“The ‘Gaze-dispelling Sword’? “

Upon hearing this name, Yang Zicang stood up and bowed three times to the dilapidated old vessel. And with that gesture, he beganto feel—as if for real—a faint and ethereal sense of fusion emerging.

The surrounding remnants of the broken “Sub-Ether Psychic Field, ” which had previously only trembled, luring me to enter, now stirred a hint of intimacy, as if this place had always belonged to me in the first place.

“The Gaze-dispelling Sword; can you still sense its presence? “

The beacon left by this woman had long fallen dormant before the vessel was damaged; perhaps by that time, the true Yu Qingqu had already died.

Yang Zicang feared that the Ether Sword , capable of piercing spiritual illusions, would be disastrous if someone took it away.

The imprint left on the Name Card fell silent for a moment, as if struggling to recall and sense where the Gaze-dispelling Sword was.

{The Gaze-dispelling Sword… } Yu Qingqu’s voice broke, hesitant and uncertain, {That shattered old world, year after year, sparking grim wake.. It was scraps and ruins, frail echoes ancient, truths filtered from remembrance … So wildly cruel— we persevered anyway among ourselves lingering only after time refusing yield,—finally— to extract from ‘essence-will,’ this “Virtual Ether Crystal, ” then, mortared ages record-to-smith forging ; weapon congealed . }

{It is a treasure beyond imagine. Thus, we usually seal it away in a place unique, unsullied, dormant. }

“What if it’s no longer there? “

Speaking: Yu Qingqu continues— {_ Coord of the Ether-womb? As long no silhouette own wards laid bare… For eaves veiler within break thread… _} # Bleak tainted gos never stand gazing foreigner eye—. Shunned safe …. unless…… Lop dead here us deceiving bent behind fading ….

This Name Card rose softly, and a hazy silhouette emerged, placid shadows bright or blurred fleeting bound unknown—,spinning guiding yang amid threads space debris scissoring ether fragments ~ : In vision craft steered onward stark depth steps.

Yang Zicang maintained a distance of two or three meters from her; as soon as he drew a little closer, he could feel a palpable grief affect his emotions, like stepping into a heavy atmosphere of a terminally ill ward.

{…It… needs safety… needs isolation… cannot be easily controlled by outsiders… }

Yu Qingqu said as they walked: {…I remember, it was placed… at the keel line of the hull, in areas where energy flows daily… in a… ‘Quiet Chamber,’ sealed by multiple layers of protective magical runes… }

“Keel line? Quiet Chamber? “

Yang Zicang immediately sketched the structural diagram of the sunken ship in his mind. The Musing Night had already scanned almost every corner here, but this large vessel was built for ocean voyages, packed full of cabins, leaving him at a loss as to which one she referred to.

They passed through room after room.

In reality, the keel of the sunken ship had long since fractured and warped, yet in this Aether Space, many shadows it cast and objects placed here from the old days had been preserved.

{The Sub-Ether Psychic Field must have a corresponding anchor point in reality, and this ship is its anchor. The items inside, having been nurtured by Aether energy over a long time, have materialized here. Feel free to browse through them—since you’re now my named apprentice. }

“Named apprentice… ” Yang Zicang rubbed his nose, “How many disciples are in our sect? How many are non-named? There should be more named than outer ones, right? “

{Actually, it’s manageable. Right now I only have first-digit-disciples… wait… }

Yu Qingqu walked to the edge of the broken ship’s gaping mouth, a palpable lament radiating from her body.

{How did it come to this… Who… }

“We found it like this in the sea. Senior, let’s hurry and find the weapon—I’m worried my friend’s spirit might be affected, and that would be very dangerous.“

{Follow me, if you’re not afraid I might deceive you. }

The woman walked into a nearby fissure. Yang Zicang thought for a moment, then took the initiative to follow her inside.

A section of the cabin, non-existent in reality, appeared beyond the fissure. Though it had a dreamy quality, the atmosphere felt new, like a ship that had only been completed a couple of years ago.

Not far ahead, it stretched out like a broad energy ribbon, extending into the sea beyond the horizon.

{This… They… cut the stable Psychic Radiance Field! }

A burst of anger radiated from the woman, {No wonder, no wonder the whole ship broke in half from the middle. }

Yang Zicang exclaimed, “Elder Yu, what you mean is that someone first severed the Radiance Field you’d stabilized, causing the ship to snap in two from the center?“

The woman’s hazy silhouette nodded in affirmation.

“Then can we still find that cabin you mentioned? It seems even the Keel Line is severed now.“

{Since the Radiance Field hasn’t completely collapsed, it means the two ends are still faintly connected. Even if the true Quiet Chamber has shattered into fragments scattered across the ocean, its projection here should still exist somewhere within the bond. }

{President, are you alright? I can’t see you anymore… } Ruan Wenxiong’s faint telepathic message came through; if one wasn’t paying close attention, it would be easy to miss.

｛I am following one of the former owners of this ship to find something that can help them get out safely. If there’s an abnormality within 48 hours, or if the white shadow appears, you must immediately come down and cover that half-statue with canvas. Remember to remain calm.｝

The two searched for a long time within the ethereal bond and discovered a small branch-like cord.

{Perhaps this is the place. }

Yu Qingqu grew increasingly agitated, her speed becoming incredibly fast, and more and more pain-filled energy radiated from her. Yang Zicang was already a dozen meters behind her. As they went deeper, some murmuring, gloomy tones emerged ahead of them.

Yang Zicang saw that outside that dilapidated and magnificent manor floating at the end of the bond, a square, eaves-covered structure resembling an enlarged shrine was stuck at the entrance, as if someone had failed to retrieve it properly.

Above it reared a cloudy shroud of twisting black energy, occasionally giving birth to heads and faces. Each one of them was once an ether name card emblem imbued with intense, pure belief, but now they had been polluted, twisted, and transformed into spirit-emitting guardians.

Pressure radiated and spread out, an overwhelming intense aura.

Just standing outside that hall, Yang Zicang felt like he couldn’t even breathe.

{Little youngest, Hua’er, and… Minmin, how did you all turn out like this… }

The woman let out a heart-wrenching scream as twisted gray mist gradually emanated from her body.

“No wonder Luca and his crew never left a trace here. ” These were the name card beacons left behind by the former experts of this ship; at least seven or eight copies were gathered here.

These items, not easily eroded by the passage of time, were far beyond the grasp of cowards like Luca who dared hide in the fog-bound sea. It was already pure luck that they had stumbled upon Yu Qingqu’s relatively “docile ” and sleeping name card.

The unbearable pain of Master Yu’s Wandering Soul pierced Yang Zicang’s Spiritual Sea like a tangible blade, causing a great commotion within it.

The gray mist leaking from her body was thick with despair and resentment, nearly consuming her from within and destabilizing the already twisted knots of energy around her.

“Mist Domination… Hope… ” Yang Zicang took a deep breath and chanted in a steady voice once more. This time, he not only uttered the words but also poured in a thread of longing for his “homeland. “

These words must represent their shared beliefs!

The violent fluctuations of Yu Qingqu’s Wandering Soul began to calm down slightly.

With difficulty, she turned her head—her face, engulfed in swirling mist, seemed to look in Yang Zicang’s direction.

{I have felt, for the first time, that merely being alive is already a kind of punishment. } Her thoughts were filled with both exhaustion and a deep, lonely desolation.

{Come, let me take you to retrieve the sword. }

She transformed into a dim streak of flowing light, surging towards Yang Zicang intent on attaching herself to him.

{Do not refuse, this is your chance… }

Yang Zicang thought briefly, then closed his eyes and released the resistance in his heart. He sensed energy from the Sub-Ether Space beginning to converge upon him, as if a membrane were enveloping his body.

When he opened his eyes again, Yang Zicang looked down at his hands, where the pale silhouette of a woman was superimposed upon them.

｛Yu Qingqu walks with me.｝

｛Synchronization rate between Yu Qingqu and me: 65.3%｝

｛I, the Great Quadrilateral, estimate the synced duration at 78.23 seconds…｝

｛77 seconds… 76 seconds…｝

In a mere moment of distraction, several seconds of the synchronization had already elapsed.

{Quickly, it seems we can’t maintain this state for long. Go straight there—now that the Psy-Ether Field has acknowledged you, my presence should be enough for us to pass through. }

｛72 seconds… 71 seconds…｝

Yang Zicang strode resolutely towards the door of the “Quiet Chamber, ” guarded by a swarm of polluted beacons. His mind was razor-focused, and the power of Musing Night was brewing within him, adding extra protection—an extra layer of security.

Just as he rapidly closed in to within thirty meters of the Quiet Chamber, a contorted face bobbing in the black mist suddenly let out a piercing shriek!

It instantly transformed into a massive silhouette, brandishing a stelae-like, elongated phantom sword that arced through the air as it charged, bearing down upon Yang Zicang with overwhelming pressure.

{…？ }

Even just from its approach, Yang Zicang could feel the space around him trembling. He had no doubt that if this thing faced a Defender, it could easily beat the other to a pulp in two strikes—pummeling them so badly their own parents wouldn’t recognize them.

Another seven or eight information streams, each of a different color but equally filled with the energy of madness and unwillingness, erupted from the lost beacon clusters, floating high into the air!

{…Who is it… You, who are you… }

｛56 seconds… 55 seconds…｝

Yang Zicang slowly raised his head, his eyelids and the corners of his mouth trembling slightly.