System: Infinite Evolution into Qilin Bloodline

With the boatman's sudden exclamation, everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the spectacular yet eerie waterspout ahead.

The waterspout, like the fury of nature, shot straight up from the sea to the sky, and like a link between heaven and earth, tightly connecting the deep sea and the sky.

The surrounding seawater was stirred up and boiled by its powerful suction, forming swirling eddies that swept everything in their path.

Even more astonishingly, as the waterspout spun, dozens of bronze coffins slowly rose from the seabed.

Their surfaces are covered with a thick layer of green rust, yet they still cannot conceal their ancient and solemn aura.

These bronze coffins are enormous, each seemingly capable of holding several people, and are engraved with intricate totems and hieroglyphs, telling ancient and mysterious stories.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting dappled patterns on the bronze coffins, adding to their mystique and eeriness.

Just as everyone was stunned, a deafening "bang" shattered the tranquility of the sea.

A bronze coffin suddenly detached from the waterspout and plummeted toward the fishing boat like a meteorite.

Everyone gasped in shock, their hearts leaping into their throats as they watched the enormous coffin hurtle toward them with destructive force.

At this critical moment, Zhang Hao flashed, as if transformed into a bolt of lightning, and instantly appeared where the coffin was about to fall.

He spread his hands, and dragon fire blazed in his palms, transforming into a huge fire net that steadily supported the bronze coffin.

The flames collided with the bronze, producing a hissing sound, but caused no damage to the coffin. Instead, they gave the originally cold metal surface a strange luster.

"Everyone, be careful!"

Zhang Hao warned in a deep voice, his eyes scanning the other coffins that were constantly approaching.

Seeing this, the crew members grabbed the tools at hand, preparing to deal with any possible emergencies.

Their eyes held both tension and excitement, as if they had rediscovered their long-lost fighting spirit and courage in this life-or-death struggle.

With Zhang Hao's control, the dragon fire gradually enveloped the entire bronze coffin, slowly lowering it onto the deck.

The crowd gathered around, carefully observing the unexpected bronze coffin.

Although the surface of the coffin is covered with the marks of time, the secrets inside attract everyone's curiosity like a magnet.

"Should we... open it?"

Ding Yudie asked hesitantly, drool already dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Zhang Hao remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Whatever is inside, we must face it. But before that, we must be fully prepared."

With Zhang Hao's nod, the atmosphere on the ship instantly became tense yet full of anticipation.

The crew quickly dispersed, making room for the mysterious exploration that was about to begin.

Zhang Hao gently placed his hands on the edge of the bronze coffin, preparing to unveil the veil of this ancient secret.

He pushed hard, and the heavy coffin lid slowly opened, releasing an ancient and somber aura that shocked everyone present.

Inside the coffin lay a strangely shaped corpse, its skin a pale blue, as if blending into the seawater.

Most strikingly, the corpse was clutching a fist-sized pearl tightly in its palm, which was still emitting a faint glow. The pearl was crystal clear and emitted a soft and enchanting light, as if it contained the boundless power of the ocean.

Wow! These pearls are so beautiful!

Ding Yudie's eyes widened in amazement, and she almost drooled again.

"This is not an ordinary pearl, but a mermaid pearl, which is said to be formed from the tears of mermaids."

"What? This is the legendary mermaid pearl?"

Everyone was astonished when they heard that the pearl held in the corpse's hands was a mermaid pearl.

However, just as everyone was captivated by the mermaid pearl and marveling at it, the belly of the corpse in the bronze coffin suddenly began to writhe violently, as if something inside was struggling to break free.

This sudden turn of events left everyone holding their breath, watching the scene with bated breath.

"careful!"

Zhang Hao reacted quickly. He took a few steps back and looked around warily, just in case.

With a muffled explosion, the merman's stomach suddenly burst open, and a foul-smelling liquid gushed out.

However, amidst the chaos, a bronze plaque gleaming with metallic luster flew out of the mermaid's belly and landed on the deck with a crisp clang.

"what is this?"

Xie Xiaohua was the first to rush forward and carefully picked up the bronze plaque.

He carefully examined the words on the sign, his brow furrowed, as if he were deciphering some important information.

"This is... an ancient nautical chart!"

A moment later, Xie Xiaohua suddenly exclaimed, "This bronze plaque records a route to an unknown sea, as well as many secrets and legends about this sea!"

"Really? Doesn't that mean we might find even more treasures and secrets?"

Ding Yudie's eyes lit up again, as if he could already see countless gold and silver treasures beckoning to him.

Zhang Hao appeared more composed. He walked over to Xie Xiaohua and carefully examined the bronze plaque.

"Xiaohua, does this indicate what flight route it is?"

"I can try."

Xie Xiaohua nodded and began to examine the bronze plaque more carefully.

As time went on, the expression on his face gradually became serious and excited.

Finally, he raised his head, his eyes shining with determination.

"That's right, this route really exists."

Moreover, based on my speculation, it may lead to the ruins of an ancient and mysterious civilization.

Not only are there countless treasures waiting to be discovered there, but they may also hold major secrets about this sea area and even the entire world!

And this route feels somewhat familiar to me!

"Yes, I remember now, it's pointing to the place where the dragon bones are!"

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Ding Yudie shouted impatiently.

Zhang Hao pointed to the sea and said, "Before that, we have to deal with those things first!"

Ding Yudie looked out at the sea and saw that the waterspout on the surface of the sea was suddenly wiped away by an invisible hand. At this moment, the fishing boat was surrounded by bronze coffins, like an indestructible wall of copper and iron.

The bronze coffin contained the corpse of a mermaid, so there was no intention to open it.

However, the coffin lids seemed to come alive, opening automatically, and the merfolk inside, like demons awakening after a long slumber, leaped out of the coffins and pounced on the ship like hungry tigers, launching a fierce attack on the people.

Merfolk are naturally adept at living in water, and now that they have transformed into zombies, their ferocity is far beyond what ordinary people can handle.

Before long, several boatmen on the ship had lost their lives.

Yi Sa, Ding Yudie, Xie Xiaohua, Huo Xiuxiu, and Pan Zi struggled to hold on, but under the overwhelming onslaught, they were already teetering on the brink of collapse, like candles flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.