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

Chapter 524 [The Throat of the Abyss]

The crew members were silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Joey gripped his staff, a determined smile spreading across his face: "Then let's set off, Captain!"

Vivian gently stroked the hull, her life energy flowing: "The Black Swan is ready."

Carles started the engine, his mechanical voice steady and powerful: "The route is locked, we can set off at any time."

Xia En took a deep breath and glanced at each crew member.

"This time, we may face unprecedented danger."

"But no matter what, we will face it together."

He turned and looked out the porthole at the endless sea of ​​stars.

"set off!"

The Black Swan's engines roared, its hull trembled slightly, and then it transformed into a streak of light, bursting out of the purple space.

……

……

After traversing several secret realms, the Black Swan finally arrived at the outer area of ​​the Abyss Throat.

The sight before them made everyone hold their breath.

There are no stars, no bands of light, and not even the usual void turbulence here.

There was only an endless expanse of darkness, like the open throat of a giant beast, devouring all matter and energy that approached.

In the heart of the darkness, a massive vortex could be faintly seen, slowly rotating.

It exudes a chilling sense of oppression.

"That's the entrance to the [Throat of the Abyss]..."

Xia En murmured to himself.

But to his surprise, he felt an indescribable attraction from that darkness.

just like……

It was as if something within it was calling to itself!
Moreover, the being that called out to him seemed strangely familiar?

Xia En frowned slightly, focusing intently on sensing that peculiar attraction.

"Captain, what's wrong?"

Joey noticed his unusual behavior and asked with concern.

"Can you feel... something calling to us from the abyss?"

"Shane asked in a low voice."

The crew members looked at each other and shook their heads.

Vivian said softly, "I only felt a strong sense of repulsion, like a biological instinct resisting danger."

"strangeness……"

Xia En rubbed his temples: "It seems that only I can hear that voice."

Just then, the five runes in his body suddenly lit up simultaneously, especially the purple rune representing [Secret], which shone exceptionally brightly.

A previously encrypted memory suddenly unlocked in my mind—

That was a fragment he inadvertently glimpsed when he obtained the [Hidden Stone Tablet]:
A blurry figure stood at the edge of the abyss, holding a seven-colored shimmering light in its hand...

"Could it be..."

Xia En suddenly realized something and immediately ordered, "Full speed ahead, head straight for the center of the vortex!"

"captain?!"

"The energy readings there have exceeded the safety threshold!" Carles exclaimed in shock.

"Believe me."

Xia En's gaze was firm: "There are people we must see there."

Seeing that Xia En was so insistent, the crew members were puzzled, but they still carried out the order.

The Black Swan adjusted its course and headed towards the center of the dark vortex.

As the distance closed, the surrounding spacetime began to distort, and the ship groaned under the strain.

Outside the porthole, strange colors appeared in the originally dark void, twisting and flowing like spilled paint.

"The spatial structure is disintegrating!"

Joey reported nervously.

"keep going."

Shaun stood at the bow of the ship, with five runes forming a protective barrier around him.

Just as the ship was about to reach its limit, a crack suddenly appeared at the center of the whirlpool—

A dazzling seven-colored light burst forth from it, instantly enveloping the entire ship!
In a dizzying moment, Xia En felt his consciousness being pulled into a strange space.

This place is like a kaleidoscope, constantly changing, with countless fragments of memories flying all around.

In the center of the space stood a figure that haunted his dreams.

"Laila?"

"Shane called out in disbelief."

The figure in front of him slowly turned around, and that familiar face almost made Xia En's heart stop beating.

This girl, who once fought alongside him and made a promise in the City of Giant Trees, ultimately sacrificed herself to save the Seven Seas World.

She was standing right in front of him, a gentle smile on her lips.

But Shane soon noticed something was wrong.

Lyra's body was semi-transparent, surrounded by seven-colored light, clearly not a physical entity.

This isn't the real you.

Xia En's voice was somewhat hoarse: "Is it some kind of projection? Or a fragment of memory?"

Lyra gently shook her head: "To be precise, they are fragments of consciousness preserved by the [Hidden Laws]."

She raised her hand, and seven runes of different colors appeared at her fingertips. Six of them were bright and dazzling, while the last one was dull and lifeless.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Shane.”

Xia En's tone was complicated: "Have you finally regained your memories?"

"And could it be that you foresaw all of this?"

"not quite."

Leila's gaze deepened.

"After leaving the Seven Seas World, I lost all my memories and was only able to obey the control of the God of Blind Fools."

"But at a certain moment, the [Law of Time] within me suddenly awakened, allowing me to glimpse a corner of the future."

Her figure flickered slightly, like a candle burning in the wind.

"I saw the Black Calamity descend, the Secret Sea collapse, and countless worlds vanish into nothingness..."

"And I see you too, Shane, standing at the crossroads of fate."

Shane stepped forward urgently: "Layla, tell me what to do? How can we stop all of this?"

Leila shook her head: "There are no fixed answers. The future is like a fog, changing every moment."

"But what I can tell you is that the [Endstone] is not an inanimate object; it has its own will."

She raised her hand, and the dim rune floated in front of Shane.

"When all six runes are gathered, the seventh will appear. But the key lies in..."

Laila's voice suddenly became intermittent, and her figure began to blur.

"What's the key?"

Xia En pressed for an answer.

"The key lies in... sacrifice..."

Lyra struggled to maintain her form.

"The true essence of [Domination]... lies in making choices... You must..."

Before she could finish speaking, her figure vanished like a bubble in the seven-colored light.

"Laila!"

Xia En reached out as if to grasp something, but only grasped nothingness.

The surrounding kaleidoscope space began to collapse, and his consciousness was forcibly pulled back to reality—

"Captain! You're finally awake!"

Joey's voice reached my ears.

When Shane opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the deck of the Black Swan, with the crew members anxiously surrounding him.

"Where...where are we?"

He propped himself up and looked around.

Outside the porthole, the distorted darkness was gone, replaced by a strange sight—

Countless shattered landmasses floated in the void, some covered in ice and snow, some burning with flames, and others covered in metal ruins.

These landmasses are connected by rainbow-like energy bridges, forming a vast and chaotic network.

"According to the coordinates, this is the interior of the [Throat of the Abyss]," Karlis reported.

"It seems we... have passed through that vortex."

Xia En stood up, sensing the changes within his body.

The five runes floated quietly in the sea of ​​consciousness, but the connection between them seemed to have become even stronger.

In particular, the [Hidden Runes] emitted a faint pulse, as if guiding something.

"Captain, look over there!"

The string music suddenly pointed into the distance.

On the largest floating landmass, stands a jet-black obelisk, its surface entwined with blood-red patterns.

Even from this distance, I could still feel that suffocating sense of oppression.

"【Chaos Stele】..."

Xia En murmured.

But at the same time, the runes within his body emitted a warning vibration—

That stone tablet has been defiled!
"Everyone on alert!"

Xia En shouted sharply, "Something is waiting for us there!"

As if to confirm his words, the void around the obelisk suddenly distorted.

Dozens of black warships slowly emerged, each exuding the unique corrupting aura of the [Filthy Fate].

At their center stands a colossal warship, comparable in size to a small city.

Its entire body is composed of writhing black matter, and its surface is covered with scarlet eyes, which are greedily staring at the Black Swan.

"That's... a projection of the true form of [Hui Si Ming]?!"

Vivian was pale.

"No, it's not the real body yet."

Xia En calmly analyzed, "But it's already very close."

He turned to the crew and rapidly issued instructions:

“Listen, our target is the Chaos Stone Tablet. We must seize it before the Filthy Fate corrupts it completely.”

"Carles, you are in charge of operating the ship's heavy cannons and launching a counterattack."

"Joey, String Song, Ghost Star, Ghost Moon, and Elder Marina, protect Vivian and Anne and clear out the approaching enemies."

"I will directly rush into the area where the stone tablet is located."

The crew members quickly got to their positions.

Shane then went to the bow of the ship, where five runes swirled around him, forming a dazzling armor of light.

"set off!"

The Black Swan sped off like an arrow toward the floating land.

The black fleet immediately opened fire, countless corrupting beams weaving a web of death.

The ship's spirit displayed amazing piloting skills, maneuvering nimbly through a hail of bullets, and even when occasionally grazed, it only swayed slightly.

"Thirty seconds until landing!"

Jane makes her judgment based on the distance.

Xia En nodded, his gaze fixed on the obelisk that was getting closer and closer.

He could sense two forces fiercely clashing inside the stone tablet—

One is the primordial, chaotic power, disordered and violent;
The other force is the corrupting energy of [Hui Si Ming], which attempts to completely pollute it.

"We need to hurry..."

Just as the Black Swan was about to land, an unexpected event occurred!
A jet-black energy beam shot out from the giant warship and struck the hull directly!

"Unable to avoid it!"

Carles shouted.

At the critical moment, Xia En suddenly leaped up, and the five runes shone brightly!
"[Law Barrier]!"

Gray, silver, black, blue, and purple intertwine, forming a giant shield in front of the ship.

"boom--!"

Amidst the deafening explosion, Shane was thrown back by the shockwave, but he successfully deflected most of the energy, saving the Black Swan.

"captain!"

Joey exclaimed.

"Proceed according to plan!"

Xia En adjusted his posture in mid-air and used [Void Shuttle] to flash continuously, rushing to the foot of the obelisk in a few leaps.

Upon closer inspection, this stone tablet is even more eerie than imagined.

The blood-red veins on the surface pulsate like blood vessels, constantly oozing black viscous fluid.

Around the base of the stone monument, hundreds of corrupted believers knelt, performing some kind of evil ritual.

"Go away!"

Shaen wielded the Blade of Destruction, and dark red lightning swept across, instantly clearing a space.

He strode forward and reached out to touch the stone tablet—

"boom!"

A surge of violent chaotic energy flowed down his arm and into his body, colliding violently with the five runes!
Xia En groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he did not let go.

“I know you are conscious…”

He gritted his teeth and said, "Listen, the [Filth God] is corrupting you, but I can help you!"

The stone tablet trembled even more violently, as if it were struggling.

Shaen continued, "I need your power to fight the [Black Calamity], but not in this way of being enslaved!"

"Give me a chance, and give yourself a chance too!"

Before the words were finished, a dark figure suddenly descended from the top of the stone tablet—

It was a humanoid creature covered in black crystals, with only a large mouth full of sharp teeth on its face.

"Shane..."

It emits a unique mixed sound characteristic of the [Hui Si Ming].

"You've come at just the right time..."

"It saves me the trouble of... going to find you..."

Shaen immediately retreated, holding the Blade of Destruction horizontally in front of his chest: "You've finally shown yourself."

"No...it's just...a container..."

The black crystalline humanoid figure grinned widely.

"But it's enough... to devour you..."

It suddenly sprang up, moving so fast that it left a blur!

Shane hastily parried, and the Blade of Destruction collided with the black claws, sparking dazzling flames.

"What a powerful force!"

He was knocked back several steps, and his arm went numb.

Even though Xia En's overall abilities have been soaring during this period, he still felt immense pressure when facing a formidable enemy like [Hui Si Ming].

The black humanoid pressed its advantage, tearing the space itself apart with its claws, leaving dark marks.

Shaen had no choice but to fight back with all his might, his five runes flashing in turn as he unleashed a variety of laws and abilities.

For a time, the two fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.

But Shane soon realized something was wrong—as the battle continued, the black humanoid was absorbing the energy of the Chaos Stele and becoming stronger and stronger!
He himself was constantly losing power as he resisted the chaotic erosion of the stone tablet.

"We must act swiftly and decisively..."

Xia En's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly changed his tactics.

"[Time Freeze]!"

The silver runes shone brightly, and everything around them froze instantly.

Even the black humanoid figure paused for a moment.

It's now!

Xia En unleashed the full power of the [Law of Destruction], gathering dark red lightning on the blade and thrusting it straight at his opponent's chest!

"Pfft!"

The Blade of Destruction pierced through the black crystal, and dark red energy surged into it wildly.

"it's useless……"

The black humanoid figure smiled eerily.

"This body... was originally a consumable item..."

And the next moment.

Its hands suddenly grabbed Xia En's arms, and the black crystals rapidly spread throughout Xia En's body!
(End of this chapter)