Above The Sky
Chapter 183 - 183 172 Deep Sea Diving 13

183: Chapter 172: Deep Sea Diving (1/3) 183: Chapter 172: Deep Sea Diving (1/3) “This feeling…”

In mid-air, the lift brought by the water mist, propelled by the Fairy Force, hadn’t completely disappeared, and Ian felt himself still rising continuously.

He looked down at the jungle beneath him—the once towering trees had turned into green specks, and the distant Ivoke River had become a silver ribbon no thicker than a finger…

This view was extraordinarily novel.

It was too low compared to an airplane, too high relative to a person, too fast if compared to a skyscraper, and far too unrestrained compared to looking down from a mountain.

Ian even saw a bird startled by his actions, taking off with a cry.

The blue and white gull, flapping its wings in fear, was below him, as he had already reached a higher point in the sky.

Soon, Ian’s body began to descend.

He wasn’t panicked at all but instead locked onto the treetop of an old tree.

With one step, the treetop wasn’t crushed by the heavy tread of the Sand Armor Apprentice.

On the contrary, the light mist burst where the boy’s shoe met the treetop, forming a ring of mist that spread outward.

And Ian leaped up once more.

Thus, he rapidly progressed above the jungle, leaving behind the drifting leaves, the piercing cries of birds, and even the rising dust.

At this moment, the sensation of the wind seemed almost tangible, smacking against the boy’s cheeks and body.

The force should have been growing stronger, but as the Sublimation Organ on his back, belonging to the Fae, kept spinning, a thin film covered his body, diminishing the wind that was obstructing his advancement.

This allowed Ian to easily traverse jungles and ravines, over leaps and abandoned native huts and altars.

It was as though he had broken free from some kind of bondage.

All obstacles, all terrains, anything that could stop a common person’s steps, confining them in the depths of great mountains, cutting them off from the world with difficult and dangerous terrains, all disappeared with Ian’s forward strides, easily crossed and overcome.

Very quickly, as the boy’s silhouette made its undulating rise and fall over the canopy, the tall and profound shadow of Sigh Cliff appeared before him.

Upon seeing this, Ian didn’t slow down.

Instead, he stimulated the Origin Quality within him, turning into a silhouette wrapped in mist, and rushed towards the cliff.

The jungle vanished, replaced by rugged rocky mountains, but all this was meaningless.

In less than half a minute, Ian had ascended from the foot to the top of the cliff.

The summit of Sigh Cliff was composed of black rock as tough as iron, stretching up and away into the distance; it was this that attracted the endless lightning that descended upon the place.

Many people, whether Imperial People or Natives, had come here.

They stood on that protruding edge, lamenting that this place was the end of the world, sighing that they had no path forward, and could only stop here.

Yet Ian continued to step forward.

With one step, the water blossomed.

He soared into the air, stepping on the expanding clouds and mist, drawing a long arc through the sky—deeply breathing in an unprecedented flavor known as freedom and exhilaration.

“No wonder, no wonder so many people, no wonder everyone on the Terra Continent, regardless of who they are, regardless of age, gender, intelligence or foolishness, want to become a Sublimator—even if they are the most pathetic, the weakest Sublimator…”

Because…

this truly is a complete sublimation.

A liberation that spares not even the soul.

With this thought, Ian prepared himself and, using the momentum of his descent, dove headfirst into the boundless, surging emerald sea.

From a kilometer high, he plummeted straight down.

Yes, a kilometer drop would be enough to make the soft surface of the water as solid as steel, but let’s not mention that Ian’s body was already tough as rock.

The power of the Wave Singer was at work, and the sea had already begun churning and swirling before the young man even entered the water, forming a small whirlpool to gently welcome him.

Splash!

The waves weren’t large, as Ian’s entry into the water was so perfect that, should he return to Earth to participate in diving competitions, he would undoubtedly be the undisputed champion.

He didn’t resurface after diving in, but instead used the momentum to penetrate deeper into the sea.

When Ian surfaced again, he was holding a huge fish, panic-stricken and struggling, half the size of a person.

The large fish struggled fiercely, even flashing with streaks of blue-green electric arcs, but such a level of electric shock was almost akin to a mosquito bite for the youth who had trained as a Sand Armor Apprentice from the White Folks.

“This fish…

It’s also a Primordial Beast, much better developed than the one I first encountered by sheer luck!”

Ian looked joyfully at the squirming sea fish in his hand, his strength firmly holding it captive—but Ian had no intention of killing it.

After delicately sensing the types of Demonic Beast Materials within the body of the Magical Fish, he released it.

These Primeval Demon Fish with Essence Organs inside them would continually mutate and optimize until their death.

Unlike fragile Primordial Beasts that would die quickly, this lively fish would pass on its offspring, and in the future, it might very well give rise to a new Magical Beast Tribe in the Southern Sea.

A tribe that could generate thunder by increasing the friction in their Sublimation Organs within their bodies!

To catch a Magical Fish of this caliber, Ian, now equipped with Fairy Wings, could do so anytime—but if considering the long-term, the young man who regarded the ecosystem around Harrison Port as his own wouldn’t damage the future of the Southern Sea.

Ian released his grip, letting the large fish go.

The magical fish paused for a moment before swiftly shaking its body and racing back to its lair.

The youth silently submerged into the sea, closely following the movement of the magical fish.

It was only after diving that the Fairy Wings associated with water truly revealed their power.

Ian felt a chill run through his body, but a gentle warmth soon spread from within, the stress response of a Sublimator’s body—he locked onto the large fish in front of him with a bright water light shining in his eyes, constantly changing its trajectory.

Ian knew various swimming strokes; after all, when training for spacewalks, it was done underwater, and colleagues often swam together for leisure as well.

But Sublimators didn’t need such troublesome techniques in the water—he merely lifted his hand and waved it gently, causing an invisible Essence vibration.

The force transferred to the surrounding water, propelling Ian forward with ease, shooting him ahead like an arrow released from its bow.

Not only that— as Ian softly chanted the keywords, the Wave Singer’s abilities were activated.

A surging current, aided by the Fairy Force, acted like two motors behind him, transforming the youth from an arrow leaving its bow into a torpedo speeding through the water.

This speed was unmatched by most magical fish, except for a few magical beasts that were naturally adept at high-speed movement.

After all, no matter how much natural creatures evolve and optimize, they can’t possibly compete with man-made weapons in terms of speed.

This time, Ian intended not only to test the effects of the Demi-Magic Potion and the Fairy Wings on himself but also to take the opportunity to check on the recent status of the Southern Sea’s biological populations.

The changes brought by the Labyrinth were already very evident.

Theoretically, it would take about three to four years to fully form.

By then, a vast ecological circle of the Labyrinth would emerge, and the beasts that could only exist within the Labyrinth environment would be known as Labyrinth Species.

The Labyrinth Species, more delicate but also more powerful and rare compared to their kin, were essential for some Magic Potion ingredients.

Some could only be sourced from specific beasts bred in certain labyrinths, thus they were always in high demand and short supply.

The condition of the Fairy Wings couldn’t be better; especially since Ian, as a Sand Armor Apprentice, lacked any mobility skills.

The sudden exposure to such immense basic physical fitness, coupled with the boost from the Fairy Wings, felt like adding wings to a tiger, and he couldn’t help but want to run again.

As for now, he planned to follow this Primeval Demon Fish to its nest to see what kind of environment could birth a new Thunder Sect magical beast progenitor.

Particularly since there had been recent changes in the Labyrinth.

The anomaly, theoretically expected to occur three to four years later, would happen within a month.

“It doesn’t seem like the precursor to a major storm, but since the changes in the Labyrinth’s ecosystem are so drastic, it proves that the South Sea Relic Cluster must have undergone some transformations.”

As his thoughts flickered, Ian had already followed the magical fish for two or three kilometers—the water quality of the Southern Sea was exceptionally clear, but it was now nightfall.

The bottom of Sigh Cliff was not a typical shallow sea slope but was deeply profound, like a dimly lit abyss.

Hence, not a single ray of light was visible.

Or rather, Sigh Cliff originally jutted out from the sea bed, which is why the seabed terrain at its base is so peculiar.

At this moment, the world became silent.

The sea, hundreds of meters deep, was considered deep sea where only sparse movements and the soft sound of one’s own breathing could be heard.

Even a Sublimator would feel utterly alone.

However, with Spirit Energy and the constant stream of data from the Silver Chip, as well as Thermal Vision, Ian was not worried.

A blue mist swirled rapidly before his eyes, as clear as a marker.

Soon, Ian arrived at the abode of the new magical fish—a very strange clearing in the Deep Sea Stone Forest Plain, covered in black, tree-like strange rocks.

The deep sea here was a plain so flat it was odd.

Grey sand and gravel were evenly distributed in all directions.

Being so deep, there were no seaweeds and very few fish and shrimp.

Only in the not-too-distant front could one see a dense, uniformly patterned ‘stone forest.’

Upon reaching this place, Ian’s attention shifted from the magical fish to the peculiar-looking stone ‘trees’—they were almost like rock-shaped pine trees, tall and regular.

These stone trees might look rough and strange, but they were nearly identical in height and their trunks were straight.

It was clear they weren’t naturally formed.

“Is it here that the electric-producing magical fish was spawned?”

Ian slowed down, approaching the stone trees closely, scrutinizing them.

Then, his face showed a look of amazement.

“Signal tower?” the youth exclaimed incredulously: “Or should I say, a high-voltage wireless power transmission tower?”

“What’s going on, why are there so many here?!”