Chapter 659 Enemies Meet
"Come aboard."
After showing off his skills, Zhang Yan slowly retracted the sleeves of his black robe, smiled faintly, and then took a step forward, being the first to step onto the deck of the ship.
So impressive... I feel like the principle is similar to Gongshu Tianyuan's "cannon"? The Tianyuan cannon was also shrunk down and carried, but not this small... The Tianshi Mansion has a thousand years of heritage, so it can't be underestimated...
Zhao Duan was surprised. He bent his knees and jumped. He drew an arc in the air and with a "bang", his feet stood firmly on the deck.
Tuoba Weizhi and Jin Jian followed closely behind.
Ji Yue looked at the wooden sailboat, then at the ice beneath her feet, lowered her head in shame, and stepped on the ice with her embroidered shoes. The ice cracked and collapsed, and the sorceress also landed on the boat with the wind.
"This ship is embedded with mana crystals. Until they run out, you don't have to worry about power. You just need to control the rudder."
Zhang Yan raised his hand and pointed to the "steering wheel" at the stern.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yue volunteered to walk to the stern of the boat, stretched out his wet, pale hands, carefully grasped the rudder, and slowly turned it.
“Squeak—”
Zhao Duan heard the sound of mechanisms moving from inside the ship. The hull slowly adjusted and the sails also cooperated automatically.
“Huahua…”
Soon, the boat under our feet broke through the waves and headed south.
"Yawn, I'm sleepy, I'll take a nap first."
Jin Jian yawned, then picked up his staff and ran straight into the small cabin.
He crawled in carelessly, stuck his butt out, and soon began to snore softly.
Tuoba Weizhi observed his surroundings vigilantly, acting as a qualified guard.
Zhao Duan and Zhang Yan stood side by side at the bow, sniffing the salty sea breeze and saying:
"It looks like we won't be able to get there in a while."
The old Taoist priest stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly:
“The Thousand Islands in the East China Sea are much larger than the DJI. We are not directly in the archipelago, but on the periphery, so it will naturally take more time to get there.
You don't have to worry about it, just like in DJI, you can return in one day. Although time is tight, it's not that urgent."
Zhao Duan sighed softly and said with a wry smile:
"Is this considered consolation? But speaking of which, we still need to determine the location of the key first."
He unfolded the nautical chart with both hands. The scattered islands on the chart formed a "ring", like a ring in the sea.
In the central area of the archipelago, the words "Ji Hai" are written in black ink.
Zhang Yan glanced at him and asked, "Do you have any guesses?"
Zhao Duan said:
“Since the key to Southwest Xinjiang is hidden in Layuan, that is, in the lair of Da Laba.
Based on the same logic, I guess the most likely hiding place for the key to the East China Sea is also where the sea god resides.
That is the small sea area called the 'Sea of Silence' surrounded by the archipelago on the map."
After a pause, he raised his head and looked at the old man beside him:
"Master, do you know the depth of the Eye of the East China Sea? Haha, this is my first time out to sea. I'm a complete novice and don't have as much experience as Master."
Zhang Yanyi was flattered a little, and he puffed out his chest slightly and smiled:
"As for this Silent Sea, I have certainly been deep into it."
Zhao Duan was surprised and asked, "Has the Heavenly Master ever been to the depths of the Silent Sea?"
Zhang Yan seemed to see through his thoughts and explained:
"The Sea God is somewhat different from Laba. Laba has been entrenched in La Garden for years. If I want to go deeper, I will have to fight him. After being suppressed, although I don't want to admit it, I really can't do anything to Laba.
But this sea god is different. He sleeps most of the year. During the month when he sleeps the deepest, the East China Sea is calm and peaceful.
Whether you are a cultivator or a mortal, you can take this opportunity to enter the Silent Sea, or even sink to the bottom of the sea to search for treasures..."
"Treasure? There is a treasure in the Sea of Silence?"
Zhao Duan interrupted the question, as this involved his blind spot in knowledge.
Zhang Yan glanced at him:
"Of course there are. Otherwise, why would the court send people to pick them?
Jihai is the "eye of the sea" of the entire East China Sea. It is a place with abundant spiritual energy, so many natural treasures are born here. Not only the imperial court, but also my Tianshi Mansion and even the Buddhist sect will seek treasures.
For example, there's a kind of 'Dragon God Grass' growing in the Silent Sea. It's an excellent healing elixir, and extremely rare. Whenever it's circulated, it's often ground into powder and refined into elixirs, becoming priceless.
Zhao Duan was possessed by a nagging spirit and asked curiously:
"Why is it called Dragon God Grass and not Sea God Grass?"
Zhang Yanyi said calmly:
"Because the Dragon God Grass grows on a thousand-year-old dragon skeleton at the bottom of the sea. Yes, according to legend, that dragon died a thousand years ago and is the only known dragon in the world today. Even though it has been dead for so many years, only its bones remain buried at the bottom of the sea."
Zhao Duan was not very surprised.
After all, even gods exist in this world, so it is not difficult to accept that there are dragons in the East China Sea.
"Aren't you surprised? Have you heard of this before?"
When Zhang Yan saw his indifferent look, he couldn't help but ask.
Lao Deng was still hoping to scare the kid and let him know what it meant to "Lao Zhang has walked more roads than you have eaten salt", but he was disappointed.
Zhao Duan's indifferent attitude:
"It's just a dragon. What's the big deal? I've ridden one before."
Zhang Yanyi: “…”
Tuoba Weizhi turned his head and showed admiration:
The master is so awesome!
Zhao Duan coughed lightly, brought the topic back to where it had strayed, and frowned as he said:
"So, the Lonely Sea has been explored by many people?"
Zhang Yanyi shook his head:
"No. The treasure hunt I'm talking about is only limited to the outer periphery. You can probably understand it as, when the Great Laba is asleep, anyone can sneak into the La Garden, but they can't go deep into the temple."
In other words, the core area has never been set foot on... Zhao Duan wondered:
"So where is the core area of Jihai?"
"have no idea."
"ah?!"
The old Taoist priest looked at him with a look of surprise and explained:
"The Sea God has no physical form, nor does the Silent Sea have a core. When I was young, I came to the East Sea many times to train and tried to find the so-called core, but I found nothing.
According to the speculation of the past priests of our Tianshi Temple, the so-called core should only appear when the Sea God is awake, and will hide once the Sea God falls asleep. Therefore, we are very lucky that the Sea God is not asleep at this time of year.
...No, I don’t think this can be considered “lucky”... Zhao Duan muttered in his heart.
At this moment, Zhang Yanyi suddenly stroked his beard and said:
"Speaking of which, the last time my third disciple sent a letter back to the capital, he said she was in the East China Sea. I wonder if we can run into her this time. If we can find her, it might make our trip smoother."
Lao Zhang’s third disciple?
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment before he remembered that among the "Red-Dotted Boys" of all dynasties, he had seen Zhong Pan, Yuxiu, Han Zhao, Gongshu Tianyuan and Jin Jian, but the third one was the only one he had never met.
Considering that each generation of Zhudian Tongzi is a pair of one boy and one girl, the third child should be a girl...
Now, Zhao Duan was a little looking forward to it.
There was also a bit more admiration in the eyes when he looked at Lao Zhang. Although Lao Deng had few disciples, he really had the meaning of "students all over the world".
…
The sky was blue, and the sea breeze blew on their faces, ruffling the corners of their clothes and hair.
Under Ji Yue's control, the ship moved steadily and quickly towards the archipelago at an incredible speed.
After several hours, the morning mist had long since dissipated, but by the afternoon, the sky had become gloomy.
“Boom—”
The thunder in the sky woke up several people in the cabin. Zhao Duan walked to the deck and looked up, only to see dark clouds covering the sky and electric snakes looming.
The sea also turned black and gray, like mud, and it was violently surging and the ship was also tossed around.
“Bah…”
A drop of rain fluttered down from the sky, hitting the dry deck and quickly spreading out.
There was an unsettling atmosphere in both the sky and the sea.
"Is the climate at sea changing so fast?" Zhao Duan asked in confusion.
The old Taoist priest said solemnly:
"It's not a change in the celestial phenomena, but we've entered a dangerous sea. Do you feel it? The pressure has increased."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Duan hurriedly tried to move the Qi. The familiar sticky feeling came to his mind again, and the efficiency of the Qi was greatly reduced.
His heart sank, and he asked, "Is it the Sea God?"
At this moment, Jin Jiandu, who was snoring in the cabin, whimpered, kicked his legs, and walked out, leaning on his staff and rubbing his eyes. The young priestess took out her glasses from her pocket and put them on her nose, looking uneasy:
"Master, my mana has dropped again..."
Not just her.
Everyone present was suppressed and weakened.
This means they are very close to the sea god.
"Something's wrong, it shouldn't be like this..."
The native Jiyue came over from the stern, her pure white pupils looking blankly at the turbulent sea, and said:
"Even if the Sea God isn't in the Sleeping Moon, he should only be like this now if he steps into the Silent Sea. But we're still far from the nearest island... Why is the Sea God's divine power so widespread? Could it be that the Wrathful Moon has arrived early?"
Zhao Duan looked at her suddenly:
"Wrathful Moon comes early?"
Jiyue nodded obediently and explained:
"Every summer, Poseidon is extremely lucid and violent for a period of time. We call it the 'Wrath Moon'. It doesn't strictly last a month; it could be longer or shorter.
During the Wrathful Moon, the seas around the Thousand Islands are enveloped in the Sea God's wrath, and all activities on the sea become dangerous."
Zhao Duan and Zhang Yan looked at each other and saw that something was wrong.
"Keep moving forward." Zhao Duan thought for a moment and gave the order.
Time waits for no one, he can't wait here for several months.
Moreover, with the combat power of the people on the ship, even if it is weakened, as long as they do not confront the "Sea God" head-on, they will not be afraid of any danger.
The sails of the ship were inflated, and the speed of the wooden boat was getting faster and faster, like an arrow shot from a bow.
For the rest of the journey, everyone was silent.
Suddenly, the black-skinned priestess wearing a cloak spoke:
"Master, there is someone ahead!"
Zhao Duan and the old Taoist priest also sensed a dangerous aura coming from beneath the dark sea ahead.
Zhao Duan's ears moved slightly, and he could even catch the dull sound of the water being parted when a huge creature swam underwater.
"Master, would you like me to go down and take a look?"
Tuoba Weizhi twisted his waist and walked to the side of the boat with his long legs, showing his trend.
Zhao Duan turned his head to look at Zhang Yanyi, whose pupils were slightly glowing with azure light, and he was concentrating on observing the sea.
At this moment, the green light in the pupils went out, and the old man shook his head gently. Zhao Duan said:
"Not yet."
At this moment, amid the sound of rushing water, something suddenly emerged from the seabed in front of the ship.
It was a huge "monster", nearly ten feet long. As its back slowly emerged, the sea water slowly slid down to both sides.
The back of this "monster" is flat and wide, covered with a layer of smooth black scales. Where the scales extend to the waist, thick sebum similar to that of a whale is exposed.
Only the back of this aquatic creature is exposed, like an iceberg floating on the water, with the larger part hidden underwater.
What surprised Zhao Duan and others was that there were more than a dozen people standing on the back of the "monster".
There were both men and women, mostly middle-aged people. They were all wearing robes that were traded from the State of Yu to the East China Sea. They were dressed like Taoist priests, but with disheveled hair. In their hands, they held iron forks instead of swords.
At this moment, a thin "membrane" around these people broke open, and they looked at the people on the boat with expressionless faces.
The middle-aged man with deep nasolabial folds in the lead said in a deep voice:
"The Thousand Islands in the East China Sea are closed to the sea! We are the Thousand Islands Patrol. Outsiders must leave immediately. During the closed sea period, no outsiders are allowed to enter!"
Sea ban?
Are these local sorcerers from the Thousand Islands?
Zhao Duan was surprised.
Jiyue came over from the stern and explained in a low voice:
"During the Wrathful Moon, Thousand Islands will dispatch experts to form patrols, riding on 'bone whales' to seal off this sea area, lest outsiders anger the Sea God and bring disaster to the islanders."
This is really troublesome... Zhao Duan frowned. He didn't want to fight with these natives.
But it seems that if we try to force our way in, we will probably encounter a lot of trouble along the way.
Just as he was thinking about how to negotiate with this group of people, Ji Yue suddenly felt as if struck by lightning. He stared at the middle-aged man in the lead on the back of the bony whale, breathing rapidly, and read out a name:
"Aoki!"
At the same time, a twenty-year-old woman at the end of the team on the Bone Whale also saw Ji Yue on the boat. She widened her eyes in disbelief and cried out in shock:
"Ji...Ji Yue? Is that you?!"
Zhao Duan turned his head in surprise:
"Are you acquainted with these people?"
Ji Yue clenched her fists, her nails almost piercing her palms. Her pale pupils stared at the middle-aged man named "Qing Mu" and said hatefully:
"He was one of the top five strongest elders on the Thousand Islands. Back then, I was chosen to serve as a sacrifice to the Sea God, but I didn't want to. He was the one who led his men to capture me. In the chaos of the battle, he killed my parents and chased me all the way."
What a coincidence? Zhao Duan was stunned.
Zhang Yanyi whispered calmly:
"An elder-level sorcerer must be in the worldly realm without a doubt."
In the secular realm, he is definitely a strong man no matter where he is. For Ji Yue back then, the elder was an even more powerful existence that was difficult to resist.
However, in front of the people on this ship, the worldly situation is as common as a turtle in the water.
"Jiyue?! You still have the guts to come back!"
Elder Qingmu, who had deep nasolabial folds on his face, also recognized Ji Yue, and his expression changed.
He then looked at Zhao Duan and the others, and especially at the priest robes on Zhang Yanyi. He seemed to understand something, and his eyes became sharp as he said in a cold voice:
"Well, you betrayed the island's traditions, angered the Sea God, and luckily escaped from my grasp. Today, you've become a complete traitor, leading the Yu people to the Thousand Islands with ulterior motives and harboring evil intentions!"
The dozen or so warlocks behind him also started to riot.
Obviously, they were impressed by Ji Yue who defected to Qiandao several years ago.
Elder Qingmu glanced at the others and looked only at Zhang Yanyi. He raised the iron fork high in his hand and said in a deep voice:
"Is the one on the boat a priest from the Tianshi Mansion? I have no intention of becoming an enemy of the Tianshi Mansion. All you have to do is hand over this traitor and get out of here. On behalf of the Thousand Islands monks, I can let you go!"
But if you are stubborn and refuse to change, haha, even if you are a priest of the Tianshi Mansion, I will not show mercy when I kill you!"
On board.
Everyone's expressions suddenly became interesting.
(End of this chapter)
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