Chapter 40: The Bronze Ship Master’s Decree
Li Weiyi looked back with concern, confirming that Li Ling wasn’t following before he relaxed slightly.
The bronze ship, the Golden Crow’s corpse, and the Black Flood Dragon’s corpse were all treasures. If she found out, she might bring over all the masters from the entire Cang Li Tribe and the entire Jiu Li Tribe.
But he also secretly wondered and was wary: why didn’t Li Ling dare to pursue him?
If she dared to traverse such a terrifying place as the Departed Spirit Fog Domain, she absolutely could not be measured by a normal teenage girl.
“Can only go in, not retreat. Why think so much? I haven’t encountered any danger in this Coffin Sea.”
Li Weiyi jumped off the boardwalk and rushed into the endless floating coffins that formed the “land.”
The smell of blood and decay intensified even faster.
The place where he landed before was different from the Coffin Dock Ferry Terminal. Now, he could only find the general direction of the bronze ship. At the same time, he didn’t have the same fear as Li Ling, feeling that the Blood Sea Coffin Dock, while appearing gloomy and terrifying, was actually very peaceful and tranquil.
Therefore, after rushing out for dozens of miles, he shouted into the mist, calling out “Zhao Meng’s” name, or Old Liu’s, “Liu Bing.”
He continuously changed direction and position, continuing to call out.
Half a day later.
Li Weiyi no longer knew how far he had traveled from the shore. Every call went unanswered, and his heart grew increasingly uncertain. He was very worried that the bronze ship had already set sail again, heading for a more distant location.
If that were truly the case, what would happen to the scientific expedition team members on board who were short on food and water?
What would happen to Senior Disciple Brother?
Another half a day passed. Li Weiyi had likely traveled nearly two hundred miles from the shore.
The floating coffins were endless, and the yin mist was thick.
He felt as if the entire world was dead, with no living creatures except himself. He was panicking like never before, his mind filled with distracting thoughts, and he didn’t know what to do. The bronze ship might… have truly sailed far away.
From the yin mist in the distance, a familiar voice called out, “Weiyi, is that you?”
“Brother Weiyi, I’m Qin Ke.”
…
Li Weiyi, who was resting on a four-meter-long jade coffin, was greatly invigorated and rushed towards the direction of the voice at his fastest speed.
Before long, the floating coffins shook violently on the water, and a massive figure appeared in the mist.
The figure was as tall as a two-story building, its head as large as a water jar, its mouth as wide as a large plate, and its legs thicker than Li Weiyi’s body, filled with explosive power.
He had a full beard and was wearing only a patched pair of shorts. He walked with great presence.
In his left hand, he held a white yin banner. When he shook it, scriptures floated, and light emanated dozens of feet. In his right palm, he cradled an old blue and white jar, resembling an ash jar.
“Hahaha!”
The reunion of fellow disciples was joyous. They stopped about ten feet apart.
Zhao Meng’s laughter was like thunder, his voice extremely loud.
Li Weiyi was stunned. He had to tilt his head back to see Zhao Meng’s face. He was both happy and incredulous, “Senior Disciple Brother… what’s going on? How did you get so tall?”
“This is nothing yet. Who knows if I’ll grow even taller in the future. I’m following a path of continuously swallowing ancient immortal giant beast blood. My physique is very unusual.”
Zhao Meng had grown to six meters tall, his skin nearly golden. His arms had some flood dragon scales, and he carried many bottles and jars on his back.
The yin banner in his hand was over three meters long, topped with nine skulls inlaid with rubies for eyes. From the mouth of each skull emerged a white banner, covered in unreadable scriptures.
Li Weiyi had seen this yin banner in the stele forest of the bronze ship’s tomb sea, stuck to the top of a grave mound.
How had Senior Disciple Brother managed to activate it?
“Senior Disciple Brother, have you cultivated magic power… have you opened a spring eye?” Li Weiyi had told Zhao Meng about his method of opening a spring eye on the bronze ship, and Zhao Meng had also been practicing the Jade Void Breathing Technique for a long time, so it wasn’t strange for him to open a spring eye for a short period.
“Opening a spring eye is not that easy. Do you think everyone has your talent? Master said my talent only reaches your knee.”
Zhao Meng glanced at the yin banner in his hand, sensing Li Weiyi’s confusion. He explained, “This light has nothing to do with me. Did you find land? Where is Gao Huan?”
“Of course, I found it, but it’s a long story…”
Hearing the commotion, Li Weiyi’s gaze shifted to behind Zhao Meng.
Qin Ke, holding a spirit tablet about a foot high with both hands, along with Old Liu and Old Guan, who were carrying a stone coffin, emerged from the mist one after another.
Old Liu and Old Guan were both members of the engineering technical team, but Li Weiyi could no longer recognize them. One had drunk Golden Crow blood and grown a huge bird’s head. The other had drunk Black Flood Dragon blood and grown a dragon head covered in black scales.
Two deformed humanoid races!
Li Weiyi didn’t see anyone else approaching and asked doubtfully, “Where are the others?”
“They are on the ship and have already left.”
Zhao Meng appeared very relaxed, showing no concern for their safety. He plopped down and began to explain in detail the events that had transpired on the bronze ship over the past two days to Li Weiyi.
Li Weiyi listened intently, his mind filled with curiosity. He interrupted halfway through and asked, “Did the owner of the bronze ship appear?”
“Not really, I didn’t see His true form anyway. After the Golden Crow blood and Black Flood Dragon blood were cleansed by the Immortal Radiance energy, anyone could drink it. After drinking a drop, you wouldn’t feel hungry for days, and your physical body’s strength would also grow. The scientific expedition team members won’t starve to death. They are following the owner of the bronze ship, and perhaps in the future, they will become extraordinary beings.”
“He” represented mystery, reverence, and the unknown.
Zhao Meng’s expression suddenly turned serious, “But it’s not all good news! He has issued a decree, asking the owner of the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish… well, that is you, to reach the Longevity Realm as soon as possible. There is something you must do, and His time is very pressing.”
Li Weiyi froze, then couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “What do you mean?”
Zhao Meng said, “It seems like our sect promised Him something, planting karma, which requires the owner of the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish to undertake and accept. I’m not clear on the specifics of what it is, but once your cultivation reaches the Longevity Realm, He will find you, and then you’ll know? If that doesn’t work, we Senior Disciples will shoulder it together.”
“I don’t even know what the Longevity Realm is,” Li Weiyi said with a smile.
A hoarse, ancient voice sounded, “Spring Gushing Realm, Five Seas Realm, Dao Seed Realm. The next, fourth Great Realm, is Longevity Realm. Little one, you should be fortunate. You can form karma with the Bronze Ship’s owner, do things for Him, and He has dispatched the three of us to be your guides. How many people would envy this opportunity and treatment of yours!”
Zhao Meng had learned the languages and writings of this world from Senior Disciple Sister, and was even more familiar with them than Li Weiyi, so he could understand what the old voice had meant just now. He nodded desperately, even he felt that the owner of the bronze ship was a powerful being, and working for Him was equivalent to having a backing in this otherworld.
Even though this backing had just awakened, and now seemed to have very important things to do, and also seemed to not think much of the insignificant them, there was still a feeling of having a big tree propping up the sky above them.
Li Weiyi searched for a long time and discovered that the ancient voice was actually coming from the ash jar in Zhao Meng’s hand.
Looking at Zhao Meng, he said in a low voice, “Another evil anomaly?”
“By order of the master of the bronze ship, this old man will be your guide on the path of martial arts from now on.” The lid of the ash jar bounced, and a voice sounded.
In the spirit tablet in Qin Ke’s hand, the voice of a middle-aged woman sounded: “I am the guide on your Spirit God cultivation path.”
Inside the stone coffin, carried by Old Liu and Old Guan, was a low, restrained voice: “I’m quite versatile, knowing a little of everything. I’ll be responsible for planning your cultivation path. Two years to Spring Gushing Realm, three years to Five Seas Realm, five years to Dao Seed Realm, and within ten years, you must reach Longevity Realm. Ten years, you only have ten years!”
60 “You can consider it the will of the bronze ship’s owner, or you can consider it a transaction, but absolutely do not ignore it. Because, ten years from now… or a little longer, what will happen will also affect you and those around you.”
Li Weiyi’s finger touched the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish, and in an instant, he thought of many things. His expression gradually became serious, realizing that Senior Disciple Brother, the owner of the bronze ship, and these three evil beings were not joking.
Moreover, there seems to be no possibility of shirking or refusing.
He is indeed still ignorant and vague about cultivation now, with too many unknown things.
If there were a master or a distinguished person to offer guidance, it would naturally be something I couldn’t ask for more.
But…
He had too many questions in his heart.
Li Weiyi cupped his fists and asked, “May I ask for the names of the three seniors?”
The old man in the jar said, “The three of us were once renowned figures on this land, but now I am just a jar of ashes. My wife is a remnant soul residing in a spirit tablet, and the other is a decaying corpse. If not for the owner of the bronze ship, we wouldn’t even have this last bit of remnant soul consciousness. So, in this pathetic state, we no longer mention the past.”
The middle-aged woman in the spirit tablet said, “Agreed.”
“Agreed,” replied from within the stone coffin.
The old man in the jar said again, “Just call me Jar Senior.”
“Spirit Tablet Senior.”
“Coffin Senior.”
All three announced their names.
Is he that easygoing and down-to-earth?
It’s completely different from Zen Sea Observing Mist and Yu Tuo Nan.
Perhaps it was the will of the owner of the bronze ship.
Li Weiyi’s gaze swept over the ash jar, spirit tablet, and stone coffin one by one, and he directly asked, “Do the three seniors know the karma between the Chan Sect and the owner of the bronze ship? Why must I reach the Longevity Realm as soon as possible? And why is there only ten years? I heard that ten years is only enough for a cultivator with high-grade talent to open four springs.”
“How many springs have you opened now?” Jar Senior asked.
“Three Springs.”
“How long did it take?”
Li Weiyi said, “Less than half a month!”
“Isn’t that enough? What high-grade talent or low-grade talent, you are different, you are the one chosen by the master of the bronze ship,” Jar Senior said.
The Coffin Senior in the stone coffin said unhurriedly, “No, my view differs from his. Li Weiyi, you are not the person chosen by the Bronze Ship master; you can only be yourself. Only when cultivators understand what they want and what they seek can they gradually forge an unwavering Dao Heart during their long cultivation journey in the future. Therefore, what karma is doesn’t really matter to you right now.”
Li Weiyi pondered.
Coffin Senior continued, “I will ask you two questions: What are you pursuing at this stage? What do you want? Don’t rush to answer, let’s return to Lingxiao Life Realm first.”
Li Weiyi’s lips moved slightly, but he didn’t answer immediately, wanting to think it through first.
The group walked towards the shore.
Zhao Meng was also thinking about these two questions, but he was relaxed: “Anyway, at this stage, I just want to find Senior Disciple Sister. She is definitely from this world.”
Half an hour later, Li Weiyi came back to his senses from his contemplation, thinking that Li Ling might still be at the Coffin Dock Ferry Terminal, and that Shi Jiuzhai and his disciples might be blocking the Dragon Slaying Pass.
“Since the three seniors know of the Lingxiao Life Realm, you must have been from here in life. Do you know if there are any other ways to return, besides the Departed Spirit Fog Domain at the Coffin Dock Ferry Terminal?” Li Weiyi said.
Jar Senior was very active, and said with a laugh: “You’ve asked the right person! When it comes to the Blood Sea Coffin Dock and the Departed Spirit Fog Domain, no one knows them better than your Senior Coffin. He is from the Jiu Li…”
“Shut up.”
The voice in the stone coffin sounded, “What danger is there at the Coffin Dock Ferry Terminal?”
“Danger is hard to say, but I want to avoid it as much as possible,” Li Weiyi said.
The voice from inside the stone coffin said: “There is another path, but it will be a bit longer. Next, I will borrow the Nine Emperor Banner to determine direction and guide the way. Whoever holds the banner, lead the way!”
The Nine Emperor Banner is the white yin banner in Zhao Meng’s hand. The gemstones in the eyes of the nine skulls can provide it with secret energy similar to magic power. The scriptures and light emanating from the banner indicate the direction of travel for everyone.
The shore was too far away. They were already walking very fast, but when the sky completely darkened, they still had not reached the land.
They found a floating coffin area where the cold wind was blocked by a giant coffin and the ground was stable, and they prepared to rest for one night.
Zhao Meng, following Coffin Senior’s guidance, inserted the white Yin Banner in his hand into the gap between the two coffins. This banner could suppress spirits, and departed spirits dared not approach the area covered by its radiance; it was a treasure of Coffin Senior’s life.
Li Weiyi took out food from the Evil Camel Bell and distributed it to everyone.
Just finished eating.
“Boom! Boom…”
The Blue and White Ash Jar leaped out from the corner: “It’s time to cultivate, we must cultivate! All together, you Li Weiyi, stop thinking about Old Coffin’s troublesome problems for now. You’re always dwelling on profound and ethereal things. Real things are most important. You must open the fourth spring eye as soon as possible. All of us here are relying on you for protection now. Don’t let some randomly appearing Five Springs or Six Springs realm cultivator wipe us all out in one go. Then what’s the point of talking about the Longevity Realm.”
Li Weiyi said, “Senior, opening a spring eye shouldn’t be something that can be done just by saying so, it needs to be done step by step.”
“Nonsense! With the vigorous vitality of Golden Crow blood, your Chan Sect’s supreme breathing technique, and my guidance, there’s no danger in the first four springs. With your bloodline and talent, you can open them with ease. However, there is some danger in the Fifth Spring, so you’ll need to get an spring-opening needle from the prefectural city to open it quickly.”
Jar Senior was impatient and, once he made up his mind, directly began guiding Li Weiyi to forcefully break through the Fourth Spring in the palm of his left hand.
