Chapter 582 - 526: Evolution and the Outer Sea

Chapter 582: Chapter 526: Evolution and the Outer Sea

Obviously, it was the Profound Serpent Race’s withdrawal that led to the great catastrophe in Bazhou.

Otherwise, given the Profound Serpent Race’s aggressive pressure, the Chen Family could never have quietly mobilized such a large force to orchestrate that earth-shattering scheme in Bazhou.

Although their scheme in Bazhou had been a fruitless effort, the absence of the Profound Serpent Race’s pressure undoubtedly meant the Chen Family’s forces were completely freed up, allowing them to focus on the internal turmoil of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

Under these circumstances, one could only imagine the chaos that had engulfed the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World over the past half-year.

In such a chaotic situation, the likelihood of the Chen Family diverting their attention to hunt him down and mobilize forces against him was undoubtedly extremely low.

’Not to mention, the ruins appear once every sixty-year cycle. Sixty years...’

’What the world would be like after sixty years was even more uncertain.’

’This is the perfect opportunity to enter seclusion for a while...’

A Light Curtain Panel materialized in his vision. Chu Mu’s gaze lingered on it for a moment. The various stats on the panel came into view, clearly displaying all of his Cultivation Progress.

When the Light Curtain Panel faded, he swept his Divine Sense through his Storage Space. Spiritual Materials and Objects were piled as high as mountains. Even the Elixirs required for Tier Three Cultivation were stacked in mounds of Jade Bottles.

A significant portion of them were even Pill Pattern Elixirs.

Though it had been many years since his Core Formation, he was still some distance from the Middle Stage of Golden Core.

But for him, after years of turbulent change, he had undoubtedly long since made ample preparations, both in terms of cultivation resources and his own foundational strength.

All he needed was a suitable opportunity to enter seclusion, and his Cultivation Advancement would surely follow as a matter of course.

As these thoughts drifted through his mind, he drank cup after cup of Spirit Wine. Time slipped by as he drank alone.

When night fell, Chu Mu slowly set down his cup and walked out of the restaurant.

With night blanketing the sky, this borderland Marketplace seemed even more boisterous, perhaps due to the growing turmoil in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

Lamps burned brightly, the streets bustled with crowds, and stalls lined the roads. Cultivators from the Yunshan Business Alliance’s Law Enforcement Team patrolled periodically, maintaining an order that allowed for prosperity and peace.

’I just wonder how long this peace can last in such a chaotic world.’

After pausing for a moment at the restaurant’s entrance, Chu Mu began to walk along the street. He didn’t linger. His goal for this trip to the Yunshan Marketplace had been fully accomplished.

Even if it was only hearsay, the information was enough to give him a clear understanding of how the situation had evolved after the Bazhou catastrophe.

As things stood, the situation couldn’t be better for him.

As for the stir he had caused in Bazhou, with the passage of time, the attention would inevitably fade, even if he wasn’t completely forgotten.

About a hundred miles out from the port, a streak of crimson blade light flashed across the night sky.

After several days of uneventful Flying Escape, without a single incident, the streak of crimson blade light merged into the Sky-Breaking Flying Boat sailing slowly through the void.

The Flying Boat submerged into the void once more, heading slowly toward the distant Deep Sea.

It was destined to be a long journey, and the inside of the Flying Boat was already silent.

The doors to the Secluded Meditation Chambers were all tightly shut, with only the faint light of Array Prohibitions flowing across them.

With their fates sealed, Zhao Shuang and the other two could only accept their destiny. Each had taken a Secluded Meditation Chamber and had not emerged since the day Chu Mu made his decision.

As for the Secluded Meditation Chamber at the vessel’s stern, Chu Mu had immersed himself in completely focused Cultivation ever since returning to the Flying Boat.

With the Sky-Breaking Flying Boat’s ability to hide within the void, he had little to worry about in the wild and lawless Vast Sea.

True tranquility could only be found in isolation from the world.

「Time flew, and the seasons turned.」

The Flying Boat continued its unhurried journey through the void toward the unknown Deep Sea, seemingly without end.

Immersed in focused Cultivation, several years passed in the blink of an eye.

「On this day, the sun blazed high in the sky over a calm and peaceful sea.」

Hundreds of thousands of miles deep into the Outer Sea, the Sky-Breaking Flying Boat, having flown for several years, finally came to a slow halt.

Chu Mu stood at the bow, gazing out at the surrounding waters. The sky and sea were vast, and aside from the howling of the wind, there was no other sign of movement.

This deep in the sea, there might have been some Cultivator activity before the turmoil in the Vast Sea began, but now, the area was almost completely devoid of human presence.

From the border of the Inner and Outer Seas all the way to this location, the Sky-Breaking Flying Boat’s reconnaissance had detected almost no other Cultivators.

After a brief observation, Chu Mu took out the Jade Scroll containing the records of the ruins. He scanned it for a moment before the Jade Scroll vanished from his hand.

Only then did he turn to look at Zhao Shuang and the other two behind him.

"Senior, the ruins should be located on the seabed right below us."

Xie Yu cupped his hands in a bow, gestured to the sea below the Flying Boat, and spoke respectfully.

Chu Mu’s eyes flickered. He glanced at the respectfully standing Xie Yu but said nothing. After a slight nod, a thought from him sent the hovering Flying Boat plunging downward. It pierced the surface like a flash of a blade, its sharp momentum unabated as it shot straight for the seabed.

The Array Prohibitions kept the surrounding seawater at bay, but during the rapid descent, Xie Yu and the other two were visibly unsteady on their feet.

The descent stopped abruptly, causing the three to stumble. They quickly steadied themselves, finally regaining their footing.

The seabed was dark and gloomy, with trenches stretching into the distance. In the darkness, it felt as if Ancient Giant Beasts were lurking—a terrifying, horrifying sensation. An abyssal pressure instantly washed over them.

"Senior, my clan’s records of the ruins end at this location. According to them, the ruins manifest once every sixty-year cycle..."

Xie Yu spoke again.

Chu Mu surveyed the surrounding seabed trenches, a hint of solemnity touching his otherwise calm expression.

’The Deep Sea is full of unknowns. High Tier Demon Beasts could be lurking in even the most unassuming places, let alone the site of ancient ruins.’

’It appears once every sixty years. Who knows how many years—how many sixty-year cycles—have passed since ancient times.’

’It wouldn’t be impossible for the Demon Beast Races of the Outer Sea to have discovered it by now.’

’Although I have a life-saving trump card, its origins are unusual, as is its use.’

’Once I use it, the consequences are unknown.’

’Unless I have absolutely no other choice, I don’t want to get entangled with a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator over it again.’

After carefully surveying the area and confirming there were no obvious anomalies, Chu Mu waved his hand. Several Cyan Bird Puppets appeared, hovering before him. At his mental command, they shot off in all directions.

He then sat down cross-legged. As his hands formed a series of seals, a palm-sized Compass materialized before him. With each completed Technique, a faint spatial fluctuation began to emanate from it.

This spatial fluctuation, however, originated not from the Sky-Breaking Flying Boat, but from the Compass.

The Compass’s design originated from the Sorcerer’s Compass he’d acquired in Chu Capital City, but its latest inspiration came from the Five Elements Formation in Bazhou City.

After personally experiencing the inescapable trap—like being caught in a Heaven and Earth Net—its ability to monitor, solidify, and disrupt space had been seared into his memory.

Thus, during the several years of his journey, he had spent all his time outside of secluded Cultivation pondering and refining this inspiration, which ultimately resulted in the Compass before him now.

The Five Elements Light Disc.

It was a very plain name, but its Grade reached that of a Top Grade Magical Treasure, and its effectiveness was in no way inferior to the Five Elements Formation from Bazhou City.

It could monitor spatial fluctuations, solidify space, and disrupt space.

The only difference was its much smaller area of effect, limited to the range of his Divine Sense.

But even with that limitation, its power was undoubtedly terrifying.

If any Cultivator used spatial Magical Techniques, Divine Techniques, or treasures against him in a Battle, he could use this Compass to let them experience the same helplessness and despair he had felt in Bazhou City—restricted at every turn, fighting like a cornered beast.

And right now, the Compass had another great use. Its ability to monitor space was arguably the most indefensible method of reconnaissance.

Within its range, even something with the Concealment capabilities of his Sword Intent Battle Puppet would be revealed in perfect detail, with no possibility of remaining hidden.

Even the ruins—if they were truly located in this area, even if they were in a pocket dimension forming a world of its own—would inevitably show a trace of their existence as long as they were connected to this Cultivation Immortal World.

As he directed it with his Heart Spirit, the faint spatial fluctuation swept slowly across the seabed trenches like a scanner. It meticulously searched the area, checking for any anomalies while simultaneously seeking any trace of the ruins.

...