Shen Jue and the others realized that the Goddess seemed to be communicating with the strange fish in the sea, and they were once again filled with astonishment.
But then they thought about it.
The Goddess was a divine being born of heaven and earth, naturally versed in the principles governing all things. It was only to be expected that she could communicate with every living creature.
Standing among the crowd, Pei Du lowered his eyes and pondered for a long while. In the end, he stepped forward and respectfully cupped his hands toward the snow-white figure beside the railing, his posture upright and deferential.
“Divine Lady.” His voice was calm and unhurried, carrying the steadiness characteristic of a military strategist. “This student, Pei Du, takes the liberty of asking for your guidance. Why have these schools of fish suddenly blocked our ship?”
Had it not been necessary, he certainly would not have asked so rashly.
He had spoken up only because he bore the responsibility of military adviser.
If he failed to gather enough information, mistakes would inevitably arise in his arrangements later.
The Goddess turned toward him, her gaze settling on Pei Du, but she did not answer his question at once.
The sea breeze lifted her silver-white hair, and the ornaments woven through it chimed like fragments of jade falling into a silver dish.
After a moment, she let out a soft sigh.
“All things possess a spirit. They are asking Us for help.” A trace of compassion appeared in her cool, exquisite features.
“There has been a disturbance beneath the sea. They escaped, but their companions did not have time to flee.”
“A disturbance beneath the sea?”
The others exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock.
“So the strange fish rammed the ship to ask for help. No wonder they kept crashing into it despite breaking their heads bloody.”
“What does the Divine Lady mean by a disturbance beneath the sea? Could some sort of monster have appeared down there?”
“It’s possible…”
Low murmurs gradually spread across the deck.
“It is not a demonic calamity, but a natural disaster.”
After saying this, the Goddess turned around and gazed once more at the sea. The dolphins were still floating quietly on the surface.
The largest dolphin at the front lifted its head, its tail fin swaying gently as though waiting for the Goddess’s answer.
“Lead the way,” she said.
Realizing that the Goddess intended to deal with the disaster, and remembering the cause-and-effect Shen Yu had mentioned, Shen Jue instinctively wanted to say something. But Pei Du, standing beside him, stopped him with quick reflexes.
He discreetly shook his head at Shen Jue.
Although he, too, felt that the Goddess risking punishment from the laws of Heaven to save a school of fish was hardly worthwhile, a decision made by the Goddess could not be changed by a few words from mortals. Besides, saying too much could easily lead to mistakes. They might even incur her displeasure.
For a time, everyone was filled with worry.
The dolphins in the sea, on the other hand, were incredibly excited. They leaped across the surface, guiding the Tower Ship of the Abyss onward.
After sailing for roughly half an hour, everyone aboard noticed that the seawater around them seemed to have changed color. A hint of gray had mixed into the azure blue.
The farther they went, the thicker the gray became.
The water temperature also rose noticeably. The soldiers on deck could feel warm moisture seeping up beneath their feet, as though there were not an ocean beneath them, but a pot of soup on the verge of boiling.
The dolphins could go no farther.
They could only stop where they were and stare at Yun Shu on the ship, making urgent, mournful cries.
Shen Jue and the others could not understand them, but Yun Shu could. They were crying for help—begging her to save their companions…
“I understand,” Yun Shu said aloud.
But in her heart, she was saying something else to the system: “Turn on the monitor and let me take a look.”
Although the blue whale was enormous, the seabed was vast, and finding it would still be extremely troublesome.
Fortunately, the system had installed a monitor on the blue whale earlier. Otherwise, she would definitely not have been able to find it anytime soon.
The Little Fox did not waste a moment. It immediately activated the monitor and even plotted the fastest route for Yun Shu.
It turned the system panel toward her. “Host, just control the Tower Ship of the Abyss and follow this route.”
Yun Shu raised her head and glanced at the system panel before activating the ship’s diving function.
The entire Tower Ship of the Abyss shuddered violently. From beneath the deck came the deep, heavy sound of mechanisms engaging—click, click, click.
“The ship is sinking!” someone cried out.
The deck immediately descended into chaos.
The crowd hurriedly reached out and grabbed whatever they could, eyes wide as they watched the gray-blue waterline silently climb up the sides of the ship, drawing closer and closer.
“Do not panic.”
The Goddess’s voice rang out, still cold and composed, yet it steadied the frightened crowd like a calming draught.
“The Tower Ship of the Abyss can travel unhindered beneath the sea.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the ship disappeared completely beneath the waves.
Seawater surged up along both sides of the ship. Everyone instinctively closed their eyes and held their breath.
Yet nothing happened.
A pale golden barrier rose around the vessel, enclosing the entire Tower Ship of the Abyss within what looked like an enormous glass dome.
The seawater slid along the luminous walls without leaving a trace.
Seeing this, everyone drew in a sharp breath.
“Is… is this what the bottom of the sea looks like?”
Shen Jue slowly loosened his grip on the railing and gazed beyond the golden wall at a silver-white fish swimming past.
He swallowed almost inaudibly.
“I wouldn’t even have dared dream that one day I’d be able to move freely underwater…” Feng Chunya murmured. “You can even see the rocks on the seabed so clearly.”
Pei Du said nothing, but the composure he usually wore had long since vanished, leaving only shock in its place.
The Tower Ship of the Abyss continued its silent descent.
The light from the surface grew farther and farther away.
More and more suspended sediment filled the seawater, with gray-brown fragments mingling with tiny bubbles that rolled upward in turbulent streams.
Then they saw light again.
At first, it was only a faint smear of orange-red, like the first hint of dawn appearing along the horizon before sunrise.
But as the ship continued downward, the red light gradually spread across their entire field of vision.
Crimson, roiling, and searingly hot, the blinding radiance erupted from the very bottom of the abyss, dyeing the dark-blue seawater the color of red-hot iron.
The Tower Ship of the Abyss never slowed, speeding through the final layer of dense, murky gray-brown water.
The horrifying sight of the seabed came into view.
It was as though the ocean floor had been violently torn open by an enormous hand, leaving behind several jagged fissures. Black, uneven rocks lined either side, while molten lava the color of red-gold surged outward from the cracks.
“Look over there! What is that?”
A soldier stumbled back half a step in alarm.
Everyone followed the direction of his finger.
The next moment, they saw an enormous figure pressed firmly over the widest fissure at the mouth of the volcano.
Its tail drooped weakly to one side, its tail fin burned until it was ragged and incomplete. Its back was covered in several horrific, blistering wounds. Scalding lava flowed around both sides of its body, boiling the surrounding seawater into white mist, yet it remained utterly motionless, as though nailed in place.
Yun Shu naturally saw the blue whale as well. Remembering that the healing skill of the Bi Luo Immortal Orchid was still on cooldown, her heart sank.
The Little Fox was equally frantic. “Host, that silly fish has eaten quite a few body-tempering pills, so its hide is thick and its flesh tough—but that doesn’t mean it can use its own body to block lava!”
“How did it get this stupid?!”
