We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 187 [Sand Island] Natives Encounter Twilight!

Upon setting foot on the land of [Sand Island].

Xia En immediately sensed that the mysterious energy in the surrounding air had become thinner and heavier.

Both the process of absorbing and manipulating secret power will encounter tremendous resistance.

"Is this the restriction on Sand Island?"

Xia En thought to himself, "Indeed extraordinary."

"However, it seems that the restrictions aren't limited to secret powers..."

He carefully examined himself and found that he felt somewhat weak and listless, and his body seemed unusually heavy.

With each step, a deep footprint was left in the sand.

At this moment, Xia En was able to confirm that the gravity on this island was much greater than that outside.

Even with his powerful physique, he felt some discomfort. If it were some delicate secret cultivators, they would probably have difficulty even moving forward.

Xia En turned his head and asked with concern.

"An, are you okay?"

Behind him, the armored knights were initially finding it somewhat difficult to move.

But upon hearing this, white magic runes appeared on the surface of the armor, and Ann's movements became visibly lighter.

Xia En knew that this was because An had activated the "sky form" of the armor, greatly reducing his own gravity, which just happened to cancel out the gravity field of the Sand Island.

However, it's obviously unrealistic to expect to fly in this environment.

Seeing this, Xia En was amazed.

The restrictions on arcane power on 【Sand Island】 do not seem to apply to rune-enchanted equipment?

But just then, a small head popped out from a gap in An's armor.

"Huh? Where am I?"

The fairy Tracy mumbled sleepily, "Why is there sand all around us?"

Upon seeing her, Xia En's eyes twitched: "Tracy, what are you doing here?"

Trish replied honestly, "I was sleeping inside Anne's armor, and when I woke up I was here."

An's body stiffened slightly.

He never imagined that Tracy would be so bold as to sleep inside his armor.

If Tracy were to be tainted by his bad luck, wouldn't she be...

Shane also realized this.

However, after carefully examining her from all angles, he found that apart from being somewhat listless due to the influence of the [Sand Island] restriction, Tracy had no other symptoms.

However, upon closer examination, "misfortune" is a mysterious thing that cannot be explained by common sense, and naturally there will be no observable symptoms.

Now that Tracy is already here, we can't just send her back to the Black Swan.

— This back-and-forth process will inevitably waste a lot of time.

So, after giving her a couple of warnings, Xia En continued his journey deeper into the Sand Island.

Only after setting foot on Sand Island can one truly appreciate its vastness.

The scene before them seemed to be an unchanging, desolate desert, stretching as far as the eye could see.

About half an hour later, the sea behind us had disappeared, but the surrounding scenery seemed to remain unchanged.

Moreover, as the two humans and the fairy ventured deeper, the effects of gravity and the restrictions intensified.

The air became increasingly hot and dry.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew, raising a large cloud of yellow sand, making the sun in the sky appear somewhat distorted. However, the sandstorm did not prevent it from casting endless light and heat onto this desolate area.

There is no doubt that this desert is showing its ferocious side to outsiders.

After walking a while longer, Shane caught sight of something lying across the vast desert.

Xia En walked forward slowly and carefully, and soon he could see what it looked like.

This was a mummified corpse!
He was dressed in pirate clothes, and there were no obvious wounds on his body.

But the body's moisture had completely disappeared, and the withered flesh clung tightly to the bones, like a skeleton.

Upon closer inspection, several similar mummified corpses were found nearby.

Clearly, they were all people who came to Sand Island in search of treasure, but they lost their lives before they even found it.

Xia En frowned in thought: "How did they die?"

"They can't just die of thirst here, can they?"

Now that they know about the climate and environment of Sand Island, these pirates should have prepared countermeasures in advance.

An was about to write his thoughts on the sand when he heard Cuixi say something.

"Ann thinks they might have been poisoned."

"Ok?"

Not only Ann, but even Shane looked at Trish with surprise.

It wasn't because of the guess itself, but because Tracy seemed to understand Anne's meaning without needing to communicate.

Tracy found their reaction odd: "Did I say something wrong?"

Xia En looked at An with an inquiring gaze.

An silently shook her head.

Xia En was surprised and asked, "Tracy, how did you do that?"

Tracy raised her chin and said with some pride, "This is a special ability of our fairy race, called [Capturing Mind's Voice]."

"However, it can only be used on elves, and you need to gain the target's trust."

Xia En gave An a strange look.

There's something strange about this kind of thing, like my inner thoughts being captured.

Tracy spoke up, "Ann is thinking... Captain, don't look at me like that!"

Ann's body stiffened again, and she glared angrily at Tracy.

Xia En could almost see his shame and indignation through the armor.

This thought made Xia En laugh.

'So, An can also show these kinds of emotions...'

Although Ann was one of the first crew members to board the ship, due to his armor and the [Mute Curse], Shane had never seen his expression or heard his voice, and therefore could not know his true feelings.

This current posture is different from the usual rigid and loyal image of a knight.

This also made him appear even more vibrant and adorable in Xia En's eyes.

However, Xia En also knew that if he continued to laugh, An would probably get really angry.

He coughed twice and said, "Tracy, from now on you will act as Ann's mouthpiece. Notify me of any important news immediately."

"However, don't reveal all your true feelings..."

Tracy was confused: "What should be said, and what shouldn't be said?"

"For example... what about the sentence, 'Captain, you're so mean!'"

"Pfft!"

The gaze that An cast from beneath his armor was almost murderous towards the demon.

Xia En forced himself not to laugh out loud and turned to examine the mummified corpse.

However, he had just turned the pirate's mummified corpse over.

A small, dark shadow suddenly lunged at his face with a speed that was difficult for an ordinary person to react to.

Xia En's expression changed slightly, but his actions were faster than his thoughts. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the approaching shadow.

Out of caution, a layer of blood aura appeared on his body, and it was this layer of blood aura that blocked the fierce sting from the shadowy tail.

clang!
The shadowy figure's tail struck the bloody aura with a muffled thud.

Under the firm pressure of the blood energy, the little thing finally calmed down.

Only then was Xia En able to see the full shape of the shadowy figure.

It was a black scorpion, only the size of a palm, but its body was extremely hard, like steel. Xia En took out a dagger and casually made a cut on its body.

With a crisp "crack," the tip of the dagger snapped off.

Although it was just an ordinary dagger, with the power of Xia En, it could not pierce the body of the black scorpion. The natural defensive power of that black shell was truly astonishing.

Its tail also emits a slightly bitter, almond-like aroma.

Upon smelling the scent, Xia En felt a constant stinging sensation on his skin, and his hand holding the dagger went numb.

It is obvious that this is poison, an unimaginably potent poison.

With Xia En's current physical condition, many toxins no longer have any effect on him, but this seemingly inconspicuous scorpion actually contains such terrifying venom.

Most of the pirates here died at their hands.

The danger of this "Sand Island" lies not only in its unique environment, but also in its native inhabitants and these unheard-of, bizarre creatures.

Xia En used the Blood Demon Sword to cleave the black scorpion's body open, ensuring it was absolutely dead.

Then, he turned around, about to explain his discovery to Anne and Trish, when he heard a sharp whooshing sound behind him.

call out!
shhhhh!

Several arrows pierced the air with incredible speed, heading straight for Xia En and his companions' backs.

An reacted a beat too slow and didn't have time to dodge.

Xia En stepped forward, the Blood Demon Sword in hand, and with a single slash, cut the incoming arrow in two.

He looked up and couldn't help but frown slightly.

On a sand dune not far away, several strange men dressed in yellow robes were holding bows and arrows, staring at them with hostility.

The strange men's yellow robes were tattered and almost blended into the color of the desert.

This also prevented Xia En from seeing their faces clearly; he could only see something resembling thick hair through the holes in their robes.

Almost the instant he saw the yellow-robed monster, Xia En was able to confirm—

They are the natives of this [Sand Island]!
If Shane wasn't mistaken, the appearance of these pirates lying in the desert, along with the natives, wasn't a mere coincidence, but rather...

A trap!
The natives were using these pirates' mummified corpses to lure outsiders, then launching a surprise attack while they were examining the bodies!

Even if outsiders dodge the scorpion's attack, they will be shot dead by arrows from behind.

Shaun glanced back at the arrows; their arrowheads were hollow and they also emitted a bitter almond scent.

Toxins are clearly one of the indigenous people's most powerful weapons!

For some reason, Xia En's expression became somewhat strange.

Normally, given the size of Sand Island and the fact that they hadn't reached the core area of ​​the island, they shouldn't have encountered any natives so easily.

But they'd only been on the island for half an hour, and they'd already fallen right into a trap set by the natives...

Is this really just bad luck?
Or……

Has the bad luck that Tracy picked up from Anne already taken effect silently?
However, now is not the time to think about these issues, because...

The natives not far away had already drawn their bows and arrows again, preparing for a second round of shooting!
Xia En composed himself, cleared his mind of distractions, and immediately took out the [Radiant Cult Amulet] from the [Apocalypse Ring].

All of a sudden.

A ball of light appeared beside him.

Unless absolutely necessary, Shane still didn't want to make enemies of these natives.

After all, these natives are extremely adapted to and familiar with the environment of [Sand Island], and can exert combat power far exceeding their own rank.

Having previously collaborated with the sea creatures of Coral City, Shaen clearly understood that if he could leverage their strength, many difficulties would be easily resolved.

At this time, Shane happened to learn about the natives' faith in the Hui religion.

There's no reason not to take advantage of it.

as predicted.

Upon seeing this radiant light, the natives paused slightly.

The one in the lead seemed to speak, talking to his companions.

However, due to the distance, Shane couldn't hear what they were saying.

It didn't take long.

Many natives lowered their bows and arrows, and the leader waved to Xia En, seemingly signaling him to come over.

Seeing this, Xia En was overjoyed.

"There's a show!"

As long as communication is possible, it means that the hostility of the indigenous people is within a controllable range.

Next, by demonstrating your relationship with the Lord of Light, you might be able to gain their help.

Thinking about it this way, encountering natives might not necessarily be a sign of misfortune?
But in the next moment.

boom! ! !
A streak of blood-red light suddenly fell from mid-air.

The place where it crashed was right in the center of the natives' village.

Accompanied by screams and roars, a violent explosion erupted where the blood fell, scattering large amounts of blood, flesh, and severed limbs outwards.

In the blink of an eye, several natives died on the spot.

The remaining natives cried out in alarm and quickly scattered and fled.

Xia En suddenly raised his head and looked at the source of the crimson light.

In mid-air, a tall, slender young woman, with the coldness of ice and the beauty of a night-blooming cereus, was suspended.

Behind her, a pair of solid, blood-red wings were gently flapping, supporting her as she hovered in mid-air.

In such a high-gravity environment, the ability to fly is itself a symbol of strength!

The woman held two guns that looked like twin sisters.

The previous stream of light came from it.

The beautiful woman looked around, taking in everyone present.

Her lips curled into a beautiful smile, but her eyes held only the coldness of a hunter dealing with its prey.

Upon seeing the woman, Xia En felt a chill run down his spine, and an extremely strong sense of crisis rose within him.

This sense of crisis is even more intense than when facing the "Thousand Changes" back then!
Characteristics of vampires: female, extremely high rank.

Xia En immediately remembered what Fei Ya had mentioned: the owner of the [Burning Gold] - Twilight!
But how could he have run into the other person by such a coincidence?!

We've only been on the island for a short time!

Judging from Twilight's demeanor, it seems he intends to kill everyone present!

Xia En glanced at Anne and Tracy and suddenly realized that Anne's doom, enough to destroy a kingdom, was not just talk.

"Split up and run!"

Without hesitation, Xia En handed a [Radiant Cult Amulet] to An, then ran off in one direction.

Faced with such a powerful enemy, fleeing together would only hasten our demise.

If they split up and escape, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

"Oh? There was an unexpected bonus?"

In mid-air, looking in Shane's direction, Twilight licked her lips: "This little guy's blood seems like it'll taste sweet..."

She flapped her wings and quickly gave chase.

Upon noticing Twilight's actions, Shane breathed a sigh of relief.

He deliberately cut his wrist to attract Twilight to chase after him.

After consuming the Crimson Fruit and being bathed in dragon blood, his blood would undoubtedly be extremely attractive to vampires.

At least it will prevent Twilight from hunting down Anne and Trish.

Just then, Twilight's soft voice came from above.

"Little one, don't run away, come to your big sister..."

"I will love you very much!"

As these words were spoken, a chilling streak of crimson light landed beside Xia En!
(End of this chapter)