Chapter 360 Escaping from the Sea Eye
The stone boat rose and fell erratically within the surging waters of Return to Ruins. The surrounding darkness was stirred by the currents, forming countless strange whirlpools.
"What must I do to leave Return to Ruins?" Lin Wan stood at the bow of the boat, her robes remaining motionless amidst the violent currents.
The old man gripped the gunwale tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Go... go against the current along the Sea Eye..." His voice was fragmented by the sound of the water. "But Return to Ruins is where the Four Seas converge... Now the Four Seas have long since fragmented... No one knows where one might drift..."
Lin Wan chuckled softly upon hearing this, a hint of playfulness flashing in her eyes.
She was not in a hurry; at worst, she could self-destruct this avatar. However, if she could bring this old man back and let him reunite with the Heavenly Demon Elder... perhaps there might be unexpected gains.
However, the immediate priority now was to first get out of this whale's belly.
The stone boat emitted a dull roar within the giant whale's abdomen. The hull shook violently, as if resisting the imminent journey.
Immortal Light gathered at Lin Wan's fingertips as she struck the ship's rudder with a palm.
"Boom!"
"Go!"
The stone boat accelerated abruptly, rushing toward the depths of the whale's abdomen.
At this moment, accompanied by bursts of roaring sounds from all around, this heaven and earth finally revealed its true form.
It turned out that the place where they had been was the stomach of the giant whale.
Now, the flesh walls on all sides began to writhe, squeezing everything in the space like living creatures.
Lin Wan could clearly feel the trembling within the giant whale's body. Every heartbeat was like thunder, shaking the hull slightly.
Occasionally, the bottom of the boat would even scrape against the soft stomach walls, emitting a hissing sound.
Of the passages at both ends, Lin Wan naturally chose the front one.
Where the rear passage would lead was almost self-evident.
Amidst the surging waves, she quickly drove the stone boat to the periphery of the passage. As expected, the narrow giant river ahead was the esophagus of this giant whale.
Unlike when they came, the inner wall of the esophagus was now covered in folds, like a deep tunnel. The surrounding muscles constantly contracted, pushing the water surging from outside toward the depths.
Lin Wan snorted coldly, and her Immortal Essence erupted. Blinding golden light rippled around the hull as she forcefully went against the current.
"Bang!"
The stone boat broke through the end of the esophagus and suddenly rushed into the giant whale's throat.
The space here suddenly widened, but the water current became even more violent.
Every breath of the giant whale kicked up a gale, causing the boat to pitch violently in the airflow.
Lin Wan steadied her figure, locking her gaze ahead. There lay the whale's mouth; two rows of whale teeth, like mountain peaks, were slightly open, revealing a gap.
"Charge out!"
The stone boat accelerated abruptly, speeding toward that gap.
Just as the hull was about to touch the whale teeth, the giant whale seemed to sense something abnormal and abruptly closed its mouth.
The hull was clamped by the whale teeth on both sides, emitting a piercing friction sound.
A cold light flashed in Lin Wan's eyes. Immortal Essence condensed in her palm as she struck the rudder again.
"Break!"
The golden light exploded, and the hull forcibly squeezed out from between the whale teeth.
The next second, blinding heavenly light poured down, and the stone boat finally rushed out of the giant whale's mouth.
Immediately, endless waters of Return to Ruins surged from all directions. Like ten thousand wild horses running off the reins, they rushed toward the stone boat with a momentum capable of destroying everything.
Lin Wan's pupils shrank abruptly.
"Rise!"
She formed hand seals with both hands, and majestic Immortal Essence surged from within her body. It instantly transformed into a pale golden light shield, enveloping the entire stone boat.
The waters of Return to Ruins struck the light shield, emitting a deafening roar. The splashing waves condensed into ice crystals in the darkness, only to be quickly crushed by the turbulent currents.
"Hold on tight!"
Like an arrow leaving the string, the stone boat rushed straight up against the torrent.
The surroundings began to blur, leaving only the boundless, dark blue water currents. Lin Wan could feel that every drop of the water from Return to Ruins was extremely heavy. They frantically squeezed the light shield, emitting teeth-grating creaking sounds.
As they continued to ascend, the pressure grew greater and greater.
At first, the light shield only trembled slightly; gradually, fine cracks began to appear on its surface.
Cold sweat seeped from Lin Wan's forehead; the consumption of Immortal Essence far exceeded her expectations. Originally, when crossing alone, she could still handle it with ease, but now having to protect the entire stone boat was almost like fighting against the entire Return to Ruins.
"Crack—"
A crack suddenly ran through the entire light shield.
Lin Wan let out a muffled groan, and a trace of fresh blood spilled from the corner of her mouth. Without hesitation, she bit the tip of her tongue and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood onto the rudder.
The golden light surged, and the cracks were repaired in an instant, but her complexion turned a few shades paler.
The old man curled up in the corner of the cabin, looking around in terror.
They were currently in the center of a giant whirlpool, where the surrounding water currents formed a water wall reaching heaven and earth.
Countless fragmented images were faintly visible within the water wall—sunken ancient cities, broken immortal artifacts, and even colossal bones as large as mountains. These remnants were wrapped by the water currents, acting like countless blades that continuously cut at the light shield.
They were getting closer and closer to the Sea Eye, and the pressure had reached a terrifying level.
Lin Wan's arms began to tremble, and the body-protecting immortal light was compressed to the limit. She felt her bones wailing, and her internal organs seemed about to be squeezed into a ball. Yet her gaze remained determined as she poured out her Immortal Essence without reservation.
...
The stone boat ascended with difficulty within the Sea Eye. The surrounding water currents were a deep, pitch-black purple, and every drop seemed to contain the weight of the entire ocean.
Suddenly, a corner of the protective divine light at the stern was torn open by an undercurrent.
"Crack!"
A fist-sized portion of the hull was exposed to the waters of Return to Ruins.
In an instant, that small piece of the hull seemed to be grasped by an invisible giant hand. It was instantly compressed and deformed, ultimately turning into a "paper sheet" as thin as a cicada's wing.
This sheet was less thick than a hair yet still retained the hull's contour. It fluttered in the water, then was torn into fragments by the turbulent current and dissipated without a trace.
Lin Wan's pupils shrank abruptly. She could clearly see that the wood grain of the boat was even preserved on that "paper sheet," as if some force had forcibly flattened all the space.
Her heart instantly turned solemn.
The gap in the light shield was quickly filled with Immortal Essence, but Lin Wan's expression grew even more grave.
She dared not imagine what the outcome would be if the entire boat lost the protection of the divine light. Even a body like hers, that of an Immortal Venerable, would likely be instantly crushed into a thin shadow.
The exit of the Sea Eye overhead was still out of reach, while the water pressure all around continued to increase.
No one knew how much time passed.
"Boom!"
The stone boat suddenly shook violently, and the bow finally touched the edge of the Sea Eye.
The pressure in the water gradually transformed into another, even more terrifying tearing force. The light shield thinned at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Blood began to seep from Lin Wan's seven orifices, but she still held firmly onto the rudder.
Just as the light shield was about to collapse.
"Bang!"
The stone boat finally broke through the final barrier and leaped out of the Sea Eye!
The pressure vanished abruptly. Lin Wan staggered, nearly falling to her knees.
She wiped the blood from her face and looked up.
Before her eyes was a boundless deep sea, and beneath their feet lay the Return to Ruins Sea Eye, slowly rotating and massive to the point of suffocation.
Looking down, it resembled a giant funnel, swallowing seawater from all directions. The center of the whirlpool, bottomless, seemed to connect to another world.
...
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