144: Chapter 144 Seven-Colored Deer Antler Coral

Xiao Kun led the way at a steady pace, its tail swaying rhythmically and its wings unfolding underwater like two pairs of silver-white gauze.

Lin Fan followed it, and Shen Shuang followed behind him.

The seawater grew deeper and the light dimmer, shifting from an inky blackness to total darkness.

Lin Fan's left eye began to heat up, and the contours of the seabed appeared in his vision—rugged rocks and scattered coral fragments.

Xiao Kun was uninterested in any of these; it swam straight toward the Rift Valley.

The entrance to the Rift Valley lay across the seabed like a massive scar.

The cliffs on either side were as steep as if they had been sheared off, covered in glowing coral—red, orange, and purple—resembling a starry sky in the darkness.

There were hot springs in the depths of the Rift Valley, and a dark red glow surged up from the valley floor, staining the seawater the color of blood.

Xiao Kun plunged into the Rift Valley, retracted its wings, and dove downward like an arrow.

Lin Fan gritted his teeth and followed. His Spiritual Power Shield began to deform under the high pressure of the deep water, letting out a creaking sound.

"Slow down!"

Shen Shuang's voice came from behind.

Lin Fan slowed down, and Xiao Kun also decelerated, glancing back at him.

The Rift Valley grew narrower, and the cliffs on both sides were almost touching.

The light from the hot springs grew brighter and the seawater began to warm, causing the pressure on the Spiritual Power Shield to actually decrease.

Xiao Kun stopped in front of a cluster of coral, its tail wagging rapidly and its wings spread as if pointing the way.

Lin Fan swam over and looked through the gaps in the coral cluster with his left eye.

Inside, there was a ball of light.

It was an eerie blue, brightening and dimming like a beating heart.

He pushed aside the coral branches and reached into the gap.

A crystal core the size of a fist was grasped in his hand.

This crystal core was eerie blue throughout, its surface covered in light patterns that ebbed and flowed like tides, each pulsation carrying the roar of ocean waves.

It was the heart of the tide!

Just as the corners of Lin Fan's mouth curled up, the silt beneath his feet suddenly shook violently.

The cliffs on both sides of the Rift Valley began to vibrate, and the glowing coral clusters swayed frantically.

The dark red glow of the hot springs suddenly extinguished.

A massive dark shadow rose from the silt, carrying a suffocating pressure.

It was a coral, but certainly no ordinary one.

Its main body was staghorn-shaped, with branches spreading out like antlers. At the end of each branch was a colorful flower, their petals shimmering with iridescent light in the darkness.

Its trunk was as thick as a water bucket, its surface covered in fine scales, with a dark red glow flowing beneath them.

The most terrifying part was its roots...

Countless root hairs extended from the trunk like octopus tentacles, writhing on the seabed and stirring up large clouds of silt.

Lin Fan's left eye heated up frantically as information surfaced in his vision.

[Race]: Seven-Colored Antler Coral

[Rank]: Rank 71

[Aptitude]: low-grade imperial spirit

[Attribute]: Water/Wood

[Status]: Awakened from slumber, extremely angry

[Evaluation]: Guardian of the deep-sea hot springs, feeds on tidal power, has slept in the Abyss Eye for hundreds of years. Possesses an extremely strong sense of territory and will fight intruders to the death.

Rank 71, low-grade imperial spirit.

An Armor Beast comparable to an Armor Saint. Only one thought remained in Lin Fan's mind—run.

"Run!"

Shen Shuang's voice came from behind; she was already swimming upward.

Lin Fan stuffed Xiao Kun into the Beast Pouch, fully activated his Spiritual Power Shield, kicked his legs hard, and rushed toward the surface.

The Seven-Colored Antler Coral behind them emitted a low hum; it wasn't a sound but a vibration of spiritual power that made the seawater tremble.

Its roots shot out like octopus tentacles, coiling toward Lin Fan and Shen Shuang.

Shen Shuang waved her left arm, and an ice wall condensed behind her.

The roots slammed into the ice wall, shattering it, and then lunged at the two of them again.

Shen Shuang took the opportunity to dash upward another large distance.

Lin Fan's Light Travel Step couldn't fully explode in the water, but his left eye predicted the trajectory of the roots, allowing him to dodge them narrowly.

On the surface, Yu Nian's expression changed drastically as he saw the bubbles and dark red glow surging from the seabed.

"Captain! What's happening down there?"

There was no answer, only the sound of churning seawater.

Shen Shuang was the first to break the surface. An ice wall condensed under her feet, and she stepped onto the ice to leap onto the inflatable boat.

"Start the boat! Fast!"

Yu Nian jerked the wheel, and the inflatable boat turned its bow.

Lin Fan followed closely out of the water. Just as his Spiritual Power Shield deactivated, Xiao Kun poked its head out of the Beast Pouch, spread its wings, and its small body actually dragged Lin Fan for a distance before landing on the stern.

"What is that?"

Yu Nian asked.

"Seven-Colored Antler Coral, Rank 71, low-grade imperial spirit."

Lin Fan showed a look of self-reproach.

"It's catching up."

Before he could finish his sentence, the sea surface exploded.

The main body of the Seven-Colored Antler Coral burst out of the water, standing three stories high. Its staghorn-like branches spread in the air, and its colorful flowers shimmered with an eerie light under the sun.

Its roots emerged from the water like countless giant pythons, coiling toward the inflatable boat.

The bone spurs on Shen Shuang's right arm sliced through two roots, but even more surged up.

Xu Tao clenched his Stone Fists and threw a sudden punch, smashing one apart.

Next, his right arm shield glowed with an earthy yellow light, enveloping the entire inflatable boat.

Yu Nian dove from the air, the lightning from his left arm blasting through two roots, while the poison mist from his right arm corroded several others.

"Head for the island! Its movement speed is slow!" Lin Fan shouted.

Yu Nian jerked the wheel, and the inflatable boat sped toward the nearest island.

The roots of the Seven-Colored Antler Coral pursued relentlessly, but its main body was indeed not fast. With every step forward, it had to pull its roots out of the seabed and re-insert them into the silt ahead.

The inflatable boat was faster, and the distance began to widen bit by bit.

But its attack range was too large.

The roots could reach up to a hundred meters. Just as the boat reached eighty meters, the roots caught up again.

A root entangled the railing at the stern, and Lin Fan instantly Armorized his left hand to cut it off.

Another root whipped toward Shen Shuang. She dodged to the side, but the boat was struck and tilted, allowing seawater to pour in.

"How much further?" Yu Nian roared.

"Five hundred meters!" Xu Tao shouted.

The roots became more numerous and dense.

The main body of the Seven-Colored Antler Coral had already chased them to a position three hundred meters from the island, its roots almost covering the entire sea area.

The ice walls Shen Shuang threw out shattered and reformed, then shattered again.

Yu Nian's lightning grew weaker; his spiritual power was nearly exhausted.

Xu Tao's Tortoise Shield was covered in cracks.

Lin Fan looked at the approaching island and then at the pursuing roots, his mind racing.

The roots were faster than the main body. The island was still two hundred meters away, but the roots would be able to entangle the stern in the next wave of attacks.

Shen Shuang and the others couldn't hold out any longer.

He took a deep breath, and the golden crystal in his left eye lit up.

Kingdom of Eternal Sleep.

A Dream Realm Domain fifty meters in diameter unfolded with Lin Fan at its center.

The moment the Seven-Colored Antler Coral's roots entered the Domain, their speed abruptly slowed as if they had fallen into a quagmire.

Its roots swayed frantically within the Domain, as if experiencing a nightmare.

Lin Fan didn't stop. Deep within the pupil of his left eye, two concentric circles rotated alternately—the outer ring dark gold and the inner ring eerie blue.

Dream-Weaving Era.

His body began to become transparent—not disappearing, but peeling away from reality and entering the gap between dream and reality.

The wildly flailing roots of the Seven-Colored Antler Coral passed through his body as if passing through air, causing no harm.

He moved freely through the Domain and appeared at the stern, grabbing the railing entangled by the roots and pulling with force.

The roots snapped at the sound.

"Go!" Lin Fan's voice sounded as if it were coming from far away.

Yu Nian jerked the wheel, and the inflatable boat burst through the surrounding roots and onto the beach.

Shen Shuang, Yu Nian, and Xu Tao jumped off the boat and dragged it onto the island.

Lin Fan was the last to go ashore. The effect of the Dream-Weaving Era was still ongoing, but his spiritual power was draining at a visible rate.

His face was as pale as paper.

The main body of the Seven-Colored Antler Coral chased them to a position fifty meters from the island and stopped.

Its roots writhed in the seawater, but it did not come ashore.

It could not leave the deep sea.

It could only emit a low, unwilling hum before slowly sinking into the water.

In the next second, Lin Fan's vision went black, and he completely fainted.