Dragon Blood Tide

Hu Mang turned around and made a "hmm" sound.

"Hello, Zhu Shuitou."

"Either call me Old Zhu or Shui Tou. Who calls me Zhu Shui Tou? It sounds so weird."

The middle-aged man opposite him laughed heartily and patted Hu Mang on the shoulder without any hesitation.

"This is my first time on a cargo ship, Grand Pure One," Hu Mang said with a smile.

"Don't worry, we've run this route countless times, there won't be any problems. You're Zhao Tiezhu's brother, which means you're also my brother, Old Zhu's brother. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Hu Mang chatted casually with the other party for a few more minutes.

The boatswain, also known as the chief sergeant, was responsible for arranging and handling all the physical labor on deck. He was from the same hometown as Zhao Tiezhu, who had mentored him on overseas projects. When Hu Mang called to ask how to do it, Zhao Tiezhu simply gave him the boatswain's phone number.

Old Zhu and the captain of the Seagull were the only two Golden Core cultivators on board, and two Golden Core cultivators on a cargo ship was standard for ocean-going vessels.

The sea is often not as safe as the land.

While chatting with Old Zhu, Hu Mang took out his handheld Spiritual Qi detector and found that the Spiritual Qi fluctuations at sea were around 30, occasionally jumping to 40 when a large wave came in.

"Feels good, doesn't it? What's that saying again? Pure, natural, and unpolluted Spiritual Qi. You've never experienced this kind of natural Spiritual Qi in Heavenly Gate, have you?"

Hu Mang nodded.

However, he experienced something even purer in the Azure Mysterious Realm.

As is well known, the Middle Earth where the Heavenly Gate is located is a Spiritual Qi depression, and even the Spiritual Qi concentration of the entire Earth Star is not high.

However, a low concentration of Spiritual Qi does not mean there are no areas rich in Spiritual Qi. For example, the Spiritual Qi actively dissipated from the boundless seawater fluctuates between low-level and mid-level Spiritual Qi zones. If it encounters a sea storm, the Spiritual Qi can even surge to 60 or higher in a short period of time.

However, this may not be a good thing, because once such a storm occurs, some sea monsters might appear. This is why every ocean-going cargo ship is equipped with two Golden Core.

The cargo on an ocean-going freighter can be worth anywhere from 70 to 80 million to hundreds of millions. If it's lost, who can afford to compensate for it?

It is said that some top-tier cargo ships even have Nascent Soul Cultivator on board.

Old Zhu, the scuba diver, was a chatterbox who loved to talk nonsense and recount strange tales he encountered while sailing. Hu Mang was a great listener because he was a complete novice when it came to sailing. Of course, it was more fun to show off in front of a novice. The other sailors could tell right away that Old Zhu was just rambling, and they didn't feel any sense of accomplishment when they saw him bragging.

However, Hu Mang wasn't just listening to the other party's nonsense. From the other party's words, Hu Mang also learned about the route of his current journey.

This ocean-going vessel wasn't specifically heading to Java Island. Their true destination was actually the Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea. Departing from Quanzhou Port in Heavenly Gate, their route roughly followed an asymmetrical circle. Ancient Java Island was actually the penultimate stop. They would transport goods from Heavenly Gate to the Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea East China Sea, unload the cargo, and then purchase some local specialties from the East Sea island before heading back. On their return journey, they would stop at Port Surumai to replenish their cargo, food, and fresh water before continuing their journey back.

Hu Mang had long heard of the Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea. Located near the edge of the East Sea, it was known in ancient times as the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea Islands at the End of the Sea. This was the ultimate goal for ancient Daoist priests who went to sea to seek immortality and enlightenment. For example, the old Daoist priest Old Daoist Shen, whom Mama Hu knew, was originally planning to go to the overseas immortal islands to seek immortality and enlightenment after finding the "Shen Yan Legacy." However, for some reason, perhaps due to bad luck, he encountered an ancient Tribulation Qi and died on Java Island.

It is said that among the Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea, there is a naturally occurring area with high Spiritual Qi.

These autonomous organizations on the islands of the East Sea have always been partners with the Heavenly Gate government, but the relationship is somewhat complicated, becoming more complicated the further back in time goes. It is said that the first destination for the group of Celestial Person who were driven out of the New Heavenly Gate when they fled overseas was this place.

"... Speaking of the Thirty-Six Islands of the Eastern Sea, Little Hu, have you heard of the Dragon Blood Tide? It's located south of the Dragon Palace, the legendary area where the Dragon King bestows treasures every year. I, Old Zhu, have encountered it once."

Old Zhu, holding onto the gunwale, gazed at the surging gray-blue waves on the distant horizon, his voice filled with deep reminiscence and emotion.

"When the tide comes in, the whole sea seems to come alive," he gestured. "These aren't ordinary waves; they're crimson tides formed from condensed Spiritual Qi. From afar, it looks like the Dragon King is bleeding, surging up from the seabed, one layer upon another, each wave higher than the last. The shortest is three or four zhang (approximately 10-13 meters), and the tallest can reach the top of the mast. With each wave crashing down, all the treasures accumulated in the sea over millions of years are swept to the crest: Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone roll around like small watermelons, pearls hang from the branches of ancient corals, and gold artifacts, fragments of Law Artifact, and even entire chests of ghost money and ancient cultivators' storage bags from sunken ships are all tumbling in the waves."

"The scene was spectacular: thousands of ships swarmed around the crest of the tide, cultivators soared through the air, Demon Race transformed and dived underwater, and even some sea monsters joined in the scrambling; the Spiritual Qi in the tide at that time was so dense it could choke a person, and sea monsters that ate it could instantly advance in their cultivation level."

He paused, a flicker of lingering fear in his eyes. "But the name 'Dragon Blood Tide' isn't for nothing. The tide is the same color as dragon blood. If a single drop gets on your skin, an ordinary person will be instantly burned to ashes; even Foundation Establishment cultivator who gets hit by a wave will suffer a severe burn. Not to mention the things mixed in with the tide. Some are 'Dragon Saliva Sha' expelled by the Dragon Palace's remnants over thousands of years, and some are ancient Corpse Sha people sunk to the bottom of the sea that have been awakened by Spiritual Qi and climb onto the boats with the waves. I was lucky that time; I followed the captain to scavenge for scraps at the tail end of the tide and managed to salvage half a basket of Spirit Stone and a piece of coral. But I watched helplessly as three small boats were swept away by a side wave, and the people and boats never came out again."

"High-level Spiritual Qi can surge to eighty or ninety in the Dragon Blood Tide, and even break a hundred for short periods." Old Zhu clicked his tongue. "In places like that, even Golden Core cultivators think twice before venturing in, and only Nascent Soul dare to venture into the heart of the tide; we smugglers usually take a long detour, only daring to pick up the scraps when the tide recedes."

Hu Mang nodded in agreement. He knew about the "Dragon Blood Tide." He had heard of it when he was doing civil engineering. It was said to be one of the few celestial phenomena on Earth Star where the concentration of Spiritual Qi energy could soar to 100. It was said to be a special situation that occurred due to a series of complex ocean movements on the seabed of the East Sea.

The Spiritual Qi at a concentration of 100 is also known as Immortal Qi.

For the ancient Heavenly Gate, with its low Spiritual Qi environment, this was undoubtedly a sign of divine intervention. No wonder that all the accomplished cultivators of the ancient Heavenly Gate always felt that there were immortal lineages overseas.

However, whether it's due to the large number of treasures collected or the damage done to certain structures on the seabed by some Nascent Soul Cultivator, the Dragon Blood Tide hasn't erupted for many years. The last time Hu Mang heard about it was ten years ago.

As Hu Mang was lost in his memories, he suddenly sensed a presence. He turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in a white sailor's uniform looking at him with a frown.

This middle-aged man is also Golden Core cultivator; he's the boat captain.

"Haha, it's Old Gan! Why aren't you in your captain's cabin? What are you doing out here?"

Old Zhu laughed heartily, walked straight over, and put his arm around the other man's shoulder. However, after exchanging a few words, the boatman walked into the cabin without looking back. As for Old Zhu's rough face, a hint of displeasure appeared. When he saw Hu Mang looking over, he said disdainfully.

"Old Gan's been studying at the Maritime Academy for so long that he's become a simpleton. It's just taking someone with him, what's the big deal? Why is he whining to me like that? Let's ignore him."

As someone brought along as a "personal item," what could Hu Mang say? He could only offer an awkward but polite smile.

When Zhao Tiezhu called Hu Mang earlier, he introduced this Old Zhu from Shuitou. It was said that he used to run smuggled shipping routes before he started working for a legitimate ocean shipping company.

As for running smuggling routes, isn't that just smuggling?

They're the kind of people who are ruthless and unconventional.

As for the ship captain, Old Gan, he was Golden Core cultivator trained by the ocean shipping company. He was quite strict about the rules, and the two sides had different styles of doing things, which led to their falling out.

However, Hu Mang was only guessing. After all, he had hardly left the ship since Old Zhu brought him on board. He had been cultivating all the time and hadn't even seen many of the crew members. Who would have thought that he would run into the captain when he finally got to go out for a stroll?

Hu Mang shook his head, preparing to tell Old Zhu before returning to his seclusion.

If they start arguing about this, they'll be the ones who suffer in the end.

However, Old Zhu was a kind-hearted person, or to put it another way, he had a strong rough-and-tumble spirit. He insisted on dragging Hu Mang to eat at the canteen. Hu Mang couldn't refuse him and was dragged away by him. During the trip, they drank two bottles of wine and were introduced to the names of several crew members. They chatted for a long time and didn't get back until midnight.

After quickly rinsing off in the communal bathroom, Hu Mang returned to his room, locked the door, sat on the bed for a moment, and changed his coat, mainly putting on a Thunder-Warding Robe. Only then did he take out the "Spirit Crystal Deconstructor" that Old Fifth had given him from his Storage Bag. In the energy storage unit of the device was embedded a high-grade Lightning Crystal, while in the input device was embedded a "fragment".

"It's been over a month, it's time to go take a look. I haven't really dug much out of the treasure trove that is Demon-Subduing City yet."

The Hu Mang muttered to itself. As the deconstruction device was activated, the surging lightning power was poured into the fragments. In less than ten breaths, a flash of white light appeared, and the Hu Mang's figure disappeared.

However, just a few seconds later, the Hu Mang reappeared in the same spot, looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness the time travel coordinates are fixed at the time travel location, instead of being distributed according to spatial coordinates, otherwise I would have fallen into the sea."

After all, this ship is still in the sailing phase.

Then, with a flash of light, the Hu Mang's figure vanished once more.