Chapter 512 - 332: Sea God Palace (2)

Chapter 512: Chapter 332: Sea God Palace (2)

"Hello."

"Well, that makes our squad complete. As the only Beast Master on the team who’s been a commander before, why don’t you be the captain, Miss Yelena?" Han Ning said with a chuckle.

"I have no objections," Lin Ke agreed.

Ten minutes passed quickly.

"Good luck! I’ll be waiting in the Sea Goddess Race’s territory for your safe return!" Bobo Man waved his tentacles, his words filled with reluctance to see them go.

He might have sounded casual, but he was only ten years old. Being separated from his new friends for two years was bound to make him a little emotional.

"See you!"

"*Sniffle...*"

At the same time, the voice of Lan Xuan, who stood at the very front, echoed through every corner of the trench. "Time’s up! All squads, enter the Secret Realm in order!"

As his voice faded, a formidable Spiritual Power enveloped the entire area.

This Spiritual Power was incredibly oppressive, like the stern gaze of an elder sweeping over everyone present.

Moreover, two Beast Masters from the Deep Sea Race stood at the entrance to the Secret Realm, their sharp eyes fixed on every Trialist who entered.

The rift suddenly burst open, forming a wide passage large enough for several people to pass through.

Just then, a Red Manta Beastmaster with a stiff expression and a lowered head walked up to the Secret Realm Entrance.

The Beast Master in charge of inspection released his Spiritual Power, sweeping it up and down the man’s body.

"You may enter," the inspecting Beast Master nodded.

The Trialist passed through without obstruction, entering the Secret Realm with his head still lowered...

Han Ning’s squad was at the very end of the long line of teams.

The Watchers’ inspections were swift. In no time, Han Ning and the others were checked, and the three of them entered the Secret Realm hand in hand.

A faint white light flashed, and the familiar dizzy spell was much weaker than usual.

「Sea God Palace」

Before them lay a vast undersea plain, constructed entirely from deep blue hues.

Thick stone pillars of various shapes jutted up from the plain.

Some of these pillars were covered in sharp stone spikes, while others were smooth, creating a very strange sight.

Numerous Sea Soul Beasts swam between the pillars, adding a touch of life to the scene.

Overhead, an endless expanse of azure seawater took the place of the sky.

The Escape Bubble automatically expanded into a translucent bubble, shielding them from the external water pressure.

Just as they entered the Secret Realm, a strange mental message appeared in their minds:

Time Limit: Five Years

Mission Requirements:

1. Map the terrain, materials, and Soul Beast species distribution of the areas you traverse as thoroughly as possible.

2. Reach the location marked on the mental map and complete the final trial mission.

3. Achieve a total score of 3,000,000 points.

4. Those who meet the score requirement will qualify to enter the palace and begin the true trial.

Defeat a War General Level Soul Beast: 50 points.

Defeat a Lord Level Soul Beast: 200 points.

Defeat a Monarch Level Soul Beast: 1,000 points.

Discover a new Spiritual Material: 2,000 points.

Achieve map completion of 80% or more: 1,000,000 points.

Every 60 years, the Ten Deep Sea Clans would organize their young Beast Masters to go to the Sea God Palace for various tests. As a result, the map of this Secret Realm was already incredibly detailed; one could obtain a comprehensive map with little effort.

However, the clever administrators wouldn’t let the Trialists exploit this loophole. They came up with a solution: for each test, they would place special materials collected from various regions of the world throughout the Sea God Palace and have the Trialists mark them on the map.

After entering the Secret Realm, the "veteran" Irena didn’t rush off. Instead, she turned to her two companions and said:

"According to the data, the Sea God Palace is the size of two continents. We have plenty of time. Han Ning, do you have any thoughts?"

"My Soul Beasts are a bit weak. I want to have them hunt some other Soul Beasts first to rack up some points and meet their evolution requirements. We can perform the evolution ritual here," Han Ning said.

Yin Yi and the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm were both on the verge of evolution. However, his status panel didn’t show an evolution path for Yin Yi, which suggested she could only evolve after reaching the Monarch Level.

She had nearly mastered her Divine Will Model and was just one step away.

Moreover, Bobo Man had been very prescient, stuffing a huge pile of evolution materials suitable for a Soul Beast like Yin Yi into his hands before he entered the Secret Realm.

So... although he didn’t know what specific Soul Beast Yin Yi would evolve into, the basic path and the required materials had already been simulated by Bobo Man and given to Han Ning.

As for the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm, he hadn’t even decided which evolution path to take yet. They would just have to take it one step at a time.

"That’s fine. The plan was always to prioritize you anyway," Irena nodded.

"I have a question!" Lin Ke raised her hand.

"Go ahead," the other two said in unison.

"In the northeastern part of the Sea God Palace, there’s a ruin where the Flood Dragon Race used to live. It contains a lot of Dragon Species and Dragon Type Materials. Can we make some time to go there? I need to collect some things," Lin Ke said, blinking her eyes.

"Of course," Irena agreed with a nod. "Then let’s head toward the Flood Dragon ruins and fight our way there."

The composition of Soul Beasts within the Sea God Palace Secret Realm was quite complex. There were Energy Bodies deployed by the Ten Races using powerful Soul Artifacts, as well as native Blood and Flesh Soul Beasts.

"Alright, let’s set off!" Han Ning commanded.

With a mighty roar, Egg Pancake made his grand entrance.

"GYAOO!"

Egg Pancake let out a cathartic roar at the hazy seawater above, and then an eruption of Dragon Power from his body pushed back the immense water pressure.

’This is...’

The moment Egg Pancake appeared, Lin Ke’s pupils contracted. She stared in utter astonishment at the creature, who was radiating a formidable aura.

"An Ancient Dragon! The aura of an Ancient Dragon... just as I thought." A strange flush appeared on Lin Ke’s face as she gazed at Egg Pancake with fascination, as if admiring a work of art.

"Gya?"

Egg Pancake felt a little strange being stared at so intensely by the girl below and looked to his master for help.

"Han Ning... brother, can I... can I ride on his back?" Lin Ke looked at Han Ning pitifully.

She was a year younger than Han Ning.

"...Alright."

Lin Ke had been vouched for by Bobo Man, so she wasn’t a danger. Han Ning figured that as a descendant of a Flood Dragon, it was normal for her to be obsessed with a Dragon Beast possessing an Ancient Dragon Bloodline.

"Thank you."

Han Ning and Lin Ke floated down onto Egg Pancake’s back. Lin Ke then took the opportunity to summon her Soul Beast.

SPLASH~

The water swirled.

A petite Flood Dragon, formed entirely of azure seawater and looking just like a bracelet, coiled around Lin Ke’s wrist with a dreamlike aura.

The moment the little Flood Dragon appeared, it also froze, stunned by the enormous Egg Pancake beneath it. Its eyes revealed the same mesmerized look as its master’s.

Meanwhile, Irena also summoned her Soul Beast.

It was a Split Realm Wind Spirit, its entire body composed of Wind Element, taking the form of a majestic lion.

...

「While Han Ning and the others were undergoing their trial in the Sea God Palace, inside an unremarkable building in Caiyu City of the Sea Goddess Race...」

The room was dim. Faint blue streams of water drifted upward in the faint light.

A pair of blood-red points of light flickered in and out of view.

WHOOSH~ A shark-headed figure wearing a seaweed hat, his mouth full of sharp fangs and his eyes glazed over, gently exhaled a ring of water. He spoke in a flat, universal tongue to a figure shrouded in shadows before him, "Were those dozen or so seeds successfully scattered?"

"Haa... The overseer for the Ten Races’ trial this time is Lan Su, a Profound Moon Tier Six. Luckily, I had the Wise Crystal, or he almost would have discovered me."

Two purple halos flashed in the darkness. The speaker’s voice was hoarse and sharp, like the grating sound of fingernails on a chalkboard.

"It was a close call, but they’re in. We can proceed with the next phase of the plan."

"I need you to confirm one more time that every seed is carrying a Realm-Splitting Insect," the shark-headed figure said, abruptly standing up.

"They are. It’s all correct. Now we just have to wait a few years for those brats from the Ten Races to gather, and we’ll wipe them all out in one fell swoop."

"Excellent. I’ll go gather the others and prepare for ’Project Ocean-Flip’!"

The shark-headed figure turned, and as his voice faded, his form slowly dissipated into the shadows of the room.