The Perils of the Endless Sea

"Alas, this Great Tribulation has affected all living beings. I do indeed have the ability to resolve the Demon Calamity currently facing the Xuanqiong Realm."

But I can't make a move.

Only through killing and hatred can you, and all living beings in this world, progress rapidly...

"Well..."

Watching Jun Xiaoyao eat while sighing, Li Qing couldn't help but tap him on the head and say, "Hey Li Xiao, you're sighing all the time while you're eating."

What's going on?

"Has it relapsed?"

"Damn it!" Jun Xiaoyao immediately retorted, "Old Qing, do you know that you've knocked on an Emperor Sovereign!"

If you hit me on the head again, I really will beat you up!

If you have time to worry about me, why don't you hurry up and break through to the Foundation Establishment? Look at how old you are now.

"If you don't break through to the Foundation Establishment soon, you'll be old and die."

Hearing this, Li Qing didn't care; he knew Li Xiao's personality all too well.

After thinking for a moment, he replied, "You know what, I don't know why, but my cultivation speed has inexplicably increased a lot recently."

The foundation has become more solid.

I had already reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining, but I was over sixty years old, past the optimal period for a breakthrough...

Can it really break through to the Foundation Establishment?

Upon hearing this, Jun Xiaoyao punched Li Qing in the chest, "Hey, why are you being so indecisive, you old codger?"

I observed the celestial phenomena last night; I'm sure you'll be able to break through.

Trust me, you won't go wrong.

If you don't even dare to try, what will happen to your granddaughter after you die of old age? Hehe..."

Upon hearing this, Li Qing's brows furrowed immediately. "You brat!"

You're my brother!

Don't think that just because you're young, handsome, and strong you can beat my granddaughter...

Li Qing stopped mid-sentence.

Looking at Jun Xiaoyao's still youthful face and increasingly profound cultivation, she muttered, "Um, Brother Xiao, I think it wouldn't be bad for my granddaughter to be with you..."

"What did you say!"

"Li Qing! You son of a bitch! If you don't try to break through to the Foundation Establishment, we're done for!"

Li Qing: "Look at you, you're in such a hurry again. You're not a grown man anymore..."

The banquet lasted until nightfall.

As the last group of guests left, the noise on Skyward Peak gradually subsided.

The Flying Boat of various factions took off one after another, transforming into streaks of light and disappearing into the distant Cloud Sea.

The banquets on the mountainside and at the foot of the mountain were quickly cleaned up by the Zhang Family General, and the Spirit Lamp were extinguished one by one, leaving only a faint aroma of wine lingering in the night breeze.

Just as Zhang Xuanchen and Luo Lingshuang were about to return to the courtyard, they saw a middle-aged man in a blue robe walking towards them.

It was none other than Gong Jun, the owner of the Lingxiao Immortal City branch of Horizon Restaurant.

Gong Jun walked up to Zhang Xuanchen, bowed, and said:

"Greetings, Venerable One, Fellow Daoist Luo."

Seeing this, Zhang Xuanchen quickly stepped forward, helped him up, and said:

"Pavilion Master Gong, given our friendship, there's no need for such formality."

Gong Jun straightened up and chuckled, "Since that's the case, then I won't stand on ceremony."

"That's more like it."

Zhang Xuanchen laughed loudly and pulled Gong Jun to sit down at the stone table next to him.

Seeing this, Luo Lingshuang personally poured a cup of Spirit Tea for the two of them, then looked at Zhang Xuanchen and said:

"Brother Chen, I'm heading back now. You guys chat."

"Okay, you should go back and rest now."

Zhang Xuanchen replied, then looked at Gong Jun and asked:

"By the way, so many years have passed, and I still haven't seen Sister Yan."

Is she no longer in the South Sea Immortal Continent?

Gong Jun nodded. "Not bad."

"The Fifth Miss and the others have already returned to the Central Land Immortal Continent."

As for the Third Miss, she went to the Eastern Victory Mystic Continent, supposedly to find an old friend.

Zhang Xuanchen suddenly realized, "I see."

"Pavilion Master Gong, after this banquet, Shuang'er and I will prepare to cross the Endless Sea and head to the Central Land Immortal Continent."

"Over the years, I've inquired about the Endless Sea through various channels and know that it is extremely dangerous."

"But most of those reports were fragmented and never comprehensive enough."

"Horizon Restaurant is located all over the world, with good information and many powerful people."

Could Pavilion Master Gong please tell me in detail what dangers lie within the Endless Sea?

Hearing this, Gong Jun picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his expression gradually became serious. "Of course."

"All cultivators in the South Sea Immortal Continent know that to cross the Endless Sea, one must at least possess the Nascent Soul cultivation level."

"But Nascent Soul cultivation is only the foundation; it doesn't guarantee a safe arrival."

"The probability of cultivators below the Nascent Soul Late Stage Central Land Immortal Continent is less than 30%."

"Nascent Soul Peak cultivator, if well-prepared and possessing a suitable Flying Boat and protective treasures, has a success rate of approximately 70%."

Gong Jun put down his teacup and continued:

"Of course, this is just a normal situation."

"The Endless Sea is vast and boundless, and the distance between the South Sea Immortal Continent and the Central Land Immortal Continent exceeds hundreds of millions of miles."

The Spiritual Qi at sea is chaotic, the Spatial Law are disordered, and in many places, even stable rules governing the universe do not exist.

"Once a cultivator is involved, their Divine Sense is severely suppressed."

"The Divine Sense of an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator can only perceive a range of ten miles in special sea areas."

Zhang Xuanchen frowned slightly as he listened attentively to the information Gong Jun was providing.

"In the Endless Sea, the most common dangers are sea monsters and storms."

"But those aren't the truly lethal things."

Gong Jun raised his hand and used his spiritual power to condense a simple sea chart on the stone table.

The nautical chart did not show detailed islands, only vast expanses of dark sea and some specially marked areas.

"The first, and relatively common, fatal danger is the Devouring Spirit Tide."

"Those weren't real ocean waves, but a black tide composed of countless Devouring Spirit Fish."

"Each of these Devouring Spirit Fish is only at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment, but once they gather together, they can devour a cultivator's Law Power and gnaw on their soul."

Their numbers are countless, and even Nascent Soul Cultivator could perish if encountered.

The sea surface they create forms a unique magnetic field, preventing cultivators from flying for extended periods.

You need to pay attention to this.

As soon as he finished speaking, Gong Jun raised his hand and waved it, and a gray area appeared on the nautical chart.

"There is another kind, called the Silent Sea."

"Upon entering the Silent Sea, all sounds will disappear."

"Whether it's telepathic communication, Divine Sense exchange, or Technique Method explosions, all of it will be swallowed up by that sea."

"Cultivators cannot communicate with each other, and cannot even hear their own heartbeats."

"Even more strangely, another fleet would occasionally appear in the Silent Sea."

"That fleet was exactly the same as the Flying Boat we were traveling in, and there was a group of people standing on it who looked just like you."

Zhang Xuanchen's gaze sharpened. "An illusion?"

Gong Jun shook his head. "No."

"Someone tried to attack that fleet, but their own ships suffered the same damage."

"If I kill my counterpart on the ship, my real-world counterpart will also die at the same time."

"His soul was dragged into the sea."

Gong Jun's voice lowered as he said this, "According to the speculation of the Horizon Pavilion, this should be a special location designated by some powerful and mysterious force."

As for what kind of strangeness it is, only I, the master of the Horizon Pavilion, would know.

Gong Jun continued without pausing, "And there's the Blood Moon Sea."

"Of these three, only the Devouring Spirit Tide is relatively common; you won't encounter the other two unless you're extremely unlucky."

"Of course, besides these unpredictable special sea areas, there are also some powerful and troublesome Evil Spirits."

"The most disgusting and unpredictable one is the Faceless Monster."

"It's a kind of strange entity without a fixed form, which usually disguises itself as a sea monk, a crew member, or even a companion on Flying Boat."

They have no faces.

"But it will be peeled off the monk's face and then stuck to one's own."

"With each card you post, your strength will increase by a few points."

"The monk whose face has been peeled off will not die immediately, but will gradually lose his memories."

"First forget your name, then forget where you came from, and finally you won't even know who you are, and you'll die at sea."

Zhang Xuanchen asked instinctively, "How can we tell?"

"It's difficult."

Gong Jun gave a wry smile, "After being possessed by the Faceless Monster, it can not only inherit the target's appearance, but also read a portion of their memories."

"They might even mimic the other person's tone of voice, habits, and training methods."

"The most terrifying thing about the Faceless Monster is not its strength, but that it makes people unable to trust those around them."

"Make some noise and let them fight each other."

"Therefore, when crossing the Endless Sea, it is best to agree on a special code in advance, and to check one's soul and body periodically."

Zhang Xuanchen nodded, not particularly worried.

With Xuanjing and Shuoxing around, the likes of the Faceless Monster really pose no threat to them.

Gong Jun continued:

"In addition to these, there are some special areas."

"For example, in the Reverse-Flow Strait, the seawater flows against the flow of time."

If a cultivator stays inside for too long, their physical body will gradually become younger, their cultivation level will regress, and they may even regress to that of a mortal.

"There's also the Floating Corpse Abyss, where countless giant corpses float on the sea."

These corpses could be fortuitous opportunity or a terrible misfortune.