Chapter 186

"What? It turns out the scene of the mirage appearing on Mount Tai was Qin Shi Huang's second Mountain Closure ceremony."

"Good grief, such a grand and magnificent scene—why isn't it recorded in the historical texts? Doesn't everyone find that strange?"

"Thanks to the blogger for broadening our horizons again—speaking of which, why did the Ancestral Dragon make things so mysterious?"

"Do you still remember the demon immortal carved on the shattered snake statue? Could the second Mountain Closure be related to that demon immortal?"

"The words spoken upstairs are nothing short of wildly imaginative—so here's the question: is the demon immortal a personal name or a general term?"

"How come you're always around? Are you just trying to ride the hype?"

The Mist Special Series Part One has been updated, instantly drawing a crowd of netizens—whether likes or shares, they're rising at rocket speed.

Regarding the existence of the demon immortal and the snake statue, everyone has their own theories, but due to lack of solid evidence, no one can figure out what this all really means.

Perhaps only Qin Shi Huang himself could know the truth.

It's a pity that neither the second Mountain Closure, nor the demon immortal, nor the snake statue, has even a single word recorded in history—truly mysterious to the extreme. Even if Qi Xueqing wanted to continue investigating, there's no clue at all, and in the end, it still vanishes into the historical mist.

……

The mountain wind whistles, time remains eternal—only the people and events within it have changed.

Ye Qin gazed with a hint of melancholy; the day he made his pact with Qin Shi Huang, now calculated, has already spanned over two thousand years!

"To you, the promise of longevity is a long stretch of time; to me, it's merely a ripple rising in the tide of ages."

In fact, what the tourists saw was not a mirage—Ye Qin entered a fragment of time on Mount Tai, leaving behind the aura of history, equivalent to a node in the long river of time.

It happened that Qin Shi Huang was performing Mountain Closure here, so this node recorded the event. A thousand years later, Ye Qin emerged from the time fragment, his realm perfected and breakthrough achieved, as heavenly and earthly spiritual energy converged here, releasing what this node had recorded.

That's how the scene of Qin Shi Huang's Mountain Closure came to be; to the unaware masses, it appeared as a mirage.

Now it's already dusk, the sky slightly dim. Gazing afar, beneath the lonely morning star lies a still, undulating sea of clouds like mountain ranges.

As Ye Qin broke through the 'Second Realm of the Primordial Spirit, Spiritual Awareness Realm,' all heavenly and earthly spiritual energy returned to his body, and the surroundings regained tranquility.

Those mirages were triggered by the spiritual energy of the breakthrough; since historical nodes cannot be repeatedly recorded, such a vision will appear only once.

Ye Qin never expected to cause such a commotion—the wheels of fate turn in wondrous ways, allowing him, in this situation, to meet again an old friend from a thousand years ago.

"Longevity, perhaps not a luxury—I, through traversing the mottled fragments of time, have gradually found an alternative path to longevity, capable of reviving many ancient sages I once knew."

"Of course……" Ye Qin turned his head toward the emerging primordial white bone, "And you too!"

……

Because of the mirage incident, the number of visitors here surged instantly—so much so that it became a sea of people, shoulder to shoulder, packed from summit to base.

But none of this concerns Ye Qin anymore—at this moment, he has already embarked on a new journey.

After leaving Mount Tai, Ye Qin set off southward, passing several historical sites along the way, found no time-worn fragments, and finally arrived at Quancheng.

"Quancheng earned its name from the abundance of springs—it has seventy-two named springs, with Baotu Spring being its emblem and the foremost of the three major scenic spots; who knows, there might be a time fragment here."

Perhaps everyone was drawn to Mount Tai's mirage, so Baotu Spring sees few visitors—only a few stray cats scattered here and there.

When Ye Qin arrived, the sky had already darkened; as the crowd thinned, he used the nearby greenery for cover and entered Baotu Spring.

The spring pool is about thirty meters long east-west, twenty meters wide north-south, roughly square, covering several mu, surrounded by stone railings, the water clear and green.

Beside the pool stands a pavilion with painted beams and carved rafters, its colors reflecting in the water, together forming a wondrous earthly paradise.

No wonder it attracts so many celebrities—renowned literary figures, philosophers, and poets from dynasties past, such as Zeng Gong, Su Shi, Zhang Yanghao, Wang Shouren, and Pu Songling, have all composed fine verses and beautiful writings here.

Having explored so many places, Ye Qin has already grasped some key points in the formation of time fragments.

He released his mental power to probe into the spring water; amidst the rising vapors, a thin layer of mist slowly rose and spread, faintly carrying the undulations of time.

Ye Qin quickly immersed himself; the long river of time surged again, and even the originally still pool water rippled outward with countless ripples, as if a small stone had fallen in.

When Ye Qin regained his senses, time and space had shifted—he walked out of the Shangqing Observatory, hearing distant water sounds like jade striking jade, like a phoenix's cry.

Following the sound, he saw a pool of clear water, willows shading the bank, the surface transparent to the bottom, water and stone interacting, producing a clear, tinkling sound, like washing jade.

Ye Qin surveyed his surroundings: "This should be the former Baotu Spring—I just don't know which time node I've arrived at."

Compared to the real-world spring, what Ye Qin sees now lacks some artificial refinement, possesses more natural, primordial beauty, appears larger in area, and has fewer surrounding structures.

Here, verdant pines and cypresses stand, mixed flowers bloom in profusion, green grass grows lush, strange rocks rise like a forest, blending seamlessly with the spring water.

Under sunlight refraction, the water surface shimmers with golden gleams, like several golden carp leaping out, blowing countless bubbles; the spiritual energy here is also abundant, giving Ye Qin a sense of comfort.

Ye Qin gazed at the spring water, a sudden, inexplicable thought arising: what if soaking in this spring water produced some special effect?

Being a man of action, if he has an idea, he acts immediately—his emerald-green snake pupils flashed with a glint of light, and he swiftly crawled toward the spring water.

Accompanied by a "plop," it seemed something had fallen into the spring water.

Large splashes erupted on the surface; a long, green figure submerged in the spring, countless transparent water droplets sliding off its scales, like pearls rolling from jade.

A faint chill enveloped Ye Qin's whole body, prompting a sigh; the spiritual energy in the water seemed even richer, and the spring water itself was sweet beyond measure.

Ye Qin's entire serpentine form felt as if returned to its mother's womb, granting him a long-lost peace and leisure.

Meanwhile, in reality, the mist on the water surface grew denser, spreading outward in all directions; soon, the hip-and-gable roofs and ancient-style buildings were veiled in a gauzy haze, adding a touch of mystery.

A patroller arrived, looked at the thin mist, and couldn't help muttering to himself: "How did the fog suddenly appear?"

He didn't think much of it—after all, this place has many clear springs; the temperature difference between water and ground causes abundant vapor, and small droplets condensing into fog is a normal phenomenon.

The patroller unconsciously stared at the pool, vaguely seeing a green shadow swaying; he couldn't help rubbing his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.

Looking closely, there was indeed a green object on the water surface, like aquatic vegetation, its sinuous, slender body resembling a snake, emitting a certain mysterious aura.

But due to the surrounding fog, even with a flashlight, he couldn't see it clearly.

"Could it be a passing tourist who accidentally dropped something in? Or did the wind blow leaves in?"

The patroller picked up the nearby net, intending to scoop it out to avoid polluting the spring.

As the net touched the water, ripples spread outward, the surface glittering, the fog surging along—like boiling water—and the object's shadow gradually blurred.

Having thought it would be simple, when the patroller retrieved the net and found it empty, he looked again at the water surface—the green shadow slowly gathered, restored to its original form, as if he had just grasped at air.

"Strange—I was clearly aiming just now—why didn't I catch anything?"

The patroller scratched his head, assuming the fog had affected him; he refused to believe it, scooped again several times, and after several rounds, was drenched in sweat, panting heavily.

That green shadow was like a flower in the mirror, a moon in the water—completely impossible to scoop up.

As the night deepened, the surrounding mist grew thicker and thicker, and visibility became even more blurred.

The entire spring was submerged within it, not a single trace of shadow visible, as if completely devoured by some colossal beast in the void, and even that green spectral shadow began to turn eerie.

The caretaker could only give up, planning to return the next day to check the situation.

"Forget it, I'll come back tomorrow to clean and tidy up."

When the caretaker went back and told the other colleagues, nobody took it seriously, only thinking he had seen things due to eye strain.

The next morning, Ye Qin emerged from the time fragment, and just as he stepped forward, the caretaker arrived right after, only to see the spring water clean and clear, with nothing at all.

That patch of green shadow seen yesterday was probably truly his illusion.

In the faint dawn light, the spring water continuously bubbled with gurgling sounds, refracting five-colored light, the surface so clear it could reflect a person's silhouette; the caretaker couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Could it really be that I was mistaken."

He didn't even take this small matter to heart, and after a few days forgot it entirely; that night the mist was thick, and seeing things unclearly was normal.

But who could have imagined that on that very day, a snake would traverse the distance of time and space, soaking in the spring water from a hundred years ago.

Added to the fluctuations of the time waves, it affected the magnetic field at that time, causing the caretaker to inadvertently see that hundred-year-old projection.

But this projection was not obvious, and with the mist blocking it, it lacked the grandeur of a Tai Shan mirage, and was soon forgotten by the caretaker.

Ye Qin's travels continued; after leaving Baotu Spring, he wasn't sure if it was his illusion, but he constantly felt his body filled with spiritual energy, nearly overflowing, and even his physique seemed to have grown slightly larger.

"It seems the spring water is rich in spiritual energy; if I soak in it a few more times, perhaps the bodily changes will become more pronounced."

Ye Qin rarely relies on external forces in his cultivation, depending mostly on his own strength; occasionally coming here once is no harm, but he also knows that if he does it several more times, the effect will certainly not be as good as the first time.

So Ye Qin didn't deliberately seek out such things; everything depends on fate.

This time he chose to head east, walking and stopping along the way, arriving at Qufu, where the Kong Mansion, Kong Temple, and Kong Forest are collectively known as the "Three Confucian Sites."

This place is the holy land where successive dynasties commemorated Confucius and Confucian scholars paid homage, a symbol of the promotion of Confucian learning, renowned for its rich cultural accumulation, long history, grand scale, abundant cultural relics, and scientific and artistic value.

As soon as Ye Qin entered the urban area, he felt the strong cultural atmosphere of this place, almost everywhere he could see things related to Confucius.

The Kong Temple, having undergone expansions and repairs through successive dynasties, especially during the Tang and Song dynasties, has continuously grown in scale and now stands as an outstanding ancient architectural complex covering over six hundred mu.

Ye Qin arrived near the Kong Temple; if time fragments exist here in the Three Confucian Sites, the greatest likelihood is within the Kong Temple.

The Kong Temple is a temple built by later generations to worship Confucius, modeled after the imperial palace, divided into nine courtyards, arranged symmetrically left and right.

The first gate is called the "Lingxing Gate"; "Lingxing" is also known as the Tian Tian Star; ancient people sacrificed to Heaven by first sacrificing to Lingxing; these three characters were written by the Qianlong Emperor, the calligraphy by Zeng Xun, the Ming Dynasty Shandong Provincial Inspector, praising Confucius' thought as nurturing all things like Heaven and Earth.

Besides, the buildings and furnishings inside the Kong Temple are all subject to many particularities.

Ye Qin extended his spiritual sense into it, and indeed detected the aura of time fluctuations; he found a secluded, uninhabited spot near the Kong Temple.

Few people pass by nearby, and it is not open to the public; even if he meditated here, no one would come to disturb him.

As Ye Qin's spiritual sense kept penetrating deeper into the Kong Temple, he soon felt a familiar pulling sensation coming from within his soul; when he opened his eyes again, he had already arrived two thousand years in the past.

At this moment, the Kong Temple had not yet been built; the surrounding area was entirely a vast, open expanse of land.

"The Kong Temple was established relying on Confucius, so Confucius should still be alive at this moment."

Based on Ye Qin's past experience, when he enters a time fragment, he either sees things related to the medium, or sees related people.

With a touch of novelty and excitement, Ye Qin pressed forward; not far away was a bamboo grove, and below, an old man sat on a futon, beside him a small stove continuously bubbling with gurgling sounds, obviously the water had boiled.

A breeze blew past, the bamboo leaves rustling, filling the air with a sense of tranquility and peace.

Though only the old man was present, two cups were placed before him, as if waiting for someone; seeing Ye Qin arrive, the old man smiled faintly.

"I am of the Kong clan, named Qiu; I don't know how you should be addressed?"

"You may call me the Demon Ancestor, or also the Demon Immortal."

Hearing Ye Qin's words, the old man's expression remained unchanged, calmly accepting with good ability: "It seems you are indeed extraordinary; someone once divined for me, saying today I would meet a noble person; I originally didn't believe it, but now upon seeing you, it is indeed as foretold."

While Kong Qiu was sizing up Ye Qin, Ye Qin was also sizing him up.

Compared to this name, later generations might be more familiar with Confucius.

In ancient times, Confucius was revered as "Heaven-Endowed Sage" and "Heaven's Wooden Bell," one of the most learned scholars of his society, later honored by rulers as Kong Shengzhi, Zhisheng, Zhisheng Xianshi, Dacheng Zhisheng Wenxuan Wang Xianshi, and Wanshi Shibiao.

To have received such honor, it must be that neither his insight nor his erudition could be matched by ordinary people.

No matter what Ye Qin said, the other could follow along, even branching out to propose many useful viewpoints and statements.

Likewise, Ye Qin's impression of Kong Qiu was similar; he self-assessed as having read widely, mastered the Four Books and Five Classics, displayed extraordinary intelligence and learning from childhood, traveled among the states, had three thousand disciples, and was honored as the teacher of sages and worthies.

Yet when facing Ye Qin, he felt as if he were turning a page of a heavy historical tome, never knowing what shocking, world-shaking, ancient-modern startling content would appear the next second.

Some of Ye Qin's viewpoints transcended this era; if expressed to others, they would likely be hard to comprehend, even incomprehensible, but Kong Qiu, after careful contemplation, could sense something special.

Though it was their first meeting, it felt as if they were old friends who had known each other for a long time; this free-flowing, endless talk of heaven and earth, ancient and modern, Ye Qin had not experienced such a feeling for a long time.

Time flowed swiftly in their conversation; alas, time is always short; as the time fluctuations surged again, Ye Qin knew his time to leave had come.

The tea had boiled dry, the firewood under the stove had gradually died down, leaving only scattered sparks; Kong Qiu seemed to have understood something as well: "Are you leaving, sir?"

Ye Qin nodded slowly.

The bamboo grove was deep and secluded, the breeze brushed past, a bamboo leaf slowly fell onto Kong Qiu's opposite side, yet the futon above was empty— that green silhouette had vanished completely, as if from beginning to end, only he had been there.

Disciple Yan Hui arrived late, hurrying forward to bow with clasped hands: "Please punish me, Master; I delayed due to family matters."

Kong Qiu shook his head: "It's nothing; all this is heavenly decree."

Looking at Kong Qiu's empty tea cup opposite him, with a faint layer of brown tea stain at the bottom, Yan Hui had some doubt in his eyes and asked tentatively: "Before this, Master, did you see anyone else?"

Earlier, Kong Qiu had said that today only he had come to give the lesson.

Kong Qiu's gaze fell into the void, and he remained silent for a long time.

Originally thinking he wouldn't answer, yet I heard him speak softly: "Perhaps it was a friend destined never to meet again."

Yan Hui's heart grew more confused: "If it's a friend, how could there possibly be no day to meet again?"

Kong Qiu, however, let out a soft sigh, his eyes filled with complex emotion: "You don't understand."

Yan Hui could feel that when Kong Qiu later taught him, he seemed distracted, even appearing to lose focus.

"Teacher?"

Yan Hui called out several times in a row before Confucius came to his senses, looking at the disciple sitting before him, his expression somewhat dazed.

Knowing that this had never happened before, Yan Hui couldn't help but ask: "Are you still thinking about that friend just now, Master?"

What kind of person could it be, to make Master Kong show such an attitude?

Yan Hui couldn't help but become curious.

"Today's lesson ends here."

Seeing that Confucius had no intention of discussing this matter further, Yan Hui didn't press on, but he did record it briefly in his autobiography.

However, due to the few and vague lines, later generations organizing the records didn't take it to heart.

After all, given Confucius's fame at the time, the number of people wanting to visit him each day was countless; his disciples numbered three thousand, and that was only the registered ones—there were also unregistered ones, too many to count.

Having seen so many people, who would care about that day—just who exactly did Confucius meet?

Meanwhile, Ye Qin had already returned to reality, gazing at the distant, magnificent Confucius Temple architecture, lost in thought.

Before him faintly appeared the image of that erudite elder, speaking eloquently, revered by all under heaven as a sage, yet like a kind and approachable elder, without any airs.

"Truly worthy of being the teacher of all under heaven—he indeed lives up to the title."

Although Confucius has long vanished into the river of history, the knowledge he left behind, along with Confucian thought, has had a profound influence on later generations, remembered by all, and even this name itself is etched forever.

In a certain sense, Confucius never died; his spirit flows with human development and the progress of the times, continuously passed down—this too can be considered a kind of longevity.

After emerging from the time fragment at the Confucius Temple, Ye Qin's spiritual energy became increasingly abundant—not just his physique, but he felt the horns on his head had grown noticeably larger.

Ye Qin carefully sensed the changes within his body, feeling as if behind a layer of mist, a vague breath blocked his probing; something strange was happening inside him.

Although Ye Qin currently cannot perceive this change in detail, everything is developing for the better, so he didn't dwell on it; all will become clear when the time comes naturally.

Forcing a breakthrough or probing now would likely backfire; Ye Qin, accustomed to doing as he pleases, does not wish to be bound by such things.

Over the next full year, Ye Qin traveled far and wide, traversing the entire eastern province.

And since the eastern province is a populous region, Ye Qin later visited Daming Lake, Shishou Garden, Jinshan Temple, Guangyue Tower, Lanxi Valley, Liangshan Marsh, Peony Garden, and other places.

Wherever there were famous scenic spots and ancient temples, he would go, regardless of whether the place was renowned.

After a year of wandering back and forth, Ye Qin underwent great changes, and his cultivation level continued to solidify.

Besides the initial Mount Tai, Baotu Spring, and the Three Confucian Sites, he later entered several time fragments, leaving behind many legends and mysteries in history.

However, these were not as grand in scale as the Taihai Mirage, so they did not attract special attention, nor did they draw others' notice.

During these time fragments, Ye Qin encountered the guardians formed by collective will twice; now in possession of various temporal treasures, he had no fear and could easily eliminate them.

But what made Ye Qin's heart race was that, whenever he eliminated a guardian, he would inexplicably feel a gaze from the darkness, and now it was becoming increasingly clear!

It seemed as if that watching presence was drawing ever closer……

Though he couldn't figure it out after much thought and felt some worry, Ye Qin had grown considerably through his travels across many time fragments, and the mysterious, vague aura within him continued to increase, faintly reaching a critical point.

He had a premonition that, if this trend continued, his body would likely undergo a major change, though he couldn't say exactly what it would be.

"I have toured all the famous scenic and historical sites in the eastern province where time fragments might exist; now only one place remains unvisited—this will also be the final stop of my tour of the eastern province."

Penglai!

The reason Penglai was left for last is because this place is extremely special.

In the mortal world there is a fairyland; attaining the Dao is found in Penglai.

Penglai has long been renowned as a "fairyland on earth," one of the three divine mountains in myth where immortals reside in the Bohai Sea.

Legend has it that the name Penglai as a divine mountain was already widespread before Qin Shi Huang; the most famous account is Xu Fu leading three thousand boys and girls eastward to Penglai in search of elixirs.

Later generations also saw many emperors sending people to Penglai, though not on such a large scale, showing the ancients' longing for the Penglai immortal isle.

Furthermore, in the Divine Continent Celestial Dynasty, the term "Divine Continent" refers to "Penglai Island"; in myth, the Heaven-Reaching Teaching Master established a Daoist lineage at the Biyou Palace on Penglai Island, founding the Sect of the Severed Teaching.

This saying adds another layer of mysterious obscurity to Penglai.

In the "Book of Han, Treatise on Feng and Shan Sacrifices, Part One," it is recorded: "Its tradition lies in the Bohai Sea, not far from people……Indeed, there have been visitors, and all the immortals and the elixir of immortality are there. Its birds and beasts are all white, while gold and silver form palaces and towers. Before arrival, it looks like clouds; upon arrival, the three fairy mountains lie submerged beneath the water, facing them, the wind inevitably draws them away—thus one can never reach it."

The three fairy mountains referred to here are Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fanghu.

Ye Qin dared to assert that he would surely encounter a great opportunity here, which is why he left this place for last.

In fact, it was much as he had guessed; the moment he stepped into the Penglai waters, Ye Qin felt a mysterious undulation coming from the air.

Azure waves rippled like a vast jade stone suspended in a corner of the azure sky, the sea surface reflecting blue sky and white clouds, appearing like a utopia beyond the world.

Yet at this moment, Ye Qin's mind and spirit were not on these beautiful sights; he extended his mental power outward.

Now at the second level of the Primordial Spirit Realm, he had mastered divine sense, equivalent to a doubling of mental power, with many wondrous uses and an extremely broad coverage.

A thick breath surged toward him, like a towering great bell, striking an ancient, enduring melody, as if from another world's language; Ye Qin's mind and spirit swayed—the temporal undulations here were even stronger than before!

Moreover, entering a time fragment here was surprisingly simple.

Upon arrival, he unconsciously stepped into it!

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself already inside the Shangqing Temple.

Walking out of the Shangqing Temple, he heard distant waves crashing in the distance, followed the sound, and upon seeing the scene before him, he stood frozen in place, his serpent pupils showing rare shock.

Ye Qin asked himself: though he had seen many landscapes in his travels—Mount Tai's majesty, Baotu Spring's clarity, the Confucius Temple's simplicity, Daming Lake's beauty, and so on—

he had never before encountered a scenery that could shock him so deeply.

All he saw was a vast whiteness where sea and sky merged into one, indistinguishable whether it was water or heaven; seawater poured into the firmament, as the saying goes: mist locks the mountain peak, the mountain locks the mist, heaven connects to the water's end, water connects to heaven.

It was as if white fish continually tumbled in the waves, revealing their snow-white bellies; the white fish were so huge they could not be measured by numbers, yet a light turn sent waves like a heavenly blanket crashing onto the shore, rolling up thousands of piles of snow.

Terrifying waves and shocking surges, shattering stones continuously.

After a long while, the white fish finally calmed down, and a hazy mist enveloped the entire sea area; Ye Qin's vision was sharp, and he faintly saw an island at the center of the waters.

Delicate pavilions and towers stood within, below which lay sheer cliffs and precipices, suspended above the green waves, as if just risen from the sea.

At this moment, clouds surged and mist rose—whether island or pavilion, all floated in midair, like a celestial palace; as if one ascended a high tower, drifting above the clouds, seeing only heaven and no earth, a feeling of transcending the mundane and rising above the world arose spontaneously—truly, a tower looming in the void, a fairyland on earth.

Ye Qin couldn't help but murmur to himself, "So this is the Penglai Immortal Isle from a thousand years ago!"

The waves crashed against the Serpent Scales, as if scratching an itch, and the sea breeze carried a salty, astringent scent; Ye Qin also snapped out of his shock.

Beneath the tumultuous sea, the island stood unmoving, water mist condensing into a hazy gauze, woven into a vast net that covered the azure sky, making the small island seem ever more mysterious.

From not far away came the patter of footsteps, as if someone was approaching this way; from the sound, it seemed more than one person was coming.

The water mist spread, making the surrounding scenery appear blurred and hazy, but it did not affect Ye Qin's vision.

Only then did he see seven men and one woman standing ahead, old and young, the eldest with white hair and beard, the young no more than twenty or so in appearance, one of them seeming to have some difficulty with his legs, leaning on a wooden cane.

Such a combination was indeed strange, and no one knew what they had come here to do.

As the only female in the group, the woman had a lovely visage, yet as she gazed upon the endless sea, she wore an expression of worry.

"How can we cross the sea?"

A man in the group held a long sword, dressed like a Daoist, and stepped forward, saying: "What difficulty is there? Wait for me to chop down trees and make a small boat; naturally we can cross the sea."

The instant his words fell, a booming sound was heard as the sea wind whipped up waves over half a person's height, striking the reefs, and even water droplets splashed onto them.

If one were to take such a wave head-on, they would likely suffer serious injury.

The crowd instinctively stepped back in unison; the man with the cane shook his head, saying: "No, no, the sea currents are swift; fear that a single wave would smash over, and a small boat would be sunk in an instant; then we would all be buried in fish bellies."

The sword-wielding man furrowed his brow: "If so, unable to cross the sea, why not take a detour?"

Another in the group continued shaking his head: "That would take months; surely not worth it."

The woman sighed softly: "Unable to cross the sea, unable to detour—does that mean there is no other way?"

Just as everyone was at a loss, a low, ethereal male voice suddenly rang out.

"Crossing the sea—what difficulty is there?"

The sword-wielding man retorted without thinking: "You say it so easily, but what clever plan do you have?"

As his words fell, he realized this voice did not belong to anyone among them; it sounded utterly unfamiliar.

He hastily cried out: "Who is beside us?"

Everyone's hearts jumped; they had not expected others to be here, having thought only they were present.

As the sea wind blew, the hazy mist began to disperse, and a dark-green figure appeared in their field of vision.

Only then did they see clearly: the speaker was actually a snake!

This snake was entirely emerald green, its eyes like gemstones, glimmering with a lustrous sheen; for a moment, it felt utterly divine, and simultaneously a strange awe rose in their hearts.

The eight people nodded toward the green snake ahead, greeting it, and felt no surprise, after all this was a fragment of time, where all existence is reasonable.

The sword-wielding man probed: "May I ask, Daoist friend, what clever plan do you have?"

"Naturally, I do."

After saying this, Ye Qin calmed his mind; countless golden lights burst from his body, even the surrounding sea water taking on a faint gold hue, and those emerald snake eyes seemed to possess some power to calm the heart.

Under the golden light, the originally surging sea water became calm, occasionally rippling with a few circles, even the waves diminished, occasionally splashing a few drops, giving a feeling of gentleness and harmlessness.

The wind ceased, the waves stilled.

Gazing at the sea surface that had instantly returned to calm, everyone stared agape; the giant beast in the depths was completely soothed, sinking into a deep slumber; beneath the azure sky, the long-absent sun showered down, a scene of peace and harmony, almost beyond belief.

The sword-wielding youth could not help muttering: "I have studied the Dao for years, only now do I know that in this world there truly are living beings capable of commanding wind and rain, overturning mountains and seas."

Beside him, one who looked like a tomboy, still holding a clapper, immediately gave an impromptu performance for everyone.

"Indeed, I too have broadened my horizons."

Compared to the others' joy and excitement, the old man stroked his beard, the worry in his eyes still not dispelled.

"Although the sea is calm, wanting to cross this vast expanse is not easy."

The sea stretches endlessly, with no end in sight; relying on human strength to cross it is truly difficult.

But having just witnessed Ye Qin's immortal methods, everyone's expectant gaze fell upon him: "We do not know how you intend to cross the sea?"

Ye Qin took out a small cauldron from his storage space.

"With this, it can be done."

Seeing the black small cauldron appear out of thin air, everyone widened their eyes again, conquered by his supernatural means.

"I have heard of the universe in one's sleeve, but thought it mere nonsense in books; I did not expect to have the chance to see it with my own eyes today."

"Could this be the immortal art of the universe in one's sleeve?"

The small cauldron before them exuded an ancient aura; the carved flowers, birds, beasts, exotic flowers and herbs were vividly lifelike, as if about to come alive; just one glance revealed its extraordinariness, certainly not an ordinary cauldron.

Subsequently, Ye Qin followed suit, taking out a bronze ancient sword.

The sword bore little decoration, only the hilt carved with mysterious patterns; as it appeared, a faint sound of metal and spear came from the air, as if ten thousand horses and thousands of chariots were approaching.

The sword-wielding man, upon seeing the bronze ancient sword, instantly had his eyes gleam, unable to help praising: "A fine sword!"

His own side sword was forged by a renowned master, yet compared to the bronze ancient sword before him, it was hardly different from broken copper and rotten iron.

Ye Qin then took out prayer beads and a jade pendant shaped like a wine gourd, among other items; though these things appeared ordinary, they all bore a faint, intermittent golden sheen on their surfaces, clearly not mundane, filled with mysterious power.

Someone asked doubtfully: "What do you intend to do with these items, Daoist friend?"

Ye Qin pointed to those objects and said naturally: "Of course, to use them to cross the sea."

How could a small cauldron possibly cross the sea?

Let alone the bronze ancient sword, wine-gourd jade pendant, and prayer beads behind it—these things, even a boatload of people could not manage.

The eight people had many questions arise in their hearts, still thinking Ye Qin was joking with them.

"Daoist friend, are you not joking? How could this possibly cross the sea?"

"Do not be anxious."

As Ye Qin's thought moved, the small cauldron, ancient sword, and prayer beads all turned into streams of light, flying toward the vast sea, whereupon they splashed up several sprays of water.

The speed was too fast; the crowd wanted to stop but could not in time.

"To discard such fine things would be a terrible waste—truly a case of squandering heaven's bounty."

"Daoist friend, why do you do this?"

Everyone was even more puzzled by Ye Qin's strange actions, but Ye Qin simply said nothing.

Ye Qin's gaze fell upon the sea surface, the calm water like a huge mirror, clear enough to almost reflect a person's shadow.

He slowly spoke: "Great!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, bubbles continuously bubbled up from the sea surface, like a pot of boiling water, as if something was about to emerge.

Everyone's attention was once again drawn to it.

"Boom—"

Only a tremendous roar was heard, as several huge black shadows rose up, the eight people's pupils suddenly contracting sharply, as if they had seen something extremely unbelievable.

Those were clearly the small cauldron, ancient sword, prayer beads, and other items Ye Qin had previously thrown into the sea.

Only now these items had grown much larger in size, completely able to accommodate them standing on top, with plenty to spare.

The eight were stunned speechless, at this moment they were utterly convinced.

Ye Qin calmly said: "In that case, we can now travel upon the sea."

(End of chapter)