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

Chapter 262 [Deep Sea Hunt] [The Curse of Filth]

A gentle, slightly cool, mysterious power gathered from every corner of the [City of Giant Trees] and entered Xiaen's body.

A single, isolated burst of secret power appears weak and insignificant.

But when they gathered together, they transformed into an unstoppable tidal wave, surging and churning within Xia En's body.

This is a gift from the entire [City of Giant Trees].

Xia En could vaguely sense the emotions of those tree people before their deaths.

There was despair, helplessness, and fear...

But there is also liberation!

In fact, from the moment these tree-people received the Seed of Corruption, their lives had already come to an end.

What remains are nothing but mindless zombies.

Many tree people only realize this in the final moments of their lives, which is why they show some gratitude and relief.

at the same time.

Several lines of text flashed across the panel.

[Overall Qualifications: 5.83 → 6.0!]

[Unlock Talent: Deep Sea Hunting!]

[Quality: Epic]

[Description: Effect 1: During "Deep Sea Dive," you can initiate one random "Deep Sea Hunt."]

[The projected body will descend into any location in the seven seas where the water depth is at least 500 meters, and will most likely encounter a "hunting target".]

[Effect 2: The rewards obtained from "Hunting Targets" will be increased by an additional 50%!]

"……Um?"

After reading this brief description, Xia En was slightly taken aback.

The specific abilities of this new talent are not difficult to understand.

It allows Shane to ignore distance and location, appearing directly in a random location in the deep sea in the form of a [projection body].

Compared to the previously unlocked [Submarine Anchor Point], it now features an additional "random" characteristic.

In other words, even if Shane only stays on the Black Swan, he can still go to the deep seas around the world every day to hunt sea monsters and explore ruins.

This greatly saved Shane the time he wasted searching for a diving location.

In addition, the second effect of this talent will further increase the speed at which Xia En improves his strength.

After a moment's thought, Xia En's eyes lit up slightly.

"The [Deep Sea Hunter] and [Deep Sea Devourer] classes are a perfect match!"

The secret path class 【Deep Sea Devourer】 increases its class compatibility by devouring giant beasts in the deep sea.

However, during this time, Shane was busy exploring the City of Giant Trees, so his rank advancement naturally slowed down.

The new talent 【Deep Sea Hunting】 can undoubtedly make up for this point well.

However, the element of "randomness" has both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that it allows you to hunt deep-sea monsters that are thousands of miles away and that you have never seen before.

The downside is that the strength and abilities of these "hunting targets" are all unknown.

They might encounter sea monsters that Shane is currently powerless against.

The "first encounter kill" scenario is highly likely to occur.

Moreover, unless you leave a [submarine anchor] at a new location, you will almost never encounter it a second time.

Therefore, it cannot be repeatedly conquered like large-scale dungeons such as [Coral City].

In general.

Xia En was quite satisfied with the new talent he gained from the Ship Soul upgrade.

While not as overpowered as [Ship Soul Synchronization], it is simple and practical.

Just as Xia En was carefully experiencing his own state.

The core area of ​​the [Giant Wood God], which had been completely burned, suddenly released a strange fluctuation.

Xia En's heart skipped a beat, and he looked in the direction from which the fluctuation came.

Although the form of the Giant Tree God dissipated in the flames, it still retained an extremely strong resentment.

The target of this vengeful spirit was not Yan Yan, but Xia En himself!
in a blink.

This lingering resentment came before Xia En, emanating a faint, angry, and venomous roar.

[You despicable blasphemer!]

You think you've won?

One day, our Lord will descend upon your world once more and utterly destroy it!

His roar sounded as if it came from a very distant place.

Interspersed among them were countless low, fine murmurs, as if a large number of malicious voices were surrounding Shane.

Moreover, an indescribable gaze, as if traversing immeasurable distances, was projected from the cosmos or the deepest ocean and landed on Xia En.

This moment.

A sudden roar echoed in Xia En's mind.

The roar was so intense, it seemed to overturn the entire world, shattering his thoughts.

At this critical moment, a sudden realization dawned on Xia En.

The resentment left behind by the Giant Tree God is like a medium connecting the Outer God with this world, and can also project a part of the other's power into this world.

no doubt.

The owner of that gaze was none other than the [Filthy Fate] from outside this world!
In less than a second, Xia En's consciousness was torn into countless fragments.

Intense pain permeated every corner of my soul.

Even before his eyes, numerous bizarre and fantastical illusions began to appear.

But the strange thing is.

Even though the experience was so terrible, Shane did not break down.

Those fragmented thoughts seemed to be glued together by some unique force, repairing themselves.

Although they will be torn to shreds in the next moment.

However, the repair speed can still barely keep up with the damage speed, and the two maintain a delicate balance.

At this moment, Xia En was like a small boat sailing through raging waves.

It seemed like it could be swallowed by the sea at any moment, but it miraculously stabilized.

Even Xia En couldn't be sure what this power that was repairing his soul was.

Is it the divine power of the goddess of life?

Is it the Eye of the Secret Sea?
Or is it... the uniqueness of his soul itself?
Xia En didn't actually have the extra energy to think about these issues, but if he didn't think about anything, he would probably be driven crazy by the excruciating pain in his mind.

For legendary powerhouses, even gods are beings they cannot look directly at.

Not to mention, the deity at this time was the [Filthy Fate], who was far more terrifying than ordinary deities!
And Xia En's rank is only fourth rank!

at this time.

A hint of doubt emanated from the vast emptiness.

The other party seemed surprised that such a weak ant could withstand their gaze for so long.

Then, several whispers, as if from a hallucination, rang out.

【I see……】

You are...my...kind...

We'll meet again...

After the whispers faded, Xia En quickly regained his senses, and [Hui Si Ming]'s gaze shifted away from him.

Xia En suddenly opened his eyes, panting heavily. He felt his heart beating more powerfully than ever before.

And in his retina, it seemed that the chaotic and bizarre hallucinations from before still lingered. A few more seconds passed.

Xia En's restless mind gradually calmed down, leaving only that ethereal phrase echoing deep within his memory—

"You are...my...kind..."

Xia En frowned slightly, certain that he had indeed heard those words.

"This is... the voice of [Hui Si Ming]?"

"But, my kind? Me?"

Xia En rubbed his forehead to ease the lingering pain in his mind and felt somewhat bewildered.

[Hui Siming] actually regarded him as one of her own kind?
What does this mean?
【Hui Siming】is an external god, so does that mean I am also an external god?
Or is it that the "kindred spirits" mentioned by [Hui Si Ming] are not quite the same as what I understand?
Shaen shook his head, putting these chaotic speculations out of his mind.

Regardless, his hostile relationship with [Hui Si Ming] remained unchanged.

His immediate priority is not to consider these distant matters, but to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

Let's set a small goal first: advance to level 5 within half a month!

Soon, however, Shane noticed several new notifications flashing across the panel.

You are being watched by "The God of Filth"!

[Status Acquired: Curse of Filth!]

[Description: The "Filthy Fate" has taken a special interest in you.]

Your aura will continually attract the "Filthy Apostles" hiding in this world.

You will be more likely to be noticed by the gods than ordinary people.

Your luck will worsen moderately.

[Note: This effect cannot be removed before "Hui Si Ming" dies.]

"……Um?"

Shane frowned.

Clearly, this was the curse left on him by that one glance.

"Constantly attracting the [Filthy Apostles] hiding in this world?"

Xia En's heart stirred slightly: "As expected, there are other [Filthy Apostles] in this world."

During his time travels back in time, he witnessed the Giant Tree God disguising himself as the God of Shadows to control the Dark Elves.

In addition, there's the fact that He calls Himself the "Giant Tree God" and deceives the tree people.

It wasn't hard for Shane to guess that there might be other gods in the world who had been replaced by the [Filthy Apostles].

That is, the so-called "false god!"

These false gods are all pawns of the [Hui Si Ming].

When the [Filthy Fate] truly invade this world, they will play a crucial role.

Currently, because of the [Curse of Filth], Shane will undoubtedly be regarded as an enemy by the [Filth Apostles], and may even face repeated attacks.

"But on the other hand, this might also be a way to eliminate false gods..."

A bold idea popped into Xia En's mind.

Under normal circumstances, he also cannot easily distinguish between native gods and false gods.

But when the [Filthy Apostles] show hostility, it becomes immediately clear whether they are friend or foe.

Using this method, Xia En can remove the pieces of [Hui Si Ming] one by one.

However, this bold idea has one premise—

Xia En is strong enough!
Otherwise, if they encounter false gods, they will be crushed and killed directly. How can they be expected to completely eliminate them?

As for the last two effects of the [Curse of Filth], Shane didn't really care.

There are too many lice and they are not itchy.

He seems to be associated with deities wherever he goes, so being easily noticed is nothing to him.

In terms of luck, the blessings of the sea and the siren offset each other, so it's not a big deal.

"The key is still strength..."

Xia En sighed softly, a strong sense of urgency rising in his heart.

Whether it was the effects of the [Curse of Filth] or the words of the [Giant Tree God] before his death, both made him feel vaguely uneasy.

Shane keenly sensed that something terrible was happening in the world.

Its scale may be no less than that of the world-ending flood of that time.

Now, Xia En, who is only at the fourth level, doesn't even have the qualifications to intervene in this change!
After a brief moment of reflection, Shane turned his gaze back to the City of Giant Trees.

Faced with the raging flames, most things in the city were reduced to ashes.

All that remained were the reclusive tree people like Iris, and a few conservative tree people.

They stared blankly at the utterly destroyed city, looking bewildered and helpless.

They did indeed win this battle.

But the price of victory was extremely high.

A significant number of the Tree People died in the previous struggle against the reformers.

Even with the blessing of the Black Forest, the combat power of the reclusive treants is still far weaker than that of the mummies controlled by the [Giant Tree God].

What pains them most is that their home, where they have lived for decades or even centuries, has been completely destroyed.

All that remains is ruins.

Without the [Giant Tree God], without the [Giant Tree City], they are indeed free.

But what should we do next?
Even Iris couldn't help but look bewildered when pondering this question.

At this moment, Shane came to Iris's side and spoke softly.

“I can find you a new home.”

"Would you like to come with me?"

Iris paused, then murmured, "What kind of new home is it?"

"It is a unique secret place, with sunshine and meadows, as well as mountains and rivers, endless forests, and the air is full of life."

Xia En said, "There is also a group of beings called the Moon Wanderer living there. You might get along very well with them."

"I will allocate a portion of the territory within the secret realm to you."

"In return, I will make you fight for me when necessary!"

These tree-people appear so fragile simply because they have been worn down by the harsh environment for too long.

Once they recover, their combat power will be formidable.

At that time, Shane will essentially have an army of tree people!
Iris's eyes were filled with disbelief: "Are you serious?"

"Can we... really live in the sunlight?"

These tree-people have lived in the dark sea for so long that they no longer dare to imagine living in the sunlight.

The shackles on the body have been removed, but the shackles on the mind still need time to be broken.

"Believe it or not, you'll know once you take a look."

Immediately, a silver light appeared, and Shane brought Iris into the [Rhine Secret Realm].

When Iris saw the vast forest, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

Dark green tears streamed from its eye sockets, dripping onto the lush soil.

Its branches drooped down, prostrating themselves before Shane, displaying their utmost humility and devotion.

"From this day forward, you will be the master of our clan!"

"Master, please tell me the name of this land."

Xia En looked up at the sky above the secret realm and said, "This place is called [Rhine], and it is also your new home."

(End of this chapter)