Chapter 194 Abyss
The blood flowing from Old Joey’s wound flowed back towards the Twin-tailed Mermaid statue and was greedily absorbed by it. The scales on the statue’s surface seemed to shimmer slightly as if nourished by the flesh and blood, emitting an eerie blue glow. Then, it came to life, its stiff body stretching and writhing like a snake, its scarlet pupils filled with greed and mockery.
With a wave of its hand, it summoned a spectral blue flame, preparing to end Old Joey’s life.
But the next moment, the flame exploded, and a figure bathed in light flew out. The dagger, flickering with a blood-red sheen in its hand, accurately pierced the Twin-tailed Mermaid’s heart.
The trait “Lost Moth” allowed Li Wen to teleport to any light source within a 30-meter range. This not only enabled her to escape the encirclement of the mermaid monster but also provided an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the Twin-tailed Mermaid.
But was it truly fatal? Naturally, the answer was no. The Twin-tailed Mermaid had no such thing as a heart, let alone being a monster of that sort; it was a long-lost artifact that had been brought to life.
So, with a sweep of its hand, it struck Li Wen with the speed of lightning.
Li Wen was heavily struck by the Twin-tailed Mermaid, flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing onto the sea surface. The icy water instantly engulfed her, and the biting cold made her shiver uncontrollably. However, the powerful life force granted by her Witch Form allowed her to quickly stabilize herself and ascend again. The Raven Feather Dagger in her hand glowed, pointing directly at the Twin-tailed Mermaid.
Spell-less Arc Light!
The dagger drew a perfect arc in the chilling air, and a searing arc of light, burning through the rain, slashed towards the Twin-tailed Mermaid, leaving a bone-deep wound on its heavily scaled body.
The battle between Li Wen and the Twin-tailed Mermaid intensified. The speed and power endowed by “Devotion to Light and Fire” allowed her to weave and maneuver flexibly on the turbulent sea surface. Every swing of the Raven Feather Dagger was accompanied by the radiant glow of the Spell-less Arc Light, slashing at the Twin-tailed Mermaid’s massive body. However, the Twin-tailed Mermaid’s physical resilience far exceeded Li Wen’s imagination. Even the wounds left by the Spell-less Arc Light healed quickly beneath its icy scales, as if they were merely superficial injuries.
Although the Twin-tailed Mermaid could not speak, the shrewdness and greed flashing in its eyes revealed that it possessed human-like cunning and strategy. It did not seem eager to end the battle, instead deliberately feigning weakness and leaving room in its seemingly fierce attacks, luring Li Wen closer and closer.
Li Wen knew the other party’s intentions well but deliberately pretended not to notice, walking step by step into its trap as she fought with the Twin-tailed Mermaid.
When she approached a certain distance, the Twin-tailed Mermaid suddenly opened its large mouth, filled with sharp teeth, and let out a melodious and eerie song. The song was like a deafening enchantment that instantly pierced Li Wen’s defenses, striking directly at the depths of her soul.
Apart from its powerful physique and bizarre curse, the Twin-tailed Mermaid’s greatest strength was undoubtedly its ability to charm and control the minds of others. This was its most irresistible and powerful ability.
However, what the Twin-tailed Mermaid could never have imagined was that such a deep level of mental control was completely ineffective against a Player. Li Wen merely felt a chilling strangeness invade her consciousness, but that strangeness soon vanished without a sound.
This unexpected turn of events greatly puzzled the Twin-tailed Mermaid. It had expected Li Wen to fall to her knees under its control and commit suicide with the dagger, just like the ridiculous ant before her.
In the Twin-tailed Mermaid’s moment of stunned fear, Li Wen had already flown in front of it and plunged the Raven Feather Dagger directly into its forehead.
In pain, the Twin-tailed Mermaid let out a roar of enraged frustration. Its surging mana transformed into spectral blue flames that enveloped its entire body, and the waves under its control became even more turbulent. For a moment, the entire sea area seemed to be set ablaze by its fury.
A monstrous wave was then stirred up, forming a tsunami that roared like a dragon and swept in.
But just as the Twin-tailed Mermaid feigned weakness to lure Li Wen closer, intending to use its abilities to charms her, Li Wen, on her part, also deliberately pretended not to notice the problem and walked into its trap, all for the sake of getting closer to it.
When she was close enough, Li Wen took out the scroll containing the incantation from her Fairy pouch and pressed it firmly onto the Twin-tailed Mermaid’s face. Under its terrified and disbelieving gaze, Li Wen slowly recited the words that appeared in her mind. Each syllable seemed to carry a strange and mysterious power, ancient and profound. As the incantation echoed, the tall and ferocious Twin-tailed Mermaid statue began to tremble violently.
It let out a painful and humiliating cry, its shrill voice echoing in the sea breeze, but sounding so powerless. As the power of the incantation deepened, the scales on the Twin-tailed Mermaid’s surface began to gradually lose their luster, becoming dull and fragile, as if its vitality had been drained.
Then, its body began to slowly petrify from its feet. The hard stone quickly spread, until it completely covered its entire body. The Twin-tailed Mermaid struggled, trying to break free from this irresistible force, but its efforts were in vain. Finally, it completely turned into a frozen, motionless stone statue, its eyes, once full of greed and malice, forever losing their luster.
As the Twin-tailed Mermaid turned into a stone sculpture, its power was also stripped away, and the space it had created began to shake violently. The storm at sea seemed to sense the passing of its master, becoming even more ferocious. Huge tsunami raged forward with world-destroying power, sweeping all people and ships into the sea.
Li Wen had no time to react, and an irresistible force instantly pulled her into the icy, bone-chilling seawater. All around her was endless darkness and noise.
But before the cold and suffocation could overtake her, Li Wen’s sight suddenly pierced through the surging, dark seawater and saw the abyss beneath the deep sea. It was a boundless, bottomless void, larger than the entire sea area, as if connecting to another unknown world. Incomparable whispers emanated from the void, initially faint murmurs, then gradually rising to a deafening roar that pierced the very soul.
In an instant, a bone-chilling fear overflowed, completely engulfing Li Wen.
In a daze, she felt as if she was falling into an endless nightmare. She walked alone in this dark, lightless, and icy deep sea, constantly sinking downward. The surrounding seawater seemed to transform into something tangible yet intangible, pulling her, tempting her.
They whispered softly, gently, and warmly.
They said: Resist not, worry not, for falling and sinking are the instincts of life, and even the sun cannot tarnish them, nor can it resist them.
Li Wen’s consciousness, mana, and all her powers fell silent in these whispers, until a faint, cold light appeared.
Is falling and sinking the instinct of life? No, perhaps chasing the light is. And so, driven by this instinct to chase the light, Li Wen reached out and touched that sliver of light.
