Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

Chapter 98 The Mist Hunting Ground

The Black Shark had been in the Ghost Mist Zone, which was considered a forbidden area by the cultivators of the Chaotic Star Sea, for half an hour.

The surrounding light seemed to be completely swallowed up by the thick, viscous gray fog. Even the specially made water-repellent lamp hanging at the bow of the ship could only illuminate an area of ​​less than three zhang in front of it. The suffocating sense of oppression came not only from the deprivation of sight, but also from the obstruction of spiritual consciousness.

Gu An stood in front of the cockpit, his hands pressed tightly on the control panel, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

His face appeared somber and grave under the dim yellow light.

"Divine consciousness was suppressed to the extreme—"

Gu An tried to extend his divine sense outside his body, but it felt like he had bumped into a thick, slippery wall of cotton. His divine sense, which was originally enough to cover dozens of feet, could not even reach the side of the ship. That feeling of insecurity, like that of a blind man, sent chills down his spine.

Meanwhile, deep within the hazy mist behind them, three extremely subtle yet murderous fluctuations of spiritual energy were relentlessly pursuing the Black Shark.

"It's like a persistent ghost."

Gu An spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

That was the Black Shark Gang's elite pursuit team.

Three specially made speedboats named "Black Swordfish" are long and narrow, extremely fast, and their hulls are engraved with wave-breaking formations. They are as agile as loaches in this reef-strewn water.

On the lead speedboat, a middle-aged man dressed as a Black Shark Gang steward held a compass that glowed red, his eyes coldly fixed on the faintly visible ship ahead.

This man, named Zhao Li, is at the peak of the seventh level of Qi Refining. He is a steward of the Black Shark Gang, responsible for cleaning up "dirty work." He is ruthless and extremely skilled at tracking.

"Trying to run away once you're in the Ghost Fog Zone?"

Zhao Li stared at the still-moving dot of light on the compass, a cruel sneer playing on his lips. "This mist can block divine sense, but it can't block the blood-tracing incense I left on that wrecked ship." He then ordered, "Pass down the order: flank from both sides. Don't kill him all at once. The gang leader said to capture that brat alive, skin him alive, and tear him apart!"

"yes!"

Two responses came from the mist on either side. The other two speedboats quickly distanced themselves, like two open scissors, slashing fiercely at the Black Shark where Gu An was.

On the Black Shark.

Although Gu An couldn't see what was happening behind him, his keen intuition and the increasingly intense killing intent in the air made him realize that his situation was extremely precarious.

"Gu An————"

A weak voice came from behind her. Leaning against the cabin door, she clutched the few poison pills she had just refined over the past few days, her face as pale as paper. "They're catching up. This fog is too eerie; my divine sense is completely ineffective. Should I—set up a poison array on the ship and fight them?"

"Compete? What are we going to use to compete?"

Gu An didn't even turn his head, his voice cold and hard, "Those are three high-speed speedboats specifically used for hunting. Our dilapidated boat is like a sitting duck. If we really go head-to-head, a few volleys from them could blast us to smithereens."

"What do we do then?" Shen Wan gritted her teeth. "Are we just going to wait here to die?"

"Waiting to die is not my style."

Gu An took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Since divine sense is useless, let's try another method.

He relaxed his mind and did not forcefully resist the strange power that suppressed his divine sense. Instead, he activated the talent that had always accompanied him deep in his mind—[Spiritual Plant Affinity].

In this ghostly fog filled with death and the unknown, what else is there besides the cold water vapor and the smell of corpses?

Buzz—

Just as Gu An was fully immersed in his surroundings, a faint yet dense "noise" suddenly came to his mind.

The feeling was like billions of tiny lives breathing and whispering.

Gu An suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of unbelievable surprise flashing deep in his pupils.

"This fog—it's not ordinary water fog!"

He reached out and made a grasping motion in the air. With his palm open, in the dim light, one could see countless extremely fine, dust-like particles floating within the gray mist.

Those are spores.

Spores released by a deep-sea shady plant called "Ghost Face Moss"!

These spiritual plants grow only in desolate places where the sun never shines and where yin energy gathers. Their spores are extremely light and possess a powerful hallucinogenic and mind-blocking effect. The reason this ghostly mist area can devour divine consciousness is precisely because of this sea of ​​spores that fills the sky and the earth!

Since they are plant spores, they must be living organisms.

Since it is a living thing, it is within the perception range of [Spirit Plant Affinity]!

In an instant, the world before Gu An's eyes changed.

The originally hazy, obstructed fog transformed into a vast, three-dimensional net in his perception.

Each floating spore became his tentacles.

Through the movement, collisions, and density changes of these spores, he clearly "saw" everything around him:

Thirty feet to the left, there was a huge, hidden reef that jutted out of the water like a sharp sword, covered with sharp barnacles.

Fifty feet to the right front, the water flowed swiftly, forming a hidden whirlpool large enough to swallow a small boat.

Directly behind and to the sides of him, three shuttle-like speedboats were cutting through the waves, and the air currents generated when the bows of the boats struck the spores could be clearly felt.

"Full map up —"

Gu An's lips slowly curled into a ferocious and insane arc on his half-festering face.

In this ghostly mist that blinded and deafened all the monks, only he opened his eyes, the eyes of God.

"Trying to hunt me down?"

Gu An swiftly rotated the control array plate with both hands, pouring his Azure Dragon Wood spiritual power into it as if it were free.

"Let's see who the prey really is!"

Rumble!

The Black Shark, which was originally traveling in a straight line, suddenly let out a deep roar, tilted violently, and veered sharply towards the seemingly empty dark waters on its left in an almost drifting manner.

"Has this kid gone mad?"

Behind them, on the Black Shark Gang speedboat on the left responsible for flanking, the cultivator piloting the boat was taken aback by what he saw.

Their compass readings showed that although there were no obvious obstacles, the water flow was extremely turbulent.

"Who cares if he's crazy! Since he's come to me like this, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The cultivator grinned maliciously and steered the speedboat to accelerate forward, attempting to cut off the Black Shark's path.

However, just moments before the two ships were about to collide.

Gu An tapped the array plate three times with remarkable precision.

The Black Shark's stern fin slammed against the water, and the massive ship, propelled by an undercurrent, spun around on the surface, barely grazing the side of the speedboat.

"What?!"

The monk piloting the ship was terrified; it was too late to turn around.

Because directly in front of him, the mist dissipated, revealing not a vast expanse of water, but a black stone pillar that pierced the sky like the fangs of a giant beast!

This stone pillar, previously hidden in the mist and blind spots, has now revealed its menacing form.

"No-!!!"

boom!!!

A deafening roar exploded in the mist.

The Black Swordfish speedboat, speeding at full speed, crashed solidly into the incredibly hard obsidian pillar.

Wood chips flew everywhere, and the light shattered.

The Black Shark Gang members on the ship didn't even have time to scream before they were blasted into a bloody pulp by the enormous impact, or thrown out and crashed into stone pillars, turning into pools of blood.

"Third brother!"

Zhao Li, who was in pursuit, heard the loud noise and his expression changed drastically.

The compass in his hand trembled violently, and the light representing the speedboat on the left went out instantly.

"Damn it! How could that kid see so accurately in the ghost fog?!"

A chill ran through Zhao Li's heart. The Ghost Mist Zone had a complex terrain, full of hidden reefs. Even seasoned veterans like them who had spent years in the Chaotic Star Sea had to be extremely careful. How could that outsider cultivator possibly be strolling around as if it were his own backyard?

"Could it be a coincidence?"

Before he could figure it out...

"Ah—Help! There's something in the water!"

Suddenly, a piercing cry for help came from the direction of the speedboat on the right.

Zhao Li turned his head sharply and saw a huge vortex spinning rapidly in the depths of the mist to his right. The speedboat had obviously accidentally entered the vortex's gravitational pull and was now struggling desperately, being dragged little by little into the abyss by an invisible force.

At the center of the whirlpool, several strange fish, each several meters long and covered in sharp spines, opened their gaping maws, waiting for their prey to arrive.

"Bastard! Bastard!"

Zhao Li trembled with rage and slammed his palm on the ship's side, leaving a handprint on the hard ironwood.

They had only chased after them for less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and before they could even touch the enemy, they had already lost two ships!

This isn't a hunt at all; it's clearly being led by the nose to a dead end!

"We can't keep chasing them like this!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Zhao Li's eyes. He had risen to the position of steward not only through ruthlessness but also through intelligence.

With a flick of his wrist, he took out an oil lamp with an antique design and made entirely of bronze from his storage bag.

The wick of the oil lamp was not cotton thread, but a piece of white bone that emitted a faint, exotic fragrance—it was taken from the brow bone of a certain demon beast that was skilled at breaking illusions.

"I originally saved it for treasure hunting deep inside—but since you're such a good burrower, don't blame me for going all out!"

Zhao Li bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the lamp wick.

"Light the lamp of dispelling illusion!"

call-

A pale blue flame rose from the wick.

The flames weren't scorching hot; instead, they carried a bone-chilling cold. As the flames burned, a visible blue halo rapidly spread outwards from the speedboat's center.

The thick, gooey ghostly mist, illuminated by this blue halo, melted and dissipated as quickly as snow meeting the blazing sun.

In the blink of an eye, the view within a radius of a hundred feet became crystal clear.

Those reefs and whirlpools that were originally hidden in the shadows are now exposed.

Less than sixty feet ahead, the Black Shark, which was using the mist as cover to try to enter another rocky forest, was completely exposed to Zhao Li's sight.

"Found you!"

Zhao Li grinned maliciously, his eyes revealing murderous intent.

With a stomp of his foot, the speedboat sped off at full speed, like a black arrow released from a bow, heading straight for the Black Shark.

At the same time, he reached behind him and pulled out a giant crossbow that was half a person tall.

Shark Tooth Heavy Crossbow

This is a magical artifact specifically designed to hunt large sea beasts. Each crossbow bolt is engraved with explosive runes, and its power is enough to pierce the scales of a second-tier demon beast.

"Stop right there!"

collapse!

A sickeningly loud twang of a bowstring.

A crossbow bolt, as thick as an arm and entirely black, pierced the sky with a piercing whistle, heading straight for the stern of the Black Shark.

In front.

Gu An sensed something was wrong the moment the lamp of delusion lit up.

The sense of control that came from having the entire map under surveillance vanished instantly, replaced by a stinging sensation like being locked onto by a venomous snake.

"A tool for dispelling illusions?"

Gu An turned around and saw the blue halo that tore through the mist, as well as the black crossbow bolt that rapidly enlarged in his pupils.

"There's no escaping it!"

The Black Shark was already severely damaged, greatly reducing its maneuverability, and it was simply unable to perform those extreme evasive maneuvers at this moment.

Hold on tight!

Gu An only had time to let out a low roar before his hands lashed out to the right, and at the same time, his spiritual power erupted, condensing into a thin water shield behind him.

boom-!!!

The crossbow bolt struck the Black Shark's port stern with pinpoint accuracy.

A huge explosion rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

The already teetering skeletal boat let out a heartbreaking wail. Half of the stern was blown to pieces, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere.

The enormous impact caused the entire ship to shake violently, as if it had been kicked hard by a giant, and it spun and drifted sideways on the water.

"Cough cough————"

Gu An was thrown back by the blast wave and slammed heavily against the wall of the driver's cab. His wounds, which had just healed, reopened, and blood stained his clothes.

"Gu An!"

Shen Wan also fell to the ground. She struggled to get up and tried to help Gu An.

"Don't worry about me! The ship is about to sink!"

Gu An pushed her away, struggled to stand up, and glanced behind him.

Although the Black Shark did not sink, its propulsion array had been destroyed, causing its speed to drop drastically. At this moment, it could only drift on the water due to inertia.

Meanwhile, Zhao Li's speedboat had already caught up to within thirty feet.

"Run! Why did you stop running?"

Zhao Li stood at the bow of the speedboat, his heavy crossbow cocked again, a cruel smile playing on his lips like a cat toying with a mouse. "You destroyed two of my ships and killed several of my brothers—if I don't tear you to pieces today, I, Zhao Li, swear I'm not human!"

collapse!

Another arrow was shot.

The arrow wasn't aimed at a person, but rather at the mast of the Black Shark.

Click!

The mast broke and collapsed with a crash, smashing the deck into a mess.

The Black Shark completely lost power and became a coffin floating on the water.

"Go! Capture him alive!"

The two boats were less than ten feet apart.

Zhao Li put away his heavy crossbow, tapped his toes on the speedboat, and soared into the air like a roc. In his hand, a water-splitting dagger gleamed with cold light, carrying the powerful spiritual pressure of a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator, and rushed straight towards Gu An on the deck.

In his view, this was just a sure thing.

The ship is already wrecked, and those two rogue cultivators are at their last gasp. No matter how many schemes and tricks they have, they are all in vain in the face of absolute power.

however.

Just as he leaped into the air, about to land on the deck...

The rogue cultivator with a rotten face, who had been standing in the ruins and covered in blood, suddenly turned around.

He neither used any magical artifacts to fight back, nor did he kneel down and beg for mercy.

He simply stared silently at Zhao Li in mid-air, a smile suddenly appearing on his狰狞恐怖 (zhengning kongbu - ferocious and terrifying) face.

The smile was radiant, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, which looked particularly eerie in the gloomy, ghostly mist.

It's like a hunter watching a wild beast finally fall into a trap.

"What are you laughing at?"

Zhao Li's heart skipped a beat, and an extremely ominous premonition surged into his mind.

next moment.

Gu An made a move that Zhao Li never expected.

He suddenly grabbed the red-clad female cultivator beside him and, without any hesitation, turned towards the dark, cold, and unfathomable seawater outside the ship's side—

He took the leap!

"You're crazy! There's something in the water—"

Zhao Li's exclamation hadn't even finished when...

"Thump!"

The two figures disappeared into the dark water in an instant, leaving only a small splash.

Zhao Li landed on the empty deck, his face extremely grim.

The underwater area of ​​this Ghost Mist Zone is a hundred times more dangerous than the surface! All sorts of unknown ferocious beasts, hidden currents, and poisonous hazards lurk everywhere. For these two to jump in is practically suicide!

"Want to die? Not so easy!"

Zhao Ligang was about to order his men to block the waterway.

Sudden.

"Glug glug ...

A tremendous, chilling bubbling sound came from the deep water directly below the Black Shark.