, that charming moment left a deep impression on this woman.

Soon, the group of magic boats slowly drifted far away.

Xu Qing stared at the magic boats for a long time. After confirming that they were indeed just passing by, he put away his dagger and continued to cultivate.

Time passed as Xu Qing sank into cultivation. Gradually, as the magic boat advanced unceasingly, Xu Qing gained a deeper understanding of the Forbidden Sea’s eeriness.

He saw swarms of rotting fish which seemed to have retained their dying wills. They turned into black pollution that spread under the magic boat.

He also saw the terrifying figure of a megalodon. It tore apart its prey with incomparable savagery.

Moreover, there were certain areas of the sea that, when Xu Qing passed by, gave him a menacing sensation from the bottom of the sea. This sensation seemed to radiate out at all times, lingering in those areas and seeping into Xu Qing’s heart, causing his vigilance to deepen even more.

Even though he had read about all of these in the sea records and knew that this was the normal state of the Forbidden Sea, his vigilance was still incredibly high.

Moreover, the heterogeneity in the Forbidden Sea was extremely rich. It was as if the entire sea was formed from heterogeneity. Xu Qing’s shadow became even darker than before, as if it had turned into black ink, and it seemed to be flowing on its own…

When he noticed this, Xu Qing didn’t hesitate to immediately activate the purple crystal and suppress the shadow several times in a row. Once the shadow was suppressed to the point of blurring, he calmly stopped and felt slightly more at ease.

Just like that, as the sun began to set, Xu Qing’s first night out at sea was about to arrive.

Maybe it was because he was still very close to Seven Blood Pupils, but Xu Qing actually didn’t encounter too many dangers during the day.

But at that moment, as the sun set, some belligerent swordfish appeared just below the surface of the sea. They jumped up in groups, turning into arcs that sliced through the air before falling back down into the sea.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, their blue bodies glowed with a bright light, giving them an ethereal sort of beauty.

Maybe it was because of the Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale following the boat, but most of these swordfish didn’t get too close to Xu Qing. However, occasionally, one of them would bump into the magic boat’s protective barrier and be sent flying back into the sea with a bang.

Thanks to the intermittent swordfish crashing into the protective barrier, Xu Qing was able to get a better look at them.

These swordfish had mouths full of sharp teeth, and they looked extremely fierce. Their eyes were filled with a red glow that gave off a feeling of savagery.

Xu Qing expressionlessly waved his hand. Droplets of water appeared and seeped out of the protective barrier, forming a buffer so that the swordfish wouldn’t be killed instantly when they collided with the barrier.

The information in the Sea Records Pavilion contained a warning for all disciples; when sailing in the Forbidden Sea, unless absolutely necessary, it was best not to kill too many sea beasts. The more they killed, the more likely it was that they would attract the attention of some eerie existences in the Forbidden Sea.

As for what exactly those eerie existences were, the sea records didn’t mention. However, on this first night out at sea, Xu Qing didn’t cultivate. He placed all his attention on his surroundings, and any slight movement would make him extremely vigilant.

According to the sea records, the sea was much more dangerous at night than during the day.

Out at sea, anything was possible.

The sea records also mentioned that because the Forbidden Sea was so vast, although there was danger lurking everywhere, it was mostly dependent on luck. Some people were unlucky and would die on their first day out at sea. There were also those who were lucky and remained safe and sound after embarking for several months.

Xu Qing’s luck wasn’t bad. On this first night, besides the crashing of the waves and the howling of the wind, nothing strange happened.

Finally, just before dawn arrived, he closed his eyes slightly for a moment of rest. But at that moment, an extremely intense fluctuation suddenly thundered in his mind like a volcano erupting.

Xu Qing’s body immediately tensed and his eyes flew open. The magic boat’s protective barrier was instantly activated to its maximum extent.

As he opened his eyes, the Forbidden Sea Dragonwhale beneath the boat also opened its own.

The dragonwhale’s eyes were an extension of Xu Qing’s senses. The instant they opened, they scanned the pitch-black seabed but couldn’t see anything. However, faint sounds of grinding teeth echoed out.

Kaka, kaka!

As this sound echoed out, Xu Qing’s breathing hastened and the fluctuations in his mind intensified. Just like when he heard the singing voice in the jungle forbidden area back then, a chill seemed to spread over from the depths of the sea.

Xu Qing’s expression froze and his entire body tensed up. He circulated his cultivation base and instantly activated all the magic boat’s defenses.

Vigilance appeared in Xu Qing’s eyes, and borrowing the dragonwhale’s vision, he gradually saw a gigantic humanoid creature down at the bottom of the pitch-black sea.

This creature’s entire body was covered in swaying tentacles. On its shoulders, it carried thick iron chains that spread into the distance. At the end of the iron chains was a bronze dragon carriage.

This dragon carriage was dilapidated and covered in rust, filled with the traces of time. However, the exquisite carriage didn’t lack majestic carvings that made it emit the aura of a sovereign.

The giant was pulling the bronze dragon carriage, striding on the seabed into the distance. With every step, clouds of sand would rise up, causing waves to rise up at the surface.

It seemed that the giant was only passing by. Furthermore, because it was too far away, everything Xu Qing had seen was very blurry. However, the mental fluctuations and the sounds of grinding teeth still clearly echoed in his mind despite the great distance, causing his entire body to tremble instinctively. His pupils contracted and his vigilance was raised to the extreme.

It wasn’t until the giant slowly disappeared into the distance that the trembling gradually weakened and the fluctuations in his mind gradually disappeared.

“What was that?” Xu Qing abruptly raised his head. His face was pale as he took a deep breath and walked out of the cabin. Dawn was about to arrive when he stood at the bow of the ship and looked out to the sea.

In the dragonwhale’s vision, the huge figure at the bottom of the sea had already left, leaving behind only faded tracks.

At that moment, the darkness of night gradually receded and a hint of light appeared on the horizon.

It was like a torch had been ignited, setting the pitch-black seawater on fire and causing clouds to appear in the distance, becoming brighter and brighter and spreading unceasingly.

In the end, the entire sky was set ablaze, covered in a red glow.

Dawn had arrived.

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