Void Cultivation-Chapter 236- Fishing for Foundation Establishment (10)
After the incident involving the sealed existence within the small world, the vast sea fell into an eerie calm.
The black waters stretched endlessly in silence. All the sea creatures that once roamed beneath the surface remained unnaturally still, as if frozen by fear. Not a single ripple disturbed the waves, and none of the terrifying beings lurking in the depths dared to make the slightest movement.
This abnormal tranquility lasted for nearly two hours.
Only after that did the environment gradually return to normal. The soft, distant moaning of the wind resumed, sweeping across the sea, while the occasional deep roars of sea creatures echoed faintly from afar, entering Grey’s ears as he remained inside the cabin.
The magic ship continued forward along its predetermined route, cutting steadily through the water. Though the ship was set to travel automatically, Grey maintained constant vigilance, monitoring its course without relaxation. After witnessing the emergence of that terrifying existence, he no longer stood on the bow of the ship. Instead, he remained inside his cabin until morning, unwilling to expose himself unnecessarily.
By the time dawn arrived, the injuries he had suffered from the overwhelming pressure of that encounter had already fully healed.
If Grey wished, he could have restored himself much earlier using the purple crystal embedded within him. However, he deliberately restrained himself. The captain was someone he could barely trust, and he had no intention of revealing any more of his secrets than necessary.
As daylight spread across the sea, many of the terrifying creatures dwelling within the depths of the Dead Sea gradually returned to deep slumber. These beings were creatures of the night and would only awaken once darkness fell again.
Grey felt a sense of quiet gratitude for the safe passage through the night. However, he knew very well that this peace did not exist because of luck, but rather due to the lingering deterrence left behind by the great existence that had appeared the previous day.
It was only after three full days had passed, when the caution in Grey’s eyes finally lessened, that he stepped out of the cabin once more to hunt sea creatures.
The journey to the western archipelago was still long and arduous. Rather than waste time waiting idly, Grey decided to make full use of the voyage to strengthen himself by hunting and refining sea creatures along the way.
Occasionally, the captain would also appear on deck. At times, she would dive directly into the sea, vanishing beneath the dark waves. When she finally resurfaced several hours later, her expression was invariably filled with exhaustion. Yet despite this, a bright glint always shone in her eyes, brimming with satisfaction.
Each time, she would merely wink at Grey before returning to her cabin without a word.
Grey, on the other hand, remained silent throughout. He continued fishing and refining his gains, maintaining a steady rhythm of cultivation. Before long, after processing a large number of sea creatures, he successfully opened his thirty-eighth spirit perforation.
The moment the spirit perforation burst open, Grey felt his strength increase once more. Though the rise in power was not dramatic, it was steady and tangible. This gradual progress filled him with quiet contentment.
Without hesitation, Grey continued his hunt, calmly refining sea creatures as the magic ship sailed ever onward toward the western archipelago.
During this period, Grey finally released Roxanne.
She had been kept inside the storage bag for an extended time, and the moment she emerged, her dissatisfaction was immediately apparent. She puffed out her chest and let out a sharp huff, flames unconsciously spilling from her lips as waves of heat distorted the air around her.
After transforming into her human form, Roxanne did not spare Grey even a glance. She walked past him without a word and sat down on the deck of the magic ship, hugging her knees slightly as she stared out at the sea. From time to time, however, her gaze would shift subtly toward Grey’s feet, more precisely, toward the shadow beneath him.
Grey opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed it again.
In the end, he could only smile wryly in his heart. He knew full well that Roxanne was angry with him for keeping her sealed inside the storage bag for so long.
The situation this time was different from before. Previously, Roxanne had been in deep slumber and had remained unaware for a long period. This time, however, Grey had consciously and deliberately kept her confined, fully aware that she was awake. From her perspective, there was no excuse.
When the captain first noticed Roxanne’s presence, she froze in place.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the unfamiliar girl who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. After all, Roxanne possessed striking crimson hair and sharp phoenix-like eyes that were difficult to overlook. Even though Roxanne had altered her appearance and changed her clothes, she still looked like a naive young girl of around thirteen years old.
For a moment, the captain was completely dumbfounded.
Then she glanced at Grey.
Upon seeing the awkward, helpless smile on his face, understanding dawned on her expression almost instantly. Her lips curved upward into a knowing grin.
"Ah, little Grey," the captain said teasingly, her voice dripping with amusement. "I never knew you had such a fetish. Still, don’t worry, I fully support you."
As she spoke, she raised her thumb in encouragement and even gave him an exaggerated wink.
At that moment, Grey genuinely did not know how to respond. He chose the safest option and ignored her entirely.
Unfortunately, the captain mistook his silence for embarrassment. Convinced that he was simply shy, she refrained from saying anything further. Instead, she expressed her "support" in a more practical way, by casually tossing an apple in his direction.
Grey caught it instinctively.
She then threw another apple toward Roxanne. Not wanting anyone to feel left out, she pulled out one more for herself and took a loud, satisfying bite. Without another word, she turned around and dove straight into the sea, disappearing beneath the waves.
Time passed slowly after that.
Every so often, the captain would reappear on deck, only to jump back into the sea again for reasons unknown. What exactly she was searching for down there remained a mystery. Grey felt a faint curiosity stir within him, particularly regarding what she had done with the organ of the divine fish, but he quickly suppressed those thoughts. Some questions were better left unanswered.
Bored of sitting around, Roxanne eventually began to follow the captain into the sea as well.
Whenever they resurfaced, the contrast between them was striking. Roxanne would emerge with a strange, conflicted expression on her face, while the captain was often left gasping for breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Despite her exhaustion, the captain would glance at Roxanne with a peculiar look of her own.
Each time the captain dove beneath the waves, Roxanne followed closely behind.
She witnessed nearly everything the captain did below the surface, yet she never spoke of it. Not once did she comment or question it aloud. However, after they returned to the surface, Roxanne would continue to stare at the captain with an increasingly inquisitive expression, as if trying, and failing, to understand what she had seen.
In the blink of an eye, five days passed, and Grey’s magic ship finally drew near the western archipelago. Although they were approaching its outer regions, they were still separated from any major island by thousands of kilometers of treacherous sea.
On this day, the captain finally spoke.
"Stop here, little Grey." Her voice was calm, yet her eyes gleamed with a barely restrained excitement. "There’s something in this place that I want to retrieve. With it, the chances of us accomplishing the big thing we talked about will increase dramatically."
Her expression remained mostly unchanged, but the moment she mentioned the "big thing," a trace of impatience and anxiety flickered through her gaze, betraying her inner agitation.
Grey had already resigned himself to this long ago. He knew from the beginning that he would be dragged into whatever she was planning. As such, he did not argue. He simply nodded in acknowledgment.
All his preparations were complete. His poison was refined and ready for use, and his condition was at its peak.
They would be diving into the Dead Sea.
Fortunately, this was not an issue for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment realm. Holding one’s breath, or even surviving without oxygen, for extended periods was well within their capabilities.
"It’s better if you stay on the magic ship and keep watch," Grey said to Roxanne.
Although Roxanne appeared to be around his age and was only slightly younger than him in appearance, she was still extremely naive. She clearly did not understand what Grey and the captain were about to do, nor the danger involved. Grey was not even sure she would be able to help if something went wrong.
Roxanne hesitated briefly, then nodded obediently.
"Wait," the captain suddenly interjected. "We might need her help for this one."
Grey turned and locked gazes with her.
Sensing his stare, the captain’s cheeks flushed faintly. She smiled softly, neither explaining nor retreating.
In the end, Grey let out a quiet sigh and relented. "Fine. You’re coming with us."
Moments later, all three of them dove into the cold, pitch-black waters of the Dead Sea.
The instant Grey entered the water, an intense chill wrapped around him. A biting cold seeped into his skin and bones, spreading rapidly throughout his body. An uncomfortable sensation followed, crawling through his meridians, but he shook it off and pressed onward.
At the same time, a highly corrosive substance flooded toward his body. Before it could cause any damage, it was swiftly absorbed by the shadow beneath him, vanishing without a trace.
Without hesitation, Grey followed behind the captain, who swam forward with striking familiarity, clearly accustomed to the Dead Sea’s environment.
Seeing how relaxed and comfortable she appeared, Grey couldn’t help but frown. Subtly, he released a thin layer of poison around himself. His poison was naturally almost transparent, and when mixed with the black seawater, it became nearly impossible to detect.
In complete silence, they descended deeper and deeper.
Under normal circumstances, it was nearly impossible for cultivators to reach the seabed of the Dead Sea. The sea itself was unimaginably vast, and the distance required to reach the bottom was absurdly long.
Worse still, countless unknown entities hid within the seabed. Many cultivators hesitated to descend not only because of the distance, but also due to the terrifying dangers lurking below. On top of that, the pressure increased dramatically the deeper one went, far beyond what ordinary cultivators could withstand.
Yet after only three hours, they reached the seabed.
The bottom of the Dead Sea was covered in thick layers of mud and sediment. Along the way, Grey and the captain had fought off numerous sea creatures that attempted to block their path. They had descended nearly fifty kilometers before finally arriving.
By the time Grey’s feet touched the seabed, a subtle pressure pressed down on him. At first, it was barely noticeable. However, with every additional moment spent there, the pressure steadily increased, becoming heavier and more oppressive.
When they finally stabilized themselves, both Grey and the captain wore expressions of exhaustion.
Only Roxanne remained completely calm, her face unchanged, as if the pressure meant nothing to her at all.
The moment they arrived, the excitement in the captain’s eyes surged to its peak.
She immediately transmitted her voice to Grey through divine sense communication.
"Grey," she said solemnly, "the place we’re about to enter is... unusual. This seabed was formed from the corpse of a great expert who died countless years ago. Her body became this artificial seabed you’re standing on now."
Grey’s heart skipped a beat.
"I’m about to open an entrance to her mind," the captain continued. "I can’t guarantee that we’ll remain together once we enter."
She then turned to face both of them.
"Where you’re going will be extremely dangerous," she warned, "but there are also tremendous serendipities within. Once you arrive, start flying toward the altar in the sky. You’ll encounter mind demons along the way be very careful about what you choose to fight."
Her gaze shifted to Roxanne. After confirming that she understood, she turned back to Grey and nodded.
"Also," she added softly, "try to return within one month. I’ll wait for you for three days. If you can’t make it back by then..."
She trailed off and smiled faintly.
Grey understood the meaning behind that smile.
"I’m opening the entrance now!" the captain declared.
As soon as she spoke, the organ of the divine fish appeared in her hand, the same one Grey had seen before. Its aura was weak, fragmented, and clearly incomplete.
She formed a mysterious hand seal and pressed two fingers against her forehead.
Immediately, blood flowed out, twisting in the water and transforming into a thin crimson thread.
The moment the thread formed, the captain’s expression changed drastically. Her face paled as she coughed up a mouthful of blood, which fused seamlessly into the thread.
The blood thread wrapped itself around the incomplete divine fish organ.
As it did, the captain began chanting in an unfamiliar, ancient language. Dense light erupted around her fingers as she pointed them toward the organ.
The organ began to glow with a strange, unnatural radiance.
Then, without hesitation, the captain slammed the organ against the seabed and ruthlessly crushed it.
The instant she did, the once-silent seabed violently trembled.
A massive crack tore open beneath them, stretching nearly seven meters in length. Within it was a distorted void that seemed to lead to another world entirely. The crack flickered unstable, already showing signs of closing on its own.
At the same moment, a surge of information flooded into Grey’s mind from the captain. It came abruptly, violently, leaving him momentarily stunned. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
The captain let out a pained growl, her face twisted in agony.
"What are you waiting for?" she snapped hoarsely. "An open invitation? Both of you, jump in!"
Grey didn’t hesitate.
He glanced once more at Roxanne and the captain, then leapt into the rapidly closing crack.
Roxanne followed immediately after him.
In the blink of an eye, only the captain remained outside.
The crack was now extremely unstable, shrinking rapidly.
Taking a deep breath, the captain lunged forward and dove into the closing fissure. As she did, the crack snapped shut violently. A few strands of her hair were severed and drifted down onto the seabed.
The crushed divine fish organ squirmed briefly before being absorbed into the seabed itself, an eerie and unnatural sight.
Soon, the seabed stopped shaking.
Everything returned to silence.
Several powerful divine senses swept over the area from afar, locking onto the place where Grey, Roxanne, and the captain had vanished. They searched repeatedly, scanning every inch of the surroundings.
But they found nothing out of place.
After lingering for a long time, those distant gazes finally withdrew, dispersing one by one, as if nothing had ever happened.
