The Voice of the Mother Conch of All Things

The Trilobite Men had ships, and so did the People of the Abyss.

However, the ships of the Abyss Kingdom differed from those of Yinsai. Their lower decks had rows of openings that, when open, allowed water to flow through, and when closed, resembled a pool.

The People of the Abyss entered and exited directly through these openings, while the middle and upper decks served as cargo holds.

Some passenger ships even left space beneath the hull, allowing People of the Abyss encountered en route to hitch a ride.

Ships and vehicles could be said to have changed the entire world.

This was true for both Yinsai and the Abyss Kingdom.

In the past, a mortal could only travel a few dozen miles in their lifetime. Now, they could journey thousands of miles.

On this day, a large ship bearing the Sal family's emblem arrived at the Island of Mist.

"My lady!"

"We've reached the Island of Mist."

Deep Sea Knight Elena disembarked with her people, gazing at the lighthouse.

Atop the lighthouse was stored the sacred relic: the Bone Book of the great poet Tito.

It was none other than "The Final Chapter," mythologized and celebrated by countless mortals.

Today, she didn't wear her golden mask but instead donned the priest's robe, representing her return as a priest and Sandean's student.

This was her first time returning to her family's ancestral land since her teacher Sandean's passing, and her first time back at the Temple of Truth.

"Lady Elena!"

"Greetings, Deep Sea Knight."

Many from the Temple of Truth came to welcome her, including some apprentice priests from the People of the Abyss. It was quite a grand reception.

Both the People of the Abyss and the Trilobite Men looked at Elena with awe in their eyes, not just because she was Sandean's student, but also because of her power.

A fourth-level God's Grace Priest.

To ordinary mortals and regular priests, this was almost akin to being God's emissary.

They possessed long lifespans and controlled puppet armies as formidable as monster legions.

Elena scanned the crowd, her eyes searching for a familiar face, but Lan was nowhere to be seen.

"Does Lan not want to see his old friend?" she asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

The temple instructor standing at the front quickly replied, "How could that be, Lady Elena?"

"The teacher has been mentioning you often, but he's been engrossed in experiments these past few days."

"You know how he is when he's experimenting—nothing can interrupt him."

Elena smiled, her disappointment fading. "Then I'll go see what new things he's been researching lately."

In the ritual workshop, Lan was on the ground, modifying overlapping ritual arrays while adjusting sacrificial offerings on a scroll.

But just as he activated it, there was a loud bang.

The ground, inscribed with intricate ritual arrays, cracked open with fissures.

The ritual arrays were incompatible, destroying all the offerings along with them.

Hearing movement behind him, Lan thought it was his students.

"You lot," he said without turning.

"Didn't I tell you not to approach when I'm experimenting and thinking?"

"Your chaotic thoughts disrupt my train of thought."

As he turned around, he saw Elena.

Lan's expression immediately changed, his frustration over the failed experiment forgotten.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "This is rare. Why have you suddenly come back?"

Though Lan spoke casually, he was genuinely pleased.

Elena laughed, pointing at the ground and shaking her head. "Looks like you haven't come up with anything good lately!"

Lan felt a twinge of embarrassment, but his pride wouldn't let him concede. "You make it sound so easy," he retorted. "Results don't come that easily."

"In all these years, haven't you only had a few achievements with Abyssal Magic Gold?"

Elena's eyes twinkled with excitement as she reached into her robe. "Well, I've had a recent breakthrough that might just surprise you," she said, producing a small silver box.

Lan looked at the silver box, immediately sensing it was extraordinary.

"What does it do?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

Elena demonstrated the compass's function. No matter which direction it was turned, the needle always pointed in the same direction.

Lan asked eagerly, not understanding why this phenomenon occurred.

Elena immediately shared the secret she had discovered with Lan.

After listening, Lan was filled with wonder.

Not because of the box's power, but in awe of nature's marvels.

"Very impressive. I can't believe you discovered such a secret."

"If we could unravel the reason behind it, we might be able to develop something powerful."

Elena said mysteriously, "Its function isn't limited to just this."

She looked around. "Do you have anything you can't find?"

Lan thought for a moment. "I lost the pen I always carry with me a while ago. The cap is still here, but I can't find the pen anywhere."

Elena took the pen cap from Lan's hand. The "compass" in her hand immediately began to spin violently, pointing in a direction within the temple.

Following its direction, they found the pen in a corner.

Lan was stunned. "How did you do that?"

Elena pointed at the silver box. "It told me."

Lan's expression immediately changed. This was no longer just a marvel of nature; it had entered the realm of mystical and supernatural power.

He looked at Elena seriously.

"Is this a Divine Artifact?"

"Elena, you didn't..."

As Sandean's student, no one knew better than him what Divine Artifacts were made from.

Elena shook her head. "It's not a Divine Artifact. To be precise, it should be called a Miracle Tool."

The Deep Sea Knight controlled the compass, putting it back in her robe pocket.

"That day, I saw..."

Lan listened quietly to the entire process of the "compass's" birth. Rather than a great experiment, it sounded more like a dreamy, miraculous journey.

"So that's how you obtained this marvelous creation?"

"And what exactly was that thing you saw at the time?" Lan pressed.

Elena shook her head. "A colorful, dreamy creation, emitting wondrous and mysterious hues."

"I clearly felt its presence, but it also seemed like it didn't exist at all, as if it wasn't of this world."

Elena smiled, still feeling as if she had been dreaming at the time.

"Who knows, maybe I was just lightheaded then."

"Perhaps it truly was God's guidance!" Elena mused.

Lan, however, said confidently, "This must be God's reward for you. How else could a miracle descend from the sky for no reason?"

The second-generation Sage of Truth was somewhat excited, feeling that everything he and his teacher had done had received divine approval.

"It seems God is pleased with this new era pioneered by Saint Stan and Teacher Sandean," Lan remarked thoughtfully.

"Elena, this little gadget of yours might spark a great revolution."

Elena then spoke of her true purpose for coming here. "Though I think so too, I'm not certain if this miraculous object stems from that."

"Whether it was born by chance, or because God modified some underlying law of the universe."

Lan began to understand Elena's meaning. "What do you want to do?"

Elena looked at Lan. "If Miracle Tools are God's and the laws' reward for those who explore truth and knowledge,"

"Who in this world has surpassed you, the current Sage of Truth, in the exploration of truth?"

"If you can replicate my success, it would be enough to prove that this isn't an isolated case, but God's gift to all mortals."

Lan was also stirred by Elena's words. He paced quickly in the ritual workshop, not even noticing that he was stepping on the scrolls he had left on the ground.

"This isn't just a Miracle Tool."

"It can inspire students and generations of those who come after."

"As long as they dare to explore, dare to innovate."

"Everyone can receive God's reward." —

At dawn.

The hot air balloon drifted over the sea, gradually approaching the distant continent.

This was where life thrived most abundantly. The water temperature near the continental shelf was most suitable for life, with thousands of Ancestral Fish schools dwelling here. Thus, numerous Yinsai villages and towns could be seen along the entire coastline.

The hot air balloon landed on the beach. Yin Shen stood in the basket, looking down.

The spirit eagerly opened the side door, pulling Shelly down from the basket.

This wasn't their first landing; they had already circled along this coastline.

God-Descended City, Sele Port—they had passed through many prosperous cities.

Two sets of footprints, one large and one small, were left on the beach, ankles wet from the lapping waves.

As the spirit ran across the beach, she turned back to wave at Yin Shen.

Standing before the vast sea.

Mother of Life Shelly took out the Mother Conch of All Things hidden at her waist and placed it to her lips.

"Woo woo!"

The Mother Conch of All Things immediately emitted a sound like a horn.

The sound wasn't loud, but it traveled to the ends of the earth.

In nearby towns and fishing villages, Trilobite Men in their dreams simultaneously heard this melodious sound.

They could feel their hearts and pulses beating in rhythm with this sound.

"What is that sound?"

"It feels... so warm!"

"It's like returning to the moment of birth."

Dreamlike scenes appeared before their eyes.

They saw the seabed, countless bubbles floating up around them. Though surrounded by darkness and silence, they felt no fear.

Only warmth and serenity.

This feeling was like returning to the moment of their birth.

That was the origin of life.

As the Mother Conch of All Things was blown, every person, every Ancestral Fish, every living being within a vast radius began to resonate.

The rhythm of their lives synchronized with the sound of the Mother Conch.

Countless tiny points of light gathered from the surroundings, imprinting themselves on the Mother Conch.

Their cells and genes were automatically extracted and stored in this Divine Artifact of Life Ability.

"Gururu!"

Shelly held the small horn, her footsteps rapid and making pitter-patter sounds.

She ran beneath the hot air balloon and, at the spirit's prompting, held it up high for Yin Shen.

Shelly felt nothing special, just finding it fun.

The spirit watched God expectantly, wondering if they would succeed this time.

Yin Shen took the Mother Conch, his hand brushing over the ancient and mysterious Divine Artifact shell.

Then he shook his head.

Life Ability still hadn't found its missing part.

Perhaps it was because life in this era wasn't yet abundant enough.

The spirit remembered something and said to Yin Shen.

"God," the spirit began, "when the mutated Desert Worm collapsed in the Sacred Lake back then, almost all life in the entire lake was affected by the mutated light."

"It's said that some peculiar life forms appeared in the Sacred Lake as a result, all kinds of wonderfully accidental creations."

"Perhaps we could look there," the spirit suggested.