Chapter 468: Section 255: Navigating the Netherworld
The Sea Snake Lady’s fleet officially set sail.
The Sea Snake Lady had taken full advantage of the Jidian Pirate Group with a round of applause and stench-filled air, and then ruthlessly abandoned them.
When she boarded the highest level of the ship alone and returned to the captain’s quarters, Wei Ying instantly materialized.
“Why did you just let go of that Fishman ghost?” Wei Ying asked with an accusing tone.
The Sea Snake Lady chuckled, “Lord Wei Ying, I’m not a Golden Level powerhouse like you. I’m merely a Silver Mage after all. Having an Undead Mage of the same level as a slave, I must cherish him dearly.”
“This Fin Spirit, the Undead Mage, is really interesting. She has become an undead, yet she still can’t let go of her former tribesmen.”
“With such a big leverage in my hands, she can’t turn the tables.”
“If she still thinks about resisting me, then I’ll first give her a glimmer of hope and play along with her.”
“When she truly despairs, she will willingly submit to me.”
Wei Ying fell silent for a moment, then slightly nodded, “She’s your catch, so you’re responsible for her. However, the coordinates she provided are real, and according to our intelligence, that location is indeed a long-standing stronghold of the ship ghosts.”
The Sea Snake Lady giggled, “I also think this intelligence seems credible.”
The Sea Snake Lady spread out the sea chart and quickly located the deserted island, “Lord Wei Ying, look. This deserted island isn’t far from Songfeng Island. It falls within the transmission range of Sorrowful Song Tombstone.”
“It can be speculated that the ship ghosts set off from the deserted island, using the hidden Sorrowful Song Tombstone, and teleported to Songfeng Island.”
“The current issue is, how much defensive force do the ship ghosts have on this deserted island? We can’t just rush there without expendable forces.”
Wei Ying shook his head, “This mission is very important, we must capture the target alive! If it fails utterly, neither you nor I will face good consequences.”
“What I’m more worried about is the ship ghosts intentionally bypassing this place. With Fin Spirit’s identity as a mole revealed, this deserted island isn’t safe anymore. If I were them, I wouldn’t linger here.”
The Sea Snake Lady pondered, “I still reckon that the ship ghosts might still be docked here.”
“Lord Wei Ying, it seems you’re not very familiar with the Nether River.”
“This river is extremely dangerous, and mere Silver Level ghost ships find it difficult to navigate continuously.”
“The ship ghosts must escape from the Netherworld to return to the Main World—they would need spatial coordinates. Each Sorrowful Song Tombstone provides stable spatial coordinates. If they encounter a powerful enemy in the Nether River, they would definitely transfer immediately. In that case, the nearest spatial coordinate is this deserted island.”
“I think this possibility exists and is quite high.”
Wei Ying nodded, approving of the Sea Snake Lady’s deduction, “Then let’s make a trip there.”
The Sea Snake Lady’s fleet sailed on, with the Onion-head and Back-elephant leading their respective pirate groups, keeping a wary distance from each other.
They weren’t there to confront the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, mainly due to a lack of strength.
But the Dragon-man youth doesn’t care about this.
He asked Zi Di once again, “Is there really no way to find Cang Xu?”
Zi Di sighed, “I am powerless. The Deep Sea Monster Fish’s detection methods can’t track the ghost ship, especially since it is still within the Netherworld.”
“Actually, cross-plane surveillance is very difficult.”
The Dragon-man youth sighed deeply, having his query confirmed, and all he could do was give up.
Zong Ge proposed his suggestion, “If we decide to track them, perhaps we could follow the Sea Snake Lady’s fleet. Seeing them set off immediately, plus Fin Spirit having boarded their ship, they likely have critical clues.”
Zong Ge was thoughtful.
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps couldn’t directly track the ghost ship, but could follow behind the Sea Snake Lady’s fleet.
Although Zong Ge and Cang Xu usually didn’t get along, Zong Ge was still fully dedicated now that Cang Xu was in trouble.
This was the camaraderie forged on Mysterious Monster Island.
“Follow the Sea Snake Lady, huh…” The Dragon-man youth fell into hesitation.
He was concerned about Cang Xu, but as a leader, he was always aware of his greater responsibilities.
“It’s already fortunate that the Sea Snake Lady hasn’t attacked us.”
“Following her now might provoke an attack from that black-robed fighter.”
“He’s at the Golden Level and can also rely on the Shadow Plane to launch instant teleportation-style assaults, which are too threatening for us.”
“We don’t have a Golden Level, and only I can resist his attacks, no one else.”
“Hmm… perhaps if Zong Ge wears the golden silk chain armor, he could temporarily withstand him.”
“But the situation for everyone else would be very perilous.”
The Dragon-man youth fell into deep thought.
Zong Ge didn’t speak anymore. This suggestion was his idea, and he was fully aware of its drawbacks.
Following the Sea Snake Lady’s fleet posed significant risks.
Yet sometimes, in the course of marching and fighting, despite knowing the risks were incredibly high and the potential for sacrifice immense, actions still had to be taken.
Zong Ge had never feared making sacrifices.
At this moment, Zi Di spoke up, reminding him, “As it stands, Cang Xu is still safe. We have already rescued the Dwarfs and the Human Race, and there is no sufficient reason to pursue a Golden Level adversary. The risk is too great, the benefits unclear, and it would invite suspicion. We are but a Mercenary Group, at worst, implicated in smuggling arms.”
Zong Ge also said, “The appearance of a Golden Level black-clothed fighter is clearly meant for the ship ghost. This is a meticulously planned attack, and we have merely stumbled into it.”
“The risk of tracking the Sea Snake Lady is very high. I just realized there are other clues.”
Reminded by this, the Dragon-man youth also realized, “Yes, we have other clues.”
In Cang Xu’s secret message, he had provided all the intelligence regarding the Undead Gathering.
The Dragon-man youth muttered to himself, “Cang Xu, the Little Prince, and others have boarded the Ghost Ship. And the Little Prince meets his parents every year, which is not far from now.”
“The Ghost Mage Fin Spirit once shared a piece of information at the gathering. It concerned the White Hair Sea Trench and the migration of deep sea creatures. It’s very probable that the Fishman Tribe that Fin Spirit protects resides near the White Hair Sea Trench. Even if not, their tribe might have migrated there to partake in hunting these creatures.”
Zi Di agreed, “Yes, there are still plenty of clues. There’s no need to track the Sea Snake Lady now.”
“Even if we rescue Cang Xu, what would we gain?”
“According to the behavior of the ship ghost and others, these Undead Mages aren’t extremely malicious or murderers.”
“We should focus on our own matters, strengthening ourselves fully. If Cang Xu were in danger later, we could offer him greater support.”
“Don’t forget, our time has always been tight. It’s been over two months since the destruction of Mysterious Monster Island.”
The Dragon-man youth nodded, thoroughly dismissing the idea of tracking the Sea Snake Lady.
The trip to Songfeng Island started off smoothly, but unexpected events emerged during the middle and latter stages.
The survivors had initially accomplished over half of their plan; the Dwarfs were rescued, they seized control of the Iron Lump, and even whitewashed the treasures retrieved from the seabed near Twin Eyes Island.
But Cang Xu was lost.
The plan differed from reality.
With deep helplessness and concern for Cang Xu, the Dragon-man youth ordered the fleet towards Ice Sculpture Island.
Netherworld.
The sky was densely covered with dark clouds.
The land was pale as bones of the dead.
The Ghost Ship quietly traveled on the Nether River.
Cang Xu halted on the deck, located by the railings, observing everything with a look of curiosity.
“Is this the scene of the Netherworld?”
“Such dense negative energy!”
Qing Xin stood beside him, her face bearing a hint of greenish tinge, and dark eye bags emerging.
She used her Mana to maintain a protective barrier, resisting the pervasive negative energy. As a living person, she was quite out of place in the Netherworld.
In fact, even Cang Xu himself felt burdened.
The negative energy continuously eroded his body. Though he had modified his physique, to maintain his humanity, he was half-dead, with a living component still within him.
In contrast, Ku Feng and the Little Prince felt utterly comfortable, like Fishmen returning to the ocean.
The Little Prince lay on the back of a three-headed Undead Sea Snake, using the Great General as a lounge chair, lazily saying to Cang Xu, “Not all places in the Netherworld have such dense negative energy.”
“Our current location is the Nether River, which could be termed a river of negative energy.”
Hearing this, Cang Xu looked down at the Nether River beneath the ship.
The Nether River was very wide. Cang Xu couldn’t see either shore.
The surface of the Nether River was fog-covered, sometimes dense, sometimes thin.
And the water of the Nether River was a light grey color.
Cang Xu focused intently, surprised to find that the water became clearer and more transparent as he watched.
“Not good!” the Little Prince shouted, “Quick, save him!”