Chapter 231: Chapter 231- Fishing for Foundation Establishment (5) Grey was also stunned when he saw the fish with seventeen bone spikes protruding from its body. Each spike looked ancient and grotesque, as though it had been grown rather than forged. The energy radiating from the creature was unmistakable, it was divinity.
However, the divinity was weak.
Grey narrowed his eyes as he sensed it more clearly. This was not a true divine being, but merely a trace projection left behind by something far greater. Even so, the might it exuded was oppressive and suffocating, pressing down on his spirit like an invisible ocean.
If Grey had not seen a true divine creature before, then the sword in his hand would already be trembling. His thoughts would have scattered, and fear would have taken root in his heart.
However..
’I’ve seen a real divine creature before!’ Grey roared inwardly. ’It even looked at me once! Compared to that existence, this fish is nothing!’
His grip tightened around the purple illusory sword, and his resolve hardened.
A faint purple glint appeared in his eyes as the world around him seemed to dim slightly. Above Grey’s head, a vague purple figure began to take form. At first it was nothing more than an indistinct silhouette, but it rapidly grew clearer, larger, and more imposing.
This figure was massive, large enough to wield the enormous purple sword with ease.
In just a few breaths, the purple body fully solidified into the image of a middle-aged man. His expression was solemn and composed, his eyes filled with an indifferent calm that overlooked all things. Yet when his gaze fell upon the sword in his hands, it softened, becoming strangely tender.
When Grey saw this figure clearly, his heart trembled.
It was the same middle-aged man that had once appeared before him inside the boulder, the man who had executed that single, heaven-defying sword slash that Grey later comprehended.
The domineering yet holy aura radiating from the man at this moment was exactly the same as back then.
With a single thought, Grey and the middle-aged man moved as one.
Both purple swords descended together in a swift, decisive slash, carrying overwhelming momentum. But at that very moment, the fish opened its mouth and spat out a torrent of bubbles.
One bubble... two... three...
In the blink of an eye, nearly twenty bubbles burst apart midair. From each shattered bubble, a dark shadow shot out, screeching as it emerged.
Their exact forms were unclear, but their auras betrayed them, each shadow was a sea creature, fierce and violent.
Grey’s sword slash merged with the middle-aged man’s, fusing into a single elongated arc of purple light. With a piercing whistle, it tore through the water and cleaved forward.
Screams rang out.
Several dark shadows were instantly annihilated, their forms dissipating into nothingness. However, many others slipped past the slash and continued charging toward Grey with terrifying speed.
It was obvious that they would reach him in only a few breaths.
At that moment, the purple sword in Grey’s hand shattered into countless motes of light and dissipated.
A disappointed yet solemn expression appeared on his face.
He was solemn because he knew how difficult it would be to evade the incoming dark shadows. Their strength was immense, many of them were at the mid to late stages of the Foundation Establishment realm.
And he was disappointed because he could only execute a single sword slash.
That slash was the only thing he had comprehended from the boulder that day.
Although its power was shocking, it was far from enough.
Even so, Grey’s resolve did not waver in the slightest.
With a silent command, the totem of a bird branded on his right hand burned brightly. Purple flames erupted as a majestic bird burst forth from his body with a deafening cry.
The bird was entirely purple, its body seemingly forged from flames. It possessed six long tails, though only two of them burned brilliantly, radiating terrifying heat.
The Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird had descended.
Almost simultaneously, Grey’s shadow peeled itself away from his feet and surged forward. It did not take on Grey’s appearance, instead, it transformed into a ferocious beast, roaring as it rushed headlong toward the advancing dark shadows.
At the same time, Grey spread layers of poison throughout the surrounding waters. The purple phantom appeared beside him as well, vanishing in a blur before reappearing in the distance. Its elongated arms were already raised, tearing into the dark shadows with savage force.
Just as Grey was about to make his own move, the world suddenly seemed to burn brighter.
A terrifying presence descended.
Before he could even react, the captain appeared at his side.
Her expression was grim, but the greedy glint in her eyes was impossible to conceal. She restrained herself from licking her lips, then glanced at Grey and clicked her tongue.
"Little Grey," she said with a teasing smile, giving him a playful wink, "you wanted to eat everything all by yourself. That’s a bad habit, you know."
She didn’t spare him another glance.
Her gaze returned to the fish, sharp and hungry, as though nothing else in the world mattered.
Without a sound, a terrifying aura burst forth from her body and spread in all directions. The sea itself seemed to recoil. Two blazing balls of Spirit Fire suddenly formed and began to revolve around the captain like twin satellites orbiting a star.
The instant they appeared, a sensation like a raging volcano igniting within her body erupted. The burning was violent and overwhelming, causing the captain to radiate a resplendent, blinding light that pierced through the darkened sea.
With a single step forward, her figure vanished.
Space flickered.
When her body stabilized once more, she had already appeared in the midst of the sea of dark shadows. Her hands moved in a blur, swift, precise, merciless. In the next instant, countless shrill cries echoed through the depths as the surrounding shadows were torn apart.
Bodies were shredded instantly, reduced to fragments before they could even react.
The captain vanished again.
When she reappeared, she was already close to the Mosasaur and the divine fish hovering before the towering wall of seawater.
She took another step and appeared directly before the Mosasaur, striking out with her palm. The blow was simple, direct, yet filled with terrifying power.