Chapter 23: Fusang Sacred Tree

The bow of the ship was already crowded, and the atmosphere was lively. Everyone was excited and exhilarated.

"That's definitely the Fusang tree from myths and legends, the divine tree where the Golden Crow resides," Gao Huan stated with certainty. He was very serious, devoid of his usual jovial demeanor, not yet recovered from the grief of his father's murder. However, his profound knowledge in the field of myths and legends compelled him to speak out and explain the inexplicable phenomena to everyone.

Li Weiyi stood behind the crowd, gazing into the distance. Deep in the ocean, two enormous mulberry trees grew, leaning on each other, their gnarled trunks stretching straight towards the sky, extending lush branches and leaves. The bronze warship was probably hundreds, even thousands, of *li* away from them. This was because the trunks of the two mulberry trees appeared faint, like seeing the moon from hundreds of thousands of *li* away in the early morning. This phenomenon only occurs when the distance is great enough. Li Weiyi had once gazed at a snow-capped mountain from several hundred *li* away and understood that faint, blurry feeling caused by distance.

The distance between them and these two mulberry trees was definitely far greater than several hundred *li*. The height of the trees was several times that of the snow mountain Li Weiyi had viewed from afar, seemingly touching the sky.

"The trunks are probably thicker than the body of a snow mountain, and their height... must be tens of thousands of meters."

If it weren't for the fact that every leaf on both mulberry trees was quite bright, like thousands of leaf-shaped moons, Li Weiyi would even suspect he was seeing a mirage.

As the bronze warship cut through the waves, sailing swiftly, the distance closed significantly. The tree trunks on the horizon became clearer, and even groove-like wood grain patterns could be seen.

A thick fog appeared on the sea surface. The fog was filled with golden flowers of all sizes, lacking leaves but possessing delicate white rootlets submerged in the water. These golden flowers emitted a refreshing and unusual fragrance. The largest were over ten meters in diameter, while the smallest were only fist-sized. All emitted dazzling radiance, like thousands of divine lanterns floating in the sea, making the ocean as bright as a sea of stars.

Gao Huan temporarily forgot his grief, his face flushed with excitement: "It's Xihe Flower!"

"Xihe Flowers and Fusang trees are eternally symbiotic, both growing in Tanggu Sea."

"Xihe, blooming by devouring the flames of the Golden Crow. If mortals consume it, they will burn; if minor demons consume it, they will transform into great demons."

"We finally know where we are now!"

"It's Tanggu Sea."

"Tanggu Sea is the meeting point of the human, underworld, and divine realms, said to be an expansive sea covering one million five hundred thousand *li*."

Someone expressed disbelief: "You're exaggerating. One million five hundred thousand *li*? Is the distance between Earth and the Moon even one million five hundred thousand *li*?"

"The distance between Earth and the Moon is approximately 380,000 kilometers. That's kilometers, not *li*," Cai Yutong interjected, having changed her clothes and put on sunglasses and a mask, appearing beside Li Weiyi.

Gao Huan, feeling that no one could question his authority in the realm of myths and legends, retorted earnestly: "Is one million five hundred thousand *li* so incredible? Do you know how big the world where Chixian Shenzhou is located is?"

"The 'Lüshi Chunqiu' records that within the Four Extremities, the east-west distance is five hundred million and ninety-seven thousand *li*, and the north-south distance is also five hundred million and ninety-seven thousand *li*. You are short-sighted and still stuck in mortal thinking; I won't argue with you."

"Are we still on Earth now? We are in the Underworld, in the Ghost Wasteland."

"Gurgle!"

"Gurgle!"

Towards the Fusang trees, the seawater turned golden-red, as if an endless divine flame was burning at the bottom of the sea. The water in the surrounding sea began to boil, emitting bubbles the size of water vats. Soon, the mist grew denser, enveloping the entire bronze warship in a vast expanse of white.

"Whoosh—"

From deep within the thick fog, a gigantic three-legged bird, with beating wings, flew out from the seafloor near the two divine mulberry trees. The radiance erupting from its body illuminated the white fog in the researchers' view, making it multi-colored and dazzling.

"It's the Golden Crow... did you see it? That's the Golden Crow! It turns out the Golden Crow doesn't reside in the Fusang divine tree, but nests at the bottom of the sea beneath it," Gao Huan exclaimed excitedly, once again proving himself right. Although there might be errors in the mythological texts, they were certainly not baseless.

"The Golden Crow corpse in the grave forest felt like merely a young bird, far too small compared to the one that just flew into the sky," Li Weiyi said.

The Golden Crow that flew out from the seabed had wings like clouds hanging from the sky, probably tens of thousands of meters wide. A single flap could stir up ten-zhang-high waves. The heat and light erupting from it, even after being blocked by the bronze warship's defensive capabilities, still stung the eyes and made one's skin burn.

A curious researcher threw out a steel bar the thickness of a thumb. The steel bar flew out beyond the bronze warship's outer defensive barrier. Before it even hit the sea surface, it was roasted red by the terrifying heat, showing signs of melting. Everyone watched, dumbfounded. Could it really be so terrifying outside right now? The air temperature must have reached several thousand degrees, no wonder it could burn the sky and boil the sea. Was this the destructive power the legendary divine bird, the Golden Crow, could unleash?

After flying into mid-air, the adult Golden Crow looked back at the bronze warship sailing on the sea, able to see the young bird's corpse on board. But it dared not approach; there was an aura on the ship that made its soul tremble. It had never sensed such an aura from any other living being in this world. Too terrifying! It flapped its wings and flew towards the high sky above the serene underworld, heading west. Soon after, it transformed into a blazing sun in the sky.

On the deck area, in the grave sea stele forest, not far from the Golden Crow fledgling's corpse, beneath a tombstone, a skeleton in a red palace gown also gazed at the Golden Crow receding into the sky. Her long hair was black as silk, cascading to her feet. Merely standing casually, she exuded elegance and an imposing presence. Even as a skeleton, one could imagine her peerless beauty when alive. Within her deeply recessed eye sockets were two finger-sized spiritual flames. She looked at her skeletal arm, where tendrils of blood flowed, and life force continually emerged from within the bone. She whispered, "That young man must be a descendant of that ancient clan from legend. Only the blood of a child from that ancient clan can awaken a corpse with a single drop, cause flesh to grow on bone, and bring the dead back to life, returning them to the order of the living world within the laws of life."

"Unfortunately, our 'yang-marriage' ritual was only half-completed before he escaped." The red-clad skeleton looked at Qi Shanshan, whom she had captured and who was still unconscious on the ground, and murmured to herself: "First, I will hide my skeletal body inside her, using her flesh and blood vessel and life aura to evade the life law of heaven and earth that prevents the reversal of life and death."

Since the bronze warship sailed past what Gao Huan called "Tanggu Sea," days and nights began to occur on the sea for the next few days. Many researchers speculated that numerous Golden Crows resided at the bottom of Tanggu Sea, and that they transformed into suns, flying from east to west, causing day and night in this world. In reality, no one knew where east or west was. They were all judging directions based on their previous knowledge of the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, assuming the bronze warship was sailing north.

The Fusang trees were long out of sight. The bronze warship seemed to have warped into another sea region as if undergoing continuous spatial jumps, and there were no longer terrifying lingering souls in the sea. The sea was calm with no wind, its surface as flat as a mirror. The seawater was an abnormal crimson. When drawn up in a bucket, it looked like blood; even filtering couldn't remove the color, and no one dared to drink it. Of course, they dared not drink it *yet*...

Because the generator couldn't be repaired at all, nearly all perishable food had spoiled. Starting yesterday, food and water were rationed, instantly changing from three meals a day to one and a half meals.

Another day passed. Scattered coffins began to appear on the sea surface, their origin unknown. They moved in the same direction as the bronze warship, leaving long trails on the calm sea. This world always gave off a strong sense of yin energy, which neither the Fusang trees nor the Golden Crows could dispel. The initial "Soul Sea" was like the resting place for the souls of all planets in the universe. This current "Blood Sea," however, seemed like the destination for the blood of all living beings in the universe.

In the afternoon, gigantic birds flew across the horizon, hunting in the sea with loud cries. Another flock of strange, gulls-like birds with scythe-shaped beaks pecked open the coffins floating on the sea, sharing the putrid flesh and bones inside. With signs of life appearing, everyone on board felt much better, quickly forgetting the grief and fear of a few days prior. They all speculated that they were not far from the shore. It was incredibly encouraging; as long as they reached land, they would surely survive.

In the past few days, Li Weiyi had searched the entire bronze warship, excluding the area around the skeleton demon's tomb, but he couldn't find any trace of Qi Shanshan. "Could she really have been eaten by the skeleton demon?" Li Weiyi had already suspected this, as the most dangerous entity on the ship was currently that spectral being. Regardless, he had to investigate. In his heart, he wanted to repay Qi Shanshan's favor to be free from her entanglement. At the same time, he also felt a sense of crisis, always thinking that the skeleton demon would eventually crawl out of its tomb. Rather than waiting to die, it was better to proactively resolve the hidden danger. But before that, he needed to further enhance his combat strength; he didn't want to rush headlong into death.