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

Chapter 441 [The Great Battle Is Approaching] [The Abnormalities of the Ancient Spirit Clan]

As Xia En's overall qualities continue to improve.

The once-glorious Giant Bracelet is now used less and less.

On the one hand, it's because this relic has its limits, and its boost to Shaun is no longer very noticeable.

On the other hand, the battles that Shane encounters often do not require him to transform into a Titan to fight.

This time, however, they faced a giant ape of enormous size.

With the help of the Giant's Bracelet, Shane was finally able to crush it with his sheer size.

At this moment.

The giant ape looked up at Shane, who had suddenly become enormous, a look of astonishment flashing in its eyes.

But soon, that shock was replaced by rage.

It let out a deafening roar, pounded its chest with its fists, and then leaped up, pouncing towards Shane.

boom! ! !
Xia En did not back down, and his huge fist collided fiercely with the giant ape's fist.

Two terrifying forces collided in the air, unleashing a deafening roar.

The surrounding trees were overturned by the shockwave, and deep ravines were cracked in the ground.

boom!
The giant ape was knocked back by a punch from Shane, its massive body crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

In this contest of pure strength, Shane's brute force surpasses that of the giant ape!
However, the giant ape quickly got up, its eyes flashing with ferocity, and charged at Xia En again.

Xia En remained unfazed, and in a flash, he appeared behind the giant ape.

He clasped his hands together, and the secret power of the void condensed into a huge black light blade in his palms, which he then slashed down fiercely.

"laugh--"

A deep, bone-revealing wound was slashed open on the giant ape's back by the light blade, and pure natural energy gushed out like blood.

The giant ape let out a painful roar and staggered forward.

However, it did not collapse.

The giant ape suddenly turned around and opened its massive jaws.

A dazzling beam of natural mystic power shot out from its mouth, heading straight for Shane.

Xia En's pupils contracted, and he quickly raised his arms.

The armor of the Great Dark Heaven coalesced into a massive black shield in front of him.

"boom!"

The beam struck the shield, bursting with dazzling light, but it couldn't harm Shane in the slightest.

immediately.

Xia En took a deep breath.

The [Void Secret Power] within his body surged wildly, and his aura suddenly soared.

"In that case, let's try this trick!"

Shaen raised his hands high, and the Void Blade rapidly expanded in his hands, eventually transforming into a giant black light blade tens of meters long.

He swung down suddenly, the light blade slicing through the air, slashing towards the giant ape with an aura of annihilation.

"cut!"

The giant ape seemed to sense the threat of death, letting out a mournful roar and slamming its fists into the ground.

A massive barrier of natural mystic power rose up in front of it.

"Boom——"

The light blade collided with the barrier, unleashing a deafening roar.

The barrier shattered rapidly under the impact of the light blades, eventually breaking completely.

The jet-black blade of light, its momentum undiminished, struck the giant ape directly.

laugh--

The giant ape's body was split in two by the light blade, and pure natural power poured out like a waterfall.

Its body slowly fell down, eventually turning into countless points of light and dissipating into the air.

Looking at the spot where the giant ape had disappeared, Xia En couldn't feel any relief.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this giant ape seemed to be easily defeated by him.

However, even for a legendary tree-man like Iris, this giant ape still possessed immense suppressive power.

There is only one Shane in [Rhine City].

But there are probably many more giant apes like this than just one.

If they were to appear on the battlefield targeting [Rhine City], the situation would likely become extremely dangerous.

Shaun snapped out of his giant form, pulled himself out of his reverie, and scanned his surroundings.

At this moment, as the giant ape disappeared, the other monsters formed from the secret power of nature also retreated, as if summoned by some force, and quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Feiya and the warriors of the [Moonlit Clan] breathed a sigh of relief, put away their weapons, and walked towards Xiaen.

"Lord Shaen, you've arrived just in time!"

Feiya's face showed some fatigue, but her eyes remained sharp.

"These monsters appeared suddenly, we didn't have time to react, and we almost..."

Xia En nodded: "Feiya, I'm glad you're alright."

Then, his gaze fell on Iris.

The treant elder had recovered, but the wounds on his body were still shocking.

"Elder Iris, are you alright?"

Iris managed a weak smile, her voice low and hoarse.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Xia En. I can still manage."

"I was careless this time. I thought that after breaking through to the legendary level, there wouldn't be too much risk, but I didn't expect to run into these guys."

"The power of these monsters far exceeds our imagination."

"They seem to be able to manipulate the natural power of the entire forest, and we are unable to exert our full strength here."

Xia En frowned, a vague unease creeping into his heart.

"It seems that the native inhabitants of the [Rhine Realm] have already begun to take action."

at this time.

An suddenly turned her head and looked in one direction in the forest.

"Captain Shane, there... there seems to be something there!"

Xia En carefully observed and immediately caught a glimpse of someone secretly watching him.

Upon noticing An and Xia En's actions, the other party seemed surprised, not only looking away but also fleeing into the depths of the forest.

But now that its existence has been discovered, how could Shane let it escape so easily?

"Hmph, want to run away?"

A glint of light flashed in Xia En's eyes.

The vision of [Peeping Eyes] was immediately activated, and a blurry outline was instantly seen in the forest.

It was a slender creature.

His whole body was enveloped in a faint layer of natural mystery, as if he had become one with the surrounding forest.

Its movements are extremely agile, darting through the trees like a gust of wind.

It is almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.

However, within the vision of the [Peeping Eye], it is as clear as a lighthouse in the night.

Shaen used the ability of [Void Travel] repeatedly.

In just a few breaths, we arrived in front of it.

"Got you!"

What appeared before Xia En was a humanoid creature less than half a meter tall.

He had a pair of thin wings on his back, slightly pointed ears, and his pupils were the same emerald green as his hair.

It looks like an enlarged version of a fairy.

Or perhaps, a miniature version of an elf?
"This is... the Ancient Spirit Clan?"

Xia En raised an eyebrow and looked at the other person: "What do you want? Why are you spying on us from the side?"

This Ancient Spirit seemed to realize that it couldn't escape, so it looked at Xia En with resentment.

"Enemy! Kill them! Drive them out!"

The Ancient Spirits spoke a strange language, but Xia En was inexplicably able to understand the meaning behind their words.

It's as if this language possesses a certain ability to directly convey information.

Although Xia En already knew that the Ancient Spirits harbored great hostility towards them, he still tried to communicate with the Ancient Spirits in front of him.

"I have no intention of being your enemy."

"The Rhine Realm is so vast, why can't we coexist peacefully?" the Ancient Spirit sneered.

"An enemy is an enemy!"

"An enemy that is eliminated is a good enemy."

Upon hearing this, Xia En frowned.

The stubborn attitude of the Ancient Spirits exceeded his expectations.

He had thought that after communicating with the Ancient Spirits, a major war might be avoided.

But now it seems that a battle between them is inevitable!
Soon, Ann, Joey, and the others arrived at Shane's side.

The fairy Tracy flew off Ann's shoulder and looked at the Ancient Spirits in surprise.

"This guy... looks just like me!"

"It's just gotten a size bigger?"

But at this moment, the Ancient Spirit Clan looked at An with suspicion and uncertainty.

"...An elf!?"

"Ok?"

Seeing his reaction, Xia En raised an eyebrow.

"You recognize elves?"

In Xia En's original idea, the Ancient Spirits of the Rhine Secret Realm should be the native inhabitants of this place.

They shouldn't know a race like elves.

However, at this moment, the [Ancient Spirit Clan] clearly demonstrated the meaning of the word "elf".

This proves that these Ancient Spirits have definitely seen and come into contact with elves!

Combine this with the information Xia En obtained from Angie.

Then, there is only one answer.

The Ancient Spirits living in the Rhine Realm are very likely the same race that disappeared from the Elf Realm.

Even the same race was born in the [Rhine Realm].

But at least some of the Ancient Spirits must have migrated from the Elf Realm.

But the problem is...

How did they manage to complete such a migration across the [Secret Realm]?
Various possibilities flashed through Xia En's mind.

He realized that the connection between the [Rhine Realm] and the [Elf Realm] might be deeper than he had imagined.

If the Ancient Spirit Clan is able to migrate across secret realms, then perhaps there is some kind of... passage between these two secret realms?

"You're from the [Elf Realm], right?"

Xia En stared directly at the Ancient Spirit Clan before him, his tone tinged with a hint of probing.

The Ancient Spirit's eyes flickered, clearly not expecting Xia En to ask this question directly.

His expression became complicated, as if he was hesitating whether to answer.

But soon, upon seeing An Shi standing to the side, the Ancient Spirit Clan immediately showed a look of resentment.

"Elves! They've taken our home!"

"Now...you still won't let us go!"

"Enemies! They're all enemies!"

Xia En was slightly taken aback.

This is quite different from what Angie told him.

According to the Ancient Elven race, the elves are the culprits who stole their homeland and forced them to come to the Rhine Realm.

However, according to Angie, they clearly reached an alliance with the Ancient Spirit Clan.

However, the Ancient Spirit Clan quietly disappeared.

Could it be... that Angie lied?
But then Xia En thought again that Angie wouldn't lie about something like this.

Therefore, the only remaining explanation is...

Is there some misunderstanding involved?

Some of the Elven race's actions were interpreted by the Ancient Elven race as an attempt to expel them.
However, whatever the reason.

The Ancient Spirits' hostility towards elves is genuine.

It is clearly unrealistic to expect to purify the polluted Fountain of Life by relying on the power of the Ancient Spirits.

Xia En looked at the [Ancient Spirit Clan] again and said.

I'll repeat it one last time.

"I have no intention of starting a war. I just want you to live peacefully in your own territories and stop coveting my Rhine City."

"We can certainly coexist peacefully."

The Ancient Spirit Clan simply sneered at this.

"Peace...impossible!"

"Our army is already assembling."

"Your city is destined to be destroyed!"

After saying this, the secret power within the Ancient Spirit Clan surged, and then directly shattered his own heart meridian, causing him to die.

Xia En frowned as he looked at the fallen Ancient Spirit Clan member.

He hadn't expected the other party to be so resolute, preferring suicide to revealing any more information.

This extreme reaction made him feel vaguely uneasy.

"Captain Shane, what do we do now?"

Joey stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

After a moment of contemplation, Xia En slowly said, "The attitude of the Ancient Spirit Clan is very clear: they will not coexist peacefully with us."

"Moreover, from his words, it can be inferred that their army is already assembling and preparing to attack us."

"If he wants war, then let's fight!"

To be honest, Shane originally had some sympathy for natives like the Ancient Spirits.

After all, it was they who later entered the [Rhine Secret Realm].

Shane wasn't the kind of person who would massacre the indigenous people and then establish a "Thanksgiving" holiday as a memorial day.

However, now that the Ancient Spirit Clan has shown such a resolute attitude...

Then Xia En will not be merciful.

In the adult world, there is no right or wrong, only differences in perspective.

Xia En could not allow the Ancient Spirits to raze Rhine City, which he had invested so much effort in, to the ground.

However, for some reason...

Shaen felt there was something strange about this whole thing.

Neither the Ancient Spirits' hostility towards the Elves nor their resolute attitude toward war seem like normal reactions.

just like……

There is an invisible hand controlling all of this.

After pondering for a moment, unable to come up with a solution.

Xia En looked at everyone, his tone becoming serious.

"We must prepare as soon as possible."

"Rhine City is our foundation, and we cannot afford any mistakes."

An nodded, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

"However, the Ancient Spirit Clan can manipulate the secrets of nature, and their power far exceeds our imagination."

"If their army really attacks, with the current strength of [Rhine City], I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist."

Xia En took a deep breath, his gaze resolute.

"In any case, we cannot sit idly by and wait to die."

"Now, we need to do two things."

"First, return to Rhine City immediately and strengthen the defenses."

"At the same time, we must get the warriors on the verge of collapse to break through as soon as possible and prepare to meet the attack of the Ancient Spirits."

Xia En paused for a moment, then continued.

"Secondly, we must take the initiative and venture deep into the forest!"

"It's both to ascertain the situation of the Ancient Spirit Clan army and to find purer Rhinestones to purify the Fountain of Life in the Elf Realm."

The crowd responded in unison, "Yes, Captain Shane!"

(End of this chapter)