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

Chapter 484 [Space-Time Leap] [Star Marrow Silver]

In the vision of the [Peeping Eye], the entire group of bronze statues was shrouded in an eerie bronze halo.

These halos are interconnected, like some kind of huge neural network.

And the ends of all these "nerves" all point in one direction—

About 300 meters directly in front of the Black Swan, there is a unique bronze statue floating in the air.

It was a female figure wearing a long robe and a crown, with her hands folded in front of her chest, her face serene to the point of being eerie.

In stark contrast to the other distorted and horrifying statues.

There was even a faint smile on her lips.

Even more chilling is...

A beating bronze heart is embedded in the chest of this statue!

"found it!"

Xia En immediately pointed in that direction: "Vivian, Xuan Ge, concentrate your firepower on that female statue!"

"understand!"

Vivian immediately changed the direction of her staff, and a purple and green beam of light shot out like a sharp sword;

String Song also spread its dragon wings, and golden-red dragon flames transformed into a pillar of fire that shot out.

However, just as the attack was about to hit its target...

Suddenly, the surrounding bronze statues surged forward wildly, forming a thick bronze wall with their bodies.

The beams of light and dragon flames bombarded the walls, melting only the outermost few statues.

"Damn it!"

String Song gritted her teeth: "They're protecting that core!"

Xia En's gaze darkened, realizing that he had to take action himself.

"Joey, you take the helm!"

The red-eyed girl immediately took over the helm, while Shane leaped onto the figurehead.

He took a deep breath, and the eternal blood within him boiled completely, with silver patterns spreading across his skin as if they were alive.

[Time and space anchoring!]

A silver beam of light burst forth from Shane's palm, and the flow of time in the area it passed through suddenly slowed down.

The bronze statues that had been trying to block them moved as slowly as snails.

Vivian and Xuan Ge's attack finally penetrated the defenses and struck the female statue!
"boom!"

During the violent explosion, a noticeable crack appeared in the bronze heart on the female statue's chest.

The entire group of bronze statues seemed to have suffered a severe blow, and they trembled as a group.

But just when everyone thought victory was in sight, a sudden change occurred—

The damaged bronze heart suddenly pounded violently, emitting a deafening "thump-thump" sound.

With each heartbeat, the female statue's face began to distort and deform, the serene smile gradually stretching into a ferocious grin!

"not good!"

Alarm bells rang in Xia En's mind: "It's activating some more dangerous state!"

Sure enough, the next second, the female statue suddenly opened her eyes—

Those weren't eyes at all, but two bottomless bronze vortexes!
Master... quickly... escape...

Xiao Hei's mental fluctuations suddenly became extremely painful, and Xia En could feel that the bronze transformation of the ship's hull was accelerating rapidly.

Even more terrifying, the bronze statues began to merge on their own, transforming into giant bronze pythons that coiled around the Black Swan!

In a critical moment, Shane made a bold decision.

"Everyone, hold on!"

"Elvis, String Song, together invoke the power of the [Laws of Space and Time]!"

He roared and unleashed the full power of the Eternal Blood.

next moment.

Silver sands of time swept across the ship like a storm, forming a time barrier as thin as a cicada's wing on its surface.

[Time Leap!]

This is a new ability that Shane has learned from the Eternal Blood, which allows a designated target to briefly jump out of the current timeline.

In theory, the Black Swan in this state would be immune to all attacks—because it does not exist in this spacetime at "this moment".

However, this ability is extremely taxing on Shane, and can only be maintained for a maximum of three seconds.

"three!"

Within the silver light shield, the ship's hull began to become translucent.

"two!"

The bronze serpent's attack pierced through the gradually blurring hull of the ship.

"one!"

Just as the ship was about to completely leave this space, Shane suddenly saw the female statue's lips move, as if she were saying something.

Then--

With a flash of silver light, the Black Swan disappeared completely from the encirclement of the bronze statues!
……

……

When everyone came to their senses...

The Black Swan has appeared in another Secret Sea.

Those eerie bronze statues had completely vanished, leaving only the tranquil starlight twinkling in the [Secret Sea].

"……it's over?"

String Song transformed back into human form, slumped on the deck, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Vivian and Anne breathed a sigh of relief, their tense nerves finally relaxing.

Xia En, however, still frowned, recalling the last scene he had witnessed.

What is the female statue trying to say?
Moreover, why did these bronze statues, which shouldn't be in the [Secret Sea Passage], suddenly appear on their route?

Is it a coincidence, or... is it something someone did on purpose?
"captain."

Joey's voice interrupted Shane's thoughts: "Should we continue towards that coordinate?"

Xia En snapped out of his reverie and nodded firmly: "Of course."

His voice was firm and steady, as if the thrilling battle that had just taken place had never happened.

Then, turn on the silver compass to confirm your position relative to the target coordinates.

"But before that, we need to make some repairs."

Due to the effect of [Captain's Majesty].

Shane was able to clearly perceive the current state of the Black Swan.

Although the time rewind restored it to its original state, fine cracks had appeared in its internal structure.

The figureheads, in particular, which were modified by the dwarves, are quite bronze in appearance.

Even more troublesome is that.

After issuing that warning, Xiao Hei seems to have been affected by some kind of mental pollution and is now in a semi-dormant state.

Xia En frowned.

The figurehead is not only the soul of the Black Swan, but also one of the core propulsion systems of the entire ship.

If it malfunctions, the abilities of [Secret Realm Travel] and [Void Jump] will be greatly reduced.

Letting Xiao Hei recover on its own would be far too slow.

Moreover, they are currently located within the [Secret Sea Passage].

If we can't reach the destination quickly, no one knows what unexpected things might happen.

at this time.

Elvis volunteered, "I once heard the witch mention a special mineral in the [Secret Sea] called [Star Marrow Silver]."

"【Star Marrow Silver】is of a very high rank and also possesses the properties of self-repair and resistance to mental pollution."

"This might help speed up the repair process for the Black Swan."

Upon hearing this, Xia En's eyes lit up.

The advantage of recruiting more extraordinary individuals from other [Secret Realms] lies here. Due to the [Great Sin Apostles], very few people in the [Seven Seas World] have ever truly ventured into the [Secret Seas].

At most, it's just a matter of projecting the soul into the [Secret Sea] through an ascension ritual.

But Elvis's [Eternal Dark Realm] is different. They have not only established connections with other [Realms], but also have explorers who go directly to the [Secret Sea].

Therefore, they actually know more about the information in the [Secret Sea].

"[Star Marrow Silver]?"

Xia En repeated the unfamiliar term, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Elvis explained, "This is a special metal born deep within the [Secret Sea] nebula, possessing an extremely strong affinity for mystical forces."

"The witch once used it to repair the core components of the Tower of Time."

"However, its extraction is extremely difficult because..."

He paused, his expression turning serious.

"Because it is often accompanied by the protection of the Protoss."

"[Protoss]?"

Xia En raised an eyebrow; this was the first time he had ever heard this term.

Elder Marina continued, "Those are energy life forms naturally born in the [Secret Sea]. They come in various forms, but all are extremely powerful."

"The witch once said that even the weakest [Protoss] has the strength of an eighth-tier being."

Xia En nodded thoughtfully.

It seems this trip won't be easy.

However, since there is a way to quickly repair the Black Swan, Shane cannot afford to miss it.

Youxing added from the side, "We, the [Night Clan], can confirm the direction of the nebula, so we will confirm the course."

Xia En nodded, his gaze sweeping over the tired yet determined faces of the crew.

"In that case, let's adjust our course and search for [Star Marrow Silver] first."

"Youxing, could you please confirm the location of the nearest nebula?"

The couple, Youxing and his wife, exchanged a glance and simultaneously raised their hands.

Azure starlight flowed from their fingertips, weaving into a three-dimensional star map above the deck.

In the star chart, countless points of light twinkle, with one area displaying a swirling nebula pattern.

"here."

Youxing pointed to the center of the nebula: "According to the starlight, there should be a [Star Marrow Silver] vein in this nebula."

Shane carefully memorized the directions, then turned the steering wheel.

"Attention all personnel, prepare to change course!"

As he turned the helm, the silver sails of the Black Swan adjusted their angle slightly, capturing the invisible flow of secret power within the Secret Sea.

The ship began to slowly turn, heading towards the nebula.

……

……

During the voyage, Shane went to the captain's cabin alone.

He took out his pocket watch and gently stroked the blue stardust left by the Starshine Clan Chief.

After a moment of contemplation, Shane decided to try activating the information within.

Silver sands of time seeped from his fingertips, enveloping the blue stardust.

In an instant, the stardust burst forth with dazzling light, and an image was projected directly into Xia En's mind—

It was a secret realm shrouded in darkness.

A twisted black sun hung in the sky, its filthy tentacles drooping from its surface, writhing like living things.

On the ground, countless figures knelt prostrate, their bodies undergoing horrific mutations.

Some grew extra limbs, some had their skin ulcerated to reveal their bare bones, and some were completely transformed into indescribable monsters.

At the center of all this, a blurry black figure floats.

He has no fixed form; sometimes he is like an expanding dark cloud, and sometimes he transforms into a collection of thousands of tentacles.

But the most chilling thing is...

When Shane "looked" at Him, the figure slowly "turned" around.

Despite having no eyes, Shane clearly felt that he was being "watched".

An indescribable chill instantly swept over my entire body.

Just then, the Starshine Clan Chief's voice rang out in the image:

"【The Fate Master】is acting more urgently than before."

"He... seems... to be afraid of something?"

"His power has already permeated multiple secret realms."

"We must stop Him from finding the [door]..."

The image ends here.

Xia En suddenly opened his eyes, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

"Door?"

He repeated the keyword in a low voice, his mind filled with doubt.

What kind of "gate" is worth searching for by an existence like [Hui Si Ming]?
Moreover, Xia En had learned of the "urgency" of [Hui Si Ming] before this, which might be related to the legendary [Black Tide].

Chief Xinghui deliberately left this message, clearly indicating that he considered this intelligence to be of paramount importance.

Xia En had a vague feeling that he had touched upon an even bigger mystery.

However, we currently have too little information to piece together a complete picture.

"It seems necessary to investigate this matter in depth once we find Leila's remains."

Xia En put away the pocket watch, his gaze hardening.

……

……

After several hours of sailing.

The Black Swan has finally reached the outer edge of the target nebula.

From a distance, this nebula appears as a magnificent blue-purple, like a flower blooming in the [Secret Sea].

But upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the nebula was filled with turbulent currents of mysterious energy and spatial rifts.

Any object that dares to intrude may be torn to pieces.

"This kind of environment..."

Vivian stood on the observation platform, her brow furrowed: "I'm afraid our protective shield won't last much longer."

Xia En nodded: "Therefore, we need to develop a detailed plan."

He turned to Elvis: "In what form do the Protoss you mentioned usually appear?"

Elvis recalled, "According to records, most of the Celestial Spirits who guard the Starsilver are crystalline and can manipulate the secret power in the nebula to launch attacks."

"Their core is a [stellar core fragment], and the Protoss will dissipate if it is destroyed or taken."

Marina added, "But be aware that the Protoss have a collective consciousness. Attacking one might attract more."

Xia En said thoughtfully, "In other words, we need to finish this quickly."

He looked around and quickly made arrangements.

Then, the Black Swan began to slowly enter the nebula.

As soon as we entered, the ship began to shake violently.

The raging torrent of arcane energy, like countless sharp blades, relentlessly sliced ​​through the protective shield on the ship's surface.

Vivian and Anne immediately unleashed their full secret power, and the purple and green light shield struggled to move forward in the nebula.

"Thirty degrees to port!"

Youxing suddenly shouted, "I can sense the fluctuations of [Star Marrow Silver]!"

Xia En looked in the direction he was pointing.

Deep within the nebula, a patch of silvery-blue light can be faintly seen, twinkling like stars.

(End of this chapter)