Chapter 181: Entering Houses and Homes

Xu Qing fell silent and looked back at the captain. He felt the captain was getting too deeply into character; a simple conversation didn't require that delicate, almost seductive cough, which made Xu Qing quite uncomfortable. However, Xu Qing said nothing, knowing that while the Vajra Sect Patriarch had been unusually well-behaved and hadn't appeared recently, given his personality, he must have secretly recorded some footage. Xu Qing believed these precious recordings would be useful later. So he gave the captain a deep look, then turned away, ignoring him.

The captain raised an eyebrow, about to speak again, but at that moment, a ripple of energy emanated from afar. With a rumble, the array's screening power descended once more upon the black wooden vessel. The octopus below was now trembling, clinging to the ground, allowing the array to scan it. The ghost-faced butterflies swiftly dispersed. Xu Qing also looked down with a grave expression, spotting a massive structure in the distance.

The structure was simple: two enormous stone pillars forming an archway without a roof. Inside, a black vortex rumbled, emitting streaks of red lightning that spread in all directions. Outside the archway, various numbers of sea-corpse race cultivators sat cross-legged on large red ganoderma mushrooms. They were a mix of men and women, some resembling humans, others with non-human features. A rough estimate put their number at no less than a thousand, guarding the area extremely tightly. Anyone wishing to pass through and enter the vortex had to go through them and receive permission. Moreover, powerful individuals were clearly present within, with several gazes sweeping over, making Xu Qing feel a sense of danger.

As the array's power spread and swept across, the mark from the Sea-Corpse Race's Three-Flame Foundation Establishment cultivator, located on the black vessel carrying Xu Qing and the captain, gleamed. After responding to the array's energy, the array's fluctuations dissipated. Only then did the octopus rise again, cautiously moving forward. As it passed each ganoderma mushroom, the sea-corpse race cultivators upon them rose and bowed towards the captain, saying, "Greetings, Third Princess."

Xu Qing maintained a calm expression, but his heart was filled with extreme vigilance. Being stared at by so many people meant that even a slight mistake or revealing a flaw could ruin everything. At the same time, the concentrated aura of the sea-corpse race cultivators made the oppressive force here immense. Xu Qing distinctly felt the small bottle in his possession evaporating more quickly. If this continued, it might become ineffective soon. The captain was in a similar predicament; no matter how convincing his disguise, he still faced risk. He was also inwardly nervous, so he took out several black beads and fiddled with them, displaying an impatient expression.

As they neared the gigantic stone pillar archway, and more gazes fell upon them, the captain suddenly threw a black bead to the side. A roar immediately erupted, and the auras of all the surrounding sea-corpse race cultivators fluctuated. "Have you seen enough?" The captain's impatient expression transformed into a sweet smile. Though his face was pale and showed extreme weakness, it was precisely this weakness that made his smile appear even more endearing and delicate. The surrounding sea-corpse race cultivators fell silent and immediately lowered their heads. "Escort this princess inside." The captain smiled, rose, walked to the front of the vessel, and extended a hand towards Xu Qing.

Xu Qing greatly admired the captain's acting. He stepped forward, lowered his head, supported the captain's small hand, and walked ahead, leaving the black wooden vessel and the octopus below. They rapidly approached the massive black vortex ahead. Compared to the vortex, Xu Qing and the captain were as insignificant as ants. At the same time, the terrifying fluctuations emanating from within the vortex caused both Xu Qing and the captain to tremble inwardly. However, their mental preparation was sufficient. They continued to approach steadily, and once they were completely close, they exchanged glances. Without any hesitation, they simultaneously stepped into the vortex.

As they stepped in, their minds roared instantly, as if they had entered another dimension. They reappeared within a crimson world! This world was not very large. The ground was covered in a crimson liquid, resembling a pool of blood. Around it, a circle of stone pillars stood, seventy or eighty of them in total. On each one, a sea-corpse race cultivator sat cross-legged! Besides these, the most striking feature in this world was a colossal statue. It stood above the pool, its feet submerged in the water, towering over three thousand zhang high, like a sky-supporting entity. Its entire body was crimson and covered in spots. It resembled a human corpse roaring to the sky, and its hands were strangely positioned. One hand was raised, as if reaching for the sky, while the other lay flat against its chest. Furthermore, numerous tentacles grew from the statue's body, spreading in all directions like ribbons. On them, various open eyes appeared, unsettlingly, and if one looked closely, one could see worlds reflected within each eye. Different worlds were mirrored in these eyes, making the statue's aura earth-shattering, its oppressive force intimidating all directions, and seemingly resonating with all the sea-corpse race members present. It was as if these sea-corpse race members were manifestations of the statue's diffused aura, and the statue itself was their true origin.

At the same time, the oppressive force here was clearly far greater than outside, at least several tens of times stronger, causing the small bottle on Xu Qing's person to evaporate at an even faster rate. Cracks even appeared on the captain's face, as if his disguise was about to shatter. However, he managed to make the cracks rapidly heal, though Xu Qing could feel some unstable fluctuations from the captain. Clearly, he couldn't maintain his disguise for long here either. Both of them were shaken.

This statue was precisely the Sea-Corpse Race's Seventh Corpse Ancestor Divine Statue. The nine Corpse Ancestor Divine Statues of the Sea-Corpse Race varied in appearance and size. This Seventh one was not the largest or strongest among them, but nonetheless, as one of the nine, its status within the Sea-Corpse Race was supreme. Even the Sea-Corpse Race King would respectfully bow in worship upon arrival. This was because these nine divine statues contained the secret of the Sea-Corpse Race's birth. Additionally, the red pool that naturally formed beneath the statue contained liquid essential for the Sea-Corpse Race to transform new members, and it was also a sacred healing liquid. Currently, dozens of sea-corpse race cultivators were sitting cross-legged in this red pool, healing their injuries. The weakest among them were at the Two-Flame level, and there was also one Three-Flame cultivator. All bore injuries, clearly having returned from the front lines.

Aside from them, what truly shocked Xu Qing and the captain was a child in red robes sitting cross-legged on the statue's left hand, which rested on its chest! Xu Qing had seen this child back at the Pearl Archipelago. This was precisely the Sea-Corpse Race Golden Core cultivator who had walked across the sea towards the Pearl Islands that day! Upon seeing this, Xu Qing turned to look at the captain. The captain was also startled and returned Xu Qing a wry smile. Clearly, his intelligence was incorrect. Perhaps the previous guardian had been transferred, but a new one had arrived.

Xu Qing fell silent. He felt he was too crazy to have trusted the captain and come here with him. Not only were there dozens of Two-Flame cultivators here, and thousands outside, but at such close proximity, there was also a Golden Core expert who could swat him dead with a single palm. Although the Golden Core expert was meditating, it was conceivable that if he opened his eyes and scrutinized them, he might notice something amiss, especially since the oppressive force here had already depleted most of their disguise's effectiveness. Not to mention, this was the Sea-Corpse Race's ancestral island, their main base, where any kind of powerful expert could appear.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, suppressing his nervousness and transforming it into decisiveness. He gritted his teeth fiercely. Since he was already here, he had to gain some benefit. From where they appeared to the pool was about several hundred zhang. As they walked, rotten corpse hands rose from the ground. These hands did not entangle them but spread open to support their descending feet, allowing Xu Qing and the captain to slowly approach the pool. By the time they reached it, few of the sea-corpse race cultivators on the surrounding pillars bothered to open their eyes and pay attention. Only a handful opened their eyes to scan Xu Qing and the captain, and after noticing the "Third Princess," they also withdrew their gazes. As for the Golden Core child, he also did not open his eyes.

This made Xu Qing sigh in relief. As they got closer, he saw the captain swiftly step into the pool, find a spot near the statue's feet, and sit cross-legged. He even occasionally shifted his position, seemingly wanting to fully touch the statue. Xu Qing said nothing and likewise stepped into the pool. The moment he entered, he felt a strange power residing within the pool—it wasn't spiritual energy nor alien substance. It was more like a pure nourishment that also contained soul power. Just by stepping in, Xu Qing felt the spiritual apertures within his body subtly vibrate. This scene immediately confirmed to Xu Qing that this pool genuinely offered immense help in opening spiritual apertures. So he quickly sat down, glanced at the healing sea-corpse race members around him, and cautiously tried to absorb the power.

Xu Qing knew he couldn't open his spiritual apertures here; otherwise, the resulting fluctuations would be too obvious and instantly detectable. Therefore, the best method was to accumulate the energy. He would accumulate enough of the spiritual liquid from this place within his body, and then, after leaving, instantly attempt to open his spiritual apertures. How many apertures he could open would depend on how much he could absorb here.

With a resolute look in his eyes, Xu Qing circulated his cultivation. Immediately, faint traces of crimson aura from the pool seeped into his body, slowly gathering in his dantian. The moment this red spiritual liquid appeared in his dantian, it radiated an astonishing power, causing all the unopened spiritual apertures throughout Xu Qing's body to continuously tremble in their hidden locations. A strong sense of craving surged within Xu Qing's heart. Xu Qing suppressed his breathing, carefully scanned his surroundings, and continued to absorb. The feeling of stealing under the enemy's watchful eyes was exhilarating.