Chen Jiuyang narrowed his eyes, his mind churning.
Outside the boat was an endless, dense white fog, containing Yin energy so potent that even beings at the Martial Dao Quasi-Emperor cultivation level would have their bodies frozen into ice shards.
How could mortals possibly survive in such a place?
Furthermore, looking at the two young girls carrying burdens and luggage bags, dressed in vibrant silk gowns, they appeared to be young ladies from wealthy families.
A middle-aged man wearing a merchant's hat spoke, "Everyone, traveling through the night and meeting on this boat is also a form of fate. I hope we can get along well."
Chen Jiuyang and the other martial artists who had refined Dao Fruits frowned, carefully observing these mortals.
In this Nine Nether Myriad Graves, strange occurrences were frequent, and anything out of the ordinary was suspicious.
It was better to proceed with caution. Chen Jiuyang smiled calmly, "We are in the same boat, so naturally, we should get along properly."
"Brother Chen speaks wisely, indeed," Qi Wushuang replied.
On this boat were also Bai Riyue and Luo Xingchen.
These were the three people Chen Jiuyang had encountered when he first entered the Nine Nether Myriad Graves.
Chen Jiuyang had discovered the three the moment they boarded. However, before entering the market, Qi Wushuang had warned that after leaving the market, they should not trust anyone else.
Having witnessed the methods of 'Zhuang Wu's' Dao Fruit, how could he easily believe that these three before him were their true selves?
After saying this, Chen Jiuyang closed his eyes, continuing to ponder the Dao and divine abilities of 'Wo' and 'Yuan'.
"Splash, splash!!!"
The rain grew heavier, and thunder dragons roared in the sky.
But this... seemed to be ordinary rain. With Chen Jiuyang and the others present, not a single drop of rain could land on the boat.
"Wuwuwu~"
Suddenly!
A ghostly wind, like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts, roared and swept from below the boat onto the deck, causing Chen Jiuyang's clothes to flutter.
"Creak—"
Then.
The boat set sail, and lanterns were lit both inside and out.
Chen Jiuyang and the others were fine, but a commotion arose among the mortals where the two young girls were.
Chen Jiuyang and the others had no intention of interfering. They only heard the middle-aged man speak, "Miss, there's something strange about this boat. One of our people is missing."
As soon as this was said, Chen Jiuyang, Qi Wushuang, Bai Riyue, and Luo Xingchen all opened their eyes simultaneously.
Immediately, Chen Jiuyang's expression turned grave, his gaze falling upon the mortal.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven mortals.
Something was wrong.
One person was missing!
Chen Jiuyang clearly remembered that when the two young ladies and the middle-aged man boarded, they had brought five servants. Now, only four servants remained.
Chen Jiuyang had already reached the ninth level of the Emperor realm. He had scanned these eight mortals earlier, and they were truly ordinary mortals.
And now, one was missing.
Under his watchful eyes as a ninth-level Emperor, a living person had vanished without a sound.
How could this not make Chen Jiuyang and the others serious, their hearts sinking?
"Splash!!!"
The large boat, unmanned, began to sail.
And now, another living person was missing.
The chilling sensation sent shivers down their spines, especially in the Nine Nether Myriad Graves. Even someone at Chen Jiuyang's ninth-level Emperor realm couldn't guarantee the safety of others, let alone his own.
Above the Emperor realm was the Red Dust Immortal, and above the Red Dust Immortal was the Immortal King. And in this Nine Nether Myriad Graves, there were Immortal Emperor Dao Fruits.
Chen Jiuyang asked in a deep voice, "Who is the missing person? What is their name? What are their characteristics?"
The two young ladies exchanged glances, appearing momentarily dazed, then becoming blank. "Who is missing? Who is it? What is their name?"
The young lady in the silk gown looked bewildered, "Why don't I remember? I can't recall."
Following this, Chen Jiuyang, Qi Wushuang, Bai Riyue, and Luo Xingchen also experienced a slight moment of daze.
Hm?
Among these mortals, were there eight people or seven who boarded?
It seemed like there were always seven?
Bai Riyue said, "This place is dangerous. Even if a mortal died, there are many ways to die. Once dead, they are dead. There's no need to waste time."
Even Chen Jiuyang's memory seemed to be shrouded in mist, making it difficult to recall clearly.
"Something is not right!" Chen Jiuyang's cultivation was higher than the other three, so he said sternly, "There is something strange about this boat."
At this moment, Chen Jiuyang couldn't discern whether the strangeness originated from the boat itself or if... Bai Riyue, Qi Wushuang, and Luo Xingchen had something amiss with them.
Chen Jiuyang asked, "Brother Qi, how did you arrive on this boat?"
Qi Wushuang's eyes flickered, and he said seriously, "After separating from Brother Chen, Brother Bai and I went to refine our Dao Fruits. Then, due to a problem in a certain stage, we were evading the pursuit of Dao Fruit laws and discovered this boat. It was not covered by the white fog, and the Dao Ghost Dao Slaves could not come here, which is why we boarded."
Chen Jiuyang looked at Bai Riyue, "Brother Bai, is it as Brother Qi says?"
Bai Riyue nodded slightly and said, "Yes. A few days ago, I also saw Brother Chen in the 'Strange' village. I wonder if it was truly Brother Chen?"
The other party questioned Chen Jiuyang, verifying his identity.
Chen Jiuyang replied, "It was indeed me. I have already refined the first Origin Great Dao."
With this, it could be proven that Qi Wushuang and Bai Riyue seemed to have no issues.
Then, only Luo Xingchen remained.
Chen Jiuyang looked at Luo Xingchen and asked, "Fellow Daoist Luo, you were trapped in the Dao Fruit chamber that day. How did you escape?"
Luo Xingchen's expression was grave, "This involves my Dao Fruit's secrets, and I apologize for not being able to tell Brother Chen. However, I know that Brother Chen followed my Dao Fruit's Dao Ghost that day."
Chen Jiuyang's expression became even more solemn.
The white fog in the Nine Nether Myriad Graves held a great secret, at least the means of an Immortal Emperor. After all, even his summons to 'Shi Le' were blocked. Since Luo Xingchen knew about this matter and the Dao Ghost, she must be her true self.
He asked, "Then how did Fellow Daoist Luo come to this boat?"
Luo Xingchen pondered, "This is the second trial given by my Dao Fruit, to come to this boat and retrieve something."
Having ruled out Bai Riyue, Luo Xingchen, and Qi Wushuang as problematic, the remaining issues were either the boat itself or these mortals.
Chen Jiuyang looked at the young lady in the silk gown and asked, "What is your name? Why are you on this boat?"
The young lady in the silk gown replied, "My name is Wu Shuang'er. I am the eldest daughter of the Wu Family Pharmacy in Wanxian Market. I was bringing in a batch of goods from another place and was planning to take this boat home."
Chen Jiuyang frowned and asked, "This place is so dangerous. How can you mortals survive?"
Wu Shuang'er's eyes showed confusion, "How is this place dangerous? My Wu family has been doing business in medicinal herbs here for generations."
"Although there is heavy fog here all year round, it is precisely where some medicinal herbs suitable for cultivators grow."
There was a strangeness that Chen Jiuyang couldn't quite articulate. He seemed to have vaguely forgotten something.
If the Yan Sheng Saber were complete, Chen Jiuyang could have asked Yan Sheng for help. But the Yan Sheng Saber was almost shattered, and its spirit had fallen into a deep slumber.
"For now... it must be this boat that has the problem..."