Walking by the Abyss on Thin Ice

Chapter 262 – Being stingy to the extreme

Su Yun followed the sea navigation chart and transformed into a young Kun fish swimming in the sea. It was slightly easier than the Tianpeng flying in the sky, but even when he chased after it at night, he still couldn't catch up to Yuan Shuo's fleet.

At night, there were many giant monsters in the sea. Some lived in huge shells, with human bodies and golden hair, holding fist-sized pearls in their hands. Some had snake hair, human bodies, and multiple legs, resembling giant octopuses walking on water.

There were also some with four wings on their bodies, flying out of the water and fighting in the sky. Some were like strange vehicles in the sea, with huge eyes on their heads, emitting light and illuminating the sea floor.

The sea was filled with all sorts of strange monsters. Although Su Yun's transformed Kun fish was about six zhang long, it was still much smaller compared to these sea monsters.

"Our North Sea is still safe!"

Su Yun was cautious and didn't dare to sleep. He forced himself to continue on the journey, thinking to himself, "There are no such monsters and demons in our North Sea!"

Upon hearing this, Ying Ying hit him on the head with a book and angrily said, "The giant monsters in the ocean are nothing compared to the demons in the North Sea! The giant monsters in the North Sea can even stand on equal footing with the Tian Shi Yuan's old forbidden zone!"

Su Yun smiled and said, "I have lived in Tian Men Town since I was young and often went to the North Sea to catch Qing Hong crabs. I have never encountered any sea monsters or giant monsters. The North Sea is very safe!"

Ying Ying was frustrated and said, "The North Sea, also known as the Endless Sea north of Tian Shi Yuan, is endless and can never be reached. Many ancient demons escaped from there! Only you think it's safe!"

...

The two argued and avoided the giant monsters in the sea.

The Kun fish was good at swimming and was much faster than the sea dragons. By the time it was dawn, Su Yun estimated that he had already traveled two to three thousand li. When he surfaced and looked, he saw Yuan Shuo's fleet in the distance.

He breathed a sigh of relief and swam under two cargo ships from behind. He suddenly leaped out of the water and transformed into a Tianpeng, flapping its wings to fly in the sky, catching up to the ship.

Su Yun dove down towards the ship, and the water-based spiritualists on board quickly assumed defensive positions. The Tianpeng that Su Yun transformed into spread its wings, slowed down, and then dissipated its Tianpeng Cave.

His figure returned to normal and fell from the sky, grabbing onto a rope and sliding down, safely landing on the deck.

"Su Shao Shi is back!"

The scholars from Tian Dao Yuan on the deck were both surprised and delighted. They crowded around, and Su Yun briefly recounted his experiences along the way, omitting the part about Ying Ying and the agreement with the Kun tribe woman.

Everyone listened with astonishment and praised him.

Bai Yuelou said, "When the island sank and the sea disaster occurred, we rescued a spiritualist from Da Qin."

Su Yun's heart trembled and he quickly asked, "Where is that person? I have something to ask him!"

Li Zhuxian said, "That Da Qin spiritualist is extremely powerful and has already reached the Deep Abyss realm, condensing the Li Zhu. After we saved him, he suddenly turned hostile and tried to kill the Water Balance Master and seize the ship, making us fight for him. Senior Sister awakened the demonic nature within him, and Jiao Shu took the opportunity to kill him."

The Senior Sister she mentioned was Wu Tong.

Su Yun was surprised and looked towards Wu Tong. Although Wu Tong's strength was outstanding, she was still at the Beginning Movement realm. Even with her high level of skill, it was impossible for her to easily control a strong practitioner at the Deep Abyss realm.

After all, the strength of a Deep Abyss realm spiritualist from Da Qin was almost comparable to that of a Tian Xiang realm spiritualist!

"That Da Qin spiritualist had a very poor character and was filled with inner demons. He was no match for a spiritualist at the same realm as Yuan Shuo."

Wu Tong seemed to sense his doubt and said, "His mind is more easily awakened to his demonic nature and easier for me to control. If my cultivation were one level higher, a single word from me could command him to die."

Su Yun breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It seems that Yuan Shuo indeed has some advantages over countries like Da Qin. The old saint's unique skills have their own merits."

Yu Qingluo's spirits were lifted upon hearing this.

"But it's still useless."

Wu Tong said indifferently, "To me, whether you cultivate the old saint's unique skills or the new ones, your state of mind is fragile. Your Dao heart shatters with a single touch."

Su Yun, Bai Yuelou, and the others had unpleasant expressions. Wu Tong looked around and sneered, "Don't believe me?"

Her demonic power erupted, and instantly, inner demons sprouted within everyone on the ship. Bai Yuelou was the first to succumb, laughing heartily and twisting her head while dancing. Li Zhuxian was the second to succumb, followed by Ye Luo and the others.

Li Muge's sword heart remained steady and unmoving, but when Wu Tong activated her demonic power and increased her mana, Li Muge also laughed heartily and joined the dancing crowd.

Su Yun had been cultivating the old saint's unique skills since he was young and resisted desperately, striving for a pure state of mind.

Suddenly, Wu Tong intruded into his spiritual realm without him noticing. Her red veil was thin, and her jade foot lightly brushed, revealing her snow-white skin.

Su Yun had already reached the age of fourteen, and his desires gradually arose. Seeing this situation, his Dao heart had a flaw, and Wu Tong took advantage of it and happily joined the dancing.

Wu Tong smiled, but suddenly, her smile froze on her face as her gaze fell on Yu Qingluo.

Yu Qingluo's Dao heart was incredibly stable. No matter how Wu Tong searched for the demonic nature in her spiritual realm, she couldn't find a trace. She couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart. "This girl from Huo Yun Cave seems to have the state of mind of a saint. I can't invade her at all!"

She dissipated her demonic power and didn't pay much attention to Yu Qingluo. Although Yu Qingluo had a strong Dao heart, her cultivation was still weak, and she mainly cultivated the old saint's unique skills, so her strength was also weaker.

Su Yun and the others regained their senses, feeling shocked. Even Su Yun became much more obedient and no longer referred to Wu Tong as "Senior Brother" but rather respectfully called her "Senior Sister."

Of course, in front of Ye Luo and the others, Su Yun still referred to himself as "Senior Brother."

During these few days, Su Yun taught the various star techniques and methods of displaying the celestial realms that he comprehended for the seventy-two celestial realms to everyone. He taught the scholars from Tian Dao Yuan how to determine the positions of each celestial realm and helped them open their seventy-two celestial realms.

Opening the seventy-two celestial realms seemed simple, but it was actually extremely difficult.

The data for each person's seventy-two celestial realms was not consistent because each spiritualist's spiritual realm was different, so it needed to be recalculated.

But fortunately, they were all scholars from Tian Dao Yuan, exceptionally intelligent, and basically didn't need Su Yun's help to determine the positions of their respective seventy-two celestial realms.

Even if the positions were determined, it was still extremely difficult to open them. The number of celestial realms that could be opened depended on their respective cultivations.

The scholars each entered the Tian Dao Yuan's Wen Yuan Ge to check the books. Suddenly, one of the scholars said, "Why are there only a few of us scholars from Tian Dao Yuan?"

When he said this, everyone felt surprised.Every year, the Heavenly Dao Academy would select the top twenty or so outstanding scholars from all over Yuan Shuo. Over time, there were about two hundred scholars in the academy. As for those with higher cultivation, they were often sent to various places to serve as officials.

However, since these scholars had entered the academy, they had not seen any other Heavenly Dao Academy scholars, which was truly strange.

"Didn't the Junior Historian tell you? Qiu Shuijing's reform failed, and the Heavenly Dao Academy scholars who followed him were killed or injured by more than half. The remaining scholars all followed Qiu Shuijing to Lingnan."

Wu Tong said, "The emperor dismissed them from their positions and ordered them to dig for their own graves. Their Heavenly Dao tokens were also confiscated. You twenty are the last scholars of the Heavenly Dao Academy."

Li Muge, Bai Yuelou, and the others felt heavy-hearted as they looked at Su Yun.

Su Yun raised his head and smiled, "Why are you looking at me? You don't need to know about these things. Just go overseas and study well. If the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you!"

The sea journey was long, and even though the Sea Dragon was fast, they still traveled on the sea for six or seven days before they saw land.

The Water Balance Master said, "Junior Historian Su, that's Da Qin up ahead."

Su Yun and the others came to the bow of the ship and looked at Da Qin, only to see huge pieces of land floating in the sky, like fragments of a planet.

What was even more shocking was that one of the huge pieces of land was floating above the territory of Da Qin!

On that piece of land, there was a magnificent city that was even more impressive than Dongdu!

Between this floating land and the mainland, there were various magnificent buildings. These buildings connected the land and the city in the sky, making it extremely prosperous.

From a distance, Su Yun could even see countless towns!

"That's the kingdom of Da Qin, Yun Du."

The Water Balance Master said, "Junior Historian, there is an embassy in Yun Du for Yuan Shuo. You just need to go to the embassy, and there will be a Junior Historian from the Overseas Supervision Department to hand over. I can only send you ashore, but I cannot accompany you to Yun Du. Da Qin uses the Green Rainbow Coin for circulation, but the common people do not use the Five Zha coins. If you want to buy something, don't use the Five Zha coins as notes."

Su Yun bowed in thanks, and the Water Balance Master hurriedly returned the courtesy.

The ship entered the Da Qin Sea Station and docked at the pier. Su Yun looked back and saw that the sea area around the pier was bustling with countless ships and vessels, transporting goods and making it even busier than the Yuan Shuo Sea Station.

"Junior Historian, there's one more thing!"

The Water Balance Master hesitated for a moment and said, "You must be careful of some people with Yuan Shuo faces."

Su Yun was puzzled, and the Water Balance Master explained, "They have converted to Da Qin, no longer worship their ancestors, only worship the gods of Da Qin, and hate themselves for having the face of a Yuan Shuo person. They treat our Yuan Shuo people even more ruthlessly than the foreign people. You must be careful of them! Foreigners might leave you a way out, but if they catch an opportunity, they will definitely kill you."

Su Yun kept this in mind and thanked him again.

"If you encounter any difficulties, go find the Overseas Yuan Association."

The Water Balance Master waved goodbye and said, "The old members of the Yuan Association have great influence and connections, and they might be able to help you."

Su Yun was stunned, "The old members of the Yuan Association?"

The ship left.

Su Yun led the others towards the pier. A professor from the Heavenly Dao Academy had already prepared the clearance documents, and a Da Qin Sea Station official approached them. He was a foreigner and said, "My name is Hu Feiyu, and I am here to wait for the envoy on behalf of Lord Cang Jiu Hua. I am responsible for escorting the envoy to Yun Du. Are these all the envoys?"

He looked behind Su Yun and saw only twenty or so young men and women, without any exotic treasures or luxurious carriages.

When Cang Jiu Hua was sent to Yuan Shuo, he brought countless Pan Sheep, whose backs were like palaces, extremely magnificent, and various treasures that shone brightly and reached the sky.

However, Su Yun's group only had the Fat Dragon and Ye Luo's Phoenix, each carrying a small wooden building.

The Fat Dragon was a python that had cultivated into a flood dragon, fat and plump, fed by Ye Luo until it was full and fat. The Phoenix was obviously still a young bird, its feathers not yet fully grown.

The Phoenix was very indignant, spreading its fluffy little wings and showing Hu Feiyu the first feather that had grown on its wings.

Hu Feiyu gritted his teeth and followed Su Yun onto the Phoenix carriage, which drove away.

Hu Feiyu introduced the customs and scenery of Da Qin to Su Yun along the way.

The language and writing of Da Qin were brought over by the spirit masters during the pioneering period of Yuan Shuo, and the cultural classics were also passed on to Yuan Shuo, so communication was unimpeded.

Su Yun listened while looking out the window, observing the customs of Da Qin. He saw that the architecture of Da Qin was somewhat similar to that of Yuan Shuo, but it had developed into different forms, with an exotic charm.

There were also many schools in Da Qin, and the rural schools were bright and beautiful. Many young scholars went in and out of the schools, and there were many people.

Su Yun stopped the carriage to watch, only to see many scholars running towards a certain place, making a lot of noise.

"Lord Hu, what are they doing?" Su Yun asked.

Hu Feiyu got off the carriage to inquire and said, "These are rural scholars. They heard that a treasure land is about to produce heavenly treasures and are going to try their luck."

Su Yun's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but think of his experience in the Thunderstrike Valley in the north. He asked solemnly, "Does Da Qin also have a Ten Li Yu Yi?"

"Ten Li Yu Yi?"

Hu Feiyu laughed, "How could that be? The treasure lands in my Da Qin are all unowned, and the heavenly treasures are for those with virtue."

Su Yun looked at Wu Tong, who nodded slightly and whispered, "He's telling the truth."

Hu Feiyu changed the subject and laughed, "However, these rural scholars are all poor, and they can't compete with the great families. They're just going there to provide nourishment for the heavenly treasures that are about to be born. The real ones who pick the fruits are usually the people from the great families."

Su Yun was stunned.

Hu Feiyu continued, "I've never heard of a poor child getting a treasure."

"Then why do these scholars still go to fight for it?" Li Zhuxian asked, puzzled.

"Because there's no owner." Hu Feiyu said matter-of-factly.

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

"This is much worse than Ten Li Yu Yi. This is being stingy to the extreme…"