Clear water is shallow, green water is deep, black water is abyssal.
When Wang Yuan and Huang Wu turned their heads to look toward the direction where the sun was rising in the east, they discovered that the raging sea before them was as black as ink, unfathomably deep, perhaps thousands of fathoms.
It seed that the term "bottomless abyss" was no longer an exaggeration here, but a re description of the fact.
Nestled atop this expanse of ocean was a profound trench that stretched for thousands of miles in length and hundreds of miles in width, in a stark and sudden divide.
The waters of rivers and seas ceaselessly surged forth, pouring into the trench with unstoppable force, yet it seed as if they could never fill it.
Even as the sun gradually rose in the sky, dispersing the dark clouds, the area remained overwheld by huge waves, shrouded in turbidity.
Even more so, as ti passed, the waves grew higher and higher.
It was as if so colossal entity at the bottom of the trench was struggling violently, causing the trench itself to stretch and widen.
More importantly, through the eyes of the two Sages, Wang Yuan and Huang Wu, the "Returning Ruins" bore an aura of the "Weird" so blatant that it couldn’t be concealed.
Clearly, it wasn’t a good sign.
"Let’s go. We’ll have a look. If there are fellow practitioners here performing exorcisms, we’ll lend a hand," Huang Wu suggested.
Although both hailed from the ranks of the "Nine Soldiers" and had witnessed countless major events and scenes, their Cultivation journey had been short, not even three full years, and they still knew very little about the secrets of the seas abroad.
When they first set out to sea, they had pondered a question.
On the land of Red County Shenzhou, there was the "Dragon Qi Prohibition" that repelled all Daoist Skills and Weird phenona, and the main part of the Dynasty managed to maintain a normal state to so extent.
But in the deep sea, where no human had ever settled, unrestrained by the Dragon Qi Prohibition and under the constant influence of the "Killing Tree" for thousands of years, what would the situation be like?
It seed that the "Returning Ruins" in front of them were about to deliver a definite answer.
Most importantly, their Dushuo Mountain was positioned at the front line between the East Sea and Red County Shenzhou, facing the deep sea filled with countless unknowns, and thus they had no choice but to investigate.
Now that they had both broken through to the status of "Green Seal", standing among the most distinguished figures in the Mortal World, it was all the more necessary to keep the enemy at bay, beyond the nation’s gates!
The mont their two Escape Lights approached the airspace above the Returning Ruins.
They suddenly heard a shrill, piercing scream that sounded like a woman’s voice yet also resembled so kind of indistinguishable giant sea creature.
Imdiately afterward, a thick white fog mixed with the pungent sll of fish enveloped the entire sea area, swallowing both Wang Yuan and Huang Wu in its midst.
When their field of vision cleared, they found themselves in a small coastal town with blue seas and white sands.
The gate bore an inscription in seal script: "Shazhou City".
The coastal town seed peaceful and calm, with people coming and going, their clothes strikingly similar to those of the Central Plains People yet with their own unique flair.
It appeared to be an island nation overseas, deeply influenced by the Central Dynasty of Red County Shenzhou.
"This seems to be a Deceit Realm that exists between the real and the illusory.
Part of it genuinely exists in the material world, while another seems to extend to the Mirage or Dream Realm.
We cannot discount the possibility that this place is part of an ’Inner Scene Heaven and Earth’, similar to the ’Falling Pearl Small Realm’ we have in hand. Only...
Huang Wu stretched out her hand and teased the air in front of her, and the scene rippled like water waves, with strands of white fog transforming into whirlwinds.
As she withdrew her hand, the view returned to normal.
But amid this alternation of reality and illusion, tentacle-like things, whether roots or appendages, erged faintly within the mist, prompting them to frown.
A Sage’s ’Inner Scene Heaven and Earth’ was supposed to be a sanctuary.
Yet this place seed even more activated than the Great Thousand World, which had been polluted by the "Killing Tree" for thousands of years!
Suddenly, they were drawn to a voice coming from a teahouse by the roadside.
An old man with white hair and a limp was animatedly telling a story to a group of children:
"You see, on that day, there was no light from the sun or the moon, and Heaven and Earth changed color. Our ’Zhenyuan Army’ from Shazhou built a barrier of flesh and blood using an overwhelming number of people to stop the demons.
Every inch of ground cost an inch of blood, and they would not give an inch to the demons.
Still, the ’Crab Slaves’ that turned our Human Clan, the Sea Clan, and even Divine Dragons into blood-soaked Puppets for their own bidding were uncountable.
They kept surging up from the bottom of the Returning Ruins, and together they were more terrifying than the most devastating tsunami.
See this scar on my leg? I got this in that great battle.
I’m the only one left of my old brothers who experienced that battle. None of your parents’ generation has lived through such a war."
The children listening intently to his story were filled with admiration in their innocent eyes, gazing at his ugly, crippled leg, as if wishing to claim it as a mark of heroism for themselves.
A chubby kid, unable to wait to hear the end of the story, pleaded earnestly:
"Grandpa Liu, what happened next? Please continue, tell us what happened in the end?"
Yet, one of his playmates made a face at him and teased:
"You’re so silly, Chubby! Of course, Shazhou erged victorious in the end, and all those damned demons were driven back to where they ca from.
Otherwise, wouldn’t this city of Shazhou be crawling with demons everywhere?"
"How could we possibly just be sitting here, listening to stories in peace?"
"Right, Grandpa Liu?"
A look of utmost pride on his face, as if asking for praise.
He then grabbed a juicy and delicious mutton bun from the table and took a big bite, happily swallowing it down.
The old man with the limp was just about to answer when suddenly, a custor from the private room called out:
"Old Liu, co here for a minute!"
"Kids, go play. Study hard, practice your martial arts. The future of Shazhou rests on your shoulders.
Old man’s got work to do."
Old Man Liu, with a kindly expression, stuffed a fragrant mutton bun into each of their hands, then hobbled on his la leg and turned to enter the private room.
A group of children bounced out of the teahouse, imitating the military skill they had picked up from who knows where, with "he he ha he" sounds.
"When I grow up, I want to be a towering hero just like Grandpa Lin!"
" too, I want to leave Shazhou City one day, wield a sword, and explore the world.
Once I’ve honed my skills, I’ll protect the townsfolk of Shazhou City, and... the little Hua next door."
"Blush, blush, blush, thinking of getting married at such a tender age."
"..."
A group of children, carrying their beautiful dreams, soon ran off into the distance amidst their playful ruckus.
Up to this point, it all seed like an inspirational story of good triumphing over evil, of humanity defeating demons.
It matched the harmonious atmosphere of the city.
Wang Yuan and Huang Wu, newcors, subconsciously thought so too.
"The ’Crab Slave’ invaded here decades ago? Is that so kind of demon?"
They knew that the normal "Crab Slave" was actually a type of barnacle that parasitizes crabs, not uncommon in the sea.
The larvae of the Crab Slave, after parasitizing, would grow many branch-like tubes, gradually taking over the crab’s body, absorbing nutrients from within the crab for growth and developnt.
Eventually, the crab would be consud, becoming a shell devoid of self-awareness, completely reduced to a puppet of the Crab Slave.
It would be more appropriate to call the crabs "Slave Crabs" rather than "Crab Slaves."
What’s more terrifying is that the parasitized male crabs, when the ti is right, would be forced by the "Crab Slaves" to change sex into a female capable of caring for the eggs.
Since they had nad the demon "Crab Slave," their interest was naturally piqued by the demon ntioned by the old man.
They wondered, how exactly could people defeat such an unpredictable and dangerous demon with military skill?
According to Old Man Liu’s description, these Crab Slaves were sowhat similar to the "Weird Immortals · Parasitic Shell" they had encountered before, seemingly a whole large tribe.
Especially when a scale effect is produced, they are countless tis more dreadful than a solo fighting "Parasitic Shell."
The most terrifying aspect of this parasitic ability when facing humans isn’t stealing the martial strength painstakingly cultivated by others to overwhelm the enemy with a sea of people.
It’s the ability to quietly replace the upper echelons of a city or a country, gradually "peacefully evolving" a nation from the inside out!
The couple exchanged a glance:
"Is this ’Crab Slave’ that crawled out from the Returning Ruins sohow related to the ’Corpse of the Ugly Woman’ that man was shouting about just now?"
At this mont.
The words drifting from the private room halted their departure.
The voice still belonged to the old man with the limp, but gone was the enthusiasm he showed in front of the children, now groveling obsequiously, suddenly kneeling to the ground.
His voice full of flattery:
"This humble servant greets the master, may I know if you have any orders?"
Wang Yuan’s gaze sharpened, and in an instant, it penetrated through the wall.
He saw the "hero" who had once defended Shazhou City, lying humbly on the ground as if soone had broken his bones.
It seed what was la was not his leg, but that spine which belonged to a human... his backbone.
The custor, apparently savoring tea, appeared to be a well-dressed middle-aged man, but on the back of his head, a constantly squirming lump of flesh clearly bore eyes, a mouth, tentacles, firmly perched atop his head.
Watching the group of frolicking children fading into the distance, he leisurely took a sip of fragrant tea:
"Old Liu, you’ve done well.
This cheerful mood, this hope for the future, makes the human flesh most delicate and tasty.
Among all in Shazhou City who shepherd the host bodies and Two-Legged Sheep for our clan, your craftsmanship, Old Liu, is truly exceptional, ha ha ha..."
Clearly, where were any unsung heroes? Where was the peaceful golden age where humanity overca demons?
There was only... a "Slave Crab" that was slowly being consud bit by bit!
Reviews
All reviews (0)