Chapter Thirty-Eight: Crossing the Bermuda

SH. Harbor for setting out to sea. January 10, 2117.

After an hour of preparation, everyone was ready to depart. Hua Feng handed the last soup dumpling to Yun Meng's lips, saying, "Xiao Meng, here you go. It'll probably be a long time before we can taste your amazing soup dumplings again." He burped contentedly and took a sip of eight-treasure porridge.

"Mm, it's hard to part with something so delicious," Yun Meng replied, her mouth still full of dumpling, her words muffled. Whether she was talking to herself or responding to Hua Feng was unclear. Between the two of them, they had polished off five baskets of dumplings, two bowls of eight-treasure porridge, four fried dough sticks, and two tea eggs. With so much food in their stomachs, they felt as if they had the strength to face any unknown ahead. The saying goes, "Only when you are full do you have the energy to work"—how true it is.

"Let's go. It's time to set off," Hua Feng said once Yun Meng finished her breakfast.

He opened the car door. The sea breeze, carrying a moist, salty tang, swept past, giving Yun Meng—who had rarely been to the seaside since childhood—a special sense of novelty.

Hua Feng, accompanied by Yun Meng, Shen Qiu, and several dozen disciples from rural families, followed Dan Qiusheng and Master Zhang aboard a cruise ship to head out to sea. As they neared international waters, a colossal object appeared. A massive, dark-hued nuclear submarine surfaced before their eyes. Even Hua Feng and Yun Meng, both former soldiers, were awestruck at the sight.

When the submarine fully emerged, its nearly two-hundred-meter length made humanity seem insignificant in comparison. For reasons unknown, Hua Feng suddenly recalled reading "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" as a child—the tale of a submarine imagined before such vessels existed, of voyages beneath the waves, and a ship torn apart in the end. Now, by a twist of fate, this former tank commander was about to cross paths with a submarine himself. Was this destiny at work?

"Everyone, board the ship!" Dan Qiusheng called out. Then, with a mighty leap, he soared nearly a hundred meters onto the deck of the conning tower. Master Zhang followed close behind, employing the lightness technique of the Celestial Master's Mansion to reach the deck almost in the blink of an eye. The others each used their own methods to board. Hua Feng, meanwhile, led Yun Meng up the gangway, step by step. Just before entering the hatch, the two turned back for a final look toward the mainland, then, without another glance, walked straight into the vessel.

A temporary farewell—we will return! We must. Hua Feng vowed in his heart.

The Mystical Realm of Kunlun Mountain.

"This time, I will exhaust my vital energy to send you all to Australia. While their forces and those of the aliens are locked in mutual destruction, retrieve the Sevenfold Absolute Body for me. Do not fail me—if you disappear again, your souls will be utterly annihilated! Five thousand years—whether I can use this body to return to the flow of time depends on you!" Chiyou's sinister, heron-like voice drifted from the thick mist.

"Yes! We will die a thousand deaths if need be, and gladly sacrifice ourselves to help our master return to the mortal realm and unite the world!" several shadows replied in unison from the darkness.

With a ripple in space and a flash of light, they instantly appeared thousands of miles away on the Australian continent.

"Let us hope this time yields results," the voice in the mist said, now somewhat weakened.

Inside the submarine, generations of improvements had brought its space and comfort to a new level compared to predecessors.

Living quarters. After a morning of adaptation, everyone had grown accustomed to the submarine’s movements beneath the water by lunchtime.

"Alliance Leader, Celestial Master, how long until we reach Australia?" Hua Feng walked over and poured each of them a cup of hot water.

"Thank you. At our current speed, it will take about seven days to reach Australia, with six days to the Bermuda-Bass Triangle. When we arrive, we'll land on a small island nearby and cover the remaining distance underwater to avoid detection. Everyone should rest these next few days and prepare for the unknown situation awaiting us on shore," Dan Qiusheng replied.

"Indeed. When the time comes, this old Taoist will prepare a water-repelling talisman and other charms for each of you to conceal your life force, allowing us to slip in unnoticed. According to our research, decades ago, those alien races opened a wormhole at Easter Island to come to Earth. Due to energy limitations, only three ships arrived, with limited personnel and equipment. They couldn't possibly monitor the entire Australian continent. If they're using something akin to a life-detection radar to scan the area, we are confident we can evade it," Master Zhang said as he sipped his tea, gesturing for Hua Feng to sit by his side.

"That’s reassuring. With you two overseeing the operation, we can rest easy. If you need anything, just call. I’ll head back to my room now," Hua Feng said hurriedly, bidding farewell and turning to leave.

Left alone in the hall, the two watched Hua Feng depart. Master Zhang turned and asked, "Alliance Leader, how confident are you that this mission will succeed?"

"Thirty percent. But no matter what, we have to go—even if we die in a foreign land, we must not lose the integrity of our nation's cultivators! Whether they live or die, we must do our utmost to bring them home!"

"You're right. This old Taoist is willing to risk his life for the cause," Master Zhang replied.

Moved by Master Zhang's trust, Dan Qiusheng gave his shoulder a firm pat. "Celestial Master, don’t worry, we will succeed. We must!"

Six days later, three hundred meters below the surface, the submarine finally reached the vicinity of the Bass Triangle. The captain’s voice came over the intercom: "Attention all personnel, the ship’s electronic systems are down, instruments have failed, we are working to restart the systems, preparing for manual backup control. All hands, brace for impact! All hands, brace for impact!"

"Damn, this is intense!" Hua Feng muttered as he heard the announcement, feeling he'd been far too optimistic about Bermuda. "Xiao Meng, hold my hand tight."

"Yes, Brother Hua Feng. We’ll be alright," Yun Meng replied, her voice steady despite her anxiety. Having Hua Feng nearby gave her a sense of calm.

A violent jolt followed as the submarine collided with an underwater mountain range. The tremendous impact threw Yun Meng and Hua Feng against the bulkhead, and countless objects crashed to the floor inside the vessel. The sounds of metal straining and screws loosening echoed through the submarine. Fortunately, the captain managed to maintain control; though part of the hull had buckled, the structure remained intact. Had the hull failed, a nuclear-powered submarine might have suffered a reactor explosion, dooming everyone aboard—even with Emperor-level masters among them.