Free Web NovelChapter 471: Chapter 258: Setting Out for the East Sea Abyss
Some ships were attacked by Sea Beasts, their crews falling overboard and nearly getting wiped out. Just then, an eerie black ship with no sails, crew, or oars would glide past, scaring the Sea Beast into a desperate retreat. The survivors were left feeling both grateful and shocked by the ship’s strangeness and speed.
These various encounters only added to the mystique of the Dragon Bone Ship, whose legend was already growing more and more fantastic.
Cheng Zongyang never interfered in any of the incidents he encountered on his voyage. Whether it was pirates pleading for help, sailors swept overboard by storms, or the rare Sea Beast attack, he ignored them all.
’Saving them would only bring me trouble. If I don’t, nothing happens.’ The only strange thing was that both the pirates and the Sea Beasts would flee in terror the moment they saw his ship.
The latter was understandable; after all, the Dragon Bone Ship was made from Flood Dragon Bone. But he had never expected the pirates to run off as if they had seen a ghost.
Time flew by as he spent his days cultivating, eating, and drinking. The ship had now been sailing for over a month.
With the Wilderness World, he had no concerns about food, drink, or safety. He spent nearly the entire month focused on his Cultivation.
「Late May.」
The Dragon Bone Ship came to a stop near a small island. On the third deck, Cheng Zongyang took out a telescope and observed the island from a distance.
A moment later, he steered the Dragon Bone Ship to circle the island.
Once he had a general understanding of the terrain, he stopped the ship and took out his sea chart to confirm his position.
He quickly found an island on his route with a similar topography. Looking at his approximate location on the chart, Cheng Zongyang couldn’t help but feel a little resigned.
’This past month of travel... I could have practically made a round trip between America and Asia by now. To think I’m still only two-thirds of the way to the Eye of the East Sea.’
He was starting to understand why those expedition ships had to sail for two or three months.
He had no intention of landing on the island and creating unnecessary distractions for himself.
This trip had only one goal: find the Eye of the East Sea. Once he’d investigated it thoroughly, he would slowly explore every landmass he passed on the return journey. That was the only way he could set up his Teleportation Arrays.
He put away the sea chart, checked the compass on his watch to confirm his heading, and continued onward at full speed.
However, Cheng Zongyang was unaware that as he steered the ship eastward, someone was watching its departure from the mountainside of a small hill in the Central Region of the not-so-large island, a sharp glint in their eyes.
Another ten days passed. The solitary Dragon Bone Ship finally arrived at a Reef Island that rose three or four meters above the sea’s surface.
The Reef Island wasn’t large. Cheng Zongyang steered the Dragon Bone Ship in a circle around it, visually estimating its area to be around seven or eight hundred square meters.
A plot of that size was quite impressive for a Reef Island. The place also served as a temporary roost for a large number of seabirds.
His arrival scared off many of the seabirds, revealing a Reef Island covered in years of accumulated guano.
The sight of the guano reminded him of a small country from his past life that had gotten rich selling it.
’This place would make a decent outpost. With a few modifications, I could turn it into a small teleportation relay station.’
Looking at the Reef Island, he could think of many ways to transform it. If he later placed a Soul Gathering Stele here, he could completely guarantee the island’s safety.
As for where the seabirds would roost in the future, that wasn’t a problem for him either. According to his sea chart, there were smaller reef islands within a two or three-nautical-mile radius.
He reined in his thoughts, deciding not to get ahead of himself, and took out the sea chart for a final confirmation.
’That’s right. Judging by the size, this must be Seabird Reef Island.’ A smile touched the corners of Cheng Zongyang’s mouth as he looked at the mark on the parchment map. He then took out his telescope and peered due east.
Sure enough, about two nautical miles away, he could faintly make out a patch of water churning as if it were boiling. The disturbance wasn’t huge, but it was still discernible.
"I’ve finally arrived," Cheng Zongyang murmured.
After more than forty days at sea, he had finally reached his destination.
He put away the sea chart and steered the Dragon Bone Ship toward his destination.
About ten minutes later, Cheng Zongyang saw the "Sea Eye" several hundred meters away.
’It’s a shame there’s no way to officially identify this location, otherwise I wouldn’t be left guessing. If this isn’t the East Sea Abyss, then I have no idea where else it could be.’
The fact that even the Da Yi Commerce Association had never heard of the East Sea Abyss meant this place was truly unknown. This expedition was simply his attempt to verify his theory.
But to ensure he had a contingency plan, he began setting up a Teleportation Array on the first deck of the Dragon Bone Ship.
’If I can verify that the Cultivation Immortality Realm truly lies beneath the sea, I can set up a corresponding Array on the other side to attempt a teleportation. If not, I can just dismantle this one. The components can be reused.’
Mumbling to himself, Cheng Zongyang steered the Dragon Bone Ship in a circle around the Eye of the East Sea. After finding nothing out of the ordinary, he stopped the vessel in a calmer patch of water and began to set up the array according to the method Luo Daoist had taught him.
A couple of hours later, he looked at the completed Teleportation Array on the deck—over twenty square meters in size—and felt quite satisfied.
He then entered the Wilderness World and changed into a swimsuit sewn from water-rat hide.
It was a custom-made diving suit, created for him by a Soul Slave with a Tailoring Talent. While not completely waterproof, the unique properties of the water-rat hide reduced drag in the water.
The full-body suit came with a hood that covered his head, leaving only his eyes and nose exposed. Cheng Zongyang didn’t find it uncomfortable; it didn’t pull or hinder his movements no matter how he stretched. The suit also had straps and buckles sewn onto it for carrying small weapons and tools.
