Chapter 238: The suppressive force of heaven and earth — The Ancient Ship of the Forbidden Sea

"Be careful!"

As they finally sailed into the Forbidden Sea, an inexplicable pressure from heaven and earth descended, causing Chen Xun's face to turn extremely grim.

"Moo~" The big black ox's breath became erratic, its mouth slightly open in shock, releasing several snorts.

Little Red only felt a bit dazed, but wasn't as affected as Chen Xun and the big black ox.

Chen Xun and the big black ox were being assaulted by waves of willpower, not targeting their internal spiritual consciousness, but rather their very own willpower.

"As expected of a place that exists as its own realm. The remnants of ancient wills here are full of battle intent—the stronger you are, the harder you're hit."

Chen Xun swayed slightly, his bandit armor enveloping his body. Although it helped a bit, the assault of willpower persisted. "Old Ox, Little Red, put on your armor, quick."

"Moo!"

"Yes, Brother Xun!"

Little Red struggled to respond, as the bandit armor emerged from his fur. He hadn't yet refined it as his life-bound weapon, but figured that if he couldn't keep up with his brothers' strength in the future, he could return it when they parted ways.

Once they put on the armor, their expressions relaxed noticeably. Little Red marveled at the quality of the gear—his head no longer felt foggy.

Chen Xun flew to the edge of the boat, staring at the dark sea. The willpower came from all directions, unavoidable and inescapable. Staying here too long would likely lead to mental instability or even demonic possession.

"Moo~~" The big black ox felt much better now. It and Chen Xun bore the brunt of the pressure. The dangers of the cultivation world truly lurked everywhere.

They had never experienced such suppression of their cultivation before. Who knew what terrifying scale of war had taken place in this sea during ancient times?

"No wonder there are so many Golden Core cultivators on those big ships—Nascent Soul cultivators can only serve as guardians here." Chen Xun's gaze pierced through layers of mist on the sea. "In a place like this, the stronger you are, the more you're targeted. It's similar to what happened back at Southern Dipper Mountain."

The big black ox nodded thoughtfully—losing a Nascent Soul cultivator here would be a terrible waste.

"Brother Xun, what should we do now?"

Little Red's fiery gaze cut through the mist, noticing that the fog seemed to be rising from the seabed, looking more and more eerie.

Chen Xun chuckled, his eyes flashing with lightning. "The Forbidden Sea's demon lair—what a place. Back then, I actually didn't want to leave South Dipper Mountain. I was forced to go."

"Moo?!" The big black ox looked at Chen Xun in shock. It couldn't believe he had that kind of thought.

"Haha!" Chen Xun laughed, looking at the big black ox. "Old Ox, Little Red, start plundering. That ancient will in the purple mist is mine."

"Moo moo!" The big black ox jumped up, trusting Chen Xun completely.

Little Red steeled himself—he'd follow this path to the end. Gritting his teeth, he let out a defiant roar. The distant mist stirred in response, but it scared him so much that he quickly buried his head into the big black ox's back.

The mist billowed, steaming upward. They stood atop their ship, venturing deeper into the Forbidden Sea, with no sight of the other fleets.

It seemed those large forces had part of a map of the Forbidden Sea, as the younger Golden Core cultivators were gearing up, ready to fight for something.

"Brother Xun, Old Ox, there's something ahead!!" Little Red pointed forward, jumping up and shouting, "It looks like a ship."

"Moo?" The big black ox was puzzled; it hadn't seen anything. Despite having sixteen of its thirty-six divine apertures open, giving it a much stronger perception than Little Red, it saw nothing.

"Old Ox, you don't see it? It's a big, wrecked ship!" Little Red stood up, waving his arms and legs to describe it. "It's still some distance away from us."

Chen Xun looked at Little Red, his eyes full of uncertainty. Like the big black ox, he hadn't seen anything either.

Their spiritual senses were still busy resisting the assault of willpower from all directions, preventing it from overwhelming their own will.

Moreover, Little Red's Flame Sense seemed different from theirs. While they cultivated the power to extinguish divine forces, Little Red's Flame Sense appeared to have the ability to pierce through illusions.

"Old Ox, steer to the left. At this speed, the giant ship will collide with us!" Little Red's gaze was fixed on the front, his body radiating flames.

"Moo!" The big black ox waved the five-element formation flag, adjusting the direction. The speed of their giant boat also slowed down.

Although their ship could conceal itself, it wasn't completely invisible—crashing into something would be disastrous.

"Little Red, impressive! You've got this kind of ability?!" Chen Xun raised an eyebrow, giving Little Red a pat on the back. "I knew from the start you had potential."

"Brother Xun, this is the only ability my spiritual sense has. I'm just glad I can help you guys."

Little Red smiled modestly. Without training his spiritual sense, he couldn't have reached the Nascent Soul stage in the Tian Duan Plains, following a different path from typical cultivators.

"Moo~" The big black ox turned around, grinning at Little Red perched on its back.

After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, a gigantic shadow suddenly appeared within the fog, several times larger than their ship. It was hazy and indistinct, drifting silently in the still waters of the Forbidden Sea.

"Holy crap..."

"Moo!"

"It's that ship!!"

They all looked up in astonishment. A massive ship was slowly approaching from the side. Its hull was dilapidated and ancient, exuding a heavy aura of time and decay, thick enough to feel tangible.

Suddenly, an icy chill swept through the air, and the once-calm sea erupted into towering waves, like a massive tsunami.

At that moment, clusters of purple mist began to rise from the sea around the ancient ship!

They couldn't even imagine what would have happened if they had collided with it earlier—being pulverized would have been a mercy.

"Brother Xun!!!" Little Red screamed as a terrifying killing intent descended upon them, piercing straight into their bones.

"Little Red, go check the cargo. Old Ox, we'll fend off the ancient will!" Chen Xun's eyes gleamed like lightning. There could be a storage ring left behind by some ancient powerhouse on that ship. "Damn it, let's tear this thing apart!"

"Moo!!"

"Brother Xun, I'm going all in. If I die, please take me back to Tian Duan..."

Little Red, filled with sorrow, started uttering his final words, but before he could finish, Chen Xun kicked him off the ship, sending him soaring through the air in a graceful arc. "Ahhh!!!"

"You won't die. We're here."

Chen Xun tapped the surface of the Forbidden Sea with his toe, his entire body bathed in five-element divine light. Behind him, a terrifying phantom flickered, radiating blinding brilliance as he engaged in battle with the ancient will.

His divine apertures were fully opened, allowing him to observe everything around him. These purple misty clouds seemed to be especially sensitive to powerful life forms, relentlessly pursuing them.

But this also played right into his plan—he was using himself as bait. He had already studied these purple mists, and the power of five-element disintegration was still effective. If it wasn't, he would have already fled with Old Ox and Little Red.

As the monstrous waves roared, the big black ox let out a furious bellow, positioning itself in front of Chen Xun. Wave after wave of the killing intent from the purple mist surged towards them, and the ox was relentlessly dissolving it.

Though their eyes were slowly turning bloodthirsty, their minds remained calm. Much like the moment they transcended their tribulations, these chaotic emotions could no longer truly affect their path to immortality.

Little Red landed on the edge of the ancient ship. Every time a terrifying will struck, the big black ox would clear a path for him, dispersing the attacks.

His eyes gradually became mischievous, as his Flame Sense spread out like a spider's web, probing into the ship's interior. The cabin was eerily quiet, but black bloodstains were everywhere, thick and filthy.

Little Red felt drawn toward the black stains, which exuded a terrifying aura of battle and murderous intent. Suddenly, one of the stains transformed into a streak of bloodlight and slashed toward Little Red!