Chapter 117 The Giant Starry Turtle, the Sorrowful Spirit Bearing a Divine Miracle

"Later, when we chatted around the campfire at night, we often talked about that day."

"We were clearly going in search of a legendary island floating in the sky."

"Yet we never expected to find, in this pitch-black, icy seabed..."

"...a sorrowful creature carrying the entire world on its back."

—Excerpt from Little Fatty Chen's Sailing Diary: Top Secret Volume》.

"Hold on tight!"

Following a pig-like shriek from Little Fatty Chen.

The massive ghost ship was pulled by an irresistible, terrifying suction force.

It plunged headfirst into that bottomless black underwater vortex!

The vortex was enormous.

It was as if the ocean had suddenly opened a funnel-shaped, abyssal mouth.

Violent undercurrents tore crazily around them, emitting a deafening roar.

If it were an ordinary warship, even one with the military's highest-spec configuration,

it would have instantly disintegrated into a pile of scrap metal under the crushing force of such heaven and earth power.

But the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl in Jiang Chen's hand was now emitting circles of soft starlight.

It formed a spherical, absolute defensive barrier,

enveloping the entire ghost ship.

Even though the water outside was like blades, inside the barrier, it was as steady as a mountain.

However.

The speed of the descent was simply too fast!

A nearly ninety-degree vertical freefall caused the hull to jolt and tilt violently.

"Ah!"

Mu Qingxue, standing at the edge of the deck, was already an expert at the sixth level of the Grandmaster Realm.

But facing this sudden sensation of weightlessness and the severe tilt of the hull,

a slippery wooden plank under her feet suddenly snapped, and she instantly lost her balance.

Falling backward!

And right behind her was Jiang Chen, who had been leaning lazily against the mast.

"Careful!"

Jiang Chen was quick-witted and agile; he didn't even have time to put his slippers on properly.

He took a step forward, stretched out his long arm, and grabbed Mu Qingxue's slender, willow-like waist with extreme precision.

Pulling her into his embrace in one smooth motion.

"Bang!"

The two bodies collided seamlessly amidst the violent jolting.

Mu Qingxue's nose bumped heavily against Jiang Chen's solid chest, causing her to let out a muffled grunt of pain.

That cold, stunningly beautiful face was instantly tinged with a charming flush.

"Teacher, even if you are in such a rush to return my cool Qi..."

Jiang Chen held her tightly, steadying himself, a wicked smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"You don't have to throw yourself into my arms like this, right? So many people are watching."

Mu Qingxue was mortified, struggling to stand up straight.

But just then, the ship executed another violent tail swing.

Not only did she fail to stand up, but she was hugged even tighter by Jiang Chen.

The two were pressed closely together; she could even clearly feel Jiang Chen's powerful heartbeat.

And that scorching aura unique to a young man.

"You... shut up! Keep your hands to yourself!"

Mu Qingxue bit her lower lip, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, while her body went impossibly limp.

【Ding! High-quality accidental collision detected.】

【Achievement triggered: Titanic-style embrace amidst the rough waves.】

【System evaluation: Well hugged, hug again next time. However, host, your left hand is in the wrong position; that's below the ribs, it's a bit out of bounds.】

Jiang Chen blushed, quickly moving his left hand, which had "accidentally" slid up, back down.

"Ahem, that was an accident, purely due to inertia."

Just as the two were flirting on the deck,

"Boom!"

A deafening roar.

The ghost ship finally broke through the long vortex water curtain and slammed heavily into an unknown space.

The surrounding suction and the sound of water vanished without a trace.

Replacing it was a heart-palpitating silence.

"This... what kind of place is this?"

Su Qingyue steadied herself by the railing, staring at the scene before her with wide, shocked eyes.

Everyone looked up.

They realized they were no longer in the sea.

Or rather, this space had completely isolated the seawater above!

Overhead was a thick water curtain, like an overturned water vat.

And they were currently floating in a massive geocentric void, devoid of seawater and dotted only with faint starlight.

"Brother Chen, have we fallen into Hell?"

Little Fatty Chen climbed up from the deck, rubbing his sore butt, his voice trembling.

Jiang Chen released Mu Qingxue and walked to the bow.

The pointer of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl was fixed firmly forward.

In front of the ghost ship, by the faint light,

everyone saw an extremely massive "continent."

It was floating in the center of this void.

Faintly visible on it were towering peaks, dense vegetation, and even shimmering, strange points of light.

"Is that... the floating island we were looking for?"

Mu Qingxue straightened her messy clothes, walked to Jiang Chen's side, her tone filled with undisguised excitement.

"Wait... that island seems to be moving!"

Su Qingyue, whose eyesight was excellent, suddenly pointed forward and exclaimed.

Everyone stared closely.

That immensely massive "continent" was actually rising and falling rhythmically.

It was as if... it was breathing!

As if to confirm Su Qingyue's guess,

two massive lanterns, like dim blue moons, slowly lit up at the very front of this "continent."

Those were two eyes!

Two huge eyes filled with endless vicissitudes, exhaustion, and deathly silence!

"Hiss—"

Everyone on the ship gasped in unison.

They finally saw the full picture of this "continent."

That wasn't an island at all!

It was an ancient Divine Beast, whose size was ten times larger than the Imperial Capital, and which had survived for who knows how many ages!

Starry Sky Giant Turtle!

On its turtle back, as vast as a plain, it carried mountains, rivers, and was covered in exotic flowers and plants.

This was the truth behind the so-called "floating island"!

"This... is this a legendary Divine Beast?!"

Mu Qingxue was stunned into silence, finding it difficult even to breathe.

"Is the one on its back the floating island we were looking for?"

However, after the shock came a deep sense of horror and anger.

Because as the ghost ship approached, they saw the incredibly miserable situation of this Starry Sky Giant Turtle.

On the giant beast's limbs, which were as thick as mountain ranges,

were eight incredibly thick black chains nailed firmly in place!

Each chain was over ten meters thick, piercing deep into its flesh and anchored into the depths of the geocentric core below!

The blood had dried into black scabs.

The chains were densely engraved with eerie blue runes.

Those runes were flickering on and off like blood-sucking parasites.

They were continuously draining the Starry Sky Giant Turtle's vitality and stellar Origin!

"It's the Sea God Temple's Formation."

Jiang Chen's eyes instantly turned gloomy.

He finally understood where the Sea God Temple's massive Divine Power came from.

They were not gods at all.

They were just a group of greedy, blood-sucking fleas parasitizing this ancient Divine Beast!

To maintain their so-called "miracles," they imprisoned this gentle giant turtle here.

Torturing it for generations, day and night, without end!

"Woo..."

The Starry Sky Giant Turtle opened its huge mouth and let out a low, painful moan.

The sound lacked piercing power, but it acted directly on the depths of everyone's Soul.

Carrying the loneliness, despair, and sorrow of not being able to rest for millions of years.

"It's so pitiful..."

Iliya clutched her chest, tears falling uncontrollably.

As a fellow Divine Beast Bloodline, she could clearly feel the turtle's pain of being unable to live and unable to die.

That was the despair of being treated as a tool and a blood bag, completely deprived of freedom.

"Ten thousand years of imprisonment, and it can't even have a good night's sleep."

Jiang Chen stared fixedly at those flickering black chains.

In this life, the thing he hated most was people disturbing his sleep.

And this scum from the Sea God Temple before him...

...actually, for their own benefit, made such a massive, gentle creature unable to sleep for ten thousand years.

This was no longer just touching his bottom line.

This was dancing wildly in Jiang Chen's minefield!

Jiang Chen clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.

The black rage in his eyes burned like a physical substance.

"Brother Chen, look there!"

Just then, Su Qingyue suddenly pointed to the highest point of the giant turtle's back and shouted.

At the peak of that highest mountain,

there was a patch of strange plants emitting a dreamlike, intoxicating, soft light.

Even from so far away, one could feel the aura that made one's Soul relax.

"That's the light! That is... the light of the Drunken Dream Grass!"

Su Qingyue shouted excitedly.

Jiang Chen looked in the direction she was pointing.

That was the final and most important main ingredient for him to upgrade the [star dream emperor pillow].

"Found it."

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the violence in his heart.

"Get the Materials first. Then..."

He looked coldly at the chains trapping the giant turtle.

"I will help it sever this nightmare that has lasted for ten thousand years."