NIP Chapter 347 - 340: Sea of Boiling, Cooled Down?
Chapter 347 - 340: Sea of Boiling, Cooled Down?
Treasure?
Shi Ming’s interest was piqued.
A treasure foreseen by the Great Prophecy Technique would surely be extraordinary. It would, at the very least, be a famed artifact from the *Compendium of Marvels in the Endless Ocean*. It had to be something of great significance.
Though a bird, the Three-Eyed Golden Crow possessed uncommon intelligence. It had no trouble communicating with Shi Ming.
"Master, a treasure brimming with a tyrannical aura has fallen into the outer layer of the Earth Core beneath the Sea of Boiling. It is very suitable for you. It’s shaped like a greatsword and is incredibly terrifying. The oppressive force it emits, even in a dormant state, rivals that of an Abyss Lord."
A greatsword? Tyrannical? The Earth Core?
Rivals an Abyss Lord?
Shi Ming quickly searched the complete list of Marvels he knew, and it seemed he found one that perfectly matched the Golden Crow’s description. On the Endless Ocean today, he was likely the only person who possessed the complete list.
Ranked fifth: Burning Abyss.
Fallen beyond the Earth Core, it was the sword of annihilation, capable of destroying everything.
Nine times out of ten, that was it!
’Subduing the Golden Crow and getting an extra reward on top of it... Sparing its life was truly equivalent to inheriting all its past prophecies. Totally worth it!’
"Well done, Three-Eyes."
Hearing the praise, the Three-Eyed Golden Crow couldn’t help but lift its head proudly.
Ah Jian, however, looked on with disdain.
Shi Ming thought for a moment before asking another question:
"Three-Eyes, have you ever foreseen the root of the ocean’s ceaseless currents, or the formless net that binds all life?"
These were the treasures ranked second and third on the list of Marvels.
"Unceasing Water" and "The Net."
If the Three-Eyed Golden Crow could provide prophecies or detailed intelligence about them, Shi Ming could prepare in advance.
Especially "The Net."
Shi Ming wasn’t afraid of the Celestial Net.
Da Yun and She Ri, having been upgraded by the Brain of Creation or the Infinite Brain, had brand-new Sailing Crystal Stones. They were untainted by any filth or negative buffs and had decisively broken free from the Celestial Net’s control. Anyone without a chip who boarded Da Yun would not have a Celestial Net Chip implanted into them from the void.
But the Brain Domain chips already in his crew members could not be removed.
Of the rest of the people on the Endless Ocean, 99% were also ensnared by the net. The influence of this third-ranked Marvel was simply too vast; one had to be wary. People outside the net, like the group from the Xirang Research Institute who had never boarded a Wandering Ship, were exceedingly rare.
The Three-Eyed Golden Crow fell into thought.
"The root of the ceaseless sea currents, or the linking net that binds life?"
After a moment, it shook its head.
"My apologies, Master. I have no information related to them."
"No matter."
Shi Ming wasn’t surprised by this result.
Even Ah Jian, who had lived for countless ages, had no memory of these two Marvels. Conversely, she did know a little about the number-one ranked "Creation Star Core." That, too, was an unobtainable Marvel, located at the very heart of the planet.
Retrieving Burning Abyss could not be rushed.
There were more important matters at hand.
Shi Ming also sent a remote command to his crew: The Dinglan was to remain stationary and silent for five days.
Then, he had Ah Jian and Three-Eyes stand guard as he began the process of bathing in the Abyss Lord’s blood to fuse with the "tainted" Holy Hall Origin.
He had already reached the pinnacle of power among humans, yet external threats kept appearing one after another. Nearby, there was a High-tier Holy Hall Sea Beast on the verge of advancing, and in the distance, a Wandering Ship with hostile intentions. He had to seize every moment to increase his strength.
Strength was paramount.
Only those who wielded power could seize the initiative.
Like a swift arrow, he leaped into the Abyss Lord’s shattered eyeball. Chains bound the eyeball in layers, preventing its power from dissipating, but they wouldn’t hinder the voracious absorption of his Right Arm Red Pattern. Thus, Shi Ming could bathe in the blood without needing to undo the seals.
HUUU~
Taint, much like Destruction, Life, Chaos, and Spacetime, was merely a descriptor for a type of power, with no inherent positive or negative meaning. Immense power seeped through his skin, merging with his body bit by bit.
This was the third type of Holy Hall Power he had obtained.
...
...
...
As the Three-Eyed Golden Crow retracted its brilliant aura, the temperature of the Sea of Boiling also began to slowly drop.
It fell slowly from over 1000 degrees to 900, then 800... This was a gradual process, not a precipitous drop. But due to the butterfly effect, the change was felt more distinctly by people a thousand nautical miles away in the Sea of Silence and the Sea of Yellow Sand.
On the second day, the sun rose again, and noon arrived in the blink of an eye.
"Bro,"
"You feel that? It’s exceptionally cool today."
A temperature of nearly 50 degrees would be considered terrifying in other sea regions.
But compared to yesterday, the old captain of the [Shark] keenly sensed the change. On the Sea of Silence, a temperature like this could absolutely be called cool!
It was, in fact, unprecedented.
He struck up a conversation with an adventurer who had come to procure supplies.
The adventurer, who wandered the Endless Ocean, wasn’t as sensitive to such details.
"Is that so? It does seem a little. After all, it’s the end of October. I have a friend who went to Europe to buy whale oil, and he sent me a message a few days ago saying it’s already snowing over there."
The adventurer remarked casually.
"Snow? This old man has lived all his years and has never seen snow! Back in the Land Era, I never left Sudan. Now, in the Wandering Era, I’ve always done business around Heijin... Once I’ve earned enough Qiongjing and retired, I’ll go to Europe too. I want to see what it’s like when snow falls upon the sea."
"Eh, it’s just like the foam a fish spits out. Nothing much to see."
Though the young adventurer was complaining, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl upwards in a self-satisfied smirk.
He had seen snow before.
...
The temperature continued to drop.
The high temperature of the Sea of Boiling didn’t originate from the sun, so there was usually no significant temperature difference between day and night.
But tonight, the temperature dipped below the 45-degree mark.
The density of Wandering Ships in the Sea of Silence was lower than in other sea regions, but every vessel noticed the anomaly. The Wandering Ships at the edge of the Sea of Yellow Sand, in particular, directly felt the oceanic monsoon from the Northern Tropic Line. With no mountains to block the way, the chill drove straight in.
"What the hell."
Second Commander Xivier, who had visited Da Yun at dusk yesterday only to return to Heijin empty-handed, was even more sensitive to this abnormal change.
The scientists of Heijin took this very seriously. They worked around the clock, using the cutting-edge research equipment on their King-level Wandering Ship and their maritime exploration teams to analyze the cause. All signs pointed to the deepest part of the Sea of Boiling, a forbidden zone for humanity.
Some sort of major change was likely occurring there.
"Commander, should we immediately dispatch an elite squad to the Sea of Boiling to investigate?"
"Remote radar indicates the temperatures in the depths of the Sea of Boiling are still dangerously abnormal, exceeding tolerable thresholds. Hmm... Dispatch the 7th Elite Squad. They are to conduct a conservative exploration of the periphery and are not to venture deep. Also, contact Da Yu and attempt to requisition the Jade Sea Cangwu."
Xivier was perceptive.
He gave several commands and made various preparations, but in his heart, he already had a guess.
Perhaps this was an opportunity, a turn for the better.
But for now, he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain.