Chapter 170: Touching the Trigger

Xu Qing didn't hesitate for a moment. He put away his Dharma boat, immediately activated his Profound Radiance state, and with his Life Lamp burning like a volcanic eruption, he sped towards the location of the Shadow Eye.

The Shadow Eye was parasitizing a Moonfish. These fish typically measured tens of feet in length, with enormous heads that occupied nearly 90% of their bodies. Their tiny fins, short tail, and perpetually open mouths often gave them a somewhat clumsy and endearing appearance. They were not particularly fast swimmers and had a strong preference for light, whether sunlight or moonlight. Despite being able to dive into the deep sea, they often appeared on the surface, drifting like dead fish.

Interestingly, Moonfish in the Forbidden Sea were unique. Whenever one appeared, it was always surrounded by various fierce, injured sea beasts. Most of these beasts wouldn't harm the Moonfish; instead, they treated it like a floating scrubbing brush, rubbing against it, especially on their wounds. The Sea Lore of the Seven Blood Eyes mentioned this phenomenon. It was said that the Moonfish's body produced a peculiar mucus with healing properties, which allowed these creatures to carve out a niche for themselves in the Forbidden Sea.

At this moment, Xu Qing's speed was at its maximum. Following the shadow's guidance, after flying for a full hour, he finally saw, in the distance, patches of vengeful spirits continuously ascending into the sky. This was the Night of a Hundred Ghosts. Its range was not very large, roughly a few thousand feet, which differed somewhat from Xu Qing's previous experience. Evidently, this strange phenomenon wasn't fixed in size. This made Xu Qing feel a mix of hope and apprehension. He wasn't sure if his earlier judgment was correct, but after searching for so long, he had to at least try. With a wave of his hand, his Dharma boat appeared, crashing onto the sea surface with a boom, stirring up waves, and the shadow simultaneously retracted its Shadow Eye.

Xu Qing stepped onto the Dharma boat and slowly maneuvered it forward. As he approached the area of the Night of a Hundred Ghosts, he looked up, and a strange sound reached his ears. These sounds were not music at all, but rather the piercing sound waves formed by the roars of vengeful spirits, like a chorus of wailing ghosts and wolves, chilling the mind. Xu Qing's Dharma boat slowly came to a halt within the range of the Night of a Hundred Ghosts. He raised his right hand, took out the Sound-Capturing Bottle, uncorked it, and placed it before him, pouring his magical power into it. As threads of bright light appeared on the Sound-Capturing Bottle and gradually spread, the bottle's sound-capturing ability slowly activated.

Having completed these preparations, Xu Qing looked up at the night sky, watching the patches of grotesque vengeful spirits ascend and listening to the strange sounds. He recalled his feelings from the first time he encountered the Night of a Hundred Ghosts. He calmed his mind, allowing himself to slowly achieve inner peace. He didn't resist the wailing sounds but accepted them, merging himself with them. Gradually, his consciousness sank, and time passed. Before he knew it, the night was over.

When the morning of the second day arrived, and the dawn accompanied by the sea breeze brushed his eyelashes and knocked on his eye's window, Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes. A hint of sadness was hidden deep within them, but he quickly concealed it. The sky was bright. The Night of a Hundred Ghosts had ended.

"This night passed so quickly," Xu Qing murmured, recalling everything he had felt and heard during the night. The moment he had fully immersed himself, he had finally heard a different sound. Now, recalling it, he couldn't describe what kind of music it was. It felt more like a dream to Xu Qing, but this time he didn't dream of Grandmaster Bai's teachings. Instead, he dreamed of the scene where he and Captain Lei ate snakes in the Scavenger Camp.

After a long time, Xu Qing lowered his head to look at the Sound-Capturing Bottle. He raised his right hand and waved it, and immediately the sounds of the previous night emanated from the bottle, vivid and identical. Closing his eyes, he could almost feel as if the Night of a Hundred Ghosts was still ongoing. What made Xu Qing feel even more complex was that he once again had the sensation of dreaming. Vaguely, the memory of him carrying Captain Lei outside the Scavenger Camp seemed to reappear before his eyes. Even Captain Lei's words from back then echoed in Xu Qing's mind, making him lose himself in thought.

"Later, in the camp, pay more attention to those scavengers. Don't forget to feed the dogs at night; those little guys are the most trustworthy in the camp. And remember to eat, don't eat cold food, don't mind the trouble, heat it up before eating. You're still growing, you can't be careless. Otherwise, when you get older, you'll know suffering. Oh, and don't sleep on the bed frame anymore. Don't be afraid to get your bedding dirty; remember to air it out in the sun after washing."

Xu Qing's body trembled slightly. The sea breeze blew over him, rustling his robes and tousling his hair, but it couldn't disperse the memories and sadness rising from his heart. After a long, long time, Xu Qing sighed softly, lowered his head again, and quietly gazed at the Sound-Capturing Bottle, murmuring hoarsely, "It's a pity I still haven't found the Mandate Flower."

After a while, Xu Qing suppressed the thoughts in his heart, hiding all his emotions deep within. His eyes slowly regained their sharpness, the lines on his face showed determination, and his aura returned to coldness. "I'm still too weak. I need to become stronger!"

Xu Qing's gaze was firm. He looked around and, finding the area very remote, he ascended to check again, making sure there were no figures nearby. Only then did he return to the Dharma boat, looking down at the sea, and suddenly spoke. "Shadow, summon the Dragon Carriage Giant for me."

The morning sun cast its gentle light upon the calm sea. From a distance, the dark sea looked like a piece of black jade, exuding a sense of mystery while also carrying a hint of decay under the sunlight. Perhaps in this world's past, the ocean's depth was due to its vastness, but in the current era, its decay came from the terrifying beings slumbering and breathing out from the seabed. The Dragon Carriage Giant was just one of them.

Regarding Xu Qing's words, the shadow dared not hesitate in the slightest. Even if it didn't understand why, and even if it wanted to pose a question, any intelligent creature dominated by the fear of death would become very obedient. So, the moment Xu Qing's words were uttered, the shadow unhesitatingly opened a slit and let out a sound from its gaping mouth. *Click-clack, click-clack.*

This grinding sound echoed across the calm sea. Although not very loud, it seemed to contain a special signal that could attract the attention of certain strange entities. Thus, under Xu Qing's vigilance, the sea slowly began to stir. Ripples appeared on the calm surface, growing more numerous as the wind intensified, forming rising waves that chased one another. The waves were black, like a silk ribbon fluttering in the wind. As they continuously swayed, Xu Qing, fully focused, closely observed the seabed through his underwater plesiosaur. Perhaps it was because Xu Qing's current location was too far from where he had previously seen the Dragon Carriage, or perhaps the giant had moved even further away.

So, a full stick of incense passed. As the seawater extensively surged, amid the towering waves that formed like a tsunami, Xu Qing finally saw, through the underwater plesiosaur, a turbulent current appearing in the distant seabed, as if some colossal being was striding rapidly towards them. "It's coming!"

Xu Qing felt a little nervous, but his eyes became even sharper. His life fire instantly ignited, and his life lamp brightened accordingly. His aura surged abruptly, entering the Profound Radiance state. In his vision, the sea seemed to have shed some of its blackness, no longer so blurry. This allowed him to see the colossal figure of the approaching giant deep beneath the sea, along with countless swaying tentacles. At this moment, everything around him seemed to slow down in his eyes, yet the giant's movements remained utterly unchanged, as if Xu Qing's Profound Radiance state was completely ineffective in its presence.

Step by step, it walked towards Xu Qing, its figure gradually becoming clearer. The sound of its chains echoed all around, and the dilapidated, tilting bronze dragon carriage behind it also emerged into Xu Qing's view. It was rusted, incredibly tall, and horrifying to behold. Their distance was now less than a thousand feet. Though the giant's figure was shrouded by the sea, its height and the terrifying aura emanating from its entire body were intensely palpable. Xu Qing had never been this close! The first time, he was nearly ten thousand feet away, so he could only see a general outline and couldn't discern the totemic murals on the carriage. The last time, he was a few thousand feet away, and with his cultivation improvement, he could see the murals clearly.

Now, as the distance between them shortened to within a thousand feet, not only were the murals clearer in Xu Qing's vision, but also a generally terrifying pressure, like mountains and seas, surged and enveloped him. The Adamantine Sect Patriarch immediately trembled, rapidly retreating into the black iron spike, resisting with all his might. Xu Qing's mind also roared, blood flowing from his nose, and his eyes became bloodshot. Only the shadow remained as usual, but it was clearly terrified by Xu Qing's torment. Even though Xu Qing seemed to be in a bad state, it dared not take any chances.

Xu Qing wiped the blood from his nose, gave the shadow a cold glance, and said nothing. After looking back at the sea, he rapidly analyzed the situation in his mind, and determination flashed in his eyes. "Though the distance is still a bit far, I can't wait any longer!"

(Today: 3 chapters, 9,000 words.)(The day before yesterday, I heard people say that updating more makes hair turn black. I'm trying it.)