Xuan Yuanjie, a formidable figure, rarely shed tears, but this time, his emotions were genuine.
If it were ordinary family disciples, even if dozens or hundreds were lost, Xuan Yuanjie would not have said a word.
However, the problem was that among those who had gone to explore the overseas ruins were Xuan Yuan Changfeng and Xuan Yuan Luanfeng, who were the most outstanding among the younger generation of the Xuan Yuan family.
It was no easy feat to cultivate young individuals as successors for such a long-established and prominent family.
Even if their Xuan Yuan family had other talented individuals, it would take decades to cultivate them anew! This time cost was precisely what the Xuan Yuan family could not afford! Da Feng Novel Network
To rescue Xuan Yuan Changfeng and Xuan Yuan Luanfeng, the Xuan Yuan family had mobilized almost entirely and utilized a vast network of connections.
Initially, Xuan Yuanjie had not expected Ling Tian to be able to rescue Xuan Yuan Changfeng. He only hoped that Ling Tian could provide some intelligence to facilitate subsequent rescue efforts, which would have been sufficient.
But unexpectedly, before he could even reach the location, he received a notification from Ling Tian that the disciples of the Xuan Yuan family had been saved, and Xuan Yuan Changfeng was safe and sound. Naturally, he was overwhelmed with joy, tears streaming down his face.
"Old brother, now is not the time for reminiscing. Let me tell you about the situation on the island!"
The two immediately entered the ship's cabin, and Ling Tian informed Xuan Yuanjie about the situation on the island and his subsequent arrangements.
"Good. Since brother Ling Tian has made arrangements, I will cooperate fully.
I will have our ship wait here. Once the Kui Te Consortium's ship arrives, we will go to the island together!"
Xuan Yuanjie understood clearly that the Kui Te Consortium was attempting to win favor. After all, rescuing these people was a tremendous act of kindness, like sending charcoal in the snow.
In fact, the Xuan Yuan family also wanted to do this, but they couldn't. This was a taboo matter, as their family was firmly bound to China.
Moreover, Ling Tian and his group had put in the most effort for this matter. If they were to claim the credit now, it would be unreasonable.
However, the news about the merfolk that Ling Tian subsequently brought back left Xuan Yuanjie astonished and even somewhat fearful!
If what Ling Tian said came true, and the merfolk repaired the teleportation array, sending billions of merfolk troops back to Earth from the Nine Abysses, humanity would undoubtedly face an existential threat.
Especially for China, with its long coastline, such a loss would be unbearable.
"Ling Tian, the intelligence you've brought back is too important. Please wait a moment, I need to report this to the higher-ups.
By the way, can you organize the intelligence you obtained into a written report?"
Ling Tian nodded and directly took out several A4 papers from the backpack used as a cover.
On the papers, in neat and powerful handwriting, he had meticulously written down all the intelligence about the merfolk that he had learned from Nu Lin Luo Yun.
He had also drawn a map, which was a topographic map of the seabed and marked the location of the teleportation array leading to the Nine Abysses.
Upon seeing this map, Xuan Yuanjie's eyes lit up. He quickly took the documents to be scanned and then went to a nearby room to make a phone call.
The Xuan Yuan family's connections were extraordinary; they even had direct access to the highest levels. Xuan Yuanjie contacted the very top officials. After more than an hour, a solemn Xuan Yuanjie found Ling Tian.
"Ling Tian, the plan has changed. The higher-ups are taking your discovery very seriously, as it concerns the safety of the entire nation and even all of humanity.
The immediate priority is to confirm the accuracy of this intelligence. However, recent satellite and sea condition surveys have not detected the teleportation array you mentioned on the seabed.
The order we have received is to immediately sail our ship to the area where the teleportation array is located to verify its existence!
Only after verifying the authenticity of the intelligence can the higher-ups make further decisions!"
"Alright, let's go then. I'll follow your lead, old brother!"
"Then, I'll need you to accompany us and help us guide the direction!"
"No problem!"
Ling Tian did not refuse Xuan Yuanjie's request. This matter was too significant, and Ling Tian could not stand idly by.
Moreover, the disciples of the Xuan Yuan family were already out of danger. Even if they hadn't been, Xuan Yuanjie would have made the same decision.
Xuan Yuanjie summoned Xuan Yuan Luanfeng and asked her to accompany the Ice Queen to the nearest port first, and then to contact and coordinate with other rescue ships of the Xuan Yuan family.
The deep-sea fishing vessel where Ling Tian and the others were located immediately headed for the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
The ship they were on was named Yuan Yu 66, a large deep-sea fishing vessel with a displacement of nearly 30,000 tons. To Ling Tian's surprise, the ship's cruising speed reached 30 knots, a speed that surpassed most warships in the world.
Their destination was 3,000 kilometers away, at the center of the Pacific Ocean, an area with no islands within thousands of kilometers.
No ships would travel there. Even ocean-going cargo ships would follow routes that passed by islands and landmasses. Otherwise, during a long voyage, if the ship experienced mechanical failure or other unforeseen events, it would be a case of being unable to call for help.
Deep-sea fishing vessels also did not venture into these areas, as the most abundant fishing grounds were mostly near islands and continental shelves.
During the voyage, the entire ship observed radio silence. Not only were communication signals turned off, but even the GPS satellite navigation equipment was completely shut down.
In this way, their ship seemed to have vanished from the world.
Although many satellites in the sky had optical systems, it was almost impossible to find a ship in the vast Pacific Ocean by naked eye.
To avoid deviating from the course, the ship even used ancient equipment like compasses and sextants for positioning.
However, soon, Ling Tian took over the navigation task. He had learned a minor spell from Nu Lin Luo Yun, which helped the merfolk determine their direction at sea.
While sextants and compasses could keep the ship on a general course, their accuracy was limited.
Ling Tian would cast the spell at the bow of the ship every two hours and then guide the captain in the correct direction.
...
In another dimension, this entire plane was enveloped by seawater. Within the seawater lay a vast underwater city, the Nine Abysses.
In the very center of the Nine Abysses stood a magnificent palace. The majority of the people residing in this palace looked no different from humans, and they were almost all handsome men and beautiful women.
Even the servants in the palace were beautiful women with shells behind their backs.