"We come from the Divine Land, are we not the natives born and raised here?"
Chen Shi looked towards the petrified ship somewhat bewilderedly.
Was it not aboard such ships his ancestors sailed through the dark seas, wandering for seventeen years before they arrived at this place?
They braved hardships, reclaimed the wasteland, dug canals, built towns, expelled mutant beasts, established civilization, and lit the first flame upon this Dark Continent.
But why had West Bull New Continent lost contact with the Great Ming?
Had the True Gods from beyond the heavens been present when the soldiers of the Great Ming came here?
"There’s another strange thing, my Three Light Righteous Qi Technique can absorb Starlight, but not sunlight or moonlight. Only in places like the Mountain Lord Temple can it absorb sunlight and moonlight. Could it be that the sun and moonlight in the temples are from our ancestral land, the Divine Land? But why have these temples fallen into obscurity, sunken into the ground?"
Chen Shi’s mind reeled and he couldn’t make sense of it for a moment.
Li Tianqing was still unable to hide his excitement and reached out to touch the large ship.
Unexpectedly, the very moment his fingertip was about to touch the ship, the ground beneath them trembled violently, the sound of rushing water grew loud, and the surrounding scenery changed abruptly. A torrential river surged towards them, with towering waves breaking the banks!
The riverbed that had been dry and revealed fossilized fish bones suddenly transformed into the expansive surface of a river, with the backs of large fish in the river resembling green islands.
The long-dead Big Gunk that had turned to skeletons seemed to come back to life!
Chen Shi’s heart skipped a beat, and without a word, he hurriedly pulled Li Tianqing back.
Both stumbled as the ground beneath them shook violently, the waves of De River splashing, and the riverbank that was once covered in rocks and reeds now saw the rocks at their feet grow lush green grass at an alarming pace!
Chen Shi turned around, pushed off the ground with power and dashed forward pulling Li Tianqing with him.
His reaction was incredibly quick. In the instant Li Tianqing activated the Ghost God Domain of the stone ship, he charged forward. The rapidly spreading lush green grass couldn’t even catch up with his steps!
This was when Li Tianqing truly saw how astounding Chen Shi’s explosive power was. His legs shot out like cannonballs propelled by ignited gunpowder, the whistling wind hit them, and his clothes stuck to his body from the pressure. With each stride covering over a zhang and a half, his footfalls shattered the pebbles!
All that Li Tianqing could hear was the whistling wind, and he thought in shock, "This speed is too fast, even faster than the Armored Horse Talisman!"
And this was with Chen Shi carrying him along. If he was not holding him, his speed would likely be even faster!
In an instant, Chen Shi had dashed a hundred zhang away from the stone ship.
Li Tianqing saw them rushing past a confused and dazed muntjac, which probably had never seen humans and stood foolishly in place, turning its head towards them. But in the next moment, as the lush green grass reached the muntjac’s feet, it petrified rapidly, becoming a stone statue, still in the posture of looking towards them.
The speed of the lush green grass was extremely fast, but just as it was about to catch up with them, it seemed to hit a limit. The spreading greenery slowed down, then gradually faded away and disappeared.
Chen Shi let go of Li Tianqing and looked back to see no trace of the reeds anywhere.
A sand gull was flying towards them and was about to collide with Li Tianqing when it suddenly vanished out of sight, as if it were just a wisp of green smoke.
"Don’t get curious and approach things you don’t understand in the mountains."
Chen Shi warned Li Tianqing solemnly, "Many have lost their lives due to excessive curiosity."
Li Tianqing nodded repeatedly and then said with a laugh, "But having discovered this stone ship, Grandpa and I can return to Quanzhou and report back."
Chen Shi inquired, "Does the Li Family of Quanzhou have the means to unlock the Ghost God Domain of the stone ship?"
Li Tianqing shook his head, "Not necessarily, but regardless of whether they do or don’t, Grandpa, my mother, and I can live very well because of this."
He was extremely happy; this meant he wouldn’t have to betray Chen Shi and could continue to survive within the Li Family, securing his place and protecting the loved ones he cared about.
Chen Shi was happy for him, too.
Outside Xin Xiang Province, on the postal road.
Here, the postal road is a provincial thoroughfare, broad and smooth, with blue stone slabs paving the center and dedicated ruts for the wheels of carriages, while the sides are made with bluestone bricks. Both pedestrians and vehicles move in an orderly fashion.
On both sides of the postal road are rivers, with the banks paved in stone as well. The river is connected to the sea, and when the tide comes, the surface of the river rises. The soldiers responsible for the sluice gates drop the iron gates and close the river mouth to prevent seawater from flooding over the banks.
At this moment, within the weeds on the left bank, a Xinxiang rat was foraging for food.
This type of rat, unique to the West Bull New Continent, can grow to one or two hundred pounds and is extremely gluttonous. During the harvest season of corn, one can see groups of these rats burrowing into cornfields, and when they emerge, their cheeks are bulging.
If killed, one can retrieve over twenty pounds of corn kernels from their mouths.
The Xinxiang rat is a well-known pest, but during years of famine, this mutant beast becomes extremely valuable. Killing one can provide food for many days.
The juvenile Xinxiang rat within the brush was digging at the roots and shoots of plants when it suddenly heard rustling noises and saw three children, no taller than a foot, crawling out from the brush.
The eyes of the Xinxiang rat lit up as it pounced toward the small children.
The children, exhausted and scratched all over, with some parts even torn and cracked, saw the rat lunging at them and without hesitation fired their miniature weapons at it. One of them even summoned a Golden Core, but as soon as the Golden Core appeared, it was eaten by the Xinxiang rat.