’Whew... What a tense and exciting day!’

Having escaped the Africa Region, the Da Yun continued to race across the Red Sea. Shi Ming wasn’t omniscient, and the Eye of the World hadn’t given him any more warnings. Therefore, he had no idea if the Abyss Lord had withdrawn its attack. To be safe, he maintained his speed, entering the Mediterranean Sea and continuing to sail north.

His condition was mediocre at best; both Descent of the Titan and Deadly Ground were on cooldown.

He was being extra cautious.

The last warning from the Eye of the World had told him that the Abyss Lord’s attack was a full-power strike delivered in extreme rage.

It was on a completely different level from the casual swat that had sent him flying 200 nautical miles before. Especially after witnessing the power of the Extremely Evil Sanctuary, Shi Ming had no confidence he could handle it, so he could only be more and more cautious.

Meanwhile, he kept a constant watch on the Map of the Endless Sea, guarding against attacks from other unknown sea beasts.

He also multitasked, reviewing the recent battle in his mind.

’The sheer power of a Holy Hall Level Skill is truly terrifying!’

’The moment Extremely Evil Sanctuary was unleashed, it instantly killed three S-rank Awakened. The Abyss Lord is even more terrifying than I imagined. Trying to kill it anytime soon will be next to impossible.’

Shi Ming mused.

’And the Great Black Heaven Dragon of Fujing Mountain... it’s ranked just one spot below the Abyss Lord, so its strength probably isn’t that different. Hmm... And the Black Society actually thinks a mere S-rank can withstand that kind of power?’

’Ridiculous!’

A single drop of the Abyss Lord’s blood had been enough to burn a hole through Shi Ming’s body. The time he absorbed the Abyss Lord’s power, his fingers had been severely corroded. It was only thanks to his powerful regenerative abilities that he managed to endure it.

Ordinary factions didn’t know much about Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts. It was inevitable that they would misjudge their power.

But because of this, Shi Ming figured that for some time to come, the Yinping Sea Region—especially the area around Fujing Mountain—would be anything but peaceful.

Xirang had already released information about the Mysterious Stele. The major factions would soon learn about the *Endless Ocean Curiosities Compendium (Part 2)*. The 64th ranked item, the "Sea-Rising Cherry Root," had such distinct local characteristics that anyone could easily connect it to Fujing Mountain. Any wandering ship faction with even a bit of power would likely be unable to resist the temptation of such a treasure.

The Black Society and the Renhuang,

’Can two mere general-class wandering ships guard such a secret?’

Shi Ming remained skeptical.

He also had a clear plan for his next steps.

First, he would rest and recover for a few days and figure out the abilities of all his recent spoils: the codex, the fruit of the Immortal Tree, and the blood of the Nameless Cocoon. He would put them all to good use.

Then—

Target: the Dusk Whale!

This time,

he would be the one to start the hunt. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

...

...

...

「In the distant East.」

The northwestern side of the Yinping Sea Region.

The seascape here was completely different from other places. The biggest difference was that the view wasn’t just an endless expanse of water; there was also a striking, majestic mountain over three thousand meters tall! It was like a guiding beacon, a landmark for terrestrial beings, a final destination for all sentient souls.

With it here, no wandering ship in this sea region would ever lose its way.

The only "true land" in the Endless Ocean.

Mount Everest.

No matter how the era changed, it still stood majestically.

When the Wandering Era began, the continental plates fractured and sank. Whether it was Kunlun, Kilimanjaro, Saint Bruno, or Majinli and Aconcagua, all of them sank into the deep sea, never to see the light of day again. Only this peak, once the highest on the continent, remained, standing firm forever like a divine needle stabilizing the seas.

Below the snow line on the mountaintop was a research institute built less than thirty years ago—the renowned Xirang.

Over thirty researchers and two S-rank Awakened were stationed here year-round.

Another one hundred thirty nautical miles to the southeast, the King-level Wandering Ship 002, a vessel comparable to a floating city, stood guard over the Sea of Soaring Dragons—also known as the Sea of Peace—which was under the jurisdiction of the Dragon Country. It was the absolute hegemon of this sea region. Within its domain, no S-rank or A-rank sea beast dared to show itself unless it was willing to pay with its life.

The Da Yu.

Because of its existence, the name of the Sea of Peace had taken on a new meaning.

The Da Yu had thirty-six levels and could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. It also possessed complete societal structures: research institutes, military armories, training academies, legacy towers... In terms of overall external hardware, its strength was 2.1 times that of the Twelve Stars. As for its hidden strength, that was difficult to compare.

On the 24th level of the Da Yu was a branch of the Xirang Research Institute.

At this moment, a researcher stood before a massive, high-speed piece of machinery. As always, he was assisting this decryption device, which operated at peak computing power, to decipher a set of difficult and peculiar characters. These characters came from the Mysterious Stele found on Mount Everest; they were strange and unfamiliar, yet seemed to contain immense power.

Human ingenuity knew no bounds, but the more they researched, the more they discovered their own insignificance.

’Who on earth invented this? How could they embed so much information into a single, tiny character?’

the young researcher complained.

"We’ve been studying that question for thirty years and still don’t have an answer," his Master said, walking in from outside with a secure case. "Now, hurry up and focus. The 562nd character is about to be calculated."

The young researcher’s eyes lit up.

After twenty-seven days, they had finally managed to deconstruct the meaning of another character in this context, all thanks to the computer’s immense processing power.

"It’s done, it’s done! Hmm... It means ’a thing that transcends the mundane,’ ’a thing that cannot be looked upon directly,’ ’a thing that easily spreads contamination.’ Why does that sound so much like Cthulhu... A giant deep-sea creature?"

"No, it’s more like a collective descriptor for Holy Hall beings."

"Combined with the previous few characters, it does seem to fit."

As the young researcher studied the report, he suddenly thought of something.

"Speaking of which, Master, is it really okay for you all to spread the information about the Sea-Rising Cherry Root without any reservations? What if some Awakened go treasure hunting and wake up that Great Black Heaven Dragon under Fujing Mountain? It won’t just be the Renhuang; even the Da Yu might be affected."

The Master set down the secure case.

"Don’t worry. The Great Black Heaven Dragon can’t possibly wake up, and no one can obtain its power."

"Why not?"

"Your senior, by studying its skin structure and its environment, came to a conclusion through some special methods. This Great Black Heaven Dragon is an ancient creature that has been asleep for nearly nine thousand years. Based on the principle of points and lines in the river of history, if the vast, earth-shattering changes over millennia didn’t wake it, the probability of it waking up now is infinitely close to zero."

"Its blood is too potent; without a special method, it’s impossible to absorb."

The Master’s tone shifted as he patted the secure case.

"But actually, by a strange coincidence, the method is right in here."

"Oh?"

The young researcher looked at the case in his Master’s hands with great interest.

The case had been personally escorted by an S-rank Awakened.

The Master inserted a key, entered a password, pressed his thumb to the scanner, and opened it.

It was a piece of a root.

The Sea-Rising Cherry Root!

"Alright, men, for the next period, this will be the focus of our research. If we can combine this with the deciphered text from the Mysterious Stele and uncover its secrets, then the Da Yu might produce an Awakened who surpasses S-rank. Humanity’s fate may take a new turn."

"Yes, Master! In that case, we’ll have to give it our all."

The young man was full of motivation!

His Master, meanwhile, picked up the accompanying documents from the case and buried his head in them.

Piles of reports like mountains were stacked beside him.

There were very few personal belongings on his desk. Aside from paper, pens, and a thermos, one item was particularly conspicuous.

It was a photo frame. The researcher in the picture bore a strong resemblance to him, only much younger. He was bent over, studying a wandering ship. The ship itself was rather peculiar. If not for the number printed on its side, no one would believe that this small, several-meter-long canoe, which looked like it could barely hold anything, was actually a Gold-grade wandering ship.

And its number was 360.