Une aura glaçante

Chapitre 134

On the sea, a flock of seagulls, seemingly appearing from nowhere, skimmed the surface, catching fish. The open water was covered by an arched dome. This dome might be made of rock, but it was also inlaid with luminous gems and pearls, like a star-studded night sky.

Several small golden boats floated on the sea. They were truly the color of shimmering gold. In the distance, a very large three-story pleasure boat, also gleaming gold, was moored in a crescent-shaped bay.

Xiao Dao pointed, "Moon Sea Golden Boat!"

Xue Beifan was also full of praise. This body of water was probably connected to the North Sea, which explained why fish and seagulls came in. In other words, one had to go out by waterway...

As he was thinking, he saw Xiaodao jump onto a small boat and wave to him.

Xue Beifan tried to stop her but it was too late, so he had no choice but to follow her. There was a pole on the boat, and the two of them steered it towards the Moon Sea Golden Boat.

Apart from seagulls and the occasional leaping fish, everything was quiet all around.

Xiao Dao looked around, and after admiring the beautiful scenery, he didn't forget to ask Xue Beifan, "Where's your older brother? Where is that monster Xue Beihai?"

Xue Beifan shook his head. Strange... There was no sign of anyone else here. Could it be that Xue Beihai wasn't here? Did he leave after achieving mastery of his cultivation, or has he already died here?

Puzzled, the two arrived at the front of the Moon Sea Golden Boat.

Xiao Dao reached out and touched the surface of the golden boat, frowning. "The mechanism seems to have been compromised."

Xue Beifan frowned—so, could it be that his elder brother has really mastered the ultimate martial arts?

"Let's go take a look." Xiao Dao jumped onto the boat and looked around. The golden boat was enormous, and judging from the amount of dust, it seemed that no one had been here for a long time.

Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan checked each room one by one. When they reached the top floor, they found a locked main room, but the lock had been pried open.

The two exchanged a glance and gently pushed open the door.

"Ah!" Xiao Dao exclaimed in shock at the sight before him. In the very center of the room sat a person. The person was dressed in black, with disheveled hair and a dirty face. Upon closer inspection, he was a desiccated corpse with sunken cheeks, just skin and bones.

Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan frowned as they looked at the corpse. From the clothes, hairstyle, and appearance, they could tell that this was Xue Beihai.

Xiao Dao was astonished. When she and Xue Beihai separated, he looked like this, but now, a year later, his clothes were almost tattered, and he had become a dried-up corpse. So...

"Dead?!" Xiao Dao couldn't tell if he was surprised or disgusted.

Xue Beifan looked uncertainly at Xue Beihai's withered body. He was completely lifeless; beneath his skin, there was probably nothing but bone—he was clearly a corpse. Could it be that his elder brother was truly dead?

"That's right. Why learn evil techniques instead of good ones? Look, it's no wonder he died after losing half his blood. He killed himself, didn't he?" Xiao Dao patted Xue Beifan. "Isn't that right?"

"Hmm..." Xue Beifan nodded hesitantly. He simply couldn't believe that Xue Beihai would kill himself, especially not on this Moon Sea Golden Ship, a year later. From his perspective as a human being, it was impossible for him to still be alive in that state, right?

Just then, Xiao Dao pointed to a locked box in Xue Beihai's hand, "That! Look, he held it in his hands until his death."

Xue Beifan also noticed the box and exchanged glances with Xiao Dao—could the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual be inside?

Xiao Dao was about to take the box out when Xue Beifan grabbed her arm. "No!"

Xiao Dao pouted, "I want to see what the Holy Martial Emperor's Register looks like. If necessary, I can take it out to look at it and then burn it."

"Why don't we just burn it down?" Xue Beifan thought that would be the safest approach.

"What if it's not the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual?" Xiao Dao thought to herself. She had seen all four of the martial arts treasures except for the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual. Besides, Xue Beihai was a dead man at the moment, so why was she afraid of him?

Xue Beifan thought that made sense. "Then don't go, I'll go get it." He was about to go when Xiaodao stopped him. "Wait."

Xue Beifan turned to look at her.

Xiao Dao looked around; the ship's cabin was filled with many rare jewels. This Crystal Palace was incredibly luxurious, with gold, silver, jewels, jade, and other precious artifacts scattered everywhere like bricks and tiles. She picked up a long, golden cane, weighed it in her hand, and frowned, "So heavy, pure gold!"

Xue Beifan laughed too, feeling a bit more relaxed now. "It seems Wang Bibo's title as the richest person in the world will have to be passed on!"

Xiao Dao smiled and used his hand to poke at the box, trying to poke it out, but he was also worried that he might damage Xue Beihai's mummified corpse.

Just after she poked it twice, the box fell down with a "click," shattering upon hitting the ground. It turned out that the box had been sitting for too long and was already broken.

A long scroll rolled out of the shattered box.

After the long scroll was scattered on the ground, it was spread out, revealing four large, golden characters that were breathtaking: "The Holy Martial Emperor's Genealogy".

Xiao Dao was excited and was about to pick it up when Xue Beifan grabbed her. His grip was so strong that Xiao Dao winced in pain. Just as she was about to curse, she felt her cane tighten in her hand, as if someone was holding it. She looked up abruptly.

Xiao Dao gasped. Xue Beihai, who had been reduced to a desiccated corpse, now had a withered hand grasping the golden cane in Xiao Dao's hand. At the same time, his head slowly rose, and a pair of eyes opened on his skeletal face. His bulging eyeballs slowly rolled until they fixed themselves on Xiao Dao and Xue Beifan. The instant he saw them, a sinister smile appeared on Xue Beihai's terrifyingly thin, ghostly face, appearing so…malicious.

"Ah!" Xiao Dao exclaimed in surprise, dropping his cane and jumping up, "It's come back to life!"

Xue Beifan pulled her behind him. At the same time, Xue Beihai opened his mouth, revealing withered lips and grayish-yellow teeth. His hoarse voice rang out as he stared at Xue Beifan with excitement, shouting, "Blood! Give me blood!"

Xiao Dao picked up a porcelain bottle, jar, or pot from the side and smashed it at him, yelling, "Blood my foot! Even leeches are prettier than you! You scared the hell out of me!"

Xue Beifan suddenly shoved her away. Xiao Dao stumbled and turned around to see Xue Beihai already beside Xue Beifan. His movements were so fast they seemed inhuman.

"Destroy the Holy Martial Emperor's Register." Xue Beifan said, drawing his sword to block Xue Beihai's five fingers that swept towards him like steel claws.

With a clang, sparks flew as Xue Beifan leaped onto the bow of the boat. Xue Beihai chased after him like a mosquito that had spotted blood, his eyes bulging so much they almost popped out.

Shouting "Blood!" as he chased after Xue Beifan, the two of them began to fight.

Xiao Dao was terrified; how could a person transform themselves into something like a ghost?

She hurriedly took out a tinderbox and tried to burn the Imperial Martial Register. However, the register was made of some unknown material and wouldn't light.

Xiao Dao pulled out his dagger to tear it apart, but the material of the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual was incredibly tough, and after a few cuts, he couldn't do anything about it.

"How strange!" Xiao Dao exclaimed anxiously. He looked up and saw Xue Beifan blocking Xue Beihai with his knife. Xue Beihai had his mouth wide open as if he wanted to drink blood and eat flesh, looking exactly like a reincarnated evil spirit.

Xiao Dao thought for a moment, then reached into his waistband and pulled out a small bottle. Staring at the Holy Martial Emperor's Manual, he said, "I refuse to believe I can't destroy you!" With that, he opened the bottle and dripped the yellow liquid inside onto the scroll.