Chapter 107: The Elixir of Immortality! The Giant Turtle of Jianghai! (Seeking Subscriptions and Votes)

“Screeech—!”

A sharp, ear-splitting shriek reverberated, tearing apart the answers in his mind.

Only then did Wang Cheng realize that the invaders of Citong Harbor were not just the ghost ship that had come to life, but there was a second unwelcome guest.

Despite being under cannon fire, the Conception did not retaliate against the harbor but instead kept firing into the sea. One by one, cannonballs wrapped in swirling azure flames, each bearing an angry visage, plunged into the water with thunderous explosions.

They illuminated another colossal creature beneath the waves.

If the ship—silently brought to life and able to mimic human communication—was already uncanny, the entity it was battling was outright terrifying.

Its size rivaled that of the great sailing ship, resembling a pale, enormous serpent, but with a massive human head like a small mountain.

Its face, covered with wrinkles and scales, bore a solemn and dignified expression. It wore a crown made of bone, from which colorful jeweled chains hung down.

Behind it trailed a long serpentine body, not covered with scales but with numerous human faces—complete with eyes and mouths.

At the tail’s end was a red rattling ring, similar to a rattlesnake’s rattle, composed of at least two hundred segments that emitted sharp, grating vibrations as they moved through the seawater.

As if performing a ritual, with the eerie rattling of the tail tip, countless mouths on its body opened and closed, chanting a dissonant scripture:

"The great Dao is formless, giving birth to Heaven and Earth. Yet the human body is a small cosmos, harboring the mysterious gateway, housing the pivot of immortality. Those who seek to glimpse the profound gate, to attain true longevity, must rely not on flesh and blood but on practiced skill. Only thus can one unlock the key between Heaven and Man, and find the bridge to immortality. Therefore it is said: Flesh and blood are the alchemical furnace, nature and life together form the smoke."

Then, braving the cannon fire, it rammed the Conception’s hull repeatedly, as if prying open a clam to devour whatever was hidden inside.

“Hiss—! What the hell is that thing?”

By the shore, whether it was Wang Cheng, Yun Xiao, the Lu family uncle and nephew, or the ordinary White Scale Guards and local officials, no one had ever laid eyes on such a sinister creature. Each gasped sharply.

Even the most frightening malevolent spirits, rooted in folklore, were within human imagination and far more familiar.

But this entity, which they reluctantly called a malevolent spirit, was an abstract amalgamation utterly beyond human conception.

Ordinary Sea Treasures numbered in the hundreds of thousands, all combinations of land and marine animals, possessing various miraculous effects beyond replenishing vitality.

Much like the ancient times depicted in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, when vast biotechnological experiments were once conducted.

These malevolent spirits from beyond the Wall were even more bizarre, merging human and marine life forms.

A chaotic medley that defied categorization—whether human, demon, or a malevolent spirit anchored to a specific myth or historical lore.

“The French sailing ship is downwind. Order the coastal batteries to first target the ‘great malevolent spirit’ in the water!”

Though Lu Yi had never seen this creature before, he had gleaned fragments from the White Scale Guard’s secret archives and royal secrets about these beings from beyond the Wall, knowing their true name—“Immortal Scum.”

But it was absolutely forbidden to speak the name aloud, so they referred to it only as the Great Malevolent Spirit.

He was the first to react, decisively commanding the harbor artillery to concentrate fire on the entity beyond the Wall.

His face was ashen, uncertain how to report this to the sovereign.

For two centuries since the founding of the nation, they had guarded day and night, even suffering devastating losses against treasure ships, yet a slight lapse allowed these sinister things to slip back in.

Glancing at Lady Yan, the water-class deity standing beside Wang Cheng, he could not help but reflect.

“Has the dynasty truly oppressed the water-class officials and sea god cults too harshly?

Every year, the royal ship offerings drain the Wang family lineage; coastal regions facing typhoons, storms, and tsunamis turn to the Heavenly Empress for aid, consuming vast incense offerings and devotion.

Yet the water-class officials are trampled in the mud.

Even someone as decent as Wang Fugui, no matter how capable, is confined to coastal prefectures, never ascending to court office, doomed to spend his life battling pirates and malevolent spirits for the Great Dawn.

All these instances prevent the water-class from accumulating any real resources to resist risks, while the protective power of the Mountain-Sea Curses continues to decline.

Just one ‘Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls’ that harvests dragon energy caused a major breach.”

“Though these have all been national policies set by successive sovereigns of the Great Dawn, emphasizing sacrificing the few for the greater good.

Still, I must find a way to persuade His Majesty that once the ‘chives’ are cut to the root, they never regrow.

In these turbulent times, with pirates running rampant, the Great Dawn urgently needs the strength of the Mountain-Sea Societies and water-class officials. It’s time to loosen the shackles a bit and give them a taste of sweetness.

I’ve heard that Western kings issue something called ‘Letters of Marque’ to their captains, sanctioning them to plunder other nations.

Though the Great Dawn could never be so reckless, it could try devolving some power to loyal factions within the court, organizing local militias and mobilizing the people for self-defense.

Even granting some shore-exempt official titles in the court’s name—seven or eight Sea-Crossing Generals, three or four Sea-Calming Marshals—to divide and command the strongest factions such as the Five Peaks Banner and the Sea Merchants Alliance, making them serve the court.

Then quickly select tiger generals to train troops and strike down the bandits. No more than ten years, and this great chaos will surely be quelled.”

Unaware that Lu Yi had, in a single thought, delivered him a divine assist, Wang Cheng swiftly shared the newly acquired intelligence about the global fleet with Yun Xiao:

“It seems this living ‘ghost’ ship has long since fled from the South Seas to the Great Dawn’s coastal refuge, secured by the Mountain-Sea Curses.

Today, fluctuations in the Mountain-Sea Curses allowed an unknown number of Great Malevolent Spirits to break through the blockade, regrouping under its banner to reclaim lost treasures.

The other four global sailing ships, and even ordinary ports, are likely in trouble. The danger is probably not limited to just Citong Harbor.”

Yun Xiao furrowed her brows, pointing to the enormous creature in the sea:

“The true form of this malevolent spirit appears to be a naturally mutated species: the Rattling Sea Serpent, which theoretically lives for two sexagenaries.

When mature, it sheds its skin once a year, leaving a keratinous rattling ring on its tail. The number of these rings roughly indicates its age.

Though some rings may be lost during battles, the actual age is always greater than the number of rings.

Judging by the rattling rings on its body, this serpent has lived for several centuries—far exceeding its species’ lifespan limit. Therefore...”

Whether human or demon, it is a consensus in divine cultivation that the lifespan of the physical body cannot be surpassed.

Even the highest-ranking divine officials cultivate only their essence, not their lifespan, with little alteration to bodily functions or longevity.

Yet this creature clearly specializes in lifespan cultivation. Though it ultimately became a malevolent spirit, it indisputably exceeded the natural lifespan limit in life.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd exclaimed:

“Immortality elixir! This Great Malevolent Spirit from beyond the Mountain-Sea Curses must have taken the immortal medicine in life!”

Wang Cheng was not the only one to think so.

The Rattling Sea Serpent was not an uncommon species; estimating its age was straightforward.

Just as Wang Cheng had initially suspected, the deepest oceans of the Vast Blue could extend life and even animate the dead—most famously through the immortality elixir!

This was the treasure sought by navies of successive dynasties.

“That’s right, it must be the immortality elixir! It only recently came from beyond the Wall and might still carry some.”

At this realization, everyone went mad.

The long-coveted prize of countless emperors was suddenly closer than ever before.

Perhaps they were unaware of the intelligence about the five sailing ships crossing the Vast Blue, or that these ships had brought out treasures.

But just from the malevolent spirit’s characteristics, they deduced a truth very close to reality.

“Yun Chen!”

At that moment, Lu Yi realized what he should do and hurriedly called his nephew.

If they could present the immortality elixir to their sovereign, the Lu family would no longer fear losing imperial favor with the patriarch’s passing, nor would the Han family worry about breaking the Zhu family’s destined mandate.

With Emperor Shaozhi’s political acumen, as long as he lived on, the Great Dawn’s realm would be secure forever!

“Understood, Third Uncle.”

Lu Yunchen clicked his heels; the air crackled with energy as he vanished in a flash of lightning, reappearing aboard a warship docked by the shore.

Like the Conception, this ship was enveloped in a brilliant spiritual glow.

During the Poyang Lake naval battles, Chen Jiusi had constructed the four prototype giant ships: Barrier Breaker, Mountain Crusher, River Dragon, and Sea Tortoise—ancestors of all Great Dawn warships, including the treasure ships.

This ship was none other than the prototype giant ship “Sea Tortoise.”

It bore the weight of a decisive national artifact battle—a powerful talismanic vessel in itself.

No wonder, despite Rong City being three hundred miles from Citong Harbor, the sovereign still ordered at dusk that they need not wait for dawn.

Only by this ship could they arrive in time for a night raid.

Lu Yunchen immediately commanded the God-Sky Sect priests aboard to reactivate the five Divine Machine Ox Crossbows, aiming them at the Great Malevolent Spirit in the sea.

“Strike with the force of five thunderbolts! Fire!”

Boom—!

A thunderclap exploded, and five violet rainbows streaked across the sky.