42: Chapter 42 Cancer Recognizes Its Master, Its Foundation Surges

The instant the scream erupted, Lu Changyuan was already the first to rush out.

The mine shaft was narrow and long, surrounded entirely by incompletely excavated Cold Iron Ore walls, making it impossible to perform ordinary escape techniques. However, because of this, the monster hiding in the dark was also unable to fully stretch out its massive body.

Lu Changyuan lowered his posture and rushed into the deepest section of the collapsed mine shaft, almost hugging the ground.

In the next instant, a massive dark-blue shadow violently crashed out from a fissure on the left.

Boom!

Half of the Ore wall shattered on the spot, and a large amount of Cold Iron Ore, mixed with silt-like black sand, flew in all directions. Lu Changyuan only had time to block with his sword horizontally before the sheer brute force jarred him back three steps, plowing two deep grooves into the rocky ground beneath his feet.

Once the flying rocks settled slightly, everyone could finally see the creature's full appearance.

It was indeed a crab.

But this crab was astonishingly massive, its carapace as large as a small cottage. Its entire body was a dark blue, almost black, and its shell was embedded with dark silver Ore veins, resembling natural patterns left behind by Cold Iron repeatedly refined within its body. Its two giant claws opened and closed, their edges gleaming with a cold, metallic luster. With even a slight scrape, they struck harsh sparks against the Ore walls.

The strangest part was its eyes.

Within the crimson ferocity, there was not just beastly instinct.

There was also a deeply suppressed wariness.

"Black-Armored Giant Crab..."

Leng Feng blurted out.

Having traversed the sea for many years, his experience was naturally broader than others, but as soon as he spoke, he immediately furrowed his brows. "No, that's not right. An ordinary Black-Armored Giant Crab is at most at the Peak of the Second Order. It's impossible for one to grow to this stage."

Lu Changyuan could naturally see this as well.

This thing was no ordinary sea beast.

It was more like it had occupied the depths of a Third Order Cold Iron Ore Vein for many years, constantly devouring Cold Iron Ore Essence and the aquatic baleful qi within the mine, forcefully cultivating itself into an exotic variant.

Leng Feng suddenly recalled something and whispered, "When the Seventh Elder and the others came to mine last time, this mine shaft hadn't collapsed yet—back then, there was a natural rock shell at the deepest part of the cave that completely sealed this hidden crevice. The scouts back then thought it was a dead end behind the rock shell, so they didn't dig any deeper. Thinking about it now, that layer of rock shell was probably cracked by the vibrations from mining, allowing this giant crab, which was originally sealed in the deepest depths, to crawl out."

No wonder even the mystic ice spirit-breaking crossbow couldn't pierce it.

This was essentially a living set of Cold Iron heavy armor.

Seeing that the crowd had blocked the mine shaft, the Black-Armored Giant Crab did not pounce immediately. Instead, it shifted half a step sideways, firmly blocking the deepest crack behind it. Its two giant claws slowly rose, the edges of its shell scraping against the rock surface, making a low, harsh grating sound, as if issuing a warning.

Lu Changyuan's eyes flashed.

It was not purely running wild.

It was protecting whatever was behind it.

"Lu Hu, test it from the front. Don't fight to the death, just force it to show its hand," Lu Changyuan barked.

"Yes!"

Having newly broken through to Foundation Establishment, Lu Hu was harboring a bellyful of frustration. He immediately raised his saber and charged out violently. Utilizing the narrow mine shaft, he stepped onto the side wall and swept down diagonally, his saber light like lightning as he aimed straight for the joint of the Black-Armored Giant Crab's left claw.

The Black-Armored Giant Crab reacted extremely fast, violently raising its left claw to meet the attack head-on.

Clang!

A piercing metallic screech exploded inside the mine cave, leaving everyone's eardrums buzzing. The long saber in Lu Hu's hand vibrated violently, the web of his thumb splitting open instantly. However, a half-finger-deep white mark was finally carved into the joint of the Black-Armored Giant Crab's left claw.

It could be hurt.

But it was incredibly tough.

Before Lu Hu could change his stance, the giant right claw swept toward him. That brute force was even more ferocious than when it had smashed open the Ore wall earlier. Lu Hu took half the blow head-on and was instantly sent flying, his back crashing heavily against the rock wall. A sweet metallic taste rose in his throat, and blood immediately spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Yet the Black-Armored Giant Crab did not pursue. It merely retreated to its original position, once again blocking the crack.

It was as if it were guarding its nest.

Lu Changyuan stopped letting everyone fight recklessly. He waved his hand and said, "Take half a step back to give it a false sense of security."

The crowd immediately dispersed according to the order.

Lu Changyuan himself slowly stepped forward, compressing the true essence in his palm into several thin, sharp water lines that silently slid along the ground toward the underside of the Black-Armored Giant Crab's abdomen and the bases of its walking legs. Those were the few places where the giant crab's shell was thinnest, and also the spots it had instinctively protected most just now.

Sure enough, the Black-Armored Giant Crab sensed the danger. It suddenly lowered itself and sheared its giant claws horizontally.

The moment it bent down, Lu Changyuan's eyes turned freezing cold.

"Now."

A sword light suddenly flared.

He transformed almost into a white shadow, forcefully slipping through the gap between the two snapping giant claws. The long sword in his hand did not strike the back carapace, but instead stabbed directly into the joint connecting the Black-Armored Giant Crab's right front leg and its abdominal shell.

Pfft!

This strike finally drew real blood.

The dark-blue shell seam was pried open on the spot, and deep blue beast blood sprayed out violently. The Black-Armored Giant Crab let out a sharp screech, its entire massive body crashing backward frantically, causing loose rocks to tumble down from the crack behind it.

Yet even after being injured, its first reaction was still not to charge and kill, but to block the crack even more fiercely.

Lu Changyuan did not pursue after landing. He merely raised his hand to stop Lu Hu and the others who were about to pounce, squinting as he glanced at the crack.

There was no scent of any young beast inside.

However, there was an extremely strong scent of Cold Iron Ore Essence.

This Black-Armored Giant Crab had likely treated that lump of Ore essence in the deepest depths as its very lifeblood.

Lu Changyuan's thoughts spun, and he suddenly flipped his hand to take out several monster cores.

These were all Foundation Establishment sea demon cores left over from the previous major battles, brimming with vitality and water-attribute spiritual energy. He did not throw them all out at once, but chose one with the most stable spirituality and tossed it right before the Black-Armored Giant Crab's feet.

The monster core rolled, making a soft clinking sound as it bumped against the Ores.

The Black-Armored Giant Crab was clearly taken aback.

At first, it fiercely raised its giant claws as if to smash the monster core to pieces, but in the next moment, the instinctive greed in its eyes surfaced uncontrollably.

It devoured Cold Iron, and it also devoured flesh and blood essence.

A monster core of this grade was also highly nourishing for it.

Lu Changyuan stared at it, his voice steady and cold. "Take one more step forward, and you die."

"Retreat, and I will tear apart your nest."

"Stay and submit to me as your master. I will ensure you have a constant supply of Ore to feed on, and I will even let you guard an even larger nest on the island."

The corners of Lu Hu's and the others' eyes twitched.

Negotiating with a monster that was tearing people apart just moments ago—if anyone else did this, they would seem absolutely insane.

Yet the Black-Armored Giant Crab actually seemed to understand a bit.

Its crimson eyes dithered back and forth between Lu Changyuan and the monster core at its feet, its claws opening and closing indecisively, clearly struggling.

Seeing this, Lu Changyuan simply tossed out a second monster core.

Meanwhile, the true essence in his palm did not slacken. Instead, drawing upon the dense water-attribute spiritual qi in the mine cave, he quietly condensed a thicker layer of binding water pressure, gradually enveloping the Black-Armored Giant Crab. This was not meant to crush it to death immediately, but to let it know that if it did not bow its head, the next step would not just be an injury.

The Black-Armored Giant Crab clearly grew restless.

It first lunged forward half a step, as if still wanting to fight to the death with brute force. But the moment it stepped forward, Lu Changyuan's layer of water pressure suddenly tightened, directly crushing its walking legs down and forcing its carapace three inches lower.

At the same time, Lu Hu, Leng Feng, Shi Jian, and over ten other Foundation Establishment cultivators dispersed, blocking all the mine shafts it could possibly escape through.

There was no way to retreat.

Fighting offered no guarantee of victory.

The Black-Armored Giant Crab's shell heaved violently several times, before it finally, slowly lowered itself.

It first devoured the monster core at its feet in one bite, then raised a giant claw, extremely slowly and tentatively pressing the tip of its claw to the ground.

It was not an attack.

It was submission.

Yet Lu Changyuan did not let his guard down immediately.

Exotic sea beasts were the most adept at feigning surrender, especially creatures like this that had only recently developed intelligence. Once given an opportunity, they would turn on you faster than anyone.

He approached directly to a dangerously close distance, his Divine Sense pressing down like a blade against the edge of the Black-Armored Giant Crab's Sea of Consciousness. The Black-Armored Giant Crab instinctively wanted to struggle, but the wound on its underbelly and the heavy pressure around it made it impossible to rise. In the end, it could only emit a low, muffled cry, slowly sending out a wisp of Divine Soul fluctuation mixed with its life-source aura.

Lu Changyuan seized it, using his true essence to brand it with a master-servant imprint.

Only when the imprint was truly secured did he finally let out a breath.

It was done.

At this moment, everyone could clearly feel that a firm bond had been established between this fierce beast and Lu Changyuan.

Lu Hu was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. "My Lord, if this thing blocks the city gates, even a Foundation Establishment sea demon would probably end up with a battered head!"

Leng Feng also showed a rare look of joy. "With it guarding the mine, this Cold Iron Ore Vein will be much more secure in the future."

Lu Changyuan, however, did not immediately lose himself in this unexpected pleasant surprise.

He looked through the crack that the Black-Armored Giant Crab had cleared, and indeed saw a fist-sized, condensed white lump of Cold Iron Ore Essence in the deepest part. No wonder it had stubbornly refused to retreat; it was guarding the lifeblood it had nurtured for many years.

Lu Changyuan did not take the lump of Ore essence. He merely had someone note its location, planning to arrange for it later.

He was currently more concerned about another matter.

Just now, when he subdued the Black-Armored Giant Crab, the currents of the entire ocean trench seemed to have grown slightly heavier than usual.

It was as if something deeper and further away had been disturbed by the commotion here.

At the exact instant this thought crossed his mind, the Black-Armored Giant Crab suddenly raised its head and let out a low, urgent screech toward the deeper parts of the mine cave.

It was afraid.

Lu Changyuan's eyes suddenly narrowed. Just as he was about to listen closely, a low, incredibly muffled rumble suddenly echoed throughout the entire seabed.

That was not a cave-in.

Rather, it was like some ancient colossus blowing its first horn in the deepest depths of the ocean.

Rumble...

The mine walls trembled, loose rocks fell in showers, and the currents within the trench, which had been relatively stable, suddenly became chaotic. Even a distinct tremor could be felt beneath everyone's feet.

Lu Hu's expression shifted. "My Lord, this commotion isn't right!"

Lu Changyuan had already spun around. "Evacuate the mine cave and return to the island immediately!"

No one dared to delay. Tending to their injuries, they quickly retreated with the newly subdued Black-Armored Giant Crab. But even though they rushed out of the mine cave at the first opportunity, the seawater outside was no longer as calm as when they had arrived. Undercurrents surged and crossed frantically in all directions, and the entire sea region seemed to have suddenly come alive.

Lu Changyuan looked back at the pitch-black ocean trench.

Only to see a massive shadow seemingly gliding slowly through the darkness of the deeper depths.

It did not reveal itself.

Yet it caused even a fierce beast like the Black-Armored Giant Crab to lower its shell, not daring to move even a fraction.

Lu Changyuan's heart suddenly sank.

The unusual movements from the Dragon King Palace's side were likely starting to affect the entire Outer Sea.