ReadNovel Chapter 291 - 284: Searching for a Fallen Holy Hall-level Sea Beast?
Chapter 291 - 284: Searching for a Fallen Holy Hall-level Sea Beast?
Seeing the doubtful look on Shi Ming’s face, Rong Bing continued to explain,
"Don’t worry!"
"Even if there really is a fallen Holy Hall-level Sea Beast, the risk will be very low. It’ll be much easier to deal with than the Great Black Heaven Dragon under Fujing Mountain. This commission is far less difficult than the one with the Moonlight Ripple Beast. Plus, we have a new companion: Li Jiuyuan!"
"His skill, Idealism, provides even stronger support than Canglang Water!"
"And we have Da Yu backing us."
Shi Ming considered this.
It was true, this was the perfect opportunity to explore Mount Everest.
The Eye of the World had given him very little intel on Mount Everest—just rows of black, mosaic-like blocks, hinting at some unimaginable secret hidden there.
But it had been there for thirty years without incident.
’It’s either a "major opportunity waiting to be uncovered" or a "massive potential threat."’
Rong Bing said a fallen Holy Hall-level Sea Beast might be hidden on Mount Everest, which was likely the result of Da Yu’s investigation. ’The remains of a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast alone shouldn’t be enough to make the Eye of the World act so strangely,’ Shi Ming mused. ’Neither the Abyss Lord nor the Great Black Heaven Dragon ever qualified for having information about them redacted like this.’
’It must hold an even greater secret.’
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t tempted by this commission.
Shi Ming desperately needed the flesh and blood of a third Holy Hall Sea Beast. His Fallen Sanctuary was currently 81% fused. Once the fusion was complete, his own blood could most likely be used as Holy Hall blood. However, some of his upgrade materials required 10 or 20 kilograms of flesh and blood at a time...
The entire blood volume of a human is only five to six kilograms.
Shi Ming himself only weighed a little over 80 kilograms.
He wasn’t some sacrificial resource; he certainly couldn’t use his own flesh and blood to upgrade the Map of the Endless Sea and his General-class drifting ship.
If a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast had truly fallen deep within Mount Everest, then obtaining even a portion of its remains would help him accomplish many things.
First, evolve his Arm of Power. It was currently his only physical skill that had never been evolved.
Second, complete Da Yu’s commission, earn 6,500 contribution points, and trade them for the [Seed of Life] in Da Yu’s Treasure Vault. The Seed of Life was the key to evolving his Arm of Power to its third stage, which would be a crucial asset. A Stage Three Arm of Power would undoubtedly become another decisive factor in his fight to slay the Great Black Heaven Dragon.
Third, collect the remains of three different types of Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts to perform a limit break on the Map of the Endless Sea.
Fourth, the *Grand Fortune* and the Sun-Shooter Ascension would likely also require the flesh and blood of three types of Holy Hall-level Sea Beasts.
Fifth, he would have a chance to see the complete Great Stone Stele.
If he completed the commission, he’d kill five birds with one stone.
The mission would also involve two S-rank Awakened and assistance from Da Yu, making it much safer than exploring on his own.
He had no reason to refuse.
"Is this mission urgent?"
’If it’s not, I can wait until the Fallen Sanctuary fusion is complete.’
"According to our forecasts, the Sub-Blade Storm at the top of Mount Everest will enter its intermittent period in three days. It’s the perfect opportunity for exploration, which is why our visit is so sudden. We can uncover many secrets during the intermittent period that are normally impossible to find."
Rong Bing replied.
Shi Ming was vaguely aware that a peculiar Sub-Blade Storm, in the form of a blizzard, raged above Mount Everest’s snowline, alternating between intermittent and frenzied periods.
’Exploration isn’t the same as combat; you’d obviously want to go during the intermittent period,’ he thought.
"Three days from now?"
"This mission is too sudden. I need to coordinate with my crew. I’m a captain, and I have to fulfill my duties. How about I give you my answer before dawn tomorrow?"
Shi Ming decided to go back and ask Ah Jian.
He wanted to see if he could find any intel in its memories.
With him, Ah Jian didn’t need to worry about its own personality being contaminated by past lives. He still had 900 grams of Purifying Marrow left, which was enough to dispel any dissonance from those memories and allow it to roam freely in its ocean of memories.
"Okay... this is sudden, I’ll admit!"
"Tomorrow morning, you say..."
"Let’s make it noon tomorrow. Just give me your final decision by noon."
From working together on their last mission, Rong Bing knew that "dawn" to Shi Ming meant the period between five and six in the morning.
When he wasn’t on a mission, Rong Bing spent his early mornings sleeping. As a squad leader who kept his Spiritual Power on high alert day in and day out, the few days between missions were a rare opportunity to catch up on sleep. Waking up at dawn was unnecessary.
Besides, Elder Zhou had said they just needed an answer within two days.
Half a day wouldn’t make a difference.
"Fine, noon it is!"
...
...
...
After the initial discussion about the new mission, Shi Ming returned to the *Grand Fortune*. Ah Jian, who had been hiding in his collar, crawled out, its wings trembling nonstop.
"Ah Jian, in your memories of other lives, what intel do you have on Mount Everest? Is there really a dead Holy Hall-level fierce beast in there?"
"Master, I search, now."
About ten minutes later, Ah Jian’s voice reappeared in Shi Ming’s mind. They communicated via a synchronized Spiritual Power channel, which was impossible for people or sea beasts below their level of Spiritual Power to eavesdrop on.
Ah Jian began to recount the memories it had found.
Its memories concerning Mount Everest were few, but Ah Jian possessed the memories of myriad lives. Inevitably, a few lucky insects had managed to glimpse the secret of the world’s highest peak:
A Holy Hall-level fierce beast: the Creation Celestial Pillar!
In Ah Jian’s memories, the Creation Celestial Pillar was originally just a non-sentient, giant tree. By a stroke of luck, it fused with the origin of the Life Sanctuary and gained signs of life. Of the seven great fierce beasts, it was the only "beast" to have evolved from a plant. It was active thirty thousand years ago, but after being severely damaged in a disaster, it merged its body into the highest mountain and began a long hibernation.
Its power slowly recovered during its hibernation. It had awoken a few times, but quickly fell back into slumber.
According to the memories, it was not dead.
But because its origin was "Life," its ferocity and bloodlust were far lower than that of the Great Black Heaven Dragon, which represented "Destruction," or the Abyss Lord, which represented "Pollution." The Ah Jians of other lives had therefore classified it as a "low-threat Holy Hall entity."
"Distance to current mountain, too far. Cannot, spy on its current state."
"Other insects’ experiences, full of shortsightedness and stupidity. Not worthy, of complete trust."
"Master, is this intel, useful?"
Shi Ming stroked Ah Jian’s head.
"You did very well."
Satisfied, Ah Jian folded its wings and went back to digesting the infinite virus.
Shi Ming, on the other hand, began to synthesize this new intel with the information revealed by Da Yu, rationally analyzing the feasibility of the operation.
Then, he decided to follow his heart.
’I’ll go!’
’If it’s an opportunity, I’ll seize it!’
’If it’s a crisis, I’ll nip it in the bud!’
’There’s nothing in this world that’s 100% certain. Someone who fears the unknown can never become truly strong. I can’t just wait around to be spoon-fed information by the Eye of the World, nor can I waste massive amounts of time waiting for the "perfect opportunity."’
’Sometimes, the "perfect opportunity" is the worst one.’
With his thoughts clear and his mind settled, he let out a sigh of relief. The constant guidance from the Eye of the World had been a great help, but its absence had caused him to instinctively hold back, losing his previous drive. That was a dangerous sign.
’Skills are just tools.’
’They can be utilized, but not relied upon!’
He blinked.
[It seems you have come to understand how to truly control power.]
[The Eye of the Divine bursting forth within you truly was the right choice. Perhaps it’s because its tier is higher than the Eye of the World’s, allowing it to see further?]