Chapter 1263: Arrival at the Abandoned Deep Sea
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his sacred qi, and the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron fell back onto the deck.
“Hoo.”
Zhang Ruochen felt as if all the strength in his body had been drained. Even though his physical body had already reached sainthood, he could barely withstand it. His legs trembled, and he had no choice but to sit cross-legged, absorbing the dragon qi from the Undead Ancient Ship to recover his expended power.
After a moment, Zhang Ruochen regained some strength and stood up again.
“Just activating it for a moment drained all my power. What kind of war implement is the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron?”
There was both joy and curiosity in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes.
Xiao Hei knew that Zhang Ruochen had condensed four sacred sources and that his qi sea’s breadth far surpassed that of other saints. “Is it really that exaggerated? With your cultivation, you could only activate this bronze cauldron for a brief moment?”
“If you don’t believe me, try it yourself?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiao Hei gritted his teeth in frustration. “Forget it. Only you can activate this strange cauldron. Even though I possess knowledge spanning past and present and cultivation that reaches heaven and earth, I’m completely helpless against it.”
Everyone showed looks of disdain, feeling that Xiao Hei was boasting too much.
Huang Yanchen said, “With Chen Ge’s current cultivation, although he can only activate the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron for a moment, with its power, even a single strike can unleash unparalleled might, enough to suppress a powerful enemy.”
Qing Mo appeared quite excited. “Xiao Hei can help Zhang Gongzi activate the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron together. That way, even if Zhang Gongzi unleashes a full-power strike, he won’t be completely drained.”
Ao Xinyan stood not far away, her lips tightly pressed together, saying nothing. But inside, she was in turmoil, deeply shaken.
“The Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron was the ancestral ritual vessel of the Holy Bright Central Empire eight hundred years ago. How did it end up in the clan leader’s hands? And why can only he control it? Could that rumor be true—that the clan leader really is the Holy Bright Crown Prince?”
Ao Xinyan was well aware that Zhang Ruochen trusted her enough to reveal the name of the Azure Heaven Ancient Cauldron without hesitation. Otherwise, she would never have known it was the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
Ao Xinyan didn’t ask directly, because she believed that when Zhang Ruochen felt it was time to tell her, he would do so himself.
The power fluctuation unleashed by the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron earlier was indeed astonishing, but Zhang Ruochen sensed that his control over it wasn’t very smooth, as if he had only activated the most superficial source power.
Perhaps it really required the blood of a direct descendant of the Zhang Clan to unleash the cauldron’s full power.
Zhang Ruochen stored the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron back into his space ring, then checked on the cultivation progress of Shi Shenghua.
After being tempered by the Purifying Divine Flame, the mixed sacred power within Shi Shenghua had become extremely pure, and her cultivation had advanced to a higher level.
However, Shi Shenghua had entered a dormant state, likely breaking through to the Upper Realm Saint realm.
“Once Shi Shenghua steps into the Upper Realm Saint realm, even if I encounter a Thorough Earth Realm saint, I should be able to exchange a few blows.”
Zhang Ruochen was quite hopeful, because with his current cultivation, there was still a significant gap compared to a Thorough Earth Realm saint. If he encountered one, he would have to retreat. Once Shi Shenghua broke through to the Upper Realm Saint realm, that situation would improve greatly.
Next, Zhang Ruochen began to meditate and cultivate. All one hundred and forty-four apertures in his body opened, forming one hundred and forty-four small whirlpools, frantically absorbing the dragon qi from the Undead Ancient Ship.
The dragon qi entered his body, some absorbed by the Purifying Divine Flame, some by the Red Sun Sacred Saint Talisman at his chest, and the rest converted into sacred qi and stored in his qi sea.
The Red Sun Sacred Saint Talisman that the Grand Elder had given Zhang Ruochen had been absorbing his sacred qi ever since it merged with his body. But the talisman was like a bottomless pit—no matter how much sacred qi flowed into it, it couldn’t reach saturation.
Although the Red Sun Sacred Saint Talisman could unleash attacks at the Saint King level, this endless absorption of sacred qi still frustrated Zhang Ruochen.
If the sacred qi flowing into the Red Sun Sacred Saint Talisman had been stored in his qi sea, how could Zhang Ruochen have been drained after activating the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron for just a moment?
For now, Zhang Ruochen could only hope that the Red Sun Sacred Saint Talisman would reach saturation soon, giving him another powerful trump card.
An unknown amount of time passed, and a sword cry rang out.
“Zheng.”
The Abyssal Ancient Sword had refined all the sacred artifacts, emitting a black light as it flew toward Zhang Ruochen, circling his body and forming thousands of sword qi.
Even a single strand of sword qi resembled a real sacred sword, its power awe-inspiring.
Zhang Ruochen stopped absorbing dragon qi and reached out into the void, grabbing the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Instantly, the sky full of sword qi and black light flew back into the sword body, leaving only a black giant sword—unadorned yet full of power.
Zhang Ruochen stroked the blade of the Abyssal Ancient Sword and smiled slightly. “Eight thousand two hundred and thirty-six inscriptions. Compared to the Skyward Sword, it’s not far off.”
The Skyward Sword ranked twenty-seventh on the *Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact Ranking*, with a total of eight thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine inscriptions.
It wasn’t that more inscriptions meant a higher ranking on the *Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact Ranking*; the sword’s material, the grade of the inscriptions, and other additional powers also had to be considered.
It was precisely because the Skyward Sword’s material and inscription grade were extremely high that it ranked so high on the list. Although it was only a thousand-mark sacred artifact, it could unleash power at the ten-thousand-mark sacred artifact level.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword’s inscription count was very close to the Skyward Sword’s, but the grade of its inscriptions was somewhat inferior.
Additionally, the Abyssal Ancient Sword’s forging material was Creation Raw Iron, which the Skyward Sword couldn’t match.
Therefore, at this stage, the Abyssal Ancient Sword’s power was comparable to the Skyward Sword’s, enough to rank in the top fifty on the *Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact Ranking*.
Of course, the Skyward Sword’s greatest power wasn’t the sword itself, but its ability to combine the power of successive generations of masters from the Skyward Sword Lineage and focus it on one person.
That was the most terrifying aspect of the Skyward Sword.
Although the Abyssal Ancient Sword hadn’t advanced to become a ten-thousand-mark sacred artifact, Zhang Ruochen wasn’t disappointed, because its current power was already considerable.
In the Kunlun Realm, countless sects desired a ten-thousand-mark sacred artifact. But very few sects possessed one, and each was a dominant force in its region.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword’s current power wasn’t much weaker than a ten-thousand-mark sacred artifact, enough to make many large sects envious.
The Undead Ancient Ship sailed very fast. Even if Zhang Ruochen flew at full speed, he couldn’t match its pace.
After leaving Dragon Fire Island, the Undead Ancient Ship sailed on the Yin-Yang Sea for who knows how many days, until changes finally appeared on the sea surface.
Even during the day, the seawater was no longer scorching hot, and the weather grew colder and colder.
Xiao Hei was the most excited, climbing to the highest point of the silver Undead Ancient Ship. “Soon, we’ll reach the Yin Eye of the Yin-Yang Sea—the Abandoned Deep Sea. Everyone, prepare yourselves. What comes next will be very dangerous.”
Ao Xinyan had broken through to the Saint realm and mastered the Realm Son Seal, greatly increasing her strength while also reducing her fear of the Yin-Yang Sea. She asked, “What do you mean? What do we need to prepare?”
Xiao Hei said, “The Undead Ancient Ship will stop at the edge of the Abandoned Deep Sea. We’ll have to continue on our own. Everyone must be mentally prepared. The road ahead will be a life-or-death struggle. If anyone dares not enter the Abandoned Deep Sea, they can stay on the ship.”
“We’ve come this far. No matter how dangerous it is ahead, we have to keep going.”
Huang Yanchen’s gaze was firm, without a trace of fear.
Ao Xinyan glanced at Huang Yanchen. “Even she dares to brave the Abandoned Deep Sea, so of course I’m going even more.”
Huang Yanchen smiled slightly, not bothering to clash with Ao Xinyan, but there was a hint of disdain in her smile.
The sky gradually grew dim, and the cold intensified.
It wasn’t natural nightfall. They had entered a strange sea area, where the entire region seemed perpetually shrouded in darkness, with no sunlight visible.
Finally, the whole world turned pitch black, with only a few stars hanging in the sky, emitting faint light.
Zhang Ruochen observed the sky at intervals, memorizing the positions of the stars to confirm their direction.
The Undead Ancient Ship slowed down more and more until it came to a complete stop.
The seawater in this area was extremely cold. Even if a saint touched it, they would feel numb all over, and the flow of sacred qi in their body would slow considerably.
In the sky, the wind howled, each gust as sharp as a blade.
“Which way now?”
Ao Xinyan looked at Zhang Ruochen, seeking his opinion.
“You all stay on the ship. I’ll test the wind force in the air.”
Zhang Ruochen activated the Ten Saint Blood Armor, spread the golden dragon wings on his back, and soared into the sky, flying into the distance.
However, after flying only a dozen miles, Zhang Ruochen turned back. His face was pale, and he stood on the ship in silence, his hands forming a circle as he channeled sacred qi through his saintly meridians.
After a long while, Zhang Ruochen suppressed his injuries and opened his eyes again. Before Huang Yanchen and Ao Xinyan could ask, he said, “It’s the Nether Yin Wind. The higher you fly, the more terrifying the wind. Earlier, I tried flying to a height of a hundred meters, but I was struck by a human-shaped wind current. If I hadn’t been wearing the Ten Saint Blood Armor, the consequences would have been unthinkable.”
“The legendary human-shaped wind current?”
Everyone present drew in a cold breath.
The sky above the Abandoned Deep Sea was far too dangerous. Trying to fly in was simply unrealistic.
Qing Mo stood at the edge of the Undead Ancient Ship, pointing at the distant sea surface and exclaiming excitedly, “Look! There’s an iceberg over there.”
Zhang Ruochen followed the direction Qing Mo was pointing and indeed saw an iceberg over two hundred meters high floating on the sea.
“That is…”
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen’s eyes narrowed in surprise. Inside the iceberg, there was a human figure.
Someone was frozen inside the iceberg?