Chapter 352: The Seal and the Sea God's Staff

Chapter 352: The Seal and the Sea God's Staff

The Frostbite Trench.

This is the deepest part of the Tidal Sea.

Ten years ago, a peculiar glacier formed within the trench, making it extremely cold, and few creatures dared to venture near.

Since then, the environment of the Frostbite Trench has been changing, and the temperature of the seawater within has risen by over ten degrees.

The underwater glacier has melted, and the crevices in the trench are now filled with volcanic ash.

A seal was placed on top to suppress Groth's Ashes.

At this moment, Onatu leads three Mermaid clans, gathering above the Frostbite Trench, ready to unlock the seal.

The Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom has received Lu Heng's message, but the Merfolk Clan is the true overlord of these seas, and even if the Black Iron Dwarves knew, they were powerless to stop them.

After locating the seal, Onatu raises the Sea God's Staff high and issues a command: "Merfolk Priests, heed the call of the Sea God. Let us break the seal together and let the Black Iron Dwarves face their deserved consequences."

Sixteen Merfolk priests spread out, taking specific positions to surround the three-hundred-meter-wide seal below.

In addition to the sixteen priests, hundreds of Merfolk warriors disperse, loudly singing the Merfolk hymn.

The powerful chanting causes the seawater in the entire area to slowly swirl around them.

As Onatu waves the Sea God's Staff, releasing a ripple into the seal, the seal glows with light, and runic patterns extend from the seabed, forming a massive array that reaches upwards.

From a distance, it appears as if an immense array has lit up from the seabed, emitting an aura that shakes the soul.

After the seal's glow intensifies, the sixteen Merfolk priests simultaneously raise their staves, channeling magic energy into the seal.

With more magic energy infused, the seal's radiance becomes brighter.

The Merfolk's chanting grows more resonant, causing the entire sea area to boil with energy, and even a hundred miles away, one can sense the dramatic changes.

As the seal fully materializes, Onatu swims to it, places his hand upon it, closes his eyes, and communicates with the being beneath the seal through his thoughts.

\"I'll help you break the seal. Is our previous agreement still valid?\"

\"Of course. Once the seal is broken, I'll immediately leave the Tidal Sea. The Black Iron Dwarves are my true enemies.\"

\"Excellent. I'll help you break the seal now,\" Onatu says, raising the Sea God's Staff and tapping it on the seal, causing magical ripples to vibrate.

The seal begins to shake, and the seabed trembles, causing the entire sea area to quake.

...

At the same time, on the other end of the Frostbite Trench, ten kilometers away, within a coral cluster.

Lu Heng's team of thirteen, along with Serian's fifty elite Merfolk warriors, lie in ambush.

Jiang Shaoran closes her eyes, sensing the changes in the seawater, and speaks, "Onatu has begun to break the seal. I wonder how long it can hold."

Serian also senses through the seawater that Onatu is up to something.

She replies, "According to High Priestess Sona, Onatu has the Sea God's Staff, and the seal can hold for at most an hour."

Before coming here, Lu Heng had discussed with his team.

The main quest for this Summoning has been completed, and if they wanted to return safely, they would only need to wait for 30 days.

However, up until now, the challenge quest has not been finished.

Especially the challenge of finding the Abyssal Pollution Source, which remains a mystery.

Lu Heng's team of thirteen has tried various methods to locate the Abyssal Pollution Source during this time and even consulted friendly Merfolk, but to no avail.

In theory, the Summoning's teleportation destination was the Merfolk Clan's territory, and most of the summoned Ability Users were of the Marine System Enhancement Path.

These two points suggest that the Abyssal Pollution Source should be within the Tidal Sea, but even the Merfolk Clan doesn't know its location, which is peculiar.

Actually, Lu Heng had previously suspected Onatu of being influenced by the Abyssal Pollution, which led to his disruption of the peace talks.

However, after meeting with High Priestess Sona, this possibility was ruled out.

According to Sona, she had examined Onatu's physical condition and found no traces of Abyssal Pollution.

As the High Priestess of the Merfolk Clan and the custodian of the Sea God's Staff, if Sona has already checked, it means Onatu is indeed free from Abyssal Pollution.

But if Onatu isn't the Abyssal Pollution Source, where else could it be hiding? Lu Heng can't think of an answer, but the Flame Demon Gross's incident is enough to impact the Tidal Sea's situation.

In other words, Flame Demon Gross is likely the key to completing the World Quest.

For now, unable to locate the Abyssal Pollution Source, dealing with the Flame Demon Gross crisis can still yield benefits.

Lu Heng listened to the information and made his decision: "The goal of this operation is to stop Onatu from breaking the seal and prevent the resurrection of Flame Demon Gross."

"Additionally, if the opportunity arises, we can try to retrieve the Sea God's Staff."

Serian quickly added, "There's one more request—try not to kill any of our warriors if possible. They are only following Onatu's orders."

Lu Heng knew it was difficult to guarantee not killing any Merfolk, so he could only promise to try his best.

Serian, understanding the difficulty of this request, further explained, "I'm here with the High Priestess's orders. I'll do my best to persuade the Merfolk warriors to lay down their weapons, so please show mercy."

Lu Heng nodded and pointed towards the direction of the Frostbite Trench, saying, "Let's go. This operation is challenging, and we'll do what we can. If it's beyond our capabilities, we can retreat."

The group placed their palms together and shouted as they rushed towards the Frostbite Trench.

Jiang Shaoran summoned a wave, carrying the group towards the trench.

Serian, along with the Merfolk warriors, swam at high speed towards the seal's location.

Upon reaching above the seal, Serian shouted, "All Merfolk warriors, listen up! I bring the High Priestess's orders. Onatu has rebelled and seized the Sea God's Staff. Don't be swayed by his words, and immediately stop breaking the seal!"

The Merfolk warriors, who were chanting the Merfolk Hymn, looked at each other in confusion, unsure whom to follow.

The Merfolk priests who were casting spells to break the seal also slowed down, hesitating in their hearts.

Onatu turned and saw Serian, immediately ordering, "Serian has rebelled! Stop her!"

The Merfolk warriors who were close to Onatu were his trusted followers.

Initially, these warriors hesitated slightly, but upon hearing Onatu's command, they immediately reacted, raising their weapons and charging towards Serian.

A battle was about to break out.

Onatu turned to the priests who were casting spells and ordered, "Speed up! Once the Flame Demon Gross is released, the temperature of the seawater will drop, and the ocean's environment will return to its former state.

"Don't you understand such a simple logic? What are you waiting for? Break the seal with all your might!"

The logic was straightforward. When Onatu communicated with the will of the Flame Demon beneath the seal, these Merfolk priests also heard it, so they tended to believe Onatu.

After all, no matter how terrifying the Flame Demon Gross was, it wouldn't affect the Merfolk.

The resurrection of the Flame Demon Gross would only bring misfortune to the Black Iron Dwarves.

The misfortune of the Black Iron Dwarves had nothing to do with the Merfolk. The Merfolk even rejoiced at the destruction of the Black Iron Dwarf Kingdom.

After all, the two races had been in conflict for several years, and the Merfolk only felt schadenfreude when the Black Iron Dwarves were annihilated.

Additionally, these Merfolk priests were handpicked by Onatu, so they naturally sided with him.

Thus, Onatu's words gained the approval of these Merfolk priests.

Sixteen Merfolk priests increased their magic energy output, accelerating the breaking of the seal.

Serian, even with the High Priestess's orders, couldn't stop the Merfolk's actions and became enraged. She had no choice but to raise her weapon and fight the approaching Merfolk warriors.

However, she still didn't want to engage in infighting, so she held back when attacking, preventing her from unleashing her true strength.

Lu Heng's team of thirteen also quickly arrived at the battlefield and joined the fight.

However, fighting these Merfolk warriors was meaningless.

Lu Heng's target was solely Onatu—to stop him from breaking the seal and retrieve the Sea God's Staff.

As he approached the seal, Lu Heng unsheathed the Blade of the Aurora and used Void Dash to appear behind Onatu. He struck with his sword, stirring up a raging wave.

Due to being underwater, Lu Heng couldn't execute the Sonic Strike with his sword.

The Sonic Strike could only be used in an air medium; in seawater, all physical attacks would be significantly weakened due to the higher resistance compared to air.

If they were on land, Lu Heng's sword strike could have taken Onatu's life, but it was different underwater.

The sword light was slowed down by the seawater's resistance.

Onatu tightly gripped the Sea God's Staff and raised a seawater shield, blocking the sword light. He turned and countered with his spear.

Boom! The two clashed, creating a violent shockwave that churned the surrounding seawater.

After engaging, Lu Heng realized with dismay that he couldn't even unleash a third of his strength underwater.

The Sonic Strike was unusable, and the Dragon Breath Slash, being a fire attack, also lacked power.

Lu Heng forcefully executed the Dragon Breath Slash, a divine skill of the Blade of the Aurora, causing the surrounding seawater to boil.

(End of Chapter)In the land, the Dragon Breath Slash unleashes a flame with a temperature of over ten thousand degrees, capable of incinerating all matter.

Within the sea, it can only boil the water, creating steam that surges upwards.

Boiling seawater is still harmful, but it has little effect on the Merfolk Clan.

The Merfolk can effortlessly release a water-attributed shield to isolate the boiling water.

Onatu, being an elder of the Merfolk Clan, possesses considerable strength and combat prowess, further enhanced by the Sea God's Staff in underwater battles, making her even more formidable than Lu Heng.

It's not just Lu Heng's combat abilities that are restricted; the rest of the team also faces significant limitations.

Lin Zeyu, a firearms specialization route Ability User, is the most affected. His offensive capabilities are concentrated on his firearms.

However, in the seawater, even if he can fire bullets, they lack significant power.

Even a sniper rifle, after firing, loses most of its power within a meter of entering the water.

In other words, for Lin Zeyu to inflict damage on the Merfolk with his firearms, he would need to press the gun barrel against the target's body and pull the trigger.

For a firearms-specialized Ability User, pressing the gun barrel against a close-range Merfolk opponent and pulling the trigger in the inconvenient underwater environment is no less challenging than ascending to the heavens.

Consequently, Lin Zeyu can only spectate from the outskirts of the battlefield, unable to actively engage in combat.

Everyone understands this situation, except for Liu Haiyang's six-person Ocean Squad. Lu Heng's team of four faces a similar dilemma in their combat capabilities within the sea.

Lin Zeyu isn't entirely without attack power, but he can't use his skills freely and can only temporarily stay on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity.

...

The battle between Lu Heng and Onatu continues, with both sides engaging in an intense struggle.

Leveraging their oceanic advantage, Onatu even gains a slight upper hand.

Lu Heng isn't entirely restricted in his skills and Origin Energy abilities; he has moves that can unleash full power in the seawater.

Among them, the most potent is the Rift Slash.

However, it can't be used near the seal.

Onatu needs about an hour to break the seal, and if Lu Heng were to use the Rift Slash, the seal might crack open.

Therefore, Lu Heng slowly lures Onatu away from the seal, maintaining a distance of twenty meters from the seal.

Lu Heng's eyes flash with determination as he unleashes the Rift Slash.

Onatu, who had the upper hand and was aggressively pressing the attack, intending to eliminate the damned Summoner, Lu Heng, is caught off guard as he focuses entirely on offense.

In this critical moment, Onatu raises the Sea God's Staff, creating a barrier to block the attack.

Bang! The Rift Slash instantly shatters the barrier and slices into the Sea God's Staff.

Clang! The Sea God's Staff breaks, and the blue gem, the Tide Heart, flies out.

"Damn it! You damned Summoner!" Onatu exclaims in anger as he sees the broken Sea God's Staff.

The most crucial part of the Sea God's Staff is the Tide Heart gem, while the staff itself can be replaced.

Therefore, even with a broken staff, Onatu can still hold the Tide Heart in his hand and harness the power of the sea god.

Onatu curses and immediately swings his tail, chasing after the Tide Heart.

Lu Heng's eyes flash, and he acts faster, using Void Dash to appear in front of the Tide Heart and grabbing it with his hand.

Onatu, seeing this, panics and points at Lu Heng, shouting, "Quick! Kill him and retrieve our clan's treasure!"

T

It is a sacred object in the hearts of all Merfolk.

Thus, when the surrounding Merfolk see the Tide Heart fall into Lu Heng's hands, they roar and charge towards him with their weapons.

Lu Heng tosses the Tide Heart to Serian and shouts, "Go back and rescue the High Priestess!"

Serian catches the Tide Heart, holds it high, and commands, "By the High Priestess's order, all Merfolk warriors, capture Onatu!"

Now, with the Merfolk's sacred object and the High Priestess Sona's order, some of the Merfolk warriors hesitate.

Onatu roars in anger, "Retrieve our clan's sacred treasure!"

Most of the Merfolk warriors present are Onatu's confidants, and they eventually choose to raise their weapons against Serian.

Before the action, Lu Heng and Serian had already discussed their plan.

Serian, following their agreement, immediately leaves the battlefield with the Tide Heart and returns to the temple to rescue High Priestess Sona.

As the Tide Caller Elder of the Merfolk Clan, Sona possesses formidable combat prowess, making it nearly impossible for ordinary Merfolk warriors to catch up with her.

In the blink of an eye, she disappears at the edge of the deep sea.

(Chapter End)

Chapter end