64: Deep Sea Funeral

The night was as dark as ink, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty and fishy moisture, whistled across the turbulent surface.

This was the edge of the Shattered Star Belt.

Countless black reefs protruding from the sea looked like fangs, appearing and disappearing under the battering waves. Sea mist filled the air; even the Divine Sense of a cultivator would be greatly suppressed here.

In this dangerous sea region with extremely low visibility, an inconspicuous clump of gray-white mist was clinging to the sea surface, rising and falling with the waves, drifting silently into the depths.

That was the Medium Grade Magical Artifact Zhou Wannian had sacrificed—the sea cloud banner.

At this moment, he sat cross-legged on the cloud formed by the banner, not in a hurry to travel.

He held a special compass in one hand, while the other constantly scattered a certain powder into the sea.

"Squeak?"

Wangcai squatted on his shoulder, curiously watching the powder that vanished as soon as it hit the water.

"This is called 'Scent-Masking Powder'."

Zhou Wannian explained in a low voice, his voice sounding somewhat ethereal in the sea breeze, "Although the sea cloud banner can turn invisible, our scent is brighter than a lighthouse to the noses of sea beasts. If we don't cover the smell, we'll become a midnight snack before we even get there."

...About half an hour passed.

The sound of the waves ahead suddenly changed.

It was no longer the simple crisp sound of waves hitting the reefs, but mixed with a dull, drum-like low hum, and... the noisy sounds of countless aquatic creatures biting and competing.

A thick, inseparable smell of blood pierced through the sea mist and rushed into his nostrils.

"We're here."

Zhou Wannian's heart tightened, and he immediately controlled the sea cloud banner to stop, hovering behind a massive reef.

He activated his Spiritual Sight Technique, looking through the layers of mist toward the reef area ahead.

In the next moment, even he, who was usually calm, couldn't help but hold his breath, shocked by the sight before him.

It was a mountain.

A mountain made of flesh and blood, slowly sinking.

A deep-sea giant whale, over fifty zhang long, was currently stuck between several huge hidden reefs. Its gray-blue back looked like a lonely island protruding from the sea, but its belly had been torn open with a massive gash, and bright red blood had dyed the surrounding miles of seawater red.

Around it, things were boiling.

Countless Sawtooth Sharks, Iron-Pincer Crabs, and various unnamed low-tier sea beasts were like a group of frenzied diners, surrounding this massive corpse and enjoying this gift from nature.

"A whale falls, all things rise."

Zhou Wannian murmured to himself, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

This giant whale was probably at least a Second-Tier Peak, or even close to a third-tier overlord when it was alive. When it was alive, these petty creatures only dared to hide in the mud and tremble.

But now, it was dead. Its flesh and blood would nourish this sea region for a full century.

"It's quite tragic and heroic, it's just... a bit crowded."

Zhou Wannian withdrew his sentiment, his gaze becoming practical.

The divination showed that the shipwreck wreckage containing the "water repelling token" was inside the belly of this giant whale.

To get the item, he had to crawl into the whale's belly.

But now, that large opening in the whale's belly was crowded with sharks fighting for food, as dense as dumplings in a pot. Forcing his way in was definitely not an option; never mind that he was at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, even someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage would be worn down to death by this endless tide of beasts.

"I have to find a way to make them move aside."

Zhou Wannian rubbed his chin, his gaze sweeping over the sharks biting each other for a mouthful of meat.

"Got it."

He pulled out several black jars from his Storage Pouch.

These were some fish entrails he had conveniently collected while processing "Black Water Beads" before. After fermentation, he had added some of his specially made "Strong Laxative" (the same kind he gave to those Robber Cultivators, but with ten times the dosage).

"Although the method is a bit low, for the sake of maintaining ecological balance, I can only trouble you all."

Zhou Wannian gave a wicked smile, skillfully slapped open the seals of those jars, and then used his Object Manipulation Technique to throw the jars far toward the outer edge of the whale corpse—the place where the beast swarm was densest.

"Smash! Smash! Smash!"

The jars shattered.

A scent a hundred times more intense than whale blood, carrying a strange fishy fragrance, instantly erupted.

"Splash—"

The shark swarm that was originally surrounding the whale's wound instantly became restless. The temptation of that smell was simply fatal to them.

Countless sharks turned their heads and frantically rushed toward the places where the jars had shattered, competing for those "seasoned" entrails.

In just a few breaths, a vacuum zone actually appeared at the large opening of the whale's belly.

"Now!"

Zhou Wannian did not hesitate.

The sea cloud banner flashed with light, wrapping around him and Wangcai like a meteor, instantly crossing hundreds of zhang and plunging into the blood-scented wound of the whale's belly... Entering the whale's belly was like entering a massive, damp, and high-temperature cave.

All around was writhing dark red flesh, and the air was filled with a nauseating sour stench.

Zhou Wannian immediately slapped a "Dust-Repelling Talisman" and an "Isolation Talisman" on himself, and incidentally stuffed Wangcai, who almost vomited, into a sealed Spirit Beast bag.

"This environment is even worse than the bottom deck of the Black Ship."

He frowned and held up a night-luminescent pearl.

The space here was enormous, filled with things the giant whale had swallowed but not yet digested. There were massive sea beast skeletons, tons of silt, and even a few heavily worn reefs.

"The divination said it's in the stomach..."

Zhou Wannian endured the nausea and felt his way deeper along the esophagus.

Along the way, he didn't stay idle either.

"Eh? Are these remnants of Second-Tier 'Dragon Beard Grass'? I'll take them; they can still be used after refining them back."

"Such a large piece of 'Deep Sea Amber'! Although it hasn't fully formed yet, it's excellent material for Talisman ink. I'll take it."

He was like a diligent janitor; wherever he passed, as long as there was valuable "trash," he wouldn't let any of it go.

This was the professional quality of a Loose Cultivator: never leave empty-handed.

Finally, after passing through a thick layer of mucus, a massive stomach sac appeared ahead.

And in a corner of the stomach sac, a shuttle-shaped wooden boat broken into two sections was stuck.

This boat wasn't large, only about three zhang long, made entirely of a material called "Ironwood." Although it had been corroded and mottled by stomach acid, one could still vaguely see its former refinement.

"Found it."

Zhou Wannian stepped forward quickly.

On the hull was a blurred mark—a petrel with spread wings.

"Petrel Chamber of Commerce?"

Zhou Wannian searched his mind for information he had seen on the sea charts from the Black Ship. "That's a medium-sized chamber of commerce in the central Thousand Star Sea Region. It's said that ten years ago they encountered a shipwreck, and their Young Master went missing... It seems he ended up in a fish's belly."

He cautiously walked into the broken cabin.

It was already a mess here; several skeletal remains were scattered on the floor, and the Storage Pouches on them had long since rotted.

Zhou Wannian sighed and didn't disturb the remains, instead turning his gaze toward a hidden compartment at the end of the cabin.

The door of the hidden compartment had rotted, and inside was a black box made of some unknown material, perfectly intact.

"It should be this one."

Zhou Wannian didn't take it directly with his hands, but used spiritual power to form a large hand and pulled the box over.

After checking it for issues, he opened it.

Inside the box lay a palm-sized, entirely azure, teardrop-shaped token.

On the front of the token, the words "Water Repelling" were carved, and on the back was a complex miniature sea chart.

The moment Zhou Wannian's finger touched the token, a cool sensation traveled from his fingertips. The suffocating smell of blood and mucus around him actually pushed aside automatically, forming a dry three-foot space.

"water repelling token."

"As expected, it's the key to opening the Water Mansion, coming with its own high-tier water repelling Divine Ability."

Zhou Wannian was overjoyed and quickly put it away.

Besides that, there was also a Jade Slip in the box.

Zhou Wannian scanned it with his Divine Sense.

What was recorded inside wasn't a Cultivation Technique, but a commercial secret called the "Thousand Star Sea Region Spiritual Material Distribution Map"! It detailed the growth locations and harvest seasons of dozens of rare sea products.

"This is even more valuable than the water repelling token!"

For Zhou Wannian, who was focused on doing business and didn't want to fight and kill, this was simply a "scripture for getting rich."

"With this, my 'Han Clan Artifact Maintenance' can expand its business and upgrade to 'Han Clan Materials Shop'."

Zhou Wannian happily put away the Jade Slip.

Just as he was preparing to retreat.

Boom—!

The entire whale corpse suddenly shook violently.

It wasn't the waves.

Some massive creature was striking this corpse from the outside!

Immediately after, a baleful aura far more terrifying than those sharks before transmitted through the thick layer of fat.

"Second-Tier Yao Beast?!"

Zhou Wannian's expression changed.

Those sharks that ate the laxative entrails must have caused a mess, and the spreading smell of blood had attracted a true deep-sea predator.

"This is no place to linger."

He glanced at the "trash" he hadn't had time to scavenge yet; although it pained him, his life was more important.

"Withdraw!"

Zhou Wannian didn't take the original path.

He aimed for the direction of a blowhole on the whale's back; although narrow, it led directly to the sea surface above.

"Poison Thunder Drill, clear the way!"

He sacrificed a second-tier Talisman and pointed sternly at the thick wall of flesh above his head.

Zzzzz—Boom!

A purple lightning spiral drill instantly opened a blood-hole half a meter in diameter in the wall of flesh.

Zhou Wannian shrunk his body and shot out through that blood-hole like a cannonball.

Splash!

The moment he burst out of the sea, the fresh sea breeze hit his face.

Zhou Wannian looked back.

Beside the whale corpse, a giant sea python twenty zhang long, covered in black scales, was opening its bloody maw and swallowing over a dozen sharks in one gulp.

It was a Second-Tier Middle Stage Yao Beast—the Black-Scaled Giant Python!

If Zhou Wannian had been even slightly greedy just now and come out half a step later, he would probably be this python's snack by now.

"That was close."

Zhou Wannian didn't dare to stay, immediately urging the sea cloud banner to turn into an inconspicuous clump of mist and flee rapidly along the sea surface.

Behind him were the roars of the giant python and the cries of countless sea beasts.

But that no longer had anything to do with him.

He touched the water repelling token and that commercial map in his robes, a satisfied smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

This trip was a huge profit.