Chapter 295 - 261 Sea Monster Attack
Sea and sky were of one color.
Vast and boundless.
The Fire Seed sailed through the winds and waves, heading straight east.
The ship’s body, several feet thick of refined iron and reinforced by multiple formations and prohibitions, remained unmarked despite the attacks of ferocious beasts from the sea.
The control room at the bottom of the ship.
Zhou Yi activated the formation with immense mana, and because he didn’t care about the consumption of spirit crystals, their speed was twice as fast as the Alliance had expected.
Just relying on the spiritual objects cobbled together by the Alliance required careful calculations and optimized usage to sail deep into the Eastern Sea.
"With increased sailing speed, it’s difficult for the beasts to gather in large numbers, reducing the dangers along the way!"
In the rich spiritual energy of Kunlun Cave Heaven, spirit crystals could be easily condensed. Zhou Yi was indifferent to such consumption and would even open a portal of Cave Heaven once they reached the deep sea.
The spiritual energy enshrouding the Fire Seed could ensure the stable operation of the formation and prohibitions, sparing the need for constant repairs.
The volume and weight of the Fire Seed, the reinforcement and lightweight prohibitions, had to remain effective, otherwise, its own weight would cause it to shatter and disintegrate.
They had been sailing for over ten days.
And had deeply entered the Eastern Sea by tens of thousands of miles.
That day.
The wind was soft and the clouds were light; the sea was calm without a single wave.
Zhou Yi suddenly opened his eyes. Within the range enveloped by his divine sense, over forty miles ahead, tens of thousands of ferocious beasts were converging.
"The beasts lying in ambush in advance? There must be sea demons tipping them off!"
The sea demons rarely battled the human race, but they still...
With such a short distance, it was unavoidable; better to seize the opportunity to assert dominance, deter the sea demons, and lessen the troubles in the future.
With that thought, Zhou Yi’s figure flickered to appear on the top of the ship, his voice covering the entire Fire Seed.
"I am Tang Xuan. Beast tides have appeared ahead, everyone return to your cabins! Military personnel on board, maintain order. No one is to wander outside before the battle ends!"
He repeated himself several times, and before the sound of his voice faded, the beast tide was already visible in front of them.
At the seam where heaven met the sea, a line of black-green appeared, only becoming clear as both sides drew closer.
The sea beasts with their grotesque and ugly forms, such as three heads with six claws, beast heads with fish tails, covered in armor and shells, etc., had rows of sharp teeth in their huge mouths, screeching and spewing venomous water.
The beasts on the water’s surface were only a small portion; there were many more beneath the waves, densely packed into large dark clusters.
Seeing the beast tide, the humans on the ship couldn’t help trembling in fear. It was different from battling ferocious beasts on land—there was no escape on a solitary boat in the vast sea.
"Pray that True Lord Tang can withstand the beast tide!"
"True Lord Tang has never rushed to the frontline, instead, he has a keen interest in punishing mortals with curses. Could it be that his strength is lacking?"
"We are the hope of the human race. Properly, Xiao Martial Saint should also accompany us to provide protection!"
"Speak prudently!"
"..."
Once there are over ten thousand people, opinions become endless.
With over a million people on the Fire Seed, comparable to a small city, their thoughts were even more varied.
On ordinary days, everyone extolled Zhou Yi, knowing that True Lord’s divine sense enveloped everything; they sincerely or pretentiously erected divine altars, worshiping morning and night.
Now, faced with the beast tide and the danger to their lives, some began to complain about the Alliance’s lack of thorough consideration.
All sorts of voices naturally reached Zhou Yi’s ears.
The True Lord was not big-hearted and kept in mind those who jumped around too much—after crushing the beast tide, he would have ways to punish them.
"Since it’s about asserting dominance, it’s time to unleash my full strength!"
Zhou Yi had yet to have the opportunity to strike with all his might to this day, and now facing over a hundred thousand ferocious beasts was the perfect moment to gauge the extent of his power.
He formed a sword technique with his hands, the Light Dividing Sword rose into the air and split into thousands of sword lights.
Like a tide sweeping over the beast tide, wherever it passed, blood and flesh splattered; the power of the Ancient Supreme Treasure meant instant death for all Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement beasts!
He opened his mouth to spit out the Supreme Clarity Divine Talisman, which shot out ten thousand rays of divine light, incinerating any beasts within its radiance.
Roar! Neigh! Screech...
With the two Supreme Treasures deployed, tens of thousands of ferocious beasts were vanquished in an instant, and their assault momentarily halted.
The sea demons behind the scenes showed terrified expressions. They had intended to use the terrain to their advantage, ordering the beast armies to surround and kill the human True Lord, intending to demonstrate the sea demons’ momentum to the other races of the Nine Continents.
Who could have expected that they would encounter such a god of slaughter? With two strikes, he had torn an opening in the beast tide.
"Hold him off, summon more beasts!"
"The sea is endless with beasts, but human strength eventually reaches its limit. I shall exhaust him to death!"
"With a million humans on the ship, he will fight to the death; otherwise, upon returning to the Nine Continents, he will become a sinner among his people!"
"This is the perfect opportunity to besiege a human True Lord..."
After the sea demons communicated, they sent messages to other sea areas, calling for their subordinates’ beasts to kill the human True Lord with sheer numbers.
At this time.
Zhou Yi multitasked, operating the Supreme Treasures while also maintaining the Fire Seed’s speed.
The Light Dividing Sword and the Supreme Clarity Divine Talisman, to the left and right, obliterated any beast that neared within five miles into smithereens.
"Too weak! In the path of immortality, each realm is vastly different!"
"Beasts below Golden Core, in my eyes, are no different from ants!"
Zhou Yi, feeling somewhat regretful in his heart, looked far ahead and saw several groups of beasts approaching, adding up to thirty to fifty thousand in number.
"Reinforcements from sea demons? Perfect for testing my treasures!"
He spit out the Mountain and River Cauldron, which spun and expanded to the size of a hundred zhang, resembling a mountain floating in the air.
Boom, boom, boom...
Without requiring any tool control techniques, the Mountain and River Cauldron smashed into the beast groups several times. Its terrifying weight whipped up huge waves on the sea surface, and as for the beasts, they were already crushed to pieces.
At this moment.
More groups of ferocious beasts attacked, seemingly from the territories of other sea demons.
Zhou Yi waved his hand, retracting the Mountain and River Cauldron, and from his sleeve, numerous magical treasures flew out, including bottles, seals, bells, and pagodas of different shapes.
The treasure light glittered brilliantly, and the corpses of the beasts dyed the sea surface red.
"They’re not as good in essence as Spiritual Treasures, and their power can’t match that of a Life-bound Magic Treasure, thus I could only make do with them for now!"
Zhou Yi slightly shook his head and waved his hand again to collect the many magical treasures.
Not long after.
It seemed the sea monsters still hadn’t given up and summoned several more groups of ferocious beasts.
Zhou Yi’s sleeve fluttered, and different treasures flew out again; magic mirrors, Ruyi scepters, gourds, spirit fans, and so on, effortlessly slaughtering the attacking sea creatures.
In this manner.
After a few rounds, the ferocious beasts that were laying siege dispersed with a thunderous commotion, fleeing in all directions.
The water’s surface was covered with flesh and corpses, layered upon each other like a sea of bones, turning the clear waves into a blood-red sea.
"I’ve only exerted a mere five percent of my strength!"
Zhou Yi had only used magical treasures, with his cultivated mana body yet to manifest and many powerful Taoist Divine Skills unutilized. So claiming five percent of his strength was indeed modest.
"I can’t let these corpses go to waste either."
As he spoke, the Myriad Souls Banner flew out from his Cave Heaven. A thick plume of black smoke billowed out, and countless fierce souls and malicious ghosts enveloped the sea’s surface.
In the broad daylight, the visibility abruptly reduced to nothing, creating an eerie ghostland.
Fierce souls and malicious ghosts devoured the remnants and corpses, continuously strengthening themselves, and in turn, enhancing the power of the Myriad Souls Banner.
About half an hour passed.
Zhou Yi retracted the Myriad Souls Banner, and the sky cleared up once again. Glancing at the sea where not even a single bone could be seen now, the horrifying sight just a moment ago seemed like nothing but fantasy.
"Continue sailing!"
The tale of this slaughter spread widely among the sea monsters, and they dared not attack the Spark number again.
...
Half a year later.
The Spark had penetrated deep into the Eastern Sea.
There were no signs of ferocious beasts in the sea, with only the search for a thousand-mile-wide island remaining before their journey would be complete.
That day, at noon.
The cafeteria on the second level, section nine.
People lined up for food, as usual, plain white rice served with a few pickled dishes.
There were no seats in the ship’s cafeteria, so people had to return to their dorms or head to the deck. Now that the Spark was far from the beast-infested zones, many had grown accustomed to eating while basking in the breeze on the deck.
The monotonous sea they were tired of looking at and the winds they were sick of blowing were a hundred times better than the cramped dorms.
Zhang Yu and his eight roommates had gotten in line early today and secured a spot near the edge of the deck.
"Boss Yu, when will this ever end?"
The speaking man was thin and weak, swallowing the partially cooked rice with difficulty and sighed, "I was counting the days with number six yesterday. I don’t know how, but an extra day seems to have slipped by!"
"Soon."
Zhang Yu always replied this way, eating his food in small bites, chewing slowly, making sure to absorb all the nutrients from the grains of rice.
Jiang Yong, one of the roommates, spoke up, "Boss Yu, Chief Niu came to seek me out yesterday, hoping I would join the Cloud Continent Alliance!"
Upon hearing this, the other roommates all showed envious expressions. The Cloud Continent Alliance was not a small force onboard the Spark. Rumor had it that there were Innate Martial Artists among them, and they could swagger around on the ship - even getting two extra scoops of rice when getting their meals.
Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes!
With a population of over a million on the Spark, various groups of varying sizes had already emerged.
Especially after the ship left the dangerous zones full of ferocious beasts, with everyone heading towards a new world, those with a bit of foresight had already begun forming cliques.
The largest force on the ship was naturally the accompanying army, which boasted the righteous cause of the Human Alliance and an arsenal. The other considerable powers included the Nine Continents Alliance, Cloud Continent Alliance, Xianjing Alliance, and others.
Zhang Yu asked, "When are you going over?"
The Cloud Continent Alliance was located on the twelfth level, and its members lived and dined together, which naturally meant a change of dormitory. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
The dormitory assignments were arranged by the Alliance, but they weren’t strictly enforced. People who initiated room swaps weren’t punished, so almost everyone had changed rooms in a short time.
Zhang Yu was well-versed in martial arts and protected by Spirit Talismans, barely managing to protect the few people in his dormitory.
"Tomorrow."
Jiang Yong cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Boss Yu, for looking after us. If there’s anything you need in the future, just come to the Cloud Continent Alliance and call for me."
"The number of deaths on the ship has been increasing lately, and despite the army’s strict patrols, it has not been very effective."
Zhang Yu warned, "You need to be careful. At this rate, it will surely alarm the one above!"
Jiang Yong’s face turned slightly pale, and he hesitated, "Should I delay my response to Chief Niu?"
Zhang Yu said, "If you want to quickly rise through the ranks in the Cloud Continent Alliance, this is indeed a good opportunity."
Jiang Yong promptly asked, "Please advise me further, Boss Yu!"
"With a million people and diverse intents, it’s only natural that various factions emerge. Even immortals can’t stop that."
Zhang Yu said, "Generally, they handle it by punishing those who cause trouble among the factions to establish rules on the ship. Once you join the Cloud Continent Alliance, just make sure to get on well with those at the bottom and don’t cause trouble. Wait silently for your superiors to be removed, and then take their place!"
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Yong added, "Boss Yu, if you have any intention of raising your own flag, I’d like to follow you."
"I don’t have time."
Zhang Yu shrugged, finishing the last grain of rice and said, "Recently, Professor Lu agreed to take me as a student to teach me about electrodynamics."
"Boss Yu, don’t look at those professors living the good life, that’s because they’re under the protection of the immortals. Once we reach the new world, the Spirit Extermination Land, immortals will ultimately return to the Nine Continents!"
Jiang Yong said, "At that time, it’s the fist that speaks, and others can only obediently listen and be driven by others."
"Isn’t joining this group or that still being driven by others?"
Zhang Yu stood up and said, "Rather than living on the edge, risking my life nine out of ten times, I’d rather be an inconspicuous electrician!"
Jiang Yong wanted to persuade him further, knowing that with Zhang Yu’s intelligence and talent, as well as the reputation he had built up, he would be able to take control of a layer of the Spark if he raised his flag.
Zhang Yu seemed to have anticipated this, waved his hand without looking back.
"Yesterday, the teacher praised me for my quick comprehension and asked Professor Lu to teach me genetics. I need to go to the lecture early!"