171: Octopus

Of course, Han Huohuo wasn't that smart; he deduced it backward. He first assumed the little girl was very powerful, and only then did he figure out the reason.

What truly frightened Han Huohuo wasn't his deduction, but the girl he met in the illusion.

She really resembled Ellie!

In short, this group of mysterious Elves was very strange. Based on the illusions he saw, these Elves were likely not even native to this planet.

Han Huohuo was not a fearless person; on the contrary, he was very cautious and decided it would be wise to tread carefully in this place.

Even the two male Elves he rescued earlier were unwilling to return with Han Huohuo, which was very problematic.

Clearly, they had some things they weren't saying.

Elves, a mysterious race, had secluded themselves in the Falling Star Sea, cut off from the world.

Surrounded by towering mountains and cliffs, there was only one waterway leading into a mysterious sea completely encircled by the Falling Star Sea.

The Falling Star Sea was like a moat for the Elf Territory.

The few Elves who occasionally emerged never spoke of what was inside, and no one knew what taboos existed within the Elf Territory.

Jack had already anchored the boat, and a few people jumped into the sea. The others fell into the water and swam towards the mountain, while Han Huohuo strolled leisurely on the surface of the sea.

You have to admit, the Wave-Treading Boots were still incredibly impressive.

Northern Darkness hid in the cabin, refusing to come out; the little guy felt he was too ugly now and didn't want to see outsiders.

Before long, the few soaking wet individuals and a dry Han Huohuo arrived at the foot of the mountain.

The mountain was impossibly steep, like a vertical sword, with both sides slick and wet—even monkeys couldn't climb it.

Fortunately, the Octopus's cave was at the foot of the mountain, so they didn't need to climb.

The shore was littered with chaotic boulders.

They leaped back and forth across the boulders until they reached the cave entrance.

The cave entrance was massive, visible from afar. The sound of water gurgled within, clearly indicating an underwater cavern connected to the sea.

A cold wind blew out from inside.

"Boss, I have a very bad feeling!" Zheng He stared at the dark cave, feeling a bit scared.

"Let's go. It's just an Octopus. With so many of us, there's nothing to fear!"

Han Huohuo was the first to enter the cave.

Inside was a deep, dark passage. The others followed Han Huohuo, entering in single file.

The cave was very dark.

Han Huohuo used magic to emit a light, illuminating the surroundings. The walls were slick and damp, covered in strange moss. They continued to grope their way forward. The brokenstones underfoot occasionally made faint crunching sounds, echoing in the vast cave.

"There's a draft!" Han Huohuo reminded everyone. There was likely more than one exit here; it was probably a complex, maze-like cave.

Han Huohuo gripped the Ice Blade in his hand, carefully avoiding the protruding stalagmites on the ground.

For once, he was at the very front, so he naturally had to be extra careful.

Faint footsteps came from behind him. Everyone had taken out their weapons, carefully observing their surroundings along the way.

Han Huohuo suddenly stopped, startling everyone.

"Look here!" Han Huohuo, who was leading the way, pointed at the cave wall.

Following the magic light beam, everyone saw that the cave wall was covered with strange indentations, like marks left by some huge suction cup.

"Be careful. We're probably in the Octopus's activity range now. We could encounter it at any moment."

Everyone's heartbeats suddenly quickened. These marks were too fresh; the surface mucus still reflected the light, and a fishy, salty smell filled the air, reminiscent of coastal reefs.

"This seems a bit off." Zheng He walked over, crouching down to examine the marks on the wall carefully. "The spacing of these marks doesn't look like an Octopus's... it's too messy, too irregular, isn't it?"

Han Huohuo looked closely.

The overlapping suction cup marks were indeed a bit strange; no Octopus would crawl like that.

"Let's go forward and see. Ellie said this Octopus might have mutated, and perhaps its tentacles are different from other Octopuses."

Before he finished speaking, a sudden splashing sound came from the distance. Everyone held their breath simultaneously, and Han Huohuo directed the magic light beam towards the source of the sound.

They took a few more steps forward.

The cave suddenly widened here, with an underground river spanning before them. The river water was inky black, and strange ripples spread across its surface. The magic light beam shone on the water, but the light was swallowed by the darkness.

It couldn't even penetrate the water's surface.

It was as if this place was the Falling Star Sea.

Having just emerged from the Falling Star Sea, they were still shaken, and seeing this sight made them all a bit timid.

"Boss, let's go back. The further we go in, the more panicked I feel. This doesn't seem like an ordinary Octopus," Jack said in a low voice.

Years of adventuring experience told him that unknown dangers lurked here.

Just then, the river water suddenly surged violently.

A massive dark shadow slowly rose from the water, its eight thick tentacles unfurling, each as thick as an adult's waist. The magic light beam shone on it, revealing its greyish-white skin covered in suction cups.

"Wait!" Hua Mulan had already taken out her spear, about to charge into battle, but Han Huohuo pulled her back.

Just then, the water churned, and six more identical massive dark shadows appeared, each with eight thick tentacles.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

This was one Octopus? Weren't these seven?

Then, using the magic light beam, they saw that the seven terrifying Octopuses were actually connected.

Conjoined Octopuses?

"Oh my god..." Jack gasped. Could this still be considered one giant Octopus?

Seven bodies, each with a pair of huge eyes, the size of basketballs, glowing eerie green in the darkness.

One of the Octopus's tentacles suddenly lashed towards the shore. Han Huohuo reacted extremely quickly, rolling to dodge it. The tentacle slammed heavily against the rock wall, sending brokenstones rattling down.

Then the seven Octopuses extended countless dense tentacles and lashed out together.

【Conjoined Octopus】: An evil beast formed by evil aura pollution, possessing seven lives, Tier 7!

【Combat Power】: Strength 180, Defense 90, Stamina 300, Intelligence 10.

【Special Skills】: Life-Link, all bodies share life; as long as one body is not dead, the other bodies will quickly revive. Giant, ignores morale debuffs. Darkness, strengthens itself after devouring.

【Drop】: Unknown

【Chance Drop】: Unknown

This was a Tier 7 creature, not so easy to deal with.

Han Huohuo especially noticed that this monster had a Life-Link skill; as long as one body wasn't dead, it would immediately revive.

"Retreat! Slowly retreat!" Han Huohuo shouted, simultaneously summoning two Apocalypse Tanks from his Armament Ring to block in front of everyone.

The huge tentacles smashed into the Apocalypse Tanks, and cracks immediately appeared on them.