"What a coincidence."
Gathering her courage, the little raven's voice dropped even lower as she interrupted the White Cloak.
In her tiny head, myriad questions flashed through her mind.
What did those whispers mean? What special existence could it refer to? Was it a unique item brought by the White Cloak?
She tried her best to raise her head:
"White Cloak, what does that mean?"
It was not merely about the gigantic waves that reeled, but rather a sort of ancient prophecy.
Despite her being an enthusiast of the deep sea, she could not comprehend the prophecies of the deep-sea kind.
The anger towards humans? The attempt to stir chaos in the world? Or is it a prohibition against setting foot in their current domain?
The interpretation of these whispers would dictate their subsequent actions.
The White Cloak gazed into the distance, as if up to now, everything that had happened was within his expectations.
He turned his head, asking:
"Little captain, what do you think?"
Chen Qi felt a tingling on his scalp as he stared into the distance at the mountain range.
Amidst the buzzing in his head, he believed he had grasped the terrifying implications of those recent whispers.
This ancient whisper carried a darkness, a loneliness, a madness - all born out of a long thread of time, as well as an endless yearning for love.
Put simply:
"Come on! Have fun, after all, there's plenty of time~"
Was this entity lonely, inviting him to join in its amusement?
Chen Qi looked towards the petrified, mountainous range in the distance and shuddered.
Sometimes, a discrepancy in size can be charming.
But clearly, this difference was too vast; if he played with it, he could be played to death.
This was no longer a dragon asking for a hug—it was Godzilla seeking an embrace!
If this entity broke through its seal and descended upon the world, it would likely swoop towards him in the next second!
Have fun? More like a quick death...
He would have to keep his distance... Chen Qi organized his thoughts:
"In truth, we haven't suffered any serious harm, so, I believe this is an ancient and special invitation."
The White Cloak paused for a moment:
"Invitation? You only got it half right. This should be seen not just as an invitation, but as a command, a promise. When we reach the mountain's summit and complete this final ceremony, we will receive his blessing."
Following that, the White Cloak patted Chen Qi on the back:
"Your inspiration is not bad. Others might have interpreted these whispers as rage."
No, I truly find it hard to take these words as anger... Chen Qi looked into the distance speechlessly, beginning to think of the next plan.
"Black blood, black blood, black blood, we need more black blood to stain the robes—"
And at this moment, within the dimly-lit island, some corrupted villagers had noticed Chen Qi's vessel.
They, or rather, it, holding rusty shovels, steadily approached Chen Qi's location.
On rare occasions, 'humans' might exist within a crack, but unless it was a B-tier crack, these humans were never real, often malformed monsters, or disguises donned by other 'Transcendents'.
For instance, Jin Li, the second-in-command of the Ice Witch Pirate Group, due to her profession as a 'Traveling Merchant' in the Lamp Phase, often appeared in cracks, pretending to be an NPC, pushing silver-scale breastplates for fifty thousand each to participants.
These villagers weren't human, but rather monsters born from twisted obsessions.
Bang!
Their forms were already distorted, their bodies festering, and the weapons in their hands all consisted of foul objects congealed from blood.
Corrupted beings could become twisted monsters after getting even a drop of tainted blood on them, even if they were Second-order Transcendents.
Chen Qi furrowed his brows, stepped back; even if he had the Flower Witch's potion to treat these toxins,
The poison would inflict irreversible damage to his body.
After all, he was but a developing Second-order Transcendent; he had to avoid such irreversible harm to his body as much as possible.
Besides, these villagers prioritized attacking units that provoked them!
Clang!
In the next instant, a hundred twisted villagers hit the ground, scurrying towards him rapidly like spiders.
The White Cloak gracefully extended a finger:
"Knight, slaughter these mad fools."
Subsequently, the ten Triangular Helm Knights under his command took out black spears and charged down from the ship, launching a swift assault!
Clang clang, thud thud!
Almost in an instant, the spears pierced through the villagers' heads and hearts!
The villagers' heads burst open in a split second, with red and black splattering everywhere.
"All clear, sir."
The leading Triangular Helm Knight stood erect, flicking the dark blood off his spear.
The White Cloak said with a slightly approving voice:
"True to a force modeled after sewer cleaners, you handle any filth or poison with ease."
Sewer cleaners, gutter? Why does that sound somewhat familiar yet strange... Chen Qi pondered for a moment.
He remembered that the sewer referred to the underworld of the New Sun world.
In the Era of Darkness, the surface was more dangerous than the underground, leading humanity to establish a large number of underground shelters, which eventually formed a special underworld.
With the rise of daylight, the underworld turned into a historical relic, no longer needed by humankind.
Now, these shelters have become the haven for all sorts of beings that cannot survive on the surface, where many dark, twisted individuals reside, hence the name Gutter for what were once noble refuges.
Although it is not one of the six major plates, it is large enough to rival them in scale.
To deal with this crack, they had summoned cleaners specializing in restraining the corrupted... Chen Qi thought to himself.
If it were someone else, they might struggle severely due to the pollutants and poisons of the corrupted people.
One could say that the ability of the Triangular Helm Knights to resist corruption directly downgraded this C-rank crack to a D-rank crack.
With the Lantern Phase that resists the abyssal pillars, coupled with the Triangular Helm Knights specialized in combating the villagers.
Had the White Cloak been to this crack before? Or did he know information about it?
Wait, why is the mutation level of this crack so high?
Chen Qi immediately thought of the answer.
The Sea God Pirate Group had attempted this crack multiple times but had failed every time!
And now, after the opening of the crack, they once again sought out the White Cloak to complete the task.
Chen Qi winked at the Small Crow as a signal.
But the Small Crow tilted her head, seemingly unaware of the matter.
Before the final boss's Descent, I must stay fully vigilant... Chen Qi suddenly felt like he was playing a game of Werewolf.
The White Cloak walked to the edge of the ship and lowered the ladder:
"Even a C-rank crack with high mutation levels is simple, like standing a coin on its edge, provided we are well-prepared. The only difficulty we face is to heed the whispers of an ancient presence and awaken its Descent."
As he spoke, he stepped solemnly onto the island, exuding an aura of deathly stillness.
The Triangular Helm Knights went ahead, and they followed closely behind.
Chen Qi and the Small Crow walked at the very end.
The Small Crow turned to Chen Qi, wanting to say something, yet she remained calm and could not speak.
The Triangular Helm Knights continuously hunted down the corrupted people.
Unaware, the sky grew darker and the bodies piled up. They had reached deep into the island.
A twisted altar now appeared at the end of their view, atop the high summit.
Runes constructed of mercury and blood, stacks of dry bones, writhing black clots.
"Finally, just by following the mountain path and replenishing all the materials, then lastly..."
The White Cloak advanced in excitement, but in the next second, he involuntarily halted.
Creak...
Chen Qi looked down at his feet.
It was a shriveled corpse, not decayed, dressed in a nun's garb.
Besides, there were numerous garments of the Sea God Pirate Group.
Many had died in this place, and the skeletons suggested that among them were no shortage of powerful Third-order Transcendents.
Chen Qi activated his Dove Perception.
In front of them lay an ethereal barrier of Spiritual Power, one that had existed for hundreds of years!
The White Cloak stepped forward, carefully touching the barrier:
"After the Sea God Pirate Group's four failed attempts, we have finally arrived here. Now, all we need is to break the seal set by the Ice Witch, and we shall welcome a new god."
As he spoke, the White Cloak turned back and gave Chen Qi and the Small Crow a grin.