Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Ferocious Beast Qiongqi

Inside the cruise ship’s cabin, Hua Sheng was deep in thought.

If his guess was correct, they had now identified the six talismans required for Lord Lan’s formation. He unfolded the bundle of talismans.

One, Opening-the-Altar Spell; Two, Lowering-the-Standard Spell; Three, Breaking-Hell Spell; Four, Nine-Star Divine Spell; Five, Mystical Spirit Spell; Six, Purifying-Heart Divine Spell; Seven, Golden-Light Divine Spell; Eight, Northern-Cold Hall Spell; Nine, Purifying-Heaven-and-Earth Spell.

Comparing them against the pattern of “nine-nine-one-two-four-eight,” Hua Sheng sifted through the talismans and picked out two Purifying-Heaven-and-Earth spells, one Opening-the-Altar spell, one Lowering-the-Standard spell, one Nine-Star Divine spell, and one Northern-Cold Hall spell.

“And then what?” Hua Sheng and Mei looked at one another.

Mei asked, “Should we first find the ominous star Lord Lan mentioned?”

“If we meet it head-on and still don’t know how to set up the formation, we’ll likely be in grave danger,” Xiao Qing said. “After all, that feathered beast may only be the vanguard. The descending calamity star may not be something we can deal with so casually.”

Hua Sheng said, “We need to get out there and take our chances. First, we should try to find the other passengers. If there are still feathered beasts aboard, ordinary people won’t stand a chance. Since we have talismans that can counter them, we should save as many people as we can, then wait for rescue at sea.”

He thought for a moment. “If we run into the so-called calamity star, we’ll use the talismans to hold it off first. If that still doesn’t work, we run. At this point, we don’t have much of a retreat left.”

“What about Sister Xiao Qing?” Mei was worried about Xiao Qing’s difficulty walking.

“Should I stay here instead? I can’t see anything now; I’m nothing but dead weight. If I go with you, I’ll only drag you down,” Xiao Qing said.

Hua Sheng looked at her, her eyes wrapped in cloth. “Leaving you here alone is too dangerous. If a feathered beast comes, you’ll only be throwing your life away.”

Mei said, “I can help Sister Xiao Qing. We’ll go together.”

Hua Sheng nodded.

“Which way should we go first?” Xiao Qing asked.

Hua Sheng said, “We’re on the third deck now. I want to check the main dining hall on the fifth deck. It’s a more spacious area, so there may be some passengers gathered there.”

“All right. We’ll follow you, but you must be careful too!” Xiao Qing said. “Now we can only rely on you.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t want to lose my life on this strange and ever-changing ship either.”

Hua Sheng put the talismans into his bag, slung it over one shoulder, and casually picked up the iron staff fashioned from a water pipe. Carefully, he eased open the cabin door. He leaned out and glanced down both sides of the corridor, and after confirming that nothing seemed amiss, he waved a hand. Xiao Qing and Mei followed him out. The three of them moved on tiptoe, keeping their footsteps light as they headed toward the staircase at the end of the corridor.

Because of the storm, the passageways in the ship’s interior were flooded. Their feet splashed through the water as they made their way slowly down the dim corridor, guided by the faint glow of the emergency lights.

From time to time, dull bangs echoed through the hull, as though the steel plates were being battered and crushed by the sea. In some cabins, bottles and jars toppled and shattered again and again as the ship rolled. But even with his ears straining, Hua Sheng could not hear a single other voice.

Whenever they passed cabins with doors thrown wide open, Hua Sheng always took great care, fearing that some monster might be lurking inside. Along the way he peered into several rooms and found that many still contained everyday items, luggage, even mobile phones.

Tens of thousands of passengers, including the crew and staff aboard the ship, had vanished in an instant. It was as though everyone on the vessel had suddenly evaporated from the world.

As he walked, a chilling thought suddenly surfaced in Hua Sheng’s mind. After enduring this much...