Fang Yu asked.
"Shao Bai, what is it?"
"Don't be so cold. Build a bit of goodwill, so we can meet again on better terms someday."
"Stop staring. Have something to eat and rest for a while."
With a flick of his hand, Shao Bai revealed a very exquisite ring. It began to glow, and a pile of food along with some drinks appeared.
"Sit down and have a drink. You can tell I don't mean you any harm. Besides, I've never liked Lu Qing to begin with. I just genuinely want to make your acquaintance."
"Alright!" Fang Yu nodded.
Before long, a stone table was set up on the ship, laden with golden, glistening roasted demon meat and a variety of drinks.
"This is barbarian ox meat, tender and delicious. Have some!"
After introducing it, Shao Bai used his hands fairer than a woman's to tear apart the golden, oily meat and handed it to Fang Yu.
"Thanks!" Fang Yu took it and ate heartily.
At the same time, Shao Bai didn't hold back either. He kept tearing into the meat, stuffing piece after piece into his mouth.
Of course, his grease-covered hands didn't stop him from grabbing the drinks either—one cup after another, drinking to his heart's content.
"Playboy. Glutton."
That was Fang Yu's assessment of him. Flirting with women in front of his fiancée, and even carrying so much fine food on him, truly an unconventional man.
And so, time passed amidst the crashing of waves and the sound of chewing, until noon, when a burst of noise from behind caught Fang Yu's attention.
The sea wind was strong, carrying the voices clearly.
"Yu'er, you know?"
"My dream is to be like a divine bird, one day soaring through the skies. And if there were a beautiful figure by my side while flying, that would be perfect."
"You have Winged Magic Equipment, how about taking me up into the air to see the scenery and fulfill my dream?"
The voice carried by the sea breeze was Zhang Hao's.
He stood on the deck, beside Han Yu, who wore a light purple dress.
As the sea breeze blew, her dress fluttered. Hearing Zhang Hao's words, her brows furrowed, veins bulging, as she snapped irritably, "Get lost. Stop bothering me!"
Fang Yu was speechless. This Zhang Hao really deserved a beating, his intentions were far from pure.
Time flowed on. As the ship sailed deeper, the eerie and oppressive nature of the sea gradually entered Fang Yu's perception.
The wild sea roared, waves crashing skyward with deep, rumbling growls.
Before the echoes faded, the waves fell, splashing up vast sprays of blue water.
Fang Yu saw schools of rotten fish, turning into black pollution that spread beneath the ship.
Beyond that, in certain areas of the ocean, as the ship passed, Fang Yu felt a terrifying presence from the depths, powerful auras lingering there, weighing heavily on his mind and heightening his vigilance.
And so, as the sun set, Fang Yu's first night at sea was about to arrive.
Clang!
Suddenly, the sea churned violently with a sharp sound.
A whirlpool formed on the surface, and then a streak of blue light shot out from the water, slashing toward the ship.
"Break!"
Standing calmly on the deck, Fang Yu activated his magic, focusing all his energy as a brilliant light erupted.
"Zero Domain: Ice Spear!"
In an instant, ice surged through the air, forming rapidly into a spear that struck the blue light. The collision produced a dazzling burst of brilliance.
Pfft!
The Ice Spear shattered the blue light and plunged into the whirlpool, splitting the hidden creature in two. Blood sprayed like a torrential rain.
Only then did Fang Yu see clearly, it was a silver fish, its eyes glowing gray, filled with jagged teeth, looking ferocious.
While sailing the seas, the scent of blood from killing could attract certain entities lurking beneath the waters.
As if confirming this, the sea ahead suddenly surged, and shadowy figures of sea demons began to appear.
"What's going on?"
"What happened?"
On the ship, a group of people rushed out upon hearing the commotion. Seeing the scene before them, they were startled. In the waters ahead, several silver fish had appeared, spewing torrents of water skyward and attacking the crowd.
These silver fish were not only enormous in size, but also extremely powerful. Each one was massive, and the torrents they spat merged together like a mountain, crashing down all at once.
"Raging Wave: Expulsion!"
A man in green robes shouted angrily. With a flick of his hand, blue light shimmered as a surge of water appeared out of thin air, forming a barrier around the ship.
The Raging Wave took shape, acting as a buffer that neutralized the incoming torrents.
At the same time, another man in gray robes made his move, also casting Water Element Raging Wave. Endless blue light surged upward, the sea churned violently, and towering waves were stirred up, instantly sweeping over the silver fish.
The roar of waves echoed continuously.
Meanwhile everyone on the deck took action one after another. Magic spread outward, sending ripples surging toward the front.
Battle erupted!
The ocean boiled, azure waves surged sky-high, and magic intertwined like streaks of lightning. The battle was exceptionally fierce.
In the end, the group of over twenty from the academies relied on their magic to break through the encirclement, escaping that terrifying sea region, leaving behind several silver fish corpses in their wake.
After that, they drove the ship away at full speed, not daring to linger.
Behind them, the sea churned violently, the waters stained with blood. More silver fish were emerging, and who knew how many still lurked beneath the depths, ready to join the fray.
After sailing far away, Fang Yu let out a long breath, but his heart remained unsettled. The sea demons had only revealed a fraction of their presence, yet they were already so troublesome, far more dangerous than those on land.
On the first night at sea—
Their luck was fairly good. Aside from the sound of waves and the wailing of the sea wind, nothing unusual happened.
Until just before dawn, Fang Yu stepped onto the deck, admiring the scenery before him.
At that moment, the darkness before dawn gradually receded, and a faint light began to emerge between sea and sky.
Like a torch being lit, it burned across the black ocean, forming deep, drifting clouds that spread and intensified.
Eventually, the entire sky seemed set ablaze, glowing with crimson clouds.
However…
At that very moment, from the pitch-black depths of the sea, there came faint sounds—like grinding teeth.
Crack… crack…
As the sound echoed, a powerful sense of dread gripped Fang Yu, causing his breathing to quicken slightly. A chilling cold seemed to rise from the depths and spread across the sea surface.
An overwhelming sense of danger, like a volcanic eruption, suddenly exploded within his mind.
Fang Yu's expression turned serious, his pupils contracting as his vigilance reached its peak.
Before long, the unknown creature moved away. The trembling sensation gradually weakened, and the dread slowly faded.
"What was that?"
Fang Yu suddenly lowered his head, staring into the sea. He could only make out a vague, massive shadow slowly disappearing into the depths.
After a long while, Fang Yu let out a deep breath.
He didn't know what it was, but from the sheer pressure he felt, it was clear that the unknown existence beneath the sea was unimaginably terrifying.
Fortunately, it seemed to harbor no hostility or perhaps, in the eyes of such a being, someone like Fang Yu didn't even qualify as a target of hostility.
"The sea…" Fang Yu murmured, deep caution flashing in his eyes.