Chapter 90: The Search

To the northwest of the Wumeng Islands, there was a stretch of extremely steep and perilous cliffs, over a hundred zhang high, covered at the base with jagged black rocks.

Waves crashed against them, constantly splashing up large patches of white foam-like spray.

The cliff face was riddled with countless sea-eroded holes of various sizes and shapes, most of them covered with green moss and white salt stains, looking mottled. From time to time, some white sea crabs were swept out of the holes by the incoming seawater.

At this moment, Han Li and Luo Feng were floating in the air above the sea surface, facing this sea cliff.

Senior Liu, this is where the earthly deity incarnation of the Ancestral God Luomeng lies,” Luo Feng said, pointing to a seemingly ordinary sea-eroded hole several zhang in size on the cliff.

That hole appeared only slightly larger, pitch black inside, seemingly without any abnormality. But when Han Li released his divine sense to probe into it, he immediately discovered that there was something special about it.

He found that when his divine sense swept toward the hole, it was subtly diverted by an almost imperceptible strange force toward the rock wall beside it.

If his divine sense were not far beyond that of ordinary people, he might not even have noticed the interference and would have thought the hole was just solid rock.

Interesting!

Han Li murmured, a blue light flashing in his eyes as he activated his Brightclarity Spirit Eyes to look into the hole.

Deep inside the hole, a pale white water-mist vortex spun slowly, emitting a very faint trace of law power.

After the Wumeng Ancestral God was severely wounded and fell into slumber ten thousand years ago, he never woke again. The water-element seal here has been weakening day by day. In another thousand years or so, it may no longer be able to conceal this place.” Luo Feng sighed as he flew into the hole.

His hands crossed slightly in front of him, and a series of blue hand seals shot out, flashing a few times before sinking into the water-mist vortex deep inside the hole.

The vortex trembled slightly, and the hazy water mist reversed, opening a circular passage about the height of a person in the middle.

Senior, please follow me.

After calling out, Luo Feng’s figure flickered and he disappeared into the vortex passage.

Han Li followed, leaping into it as well.

Connected to the vortex passage was a dark corridor built of green stone blocks, winding and extending downward without end in sight. Every few zhang, a white fluorescent stone was embedded, illuminating the path ahead.

Confident in his abilities, Han Li was not worried and simply followed Luo Feng in silence.

The deeper the corridor went, the denser the moisture and water spiritual power became.

After walking for a full quarter of an hour, Han Li calculated that they had gone at least several li underground. Finally, the corridor ended, and a green stone door appeared ahead.

Luo Feng took out a green token, rubbed it slightly, and a beam of green light shot out, sinking into the stone door.

With a few creaking sounds, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a square stone chamber about ten zhang in size.

Calling it a stone chamber was not quite accurate; the floor and walls were uneven, as if it had been converted from an underground cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, translucent water-blue in color, like glass.

The surrounding walls had similar material, through which one could faintly see the swift or slow currents outside, indicating that this place was deep under the sea.

Han Li scanned the stone chamber and found it almost empty, with no furnishings except for a black stone platform half a man's height in the center.

The surface of the platform was engraved with winding, slender grooves that extended downward, covering the entire floor.

On the platform rested a carved head the size of an ordinary human head, whose features bore a three-tenths resemblance to Han Li—it was the likeness of Luomeng, the Ancestral God of Wumeng Island.

However, unlike the statues he had seen before, this head was entirely blue, as if carved from some special crystal. Under the light of the surrounding white crystal beads, it appeared crystalline and translucent, emitting an extremely rich water-attribute spiritual power.

Its face was smooth as a mirror, lifelike, but the neck was rough, as if it had been forcibly broken off from the original body.

Han Li stood a step away from the head, staring fixedly at it, when suddenly an extremely strange feeling arose in his heart.

It felt as if this carved head was not an inanimate object but a living thing that could breathe.

He gently closed his eyes and suddenly released his divine sense, instantly filling the entire stone chamber.

Luo Feng, who had been standing behind him, felt an indescribably vast divine sense force suddenly surge from all directions, directly engulfing him entirely. His body involuntarily swayed, and cold sweat immediately dripped from his forehead.

Han Li paid no attention to Luo Feng, focusing solely on projecting his divine sense toward the carved head.

Then he suddenly noticed that around the blue head, an invisible energy was gathering toward it.

That energy appeared very faint, each strand as thin as a thread, as if a wave of the hand could disperse it, but their number was immense, densely filling almost the entire chamber.

Above that head, a light that had been invisible to the naked eye was now flickering rhythmically, its pulse resembling a cultivator's breathing and inhalation. With each flash and dim, it slowly absorbed the faint energy around it.

"It seems this should be what is called the power of faith..."

Han Li withdrew his divine sense and murmured to himself thoughtfully.

Behind him, Luo Feng's face had long turned pale. He let out a long breath as if relieved, and in just a moment, the clothes on his back were completely soaked.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward a few paces, and patted an ordinary-looking inverted blue stalactite.

With a series of cracking sounds from the ground, a small stone platform slowly rose, on which rested a stone box.

Luo Feng opened the stone box and took out an old jade scroll.

"Senior Liu, this scripture should be useful to you. Please accept it as a gift." Luo Feng held the jade scroll, approached Han Li, and presented it with both hands, speaking as he did so.

"A scripture... This is!" Han Li took it casually and flipped through it briefly, his expression changing slightly.

"This is the cultivation method that Patriarch Luomeng once practiced, the Ten Thousand Waters Immortal Art. I have heard that immortals who ascend from the lower realms must switch to true immortal cultivation methods and convert their mana into immortal spiritual power. Since you, Senior, came to the immortal realm as a stowaway, you likely have no suitable method on hand. This Ten Thousand Waters Immortal Art should be useful to you." Luo Feng said.

"I see. Clan Leader Luo Feng is very thoughtful." Han Li gave Luo Feng a deep look and nodded.

"You flatter me, Senior. This is a convergence point of spiritual veins at the bottom of the deep sea, rich in water spiritual power. If you wish to cultivate the Ten Thousand Waters Immortal Art, you can go into seclusion here." Luo Feng grinned, knowing that his goal of offering the scripture had been achieved, and his expression relaxed considerably.

Han Li said nothing, carefully perusing the jade scroll in his hands. In a moment, he had scanned the general contents.

The Ten Thousand Waters Immortal Art was a water-attribute true immortal cultivation method, presumably capable of allowing cultivation up to the late stage of the True Immortal realm.

Unfortunately, this method conflicted considerably with his original cultivation method, and the achievements it could yield fell far short of his expectations.

With this thought, he returned the jade scroll to Luo Feng.

"Senior Liu, you..." Luo Feng was taken aback.

"The Ten Thousand Waters Immortal Art is not bad, but unfortunately, water-attribute methods are not suitable for me. Is there anywhere in the Black Wind Sea where I can obtain a true immortal cultivation method?" Han Li shook his head regretfully and asked.

"Our Black Wind Sea is remote, with very few immortal cultivation methods in circulation. Most are held by the patriarchs, who won't share them with others, as letting their own cultivation methods fall into outsiders' hands could expose their weaknesses. If there's any place to obtain other immortal methods, it would probably be Black Wind Island at the center of the sea. A grand auction is held there every hundred years, and immortal cultivation methods might appear." Luo Feng said after a moment's thought.

"Grand auction... How long until the next one?" Han Li gently stroked his chin with his right hand, murmuring to himself, a look of interest in his eyes.

"About ten years or so. But items at such grand auctions are usually extremely expensive." Luo Feng said after thinking.

"Ten years... I understand. By the way, there is something I need your help with." Han Li nodded slowly, then changed the subject.

"Senior, please instruct me." Luo Feng's spirits lifted, and he quickly responded.

...

In the blink of an eye, four or five months had passed.

During this time, the Hanjing tribe did not come to retaliate, which greatly relieved everyone on Wumeng Island.

Inside the clan leader's hall, Luo Feng paced back and forth anxiously, occasionally going to the door to look into the distance, his expression somewhat worried.

Over these months, following Han Li's request, he had sent people to collect secret techniques or methods related to imprisoning nascent souls.

However, such secret techniques were quite rare. After several months, only three or four had been found, and from Han Li's expression when they were delivered, he was clearly dissatisfied.

This made Luo Feng somewhat anxious.

With no other choice, he sent a clan elder at the Combined Essence stage to carry a large number of spirit stones to Black Wind Island, the central island of the Black Wind Sea.

That was the most prosperous place in the Black Wind Sea; if cultivators from various islands needed to find something, they would usually go there.

But today was the third day after the scheduled return, and the elder had not yet come back.

Just then, a white light appeared in the distant sky, rapidly approaching.

Luo Feng was overjoyed and walked out of the hall.

The white light soon arrived nearby, landed in front of the main hall, and revealed the figure of a middle-aged man.

"Elder Hanliang, you're finally back. How did it go?" Luo Feng quickly asked.

"I encountered some trouble on the way and had to take a detour. I spent most of the spirit stones, but fortunately, I did not fail in my mission." The middle-aged man said, taking out a jade box containing over a dozen jade slips.

"Good, you've worked hard. Go and rest." Luo Feng breathed a sigh of relief, said to the middle-aged man, and then, unable to contain himself, took the jade box and hurried toward Han Li's residence.