Chen Changqing examined Zhang Tao's injuries. The Blood Shark Bandits' baleful aura was incredibly toxic, like a lingering disease, eroding his meridians and vitality. If not for his solid Foundation Establishment cultivation, Zhang Tao would likely have perished.
Chen Changqing composed himself, circulating the Great Purity Water Essence Scripture. Gentle, flowing water essence, like a fine rain, seeped into Zhang Tao's body, slowly nourishing his damaged meridians and dispelling the baleful aura. He produced a high-grade healing pill and carefully fed it to Zhang Tao.
After the emergency treatment, Zhang Tao's complexion improved, and his breathing became more stable. His life was temporarily saved, but complete recovery would require a long period of rest.
Having settled Zhang Tao, Chen Changqing turned his attention to the "Dragon Scale Key." The key was cold to the touch, with a delicate feel, and its natural patterns resembled miniature dragon scales. He activated the Primal Calculation Rods for assistance, and channeled a wisp of spiritual energy, activating the Karma Heavenly Eye.
Buzz! A massive flow of information flooded his mind.
The images flashed before him: deep within a dark, icy seabed, a massive metallic complex rose from the depths. It was an advanced technological structure, similar in style to the "extraterrestrial invaders" ruins he had seen in the murals. Countless agonizing screams echoed, while researchers in white coats, filled with fanaticism, threw various marine creatures, and even humans, into hellish laboratories, conducting inhumane fusion experiments. Twisted and grotesque mutated beings roared in cages, some with terrifying auras at the Foundation Establishment level or even higher.
At the deepest point of all the chaotic images, Chen Changqing caught a faint, familiar fluctuation! A water-blue crystal fragment, about the size of a palm, suspended in an energy field, emanating the pure, vast power of the Water element. The aura was similar to the Seal of the Four Seas in his dantian!
"Dragon Scale Key… God-Devil Creation Project… Inhibitor…" Chen Changqing connected the information, and a shocking hypothesis emerged: this key was related to that water-blue spirit seal fragment!
Half an hour later, Zhang Tao regained consciousness. He struggled to sit up, looking at Chen Changqing with a complex expression: gratitude for being saved, wariness of his strength, and resentment at being betrayed.
"Young friend... thank you for saving my life," he said weakly, his tone sincere.
After a pause, he looked at the Dragon Scale Key in Chen Changqing's hand and sighed, "I know what you're suspecting... these things involve the Golden Shark Merchant Guild's most core secrets... even the hidden cultivation world's hidden truths." He seemed to be struggling with a difficult decision. Finally, he looked at Chen Changqing's clear, deep eyes and decided to reveal part of the truth.
"I am an executive of the Golden Shark Merchant Guild, and also a peripheral member of a family in the hidden cultivation world... The guild isn't simple; it's an organization under the [Heavenly Dao Pavilion]... The internal structure of the organization isn't unified; it's divided into 'conservative' and 'radical' factions."
"Radical faction?" Chen Changqing brought up the clues from the murals, "Related to ancient relic technology? The spiral mark? Sequence Fusion?"
Zhang Tao trembled at the words, his eyes filled with shock: "You... how do you know these things?!"
Chen Changqing remained calm, "During the voyage, I encountered an ancient relic and saw some things."
Zhang Tao fell silent, and his shock was replaced by bitterness. He nodded, "That's right... the radical faction discovered ancient relics and obtained some... non-human technology... called 'Sequence Fusion'. They believe the end of the Dharma era is coming, and a new era will begin. It's a chance to change their fate... They want to modify life forms, even humans, to gain power beyond the current system, to welcome or... control the new era. It's called the God-Devil Creation Project."
"Seven Star Island is their most important experimental base."
"And the Dragon Scale Key and the cargo?" Chen Changqing pressed.
Zhang Tao looked at the Dragon Scale Key, pain flashing in his eyes: "This key is the secret to opening the core area of Seven Star Island… The cargo, on the surface, was supposed to be Inhibitors, to control the experimental subjects from going berserk… Now I understand… those boxes that were tampered with, they weren't Inhibitors at all! They were Catalysts! Possibly even control signal sources! The radicals not only betrayed me, but they also used me! They knew I was escorting these things, they knew the Blood Shark Bandits would come… They wanted to create chaos, fish in troubled waters, let us both be destroyed, and they would reap the benefits!"
He took a breath, looking at Chen Changqing: "I am a conservative… I oppose the radicals' research… It's too dangerous, too forbidden… This mission was originally to escort the key and the real Inhibitors to Seven Star Island, to cooperate with the conservatives and destroy the evidence… Now it seems, everything is in vain."
Chen Changqing understood after hearing this. Conservatives, radicals… This game was bigger than he thought. Through a series of coincidences, he had become a crucial variable in the game.
He looked at the weakened Zhang Tao, and at Lin Wanqing beside him, making the situation clear: "Now, all three of us are being targeted by the radicals and the Blood Shark Bandits. The One-Eyed Shark wants the key and the cargo, the radicals want the core secrets of Seven Star Island. With our current strength, we won't survive if we act alone."
He paused, his eyes sharp as he looked at Zhang Tao: "Only by cooperating, by using each other, can we survive, and… stop the radicals' insane plan. I am very interested in the truth behind the God-Devil Creation Project." He concealed his interest in the Seal of the Four Seas fragments, to avoid arousing more suspicion from Zhang Tao.
Zhang Tao looked at Chen Changqing with a complicated expression. He could see that this young man was not just interested in the "truth," but also had his own goals. But he had no other choice. His life had been saved by the other party, and he needed someone to complete the conservatives' mission. This young man's cultivation wasn't high, but his methods were mysterious and unfathomable. Perhaps only he could find a way out of this desperate situation.
"Alright… I agree… We'll form a temporary alliance." Zhang Tao considered it carefully and then gritted his teeth in agreement. "I'll tell you everything I know about Seven Star Island… I hope you… can really stop them."
Having formed an alliance, Chen Changqing, with Zhang Tao's permission, re-examined the "special cargo." Sure enough, as Zhang Tao had said, several sealed boxes of "Inhibitors" had normal energy fluctuations, consistent with the characteristics of the "true Inhibitors" that Zhang Tao had described. The other, slightly damaged boxes, emitted abnormally violent energy fluctuations, similar to the mutated creatures seen in the murals and by the Karma Heavenly Eye.
"These are probably not Inhibitors, but Catalysts… or even, some kind of signal generator to control the mutated creatures," Chen Changqing informed Zhang Tao.
Zhang Tao's face turned grim, and a sense of helplessness washed over him: "I was… I was used so completely…"
Lin Wanqing had been listening silently. She tugged on Chen Changqing's sleeve and lowered her voice: "Senior Brother, he hasn't told the whole truth, or perhaps he hasn't told the full story. That key… I have a bad feeling about it. It's not just forbidden and dangerous; it carries a trace of… sadness and unwillingness. Also, this Zhang Tao… I don't believe he thinks the conservatives are truly harmless."
Chen Changqing nodded slightly, internally acknowledging the Azure Frost Sword Vein's keen perception of karmic energy. He also felt that Zhang Tao was hiding something, but after all, the other person was an executive of the Golden Shark Merchant Guild. Cooperation was the foundation, and he couldn't demand complete transparency. At this stage, cooperation was already a pleasant surprise. He would investigate the truth himself when they reached Seven Star Island.
After resting, the cargo ship needed to proceed. Due to Zhang Tao's injuries from the Blood Shark Bandits' attack, the original route was exposed, and taking the old route would be suicidal.
Chen Changqing once again used the Primal Calculation Rods, combined with the Karma Heavenly Eye, to deduce the dangers of the path ahead. The divination showed that the conventional routes on the sea chart were fraught with peril, filled with blood-red lines, ominous warnings. However, the divination wasn't completely closed off; in the distant eastern sea, a route passing through the "Forbidden Zone," marked by the "Eye of the Storm," and an uncharted sea area not marked on the map, though extremely dangerous, held a glimmer of hope, like a faint light in the darkness.
Chen Changqing announced the results of his calculations. Zhang Tao was shocked. "The Eye of the Storm? The East Sea Forbidden Zone! Rumor has it that ancient sea monsters slumber there, and the area is perpetually shrouded in violent energy storms. No ship dares to approach! Even at my peak, I wouldn't dare enter lightly!"
However, he'd witnessed Chen Changqing's skill in navigating treacherous currents and reefs, and knew his predictive abilities were extraordinary. Considering the aggressive pursuit of the Blood Shark Bandits and the dead end of the regular routes, the Forbidden Zone, though perilous, offered a sliver of hope. He gritted his teeth and agreed, "Alright… let's take this route! No risk, no reward!"
The cargo ship changed course, cautiously heading toward the outer edges of the "Forbidden Zone" waters. As they neared, the sea surface was unnaturally calm. The sky was oppressive, with low-hanging, leaden clouds. The air was thick with an indescribable, heavy pressure, as if a colossal being was about to awaken. Deep beneath the surface, terrifying undercurrents slowly churned, agitating the endless seawater.
Then, Chen Changqing, using his Karma Heavenly Eye, saw the source of the undercurrents – a massive, unimaginable shadow, slowly moving deep within the seabed! The shadow was immense, like a mountain slowly gliding across the ocean floor!
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