Black Tide Beach

The night passed, and as the sky began to brighten, the old woman emerged from the inner room. She tossed a set of coarse cloth clothes at Lu Li, her face twisted in disdain as she said, "What kind of grown man wears a dress? Put these on and get out of my sight."

"Then many thanks, Grandmother." Lu Li smiled as he took the clothes. While the Mermaid Princess's gown was gorgeous and beautiful, it was hardly suitable for combat; even the slightest movement risked tripping him up.

"Grandmother, do you know where this place is?" Gao Xiaowen asked, holding the map given to them by the Mermaid Princess. Since the old woman had lived here for years, she might possess information about the location that could prove useful for their mission.

"I advise you not to go there and throw your lives away." As expected, the old woman only glanced at the map before looking away, saying with contempt, "That is Black Tide Beach, home to black devils. They will devour your flesh and blood until only white bones remain, your souls imprisoned within to wail for eternity."

"Of course, if you are determined to die, go ahead. Head west from the village gate, and you will find Black Tide Beach..." Seeing the players' expressions remain unchanged, the old woman realized her warnings were useless. With a cold look, she drove them out of the house: "Leave quickly! You are no longer welcome here!"

Some villagers were already up and about, eyeing the four players with vigilance. Just as the old woman had suggested, most of the people appearing were young and strong; those over forty were a rare sight. Some even brandished harpoons and similar weapons, as if they would rush forward to strike at the slightest provocation from Lu Li and his group.

Even after they left the village, eyes remained fixed on them from the village edge. Only when the players had completely disappeared from view did the villagers finally relax. Then, several young men marched toward the old woman's house, their faces full of rage, and kicked the door open with brutal force.

"You base human, if not for your son's sake, we would have blood-sacrificed you long ago. How dare you harbor humans?" The villager dragged the old woman out of the house in a fury and threw her to the ground. "Speak! Did you leak any information about us?"

"You monsters..." The old woman remained cold and indifferent, showing no sign of panic. Ever since her son had transformed into one of those creatures, she had understood exactly what kind of monsters inhabited this village. She had lived long enough; death held no terror for her. "You are nothing but pathetic vermin, forever hiding in filthy sewers..."

Thud. A dull sound echoed as the old woman's head lolled to one side, a deep indentation visible on her face. The young man who had grabbed her was retracting his foot, which had already begun to sprout scales, his face twisted in a grotesque, distorted expression. His eyes bulged outward, and as he clawed at his hair, a large clump came away in his hand.

"I'm going to hunt down those outsiders; the current sacrifice is lacking anyway..." Before the partially mutated man could finish, a thirty-something villager grabbed his arm. "How is it that your brain is regressing along with your evolution? We may not get along with the merfolk, but this is a critical stage in our plan. Those humans reek of those mermaid bitches. Do you want to kill them and alert the merfolk?"

"But if that old hag told them about us..." the mutated man said with a cruel glint in his eyes. "Besides, once our plan succeeds, the merfolk won't be able to protect themselves. We should be more concerned about the humans."

"Also, my bloodline has awakened, and I am shedding this filthy human blood. And you, Gelin, your base human blood still dominates. Don't think you can control me like you used to!" The mutated man shoved Gelin's hand away, a bloody grin on his face as he set off to pursue Lu Li and the others. Behind him, Gelin said coldly, "Haige, I will report this to the elders. Wait for your punishment."

None of them noticed that at some point, a strange insect on the old woman's body had died, withered rapidly, and crumbled into dust. Meanwhile, among the players walking toward Black Tide Beach, Xu Haoran, who was in the lead, suddenly flashed a faint smile.

Black Tide Beach was not far from the small fishing village. Although the group had been busy rowing earlier, they were all fast on their feet. Following the coastline—sometimes over jagged rocks, sometimes across sand—they walked for over half an hour before finally reaching the destination marked on the map.

It was a stretch of black reef where the waves crashed with unusual violence. As the surf churned, fragments of bone were swept up and smashed against the rocks, only to be dragged back and ground down further by the tide, eventually turning into white sand and powder that piled up on the gentler shores, creating a terrifying white beach.

"This is Black Tide Beach? Does that mean the mysterious Witch lives over there?" Gao Xiaowen turned to look at the forest not far from the beach. It appeared exceptionally tranquil, yet from a distance, it felt strangely oppressive.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the place..." Xu Haoran nodded, put away the map, took a deep breath, and led the way toward the forest. Gao Xiaowen bit her lip and followed. Lu Li and Hu Wenxu brought up the rear, the latter wearing a strange smile as he whispered to Lu Li, "Xu Haoran left behind some tricks to trigger a side quest in that village. Stay close to me later; don't get caught in the crossfire and get one-shot."

"Also, there is a massive danger hidden beneath this sea. No matter what happens, do not go into the water!" Hu Wenxu cautioned, then casually dropped a few crystalline objects before following the others. This man, who seemed like a mad researcher, was actually incredibly sharp; even his apparent closeness to Lu Li was tempered with constant wariness.

As soon as they entered the forest, a sensation of being watched washed over Lu Li. The silent woods were devoid of life; aside from the plants, there wasn't even an insect to be found. Suddenly, Xu Haoran stopped in his tracks, his expression grave. "There's a violent tremor coming from ahead. Something is coming..."

No sooner had Xu Haoran finished speaking than a massive, grotesque creature burst through the trees, charging toward the group. Black fur rippled across its body, and yellow-green slime dripped from it as it ran. Wherever the liquid touched—be it wood or earth—it hissed with thick white smoke, accompanied by a nauseating stench...