Chapter 1264: One Iceberg, One Living Being
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power, spreading it outward and condensing it into thirty-six semi-transparent chains that acted upon the iceberg.
Immediately, the iceberg slowly drifted toward the ancient ghost ship, gradually drawing closer.
As it approached, the outline of the figure inside the iceberg became clearer and clearer.
It was a middle-aged man in his thirties, clad in a suit of cyan armor and holding a broken blade engraved with beast patterns. Even in death, the middle-aged man's eyes exuded a formidable aura.
"This person must have been a quite remarkable figure when alive," Huang Yanchen said.
Ao Xinyan asked, "You can tell that just from this?"
Huang Yanchen replied unhurriedly, "The cyan armor he wears is called the Cuiwei Sacred Armor, which is at the level of a thousand-mark sacred artifact."
"The Cuiwei Sacred Armor? I've heard that only the Cuiwei Martial Saints trained by the Martial Market Bank are qualified to wear it. To become a Cuiwei Martial Saint, one must at least have reached the Thorough Ground Realm."
As a holy disciple of the Eastern Region Sacred Academy, Ao Xinyan naturally understood what a Cuiwei Martial Saint represented. Each of them possessed terrifying strength and wielded immense authority, representing the pinnacle of the Martial Market Bank's combat power.
For many holy disciples training in the Sacred Academy, their ultimate goal was to become a Cuiwei Martial Saint and thereby enter the upper echelons of the Martial Market Bank.
"The value of the Cuiwei Sacred Armor is comparable to the Ten Saint Blood Armor. Moreover, that Cuiwei Martial Saint must have other treasures on him. This time, we've struck it rich!" Xiao Hei laughed excitedly.
The iceberg drew nearer, now only five hundred meters from the ancient ghost ship.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his spiritual power, his expression turning serious. "We cannot touch that Cuiwei Sacred Armor."
"Why?" Xiao Hei was baffled.
Huang Yanchen, Qing Mo, and Ao Xinyan also showed puzzled expressions. Such a treasure—why couldn't they take it?
"I can't quite explain it, but there's a thought in my mind telling me not to take that Cuiwei Sacred Armor."
Zhang Ruochen continued, "Moreover, no matter how low the temperature of the Yin-Yang Sea's waters, they don't freeze on their own. Ice only forms when a living being falls into the sea, causing the surrounding water to freeze and turn into an iceberg."
Ao Xinyan said, "Captain, do you mean that if we break open the iceberg and take the Cuiwei Sacred Armor, the iceberg will disappear, and without the iceberg, we won't be able to enter the Abandoned Deep Sea?"
Zhang Ruochen furrowed his brow deeply, saying nothing. He had thought of some key points but couldn't articulate them at the moment.
Xiao Hei grew impatient. "At worst, after taking the Cuiwei Sacred Armor, I'll toss that Cuiwei Martial Saint's corpse back into the sea. Won't that freeze another iceberg?"
With that, Xiao Hei dashed out and landed on top of the iceberg.
"Xiao Hei, don't!" Zhang Ruochen said sternly.
"Boom."
Xiao Hei struck down with a claw, shattering the iceberg into pieces. Then, grabbing the corpse of the Cuiwei Martial Saint below, he flew back to the ancient ghost ship.
"Heh, Zhang Ruochen, you're too cautious. See? Nothing dangerous happened," Xiao Hei laughed.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was severe. "If danger were obvious to someone like you, would it still be called danger? Since ancient times, countless beings have ventured into the Abandoned Deep Sea, yet how many have walked out alive?"
Since Xiao Hei had already broken the iceberg, Zhang Ruochen refrained from saying more. "If you act on your own again, don't blame me for being harsh."
The Abandoned Deep Sea was far too dangerous. From antiquity to the present, few had survived it.
Zhang Ruochen wasn't alone; he had Huang Yanchen, Ao Xinyan, and Qing Mo with him. He had to lead them all out alive. If any one of them died in the Abandoned Deep Sea, he would be filled with guilt.
Thus, as the leader of the group, Zhang Ruochen had to be cautious. He couldn't risk everyone's lives for a small gain.
Any small mistake could be fatal.
Xiao Hei stripped the Cuiwei Sacred Armor from the Cuiwei Martial Saint's body, holding it in his hand. The armor quickly shrank, turning into a palm-sized Martial Saint token.
Xiao Hei handed the token to Huang Yanchen. "You talk some sense into him. I didn't take the Cuiwei Sacred Armor for myself. It's maddening to see treasures right in front of us and not take them."
Huang Yanchen accepted the token without hesitation and smiled. "I think Zhang Ruochen has a point."
Xiao Hei was indignant. "Why?"
Huang Yanchen said, "Every being that dies in the Abandoned Deep Sea ends up sealed in an iceberg. In other words, one iceberg represents one being. As we go deeper into the Abandoned Deep Sea, we'll encounter more and more icebergs. Each one contains treasures. So, should we break open every single iceberg? And while we're collecting treasures, danger draws closer to us."
Xiao Hei was unconvinced. If more treasures appeared later, was he supposed to pretend not to see them and leave them untouched?
That would drive him crazy.
"Splash."
Zhang Ruochen tossed the Cuiwei Martial Saint's corpse back into the sea. A sizzling sound arose from the water.
Ice quickly formed on the corpse's surface.
The ice grew thicker and thicker, eventually freezing into another iceberg.
Zhang Ruochen was the first to fly to the top of the iceberg, maintaining a state of high alert.
Soon, Xiao Hei, Huang Yanchen, Qing Mo, and Ao Xinyan also boarded the iceberg. Zhang Ruochen used his spiritual power to control the iceberg, using it as a "boat" to sail into the Abandoned Deep Sea.
After traveling about eight hundred miles, dense white specks appeared on the distant sea surface.
As they drew closer, they realized each white speck was an iceberg. There were at least eight thousand icebergs in sight, layered one upon another, a spectacular sight.
Even more astonishing was that each iceberg contained a living being. Some were humans, some were barbarian beasts, and others were plants or bizarre ancient creatures.
One iceberg, in particular, encased a three-thousand-meter-tall purple-gold ancient tree, radiating a dazzling purple-gold light. That iceberg was enormous, with its above-water portion alone reaching over seven thousand meters in height.
Everyone was stunned by the sight. The number of frozen beings was immense, some preserved from ancient times, their bodies undecayed, still bearing the appearance they had hundreds of thousands or even millions of years ago.
Ao Xinyan exclaimed in awe, "Captain was right. Anyone who enters the Abandoned Deep Sea seeking treasures is doomed to die. There are too many treasures here—you can't take them all."
Every being sealed in an iceberg carried treasures. Any cultivator who saw them would be tempted.
If a cultivator spent all their energy collecting treasures, dying in the Abandoned Deep Sea would be only natural.
The logic was clear to everyone, but few could restrain their greed.
Once the door to greed was opened, it could never be closed again.
"Mine, all mine!"
Xiao Hei was ecstatic, his eyes turning green as he fixed his gaze on treasures within the icebergs. He wanted to dash out and collect them but was held back by Huang Yanchen and Ao Xinyan working together.
Zhang Ruochen had entered the Abandoned Deep Sea for two reasons: to help Xiao Hei retrieve his physical body and to find the recipe for the Six Saints Ascension Wine.
According to Xiao Hei, the recipe was on a Dragon Li Cat Clan sacred beast king. In other words, finding that Dragon Li Cat Clan divine beast king's remains would lead to the recipe.
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power to scan the cluster of icebergs but found no trace of that Dragon Li Cat Clan sacred beast king.
So, he steered the iceberg deeper into the Abandoned Deep Sea.
"The Undying Blood Clan is catching up," Huang Yanchen said.
Zhang Ruochen glanced back and saw a blood cloud on the sea surface, rushing toward them at high speed. It soon closed to within ten miles.
Within the blood cloud, the Undying Blood Clan's saints were also standing atop an iceberg.
The Undying Goddess's spiritual power far surpassed Zhang Ruochen's, so her iceberg sailed faster. It was no surprise she caught up.
Seeing the vast cluster of icebergs, the Undying Blood Clan's saints were also thrilled, many trembling with excitement.
"Congratulations, Crown Prince, congratulations, Goddess. These icebergs seal countless rare treasures, each one priceless."
"This is heaven's blessing for the Undying Blood Clan. Acquiring these treasures will greatly enhance our overall strength."
...
Nine blood saints flew off the iceberg and charged into the cluster. They used sacred artifacts to shatter icebergs and began collecting the treasures inside.
The Undying Goddess, Qitian Crown Prince, Motian Crown Prince, and the three Death Knights remained on the iceberg, staring at Zhang Ruochen and his group on another iceberg.
Not long ago, Qi Sheng had been defeated by Zhang Ruochen, leaving him somewhat disgraced.
But today, there was no gloom about him. Instead, he appeared cheerful and beaming. "Zhang Ruochen, all these treasures belong to my Undying Blood Clan. Do you have any objections?"
"Since those treasures don't belong to me, why would I have objections? Take as many as you like," Zhang Ruochen replied with a smile.
Qi Sheng's heart skipped a beat. He was slightly surprised and also felt a sense of unease. Given Zhang Ruochen's assertive nature, why wasn't he competing for the treasures?
He remembered that in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, Zhang Ruochen had fought fiercely against even the most powerful enemies to claim the World Spirit.
Something was off.
Could it be that Zhang Ruochen hadn't entered the Yin-Yang Sea for these treasures?
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I won't disturb your treasure collection."
Zhang Ruochen steered the iceberg forward.
"Do you think you can leave just by giving up these treasures? In my eyes, your life and blood are worth more than all the treasures here combined."
Qi Sheng waved his arm lightly, and the three Death Knights behind him transformed into three streams of blood-red light, landing on three icebergs, surrounding Zhang Ruochen and his group.
...
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