Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 409 Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!
"Should we give chase?" Thomas asked Rex.

“No need, let them go,” Rex shook his head. “Our goal isn’t to eliminate the enemy, but to successfully complete our exploration mission.”

After the battle, the crew began inspecting the damage and carrying out repairs. Surprisingly, apart from some minor surface damage, none of the three exploration vessels were seriously affected.

"Captain, the strength you just displayed..." Amy looked at Rex with some shock, "I felt it was much stronger than usual."

"People always unleash extraordinary potential in the face of danger," Rex replied calmly. "Besides, those enemies weren't actually that strong."

Rowan secretly observed Rex from the side. He could sense that the captain's strength just now far exceeded the level of an eighth-tier stellar-level being. Although it hadn't reached the cosmic level yet, it was very close.

“This Rex is hiding his true strength,” Rowan thought to himself. “He’s definitely not the simple explorer he appears to be.”

“Ron, you did a great job just now,” Amy praised. “It’s rare to remain calm in a situation like this for the first time.”

"Thank you, but the captain and everyone else were just too strong, so I barely had a chance to perform," Luo Wen replied modestly.

Indeed, from the start to the end of the battle, Rowan had almost no chance to intervene. The other members of the Wings of Freedom Exploration Team had already taken good control of the situation, and his help was completely unnecessary.

"It seems our team is stronger than I imagined," Jack said excitedly. "With this kind of strength, finding the treasure for immortality shouldn't be a problem."

“Don’t get too excited,” Rex cautioned. “Those enemies were just minor foes; the real challenge is yet to come. And I suspect those encounters weren’t random, but rather deliberately orchestrated.”

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked.

“Think about it, our departure time and route were kept secret, yet those people were able to track us so accurately,” Rex analyzed. “This means either someone leaked our information, or someone started monitoring us from the port.”

This analysis sent a chill down everyone's spine. If someone was indeed secretly monitoring them, the danger of this expedition had increased dramatically.

"Should we change our plans?" Amy asked.

“No, we will proceed according to the original plan,” Rex said firmly, “but we must remain vigilant and be prepared to deal with any new threats.”

“Captain, I have a suggestion,” Rowan said, speaking up. “We could implement some counter-surveillance measures, such as sending out scouts to regularly check the surrounding area.”

“Good suggestion,” Rex praised. “Thomas, you take charge of this.”

After the battle, the fleet resumed its voyage. But the atmosphere was completely different now; everyone realized that the exploration mission was far more dangerous than anticipated.

“I’m getting more and more curious about what’s so special about that treasure that grants immortality to kings,” Jack said while checking the equipment. “It can’t be an ordinary treasure that has attracted the attention of so many powers.”

“Severus, the King of Storms, is a legendary powerhouse,” Amy explained. “His mastery of the laws of storms has reached an extremely high level. Obtaining his legacy would be a tremendous opportunity for any martial artist.”

“It’s not just about inheritance,” Thomas added. “King-level Immortals typically possess vast amounts of precious resources, including various rare materials, advanced equipment, and possibly even cosmic secret techniques.”

Listening to his teammates' discussion, Rowan gained a deeper understanding of this exploration mission. Indeed, the legacy of becoming a king and achieving immortality is an irresistible temptation for most martial artists, which explains why so many forces have become involved.

“There’s another important point,” Rex suddenly said, “From what I understand, the Storm King Severus once possessed a legendary treasure called the ‘Heart of the Storm.’”

"Heart of the Storm?" Everyone was captivated by the name.

"It's a divine artifact that can greatly enhance one's understanding of wind and lightning laws," Rex explained in detail. "Legend has it that a warrior who possesses the Heart of the Storm can control all the storm forces in the world."

“If this treasure truly exists, it’s incredibly precious,” Amy exclaimed. “No wonder so many people come searching for it.”

“However, this is just a legend, and its authenticity remains to be verified,” Rex cautioned. “Our main goal is still to find any valuable relics; we shouldn’t place all our hopes on any particular treasure.”

As the voyage continued, more and more other ships appeared on the sea. Clearly, as time went on, more and more exploration teams began to set off for the target area.

“It looks like the competition is going to be fierce,” Jack said, observing the ships in the distance.

“That’s normal,” Rex replied calmly. “The real competition is on the seabed; there aren’t many teams that can dive deep enough and remain combat-ready in that environment.”

"How is our diving equipment?" Rowan asked.

"Top-of-the-line configuration," Jack proudly introduced, "not only can it dive to depths of 10,000 meters, but it's also equipped with various life support systems and communication equipment. More importantly, we have specialized deep-sea combat equipment."

"Deep-sea combat equipment?"

“Yes, in the deep-sea environment, the effectiveness of ordinary attack methods is greatly reduced,” Jack explained. “Our equipment has been specially modified to function normally under high pressure.”

Hearing these introductions, Rowan had a higher opinion of the Wings of Freedom Exploration Team's professionalism. Clearly, Rex had invested a great deal of resources and effort in assembling this team.

"How much longer until we reach the target area?" Amy asked about the progress of the voyage.

"At the current speed, it will probably take another three hours," the navigation team member replied.

“Then let’s use this time to check all the equipment again,” Rex instructed, “especially the deep-sea exploration equipment; we must ensure it’s absolutely in perfect working order.”

Throughout the rest of the voyage, Rowan continued to observe each member of the group. Through the battle just now, he discovered that these people were all stronger than they appeared. Rex, in particular, had displayed strength that made Rowan begin to doubt his true identity.

"Could an ordinary explorer possess this level of strength?" Rowan pondered. "Furthermore, his knowledge of the Immortal King realm is exceptionally detailed, which is highly suspicious."

Whatever secrets Rex may be hiding, he appears to be a trustworthy captain. At least in the face of external enemies, he didn't hesitate to protect the entire team, demonstrating commendable character. As time passed, the fog on the sea thickened, gradually reducing visibility. This change in environment heightened everyone's vigilance, as the fog could be a natural phenomenon or a deliberate obstacle created by some force.

“Keep formation, don’t break apart,” Rex reminded the other two ships via the communication system. “It’s easy to get lost in the fog.”

Just then, Rowan's mental energy detected something unusual. Deep within the fog, there seemed to be other ships operating, and quite a few of them.

“Captain,” Rowan decided to remind Rex, “I have a feeling there might be other teams in the fog.”

"Are you sure?" Rex immediately became serious.

“My senses are quite sharp. Although I can’t pinpoint the exact location, there are definitely other energy sources moving,” Rowan replied cautiously.

Rex closed his eyes and used his mental energy to scan his surroundings. After a moment, he opened his eyes, his expression turning serious.

“You’re right, there are at least five or six different teams operating in this fog,” Rex confirmed. “It seems our target area is more popular than we thought.”

"All ships, slow down and activate your detection systems at maximum power," Rex immediately ordered. "In this level of visibility, a collision is the greatest threat."

The three ships of the Wings of Freedom Exploration Team began to navigate cautiously through the dense fog. Rowan stood at the ship's railing, continuously sensing the surroundings with his mental energy. This fog was indeed unusual; not only was it extremely dense, but it also seemed to carry some kind of peculiar energy fluctuation, which would interfere with ordinary detection equipment.

“Captain, our sonar detection is being severely interfered with,” Jack reported anxiously. “This fog contains some kind of unknown energy that is blocking our signal.”

“What about the Law Fluctuation Detector?” Rex asked.

“It’s been affected, but it can still function barely,” Jack said, operating the equipment. “I can detect strong energy reactions within a range of about three kilometers.”

Just then, a violent explosion suddenly rang out in the distance, followed by energy fluctuations from the collision of various laws. The entire fog trembled violently due to these attacks, and even brief gaps appeared.

“There’s a fight going on,” Amy immediately assessed, “and it’s not small.”

“How far away are we?” Rex asked.

“About two kilometers, to the northeast,” Jack checked the probe’s display, “the energy fluctuations are intense; at least twenty stellar-level warriors are engaged in battle.”

Rowan focused his mental energy to probe in that direction and quickly sensed the specifics of the battle. Deep within the fog, two teams were indeed engaged in fierce combat, each collision generating a massive energy burst.

"Which two teams?" Thomas asked curiously.

"Judging from the energy characteristics," Rowan carefully analyzed the information he sensed, "one side mainly uses fire and metal elements, their attacks are very fierce; the other side mainly uses water and earth elements, leaning towards defense and control."

“It sounds like the ‘Flame Chapter’ and the ‘Tide Exploration Team’,” Rex said thoughtfully. “These two teams were just at the port yesterday; I didn’t expect them to clash so soon.”

"Should we go take a look?" Amy asked. "If we have the chance, we might be able to get some useful information from there."

“It’s too dangerous,” Thomas objected. “Getting involved in someone else’s battle won’t do us any good, and it could expose our strength.”

Rex pondered for a moment. "We can approach and observe, but we shouldn't intervene. Understanding the strength of other teams is also valuable to us."

“Good idea. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated,” Rowan agreed.

Under Rex's command, the three exploration ships cautiously approached the battle area. As the distance decreased, the explosions became clearer, and the light generated by various law attacks flickered in and out of the mist, like lightning in the deep sea.

“One kilometer away,” Jack reported. “The energy fluctuations here are already quite strong; getting any closer might get us detected.”

“Stop here,” Rex decided. “Everyone, remain silent and observe the situation.”

Rowan stood at the bow of the ship, extending his mental energy to its limit, carefully observing the details of the battle. Through layers of mist, he could "see" the specific combat situation of the two teams.

The Blazing Flame Legion consists of eighteen members, centered around a Stellar-level Rank 8 fire-type warrior. The other members range in strength from Stellar-level Rank 3 to Rank 7. Their tactics are straightforward: use powerful fire attacks to suppress their opponents, then combine this with sharp attacks from metal-type warriors for a surprise assault.

The Tide Exploration Team has a slightly larger number of members, with twenty-two. Their captain is an eighth-tier stellar-level water-elemental martial artist. Their tactics are more conservative, utilizing water-elemental laws to construct a powerful defensive system while simultaneously using earth-elemental laws to control the battlefield environment, attempting to restrict the opponent's movements.

"How's the battle going?" Amy asked Rowan in a low voice.

"It's intense, but it's too early to tell who's the winner," Rowan replied softly. "Both sides are fairly evenly matched, each with their own advantages."

Just then, the intensity of the battle suddenly escalated. The captain of the Blazing Flame Legion suddenly unleashed a terrifying surge of fire-elemental power, his entire being becoming like a miniature sun, instantly evaporating a large gap in the surrounding mist with its intense heat.

"Blazing Domain," Rowan recognized the skill, "a Stellar-level, eighth-tier fire-type martial artist is starting to get serious."

As the fiery domain expanded, the temperature across the entire battlefield rose sharply. Cracks began to appear in the Tide Exploration Team's water-based defenses, forcing several weaker members to retreat.

But the captain of the Tide Exploration Team was no pushover either. He quickly formed hand seals, and the surrounding seawater began to boil violently, with large amounts of water vapor rising up to counteract the high temperature of the Blazing Battle Group.

“Tidal Domain,” the captain murmured.

Instantly, a giant water sphere appeared in the center of the battlefield, enveloping all the combatants. Inside this sphere, the members of the Tide Exploration Team thrived, while the Flame Legion's fire attacks were greatly weakened.

“Interesting,” Rex observed the battle between the two captains. “Both captains have reached the peak of the eighth rank of the Stellar level, and their understanding of the laws is profound.”

(End of this chapter)