Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 845 - 786: No One Can CatChapter

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The deep sea became pitch black, a darkness so complete that one could not see their own hand in front of their face. Aspanic induced by blindness had not set in when an eerie sense of comfort began to spread from within. The darkness now had a temperature, seeping into the ocean like curling up in warm amniotic fluid, the soul transcended the flesh and connected with the mother, and an unstoppable joy filled the heart, preventing any thought from arising.

So they cheered, dancing with rustic madness as they manipulated their bodies. They longed to return, to return to the flesh and blood of the master, the reason that flourished postnatally like withered bark peeled away from their brains, regressing to the innocence of a baby, back to the swaddling of the Mother Goddess. The division of the soul compelled their personalities to tear in two, one crying inside, yearning to fall into the Abyss, the other roaring, the mature mind unwilling to return to that dark place, to be bound, to be dominated.

Life Force became tangible, manifesting from the inside out on their bodies, tentacles wriggling from the pores, drenched with the fresh blood from their veins, breaking through the skin – this was the will of the gods, the fusion that would break free from confinement. Blood and bone, spirit and flesh, these distinctions disappeared under this pull, and all separation and barriers collapsed. Life forms transformed into the same undifferentiated substance, the intangible children, following instinct back to the body of the deity.

No, not returning to the body of the master, but as children, we constitute the master.

[Keep your sanity! Wake up!]

The dissonant voice reached into the soul, feeling like an ice cube scraping the cerebral cortex, the body began to cool, the naturally curled body shivering – a harsh blizzard engulfed the spirit. They had to wake up from their comfortable warmth to survive the bitter cold.

Ghost Pirate Drake opened his eyes.

He was about to vomit.

What’s going on? Wasn’t I in the deep sea?

The darkness was gone, and the sea area was now more dazzling than the starry sky. Purple-black specks of light streaked across the ocean, passing over his own back. The light came from behind, there must be something there, a presence more dazzling than a cluster of stars.

You must not look back.

The deck below moaned, and Drake, enduring the discomfort of his ghostly body, realized he was back on the Ghost Ship, his crew lined up just like him, uniformly backlit. The bow of the Ghost Ship faced the only speck of white in the brilliance, seemingly a dim star.

Where is Bordelis, where are the Merfolk.

Drake moved his head, observing his surroundings with a restricted view.

The surrounding sea water was disgustingly splashed with vibrant patches of color, everything in sight was stretched and distorted, each normal face looked like it was screaming. The pirate captain had to abandon his eyes, using his soul’s inherent perception to detect the surroundings.

The location of the White Dragon Bordelis was quickly deduced, that chillingly refreshing temperature was unique in this Abyss. Bordelis seemed to have fallen into a slumber, clutching a piece of coral wreckage, freezing himself and the protected Merfolk into a block of ice, slowly sinking.

"Don’t look back, you fool!!!"

Drake saw the sailor standing in front of him, struck down by fear; his arched back sprouted twisted octopus arms, and the domineering tentacles embraced the sailor’s head, slowly, ever so slowly, turning back.

From his clouded pupils, Drake saw a corner of the Abyss.

A massive purple-black fissure appeared at the bottom of the ocean, it was bigger than before. The edges of the fissure glowed faintly, a spectacular sheen that would drive you insane with one look, and at the center of the fissure, a void that seemed like a hollow pupil.

When you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back at you.

The sailor let out a scream of indistinguishable joy or sorrow, and his body, drawn by a strange force, twisted and struggled in the water before falling backwards.

You must not gaze directly at the master.

Drake understood the situation.

The fearsome master had awakened.

The Ghost Ship felt fear, calling all the pirates back, it wanted to escape this place, it needed its crew to drive it away, and the star that its bow faced must be the only way out.

But the Ghost Ship underestimated the power of the Sleeper, the moment it awoke, every soul that approached fell into slumber, they fell in their dreams, and if not for the power of the White Dragon to awaken them, all hope would sink.

Drake clearly understood why Bordelis had awakened them, that kindly yet somewhat weak Giant Dragon was in dire straits, he had protected all the Merfolk as promised, but had no energy left to escape, like a drowning man, waiting for a hand to pull him out.

"Damn it, I am a pirate."

The friendship of pirates is invested in Gold Coins, or perhaps the bloody tips of curved daggers.

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Derek only felt every inch of his spectral body trembling, even experiencing an unprecedented chilling fear. The monster behind him was definitely not something he could handle.

"Lads, raise the sails, row the oars, everybody get moving! Don’t look back! Prepare the cannons! Sink anything stopping me from escaping! No one’s catching me!!!"

Ah—————

The Ghost Ship emitted an excited sound, a thick green fog seeped into Drake’s body, and the pirate captain found himself getting stronger, gaining more ability to resist the Sleeper’s gaze. This damned little ship knew exactly how to treat a pirate, throwing him a bone.

"Boss! Everything’s ready!!!"

Drake raised his cutlass, pointing at the ghastly figure and bellowed.

"Fire the cannons!!!"

The ice was chiseled by sharp harpoons, and howling chains linked the iceberg with the Ghost Ship.

Ah——————

The Ghost Ship only felt its body sinking, the ship’s stern lifted uncontrollably under gravity, forcing it to release more cursed power just to maintain its direction. It roared, commanding the cunning captain on board to kneel!

The cutlass pierced the deck before the knees did.

Pirate Captain Drake showed his waxen teeth, his burning spirit made him look even more deranged.

"I’m a pirate! Pirate! Pirate!! Pirates are all about escaping, but they never abandon their treasure!" Drake stomped on the deck hard, starting the most familiar of pirate negotiations.

"Either we both die, or you give more power to help us all escape. I’ve already tied the chain to your mast, you’re not leaving my White Dragon behind."

Ah——————

Every howl spoke of the Ghost Ship’s anger, and that lively sound further attracted the Sleeper’s gaze, the traction from that rift getting stronger.

The ship swayed, and the Cursed Ship, realizing the situation, chose to cooperate - it really was like a pirate sometimes. Releasing its hidden cursed power, the Ghost Ship carved out a small patch of the Cursed Sea Area in the Abyss, with the sound of the waves echoing in their ears, pirates laughing as they went their separate ways.

The iceberg trailed behind the ship, with the White Dragon and Merfolk in peaceful hibernation. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Drake took the helm, looking at the back of his crew’s heads, and shouted excitedly.

"Set sail! Lads!"

"Escape with my treasure to a corner of the world even the gods can’t reach!"

"That’s what it means to be a pirate, that’s what it means to be King of the Seas!!!"

The pirates left the Abyss, unstoppable, heading towards the white light.

The light and the stillness were left behind them, heading towards the patchy hope, the Ghost Ship surfaced in shallow waters, leaping out of the sea.

"Hahaha, we’ve escaped, no one can catch us now..."

A powerful traction force utterly different from the Sleeper’s dragged the Ghost Ship aside.

Drake’s mouth agape, he clung to the railing staring at the suspended ship. A massive floating cone latched onto the other end of the chain, which was connected to the iceberg with the White Dragon and Merfolk.

He had just escaped from the Abyss and plunged headlong into an upside-down teleportation gate.

"%...&￥%#￥%￥%..."