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Chapter 197: Chapter 166: Lighthouse in the Dark Ocean
The Spiritual Fire is like a wisp of flame.
It burns slowly, illuminating a circle of dim light.
Outside the circle of light, there is boundless darkness.
As if a thick fog covers everything under heaven, devouring all light.
Even the light emitted from the flame can only cover a very limited area, appearing hazy.
And the dense black mist flows slowly like ink spill.
It seems as if countless Netherworld Giant Snakes are entwining around the light domain produced by the lone lamp in the deep sea, constantly squeezing, grinding, and devouring it.
As meditation continues, a strange balance is achieved between them.
Suddenly, all sorts of noises break through the endless darkness, rushing in like a tide.
The flame suddenly shakes violently and brightens slightly, seemingly trying its hardest to dispel more darkness around it.
Its color also undergoes subtle changes, as if mixed with some kind of unknown fuel, thus appearing unusually muddled.
These sounds are sometimes fine and sharp, sometimes ethereal and elusive, rustling, immensely noisy.
Like many people’s voices overlapping, making it utterly impossible to distinguish.
Even after exiting Deep Meditation, there remains a vague illusion in front of the eyes.
As if shadows of people praying or meditating swiftly floated by, and then suddenly vanished.
"What is going on?"
Fang Cheng sits cross-legged, frowning deeply.
Currently located in a nearly 200-meter-deep sea crevice, in an absolutely silent environment.
Other than the occasional sound of water flow, there are no other disturbances.
So.
These noises must not be from the outside world, they should be generated alongside the meditation.
And they also cause Fang Cheng to unconsciously consume a considerable amount of Spiritual Energy.
At this moment, his face even looks somewhat pale.
Fortunately, the abnormal hallucination did not last too long.
Glancing around at the rock walls and the bones emitting a deep blue light, numerous thoughts flash through Fang Cheng’s mind.
Perhaps the body has absorbed too much energy radiation, causing some unknown change.
Or maybe it’s because of persisting in cultivation in the deep sea for nearly a day and night, pushing the mental strain to its limit?
Thinking this, he immediately swims out of the cave chamber and quickly ascends towards the top of the abyss.
Splashing—Splashing—
The waves surge incessantly, forming tides that continuously crash toward the shore.
The wind howls, lifting the waves, splashing water high into the air.
Just then, a figure leaps from the crest of the wave, soaring freely like a sea swallow above the billows.
Returning to the surface, Fang Cheng stands on the water, taking a deep breath of fresh air.
His body fluctuates in the waves, clearly feeling that as the tide begins to ebb, the storm also diminishes significantly.
The sea breeze, mixed with a faint smell of salt and fish, enters the lungs, giving a unique sense of wakefulness.
He looks up towards the dark coastline in the distance.
In the stormy early morning, the island town seems extraordinarily serene and tranquil.
There is no light on land, no boats on the sea, and the sky is covered with thick clouds, obscuring stars and moon.
The whole world seems to fall into an eternal night.
No, there is still a light.
At first, it flashed regularly twice,
Then, a long and steady beam of light cuts through the waves, entering his pupils.
That is the lighthouse standing outside the harbor lit up.
Fang Cheng looks towards the bay, and suddenly feels touched in his heart.
Could this spark of Spiritual Fire birthed within him also be like this lighthouse in the subconscious ocean?
With its faint light, attracting boats, guiding their navigation, breaking through the thick fog and darkness?
Boom booming—
The sound of giant waves crashing and the howling wind, like thunder, shakes his eardrum.
Fang Cheng’s gaze suddenly sweeps across the uniform sea and sky.
In fact, at this moment, the storm is gradually stopping, and the waves are becoming calm.
It’s just that after leaving the extremely quiet abyss environment, his senses towards the outside world suddenly amplified several times, becoming extremely sensitive.
The negative impact brought by the breakthrough of 40 points in Spirit Attribute should not be said to have weakened.
But it was his adaptability and resistance that were constantly strengthening.
"This is the price that needs to be paid for bearing extraordinary power, I suppose..."
Fang Cheng retracted his gaze, lying on his back on the undulating waves, enjoying the tranquil yet bustling sensation.
During this relaxing break, he was also silently summarizing the gains from his training on Yong’an Island.
High-pressure underwater training improved all his attributes significantly, especially breaking through the limit of 40 points in Constitution.
Push-ups, meditation, Breathing Technique, and Pile Skill were upgraded consecutively, earning various Enhancement rewards.
Then he successfully managed to direct Inner Qi using his mind, and smoothly synthesized the exclusive skill, Qigong.
And eventually through one battle.
He verified that True Qi not only had healing effects but also performed excellently in defense and attack, in no way inferior to those with bizarre abilities.
However, the consumption rate of True Qi was indeed a bit too fast.
Fortunately, the bones of those unknown creatures were extraordinary, possessing strong energy radiation, which could act as a source of replenishment for True Qi.
Otherwise, relying on eating and meditating daily to practice Breathing Technique and slowly store up would take an eternity.
This served as a reminder for Fang Cheng.
From now on, he must consider using Qigong only in critical moments or when facing formidable foes.
After all, each strand of True Qi represented the Life Energy he possessed, and it might even be directly linked to his lifespan.
His thoughts drifted with the sea breeze, his body fully relaxed.
Rocking gently with the waves, Fang Cheng felt as if he were lying in the embrace of the ocean.
Without entering meditation, his mind maintained a tranquil state.
Slowly...
The darkness gradually receded amidst the turmoil, revealing the light of dawn.
The blurry horizon between the sea and sky began to clarify.
The fiery sun rose above the sea, bursting through the gaps in the clouds, casting strips of scarlet dawn light.
The sunlight twinkled among the waves, appearing and disappearing, casting a layer of mysterious glow over the sea area where a fierce battle had taken place the night before.
A flock of early rising seabirds made their calls, gliding sprightly through the waves, sweeping overhead.
Watching this scene, Fang Cheng turned over, paddled his arms, and quickly swam towards the shore.
It’s time to prepare to go home!
.................
Dong dong qiang, dong dong qiang.
The parade procession, dressed in colorful traditional garments, moved forward amid the sound of gongs and drums.
As they crossed the road, vehicles and pedestrians gave way.
The dignified statue of the Sea Queen sat on a palanquin, carried by over a dozen devotees.
Followed by the coolie umbrella squad, flag squad, and waist drum squad, walking and drumming, exuding an extraordinary momentum.
Many tourists, either standing by the road taking photos with cameras or excitedly joining the parade with candles in hand.
The stormy night and the fight among the monsters in the sea apparently did not affect the tranquil life of ordinary people.
The celebration of the Sea Festival continued from yesterday to today.
Fang Cheng wasn’t particularly interested in watching this local cultural festival.
Besides, there was a very important matter he needed to take care of right now.
In the distance, a faint sound of police sirens could be heard; it seemed the island police were searching for something.
Fang Cheng hurried through a narrow alley crowded with various stores, arriving at a small shop of just tens of square meters.
A sign "Xinglong Welding Store" hung at the entrance.
To replenish True Qi, Fang Cheng decided to take two bones with him.
The rest, inconvenient to carry, were left temporarily in the underwater cave, entrusted to the Merfolk to guard for him.
Because these objects had strong radiation, specially customized lead boxes were needed for storage.
Of course.
Besides the "Ancient Relics" Lin Chuqiao mentioned, Fang Cheng also picked up a few seemingly valuable antiques from the seabed.
And he made a point of visiting the sunken site of the Noah Organization, scoring some special items.
As he waited for the welder to deliver the goods, another inquiry came from outside the door, and two customers entered.
"Boss, are the boxes we ordered ready?"
Fang Cheng turned around at the words.
He saw Lin Chuqiao and Pan Wendi, their eyes sparkling, also looking at him.
The three of them exclaimed in unison:
"What a coincidence."
They then exchanged smiles.
