Earthquake

Hundreds of miles from Silver Palm Island, a gigantic ray floated on the sea. A handsome silver-haired man stood on its back, gazing toward Silver Palm Island from afar.

A faint gleam shone in his eyes, taking in the distant scene.

After a while, the man curled his lips, an inscrutable light flickering in his eyes. "Basket Witch's people are actually probing Leviathan now? The door has yet to open. Leviathan will not leave so easily."

On the distant island, Leviathan stared coldly at the sky as invisible high-frequency ripples began spreading outward. A woman with bat wings had been flying high in the air when blood suddenly streamed from her earholes. Her vision blurred, and she plunged headfirst into the sea.

Leviathan rolled its enormous body and swam toward the woman.

Just as Leviathan was about to reach the unconscious woman floating on the surface, a piercing laugh tore through the heavens.

The bat woman's eyes snapped open. Catching sight of the gigantic maw inches away, panic flashed over her face. Gritting her teeth, she sped off just above the sea's surface, trying to escape Leviathan's hunting range.

Leviathan's enormous pupils narrowed into slits. In an instant, pressure nearly at the level of a True Knowledge wizard enveloped the bat woman.

The bat woman froze above the sea, unable to move. Despair filled her face as she forced herself to look southeast. The sunlight was dazzling, and her eyes gradually blurred. At last, with a surging wave, she was swept into Leviathan's gaping, bloodstained maw.

Leviathan let out a satisfied screech toward the sky, then curled its body and once more coiled around the edge of Silver Palm Island.

At that moment, on a tranquil stretch of sea to the southeast, a little girl sat atop a strange basket,