Stranger Danger

Chapter 905: Whale Tomb

“No wonder,” Ye Qing exclaimed in realization.

The reason why few people knew of the whale tomb’s existence was due to the whale-type Stranger itself.

All whale-type Strangers were overlords of the sea, humongous and extremely powerful. The Jade Dragon Whale the Profound Origin Turtle spoke of was a Disaster-class Stranger. The bodies of powerful Strangers usually contained a tremendous amount of power even after they perished, and unlike most things, it did not fade away with time. Over time, the power would turn into all sorts of mysterious and anomalous energies. In the case of particularly powerful whale-type Strangers, their carcasses could even turn into terrifying Anomalies.

In conclusion, the whale tomb was anomalous, and humans rarely frequented the Fury Wind River because of its dangers. It made sense that almost no one was aware of its existence.

“Can you take us there, senior?” Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou exchanged glances with each other. If there was no island in Fury Wind River, then Chen Cang most likely was hiding in the whale tomb. As for how Chen Cang was able to discover the whale tomb, that wasn’t a question they could answer.

“Come up,” the Profound Origin Turtle responded simply.

“Thank you, senior.”

After saluting the Profound Origin Turtle, Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou jumped onto its back. The next moment, it took off into the waters.

The Profound Origin Turtle moved very quickly, but its back felt so steady it was as if they were still on land. Wherever it traveled, the winds instantly stilled, and the waves were flattened to water level. It was quite the miraculous feat.

At the distance, thick, thunderous clouds were choking the sky, the wind howled with rage and bloodthirst, and the waves towered so high they looked equal to the heavens. And yet, all was calm and tranquil around the Profound Origin Turtle. Ye Qing couldn’t speak on Feng Qingyou’s behalf, but it certainly was a scenery like nothing he had ever seen before.

About an incense stick later, a thick fog slowly appeared from the horizon. It covered the entire river surface and looked like a hidden monster, ready to attack and consume at a moment’s notice.

Ye Qing soon discovered that neither his eyes nor his demonic thought were able to pierce through the fog. Clearly, it was no ordinary fog.

The whale tomb had to be hidden within the fog.

As expected, the Profound Origin Turtle rushed headlong into the fog.

Inside the fog, Ye Qing could not see very far at all. If he didn’t know better, he would think that they were lost in the rivers of space and stars. He felt tiny and insignificant.

That wasn’t all. The cover of the fog made the waters much more dangerous than they were before. There were hidden currents, whirlpools, reefs and other obstacles everywhere, and he definitely sensed some powerful Strangers lurking in the darkness and eyeing them with hunger.

The Profound Origin Turtle seemed completely unaffected by the environment, however. It navigated through the fog like it was its backyard, turning left, right, forward, and even backward at times. Each time, it was able to avoid the hidden currents, whirlpools, reefs and more with milimeters to spare, and no Stranger no matter how strong was stupid enough to stay after sensing its aura.

Thanks to the Profound Origin Turtle, it wasn’t long before they saw a small island. It was white and smooth as jade and shaped like a fish. It was obviously the whale tomb the Jade Dragon Whale had turned into.

After delivering the duo to the shore, the Profound Origin Turtle said, “This is the whale tomb. This is as far as I can send you.”

“Thank you very much for your help, senior.” Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou jumped off and thanked the Profound Origin Turtle.

“You’re welcome. May we meet again.”

The Profound Origin Turtle was about to take its leave when suddenly, Feng Qingyou called out to it. “Senior, wait.”

“Is there anything else?” The Profound Origin Turtle asked.

“Can you wait for us nearby? We need your help to get back to the other shore once we’ve wrapped up our business,” Feng Qingyou explained. “Don’t worry, senior. This junior is not trying to swindle you. I will pay you another stock of old Five Grains for your aid.”

Feng Qingyou produced the remaining five sacks of old Five Grains from her Nature’s Shell and dropped them on the ground.

From Ye Qing’s perspective, he saw the Profound Origin Turtle looking impatient until the five large sacks of old Five Grains appeared. Its eyes immediately lit up, and it visibly gulped at the sight of the food. As it turned out, the Profound Origin Turtle was a glutton.

Ye Qing finally understood why Feng Qingyou had asked him to prepare at least two sacks of each grain. It was so that they could pay for the return trip.

“Very well, I shall wait nearby. Just call out to me when you’re done,” the Profound Origin Turtle replied without looking away from the Five Grains for even an instant. “However, I will wait only one day. If one day passes, and you do not emerge, then I shall be gone.”

“Thank you, senior.” Feng Qingyou beamed. “I shall leave the Five Grains here. You may take them whenever you want. We will take our leave now.”

“See you later.”

The Profound Origin Turtle opened its mouth and inhaled the five sacks of grains into its stomach before Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou could even begin to turn around. Then, it closed its eyes and sank into the waters.

“Aren’t you worried that it would change its mind later?” Ye Qing asked in a quiet voice after the Profound Origin Turtle was out of earshot.

Feng Qingyou merely chuckled and said, “Sometimes, Strangers are much more trustworthy than humans.”

Ye Qing returned the smile and looked forward. He began examining the whale tomb in front of him.

The whale tomb was sparkling and translucent like snow or jade. Even the hills, rivers, flora, fauna, and even Strangers were all white and perfectly pure.

It was unsurprising that there would be lifeforms on the whale tomb. The whale tomb was created from the carcass of a whale-type Stranger, so it contained a lot of power. Naturally, it attracted all sorts of creatures and Strangers. Over time, it became a unique ecosystem of its own. This was why there was a quote that went something like this: “A whale falls, and countless are born.”

Although the whale tomb had the word “tomb” in it, it was really no different from an island.

As for why every creature on the whale tomb was white, it probably had something to do with the Jade Dragon Whale.

The Jade Dragon Whale was pure white in color. Even its blood, bones, and internal organs were white. Naturally, the whale tomb it formed was equally white. It was also why all the creatures that were born here were white as well.

Not only that, the Jade Dragon Whale possessed a sliver of true dragon blood, and the Strangers and creatures born on this island were no different. They were definitely stronger than your usual Strangers.

That was all, however. The power boost wasn’t so ridiculous that it would pose a threat against the likes of Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou. Ye Qing only needed to release a bit of pressure to send them scattering.

The island looked pretty small from a distance, but that was just an optical illusion. In reality, it was pretty big. On top of that, there was a strange power on the whale tomb that impeded one’s spirit to a certain extent, preventing Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou from scanning their surroundings as quickly as they would have liked.

Since they only had a day to look for Chen Cang, the duo decided to split up after a quick discussion.

Ye Qing wasn’t worried in the slightest that splitting up would put either him or Feng Qingyou in danger. Yes, Chen Cang was a powerful swordsman. Yes, there might be other Swordsgrave warriors in the area. But either Feng Qingyou or him could go toe to toe against a Half Sage, much less one puny Chen Cang.

Chen Cang was the only one here who had much to fear.