Chen Nan felt as if he was plunged into a long darkness, a sensation he was not unfamiliar with, having experienced it several tis during close brushes with death.
Being aware of this ant he was at least still alive. Although unable to awaken, his mindset remained positive; no situation could be worse than being hunted by a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.
His inability to wake was due to his body’s protective chanism. This ti, his injuries were more perilous than any before; without a Teleportation Array, he would have been left without a burial.
Thinking of that Teleportation Array, countless questions arose in Chen Nan’s mind. When Wang Xiang attacked him, the sky full of rocks eerily halted, followed by a shadow guiding his way.
Who was the shadow he saw? Why did they help him escape?
Endless questions lingered in his mind, but Chen Nan was too exhausted. Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.
He didn’t know how long had passed when a jolt made him slowly open his eyes. As consciousness returned, pain surged over him like a tide, nearly causing him to pass out again.
He hurriedly used his mana to assess his condition, but even circulating mana induced unbearable pain, as if blades were slicing through his ridians.
Finally, he fully grasped his physical state. All external wounds had healed, thanks to the formidable recovery power of the "Heaven-breaking Body."
However, the internal situation was dire.
His ridians were almost entirely severed. The lingering power of the Earth Elent Principle within him mirrored the state he was in when he ended up at the Heavenly Border.
Even his Golden Core was covered in cracks, at risk of shattering with the slightest mistake, which would render all his cultivation void.
Despite such circumstances, Chen Nan discovered so good news: his "Heaven-breaking Body," having endured Wang Xiang’s pursuit, had beco even more robust.
The progress in cultivating the "Dragon Elephant Form" had quietly advanced to the Great Achievent Realm, only a step away from perfection, granting him the innate might of the Dragon Elephant Clan.
Though gravely injured internally, and nearly unable to utilize his mana, by sheer physical strength alone, Chen Nan could crush a Third Layer of Golden Core Realm cultivator with a punch.
After understanding his body’s condition, Chen Nan sought to understand his surroundings.
A salty, wet breeze, with faint traces of fishy odor, suggested proximity to the sea.
Upon opening his eyes, Chen Nan found himself on a beach, dragged forward by soone clutching his leg.
Shortly after, they arrived at a shoreline, a large ship moored on the water not far away, confirming to Chen Nan that he had reached the sea.
It seed the Teleportation Array’s distance was indeed considerable.
Before Chen Nan could say anything, the person dragging him picked him up and tossed him onto the ship, causing his internal injuries to flare up with such pain that he nearly couldn’t bear it.
"Damn it, once I find out where this is, I’ll make sure you pay a hundred tis over!" Chen Nan swore to himself, continuing to feign unconsciousness.
"Where did you pick up a corpse from?" soone on the ship grumbled.
The man dragging Chen Nan was a brawny guy, only at the Third Layer of Foundation Establishnt, who leapt onto the deck behind Chen Nan.
"I checked, he’s still alive. The boss always told us to capture people, but where else can we find anyone on the nearby islands? This one might as well count."
Chen Nan could hardly hold back. He thought he’d been rescued, only to find out he was just tallying numbers.
A Foundation Establishnt Realm cultivator ca over to assess Chen Nan’s injuries, sighed, and said, "He’s too badly hurt. Whether he survives is still up in the air."
Chen Nan wanted to say that with such shallow insight, they should stay hidden; he knew his body best—though internally chaotic, its fortitude should be obvious.
"Well, give him so dicine. If he survives, great; if not, just throw him into the sea to feed the sea beasts," said another indifferently.
Chen Nan’s divine sense expanded, instantly enveloping the ship, discovering only a few Foundation Establishnt Realm cultivators onboard, the highest at rely the Fifth Level.
Below the deck were several imprisoned cultivators, all at the First and Second Layers of Foundation Establishnt, currently bearing expressions of worry and fear.
Clearly, they had all been captured.
Soone grabbed Chen Nan’s legs, dragging him below deck to be placed with the other captives. Not long after, a bowl of concoction was brought over.
"You all feed him this. Whether he survives will depend on his luck."
A female cultivator nodded, ca over, raised Chen Nan, and gently fed him the concoction.
As a healer, Chen Nan quickly realized the bowl of concoction was made from a few simple herbs, offering him not even negligible benefits.
He was a dignified Great Cultivator of the Golden Core Realm; this dicine ant for mortals was, of course, completely ineffective for him.
After the people on the ship left, the light beneath the deck dimd as it was blocked out, turning somber. The other captured cultivators moved aside, their gazes vacantly fixed ahead.
Only that female cultivator occasionally ca over to check on Chen Nan’s condition.
At this point, Chen Nan had many choices. Against these onboard cultivators, he could kill them with just a finger. However, gravely injured, encountering a formidable foe would be problematic.
So he decided to observe and adapt, first finding a way to recover from his injuries.
After a while, he opened his eyes, imdiately t by a thin, dusty face.
Seeing Chen Nan awake, the woman was montarily stunned before suddenly letting out a sharp cry: "Ah!"
The other captives glanced over and, seeing it was just Chen Nan waking, ignored it, continuing to sit in emptiness.
"You... you’re awake?" The woman patted her chest in surprise, helped Chen Nan up, and then sat a bit farther away.
Seeing their expressions, Chen Nan understood that being captured surely spelled no good.
"Where are we?" Chen Nan suddenly asked.
The others didn’t react; only the woman blinked, timidly asking, "You... you don’t know? We’re near Shell Island."
Chen Nan rubbed his head, feigning pain: "I’ve been injured, so things I can’t rember."
Using this excuse, Chen Nan extracted various pieces of information from her, confirming he had been teleported from the Nine Provinces straight to the Endless Sea.
The Nine Provinces were surrounded by the Endless Sea, filled with countless islands and resources unavailable on land.
Yet, similarly, the sea held dangers unimaginable from the land!
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