The white light pedal beneath Qiansitelin silently dissolved the moment she stepped onto the ferry boat, as if it had never existed.
The ferry itself emanated a gentle, jade-like luminescence, strikingly conspicuous upon the dead, stagnant black ocean.
Holding Muxuan, Qiansitelin stood cautiously at the center of the vessel, far from the edges.
‘Just being near the edge lets me feel a bone-piercing chill. Even wrapping myself in Lightforce can’t completely block it.’
This caused Qiansitelin’s expression to harden.
‘As expected of an ancient Demon God,’ she marveled inwardly, but then a doubt crept in.
‘What exactly is this black stream?’
‘And the Great Artisan God never mentioned that where the Kanoqiesi Forest and the Kostershka Mountains connect to the Elven Forest, there would be a stream like this.’
‘Most importantly, the space within this stream is extremely chaotic.’
‘…If the Saint’s target is the Elven Forest, then how is the Saint supposed to cross this stream?’
‘Anyway, I don’t think the Saint has the ability to cross this stream. It can’t be that they’re also using this ferry boat, can it?’
As these thoughts raced through her mind, the boat, accompanied by a swoosh sound of water, slowly left the shore, heading towards the distant, massive black water pillar.
Looking at the white-robed figure standing at the bow, now holding a white lamp that had been raised at some unknown moment, Qiansitelin didn’t feel that the other would harm her.
Therefore, she focused more on figuring out how this place had formed.
‘Wait a moment…’
A sudden thought struck Qiansitelin—something Lutherch had said.
‘The Gate Merchant…’
‘Her target is also the Elven Forest! Could this be…’
At this thought, Qiansitelin hastily restrained her deepening train of thought.
A sharp sting caused her body to sway involuntarily.
The white-robed figure at the bow turned his head slightly, as if looking towards Qiansitelin.
After a moment, he turned back.
Forcing herself to endure the continuous stabbing pain in her mind, Qiansitelin steadied herself, then slowly knelt and gently placed her Highness’s head on her lap.
Then, she jabbed her finger hard into her temple.
Lightforce surged along the temple and flooded into her brain.
After a long time, the pain in her head finally subsided considerably.
‘In that instant, I could sense a feeling of being watched from somewhere. If it weren’t for this ferry boat blocking some of that gaze, I probably wouldn’t have been able to break free from that strange train of thought. I would have only delved deeper, eventually being targeted by the watcher and completely Aberrated.’
Feeling a lingering fear, Qiansitelin’s face twisted into a bitter smile.
‘Even Her Highness fell for it, and I let my guard down… I can only say that the power of the Book of Revelation is still too hard to guard against.’
After a light sigh, Qiansitelin’s expression turned serious again.
‘At least it’s certain now. Sage Xizhu must have some connection to a certain being, otherwise it couldn’t have caused this with me.’
Shaking her head, Qiansitelin hastily dispelled the distracting thoughts in her mind and looked ahead.
After entering this ocean, the green that was just ahead had completely disappeared.
Only endless black and the endless ocean lay in the distance.
Now she didn’t know how much longer it would take to arrive.
The pure white ferry boat silently cut through the viscous black water, slowly moving towards the black water pillar that connected heaven and earth.
A massive volume of black water poured down from the rift in the sky, emitting a deafening yet oddly muffled roar.
The white-robed figure at the bow held the equally pure white lamp, its light spreading a stable, soft halo that firmly protected the boat within.
Clutching the still-unconscious Muxuan, Qiansitelin knelt at the boat’s center.
Her wary gaze pierced through the halo, fixed on the entrance of the black water pillar that was getting closer and closer.
She could feel that the boat seemed to be following some predetermined course.
As the hull approached the base of the pillar, it adjusted its angle slightly.
Seeing the boat about to crash into the black water pillar, Qiansitelin subconsciously closed her eyes.
The hull then entered the cascading water pillar at a precise angle.
Although she had expected it, Qiansitelin couldn’t help but marvel at the boat’s stability.
The deafening roar seemed to be mostly isolated by the soft halo emanating from the boat, leaving only a muffled, oppressive tremor transmitted through the deck.
The boat traveled within the water pillar, and the surroundings were not pure pitch black.
Inside the enormous black water curtain, light was twisted by a strange force, forming countless flowing, dim shadows and lights.
Occasionally, twisted, massive shadows flashed by at the edge of the water curtain.
The concept of time became blurred here.
After an unknown period—perhaps an instant, perhaps several hours—the dark water curtain ahead suddenly thinned.
An extremely faint emerald green suddenly appeared ahead, entering Qiansitelin’s sight.
The surging black water seemed to hit an invisible barrier, exploding apart and dissipating on both sides.
And in that moment, the view opened up.
The pure white ferry boat slid lightly out of the last patch of viscous black water curtain, steadily docking at the edge of a completely different kind of water.
The water here was no longer a dead ink black, but a deep yet clear emerald greenish-blue.
The hull gently touched the pebbles on the shore, making a slight clack sound.
Qiansitelin looked up.
Before her lay an endless, lush, ancient forest.
The towering trees had dense foliage, with gnarled vines coiling around them, hanging with crystal-clear dewdrops.
There was no mist here.
Under the soft sky light streaming from somewhere unknown, the forest shimmered with a colorful halo.
The air was incredibly fresh, far surpassing that of the Church, filled with a life force so rich it almost liquefied.
This was the Elven Forest.
Looking at this beautiful scene that seemed like a fairyland, Qiansitelin’s brows furrowed tightly.
‘The more beautiful the exterior, the more deadly the danger lurking inside.’
She took a deep breath of the pure, intoxicating air.
Her wariness did not relax; instead, it instantly peaked.
Qiansitelin hesitated, but the white-robed figure seemed unwilling to wait long.
Just as she was still thinking, the white pedal appeared again, and an invisible force urged Qiansitelin to disembark.
Turning her head, she saw that beneath the empty white robe, there seemed to be a pair of eyes staring at her.
Understanding the white-robed figure’s intention, Qiansitelin nodded, picked up her Highness, and chose to step off actively.
‘The ferry boat is only responsible for bringing you here. It has no obligation to take you back, unless you happen to encounter another ferry boat.’
When Qiansitelin stepped off the boat and set foot on that green-filled land, the ferry boat instantly transformed into a puff of white smoke and dissipated into the water.