Chapter 644

"An, are you sure this is the place we're looking for?" Guo Yao's voice carried a hint of uncertainty; her fingers lightly twirled her hair, her eyes containing both expectation and apprehension.

Li An gripped the map in his hand tightly; it was an ancient parchment scroll, its edges yellowed, marked with ancient runes indicating the location of the mysterious sea. "Correct, the clue to the Ancient Key points here. Whatever lies ahead, we must investigate." His gaze was firm, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Silver Moon leaped nearby, surveying the surroundings with its unique perspective, occasionally emitting crisp chirps as if reminding them to stay alert.

As the ship slowly sailed into the depths of the sea, the calm on the surface began to break. The originally clear seawater turned murky, as if something was stirring restlessly beneath the seabed. Suddenly, a roar came from under the sea; immediately, countless huge black shadows surged up from the depths. They resembled deep-sea behemoths yet bore grotesque faces belonging to no world of this realm.

"Stand ready!" Li An quickly drew the long sword at his waist, the blade tip pointing straight at those approaching unknown creatures. Guo Yao was no less fierce; she condensed spiritual energy in both hands, preparing to fight. Silver Moon transformed into a streak of silver light, darting between the creatures and launching harassing attacks with its sharp claws and teeth.

"What are these things?" Guo Yao asked while releasing waves of spiritual energy to repel the approaching behemoths.

Li An's gaze was cold as he analyzed the situation: "I don't know, but their aggression is strong; we must handle them carefully."

The behemoths seemed provoked, attacking even more fiercely; they waved their massive limbs, and every collision made the ship teeter on the brink of collapse. During an exchange, Guo Yao was accidentally swept by a behemoth's tail; she flew backward, crashing heavily onto the deck, a wisp of blood oozing from the corner of her mouth.

"Yao!" Li An's eyes nearly burst; he quickly repelled the behemoth beside him, rushed to Guo Yao's side, and helped her up. "Are you... okay?"

Guo Yao forced a faint smile: "It's nothing; I can still fight." But her face was pale, clearly indicating she was seriously injured. Li An's heart was flooded with self-blame; he hated that he failed to protect Guo Yao, and this self-blame made his eyes even more ferocious, as if he intended to slaughter all the behemoths before him.

"Li An, don't blame yourself; we face this together." Guo Yao grasped Li An's hand, her eyes full of trust and encouragement.

Li An took a deep breath, striving to calm the turmoil within: "Good, we do this together." He turned to look at those behemoths, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes. "Today, let you witness what true power is!"

Just as Li An prepared to launch a counterattack, a figure suddenly surged out of the sea mist and landed before them. That person wore a tight-fitting explorer suit, a hat on their head, and a playful smile on their face; it was none other than the mysterious sea explorer—Chen Feng.

"Yo, isn't this Li An? What's wrong, run into trouble?" Chen Feng's voice carried a hint of mockery.

Li An watched Chen Feng warily, secretly on guard in his heart: "What are you doing here?"

Chen Feng shrugged: "Naturally, to seek treasure. However, judging by your appearance, you seem to have run into considerable trouble. How about this? I have a clue regarding the Ancient Key; as long as you are willing to exchange the treasure on your person for it, I will tell you."

Li An's heart tightened; he did not expect Chen Feng to make such a demand at this moment. He looked at Guo Yao, seeing her shake her head slightly, signaling him not to trust easily. But Li An knew the current situation allowed him no hesitation; he had to make a choice..