Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Chapter 547 Cultivation in the Sea of the Dead, Illusions of Vengeful Spirits

After a whole night, the three most serious injuries to the tendons in Xilun's body finally healed.

The third level of the Overturning Sea Technique is still not complete, but the most difficult starting point has been crossed.

Next, he only needs to cultivate step by step in the order of identifying tendons, opening tendons, and transforming qi.

However, Xilun was not satisfied.

His gaze quickly shifted to the Breath of the Styx.

After the inner courtyard's access was granted, the rotten wood of the Cold Swamp and the sediment of the Underworld River were no longer difficult to obtain.

The truly valuable drowned silver coins also appeared on the pharmacy's list.

It is an extraordinary material born from a special water burial ceremony.

The silver coin had to be held in the mouth of the deceased and sunk into the underworld river with the body.

Ordinary silver coins only gradually transform after being immersed for a long time in decaying flesh and blood, the aura of the River Styx, and the remnants of spirit.

A drowned man's silver coin is worth four hundred pounds.

Without hesitation, Xilun bought two.

The rotten wood from the cold swamp, the sediment from the dark river, the silver coins of the drowned, plus the gray phosphorus powder and water ghost heart liquid needed to neutralize the death aura, almost consumed most of the money he had left.

The cash on the table dwindled rapidly.

Xilun, however, remained unusually calm.

Money in your pocket is just a string of numbers.

Only by changing the materials can it truly become a force of one's own.

On the evening of the seventh day, Xilun packed all the materials into black leather suitcases, categorizing them accordingly.

As he was about to leave the pharmacy, he inadvertently saw a map of the inner courtyard meditation area hanging on the wall.

The inner courtyard has more than ten special meditation sites.

The Tide Sound Cave is suitable for practicing the Overturning Sea Technique.

Thunder Cliff can be used to hone lightning-type power.

The White Bone Pool can assist in the transformation of the body.

At the very bottom is an area marked in black.

The Sea of the Dead.

Xilun stopped in his tracks.

The middle-aged monk in charge of registration noticed his gaze and looked up, saying:

"You want to go to the Sea of the Dead?"

"What place is that?"

"There is a secluded bay to the north of the monastery."

The middle-aged monk adjusted his glasses.

"Hundreds of years ago, a tsunami struck there. The entire ocean-going fleet, along with two nearby villages, sank to the bottom of the sea, and more than 10,000 people died."

"Later, the bay was affected by an unknown force, making it difficult for living things to survive, and the seawater was grayish-black all year round."

"After the monastery was established, several high-ranking monks joined forces to blockade the bay and transform it into a place of spiritual practice."

Xilun's eyes flickered slightly.

"Is there an aura of death inside?"

"It's not just lifelessness."

The middle-aged monk had a serious expression.

"There's also the lingering resentment of the dead, the pollution from shipwrecks, and the occasional undead crawling out from the seabed."

"The Sea of the Dead is only open to inner court disciples, and each entry requires a contribution point of ten. If you cultivate Yin-cold or death-related techniques, you can indeed gain a lot of benefits there."

"But I'll remind you of something."

People die there every year.

Xilun looked at the black bay on the map.

The cultivation environment for the Breath of the Styx is extremely harsh.

Ordinary quiet rooms can only provide demonic energy, not enough concentrated and stable death energy.

In the past, every time he practiced, he had to rely on materials to forcibly create an environment, which was not only wasteful but also had very limited effect.

The Sea of the Dead might be the most suitable place.

"What restrictions apply once inside?"

"Do not venture more than three miles into the bay, do not approach the central shipwreck area, and do not actively awaken undead of level three or above."

The middle-aged monk took out a form.

"To enter, first leave a spiritual imprint. If you do not return within twelve hours, the guards will attempt a rescue."

"Just trying."

"If you enter the forbidden area, no one will risk their life for a disciple who doesn't follow the rules."

"clear."

Xilun took the form.

He has already used up most of his basic contribution, leaving only twelve points.

After paying ten points, the silver patterns on the waist tag immediately became much dimmer.

After the middle-aged monk finished registering, he was handed a grayish-white bone whistle.

"When faced with an insurmountable danger, blow the bone whistle."

"It may not save your life, but it will let the guards know where you died."

Xilun put away the bone whistle.

After leaving the pharmacy, he prepared for two more days.

The ash and phosphorus powder was packaged into wax-sealed paper bags in different quantities.

The rotten wood from the cold swamp was ground into powder.

The Yinhe sediment is soaked in the Xuan Yin coldness beforehand to make its aura closer to the breath of the Styx River within one's own body.

The two drowned silver coins were strung together with black cords and hung on the chest and wrist respectively.

On the morning of the seventh day, before dawn, Xilun, carrying a golden spear and a box of materials, arrived at the north side of the monastery.

After passing through a dense forest where sunlight never shines, a black stone wall more than ten meters high appeared ahead.

The surface of the stone wall is covered with white seals.

There was only one narrow iron gate in the center.

An old monk in a gray robe sat cross-legged in front of the door, his skin so pale it was almost bloodless.

Xilun handed over the waist tag.

The old monk opened his eyes.

His pupils were a cloudy, grayish-white color.

"Silon".

"Cultivating some kind of technique to control necromantic energy?"

"Yes."

The old monk's nostrils twitched slightly.

"You still have old stains on you."

"The Sea of the Dead amplifies the voices of the dead, and it also amplifies the distracting thoughts in your mind. If you hear someone calling your name, do not respond."

"If you see someone who is already dead, do not believe it."

"If you think you are still alive, but see your own corpse in the sea, leave immediately."

Xilun nodded calmly.

"I've got it."

The old monk raised his withered hand and placed it on the iron gate.

One by one, white seals lit up.

The heavy iron gate slowly opened inward.

A cold mist seeped out from between the cracks in the door, carrying the mixed smells of rotting wood, seawater, and old corpses.

There was no sunlight behind the door.

Only a gray-black bay stretches quietly among the mountains.

Scattered planks and pale bones float on the sea.

In the distance, deep within the thick fog, a massive, broken mast can be vaguely seen, resembling a tombstone planted in the sea.

There were no seabirds.

There were no insect sounds.

Even the sound of the waves seemed extremely distant.

The Styx Breath, which had been dormant within Xilun for a long time, suddenly began to flow on its own.

A cold, stinging pain came from deep within my lungs.

The drowned silver coin on his chest swayed slightly, making a barely audible crisp sound.

Ding.

Beneath the greyish-black sea, something seemed to have heard the sound.

A pale, bleached face slowly opened its eyes.

Xilun picked up the materials box, gripped the golden spear, and stepped through the iron gate.

Behind him, the seals gradually faded away.

The heavy iron gate slammed shut.

The last ray of light from the outside world was cut off perfectly.

Xiren stood still, not moving forward immediately. The cold gray mist flowed slowly along the ground, submerging his boots, like invisible hands trying to climb up his robes.

The air was filled with the smell of rotting wood, sea salt, and corpses, and with each breath, one could taste a faint saltiness.

The sea before me stretched out to the horizon.

At least, looking out from this enclosed bay, there is no end in sight.

The pale gray seawater spread out under the distorted light of the sky. Instead of the usual shimmering waves that a tide should have, the sea surface resembled a huge, murky lead plate.

Occasionally, small ripples would spread out, without making a noticeable sound, only causing the pieces of wood and bones floating on the water to rise and fall gently.

The space between heaven and earth seems to be affected by some kind of force.

The distant cliffs sometimes appear longer, sometimes shorter.

The massive broken mast was clearly far from the shore, but occasionally, when Xilun was distracted, it seemed to be a hundred meters away.

Somber, solemn, deathly silent.

This doesn't look like a sea.

It's more like a giant tomb filled with seawater.

Xilun ignored the face underwater that had just opened its eyes.

He gripped a golden spear in his right hand, its tip pointing diagonally at the water, while in his left hand he carried a black leather case containing cultivation materials. He walked step by step along the rocky shore.

The pale, bleached face moved slowly with his steps.

Across the murky seawater, a pair of pupil-less eyes kept staring at him.

After walking more than ten steps, Xilun suddenly stopped.

The underwater face also stopped.

"Is it just regret, or a ghost?"

A thought flashed through Xilun's mind.

He did not take the initiative to act.

The rules of the Sea of the Dead explicitly state that one must not actively awaken undead of the third rank or higher.

The face doesn't appear aggressive right now, so there's no point in probing it rashly.

Xilun continued forward.

A simple wooden pier has been built on the shore.

The pier is constantly eroded by deathly air and mist, giving the wooden planks an unsettling grayish-white color.

Dark aquatic plants were intertwined between the wooden stakes, and some of the plants had white, hard shells resembling finger bones hanging from their ends.

More than ten wooden boats were secured to the side of the pier with iron chains.

These boats are of different sizes.

The outermost boats were just ordinary small boats, capable of holding two or three people at most, with faint white patterns engraved on their hulls.

Near the depths of the pier, there were two large, sturdy ships, their hulls covered with black iron, gray-white bone lamps hanging from their masts, and a small sealing array at each of the four corners of their decks.

Xilun quickly understood the difference.

For external cultivation, only an ordinary wooden boat is needed.

To venture deeper into the Sea of the Dead and approach the more densely populated middle layer of death energy, one would need at least a large ship with a sturdy hull capable of withstanding the impact of the undead.

As for the two large ships, wooden signs were placed next to them.

"Mid-level ferry, five points for one contribution."

"The patrol boats in the central shipwreck area are not to be used by personnel not on duty."

Xilun glanced at the faded inner courtyard badge.

With only two contributions left, he naturally couldn't afford to take the mid-level ferry.

Fortunately, he was only testing the effects of the Sea of the Dead today and did not intend to venture directly into its depths.

Xilun unchained a small boat, placed a crate of materials into the cabin, then pulled out the long pole securing the boat and gently tapped it against the edge of the pier.

The wooden boat slid silently into the gray sea.

Just as the ship left the shore, a slight tremor came from beneath Xilun's feet.

The pale face that had followed him all the way slowly pressed against the bottom of the wooden boat.

Five swollen, white fingers gripped the gunwale.

Xilun looked down.

The body floated on its back underwater, tattered clothes wrapped around its emaciated body, its abdomen swollen, and a broken rope tied around its neck.

The corpse's lips were open, as if it wanted to say something.

Soft murmurs came from the water.

"Take me...back..."

"The ship...is sinking..."

"My child..."

The sound was extremely faint, yet it did not enter through the ears, but resonated directly deep within the mind.

Xilun frowned slightly.

The next moment, the Moon Memory Meditation Technique started operating on its own.

The spiritual core, like a cold moon sunk into a still lake, shut out the ever-seeping murmurs.

Xilun pressed down with the long pole in his hand, and it touched the corpse's forehead.

No effort was required.

It's just a normal thing.

The rotting corpses then detached from the ship and sank back into the dark seawater.

"Those who are not mentally strong will probably be affected as soon as they board the ship."

Xilun's gaze darkened slightly.

No wonder the Sea of the Dead is only open to inner court disciples.

The danger here doesn't entirely come from the undead.

The most troublesome things are the lingering resentment of the dead, the distorted environment, and the subtle spiritual infiltration.

He propelled the wooden boat forward.

You can occasionally see other monastery disciples along the way.

A man sat alone on the boat, surrounded by a layer of grayish-white air currents, his face pale and his forehead constantly sweating.

Some people traveled in groups of two or three in a slightly larger wooden boat, with one person responsible for cultivation and the other two holding weapons to guard the water, clearly having formed a team in advance.

Further away, a young man dressed in a black robe stood on a raft.

Three pale green oil lamps were placed in front of him, and as the flames flickered, blurry ghostly figures kept appearing on the water's surface.

The ghostly figures tried to pounce on his body, but were blocked by the silver runes on his black robe, and eventually turned into fine mist, which he inhaled through his mouth and nose.

Most of the people who are able to enter this place have cultivated methods related to coldness, the soul, or death.

The appearance of Xilun did not attract much attention.

The monastery emphasizes education for all, regardless of background.

The methods of cultivation practiced by disciples are varied and unpredictable. As long as they do not violate the rules, no one will care how others become stronger.

The wooden boat slowly sailed half a mile away.

The deathly aura on the sea surface was noticeably thicker.

Siren stopped rowing and dropped the iron anchor into the water.

thump.

The sound of the anchor hitting the water broke the silence.

Several disciples who were cultivating in the distance opened their eyes at the same time, their faces showing dissatisfaction, but after seeing the inner courtyard badge on Xilun's waist, they closed their eyes again.

Xilun ignored him.

He sat cross-legged in the middle of the ship, placing the golden spear horizontally in front of his knees, while the material box was placed within easy reach.

The drowned silver coin on his chest grew colder and colder.

A layer of white frost quietly condensed on the surface of the black rope.

Xilun adjusted his breathing and first practiced the Moon Memory Meditation Technique to bring his mind into a state of extreme calm.

Then, he slowly relaxed the restraints that the Overturning Sea Technique placed on his lungs and vital energy.

A wisp of cold, lifeless black energy emerged from the depths of the lungs.

Breath of the Styx.

This method of practice has always been extremely dangerous since he obtained it.

Each cultivation session felt like actively incorporating death into the body.

If one is not careful, the deathly aura of the Styx will erode one's lungs, flesh, and even spirit.

But danger often also means power.

The Breath of the Styx can not only corrode life force, but also pollute vital energy.

When dealing with the mutated gray-haired old man, a single breath of Styx was enough to quickly weaken his powerful life force, creating an opportunity for Xilun and his companions to win.

If he can continue to improve, this technique could become one of his most powerful killing moves.

Xilun raised his hands, forming the hand seals for cultivating the Breath of the Styx.

One call.

One inhale.

The pale gray mist around him seemed to be drawn towards him, slowly converging.

The moment the mist passed through my nasal cavity, a chill went straight into my lungs.

It wasn't the pure, icy chill of Xuan Yin, but a deathly cold that numbed the flesh and dulled the mind.

It was as if the body had been buried in the soil, with lividity growing on the skin and the internal organs gradually decaying.

Xilun remained expressionless.

The first and second levels of the Overturning Sea Technique are activated simultaneously.

The skin contractes.

The muscles undulated slowly like the tides.

The death energy entering the body is now confined to fixed channels, no longer eroding flesh and blood in a disorderly manner as it had in the past.

Xilun's heart stirred slightly.

The Overturning Sea Technique was indeed effective.

After six months of retraining, although his combat power didn't seem to increase much directly, his control over his body improved by more than one level.

In the past, when he cultivated the Breath of the Styx, he needed to use the Xuan Yin Coldness to forcibly freeze the surrounding flesh and blood, and then use the Great Thunder Sound Breathing Technique to disperse the excess death energy.

The entire process is extremely rough, and the slightest carelessness can leave hidden injuries.

But things are different now.

The membrane is the shore.

Flesh and blood form the riverbed.

The deathly aura of the Styx flowed along the pre-arranged path, still cold and dangerous, but no longer raging in all directions.

Xilun slowly inhaled a second puff of gray mist.

The panel in my mind then appeared.

[Perform one breath control exercise, Styx Breath experience +1]

Xilun's eyes narrowed instantly.

it works.

Moreover, the effect is much better than in a regular quiet room.

He continued breathing.

[Perform one breath control exercise, Styx Breath experience +1]

……

Tips from experience kept emerging.

A hint of joy rose in Xilun's heart, but it did not disrupt his breathing rhythm.

Strength itself has no fixed characteristics.

It is a power extracted from flesh and blood and demonic energy, initially like a blank sheet of paper.

Only after being influenced by the environment, bloodline, and Dharma will one gradually acquire different characteristics such as wind, fire, water, earth, thunder, and cold.

The power within the Sea of the Dead is also influenced by the environment.

Every wisp of demonic energy here is mixed with the lingering resentment of the dead and the decaying aura of the sunken ship.

For ordinary people, this is deadly pollution.

For Xilun, who cultivates the Breath of the Styx, it is the most suitable nourishment.

He opened the materials box and took out a small bag of Yinhe sediment.

The fine, grayish-black sand fell into my palm, and I could faintly hear the sound of water flowing over the stone wall.

Xilun sprinkled sand around the hull of the ship, and then took out pre-ground rotten swamp wood powder and drew a simple circular pattern in front of him.

Finally, he took the drowned silver coin from his wrist and pressed it into the center of the design.

Ding.

The silver coin touched the ship's deck.

A faint, cold wind spread out from the wooden boat.

Suddenly, a flurry of whispers arose underwater.

One.

Two.

A dozen pale faces emerged from beneath the sea.

They swam slowly around the wooden boat, their lips opening and closing repeatedly.

"It's so cold..."

"Give me back my silver coins..."

"You will die too..."