Chapter 417: Cang Xu – I am a One Man Army!

The fishman youngster was suddenly informed by the tower spirit that the divine artifact, Mermaid Fairy Tale, had undergone an unusual change.

The anxious youngster hurried to the cabin, only to discover this anomaly was actually a blessing.

“The amount of Pearl Bubbles increased!” The fishman youngster stood before the divine artifact, his eyes widening in astonishment, even though his fishman eyes were already quite large.

The Mermaid Fairy Tale was the divine artifact of Charming Blue Goddess. In appearance, it was a large, fan-shaped seashell.

Within the half-open shell lay a sea of iridescent pearl bubbles.

They were uniformly sized, completely transparent inside as if hollow, their outer layer a spherical foam. Yet these pearls could be grasped by hand and felt surprisingly hard.

The survivors had obtained this divine artifact from the control tower beneath Mystifying Monster Island.

They had repeatedly used Pearl Bubbles to construct the Deceptive Disguise Formation, harnessing the divine artifact's power more effectively.

The Deceptive Disguise spell provided immense assistance to the survivors.

Without this spell, without this artifact, the survivors would never have reached their current position. It could be said that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps owed its present scale largely to this divine artifact!

However, the Mermaid Fairy Tale produced Pearl Bubbles at an increasingly slower rate, and in ever-dwindling quantities.

When the survivors first obtained this divine artifact, the great shell was filled with layers upon layers of pearl bubbles. Now, only a thin layer remains at the bottom of the shell.

The yield of Pearl Bubbles has plummeted.

The survivors' consumption of this god level material grew ever more frequent, showing no signs of abating.

Zi Di, Cang Xu, and others expressed deep concern over this, repeatedly warning the other survivors.

The reason for the decline in pearl bubble production was simple, and all survivors understood it—the Mermaid Fairy Tale contained the mystical power of the Charming Blue Goddess. It was precisely the continuous depletion of this divine power that enabled the divine artifact to produce Pearl Bubbles.

However, the divine power was like water without a source; it diminished with every use. As the divine power dwindled, so did the yield of Pearl Bubbles.

This scarcity was one reason survivors urgently sought redemption from the Empire.

With the divine power of the Charming Blue Goddess unable to be replenished and Pearl Bubbles dwindling with each use, the day would soon come when it could no longer aid the survivors.

Without this shield, the survivors will be easily exposed to prophecies, divinations, or similar means. At that point, the immense wealth they possessed would compel the Sheng Ming Empire to act against them. The justification for such action would be noble and righteous, after all, they killed Father Jia Sha on the Mystifying Monster Island.

The dragonman youngster even secretly slew the Flame Dragon King!

Yet now, within the great shell before the fishman youngster, two layers of pearl bubbles have already formed.

“The Mermaid Fairy Tale is merely a divine artifact; it doesn't generate divine power on its own.”

“Divine power emanates from the deity itself.”

“The increased pearl bubble production indicates the divine power reserves within the Mermaid Fairy Tale have risen.”

“How is the divine power within the artifact replenished?”

The fishman youngster sank into deep thought.

His mind naturally turned to the Ocean Mother Nest.

"Previously, pearl bubble production had been steadily declining. The most significant difference now compared to before is that the Deep Sea Monster Fish is situated within an Ocean Mother Nest."

“Could it be... that there is Charming Blue divine power here?”

“Why would Charming Blue divine power be here?”

“Is it precisely because of the Charming Blue divine power that the Mermaid Fairy Tale divine artifact suddenly reacted, bringing us all here through teleportation?”

“Could this artifact possess an autonomous consciousness that replenishes divine power?”

As the fishman youngster pondered this, he distinctly sensed: the Deep Sea Monster Fish's teleportation seemed fundamentally different from the fishmen's arrival.

“We must unravel the secrets of teleportation.”

“If the artifact itself offers only limited clues, then the fishmen are our breakthrough.”

"How I wish we could soon uncover what lies beyond the Ocean Mother Nest! But I must await the findings of the precision eel drillers."

“Ah, if only I could pierce through this barrier directly.”

“There was indeed such an opportunity once, one that could have granted me this ability... Why didn't I think of it back then?”

The fishman youngster sank into reflection, his heart filled with regret.

The so-called opportunity he recalled involved absorbing ghosts, allowing his Bloodcore to record their life essence. Once a certain threshold was reached, the fishman youngster could also use the Bloodcore to transform himself into a ghost.

It was possible.

Long ago, through the joint investigation of Cang Xu and Zi Di, the youngster had discovered that the Bloodcore could absorb the life essence of the undead, recording their bloodline.

Bloodline, at its core, was essentially life information.

Undead life was a unique form of existence, driven by negative energy rather than the positive energy that sustained most living beings.

But the youngster did not do so.

"At that time, Cang Xu controlled only a small number of ghosts. Had I absorbed them using the Bloodcore, it would have significantly weakened both his and Zi Di's combat strength."

“No, that was merely an excuse to deceive myself.”

“Truthfully, the reason I never considered it was my rejection of the undead.”

The fishman youngster engaged in profound self-reflection.

As a normal living being, he had constantly reminded himself not to discriminate against any form of life. Yet, influenced by the positive energy within him, he inevitably felt aversion toward the undead as a natural part of being a living creature.

He had performed remarkably well, interacting with Cang Xu and Zi Di without even noticing this trace of aversion and resistance stirring within him.

Yet now, in his profound self-examination, the fishman youngster suddenly understood.

He could accept Cang Xu and Zi Di because of their close connection to him. It was precisely this bond that prevented him from discriminating against or rejecting them based on their fundamental nature as living beings.

But the dragonman youngster had never once considered transforming himself into an undead.

Nor had Zi Di or Cang Xu ever informed him about this possibility.

“If I could transform into a ghost, perhaps I could pass straight through the cavern walls and reach beyond the Mother Nest.”

The fishman youngster's regret came too late.

With neither Cang Xu nor Zi Di by his side, there were no ghosts for his Bloodcore to devour.

“Zi Di must journey to the Ice Sculpture Capital.”

“Cang Xu... where are you now?”

Cang Xu stood atop the ghost ship's quarterdeck.

An underwater battle raged below.

Countless ghosts darted through the inky depths, while Xiao Wang Zi commanded skeleton archers on deck, unleashing relentless ranged attacks.

Cang Xu remained shielded within a protective circle.

Floating around him were countless skulls of the fallen.

Their foe this time was a school of lanternfish.

These rare deep-sea creatures possessed both light and water attributes.

While water-attribute racial magic were manageable, it was the light-attribute racial magic that dealt devastating damage to the undead forces.

“This is the toughest battle since we entered the White Hair Trench!” lamented the undead ronin Ku Feng.

He charged single-handedly into the lanternfish swarm, displaying the prowess of a silver level fighter.

Other necromancers had grown exponentially stronger through these days of combat. Though Ku Feng was a Fighter, his strength had also surged dramatically.

Wielding bone blades in both hands, he hacked relentlessly, charging in and out. Each time he unleashed a battle skill, it invariably resulted in the gruesome demise of a magic beast lanternfish.

“This is Ku Feng's true combat prowess!”

"During the battle of Two Eyes Island, he never fought at full strength. This level of combat power would undoubtedly rank among the elite within the silver level community."

As Cang Xu observed the battle, his mind continuously formed assessments.

Cang Xu possessed considerable insight.

Whether from his past as a noble steward or his adventures after the Mystifying Monster Island, he was well-versed in the current state of the silver level community, enabling him to make accurate judgments.

Necromancy magic - Soul Healing.

Cang Xu's mind stirred, and he cast the spell directly.

A silver level death head beside him immediately emitted magic fluctuations.

But it took a full thirty seconds before the Soul Healing Spell was successfully released.

Ku Feng received the healing, his wounds rapidly closing. He glanced back gratefully at the ghost ship, thinking: "With Xu Jia's healing, I have almost no worries. This battle was truly exhilarating!"

Once transformed into undead lifeforms, most healing methods in the world became ineffective.

Forcing them could even inflict counter damage on the undead. After all, most healing methods were designed for living beings.

The undead and the living represent two extremes.

Necromancy magic - Flying Bone Shield.

Necromancy magic - Ghost Slip.

Cang Xu cast spells continuously, tending not only to the undead ronin Ku Feng but also to Xiao Wang Zi's skeleton archers and the ghost army on the periphery.

His spellcasting was remarkably effortless, requiring no manual action—merely mental control over the death heads surrounding him.

These skulls had been modified by him, each engraved with one or more necromancy magic, serving as crude, simplified grimoires.

Soon, the lanternfish swarm suffered heavy losses. Led by their gold ranked leader, they broke out of the ghost fog's domain and fled in disarray.

Jian Gui did not pursue with the ghost ship.

The White Hair Trench featured complex terrain teeming with countless magic beasts. Pursuing them would make the ghost ship a prime target. The risks of a reckless chase were too great.

“Thanks for the spell support,” Ku Feng said, returning to the ship and expressing his gratitude to Cang Xu.

Xiao Wang Zi's skeleton archer also benefited from this. Clutching the back of his head, he said, "Xu Jia, I'm so jealous of you. I've never seen anyone cast spells as effortlessly as you do."

“You've gotten yourself a great inheritance, you know?”

“That Flying Head Spell Doctor Sui Shi gave you is seriously powerful.”

“Absolutely.” Jian Gui materialized, wholeheartedly agreeing.

After Cang Xu imprinted the magic model onto the death heads, this marked their first combat deployment.

How effective was it?

Just look at the reactions of Jian Gui, Xiao Wang Zi, and Ku Feng beside him.

“Who knew those death heads could cast spells!” Jian Gui approached Cang Xu, staring at the heads in awe.

The ability to cast spells fundamentally transformed the value of the death heads!

“This must be the true power of Flying Head Spell,” said Xiao Wang Zi, “Xu Jia, you alone can now function as an entire squad of magicians.”