Witch, I'm really not an ancient god of the deep sea!

Chapter 430 Advancement to the Fifth Rank, Herding the Sea!
The flames of daylight blazed brightly, illuminating the world.

Wearily, Chen Qi sat atop the near-shore overlord and sailed toward an unnamed, abandoned island in the Moonstone Islands.

"Dawn has broken..."

Chen Qi raised his head and looked at the sun high in the sky.

The entire sea, which should be at dawn, should be a bright color.

However, due to the pollution from the A-level rift, a faint black mist permeated the distant sky, giving the entire world a heavy wasteland tone.

A gentle breeze blows by, and you can feel a steam-like hot air.

As expected, another A-rank rift is about to be born on the sea... Chen Qi muttered to himself.

A single A-order rift is enough to cause drastic changes to a region, bringing about unprecedented ecological changes.

The superposition of multiple Class A cracks will cause a complete and drastic change in the ocean's ecosystem.

The ocean will soon no longer be the ocean I know... Chen Qi thought silently as he sat atop the head of the near-shore overlord.

boom!
Suddenly, a loud bang interrupted his thoughts.

The near-shore overlord, oblivious to its surroundings, let out a mournful howl and gently swayed its tail, causing waves tens of meters high to rise from the sea.

"Okay, it doesn't hurt anymore, it doesn't hurt anymore..."

"The near-shore overlord is still just a child who can get lost..." Chen Qi said, casually conjuring up a fish bait.

Immediately afterwards, he leaped from the head of the near-shore overlord to the abandoned island in front of him.

"The ruins of the Hammer Witch, on this ordinary little island?"

Chen Qi looked at the small island in front of him.

On the land before us, we can see remnants of oil and abandoned steel machinery.

Clearly, this was once a special place for refining high-end materials.

Suddenly, a small figure emerged from the crevice amidst the steel ruins.

Its round, jelly-like body is tied with a bow and wears a top hat—

"Wakuwaku (Honorable master, please follow me!)"

Is this the elegant butler water sprite? Or perhaps the maid water sprite? Chen Qi stroked his chin, looking at the water sprite number seven in front of him with suspicion.

Water Sprite No. 7 still has love for its owner in its eyes, but it also shows obedience and admiration for Big White Fur!

For some reason, Chen Qi felt inexplicably uneasy.

While he was busy with various things, Big White Hair quietly stole one of his water sprites.

And in the end, they successfully trained the innocent Water Sprite No. 7 into an obedient butler Water Sprite.

It must be admitted that Big White is indeed Big White, with extraordinary charm.

You know, no one else could possibly steal even a single water spirit from him, who has an affinity for the deep sea!

Now, Water Sprite No. 7 seems to have completely transformed into the shape of a big white fur.

"Okay, number seven."

Chen Qi didn't say much, and followed the butler, Water Sprite, towards the center of the island.

Water Sprite No. 7 opened a hidden door in the basement.

After climbing a hundred steps, Chen Qi finally arrived at a pitch-black room.

This is the restored temporary workshop... Chen Qi gently stroked the wall in front of him.

The walls were a jet-black metallic color and incredibly smooth.

The entire Rift Workshop is like a giant black box.

Upon closer touch, one could even feel their own spiritual energy being absorbed… Chen Qi lowered his hand from the cold wall:
"Big White Fur, are you there?"

His spiritual senses told him that the entire black box was empty, containing nothing.

Click!

"..."

Time seems to have frozen again... Chen Qi is too tired to even complain.

Because of the special nature of the Great White Fur, for it, occasionally activating Time Freeze is as simple as drinking water.

Suddenly, a white-haired witch tiptoed and quietly appeared behind him, her silver hair brushing against his face. Then she turned around and smiled slightly at him.

"hey-hey--"

For some reason, the big white-haired creature let out a wicked grin.

She then went to the center of the abandoned Rift Workshop, took out a mysterious match engraved with magical runes from her wormhole backpack, and fixed it in mid-air.

Finally, place a stool on the table, pour a cup of black tea, take out a lighter, and light the match.

Click!

Time began to flow again.

Chen Qi cooperated with his performance, his eyes widening slightly, revealing a surprised expression.

Suddenly, without any warning, a light suddenly shone from the empty black box!
As the light gradually expanded, an extremely elegant white-haired witch appeared, sitting in a chair and looking at him tenderly.

"When did you come?"

Chen Qi spoke slowly and deliberately, his face filled with disbelief.

The Ice Witch took the black tea from Water Sprite No. 7 and took a small sip:
“I’ve always been here, Little Blackie. I’ll appear before you whenever you need help.”

"..."

"I've got it for her..." Chen Qi thought to himself.

The Ice Witch snapped her fingers:
"Alright, the ceremony is about to begin. Assistant, bring the operating table over!"

"Okay, teacher..."

Behind Chen Qi came a weak, hoarse female voice.

The little crow, whom we hadn't seen in a long time, slowly descended the steps, carrying a simple folding bed and a medical kit.

The little crow... Chen Qi turned his head to look at the crow that walked past him.

The last time I saw the little crow, it was already very sick.

At this moment, the little crow had shed her former attire; she was now dressed in a black doctor's gown, and a thorn collar could still be seen around her neck.

This thorn collar is a mental calming relic that the Ice Witch obtained from some unknown ruin.

The little crow itself has already advanced to the fourth-tier Calamity Messenger, but its current physical condition is not as good as when it was at the third tier.

Even when dressed in heavy black clothing, one could still see numerous scars on his skin from drug treatments, beatings, and self-inflicted wounds.

"start……"

The little crow had disheveled hair, a hunched back, and an extremely gloomy demeanor. Due to its inferiority complex and fear of infecting others, it didn't even dare to look Chen Qi in the eye.

The little raven who once dreamed of becoming the king of pirates has been devoured by illness.

The affliction of the Black Blood Poison caused her unprecedented suffering.

Chen Qi pressed down on the little crow's head, looked directly into its reddened eyes, and said:

"Little crow, we already have a way to cure the blood of the black whale."

Oh, and we also got a Rift weapon, Abyssal Remnant, which is perfect for your Calamity Messenger class..."

The treatment method, the Abyss Remnant... The little crow paused for a moment.

"Yes, little raven, but it all depends on you, on your research into the Abyss Flower!"

"That's what the Ice Witch said."

Although they have obtained the Flower of the Abyss Sea, what they possess is only a possibility. There is still a long way to go before they can completely resolve the issue of the Black Whale Blood.

In fact, she had already given the Abyss Flower to Fen and Little Raven for research, hoping to find a way to mass-produce the Abyss Flower and to develop a special medicine that could cure Black Blood.

Although Fen inherited the knowledge of the Flower Witch, she severely lacked research on marine ecology, and her theories on deformity disease and deep-sea disease were also insufficient.

The little crow can make up for these shortcomings.

Perfect complementarity!
If the two of them collaborate, it could greatly accelerate the research process for effective drugs.

However, it seems that their relationship isn't good at the moment, and they have communication problems... The Ice Witch rested her chin on her hand, sighed, and said:
"Alright, little crow, we should get down to business. Today is the day of Qi's ascension, and we can't afford to make any mistakes."

"Teachers! Thank you for your trust! I, a sinner who has nothing, will do my best!"

The little crow placed its hand on its chest and said excitedly.

She stepped forward and placed the operating table under the flames burning in the air.

The torment of illness... Chen Qi stepped forward and looked at the flames lit by the Ice Witch.

His gaze was involuntarily drawn to the light of the flames!

The flame burning in the air, though faint, radiated immense spiritual power. At the same time, within the light, some peculiar phenomena faintly appeared—

In the light, Chen Qi saw him and Fen heading to the Golden Flower Bird Kingdom to see their parents and celebrate the New Year together!

He didn't have the aura of the deep sea, but rather came from the underground city of the Blackblood Empire. He fought his way up and eventually obtained a ring that housed the Blackblood Ancient Emperor. With the help of the ring, he became an S-class bounty hunter!
He met him at the academy in the White Tower Federation, studied with Ann, came into contact with the magic network together, possessed unlimited spiritual power, completed the highest level spell exam, and became a legendary figure of the White Tower Academy!
"What's this……"

Chen Qi blinked, feeling his consciousness becoming somewhat blurred.

The Ice Witch replied briefly:
"The B-class lamp phase rift that has been contained, the little match girl."

A little match girl will appear in the crack, light a match, and ask you your wish.

Once a corresponding wish arises in your mind, a terrifying illusion will appear based on that wish and devour you.

Essentially, it is a sub-crack in the image of fate.

Chen Qi pressed on, asking:
"A lower-level rift in the image of fate?"

The Ice Witch said with a smile:

"In some cases, many seemingly small cracks actually lead to a larger crack; they are interconnected and interdependent."

The image of fate I rely on is such a powerful rift, an ancient rift that transcends even A-rank!

A flicker of excitement flashed in the Ice Witch's eyes as she gently placed her fingertips on the flame:

"And this crack, the little match girl, is the crack you need to connect to today."

The warm firelight shone on Chen Qi's face.

The light bulb cracked... Chen Qi nodded.

With the help of the rift weapon 'Blade's Wrath' provided by the Ice Witch, he obtained a spiritual power source far exceeding that of ordinary legends, thus gaining the foundation to fight against saints.

Ultimately, however, the Blade's Wrath is merely a weapon, a counterfeit imitating the power of a saint.

"Qi, please lie down..."

Above the little crow's shadow, black bubbles wriggled, and shadowy hands appeared, taking out various equipment from the medical kit.

After being promoted to Messenger of Calamity, the little raven has gained the power to manipulate shadows.

He lay down... Chen Qi paused for a moment.

He didn't say much, and then took a deep breath.

His heart started pounding.

Next, this B-rank lamp phase rift, radiating boundless spiritual power, will connect with his body!

In this simple basement, on this seemingly ordinary little island, he is about to reach a new rank!

He will truly stand at the crest of the wave, stirring up this chaotic tide!

Chen Qi lay down silently and closed his eyes.

Everything around him turned dark, but he could still feel the warmth of the flame.

The little crow said:
"Do you need anesthesia? It will hurt a little..."

The Ice Witch replied:

"No need. Anesthesia will reduce perception and hinder the connection between the body and the crack."

No anesthesia needed!
Chen Qi closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He felt a burning sensation in his chest.

This feeling is like being torn apart by a chainsaw!
Amidst his groans, Chen Qi's body flushed slightly as the Blade's Fury was extracted from his body. Simultaneously, a horrifying ten-centimeter-long gash was ripped open across his chest.

The Ice Witch activated Time Freeze, moving the little crow away.

"Preparations complete—"

Chen Qi stood up again, took out the Herdsman class card, and forged it with his blood—

It's time to unleash the full power of this Saint class card!

The Shepherd's card slowly melted, and an immense power surged forth!

The cramped, abandoned workshop in the crack was instantly melted, causing unimaginable tremors!

The power of storms and the sea is raging.

The room was filled with a constant stream of seawater and storm, washing over every inch of his body.

In an instant, every inch of my body was filled with intense pain.

Heavy and enormous, ferocious and brutal!

This immense power even caused his muscles to writhe, like a centipede crawling, undulating like waves, and surging like a tsunami—

Your constitution has increased by 10 points.

Your strength has increased by 10 points.

Chen Qi saw a constant stream of notifications about increased strength and physique appearing before his eyes. His blood began to change, and his heart pounded violently—

Then, his spiritual power began to burn unconsciously, transforming into scalding burning blade energy, burning layer upon layer!

The entire abandoned Rift Workshop rumbled and groaned, absorbing this immense power.

If it weren't for these massive anti-magic crystals constantly absorbing this power, the surging waves would have destroyed the island in an instant.

This force no longer affects the physical body, but rather his soul and the source of his spiritual power!
In an instant, the brain that wakes up at dawn is infused with boundless knowledge.

In that instant, it was as if he had experienced decades of learning.

From a shepherd boy to encountering giant, black goats, to practicing herding knowledge on the high seas.

Storms, the sea, enslavement, herding—

A constant stream of knowledge flashed through his mind, challenging his understanding!

Fortunately, this period of time was short, and he quickly recovered from the intense pain of this knowledge shock.

The transformation of power and knowledge has already begun.

Chen Qi was panting heavily, and pus was continuously flowing from his pores and mouth.

After promotion, many substances in the body will become impurities.

Next, we need to absorb the source of spiritual energy and digest this power!
In the room submerged by the storm and waves, Chen Qi raised his powerful right arm, reached out, and touched the flame amidst the storm and waves—

The flame materialized from the crack in the B-order lamp phase!
Chen Qi stretched out his blood-covered hand, gripped the flame tightly, and slowly placed it into his heart.

Slowly place it in—

The runes above the Rift Workshop suddenly lit up, putting him and the flame in a state of resonance.

However, despite the power of the Rift Workshop, even the slightest movement of the flames still caused a strong pain!

But at the same time, he also felt his own soul vibrate—

In that instant, his heart was no longer the source of his spiritual power!

A massive crack was branded onto his blood.

Blood boils, spiritual energy surges!

Moving even one centimeter requires exhausting all of one's strength and takes several hours!

If he moves even slightly faster, his blood will burst out of his body, destroying his flesh and blood!
Throughout history, many powerful figures have perished at this very point.

Amidst the waves and storm, the Ice Witch sat on a stool, holding a pocket watch, her eyes fixed on the scene before her.

She must ensure that, in the instant an accident occurs, she can activate time freeze to correct the situation.

And so, the sun and moon revolved—

Chen Qi was like a statue in the midst of a wave, constantly absorbing this enormous power.

Little by little—

Little by little, the flames drew closer to his heart—

Thirty hours later, he was soaked in sweat and his body was trembling uncontrollably.

In the Crack Workshop, the surging seawater and storm gradually subsided.

"call--"

"call---"

Chen Qi slowly exhaled a long breath. His consciousness was already blurred, and his frail body was riddled with holes from being washed by the sea.

He lowered his head, and a blazing flame burned on his chest, branding his body.

Although his body was covered in wounds, he felt incredibly strong, with spiritual energy within him so concentrated it was almost unbelievable!

The spiritual energy field itself is enough to cause a storm.

And finally, an incredibly exciting notification appeared before his eyes.

【Traveler, you have advanced to the fifth tier of Lampheart Transcendent—Sea Shepherd!】

(End of this chapter)