609: Seventy-two pillars of heaven

Sailing days were incredibly monotonous and boring.

A few days prior, Shen Bei had still been standing on the bow deck, observing.

He was trying to discern their course, to see if they were passing by the Apocalypse Cult's port, located in the Underdark.

This was near the giant marine creature Shen Bei and Qi Chuanyu had seen after crossing the great mountain.

If they really did pass by, Shen Bei wouldn't mind finding an excuse to draw the fleet's enmity and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

The result…

He couldn't discern the direction at all, nor could he see any towering mountains like before.

So, he simply gave up.

Thinking about it, that port was probably over twenty thousand li away from the Imperial City, so the chances of passing by were very slim.

He simply let the ships follow the main fleet.

Of course, whether it was the Ghost Ship, the Lin family's large ship, or the Shuang family's Sea Eagle, all were wooden sailing ships.

There were no power-driven ships like those on earth's surface.

This wasn't because the Aberrants didn't want to equip such power.

According to the intelligence Shen Bei had gathered, during their long-term conflict with humans,

some Aberrants had tried to use power machinery, but the rules of the Underdark were difficult to overcome.

All fossil fuels would extinguish in the Underdark; they were completely useless.

Otherwise, humans would have long since used fighter jets and artillery to raze the Underdark.

Fortunately, Scar was on board. He had good experience operating wooden sailing ships, enough to handle the current situation.

Shen Bei also took the opportunity to learn a lot about navigation.

This was also preparation for his journey to the Great Wilderness.

As for where the ship for the Great Wilderness would come from, Shen Bei naturally had an idea.

The ship Qi Chuanyu and others had hidden in the Underdark could be activated.

…

This day.

Shen Bei left the captain's cabin and strolled around the deck. Scar was dutiful and responsible, always sticking to his post. Little Hei Pi was also diligently doing chores; the deck was so clean it looked as if it had been licked, and the smell of the sea was very faint.

"Awoo…" As soon as Shen Bei stepped out of the cabin door, he saw a fellow named Guan Butcher, holding his head, fleeing in a panic.

Zhang Butcher was one of the subordinates, besides Scar, Ran Xiaoran, and Hei Pi, who had a bit of cultivation.

He was mainly responsible for the ship's food.

At this moment, Little Hei Pi was hugging Guan Butcher's neck, his eyes glowing green, licking Guan Butcher's face with saliva, looking as if he was desperately holding back from biting down…

"Hei Pi, you just finished that Vicious Beast the day before yesterday, and you're hungry again? Let go of Guan Butcher quickly…" Shen Bei reprimanded him, not at all surprised…

Hei Pi reluctantly released Guan Butcher's neck, patting his belly.

"Captain, Scar… oh no, the First Mate, I've done all the work he told me to do, I'm hungry…"

"Alright, let Xiao Ran see if there's anything big around, then go catch another one." Shen Bei looked left and right, not seeing anyone: "Where's Xiao Ran?"

"She said she went to the Lin Feng Hao to help the captain 'kidnap' some sailors." Hei Pi spoke bluntly and honestly.

The Lin Feng Hao was the Lin family's large ship.

Shen Bei initially thought it was a person's name. Lin Wu had explained that 'Lin' was the Lin family's Lin, and 'Feng' was the 'wind' of 'riding the wind and breaking the waves'.

"Bullshit! That's her doing her own private work, what's it got to do with me!" Shen Bei stomped his foot in anger, furious that all the blame was being dumped on him: "Help me with what? It's been days? I haven't seen a single person!"

Hei Pi shut his mouth, not daring to speak, fearing that if the captain got unhappy, he would have to starve for another day.

He had tried letting loose and eating until his stomach was about to burst. To make him return to the point of being so hungry his eyes glowed green, so hungry he would even eat himself, he was absolutely unwilling.

Now on the ship, Hei Pi would never provoke anyone but the captain; whatever the captain said was right.

"Alright, stop looking at me. I'll get you a Vicious Beast from the brig in a bit." Shen Bei dismissed Hei Pi, who was looking at him eagerly, and turned to find Scar.

The brig was actually the ship's sealed storage room.

It held not only food but also some live animals, so the crew could eat fresh meat.

The reason it was called the brig was a name Shen Bei had specifically chosen, just to remind Scar and the others to behave, otherwise, there was a place for solitary confinement even at sea.

"Where are we now?" Shen Bei gazed at the boundless sea.

"In at most ten days, we will leave the current sea area. Going further, we'll be near the South Sea Archipelago. There are many factions there, and it's quite chaotic. There are islands, pirates, White Water Tribe, sea creatures, demons, and sometimes even some strange things appear…"

"Continue following the other two ships. Also, when Ran Xiaoran returns, if she hasn't brought back any sailors, tell her to stay put on the ship, or else go back to the brig. If anything comes up, find me in the captain's cabin."

Shen Bei left a sentence and turned to leave.

Back in the captain's cabin, Shen Bei sighed.

"Indeed, having subordinates is truly too troublesome, especially when the subordinates themselves are very troublesome."

He had originally thought Scar would be the most troublesome, but Scar had been quite diligent and responsible as First Mate these past few days, cleaning up a lot of messy things. From changing sails to steering and navigating, handling incidents, and managing the crew below, he had done very well.

Instead, Ran Xiaoran, the Life-Burning Sprite he had initially thought would be easiest to control, had taken it upon herself to 'seduce men' and was off the Ghost Ship every other day.

Shen Bei made up his mind that if she didn't achieve anything and kept gallivanting around, he would just lock her back in the brig.

However, the sea didn't seem to be lacking in creatures.

Pirates, White Water Tribe, sea creatures, demons…

Shen Bei scratched his head. The others were easy to understand, but what in the world was this White Water Tribe?

Shen Bei didn't ask further.

Whatever it was, it wasn't his ship anyway.

Ten days passed in a flash. With the Lin Feng Hao and Sea Eagle by their side, and this already being the edge of the safe waters, the journey was surprisingly smooth. Any Vicious Beasts encountered were caught and used as extra meals.

Shen Bei walked onto the deck and saw people coming and going, burly men with surging Qi and blood, busy changing sails. Scar stood there, constantly giving orders, then held a metal-bound book in his hand, continuously recording the logbook.

"The captain is here!"

With a cry of surprise, a group of people quickly stood at attention and saluted Shen Bei.

"Captain, these are all volunteers. Captain Lin Wu also agreed to let them go. I've always been thinking of helping the captain share his worries." Ran Xiaoran swayed her waist, her gauze dress fluttering in the wind. With a shift of her body, she appeared beside Shen Bei, making to embrace his arm.

Shen Bei nodded in satisfaction.

Not bad, I didn't raise you for nothing.

"Captain, do you want to eat?" Hei Pi held a piece of roasted meat twice his size, reluctantly offering it to Shen Bei.

"You eat it." Shen Bei patted Hei Pi's head, keenly noticing that all the burly, strong men avoided Hei Pi…

"Keep working, mind your own business." After a greeting, Shen Bei walked to the edge of the bow.

The Ghost Ship had already set its sails for navigation. The external waves were not large, and the Ghost Ship's massive hull was very stable here.

Looking into the distance, he saw two pillars rising straight into the sky from the distant sea, piercing through the clouds.

Only when the clouds were blown away by the wind did he see something else between those two gigantic stone pillars…

This was a stone paifang at least a thousand meters tall. Those two massive stone pillars were merely supporting columns.

Shen Bei was dazzled and shocked.

Such a grand scale…

The Underdark truly lived up to its name; it was damn Xuanhuan!

Above the paifang, large characters resembling both turtles and Dragons were inscribed.

Shen Bei didn't recognize these four Underdark characters.

Of course, this didn't mean Shen Bei couldn't understand other Underdark characters, but rather that Underdark writing also had an evolutionary process, and the characters on the paifang bore some resemblance to Underdark script.

It was very similar to the difference between Small Seal Script and simplified characters on earth's surface.

Although he couldn't understand it, Shen Bei instantly grasped its meaning: the four large characters were like a heaven and earth's surface, suppressing this place.

Eternal Sea Paifang.

"Every time I see the Town Sea Archway, I feel a sense of awe." Scar stood beside him, sighing softly.

"Town Sea Archway, huh…" Shen Bei withdrew his gaze, and the power that felt like it was suppressing his Divine Soul also dissipated.

"Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago, this place was called the Dead Sea. As the environment of the Dead Sea became increasingly harsh, chaotic Qi spread continuously with the ocean. Later, the South Sea Taoist Lord emerged, slaying the Black Tortoise and flaying the True Dragon. With their bones and blood, he refined a Town Sea Archway and seventy-two Heaven Pillars, which finally suppressed the South Sea…"

"True Dragon?" Shen Bei was startled.

Wasn't that a creature of legend?