Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
Beneath the river, the curtain formed by the rainwater continued to expand towards the edges, and the rushing rainwater poured into the spacious underground space. The thunderous sound of flowing water indicated an extremely vast area underground. However, looking down at this moment, the light from the jade pearl at the center couldn’t reach the deepest point. It could only create a hazy jade green mist at the spacious bottom, where the mist rolled and dispersed, resembling clouds in constant flux, drifting and spreading.
Initially, the bamboo raft on the water’s surface gradually sank. Shu Xun and Ye Qian had reverted to their human forms, guided by the spirit sword, and landed back on the bamboo raft. The crystal lamp automatically floated at the front of the raft, adding a bright touch to the jade green glow, dispersing the lingering water mist.
After loading everyone onto the spirit bamboo raft, the group didn’t rush to descend but remained suspended in mid-air, observing the majestic waterfall gradually expanding around them. Being within it allowed them to experience the grandeur and awe-inspiring atmosphere. Finally, the expanding circular ring reached the edge of the giant tree forest, and the spreading momentum slowly came to a halt.
With the moon shining overhead, amidst the vast dark green jungle, it seemed like a profound eye had opened, gazing upward at the night sky, filled with boundless depth, observing this world about to face the unknown. The rushing seawater, like reversed tears, resolute and stubborn, refused to turn back, forcefully burying all sadness deep within.
This circular area was already in relatively elevated terrain, yet the surrounding rainfall was immense. After the diffusion stopped, the cascading rain waterfall gradually stabilized, hanging at the edge of the circular cavity, pouring down in a bold and unrestrained manner.
Once the water flow stabilized, Shu Xun controlled the spirit bamboo raft to descend gradually. Simultaneously, the jade pearl suspended at the center also underwent changes. The originally solid jade pearl dispersed once again, and clusters of green ethereal light took on a faint layer of golden radiance as if donning a delicate golden cloak.
After the dispersal of the light clusters, the metallic sphere that Shu Xun initially saw, disappeared. The light clusters joyfully returned to the heart of the three-leaf grass but did not vanish. Instead, they intimately spread around the spirit bamboo raft. The soft glow from the hearts of the three-leaf grass formed a loose and orderly sphere, enveloping the spirit bamboo raft within. In an instant, the vast open space was illuminated by a gentle glow.
The entire awe-inspiring scene gained a touch of warmth and protection. The cascading waterfall, with its rising mist, took on deep and subtle golden and dark green hues under the reflection of the jade green light clusters. The entire space seemed filled with this unique mist. In mid-air, the sphere composed of three-leaf grass gently descended, floating towards the unknown abyss. Grandeur and insignificance, boldness and protection, awe and warmth seamlessly merged into a picturesque scene, frozen in the eyes of countless spectators. This contradictory yet harmonious image became an unforgettable memory for many.
Accompanied by the glow of the three-leaf grass, the spirit bamboo raft descended steadily. In this calm descent from several hundred meters in height, there was finally a subtle change in the seemingly falling into the void. Within the misty water vapor, the outline of buildings faintly appeared. With the continuous descent, the contours of the space below became clearer, and a magnificent, ancient, and mysterious city, emitting an aura of grandeur, emerged in everyone’s sight.
This was a city with an extremely vast area. From the descent point, it seemed to extend beyond the horizon. In the dark areas untouched by the glow, towering buildings were still hidden, only revealing a dense silhouette. Within the illuminated range, the city was roughly divided into four areas by a cross-shaped main street. Besides the broad and smooth main street, the streets inside the city crisscrossed, forming a network that connected the entire colossal city. With just one glance, one could even sense the former prosperity of the city’s streets.
The city’s buildings are mostly made of wood, and the magical aspect lies in the fact that, after who knows how many years, this city has seamlessly integrated with various plants. Sprouts have unexpectedly grown on the wooden roofs of houses, autonomously developing into uniquely shaped trees. Various vines sprawl over the houses, occasionally adorned with beautiful blossoms. Moss thrives on the green stone streets, casting the entire road in a sturdy shade of green.
The buildings along the street vary in height and are densely arranged. Most are wooden houses, two to three stories tall, adorned with green vines. Some even have open windows, though now these windows are adorned with exquisite green vine curtains, seemingly waiting for the owner to lift them and warmly greet those passing by. Additionally, there are some slightly taller structures scattered throughout the corners of the city. The vegetation within the city grows lushly, seemingly unaffected by the dim light. After descending, Shu Xun and his companions not only feel no sense of oppression but also sense a breath of fresh, natural air.
As they landed in the central area of the city due to their descent from the central point, Shu Xun and his companions found themselves on a wide and smooth green stone street. A sense of tranquility and antiquity pervades the air. Directly in front of them stands a magnificent building at the center of the city. This building takes on a rectangular shape, with a pair of large wings sculpted at the top, seemingly in a half-folded position, as if guarding the structure beneath.
Upon closer inspection, it’s not hard to notice intricate carvings on all sides of the building’s walls. However, they are now mostly obscured by moss and vines, yet the solemn and sacred atmosphere they exude is still evident.
Shu Xun and his companions exchange glances and silently decide to explore the building. The structure, whether in terms of its appearance, height, or geographical location, hints at its extraordinary significance. As they approach the massive wooden doors, crafted from an unknown wood and bearing a reddish-bronze hue, there is no trace of decay after years, and it is remarkably clean, devoid of dust or moss.
The three-leaf grass, which scattered upon their descent, has already joyfully dispersed. After a moment, the entire city is filled with a serene greenish glow. It’s as if mischievous children, having played away from home, finally return with lanterns in hand as night falls, gradually illuminating the dormant city.
The crystal lamp hovers in front of the two massive wooden doors, brightly illuminating the view for everyone. On either side of the wooden doors, a man and a woman are depicted. Both individuals have a pair of large wings on their backs, and mysteriously, they float facing each other in mid-air. Their wings correspond, mirroring the symbolism of the wings at the top of the building.
Ling Yang, perched on Meng Muyu’s shoulder, scratches his head and speaks with a hint of confusion, “According to the records in Spirit Tides Clan, the Earth Clan doesn’t possess the ability to fly, and there’s no mention of them revering wings.”
Shu Xun nodded in acknowledgment and then pushed open the wooden doors. The doors, long untouched, creaked slowly open with a heavy sound, allowing the radiance of the crystal lamp to spread into the grand hall. Surprisingly, within this magnificent building, there was only one enormous space. Yet, the hall wasn’t dim; directly above, a pair of white wings, stretching over ten meters in length, emitted a gentle glow, brightening the entire space, far from darkness.
In addition to this, the entire hall was scattered with countless white orbs, distributed in a constellation-like manner, creating an illusion for those who entered, as if they were strolling through a starry sky.
Although the soft glow of the white orbs made it difficult to see what was inside, Shu Xun instinctively walked toward the nearest one. As the distance decreased, Shu Xun’s brows furrowed slightly. Upon getting closer, everyone finally saw what was within the orbs – small, transparent coffins cradling bodies. To their surprise, the peaceful figures within were exceptionally diminutive, with an average height not exceeding ten centimeters. The faces varied between males and females, displaying a range of ages.
In this breathtaking scene, enclosed within the gentle radiance, lay corpses. The gentle glow enveloped death – a gentle and beautiful resting place.
Meng Muyu glanced at the coffins, then at Shu Xun, cautiously asking, “Shu Xun, are you sure these aren’t your relatives?” Meng Muyu’s inquiry isn’t baseless; the figures within the coffins are strikingly similar in size to Shu Xun, and the peculiar three-leaved grass underwater seems to harbor an inexplicable fondness for him.
“If I had this many relatives, the world would be in chaos.” Shu Xun dismisses Meng Muyu’s jest, carefully observing one of the exquisite crystal coffins and the miniature figures inside. “These are not from the Earth tribe. Their small stature indicates a different race, perhaps an advanced intelligent species with dual forms of existence.”
Ling Yang, lost in thought with his tail in his hands, absentmindedly brings his tail to his mouth, unconsciously biting it.
Seeing Ling Yang’s actions from the corner of his eye, Meng Muyu: “…” Has the fish gone crazy, actually trying to eat itself? And is this considered eating its own foot?
As Ling Yang snaps back to reality, he feels a slight chill in his mouth, then gently puts down his tail. Just as he thinks no one noticed, Meng Muyu, noticing his actions, remarks with a hint of disdain, “Your tail is covered in saliva. Lift it a bit; otherwise, you might get it on me.”
Everyone’s gaze unintentionally gathers due to Meng Muyu’s voice. Ling Yang suddenly petrifies on Meng Muyu’s shoulder. Just as everyone is about to kindly look away, they witness Ling Yang’s cheeks turning crimson. Then, with a flick, his tail smacks Meng Muyu’s face.
The loud sound made everyone instinctively cover their cheeks. Sure enough, the next moment, Meng Muyu’s face was imprinted with a clear fishtail mark. Clearly enjoying being smacked in the face by a fishtail for the first time, Meng Muyu seemed a bit dazed. Ling Yang, perched on his shoulder, leaped down and then, with a series of arches, moved toward Shu Xun’s position. However, just as he crawled halfway, his path was blocked by Ye Qian.
Meng Muyu finally snapped back to reality. Just as he was about to speak, Big Bliss nonchalantly delivered a comment, looking at the tail mark on Meng Muyu’s face in amazement. “No wonder you haven’t gotten married at such an old age.”
Meng Muyu was instantly at a loss. What do you mean by such an old age? What do you mean by getting married? Does this butterfly have some misunderstanding about human society?
On the other side, Ye Qian, with a face as impassive as a mountain, calmly stood in front of Shu Xun. Then, in a cold tone, he said, “Saliva.”
Ling Yang instantly froze in place, tears welling up in his eyes as if he were about to burst into tears. Ye Qian, unfazed, added casually, “If you cry, there will be snot.”
Ling Yang, struggling to catch his breath, almost choked. He glared at Ye Qian and then arrogantly tilted his head up. “My Spirit Tides clan doesn’t have snot in the first place.”
Ye Qian remained expressionless. “That’s because you’re in the water, and you can’t feel it.”
Ling Yang’s face instantly darkened, and he proudly arched his little head in another direction.
In the livestream room: “…” Is it really okay to bully a child who is over two hundred years old? And, Ye Qian, did you apply your logical thinking to this aspect?
As the mermaid left, Ye Qian turned around, only to bump into Shu Xun’s seemingly smiling eyes. Those eyes, seemingly able to see through everything, instantly made Ye Qian’s heart skip a beat. Maintaining his expressionless face, Ye Qian also chose a direction to examine the glass coffins.
The group dispersed, carefully searching for clues in the grand hall. The structure of the hall was simple, and the displays inside were extremely minimalist. Aside from the large glowing wings directly above and the scattered small glass coffins, there was nothing else in the hall. However, the walls were also engraved with text and illustrations.
Shu Xun carefully examined the texts on the walls and realized that they depicted the birth history of this race. The mural began with the opening of heaven and earth. This race was born with a pair of white wings, allowing them to soar freely between heaven and earth. As time passed, other creatures began to appear in the world. Seeing this, Shu Xun understood that this winged race should be considered a very ancient one, predating most species in this world. As expected, over time, the mural showed the emergence of a race with fishtails and another gigantic petrified race. This record should be the birth of the Spirit Tides and Earth races.
Continuing to read, during the birth and evolution process of the Earth and Spirit Tides races, the White Feathered Wing race also continued to evolve. Until one day, the spiritual body of the White Feathered Wing race could exist independently of the physical body. However, the evolution was not complete yet, but it had already set foot on the path toward another advanced life form. The imagery stopped abruptly here, leaving the rest of the wall blank.
Everyone remained silent, digesting the information they had just seen.
“So, besides the Spirit Tides and Earth, there is another more advanced race on this planet, a race with an evolution similar to the Phantom Tribe, similar to the Blue Butterflies? So where are they now? Did they successfully evolve and leave in a spiritual state? Or are they all inside these glass coffins?” Meng Muyu pointed to the floating small coffins in the air.
“These glass coffins should only represent a part of them.” Shu Xun looked at the large blank area on the giant wall and continued, “If such a race exists, why did the world still end up in ruins? Do you remember what Ling Yang said? Spirit Tides is the spirit of mountains and rivers, Earth is the mother of the earth. Then, is this the Wings of the World? The spiritual power of the Spirit Tides tribe has already reached its peak. So, what could make the seawater uncontrollable by the Spirit Tides tribe, continuously surging and submerging the continent, even with the joint efforts of the Spirit Tides and Earth tribes? Only a more powerful, highly evolved race with unlimited mental power close to that of the Phantom Tribe could achieve this.”
