Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

The golden spear was suddenly raised.

The gun barrel swept across with a heavy whistling sound.

The Lund, the dead, and the Storm Duke before them shattered simultaneously, turning into a vast expanse of cold, gray mist.

Xiren closed his eyes again.

The Moon Recollection Meditation Method is like the cold moon hanging high in the sky.

The breath of the Styx flows slowly from the depths of the lungs, gradually swallowing and refining the lingering thoughts of the dead that have invaded the spirit.

[Breath of the Styx Experience +3]

Xilun's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

The Sea of ​​the Dead provides more than just death energy.

These attempts to erode his lingering resentment are themselves part of the cultivation process.

Time passed slowly.

The sea remained shrouded in darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, Xilun opened his eyes.

The rotten wood dust from the swamp surrounding the wooden boat had been mostly consumed, while the surface of the drowned silver coins had developed a layer of greasy black sheen.

He flexed his fingers.

A cold aura had accumulated in his lungs, but instead of feeling uncomfortable, it felt even more concentrated than before.

"This is just the outer area."

Xilun looked up into the depths of the bay.

Beyond the light gray fog, the silhouettes of several larger ships could be vaguely seen.

The deathly aura there is at least several times stronger than that of the outer areas.

At the same time, a deep chime came from the fog.

thump.

thump.

thump.

The sound of the bells seemed to come from the ship's cabins that had sunk underwater.

Several third-tier disciples who had been cultivating nearby put away their materials and, with solemn expressions, rowed their boat backwards.

A large ship covered in black iron slowly emerged from the gray fog.

A rather familiar figure stood at the bow of the ship.

Xilun squinted.

The man seemed to have seen him too, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Silon?"

The sound traveled clearly through the gray fog.

"What are you doing here?"

--------

The large ship broke through the gray fog and slowly approached.

A purple crystal chandelier hangs from the bow of the ship.

Where the lights shone, the pale hands beneath the sea withdrew, and even the constant murmurs around them subsided.

Xilun recognized the person who had come.

Allah.

Compared to when he suppressed Tinos for them outside the Dark Abyss Forest, Allah was not wearing the Inner Court Chief's uniform at this moment, but only a simple robe.

He sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, a purplish-black pottery jar in front of him, and water vapor around him condensed into extremely fine threads, constantly drawing some kind of cold power from the sea.

"Brother Allah."

Xilun nodded slightly.

Allah glanced at the small boat beneath Siron, then swept his gaze over the dark river sand and rotten wood powder from the cold swamp surrounding him, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You're cultivating here?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been here?"

Xilun estimated for a moment.

"It should take five or six hours."

"Only five or six hours?"

The surprise was even stronger in Allah's eyes.

He raised his hand and gestured.

A wisp of gray mist rose from beside Xilun and landed in his palm.

Purple light enveloped the gray mist, and a sharp cry suddenly rang out from within the mist.

Several blurry faces flashed across Allah's palm before being shattered by lightning.

Allah seemed to be deep in thought.

"Your mental strength is even higher than I expected."

"I have practiced meditation."

"It's impossible to stay here for five or six hours and keep your mind clear using only ordinary meditation methods."

Allah did not press further.

Every extraordinary person has their own secrets.

When monasteries recruit disciples, they value character and ability, but they do not forcibly investigate the origins of all teachings.

As long as Siron does not lose control or violate the rules of the temple, Allah will not presume to spy on him.

"What was that bell just now?"

"Sirlen asked."

Allah looked into the depths of the bay.

"The Wreck Bell".

"Hundreds of ships lie buried beneath the Sea of ​​the Dead. Some of these shipwrecks contain extraordinary artifacts, and after being tainted by death energy, they exhibit unusual behavior every so often."

"The tolling of the bell signifies that the deathly aura in the middle levels is rising."

Allah paused, then reminded:

"The outer disciples retreated at this time not because of the death aura itself, but because the sound of the bell might awaken the undead spirits underwater."

Xilun's gaze swept over his surroundings.

Several small boats nearby had already retreated to the shore.

The once calm sea began to show fine ripples.

There appeared to be a dense mass of figures swimming underwater.

Seeing that Sirin showed no intention of leaving, Allah said calmly:

"Do you want to continue your cultivation?"

"Yes."

"Let's get on the ship."

Allah snapped his fingers, and a water rope flew out from the large ship and entangled the small boat of Siron.

"Your wooden boat can only stay on the outskirts. Once the death energy rises, the seals on the hull may not be able to stop the third-tier undead."

Xilun didn't stand on ceremony.

He picked up the materials box and the golden spear, and with a slight push of his feet, landed steadily on the deck of the large ship.

The small boat was towed by a water rope and tied to the stern of the large boat.

The moment Xilun stepped onto the deck, he immediately sensed the ship's extraordinary nature.

Within each plank of the ship's hull, demonic energy faintly flowed.

The black iron outside the ship's hull was not ordinary metal, but rather a special mineral mixed with something that could isolate mental pollution.

Four animal bones were nailed to the four corners of the deck.

The bones are dark purple and covered with lightning patterns.

No wonder it costs five contribution points to ride once.

Such a ship requires a considerable amount of extraordinary materials for routine maintenance alone.

"I am also using this environment to cultivate myself."

Allah pointed to the open space at the stern of the ship.

"You can continue there. But don't leave the area illuminated by the amethyst lamp."

Thank you.

Xilun walked to the stern and sat down cross-legged.

But Allah did not immediately continue his practice.

He scrutinized Xilun for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"How is your large tendon injury?"

"The three most serious areas have healed, and I have just entered the third level of the Overturning Sea Technique."

"The Hai Na Wu Liang medicine is quite effective."

Allah nodded slightly.

"However, your body is different from that of ordinary cultivators. The medicine repairs the major tendons, but it only reconnects the broken parts; the old energy and contamination are still hidden inside."

"Practicing methods that utilize the energy of the dead will further increase the burden on the major tendons."

Xilun understood what he meant.

"I will control the time."

"Simply controlling the time is not enough."

Allah looked at the silver coins of the drowned on his chest.

"The Sea of ​​the Dead can increase the cultivation speed of death-related techniques, but it will also amplify the flaws of the techniques themselves."

"One day of breathing exercises here is perhaps equivalent to ten days outside."

"But the pollution that invades your mind and body will also increase tenfold."

Allah spoke calmly, yet with utmost seriousness.

"Some people leave the Sea of ​​the Dead looking perfectly normal."

"A month later, you will suddenly hear the deceased speaking in your ear."

"At first it was just whispers in their sleep, then it became calls in the daytime. By the time they could no longer distinguish between the dead and the living, it was too late."

Xilun kept these words in mind.

How can I tell if I've been contaminated?

"Observe emotions."

Allah said:

"Unexplained irritability, prolonged numbness, an abnormal sense of closeness to death, or the feeling that everyone around you is already dead."

"These are all signs."

"Secondly, regarding memories, if you experience memory loss or encounter images in your mind that are not your own after leaving here, immediately go to the Holy Light Branch for purification."

Allah looked at Siren.

"Your spirit is indeed very strong, but don't overestimate your willpower."

"Human will is not inexhaustible."

Xilun paused for a moment, then nodded.

"I've got it."

Allah said no more.

He returned to the bow of the boat, pressed his hands against the purplish-black pottery jar, and continued to practice the Dharma.

The wisps of gray death energy were absorbed by the pottery jar, and after being cleansed by the purple water mine, they were transformed into clear water vapor, which then merged into Allah's body.

Xilun glanced at it once and then looked away.

Allah is clearly using the spirit of death to hone the power of his mines.

The ability of a fourth-tier extraordinary individual to wield power far surpasses that of an ordinary third-tier individual.

It's no longer just about absorption and explosion.

Instead, it attempts to transform the power of different traits into one another.

Xilun silently memorized this scene.

Then, he closed his eyes again.

The ship's bell tolled for the third time.

thump.

The sea surface suddenly rose and fell.

A gray-black wave surged in from afar, causing the large ship to sway slowly.

The concentration of death energy rose rapidly, even condensing into a thin layer of frost on the deck surface.

Xilun took just one breath, and the Styx Breath within his lungs immediately began to stir.

Middle layer.

The cultivation effects here are stronger than those in the outer areas.

Xilun first sprinkled the gray phosphorus powder around him.

When the ash phosphorus powder is ignited, there is no open flame; it only emits a layer of pale white smoke, which is used to neutralize the overly strong corpse odor.

Then, he took out a piece of rotten wood from the cold swamp.

Apply gentle pressure with your fingers.

The surface of the rotten wood immediately cracked.

Black liquid seeped from the cracks and dripped onto the sediment in the underground river, making a faint corrosive sound.

Siren placed the drowned man's silver coin in his palm.

Begin breathing exercises.

The moment the first breath of death entered the body, a sharp pain shot through the lungs and internal organs.

As the second breath of death entered his body, tiny ice crystals seemed to form on the surface of his tendons.

Xilun was not in a hurry.

The tidal energy of the Overturning Sea Technique flowed slowly, gradually guiding the death energy into the correct channels. The Xuan Yin Cold Intent guarded the vicinity of several old wounds on the right arm and chest, preventing the remnants of the evil spirit from taking the opportunity to devour the power.

The Great Thunder Breathing Technique was suppressed to its lowest level.

The lightning energy and the death energy of the Styx River clash; if they erupt simultaneously, it will only cause more chaos within the body.

[Perform one breath control exercise, Styx Breath experience +2]

[Perform one breath control exercise, Styx Breath experience +2]

[Perform one breath control exercise, Styx Breath experience +2]

The experience gained on the panel continues to increase.

Its speed was more than twice as fast as that of the outer perimeter.

Xilun was secretly delighted.

That suits me perfectly.

What he lacks most right now is time.

People like Tinos, who would want to kill him for their own benefit, will not stop just because his foundation is damaged.

If he can quickly enhance his Styx Breath here, he will have an extra trump card that can threaten other experts of the same level.

Time passes little by little.

Allah finished his prayers on the morning of the second day.

He opened his eyes and saw that Xilun was still sitting cross-legged at the stern, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Aren't you going to rest?"

"We'll stop for half an hour every four hours."

Xilun answered.

His voice was deeper than usual, and a faint grayish-black wisp of air escaped from his nostrils with each breath.

Allah took two steps closer.

"What time is it now?"

"The morning of the second day after entering the Sea of ​​the Dead."

"What's your name?"

"Silon".

Why did you come here?

"Cultivate the Breath of the Styx."

The answer is no problem.

Allah then swept around Siron with the force of naval mines.

No obvious mental pollution was found.

"Your spirit is indeed formidable."

There was a hint of emotion in his voice.

"But like I said, don't linger here too long."

Allah put away the purplish-black earthenware jar.

"I'm leaving now. The mid-level ferry will automatically sail along a fixed route and return to shore every three hours."

"If you sense anything is wrong, leave immediately."

"it is good."

Allah departed on water.

His footsteps landed on the gray sea, creating only a faint ripple.

A moment later, the figure disappeared into the thick fog.

Xilun looked away.

It is not surprising that a fourth-tier extraordinary being can walk on water.

But Allah's control over water is clearly more natural than His.

It wasn't about using brute force to lift the body, but rather letting the seawater beneath the feet actively bear the weight.

While Xilun's affinity for water is subtle, it is far from being fully realized.

"There is still a long way to go in the application of power."

He closed his eyes again.

Day three.

Fourth day.

In the Sea of ​​the Dead, it is difficult to see the sunrise and sunset; one can only rely on the time recorded in the waist tag to judge changes in the outside world.

Siren barely left the stern.

When they were hungry, they would eat the dry food that had been prepared in advance.

When thirsty, they drink water from a sealed leather bag.

Every four hours, he would stop practicing the Breath of the Styx and switch to the Moon Memory Meditation Technique to check his mental state.

At first, everything was normal.

On the fifth day, changes began to appear.

After finishing one of his breathing exercises, Xilun suddenly felt an unsettling quietness around him.

That restlessness came from nowhere.

The sea remained gray.

The deceased's murmurs continued intermittently.

But a strange impulse arose within him, a desire to smash the ship's planks with his gun and tear apart the wailing, lingering souls underwater.

Xilun opened his eyes.

He neither succumbed to his emotions nor forcibly suppressed them.

Just observe quietly.

"It's not my emotion."

"From the environment, or from the lingering resentment of the deceased inhaled into the body."

He took out a piece of white paper and wrote down his feelings at that moment.

irritable.

They dislike living things.

Yearning for the deeper deathly aura.

When he wrote the third line, Xilun's fingers paused slightly.

Yearning for the deeper deathly aura.

This is the most dangerous point.

He initially entered the Sea of ​​the Dead solely to enhance the Breath of the Styx.

But at some point, he developed a longing for the shipwreck area in the middle of the bay.

It was as if something was waiting for him there.

Xilun looked up.

Deep in the fog, the broken mast was clearer than before.

A figure stood at the top of the mast.

I looked into his eyes from a great distance.

Xilun couldn't see the other person's face clearly, but he vaguely sensed that the figure was smiling.

"We can't go any deeper."

He made a judgment immediately.

However, the current situation is still under control.

The Breath of the Styx is also nearing a breakthrough.

If we leave now, we'll have to readjust the materials and the situation next time.

Xilun looked down at the materials box.

Three sections of the rotten wood from the cold swamp remain.

Less than half of the sediment from the underground river remains.

The first drowned silver coin had become extremely dull, and most of the death energy contained within it had been consumed.

"Cultivate for two more days."

Celen made the decision calmly.

If you cannot break through within two days, leave immediately.

On the sixth day, three undead appeared beneath the sea and rammed the ship.

The first one was just an ordinary, decaying corpse.

It was deflected by the ship's seal and quickly sank underwater.

The second one was a deformed fish with human arms.

Xilun shot him through the head, and before his body could surface, it was dragged into the depths by countless hands in the sea.

The third one was a tall undead dressed in tattered captain's clothes.

It climbed to the stern, its empty eye sockets burning with eerie blue flames, and held a decaying musket in its hand.

Siren did not use the Breath of the Styx.

The golden spear thrust straight out, first shattering the musket, then smashing the opponent's spine with the butt of the spear.

The captain's spirit fell back into the water.

Immediately, the sound of bones being gnawed echoed from the darkness.

Xilun gained a more direct understanding of the dangers here.

This is only the mid-level fixed routes.

If you enter the central shipwreck area, encountering third- or even fourth-order undead is not uncommon.

The seventh day.

The last piece of rotten wood from the cold swamp burned completely.

Two drowned silver coins floated simultaneously in front of Xilun, their surfaces shimmering with a rich black light.

The sediment in the underground river moves even without wind.

Grains of sand slowly rotated around his body.

Xilun's breathing had become extremely slow.

It took him a long time to take a breath.

After a long while, he slowly expelled it.

The breath of the Styx in his chest and abdomen continued to accumulate, initially as a thin thread, but gradually converging into a cold stream.

The experience tips on the panel are becoming increasingly dense.

[Perform one breath control exercise, Styx Breath experience +3]

[Perform one breath control exercise, Styx Breath experience +3]

……

At one point, all sound suddenly disappeared.

The dead weep.

Seawater is flowing.

The tolling of the shipwreck bells.

All fell silent.

Xilun felt as if he had come to the side of an endless black river.

Countless corpses floated in the river.

They opened their eyes and stretched out their hands to him.

"Get down..."

"Become us..."

"It hurts here..."

Xilun stood on the bank, quietly watching the river.

A body that looked exactly like him floated down from upstream.

The corpse's chest was ripped open, its right arm was covered in bluish-black lines, yet its eyes held an eerie tranquility.

"You are dead."

The corpse opened its mouth.

"Admit it."

Xilun raised his right hand.

There were no guns.

He had no strength left.

He looked down at his palm.

He then clenched his fist suddenly.

"Whether I am alive or not is not for the dead to tell me."

boom!

The black river suddenly surged.

The wooden boat in reality shook violently.

The Styx Breath that had accumulated within Xilun's body for several days broke through its shackles and, along the blood and flesh channels that had been reorganized by the Overturning Sea Technique, burst through his lungs and internal organs.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes were filled with darkness.

Immediately afterwards, Xilun opened his mouth.

A thick cloud of black gas simultaneously spewed from its mouth and nostrils.

The black mist, as black as ink, instantly enveloped an area several meters around the stern of the ship.

The surrounding gray fog was affected and quickly condensed into a layer of black frost.

A dead creature that had just approached the ship didn't even have time to struggle before its flesh withered and decayed at a visible speed, eventually leaving only a gray skeleton that sank into the sea.

[Skill: Breath of the Styx (Proficient)]

Progress: (0/2000)

【Characteristics: Possesses a spiritual essence, nourishes the body and replenishes vital energy, as serene as the River Styx, boundless and deathly still!】

Xilun slowly exhaled the last wisp of black smoke.

It became.

Breath of the Styx, Proficient Level.

The disciples on several nearby ships opened their eyes and looked at this place with surprise and doubt.

Some people sensed the terrifying, decaying power of life within the black mist and instinctively pushed the boat further away.

Some people's eyes flickered, as if they wanted to see exactly which kind of magic Xilun practiced.