Chapter 235-3: Undersea Expedition, Rule Godshift (3) |
The center of the vortex was bottomless, as if it could lead to another world.
He compared the coordinates on his map. This was precisely the destination he sought.
An analysis scan swept out, and the vortex’s information surfaced in his mind.
[Ghost Scorpion Space]
Target analysis: An undersea vortex forged by the Ghost Scorpion race that leads to a semi-independent spatial scene.
—
Seeing the analysis, Zhou Li realized this was the target location he needed to find.
According to the intel from the Vice Guild Leader, back then a sea-hunting team of the Silver Throat race had been swept into this vortex while hunting in these waters and had seen a special building inside.
The structure continuously leaked high-intensity energy fluctuations. They suspected there was a territory node within.
With the objective confirmed, Zhou Li accelerated toward the vortex.
The core of the intelligence platform is the accuracy of the intelligence.
He had to determine whether there was indeed a territory node within this vortex.
As he approached, the pulling force grew stronger. Zhou Li’s body was drawn by a powerful suction to rotate with the vortex, closing on its center of his own accord at ever greater speed.
Just as he was about to be swept into the center, he relaxed his body and let the current carry him into the deep heart of the vortex.
The world spun. He was dragged deep by the vortex’s power.
The light around him grew dim, and only the roar of the water remained in his ears.
The constant inversion of up and down made him feel like vomiting.
He did not know how long had passed when he suddenly felt his body lighten, as if passing through some barrier. The scene around him changed abruptly.
Steadying himself, he found he was in a marvelous underwater world.
The seawater here was crystal clear without a speck of impurity. Golden rays poured from above, refracting into a riot of color.
All around drifted strange lifeforms, translucent umbrella-shaped jellyfish and phosphorescent little fish, species never seen in the Azure Star Sea Region.
In the distance, massive coral reefs undulated like mountain ranges, colors intertwined, like a brilliant watercolor painting.
“East Sea Dragon Palace?”
Puzzled, he swam deeper into the space.
Summoning the map, he found the area was completely shrouded in fog, with no identifiable information to read.
Before long, he saw the structure described in the intelligence provided by the Silver Throat race.
At the far end of the seabed stood a huge structure piled from gray-black megaliths. Its surface was thick with seaweed and barnacles. In the crevices between stones one could occasionally see traces of shells and coral.
Drawing closer, the building grew clear in Zhou Li’s eyes.
The shape of the structure was not regular or symmetrical and looked quite awkward.
After long ages of erosion, the surfaces of the stones forming the main body were rough, but in some places faint simple incisions could still be seen, like hand-chiseled lines, now too blurred to make out.
The top of the structure had partially collapsed. Several giant pillars crookedly propped up the remaining framework. Luminous seaweed twined the pillars, swaying gently with the current.
The entrance was an arched portal. Above it lay a huge stone slab on which some worn symbols could be vaguely seen, but no specific characters could be recognized.
Just then, Zhou Li suddenly stopped swimming.
He twisted his body to shed his forward inertia, straightened, and halted.
He could sense surging vitality fluctuations near this structure and could be sure there were many creatures dwelling nearby.
This was also one of the hallmarks of a territory node.
To any race, a territory node meant an inexhaustible source of energy.
Almost every node was occupied by an intelligent race or a monster race, gaining growth by long-term devouring of the energy diffused by the node.
Many races could even achieve breakthroughs in life tier through the energy of territory nodes.
For example, in the Rimewinter Snowfield region, the low level monster Snow Fluffball advanced into a super lifeform that players currently could not challenge, the Snow Ridge Great Wilderness, by long-term absorption of Space-Origin Stone energy from the Space-Origin Peak node.
Basically, there was no such thing as an unoccupied territory node.
If not monsters, then alien races.
Even calamity class forces like the Black Tide and the Swarm coveted the energy supply of territory nodes.
If there really was a territory node within the ancient structure, it made sense that monsters guarded the vicinity.
But at this distance, his personal Guide clone could not parse the information inside the building. How to safely cross this stretch became a problem.
If he were killed advancing, retracing the route would cost more than half a day.
After much hesitation, he decided to first test whether there were truly monster guards in this area.
After swimming a ways toward the source of the vitality fluctuations, he suddenly whipped his tail to accelerate and turned back.
In the next second, countless bubbles rose from the sand below.
Immediately the entire sandy seabed heaved violently, the silt rolling like boiling water.
Countless figures burst from the sand and swept outward like dominoes, densely occupying the entire waterway.
The monsters that surged from underground bore massive carapaces on their backs. Their shells were covered with tendrils that glowed a ghostly blue. On either side of the body was a pair of enormous pincers.
The monsters looked somewhat like ammonites with pincers but far more ferocious, each seven to eight meters tall.
An analysis scan swept out, and the monsters’ information appeared in his mind:
[Ghost Scorpion Bug]
Hunt level: 74.
Target analysis: Battle pets left behind after the extinction of the Ghost Scorpion race. They possess extremely strong defense. Nourished by the energy diffused by the territory node over long years, their form of life has evolved and they can manipulate seawater in combat.
—
The analysis in his mind made Zhou Li ecstatic.
It proved that there was indeed a territory node here.
The water was now churned into thick murk, and most of Zhou Li’s vision was blocked. He could only vaguely make out the silhouettes of the monsters moving rapidly through the turbid water, striking toward him.
He snapped his tail and accelerated, swimming away from the Ghost Scorpion Bugs.
Before long, he had shaken off the attackers.
Looking back again, he began to ponder a question.
Should he brute-force it.
It had been confirmed that there was a territory node in this area, so his mission was as good as complete.
But he could not determine what type of territory node it was.
As a player, when the road home was overly long, he would inevitably choose the shortcut.
Alive, eight hours to return. Dead, one second to return, then happily browse the forum for an hour.
How to choose, Zhou Li already had his answer.
He decided to gamble his life to try approaching the ancient structure and see exactly what kind of territory node was housed within.
The Extreme Speed trait activated at this moment. Zhou Li’s body was plated with a layer of black light, and he instantly became a black streak, carving a fierce track through the water.
“I’m sending it.”
The Ghost Scorpion Bugs reared up and turned to intercept Zhou Li.
But Zhou Li was simply too fast. The attacks of the nearby Ghost Scorpion Bugs all missed.
Several Bugs snapped their huge pincers, only to clamp a lingering afterimage. The tendrils of the Ghost Scorpion Bugs ahead lashed like whips at the direction Zhou Li was swimming, but struck only the turbid water.
With Extreme Speed fully unleashed, only a blurred black shadow could be seen weaving swiftly through the monster herd.
“Crazy dodging, exhilarating.”
Zhou Li cheered and continued to weave nimbly underwater.
But when he looked up, he froze.
Dense Ghost Scorpion Bug figures nearly filled the entire water, like a vast net slowly tightening.
“I can still dodge.”
Zhou Li clenched his teeth. His body shot through the encirclement like an arrow, trying to break out through the gaps between monsters.
His heartbeat merged with the sound of the water. Only his own ragged breathing and the muffled growls of the Ghost Scorpion Bugs remained in his ears.
He was about to reach the seabed structure, but the ghostly blue great net already filled most of his vision and would soon swallow him.
“I will dodge again.”
He slipped past the pincer strike of a Ghost Scorpion Bug and whipped his tail with all his strength.
At last, in the seconds before the ghostly blue curtain engulfed his sight, he reached the distance at which he could analyze.
He swept analysis toward the structure, then decisively shifted into human form, turned, and snapped a selfie, freezing the scene of himself gradually being buried in the ghostly blue great net.
“I am so handsome, it is making me cry.”
At the same time, analysis information surfaced in his mind.
[Godshift (Rule Node)]
Rule node trait introduction: Under the blessing of Godshift, life energy values can be converted with no expenditure (for example, mental power converted to vitality with no cost, or vitality converted to mental power with no cost).
“Holy crap, mommy.”
Seeing the analysis while taking the selfie, Zhou Li was stunned.
This was actually a rule domain.
More importantly, the rule trait effect of this rule domain was far too strong.