Chapter 49 (1/2)
The darkness of the night soon settled on the island. Stars appeared and dotted the sky, painting the unknown universe with natural-looking yet mystical constellations. It was an enticing sight to behold.
Jiang Xiaofan had already dragged Ye Yuanxue far away from where Wang Ao and Liu Shi lay. Who cares about them anyway?!
Although the moon above the Sea of the Setting Sun looked tranquil, a mist of red blanketed its view, and gazing at it gave the viewer a feeling of uneasiness. It was on this night that the waves of the sea experienced a great change. They grew into swells, and the wave heights increased.
A small wind blew over and caused a whiz in the air like a child who was crying. Waves continuously slammed onto the coast. Every cultivator on the island all stood up in anticipation of the annual tides on the Sea of the Setting Sun that were to come.
*Boom*
The winds and the waves came stronger than before. All of a sudden, the water rose up in the form of a tidal wave that was at least eight meters in height. Even Jiang Xiaofan was at a loss for words. This is considered a small tide? Oh my gods! This is scary!
He hastily pulled Ye Yuanxue behind him. A tidal wave at this height had the absolute power to destroy anything within its range.
He didn’t understand how an island could withstand an annual turbulent storm like this and remain undamaged. This was abnormal!
The other cultivators held the same suspicion. They were all recently accepted, young disciples from other sects, and this was their first time at the Sea of the Setting Sun. Many of them were shocked at the spectacle of such a massive tidal wave. Once it hits, the island would undoubtedly be washed over!
However, what happened next quickly revealed the answer to their query. Just when the eight-meter-high tide approached the coastline of the island, it could proceed no further as if there was some mysterious force that stopped it. After it had struggled to move on, the tidal wave eventually crashed back into the sea and emitted a loud boom.
Jiang Xiaofan widened his eyes in amazement. Can it be the doing of the legendary Sea God?
The tidal waves continued their assault. Ye Yuanxue was surprised at the ongoing spectacle, and Little One continuously chirped as if it was shocked as well. The majestic scene before them was somewhat of an extraordinary phenomenon.
This show of display lasted for half a day. After the final wave had fallen into the sea, all of the cultivators rode on their rainbows and flew for the sea. They needed to rapidly retrieve the Sea of Heart because of its limited quantity.
Jiang Xiaofan was the only who ran a beeline to the sea. Who am I kidding? With this many people watching, there’s no way in hell that I’ll use the flying sword technique. I’d rather have everyone laugh at me for not knowing how to maneuver the sword than have them laugh at me for looking so unsightly in midair.
“Ai ya! Perverted Wolf, hurry up!” Ye Yuanxue shouted at him from above.
As a result, Jiang Xiaofan couldn’t help but make haste. At such a far distance from his destination, he began to channel his Shadow Steps. Like a bolt of lightning, he dashed for the water. Without time to slow down, he plunged headfirst and dived in search of the object.
He, however, immediately began to regret his rash action. Damn! This water looks deeper than I thought! I can’t even see the bottom of it. How come it looked so shallow at first? Come on, it’s only two meters from the surface to the bottom! With increased effort, he dived deeper and clawed at the black, smelly mud on the seafloor.
Forget it! Calm down! He resurfaced for air before sweeping the surrounding area with his spiritual awareness for the Sea of Heart. To his dismay, he searched for a long time but found nothing close in appearance to it. He even doubted himself, so he took out a portrait of the Sea of Heart and surveyed it a few times.
Most of the cultivators were gathered in this particular zone of the sea. Hours later, one person asked another, “Fellow Daoist, are there any gains on your end?”
“None. How about you?”
“Nothing either!”
“I have no lead here as well.”
“Empty-handed here too. Just what is going on?!”
The scene soon turned rowdy, and many cultivators grew doubtful. This wasn’t the first time that mankind had come in search of the Sea of Heart. They knew of the situation here. Even though the Sea of Heart was limited in quantity, it shouldn’t be this difficult to find. They had nearly searched the entire vicinity of the sea but could not find a single piece of it.
Ye Yuanxue didn’t venture into the waters, but Jiang Xiaofan didn’t want her to do so anyway. Staying onshore and keeping watch was already enough. After all, she was a girl. In addition, Ye Yuanxue’s cultivation was quite strong, and her spiritual awareness was exceptional. Her range extended far and wide, but even so, the girl shook her head in frustration. She couldn’t find anything.
I’ll just keep on searching then! Jiang Xiaofan was located at the shallow end. Unrelenting, he swept his spiritual awareness over every inch of the sea wherever the Sea of Heart could be hidden. Regardless of how hard he had tried, his efforts remained fruitless. There was nothing except mud, rocks, and seawater.
Not long after, one of the cultivators suggested that they should venture into deeper waters. Perhaps they would be able to find it there. This proposal was quickly approved by everyone. Many of them began to head for the deep zone.
Jiang Xiaofan naturally followed in line behind them. This was his first time at the Sea of Setting Sun. In other words, he was a newbie. He only knew what the Sea of Heart looked like. As to where it was commonly located or where it was most abundantly found, he had no clues whatsoever.