Chapter 949: Boating at Night on the Sea of Bitterness
The mysterious Netherworld Vessel had appeared once more!
This news swept through the City of Safe Returns like a tidal wave. People were discussing it all over the city.
There was no need for Su Yi to investigate; just listening to the commotion on the streets was enough for him to understand the full story.
That very day, a group of cultivators had returned from the far reaches of the Sea of Bitterness, and they brought stunning news back with them.
Apparently, three nights prior, the Netherworld Vessel had appeared out of nowhere near a place called Flowing Sand Island.
The cultivators gathering Profound Gem Metal Sand on Flowing Sand Island all disappeared inexplicably.
By the time others discovered what had happened, all they found on Flowing Sand Island was a bit of hastily scrawled text.
Its contents were about the Netherworld Vessel’s sudden appearance!
This was why everyone inferred that the cultivators’ inexplicable disappearance was connected to the Netherworld Vessel!
“Flowing Sand Island… that’s one of the most dangerous places in the Sea of Bitterness. It’s home to too many Ocean Soul Serpents, and they’re lethally venomous.
“But it’s a treasure ground too. If you’re lucky, you can gather a rare divine material, Profound Gem Metal Sand,” said Su Yi.
Most of the world’s cultivators didn’t know this, but Su Yi was well aware that there was an even more perilous ancient ruin underwater, at the base of Flowing Sand Island.
It was called the Mermen’s Blood Cave. Rumor had it that it was inhabited by merfolk in ancient times.
More importantly, you could find a certain rare, unmatched Xiantian treasure in the Mermen’s Blood Cave: Profound Enlightenment Stone!
Flowing Sand Island is also within two thousand miles of the Burial Ground of the Dao. It seems that despite the Netherworld Vessel’s numerous appearances, it has never strayed far from the Burial Ground of the Dao.
When I go to the Sea of Bitterness, I can stop by Flowing Sand Island,thought Su Yi.
Here, Cui Jingyan couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Su, did you come to the City of Safe Returns intending to head into the Sea of Bitterness too?”
Su Yi nodded. “That’s right.”
Cui Jingyan’s eyes lit up. “Then can I go with you?”
Su Yi smiled and shook his head. “I’m not going there on vacation. Besides, nowadays, the far reaches of the Sea of Bitterness are shifting, uncertain, and full of danger. You’d best hurry home.”
Cui Jingyan pursed her lips, but although she was a bit unwilling, she was well aware that if she stuck by Su Yi’s side, she’d inevitably become a burden to him.
As night fell, Su Yi and Cui Jingyan parted ways. The young woman earnestly exhorted him to be careful, and to return alive no matter what.
Su Yi naturally agreed with a smile.
Then, as darkness descended, Su Yi left the City of Safe Returns alone.
……
The night skies were as dark as ink, and a round, blood-red moon hung overhead. Its light was like a fine, crimson shawl enveloping the boundlessly vast Sea of Bitterness.
The sea’s turbid waters churned, rising and falling with a rumbling reminiscent of thunder. The coast, which had been so lively and uproarious during the day, had long since descended into tranquility.
The Sea of Bitterness.
Its waters were vast beyond limit, and they hid unknowably numerous perils and ancient ruins. Throughout history, countless cultivators had explored these waters, but even now, no one knew where its far shore lay.
It was simply too enormous, so big that even Emperors could only gaze upon it and sigh over their own insignificance.
A long time ago, an expert of the Buddhist way lamented that, “The Sea of Bitterness is without limit. You must turn your head to see the shore.”
This mysterious ocean wasn’t just one of the most perilous forbidden grounds in the Netherworld; it was famous even in the Wilds.
This was because, although the Sea of Bitterness was incomparably inhospitable, it hid countless unbelievable treasures and ruins, including strokes of fortune that even Emperors would drool over.
“It’s the same as ever…”
Su Yi’s tall, upright figure appeared on the shore of the Sea of Bitterness. Ocean winds blew past, rustling his clothes and billowing his hair.
He fixed his inscrutable gaze on the boundless sea shrouded in darkness, as if trying to discern its secrets.
In his past life, he spent nineteen years exploring the Sea of Bitterness. He’d visited too many terrifying forbidden grounds to count.
Few in this world could compete with him in terms of their understanding of the Sea of Bitterness.
More importantly, it was in the far reaches of the Sea of Bitterness that Su Yi had truly discovered the secrets of reincarnation!
To date, only he and Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer knew this secret!
I last visited the Sea of Bitterness in search of the secrets of reincarnation. That’s what granted me this chance at rebirth. Now, I’ve returned to seek out an opportunity to prove my Dao and become an Emperor in these same waters. This world really is too wondrous for words,thought Su Yi.
Without any further delays, he waved his sleeves through the air.
A ten-foot skiff appeared out of nowhere, shining with faint, golden firelight.
An Unsinkable Boat!
It was carved from the heartwood of the Peach Haven Divine Tree.
So long as one sat upon it, it didn’t matter how many sudden or unpredictable waves they encountered in the Sea of Bitterness. They could continue ahead as if traversing flat ground.
Even better, the yao and evil spirits lurking within the waters of the Sea of Bitterness had an innate fear of the Unsinkable Boat’s aura, and they dared not approach it.
Were it an ordinary treasure ship, it wouldn’t just have to face the Sea of Bitterness’s terrifying storms; ?it would have to overcome frequent ambushes from the beasts dwelling in the ocean’s depths!
The Sea of Bitterness was especially terrifying at night. Then, the beasts and evil spirits lying dormant at the bottom of the sea would awaken and attack with greater frequency.
Throughout history, cultivators venturing into the Sea of Bitterness chose to avoid these inauspicious hours, cautiously hiding themselves until it was over.
However, to Su Yi, it made little difference whether he traversed the sea by day or by night.
Whoosh!
The Unsinkable Boat shot through the air and landed steadily on the water’s surface. Su Yi landed on it shortly after.
He stretched, then sprawled out comfortably, using his arms as a pillow.
Then, the Unsinkable Boat rode the wind and waves, carrying him into the distant darkness.
No matter how fierce or turbulent the waves, it was as if he were traveling on smooth ground; Su Yi wasn’t bounced or jostled in the slightest.
The blood moon was partially obscured by clouds, slipping in and out of view. Its ethereal crimson light blanketed the ocean, and deep within its waters, countless aquatic beasts and malevolent spirits opened their ears.
An oppressive atmosphere accumulated within the waves. That sense of unknowable peril was enough to make even the world’s Emperors shrink back.
Only Su Yi’s Unsinkable Boat continued its solitary journey through the darkness.
Along the way, Su Yi encountered no danger whatsoever.
Su Yi had long since relaxed completely. He held a jug of wine and drank as he sifted through everything he’d experienced during his cultivation.
Less than two years had passed since he’d awakened the memories of his past life. He began his journey in Guangling City, a remote backwater, exploring first the Great Zhou and then the rest of the Azure Continent…
Along the way, he’d encountered numerous interesting people, and overcome too many storms and battles to count.
During his time on the Azure Continent, he was high-spirited, ambitious, contemptuous, and unrivaled. He dared laugh and proclaim himself invincible beneath the heavens.
After returning to the Netherworld and revisiting familiar ground, Su Yi discovered that although the Netherworld was in many ways just as he’d left it, the people had changed.
After all, thirty-six thousand years had passed in a flash. A lot had changed in that time. How could the Netherworld possibly be just as he remembered it?
Su Yi had never lamented or felt wistful over this.
People couldn’t live in the past. He’d already reincarnated, so he ought to live in the present.
But there was one thing Su Yi couldn’t deny.
Here in the Netherworld, if he encountered an opponent of overwhelmingly superior cultivation, he’d have no choice but to use the power of his past life to level the playing field.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, in Ziluo City, he borrowed the cultivation base of his past life to sweep through an army of evil spirits.
During his time among the Ghost Serpents, he ordered the old butcher into battle.
Not long ago, in the City of the Wrongfully Dead, he used the Book of Diting to command evil spirits and sweep uncontested.
These three events had something in common. In all three instances, his current power was far from enough to contend with his terrifying opponents.
Dealing with Profound Illumination Emperors was one thing, but against a Profound Serenity Emperor, he’d have no choice but to resort to alternative methods.
Su Yi wasn’t ashamed of this, nor did he feel guilty.
Throughout the world, and throughout history, when had anyone else crossed Daos to defeat Emperors while still in the Spiritual Revolution Realm?
Besides, the powers he borrowed and trump cards he played were all connected to his past life and were the fruit of his own efforts. Only a fool would refuse to use them.
Confucianists spoke of staying within the bounds of propriety even while following one’s heart. When external power became a part of one’s own strength, how could using it negatively affect one’s mental state?
It wasn’t like he was some silkpants relying on his background to engage in wanton hooliganism. The key difference was that all of this power was under his control!
However, Su Yi had already realized that his Spirit Dao cultivation base was fettering his pursuit of greater heights of the Dao of the Sword.
“During this expedition into the Sea of Bitterness, I must prove my Dao and become an Emperor no matter what! Only then can I rely on my own strength to slay powerful enemies and temper my sword’s edge!
“Then… it’ll be time for me to return to the Wilds…”
Su Yi took a sip of wine. Beneath the night sky, his inscrutable gaze was as calm as stagnant water. His pupils reflected the blood-red full moon, giving him an additional serene yet imposing quality.
A moment later, Su Yi cast aside his scattered thoughts, shut his eyes, and cleared his mind.
He thought about nothing and looked at nothing. He just lay there in his little boat, floating atop the surging, dark waters of the Sea of Bitterness.
His energy silently fused with heaven and earth. The ethereal moonlight danced atop the surging waves, and oceanic winds howled past….
All of these heavenly and earthly phenomena produced a wondrous resonance with his qi.
His heart wandered across ten thousand miles, in harmony with everything changing around him.
As he thought back to everything he’d experienced and sifted through his memories, his mind and body underwent a rare cleaning and sublimation.
He was unsure of how much time passed when suddenly, the sounds of combat emanated from afar.
Su Yi’s eyes opened slightly, and he sat upright and gazed into the distance.
There, off in the distance, radiant purple electric light danced like mad, and churning flames filled the air, ripping apart the darkness of the night sky.
From this far away, they were indistinct, but he could see two figures fighting fiercely beneath the dome of heaven.
One was a man in purple robes. His entire body blazed with firelight, and he manipulated purple lightning. He was like a heavenly sovereign of the Dao of Thunder, and he effortlessly displayed mad, utterly destructive explosive power.
The other was an old man in black. He was bathed in dark Dao Light, and he gripped a long, serpentine spear. As it danced through the air, it ripped the skies asunder, and the light of its tip was shocking.
Their battle through the entire area into upheaval. The surrounding waters rumbled and churned. The battle was incomparably fierce, startling to both the heart and the eyes.
When Su Yi saw this, he instantly felt quite surprised.
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