5. The Mutated Horo Fish

Some say space is composed of layers of lines or matter, yet this machine can see through multiple dimensions.

There are only five such devices worldwide; it was unexpected to see one here.

“Is that the microscope that money can’t buy?”

“Yes, it is!”

Chen Cun Yuan and the others widened their eyes in shock. Only Huang Qiu Shan showed little interest, as he lacked the knowledge to understand it.

Old Yang approached the microscope and took out an object the size of a soybean—part agate, part diamond, part wood, part gold—radiating immense pride. “This is the neutrino I’ve been researching. I call it the Sarira! I have achieved major breakthroughs and can now offer the supreme treasure of future scientific research!”

Yang Jin Song was equally excited and passionate. Every time he saw the Sarira, he became this exhilarated.

His gaze seemed to rest on a child, on his beloved wife.

“Sarira? Isn’t that what Buddhist monks leave behind after passing away?”

The crowd looked at the soybean-sized object, unable to grasp its value.

“The Sarira is the essence of spirit and flesh combined. It’s not only the Buddha who can produce Sarira; Taoists can too. More precisely, anyone who cultivates the Way can generate Sarira within their body.”

Lin Fan explained that most people misunderstand the Sarira. The one Old Yang held was indeed a Taoist Sarira, and he could intimately sense the aura it emitted, which seemed faintly connected to the Pure Yang Sword.

Perhaps this Sarira was left by one of the founding masters of Zhenwu Mountain.

If that were true, its value to Lin Fan would be immense.

“You can observe it through the microscope!”

“I don’t believe this worthless little soybean could contain the Blood Sea Ghost Ship! Let me see first.”

Huang Qiu Shan smirked and swaggered over, pressing his right eye against the observation lens as Old Yang adjusted the magnification.

Suddenly—

“Whoosh!!! Creak, creak!!!”

Huang Qiu Shan witnessed a scene he would never forget: an endless sea, more accurately a sea of blood, vividly red as if composed of countless drops of blood. On the blood sea sailed a colossal nine-deck ancient ship, decked with countless stone tablets. At the prow stood an enormously long ghostly spear, and sails billowed in the sea breeze. Even more astonishingly, on the ninth deck lay the corpse of a legendary divine beast!

“Golden Crow! Blood Phoenix!”

The Golden Crow was entirely golden, each feather shinier than gold, with sharp talons capable of tearing through anything. The Blood Phoenix burned with flames of red and yellow, as if poised for nirvana and rebirth!

Two mythical divine beasts appeared on the ghost ship!

“How… is this possible?!”

Huang Qiu Shan was utterly incredulous, unable to find words for a long time, overwhelmed by shock.

The sight was deeply stirring!

He even heard the sound of the ship sailing across the vast blood sea echoing in his ears!

“Brother Huang, let me see!”

The guards eagerly crowded around the observation port.

“This is... the Blood Phoenix?”

“And those enormous, indestructible mysterious bones!”

“Such a vast blood sea…”

“Is this real?”

The guards’ worldview was shattered. They had lived under blue skies and white clouds, never witnessing anything grander than life and death. Now, they were gazing into another realm—an otherworld composed of myth.

Overwhelmed, their hearts raced and they could not calm down.

Chen Cun Yuan also looked, his mouth agape, his jaw seemingly dislocated, lost in thought.

“This is what I call microscopic!”

Old Yang had anticipated their reactions. When he first saw the Sarira, he had the same expression.

Suddenly—

“Bang!”

The cave shook violently, as if an earthquake struck. Everyone lost balance and fell as rocks began to fall from the ceiling.

“Ah! Is this an earthquake?”

“Ouch, you’re sitting on me!”

“...”

The research institute trembled like rolling rubble atop a mountain, triggering grim thoughts.

If this continued, the cave would collapse!

“Click!”

Old Yang operated a crystal remote control. Outside, over a hundred drones took flight. These new devices monitored the surroundings of the institute, their footage broadcast on a giant screen.

The crowd witnessed an even more shocking sight: the drones converged on a disturbance at Tian Lake, a kilometer away.

Ice shattered like a colossal whale breaking through the surface. Under the moonlight, a nearly hundred-meter-long ice chunk gleamed brightly.

Lin Fan, dizzy from the shaking, felt as if thousands of moons spun around him, unable to distinguish sky from ice.

But the shock was not over. A massive creature slowly emerged from the lake—a ghostly blue silhouette. Mountains shrank in comparison as over a hundred vine-like arms flailed, shaking ancient trees and scattering stones everywhere.

“Heavens!”

“Is this a sci-fi movie?”

“Damn, I’ve never seen such a giant octopus even in games!”

Everyone was stunned, cursing instinctively, overwhelmed by the spectacle.

What kind of monster was this? It looked like an apocalypse beast.

Lin Fan’s eyes widened. Such a creature surely could not exist even in the deep sea. How did it appear here?

And it wasn’t finished. The mutated octopus broke through the lake’s surface, emitting a piercing sound wave.

“Roar!”

Its target was the research institute. The mutated octopus planted dozens of feet, shaking the earth around it.

“Boom!”

“It’s coming!”

The closer it approached, the more violently the institute shook. Everyone held their breath.

Compared to the Purple Spirit King, this octopus was a cataclysmic disaster.

“It’s a mutated He Luo fish!”

Lin Fan exclaimed. The He Luo fish was a creature from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, even more terrifying. It had hundreds of tentacles and ten heads.

Aside from martial arts training, Lin Fan had also read many strange books, including an illustrated compendium of the creatures from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

According to the book, the He Luo fish had eight tentacles and one head. Hence, this was a mutated variant.

“It’s walking toward us!!”

Huang Qiu Shan panicked, losing his usual composure.

Everyone present was terrified, like startled rabbits.

Scenes once only dreamt of now unfolded in reality.

Even the calmest among them couldn’t stay composed.

“What do we do? Waaaah!”

Some team members began to cry.

“Don’t come any closer! I haven’t married or had children—I don’t want to die!”

“What’s going on with this world? Microscopic things, Purple Spirit King, mutated He Luo fish—what next?”

“Heavens above~”

Troubles arose one after another. The mutated He Luo fish advanced toward the institute. Even without attacking, falling debris could kill them.

Indeed, the creature was so massive that its mere movement caused earthquakes.

Even if it didn’t attack, they would be crushed into pulp!

“Clap, clap!”

The He Luo fish swung its hundred-meter-long vine-like tentacles like swatting mosquitoes, knocking all the drones from the sky.

“Zzzzt~”

The footage ended here!