Da Fu, in a cabin cleared out for this purpose, Zhao Sheng stood in front of a wooden table, his eyes closed in concentration.
Suddenly
his eyes snapped open, shining with confidence.
Grabbing the azure talisman pen from the table, Zhao Sheng channeled Spiritual Power into the tip, quickly drawing complex patterns on the talisman paper with vigorous strokes. Spirit Light burst forth wherever the pen went, and a complicated talisman symbol soon emerged vividly on the paper, bursting with spirit light.
As an invisible thunderclap suddenly exploded in his Soul Sea, Zhao Sheng instantly stopped the pen, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"Second-order Water Mine Talisman, complete!"
With his rich experience and added talents, Zhao Sheng, at the mere cultivation of Qi Refining Seventh Layer, had successfully drawn a Second Order True Talisman.
After a brief rest, Zhao Sheng picked up the talisman pen again and continued to draw Second Order True Talismans.
Before embarking on the undersea exploration, he wanted to accumulate as many trump cards as possible.
...
Seven days later, as the sun rose and the fog cleared, the two ships returned to this eerie sea area once more.
After seven days of failures, the cultivators on Zhi Jin had to accept reality and admit that they had become entrapped in the Mist Sea Area.
Zhi Jin was two sizes smaller than Da Fu, but it was not a whaling ship; it was a cargo ship that sailed between the Outer Star Sea and the ocean, buying low and selling high, earning various price margins.
On the deck of Zhi Jin, Li Mu said to a short, fat man in a golden robe, "Mr. Chen, I didn't lie to you, did I? One cannot leave this Mist Sea without a nautical chart."
Anguish was clearly written on the short, fat old man's face.
After sighing deeply, he turned solemn and resolutely said, "Very well, we will do as Mr. Li suggests and retrieve the ship owner's body from the sea floor. But are you sure the nautical chart is on him?"
Li Mu said earnestly, "I am sure!"
Next to the Zhi Jin, Zhao Sheng leaned against the side of Da Fu, silently watching Li Mu fool people.
He was well aware of the schemes Li Mu was secretly playing.
However, as they were on the same side, he naturally wouldn't expose his ruse.
Moreover, the group from Zhi Jin was no easy opponent; when they first met, relying on their fifteen cultivators, they had attempted to seize Da Fu.
It was fortunate that Li Mu was a Qi Refining Great Perfection Sword Cultivator, unrivaled in combat.
And since Zhi Jin had no Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the highest cultivation there was only comparable to Li Mu.
That day, Li Mu, with all his combat power and relying solely on a flying sword, fought one against three. Three cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining together couldn't subdue him.
That's how the current "peaceful" situation had been forged.
Once the negotiation was settled, Li Mu immediately asked Zhao Sheng and a few others to get ready.
A day later, guided by Zhao Sheng, both Da Fu and Zhi Jin ships stopped over the sea surface under which lay the Shanling Reef.
On the day of departure, Zhao Sheng and his party of six argued, precisely because Hai Lan'er insisted on coming along.
Originally, according to the plan, this adventure was voluntary, except for Hai Lan'er, because Li Mu forbade it.
But Hai Lan'er's desire to go was extremely strong, no matter how Li Mu tried to persuade her, she was determined and adamantly wanted to go.
Li Mu couldn't handle her and had to comply with Hai Lan'er's wishes.
Yan Kai and Zou Li were unwilling to take the risk, opting to stay behind voluntarily.
Thus, on the Da Fu side, there were four people: Li Mu, Zhao Sheng, Gui Xin Tree, and Hai Lan'er.
Possibly because of Li Mu's promotion of spirit veins and treasures under the sea, the cultivators on Zhi Jin were eager to sign up.
Eventually, after excluding three early-stage Qi Refiners and leaving the short, fat old man behind, the remaining eleven decided to go.
...
Splash, splash!
When Li Mu took the lead and jumped into the sea, the other cultivators also jumped from the ship.
With splashes of diving, ripples spread across the sea surface,
Immediately upon entering the water, each cultivator's head was surrounded by a pale blue circular Light Shield.
This Light Shield, known as the Water Breathing Skill, was specially designed to filter oxygen from seawater for human respiration.
In the Shattered Star Sea, the Water Breathing Skill was a First-tier Magic that every cultivator must master.
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At that moment, aside from Li Mu and Hai Lan'er, the other cultivators all cast sidelong glances at Zhao Sheng, the "outcast."'
Zhao Sheng clearly felt hostility and caution in the gazes of others, yet his heart remained as calm as water.
Having lived through several lifetimes, he had faced far greater dangers. This was barely the beginning!
He didn't take these malicious intentions to heart at all.
The group descended quickly, and in a blink of an eye, they dived down a hundred arms deep, reaching the top of the coral reef.
After a slight rearrangement, led by Li Mu, the group continued to dive along the coral reef.
Two hundred arms
Five hundred arms
...
One thousand arms!
At a thousand arms deep, the surroundings became pitch black and eerily silent, and the water pressure was astonishing.
At this point, everyone put their abilities to use, some casting Spells, some relying on the power of Magic Artifacts, to counter the enormous pressure coming from all around.
Then, each person took out a piece of Fluorite; the Fluorite emitted a dazzling white light, illuminating the surrounding dark waters.
They continued to dive.
One thousand five hundred arms,
Two thousand three hundred arms,
...
An hour later, the group had descended several thousand arms deep undersea.
At that moment, the mysterious blue Light Sea reappeared before everyone's eyes.
And the endless white bones under the Light Sea frightened the people from Zhi Jin immensely.
Some now harbored thoughts of retreat, but most were even more excited, their greed intensified.
Zhao Sheng paid no mind to the reactions of others.
At this moment, his eyes were only on the swirling black fog in the Light Sea below.
Especially at the edge of the coral reef, where the black fog was even denser.
However, not all places were like this, Zhao Sheng discovered that within the black fog, there was a winding path about two arms wide, a "Life Path."