Chapter 68: Eve (1)
After passing under dark clouds and navigating the sea for several hours, something came into view for me and Seo Ran.
'Is that a barrier?'
It's not visible to the naked eye. It looks just like any other part of the ocean with waves crashing, nothing unusual.
However, when viewed through the perception of the demon race, sensing the flow of Yin and Yang, the currents in that distant part of the ocean were strangely twisted, unlike the surroundings.
"Is that the barrier?"
"No, that's just an illusionary barrier. Of course, the formation masters of Black Ghost Valley twisted the space, so if you enter that area, you come out on the opposite side... But I've long since figured out how to break through that.
There are several more layers of barriers inside, and we need to break through all of them to find what I want."
Swoosh!
Seo Ran burst into the sky with demonic power.
"Hold on tight!"
Flash!
A jade-colored light emitted from Seo Ran's horn, coloring the surroundings.
Boom!
Simultaneously, I heard a massive sound of breaking air and defended against the shockwave with my protective Gang Qi.
Swoosh!
I felt us passing through an invisible flow of spiritual energy, and I gradually opened my eyes.
'This place is...'
Fog.
A sea mist covered everything in sight.
Instantly, I felt a chill run down my spine.
'No, it's not just mist.'
Terrifying Yin energy.
Gulp.
'Ghosts...!'
"Don't open your mouth. This is the second barrier. If the sound of a living human echoes, those things will swarm you. I am from the Sea Dragon Tribe, and we can handle the power of Yin, so they won't attack me. That's why I'm safe, but you need to be as quiet as possible."
I nodded in understanding.
Seo Ran dived back into the water, surveying the surroundings.
"These are wandering ghosts released by Black Ghost Valley. With so many ghosts gathered and the barrier of Black Ghost Valley covering the area, storms always rage in these waters."
'Do ghosts bring storms?'
It made sense that spirits or ghosts, with their Yin nature, would attract similar dark clouds.
While I was lost in thought, holding onto Seo Ran's neck, I heard something.
Aaaaah-
Kiyaahaaa!
Aaaaah!
"....?"
As we moved forward with Seo Ran, the distant wailing of ghosts became louder.
"Don't worry. The deeper we go, the more unique ghosts affected by the Nether Crossing Ship appear..."
Then, it happened.
[It's a ghost...!]
[A very big ghost has entered the waters!]
[Find it! Find the very big ghost!]
Rumble!
The sea mist began to stir.
"What...! This has never happened before!"
Seo Ran, in panic, moved quickly and quietly forward.
[Kiyaahaaaak!]
[A big ghost has come to catch us all!]
[Kiyaahaaak! A ghost! Catch the very big ghost! The very big ghost has entered!]
The once merely hazy mist began to change.
Ssshhh-
The mist turned pitch black.
At the same time, thousands, maybe millions of red lights appeared in the dark fog.
"What on earth is going on!"
Seo Ran swam even faster, perplexed.
Rumble!
The red lights in the black mist started flying towards us.
"Cough, hold on tight. We're going to fly up again!"
Demonic power burst out from Seo Ran's body again.
'Seo Hweol used to fly around at will, but it seems hard for Seo Ran to do the same.'
Considering his large size, it was actually impressive how Seo Hweol managed to fly as he wished.
Swoosh!
He leaped from the water into the air.
I held onto Seo Ran's mane, holding my breath as much as I could to avoid the eyes of the ghosts.
After flying for some time.
"We're breaking through the second barrier!"
Swoosh!
We broke through a water wall that suddenly appeared in front of us, soaking wet as we looked around.
"....!"
A gigantic water barrier!
Hundreds of miles around us were devoid of water, defying gravity, as the seawater formed a giant well-like barrier.
At the center of this 'Well of Seas.'
I saw a massive translucent barrier, big enough to cover dozens of miles.
Inside the barrier, a powerful ship emitting ghostly energy was visible.
"You can talk now. Ghosts can't enter this part of the barrier."
"Phew... Is that the Nether Crossing Ship?"
"Yes."
Swoosh!
Seo Ran glided along the water barrier and descended to the bottom of the Sea Well.
"Get off now. From here on, there's nothing particularly dangerous for you."
I got off Seo Ran's neck and stepped on the air, approaching the barrier.
As I got closer to the barrier, the details of the ship inside became clearer. The ship is terribly broken, barely maintaining its shape, and intense ghostly and Yin energies emanated from within.
"The first barrier is to block mortals and ordinary animals. The second barrier of ghostly mist is to stop human cultivators. This last barrier is meant to stop demon beasts like me," Seo Ran explained.
"Well, the earlier ghosts were sentient beings, causing unusual phenomenons, but this barrier isn't alive, so it won't cause any unpredictable situations."
He lifted his tail and brought it close to the barrier.
Then.
Crackle!
Bang!
Light exploded, and Seo Ran retreated. His tail was covered in green ghost fire, which went out only after he concentrated his spiritual power.
"Being a member of the demon race, this is my reaction. But you, with human lineage, should be different. Try touching it."
I cautiously approached the barrier, restraining my Inner Core's energy, and touched it.
Crackle!
With a tingling sensation, my hand went smoothly into the barrier.
"Hmm, it really goes in."
"Yes, it's a barrier meant solely to stop demon beasts."
I hesitated briefly before stepping into the barrier.
Swoosh!
My Inner Core area felt a bit sore, but I could pass through the barrier without much trouble.
It was almost too easy to believe.
"Seo Hyung, this seems too easy..."
"Right. For someone with human lineage like you, it would be easy. Now, to let me in, you just need to pull out all eight flags near the Nether Crossing Ship that are keeping the barrier active."
Seo Ran points with his claw towards where a flag with a ghost face drawn on it is planted.
There is a total of eight such flags around the ship, standing firmly on the water.
I quickly move around the ship, pulling out all eight flags.
Then, the barrier surrounding the Nether Crossing Ship loses its light, and Seo Ran approaches me.
"It's quite easy, isn't it?"
"Well, up to here, it definitely is easy. After all, it's a discarded divine object. It's just an old relic with no value other than its symbolic significance as a divine object. Black Ghost Valley wouldn't have set such an extensive protection for it."
He clicked his tongue as he continued.
"Actually, it was much more annoying than before. If you entered the mist barrier before reaching here, the ghosts would signal Black Ghost Valley. Then Black Ghost Valley would send Core Formation cultivators to hunt down demon beasts like me.
Even if someone managed to get this far, Black Ghost Valley usually had several Qi Building disciples stationed here to hunt... but now that Black Ghost Valley has completely vanished to the higher realm, it'd be strange if the difficulty is higher."
"I see."
"Anyway, the real challenge begins after entering inside. Help me find something inside."
"Sure."
It seems that rather than the barrier, Black Ghost Valley had relied on people to guard the place.
Now that those guards had ascended to the higher realm, it was like easily jumping over a low wall.
"By the way, even if it's a discarded divine object, considering they protected it with such a huge barrier and had inner disciples guarding it, it must have been quite a significant object... What happened to it?"
I ask as we approach the ship.
The ship is half-destroyed, with one side completely shattered.
There are a few intact parts, but not many.
"Heh. It was damaged in a war among human cultivators."
"What kind of war was it?"
"You probably wouldn't know since it happened before you were born. There was a human cultivator known as the Mad Lord. I don't know the details, but one day, the Mad Lord suddenly caused a commotion, wanting to take one of the components inside the Nether Crossing Ship.
Black Ghost Valley naturally ignored him, calling him insane, but due to the Mad Lord's uproar, two Heavenly Being elders of Black Ghost Valley were killed. In response, Black Ghost Valley went mad as well and mobilized all their power to capture the Mad Lord.
The Mad Lord didn't flee but waged war against Black Ghost Valley alone. As a result, three of Black Ghost Valley's only three Nether Crossing Ships were destroyed, and a third of Black Ghost Valley was annihilated."
"..."
"Eventually, the Mad Lord indeed smashed one Nether Crossing Ship, entered inside, and took away the core component. No one from Black Ghost Valley could stop that crazy cultivator."
What in the world is this, this terrifying battle record?
'If it's the Mad Lord, then that hunchback old man... Does he really possess such unimaginable power?'
After all, if he's just a madman, then other cultivators at the Heavenly Being stage...
Even the usually composed Sea Dragon King shuddered at the mention of his title, showing a clear distaste.
The fear and disgust must be because the madman possesses such unbelievable power.
"Before fighting the Mad Lord, Black Ghost Valley used to roam the seas on three Nether Crossing Ships, flaunting their terrifying might. But after the war with the Mad Lord, they were stuck to one sea area, staying quiet... Thinking about it, many demon tribes living in the sea held quite positive feelings about that event."
Was there some resentment towards Black Ghost Valley?
Seo Ran smiled contentedly as we ascended to the deck of the Nether Crossing Ship.
The ship was made of some incredibly sturdy and glossy material.
A considerable amount of yin and ghostly energy was emanating from the deck.
"Let's go inside."
Seo Ran opened the door leading inside the ship from the deck.
Whoosh!
"...!"
I was stunned as I looked inside.
Just opening the door released an overwhelming amount of yin and ghost energy.
The interior was completely shrouded in darkness, obscuring everything from view.
Seo Ran became a bit tense too, stiffening up at the door.
"...But Seo Hyung, it seems a bit cramped inside for you to enter..."
"...Don't worry about that. Let's just go in."
Swoosh
As he spoke, Seo Ran stepped into the darkness.
I followed him, tensely entering after him.
Whoosh!
Then, I witnessed an astonishing sight.
'It's bigger inside than outside...!'
A colossal space!
A passageway thousands of times larger than what it appears from the outside is before me.
Seo Ran turns to me and said,
"Black Ghost Valley used to rule the entire sea with three Nether Crossing Ships. The reason they could do so was because each Nether Crossing Ship itself was a divine object with an unbelievably huge compressed space.
The Nether Crossing Ship is almost the same as Black Ghost Valley's main base. In fact, their main base, Gui Valley, was merely a port for docking the Nether Crossing Ship. So, it's more accurate to say that the Nether Crossing Ships are Black Ghost Valley."
"Wow..."
I was overwhelmed by the sheer size and lost my words for a moment.
"I heard it was an artifact created by mimicking the immortal treasures of true immortals by one of the talented artisans of the times. Whether it's true or not, I'm not sure."
We continued walking.
Passing through the vast corridor, we arrived at a large cavern.
In various places, there were statues of ghosts strewn about, and sizable wooden buildings situated here and there.
"Can you check all the rooms and buildings inside the ship to see if there's anything emitting this kind of energy?"
Woong!
When Seo Ran extended his paw, a bead the size of a fingernail, emanating the energy of the Sea Dragon Tribe, floated up.
"Remember not only the shape but also the energy. If you find an object emitting this energy, tell me right away."
"Understood. Shall we go in and look?"
I remembered the energy he emitted and took a look at a pavilion four or five stories high.
'But to think that such a gigantic space, still with plenty of room left, is compressed into just one ship.'
Is this what qualifies as a divine object of a great cultivation sect?
Just when I was looking around.
Step-
Whoosh!
Something flew at me at high speed.
"....!"
Clang!
I quickly emit Gang Qi to deflect it.
'This is..!'
It's a small dagger.
Looking closely, a hole opened in one wall, revealing a hidden mechanical trap that had sprung.
'A mechanical trap?'
Then.
Click-clack, click-clack...
Something clicks inside one of the wooden buildings, and something walks out.
Click-clack, click-clack...
They are puppets made of wood.
The puppets move awkwardly at first, then suddenly rush at me.
"Hmph!"
Boom! Boom!
Without hesitation, I emit Gang Sphere from my palm and completely ground the puppets to dust.
"Seo Hyung. These things are.."
"I heard that these are mechanical traps left by the Mad Lord when he entered the Nether Crossing Ship. I don't know how he does it, but the Mad Lord is said to be capable of filling an area with his mechanical traps in just a moment of sitting."
That's when it happened.
Click-clack, click-clack...
More wooden puppets begin to approach us from a distance.
Seo Ran twitches his brows and move his body.
"Alright... let's break through together."
"Let's do it."
Seo Ran and I charge towards the puppets rushing at us.
We broke through the puppets, dodging numerous mechanical traps as we searched inside.
The inside of the ship was immensely spacious, rivaling the size of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect that I had seen in the great mountain ranges.
Even more so, there were at least two more such ships in Black Ghost Valley.
One could easily imagine their former glory.
The parts of the ship seen from the outside that were half-destroyed were either warped in space or completely inaccessible. We destroyed mechanical traps and headed down to the lower part of the ship.
Ssshhh...
The lower deck of the ship is filled with ghostly energy.
There were no ghosts or vengeful spirits, but the formidable ghostly energy was enough to make one's consciousness tremble.
"Seo Hyung, I'm feeling a bit numb in my consciousness."
I felt the ghost energy affecting my consciousness.
Seo Ran opened his mouth in response.
A small golden bell pops out of his mouth and jingles once.
Ting-
With its clear sound, the surrounding darkness seems to recede slightly, and the pain affecting my consciousness eases a bit.
"I used a Dharma Treasure with the power of exorcism to drive away some of the ghostly energy. I put a lot of effort into empowering this treasure over the past three years. However, to completely eliminate the pain, it would be better to compress the consciousness and give it form."
Seo Ran advises me while looking in my direction.
I utilize the technique of Summoning Wind, Dragon Transformation to change my consciousness into the shape of a sea dragon.
Since Seo Ran's consciousness already perfectly covered him in the same form, it seemed to put less strain on him from the start.
'Indeed, giving form to the consciousness allows better resistance to attacks on the mind.'
I solidify my consciousness and aske Seo Ran a question.
"Seo Hyung, what exactly is a dharma treasure? Is it different from magic artifacts?"
"You ask about everything. Magic artifacts are toys used by cultivators from Qi Refining to Qi Building stage.
Dharma treasures are real weapons used by Core Formation cultivators. They feed on the power within the Core Formation cultivator's golden core and grow along with the cultivator."
He continued explaining about dharma treasures.
"If one is not at the Core Formation stage and below, they would need to accumulate power over several years to use it, but the effect is certainly significant."
"Hmm, so Seo Hyung, when you reach a stage equivalent to Core Formation, will you be able to use a dharma treasure properly?"
At my question, Seo Ran hesitated for a moment before responding.
"Unfortunately, demon beasts don't usually use dharma treasures. Our fangs, claws, scales, etc., are essentially our dharma treasures. This treasure is used only in special situations like this and won't be my main weapon."
"I see.."
We continued to drive away the ghosl;y energy in the Nether Crossing Ship, breaking through puppets and mechanical traps as we went deeper.
"By the way, can the Nether Crossing Ship really cross the netherworld?"
"It's a symbolic name. This ship is just an imitation of a true immortal treasure. While those treasures could possibly travel to the netherworld...
This ship can traverse space but, as far as I know, cannot go to the world of the dead."
"Being able to traverse space alone is impressive..."
As I shattered an approaching puppet and we continued downward, I noticed something.
"Huh? There are no puppets attacking on this floor."
It is quiet.
And dark.
While the previous floors were somewhat visible, this floor is completely shrouded in darkness.
It's too quiet.
And teeming with ghostly energy.
"..."
"..."
Without exchanging words, Seo Ran and I simultaneously fall silent and keep watch.
The demon senses are keen.
The circulation of Taiji around us has changed.
Yin and Yang are not circulating properly, with yang energy being suppressed by yin energy.
There is something dangerous on this floor.
That's when it happened.
[What ghost dares to intrude upon the Nether Crossing Ship... a demon beast and a human? I understand the demon, but what's with this human, coated in several layers of death on his soul?]
Chill!
"Cough..!"
"Ugh!"
It's hard to breathe.
A chill runs through my body.
[It's natural for ghosts to coat their deaths. But why does this one have several layers of death? How curious and strange...]
I recognize this presence.
From the Makli Clan, Jin Clan, Cheongmun Clan, and others.
An unchallengeable disaster.
The aura of Core Formation.
[A great ghost indeed. A living human cloaked in the skin of a ghost... What audacious business brings you here?]
"Let's escape!"
Flash!
A burst of light emits from Seo Ran's bell.
Simultaneously, the pressure bearing down on us vanish.
[That dharma treasure, could it be..]
"Quickly, to the upper deck...!"
Seo Ran cries out as if in agony, and we frantically climb back up.
[Ahaha, I see. A bastard of the Sea Dragon King's lineage. The prince of the King family, yet still here when others have ascended. Seo Hweol must have abandoned you. A great ghost and a stain of the royal family. Even a dead old man has exciting days!]
Rumble!
A wave of dark ghostly energy begin to chase us from below.
[Do you really think you can escape from the grasp of a Heavenly Being cultivator]
The voice of that entity echoes throughout the ship.
The mention of 'Heavenly Being' makes my head spin, nearly causing me to lose my balance and fall.
"Stay focused! If it was a Heavenly Being, we wouldn't be feeling so easily. It must be the resentful spirit of a Heavenly Being cultivator killed by the Mad Lord! At best, it can only exert Core Formation level strength, and that too only within this ship. Just focus on escaping!"
I regain my senses at Seo Ran's words, utilize the Summoning Wind, Dragon Transformation to cloak myself in wind, and flee even faster upwards.
[How dare you run, you maggots!]
Rumble!
Behind us, a wave of yin energy surge.