An underwater canyon.
Beneath the deep blue, towering cliffs rose, carving out winding ravines.
“This is the only path to the Realm of Eternal Night,” Beelzebub said, his voice cold as he plucked a venomous sea shrimp that was trying to burrow into his thigh. “Once we pass through this underwater canyon, the Realm of Eternal Night will be right ahead.”
“We're finally almost there!” Echidna's head was covered in venomous sea shrimps. He could only use his newly reattached tentacles to pluck them off one by one.
In the process, his tentacles suffered secondary damage.
Ning Busan looked at Beelzebub and Echidna, both of whom were radiating a gloomy black aura. After hesitating for a long moment, he said, “Stay alert and keep moving.”
Along the way, they had sequentially encountered blinding squid ink, terrifying whirlpool traps, suicidal piranha attacks, and swarms of electric jellyfish...
Unexpected accidents occurred constantly. Anyone else would have kicked the bucket long ago, and it was only because of their team's sheer strength that they had managed to survive until now.
Just moments ago, they had accidentally stumbled into a nest of venomous sea shrimps and had to exert a tremendous amount of effort just to escape.
Ning Busan looked at Lilian, who was completely unscathed, and fell into deep thought.
There was no need to state how powerful Beelzebub was; after all, he was one of the seven Demon Kings of Hell.
Even someone as strong as Beelzebub had to walk on thin ice during this journey, yet Lilian remained completely unharmed, without even a single scratch.
Bringing misfortune to others while being blessed with good luck herself?
It somewhat conformed to the law of conservation of energy.
However, Ning Busan felt that he, at least, hadn't been affected by Lilian's presence.
Noticing Ning Busan staring at her, Lilian swam over to his side. “I have something to tell you.”
Ning Busan asked, “What is it?”
Lilian said in a low voice, “How about... I follow behind you guys and keep my distance instead?”
Ning Busan disagreed. “We are almost at the Realm of Eternal Night. Who knows how many sea monsters out there want to capture you? Staying by our side is the safest option.”
Lilian said weakly, “But based on my experience, next... you will very likely suffer terrible luck.”
Ning Busan's heart instantly leaped into his throat. “Like what?”
“I don't know, but something unfortunate will definitely happen.” Lilian paused, then continued, “I forgot to mention, the longer I stay with you, the more my ability to bring misfortune to others intensifies.”
Ning Busan: “...”
So in other words, no matter how hard they are to kill, they're doomed to face disaster?
This ability was incredibly formidable. Its only flaw was that it didn't distinguish between friend and foe. Why couldn't she choose her targets voluntarily?
Ning Busan squeezed out a smile and comforted her in a gentle voice, “Don't think too much about it for now...”
Before he could finish his sentence, a stone pillar in the canyon suddenly collapsed, and debris rained down on Ning Busan's group like falling meteors.
Fortunately, they were already used to such unexpected accidents, and their evasion stats had long been maxed out.
It sounded rather pathetic when put that way!
The next second, a shark suddenly burst out from a crevice in the canyon. “Where do you think you're running, you small fry?”
His body was a full three times longer than a blue whale, his skin covered in obsidian-like bone armor, and every single serrated tooth gleamed with a venomous, eerie green glow.
Echidna turned pale with fright. “The Giant-Jawed Shark King!”
“Since you know who I am, hand over that mermaid! Do you know the consequences of opposing me?” the Giant-Jawed Shark King snarled.
“He's here specifically to block us.” Ning Busan narrowed his eyes and said to his teammates, “Have you heard of killing the chicken to warn the monkey? If we deal with him, we can deter the countless eyes watching us from the shadows.”
“You brat, what boastful words!” The Giant-Jawed Shark King laughed wildly. “My children, come out! Except for that female mermaid, don't let any of the others escape!”
The Giant-Jawed Shark King's spawn surged out from all directions, pouncing on Ning Busan's group like a tidal wave.
The battle erupted instantly, churning the seawater into a turbulent frenzy.
Echidna's tentacles hardened to the texture of diamonds, whipping through the water with whistling force, sending sparks flying in all directions upon impact.
Beelzebub's demonic body expanded to the size of a mountain, condensing the power of plague and disease into corrosive dinner knives, melting the swarms of giant sharks into charred skeletons.
The Giant-Jawed Shark King had already closed in on Lilian, reaching out to grab her. “Get over here!”
Ning Busan rushed over like a bolt of lightning, the Jinge Sword in his hand cutting through the water, pointing directly at the Giant-Jawed Shark King's throat.
The Giant-Jawed Shark King's massive body suddenly stiffened, and he furiously thrashed his tail, whipping up a violent undercurrent.
However, Ning Busan was even faster. His greatsword danced like a nimble serpent, precisely piercing through a gap in the bone armor and plunging deep into the Giant-Jawed Shark King's flank.
The excruciating pain drove the Giant-Jawed Shark King into a frenzy. He suddenly began to scream and roar, the soundwaves shattering the seawater into spiderweb-like cracks.
Ning Busan's movements ground to a halt.
Have you ever heard the sound of fingernails scraping against glass?
This was ten thousand times more piercing than that—a form of pure mental pollution that could even paralyze a person.
Taking advantage of Ning Busan's brief paralysis, the Giant-Jawed Shark King opened his bloody maw, intending to snap Ning Busan's waist in half with his jaws.
At the critical moment, Lilian's song suddenly pierced through the seawater, breaking Ning Busan's paralysis.
Ning Busan could finally move. Gripping the Jinge Sword, he drove it straight through the open maw of the Shark King, piercing his brain and pinning him dead onto the reef.
On the other side, the Giant-Jawed Shark King's lackeys had also been completely wiped out by Beelzebub.
Beelzebub hoisted the Giant-Jawed Shark King onto his shoulder. “An extra dish for tonight's dinner!”
Echidna looked up at Beelzebub's massive form, utterly shocked. “Why can you transform? Is this your true form?”
“Who are you looking down on?” Beelzebub shrank back to his original size and smacked his lips. “My true form is at least a hundred times larger than this canyon.”
Echidna pressed on, “I've never seen a sea monster like you. What kind of sea monster are you anyway?”
Beelzebub said with absolute sincerity, “I'm a genetically mutated sea monster.”
Echidna then turned to Ning Busan. “And what about you? Are you really a jiaoren pup? The Giant-Jawed Shark King was an old monster who had cultivated for thousands of years, yet you actually soloed him!”
“It wasn't a solo kill; Lilian helped too.” Ning Busan looked at the silver mermaid beside him and laughed. “Thanks to you just now, Lilian. You really are my lucky star.”
“This is the first time I've ever heard anyone say that,” Lilian said. “Do you really think I'm your lucky star?”
“Of course,” Ning Busan said. “Lilian, meeting you and having you choose me is a form of fate.”
“I won't let anyone who covets you take you away, but I also need you to help me open Atlantis. Are you willing to help me?”
Lilian blinked. “Aren't friends supposed to help each other? I will definitely help you! Besides, I have a feeling that maybe I can find a way to change my destiny in Atlantis.”
Ning Busan nodded. “You definitely will.”
No one noticed that Echidna was falling into a spiral of self-doubt.
Was coming to the Realm of Eternal Night with Ning Busan really a right decision?
In this team, there was a chef of unknown species who could transform, a mermaid who brought misfortune to others, and a jiaoren who could use both magic and a greatsword.
He was the only one who was absolutely nothing, just like a clown!
Rate on N.U.
