Stop pretending, the fake heiress is actually a master of metaphysics.

Gu Yuncheng rented a boat and hired an experienced captain and his apprentice to go out to sea with him.

Shen Nian leaned against the ship's side, the blue token dangling from her hand.

The ship had sailed a long way, and the outline of the land became distant and blurred. All around was the azure sea where the water and sky merged into one, with occasional glimpses of pointed reefs and small islands peeking out.

We're sailing with the wind, so the boat is moving quite fast. However, the sky in the distance is a bit overcast, and I wonder if it will rain soon.

As the captain steered the ship, he asked curiously, "Boss, what are we going out to sea for?"

"Judging from your appearance, you don't seem to be going deep-sea fishing."

Although the three of them were carrying bulging backpacks and dressed very neatly, they didn't look like people going out for sea fishing to relax at all.

Shen Nian said calmly, "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. We'll give you three times the reward."

"Okay, okay."

The captain nodded in agreement and said nothing more.

They had sailed into the open sea, where the ocean was vast and deep. Shen Nian looked down into the unfathomable depths, intently searching for something.

"Master, the wind is picking up."

Gu Yuncheng shouted.

In just a short while, dark clouds drifted over the sea where they were, and a storm was brewing, causing the ships to rock and sway in the ocean.

The captain wiped his sweat and reassured him, "Don't be afraid. Encountering heavy rain during a voyage is common. This storm won't stay in one area for long; it will pass quickly."

"Our ship is a big ship, not one of those small fishing boats. It can sail on the high seas, so it's not afraid of this little bit of rain."

Shen Nian nodded and followed Gu Yuncheng off the deck and into the cabin.

The ship was well-supplied with supplies, and hot water and food were available in the hold. Shen Nian wasn't particularly hungry, so she drank a few sips of water and asked, "Where's Xiaobai?"

Gu Yuncheng: "...He seems to be a little seasick and is lying in his room."

Shen Nian: ...

This zombie can fly and burrow underground, yet it gets seasick?

She pressed her forehead and continued to observe the token's movement.

This token can open the Black Dragon's underwater palace. The palace and the token will sense each other's presence. Guided by the token, they should be able to find the palace today.

The downpour had begun, pattering annoyingly onto the deck.

The ship was rocking a bit, but overall it was tolerable; the storm wasn't considered dangerous.

However, the closer they got to the underground palace, the more violently the waves surged around the ship.

Shen Nian looked up and saw a huge wave crashing onto the deck, seemingly about to sink the ship.

The ship creaked painfully.

She frowned, stood up, and walked onto the deck.

The seawater was dark and the visibility was very low, but Shen Nian always felt as if she were staring into a pair of cold, vertical pupils in the sea.

She raised her hand and began to carve a series of strange and complex runes on the ship's side.

The runes seemed to coat the ship with an indestructible barrier; since the runes were completed, no waves have been able to crash onto the deck.

The boat was still rocking, but the swaying had lessened considerably.

Shen Nian knew perfectly well that something was guarding the underground palace at the bottom of the sea, preventing them from getting close.

The captain's apprentice came out, looking very unhappy.

He told Shen Nian that the ship's instruments had malfunctioned, and they seemed to be trapped in a magnetic storm field, unable to determine their next course of travel.

This type of sea is also known as the Sea of ​​Death or the Devil's Sea, because once a ship enters it, it is very difficult for it to leave.

They are a very experienced captain and crew member, how could they have sailed into such a place?

Although the storm had passed, the ship was temporarily at a standstill because it had lost its direction. The sailors stood on the deck, observing the surrounding sea and looking for objects that could indicate their way.

However, they had already sailed into the open sea, surrounded by seawater, with no difference between the waters in any direction.

Suddenly, a sailor exclaimed, "There's something under the ship!"

"What is that, a fish? What's the big deal?"

The sailor turned pale: "It's not a fish, it's not a fish!!!"

Shen Nian looked down.

From the bottom to the hull, a dense mass of swollen, pale things were clinging to the boat.

They raised their faces, revealing two small, dark holes on one face, which should be eyes, and bared a set of scarlet, sharp teeth, gnawing at the hull.

Shen Nian smelled a greasy, sweet, and oily odor.

Looking at their hands and feet hidden underwater, they were pale and transparent. Their feet didn't look like feet; they were a single, integrated piece, somewhat resembling fish fins.

Are they human beings?

Someone asked tremblingly, "What kind of monster is this?"

"I heard from the old captain that there is a monster in the sea called the water monkey that attacks passing fishing boats and then eats the people on board."

"Water monkey? Isn't that a water ghost?"

Shen Nian's expression shifted slightly, and she said calmly, "This isn't a water monkey; that kind of thing doesn't appear in the sea. This is a Lingyu, also known as a mermaid."

Mermaids live in the deep sea, their bodies covered in thick layers of fat.

In the era in which Shen Nian lived, many aristocratic families would send people out to sea to catch killer mermaids and use their oil to make mermaid lamps. These lamps had a wonderfully fragrant aroma and could burn for a long time, making them the most prestigious symbol of wealth.

After the rotten flesh is removed from the mermaid's head, the remaining skull will emit a faint glow. Because its shape is round like a pearl, it is also regarded as a rare toy and played with. That is the mermaid pearl, also known as the deep sea pearl.

Every year, many mermaids die at the hands of fishing boats, and many fishermen are dragged into the deep sea by the mermaids and drown.

Many noble families also attempted to raise mermaids on land, but those mermaids would die shortly after being pulled ashore.

Later, the mermaids migrated to the more distant deep sea, thus avoiding extinction.

Shen Nian never expected that, a thousand years later, on this ocean covered with human footprints, one could still see mermaids.

Someone exclaimed in surprise, "Mermaids? Aren't mermaids supposed to be exceptionally beautiful creatures in legends? This monster is actually a mermaid?"

Shen Nian said, "Beautiful and strange-looking creatures are not called mermaids, they are called merfolk. However, I have only seen mermaids, not real merfolk."

That is a legend even more distant and obscure than the dragon.

Cultivators strive for immortality in order to ascend to the celestial palaces above the nine heavens. No cultivator would inexplicably dive into the dark, icy depths of the sea. Therefore, Shen Nian had never personally witnessed the existence of such creatures.

She pulled out a talisman, which ignited into a blue flame and plunged into the vast sea.

When the talisman fire came into contact with the mermaid's oil, it began to burst and burn. Shen Nian controlled the power of the talisman paper so that the talisman fire was enough to drive away the mermaids, but not enough to actually harm them.

She harbors a degree of goodwill towards most of the creatures who have survived from the same era as her and will not kill them easily.

The mermaids dispersed, diving into the deep sea and disappearing once more.

At the same time, the instrument malfunction also disappeared.

They once again gained their only advantage on the sea—

direction.