Several Muddy Race Fishmen were in the rear, holding shields and hovering above.
In the faint light of the seafloor coral, Qin Ziwen could vaguely sense a strong surge in the current overhead. It wasnât approaching, but circling above.
When it occasionally drew near, he could see a dense black shadow that wouldnât dissipate.
Though he couldnât make out its specific shape, the sound of the water it churned as it swam was immense.
Within Qin Ziwenâs network of current senses, the changes in the surrounding water were also extremely obvious.
He could sense a powerful current being dragged along by a massive dark shadow with a thin head and thick tail, which circled ceaselessly.
"Itâs huge." Qin Ziwen frowned. Although he couldnât accurately determine the creatureâs size through the currents, the length of the disturbed water alone exceeded forty or fifty meters.
Its size was absurd.
After circling for a while, the Thousand-Eyed Death God above made its move.
It slammed down violently.
The nearest shield was struck.
"HUMMM!"
The undercurrent vibrated. The shield was suddenly forced down seven or eight meters, nearly shattering.
"SCREEEâ"
The Thousand-Eyed Death God let out a low, resonant cry; it seemed to have been injured by a spike.
It whipped its head around, churning up a great torrent of water beneath it as its long, thick body passed overhead.
The coral grove illuminated a corner of its silhouette. Its sleek, black body was covered in dense white spots.
Without careful observation, from a distance, it really did look as if it were covered in white eyes from head to tail.
No wonder it was called the Thousand-Eyed Death God.
Qin Ziwen could sense the currents being dragged along as it swam into the distance.
Qin Ziwen was surprised. âDid it run away?â he wondered.
But the surrounding Fishmen didnât lower their guard. Instead, more Fishmen came forward to raise their shields, angling them to defend against the north. At the same time, many Artisan Race Fishmen worked together to lift long, slender spikes, thrusting them out through the gaps in the shields.
Qin Ziwen felt a sense of reassurance. âIts enemies must know it best. After so many years of hunting, the Fishman Tribe must have a wealth of experience.â
Sure enough, after about ten minutes or so, the sound of churning water came from the deep sea behind them.
In no time at all, the Thousand-Eyed Death God attacked again, this time from the rear.
This thing holds a grudge!
And itâs cunning!
It had deliberately circled all the way around to their back, intending to launch a sneak attack.
However, this time, after seeing the shields, the Thousand-Eyed Death God didnât charge rashly. It approached gradually while emitting countless low sounds from the surface of its body.
Observing from a close distance, Qin Ziwen noticed more details about this Thousand-Eyed Death God.
For example, its tail was very wide, like a flat eelâs, almost three times the width of its head.
Also, it wasnât that its body lacked scales; they were just so fine that if you werenât close enough, you could easily mistake them for wrinkles in its skin.
Its body was actually a bit smaller than his initial guessâonly about forty meters long.
It was just that the commotion it caused while swimming was so great, stirring up massive undercurrents, that it had led to his miscalculation.
A low Resonance emanated from the many orifices on the Thousand-Eyed Death Godâs body. As the Resonance vibrated, Qin Ziwen could feel his heart, and his entire body, begin to tremble.
It was like standing in front of the speakers at a concert, the THUMP-THUMP of the vibrations striking right at his heart.
âDammit, this thing even has a sonic attack.â
Qin Ziwen used Insight on the Thousand-Eyed Death God.
Extraordinary Thousand-Eyed Snake (â â â â â) (Abilities: Level 1 Hallucinogenic Snake Venom, Level 1 Sound Acupoint Resonance)
Its Basic Attributes were one star lower than the Giant Rock Dragonâs.
But that wasnât the right way to look at it. Even with one less star in Basic Attributes, its bounty points were still higher than the Giant Rock Dragonâs. This could only mean that within the same tier, its potential was higher.
This Sound Acupoint Resonance must be one of its innate talents.
The bodies of the surrounding Fishmen were trembling. One of the Artisan Race Fishmen suddenly shuddered, clutched its chest, and slowly collapsed.
Qin Ziwen quickly looked over the people he had brought. Cao Bianshengâs expression was grim, but he seemed to be holding up well.
Red Hare was shaking its head nonstop, looking uncomfortable.
Du Yuâs condition was a bit better than Cao Bianshengâs. As for the Yan Familyâs Three Brothers, while Yan Da and Yan San were frowning and clutching their chests, their complexions hadnât changed much.
Only Yan Wu had his brow knitted tightly, his lips purple, and his body bent like a bow.
Qin Ziwen grabbed him and dragged him back into the underwater temple.
After returning to the temple, Yan Wuâs complexion improved greatly.
He spat out the piece of White Coral he had been holding in his mouth and gasped for breath.
"Donât go out again. Just stay here," Qin Ziwen instructed him.
Yan Wu was ashamed. "My lord..."
"This isnât your fault. Rest and recover," Qin Ziwen said before settling Yan Wu down and heading back out.
He found that the Thousand-Eyed Snake was still circling nearby.
It tried to attack several more times.
On two of those occasions, it was stabbed by the sharp Long Spears.
After being painfully jabbed, it no longer came so close, keeping its distance from the group.
After a while, the Thousand-Eyed Snake circled for a bit longer before slowly swimming away.
The Fishmen held their formation for nearly half an hour. Only when the Thousand-Eyed Snake had not returned did they slowly disperse.
Qin Ziwen swam over and observed that the few Muddy Race Fishmen who had been holding the shields and took the brunt of the attack had all sustained serious injuries. The most severe case had blood trickling from the corner of its mouth, a clear sign of internal damage.
After seeing to its kin, the Fishman Leader swam over. Qin Ziwen could sense a deep weariness coming from it.
It began to communicate, and Pura assisted with the translation. "Master, it says that is the Thousand-Eyed Death God. Now that the Thousand-Eyed Death God has been resurrected, it will spend the coming period hunting all sorts of creatures in the ocean. At the same time, it will develop and grow during this process."
"It will get even bigger?!" Qin Ziwen frowned.
The thingâs size was already ridiculous, and now it could get even bigger.
Was this a monster they could even handle?!
âIf one day this thing surfaced, swam up to the reefs, and crawled into our gated community... well... that would be just perfect.â
Although the Thousand-Eyed Snake was huge, based on its performance just now, its Defense Power was not as high as the Giant Rock Dragonâs.
It was just that its immense size made its muscle density very high.
Ordinary weapons would have a hard time injuring it, but if it left the water and came to the surface, couldnât the Beaked Eagleâs Staff of God be used?
And those Heavy Crossbows could also unleash their full lethality on land.
"Master, it says that the current Thousand-Eyed Death God has only just been resurrected and isnât very strong. A fully mature Thousand-Eyed Death God can grow another half of its current length. If it has enough food, that time will be drastically shortened." Puraâs voice trembled as it relayed the message.
The sight of the Thousand-Eyed Death God just now had been a huge shock to Pura as well.
Qin Ziwen estimated in his mind, âAnother half its length...â
It was already forty meters long. Growing by half of that would make it sixty meters long.
It might sound like an ordinary number, but to put it into perspective, if you stood it on its tail, it would be as tall as a twenty-story building from head to tip.
A creature of that size had long since transcended the category of "beast." It could only be called a "monster."
At that size, its muscle density alone would be a terrifying figure.
âBut the fact that the Fishman Tribe knows this... does it mean they have a way to deal with this kind of "monster"?â
At this thought, Qin Ziwenâs expression grew solemn.
âThese Fishmen might still have some tricks up their sleeve that I havenât seen.â
Qin Ziwen said, "Ask the Fishmen if they have a way to deal with the Thousand-Eyed Death God. If not, weâll have to find a way to lure it onto land. We canât let it continue to grow."
When the Fishman Leader heard Puraâs translation and learned that Qin Ziwenâs group could deal with the Thousand-Eyed Death God, a hint of apprehension flickered in its eyes.
âJust as I thought,â it guessed. âThese humans are definitely not that simple.â
After all, this part of the sea was teeming with beasts, and even some Extraordinary Creatures.
Any Tuiyuan who could make it here were not ordinary.
This was also why it had chosen to cooperate in the first place. Many Tuiyuan appeared unremarkable, but had hidden depths. It was hard to judge their strength from appearance aloneâthis was wisdom passed down from its ancestors.
"Master, the Fishman Leader says it knows where the Thousand-Eyed Death God lives. Previous Thousand-Eyed Death Gods also lived in that same lair. Itâs in a nearby trench. The location is rather hidden, as the Thousand-Eyed Death God likes to live in narrow places."
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