We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 101 A Gale at Sea! [The Profound Offspring]!
The sound of waves reached my ears.

A salty sea breeze swept across the deck, ruffling Shane's captain's uniform.

Similar to the previous promotion ceremony, he was now on the projection of the Black Swan.

However, the weather here is quite different from the bright and sunny day last time.

The sky was dark and gloomy, with low-hanging, overcast clouds.

A dark, hazy mist hung over the sea on both sides of the ship, and Xia En could even smell the lurking malice within it.

"They've come with ill intentions."

Xia En sighed softly, becoming extremely vigilant.

Although he spoke as if it were a casual matter, deep down he still attached great importance to the promotion ceremony.

On the other hand, they had the experience from the last promotion.

Xia En was somewhat aware that his promotion process seemed to be different from others.
Especially in terms of difficulty, it's ridiculously high!

at this time.

The waves at sea gradually grew larger.

Beneath the already pitch-black sea, a massive shadow gradually emerged.

The shadow, like a swelling and shrinking mass of flesh, enveloped the nearby sea. At its edges, numerous tentacles stretched and wriggled, resembling hundreds of waving limbs.

"hiss……"

Seeing this, Xia En's eyelids twitched slightly, and a strong sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

At the same time, several lines of information appeared before his eyes.

[Trial Mission:]

[Escape the seas where they reside, or endure their pursuit for 48 hours.]

[Mission failure is considered a failure if the participant dies or the ship sinks in the Secret Sea!]

[Note: Time flows at twice the speed of reality in this sea area.]

After reading this information, Xia En's lips twitched.

"Escape... Persevere..."

These words clearly tell him that confronting the beings beneath the sea head-on is almost an unrealistic endeavor.

However, what secretly alarmed Shane was the annotation about the flow of time.

"So this is the [Secret Sea]... It can even affect things at the level of time and space."

While he was organizing his thoughts...

The surrounding waves visibly increased.

Waves, one stronger than the next, began to surge in from afar, causing the Black Swan to rock violently in the wind and waves.

Some vague, faintly fearful emotions entered Shane's mind along the deck.

Even though it's just a projection, it still possesses some characteristics similar to Xiao Hei.

Are you scared?

"Don't be afraid, I am your captain, I will take you away from here."

Without hesitation, Xia En quickly walked to the helm and grasped the familiar yet unfamiliar steering wheel.

boom!
In an instant, his will swept across the entire ship like a tidal wave, spreading in all directions.

Deck, sails, masts, keel, steam turbines... these components, seemingly unreal, still steadfastly responded to his call and operated as always.

The captain's authority was beyond question, and at the same time, he bore the fate of the entire ship on his shoulders!
Xia En shouted the order: "Set sail! Forward!"

Deep within the ship's hold, the steam core roared, all the cannons began to turn, and the rising sails drew in the wind.

A loud blast of the ship's horn, mixed with a roar, echoed across the sea!

The Black Swan suddenly accelerated and rushed into the thick fog ahead, where no path could be seen.

Wow!

The next moment, a jet-black tentacle, thicker than a mast, emerged from the sea and slammed down on the Black Swan!
The tentacles were covered with suction cups of various sizes, and each suction cup seemed to have a moving eyeball on it.

Countless sharp teeth are spread along the edge of the eyeball.

The moment the tentacles appeared, a low, hoarse murmur echoed all around.

The murmur carried a blasphemous malice, and shadows materialized out of thin air within the whispers, causing Xia En to furrow his brow slightly.

However, due to the sudden surge in speed of the Black Swan...

The tentacle's strike missed its mark.

It only stirred up a huge, turbid wave on the sea surface.

However, Shane did not relax because of this.

Because beneath the dark seawater, even more tentacles, large and small, are emerging from the surface!
"It's only a second-tier advancement trial, and you're giving me this??"

Even with Xia En's strong mentality, he felt a little tempted to curse at this moment.

But now, there's no turning back.

Braving the winds and waves offers a glimmer of hope, while timidity and hesitation lead only to certain death!
Thinking of this, a fighting spirit surged in Xia En's heart, and he roared amidst the roaring waves.

"Fire! Bomb them to death!"

boom! boom! boom!
Upon receiving the captain's order, the cannons on both sides of the ship immediately began the first round of shelling.

—This projected ship is a complete replica of the current state of the Black Swan, and the ammunition on board is no exception.

In an instant, a thunderous roar echoed across the entire sea.

The shell whistled through the sky and landed on the nearest few dark tentacles at the end of its parabola.

These expensive and reinforced defensive cannons possessed considerable power, directly blasting the tentacles until their flesh tore open, oozing dark purple, foul blood.

The shells that missed their mark stirred up towering columns of water on the sea, causing the shadows beneath the surface to tremble slightly.

Regrettably.

The effects such as [Desecration] and [Contamination] attached to the shells are ineffective against the eerie tentacles.

This is mostly because their secret powers share some commonality.

After being wounded by the shells, the tentacles became increasingly agitated and emitted a frenzied, unsettling roar.

The sound was somewhat similar to the roar of the Deep Sea Fishman during the last promotion ceremony. Immediately afterward, some smaller but more agile tentacles emerged from the bow of the Black Swan, climbed onto the deck, and attempted to entangle the ship and slow its progress.

Seeing this, Xia En's gaze sharpened.

He knew that once the Black Swan slowed down, it was only a matter of time before it was dragged into the sea by the tentacles!

Without the slightest hesitation, Xia En drew his longsword from his waist, strode forward, and slashed at the tentacles on the deck.

A flash of sword light, and blood splattered.

Several broken tentacles fell onto the deck.

Those eyes, filled with teeth, stared fiercely at Xia En, but quickly lost their life.

[Obtained loot "Corpse of the Deepborn"]

[“Filthy crystals” detected inside the corpse. Should it be stored?]

"Descendants of a secluded place?"

"Is it the name of these tentacles? Or... the shadow beneath the sea?"

Normally, Shane might have been happy to obtain the [Filthy Crystal].

But right now, he doesn't even have time to absorb the [Filthy Crystal]!
On the turbulent, dark sea, more and more mysterious tentacles are sweeping towards the Black Swan!

……

……

At the same time that Xia En was undergoing the perilous and bizarre advancement ritual.

Inside the Blood Moon Secret Realm.

Several powerful individuals with impressive auras have also arrived in the main hall of the ancient castle, "Red and Black".

The leader was none other than the pale-faced, somewhat frail-looking Silvermoon Island governor—"Viper" Quinn!
At this moment, many vampire patriarchs were kneeling around him, gazing at the man with a complex mix of awe and unease.

They were all wounded and looked listless.

These are injuries sustained while fighting federal reinforcements and survivors.

With the assistance of the Federation, the overall strength of the Blood Hunters has become roughly equal to that of the vampires in the secret realm.

Although the previous attack on the castle was unsuccessful, it still caused considerable losses to the vampires.

They even killed the heads of two families.

However, after "Viper" Quinn led the Silvermoon Island Mystics to arrive.

The situation then reversed again.

The survivors were forced to scatter and flee, unable to confront them head-on.

But what puzzled the vampires in the secret realm was...

After arriving at the secret realm, Quinn did not seem to be in a hurry to wipe out the Blood Hunters, but instead gathered them in the castle first.

Despite the various gazes from the crowd, Quinn maintained a calm expression.

He looked at the coffin in front of him that belonged to Winston Yeager.

At this moment, the blood inside the coffin had completely dried up.

"It seems Winston is dead in exile."

Quinn smiled and turned to look at everyone in the hall: "In that case, I am the most ancient vampire here."

"Perfect timing, I have something important to announce to you."

This dismissive attitude clearly displeased some vampire patriarchs.

Valen Caller frowned and demanded, "Quinn, what do you mean?"

"Is it something to be thankful for that our ancestor died in battle?"

"Yes."

Under the incredulous gazes of the crowd, Quinn frankly admitted, "I have been waiting for this day for a long time."

"If he doesn't die, my plan will never be able to proceed."

"I have something to announce to you..."

"You must all leave the secret realm before the end of this Blood Moon Night, and the rumors about the Blood Moon Night will come to an end."

These words caused an uproar among the vampires.

They never expected Quinn to say something like that.

"Quinn, are you out of your mind?!"

Have you forgotten where your roots are?

"What right do you have to kick us out?"

The vampires who stay here are mostly conservative and stubborn. They have enjoyed the comfortable environment of the Blood Moon Secret Realm for so many years, so why would they be willing to leave so easily?

In response, Quinn calmly replied, "Decades ago, the Night of the Blood Moon did indeed attract a large influx of people to Silvermoon Island, allowing the island to grow stronger."

"But now, you old fogies are nothing but a burden on Silvermoon Island!"

“Every Blood Moon Night requires me to spend a lot of energy and money dealing with those outsiders. Not only do I have to kill them to cover it up, but I also have to be wary of their retaliation and the Federation’s attention.”

"And all I've done is let you rot and degenerate in this place day by day."

Quinn's gaze swept coldly over the crowd, and he sneered mercilessly.

“The outstanding and talented vampires have long since left this prison-like secret realm to venture out into the Seven Seas.”

"In the end, all that will remain are you stubborn old codgers!"

"Is there any need for such a Blood Moon Secret Realm to exist?"

Upon hearing this, the vampires' faces turned pale and then purple, yet they couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.

Lies won't hurt, the truth is the sharpest knife!

Quinn continued, "And this time, the Federation's intervention means that things have reached a point of no return."

"Once they do it once, they'll do it again."

"If you don't want the entire Silvermoon Island to be buried with you, it's not too late to end it all now."

(End of this chapter)