81: Chapter 81 A Loli Hatched

Countless sharp sword Auras transformed into a deadly rainstorm, completely enveloping the forty-two whalers from Japan.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Magic-based and ranged Class Transferees lacked effective physical blocking methods; their fragile cloth or leather armor was as good as nonexistent in the face of sword Auras containing terrifying penetrating power.

Someone tried in terror to take out life-saving defensive scrolls or instant-use items from their storage rings or storage bags, only to discover in despair—

"What is going on?! The storage space won't open!"

"Baka! My scrolls! I can't take anything out!"

"It's spatial interference! The spatial energy in this sea area has been completely locked down!"

"Damn it! What kind of hellish Aura effect is this?!"

"Quick, find the caster! We can only stop it if we kill them!"

The deadly sword Auras did not pause for a second. Amidst the hissing sounds of penetration, the bodies of several mages, warlocks, and priests were pierced by dozens of sword Auras simultaneously! Their eyes widened, their faces frozen in expressions of disbelief, terror, and frustration as their life force rapidly dissipated, turning into wisps of blood mist in the deep sea. Until their deaths, they failed to cast a single decent defensive or counterattack skill.

"Use what you have on you! Hurry!" the captain roared, his eyes splitting with rage.

These experienced whalers usually kept some key scrolls on them to deal with emergencies. At this moment, the survivors reached for the tactical pouches, armbands, or inner pockets at their waists.

"Binding Scroll!"

"High-Tier Detection Scroll!"

"True Eye Anti-Invisibility Scroll!"

Rays of light from scrolls of various colors lit up in the chaotic camp as they were forcibly activated.

However, under the 90% extreme deceleration caused by [Frost Erosion], those control-type scrolls that required flight trajectories or energy diffusion (such as Binding, Freezing, Vine Entanglement, etc.) became as slow as a turtle. The released magical energy drifted slowly toward the target, only to be easily avoided by Ao Qingyan, whose speed had been increased tenfold, with a simple sidestep or acceleration.

As for the detection ripples released by the detection and anti-invisibility scrolls, they swept across the vast sea area with a radius of one hundred kilometers, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean; they couldn't capture any trace of the effective caster—Lin Muyang's true form was far away in a cave nearly one hundred kilometers away!

The [Peerless Sword Formation] released by Ao Qingyan lasted for a full ten seconds. When the light of the sword formation slowly dissipated, seven mangled corpses were already floating in the seawater, and the remaining survivors were all wounded, blood seeping from their wounds and staining the surrounding seawater red. Every person's face was filled with shock, fear, and a deep sense of helplessness.

Having completed this round of surprise attacks, Ao Qingyan did not linger in the slightest. Her white-clad figure flickered, and she retreated at an astonishing speed, quickly widening the distance. In the distance, Succubus Maiden Elabess also withdrew her Aura, quietly hiding into the darker background of the seawater.

"It's a pity they had magic immunity scrolls; it kept me from showing off properly." Succubus Maiden Elabess complained to Lin Muyang through her thoughts, her tone tinged with a trace of regret. In this battle, her [Black Hole Vortex] had been resisted by the opponent using precious scrolls, so it didn't really get to perform.

"It's enough," Lin Muyang replied calmly. "Someone will send them on their way."

The actions of Ao Qingyan and Succubus Maiden Elabess had a very clear purpose: to create chaos, attract attention, and enrage the Frost Blue Whale that had been hunted down all along!

When intense combat fluctuations and the screams of companions came from behind, that epic-grade behemoth, which had previously only cared about fleeing, was finally thoroughly enraged! Its massive body halted abruptly in the seawater, and then, it slowly turned around.

Those huge, ice-blue eyes, which had previously been full of panic, were now replaced by violent crimson and boundless rage! Having been hunted by this group of "little bugs" for so long, it had long been bottling up its anger. Now that it saw them in chaos, the time for revenge had arrived!

"Roar——!!"

A low whale roar, seemingly capable of shattering souls, carried a terrifying shockwave of Frost energy and exploded outward with the giant whale as the center! The seawater instantly condensed into countless ice crystals.

It opened its massive maw, which seemed capable of swallowing an island, like a moving abyss, and charged and swallowed toward the chaotic team of whalers with a swiftness that belied its massive body!

"Scatter! Scatter quickly!" the captain ordered, his heart splitting with terror as he shrieked.

However, with a 90% movement deceleration, how could "scattering" be easy? Their movements were as slow as a movie in slow motion.

The Frost Blue Whale's massive body crushed over them like a mountain. Every time its giant maw opened and closed, it could swallow several whalers who couldn't dodge in time, along with their shields and broken equipment, into its belly! Or they were struck by its side or hit by its tail fin, resulting in broken bones and tendons on the spot, turning them into meat paste!

Screams, the sounds of bones cracking, and desperate roars mixed together. The originally disciplined whaling team completely collapsed, and the survivors tried to flee in all directions like headless flies.

But the deceleration effect made them living targets. The Frost Blue Whale only needed to swing its body to easily catch up, followed by merciless devouring or strikes.

In just a few minutes, that sea area turned into a bloody slaughterhouse. Crimson blood spread in large patches, and fragments of broken equipment and human tissue slowly sank. The Class Transferees swallowed into the whale's belly could not withstand the extreme low temperature and highly corrosive digestive environment within its body, losing their lives completely within a few seconds.

The seawater was filled with a heavy Aura of death.

Just as the Frost Blue Whale vented its anger and crushed and swallowed the last few survivors, its giant crimson eyes finally locked onto the only target in this sea area, besides itself, that was still emitting a clear "sense of presence"—that white divine dragon emitting a pressure that made it feel palpitations, as well as the purple-black figure faintly visible in the distance.

It realized that these newly appeared "little bugs" seemed even more dangerous than the previous group!

However, before it could make its next move, Lin Muyang's Aura effect had already quietly shifted targets.

Deceleration! Attack reduction! Defense reduction!

Various powerful debuff effects, like invisible shackles, were instantly cast upon this epic-grade behemoth that had just finished venting its anger!

The Frost Blue Whale's massive body sank abruptly, its movements suddenly becoming sluggish, and the defense of the thick layer of whale skin on its body surface, which was condensed with ten-thousand-year ice, seemed to be invisibly weakening. It let out a roar mixed with shock and anger, and ice-blue energy rapidly condensed in its mouth, wanting to launch a counterattack.

It was at this moment that Lin Muyang gave the final command to Ao Qingyan.

"Qingyan, finish it off."

Ao Qingyan, who had long been prepared, saw a brilliant light erupt in her cold dragon eyes!

"Aooo——!!"

A dragon roar, even higher and more majestic than the Frost Blue Whale's roar, resounded through the deep sea! The twenty-meter-long snow-white divine dragon she had transformed into had light flowing across her scales, and her dragon might was released without reservation! In this deep sea, the natural pressure brought by the divine dragon bloodline caused many ocean monsters that sensed it from afar to instinctively shrink back.

In her Divine Dragon form, all of Ao Qingyan's attributes increased tenfold! Her already terrifying base attributes reached a height that would make peers of the same level despair.

Facing this level 139 epic-grade behemoth with extremely abnormal defense stats (Physical Defense +320%, Magic Defense +377%, 47% damage block when attacked), the 90% armor-piercing effect provided by the [Corrosion Power] Aura perfectly stacked with the "high armor penetration" trait inherent to the [Peerless Sword Formation]!

In Ao Qingyan's perception, the thick defense that this behemoth was so proud of was now almost as good as nonexistent!

She gripped her dragon claws in the air, and the seawater within a radius of several kilometers seemed to receive a monarch's summons; countless high-pressure water blades instantly condensed and formed, emitting sharp whistles, and following the trajectory of her dragon claw swing, they turned into a destructive torrent tornado, rushing wildly toward the Frost Blue Whale!

This was no longer an ordinary skill, but the natural power invoked by the divine dragon bloodline, fused with the essence of her own sword Aura!

The extreme cold breath that the Frost Blue Whale had hastily spewed out was torn apart and annihilated the moment it collided with the water blade torrent! Countless water blades containing terrifying penetrating power slashed fiercely at its massive body!

-388,450! -421,190! (Critical Hit!) -405,670! -367,880!

[part:deepseek-chat]

Even though the Block effect was triggered, reducing nearly half the damage, the remaining number was still terrifyingly high! The thick ice armor and whale skin covering the behemoth's body were easily sliced open. Deep, bone-exposing wounds continuously appeared, and ice-blue blood gushed out like a fountain, dyeing vast swathes of the ocean a bizarre blue-red hue.

The Frost Blue Whale let out a pained cry of agony. It wanted to retaliate, to flee, but its movements were sluggish under the multiple slowing effects, and its counterattacks were feeble due to the attack debuffs. It had become fish on the chopping block, forced to passively endure the dragon's storm-like assault.

Three minutes later.

As the final wave of water blades, imbued with draconic majesty, pierced through the core of its head, the light in the eyes of this Level 139 epic-grade Frost Blue Whale, once the overlord of this stretch of sea, completely faded. Its colossal body, nearly a hundred meters long, lost all strength and began to slowly sink towards the deeper ocean floor.

The battle was over.

Ao Qingyan dismissed her dragon form, reverting to the appearance of a maiden in white. Her breath was slightly uneven, but her eyes remained clear and calm. She drifted back to the vicinity of the cavern where Lin Muyang was.

Watching the slowly sinking corpse of the giant beast, Lin Muyang gained a clearer assessment of his team's combat power.

"A conventional team of Class Transferees around level 130, even if well-prepared, no longer poses a threat under the suppression of multiple Auras," he mused inwardly. "I just wonder, what level have those Nation-Guarding Level powerhouses truly reached? How would they compare to this epic beast?"

Curiosity aside, there were more important matters at hand.

He activated his [Mind Control] Aura. An invisible force caught the sinking corpse of the Frost Blue Whale, dragging it to a seabed silt plain about fifty kilometers from the incubation cavern, and gently set it down.

This treasure-laden giant corpse quickly attracted the attention of numerous monsters in the surrounding waters. All sorts of bizarrely shaped sea creatures and monstrous fish, emanating greedy Auras, swam out from the darkness, attempting to partake in this sudden "feast."

However, what awaited them were Ao Qingyan and Elabess, lying in wait.

Sword energies and shadows easily harvested these monsters blinded by greed. Their deaths provided a continuous stream of experience for the two women's Origin Skills.

Lin Muyang even activated a God-Tier [Preservation & Freshness] Aura on the whale corpse to prevent it from decaying too quickly, allowing it to serve as "bait" for a longer period.

"Blue Star continues to expand, with oceans far vaster and deeper than land. In these seemingly boundless depths, encountering two powerful monsters of this caliber isn't actually easy," Lin Muyang remarked with a sigh, while monitoring the activity within a thousand-kilometer radius of ocean through his [Monster Detection] Aura. He had to remain highly vigilant to prevent any more terrifying entities from being drawn by the blood or energy fluctuations.

During the previous intense battle, he had briefly deactivated the [Void Body] Aura to release certain specific area-of-effect skills, causing everyone's clothes to become soaked with seawater. After the battle ended, Lin Muyang activated a [Rapid Drying] Aura. A warm current swept over, quickly restoring everyone's clothes to a dry state.

However, during the drying process, a certain someone's fleeting glance, carrying a hint of regret, was caught by the keen-eyed Elf Princess.

"Hmph!" Lilia placed her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and glared at Lin Muyang with her large emerald eyes. "Big Brother Lin Muyang! Your gaze is so impure! Were you thinking something improper?"

Lin Muyang withdrew his gaze and looked at her with a serious expression. "Lilia, you seem rather idle? Since you're so energetic, how about swimming a hundred laps around that whale corpse to train your stamina and swimming skills?"

"Huh? No! Absolutely not!" Lilia's face instantly fell. She shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum and immediately clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. "I'm sorry, Big Brother Lin Muyang! I didn't say anything just now!"

Seeing her mischievous yet swiftly cowardly demeanor, Lin Muyang couldn't help but smile. In the profound, desolate depths of the ocean, having such a live wire causing occasional commotion wasn't exactly boring.

Thus, the idle Elf Princess, once again under Lin Muyang's "coercion" and her own "half-hearted resistance," began her "Dark Mage" vocational experience course. The cavern intermittently echoed with her pretend-whimpers and pleas for mercy, alleviating the oppressive atmosphere brought by the deep sea.

...

Time flew by amidst cultivation, vigilance, and occasional play.

The seventh day at sea.

Deep within the undersea volcanic cavern.

The gold-and-red phoenix egg hovered in the center of the boiling seawater. The flame patterns on its shell had brightened to their peak, as if molten lava flowed within. Charred black cracks began to spread and crisscross across the eggshell's surface.

Lin Muyang stood cloaked in invisibility not far away, his gaze fixed intently on the eggshell. Elabess, Ao Qingyan, Lilia, and Elena had long since ended their cultivation. Gathered beside him, also cloaked and holding their breath, they watched the giant egg that had accompanied them for seven days with rapt anticipation.

Within the cavern, the [Blazing Domain] maintained a temperature exceeding 1,200 degrees Celsius. The seawater churned violently, but everything remained under the Aura's control—scorching yet stable.

"Crack..."

A faint yet distinct crisp sound broke the cavern's silence.

Then came a second, a third... Cracks rapidly spread like a spiderweb across more than half of the eggshell!

A cluster of intensely brilliant golden flames, like the first ray of dawn, shot out fiercely from one of the cracks! Immediately, more golden flames surged from various fissures, intertwining and merging, forming a dazzling, ever-burning and rolling golden fire cloud around the eggshell!

Within the fire cloud, the temperature was unimaginably high, instantly vaporizing the surrounding boiling seawater to create a vacuum zone.

Then, at the heart of that pure and sacred golden fire, a pair of enormous golden pupils, carved as if from the purest amber, slowly opened.

Initially, the pupils held a trace of newborn confusion, but soon, clarity and liveliness replaced it. These beautiful eyes began to curiously, yet with a hint of wariness, shift their gaze, surveying the cavern illuminated by the flames and the deep, azure unfamiliar world beyond the fire.

The hearts of everyone in the cavern involuntarily beat a little faster.

The golden fire cloud began to slowly draw inward. The light was no longer as piercing, becoming soft and warm. The flames, like living silk, folded layer upon layer, gradually outlining a curled-up, petite humanoid silhouette.

Finally, all the flames converged completely into that humanoid form, like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea.

The light dissipated.

What appeared before everyone was a girl who looked no more than twelve or thirteen years old.

Her figure was petite and delicate. Her skin was fair, almost translucent, yet tinged with a healthy rosy glow. A cascade of dazzling golden hair, like flowing gold, fell smoothly, nearly reaching her ankles, with the tips seemingly still flickering with tiny golden sparks. She seemed naturally clad in a faint golden gossamer garment, condensed from the purest flame energy, faintly visible and outlining her slender form.

The girl sat curled up in the half-broken eggshell, looking somewhat bewildered. Unquenched golden flames still danced at the edges of the shell. Behind her, a pair of illusory, ornate, and exquisite wings, composed of pure flame energy, gently stretched once before obediently folding back.

She lifted her small face. Those signature, large eyes, like molten gold, looked curiously yet with a touch of timid shyness towards the direction where Lin Muyang and the four maidens were hidden. Her gaze was pure and flawless, yet contained an innate nobility and fervor, like a newborn sun—warm and dazzling.

Utterly captivating, yet faintly radiating an inviolable majesty.

The Phoenix Heavenly Maiden had finally hatched!