Chapter 336: Li Yu Fishes in the Sea of Mist

Everyone present was a chosen devotee of the gods, frequently possessed or favored by divine entities, or bestowed with blessings; each held an extremely high status in their respective homelands.

Yet, this did not mean they were so wealthy that they could ignore all rare resources!

For instance, Star Marrow.

This item was incredibly rare even in the Boundless Spirit Realm.

It could be used as a "universal currency."

Its uses were countless.

Among the mission rewards offered by the Transmogrification, Shadow-Eater, and Spiral-Bone tribes before them, Star Marrow was not the rarest; it could only be called a common reward.

Even rarer and more tempting to the distinguished guests were items such as "Star Cores," "Divine Origin," "Ancient God Flesh," and so on.

No matter which one it was, it could allow them to advance their strength further.

Of course, the price to obtain them was exceptionally high, bordering on suicide.

For example, a mission named 【Break the Trap】 required clearing traps existing on the path from the Magic Boat to the world barrier; for every one broken, one could obtain a Star Core, a thing sufficient to serve as a power supply for a super battleship, lasting for ten thousand years without fading.

However, not a single guest would accept it.

While on the Pioneer, the artificial intelligence had already informed everyone of some secrets regarding this.

"The 'traps' laid by the Six True Gods—let alone these chosen devotees, even true divine entities, once they stray inside, could potentially perish instantly."

"The simplest type is called: Pit of Haotian."

"Step into it, and one's body will immediately be pierced by thousands of Haotian divine radiances; anything below a demigod will perish instantly."

"So, no matter how generous the rewards, no one dares to accept."

"Missions like searching for paths, patrolling the World Tree, healing lesions, providing consumables, leaving behind bloodlines... and so on, can be completed in a short time."

"Hmm? A strange thing has mixed in."

Li Yu stared at the three mission lists with the others and soon discovered that some missions were quite peculiar.

A mission like leaving behind a bloodline sounded like a salacious affair, something about sowing seeds.

However, on this Magic Boat, there were only three long-lived races.

This meant it was likely not a simple matter of sowing seeds, and no one would choose it.

Fortunately, Xu Xu Xuan, the devotee of the "Lord of Xenomorphs," did not participate in this maiden voyage of the Pioneer; otherwise, he would likely have been the first to rush out.

Unlike the other chosen devotees!

Li Yu had absolutely no interest in helping the Ancient Magic Boat break the blockade and isolation imposed by the Six True Gods.

Although he could no longer be considered a "True God mole," in terms of stance, he leaned toward the True Gods.

After all, this was not hard to choose at all!

The Six True Gods, though they also harbored secrets and possessed terrifying places like the Intestines of the Evil God, were still much better than the conduct of the various evil gods.

Li Yu was indeed from Wanfu City, but his soul came from the Earth of his past life, and he had an innate affinity for the Order faction.

Therefore, while other chosen devotees and race representatives were excitedly accepting those missions with generous rewards, his gaze skipped over the relevant information and turned instead to those missions that were slightly special, very safe, and beneficial to himself.

This type was not numerous.

So, it was also easy to choose.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yu took a fancy to one:

"Collection Mission!"

"Because the three tribes of the Magic Boat are all long-lived species, even if reproduction is difficult, the population still grows over time; therefore, the resources and food required are constantly expanding, gradually exceeding the load."

"Fortunately, both inside and outside the Magic Boat, there exist some special regions where large amounts of food can be obtained."

"Such as the Skull of the Ancient God, the Filthy World Tree itself, the Sea of Mist... and so on."

"The food existing in the first place is the Ancient God's brain marrow, which is extremely delicious, and after consuming it, there is a chance to obtain fragments of the Ancient God's memories; it is just that obtaining it is extremely dangerous, as one must face the Ancient God's pollution directly. Because this Ancient God died too miserably and held deep resentment, even a demigod-level existence cannot resist the radiation in its skull for long. Having been mined for so many years, it still shows no signs of depletion."

"The second place is easy to understand; the roots and branches of the Filthy World Tree have already spread to some unknown locations, inevitably allowing some terrifying creatures to follow into the World Tree and settle down... Hunting them is both self-defense for the Magic Boat and a source of food."

"The third place exists in the 'Tree Core' at the top of the World Tree; it was once a giant lake formed by an ancient battlefield, later lifted to a high place due to the growth of the World Tree, and came into contact with the world barrier and even the Boundless Spirit Realm. Furthermore, the Eternal Mist drifted in along the gaps, so it is called the Sea of Mist."

"Inside, besides having a very complete biological chain, there are also a large number of ancient ruins, broken divine artifacts, or invasive alien species."

"The Sea of Mist is also an important food source for the three tribes of the Magic Boat."

"However, because of the existence of the Eternal Mist, once one falls into it, there is almost no chance of coming out, even for someone as strong as a demigod."

"Therefore, the three tribes adopt a 'fishing method' to catch food from it."

"Giant fish with divinity, such as the 【Nine-Headed Dragon Monster】, 【Blood Moon Ray】, and 【Thousand-Eyed Whale】, are all delicacies that the three tribes love dearly."

"It is just very difficult to catch these big fish; it relies on luck, and skill and strength are meaningless in the face of the Eternal Mist."

"Even when the patriarchs and high priests of the three tribes go, they often catch nothing."

"What's more, besides fish, they can catch all sorts of garbage and waste from ancient battlefields."

"Of course, it is not all garbage in the sea; there also exist quite a few ancient treasures."

"The patriarch of the Spiral-Bone tribe once fished up an ancient stone tablet inscribed with a 【Star-Swallowing Divine Art】, which caused his power to rise once again."

"Of course, the sea is not entirely filled with trash; many ancient treasures also exist within it."

From the fact that Li Yu observed so clearly, one could know his choice.

Sure enough, the next moment he took the initiative to step forward and speak.

Then he was questioned.

Sure enough, the next moment he took the initiative to step forward and speak.

"You, a human, although a believer of the Lord of the Veil, likely have no ability to catch anything from the 【Sea of Mist】."

"Do you know that even the weakest 'Ghost Lantern Angler' possesses extremely powerful strength, sufficient to drag you into the seabed, never to return?"

"You might as well choose missions like leaving behind bloodlines or playing companion, so as not to waste fishing rods, lines, and bait, and it would be better than losing your life."

The high priest of the Transmogrification tribe seemed to be kindly advising Li Yu.

But in reality, the words were full of contempt.

In those melted wax eyes, there was also full malice toward Li Yu.

It was not directed at Li Yu's status as the City Lord.

It was directed at the race he belonged to.

The human race!

The three long-lived tribes of the Magic Boat all loathed the human race, even though in the extremely distant past, one of their ancestors was human.

The reason for this, the Pioneer's AI had also explained:

"The three tribes are hybrids; tracing the origin of their bloodlines, it is precisely the three Star Gods and humans."

"But they naturally have not the slightest sense of identification with the frail human race. Originally, they could have followed the 'Father God' and 'Mother God' to leave and ascend to the God Realm or something, but because of the human bloodline in their bodies, they were forcibly intercepted."

"The Ancient Magic Boat force is not small, but in their own view, it is equivalent to being imprisoned here."

Li Yu knew these things, so he did not feel surprised.

But he did not back down and retorted:

"Life and death are my own business."

"According to the agreement, I can accept any mission, and you cannot refuse."

"In addition, I am not just going to the 【Sea of Mist】 to fish; I am also going to the 【Skull of the Ancient God】 to dig for brain marrow."

"As for how I go to both, I naturally have the art of avatars."

The moment the words fell.

Li Yu contributed a terrifying performance on the spot.

His forehead split open, bloody and mangled, bursting with thousands of mucus filaments, and then, like some kind of planarian, he split into two.

Li Yu was not afraid of exposing the authority of the Worm God.

This scene also broadened the horizons of that "Transmogrification Daoist," who changed his tune:

Li Yu was not afraid of exposing the authority of the Vortex God.

"Since you are seeking death, who can stop you?"

"If you can really catch big fish and dig out brain marrow, my Magic Boat will certainly not give you a penny less in rewards."

When the conversation ended, Li Yu also accepted this collection mission.

He obtained one hour of fishing time!

One hour of brain-marrow-digging time!

Therefore, he was also assigned two sets of equipment, or rather, magic treasures.

Both were cast from special materials.

Subsequently, the two "Li Yu"s were sent to the Sea of Mist at the highest point of the Magic Boat and the Skull of the Ancient God at the deepest part of the Magic Boat, respectively.

The reason he wanted to use avatars to do missions at two locations simultaneously was simple!

It was his area of expertise, and the benefits were tempting.

There is no need to say much about fishing; after he ascended to the True Monarch of Bait, he could be said to be the most professional angler in the transcendent world, and even the fishing line was made from the divine spider silk of the "Spider Queen."

And the so-called pollution radiation of the Ancient God's brain marrow was even more completely countered by his True Soul Body; not taking advantage of this would be unjustifiable.

Li Yu naturally did not care for those so-called big fish or the deliciousness of the brain marrow.

What truly made his heart race were precisely the derivatives and the incidental benefits.

"Those ancient treasures in the Sea of Mist!"

As for those so-called big fish and the deliciousness of brains, Li Yu naturally had no interest in them.

What truly moved him immensely were precisely the byproducts and the incidental benefits.

"Those ancient treasures in the Sea of Mist!"

"A portion of the memories from that Ancient God's brain matter."

"I suddenly have a premonition that I am about to reap great benefits from this trip again."

Just as Li Yu's premonition faded, he had already appeared at the very top of the World Tree.

He had been sent up directly by the High Priest of the Spiral Bone Tribe using the "Anti-Gravity Technique," and the experience felt just like taking an exceptionally long elevator ride.

While his head was still a bit dizzy, a scene akin to a divine miracle reflected in his eyes.

Before him, it was as if he were in a world of mist.

Above, below, left, and right, everything was completely covered and shrouded by the familiar Eternal Mist.

Only the central area was empty.

Black-gold "World Tree branches" pierced through the mist, layered and overlapping, yet without any pattern, spanning across the high void.

Every branch was wrapped with a multitude of bells and hung with bronze lamps.

Just as Li Yu was about to look closely, the voice transmission of that "Venerable Spiral" suddenly rang in his ears:

"Kid!"

"After one hour, if you haven't slipped or been dragged into the Mist Sea by some big fish, ring the bell yourself, and this seat will cast a spell to bring you down."

"While fishing, do not run around; leaving this area will result in a loss of protection. If you are killed on the World Tree after encountering powerful, strange entities that have escaped from places like the Boundless Spirit Realm, Void Traps, or the Six Paths of Reincarnation, my Demon Boat will not bear any responsibility."

"By the way, the fishing spot I've arranged for you is the easiest place to catch a 【Nine-Headed Dragon Monster】; that is the big fish this seat loves to eat most."

"That is the thing; if you can catch one, this seat will purchase it for a high price."

As these words fell, a phantom image, clearly created by Venerable Spiral, appeared before Li Yu's eyes.

It was the so-called Nine-Headed Dragon Monster!

It was shockingly a giant fish with a body as large as a city, sporting nine dragon-like heads.

Its ferocious and terrifying appearance reminded Li Yu of that King of Monsters he had seen in a monster movie in his past life.

It was hard to imagine what kind of fishing rod and line could pull up such a massive fish.

The phantom dissipated, and Li Yu himself was already standing on an incredibly thick branch.

He did not respond to Venerable Spiral and continued to examine this extraordinary territory.

Under the illumination of the bronze demon lamps!

Li Yu first looked at the "Mist Sea" below, which was shockingly a boundless ocean shrouded by a thin layer of mist.

Vaguely, he could hear the movement of the surging seawater, as well as the continuous roaring of monsters and rustling whispers...

"An ocean existing within the core of the World Tree?"

"When it comes to magnificent miracles and terrifying sights, if you don't count the three forbidden lands, Wanfu City is completely crushed by the Ancient Demon Boat."

Li Yu sighed, then immediately looked upward.

It was also luck; this glance allowed him to see, through a gap in the mist, the world barrier that was bizarre, full of danger, and completely confused the concept of space and time. Just by glancing at it, Li Yu felt an extremely terrifying threat.

Even as he was now, if he were to enter the world barrier, he would likely find it hard to save his own life.

One of the most common dangers inside was called "Chronos Light."

It was omnipresent and appeared without any pattern.

Once struck, whether it was a living being or a dead object, it would decay or die of old age in the blink of an eye.

Although Li Yu possessed a rare treasure like the 【Chronos Demon Luo Pan】, he would still perish if he took a few more hits.

Not to mention that besides the normal dangers, the Six Great True Gods had added their own ingredients to it.

It could be asserted:

If a True God enters, it is a nine-in-ten chance of death.

If a Semi-God level powerhouse enters, it is ten-in-ten death.

It was a desperate and dangerous land in the true sense.

"Even with the help of these God-Chosen followers who can secretly summon a crowd of Evil Gods to help clear the way, the Ancient Demon Boat still cannot fully open the external passage in the short term, let alone threaten the Six Great True Gods to confirm its legal status or become an external trade zone."

"The Six Great True Gods occupied the initiative, which is why they have been able to rule the present world for so many years."

"So, what exactly are these Evil Gods—the Lord of the Veil, the Ancient God, the Myriad-Changing—trying to do?"

"What were the specific details of that war of the gods in the ancient era?"

"What great secret is hidden in the present world?"

Every time a question surfaced in Li Yu's mind, he became a little more excited.

He had originally temporarily given up on archaeology and exploration.

He had intended that after returning to Wanfu City!

He would reunite with Hongdou and the little robot, then find a way and the right timing to run away for good.

Although the Boundless Spirit Realm was not easy to survive in either, the present world, which was clearly about to undergo a massive change, was even more dangerous.

But now that an opportunity for gain had arrived, Li Yu would not miss it.

"Even if I can catch a fish, I won't."

"If I'm going to fish, I'll fish for trash and treasures that contain ancient secrets."

"I'm not even asking for any Star-Swallowing Divine Art; just give me a stone tablet recording the secrets of the war of the gods."

"It would be best if it let me figure out what this bunch of messy divine entities is actually up to."

(End of chapter)