Chapter 118: What Is Madness?

The merfolk worshipped a deity named Juying. However, the title of "deity" was one the merfolk used out of humility and reverence; in truth, Juying was merely a mysterious divine entity dwelling deep beneath the sea.

Even so, divine beings capable of slumbering in the deep sea are incredibly formidable. Their mysterious nature is beyond the comprehension of many races, and their power even more so. Before the Sky God's Remnant Face descended, the continent of Wanggu and the surrounding Endless Sea certainly had sea monsters, but they were far less prevalent than they are today. The arrival of the Sky God's Remnant Face changed everything. Subsequently, entities imbued with the original essence of the Sky God's Remnant Face began to emerge across various regions. These beings were designated as divine creatures. Some races have researched their origins, suggesting they evolved from the anomalies found within the forbidden zones. Juying was one such entity. For mortals, it was, in fact, truly a deity.

For multiple eras, these divine creatures remained at the apex, revered as gods by countless minor races and even feared by major ones. Yet, after surviving through numerous eras, the races that have persisted in this world have each developed unique methods to counter divine beings. Some races can even intimidate ordinary divine creatures, and certain major races are capable of battling the rulers of this world's forbidden zones. Though widely dispersed, humanity itself is considered a major race.

At this moment, as the sea roared and Juying ascended from the depths, striding towards the merfolk island, Seventh Lord, perched atop a massive wing in the sky above the merfolk island, cast his gaze into the deep. "Zheng Kaize," the merfolk patriarch beside him urgently pleaded, his breathing quickening, "Juying's arrival will surely unleash a bloodbath. There's no need for your sect and my race to engage in such a battle. We are allies, and my race is willing to remain so, relinquishing all our rights. We can even assist you in attacking the Sea Corpse Race."

"Your race knelt too late," Seventh Lord stated calmly, disregarding the merfolk patriarch. With a dismissive wave of his hand, his voice resonated in all directions: "Present the Human Race Battle Banner!"

The moment he spoke, the winged lizard-dragon beneath him roared towards the sky. The thirteen elders surrounding him immediately bowed their heads in reverence, and hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators followed suit. Amidst their reverence, as the lizard-dragon roared, a colossal banner suddenly unfurled from the highest structure on its back. The banner, a hundred zhang in size, was made of mottled fabric, stained with countless bloodstains, appearing severely tattered as if it were but a fragment of a larger flag. As it billowed in the wind, an unparalleled, world-shaking aura of malevolence erupted from it. So potent was this aura that the sky seemed to solidify, and the ocean waves appeared to be frozen in place. It felt as though it could suppress all ages, all races, and all existence; even divine beings would be compelled to bow before it.

The mottled blood on the banner radiated an intense divine essence, implying that countless divine beings had been slain upon it. Within those varied bloodstains, a single drop of exceptionally pure golden-yellow blood was particularly striking. The presence of this blood droplet astonishingly evoked a sensation of transcendence beyond divinity, infinitely approaching the Sky God's Remnant Face!

"The Human Race Battle Banner! Seven Blood Eyes couldn't possibly possess such a supreme human treasure, even a mere fragment... This is an artifact of the Seven Sect Alliance of Wanggu Continent!" The merfolk patriarch's face instantly turned ashen, and he gasped, losing his voice amidst his trembling.

Just as the merfolk patriarch's mournful voice echoed, a formidable suppressive force abruptly erupted from the fluttering battle banner. An illusory finger, imbued with immeasurable power, extended from within it. This finger, seemingly arisen from the primordial river of time and manifesting through the battle banner, held the essence of infinite ages. It emitted no discernible pressure, yet anyone who witnessed it found their minds utterly blank in that instant. It was as if this finger embodied the Heavenly Dao itself. Slowly extending, it gently pressed down towards the distant sea.

Instantly, a hundred thousand li of the sea surface evaporated, creating a colossal chasm that revealed Juying, now letting out a horrifying shriek. All its tentacles simultaneously opened their eyes in an attempt to resist, but it was futile. Amidst a thunderous roar, the majority of its tentacles disintegrated, its fishbone robe shattered, the tongue on its back instantly withered, and the decay across its entire body rapidly accelerated. Half of its torso explosively burst apart, scattering into countless fragments of flesh. The remaining half of its body rapidly retreated, fleeing towards the deep sea amidst the horrific screams that echoed in all directions! This scene was unseen by the other three merfolk islands; only on Juying Island, where the protective formation had been weakened, could the cultivators on the shore witness it. However, disciples in the underwater world were unable to perceive these events. Only by employing special techniques or certain exotic artifacts could cultivators in the underwater world observe events unfolding outside. For instance, the Eye of Lingxi.

At this moment, in the underwater world, within the temple, Xu Qing's eyes were wide open, fixed on the Eye of Lingxi before him, his mind reeling with shock. Within this eye, the massive wing and the banner in the sky were reflected, along with the evaporation of a hundred thousand li of sea and Juying's collapsing half-body after the finger's descent. However, this was the Eye of Lingxi's limit; in the next instant, unable to bear the horror of the scene it observed, the eye burst open with a deafening roar. The moment it exploded, the Captain did something that utterly shocked Xu Qing and left Zhang San dumbfounded. He produced a palm-sized chunk of reddish flesh and pressed it firmly onto the adjacent Juying statue.

Instantly, the flesh melted, enveloping the entire statue as if devouring it, emitting eerie gulping sounds. After completely consuming the statue, it transformed into a massive lump of flesh, with a fissure tearing open in its center, resembling a door made of flesh. It twisted and writhed erratically, highly unstable, as was the entire mass of flesh, appearing as though it could wither and disintegrate at any moment.

The fissure was pitch black, yet upon closer inspection, it appeared to lead to the deep seabed. Occasionally, flashes of images revealed numerous severed limbs and shredded flesh. Those severed limbs and shredded flesh were precisely what remained of Juying's half-collapsed body. These remnants clearly held immense allure for the deep sea, causing terrifying auras to erupt from the seabed, surging towards the remains to consume and divide them. Xu Qing could distinctly perceive the immense power of these auras through the flesh fissure; any one of them seemed capable of instantly crushing him. The Seven Blood Eyes in mid-air also appeared to have their reservations, refraining from participating in the scramble.

However, the Captain's eyes gleamed with an unprecedented frenzy. After a quick glance at the flesh fissure, he turned to Zhang San and Xu Qing, his eyes bloodshot, and spoke rapidly: "I know your objective for this trip, and I haven't deceived you. When I said I'd lead you to treasure, I meant it. Zhang San, isn't what you're after the crafting schematic for the merfolk's Flying Fish Armor?"

As the Captain spoke, he retrieved a red jade slip from his robe. The artifact was exceptional, emitting peculiar fluctuations, and the information stored within seemed to possess sentience, projecting an illusory image of armor outside the slip. It was clearly quite extraordinary. Zhang San's eyes immediately widened, and he instinctively reached for it. "How did you get this?"

The Captain chuckled, letting Zhang San seize the red jade slip. As Zhang San gripped it with the excitement of someone who had found a priceless treasure, the Captain then turned his attention to Xu Qing. "Xu Qing, you're looking for Foundation Establishment Pills, aren't you? Here are three," the Captain continued, producing a jade box and tossing it directly to Xu Qing. "Their quality far exceeds the usual; they're incredibly valuable and precious, undoubtedly top-tier pills, not comparable to ordinary ones. So, is this what you wanted?"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He caught the box and opened it, noting three blue pills within, each exuding an extraordinary fragrance and even generating ethereal wisps of mist, as if the pills themselves were... Xu Qing's mind reeled. He quickly put the pills away and looked up at the Captain, disbelieving that he would hand over such items so readily.

"I went to great lengths to find these specifically for you. I've helped you, so now you two must help me. Guard me here for a short while, just the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn! After I return, I'll share some of my gains with you! If I don't come back after that time, then just leave; don't worry about me."

"I'm going to seize Juying's flesh and blood—that's the merfolk's deity! You'd best pray I don't perish in there. If I return alive with my gains, we'll be incredibly wealthy, do you understand?!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's heart churned with immense turmoil. He gazed at the severed limbs and shredded flesh visible within the flesh fissure, noting the terrifying auras rapidly converging, then looked at the sheer madness in the Captain's eyes. He concluded that the Captain was either insane or felt his life was too long, prompting him to gamble with it. Xu Qing had encountered individuals like this before; they typically fell into one of two extremes: either they ended up dead, or they achieved immense gains. Hoping the Captain would fall into the latter category, Xu Qing asked, "How can you increase your chances of returning alive?"

The Captain chuckled, quickly replying, "No way, it's all up to fate." Xu Qing nodded.

"What's fate for, if not to play with? I've played with it several times already—charge!" The Captain took a deep breath, the madness in his eyes intensifying, and in an instant, he plunged into the flesh fissure, rapidly crawling inward. Beyond the madness, his eyes now gleamed with intense ferocity, as if he were deliberately courting death, as he charged towards the site where Juying's half-body had disintegrated. At this moment, the colossal mass of flesh trembled violently, with signs of decay appearing around it, as if it could not endure much longer.

Zhang San remained silent. After a long pause, he sighed, "Have you ever seen a Qi Condensation cultivator act like this? He's literally going to his death..."

Xu Qing shook his head. Even if the Captain now ripped open his belly and declared himself a Qi Condensation cultivator, Xu Qing wouldn't believe it. So, he asked, "Are coffins in the main city expensive?"

"I actually prepared one for him once, but then I dismantled it since it wasn't needed. Oh, that's right, I took it apart when I was forging your Dharma boat; I was short on materials, and I used them for you. I'll have to build another one when I get back..." Zhang San sighed.

Xu Qing fell silent. After a moment, he slowly raised his head, his eyes narrowing as he gazed outside the temple. "Something's coming," he murmured. Almost the instant Xu Qing spoke, a sizzling sound suddenly emerged from outside the empty temple, as if some substance was being corroded by poison. The sound was incredibly harsh, yet visually, there was nothing outside. Only on the ground, one after another, the mechanisms Zhang San had buried exploded with a resounding roar.