Into the North Sea

The beautiful girls chatted and laughed, while two boys stood nearby, one with blue hair and the other with red. Radiance enveloped them both, and their auras were powerful.

Their gazes fell on Yun Ying in unison. This girl, cool and aloof as an immortal, possessed not only exceptional talent but strength unrivaled among the younger generation of the Primordial Sacred Mountain. She had long been the goddess in the hearts of countless outstanding young men.

Although Yun Ying and Yun Xi looked identical, their temperaments were entirely different. Yun Ying remained cool and detached from the mortal world, shrouded in an ethereal mist, untouched by the smoke and fire of mortal life. She was impossible to see through, like a cloud of multicolored haze.

Although Yun Ying rarely appeared in public, she actually had quite a few admirers, including the two boys before her.

"Yun..."

"Enough, let's set off."

Just as the Red-Haired Boy was about to strike up a conversation with Yun Ying, an elder shrouded in divine light appeared.

He was not the only one. Several such elders appeared in succession. They were all supreme venerables of the various sacred mountains, the ones who held authority.

For this journey to the North Sea, they would work together to open a spatial passage and send Yun Ying and the others to its shores. From there, Yun Ying and her companions would have to rely on themselves.

Boom!

The Five-Colored Passage opened. Radiant light streamed in all directions, mysterious symbols flickered, and a blazing passage pierced the void.

"Let's go."

Yun Ying nodded to Yun Xi and the others and stepped into the Five-Colored Passage. Everyone followed close behind, entering one after another, six or seven hundred people in all.

It was like strolling through a river of stars. Walking along the passage, Yun Ying and the others traversed the void as fragments of time danced around them in dazzling splendor.

After an unknown stretch of time, brilliant light appeared ahead. Yun Ying and her companions stepped onto soft sand. Before them lay a boundless ocean, vast and majestic, with countless layers of surging waves. Damp air washed over their faces.

"Next, we must cross the sea. That region is dangerous. Spatial passages are unstable there and might shatter."

"This sea has never been peaceful. Many creatures live in its waters, some absurdly powerful. Everyone, be careful."

Several elderly Divine Servants gathered to discuss how to proceed.

In the end, light shone from the Red-Haired Boy's palm. A tiny boat that looked as though it had been carved from a fruit pit swelled in the wind, instantly growing to the size of a small mountain.

The boat settled onto the sea, resplendent in gold and jade. Auspicious radiance emanated from it, enveloping the entire vessel.

"Let's go! Head for that stretch of sea!"

Everyone leaped aboard the great ship. Like a moving mountain, it rode the wind and cleaved the waves, sailing into the depths of the ocean.

"Can this ship fly? There are many creatures in these waters. Such a commotion will certainly draw their attention."

Yun Ying spoke, addressing the Red-Haired Boy.

"Yes."

Everyone jolted at her words. Of course! How had they failed to think of that? The Red-Haired Boy immediately activated the treasure ship, lifting it off the sea and into the air.

"You truly have thought of everything, miss."

A Divine Servant spoke respectfully.

Although operating the treasure ship this way required somewhat more effort, it would keep them from running into the creatures in the sea and spare them a great deal of trouble.

"Flying doesn't necessarily mean we're safe either. Stay vigilant."

Yun Ying spoke calmly.

"You're right, miss. Some sea creatures have wings and can fly as well. We must be careful. If they pursue us, we must not engage them. We must shake them off immediately."

The Divine Servants all agreed wholeheartedly. They knew just how perilous these waters were.

Sure enough, after the treasure ship had flown nearly ten thousand li, something unexpected happened. A dense mass of blue light swept toward it, like an approaching torrential downpour.

"Sea demons!"

They were creatures with fleshy wings, human bodies, and flood-dragon tails. Blue all over, they looked bizarre, their human faces made hideous by fangs jutting past their lips.

These creatures had all risen from the sea, more than a thousand of them. They opened their mouths toward the treasure ship and spat out blue runes.

"Speed up! Don't get tangled up with them! Once they latch onto us, there'll be no end to it!"

The Divine Servants joined forces, pouring tremendous divine power into the treasure ship. It blazed with light and accelerated instantly, shooting past and evading the sea demons' runes.

But that was not the end. A swath of blue killing light rose from the sea, mysterious symbols flickering within it as murderous intent surged to the heavens. It was a great formation on the seabed, capable of shredding creatures high in the sky.

"By order of the Sea Demon Venerable, these waters are sealed! Any who trespass shall be killed without mercy!"

The voice rang out from the sea.

The Divine Servants' expressions changed drastically. One of them took out an ancient beast horn and blew it. Sound waves shook the heavens, punching through every barrier and opening a passage.

Carrying Yun Ying and the others, the treasure ship shot through and escaped the killing formation, surviving the fright without harm.

Afterward, Yun Ying and her companions slowed down and became even more alert to the dangers around them. They repeatedly changed course, skirting many terrifying enemies before finally entering the Forbidden Sea.

Mist shrouded these waters. The azure ocean rose and fell beneath a haze of moisture, and the sun was a blurred shape. The farther they ventured, the darker it became.

"It's just as the intelligence said. An unknown field envelops this place, making flight difficult. Staying aloft consumes far too much power, and the higher one's cultivation, the more pronounced the suppression."

The treasure ship slowly descended onto the sea and continued onward.

"The Kunpeng Nest should be somewhere in these waters. Let's hope nothing else goes wrong."

Worry appeared on a Divine Servant's face.

They had lost quite a few people along the way, but fortunately, none of the important figures had suffered any mishaps. They had been quite lucky.

The treasure ship sailed forward through tranquil waters, sending ripples spreading outward. Yun Ying and the others felt nothing unusual, but the Divine Servants were startled. Their cultivation was falling.

"Hm? My cultivation keeps rising and falling. It's very unstable. How do you feel?"

"The same. My cultivation is fluctuating. Has something gone wrong with the seal here? According to the earlier intelligence, there shouldn't be fluctuations like these."

Normally, once cultivators above the spirit transformation realm entered these waters, they would be suppressed until their cultivation fell to the spirit transformation realm. Now, however, that no longer seemed absolute.

"It seems the situation has changed. The seal works intermittently. People with higher cultivation like us can enter those waters now!"

After analyzing the situation, the Divine Servants reached this conclusion, greatly astonished.

This meant they could accompany Yun Ying and the others to the Kunpeng Nest and lend them a hand.

Everyone was delighted and began considering how to contact the strongest figures in their clans. If they could summon them here, their chances of obtaining the Kun Peng Precious Technique would be even greater.

Along the way, Yun Ying and her companions saw creatures of many races. Some had rushed over from the continent, but most were creatures of the sea. Like pilgrims journeying to a holy site, they surged in groups toward the Kunpeng Nest, with many powerful beings among them.

"Those are... ghost ships!"

During their journey, they also saw black paper boats drifting across the sea, eerie green lamps glowing aboard them. They were strange and deeply unsettling.

These ghost ships were ill-omened things. No one dared approach them, and everyone steered clear, afraid of becoming tainted by a curse.