Snap! Snap!
In the thick darkness where not a sliver of light could be seen, several streaks of bluish-white lightning suddenly flashed.
Through the lightning, one could barely make out a steam-powered yacht, seemingly as fragile as a paper boat, navigating perilously through the raging storm.
The sea roared, wave after wave crashing upon the tiny vessel, causing it to tilt at an alarming angle, as if it were about to capsize and swallow all aboard to their deaths at any moment.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Inside the cabin, rain battered the windows like a waterfall, while Vidi sat with a pained expression, dry heaving violently from severe seasickness, yet nothing came out—three minutes ago, he had already vomited until his bile was exhausted.
“I swear! I’ll never come out to sea again…”
Everything inside the cabin was in disarray, but fortunately, large items like the beds and chairs had been fixed in place; otherwise, the scene would have been even worse.
Even so, the faces of the ladies were quite pale.
“Such a fierce and terrifying storm is indeed rare!”
Wu Ming was somewhat surprised as well; among the group, he was in the best condition.
In fact, even if the yacht were truly capsized by the waves, it wouldn’t have affected him in the least. Nevertheless, at this moment, a trace of confusion crossed his face as his eyes remained fixed on the window…
Inside the captain’s quarters, Victor had long abandoned his previous air of leisure; even his beloved tortoiseshell pipe had been cast aside.
His feet were planted as firmly as the roots of a growing plant, while his hands gripped the ship’s wheel like steel.
“Quickly, push the boiler to maximum power!”
“You brats had better get moving if you don’t want to drown!”
…
In the face of such a massive disaster, an experienced captain can quickly stabilize the crew’s morale.
With Victor’s powerful and commanding voice barking orders, the sailors gradually calmed down, their anxiety dissipating as they dove into their work, racing against time.
“Minor hull damage reported!”
“Boiler pressure increasing steadily!”
“Pressure in the No. 2 steam pipe is unstable; maintenance crew dispatched!”
“All systems normal in the cabin!”
…
Before a row of clocks and instruments, several observers shouted their reports.
This tense yet orderly work continued for nearly two hours until the storm outside finally began to subside. Victor finally allowed himself a slight sigh of relief, handing the wheel over to the first mate before lighting his pipe. “Interesting… A storm this terrifying during this season is extremely rare…”
“Captain, look!”
At that moment, a navigator shouted, pointing toward the storm’s center.
“What’s going on?”
Victor looked over, and immediately the pipe in his hand dropped to the floor.
…
“Hmm?”
Inside the cabin, the wind and waves had finally eased slightly, allowing the others to breathe a sigh of relief.
But Wu Ming, staring out the window, wore an increasingly solemn expression.
“What’s wrong?”
Neville leaned over, then let out a startled cry: “What is that?”
“What’s happening?”
Philip and the others came over, then suddenly felt as if their throats had been tightly gripped, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Through the transparent glass and the murky water, they could still see, not far away, a ship glowing faintly as it gradually approached.
It was a very old three-masted sailing ship, the kind that should now be in a museum. Its sails were tattered, yet in the storm, it sailed more steadily than the steel yacht.
What startled them the most was that the entire ship emitted a strange glow, yet there was no sign of any crew aboard.
“Gho… ghost ship!”
Vidi’s teeth chattered; this terrifying legend instantly descended upon the hearts of everyone in the cabin, transforming into a massive fear.
Woo! Woo! Woo!
An unknown sound echoed from somewhere, raising the hairs on their arms.
The pirate ship sailed steadily, heading straight toward the yacht.
In an instant, the cabin fell into a deathly silence.
As the ship drew closer, Vidi and the others could clearly see the decaying planks, empty cabins, and the sail riddled with holes on the ghost ship.
“This is…”
As a supernatural being, Wu Ming received more information than ordinary people.
He merely closed his eyes briefly, and in his ears seemed to echo the wails of countless spirits. A layer of spiritual energy filled with resentment and malice spread across the ghost ship.
“A slave ship?”
“Judging by its appearance, the number of slaves it has killed is no small number… Accumulated resentment has finally struck back?”
Such ghost ships, when appearing at sea, symbolize death and misfortune. Surrounded by supernatural energy—in scientific terms, a magnetic field disturbance—any instruments or equipment are unable to record or photograph them. Thus, only the accounts of survivors exist, making their existence hard to prove.
Yet now, it seemed to be drawn toward the yacht where Vidi and the others were.
“Hmm…”
Wu Ming rubbed his chin, glancing at Vidi and the others, then at himself, and recalling Victor and the sailors—all were standard Caucasians. He sighed inwardly: “Revenge? Or a curse?”
His spirit extended infinitely outward, making contact with the ghost ship across the sea.
In his perception, the other vessel was a massive whirlpool of the dead.
“Leave!”
Wu Ming’s will was simple, releasing a powerful aura directly.
Boom!
The essence of a Golden Immortal, along with the spiritual power gained through cultivation, made his roar seem like that of an ancient beast, momentarily halting even the storm.
The ghost ship continued forward but seemed to veer off course slightly.
Finally, it slowly passed by the yacht, entering the depths of the mist before disappearing from sight.
…
“It’s gone…”
Inside the captain’s quarters, Victor exhaled deeply, nearly collapsing onto the floor.
“It’s finally gone!”
Outside, the rain had stopped and the sun shone again. Vidi and the others could finally breathe freely, exhaling heavily and panting in relief.
The pressure from the ghost ship had felt like a mountain pressing down, nearly suffocating them.
In contrast, Angelina was the best among the group of half-grown youths, managing to remain standing even though her face was still pale, her eyes shining with a certain light as she looked at Wu Ming.
“Could it be that repeated shocks have made her subconscious immune?”
Wu Ming silently mused to himself upon seeing this.
He stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck.
The storm had passed, the sky above now a clear, deep blue, spotless and pure.
In the east, the sun slowly rose.
Unknowingly, the night had passed. In the morning light, the rain had cleared, and the sea had returned to its calm state.
“Mr. Steven?”
Captain Victor approached: “Are the ladies and other gentlemen alright? The sea is indeed unpredictable!”
“Other than being slightly frightened, everyone is fine!”
Wu Ming emphasized the word ‘frightened’ slightly.
“Yes, frightened. I’ve never seen such a massive ghost ship before…”
Captain Victor also looked visibly shaken: “But we were very lucky… Ships that encounter ghost ships usually end up destroyed with no survivors. Only a few lucky ones escape with their lives.”
Wu Ming naturally didn’t mention that it was he who had driven the ghost ship away, nodding instead: “Indeed very lucky! I’m more concerned now about whether we’ve deviated from our course and if our original travel plans have been affected?”
Captain Victor looked at the youth in surprise.
Those who could charter an entire yacht for a summer vacation were naturally a group of wealthy young people, and Wu Ming was clearly their leader. However, with his seasoned eyes, Victor could see that Steven here was barely fifteen years old. After experiencing something so terrifying the previous night, the fact that he was already thinking about their vacation plans was quite astonishing.
Such confidence was indeed rare.
Victor smiled: “Rest assured, although we did deviate slightly from our original course due to the storm, not by much… In fact, with the storm’s assistance, we’re even a bit closer to the Red Coral Sea now!”
…
A few days later.
After experiencing the storm and the ghost ship incident, the yacht’s luck was surprisingly good, encountering no further storms and safely arriving at the Red Coral Sea.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Love Island!”
At a port, Victor smiled as he introduced: “The Red Coral Sea is the most beautiful sea in the world, home to the largest coral island group. Legend has it that many wonderful love stories were born here. This chain of islands begins with Love Island. I wish you all a pleasant trip!”
“Thank you. Please confirm the return date again—we will arrive at the port on time. We hope to see you here punctually!”
Wu Ming quickly completed the formalities and, together with Victor and the others, arrived at the island.
There were permanent island residents here, relying on the Red Coral Sea and the island chain to develop the tourism industry, living quite comfortably.
The streets of the entire port were spotless, lined with fairytale-like European-style buildings, a clear blue sky above, clean white sand, and pure white clouds…
All of this finally allowed Vidi and the others to completely relax, their faces breaking into smiles once again.
“Finally arrived at the Red Coral Sea, Love Island!”
Standing on the dock, Wu Ming’s eyes also flashed with a glint of light: “That ruin is here!”
In this world, land accounts for only about 30 to 40 percent of the area, with the rest being vast, endless oceans. Although steam-powered technology is highly developed and several maritime discoveries have been made, the endless horizon still hides countless secrets, not to mention the deep sea.
It was purely by chance that Diya discovered this location, almost as if by sheer luck.
“According to the intelligence, that supernatural ruin is quite advanced and located deep in the ocean…”
Wu Ming patted the ancient book in his hand titled “The Final Teachings.” To his pleasant surprise, this ancient volume also contained descriptions of this ruin.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage