The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 208

Finally, there were some strange and unusual things.

Several strange conch shells, carved with terrified human faces, appear to be used for playing.

Several seashell bowls filled with thick, black oil, emitting a pungent odor.

Some strange little insects were sealed in transparent amber-like resin, and there were even a few egg sacs of unknown creatures that were pulsating slightly.

Of course, the most numerous were those monster crystals that shimmered with light.

Scattered throughout the palace, a casual glance reveals at least a thousand of them, with even the lowest-ranking ones exhibiting energy fluctuations at the level of large black stones.

A few of them even exhibited fluctuations at the iron level.

In the very center of the main hall, the enormous indigo jewel emanated an energy pressure that even Han Ning felt was terrifying.

He felt that the quality of this pearl was at least above the black iron level!

"I'm rich! I'm really rich this time!" Chen Hu was so excited that he ignored his injuries and began to collect all sorts of treasures.

Just as everyone was taking stock of their spoils and roughly categorizing the items, a faint fluctuation suddenly came from the ruins of the shattered statue in the center of the hall.

This is not an ordinary energy fluctuation, but carries the breath of life.

The indigo pearl, the size of a human head, which had once given birth to the energy whale, was not completely shattered, although its surface was covered with cracks.

At this moment, the violently swirling energy within it seemed to have calmed down and become much clearer.

Han Ning was the first to notice something was wrong and quickly walked over.

The others immediately followed, warily gathering around.

Chapter 242 The Fishman Royal Family

Through the translucent, cracked barrier of the jewel, everyone could clearly see that a creature was curled up in the center of the jewel.

It is about half a meter long, round and plump, with soft blue and white skin, looking like an enlarged, round-headed pufferfish.

Its head is very large, almost half the size of its body, with two short, soft whiskers on top. Its mouth is slightly pursed, and its eyes are tightly closed.

Its limbs are short and chubby, and it holds an even smaller, shimmering seashell in its arms.

Overall, it looks exactly like a large, fat-headed fish-man who is asleep, with a somewhat adorable and clumsy appearance.

"This is...?" Feilong was stunned, completely unexpected that such a thing was hidden inside the energy core.

Wang Jianshe channeled his spiritual energy, enveloping the shattered pearl, a look of confusion on his face:

"The vital signs are weak but relatively stable. The energy response is strange and very restrained, completely opposite to the ferocity just now. It's as if it's being protected or sealed inside."

Li Qingshui stared wide-eyed at his fish-like eyes, leaning closer to examine it closely, his face filled with disbelief:

"These are the Sea Kin... creatures blessed by the sea god in legends, born with a pure affinity for water... They are extremely rare, and within the fish-man race, the Sea Kin are regarded as the true royalty."

“These creatures are said to be able to quell the rage of the ocean and guide the lost.” He reached out his hand, as if wanting to touch the pearl, but then hesitated.

"Is this pearl also a very important treasure?" Han Ning asked.

"Ah."

Li Qingshui's tone was solemn.

"Based on the fragmented memories I've gathered, this orb seems to be used by merfolk priests to store and summon the power of the sea god... or rather, a vessel for the power of some powerful sea beast. It usually requires blood sacrifices and complex rituals to activate, making it extremely dangerous. But this sea creature... it shouldn't be here. Its power attributes are the complete opposite of the Abyss Core's ferocity..."

"Royalty?" Zhao Kai's eyes widened as he looked at the chubby creature inside the pearl, drooling over a seashell. "That's it? It looks pretty silly."

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Han Ning sized up the fat-headed fishman. "Qingshui, can you tell its identity? Or rather, what is its approximate status among the fishmen?"

Just as Li Qingshui was explaining, the chubby fish-man inside the pearl seemed to sense something. Its eyelids twitched slightly, its short arms holding the small seashell trembled unconsciously, and it mumbled a vague syllable, as if talking in its sleep, before falling back into a deep sleep.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances at the strange creature sleeping soundly inside the broken orb. The tension from the life-or-death battle they had just experienced was somewhat eased by this comical scene.

The treasures and secrets hidden deep within the ruins were somewhat beyond their expectations.

Li Qingshui shook his head: "It's impossible to be sure. Sea Families are extremely rare, and even in my inherited memories, the specific information about them is vague."

"However, what can be confirmed is that although it looks round and tender, it doesn't have the vitality of a newborn. Instead, it has a sense of maturity, and it should be quite old, at least close to adulthood."

Han Ning was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Let's put all these things, and this, away safely. We can't stay here any longer. How about we distribute the supplies when we get back?"

"Okay." The others nodded in agreement.

The group sprang into action, gathering the scattered treasures and placing the broken pearl that carried the sea creatures onto a sturdy mat.

Just as everyone was busy sorting and packing the various treasures into their bags, Han Ning, who had been on guard, suddenly frowned, raised his head, and sharply scanned the heavy stone door that was tightly closed in the direction of the entrance to the main hall.

"Something's wrong..."

"Many things are approaching; it's the scent of the Black Tide. It must be the water ghosts from outside getting in."

Before he finished speaking, Yu Na and Wang Jianshe's expressions changed almost simultaneously, clearly sensing and catching the surging, violent aura.

“There are indeed many, and they have already entered the temple.” Wang Jianshe frowned.

"Bang! Bang bang!!"

As if to confirm their perception, heavy impacts suddenly came from behind the stone gate, one after another, incessantly, as if countless frenzied bodies were recklessly pounding against the stone gate.

The stone gate trembled violently, and dust fell from its surface.

"What should we do? Fight or retreat?" Feilong looked at Han Ning.

Without the slightest hesitation, Han Ning spoke rapidly: "The enemy numbers are too great. We've just been through a major battle and are in very poor condition. Shimizu, is there any other way out?!"

"Over there, uh... there's an escape route that the original owner of my memories secretly built."

"Let's go!" Han Ning decided immediately. "Take as much as you can, prioritize the valuables, quick!"

In fact, everyone had already basically organized the treasures in the storage hall together. They hurriedly stuffed the nearest bags full of monster crystals, tridacna shell boxes, bone bottles, and heavy shell-page books into their backpacks or large-capacity pockets made from special monster stomachs.

Zhao Kai hoisted the bag containing the indigo jewel onto his shoulder and picked up the giant axe with his other hand.

Snowcake carries large bags on its back.

Han Ning resembled an octopus, with dense vines shooting out from his side, baring their fangs and claws.

Each vine was wrapped around a package, which was suspended in mid-air.

"Quick! The door is about to give way!" Wang Jianshe sensed the energy gathering behind the door and urged urgently.

Li Qingshui had already rushed to the small door, his webbed hand pressing against an inconspicuous indentation in the door.

"Click..."

The small door slid open silently, revealing a narrow, downward-sloping passage that could only accommodate one person at a time. It was pitch black inside and reeked of dampness and mildew.

"Hurry up and go inside!" Feilong shoved Chen Hu and Li Qingshui.

The crowd filed in, squeezing into the narrow passage.

Deputy Leader Qian and Liang Shu brought up the rear. Before entering the passage, Liang Shu turned back and threw the last few energy spears towards the main stone gate, causing several explosions that shattered some of the merfolk's concealment vials.

Han Ning waved his hand, releasing the power of the snow cake. With a muffled thud, part of the rock at the entrance of the passage collapsed, completely blocking the entrance.

Almost a minute after they left, the heavy stone door of the main hall was finally blasted open with a deafening explosion.

Countless ferocious figures surged into the hall, only to find the floor in complete disarray.

“Jie!!”

The water ghoul's frantic roars echoed in the empty hall.

Meanwhile, Han Ning and his group had already quickly retreated from the palace through the dark and damp passage.

Chapter 243 Distribution Conflict

This passage was clearly not mined through normal channels; it was unusually narrow.

Snowcake's body almost filled the passage, and even stretched the surrounding rock walls a little.

Fortunately, it is skilled at manipulating earth elements, which can soften the surrounding rocks.

Otherwise, you'd end up with bruises all over your body.

The dark and damp escape tunnel extends upwards.

Li Qingshui led the way, and the fish head looked eerie in the dim light, its gill-like structure opening and closing constantly, showing the owner's tense emotions.

The crowd followed him in silence.

The passageway was not only narrow, but sometimes it even required squeezing sideways through the collapsed rubble.

Water droplets occasionally fell from the gap above my head and hit my neck.

A faint, unsettling roar came from behind, as if something was following their scent.

This unknown threat is more unsettling than facing the enemy head-on.

"Hurry up!" Han Ning urged in a low voice, his voice echoing in the narrow passage.

Everyone's hearts tightened, and they quickened their pace, almost stumbling as they ran.

Chen Hu groaned as blood seeped from the wound under his ribs again due to the strenuous exercise, staining the makeshift bandage red.

Feilong grabbed him and gritted his teeth as they continued forward.

Despite their injuries, they were all Awakened beings above the Great Black Stone level, and their progress was quite fast.

Gradually, the humidity in the air became increasingly high.

The end of the passage was covered by a thick, sticky, dark green algae. Once it was pushed aside, the icy lake water rushed in, and the powerful water pressure made one's chest feel tight.

"They've gone out!" Li Qingshui's voice came through the water, carrying a hint of joy.

One by one, everyone emerged and floated to the surface of the water.

They found themselves on the edge of the Jingpo Lake, quite a distance from the Death Valley where the fierce battle had taken place.

Looking back, the water in that area still had an eerie calm, as if nothing had happened, yet it was unsettling.

"Let's go!" Han Ning's voice came through the water, reminding everyone.

Everyone immediately sprinted towards the mountain base at full speed.

Xuebing carried Han Ning and the others on its back, its strong limbs violently paddling the water, with one lizard leading the way.