The Merfolk King

Back at the entrance, Lu Li summoned two Shadow Assassins and ordered them to sneak into the water, inching their way forward. When the Deep Ones arrived to collect the sacrifices, the two Shadow Assassins seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, creating a wave of chaos that allowed Lu Li to sneak past before he promptly cancelled the summons.

Just like that, Lu Li mingled among the human sacrifices and was brought to the door by several Deep Ones. Then, one by one, bubble-like helmets were placed over their heads, making Lu Li look as if he were cosplaying a Celestial Dragon.

After the bubble helmets were fitted, Lu Li and the others were taken outside the door. It was a small, sealed room. As they entered, the door behind them slammed shut, and cold seawater was pumped in from an unknown source. Before long, the freezing water submerged everyone. While Lu Li and the other humans could breathe freely thanks to the bubble helmets, they found themselves completely unable to move within the water.

The sealed room was opened from the other side, and Lu Li and the others were dragged out by the Deep Ones. Through the haze, he could vaguely see some cylindrical buildings in the distance; they had just emerged from one such structure. Of course, Lu Li could only see this because of his Dark Vision.

They were on the ocean floor. Although some light emanated from the buildings, the currents severely obstructed his sight. This was Ihasli, the city of the Deep Ones, where they conducted most of their rituals and breeding. The rest of the time, they generally stayed alone, enjoying the eternal, unchanging silence and cold of the seabed.

As soon as the human sacrifices emerged, the water pressure left them dizzy and disoriented, and some even vomited inside their bubble helmets. Lu Li silently gauged the pressure; it must have been mitigated by some unknown means, as even some half-breeds would not adapt well to such high pressure. However, for the fragile human body, it was still far too intense. In this environment, humans would die from internal organ failure before long. It seemed these people were about to be slaughtered as sacrifices.

The Deep Ones escorted the humans toward a nearby altar. Lu Li, meanwhile, watched the social structure of the Deep Ones with great interest. Their architecture was mostly cylindrical, and there were basically no other creatures on the streets. After observing for a long time, Lu Li concluded that the Deep Ones were all shut-ins, immersed in their own world, whiling away their long lives with faith in some great, ultimate shut-in—who was either sleeping or sealed away.

Meanwhile, far away, Hu Wenxu and Gao Xiaowen had also begun their infiltration plan. The half-breed captives had not revealed the tunnel in the village, but they had pointed out which sea area Ihasli was located in before being killed.

The two of them wanted to reach the seabed, but although they could both swim, they feared they would die from lack of oxygen before even arriving. To reach Ihasli, they first had to solve the problems of breathing and water pressure. They found a group of natives on a nearby island and, through threats and inducements, learned that they frequently traded people with the Deep Ones. The tribe's shaman also possessed the ability to descend to Ihasli on the ocean floor.

The tribal shaman was not particularly strong, but due to factors like his lifespan, he was a hardcore Deep One Fanatic. By threatening the life of this race-traitor, they obtained the method to go underwater. After consuming a seaweed that reeked of fish, gills briefly grew on their faces, granting them the ability to breathe underwater. Furthermore, a membrane grew over their bodies, allowing them to shed most of the water pressure and move freely on the seabed.

As Lu Li was being escorted toward the altar for the sacrifice, Hu Wenxu and Gao Xiaowen had already infiltrated the outskirts of Ihasli. The city's defenses were not particularly strong; after all, there were not many intelligent species living on the seabed. Aside from them, there were only the Merfolk. Though they harbored mutual hatred, they at least managed to keep out of each other's way.

The altar on the seabed was much larger than the one in the room on the surface, and it was covered in runes. Spears made of unknown materials were placed around the altar. Atop the altar sat a bizarre mass of flesh, from which human or Deep One heads would periodically sprout, letting out roars of unknown meaning before immediately withering and vanishing.

Beneath the flesh mass lay a pile of white, bleached bones. Several Deep Ones stood guard around the altar, not daring to get too close. When they saw the sacrifices being delivered, the Deep Ones actually breathed a sigh of relief, though unfortunately, they were happy too soon.

The mass of flesh suddenly extended a tentacle and, with lightning speed, swept up one of the guarding Deep Ones, dragging him into the mass. Moments later, a few bones were squeezed out of the flesh and dropped onto the altar.

"Hey, you're too slow! The sacrifices didn't arrive in time, putting us in danger, you bastards!" one of the guarding Deep Ones said in a hoarse, shrill voice. The voice seemed to possess magic, allowing them to hear clearly even underwater. The guard hurriedly picked up a spear from the side of the altar and thrust it into a human sacrifice's body. Blood spread through the seawater, the bubble helmet was ripped off, and the body was pushed toward the flesh mass by the spear.

"There was no choice; some sacrifices were causing trouble earlier," a Deep One replied, stepping forward to help. The flesh mass extended a tentacle and swallowed the sacrifice. The Deep Ones also picked up their spears, preparing to feed the mass. The strength of the Deep Ones exceeded that of the half-breeds; they might have been half-breeds themselves once, but after long lives on the seabed, their physical mutations were quite complete. Their strength, speed, and various abilities had been greatly enhanced, and some Deep Ones could even acquire incantations and possess spellcasting abilities.

Watching as one sacrifice after another was pierced by spears and delivered to the flesh mass, Lu Li saw another Deep One approaching him with a spear. Lu Li exhaled, preparing to make his move, when a turbulent current suddenly erupted nearby. A massive amount of bubbles and debris, caught in the turbulence, knocked over several Deep Ones and drew their attention. Seeing this, Lu Li seized the chance to swim to the side of a distant cylindrical building, watching the developments at the altar from afar.

He saw a tall Merfolk swim over, accompanied by many others, as well as two human figures—none other than Gao Xiaowen and Hu Wenxu. The entire city of Ihasli was like a poked hornet's nest, with many Deep Ones and half-breeds quickly swimming toward them.

The tall Merfolk had three markings on each cheek, a blue-skinned, white-bellied fish tail without scales curled slightly, and a pair of fangs bared in fury. Invisible magic carried his majestic and terrifying voice: "So you really were summoning Him. You damned wretches, you actually dared to scheme against my daughter. Are you prepared to die?"