Chapter 193: Battle in the Sea
Li Wen followed Fu Qingyan and the others as they navigated through the labyrinthine rooms. She noticed that Fu Qingyan led the way almost effortlessly, without any hesitation, heading towards specific directions as if she had a pre-drawn map in her mind, needing only to follow it step-by-step to reach their destination.
Noticing her gaze, Fu Qingyan smiled and waved the Silver Pendant in her hand.
“This Magical Item can anchor a person’s aura and then accurately pinpoint their location within a range of 300 meters, guiding me to them.”
Fu Qingyan wasn’t worried about piquing Li Wen’s interest. After all, the Guiding Pendant was a very ordinary Magical Item; it was only useful for tracking and had no other effects. Moreover, its effective range was too short. Even if sold on the game market for real money, it would fetch at most two or three hundred.
Given the strength Li Wen had displayed by destroying the drowned corpses in an instant, Fu Qingyan didn’t think she would be interested in such a trinket. If she was, even better, it could be a favor granted.
Of course, Li Wen wasn’t about to take advantage of her classmate. She was merely puzzled as to how Fu Qingyan, who wasn’t even a Transcendent, could obtain such an item. However, she soon figured it out herself, probably having purchased it from another Player. She recalled that Fu Qingyan’s family background in reality seemed quite well-off.
“We’re almost there,” Fu Qingyan suddenly said.
They entered the last doorway and found themselves outside the ship’s cabin.
The sky was still as dark and lightless as before, but the sea surface was no longer calm. A storm, accompanied by thunder, roared as if the entire world had become restless. The strong winds howled, and the waves surged, as if the whole world had become agitated at this moment.
With the momentary light provided by the flashing lightning, Li Wen could finally see this lightless sea area. The surrounding sea region resembled a silent graveyard, with countless wrecked ships scattered everywhere, battered mercilessly by the surging waves, emitting muffled and desperate sounds. At the center of this sea and storm, a tall and ferocious Twin-tailed Mermaid statue stood on a reef, its cold gaze seeming to penetrate everything and pierce the heart.
A fragile and helpless wooden boat sailed towards the mermaid statue, braving the wind and waves. It advanced with difficulty in the storm, each wave crashing against it as if to tear it to shreds. However, the crazed Old Sailor on board seemed oblivious. His bare upper body was covered in knotted muscles and crisscrossing scars, testaments to his struggles against the sea and fate. He gripped a giant whale-hunting harpoon, his pupils burning with intense hatred, a reflection of his endless resentment and thirst for revenge against the Twin-tailed Mermaid.
“Twin-tailed Mermaid! I’ve returned for my revenge!” Old Joey’s roar echoed in the sea breeze, his voice filled with determination and madness. His vessel, like a small boat, swayed precariously in the giant waves, yet it advanced steadily towards the statue.
Following Old Joey’s furious roar, a dazzling lightning flash suddenly illuminated the sky, followed by countless human-like yet ferocious mermaid Monsters emerging from beneath the sea. Their bodies gleamed with a chilling luster, their sharp claws and fangs appearing particularly terrifying in the sunlight. These Monsters let out ear-piercing screams and surged towards Old Joey’s wooden boat, as if intending to tear him to pieces.
Old Joey did not retreat an inch. He brandished his harpoon, each swing precise and powerful. The harpoon cut through the air, leaving splashes of blood, and one by one, Twin-tailed Mermaids wailed and fell into the sea under his attacks. However, the number of mermaids was overwhelming; they came one after another, seemingly endless. Old Joey was soon covered in wounds, his light blue blood mixing with seawater, dyeing the entire wooden boat black.
Driven by hatred and madness, Old Joey seemed tireless. Every strike was imbued with a resolve to die. But mermaids were group Monsters with sharp claws, strong muscles, and scales. Although Old Joey was brave, he couldn’t fight so many alone. As the battle continued, his strength gradually waned. Every time Old Joey killed a mermaid Monster, he also sustained a wound, shallow or deep, and the number of wounds on his body grew.
Li Wen’s gaze moved past Old Joey and the swarm of Monsters, firmly locking onto the tall, cold statue. The statue, which should have been inanimate, stiffly turned its pupils and met her gaze.
“You all stay here,” Li Wen said to Fu Qingyan and the others behind her. Then, she activated the dormant Twilight power within her body and entered her Witch Form. She lightly stepped on the edge of the boat and, to everyone’s astonishment, soared into the air.
The Twin-tailed Mermaids would not allow her to approach so easily, raising their hands to conjure giant waves to strike down the annoying fly. But Li Wen dodged them nimbly.
With the advantage of flight, Li Wen was now extremely close to the statue. The Twin-tailed Mermaids, filled with both rage and fear, intensified the storm, forcing Li Wen to fly close to the sea surface. Then, they commanded all the mermaid Monsters to surround her and attack.
Li Wen quickly recited an Incantation, summoning the Candle of Giving Darkness. An invisible power spread out, igniting all the attacking mermaid Monsters.
But there were too many mermaids, and the Candle of Giving Darkness was too slow to inflict damage. Li Wen had to draw the Raven Feather Dagger and cut off the claws reaching for her, unable to advance an inch for a moment.
On the other side, the Twin-tailed Mermaids clearly had no intention of letting Fu Qingyan and the others go. Before they could watch the spectacle for much longer, countless drowned corpses and skeletons crawled out from the deep sea, boarding the ship or swarming out from the cabins.
“Quickly retreat to the deck!” Fu Qingyan decisively issued orders, trying her best to contend with these Monsters.
All the mermaid Monsters had gone to stop Li Wen, leaving Old Joey’s path clear. His wooden boat passed through the storm and reached the reef where the Twin-tailed Mermaid statue stood.
Old Joey used his whale-hunting harpoon to climb onto the reef with difficulty. He panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot.
Not more than ten steps away, the Twin-tailed Mermaid statue loomed, almost within reach. But at this moment, Old Joey became calm. All the sounds around him, including the roar of the wind and rain, the surging tides, and the sounds of battle, gradually faded away. An unprecedented tranquility quietly descended upon him. Old Joey stared blankly at the statue and murmured softly, “Ah, finally… finally, I have you again.”
In his eyes, the statue shifted between a terrifying Monster and a peerlessly beautiful, pitiable girl. A gentle, intimate song inexplicably began to play in his ears, reminding Old Joey of his childhood, of his mother holding him and softly singing him lullabies—those cherished, nostalgic times felt just like this moment.
The statue’s appearance finally settled into that of a beautiful girl.
The next moment, the beautiful dream shattered, and the icy rain brought him back to reality.
What happened to me…?
Intense pain spread from his chest throughout his entire body. Warm liquid flowed everywhere, dyeing the reef beneath his feet red. Only then did Old Joey realize that he had been impaled through the chest by his own harpoon and nailed to the reef, and the one who did this was himself, or rather, himself influenced by the Twin-tailed Mermaid.
In a daze, Old Joey seemed to return to the ship, where he had killed his companions one by one amidst their confused, angry, and pleading cries and screams, offering their flesh and blood to the Twin-tailed Mermaid statue.
And that statue was now looking at him, with that cold, sticky, malicious, and mocking gaze, as if looking at an ignorant insect, or a toy?
No, it’s not over yet…
Old Joey trembled as he reached into his clothes. From this distance, if he could utter the incantation, everything would end, as long as he took out the most important thing in his life.
But where was the ship’s log? He had kept it close to him.
He looked almost desperately at the terrifying face of the Twin-tailed Mermaid, and suddenly understood that everything was under its control.
