Chapter 292 - 157: "Landing!

Chapter 292: Chapter 157: "Landing!

"So..."

After a pause, Lame Monkey continued, "According to Wang Mazi, the Ghost Objects in the Thunderstorm Sea Realm are all in extreme pain, as if they’re enduring some kind of torture."

"Could it be that the Thunderstorm Sea Realm is a protective barrier for the Eternal Night Continent, guarding it by preventing other Ghost Objects from rushing in?"

"For example—"

"The Ghost Objects that slaughtered everyone on the New Continent—where did they go?"

"Is it possible that on their way to the Eternal Night Continent, they were enveloped and imprisoned by the Thunderstorm Sea Realm, and now they can’t reach the continent?"

"It’s possible."

Chen Fan gave another slight nod. He had so little information that anything seemed possible. Lame Monkey’s guess was one possibility. It was also possible that there were deserters from the Ghost Tide who no longer wanted to attack the Eternal Night Continent. They might have tried to escape, only to wander into the Thunderstorm Sea Realm and get trapped, tortured day and night.

Anything was possible.

The only thing he knew for sure was this:

The Eternal Night Continent was in a perilous state. That much was clear from the fact that no one had come to Jiangbei in so long. With ’That One’ gone, the Jiangbei Defense Line was completely unguarded.

In all this time, not a single person had come to check on it.

This alone proved that the front lines were stretched to their absolute limit; they couldn’t even spare a thought for the collapsing rear.

At a time like this, he couldn’t place his hope in anyone.

He could only rely on himself.

’I have to hold the Jiangbei Defense Line myself, while also building a large-scale, high-security sanctuary in Jiangbei. It’s the only way to ensure my own survival in this eternal night, to make sure I can live on no matter what the future holds.’

And the foundation for all of this was what he was doing right now.

He needed the Ghost Stones from the New Continent.

Desperately.

"That’s not right, that’s not right..."

Lame Monkey muttered to himself, "If the Ghost Objects that slaughtered the New Continent got trapped in the Thunderstorm Sea Realm on their way to attack the Eternal Night Continent, they should have at least taken the Ghost Stones with them when they left."

"They wouldn’t have just left the Ghost Stones scattered around."

"So what exactly *is* the Thunderstorm Sea Realm... And how did this forbidden zone come to be...?"

"..."

Chen Fan sat in his chair. After taking a sip of his scalding tea, he looked out at the distant Thunderstorm Sea Realm as it was slowly consumed by night. ’I... am sort of tempted to build a Celestial Pillar in the Thunderstorm Sea Realm.’

’A long time ago, an Architect known as the Immortal Celestial Master died in battle at the Jiangbei Defense Line during Ancient Times.’

’Before his death, he had failed to fully comprehend the Building Blueprint for the Yellow Level Celestial Pillar.’

’But after I got my hands on it, I managed to build it.’

’It’s a giant lightning rod that can absorb Thunderbolts and release them in times of crisis to fight off enemies.’

’Unfortunately, after the rainy season ended, while Jiangbei saw a few showers, none were the kind of violent tempests with thunder and lightning. Its absorption progress was practically zero. But if... if I were to build a Celestial Pillar in the Thunderstorm Sea Realm...’

’With the constant thunder and lightning over the Thunderstorm Sea Realm, it would probably be fully charged in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea.’

’The only problem is...’

’The Celestial Pillar, in all likelihood, couldn’t withstand that intensity of Thunderbolt and would probably be destroyed instantly. After all, that place is a forbidden zone capable of stopping thousands upon thousands of Ghost Objects. I have no idea how Wang Mazi even managed to pass through it back then.’

’And back again, at that.’

’I don’t quite have the guts to try it myself.’

’Although the idea is tempting...’

’...to build a Celestial Pillar in the Thunderstorm Sea Realm... putting aside the question of how to get there, or who would even dare to, the problem of where to place it remains. I can’t just build it on the surface of the sea. It might be possible to build it underground, but then it wouldn’t be able to absorb any Thunderbolt.’

’The Celestial Pillar is a good several hundred meters tall.’

’Leaving aside whether it could even be built on a Sea Ship, even if it could, the day of its completion would also be the day the ship sank to the seabed.’

...

Time trickled by.

「Nearly three months later.」

It was now the end of August, 379 in the Eternal Night Calendar. The sweltering summer had arrived. Half a year had passed since the Ghost King was slain in the Mortal Realm, and a new rainy season was just around the corner.

The progress of the Undersea Tunnel was much slower than they had imagined.

「Deep beneath the sea.」

Hey Hey, somewhat out of breath, was digging relentlessly through the rock deep beneath the sea. Chen Fan followed close behind on the High-speed Rail, his expression grave as he laid down sections of Copper Pipe. Their excavation speed was countless times slower than before.

The rock here was extremely hard.

Even for a creature with Hey Hey’s power, the digging was excruciatingly slow.

The hardest rock they had ever encountered was on Nameless Mountain, but even that, Hey Hey could easily tear out in great chunks with its claws. Here, however, it was an immense struggle.

Their current location was directly beneath the seabed of the Thunderstorm Sea Realm.

They were attempting a stealthy bypass from the seabed, trying to circumvent a place that was an absolute forbidden zone for humans and Ghost Objects alike.

The rock beneath the Thunderstorm Sea Realm’s seabed was exceptionally hard, so naturally, the pace of their excavation had slowed.

But the main problem was—

"Stop."

Chen Fan suddenly gave a sharp command. Hey Hey instantly froze, its front claws poised. Beyond the newly excavated rock face, the wall ahead was now covered in countless white lines that pulsed with a faint light.

Those were the markings of an Array.

They had encountered many of them along the way.

The only solution was to go around.

Hey Hey skillfully changed direction, doing its best to bypass the Array.

The Undersea Tunnel they left in their wake wasn’t a straight path, but a winding, twisted one.

Hidden in the rock deep beneath the Thunderstorm Sea Realm’s seabed were countless Arrays. These Arrays weren’t large—nowhere near the scale of the Blood Sacrifice Grand Array the Ghost King had broken through.