"Hmm?"
Chen Jiuyang's expression flickered, and he instinctively reached to open the door.
It was as if an invisible magic was influencing him.
Chen Jiuyang's hand landed on the doorknob, ready to open the door, but he forcefully stopped himself.
In a flash, numerous thoughts raced through his mind.
"Something's not right!"
The 'Sanhua' standing outside the door was problematic.
The captain, who had taken his two taels of silver, had said that once the ship set sail, he was not to leave his room unless called for a meal.
This was not Chen Jiuyang's first time on this Youyou Boat, and he didn't know what strange dangers lurked within.
Through the wooden door, Chen Jiuyang's cultivation level as a Martial Dao Red Dust Immortal couldn't extend his divine sense beyond the room. He had no idea if it was truly 'Sanhua' Bamboo Immortal outside, or some other bizarre entity.
In an instant, cold sweat streamed down Chen Jiuyang's forehead.
How close...
Just a moment more, and he would have opened the door, inviting the 'strange entity' outside in.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
At this moment, the thin wooden door was violently knocked upon by the 'Sanhua' outside, a knocking sound like a death knell.
If this were not the Myriad Graves of the Netherworld, Chen Jiuyang would have certainly opened the door and gone with this 'Sanhua'.
But here...
It was different.
Chen Jiuyang released the wooden doorknob.
The knocking, like a death knell, continued unabated.
"Knock, knock, knock, knock!!!!"
The force was like a drumbeat, as if trying to shatter the wooden door. Numerous cracks appeared on the door, as if it would break at any moment.
But no matter how hard the other party tried, the door remained intact.
This brought a sigh of relief to Chen Jiuyang.
"Qianyang, why aren't you coming with me? This ship is extremely dangerous!" The voice of 'Sanhua' questioned.
"This ship contains dozens of Origin Great Daos, intertwined to form an incredibly perilous place."
"Once locked in this room by the captain, if you exceed a certain time, it becomes impossible to escape, and this door can no longer be opened."
"When I boarded this ship back then, I was trapped for an unknown number of years in a dazed state."
Chen Jiuyang's expression changed slightly.
'Sanhua's' words were not unreasonable. Who was this captain, and why did they so easily believe his words and enter this room?
For a moment, Chen Jiuyang found himself in a prisoner's dilemma.
He didn't know whom to believe. Under the pressure of 'Sanhua's' words, he almost wanted to believe 'Sanhua'.
Chen Jiuyang asked coldly, "Since you were trapped on this ship for so many years, how did you escape?"
'Sanhua' replied, "I'll tell you. This ship contains dozens of Origin Great Daos, which intersect to form various bizarre mysteries and realms."
"When a certain opportune moment arises, the bizarre phenomena and realms presented by this ship will all differ."
"For instance, the current captain is a 'prison' formed by several Origin Great Daos. This ship will sail endlessly at sea."
"When we met before, it was a 'Chaotic Forgotten Time-Space' formed by several supreme Origin Great Daos."
"Only after you broke the critical anchor point of the 'Chaotic Forgotten Time-Space' was I able to break free and return to this ship, but I was suppressed by another Origin Great Dao and unable to alert you."
"Now, the ship has set sail, and you have entered this 'prison.' Only then could I appear before you to inform you."
"This prison door is too sturdy. I need you to exert force with me to break it open."
Chen Jiuyang's expression changed again, and he took a deep breath.
Should he choose to believe the 'Sanhua' outside the door?
After a long hesitation.
Chen Jiuyang said solemnly, "No need."
Ultimately, he still dared not choose to believe the 'Sanhua' outside the door.
This might be a wrong choice... or it might be a correct one.
It was like Schrödinger's cat.
"Fine, if that's the case, I can only preserve myself and leave," 'Sanhua' said, and then there was no more sound, falling silent.
"Splash!!!"
"Drip, drip, drip!!!"
Outside the ship, it was pouring rain, countless raindrops striking the hull, causing it to sway from time to time. Only the faint light within the room illuminated the space.
Unknowingly, Chen Jiuyang found himself feeling rather sleepy, wanting to sleep.
A heavy drowsiness washed over him.
"Something's not right!"
Chen Jiuyang felt his eyelids were about to close. It was as if the rain was very hypnotic. He quickly uttered a deep command:
"'I' am sleepless!"
Immortal energy swirled, transforming into Dao power, immediately dispelling the drowsiness from Chen Jiuyang and restoring him to normal.
"What the hell!"
He, a dignified Martial Dao Red Dust Immortal, had felt the urge to sleep without detecting anything.
How bizarre was this?
Chen Jiuyang felt a chill run down his spine.
"Could it be that 'Sanhua's' words were true?"
"Ah! Someone's dead!"
Suddenly, Wu Shuang'er's startled scream sounded from outside the door, making Chen Jiuyang's heart leap.
"Knock, knock!"
The knocking sound came again, it was Wu Shuang'er's panicked voice: "Brother Chen, something has happened. Someone on the ship is dead, it's so scary. Hurry out and take a look."
This time, Chen Jiuyang instinctively wanted to open the door again.
He once again placed his hand on the doorknob. On this ship, the people he cared about were 'Sanhua' and 'Wu Shuang'er'!
To survive and successfully rescue 'Sanhua', he had to follow Wu Shuang'er.
The next moment, Jiang Xuming's voice sounded: "Brother Chen, something big has happened. Someone from the Counter-Current Society is dead, and the captain is also dead. We are in danger!"
Chen Jiuyang was just about to twist the doorknob and open the door.
At the very last moment, Chen Jiuyang forcefully stopped his action, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
"'I' am not affected."
Chen Jiuyang felt a prickle of fear. The strange entity impersonating 'Sanhua' had never left and had been outside his door. Now, it had likely transformed into Wu Shuang'er and Jiang Xuming to trick him into opening the door and coming out.
The most crucial point...
Chen Jiuyang had already used "'I'" three times, corresponding to different strange abilities. This meant he had experienced the power of at least three Origin Great Dao anomalies.
Afterward, with the power of "'I'" bolstering him, his mind regained some clarity. Chen Jiuyang calmly responded to the outside: "Oh, so they died. I don't care."
Outside the door: "..."
As long as it was still raining outside the ship, it meant it had not yet become safe.
It was at this time that Chen Jiuyang realized this ship was truly dangerous. However, the anomalies formed by the myriad Origin Great Daos maintained a subtle balance.
Next, the anomaly transformed into other people to harass Chen Jiuyang. This time, Chen Jiuyang didn't respond at all.
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Jiuyang felt the rain stop.
"Click—"
The door was pulled open, and the captain, holding a wine bottle, walked in. He looked at Chen Jiuyang, who was still alive, with some surprise:
"I didn't expect you to still be alive, kid. You must have had a stroke of luck. Now, come out and eat."