In a flash, many days had passed on the Heavenly Devil Ship.
With each passing day, the Eerie continued. Every hour, a Demon Cultivator or Devil Cultivator would transform into food. Twelve hours a day meant twelve cultivators were sacrificed daily.
Over these days, the number of victims had reached several dozen.
Bai Sha and Yin Sha had been relatively fortunate; that terrible Eerie had not yet descended upon them. But how long could such good fortune last?
Days of unrelenting Eerie were undoubtedly a torment to the mind.
The Demon Cultivators in the cabin had nearly all gone mad.
Even the Devil Cultivators were close to breaking.
“Why… why is this happening?”
The old man sat at the cabin entrance, hair disheveled, his face haggard, looking somewhat dazed.
Over these days, Bai Sha had learned the old man’s identity. He was a Nascent Soul Devil Cultivator named Yu Zi’an, a Steward of the Heavenly Devil Palace.
After glancing at Yu Zi’an, Bai Sha turned her gaze back to the porthole.
Outside the window lay the sea under a gloomy sky. The boundless ocean looked turbulent and deep, and staring at it for long made one feel their own insignificance.
The other Heavenly Devil Ships were no longer visible on the vast sea.
The Heavenly Devil Ship they were on had been isolated.
When the Eerie had begun spreading aboard this ship, the other Heavenly Devil Ships had kept their distance.
And after many days passed with no sign of the Eerie being resolved, the other ships, to prevent the Eerie from spreading further, had all chosen to sail far away.
Thus, only this single Heavenly Devil Ship remained in this stretch of sea.
How could the situation here be resolved?
Bai Sha felt that even the people of the Heavenly Devil Palace had no solution.
She had seen Devil Son Di Tian emerge from the ocean, hovering in the air outside the ship, staring at it for a long time. But in the end, he had chosen to leave.
Had that Devil Son gone to find a solution, or had he abandoned this Heavenly Devil Ship?
Bai Sha had no way of knowing.
She only knew that order on the ship was about to collapse.
Inside the cabin, the Devil Cultivators’ research on the Demon Cultivators continued. Yet the Devil Cultivators’ expressions were tense, and the Demon Cultivators’ were either crazed or numb. They were all at a terrifying breaking point.
“Another hour has come,” Yin Sha whispered, nestling close to Bai Sha.
She had been meticulously keeping track of time, knowing the most terrifying moment was about to descend once again.
But once more, she and Bai Sha were fortunate.
Just as Yin Sha’s words faded, one of the Devil Cultivators conducting research vanished. In his place appeared a plate of fragrant food.
The Demon Cultivator who had been under that Devil Cultivator’s study let out a crazed laugh. “Hahahaha! Everyone’s the same! No one can escape this!”
Another Devil Cultivator nearby broke down. “AAAAAH! I don’t want to be here anymore! I don’t want to be here anymore!”
He left the array directly, threw himself before Yu Zi’an, and knelt, begging Yu Zi’an to let him leave.
Yu Zi’an looked at this scene with a complex expression. “You’ve all been infected by the Eerie. I cannot let you leave. If the Eerie spreads, the consequences would be disastrous.”
“But I don’t want to die!” the Devil Cultivator shouted.
“Who wants to die? Hold on a little longer. Lord Di Tian must be finding a solution,” Yu Zi’an tried to comfort him.
“Lord Di Tian?” The Devil Cultivator’s face was tragic. “Can Lord Di Tian really find a way? Or has Lord Di Tian already abandoned us? Lord Di Tian appeared days ago… The look in his eyes… I can’t easily forget it. It was a look of helplessness. Lord Di Tian simply can’t save us.”
Yu Zi’an’s expression flickered, and he scolded, “Silence! Are you questioning Lord Di Tian?”
The Devil Cultivator looked deeply at Yu Zi’an. “Steward, do you really believe Lord Di Tian can save us? Every single hour, someone dies. The next one could be you, Steward.”
Yu Zi’an’s body trembled slightly.
He naturally understood that he could be the next victim. His Nascent Soul stage cultivation didn’t give him the slightest sense of security.
But even so, he could only steel himself and continue.
“There will be hope. Calm down first.”
As Yu Zi’an spoke these words, a strange ripple emanated from him, causing the Devil Cultivator before him to collapse on the spot, unconscious.
Ignoring him, Yu Zi’an swept his gaze over the remaining Devil Cultivators. “Continue the research. Only by persevering is there hope for success. Do you understand?”
No one answered.
All the Devil Cultivators were under immense pressure, each one nearly numb.
Outside, rain began to fall.
Through the porthole, Bai Sha could see the pattering raindrops falling from the sky, splashing onto the wave-ridden sea surface, creating ring after ring of ripples that spread out layer upon layer.
The sound of the rain beating could also be heard on the Heavenly Devil Ship.
Accompanied by the sound of the rain, Yu Zi’an came before Bai Sha and Yin Sha.
His arrival made Yin Sha somewhat nervous.
Bai Sha patted Yin Sha with her pectoral fin and looked at Yu Zi’an. “Is there something you need, sir?”
Yu Zi’an looked at the two Great White Sharks before him and sat down on the cabin floor. “I’m just a little curious.”
“Curious?”
“Mm, curious.”
“Why are you curious?”
“The other Demon Cultivators have more or less gone mad. Yet you two can remain calm. That’s enough to make me curious.”
“I see.”
Bai Sha understood Yu Zi’an’s curiosity.
But was simple curiosity enough reason for him to come and speak with them at such a critical time?
Yu Zi’an sat there, looking at Bai Sha. “I want to know more about the Bloodthirsty Territory. I’ve heard related information from other Demon Cultivators before, but you are so calm; perhaps you can provide me with more details.”
Bai Sha shook her head. “I’m very sorry, but I don’t know anything more than the other Demon Cultivators.”
Yu Zi’an remained calm. “Tell me what you know. It doesn’t matter if you repeat things. Even things you think are unrelated to the Eerie are worth mentioning. It might just help us think of a way to deal with it.”
It was clear Yu Zi’an felt he was at his wit’s end and was unwilling to let go of any clue.
Seeing that Yu Zi’an had put it this way, Bai Sha thought for a moment and said, “The Bloodthirsty Territory is the domain of the Bloodthirsty Swordfish Clan. The Bloodthirsty Swordfish practice the Raging Waves Art, and they only allow their own clan to cultivate it. If outsiders learn it, they will surely hunt them down. Coincidentally, after cultivating the Raging Waves Art, one can sense other cultivators who also practice it.”
In Bai Sha’s view, this couldn’t possibly be related to the Eerie.
But since Yu Zi’an had said she could speak freely, she mentioned it in passing.
However, as soon as Bai Sha finished speaking, Yu Zi’an seemed to think of something, a look of sudden realization crossing his face. “So the Bloodthirsty Swordfish cultivate the Raging Waves Art. No wonder the Eerie appeared in the Bloodthirsty Territory.”
