133: Chapter 133 Successfully Boarding the Ship

That inconspicuous streak of light streaked across the sky, finally fading its brilliance silently and landing on a black reef by the sea.

The sea breeze whipped up waves that crashed against the rocks beneath his feet, sending up bursts of spray.

Gu Changsheng was in no hurry to move forward; instead, he stood on high ground, looking down at the massive coastal market town below.

Calling it a market town was less accurate than calling it a giant refugee camp.

Countless Cultivators had fled here from the heart of the Eastern Desolation. Heads bobbed in a dense crowd, and an aura of clamor and despair rose into the sky.

In the sky, streaks of light occasionally attempted to fly across the sea alone, but several swifter dark shadows always darted out from the clouds or the reefs below.

After a brief explosion of Spells, everything returned to silence, with only the broken fragments of Magical Artifacts falling into the deep sea.

Gu Changsheng adjusted his scholar's robes, which had been ruffled by the sea breeze. On his shoulder, the black cat Coal Ball poked its head out, warily observing everything below.

Crossing the sea alone on a sword made for too large a target; it was like carrying a torch in the dark of night, attracting the attention of every predator.

To safely reach the legendary Chaotic Star Archipelago, the most reliable method was to blend into the crowd and board one of those large ships with powerful backgrounds.

He patted Coal Ball's head, signaling it to be quiet, and then with a flicker of his body, he quietly merged into the tide of people rushing toward the town below.

The closer he got, the heavier the oppressive atmosphere became.

The entrance to the town was completely blocked by a long wall built of massive black stones, adorned with blood-red banners fluttering in the wind.

A hideous skull was embroidered on the flags, with two twisted ancient characters beneath it: Corpse Yin.

The Corpse Yin Sect of the Southern Border.

This Demonic Path Sect, accustomed to dealing with corpses, had actually taken advantage of the turmoil in the Eastern Desolation to extend its reach to this coastline.

In front of the long wall, thousands of Cultivators formed a long dragon-like queue, the line moving forward at a snail's pace.

At the very front of the line, several Disciples dressed in the black robes of the Corpse Yin Sect held pale bone mirrors, illuminating the Cultivators in the queue one by one.

An Elder at the Middle Foundation Establishment Stage sat listlessly on a throne piled high with skeletons.

That cold pressure spread out wantonly, making everyone who approached feel a chill in their marrow.

A fair-featured female Cultivator walked forward tremblingly.

The bone mirror flickered with light, and a bright pink halo appeared on its surface.

The Foundation Establishment Elder's withered finger tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne.

"A superior Peach Rhythm Spirit Body. If refined into a Glamour Corpse, its power will surely be extraordinary."

The Elder did not stand up, but simply made a grasping motion from a distance.

The female Cultivator let out a shrill scream as her body flew uncontrollably toward the Elder.

In mid-air, her flesh rapidly shriveled as her vitality was drained by an invisible force. When she hit the ground, she had already become a withered corpse with skin clinging tightly to her bones.

This scene plunged the entire queue into a deathly silence.

Fear spread like a plague.

Gu Changsheng stood in the middle of the line, his head lowered, but his heartbeat remained steady and strong.

He had already activated the taiyin submerging spirit jade deep within his Dantian.

Ripples of obscure fluctuations, invisible to the naked eye, completely enveloped his body.

Under his deliberate guidance, the majestic vitality of the Withered Meets Spring immortal foundation was firmly suppressed, and his body radiated an extremely mediocre aura.

Or rather, he was fading from the perception of these people.

An hour later, it was finally Gu Changsheng's turn.

He stepped forward, not trembling like the others, nor deliberately acting humble.

The Corpse Yin Sect Disciple holding the bone mirror moved his gaze mechanically through the crowd.

When he looked at Gu Changsheng, a moment of blankness appeared in his pupils.

In his perception, the space where Gu Changsheng stood was just empty air, or a meaningless stone.

This cognitive interference caused the Disciple to completely overlook the living person standing before him.

He didn't even raise the bone mirror, but looked directly at the next Cultivator behind Gu Changsheng.

"Next! Hurry up!"

The Disciple urged in a stiff tone.

Gu Changsheng unhurriedly walked through the checkpoint, passing right by the Disciple.

The other man's breath even brushed against his shoulder, yet he remained invisible to him.

There was no expected body search, no mockery, and certainly no sudden kicks or blows.

Just like that, in full view of everyone, he passed through this chasm that blocked thousands of people as easily as a ghost.

The Foundation Establishment Elder sitting high on the bone throne swept his Divine Sense across the field, but it only brushed over Gu Changsheng without lingering for a second.

Taiyin, the ultimate concealment of heaven and earth.

This method of manipulating perception was a hundred times more sophisticated than a simple invisibility Spell.

Gu Changsheng moved away from that suffocating area and walked quickly toward the distant pier.

At the massive pier, a dozen sea vessels of various sizes were moored.

The largest of them was built entirely from the bones of Tier 3 sea beasts, with a hull a hundred zhang high and a wide deck.

The flag of the Ting Hai Pavilion hung from the bow, snapping in the sea breeze.

"Boarding the ship costs ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones per person! No credit!"

A steward from the Ting Hai Pavilion stood at the bow and shouted loudly.

Many Cultivators who had passed the inspection showed pained expressions upon hearing this price.

Gu Changsheng squeezed forward and pulled out that blue token from his robes.

The steward was originally impatient, but upon seeing the token, his expression immediately underwent a drastic change.

"So it is the Guest Elder in person! Please forgive my blindness!"

The steward quickly stepped aside and personally led Gu Changsheng up the private gangway.

"Please come inside, Elder. Your room has been prepared."

Gu Changsheng nodded slightly and boarded the giant ship with the steward.

After entering a clean and tidy private cabin, he immediately set up several warning Formations.

He didn't stay in the room for long, instead changing into a more inconspicuous short outfit and quietly heading to the public area at the bottom of the ship.

This place was a mixed bag, crowded with hundreds of Loose Cultivators, with all sorts of noisy information interweaving in the hall.

"Have you heard? Over at the Chaotic Star Archipelago, another ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave was recently discovered. It's said to contain foundation establishment spiritual objects!"

"foundation establishment spiritual objects? With your Fetal Breath Stage cultivation, going there is just feeding the Yao Beasts! I suggest you stick to mining on Black Stone Island. It's hard work, but at least you'll keep your life."

"What's Black Stone Island? If you're going, go to 'Storm Cape'! It's dangerous, but it produces 'Wind Spirit Crystals'. One piece can sell for over a hundred Spirit Stones! My cousin went there last year and reached Qi Refinement when he came back!"

Gu Changsheng leaned in a corner, silently listening to these rumors of varying reliability, memorizing the place names one by one.

The Chaotic Star Archipelago were indeed a lawless place.

Opportunity and danger coexisted.

For someone like him who excelled at fishing in troubled waters, it couldn't be more perfect.

The giant ship cut through the waves, sailing toward the deep sea.

The Eastern Desolation continent behind him gradually turned into a blurred black line in his vision before finally disappearing completely.

The ship sailed for about two days and two nights, and the color of the surrounding seawater changed from azure to a bottomless ink-black.

On the morning of the third day, the sky did not brighten.

A strange white mist spread across the sea without warning, quickly swallowing the entire giant ship.

In the mist, visibility was less than three feet, and everyone's Divine Sense was suppressed to a tiny range.

The clamor on the ship came to an abrupt halt.

An inexplicable panic spread through the crowd.

Gu Changsheng was about to get up and return to his cabin.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the golden panel suddenly lit up, and a line of blood-red, piercing text flashed frantically.

[Special Alert! Encountered three Tier 2 Perfection Yao Beasts 'Sea-Swallowing Whales' feeding grounds ahead!]

[Warning: The giant ship has entered their 'Ghost Mist' Domain and cannot escape!]

[System Deduction: Survival rate is less than fifty percent!]