128: Chapter 128 Moonlit Spirit Clam

Half an hour later, Jiang Hanzhou stood alone at the end of the fishery's jetty.

The sea breeze whipped fiercely, fluttering his deep gray robes.

Moored beside the jetty was a streamlined, silver-gray vessel about seventy feet long.

The hull was long and narrow with sharp lines, featuring three hydro-fins on each side and two pairs of stacked Dark Iron propellers at the stern, gleaming with a cold luster under the sunlight.

This was the "Wave-Chaser C-Type" Ocean-Going Vessel Jiang Hanzhou had secretly purchased on Taikang Island three days ago through the Prodigal Society's channels.

Two hundred thousand taels of silver.

The price was staggering, but the moment Jiang Hanzhou first stepped onto the ship, he knew it was worth every penny.

The hull used "Iron Pear Sinking Wood" for its keel, encased in three layers of "Black Tortoise Plating" and a "Mica Impermeable Layer"; according to Jiang Tao's guarantee, even a direct hit from a solid shot of the Great Qi Navy's standard cannons would only leave a white mark.

A miniature Spirit Gathering Formation was embedded within the cabin, allowing it to continuously draw thin Spiritual Qi from the seawater to supplement its power while sailing; though insufficient for combat, it significantly extended its range.

What pleased Jiang Hanzhou even more were the twelve "Bronze Puppets" equipped on the ship.

These Puppets were about half the height of an average person, cast entirely from bronze with precision gears and rune circuits at their joints.

They possessed no intelligence and could only execute simple preset commands, but for a Martial Artist sailing alone, they were a great convenience.

At this moment, four Puppets were busy on the deck.

One manned the helm, two were on lookout, and the last one crouched at the stern, mechanically adding High Grade charcoal to the fuel bay—although the Ocean-Going Vessel was primarily driven by Spirit Stones, using charcoal as a supplement during cruising could save nearly thirty percent of Spirit Stone consumption.

Jiang Hanzhou leaped onto the deck.

A steady and solid sensation came from beneath his feet; most of the waves' jolting was filtered out by the hull's special shock-absorbing structure.

Standing at the bow, he established a connection between his Divine Sense and the ship's control hub.

"Bolang Island."

He silently recited the coordinates in his mind.

Located further west in the West Sea, about one thousand two hundred nautical miles from Star Continent Anchorage. If the Ocean-Going Vessel proceeded at full speed without rest, it would take about two days and two nights.

The Dark Iron propellers at the stern began to turn slowly, churning the seawater and kicking up fine white waves.

The silver-gray hull leaned forward slightly, then shot out like an arrow from a bow, cleaving through the waves and racing toward the western horizon.

...

The first day.

The morning sea was shrouded in mist as the Ocean-Going Vessel broke through the waves, the sharp hydro-fins slicing the water on both sides into two neat white lines stretching into the distance.

Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged on the bow deck, but he did not Cultivate.

He closed his eyes, feeling the moisture of the sea breeze against his cheeks, the rhythm of the ship's rising and falling, and the eternal cadence of the seawater flowing beneath the keel.

Bolang Island.

He silently repeated the name in his mind.

The information from the Prodigal Society was vague, only stating that fishermen had once witnessed a "glowing strange beast capable of treading on water" in the waters southeast of Bolang Island, suspected to be a Essence Spirit. Later, a merchant ship encountered a storm and, while taking refuge at Bolang Island, discovered massive claw marks and scorch marks in the northern reef area.

The news was unconfirmed.

But Jiang Hanzhou was willing to take this gamble.

After the ruins emerged, the elite forces of various factions in the West Sea were converging on Star Continent Anchorage. Bolang Island was remote, over a thousand miles away—a classic case of "the darkness beneath the lamp."

If not now, then when?

Besides, he was not entirely unprepared.

Inside his sumeru pouch, besides the tiger soul saber, Spirit Stones, and that piece of gold marrow cloud-patterned iron, there were also three "Li Huo Evil-Breaking Talismans" he had repeatedly nourished and refined with Heavenly Dipper Precious Qi during his recent seclusion.

This was a small trick he had created after comprehending the Heavenly Dipper Treasure Refining Art and the Li Huo Golden Body Art: sealing a wisp of Baleful Qi into a jade talisman, which could be detonated instantly in an emergency, having a miraculous effect against dark and evil entities.

Although a Essence Spirit was not an evil entity, the vast Spiritual Qi contained within its inner core was essentially no different from the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth. If he encountered an opponent too strong to face head-on, disrupting its aura with a Li Huo Evil-Breaking Talisman might create an opportunity to escape.

Noon, the blazing sun was high in the sky.

The Ocean-Going Vessel had sailed out of the Star Continent Anchorage waters and entered the true heart of the West Sea.

The color of the seawater changed from emerald green to a deep azure, with the occasional glimpse of a massive sea beast's back surfacing before vanishing back into the deep sea.

Jiang Hanzhou remained seated cross-legged at the bow, with a yellowed manuscript by his side.

It was the "Records of West Sea Spirit Beasts" gifted to him by Jiang Tao, a collection of Essence Spirit sightings and behavioral analyses accumulated over three generations of the Prodigal Society.

He flipped to the page describing "Bolang Island."

The text was brief:

"Bolang Island, twelve miles in circumference, uninhabited. The island has three freshwater springs, and the vegetation consists mainly of coconut groves and shrubs. The surrounding waters are filled with hidden reefs and turbulent tides, which ordinary fishing boats avoid."

"Thirty-seven years ago, a fisherman saw a 'Red-Armored Giant Crab' north of the island. It was as large as a millstone, with pincers red as glowing iron, capable of spraying boiling water; suspected to be a Essence Spirit."

"Sixteen years ago, a Loose Cultivator encountered a 'Thunder-Patterned Electric Eel' in the southern trench of the island. It was forty feet long, surrounded by electric arcs, and killed a Viscera Burning Realm Martial Artist in a single strike. There have been no sightings since."

"Five years ago, a scout from the Prodigal Society landed on the island for reconnaissance and discovered an empty giant clam shell on the eastern side. The shell was five feet in diameter with faint golden pearl traces inside, suspected to be the remains of a 'Moonlight Spirit Clam's' habitat."

"In summary, there may be more than one Essence Spirit in the waters of Bolang Island; it is recommended that those with insufficient strength stay away."

Jiang Hanzhou closed the book.

More than one.

Instead of fear, a slight smile played on his lips.

If he could truly encounter a Essence Spirit with a compatible attribute and take its inner core, his Golden Core condensation would be settled. Even if it wasn't compatible, every part of a Essence Spirit was a treasure—blood for medicine, bones for Artifact Refining, and skin for armor—all of which could be exchanged for considerable resources.

This was exactly what he needed right now.

Night fell.

The starry sky was brilliant, reflected on the sea's surface; the Ocean-Going Vessel seemed to be sailing through the Milky Way.

Jiang Hanzhou still did not go into the cabin to rest.

He had the Bronze Puppets take over the lookout while he sat cross-legged at the bow, taking out a Low-Grade Spirit Stone and holding it in his palm.

The Spirit Stone emitted a warm, pale green glow, illuminating his profile.

He was in no hurry to absorb it; instead, he closed his eyes and slowly sank his Divine Sense into the interior of the Spirit Stone.

This was a cultivation method he had discovered by chance during his seclusion—not forcibly extracting Spiritual Qi with a Cultivation Technique, but using Divine Sense to "visualize" the internal structure of the Spirit Stone.

It was a world of Chaos and haze.

Pure Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence condensed into a fine mist, drifting, colliding, and undergoing Fusion without any rules.

He "watched" the mist, not trying to change it, but simply feeling it quietly.

Feeling the most fundamental "rhythm" of the Spiritual Qi.

After an unknown amount of time.

The Spirit Stone in his palm made a very faint "crack" sound.

A tiny crack appeared on the surface of the Spirit Stone.

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, a glimmer of realization flashing in them.

His affinity with Spiritual Qi had improved slightly compared to a month ago.

Though subtle, it was real progress.

He put away the cracked Spirit Stone and looked ahead of the bow.

At the edge of the sea, a deeper silhouette loomed in the night.

It was land.

...

The evening of the second day.

The rotation speed of the Ocean-Going Vessel's Dark Iron propellers slowly decreased, and the hull transitioned from racing through the waves to a steady glide.

Jiang Hanzhou stood at the bow, shading his eyes with his hand, looking at the island several miles away that glowed with a golden-red hue in the setting sun.

Bolang Island.

It was a bit larger than he had imagined.

The island was irregularly oval-shaped, with a low hill rising in the center covered in dense primitive vegetation. There were many reefs along the coast, and the waves crashing against them kicked up white sprays several yards high.

He did not rashly go ashore.

The Ocean-Going Vessel cruised slowly around the island, maintaining a safe distance of three miles.

The Bronze Puppets performed their respective duties; the two responsible for lookout had faint rune light flickering in their eye sockets as they mechanically scanned the sea and the coast.

Jiang Hanzhou sat cross-legged at the bow, his Divine Sense fully expanded, probing the aura around the island inch by inch.

He was in no hurry to land.

Essence Spirits had sharp senses; intruding into their territory rashly would only alert them.

He had plenty of patience.

The sun sank below the horizon, and night fell once more.

The silhouette of Bolang Island turned into a pitch-black shadow in the night.

Jiang Hanzhou remained seated at the bow, like a statue.

He felt as if he had returned to the time when he had formed a cocoon on the sea in the Shattered Star Archipelago, observing the sea to comprehend the Dao.

No rush.

No impatience.

Until the third quarter of the Hour of the Rat.

Splash—

An extremely subtle sound of water, yet distinctly different from the waves, came from the southeast of the island.

Jiang Hanzhou suddenly opened his eyes.

He stood up, leaped silently off the deck, and trod lightly on the surface of the sea, moving across the waves.

The Bronze Puppets on the Ocean-Going Vessel continued to faithfully execute their cruising orders without making any noise.

In the night, the gray-robed figure moved like a ghost, quietly gliding toward the source of the water sound.

Five hundred yards.

Three hundred yards.

One hundred yards.

He finally saw it clearly.

It was a massive shellfish, translucent white and over ten feet long.

It was halfway opening its two shells, slowly drawing a swath of silvery moonlight into its shell.

Moonlight Spirit Clam

Essence Spirit