Chapter 727: Ice Sea, Sailing Ships, and Stone Coffins
This is a land composed of towering, rugged, and harsh mountains, forcing travelers from the main world to traverse it with unimaginable difficulty on foot. Walking here is almost impossible, as the land is filled with miles-long canyons and mountains of astonishing height formed by powerful geological forces. Without the ability to fly, one is trapped in this labyrinth of peaks, unable to move forward or backward. There are few paths available, usually consisting of crooked bridges or narrow paths along steep cliffs. Yet even these pose no problem to Asas and Tanobos. What troubles them are the thick vines covered in beautiful flowers that thrive on the cliffs and steep slopes. “Damn these plants!” Once again blocked, Tanobos unleashed his Withering Domain. The thick vines coiling around them like giant pythons withered into dry strands and then turned to dust, scattered by the wind. These bright flowers may look beautiful, but they often represent a deadly threat. Moreover, the vines are alive and will strangle any creature that dares to climb up the slopes using them, try to pick their flowers, or get too close. Flying in this realm is also a thrilling adventure. Fortunately, Asas and the others managed to pass through this layer safely and reached the fifth layer: the Ice Sea Prison. The Ice Sea Prison is a land where everything is covered by a layer of cold, shallow seas formed from melted black ice and snow. Here, the snow and water, like those in the second layer, the Stench Prison, are slightly acidic and automatically inflict severe acid damage on those exposed to them. Kasseli’s space may be infinite, but the tiny planets that make it up have limited space. This means that even if outsiders are not afraid of acid erosion, flying alone is insufficient to reach the deepest part of Kasseli—the lowest layer, the Death Prison. Specific methods are required to succeed. “This is the last obstacle. Once we pass this, we’ll be able to see the person you want to meet!” The Undead Demon said to Asas from a small floating ice island.
In the Ice Sea Abyss, there’s no need to waste time building artificial structures, as they’re completely useless. Here, those tiny islands, barely as high as sandbars, can’t escape the waves of the sea. Many supplicants scream atop these small sandbars, hoping someone will take them away from here. Despite their repeated pleas, once you offer help, they quickly repay your kindness with betrayal.
Understanding the meaning of these temporary allies, the Fallen Prince spoke, “I’ve waited for so many years; now that the goal is almost achieved, I don’t need to worry about a little time!”
As expected, Asas was one of the greatest warriors in the lower realms. The closer it got to a critical moment, the more excited he became, yet he still managed to stay calm.
“The Ice Sea Abyss is different from the four upper layers. To reach the final layer, we must take that mysterious Ship of a Hundred Coffins to pass through smoothly. I don’t know if the higher gods can find a path, but I’m sure even powerful mid-tier gods would be unable to find a way out if they didn’t know the details!”
Asas knew quite a bit about this place because his father had been interested in the universe-prison dimension of Kasseli and had exiled many creatures here to conduct experiments.
Although Tanobos also had an extraordinary understanding of Kasseli, it was limited to the first layer, the Swamp Abyss, and the most mysterious Death Abyss. For the other layers, he relied on the secrets known by Asas.
As one of the three great lords of the abyss, the Fallen Monarch had left traces across the entire multiverse since his existence began. It might be an exaggeration to say he possessed the most secrets of this universe, but Grant was definitely one of them.
Tanobos naturally trusted Asas’s words, and the two powerful beings from the abyss began waiting on that floating ice island.
After about a day, a vessel resembling a white, swift sailboat finally appeared in the distance.
Without Asas’s urging, Tanobos took off and flew toward that mysterious sailboat.
Who built the Ship of a Hundred Coffins? That fact has long vanished into the mists of history.
It often appeared as a white, ghostly ship that seemed to be unmanned, drifting between the island-like formations in the Ice Sea Abyss, picking up souls who died after running aground as well as travelers who were brave enough—or foolish enough—to go there.
Since it only appeared in the ever-expanding icy waters of the Ice Sea Abyss, travelers could simply stay in one place without moving and wait for this mysterious ship to arrive.
Fortunately, those like Asasus waited less than a day before encountering the Ship of a Hundred Coffins. Those less lucky would still see the ship arrive within a month, of course, assuming they didn’t move from their spot. Otherwise, they might never encounter it in their lifetime. Once you board this ship, you’ll understand why it’s called the Ship of a Hundred Coffins. When Asasus and Thanobos stepped onto the deck, they quickly realized there were no passengers on the ship—only the two of them. Below, on the decks and cabins, lay exactly a hundred unadorned stone coffins. This situation seemed extremely strange to anyone, even to Thanobos. The lord of the undead demons curiously approached one of the coffins, seemingly intent on opening it to see what strange thing lay inside. Asasus immediately shouted, “Don’t open it! These coffins bring unknown destruction and disaster. No one has ever managed to open them and survive to tell the story—not even the gods!” Hearing this, Thanobos slowed down and finally lowered his hand. Though he had other plans, he hadn’t yet reached an agreement with Asasus, so it wasn’t wise to anger him. Seeing Thanobos give up on his curiosity, Asasus finally breathed a sigh of relief. “A wise decision! Once you open those coffins, we’ll likely all be in trouble!” Thanobos raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are these coffins that terrifying?” “It’s not just the coffins. According to my father, disasters unknown to history can appear at any time on this ship, devouring all living beings aboard. Then, when the ship reappears through a new passage ahead, it returns to a lifeless state. Legend has it that the ship does this repeatedly to transport its horrible cargo, continuing until the day it ends. If we want to use it to reach the lowest levels of the Netherworld, there may still be unknown threats. Opening the coffins now could introduce many variables, even if they’re problems we can handle. Curiosity isn’t advisable in such situations!”