Chapter 990: Entering the Sunken Sea; Ghost Immortal Tower (I)

The three men and two beasts traveled swiftly through the Sunken Sea, moving far faster than other less-prepared rogue cultivators. Along the way toward the vortex entrance Ding Yi had identified, Luo Chen spotted several Adepts drifting through the black waters atop strange enchanted treasures. Their techniques and items differed, but all of them moved cautiously and far more slowly than their group.

At one point, he even noticed a cultivator suddenly come to a halt. His aura was all but non-existent, and it was obvious that his mana had hit rock bottom. Moments later, his body stiffened completely before sinking into the endless darkness below. No one stopped to save him.

As more cultivators ventured into the Sunken Sea over the years, rumors regarding the way to survive here had naturally spread. Treasures carrying the bloodline of the Black Tortoise were rare, but they could always be found by those willing to search and spend. After all, this bloodline would obviously be found among tortoises, turtles, and softshell turtles; and those beasts themselves were among the most suitable materials for making defensive treasures.

But knowing the way to survive and actually being able to use it were two entirely different matters. The Black Tortoise bloodline treasures these people had hastily acquired were ultimately not made for the Sunken Sea. They might suffice for traveling through the outer regions for a time, but the further they went toward the center of the sea, the harder it became to endure.

In the end, exceedingly few treasures were capable of resisting the environment—unless it was something like the Profound Dust Armor. Though it had not been specially crafted for this purpose either, it was made from the shell of a true-blue Black Tortoise Emperor. It also forcibly blocked the Void-Scorching Wind rather than dodging or letting it slide along, but it did so far more effectively than ordinary defensive treasures ever could.

As they continued forward, Luo Chen and the others gradually overtook many earlier arrivals, drawing ever closer to their destination.

According to Ding Yi, the Sunken Sea had 360 vortices that devoured the spirit energy of heaven and earth. The vortex he had identified was highly likely to be one of the entrances leading directly into the spirit herb garden within the pocket world. If they entered successfully, the treasures they sought would finally be within reach!

Luo Chen did not know whether others had also discovered this secret, but his anticipation only grew stronger the closer they approached.

Before they realized it, more than a month had already passed since entering the Sunken Sea. Given their speed, they had long since reached the inner regions and were likely approaching the center.

Suddenly, Black King halted, following a signal from Luo Chen. "Master, what is it?"

Almost at the same moment, Ding Yi's voice sounded from nearby. "Azure Yang, why have you stopped?"

Luo Chen's expression shifted uncertainly. He stood up atop Black King's back and stared into the darkness ahead. "There seems to be... something ahead."

"What?" Ding Yi frowned and immediately extended his divine consciousness outward as far as he could, yet he detected absolutely nothing.

Devil's Cloud took out a mirror-type enchanted treasure and rapidly formed several seals. A hazy image soon surfaced within the mirror, obscured by murky fog. "He's right. It does seem like something is blocking the way ahead."

After a brief hesitation, he looked toward the others. "Should we move closer and take a look?"

Ding Yi turned toward him. "Azure Yang, what do you think?"

Luo Chen hesitated as well. This concerned the spirit herb garden, and an opportunity like this could not be abandoned over mere uncertainty. At last, he nodded. "Sure, let's move a little closer."

This was what he said, but in actual fact, he quietly had Black King lag a little behind the Treasure Basin Fish, so subtly that nobody noticed. Ding Yi saw nothing and kept leading the spirit beast forward. They drew nearer and nearer to whatever Luo Chen had noticed until, suddenly, two crimson suns loomed in the darkness ahead.

"What's that?" Ding Yi exclaimed in shock.

The Sunken Sea was supposed to be nothing but endless darkness. How could there possibly be a sun there, let alone two? Even Devil's Cloud was stunned.

Luo Chen squinted, forcing his Spirit Eyes to their absolute limit. At the same time, the origin energy brought forth by his recent breakthrough also gushed into his sight. Before him the world turned instantly blood-red. Through the murky seawater he dimly saw a colossal figure standing in front of a vortex in the distance. The creature was hundreds of zhang tall, and countless tentacles extended from its body as it repeatedly probed towards the vortex, almost as if it were trying to force its way inside.

Then, at the exact moment Luo Chen saw it, the creature suddenly moved. The two crimson suns locked directly onto Luo Chen's eyes!

B-BOOOOOMMMM!

Luo Chen's mind shook violently. Within his sea of consciousness, the Forsaken Chess Piece erupted with ripples of black light spilling outward in frantic resistance, yet even it could not fully block the overwhelming force invading his divine soul. In an instant, he fell into an endless illusion. Towering palaces rose into the heavens one after another as ghostly energy filled the air. Immortals walked among jade halls and celestial towers while heavenly maidens scattered flowers across the sky. Above the boundless heavens and earth, beings of eternal life gazed down upon all creation with indifferent majesty.

"WAKE UP!"

The roar pierced into the depths of Luo Chen's divine soul like a needle. He abruptly snapped awake and realized only a second had passed. The blurry image before him sharpened once again. Those two crimson suns were not suns at all, but some creature's eyes! No—actually, they were Blood Lanterns!

Indeed, these were Blood Lanterns, the same type of late-stage Demon King Luo Chen had once slain! But these were incomparably larger, already at the fourth tier, and those tentacles were the Great King Squids'. The monstrous being towered within the depths of the Sunken Sea like a colossal fortress. Blood Lanterns nested across its "face" while countless Great King Squid tentacles spread across its entire body like writhing hair.

The moment Luo Chen broke free from the illusion, the creature seemed rather surprised. The tentacles behind it suddenly stopped whatever they were doing and lunged directly toward the group. Yet before it even moved, Luo Chen had already shouted sharply, "RUNNNNN!"

The instant the word left his mouth, he fled without hesitation. Black King was far too slow to keep up, so Luo Chen instantly stuffed him back into the spirit beast pouch and shot through the Sunken Sea at full speed. The black murky seawater continuously eroded his mana while the invisible Void-Scorching Wind battered his divine soul, yet he no longer cared about conserving strength. He simply fled with everything he had.

Behind him, Ding Yi and Devil's Cloud also realized the danger and fled madly. Unfortunately, they had reacted a moment too late. The enormous mass of tentacles instantly caught the slower Treasure Basin Fish and dragged it backward. The moment the fish was taken, Ding Yi's face turned deathly pale. Fortunately, Devil's Cloud produced a pearl that expanded into a curtain of light and enveloped the two of them. "I will block the Void-Scorching Wind. Use your mana barrier to protect me. Run!"

The two coordinated seamlessly and accelerated immediately, fleeing with every last shred of strength as the writhing tentacles surged after them. At the same time, Devil's Cloud hurled crimson beads behind him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The violent explosions churned the seawater into chaos. The pursuing tentacles were first blasted apart by the explosions before being corroded by the black murky water itself. Ding Yi seized the chance and formed a seal; a chunk of flesh suddenly split away from his body.

"Escape!"

In the next instant, boundless crimson light erupted around him and Devil's Cloud. Their speed skyrocketed as they shot through the endless seawater like arrows released from a bow, fleeing desperately toward the distance. Yet their destination was not random; ahead of them, Luo Chen was leading the escape. Watching the pair of wings on Luo Chen's back flap violently as he tore through the seawater at lightning speed, Ding Yi could not help grinding his teeth in frustration. That bastard is fast.

Beside him, Devil's Cloud said gravely, "We need to find an entrance as soon as possible. The Black Tortoise bloodline power inside my Regression Pearl is limited. We can only use it as an emergency measure, and it needs time to recover."

Ding Yi naturally understood the severity of the situation. But just then, Luo Chen abruptly halted ahead of them. A vortex was slowly rising from the seabed below. At its source, the vortex remained relatively small, but as it spiraled upward through the sea, it expanded larger and larger. It was easy to imagine how magnificent it would appear once it reached the surface.

Luo Chen glanced back once at the two men behind him before diving directly into the vortex. Ding Yi and Devil's Cloud exchanged a quick look and immediately followed. Crimson light flashed, and the two disappeared into the vortex as well.

A moment after all three had vanished, several enormous tentacles slowly drifted over from the darkness. They circled the vortex for a moment, seemingly unwilling to give up their prey, before finally retreating.

***

The wind was so sharp that it was almost visible, and it whipped violently across Luo Chen's body. Even with the Profound Dust Armor protecting him, his divine soul still churned uncontrollably under the pressure. Then, all at once, the pressure vanished.

Thud!

Luo Chen landed heavily on solid ground. A moment later, two more figures crashed down behind him.

Crack!

Devil's Cloud lowered his head and frowned at the Regression Pearl in his hand. Fine fractures rapidly spread across its surface before the pearl shattered completely.

At the same time, Luo Chen's uncertain voice sounded nearby. "What was that?!"

Not far away, Ding Yi collapsed onto the ground, gasping heavily for breath. His face looked pale and sunken, his entire frame seeming a few sizes thinner than before. "What else could it be? That's the legendary archaic beast Ghost Immortal Tower!"

Ghost Immortal Tower? Luo Chen froze. Isn't that the name of the second illusion within my Mirror Flower Water Moon? The name that Yan Zhixian mentioned...

Devil's Cloud's expression remained grave. "Legs like giant pillars, a body like a crimson tower. When it stands still, countless ghostly shadows gather around it. When it moves, mountains shake, and seas churn. That really was the Ghost Immortal Tower...."

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