Free Web NovelChapter 378: Chapter 371: Searching for "Fenyuan
Just as the Three-Eyed Golden Crow was gloating to itself, it turned its head and saw that Ah Jian had already shrunk to the size of a button, perched on Shi Ming’s other shoulder like an inlaid black medal.
Its twelve wings were folded, as if in mockery.
Hmph.
The Three-Eyed Golden Crow lifted its head.
’Whatever. I won’t bicker with it.’
With all preparations complete, the man and his two beasts boarded the Sunshot. The canoe-like vessel dove, plunging into the sea!
The water in this sea region had returned to a normal temperature, but for Shi Ming, any temperature was just a matter of physical sensation. The Three-Eyed Golden Crow kept a low profile, not unleashing its Great Sun Wheel but simply glowing like a miniature sun. Their descent into the water was like watching the sun sink into the western sea.
The deeper they went, the more silent it became.
Four great purges.
The Sea of Boiling now had an excessive concentration of Sea Crystal Stones, but life was exceptionally scarce. There weren’t even any ordinary sea fish, making it comparable to a true mass extinction. As a result, while Black Gold was building its infrastructure here, it had to use transport ships to bring in fish and sea beasts from outside the Sea of Boiling for daily consumption.
Fortunately, marine ecosystems can heal themselves.
A fifth great purge probably wouldn’t happen.
This state of affairs wouldn’t last for long.
...
...
...
"CAW CAW CAW."
"I’m back! My home!"
It didn’t take much time to dive from the surface to the seabed.
This was the Three-Eyed Golden Crow’s former lair. Bathed in the light of the Great Sun Wheel, the place had the lavish feel of molten gold at sunset.
In one spot lay a piece of deadwood. Beneath it was a sixty-to-seventy-meter-wide golden pool.
"Master,"
"This was my home."
The Three-Eyed Golden Crow offered.
There was a time when it had cowered here, trembling as it foresaw an apocalyptic future. Now, returning to its old home aboard the Sunshot, it couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.
’Good thing I was so clever.’
’I knew to immediately grovel when the moment of crisis hit.’
’Otherwise, I would’ve met a fate far worse than the Abyss Lord’s. All that would be revisiting this place today would be the essence of my abilities! And isn’t life so much better now? At least I’m not trapped here, living in constant fear, acting as an air conditioner for some old monster!’
It raised its head and spread its wings.
It flew up and landed on the piece of deadwood.
"Master,"
"There are a few decent treasures here."
"This dead branch may look rotten, but it’s actually a piece of dormant Wutong wood. If cultivated in the right environment, it might sprout new shoots. It’s not as good as the Immortal Fusang Tree, but it’s not far behind."
"Beneath the Wutong wood is the Sunrise Pool, which came into being along with me."
"Its base is Pure Dome Crystal, and the water is a combination of Liquid Gold, the Fire of the Fixed Star, and Pure Dome Crystal. Bathing in it can slowly enhance one’s physique, heal scars, and temper the body."
Shi Ming could sense how extraordinary the Sunrise Pool was, and he leaped down into it as well.
"I’ll give it a try."
The temperature was very high, but he could easily withstand it.
The energy in the water surged through his skin and into his body, bringing a pleasant sensation on par with bathing in the blood of an A-rank sea beast.
The birth of an S-rank sea beast could sometimes create unique and treasured locations.
It was just a pity that the Sunrise Pool couldn’t be taken away.
Shi Ming only took the piece of Wutong wood. He could plant it in his Captain’s Space to consume the stockpiled Holy Hall Flesh and keep his other three mystical plants company.
About thirty nautical miles south of the Three-Eyed Golden Crow’s old lair was the entrance to an abyss. The entrance was hidden and unfathomably deep. A 4,000-meter dive led to the habitat of the Saint Hall Sea Beast Abyss Lord. Unfortunately, the Abyss Lord’s lair was suffused with malice. The only things there were some Stones and soil that had mutated from prolonged exposure to the corrupting aura, sprouting bizarre eyes. There were no other treasures.
"The old geezer didn’t even drop any Gold Coins!"
"He lived for tens of thousands of years for nothing."
The underwater abyss was unfathomably deep.
But even it had an end.
The Sunshot ignored the pressure and continued downward, drilling into deeper layers of soil and rock. It transitioned from the liquid seawater, now traversing through solid earth. Outside the confines of the canoe was true darkness. Even the Three-Eyed Golden Crow’s light could not penetrate the endless subterranean rock.
Pitch-black, deathly still, and silent.
Anyone with claustrophobia would undoubtedly have a complete breakdown here. This was the crushing pressure of the behemoth that was Earth. From a macroscopic perspective, the streamlined canoe was like a probe, traveling vertically downward through the pitch-black subterranean depths.
As long as the man and two beasts remained quiet, there was eternal silence.
Six thousand meters underground.
"Oh, right!"
Shi Ming seemed to have remembered something.
FWOOSH.
A map appeared before his eyes.
The Map of the Endless Sea.
After he infused it with his awakening power, the ancient map showed no change for the first time. It didn’t turn azure, remaining just as it was: a depiction of the seven continents and five oceans with clear lines of longitude and latitude.
"Just as I thought."
"By entering the subterranean world, far from the Endless Ocean, the Map of the Endless Sea loses its ability to survey the area. It’s just like how the Destiny Golden Toad is useless once it leaves the Dragon Country."
Before its limit break, the Map of the Endless Sea had a detection range covering a cylindrical area with a 2,000-nautical-mile radius and a 5,000-meter depth, centered on the map itself. After its limit break, the range expanded to the entire Endless Ocean. Even creatures in the outer layer of the Earth’s crust couldn’t escape its surveillance.
However, the Earth’s crust, mantle, and core have a combined radius of 6,371 kilometers—hundreds, even thousands of times deeper than the ocean. What seems like a deep ocean is nothing but a thin layer of skin covering the planet.
Viewed from the Star Sea,
it would feel even more like a single grain in a vast ocean.
Thankfully, there were no living creatures here. It was a place where humanity had never set foot.
The temperature gradually climbed.
Shi Ming’s Spiritual Power spread out, exploring the subterranean world: minerals, oil, coal... Occasionally, they even passed through an underground river. Its current was incredibly turbulent, yet it failed to affect the Sunshot in the slightest.
The subterranean world was truly peculiar.
The man and his two beasts each had their own task.
The Three-Eyed Golden Crow acted as the navigator. It could sense the precise coordinates from the prophecy, saving them a great deal of time.
Shi Ming and Ah Jian took turns maintaining a basic alert, keeping their Spiritual Power extended. No one had ever been to a place like this, so letting Moss autopilot was out of the question. They had to remain vigilant.
WHOA!
The Sunshot entered the mantle layer!
Pressure roared toward them, only to be gently deflected by the ship’s "Ten Thousand Realms as an Ocean" ability. Semi-plastic magma flowed all around, its dark red glow writhing and twisting like a blazing Hell!
Ah Jian was clearly uncomfortable.
The Three-Eyed Golden Crow, however, seemed to have come to its happy place.
「Two hours later.」
"Master!"
"It’s right below us! We’re close!"
At the same time, Shi Ming blinked.
[The Eye of Destiny senses the aura of a treasure! This reminds it of the time you first dove into the deep sea to explore the Yellowstone!]
[Abyssalflame]
[The fifth-ranked Wonder, a burning greatsword that fell into the Earth’s Core!]
[Warning! It is very "fierce"! Before it is tamed, it will be a formidable "enemy"!]
