Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
“Judging by your expressions, does it mean that such a race exists, and you are aware of it?” Clever as Ling Yang is, how could it not understand the expressions of a few people? Its mood suddenly became a little tense.
On the bamboo raft, the few people looked at each other, and finally, it was Shu Xun who spoke. His gentle voice, to some extent, reassured Ling Yang. “Indeed, such a race does exist. But there is no evidence other than their exceptionally high mental power. Besides, the Phantom Clan has also been involved in this world. We might encounter them as well. What we need now is more evidence; otherwise, all speculations are just self-righteous fantasies and irresponsible nonsense. Ling Yang, do you understand?”
Ling Yang straightened his small chest. “I am over two hundred years old! Do I look like someone who would act impulsively?”
Little Bliss nodded hurriedly on the side.
Ling Yang paused for a moment, then hesitated before speaking again. “As I mentioned before, besides common knowledge, emotions and abilities have been passed down into my mind. I don’t know why, but I instinctively reject outsiders, even though I am well aware that the world is in danger and needs help. This sense of rejection hasn’t diminished at all.”
Shu Xun smiled gently. “It’s okay. If outsiders are causing the planet’s demise, then rejection is perfectly reasonable. It’s also a kind of evidence, indicating that outsiders are indeed related to the impending doom.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Yang finally let go of his tangled tail. Tilting his small head, he looked at Shu Xun seriously and then spoke earnestly. “Are you really not considering it? Be my companion. You can enjoy the same lifespan as me and gain some of my abilities. I’m really strong!” He even patted his small chest for emphasis.
Shu Xun laughed heartily, and his eyes, as dark as the night sky, instantly became dazzling. “No, thanks. The heart is too small; where can it accommodate so much? Leaving a few people to cherish it is enough.”
Ling Yang sighed with an air of old age upon hearing this. “Young people nowadays are full of grand theories. Is it that I’m getting old and can’t keep up with the pace of young people?”
Meng Muyu instantly burst into laughter. Watching the little mermaid at his feet, he said. “Old fish, where are we going next?”
Ling Yang slapped his tail on the bamboo raft, making a decisive sound. “I like that title. Let’s go with that. Next, we naturally head inland. Before long, the second torrential rain will come again. More of the continent will be submerged, and the creatures in the sea will slowly spread to the submerged land. Dangerous creatures will increase, including those fierce beasts in the deep sea that I am helpless against. What do you think?”
In the end, Ling Yang also sought Shu Xun’s opinion. Although they had not known each other for a long time, it was evident that Ling Yang trusted Shu Xun more. Unlike his rejection of outsiders, when facing Shu Xun, Ling Yang felt a deep sense of closeness from the bottom of his heart. It was precisely because of this that, after contemplating for an entire afternoon, Ling Yang chose to be honest and continue following Shu Xun and the others. Otherwise, given the stubbornness of the Spirit Tides Clan, Ling Yang would probably prefer to continue traveling alone. Even if it meant crawling on the ground bit by bit in the future, he would not lower his head and compromise.
Shu Xun lowered his head to observe the underwater greenery while continuing, “Naturally, I am also curious about whether there is advanced intelligent life at the peak of this continent. If there are survivors among the Earth Clan, there is a high probability they would be at the highest point of the continent. After all, that is currently the safest place. However, before that, I need to personally inspect the underwater situation. This circular open space is definitely not a coincidence, and those peculiar green grasses underwater are likely the cause of such an environment.”
The gazes of the people followed Shu Xun’s voice, peering into the dark and vast underwater area. Only the region where the azure tear was located was gently illuminated, and the grass swayed softly, seemingly fond of the azure tear, comforting it with its gentle movements.
“I’ll go too.” Ye Qian took two steps forward, reaching Shu Xun’s side. Meng Muyu was about to speak, but Shu Xun stopped him.
“Just me and Ye Qian will be enough. Those water plants seem to be conscious beings, and for some reason, similar to Ling Yang, they are repelled by you. The rest of you stay on the bamboo raft. If there’s anything else, it won’t be too late to come down.” Shu Xun finished speaking, glanced at Ye Qian, and then jumped into the water. Simultaneously, he took out a glass lamp he had crafted before, its bright and gentle glow instantly illuminated a large area under the water, providing a clear and vivid view.
Ye Qian quickly followed suit, diving into the river and swimming towards the direction where Shu Xun descended. Shu Xun’s current cultivation level allowed him to maintain a state of suspended animation, not requiring breathing equipment underwater. Ye Qian, on the other hand, was well-prepared, having equipped a complete set of underwater gear before entering the “Deep Blue Sea.” With technological advancements, terrestrial organisms could now rely on sophisticated oxygen filtration devices to breathe underwater, eliminating the limitations of time.
At a distance of over ten meters, the two quickly sank to the bottom of the water. Shu Xun’s long hair floated gently behind him, and his white attire swayed with the water’s ripples. The exquisite glass lamp floated in front of Shu Xun. What should have been an extremely ordinary scene inexplicably gained a touch of beauty, causing the audience in the live stream to go crazy with screen recordings.
“Why does Shu Xun look so beautiful? I’ve seen countless scenes of players diving into the sea these days, but it’s the first time I’ve seen such a state underwater!”
“It feels like Shu Xun is floating! I still remember the scene when Shu Xun fell from the sky and finally landed lightly on the leaves. I don’t know why, but it feels stunning.”
“If one day, Shu Xun doesn’t participate in survival games, he could join tourism and leisure games. No need for a deduction, just sitting there would definitely attract huge followers!”
“Why is your focus so strange? Shouldn’t you be paying more attention to the bottom of the river at this moment? The water plants have stopped moving!”
In the livestream, as Shu Xun and Ye Qian’s actions instantly created a tense atmosphere, everyone’s gaze shifted to the bottom of the river. With the light from the glass lamp, they could clearly see the flat grassy area and the green grass that suddenly stopped swaying. Those supple green grasses seemed to transform into sharp blades in an instant. At this moment, Shu Xun and Ye Qian were only a few meters away from the riverbed.
Shu Xun summoned his spirit sword, and without pausing, continued to dive. However, the green grass softened its sharpness the moment Shu Xun approached. The grass leaves curiously stretched out, touching Shu Xun a few times and actively creating a space to avoid him. Shu Xun finally landed peacefully on the riverbed, his feet touching the grassy ground. In the instant Shu Xun touched the ground, the surrounding green grass entwined again, but instead of attacking, they continued to tentatively touch him.
On the other side, Ye Qian did not receive such favorable treatment. As Ye Qian was about to land, the sharpened green grass suddenly surged, as if it had already stored enough energy and shot out violently. Ye Qian avoided several rapidly moving grass blades. But with the multitude of underwater green grass, even with Ye Qian’s speed, he couldn’t escape the overwhelming encirclement. Shu Xun unsheathed his spirit sword, but instead of cutting any grass leaves, he skillfully blocked the approaching green grasses, which seemed to be angered after a few attempts, becoming even faster. Shu Xun’s expression remained unchanged, but his movements became faster, and the spirit sword even split into multiple swords, dancing like a dragon underwater. The water traces left behind had a sparkling brilliance, turning the underwater space into a clash of green ribbons and silver-white spirit swords.
The actions of the green grass became more aggressive, but Shu Xun continued to weave complex gestures with his hands. His slender fingers continuously changed movements, showing no signs of panic. The dazzling attacks from the green grass were ultimately resolved by Shu Xun’s defense and Ye Qian’s agile evasion. Ye Qian landed steadily on the grassy ground. The moment Ye Qian landed on the grass, the surrounding green grass bristled like fur, aggressively aiming its sharp edges at Ye Qian.
Just as the audience was getting anxious for Ye Qian, the green grass did not continue their attack. Among the countless grass leaves, a seemingly ordinary green grass suddenly made a move. This grass, with three leaves growing uniformly, had exceptionally elongated blades that would probably droop like willow branches without the buoyancy of water. Moreover, during the recent attacks, it was noticed that these grass leaves could extend.
Under the gaze of the audience, the green grass that had pulled itself out of the soil floated in front of Shu Xun. Then, its middle leaf suddenly slapped Shu Xun’s forehead with a crisp sound. It didn’t seem enough with just one hit; the grass leaf continued to slap three more times before stopping.
Shu Xun: “…” Instinctively, he raised his hand to touch his forehead. To be honest, the force of the leaf was not heavy, not even comparable to the attacks Ye Qian endured just now. Shu Xun didn’t even feel any pain. However, why did he have this strange feeling of being taught a lesson by a grass? In this instant, Shu Xun felt like an unreasonable child, and the grass in front of him was a concerned parent. To verify his speculation, Shu Xun walked to Ye Qian’s side and then extended his hand to Ye Qian.
Ye Qian, as if understanding, raised his hand. As the distance between the two hands was getting closer, the grass got anxious. In an instant, it swam between the two, then used its two leaves to block the palms of both Shu Xun and Ye Qian, vigorously pushing the two palms apart to prevent them from touching. Not only this grass but also the grass at Shu Xun’s feet instantly entwined around Shu Xun’s body, trying to pull him backward.
Watching the grass struggling between the palms of the two and the numerous grasses pulling desperately around him, Shu Xun had to confirm that these grasses indeed had life and self-awareness. Similar to Ling Yang, they had a certain way of judging outsiders, and because of his similarity to Ling Yang, the grasses lost their judgment and mistakenly believed Shu Xun was a native of this world. Thus, they strenuously resisted him coming into contact with Ye Qian. This made Shu Xun wonder if it meant that these grasses knew, or even witnessed something, causing them to strongly reject outsiders. Or perhaps, once outsiders had contact with the natives, something undesirable would occur.
