"Hiss—hiss—"
"Hiss, hiss, hiss—"
The sea was lightless, yet everyone heard a sound like snakes flicking their tongues. Suffocating darkness and bitter cold that even the Awakened struggled to endure sent involuntary shudders through every crew member.
"We're here."
Yang Ling clapped his hands, left the cabin, and stepped onto the deck.
The harsh conditions.
They made him feel as though he faced an impenetrable wall, as though even the air had solidified completely, making normal breathing impossible.
The Awakened did not need to breathe.
Yet they still felt unable to catch their breath.
Clearly.
This, too, was the work of supernatural interference.
Before certain terrifying Evil Spirits, even top-tier Awakened could die just like ordinary people... by drowning, by hanging themselves, by food poisoning...
It was absurd.
Yet it was enough to send a chill through every Awakened.
Splash!
The sound of something heavy hitting the water came from nearby, and a hazy, cold light suddenly appeared beneath the pitch-black surface. It was a specially made lamp, secured with a rope and lowered into the water in an attempt to illuminate the depths.
It did not work very well.
The seawater could devour light.
After only twenty or thirty meters, the light was compressed into a bright spot no larger than a fist.
All its light.
Once beyond that range, it was completely absorbed by the seawater.
Splash!
Splash!
Splash!
One lamp after another was lowered into the sea. Under the crew's control, dozens of lamps gathered together, finally expanding the illuminated area, though only from the size of one fist to that of several dozen.
"They aren't meant for illumination," Yang Ling explained. "They serve two purposes."
"First."
"To help us locate those ruins."
"Although their light is limited."
"It's still enough to determine whether they've touched the