Chapter 172: Another Eye of Lehmann

Cui Chengze's gaze drifted into the distance, his vision returning to the period when he was trapped in the Shipwreck Belt.

"Honestly, even today I still can't believe I actually escaped that area. When I boarded the Sea Song, I even thought I had never left this Shipwreck Belt."

Following Cui Chengze's memories, he began to describe everything that had happened to him in the Shipwreck Belt.

Cui Chengze had entered the Shipwreck Belt eight years ago, aboard the passenger ship Louis.

Just like the Sea Song and the Star Leap, it was no accident but a man-made disaster.

Like a script performed countless times, the captain of the Louis, in collusion with the Xinyuzhou Sect members aboard, successfully took over control of the passenger ship.

They deliberately stirred up conflict and panic, using excuses to eliminate those who wouldn't obey, and drove the passengers into anxiety; seeking psychological comfort and driven by herd mentality, they all joined the Xinyuzhou Sect.

They spent a nightmare-like thirty days in the Shipwreck Belt, and finally crossed through it, arriving at the journey's destination.

A stretch of incomparably calm sea.

On this stretch of sea, the Xinyuzhou Sect members began the sacrificial ritual.

Before boarding, Cui Chengze had been a somewhat well-known diviner; his family had once been royal-appointed shamans, passing down occult knowledge through generations.

It's just that his family's skill level was mediocre to begin with, their talent middling at best, and the inheritance declined with each generation; by the time it reached Cui Chengze's grandfather, their skill had deteriorated so much that the underground occult circles had already stopped including them.

By the time it passed to Cui Chengze, his family's occult arts had already lost any combat capability, and they could only make a living by mystifying ordinary people with divination; even so, the accuracy rate of their divinations was only thirty percent.

Because his abilities were so poor, the Xinyuzhou Sect never treated him as an insider, only as a swindling fraud, and didn't keep close watch on him or eliminate him in advance.

Unexpectedly, although Cui Chengze's skill was poor, he still had a solid foundation of knowledge; during the ritual preparations, he found a weakness in the ritual and, using everything he had learned in his life, set up a safe zone.

The next moment, he saw the entire ship radiate with light.

After the light faded, apart from a few high-ranking members of the Xinyuzhou Sect and the captain, everyone else vanished within the light.

He hid in the shadows and saw a speedboat pick up the captain and several Xinyuzhou Sect members; he had planned to take the chance to escape, but just as they left, a massive whirlpool formed beneath the sea surface, dragging the Louis back into the Shipwreck Belt.

Ever since seeing the light of the sacrificial ritual, it was as if something had clicked for him; occult knowledge that had once seemed like a heavenly scripture became as easy to understand as elementary school textbooks.

He set up a Bountiful Catch Curse, attracting surrounding sea fish, and used the passengers' fishing rods to catch fish for food.

The Shipwreck Belt had frequent rain, so when thirsty he would drink the rainwater he had collected.

Relying on sea fish and rainwater, he survived alone on the ship for nearly two years; during that time he saw another ship enter the Shipwreck Belt, but he didn't dare approach it, because the stronger his occult power became, the more he could sense how terrifying those people who arranged the sacrificial ritual were.

He could only watch helplessly as that cruise ship appeared, and then vanished.

After that experience, he was ashamed of his own weakness and hated his own powerlessness, so he practiced occult arts desperately, swearing that if he ever encountered those people again, he would find a way to stop them.

Not long after, while fishing as usual, he hooked a massive creature.

At this point, Cui Chengze suddenly paused and said, "You'll never guess what I caught."

Wu Chang frowned; he suddenly felt that all this rambling from Cui Chengze—wasn't just a fisherman bragging about his catch?

How did you know I once reeled in an eight-hundred-jin tuna in the Shipwreck Belt?

He didn't think that whatever Cui Chengze had caught could help him leave the Shipwreck Belt; let alone a tuna, even if Cui Chengze had caught a blue whale it would be useless.

He curled his lip and mocked, "You didn't reel up the Sea God, did you."

After saying this, he saw Cui Chengze's face instantly fall, like a child who wanted to show a parent a secret only to have the answer guessed in the very first sentence.

"Damn it, is your intuition always this sharp?"

Wu Chang: "..."

Holy shit, he actually reeled up the Sea God?

Cui Chengze sighed; although the answer had been guessed, thinking of his once-glorious feat, he grew excited again.

"That day I caught a golden Long Wang! You can't imagine how big that Long Wang was! Just one scale I saw through the sea surface was over three meters long!"

"My hook caught in the gap between its scales, and it dragged me into the sea; I couldn't resist, I could only grip the rod with all my might. When I came to, I was already lying on the shore."

"I raised my head and saw, not far away on the reef, statues of the Sea Folk worshipping the Sea God General. I'm certain that the Long Wang I caught that day, in its true form, was the Sea God General!"

Wu Chang recalled the legends of the Sea God General, and there did seem to be some connection between the two.

Assuming what Cui Chengze said was true, and the Sea God General truly existed in this Shipwreck Belt, then was the thing calling out to him from the deep sea the so-called Sea God General?

But judging by the manner and method of the summoning, that thing didn't seem like a benevolent god.

Both his reason and his intuition were telling him he absolutely must not obey the summons, must not rashly go look at that thing.

Or rather, what Cui Chengze had caught wasn't some Long Wang, but some sinister thing; only, given Cui Chengze's level of intuition, he couldn't perceive the true nature of the other party and mistook it for a Long Wang.

Wu Chang tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, thinking that whether Cui Chengze's story was true or false, it couldn't help the whole ship leave the Shipwreck Belt.

They couldn't exactly give everyone a fishhook and let the Long Wang drag a string of people swimming, could they.

What do they take the Long Wang for, a wall-mounted underwater train?

Setting aside the matter of leaving the Shipwreck Belt early, Wu Chang looked at Cui Chengze and said:

"You said you once swore that if you encountered Xinyuzhou Sect people again, you would stop them with everything you have. You boarded the Star Leap of your own accord now—do you think you have the strength to stop them?"

Cui Chengze nodded. "Before I came, I thought I did. Having witnessed the light of the sacrificial array and the true form of the Sea God General, my vision and perception have greatly improved."

"Those hidden underground occult circles that long to control Gao Mu through occult arts—I defeated their strongest two years ago. In all of Gao Mu, there is no occult practitioner stronger than me."

Wu Chang teased, "But during the fight in the cargo hold earlier, I didn't see any sign of you being the strongest occult practitioner in Gao Mu."

Cui Chengze was not at all embarrassed by his earlier performance; he said matter-of-factly, "There's always someone better, there's always a higher sky. Recognizing my own shortcomings is why I'm seeking your help."

Wu Chang continued, "Why did they want to capture you?"

Cui Chengze's expression stiffened, and he carefully ventured, "Maybe they discovered I was a survivor and wanted to silence me?"

Wu Chang scoffed and said, "But during the fight, they clearly didn't want to hurt you."

Cui Chengze: "Then they wanted to get some information from me?"

Wu Chang: "One of them is a high-ranking member of the Xinyuzhou Sect—what information would he need from you?"

Cui Chengze:...

Wu Chang:...

The two stared at each other wide-eyed for five minutes; finally Cui Chengze couldn't hold it anymore and took out an eye-shaped stone from his bosom.

"Actually, it's because of this—I dared to board the ship alone and stop the Xinyuzhou Sect's actions because two years ago, after defeating the underground occult circle, I attacked the Xinyuzhou Sect's headquarters to test my own strength and stole their sacred artifact."

"Those two guys somehow sensed its presence, especially that powerful occult master—he caught up with me first and demanded I hand it over."

When Wu Chang saw the eye-shaped stone on the table, his expression changed instantly. This eye-shaped stone looked eerily familiar—he seemed to have a piece nearly identical on his person.

"Can I take a look?"

Cui Chengze shrugged. "Be my guest. If you help me stop the Xinyuzhou Sect's plot, I'll give it to you. But I'd advise you not to take it—even Xinyuzhou Sect devotees can't harness its power, and it's coated in curses that bring misfortune."

Wu Chang picked up the eye-shaped stone on the table, and a property panel floated before his eyes.

"Item Name: Eye of Leyman (Inactive)"

"Item Type: Dungeon Item"

"Item Level: Unknown"

"Item Description: The vast number of offerings you've sacrificed have pleased Leyman. To reward your devotion, before his descent, he bestows upon you a portion of divine radiance."

"Item Skill: Devout Gift"

"Skill Description: While holding the Eye of Leyman, all occult-related abilities receive a substantial, all-around enhancement. Can block one severe negative effect. Reset this effect once per one thousand high-quality offerings sacrificed."

"Note: The newborn left eye of the demon god Leyman, containing his immense divine power and endless curses."

!

So it was true—the sacred artifact Cui Chengze seized was the Eye of Leyman!

If he remembered correctly, the Eye of Leyman he'd obtained from the Moonlight Sanatorium was also a left eye. Judging by the item description, it seemed the demon god Leyman had just grown a new left eye—and now it had landed in his hands again.

Tsk. That's a bit much.

All they're after is the left eye? What kind of nonsense is that? Where's the right eye? Why doesn't the right eye come down for a walk?

The reason the Xinyuzhou Sect has been performing sacrifices for so many years is now clear: the massive offerings are meant to slowly force Leyman's divine power through the dimensional barrier and descend into the dungeon realm located in the Wasteland Realm.

This newborn left eye of Leyman is the fruit of their years of labor.

And the grand sacrifice ritual being prepared aboard the Star Leaper—without doubt—is meant to awaken this inactive Eye of Leyman.

As for why the Xinyuzhou Sect began preparing the ritual before even finding the Eye of Leyman, it's probably because they didn't need to find it at all.

The moment Wu Chang obtained this Eye of Leyman, he felt a peculiar, fated connection between it and the occult ritual aboard the Star Leaper.

No matter who holds it, on the day the ritual begins, it will appear aboard the Star Leaper.

This is the karmic result forged by countless sacrifices—since the moment it coalesced, today's outcome was already destined.

As long as it doesn't fall into the hands of another god, no one can stop it.

But this karma only ensures the Eye of Leyman appears aboard the Star Leaper—whether it can be reclaimed depends entirely on the Xinyuzhou Sect's ability.

Wu Chang didn't wait for Cui Chengze's permission—he simply placed the Eye of Leyman into his personal space.

After obtaining the Eye of Leyman, he felt his body absorbing occult corruption at more than double its previous speed; moreover, the effects of his occult-corrupted organs improved again.

Previously, the occult ritual aboard the ship had appeared to him as a complex web. Now, he saw countless additional threads woven into it.

These threads connected precisely to every single Xinyuzhou Sect devotee aboard—the ritual and the devotees together formed the ship's ceremony.

Cui Chengze watched Wu Chang put away the Eye of Leyman and said, "I've answered your questions. The Xinyuzhou Sect's sacred token is now in your hands. You should believe me now."

Wu Chang nodded. He was certain Cui Chengze wasn't from the Quietist Sect—no Quietist Sect follower would dare hand over his own god's eyeball.

"Of course, my friend. From the start, I never doubted you."

Cui Chengze grinned. If he hadn't just been cornered by the Initiate and the werewolf, and realized his own plan alone couldn't succeed, his old temperament would've made him flip his lid the moment Wu Chang interrogated him like that.

"Good. Since we now trust each other, let's prepare to stop the Quietist Sect."

"First, we must unlock your latent potential—the ability you demonstrated in the cargo hold, to see the mysterious array and sever it."

Wu Chang said, "Actually, I've already begun to grasp how to apply this ability."

As he spoke, he inhaled occult corruption into his body at full force and, using the Secret Trial Seal, transformed it into his own energy.

"For a long time, I've been able to perceive strange energies. I once heard some self-proclaimed masters call these energies occult corruption."

"He said my constitution was unusual—that for ordinary users, occult corruption is a deadly poison, but for me, it's a treasure that strengthens the body. He gave me this little thing, saying it would help me absorb occult corruption better."

After demonstrating, he placed the Secret Trial Seal before Cui Chengze.

They were now in the same faction, sharing the same goal. If Cui Chengze could show him the Eye of Leyman, a mere Secret Trial Seal was nothing to hide.

Cui Chengze trembled as he picked up the Secret Trial Seal, studied it for a moment, then suddenly shouted:

"Bullshit! Bullshit! What incompetent brat dares pose as an occult master and mislead others!"

"Damn it, that brat must've found some ancient manuscript from hundreds—or even a thousand—years ago and taught himself outdated occult methods. Damn it! Those ancient manuscripts are wasted in the hands of amateurs—it's a crime!"

Cui Chengze stared wide-eyed at Wu Chang. "What you're absorbing isn't occult corruption—it's the primordial force of occultism!"

Wu Chang asked, "Primordial force?"

Cui Chengze confirmed: "Yes. All of us occult users rely on elaborate rituals and complex arrays to transform ordinary energies from the world—the same qi inside bodyguards—into this primordial force that underlies reality."

"The brat who fooled you—he learned outdated occult methods that can easily generate primordial occult energy. But outdated occultism can't control such powerful, pure energy, causing backlash that kills the user."

Cui Chengze grew more animated as he continued:

"That's it—because primordial occult energy causes backlash, anyone who practices this method dies young, and the lineage dies with them. If I could see those records and learn how to apply that occult method, I'd outmatch that Xinyuzhou Sect bastard in the cargo hold!"

Listening to Cui Chengze's speculation, Wu Chang's many doubts instantly dissolved.

No wonder occult corruption was stronger than occultism itself.

No wonder Secret Knights, without mastering occult knowledge, could access occult forces better than witches and priests.

No wonder Cui Chengze, despite his weak physical condition, had lived so long without signs of bodily decay.

The occult tech tree of the Moonlight Sanatorium realm had always been mispointed.

Somehow, they'd skipped the normal path, using crude occult rituals to directly summon primordial occult energy.

Under the religious context, this energy they couldn't control was naturally treated as the cost of using supernatural power—and named occult corruption.

Wu Chang cleared his throat, interrupting Cui Chengze's frustration, and said:

"Leave the matter of the occult schools aside for now and continue where we left off — how should I go about further mastering this power?"

Cui Chengze tightened his grip on the secret art trial insignia in his hand. A light flashed in his eyes, as though he had thought of something, and he said excitedly:

"Although I can't see those manuscripts that record the special occult arts, I can see the occult formation on this insignia. I can use its line of thought to expand it, and further refine it, to speed up the process of your absorbing the origin of the occult arts!"

"Didn't you ask me before whether there was a way to leave the Sunken Ship Belt early? There wasn't originally, but now there is!"

(End of this chapter)