Before him stood a colossal mountain, rising from the seabed to the surface, reaching a height of a thousand meters!
This colossal mountain gave him a familiar feeling. Upon closer inspection of its summit, he realized it was none other than Rocky Island!
It turned out that what was known as Rocky Island was merely the exposed peak of this immense mountain.
At the base of this mountain, there was a massive hole. Something within seemed to be looking at Ye Feng with a pair of purple eyes.
"My heavens, what is that?"
The moment Ye Feng saw it, he was instantly startled, a chill permeating his entire being, from body to soul.
At this moment, the trident on Ye Feng's brow lit up, emitting an aura of supreme authority.
Seeing this, the entity showed a trace of fear and slowly retreated deeper into the colossal hole.
As the entity retreated further, Ye Feng heard the clanging of metal, like the sound of chains colliding.
Ye Feng desperately wanted to see what was inside, but just standing there sent shivers down his spine. His reason told him this was not something he could confront at his current level.
Therefore, Ye Feng did not approach. After surveying the surroundings for a few moments, he returned to the sea surface.
The sea surface, apart from the rocky reefs, was now devoid of any danger. The massive waves, whirlpools, and waterspouts had all vanished.
This further convinced Ye Feng that the entity in the hole had been responsible for everything. With the Sea God's Palace suppressing it, these problems had disappeared.
After confirming there were no more issues, Ye Feng climbed onto Rocky Island and explored it. He found it to be very suitable for habitation, with a beautiful environment and a vast expanse, truly an ideal place for him.
Having done this, Ye Feng paddled his kayak towards Captain Zhou and the others.
Looking at Rocky Island in the distance, everyone on Captain Zhou's ship wore expressions of sorrow.
They had been waiting there for four hours, all convinced that Ye Feng had likely perished in the storm and waves.
Some speculated Ye Feng had been swept into the sea and drowned by the massive waves, while others believed he had been sucked to the seabed by a whirlpool, leaving no trace. A few crew members even thought Ye Feng had been carried into the sky by a waterspout.
Hearing their speculations, Captain Zhou's heart ached. He couldn't help but weep, "Brother Ye, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! I should have stopped you!"
"Alas, it's our fault too! We didn't try to dissuade him back then!"
"Indeed! We bear responsibility as well, otherwise, Brother Ye wouldn't have met with this misfortune!"
"We all share responsibility for this incident. When we return, we must apologize sincerely to his family and friends..."
If Ye Feng were to witness this scene, one could only imagine how he would laugh.
The entire crew mourned for a long time. Captain Zhou himself had considered going to investigate several times, but he feared encountering the same terrifying scene again.
He himself felt it wouldn't matter much if he died, as his parents were already gone and his children had grown into adults.
However, he could not risk the lives of his other crew members. Thus, he had lingered in the vicinity for a considerable time.
Finally, someone spoke up, "Captain, let's head back!"
"Yes! Mourning here is useless! Let's go back and think about how to compensate Brother Ye's parents!"
"That's right, we'll all bear this burden together..."
Hearing this, Captain Zhou sighed and finally nodded, "Alright!"
"Old Brother Zhou!"
However, just as they were preparing to turn back, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Huh? Who called me?" Captain Zhou asked, looking at everyone.
But everyone looked at him with confusion, "No! None of us called you!"
"Oh, oh, it seems I'm too grief-stricken and hallucinating! Alas!" Captain Zhou sighed and turned to enter the ship.
"Old Brother Zhou! Everyone, I'm back!"
However, at that moment, the voice sounded again.
"Eh, what's going on? Am I hallucinating again?" Captain Zhou asked.
At this point, the others also wore stunned expressions and began to speak:
"Well, it doesn't seem like a hallucination! I heard a familiar voice too!"
"I heard it too, and the voice seems to be coming from a distance!"
"And I think I recognize it, that's Brother Ye's voice..."
The next second, everyone rushed to the ship's railing in unison and looked towards Rocky Island. They immediately saw a man paddling a kayak towards them.
"Am I seeing things? I think I see Brother Ye!"
"It shouldn't be, because I see him too! He, he's not dead?"
"Why are you all still dazed! That's Brother Ye, quickly, quickly sail out to meet him..."
In that instant, the entire ship erupted. They all cheered loudly with excitement.
After receiving Ye Feng, Captain Zhou immediately rushed forward and embraced him, overcome with emotion and tears.
Once everyone had calmed down, Captain Zhou asked, "Brother Ye, you're unharmed! How did you manage it?"
Ye Feng casually fabricated a reason, saying what they saw were merely illusions and mirages, and that there were no whirlpools, giant waves, or waterspouts.
He claimed it was all due to rumors that exaggerated Rocky Island's dangers. Their fear led to hallucinations, and encountering reefs caused their demise at sea.
"What? Is that true or false? We clearly saw towering waves, countless whirlpools, and several terrifying waterspouts!" a crew member replied.
Hearing this, Ye Feng directly and loudly denied it, "That wasn't real, it was your hallucination! Don't you believe me? Look, I'm fine!"
"Right, it's getting late now. I plan to take you all to Rocky Island to rest for the night before returning tomorrow! And to verify what I've said!" Ye Feng said, looking at everyone.
However, upon hearing this, they all trembled in fear.
"Brother Ye, are those really illusions? Why did they feel so real?" Captain Zhou also asked with some doubt.
"Old Brother Zhou, I've already made a round trip! Don't you believe me yet?" Ye Feng said earnestly, not joking at all.
"Alright! Then we'll do as you say!" Captain Zhou finally made up his mind.
Thus, Ye Feng took out a pen and began sketching, quickly charting a course.
"The giant waves, whirlpools, and waterspouts at Rocky Island are all fake, mere hallucinations! As long as you don't fear in your heart, you won't have these illusions!"
"The only thing to be aware of is that there are indeed many rocky reefs here. These are the routes I noted on my way earlier. If you follow the route I've drawn, there will be absolutely no problem!"
Hearing this, Captain Zhou was no longer afraid. He immediately took the crew and sailed towards Rocky Island.
This time, there were indeed no whirlpools, giant waves, or waterspouts. Moreover, following the route Ye Feng provided, they easily reached Rocky Island.
This delighted everyone, who marveled at Ye Feng's courage and capability.
The next day, Ye Feng and his companions happily set sail from Rocky Island back to the mainland.
Unbeknownst to them, countless marine creatures were now converging towards Rocky Island...