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

Chapter 98 The Man Above Thousands of Roots

Under the dim blood moon.

Hissing steam enveloped the entire platinum armor.

The moment the words left his mouth, the jetpack behind the Platinum Knight suddenly activated, his speed skyrocketing as he charged straight at Winston's face.

His body ripped through the sky, causing the air to emit a shrill, mournful shriek.

"What an impatient little fellow."

A faint hint of mockery flashed in Winston's eyes.

The next moment, his body suddenly disappeared from the spot and appeared not far behind Carles as if by teleportation, while saying.

"Did he deliberately choose to make his move on a dark moon night because he lacked confidence in his own strength, or...?"

"Are you also waiting for that fruit to ripen?"

Upon hearing this, Carles simply smiled faintly.

“Even a lion will use all its strength to fight a rabbit.”

"I will naturally choose the most opportune moment to strike, minimizing casualties among my men."

"As for the fruit you mentioned... what's wrong with picking it casually?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he openly admitted his intentions, his words brimming with confidence in his own abilities.

Then, Carles roared towards Winston once again.

Winston's figure kept flashing and teleporting in the moonlight.

Strangely, no matter how fast Karl-Heinz was, he couldn't touch the man with blood-red hair and blood-red eyes.

"too slow."

"With that kind of slow speed, you think you can hit me?"

Under the blood-red moonlight, Winston's mocking voice rang out continuously.

Seeing this, the vampires below were greatly encouraged.

In a corner of the battlefield, Fei Ya couldn't help but show a hint of worry on her face.

After all, they are both third-tier secret path practitioners, and the other party has the home-field advantage of the Blood Moon Secret Realm.

It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious.

But at that moment, Duran chuckled and said, "That vampire bastard is going to lose."

Fei Ya was a little confused. Judging from the current situation, Winston should clearly have the upper hand, right?
Noticing his gaze, Duran kindly explained, "Do you know why the Federation only sent one third-tier expert, Lord Knight, to handle this incident?"

"Isn't it because there are other factions within the Federation that are dominated by vampires?"

"...Ahem, that's certainly one of the reasons."

After coughing twice, Duran looked up at the Platinum Knight with awe and admiration.

"The more important reason is... the adult is very strong! Strong enough!"

"Ok?"

Feiya was stunned for a moment. Before he could ponder the meaning of those words, the battle situation on the high ground suddenly changed.

"I've seen through your little tricks completely."

Karllas looked up at the blood moon high above and muttered to himself, "Using moonlight for short-distance teleportation does have some merit."

"But conversely, if you block out the moonlight, you will have nowhere to escape."

clang--

A deep, resonant sound, like the tolling of a great bell, suddenly emanated from the chest of the platinum armor.

"Ring the bell once."

"Push the lever to start the piston and pump!"

A massive amount of white steam rapidly expanded outwards from the center of Karls' body, replacing the blood-red moonlight.

clang--

"Sound the bell twice."

"Press the button to start the engine..."

In the sacred steam, gears, levers, pistons... numerous mechanical structures operate at maximum power, converging into a magnificent hymn.

clang--

"Ring the bell three times."

"Sing in unison, praise the god of steam and steel!"

At that moment, Carles and Winston's bodies were completely enveloped in a large cloud of steam, with violent and surging power flowing within it, sweeping across like a storm.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Immediately afterwards, Winston’s angry and pained roar came from the steam.

Below the castle, both the vampires and the survivors of the Blood Hunters watched the battle in mid-air with shocked expressions.

Occasionally, crimson lightning flashed in the steam.

Occasionally, a sound can be heard as the steam is compressed and then bursts.

Two different and terrifying secret forces clashed and fought in ways they could not comprehend, amidst the hazy steam.

The aftershocks of the battle alone were enough to shake everyone to their core and fill them with unease.

"This... is this a battle between third-tier Mystic Path practitioners?"

Veteran second-tier secret path practitioners like Elisa and Loren witnessed this scene.

They also had to admit that this kind of battle, which was almost at the "domain" level, was beyond their ability to intervene.

In no time at all.

The two in mid-air looked as if they had fought hundreds of times.

With a roar, Winston's figure escaped the dissipating steam.

His body was covered in burns, and his abdomen was ripped open with a large, bloody hole.

Even as these injuries continued to heal under the blood moon, his demeanor was far from the elegance and composure he had displayed moments before.

On the other hand, Karl-Rayle maintained the same posture as before, with not a single tear on his platinum armor.

Which one is strong and which one is weak is clear at a glance.

"Right now, you look like a clown."

Karlless chuckled, "Could it be that your secret profession is [Acrobat]?"

"you……"

Winston felt extremely angry and ashamed.

But what's even more humiliating is that he seems to actually be no match for this living steam armor.

Now, there's only one way to deal with this guy!

A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he made a strange hand gesture.

"By the Crimson Lord! In the name of Winston Jaeger..."

As soon as Winston spoke, the vampire patriarchs below reacted immediately, also beginning to chant ancient incantations. "This is bad! They intend to banish the Platinum Knight just as they banished the Faceless Shadow!"

Some survivors recognized the secret technique used by the vampires and their expressions changed slightly.

"exile?"

A red light flashed through Carles' goggles, and at the same time, a strong alarm sounded from the steam core.

He looked in Winston's direction, about to rush up and interrupt the spell.

Suddenly, the blood moon in the sky opened its eyes!
The gaze of the Crimson Lord fell upon Karles.

"Farewell, foolish knight."

As the dark crack opened beneath the Platinum Knight's feet, Winston revealed a smug smile.

However, this was accompanied by the roar of the steam core.

The knight forcefully broke free from the Crimson Lord's oppressive aura, unleashing astonishing speed and grabbing Winston in front of him.

"Haha, come with me on my journey!"

Winston was both shocked and furious, but he couldn't break free from Carlley's iron grip.

"Hiya, catch it!"

Before being swallowed by the dark rift, Karlless even had time to throw a special steam core at Phia.

Immediately, the two figures disappeared from everyone's sight.

The vampires and the survivors were stunned at first, then they fought fiercely together again.

……

……

After a while, the world was spinning.

Carles and Winston regained their sense of the outside world almost simultaneously.

Upon seeing the plains of flesh and mud all around them and the shattered sky above, the two of them were both stunned.

"What the hell is this place?"

But soon, they saw each other not far away, and their expressions changed simultaneously.

A new round of fighting immediately began, with trash talk pouring out.

"Old man, where the hell is this? You resort to dirty tricks when you can't win, huh?"

"You can die all you want, but you're dragging me down with you?!"

"Death!"

"I will fight with you!"

However, before the two had been fighting for long, giants made of mud and flesh began to rise one after another in the surrounding plains.

These monsters pose little threat to third-tier Mystic Path users, but the problem is...

They can't be killed!
Moreover, as the scale of their battle expanded, the number of flesh giants increased, and their size grew rapidly, quickly reaching a level that even third-tier secret cultivators found troublesome.

Left with no other choice, Carles and Winston had to temporarily cease hostilities and maintain a superficial alliance.

"So, what exactly is this place?"

Karl Rice looked coldly at Winston and sneered, "Aren't you the most senior vampire in the Blood Moon Realm?"

"You don't even know this? No way!"

Winston's face stiffened, then he said, "I'm not the most senior vampire."

“The truly powerful members of our race have long since left this secret realm.”

"Otherwise, what makes you think you, a mere third-tier Mystic Path practitioner, can be so arrogant?"

Carles laughed and said, "Anyway, I can beat you."

"Oh, by the way, the reason you're not leaving isn't because your talent is too poor and you won't improve outside, right?"

"Or are you greedy for the power of the strongest in this secret realm and want to hide here forever?"

The more he spoke, the uglier Winston's expression became.

If I weren't outmatched by this steam knight, I would have fought him to the death long ago!
The two bickered as they advanced across the bloody plain.

Before long, some towering shadows that pierced the sky in the distance caught their attention.

Carles asked in surprise, "What is that?"

"Could it be..."

Sensing the aura emanating from those things, Winston looked thoughtful.

He thought of the deep red ancient tree standing in the Red and Black Castle.

Combining this with some legends about the "Land of Exile," he vaguely guessed the truth.

However, Winston clearly had no intention of sharing such important information with Carles.

The two moved extremely fast, and in just a few breaths, they could vaguely see the true forms of those shadows.

They were like tree roots.

On it, there are blood vessel-like veins, moving in a regular rhythm.

What's even stranger is that these roots, which sprouted from all over the plain, are now growing in the same direction.

The roots, whether thick or thin, long or short, weave and entwine in mid-air, like a great net woven by fate, giving off an indescribable sense of sacredness.

"Wait, isn't there someone over there?"

Suddenly, Carles tilted his head back and said somewhat uncertainly.

"……Um?"

"How could there be anyone else here besides us?"

Winston instinctively retorted.

But when he looked up, his eyes widened and his breath almost stopped.

What a breathtaking scene this is!

There, amidst countless intertwined and clustered roots, the vines formed a throne-like seat.

A dark and profound figure sat upright on it.

Beneath Him hung countless empty, lifeless roots, as if they had all been sacrificed to this figure.

Even the profane flesh below seemed to be awed by His majesty, quietly lying dormant beneath the earth.

Above His head was a shattered and chaotic sky.

The starlight, so distant and unreachable, was drawn through the cracks in the sky and fell upon His body, making His aura even more eerie and profound.

Between one breath and another.

All the roots vibrated in unison with Him.

Faced with this sight, even third-tier Mystic Path practitioners like Winston and Carlless couldn't help but be dazed and lost in thought.

Ughhhhhh, why can't I write 10,000 words a day?!

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(End of this chapter)