The holy warship's light shield shimmered with pale golden light in the morning sun. The water elemental power infused by the Water Whisperers let the hull slice through the Severed Flow River almost without a sound of rippling water. Loran stood at the bow, his hand resting on the Holy Spring amulet—the crystal at its tip pulsed with a steady, pale purple glow, showing that the Evil Bone Core remained safely sealed in the Frozen Ruined Capital. Yet an inexplicable unease stirred in his heart, as though a pair of eyes were watching the warship from the shadows.
"Lord Loran, Black Reef Bay is thirty li ahead. Once we pass the mouth of the bay, we'll be able to see the outline of the Frozen Ruined Capital." A Ze walked to the bow, holding a water-patterned bone whistle, his fingertips lightly touching the water. "But the currents in the bay are complicated, and there are submerged reefs. We need to slow down and proceed carefully."
Liya opened the Illustrated Catalog of Plants, and specks of green light shimmered across the map of Black Reef Bay on its pages. "According to the catalog, Black Reef Bay was once the site of an ancient naval battle. Many wrecked warships lie on the seabed, making it easy for ambushers to hide. Icefield Wolf, sorry for the trouble, but please scout ahead."
Icefield Wolf immediately leaped off the warship, a golden figure racing across the water before quickly disappearing into the mist at the mouth of the bay. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin settled on either side of the ship, fiery wings and icy mist weaving two barriers against any possible surprise attack-after the Iron-Corroding Insects' assault, everyone had long since abandoned any dismissive attitude and took every step with particular care.
Before even half an incense stick's worth of time had passed, Icefield Wolf suddenly rushed back out of the mist, golden eyes filled with wariness, and growled toward the mouth of the bay. "There are three... black ships! Hiding behind the submerged reefs in the bay!"
The words had barely fallen when the mist in Black Reef Bay suddenly churned violently. Three pitch-black warships sailed out from behind the submerged reefs-their hulls were pieced together from decaying bones and black iron, their sails were shrouds soaked in Insect Clan slime, and a pulsing black-purple crystal hung atop each mast. Insect holes covered both sides of their hulls, and countless Bone-Corroding Flying Insects crawled out, circling into dense black swarms.
"Those are Abyss Bone-Corroding Warships!" Snow Spirit Qilin's ice talisman instantly blazed with a piercing red light. Luminous white icy mist condensed into an ice mirror before Snow Spirit Qilin, clearly reflecting the core of a Bone-Corroding Warship. "The crystals on their masts are Abyss Crystal Cores. They can control decaying bones and the Insect Clan. These warships were specially built by the Abyss Matriarch for combat!"
Chief Tongchui immediately snatched up the Evil-Breaking Warhammer and charged onto the warship's weapons platform. "These bugs really won't give up! Craftsmen, turn the runic crossbows up to maximum power! Elf friends, aim at the insect holes on the Bone-Corroding Warships. Don't let the flying insects get close!"
The members of the Elf Guard immediately mounted the crossbow platforms on either side of the ship. The nature-runed bolts glowed emerald green. The instant the triggers were pulled, the arrowheads transformed into vines that wrapped precisely around the insect holes of the leading Bone-Corroding Warship. The vines grew rapidly, sealing the openings tight, and the Bone-Corroding Flying Insects inside let out waves of muffled buzzing.
But the other two Bone-Corroding Warships suddenly accelerated. The black iron cannon muzzles along their sides lit up with black-purple light, and several Evil Bone shells hurtled toward the holy warship. "Reinforce the water shield!" A Ze waved the water-patterned bone whistle, and ten Water Whisperers simultaneously poured in water elemental power. A pale blue water shield overlapped the golden light shield. The shells slammed into the shields, erupting in black-purple evil mist, and the light shield instantly dimmed somewhat.
"The light shield is losing energy! There's abyssal evil power in those bone-corroding shells!" Liya immediately took out Tree of Life sap and dripped it onto the Holy Spring amulet. The amulet's light surged, spreading along the warship's runic patterns and replenishing the light shield's energy. "It can hold for now, but we can't take too many shells head-on!"
Loran looked at Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin, and the two qilins understood at once-Lei Lin's golden-red flames condensed into dozens of fire arrows that shot toward the Bone-Corroding Warships' cannon muzzles. Snow Spirit Qilin breathed out icy mist, freezing the fire arrows into "ice-fire bombs." The mingled energy of ice and fire instantly detonated the cannon muzzles, blasting the black iron barrels into twisted shapes and leaving them unable to fire any more shells.
"Now! Ram them!" Chief Tongchui shouted as he worked the ship's wheel. The Water Whisperers increased their output of water elemental power, and the holy warship shot toward the leading Bone-Corroding Warship like an arrow loosed from a bow. The fallen star iron ram at its prow gleamed coldly and smashed into the enemy hull—a huge breach instantly split open the hull pieced together from decaying bones and black iron. The Insect Clan soldiers inside screamed as they fell into the water, only to be trapped in a net of water elemental power the Water Whisperers had laid in advance and instantly purified.
But the instant the two ships collided, the Abyss Crystal Core on the Bone-Corroding Warship's mast suddenly erupted with intense black-purple light. The Evil Bone Core within the holy warship (though it had not yet been retrieved, the amulet resonated with it) actually began pulsing along with it. Black lines appeared on the crystal at the tip of the Holy Spring amulet, and a sharp pain suddenly shot through Loran's chest-the resonance between his three-element power and the Evil Bone Core was being forcibly disrupted.
"This is bad! The Abyss Crystal Core is resonating with the Evil Bone Core!" Loran clutched his chest, clearly sensing the fluctuations coming from the amulet. "If this continues, even though we haven't retrieved the core yet, its seal will be disrupted!"
Snow Spirit Qilin immediately flew to Loran's side and enveloped the amulet in luminous white icy mist, trying to suppress the resonance. "The Bone-Corroding Warship's core is the Abyss Crystal Core! As long as we destroy the crystal core, the resonance will stop!"
Loran immediately leaped up, the three-element power of his knight's sword condensing into a Purifying Light Spear that thrust straight toward the Abyss Crystal Core on the Bone-Corroding Warship's mast. But the Insect Clan chief aboard the ship was already prepared. It swung its insect-limb longsword, condensing black-purple evil power into a barrier that blocked the light spear. At the same time, the decaying bones of the hull suddenly came alive, transforming into several bone claws that reached for Loran.
"Loran! Watch out!" Lei Lin beat fiery wings and rushed over. The instant those wings severed the bone claws, Snow Spirit Qilin's icy mist also froze the evil-power barrier. Loran seized the chance to change direction, guiding the light spear around the barrier and smashing it hard into the Abyss Crystal Core-the crystal core gave a sharp crack, fractures appeared across its surface, and its black-purple light instantly dimmed. The resonance within the amulet weakened along with it.