The underground prison

After entering the fleet's flagship, Shisui quickly infiltrated the vicinity of the ship's power plant.

In order to accurately sense the location of the Radiant Feathers inside the protective net, he did not stay in the Alternate Space after confirming that no one was there.

According to the memories of the Sea Race he had searched, apart from the pre-departure inspection, there were generally no people here at other times.

Therefore, he wouldn't be easily discovered if he stayed here.

The Kagune extended fully and then slowly enveloped Shisui's body.

With nothing else to do, Shisui decided to begin his [Metamorphosis].

However, this time the biological cocoon that has undergone [Metamorphosis] is no longer an undifferentiated Rc Cells.

Instead, it retains its combat capabilities as Kagune.

Even Shisui's consciousness was not completely immersed in cultivation; a sliver of his attention remained focused on the outside world.

This way, he can react quickly if anyone gets close.

He dispersed some Radiant Feathers nearby, Shisui slowly controlled his consciousness to sink down, quietly beginning his cultivation.

Meanwhile, outside the cargo ship fleet.

I just visited the head of the research base of the Second Research Institute, who was dispatched with the fleet, and I'm on my way back now.

He walked past the archway in front of the base, a faint halo of light gently brushing over him before quickly disappearing.

Having successfully passed through the archway, the person in charge did not immediately return to his laboratory building.

He took a detour and headed towards the experimental building closest to the seaweed forest.

A moment later, he arrived at the edge of an experimental field.

As he got closer to the seaweed, it seemed to sway more violently.

Cheng Yimu was still in the experimental field, sensed the unusual movement of the seaweed leaf in her hand and looked up.

A short while later, she saw the base manager walking towards her.

Grandpa, what brings you here?

Cheng Wenjie —the person in charge of the base—smiled warmly, "You've come to inspect our work."

"Come on," Cheng Yimu rolled her eyes. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea, sir?"

"No, I have work to do later, I'll just take a look at these seedlings and then leave."

As he spoke, Cheng Wenjie began to observe the seaweed seedlings in front of him.

The seaweed, on its own initiative, nuzzled against his fingers as he reached out to touch it.

He touched the seaweed leaves while spreading his Psychic Energy.

The lush seaweed forest not far away readily accepted his Psychic Energy, and under his control, it wove together an even stronger defensive line.

At the same time, some tiny Radiant Feathers, like larger specks of dust, drifted and snagged on Cheng Wenjie's clothes.

After confirming that his granddaughter was safe and sound, and adding another layer of protection, Cheng Wenjie quietly walked away.

The senior student sitting on the other side of the experimental field didn't even know that the person in charge had come.

He came over to take a look because he had felt a faint sense of being watched when he was in front of the fleet.

However, he couldn't find the source of the gaze, and after a moment, the feeling of being spied on disappeared.

Even the smallest clues have gone cold.

Since he couldn't find the culprit, he was forced to become the defender.

As he pondered this, he walked back to the vicinity of his laboratory building.

Cheng Wenjie's laboratory building is located in a central area of the entire base, with the central clock tower behind the building.

He didn't enter the laboratory building; instead, he walked towards the base's clock tower without stopping.

On the towering clock tower, the clock ticks precisely, maintaining the same time as the clock tower in front of the Dragon Palace.

The closer Cheng Wenjie got to the clock tower, the more Psychic Energy bubbles appeared in the seawater around him.

These tiny bubbles drifted slowly toward the seaweed forest, providing the seaweed with the Psychic Energy it needed to grow.

Upon reaching the clock tower, you will first find a nearly transparent Psychic Energy Shield isolating you from the outside world.

Successfully passing through the identification and barrier is the first step into the clock tower.

Cheng Wenjie entered easily, along with the Radiant Feathers on his clothes.

Then there are a series of identity verification methods such as iris recognition and fingerprint recognition.

After overcoming numerous blockades, we finally reached the deepest part of the clock tower's underground.

"Squeak--"

The last door was pushed open, and scalding seawater surged out, only to be blocked underground again.

Inside was a submarine volcano.

The scalding, uncooled lava flowed and churned, just like the depths of the Dragon Palace.

In the center of this enormous room, above the lava, lay a dense array of scorching hot shackles.

Dozens of Sea Race with human bodies and fish tails were bound to the lava above.

Chains pierced their bodies and grew into their flesh, rendering them unable to resist or struggle.

A protective array began to appear around Cheng Wenjie, blocking out the heat emanating from the magma drawn from the Dragon Palace.

He strolled leisurely over to one of the Sea Race.

With a flash of his Spatial Ring, he produced a dagger for bloodletting and a special container for holding liquid experimental materials.

Incidentally, this Spatial Ring is made by using Psychic Energy metal to carry a trace of Spatial Energy.

It is one of the few applications of Spatial Energy.

It is precisely because of the slow progress in research on this energy that various races have concluded that Spatial Energy is difficult for individual organisms to control.

Returning our gaze to the lava pool, the moment Cheng Wenjie summoned his dagger, the eyelids of the suspended Sea Race trembled slightly.

"Snap!"

The dagger pierced the scales, which remained tough even when weakened, and a large amount of blood gushed out.

The Sea Race slowly opened its eyelids, its face visibly deathly still.

He didn't actually feel anything when the dagger cut his skin.

The wounds caused by the chains were so painful that he became numb.

"Take so much? What, has the research made progress?"

A moment later, the Sea Race that was hanging there suddenly spoke.

Having been confined here for years, he developed an uncontrollable urge to communicate with any living being he saw.

Even if the other party is the damned traitor who led them to this state.

"There's been progress," Cheng Wenjie said in a good mood, his tone tinged with a hint of boasting, "The Water-Gathering Formation has swallowed up two Human Race cities."

"It seems you've truly brought out and amplified the talents of our Sea Demon Species."

Cheng Wenjie smiled without saying a word, and after taking the blood from the Sea Demon Species, he stopped the bleeding.

The blood in his hand was a vivid red with specks of golden light, making it stand out from the rest.

This is the blood of the royal family of the Sea Demon Species, and also the key to activating their ancestral Water-Gathering Formation.

After collecting the Sea Demon Species's blood, he put the sealed container back into his Spatial Ring.

Then, he moved on to the next Sea Race, took out a new vessel, made a cut with his dagger, and began to draw blood.

"Traitor! You'll die a horrible death!!"

The Sea Race whose blood was being drawn reacted far more violently than the royal members of the Sea Demon Species.

He struggled frantically, spewing out vicious curses.

The Sea Demon Species did not exhibit much emotional fluctuation due to the sudden increase in noise.

Excessive blood loss and persistent pain left him with no energy to react violently to his surroundings.

Within this underground prison, there are many other Sea Race of different appearances and species.

Most of them, like that Sea Demon Species, were hanging by a thread, suspended above the lava year after year.

They were the defeated in the unification of the ocean by the Dragon Spirit Species race, and also valuable research material for the development of Sea Race Psychic Energy technology.

The Third Research Institute's Psychic Energy Application Research Base was built around this prison.