Chapter 1234: The Ghost Ship
The Mad Drunkard was truly without any sense of shame; he had most likely emptied the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan’s wine cellar. Knowing this, Zhang Ruochen naturally wouldn’t reveal his true purpose for coming to Yin-Yang Sea.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Yin-Yang Sea is very dangerous, Senior. There’s no need for you to take risks with us. You should go back!”
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was determined to venture into Yin-Yang Sea, the Mad Drunkard realized there must be rare treasures inside. How could he possibly turn back now?
“Don’t leave me behind.”
The Mad Drunkard chased after them, shamelessly insisting on following Zhang Ruochen.
At the same time, he took out a wine pouch, took a gulp of Dragon Flame Wine, and said, “Ah, refreshing! Do you two want some? Drink it, and you won’t feel cold at all!”
Ao Xinyan’s eyes flashed with hostility. She felt the Mad Drunkard was provoking her.
He had clearly stolen the wine from the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan, yet he dared to drink it openly right in front of her. If that wasn’t provocation, what was?
However, Ao Xinyan also knew that the Mad Drunkard, though seemingly crazy, had unfathomable cultivation. With her level of power, she couldn’t do anything to him.
Thus, she struggled to control her emotions and held back from exploding.
The Mad Drunkard acted as if he couldn’t see the anger in Ao Xinyan’s eyes, leaning in and saying, “Little girl, want a sip? It can ward off the cold, temper your body, and boost your cultivation.”
Ao Xinyan replied rudely, “Get lost.”
The Mad Drunkard wasn’t angry; he just shook his head with a resigned expression, thinking Ao Xinyan had too bad a temper. He began to understand why Zhang Ruochen didn’t want to take responsibility for her.
A woman with such a bad temper—once you got involved, you’d surely be miserable for life.
So, he moved closer to Zhang Ruochen instead.
Having been burned by drinking before, Zhang Ruochen naturally wouldn’t touch alcohol again. So, he declined.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “Senior, if I remember correctly, I should have a cauldron of Dragon Flame Wine stored with you. Right?”
During their drinking session yesterday, Zhang Ruochen had only consumed half a jar, which was just a drop in the bucket of that cauldron.
Dragon Flame Wine was a treasure comparable to Sacred Pills, with extraordinary effects for boosting cultivation and tempering the body.
Even after drinking just half a jar, Zhang Ruochen could clearly feel his physical strength increase significantly.
Although he didn’t plan to drink anymore, he could take back the Dragon Flame Wine and give it to his friends. Why let the Mad Drunkard keep it?
“I, the Mad Drunkard, always keep my word. The wine I gave you is forever yours.”
The Mad Drunkard didn’t try to cheat; he was very straightforward, taking out the cauldron belonging to Zhang Ruochen and handing it over.
Ao Xinyan, however, snorted softly, finding the Mad Drunkard even more shameless for acting as if the Dragon Flame Wine were really his.
This entire region was covered in snow and ice, a vast expanse of white with no living creatures in sight.
“Whoosh, whoosh.”
Gusts of cold wind blew past, sharper than blades.
Finally, Zhang Ruochen and his group reached the edge of Yin-Yang Sea.
Before them lay a vast, boundless ocean. The calm surface, with its deep blue water, contrasted sharply with the white snow on the land, appearing exceptionally magnificent.
“Is this Yin-Yang Sea? It doesn’t seem all that terrifying.”
The Mad Drunkard laughed and walked toward the water’s edge.
Ao Xinyan, who couldn’t stand the Mad Drunkard, still shouted a warning: “Don’t touch the water. The water of Yin-Yang Sea is bone-chillingly cold. Even a Saint who steps into it could freeze to death.”
The Mad Drunkard’s smile froze. He sucked in a breath of cold air and quickly stepped back, saying, “How can it be that cold? If even a Saint can freeze to death, what living being can enter Yin-Yang Sea?”
“Once the forbidden formation is activated, no living being can enter Yin-Yang Sea. Otherwise, why would it be called a forbidden land?” Ao Xinyan said.
Zhang Ruochen was still somewhat skeptical. After all, Saints were already the most formidable beings in the world, capable of overturning seas, splitting mountains, and slashing through peaks—nothing was beyond them.
If even a Saint’s cultivation and physical body couldn’t withstand the cold in the water, that seemed a bit too exaggerated.
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward and walked toward the water’s edge.
“Captain, be careful. Don’t go over there,” Ao Xinyan said.
“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
Zhang Ruochen reached the water’s edge, lifted his right foot, and stepped down, sinking it into the water.
“Sizzle, sizzle.”
At his ankle, thick ice crystals formed and rapidly spread upward, passing through his calf, knee, thigh, waist… Soon, Zhang Ruochen’s entire body was encased in ice.
The ice grew thicker and thicker, forming a mountain over seventy meters high, which continued to expand and rise.
“Not good.”
Ao Xinyan summoned her Sacred Sword and was about to strike the ice mountain to rescue Zhang Ruochen.
But with a “bang,” the ice mountain shattered first, breaking into pieces the size of human heads that fell into the sea.
A figure flew back rapidly, coalescing into Zhang Ruochen’s form.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long breath and looked at the water again, his eyes now filled with caution. “Such powerful cold energy. It can invade the meridians and sacred veins, slowing the flow of sacred energy to a crawl. An ordinary Saint falling into this water might indeed perish.”
Zhang Ruochen calculated silently. Even with his physical strength, if he fell into the sea, he could only last at most a quarter to half an hour.
The cold energy in the water was extremely peculiar.
“It’s freezing cold, yet it doesn’t freeze. Clearly, the cold energy in the sea is part of the forbidden formation set up by the Divine Dragon Clan,” Xiao Hei said.
The Mad Drunkard looked disappointed. “Does that mean the path into Yin-Yang Sea is truly cut off, and we can’t get in?”
“It’s not that there’s no way in at all,” Ao Xinyan said.
Everyone’s eyes turned to her.
Ao Xinyan continued, “At dusk and dawn each day, during the moment of yin-yang transition, one can use the ancient incantations of the Divine Dragon Clan to summon a ghost ship from the sea. Riding that ghost ship, you can cross the forbidden formation and enter the depths of Yin-Yang Sea.”
“You mean there’s an ancient ship floating on Yin-Yang Sea? And it’s been preserved from ancient times until now, without sinking or rotting?”
The Mad Drunkard shook his head, not believing Ao Xinyan’s words, finding them too absurd.
“Not just one, but several ghost ships. It’s said those ghost ships were forged from the bones of divine dragons, each one different, possessing mysterious powers that even Saints cannot fathom.”
Ao Xinyan spoke very seriously, not joking at all. “Some ghost ships are relatively safe, while others are extremely eerie. Staying on them can be even more dangerous than jumping into Yin-Yang Sea.”
“Forged from divine dragon bones? So, they’re essentially divine corpses?”
The Mad Drunkard laughed heartily. “If that were true, the ancient teachings of the human race and the various tribes of savage beasts would have long since come to Yin-Yang Sea to seize those ghost ships. Capturing one would be like obtaining a Supreme Sacred Artifact.”
“How do you know that the top experts of humanity and savage beasts haven’t tried to take the ghost ships?” Ao Xinyan retorted.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Have there really been experts who tried to seize the ghost ships?”
Ao Xinyan nodded. “According to ancient records kept by the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan, not long after the last divine dragon died, a large number of experts from humanity and savage beasts came to Yin-Yang Sea, trying to break in and seize the Divine Dragon Clan’s legacy. They also targeted the ghost ships and planned to take them out.”
“And what happened?” Zhang Ruochen pressed further.
The Mad Drunkard stood nearby, pricking up his ears to listen closely.
“They all died. It’s said that a human Great Emperor and a beast clan Beast Emperor fell, and the number of Saint-level beings who perished was countless,” Ao Xinyan said.
“I’ve heard of this too. At that time, beings at the Great Saint level did indeed fall.”
Xiao Hei said, “Although the divine dragons have fallen and turned into bones, Yin-Yang Sea was once the sacred ground of the Divine Dragon Clan. The divine dragons’ bones float on the sea, and it’s possible some residual power remains. That power is beyond our ability to contend with or even imagine. So, if we really board a ghost ship, we must have a sense of reverence.”
Yin-Yang Sea was once the sacred ground of the most powerful race in the Kunlun Realm, and now it was one of the most terrifying forbidden lands in the Kunlun Realm.
Arriving here, no living being could afford to be arrogant; they had to be cautious to survive.
Ao Xinyan said, “I am well-versed in the ancient incantations of the Divine Dragon Clan. When dawn comes, I can help you summon a ghost ship.”
“There’s still some time until dawn. I’ll set up a Space Teleportation Array first.”
Arriving at Yin-Yang Sea, Zhang Ruochen felt an intense oppression. Even though he had become a Saint, he still felt small and fragile.
Setting up a Space Teleportation Array in advance was a way to leave himself an escape route.
First, Xiao Hei set up a concealment formation covering an area of ten li. Everyone entered the formation, disappearing from the shore of Yin-Yang Sea.
While Zhang Ruochen was setting up the space array, the experts of the Ancestral Dragon Mountain also arrived at the shore of Yin-Yang Sea.
There were twelve sacred beasts in total, all transformed into human form.
The imposing man standing at the front was none other than the Devouring Demon Dragon.
The Devouring Demon Dragon’s eyes were extremely sharp as he scanned the surroundings, emitting a fierce killing intent.
A beautiful woman in her twenties, with a human body but a snake tail over ten meters long, said coldly, “Your Highness, could they have already entered Yin-Yang Sea?”
“No. Only at dawn can the ghost ship be summoned. Without the ghost ship, they can’t enter Yin-Yang Sea. They must be hiding nearby.”
The Devouring Demon Dragon turned to the Porcupine Sacred Beast and asked, “Can you find them?”
The Porcupine Sacred Beast shook his head and sighed. “At the outskirts of Yin-Yang Sea, I’m suppressed by a mysterious force. Both my vision and sense of smell are greatly reduced. I can’t find them.”
“Fine, let them keep hiding. Once I enter Yin-Yang Sea and retrieve that item, I’ll deal with them slowly.”
The Devouring Demon Dragon closed his eyes and began to cultivate with full effort.
After the series of battles in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, the Devouring Demon Dragon realized that he wasn’t invincible at the same cultivation level. There were still a few formidable figures who could contend with him.
With pressure in his heart, he could only race against time, cultivating with all his might, not wanting to waste a single moment.
Only by pushing himself harder could he progress faster.
The beings of the Devouring Demon Dragon clan, during the chaotic battles of the gods in the Primordial Era, had been undefeated across the world. There was no reason for them to be suppressed by lower-blooded races in this era.
To be invincible, he had to work even harder.
(End of chapter)