novelraw Chapter 267: Deep Sea Titan — Twelve Tentacles
Chapter 267: Deep Sea Titan — Twelve Tentacles
Outside the window, a crimson moon hung high above the vast ocean.
As the Smiling Moon rose, shadows lurking beneath the darkness slowly emerged from the sea, transforming into one after another floating black specters—
Simultaneously, Chen Qi's body felt an immense surge of power. In the darkness of night, his combat ability would dramatically increase.
The massive bonuses provided by [Night Monster] filled him with energy once again after a whole night of practicing martial arts.
Chen Qi could sense that with his improved physique, his current physical capabilities in darkness could already defeat most third-tier Transcendents.
Even seasoned third-tier Transcendents like Fen now fell far behind him in terms of physical ability.
However, even equipped with Ember's Touch: Shadow Weaving, he still couldn't defeat top-tier Transcendents.
Against supernova Haige or Dia's mecha, his chances of winning in a direct confrontation remained slim.
Ultimately, while Chen Qi currently had decent equipment and good stats, he still lacked decisive winning skills.
His existing Blade Release: Sacrifice My Flesh and Blood remained too monotonous, and it required taking damage to unleash its full power, making it excessively dangerous.Yet the Shadow Flame Demon before him posed even greater danger than 'Sacrifice My Flesh and Blood'.
"I must conduct an experiment..."
Chen Qi looked at the Shadow Flame Demon's skills, took a deep breath, and attempted to mobilize this extremely dangerous power.
Fizz! Fizz!
Black sparks ignited from his body, rapidly burning into dark flames that covered his entire form.
His body seemed to tear apart and reassemble, every inch of skin now covered in pitch-black twisted shadow fire scales that burned continuously like living creatures, emitting a heart-palpitating savage aura.
These flames were utterly savage, containing countless furious emotions, while the flames around Chen Qi's head formed an extremely ferocious burning face, resembling a monster from hell.
Chen Qi could clearly feel these dark flames coordinating with his spiritual energy and blood, pushing his power directly beyond limits!
Huff! Huff!
Chen Qi's eyes suddenly widened, turning crimson red. In that instant, an intense desire for battle flooded his mind.
His mental stability was constantly affected by this power, continuously decreasing, growing increasingly agitated.
However, soon this agitated energy stopped...
No, to be precise, this savage aura still existed, even becoming more ferocious, but Chen Qi could now calmly ignore this power completely.
Completely ineffective. Chen Qi's mental sea remained as stable as Mount Tai.
Is that all?
Chen Qi smiled. He had already adapted to this extremely savage power.
His talent priority could completely suppress the Shadow Flame Demon's negative effects!
In his clear-minded state, he could easily stop the Shadow Flame Demon.
This meant he could completely ignore the Shadow Flame Demon's negative side effects.
Chen Qi gently blew out, ending this attempt.
His body seemed to tear apart and reassemble, every inch of skin now covered in pitch-black twisted shadow fire scales that burned continuously like living creatures, emitting a heart-palpitating savage aura.
The true Shadow Release could only be executed under strong battle desire or negative emotions.
The true Shadow Release would inevitably generate massive amounts of irritable emotions.
However, this test had familiarized Chen Qi with this special Release.
Chen Qi had been building a monster flow, hence his continuous search for the Writhing Shadow.
This comprehension of the Shadow Flame Demon could be considered exceptionally good luck.
"Quite rewarding..."
Chen Qi took a deep breath. The Golden Apple combined with his mastered core skills had elevated his strength by a whole level.
If he faced An Aotian's sneak attack again, he even felt confident about forcing out her Release.
Chen Qi clapped his hands, looking at his currently wrecked bedroom.
Seems like I need to build a training room on the ship... Chen Qi thought to himself, then clapped his hands and changed into fresh clothes.
Night had fallen, and it was time for watch duty again.
According to the map, they had now reached the depths of the Sea of Calamities.
They hadn't encountered any disasters besides the Black Wave Storm along the way, which counted as pretty good luck... Chen Qi exited his room, carrying his lantern, and jumped onto the Viper Father.
No, to be precise, this savage aura still existed, even becoming more ferocious, but Chen Qi could now calmly ignore this power completely.
Mechanic Mary used her 'Rapid Forging' skill to add a large bonfire at the center of the Viper Father's deck.
Seeing Chen Qi approach, mechanic Little Mary took a large chicken leg from the bonfire and handed it to Chen Qi with a silly smile:
"Lamp Keeper, thank you for the bread this morning."
Chen Qi took the chicken leg and finished it in two bites.
"Thanks."
Chen Qi smiled. He had already adapted to this extremely savage power.
Chen Qi approached:
His talent priority could completely suppress the Shadow Flame Demon's negative effects!
Melanie frowned:
In his clear-minded state, he could easily stop the Shadow Flame Demon.
Because of the Smiling Moon, ships couldn't extinguish their flames at night, or they would immediately face swarms of shadow beasts.
This meant that any plan to land ships on the island would become exceptionally difficult at night.
Melanie shook her head:
"Lamp Keeper, time is too tight. We have too little planning and intelligence. Even if we land on the island, it would be extremely dangerous for us."
Melanie sighed.
The closer they got to Bluefire's excavation site, the more nervous she felt.
The Witch Sea's Dimensional Tide was a major opportunity that came once every two hundred years. For failures of the White Tower Federation's exam system like her, without the Dimensional Tide, achieving legendary status would require at least twenty years of work in some remote Hunter Association.
As for the other six third-tier White Tower Hunters, though they were also third-tier, they came from ordinary families in the White Tower Federation. Fourth-tier legend remained too distant for them.
Only in the Witch Sea during the Dimensional Tide, constantly risking their lives, could they possibly become legends and witness the world's true splendor.
The true Shadow Release would inevitably generate massive amounts of irritable emotions.
That's why Melanie had decisively embarked on this adventure.
A chilly sea breeze swept through the group.
Melanie couldn't help but feel troubled. But thinking carefully now, she had been somewhat seduced by the desire for advancement and attracted by Chen Qi's determined attitude.
Even if they could actually reach Bluefire Island, obtaining the Deep Blue Fire would still be tremendously difficult.
They currently knew neither the defensive strength of the target island nor how much Deep Blue Fire actually existed there.
Moreover, even if they successfully obtained the Deep Blue Fire, they might still face attacks from the Bonfire Energy Company during their return voyage.
Chen Qi also pondered. He actually had some speculations about the island's situation.
Typically, the lighthouse keeper was an island's most crucial position.
The Lamp Keeper was actually a versatile role that could both attack and support. The profession's inherent Lighting Technique, combined with the 'Holy Light Protects You' commonly used by Winter Kingdom nuns, could create a massive group buff.
Most Lamp Keepers cultivated both offensive and supportive abilities and received strict protection from other Transcendents during combat.
Therefore, if a Lamp Keeper was killed, it definitely indicated special circumstances.
Simultaneously, the Viper Father's actions had been unusually rushed. Their initially chosen route near the Seal No.3 mobile shipyard was quite dangerous.
They wouldn't rashly choose this route unless under emergency circumstances.
This meant Bluefire Island likely faced some trouble and urgently needed a Lamp Keeper.
This island would need a Lamp Keeper, would need the Viper Father... Chen Qi used Lighting Technique to enhance his lantern's brightness:
"Melanie, hide the other two ships as our escape vessels. Then, everyone put on the clothes of the Viper Father's former crew. Let's first disguise ourselves as the Viper Father and see if we can approach Bluefire's island."
"Disguise as the Viper Father?"
Melanie blinked, looking confused.
"Let's try it first. Even if we can only maintain the disguise until reaching shore, we'll avoid artillery attacks."
Chen Qi thought for a moment, put on the Viper Father's cloak, then lightly flicked his fingers.
According to intelligence, there were currently no legends on Bluefire Island.
With him plus the White Tower Hunters, they could absolutely launch a swift assault and directly take the island by force!
At that moment, a small sea snake swam through the ocean, slowly climbing onto Chen Qi's shoulder.
This sea snake was the Viper Father's beloved serpent, but after the Viper Father's death, it had never left the Viper Father.
Due to practicing special skills, the Viper Father had a snake-like head and always wore his serpent cloak, never revealing his true appearance.
Most people who saw his appearance had been killed by the Viper Father.
Therefore, many people identified the Viper Father by the rare Qinghai snake he kept.
Melanie stared in astonishment. Currently, Chen Qi wearing the dark green cloak would likely be mistaken for the Viper Father by many if not carefully observed.
Chen Qi explained:
"I've learned some methods for taming sea snakes."
Are you a special agent? How do you know so many things... Melanie nodded. She currently had no better options.
As a sea breeze blew through, at the edge of their vision, they could already see an island and that dazzling lighthouse light.
Then, Melanie took out two rare stealth cards, selected a remote sea area, and hid the Ghost Ship and White Tower Hunter.
As long as nobody passed through this sea area, these two ships would remain safe.
Subsequently, Melanie and the others changed into the Viper Father pirates' green uniforms and headed toward the distant island.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Amidst the sounds of wind, the Viper Father approached Bluefire Island's dock, now only five hundred meters away.
As planned, the people on Bluefire Island didn't launch any attacks.
However, as they approached the island, they were surprised to find the island seemed to be moving and emitting noticeable vibrations.
"Earthquake?"
Chen Qi couldn't help but frown.
In the Sea of Calamities, earthquakes weren't uncommon disasters.
On Bluefire Island's dock, no ships were moored—only two massive bonfires, one lighthouse, and a group of night-watch pirates.
About fifty people, probably including four third-tier Transcendents... Chen Qi thought to himself.
Their expedition team's combat power slightly exceeded these fifty people.
They could force their way through... Chen Qi hid Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker beneath his cloak, preparing for combat at any moment.
At that moment, numerous Sea God Pirates came forward.
Chen Qi docked the Viper Father at the shore.
Successfully ashore without being discovered... Chen Qi exhaled deeply.
This operation had gone much more smoothly than he'd imagined.
At that moment, the Sea God Pirates' Bluefire Island leader, Haibao, stepped forward. Holding a lantern, he looked at Chen Qi on the Viper Father and grumbled:
"Viper Father, you actually took this long to return! If this continues, we'll all starve to death here!"
Haibao, one of the Sea God Pirates' brigade leaders, Shell affinity, had a face remarkably resembling a seal. Like the Viper Father, he practiced special transformation Release, and he also had exceptionally good luck.
"Are you kidding? We took the most dangerous route!"
Chen Qi imitated the Viper Father's rough, muffled voice, leading the seven White Tower Hunters as they disembarked from the Viper Father.
Seeing Chen Qi's arrival, Haibao's eyes flashed with delight:
"How did it go? Did you get a Lamp Keeper? If we don't get a Lamp Keeper soon, in a few days, we might not even have one-fifth of our remaining people left!"
One-fifth... Chen Qi scanned the crowd.
This island had lost four-fifths of its combat power?
Chen Qi looked closely—all fifty Sea God Pirates members clearly showed injuries.
As he had guessed, everyone on this island had faced serious crises.
Most likely that hand-difficulty sea beast from the treasure map... Chen Qi gently stepped forward, saying:
"It took some time, but we successfully obtained a Lamp Keeper."
Melanie could feel that her old friend An was only one profession card away from advancing to legendary status, while her own strength still fell far short.
"Not one of our own Sea God Island people, right? You know we can't afford to offend our own Sea God Island's Lamp Keepers."
Chen Qi smiled:
"No."
Haibao revealed two large white teeth, laughing heartily:
"Well done! Viper Father, you actually managed to get a wild Lamp Keeper! Next, we just need to excavate the final Blue Fire, then send him to the island's center to try and snatch that thing from that guy!
Then we can return!"
Haibao spread his arms:
"From this operation, we've obtained so much Deep Blue Fire! This flame is enough for Lord Haige to complete his advancement while also completing the Sea Goddess's ritual! For our merits, even if the Bishop rewards us with a legendary profession card, I wouldn't think it excessive!!"
"Indeed..."
Chen Qi smiled, then scanned the island again.
Deep within the island, there was absolutely no light—one could even see some fresh corpses.
This island's defensive forces had completely collapsed.
At that moment, Haibao asked with a smile:
"By the way, Viper Father, what about those second-tier laborers responsible for excavation? Too many of our people have died. We're counting on those fools for the excavation work."
"On the ocean, we encountered an accident—met people from the Bonfire Energy Company. Those people were left behind..."
Chen Qi spoke while walking toward Haibao.
Haibao listened attentively, but soon noticed something wrong.
The people behind the Viper Father were actually seven third-tier powerhouses!
The Viper Father was selfish and narrow-minded—to prevent sharing rewards, he would never hire so many third-tier experts!
Haibao immediately used inspiration perception. He had awaited the Viper Father's reinforcement for so long that he'd forgotten to check their identities.
"You..."
Therefore, if a Lamp Keeper was killed, it definitely indicated special circumstances.
However, before he could speak, dark flames suddenly ignited on Chen Qi's fist as he threw a punch, heavily striking Haibao's abdomen.
"Lamp affinity! You're from Bonfire Company!!"
Haibao used 'Iron Body' to withstand the blow, spitting out blood, and immediately reacted.
Yet, to Chen Qi's surprise, after being attacked, they offered no resistance but rapidly fled the area while shouting continuously.
"Damn it!"
Haibao exclaimed loudly, pulling a crescent-shaped harmonica from his pants:
"Brothers, we've failed! Summon the god! Let them experience divine fear!"
"God???"
Chen Qi looked up in confusion.
Although the Sea God Pirates worshipped some ancient monsters, 'sea beasts' they called gods remained exceedingly rare.
As a mournful harmonica sound echoed, the entire island instantly experienced catastrophic upheaval and began continuously rising.
Boom! Amid tremendous wind sounds, in the darkness, it seemed as though a giant hand reached out, quietly grasping Bluefire Island's lighthouse and extinguishing it.
The next second, their Viper Father also shattered into pieces because it emitted light.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The previously bright island rapidly plunged into darkness as everyone on the island panicked.
Chen Qi looked up. Twelve crimson eyes stared down at them from the sky like twelve bloody moons.
"Is this the hand-difficulty monster from the Deep Sea Hunters' treasure map?"
Chen Qi blinked.
The Deep Sea Hunters had categorized their treasure map difficulties into fingers, eyes, hands, feet, body, and perilous brain.
Deep Sea Hunter, are you sure you don't need to use feet against this monster?