txolops Chapter 54 Chaotic Star Sea
Chapter 54 Chaotic Star Sea
The group flew for about three hours, the salty sea breeze making their robes stiff and wrinkled. Finally, at the silver line where the sea and sky met, they saw a huge ship.
The ship was over fifty feet long, its dark brown planks gleaming from the seawater, rising and falling slowly with the surging waves, like a silent behemoth lying on the water.
The boat was filled with ordinary fishermen, who were now exerting all their strength to pull on a large net as thick as a child's arm.
A giant, green-scaled fish, about ten feet long, was struggling frantically in the net, its tail thrashing wildly. Each slap sent up a spray of water ten feet high. The thick hemp rope was being squeezed so tightly that it creaked and groaned. Several small tears had already appeared along the edge of the net, and it looked as if the fish was about to break through.
Several men standing on the ship's side staggered from the force of the impact, with half of their bodies hanging over the edge of the ship, their cries of alarm rising and falling.
Han Li maneuvered the Divine Wind Boat silently to the vicinity of the sea ship, slightly raising his eyes to signal Qu Hun to make a move.
Qu Hun, expressionless, flashed and appeared out of thin air on the sea surface.
He reached down and grabbed, and with tremendous force he lifted the still thrashing blue-scaled giant fish out of the water. With a flick of his wrist, the fish, weighing several thousand pounds, landed steadily in the center of the deck, causing the entire ship to sway slightly.
The noise on the ship came to an abrupt halt.
All the fishermen froze on the spot, staring blankly at the giant fish still twitching on the deck, before suddenly bursting into screams.
When they looked up and saw the three people hovering in mid-air, and the small boat emitting a pale blue spiritual light, they all knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to the group, chanting incantations.
Mu Chunfeng listened intently for a long time, but all he heard was a series of strange, incoherent syllables, spoken in a hurried and odd tone. He couldn't understand a single word.
He tilted his head slightly and looked at Han Li beside him.
The three of them immediately landed on the deck.
Han Li stepped forward and asked in a calm, unwavering voice, "Is any of you able to understand what I'm saying?"
The fishermen kneeling on the ground looked at each other, their faces full of confusion. They lowered their heads and whispered among themselves, clearly not understanding what he meant.
Just then, a middle-aged man dressed in a brocade short shirt and wearing a square Confucian hat jogged out from behind the crowd.
He was clearly more worldly than the average fisherman. Although his face was a little pale, he quickly walked up to the three men, bowed deeply to them, and said respectfully in a heavily accented voice, "Immortal Master, thank you for saving us! Please accept my bow."
After saying this, he respectfully performed a deep bow.
Han Li ignored his bow and continued, "Are you the owner of this ship?"
"Master, it is indeed I who am here."
Master Gu quickly responded and then turned to invite them, saying, "The sea is rough and the wind is strong. You immortal masters must be tired from your journey. Please come into the cabin to rest. I have prepared some tea and snacks to help you relax."
Mu Chunfeng and the other man exchanged a glance, nodded, and followed Master Gu into the cabin.
After the three of them sat down, Master Gu hurriedly poured each of them a cup of hot tea, his attitude almost obsequious.
Just then, Mu Chunfeng's voice rang in Han Li's ears: "You will continue to make the decisions in a while and try to figure out the situation here as much as possible."
Han Li's fingertips twitched almost imperceptibly, as a response.
He picked up his teacup, sipped his tea slowly, and subtly inquired about the local situation from Master Gu.
After some questioning, Han Li finally figured out the general situation here.
This place is called Chaotic Star Sea, and they are currently in an area of the inner sea of Chaotic Star Sea. The nearest island where cultivators live is called Kui Xing Island.
He exchanged a subtle glance with Mu Chunfeng, discussed it telepathically for a few moments, and then made a decision.
"The three of us originally planned to go to Kui Xing Island."
Han Li put down his teacup and said calmly, "It just so happened that we came across your ship, so we took the opportunity to lend a hand. Since your ship is also heading to Kui Xing Island, we'll stay on your ship for a few more days. Don't worry, if this ship encounters any danger during this time, we will certainly lend a helping hand."
Upon hearing this, Master Gu was initially delighted, but then a look of embarrassment appeared on his face: "This..."
"What, you don't want to?"
Han Li saw the hint of difficulty on Gu Dongzhu's face and assumed that he did not want to agree, so his tone immediately turned cold.
Hearing the chill in Han Li's tone, Master Gu was terrified and quickly bowed, explaining, "No, no, no, it's my honor that the Immortal Master is willing to stay on my ship. How could I dare refuse!"
"However, there is one more thing I would like to ask the Immortal Master to do."
Han Li looked at his slightly trembling body and said calmly, "It's alright, just speak. I'm not some ruthless villain who kills without blinking an eye. I will consider what you say."
Upon hearing this, Master Gu calmed himself down slightly and said somewhat nervously, "In a while, Kui Xing Island will hold its annual merchant competition. Whoever wins the competition will obtain a merchant's seat. If you, Immortal Master, are willing to help me win the competition, I am not only willing to guarantee your residency on Kui Xing Island, but also to provide you with 10% of my profits for the next three years."
"Do I need a residency permit to live on Kuixing Island?"
Han Li raised an eyebrow slightly.
Upon hearing Han Li's question, Master Gu quickly explained it to him in detail.
After a short while, Han Li finally understood the whole story, including the details of the duel.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement, promising to make only one move.
After that, the three of them stayed on the ship for the time being.
During their voyage, Han Li and Mu Chunfeng took advantage of their daily chats with Master Gu to not only gradually master the common language of the Chaotic Star Sea, but also gain a clear understanding of its basic structure.
It turns out that the Chaotic Star Sea is the place for cultivating immortality on the other side of the Boundless Sea in the south.
In ancient times, the entire sea area was occupied by monsters and rarely visited by humans.
It wasn't until tens of thousands of years ago that powerful human beings crossed over, slaying demons, clearing the sea, and expanding their territory, thus securing a glimmer of hope for humankind in this place. After countless generations of cultivators fought bloody battles, the Chaotic Star Sea was eventually divided into two major regions: the Inner Star Sea and the Outer Star Sea.
The Inner Star Sea is a territory completely controlled by the human race.
As the leading power in the Inner Sea, Star Palace established its headquarters on a giant island in the center of the Inner Star Sea, where it built the most prosperous super city in the Chaotic Star Sea—Tianxing City.
To protect Tianxing City, the Star Palace selected twelve of the largest islands in the central part of the Inner Star Sea to establish directly administered sub-islands, known as the Inner Twelve Star Islands; and selected three islands in each of the eight outer regions to establish the Outer Twenty-Four Star Islands.
These thirty-six star islands, like stars surrounding the moon, protect Tianxing City in layers, forming the core ruling system of the Inner Star Sea.
Most of the other islands, large and small, in the inland sea are also within the jurisdiction of the Star Palace.
As for the outer sea, it is still the domain of demonic beasts, and is therefore called the "demon sea" by cultivators.
After a long period of adjustment, it is said that the higher-ups of the human and demon races have long established an unwritten rule: the outer sea is the territory of demon beasts. Human cultivators can go there to hunt demon beasts, gather spiritual materials, or explore and cultivate. However, once they enter the outer sea, their lives are left to fate. Demon beasts can also freely hunt human cultivators who intrude. The higher-ups of the human race will never interfere.
The Inner Star Sea is a forbidden area for the demon race. The Star Palace strictly forbids high-level demons from entering in large numbers, and violators will be ruthlessly annihilated by the Star Palace cultivators.
Thus, the Inner Star Sea and the Outer Star Sea were divided and ruled, forming the unique survival pattern of the Chaotic Star Sea as it is today.
Most of these things have been circulating in the Chaotic Star Sea for a long time, and even ordinary people like Master Gu can tell you a thing or two about them. However, there are some deeper secrets that even Master Gu did not know, and they were brought up by Mu Chunfeng.
Mu Chunfeng only mentioned that he had seen some scattered records in a tattered ancient book and made conjectures based on that.
As for Han Li's pressing question about the whereabouts of the ancient book, Mu Chunfeng simply rolled her eyes at him, letting him figure it out for himself.
After sailing for more than a month, the ship finally arrived at the port of Kuixing Island.