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The pursuing monsters directly ignored them and collided with each other, which was completely within Zi Yue’s expectations.

In order not to attract attention, they had all retracted their energy when entering the new space.

Compared to the huge creatures that came charging flagrantly into the other’s territory, it was quite normal for her group to be overlooked.

The behavior of the monsters here also caused one’s scalp to tingle!

The countless spike-like hairs erupted like a storm of pear blossoms, each containing a toxin so potent that it could cause parts of the octopus’s flesh to instantly decay into black water upon penetration, making Murong Xin’s heart lurch.

The number of spikes was enormous, and their speed was extraordinarily fast. If they had targeted them just now, she wouldn’t have been confident that they could escape unscathed in these waters.

After all, no matter how exaggerated her speed was, one cannot stay completely dry in a downpour.

The monsters here were one more terrifying and troublesome than the next. A slight mishap and the three of them could very likely be trapped here forever.

But just when the three of them thought that the battle between the two monsters would drag on for a while, providing them a chance to quickly find Chen Qing, an unexpected change occurred.

They witnessed the horrifying octopus emit a piercing scream after having multiple sections of its body dissolved, and then an extremely terrifying siphon force emerged, flipping over the entire seabed and creating an incredibly chaotic underwater storm.

Murong Yunji reacted quickly, her body glittering with light. Utilizing the extreme power of the Wind King’s Body to compress wind energy, she swiftly carried Bai Yu to safety. Zi Yue also escaped the siphon zone quickly by using her technique that allowed her to leap through space.

But the creature hiding within the sandbed didn’t have such an opportunity. The crust lifted, and a massive transparent jellyfish was forcibly sucked out, wailing as it was pulled away.

The needles became even more violent, but faced with the great chaotic currents, they lost precision and failed to inflict more damage on the colossal octopus as before. And so, the three of them finally saw the true face of the octopus.

Thousands of giant eyes, the body size was indeed as Zi Yue had previously guessed—almost as big as a Provincial Government Office.

Its massive maw opened like a chasm capable of devouring heaven and earth, packed with densely packed teeth numbering in the billions.

Just one look was enough to send chills down one’s spine.

No wonder the marine area they had just passed contained not a single living creature. With this kind of beast present, what could possibly survive?

"Let’s go!" Bai Yu’s heart lurched with fear and she quickly ordered Murong.

Murong didn’t dare to dawdle and was ready to carry Bai Yu to continue their escape, but when he turned around, he saw Zi Yue still standing still. His brow furrowed, "What are you doing?"

"This monster..." Zi Yue revealed a rare dazed expression.

With her Spirit Eye, she clearly saw that after the monster swallowed the giant jellyfish, its entire body visibly enlarged.

It was a creature capable of completely digesting the energy of other life forms and incorporating it entirely into itself.

Within just a few breaths, its energy had increased by a third compared to before, and it was still rapidly transforming that energy into flesh.

Zi Yue had never seen such a terrifying rate of evolution.

Only now did she understand why Chen Qing hesitated at first and did not immediately open the spatial gate. Even a ruthless and cunning overlord like him would think twice before unleashing such a creature, because you couldn’t be sure what it might become if it kept on devouring.

Would it grow indefinitely?

Zi Yue instinctively felt it was impossible. There shouldn’t be such an illogical being, but at the same time, she couldn’t quite grasp the notion. What if... it really could?

What if... it really could, then wouldn’t those ten thousand Flood Dragons outside become the best nourishment for this monster?

"Zi Yue?"

Murong roared through telepathy, "What are you spacing out for?"

"Huh?" Zi Yue snapped back to her senses, her face showing a trace of sudden realization.

Ultimately, she still fled quickly with Murong, but a sense of unease continued to rise in her heart!

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"Damn, it actually lost the fight?"

Chen Qing, observing from afar, furrowed his brows deeply!

He had been forced into opening the passageway; otherwise, staying any longer inside would deplete his strength, and he would eventually exhaust himself to death. The reason he hesitated for so long underwater was to choose a relatively more formidable opponent from several interconnected spaces.

He was actually quite lucky to have a creature like the Earth Fiend Jellyfish in one of the connected spaces.

This creature was designed by Chen Qing himself, ranking among the five most difficult demons to contend with in the Dragon Palace.

Its nature, in Chen Qing’s opinion, was a strong counter to the Heavenly Ghost Octopus because the Earth Fiend Jellyfish’s toxin was extremely domineering, capable of dissolving the flesh of a First Rank Warrior.

Just a few milligrams could completely melt a Dragon Palace Cloud Whale, making it a skilled hunter of large prey.

Moreover, the Earth Fiend Jellyfish’s speed with its tentacles was far more precise than that of the Heavenly Ghost Octopus. In direct combat, Chen Qing secretly calculated a winning chance of at least seventy percent.

But calculation is one thing, reality another. This is not a game with actual combat data, and the outcome is unpredictable.

Chen Qing did not expect the siphon force of the Heavenly Ghost Octopus to have such a strong suppressive effect on the Earth Fiend Jellyfish!

This was a big problem...

Although the Earth Fiend Jellyfish was not as large as the Heavenly Ghost Octopus, the energy contained within its body was on par. If it were to be consumed...

The next second, Chen Qing immediately felt a surging energy brewing in the distance.

The Heavenly Ghost Octopus swelled visibly, and Chen Qing activated his Spirit Eye to check.

It was just as he had designed—the creature’s talent for transforming energy was exceptionally strong, almost equivalent to a direct graft.

The energy it had just swallowed was immediately converted into bodily replenishment upon digestion, not only upgrading its strength but also drastically increasing its size.

Chen Qing dared not delay any longer and immediately initiated the link to the next space.

If that creature completely digested the Earth Fiend Jellyfish it had just consumed, being caught up would be even more troublesome. Quickly opening the next one, there might still be a chance to temporarily seal it in this space.

If that really didn’t work...

Chen Qing looked at a mark on his hand, left by the Princess Royale, which allowed a one-time remote contact with him—after one use, it would disappear. After all, remote contact in this world consumes a considerable amount of energy.

Looking at the mark, Chen Qing hesitated. This thing was ambiguously left by that woman, with the promise of a rendezvous. Now it seemed he might have to use it ahead of time.

After all... if the Heavenly Ghost Octopus got out of control, the Southern Sea might be the only place capable of stopping this damned creature!

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"Hmm?"

In the Southern Sea, in a vast area, Siao Mingxue and the others were aimlessly exploring.

The place was larger than imagined, just as Chen Qing had said—the true space of the Dragon Palace Secret Realm was far beyond her expectations.

This made the Princess Royale curious. If the secret realm opened, what would happen to this huge space within it? Would it be sealed off again, or would it... overlap directly with the outside world?

"What’s wrong?" asked Fifth Elder Shen, frowning behind her.

"The little one is getting impatient..." The Princess Royale glanced at the mark on her arm, her radiant face showing a rare coquettish smile.

Fei Fu Ma, who was following, furrowed his brow tightly. He had been married to the Princess Royale for many years, but this was the first time he had seen such a flirtatious smile on her face... It made him feel as if he had drunk poison.

"Is there a problem if he’s contacting you at this time?" asked Fifth Elder Shen, much calmer.

"Hmm... he’s given me the direction to the Dragon Transformation spot!" she replied.

"What?" The two of them showed expressions of surprise, as it was supposed to be impossible.

Chen Qing brought them here, and the likelihood was not out of kindness but to pull everyone into a battlefield he was most familiar with; thus, it would be easier for him to deal with them.

That was what they had unanimously concluded before, and the reason they still chose to participate. Apart from confidence in their own strength, they couldn’t resist the temptation of the inheritance within the Dragon Palace.

So, according to their earlier speculation, if Chen Qing wanted to use this opportunity to eliminate them, he should provide them with as little information as possible, especially regarding the so-called Dragon Transformation!

Having not been here for long, they had already made some mental estimates of the place.

The palaces here were extravagantly large, and there were not a few good things to be found.

But essentially, they could be categorized into three types: the first was treasure.

Here, treasure didn’t mean gold and silver jewels to common people; it referred to secret treasures valuable to Magicians and even Warriors, objects that could notably improve both space and body.

Such items were not scarce in the Dragon Palace, but they dared not touch them, for a simple reason: around most of these secret treasures slumbered beasts with humanoid heads and demon-like bodies, exuding immense danger.

Although their bodies seemed desiccated, they knew that if they touched those treasures, those monsters would surely attack.

The second category was the most valuable: inheritance.

Various Dragon Palace Secret Arts, about arrays, Runes, and the concoction of certain creatures, were scattered throughout the Dragon Palace, with various hidden caches that were actually not hard to find.

The downside was that most of the secret techniques were inscribed on a peculiar Jade Stone that wouldn’t decay for ten thousand years.

These jade stones, which were embedded in the metal of the palaces, required a fine craftsman’s skills to carry away without damage, or outright transcription—but who had the time for that now?

And the third category was those creatures initially intended for Dragon Transformation.

These were indeed the hardest to find. The Princess Royale and the others managed to find two by relying on Fifth Elder Shen’s understanding of hidden mechanisms, tucked away in extremely secretive spots within the Dragon Palace, frozen and labeled with the year, species, and Dragon Blood evaluation of the Dragon Transformation Objects, obviously set to undergo the Dragon Transformation Ceremony at the appropriate time to enhance the bloodline of the Dragon Clans.

Among the three types of inheritance, they saw the third as the most urgent to seize.

The reason was simple: the first type was too risky to snatch at the moment, and although the second type of inheritance seemed quite appealing, the transcription of it required a lot of time.

And even if they did take it back, converting that inheritance into combat power also needed time.

In the current pacing, even if they brought back enough inheritance, they might not have time to assimilate it all.

Therefore, the most useful were actually the third type—finding the most suitable species for Dragon Transformation and fusing them with secret techniques.

This way, even if the Dragon Palace revived, they would be considered kin and would not be attacked first. And once the transformation into a dragon was successful and they had enough power, they would have the chance to take over the position in the Dragon Palace.

Having control over the Dragon Palace meant that whether it was secret treasures or the so-called inheritance of the Dragon Palace, couldn’t they all be obtained in due time?

That’s why the Dragon Transformation Object was the most important, and it should have been what Chen Qing was least willing to hand over to them, but to their surprise, the kid was suddenly so generous at this moment?

Was it a trap, or had something else happened?