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

Chapter 476 [The Forest of Timeless Mist] [The Secret Realm of Eternal Darkness]

As everyone peered closer, they saw that at the end of the bronze scroll, there was indeed a line of indistinct dragon script, and next to it was a fragmented star map.

[King of Ten Thousand Dragons] frowned slightly: "Strange, I've never seen this part before."

Xia En stared at the text, and the power of the laws within his body suddenly trembled slightly, as if he had received some kind of response.

He subconsciously reached out his finger and gently touched the text—

"Buzz!"

The bronze bamboo slips suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, and a phantom light screen unfolded before everyone!

Within the light screen, a vast starry sky appeared, with countless stars arranged in mysterious trajectories.

In the center of the starry sky, a huge bronze door can be vaguely seen, with dragon totems similar to those on bamboo slips carved on it.

A weathered voice echoed in the hall:

"The place where all laws converge... [The Gate of the Source Law]..."

"Only those who master the laws of the [Sovereign] can unlock it..."

Before he could finish speaking, the light screen suddenly flickered violently, then shattered and disappeared with a "crack".

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Joey broke the silence first: "【The Gate of the Source】? What's that?"

The King of Ten Thousand Dragons said solemnly, "I have never heard of this place before."

Xian Ge stared at the bronze bamboo slips, lost in thought.

"Perhaps... this is a hidden message left by that sage, which can only be triggered by someone who has mastered multiple laws at the same time."

Xia En noticed the second half of the voice's sentence.

"The Laws of the Sovereign?"

"Is there a law called [Domination]?"

"Or……"

After a moment's thought, Xia En put away the booklet and said in a deep voice, "In any case, this gives us a direction."

"If it is true, as that sage said, that the Gate of the Source Law can resolve the problem of conflicting laws, then we must find it."

The King of Dragons nodded: "I will have the Dragon Clan's intelligence network search for relevant clues with all its might."

He paused, his tone serious: "But before that, Captain Shane, you must use the power of the laws with caution."

“Every time the power of the laws is mixed, it may exacerbate their conflict.”

Xia En nodded solemnly: "I understand."

Currently, the objective of testing the Black Swan's shielding function using the Dragon's Nest has been achieved.

The string song has also broken through the realm of legend.

By sheer chance, they obtained clues to mastering multiple laws.

Xia En and the others naturally prepared to leave the [Dragon's Nest Secret Realm].

……

……

Not long after.

The mountainside platform of 【Dragon's Nest Peak】.

The Black Swan rests quietly, its dragon relief carvings shimmering in the sunlight.

The King of Ten Thousand Dragons personally came to see him off. His silver hair was as white as snow, and his golden vertical pupils held the kindness of an elder.

"Captain Shane, the gates to the Dragon's Nest are always open for you."

"I will notify you immediately if there is any news about the [Gate of the Source Law]."

Xia En nodded solemnly: "Thank you for your help."

Standing beside Xia En, Xuan Ge had returned to her girlish appearance, and the dragon horns on her head gleamed with a bronze luster in the sunlight.

She bowed to the King of Dragons with an ancient dragon greeting: "Old friend, take care."

[King of Ten Thousand Dragons] smiled slightly: "Xiange, I look forward to the day you fully recover."

On the other side, Joey was talking with several ancient dragons, seemingly asking them about some dragon secrets.

Vivian curiously surveyed the surrounding scenery, her heterochromatic eyes reflecting the magnificent landscape of the [Dragon's Nest Secret Realm].

"Attention all crew members, prepare to depart!"

At Xia En's command, everyone quickly returned to their respective posts.

The runes on the deck lit up one by one, and the arcane shield slowly took shape.

"Activate [Secret Realm Travel]!"

As the steam core roared, the hull of the Black Swan began to tremble, and a silvery glow emanated from within the ship.

"Om-"

Space distorted, and a silver-white light gate unfolded in front of the ship.

The Black Swan, like an arrow released from a bow, plunged into the portal.

A familiar feeling of weightlessness washed over me, and the surrounding scenery quickly blurred.

As the starlight shifted, the Black Swan once again entered the Secret Sea passage.

Inside the cabin, Xia En took out the silver compass—[Fleeting Time].

The compass surface seemed to emanate the mysterious power of time, and the pointer trembled slightly, as if sensing something.

"Hopefully we can find a clue about Lyra."

Xia En murmured to himself as he channeled a wisp of secret power into the compass.

"Buzz!"

The compass suddenly vibrated violently, and the needle spun wildly, eventually pointing in a specific direction.

At the same time, a blurry image appeared on the compass surface—

A forest shrouded in purple mist, where the branches of towering ancient trees twisted into bizarre shapes.

Deep in the forest, a dilapidated white tower can be vaguely seen.

At this moment, Youxing came to Xia En's side and asked in surprise.

"Captain Shayne, this is... the Forest of Timeless Mist?"

"Do you recognize this place?"

Xia En turned his head and asked.

Youxing nodded and said, "I have seen a description of this forest in my family's ancestral records."

"The Forest of Time Mist is located in the Eternal Darkness Realm, which is adjacent to the Dark Night Realm. Time flows abnormally there, and the mist has hallucinogenic effects."

"That white tower should be the remains of the Tower of Time—the legendary abode of the Time Witch."

At this point, Youxing's expression darkened.

"The reason I know about the [Eternal Darkness Secret Realm] is because it is extremely similar to the [Nightfall Secret Realm], and they even have a connecting passage."

"Our Night Clan and the human race in that secret realm have a very harmonious relationship."

"Before the calamity of [Filthy Fate] struck, we had appealed to [Eternal Darkness Realm] for help, and even considered migrating there."

"But no one expected that the passage to the [Eternal Darkness Realm] would suddenly be cut off, and the signals for help went unanswered..."

Beside her, Youxing's wife, Youyue, added resentfully.

"Do I need to think about it?"

"It must be that the people of the [Eternal Darkness Secret Realm] were worried about the invasion of [Filthy Fate], so they took the initiative to cut off the secret realm passage."

Youxing shook her head: "Not necessarily."

"Perhaps they have some hidden story."

Xia En could understand the feelings of the Youxing couple very well.

After all, the [Night Realm] has already been destroyed by [Filthy Fate].

However, the [Eternal Darkness Realm] still exists.

Their feelings were inevitably somewhat complicated.

Xia En gazed thoughtfully at the image on the compass, his fingertips gently tracing the edge of the [Fleeting Time] symbol.

"In any case, this could be a key clue to finding Lyra."

He looked up at Youxing: "Can you pinpoint the exact location of the [Eternal Darkness Secret Realm]?"

Youxing looked troubled: "The coordinates of the [Eternal Darkness Secret Realm] in the Secret Sea are constantly changing, just like the [Nightmare Secret Realm]."

"but……"

He hesitated for a moment, then took out a jet-black crystal from his pocket: "This is the secret treasure of the Night Clan—the Shadow Guide."

"It was originally used to locate the [Night Realm] in the Secret Sea, but it may also be able to sense the [Eternal Darkness Realm] connected to it."

Xia En accepted the crystal, sensed the peculiar power contained within it, and nodded.

"Worth a try."

"Jane, adjust course and use [Shadow Guidance] to locate the fluctuations of [Eternal Darkness Realm]." Jane pushed up her glasses and quickly started operating the control panel: "Understood, scanning for fluctuations in the Secret Sea."

As the Black Swan sailed through the secret sea passage, the surrounding starlight gradually thinned out, replaced by an increasingly dense purple mist.

"Abnormal time fluctuations detected!"

Jane suddenly shouted, "The flow of time in the area ahead is changing!"

Xia En gripped the helm and said in a deep voice, "Attention everyone, we may be approaching our target."

The ship shuddered slightly as it passed through a layer of purple light.

In an instant, the surrounding scenery completely changed—

The sky was shrouded in an eternal twilight, with dark purple clouds hanging low.

Below lies a dark forest stretching to the horizon, thick purple mist flowing through it as if it were alive.

"Here we are."

Xia En stared intently at the eerie forest: "[Eternal Darkness Secret Realm]".

Joey walked to the bow of the ship, her long, snow-white hair fluttering in the purple mist.

Her red eyes narrowed slightly: "The secret power here... is very strange."

"It's not just a time anomaly, but some kind of deeper distortion."

Vivian crossed her arms, a hint of unease flashing in her heterochromatic eyes.

"I sensed the aura of [annihilation], but it's not quite the same..."

String Song's dragon horns glowed slightly: "Be careful, this forest gives me a dangerous feeling."

Vivian leaned against the ship's railing, her heterochromatic eyes reflecting the mysterious land.

"so quiet……"

Indeed, the entire forest was eerily silent.

Even the sound of the wind was inaudible; only the roar of the Black Swan's engines echoed in the air.

"Descend altitude and proceed with caution."

Xia En gave the order cautiously.

The Black Swan descended slowly, flying close to the treetops.

Through the purple mist, one can see the branches of those ancient trees twisted at incredible angles, their bark covered with patterns resembling human faces.

"These trees... seem to be watching us."

Fei Ya frowned slightly, a sense of unease rising in her heart.

"Captain, there's something in the fog!"

Joey suddenly shouted, and the Night Elf's keen eyesight detected the unusual movement in the mist.

Several dark figures could be seen darting through the fog, their human-shaped outlines vaguely visible, yet with unnaturally long and slender limbs.

"It's the Shadow of Time!"

Youxing's eyes were full of vigilance.

"【Shadow of Time】?"

"The lost souls, cursed by time, forever wander in the Forest of Time Mist."

Youxing quickly explained, "Don't get touched by them, or you'll be caught in a time turbulence!"

As if to confirm her words, the dark figures suddenly accelerated and pounced on the Black Swan!
Their movements are strangely fast and slow, as if they are not limited by the normal flow of time.

"Fire!"

At Shane's command, the secret cannons on the side of the ship fired simultaneously, their blazing beams piercing through the fog.

However, as the beams approached the Shadow of Time, their speed suddenly slowed down dramatically, and they were easily evaded.

"Damn it, they can manipulate the flow of time!"

Feiya cursed.

"let me!"

With a delicate shout, she leaped to the bow of the ship in her girl form, conjuring golden-red dragon flames in her hands.

"Dragon's Breath - Time's End!"

The blazing dragon flames erupted, and strangely enough, these flames also contained the power of time, which canceled out the power of [Shadow of Time].

Several dark figures were engulfed by the dragon flames, letting out silent roars, and finally turned to ashes.

It seemed as if they had sensed the restraint the stringed instruments exerted on them.

Soon, the Shadow of Time in the Forest of Time Mist disappeared into the mist once again.

Even so, Xia En and the others did not relax; instead, they became even more vigilant.

They had only just arrived at the [Eternal Darkness Secret Realm] when they encountered such a bizarre existence.

The road ahead will only become more perilous.

Xia En pondered for a moment, then looked at the [Fleeting Time] in his hand.

The compass needle remained steadfastly pointing towards the white tower deep in the forest.

This means that there is a high probability that there are clues left by Lyra in that tower.

Besides, we've come this far, how can we give up halfway?

"keep going!"

Shaen commanded in a deep voice: "Target: [Tower of Time]!"

The Black Swan cautiously navigated through the purple mist, its protective shield emitting a faint hissing sound as it came into contact with the fog.

Joey stood at the bow, his red eyes flashing with vigilance: "The fog is corroding the protective shield."

Jane quickly checked the instrument: "The corrosion rate is within an acceptable range, but prolonged exposure poses a risk."

"Then speed things up."

Shayne gripped the helm, and the Black Swan's engine roared louder, increasing the ship's speed.

As you venture deeper into the forest, the twisted ancient trees become increasingly dense, their intertwined branches forming a natural barrier.

"There's an obstacle on the left!"

Youyue reminded him loudly.

Suddenly, the branches of a giant tree grew horizontally, sweeping towards the ship as if it were a living thing!
"dodge!"

Shane jerked the rudder, and the Black Swan narrowly avoided the attack.

However, more branches began to wriggle, and the whole forest seemed to come alive.

"These trees...are they alive?"

Vivian's heterochromatic eyes widened in surprise.

"No, it's the [Shadow of Time] controlling them!"

Youxing's expression was solemn: "They live in symbiosis with the forest and can influence the plants here."

"Clear the way with flames!"

Xia En gave the order decisively.

String Song and Fia attacked simultaneously, their dragon flames and cannon fire intertwining to clear a burning path ahead.

The Black Swan took the opportunity to accelerate and break through, its hull scraping against the burning tree trunks, sending up a trail of sparks.

Suddenly, the ship shook violently!
"Something is tangled up in the hull!"

Jane called out anxiously.

Looking down, everyone saw countless vines sprouting from the ground and tightly wrapping around the bottom of the boat.

Even more terrifying, the vines were covered in sharp thorns and were trying to pierce the hull.

"I'll take care of them!"

Vivian leaped off the ship's railing, her heterochromatic eyes gleaming brightly.

"[Annihilation]!"

Deep purple energy erupted from her palm, and wherever it passed, the vines withered and decayed rapidly.

However, more vines emerged from the mist, seemingly endless.

"This will never end."

Xia En's eyes sharpened, and his mysterious power from the void condensed into a jet-black long blade.

"Everyone, stand back!"

He leaped to the bow of the ship, and dark void power condensed on the blade.

"cut!"

A massive black blade of light swept out, severing all the vines in its path and neatly cutting down the trees in front of it.

This attack carved a path through the dense forest!

(End of this chapter)