Chapter 162: Spirit Ship Evolution, Herding the Primeval Spirit Sea! |
However, before entering the Mother River, Lu Yu once again replicated his previous Culinary Skill with Bronze Millet, then handed it to the Gluttony Cauldron for an upgrade.
No matter how busy, one must eat their fill and get a good buff before setting off!
Especially since he had the Taboo Cursed Seal, his luck was too poor and needed to be neutralized by a Luck-type ability!
Although the buffs from the 【Master of the Gate】 talent were random, similar ingredients and methods were more likely to produce similar abilities.
'This is definitely not just self-comfort for the unlucky!'
Lu Yu thought to himself. After paying the price of a drop of blood and sending away the overused Gluttony Cauldron, he saw this time's buff, 【Great Fortune】.
【Great Fortune: A Luck-type buff born from a dish personally made by the Master of the Gate. After consuming a quarter of it, luck will be enhanced in water-related areas, but the chance of encountering floods will increase.
During the process, luck will be greatly enhanced. Duration: 24 hours.
】
Lu Yu was stunned for a moment when he saw the description. No wonder it didn't have "Heaven-reaching" in the name.
If a flood came, paired with his special coffin ship, there'd be no chance of ascending to the heavens—it would be a one-stop service of sea burial and attending a banquet.
Eco-friendly and hygienic!
"No, I'm going to the Primeval Spirit Sea. How can there be a flood on the sea? At most, there'd be a tsunami. A Despicable Outsider can exploit the bug. With the water, I can increase my luck without worrying about the side effect. Yes, there shouldn't be a problem…"
Lu Yu comforted himself, having perfectly inherited the fine tradition of the Flower-Planting Family.
'Left eye twitches for wealth, that's destiny on my side!'
'Right eye twitches for disaster, that's just Feudal Superstition!'
When it was time to eat, he indeed met the White Fox again. It was already waiting with its head held high.
Because the Star Leaf hadn't been used yet, it could freeload off him indefinitely, and Lu Yu couldn't refuse!
After all, this was a master who had topped up his meal card!
For this, he could only turn his grief and indignation into strength and fiercely pet the fox. He had to admit, its fur felt truly comfortable, even more so than top-grade silk.
Only the current Transcendent-level Spider Silk could barely compare, but it was still a little lacking. Once Little Spider's strength increased, it would have a chance to surpass it.
"So smooth!"
Little Mouse was incredibly envious. Why couldn't its own fur be this soft? It was all the fault of the Thousand-Faced Soul Tree absorbing too much Yellow Springs Water last time, causing its fur to become withered and yellow.
As for Little Spider… it had no fur at all!
Soon, after the White Fox finished eating, it turned and left. Lu Yu cleared the table, then brought the two little ones into the Mother River through his Beast Taming Space.
Compared to forcing his way in last time, the passage was much more spacious after his advancement to the Gold Rank.
As expected, the path one walks becomes wider as one grows up!
Treading the Waterway and the Land Route, all the way to the end!
Perhaps this is the meaning of growth!
"It's just that this calling sound is getting louder and louder. In the future, I won't reach a certain level and be directly dragged into the Mother River, will I…?"
Lu Yu felt the increasingly strong call, like a wanderer returning home to find his mother waiting with a prepared meal.
And she was afraid you wouldn't eat enough, constantly putting food on your plate!
To this, Lu Yu's reaction could only be, "Enough! Enough! I'm really full, I'm about to burst!"
The favor of the Mother River, which everyone dreamed of, was too much for Lu Yu.
He wished for less.
It was already becoming a bit of a nuisance!
It wasn't that he was being ungrateful after getting an advantage, but that he only had a Taboo Rank, not the status of a true Taboo Existence.
If the Mother River was too enthusiastic and directly infused him with Primordial Spiritual Energy, he would probably turn into an Imagination Body ahead of schedule!
Fortunately, until he entered the passage, he wasn't stuffed with any strange things by the Supreme Mother River. The world before him changed, and he once again entered the Primeval Spirit Sea.
What came into view was still the mysterious dark ocean, with an ever-present Mist lingering over its surface, quietly drifting above the Spirit Sea, deathly silent and gloomy.
The only sounds were perhaps his own breathing and the slightly quickened beat of his heart from his chest, creating a sense of emptiness.
"According to Lilith, the Primeval Spirit Sea, as a tributary of the Mother River, connects countless worlds and isn't related to my location in the Main World. Entering the Mother River, the point of entry is still the point of departure. "
"Even if I went to the Machine King Domain and entered a gateway, it would be the same; I'd return to the original spot. This way, I don't have to worry about getting lost upon re-entry, although the Mother River doesn't really have that concept anyway…"
Lu Yu snarked internally, then lowered his head, ready to see what this coffin ship had turned into.
He took a look, and his expression froze. He murmured:
"It's really… quite unexpected!"
The original Void Dragon Ant was square in appearance, just missing a lid, resembling a coffin without a lid.
However, after its evolution, his ship had indeed grown much larger. If it was like a coffin before, now it was equivalent to a graveyard.
Nice!
Its appearance was still square, but the hull had changed from its previous purple void color to a deep, endless darkness, its aura more concealed. And on the basis of the coffin boards, a large number of fences burning with Silver Flames had been added, with Void Eyes embedded on them, shining with Void Power, sealing everything.
The hull itself had been turned into a Pasture.
"Cool… Too cool!"
Lu Yu had a strange expression.
Although he wanted a more advanced ship, adding a Pasture ecosystem, making it look like a mythological doomsday ark, was a bit too advanced.
After all, besides him, there were only two pet beasts on board.
Where would the livestock come from?
Could it be…
'The wind blows, the grass bends low, revealing cattle and sheep, only to find that the cattle and sheep are me!'
In addition, three dragon heads appeared above the ship. One was blood-red and ferocious, similar to the Deep-red Hundred-eyed Dragon Head; one was pitch-black and tranquil, composed of bones, exuding an aura of death; and one was covered in dark gold scales, emitting the final aura of Dusk.
They represented the three powers that Eggy possessed.
It seemed that because Eggy hadn't entered its Complete Form yet, the three dragon heads were just forcibly fused together, facing different directions.
Among them was the Dragon Head representing Dusk, holding the transformed Spirit Lamp in its mouth. It had doubled in size, looking more exquisite and classical.
It was filled with azure-gold lamp oil, and when lit, it shone with a dazzling brilliance, dispelling the surrounding Mist.
"The range has expanded quite a bit!"
Lu Yu activated his Eye of Truth to calculate and found that the Spirit Lamp's duration had increased from one hour to about three hours, and the diameter of its illumination had reached 101.
3 meters. It could be more detailed, but he didn't calculate the smaller numbers, as there was no need.
According to what Lilith said before, an ordinary Peak Gold Rank's Spirit Lamp could illuminate ten meters, a Spirituality Transformation one could manage fifteen to twenty meters, and a genius could reach thirty to forty meters.
Yet his own at the Silver Rank was fifty meters, and after advancing with the Primordial Spirit Ascension Fruit, it broke the hundred-meter limit.
Even a Morning Star Rank would feel ashamed in comparison.
Now, with a single glance, Lu Yu could see most of his surroundings.
Even if he encountered danger, he would have plenty of time to react.
Moreover, the light from the Spirit Lamp was an extension of his own spirituality, visible only from the ship.
In other words, within a hundred-meter range, while the opponent was still cautiously exploring, Lu Yu could already see them from head to toe. He could even guide them from a God's Perspective and use the power of the Primeval Spirit Sea to destroy them!
The joy of a Cheating Player was just that simple and unadorned!
"Good thing after the Spiritual Puzzle was formed, it didn't actually add a coffin lid…"
Lu Yu felt fortunate, but the three dragon heads above seemed to have sensed his thoughts.
The three powers of red, yellow, and black intertwined, forming numerous gray tentacles that converged, weaving into the shape of a lid, and suddenly slammed down.
Thud!
With a muffled sound, the ship was completely covered.
The world before his eyes went dark, giving him a sense of peace like being buried.
"…"
It really is a coffin lid!
Sealed so tightly, is it afraid the coffin isn't secure enough, worried I might be able to crawl out from inside?
Lu Yu was speechless.
Little Mouse saw this scene, rubbed together a Little Soul Lamp to illuminate the surroundings, then rolled on the floor laughing and said:
"Hahahaha, Cultivator, isn't this function too stupid? It completely blocks our line of sight. It's perfectly sealed; not even wind, let alone water, can leak in.
The only advantage is that it looks quite sturdy.
But we've all become blind.
Who's going to guide us? Are we supposed to row without oars, and also without eyes, relying entirely on waves? Sister Spider, don't misunderstand, I'm not making a dig at you…"
"Ying ying!"
Little Spider shook its head and tried. Neither its Mind's Eye nor the power of its Mind Net could penetrate this lid to see outside.
However, by the same token, those outside probably couldn't see inside either.
It suggested removing the lid; otherwise, it couldn't protect its Master!
Hearing the two pet beasts' snarking, Lu Yu was stunned and murmured:
"Water can't leak in… can't see from the outside… could it be…"
His eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if he understood something.
He quickly said to Little Spider:
"Use an Illumination Spell!"
"Ying!"
Little Spider nodded, pinched its fingers, and an Electric Arc leaped and intertwined, bursting with white light that illuminated the entire interior of the ship like daylight, nearly blinding the curious Little Mouse that peeked over.
"Just as I thought!"
Lu Yu looked up and saw three-colored dragon bones hanging from the center where the three dragon heads intertwined.
He casually grabbed the Scarlet Dragon Bone, and Lu Yu's perspective changed…
He once again saw the eternal Mist and the dark Spirit Sea, only the perspective was higher.
This is…
The Crimson Dragon Head's perspective!
He continued to try the other two Dragon Bones and, as expected, could switch between the perspectives of the Dusk Dragon Head and the Skeletal Dragon Head, equivalent to three periscopes at different angles.
He could even adjust it, raising the perspective to see what his ship looked like now:
It was a huge, bloated sphere, with three ferocious and terrifying dragon heads on top, six Void Eyes circling the middle, constantly opening and closing. A circle of Silver Flame Fence surrounded it, mysterious and brilliant, and from the bottom extended numerous tentacle-like Thousand-Faced Soul Tree rootlets…
At a glance, it didn't look like a ship at all, but more like a weird, special Aberrant Body.
"This isn't a coffin, it's clearly a Mimic Submarine!"
Lu Yu murmured, his expression growing more and more excited.
So this coffin lid… Bah, this Dragon-shaped Cover is used like this!
In the Primeval Spirit Sea, going up into the sky was no big deal.
As long as one didn't ascend too high, there wasn't much danger. Some powerhouses could also briefly take to the air with the help of their pet beasts or their own talents, they just couldn't directly pilot a flying ship like Lu Yu.
Although rare, it was ultimately possible!
But entering the sea… that was a different story!
To advance to Spirituality Transformation or even the Morning Star Rank, there was an unavoidable threshold: one must use the Primeval Copper formed from the highly concentrated spirituality at the bottom of the sea.
However, most people, non-human races, and even members of the Evil God Cults would rather spend a lot of time searching for Aberrant Bodies, killing them, and looting their corpses than venture deep into the sea.
Because no one knew how long the Primeval Spirit Sea had existed, how many Aberrant Bodies were inside, or how many Ancient Existences were hidden within.
Entering the water meant not only resisting the corrosion of Primordial Spirituality but also being careful not to be lured or forcibly dragged to the bottom of the sea by these unknown beings, to sink for eternity!
In addition, due to its vast and endless spirituality, the Primeval Spirit Sea also nurtured countless Secret Treasures, and even gateways to Small Worlds would sink into it, absorbing spiritual energy to grow.
The deeper one went into the sea, the greater the rewards, but also the greater the risks.
Therefore, mastering the ability to enter the sea was like someone else laboriously panning for gold dust while you directly started digging a gold mine with machinery.
If one was strong enough, it wasn't impossible to herd the entire Primeval Spirit Sea!
All the Aberrant Bodies would be one's own cattle and sheep!
I would be the biggest Pasture Owner in the Primeval Spirit Sea!
"However, having the ability doesn't mean I already own the gold mine. On the contrary, I need to be more careful. After all, Aberrant Bodies can also be preyed upon by stronger Aberrant Bodies. Big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp. This is the eternal rule of the world's operation, and it's even more brutal in the Primeval Spirit Sea…"
Lu Yu said with emotion, then told Little Mouse and Little Spider about the new ship's abilities, expressing his desire to explore the seabed and gather enough Primeval Copper for their Spirituality Transformation and advancement to Morning Star Rank ahead of time.
If the quantity was large enough, he could even sell it and instantly accumulate a large amount of wealth.
Little Spider and Little Mouse were also shocked, not expecting Eggy to be so amazing as to directly develop a second ability for the ship.
This way, it seemed only Little Mouse hadn't developed an extra ability.
"Ying!"
After hearing this, Little Spider clenched its small fist and waved it, indicating that it would go wherever its Master went!
Little Mouse's expression was a bit conflicted, because it felt so dark under the water, so… it pleaded weakly:
"Cultivator, this is Little Mouse's first time in the sea. Don't go too deep, I'll be scared!"
"…"
Lu Yu was silent for a moment, then squeezed out a single word:
"Scram!"
"You got it!"
Little Mouse deftly rolled into the Cultivator's pocket, feeling a deep sense of security.
Although it said no with its mouth, it just loved the Cultivator's domineering manner!
"Let's go, The Shepherd!"
"Ying!"
"Charge! Charge! Charge!"
Following Lu Yu's whisper, the Void Dragon Ant was successfully decommissioned, replaced by the new ship named after the Spiritual Puzzle.
Boom!
The six Void Eyes squirmed and gathered, forming a ring.
The Void Engine started, spewing out high-energy Void Flames, generating powerful kinetic energy, and plunged headfirst into the Spirit Sea.
"Gulp!"
With a soft sound, Lu Yu, who had been holding the Crimson Dragon Bone and observing the surroundings through the Crimson Dragon King's perspective, saw the world before him become incomparably dark, as if entering an abyssal seabed that devoured all light.
Ding!
The next moment, the Spirit Lamp held in the Dusk Dragon Head's mouth shone and burned faster, its spiritual light spreading out, illuminating all directions.
Because it was an extension of spirituality, he didn't need to worry about startling the creatures on the seabed.
Even so, the scene relayed by the Crimson Dragon Head made his breath catch.
"So… I've been sailing above these things all this time?"
In Lu Yu's eyes, within a mere hundred-meter range, several weird Aberrant Bodies were floating.
Fifty meters to the north, there was a Bird-type Aberrant Body dressed in a luxurious golden feathered robe. Numerous black feathers had torn through the clothes and grown out, covering its entire body, like a forlorn noblewoman.
It had five bird heads, drooping sorrowfully. A closer look revealed that the eyes on each head were hollow and bloody, as if they had been forcibly gouged out.
It just sank dazedly in the Primeval Spirit Sea, exuding a distorted aura.
Merely looking at it, Lu Yu heard a woman's sad whisper in his ear:
"…Children… a thief stole my children… have you seen my children…"
"I beg you… please let my children go…"
The voice didn't use the Human language, but it contained a mysterious power that allowed him to easily understand its meaning, and he even felt an urge to go over and answer the question!
"Weird enough, indeed!"
Lu Yu quickly extinguished this dangerous thought, because he had a premonition that once he answered, it would likely trigger some unknown change.
"Just seeing it has an effect. Even if this thing isn't a Morning Star, it's not far off!"
Lu Yu felt fortunate.
Thank goodness he was in diving mode. Otherwise, if he had sailed above it, he would likely have been affected by this energy fluctuation.
Once he made a sound or answered the question, it would have been drawn out, leading to the destruction of the ship and the death of its crew.
The Mr.
Krabs he had encountered before was a complete Little Cutie in comparison!
Stupid and rich, and easy to bully!
First day of missing it. I wonder if it has grown a new Curse Flower yet?
Thinking of this, Lu Yu continued to look at the other creatures detected by the Spirit Lamp.
To the east, at a distance of sixty-five meters, was a giant, centipede-like Aberrant Body formed from a mass of human limbs. It had no head and was slowly roaming in the water.
In its many arms, it held the severed limb of a ship condensed from a Spiritual Puzzle, stained with blood.
It was obvious… some unlucky soul had just encountered it and was buried here.
Both the corpse and the ship condensed from the Spiritual Puzzle had become a part of this Centipede Aberrant Body's body.
The danger level of this creature was by no means low!
And seventy meters to the southwest, there was a giant octopus, slowly moving by waving its tentacles.
In the place of its original suckers were distorted faces, swollen and pale from being soaked.
Among them were humans, beastmen, elves, dwarves, and even demons from the Abyssal Ecosystem, all fused into a part of the Aberrant Body, chaotic and twisted.
As for the deeper seabed, Lu Yu couldn't see clearly. Even the hundred-meter exploration range of the Spirit Lamp was nothing in the profound Primeval Spirit Sea.
He manipulated the Dragon Head to look, but could only see endless black shadows, as if alive, dwelling on the seabed, slowly squirming and breathing.
Within the calm, great terror was contained.
The deeper one sank into the Spirit Sea, the higher the danger level!
Those Ancient Existences were most likely somewhere in the deep sea as well.
So he decisively gave up the idea of diving deeper.
'Putting aside the deeper abyss, just within a hundred-meter range, there are three terrifying Aberrant Bodies infinitely close to the Morning Star Rank. The danger level below the sea surface is indeed far higher than above it!'
Lu Yu thought to himself.
Fortunately, these creatures hadn't seen each other. Their fields of exploration were limited, so they were all doing their own thing.
Once they came into contact, these long-crazed creatures would likely break out into a huge battle!
"Cultivator, these things look like ghosts, let's get out of here!"
Little Mouse glanced through the Dragon Head and couldn't help but shiver. It was most afraid of these bizarrely-shaped, ghost-like creatures.
"I know!"
Lu Yu nodded, not to comfort Little Mouse, but because after entering the water, he felt the Spirit Lamp's burning speed was clearly a tenth faster. As the depth increased, the burning speed would further accelerate.
Although the first underwater exploration should be as stable as possible, he couldn't just waste time like this.
But, which way should he go?
Soon, Lu Yu had his answer!
Because the three Aberrant Bodies suddenly started moving, beginning to swim southwest, as if drawn by something.
"What's happening?"
Although Lu Yu didn't know what was happening, his body honestly followed, relying on his vast hundred-meter field of vision, maintaining the maximum distance as he tailed the Octopus Aberrant Body.
This Octopus Aberrant Body's senses were extremely sharp.
It seemed to feel something following it, but after turning back multiple times, even manipulating the faces on its tentacles to stare intently behind it, it only saw the endless dark sea.
On its face, which held little reason, a trace of confusion couldn't help but appear.
If it still had enough reason, it probably would have muttered "Damn it," but now, with only instinct remaining, it didn't dwell on the issue, quickly casting it aside to pursue that craving.
After it swam slowly for a distance, a large number of ghostly blue light specks suddenly appeared in the Spirit Sea around it.
The faces that replaced the suckers also suddenly opened their mouths, separating the specks from the Spirit Sea and devouring them, like special organs of a marine creature that eats phytoplankton.
After devouring these light specks, the expressions on the faces became more pained, while the Octopus Aberrant Body slowly grew larger, beginning to differentiate new small tentacles that gradually grew.
In addition, the Bird-type Aberrant Body and the Centipede Aberrant Body also began to capture these free-floating substances and started to grow.
"This is… residue of Primeval Copper!"
Lu Yu recognized these substances at a glance.
It was the Primeval Copper he needed for his advancement. He didn't expect these precious spiritual treasures to appear in such large quantities in the water.
While Lu Yu was shocked, he was even more curious about what was happening here.
Could it be that Aberrant Bodies were fighting over a Primeval Copper Vein?
Full of anticipation, Lu Yu followed them all the way and soon discovered that the three Aberrant Bodies had stopped moving, not far from each other, just close enough not to have noticed one another.
And in the area they surrounded, Lu Yu, through the Spirit Lamp's vision, saw a large amount of Primeval Copper gathered together, forming a huge vein.
Unfortunately, most of the Primeval Copper had long since lost its luster, or was even shattered, presenting a dark characteristic of the Spirit Sea.
And the main culprit behind all this was a ghostly blue Gate of Light, which was continuously absorbing the Primeval Copper Vein, causing it to crumble and turn into residue that flowed into the sea.
The moment Lu Yu saw it, his pupils trembled violently:
"This is…"
"A World Gate!"
A 6,200-word chapter, asking for Monthly Tickets.