169: Midway and Ellie

It was only then that Jack suddenly understood what Han Huohuo had meant earlier; the compass had returned to normal, and he quickly directed the Black Pearl to avoid all monster passages.

The Black Pearl stayed far away from the waterway ahead, as countless monsters were now swimming towards Falling Star Valley.

Suddenly!

A blinding light illuminated the sky.

A monster unleashed a skill, opening its terrifying maw and spewing out Atomic Breath.

The light surpassed the sun!

It was extremely dazzling.

This power was too terrifying. Fortunately, Han Huohuo's Yin-Yang Eyes sensed the danger in advance. He slapped Northern Darkness's back, and Northern Darkness suddenly accelerated like a black lightning bolt, narrowly dodging the attack.

The Atomic Breath shot past Northern Darkness's side. The scorching airflow burned off the feathers on half of Northern Darkness's body, and Han Huohuo almost suffocated and fainted.

Then came Atomic Breath filling the sky!

Like New Year's fireworks, there was no longer any darkness in the sky.

Han Huohuo's Yin-Yang Eyes themselves became chaotic, completely unable to calculate, turning into a mess. When power reaches a certain level, all divine abilities are helpless.

Forget it!

Han Huohuo lay on Northern Darkness's back, closing his eyes and fighting for his life. "Charge! If I die, it's because of my bad luck!" The man and bird flew like lightning towards the final sea area.

Countless Atomic Breaths collided in the air, erupting with a doomsday-like sensation. The dark clouds were dispersed, and the sky was obscured by flames and thick smoke. This was ten thousand times more terrifying than a storm.

Even the air was atomized.

No matter if it was magic immunity or physical immunity, under atomization, all beings were equal.

It sounds slow when described.

In reality, it was instantaneous.

Fortunately, the powerful magnetic fields of the Atomic Breath interfered with and annihilated each other. Although the air was superheated, a tiny gap was left, and this sole path of survival allowed Han Huohuo to escape from a sure-death attack.

Even without being directly hit by the Atomic Breath, the sheer force of the explosion alone severely injured both Han Huohuo and Northern Darkness.

Immediately after flying over Falling Star Valley, Northern Darkness and Han Huohuo plummeted straight down from the sky.

The monsters chased to the outside of Falling Star Valley but could no longer advance, as if there was a barrier preventing their progress.

After terrifying roars, these Star Beasts, unable to cross the valley, slowly departed.

All of Northern Darkness's feathers were burned off, and he wobbled as he landed on an island behind the valley.

The man and bird fell onto the beach.

This was a small island, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, lush and vibrant, with dense vegetation everywhere.

An Elves girl with a longbow walked out of the forest and saw the unconscious Northern Darkness and Han Huohuo.

She was surprised: "Huh?"

She bent down to examine them and found that both of them were very resilient; although severely injured, they were still alive.

She extended her hand, releasing a soft green light.

Healing spell!

The green light flashed simultaneously on Han Huohuo and Northern Darkness.

Han Huohuo felt as if he had a dream, dreaming that he was thrown into a deep fryer, then pulled out with a fork. Startled, he suddenly woke up.

He opened his eyes and saw the Elves girl.

His eyes widened!

"You're awake? My name is Ellie. Where did you come from? Did you fly in from the Falling Star Sea?"

The Elves girl was extremely surprised. No one could fly over from the terrifying Falling Star Sea, but looking at Northern Darkness, whose feathers were almost completely burned off, and the severely injured young man, it seemed like the only explanation.

"Actually... we had a ship, but at the last moment, it was blocked by monsters, so I flew over."

Han Huohuo explained truthfully.

He was scared.

Very scared.

Because the Elves girl in front of him, no matter how he looked, had a distinct outline similar to the girl he saw in his illusion.

That girl's gentle "hello" had almost cost him his life.

Ellie nodded: "That makes more sense, but it's truly impressive that you managed to escape from the Star Beasts."

Han Huohuo smiled.

He glanced at the system.

Many messages had popped up earlier, and he hadn't checked them yet.

【Congratulations: You have received a reward for surviving a great calamity. You have survived a one-in-ten-trillion chance. You are rewarded with a permanent increase of one point in speed, which will help you escape faster in the future.】

One in ten trillion?

Cold sweat dripped down Han Huohuo's back. Was he really that lucky?

He touched the Lucky Rainbow hanging around his neck, knowing it was likely this item that had worked its magic.

Luck, usually useless, becomes a miracle worker at critical moments.

Han Huohuo was still shaken.

This reward was good. Speed is a fixed attribute for every Lord. Everyone starts with 5 points and it doesn't increase with leveling up. Han Huohuo's Ice Blade added 1 point, the research institute added 3 points, and now another 1 point, giving him 10 points of speed. When running, he was already as fast as a Royal Knights.

Of course, he couldn't compare to flying creatures like Northern Darkness and Dragons, but on land, he was almost the fastest.

Under the effect of the healing spell, his body quickly recovered.

Han Huohuo got up and looked around, finding the island very peculiar. It connected to shallow ocean beaches on both sides, with a river running through the middle, spanning east to west.

The seas on both sides were shallow, impassable for ships, but the river in the middle of the island was wide and deep, like a canal.

"Where is this?" Han Huohuo asked the Elves girl curiously.

Ellie smiled slightly: "This is called Midway Island, meaning the island in the middle. Beyond this island is the Elf Territory. I am the island guardian now!"

"Island guardian?"

"Yes, do you see that gate? No ships are allowed to pass here without the Elves' permission."

Han Huohuo stood up and looked towards the middle of the island, seeing a huge ship lock that cut off the canal.

Uh!

While Han Huohuo was in a daze, Northern Darkness next to him also woke up, finding all his feathers burned off, and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Han Huohuo quickly went over and hugged Northern Darkness's big head to comfort him: "It's okay, they'll grow back in a while."

Northern Darkness cried very sadly. He looked like a plucked chicken now, too ugly, and without feathers, he couldn't fly.

The more he thought about it, the sadder he became.

Just like a child.

Then he saw Han Huohuo's blackened face, which he almost couldn't recognize, and his mood improved slightly.

Soon after, the Black Pearl finally bypassed the Star Beasts and sailed into the Elf Waterway, arriving in front of the island.

"Is that your ship?" Ellie asked.

"Yes, can our ship pass through here to Boli Reef?" Han Huohuo asked.

"No! There's been too much happening in the Elf Territory recently, and the Grand Elder isn't allowing any foreign ships to enter."

Han Huohuo almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.

He had gone through so much trouble to reach the Elf Territory, and he still couldn't enter? Was he supposed to turn back to the Falling Star Sea?

Ellie was very gentle, but firm.