Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

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Splash!

Before he could react, another rushing wave of water sound erupted from behind him.

Zhao Sheng turned around and saw that the luminous wall of the passage had somehow disappeared, and now a massive amount of seawater was gushing in.

The strong water pressure of the seabed forced the water to shoot in violently, forming a thick, straight jet of water.

In just a few breaths, the water in the underground cave had reached his waist.

Hai Lan'er clung to Zhao Sheng's arm in fear.

Zhao Sheng gave a slight tug, and, seeing that it did not budge, he let it be.

Soon, the underground cavern was submerged by the seawater!

Half an hour later, Zhao Sheng and Hai Lan'er emerged from the underwater cave.

Gazing at the dark blue "vast ocean" below the sea, Zhao Sheng's pupils suddenly constricted.

He was astonished to find that the deathly black qi above the blue flames had disappeared.

As for why it disappeared?

Zhao Sheng had a rough guess that it had to do with the Black Robed Daoist.

...

Yan Kai, the short and fat elder, and the others waiting on the ship would never have expected Zhao Sheng and Hai Lan'er to return so quickly.

When they learned that the others had tragically perished, everyone was shocked and dumbstruck, especially the short and fat elder, who found it unbelievable.

But Zhao Sheng had no reason to lie,

After waiting in vain for three days, the short and fat elder finally accepted the ominous news.

This person was truly the master of a ship, for he set his sights on the Da Fu shortly after accepting reality.

It must be known that the Da Fu was a Whale Hunting Treasure Ship, which could easily sell for two to three hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Relying on his cultivation at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, the short and fat elder made no effort to hide his intention to seize the Da Fu.

It was a pity he didn't know there was someone pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger opposite him.

So, when the short and fat elder made his move to suppress everyone, he was beheaded by Zhao Sheng with a single sword strike, meeting his end on the spot.

After witnessing Zhao Sheng's mysterious and profound strength, whether it was Yan Kai, Zou Li, or the three survivors from the early stage of Qi Refining on the Zhi Jin, they immediately expressed their loyalty as if to a god.

After this small interlude, the biggest problem facing Zhao Sheng was how to leave the Mist Sea Area.

Because they were short-handed, he had no choice but to abandon the Zhi Jin.

Though the Zhi Jin could not compare to the Da Fu, being a ship that could travel on open sea trade routes was not something to scoff at, typically costing no less than one hundred thousand Spirit Stones to construct.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Unfortunately, Zhao Sheng only had seven people; just being able to operate the Da Fu was already at their limit, let alone caring for the Zhi Jin.

For the next two months, Zhao Sheng's actions were incomprehensible to everyone.

Apart from cultivating and sleeping, he would spend all his remaining time diving into the sea, busying himself with something unknown.

When Hai Lan'er asked him for a reason, his response was vague, merely stating he was searching for a "Life Path."

However, gradually everyone noticed certain changes in Zhao Sheng's physical characteristics.

His eyes were originally black pupils with a blue halo around the edges. But after a month, his pupils had turned completely into a clear blue like the sky.

His skin became fairer day by day, and finally was as smooth and radiant as white jade, as if coated with a layer of jade ointment.

This made Hai Lan'er incredibly envious, and her affection in her eyes became more and more evident—even a blind person could see it.

Three months later, the weather turned cold, the sea breeze grew stronger, and the fog's density slightly diminished.

One day, as the sunset, the afterglow spread across the sky

The Da Fu sailed into a certain area of the sea and came to a slow stop.

At that moment, Zhao Sheng stood in the helm cabin, hands on the ship's wheel, his expression serious.

"Lower the sails!"

At his command, Yan Kai and two others ran to the mast and quickly lowered the sails.

"Seal the hold, prepare the Spirit Stone Furnace!"

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Boom! Boom! Boom!

The cabin doors of the Da Fu were tightly sealed one by one, leaving the deck deserted.

At this moment, standing solemnly in front of the Spirit Stone Furnace located under the lower hold was Hai Lan'er.

"Ignite the Spirit Stone Furnace,"

Upon receiving Zhao Sheng's command, Hai Lan'er immediately took out a Storage Bag and poured a large bag of Pure Yin Spirit Stones into the Spirit Stone Furnace, filling its chamber over a person's height with Stones.

Due to a shortage of manpower, they had to resort to burning Spirit Stones, which seemed wasteful, but Zhao Sheng had an abundance of Pure Yin Spirit Stones. Just that piece of spirit stone jade alone would be enough to keep the furnace burning for six months.

Hum!

As the Spirit Stone Furnace emitted a great amount of Spiritual Power, the hull of the Da Fu was quickly covered by a layer of Light Film.

Then, the vessel began to slowly sink beneath the sea.

Zhao Sheng skillfully navigated the Da Fu down to a depth of one thousand two hundred zhang under the sea.

At this depth, it was pitch dark, and marine life was extremely scarce.

However, Zhao Sheng knew there was an undersea current here. It was the "Life Path" he had found after two months of searching.

Originally, the Da Fu had been dragged into the Mist Sea by a Spirit Whale, and now Zhao Sheng was using a similar method, drifting out with the help of the current.

This strategy had a high success rate, though it took quite a bit of time.

Once the Da Fu had been steered into the current, Zhao Sheng let go of the ship's wheel, allowing the current to slowly push the ship towards the unknown ahead.

The days under the sea were dull and lengthy. While the rest of the crew grew anxious and restless with the wait, Zhao Sheng feasted on the rich spirit whale meat, immersing himself daily in strenuous cultivation.

In a flash, three months had passed.

Hai Lan'er, Yan Kai, Zou Li, and others could no longer bear the wait. Life in confinement had been unbearably monotonous and dull.

Hai Lan'er and the others had sought out Zhao Sheng for three consecutive days, their implication clear in their relentless hints.

Zhao Sheng calculated the time, and whenever he could, he would swim out from the ship and surface.

Looking up at the stars and the crescent moon, Zhao Sheng couldn't help but slap the sea surface forcefully, splashing water everywhere.

"Finally out!"

An hour later, the Da Fu emerged from the water.

The cabin doors were opened, and Hai Lan'er and the others couldn't wait to rush onto the deck.

When they saw the boundless seawater and the moon's reflection glistening on it, everyone immediately burst into loud cheers, and some even wept with joy.

That night, no one aboard could sleep. The delicacies and Spiritual Wine brought over from the Zhi Jin were laid out on the deck like flowing water, as the people reveled in the food and drink and the enchanting seascape of the outside world.

Two days later, having vented the stress of their narrow escape from death, they began to seriously discuss how to return to the Shattered Star Sea.

It was said to be a discussion, but in reality, it was Zhao Sheng making the decisions. Even though Hai Lan'er was the heir to the Da Fu, it was Zhao Sheng who was at the heart of everyone's trust.

The first thing to do after escaping the Mist Sea was to determine their location.

However, this sea area was completely unfamiliar,

Zhao Sheng held three Nautical Gold Plates in his hand, but none of them matched the terrain features of this sea area.

Even though the Nautical Gold Plates were of no use, Zhao Sheng was not to be defeated.

The main island groups of the Shattered Star Sea were mostly to the north.

If they couldn't confirm their bearings, they would simply head north.

After making the decision, the Da Fu raised its sails again, turned its bow northward, and with the effect of the Wind Swinging Formation on the sails, a strong wind billowed them. The Treasure Ship used the wind to gradually accelerate, sailing towards the distant horizon.

One day,

Two days,

...

Each day, Zhao Sheng would control the Cloud Boat to venture out, scouting the surrounding hundreds of miles of the sea.

Persistence pays off!

Half a month later, quite unexpectedly, Zhao Sheng discovered an island. This island also enabled them to confirm their position.

Their location was on the edge of the Outer Star Sea, merely three hundred sea miles from the nearest Dragon Scale Level Spiritual Island, Zhi Ao Island.