Witch, I'm really not an ancient god of the deep sea!

Chapter 221 You are undergoing the trial of the Blade Witch
The moonlight, like blood, barely penetrated the thick clouds, spilling onto the old and mottled dock, draping this place, soon to be swallowed by darkness, in an ominous red veil.

The sea breeze, carrying a hint of saltiness and unease, howled through the tangled cables and abandoned fishing boats, emitting mournful cries, like the whispers of a shipwreck.

Black Lantern Dragon—

The undisputed ruler of this sea!
The flesh-and-blood mage trembled uncontrollably. Braving the sea breeze, he forced out a voice to give instructions:

"All ships! Return to port! Fire at top speed!"

"Activate all defenses at the dock!"

The flesh-and-blood mage gave a hoarse command, gazing into the distance.

He never expected that the Black Lantern Dragon, who had just enjoyed a delicious meal, would actually appear at their base.

In his imagination, he should have been sipping wine, enjoying the remains of the Bloodblade Pirates, and watching the Flower Witch and the Black Hunter in their cages, having them perform some magic tricks.

And now, their Black Whale Pirate Crew's base has also met the same fate.

The sea dragon suddenly sank, its constantly opening and closing scales like an unstoppable giant wave, engulfing the battleships Black Shark No. 1 and Black Shark No. 2.

quack!quack!
The sounds of steel and scales clashed!

The Black Shark was forged from steel by several third-tier hammer-phase extraordinary beings. However, it was as fragile as paper in the face of the Sea Dragon's power. With a deafening collapse and the screams of the crew, fragments and debris flew everywhere.

Even though they were thousands of meters apart, the flesh-and-blood mage's hand still trembled.

The two warships were crushed to pieces by the Black Lantern Dragon's massive body simply because they appeared in its path.

Bouncing, bouncing, bouncing!
A blood-stained piece of steel wreckage flew toward the flesh-and-blood mage from a distance under immense pressure.

Along with the massive chunk, the Black Lantern Dragon's enormous body, as large as a mountain range, also flew towards them.

"Wait, its target is—"

The flesh-and-blood mage remained as calm as possible.

He discovered the blind spot!

The Black Lantern's goal is not to eat, but to keep moving forward!

The Flesh Mage turned around and, judging from the current path, Black Lantern Dragon's target was none other than the Blade Witch's Trial Grounds beneath the Navy's territory—the 'artificial rift' that had been unable to be safely entered for so long due to the lack of a witch!
That trial ground he had always dreamed of and wanted to enter!
"Why, why? The Black Lantern Dragon's target is the Rift? Does the Black Lantern Dragon also want to train?"

The flesh-and-blood mage's brain went blank for a moment.

"Calm down, calm down, this is good news. At least our Black Whale Gang won't suffer huge losses..."

The flesh-and-blood mage let out a long sigh of relief.

However, in the next instant, hundreds of bullets rushed toward his temple!
boom!boom!boom!boom!
The bullet was compressed and deformed, just like hitting an extremely hard block of blood.

"A bullet with decent power, it actually made my neck twist..."

The flesh and blood mage's temples twisted in a spiral, and then he looked toward the bullet.

Then, he was stunned!
Amidst the massive waves stirred up by the Black Lantern Dragon, a bright red warship charged forward against the waves!
And the flag that was floating with the sea breeze was actually a blood-stained blade, a blood-stained blade that was piercing straight into their hearts!
The Bloodblade Pirates' Dagger!

On the warship, Fenrir the mad wolf, through the huge waves, revealed his white teeth and gave him a knowing smile.

"Fire! Fire! Kill these cowards from the Black Whale Gang!"

"Fire! Fire!"

The flesh-and-blood mage looked up at the sky full of cannonballs, his face blank.

A small warship, carried by the Black Lantern Dragon's waves, actually penetrated deep into the Black Whale Gang's base, deep into their heavily fortified base.

The defenses that had been set up were completely useless, and were torn apart and crushed like brittle paper!
Amidst the barrage of shells, the Flesh Mage crouched down, took out his radio, and dialed his final call for help.

All plans have been ruined at this moment...

With his strength, he was no match for the Bloodblade Pirates' warships. The only thing he could do now was to capture the Black Hunter and the Flower Witch.

Soon, a burning shell struck his ship, and the entire vessel quickly burst into flames.

"Team in danger! The witch and the hunter have arrived at the base and are requesting backup..."

The flesh-and-blood mage sent out his final message through the machine, then slowly raised his head.

Then, he slowly raised his fingers, gathering blood.

The crew members who were preparing to fire their cannons exclaimed in panic:
"My lord, my lord, what are you doing?"

"Sir, what kind of wine did you give us to drink before?!"

As the flesh-and-blood mages' fingers danced, blood was slowly drawn from their bodies.

The crew members clutched their necks, looking at their captain in horror, wanting to curse the Flesh Mage's entire family.

However, due to the rapid loss of their blood and the roar of artillery fire, they were unable to utter a single word.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
The flesh-and-blood mage kept snapping his fingers.

Soon, the blood of the surrounding crew members began to form countless blood snakes, converging on his body and creating a blood-stained garment.

"I'm really being underestimated."

The Flesh Mage adjusted his round-framed glasses, exhaled a breath of blood, and stared intently at the Dagger's Dawn like a hungry wolf.

If he fails the mission and wants to avoid being punished by the old lady, he must produce the reward.

In his eyes, Chenqi was the easiest thing to gain.

If we catch him, he will be spared all punishment!

There could be no better outcome.

"Since we can't retrieve it, we can only hunt it from the shadows of the forest..."

boom!
As cannonballs slammed into the ship, creating a massive explosion, the Flesh Mage vanished from the sea, leaving behind only dozens of blood-drained corpses and a wrecked vessel.

……

……

Fenrir the Mad Wolf stood at the bow of the ship, holding a large sword, directing the gunners of the Dagger to fire indiscriminately.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

Streaks of fire ripped across the sky, accompanied by deafening explosions. Shells, like angry meteors, streaked across the heavens, hurtling straight toward the enemy ships.

The sea was instantly shrouded in smoke and fire, enemy ships trembled under the intense barrage, and shouts and chaos erupted from the decks.

"Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!"

Fenrir the wolf hadn't been this excited in a long time, and he almost wanted to howl on the spot.

The feeling of a small exploration vessel taking on a dozen large ships is just so exhilarating and exhilarating!

"Indeed! Sniping! Awesome!"

Chen Qi also took out the Giant Killer sniper rifle from the Magic Bullet Company and killed three panicked Black Whale pirates.

[You have successfully assassinated a Tier 2 warrior, gaining 600 Spirit Points!]

Chen Qi exhaled a breath.

Speaking of which, his profession is a traveling assassin, and assassinations can also increase experience points.

However, the assassination criteria for this profession are very strict, requiring the enemy to kill without seeing him, which is an extremely difficult task.

Chen Qi slowly raised his sniper scope and looked at the Flesh and Blood Mage in the distance.

However, the Flesh Mage quickly disappeared from his sniper scope.

"Did he run away? No, that guy..."

As a third-tier class, the Flesh Mage benefits from massive casualties and a large influx of new blood, granting him extremely powerful abilities in a short period.

If I were a flesh mage, I wouldn't stray far from a home ground where I could create flesh giants... Chen Qi thought for a moment and reminded him:

"Fen, Mad Wolf, be careful, that flesh mage has disappeared! You two must pay attention to the smell of blood. Compared to spiritual energy, the smell of blood is more likely to find the trace of a flesh mage."

"Yes, sir, the ship..."

Fenrir the mad wolf blurted out instinctively.

and many more!

Fenrir the Mad Wolf suddenly realized that he, as the captain, was actually calling the Black Hunter Captain!
Is this reasonable? Is this acceptable?
As a veteran pirate who grew up with the Bloodblade Pirate Crew, he is the undisputed captain of the Dagger!
Previously, when following the Black Lantern Dragon, all the flight commands were issued by Morning Start. That's why Fenrir called it by the wrong name.

Although Black Hunter is indeed qualified to be captain, my other brothers will not agree... Fenrir coughed twice, preparing to explain.

Then he heard the helmsman say in a fawning tone:

"Captain Black Hunter, Mr. Hunter... what should we do next? Should we continue the pursuit?"

Let me think about it… Chen Qi looked around and continued:

"Although we have dealt a heavy blow to the Black Whale Gang, this was under the circumstances of a surprise attack. After all, this is the Black Whale Gang's base, so we should give them some face."

Moreover, the Black Whale Clan will soon recover and continue following the Black Lantern Dragon; as it seems, it harbors no hostility towards humans.

Chen Qi became even more curious about the Black Lantern Dragon's 'good stuff'.

Upon hearing the order, the helmsman immediately exclaimed excitedly:

"As you command, Captain!"

"I'm clearly the captain, the captain..." Fenrir thought to himself helplessly.

After bombarding the Black Whale Legion, the Dagger continued to accelerate, heading deeper into the abandoned Black Army base.

The entire abandoned naval base is situated on a landscape resembling two islands separated by a river, and the river itself is just large enough to accommodate the body of the Black Lantern Dragon.

boom! boom! boom!
Under Chen Qi's command, the helmsman of the Dagger carefully followed the Black Lantern Dragon to a special area.

boom!
The Black Lantern Dragon's massive body slowly came to a stop, coiled around an abandoned tower, and then roared towards a huge crack in the ground.

"This crack..."

Chen Qi's eyes widened in surprise.

On both sides of the crack, countless intersecting blades form intricate and twisted patterns. These blades are not still, but rather tremble slightly as if they are alive, emitting a subtle yet piercing friction sound, like countless wronged souls wailing softly, telling of eternal pain and torment.

The entire crack was like a path leading to the depths of hell, a path strewn with bloody blades, sending chills down one's spine.

The Black Lantern Dragon roared loudly at the crack:

"Roar!"

Chen Qi's ears were instantly shattered by the enormous tinnitus.

"This is the Black Lantern Dragon, the good stuff you were talking about?"

Chen Qi observed carefully.

This place is clearly the entrance to a rift, and the intense aura of blades emanating from it...

This is the Blade Witch's Trial Grounds that Blood Lady mentioned in her intelligence!

Chen Qi looked at Fenrir.

According to Lady Blood's intelligence, Fenrir had entered this rift.

Fenrir the Mad Wolf frowned:
"Mr. Black Hunter, this crevice is extremely dangerous, and unlike ordinary crevices, the moment a human steps into it, they will be attacked by countless blades. The deeper one goes, the more ferocious the blades will become—"

"Unless your body can withstand the blows of thousands of blades, you simply cannot enter this crevice. My elder brother, the True Man Blood Emperor, was one such example—"

Is that so...? Chen Qi smiled at the Black Lantern Dragon.

Black Lantern Dragon, is this the treasure you gave me?
Roar!
The next instant, something unexpected happened. The Black Lantern Dragon seemed to understand his words and suddenly charged towards the huge crack.

quack!quack!
The moment the Black Lantern Dragon charged in, countless blades snapped shut, causing the entire island to tremble and clamping the Black Lantern Dragon's head tightly between them!

The Black Lantern Dragon is determined to force its way through this rift for Chen Qi!
"Roar!"

The Black Lantern Dragon wants to force its way in for me? Chen Qi was stunned for a moment.

However, this was an ancient forbidden area, and soon the Black Lantern Dragon's power waned, and thousands of blades pierced its flesh.

"Roar!"

In pain, Black Lantern Dragon had to pull out its blood-soaked head, shake its head, let out a faint roar, and then angrily smashed an abandoned tower of a naval base to pieces.

The voice sounded like a child's apology, roughly meaning:

"Waaah, I'm sorry, I can't let you into this hole—"

What is the Black Lantern doing? Does it like to burrow and play?
The Bloodblade Pirates couldn't understand Black Lantern Dragon's behavior at all, but they roughly knew that Black Lantern Dragon wouldn't attack them.

At this moment, Fen, who had been silent for a long time, walked up to Chen Qi and took a deep breath:

"Qi, don't worry, as long as I'm here, this rift won't kill us."

"Oh?"

Chen Qi smiled as he watched Fen's performance.

At that moment, a smile was playing on Fen's lips.

The Flower Witch Fen answered slowly:
"In fact, every witch's trial ground is for trials, not for killing. Therefore, there is no adventure in the witch's land, but trials."

"Trial?"

Chen Qi asked cooperatively.

Fen slightly raised her head:

"Yes, the trial. In the Trial Grounds, you will not truly die. Of course, all of this is on the premise that you have the correct key. Otherwise, to outsiders, this Trial Grounds is a terrifying B-grade, or even higher-grade, rift!"

"And for the person who has the key, this is a treasure trove, a treasure that can be obtained with ease! A rich treasure vault!"

"Oh? So where's the key?"

Chen Qi and Fen asked in unison, working together to ask the question.

The Flower Witch Fen patted her chest confidently:
"For the Trial Grounds of the Witch, the Witch, which is me, is the key!"

The witch is the key... Chen Qi smiled slightly. Sure enough, following the Flower Witch means there's plenty to eat!
"By the way, Flower Witch, may I go in?"

Chen Qi swallowed a mouthful of water; he also desperately wanted to enter the rift created by the Blade Witch.

Of course! Finn rests her chin on her hand:

"Qi, I can definitely take you in, but like the Rift, the Trial Grounds have a limit to the number of people it can accommodate. The Rift of the Blade Witch shouldn't have more than ten blades. Fenrir the Mad Wolf, you choose eight more people..."

"Ok!"

Fenrir the Mad Wolf nodded excitedly and looked around:
"Guys, if possible, we'd better go in quickly. I have a feeling that guy has his eye on us..."

"That rascal?"

Chen Qi asked.

Fenrir said urgently:
"The Azure Beast, but perhaps because of the Black Lantern Dragon, it didn't come close to us."

Azure Beast... A chill ran down Chen Qi's neck.

"I see."

Finn took out her staff, easily leaped from the ship to the entrance of the crevice, and then gently descended the steep steps.

Led by Finn, their team continued to descend the steps.

Just as Finn had predicted, the cracks did not attack him.

Chen Qi carefully stepped into this underground path filled with blades, walking step by step.

"Won't these blades attack me?"

Chen Qi had a vague sense of foreboding.

As he went deeper, the number and density of blades around him increased, constantly closing in on him.

As the soft echo of footsteps reverberated, a blade pierced the skin on his face, drawing bright red blood.

At the same time, a notification that hadn't been seen for a long time quickly popped up in front of Chen Qi's eyes.

[Inspiration Assessment in Progress]

You are undergoing the trial of the Blade Witch...

(End of this chapter)