[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-mystic-calling-stone-of-glory":3,"chapter-mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-chapter-949":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1242405,1669,"Chapter 949 949: The Ocean Was Alive","mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-chapter-949",949,"\u003Cp>The air was shrieking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not wind—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seawater itself was being forcibly dragged toward some bottomless center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vortex hung in the middle of the Nether Sea like a gaping mouth, silent and greedy as it swallowed everything in reach. Water, broken stone, wreckage— even drifting currents of energy got yanked in, unable to escape its pull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It only consumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It never spat anything back out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If this keeps up…\" Ethan muttered, his brow tightening inch by inch, \"the whole Nether Sea is going to get drained dry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted a hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[SYSTEM SCAN — ACTIVATED]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A layer of near-invisible blue light rippled outward from deep within his pupils, like rings spreading across a pond, slipping quickly into the heart of the whirlpool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system returned its result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Ethan's breath stalled in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Target Classification: Living Organism]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Living.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a phenomenon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a spatial rift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a natural disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's pupils tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that was true…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then this thing's size had already crossed out of the category of \"animal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an ecosystem by itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Power stirred awake inside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Primordial Force rose like a sleeping dragon, flowing along his bones as faint energy tracery surfaced across his skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He jumped straight into the vortex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No splash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just falling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Endless falling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What surrounded him wasn't normal seawater anymore, but something thicker—like liquid energy. His descent accelerated, faster and faster, as if gravity itself kept stacking heavier with every heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time stopped meaning anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe seconds passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He landed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not on the seabed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On something soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan frowned and looked down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn't sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was… living tissue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It rose and fell, slowly contracting and expanding like the breath of some colossal thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so huge it made his instincts itch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He triggered another scan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the system finally displayed the full structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's heart skipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn't a normal lifeform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a mutated oceanic mollusk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its body covered a range of hundreds of kilometers, buried deep beneath the Nether Sea. The whirlpool wasn't some attack it had created—it was how it ate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was filtering the entire ocean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system readout scrolled rapidly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Function Identified: Energy Filtration]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was absorbing everything in the seawater—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impurities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pollution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chaotic energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And leaving only the purest core energy behind, storing it inside its body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't a predator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A filter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's breathing grew heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, Emerald Castle's biggest problem wasn't a lack of energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was that the energy wasn't pure enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too much of it couldn't be absorbed directly—it had to go through complicated conversion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the existence in front of him…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could solve that problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still thinking when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in temperature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In something deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Space itself grew heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure appeared in front of him with no warning at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it had always been there—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now allowing itself to be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was humanoid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skin the dark blue of the deep sea, pupils threaded with faint white light. He stood there without releasing any obvious killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his presence alone was pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pure Nethora energy flowed through him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No impurities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect, in a way that didn't feel mortal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don't belong here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was low and calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet it carried authority that didn't allow resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"State your purpose.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn't step back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm this world's new master,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No bragging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a statement of fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guardian's gaze tightened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crouched and placed his palm gently on the soft tissue beneath their feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive creature responded immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tissue gave off a faint glow—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like it was answering him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guardian stood again. He looked at Ethan, then drew a white crystal from inside his robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It floated in the air, radiating a gentle, steady light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed it toward Ethan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant Ethan caught it, the system went insane with alarms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Energy Density: EXTREME]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His breathing stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recognized it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Worldheart Crystal…\" The words came out as a near-whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guardian gave a slight nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is one of the Nether Sea's core energy sources.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan's grip tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thumbnail-sized piece of Worldheart Crystal was enough to keep a Sky Fortress running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the one in his hand—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the size of a fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn't compensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guardian's eyes cooled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the boundary,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do not go deeper.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan stayed silent for a few seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he asked, \"Where's the mine?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guardian's gaze turned utterly cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That isn't something you're meant to know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body began to turn translucent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Next time,\" he said, \"I won't pay you off.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gigantic creature beneath Ethan's feet began to contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not dying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compressing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its body—hundreds of kilometers of it—folded and concentrated at a terrifying speed until, in the end…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a tiny white worm remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wriggled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then drilled into the seafloor and disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it had never existed at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan stood on the surface of the sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind was cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his thoughts were colder than the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The existence of the Worldheart Crystal had been confirmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Netherkin clearly weren't going to hand over the mine's location just because he asked nicely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Head-on conflict is pointless…\" he murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other side didn't just have a guardian—they had that ancient lifeform capable of filtering the entire Nether Sea. Moving rashly would only drag Emerald Castle into a war it didn't need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let out a slow breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forced the hunger in his chest back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opportunity wasn't going anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All he had to do… was wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned, ready to head back to Emerald Castle's camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in that exact moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky dimmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because of storm clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because something's presence itself blotted out the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An indescribable pressure dropped from high above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn't an energy fluctuation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emerald Castle's army felt it first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tens of thousands of soldiers froze at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breathing became difficult, like the air had turned into liquid—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sticky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>",1052,"2026-06-05T15:15:54.167Z",1,"novelbin.me","0f2de4010de473cb28d99bedd35bad2043f826e8eb470f8e3d9aec32391a6e66","mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-chapter-950","mystic-calling-stone-of-glory-chapter-948",1138,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmystic-calling-stone-of-glory-cover.jpg"]