Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Hum –

The boat was covered in brilliant ripples as a barrier shield was raised around it. It immediately began to move forward. Its speed was quick and it left the trading market behind it in several breaths of time.

Bai Lu stood at the ship’s bow, his gaze calm. “It will be around two hours until we reach the great ship. During this period of time, I hope that you can only look through the jade slip that is placed near your seats. There is information recorded within related to the Sea of Bewildering Fog that you should know.

“This venture might be dangerous, but as long as you all remain sufficiently careful I believe everyone will return alive.”

“Humph I hope so!”

It was unknown who sneered but the atmosphere on the boat suddenly turned tense.

Bai Lu faintly smiled. He turned and sat down. His mission would be completed soon…moreover, there was no need to argue with people that were destined to die.

Qin Yu picked up the jade slip. Once he didn’t sense anything wrong, he searched it with his divine sense. After several breaths of time he opened his eyes, his expression calm once more.

There was scant information related to the Sea of Bewildering Fog. But as long as he had the mind to look, he could obtain some harvests.

For instance, the fog within the Sea of Bewildering Fog could confuse the minds of cultivators. Once they were lost they would remain there forever, turning into brain dead people that wandered there until they died.

For instance, special sea tides might carry out stone beads.

When he combined all of this information together and synthesized it, although he didn’t have absolute assurance, it was likely that the Sea of Bewildering Fog was the source of all stone beads in the Sealed Stone World.

The reason Qin Yu was entering the Sea of Bewildering Fog was to find the birthplace of these stone beads.

The wooden boat continued to fly out from the ‘nebula’ of sealed stones. Qin Yu thought of the emptiness behind him when he first arrived.

Could that have been the Sea of Bewildering Fog?

There wasn’t much information in the outside world concerning the Sealed Stone World. Even the Demonic Path’s information had many missing holes in it.

Soon, two hours passed. The boat smoothly flew out from the scope of the sealed stone ‘nebula’.

There was a giant ship anchored in the void. Its flat surface was covered in bumps, as if it were made of scales.

Once Qin Yu approached, his heart chilled and he looked at the ship with a dignified expression. This ship had actually been directly refined from some sort of living being!

This was a ship but it was also a corpse. Even though it had already died, the aura of a living creature had yet to fully dissipate.

It was as heavy and grand as a mountain, pressing down upon one’s chest and making it hard to breathe!

Bai Lu stood up and clapped his hands. “Everyone, we have arrived. Please board the ship according to the described directions. Once you are onboard, there will be others ready to guide you.”

Qin Yu suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. He glanced around, his eyes faint.

In front of him, the pale young maid had eyes filled with pain and guilt. Her lips moved as she muttered, “I’m sorry.”

Qin Yu said, “Whatever choice you make, that is your freedom. There is no need to apologize to me.” Looking at the young maid’s pained and plaintive expression, he couldn’t help but acknowledge that her acting skills were superb. This was something beyond the level of ‘acting queen’.

“Humph!” With a cold cough, the large fellow glared at her, “Yunyun, what are you doing?”

He grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. Then, he looked at Qin Yu, his ugly face twisting together.

“Boy, let me warn you, I won’t say the same words again. Do you understand?”

Qin Yu said, “Don’t worry. I am obsessive about cleanliness so I won’t touch things that have been used.”

The young maid stiffened.

Qin Yu walked away. Since he didn’t want to be bothered with such things he could only use the strongest move in his repertoire.

Although he had no idea what this woman’s goal was, he thought that as long as he said these words he should be at peace for some time.

The large fellow roared out loud, “You bastard, just who do you think you are to insult my woman!”

He fiercely walked forward but was stopped by the young maid. “Don’t. The trade association will not permit private battles. I…I just wanted to express my thanks to him. If he doesn’t want me to approach him then I will stay further away…don’t be angry!”

The large fellow clenched his teeth, “He can consider himself lucky!”

The young maid glanced at Qin Yu’s back, a cold chill in her eyes.

You bastard, just wait for this old lady!

…….

Qin Yu and his group were the last batch of people to board. On this ship that was refined from a giant life form, there were already a hundred people waiting. These people all had the same status as Qin Yu; they were cultivators brought to guard the ship.

That’s right, the explanation that the Three United Trade Association had given them was that these people were needed to protect the ‘treasure box’ inside the ship’s cabin.

“All of the fellow daoists have arrived. The ship sent out by the Three United Trade Association will soon head towards the Sea of Bewildering Fog. I ask that everyone not move around casually.” The one who spoke had a gentle smile that drew good impressions from everyone.

Buzz –

The large ship began to tremble as it moved forwards. It started to accelerate, leaving behind a series of afterimages as it howled in the direction opposite of the sealed stone ‘nebula’.

Qin Yu’s eyes brightened. His guess had been correct; this really was where the Sea of Bewildering Fog was!

Moments later, the ship stopped accelerating as it cruised forward at a steady speed. The cultivator who spoke up before stood up and bowed. “Please allow me to officially introduce myself. I am the Three United Trade Association’s Shu He. I am responsible for presiding over this voyage. For the next half month, I hope that we can all rely on each other.”

He straightened himself, continuing to say, “I’m sure that many of you fellow daoists are confused about what you are responsible for on this ship, and just what mission you are being given to be paid such rich rewards. The truth is actually quite simple. There is a treasure box in the ship that has some stone beads placed within. The goal of entering the Sea of Bewildering Fog is to draw upon its strength to enhance the quality of the stone beads.

“At that time, fellow daoists will need to help and deliver the treasure box to the assigned position. Although there are some threats in the bewildering fog, we will try to move as close as possible to our destination as possible. As long as everyone is quick in their movements, there shouldn’t be any problems.

“Of course, I want to remind you all of something. The Sea of Bewildering Fog is extremely dangerous. While we can assure your relative safety if you are on the ship, once you leave its shelter…haha, come to think of it, everyone should know that some great figures tried to unravel the truth behind the Sea of Bewildering Fog, but in the end no one managed to come out.

“This final point is the most important. We will give you the treasure chest to handle, so you had best all be honest and have no other thoughts in your mind.”

Following that, Shu He gave some more information related to taboos in the Sea of Bewildering Fog. During this process, Qin Yu looked at him with an earnest expression.

The warm smile, the calm bearing, the naturally commanding atmosphere…all of this indicated that Shu He’s status in the Three United Trade Association wasn’t low.

But when Qin Yu looked at him, his eyes were filled with a hint of sympathy and pity. Although he had no idea what the final outcome for his fellow colleagues on the ship would be, he guessed that Shu He’s ending would be worse.

After leaving the sealed stone ‘nebula’, there was only emptiness all around. The ship quietly soared forward.

At some unknown time, faint traces of fog appeared. It was like gauze fluttering in the wind, making it difficult to see through.

Shu He’s complexion changed. “Everyone, we will immediately be entering the Sea of Bewildering Fog. I hope that you all remember my words just now and don’t make any mistakes in order to prevent further troubles.”

The fog rapidly thickened. It was like a cloud of turbid water had swallowed up the ship. Everywhere one looked, there was only endless fog.

The atmosphere on the ship suddenly turned tense and constrained. Shu He smiled, “Everyone, please do not worry. This is only the outer edges of the Sea of Bewildering Mist; there is basically no –”

Before he finished speaking his expression changed and he quickly spun around.

Everyone was startled. They quickly followed his line of sight. Within the fog, a blurry figure began to appear.

As the figure walked forward it became increasingly clear. It was a young female cultivator carrying a sword. She wore a white dress and her face was as beautiful as a moon. But, her eyes were flat gray, the same color as the fog all around them. She quietly headed towards the ship in a straight line.

Suddenly, this female cultivator paused. She looked up at the ship, as if she sensed the fluctuations in the fog around her.

Shu He took a step forward. On the head of the ship, two masses of blood red light began to shine. Looking at their general position, this was where the eyes of the giant being that had been refined into the ship originally were.

A formidable oppressive will erupted from the ship. The female cultivator in the fog trembled and revealed a look of dread.

After several breaths of time, she turned around and continued forward, soon crossing paths with the shape and vanishing from sight.

“It’s fine.” Shu He turned around, his complexion dark. “Everyone, these are the corpses I described to you before that wander through the fog. They are people who have entered the Sea of Bewildering Fog throughout the countless years for their own reasons. They finally died here and remain forever imprisoned.

“These corpses are the greatest threat within the Sea of Bewildering Fog. Before they died, their hate and unwillingness produced an unsolvable obsession. They want to drag others down into the fog to join them. So, do not expose your aura. Once you are discovered by these corpses, it will be difficult to rid yourselves of them.”

The people on the ship revealed a dignified expression. Although it was only a minor brush and the female cultivator in the fog hadn’t attacked them, they could still feel an intense threat coming from her.

Qin Yu lowered his head, hiding the sharp light in his pupils. The ‘eyes’ of the ship had shined just now, causing the female cultivator corpse to retreat in fear. The origin of this was likely due to the suppression of will. If so, then the greatest threat within the so-called Sea of Bewildering Fog wasn’t anything to him at all.

No, he shouldn’t be in a hurry. He could wait for a little bit longer before confirming this and then carrying out the next step.