92: Chapter 92: People always leave the places they know and go to the places others know.

The next morning, the docks of Vast Sea City were already bustling with activity.

The morning sun leaped from the horizon, gilding the rippling waves with a layer of golden-red. The salty, fishy sea breeze mingled with the shouts of fishermen, weaving together a vibrant morning scene.

Lu Jing and his two companions finished breakfast and walked along the stone path toward the docks.

Wang Donger curiously observed the porters coming and going. They carried heavy fishing nets and cargo crates, sweat beading on their dark, tanned skin, yet their steps remained steady.

Snow Empress, on the other hand, gazed at the ships moored along the shore. To her, those massive steel structures were even more foreign than the ancient trees of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"That's the one."

Lu Jing pointed to a cargo ship not far away, flying a blue flag with white sails. The name "hanhai ship" was printed in large characters on its hull. He said, "The shopkeeper said that while this ship ostensibly transports dry goods, it actually frequently delivers supplies to Sea God Island."

When the three of them boarded the ship, the crew was busy weighing anchor.

A bearded captain saw them approaching and laughed heartily. "You must be Young Master Lu, right? The shopkeeper has already spoken to me. Your cabins are ready, and we are setting sail now!"

With a long blast of the ship's whistle, the hanhai ship slowly pulled away from the dock.

Wang Donger ran to the ship's railing, watching the outline of Vast Sea City grow smaller and smaller until it shrank to a mere black dot on the horizon. She turned back excitedly, "Lu Jing, look! We're really moving!"

Lu Jing and Snow Empress also walked onto the deck. The sea breeze blew into their faces, carrying a scent of salt and moisture even more intense than yesterday's.

The azure sea surface looked like spilled sapphire. Where the water met the sky in the distance, clouds were as white as cotton wool. Occasionally, seagulls would swoop by, their wings slicing through the mirror-like water, stirring up ripples.

"It's so beautiful..."

Wang Donger's eyes sparkled. She reached out to catch the splashing spray and said excitedly, "I've never seen such a vast ocean before."

Snow Empress gazed at the boundless blue, a ripple appearing in her ice-blue eyes.

The Far North had only eternal ice and snow, with a monotonous landscape of white and gray. At this moment, this vast expanse of blue was like a flowing painting, causing her tense expression to soften slightly. "The Far North never has scenes like this; there are only ice plains and snowstorms."

Lu Jing smiled and pointed to a school of flying fish leaping out of the water in the distance. "You find it breathtaking because it's your first time seeing it. After you've seen it for a while, you might just get used to it."

Wang Donger and Snow Empress exchanged a glance and asked in unison, "Have you seen a lot of it?"

"Not really."

Lu Jing shook his head and turned to look at the crew members who were busy organizing fishing nets. They paid no heed to the seascape around them; some were mending nets, others were chatting, their expressions as calm as if they were taking a stroll in their own courtyards.

"But look at them."

The two followed his gaze. The crew members were indeed completely unfazed; not even the occasional leaping dolphin could make them look up.

"They have spent decades at sea. To them, this ocean is just like the ice plains of the Far North are to Snow Empress, or the mountains of the Clear Sky Sect are to Wang Donger."

Lu Jing gazed into the distance, his voice softening as he sighed, "People always travel from places they are familiar with to places others are familiar with. So-called scenery is nothing more than everyday life viewed from a different perspective."

Wang Donger rested her chin on her hand, thoughtful. "In other words, I think the sea is beautiful because I'm used to living in the mountains?"

Snow Empress also nodded slightly. "Just like someone who has never seen snow would marvel at the vastness of the ice plains upon arriving in the Far North."

Lu Jing nodded with a smile. The sea breeze lifted the hem of his clothes, carrying their thoughts along with the sails toward the deep sea.

For the next three days, the sea remained as calm as a mirror.

Wang Donger would lean against the ship's railing every day to watch the sea, sometimes picking up seashells washed up by the waves and stacking them into small towers on the deck.

Snow Empress mostly stayed in her cabin, only coming out occasionally to stand for a while, her gaze always fixed on the deep sea, as if sensing something.

Lu Jing would either chat with the captain about interesting facts regarding Sea God Island or accompany Wang Donger in watching the sea, passing the days peacefully and pleasantly.

That was until the night of the third day, when a sudden turn of events occurred.

The night sky, which had been filled with stars, was swallowed by dark clouds before anyone noticed.

The sea breeze suddenly became violent, like countless invisible hands tearing at the sails, creating a roaring "whoosh" sound.

When Wang Donger was startled awake, the entire ship was rocking violently. A water cup on the table fell to the floor, and the sound of it shattering, mingled with the thunder, made one's heart tighten.

"What's wrong?"

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and was just about to get up when she heard Lu Jing's voice from outside, saying, "I fear there is a situation outside."

Before the words had even faded, a deafening thunderclap split the night sky, and a pale flash of lightning instantly illuminated the sea.

The originally azure seawater had turned ink-black, churning like boiling ink. Huge waves, like black mountain ranges, slammed against the hull time and again, as if trying to tear this massive steel object to pieces.

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from the cabin next door.

Snow Empress walked out, draped in an outer garment, her ice-blue eyes glowing startlingly bright in the lightning. "It's a Spirit Beast."

Without waiting for Lu Jing to respond, she turned and headed toward the deck.

By the time Lu Jing and Wang Donger reached the deck, Snow Empress was already standing by the railing.

The gale-force winds and driving rain lashed against her face, and her plain white robes fluttered noisily, yet her figure remained completely unshaken.

She gazed at the churning black water below, where a massive shadow was vaguely visible swimming. Each movement it made stirred up even higher waves.

"It is a Spirit Beast of the Deep Sea Demon Whale type."

Snow Empress's voice was cold and clear. Her gaze locked onto the depths of the water as she said softly, "Its cultivation is not low, at least eighty thousand years. It is churning the seawater to create chaos."

The captain and crew were desperately trying to steady the helm, but they were struggling in vain against the giant waves. Some were pale with fear, others were praying toward the sea, and everything was in chaos.

"At this rate, the ship won't last long." Lu Jing frowned. He could feel the violent Soul Power contained within the seawater, as if countless hands were dragging the ship.

Snow Empress didn't speak; she just slowly raised her right hand.

In an instant, an intensely cold aura erupted from her palm, like the sigh of an ice goddess, instantly sweeping across the entire deck.

The rain caught in the gale had only fallen halfway before being frozen into crystalline ice pellets, which pelted down onto the deck with a clattering sound.

Even more astonishingly, the black seawater in front of her was freezing at a speed visible to the naked eye. A sheet of ice extended outward from the railing, firmly freezing the violent waves in place.

"Crack—crack—"

The sound of the ice sheet spreading was exceptionally clear amidst the thunder. The previously churning black seawater now looked like a frozen monster, solidified into a ferocious pose.

The driving rain was frozen into icicles suspended in mid-air. Under the reflection of the lightning, the entire sea surface turned into a crystalline ice palace, breathtakingly beautiful.

The chaos on the ship subsided instantly. The crew members stared at this scene, dumbfounded, even forgetting to breathe.

They had made a living at sea for decades, seen storms, and encountered Spirit Beasts, but they had never seen anyone capable of freezing an angry sea with their own power.

Snow Empress withdrew her hand, her ice-blue eyes still fixed on the shadow beneath the ice.

The shadow struggled a few times within the ice, clearly heavily injured by the power of extreme cold, and gradually sank into the deep sea, no longer moving.

"Is it resolved?" Lu Jing walked to her side, looking at the frozen sea surface before him, his tone filled with a hint of awe.

"Indeed."

Snow Empress nodded slightly and said calmly, "The Spirit Beasts in this vicinity have sensed my aura and will not dare to approach again for some time. However, in the deep sea, there are things hidden that are far more formidable than this."

She looked up at the pitch-black night sky. The rain was still falling, but it had lost its previous violence.

After she withdrew her power, the frozen seawater began to melt at a slow pace, making a "drip-drop" sound, as if putting an end to the terrifying moment just passed.