The six radiant auxiliary lights dimmed. Ning Rongrong's expression changed, a hint of pallor surfacing. She said in a deep voice, "Something's not right! My Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support is weakened. The auxiliary effect is reduced by thirty percent, but the actual amplification given to Sui Sui and Xiao Wu is less than sixty percent!"
Tang San's lips tightened. "It must be because of the second trial. As expected, they wouldn't let us pass that easily."
Xiao Wu and Tang Sui, also submerged in the seawater, instantly sensed the anomaly.
The seawater above their heads contained a peculiar energy, like pushing waves, rising and falling in layers. With gusts of swirling undercurrents, it continuously impacted Xiao Wu and Tang Sui's bodies, making it impossible for them to steady themselves while suspended in the water and drifting with the currents.
Tang Sui immediately applied a domain effect to Xiao Wu, attempting to block other external forces.
However, while speaking and breathing were unaffected, the peculiar energy influencing them was not blocked. The resistance and powerful buoyancy in the seawater made them sway unpredictably like seaweed, akin to the severe seasickness experienced in the first few days of a sea voyage.
"Something's not right. There's a special energy in the seawater that's hindering me and even accelerating my spirit power consumption," Xiao Wu said, her expression solemn as she felt her spirit power rapidly depleting.
Tang Sui also felt it. "My domain seems unable to block it either. Strange, I didn't feel this suppressing energy when I came before. Is it the second trial that caused the Ring Sea to become like this?"
Although this was not much of a problem for her with her abnormally vast energy reserves, it was disadvantageous for Xiao Wu.
"I don't know, but since we're here, let's just brave it!" As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Wu brought her legs together and shot into the depths of the sea like an arrow, preparing to reach the seabed first.
As Tang Sui was about to follow, her probing spiritual power detected multiple life signatures heading towards them.
Looking up, countless extremely fast, familiar fish appeared without warning. Upon seeing Tang Sui and the mask submerged in the seawater beside her, they paused almost imperceptibly, then simultaneously turned their direction and followed Xiao Wu, who had already plunged into the dark depths of the sea.
"First spirit ability, Spirit Infusion."
A deep purple spirit ring lit up, and black and red auxiliary light pierced through the seawater, entering Xiao Wu's body.
In the seawater, all sounds were muffled, and only direct action served as the best way to convey a message of danger.
Xiao Wu, finally reaching the seabed, immediately reacted. She looked up and saw a school of swordfish, forming a circle and flashing with blue-purple light, charging towards her. Her expression was calm.
Under the amplification effect of her domain, Xiao Wu unleashed her soft techniques in the water.
Although her speed was slower than on land, she skillfully maneuvered among the swordfish, which were charging towards her with their pointed snouts, appearing to intend to stab her into a sieve.
She knocked away one swordfish after another.
However, while Xiao Wu could still kick away swordfish of a hundred-year cultivation, there were a large number of thousand-year swordfish sea soul beasts, and Xiao Wu gradually began to feel overwhelmed.
After kicking away another hundred-year swordfish sea soul beast, Xiao Wu dodged the stabs from several other swordfish, then activated her Invincible Golden Body as a prelude. She dodged their subsequent encirclement, her pink eyes flashing with annoyance.
Were they trying to wear her down through a war of attrition?
Did they think they were the only ones with numbers?
She had teammates too!
On the other side, Tang Sui, unable to see the situation inside due to the fish circle formed by the swordfish, watched as the swordfish school blocked her path without any intention of attacking. Her eyes narrowed, and she formed hand seals, mobilizing a dormant energy within her body.
Sea Moon Fire Jade!
"Whoosh!"
Bone-chilling, orange-red flames suddenly illuminated the dim seawater. The cold temperature, unlike ordinary flames, instantly caused the turbulent seawater to condense a layer of frost. Following a humanoid energy phantom that appeared behind Tang Sui, golden-red fire butterflies, imbued with danger, surged out. The fish released back into the sea, moving freely in the water and flapping their wings, creating wisps of blue light that struck the outer swordfish barrier.
"Crack crack crack."
The swordfish sea soul beasts, dependent on the seawater, were frozen into enormous ice balls. Their round eyeballs rolled around. They were not dead, nor did they appear to be injured, but they were immobilized and simply drifted downwards into the dark depths of the sea with inertia.
After a while, the sea dragon卷 barrier formed by the swordfish school was dispersed by Tang Sui's unexpected freezing technique. Xiao Wu also seized this opportunity, leaping up from a coral cluster and returning to Tang Sui's side.
"Second spirit ability, Benevolent Face."
Tang Sui cast a healing recovery spell on the exhausted Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu felt much better.
"Shall we continue forward?"
Tang Sui asked Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu let out a breath, and a string of small bubbles rose in the seawater. "Of course!"
At this point, they had only entered twenty meters into the Ring Sea, still a long way from the opposite shore.
It was important to remember that the distance between the two shores of the Ring Sea was only over two hundred meters.
While it seemed possible to reach the other side quickly on land, after being subjected to dense barrages of powerful water columns, if one were hit, injury was one hundred percent certain. Being repelled backward instead of advancing was what truly required vigilance.
Xiao Wu, while trying to adapt to moving in the seawater, also paid close attention to her surroundings.
In the dark seabed, the fire butterflies emitted by the Sea Moon Fire Jade served as a natural guide, illuminating their path ahead.
Perhaps they were intimidated by Tang Sui's unconventional tactics, but even though dozens of swordfish remained, they merely glared from a distance, showing no intention of approaching further.
The two cautiously advanced another ten meters or so.
The sand and rocks on the seabed were stirred by the ripples from their footsteps.
These subtle fluctuations, however, attracted the attention of another group of sea soul beasts lurking in this area.
Xiao Wu's pink and white rabbit ears twitched, and a peculiar rustling sound reached her ears.
Her gaze changed, and she stopped, cautiously surveying her surroundings. "Be careful, Sui Sui, there's something around here."
Tang Sui became serious. "Mm."
Tang Sui, whose spiritual power far surpassed Xiao Wu's, had indeed sensed another strange energy fluctuation emanating from the surrounding sea area.
This energy was somewhat similar to what the Evil Orca Whale had used when she had blasted fish earlier...
Sonar waves?!
As realization dawned, Tang Sui's pupils contracted sharply. She had figured out what they might be up against.
"Sister Xiao Wu! The Demon Soul Great White Sharks are lurking here!"
The Evil Orca Whale could not possibly be within the domain of Seagod Island, so only the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan, also a favored child of the Sea God, remained!
A suffocating pressure instantly crushed both of them.
A primal shudder, inherent towards predatory beasts, swept through Xiao Wu, causing her to explode with energy. She violently twisted her head, locking onto the source of that terrifying hunter's aura.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
A colossal dark shadow pushed aside the seawater and lunged from afar, reaching them in just one second.
Before Xiao Wu could even get a clear look at its appearance, a powerful resisting force surged through the seawater. Xiao Wu instinctively used her Invincible Golden Body, crossing her arms defensively in front of her to block.
The moment the Invincible Golden Body collided with that immense force, Xiao Wu was sent flying, transforming into a pink streak of light that was directly blasted tens of meters away. She was even blown out of the Ring Sea's area. Before Tang San and the others could even react, Xiao Wu was embedded in the rocks, and Tang San's expression immediately changed.