Chapter 555: Sea Abyss City

Chapter 555: The Abyssal City

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Li Wei, the Fish-Bomb Mage, recklessly hurled explosives across the Eastern Sea.

The marine creatures lived in constant terror.

"Hmm, has Saint Xi awakened?"

A flicker of awareness stirred within Li Wei as he sensed that Saint Xi had roused from her slumber inside his magical world.

He glanced at his current cultivation progress:

[Elemental Fission (Epic) (Legendary Path)] 996/10,000

Opening a portal, Li Wei stepped into his magical world.

Thanks to Mystra's magical cottage, he never worried about having no place to rest upon the endless sea.

What was once a cramped little hut had long since been transformed by Li Wei into an expansive magical realm.

This inner world continued to grow larger and more voluminous with each passing day.

As the spatial bubble expanded, so too did its rate of growth slow.

It would take eons—perhaps even longer—to become a true world.

Even reaching the size of the Golden Prairie Divine Realm seemed like an eternity away.

But Li Wei didn’t mind much.

After all, the expansion occurred naturally under the influence of the Void Core, without requiring any effort on his part.

All he needed to do was let it idle along.

Besides, he had no immediate need for such vast space.

So he gave it little thought.

His gaze fell upon Saint Xi, who had just awakened.

She lay curled on the ground after emerging from deep sleep, her form resembling a small mountain forged entirely of gold.

Not counting the years she'd spent growing within the Time Secret Realm,

Saint Xi was only around one hundred years old—still short of two centuries.

To a sacred dragon with an immensely long lifespan, a dragon under two hundred years was still considered a hatchling.

Yet Saint Xi’s strength far surpassed most young dragons of her age.

Many adult or even fully matured dragons could not rival her present power.

Ordinary dragons typically evolved into legendary beings when they reached their peak.

However, among legends, there were distinctions of rank.

High-tier legendary beings could easily overpower ordinary ones.

And those at the pinnacle—the supreme legends—were rare beyond measure.

Saint Xi had already advanced into the late stages of the legendary tier.

In terms of human adventurer classifications, this placed her firmly in the high-tier legendary category.

One step further, and she would stand atop the summit of legend—an elite among elites.

That final threshold separated her merely by a breath from ascending to the next level of existence.

Crossing it would elevate her life essence once again, transforming her into an eighth-rank epic-level practitioner.

The mightiest epic-level practitioners bore the honored title of demigods—

Symbols of ultimate strength beneath the gods themselves.

Under Li Wei’s watchful eyes, Saint Xi’s golden bulk began to glow, radiating light that soon condensed and shrank rapidly until she stood before him in humanoid form.

With a smile, Li Wei greeted her as she ran toward him: “We’ve entered the Endless Seas.”

He handed over the Legendary Soul to her.

“A dragon-slaying warrior left behind this Legendary Soul upon death. Absorbing it will grant you access to his unique legendary traits.”

“But I haven’t yet broken through to the legendary stage myself. Absorbing these traits prematurely might unpredictably alter my own path to legend.”

“So I’m leaving this to you.”

Saint Xi shook her head gently. “I don’t need it.”

“Moreover,” she added, “these traits belong specifically to a dragon hunter—they wouldn’t suit me anyway.”

Li Wei paused briefly, then nodded while putting the Legendary Soul away. “You’re right.”

Absorbing the soul of a dragon hunter would likely bestow traits that inflicted extra damage against dragons,

or perhaps abilities that grew stronger through slaying them.

Neither would be suitable for Saint Xi.

Meanwhile, Li Wei himself hesitated because he hadn’t yet achieved legendary status.

If he rashly absorbed the legendary traits contained within the soul, he risked inheriting the fallen warrior’s entire legendary journey—and possibly changing his profession entirely into that of a dragon hunter.

Thus, he dared not make use of it now.

In theory, anyone capable of absorbing a Legendary Soul could instantly ascend to legendary rank.

Each soul held within it the complete legendary journey walked by the deceased hero during life.

When absorbed by another powerful individual, it allowed them to absorb the experiences of others’ paths without disrupting their own, accelerating completion of their personal legendary journey.

Most common legendary adventurers had barely begun their journeys.

Therefore, they rarely—if ever—left behind Legendary Souls upon death.

Only high-tier legendary heroes, whose paths were largely defined, possessed even a slim chance of producing such relics.

Having explained the situation roughly to Saint Xi,

the pair departed from the magical world.

Li Wei intended to focus on cultivating Elemental Fission.

Saint Xi would handle navigation duties.

As for Li Wei—he simply kept blowing up fish along the way.

The Endless Seas stretched boundlessly, fraught with peril.

Even someone as powerful as Saint Xi, standing at the high-tier legendary level, encountered numerous hazardous zones demanding careful avoidance.

Superstorms churned violently across the ocean surface.

The domain of a super-monstrous beast within the vast ocean.

A death zone with bizarre rules nestled in the endless seas.

...

Though possessing the formidable strength of a high-tier legendary dragon, even such power could not ensure free rein across the endless ocean.

Venturing deep into those fathomless waters, far from the human continents.

Saint Xi revealed her true draconic form, carrying Li Wei through the tempests as they flew toward the final shard of a god's essence.

Seated upon Saint Xi’s back, Li Wei devoted himself entirely to cultivating Elemental Fission.

Wherever Saint Xi passed, it was as if a bomber had swept through the skies.

Waves burst forth like exploding sponges, sending cascades of water and towering geysers skyward.

For an entire month, the two soared across the boundless sea.

Li Wei cast another spell of Elemental Fission.

He watched as his proficiency rose by one point.

**[Elemental Fission (Epic) (Path of Legend)] 9986/10000**

After nearly a month of relentless effort, the skill was almost fully mastered.

Li Wei’s use of its transcendent properties grew increasingly effortless.

*Roar~*

The great dragon beneath him let out a low growl.

Saint Xi’s voice echoed in his mind:

“We’re here. It’s just ahead.”

Li Wei paused what he was doing and stood up, peering forward intently.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to see farther into the distance.

Below them, the seawater had turned black—as though beneath the surface lay an abyss, bottomless and unfathomable.

He searched for a long time but saw no island floating on the waves.

“Where is it?” he asked.

“It’s below,” Saint Xi replied. “Very, very deep.”

Li Wei looked down. The dark sea stretched beneath them like the gaping maw of some primordial void, waiting to devour them whole.

There was no hesitation.

Saint Xi dove toward the ocean’s surface.

Li Wei cast a spell.

“Aqua Breathe!”

A shimmering blue membrane materialized before Saint Xi, spreading outward until it enveloped both of them completely.

She plunged headfirst into the sea, parting the waters around her effortlessly.

The spell reduced resistance from the ocean to near nothingness—a technique Li Wei had acquired from a marine arcane caster among the strange races dwelling in the endless ocean.

One casting was all it took; Li Wei had recorded it instantly using his Arcane Codex.

With only a bit of practice and a boost in familiarity, he could wield it effectively.

Under the protection of Aqua Breathe, Saint Xi descended rapidly.

Light faded quickly.

The world gradually sank into immeasurable darkness.

Saint Xi unleashed her legendary draconic aura, driving away lurking sea beasts.

Gurgling sounds filled the water.

Turbulent currents swirled around them, signaling that nearby monsters were fleeing at breakneck speed.

Li Wei extended his mental senses as far as possible, scanning ahead for potential threats.

The deep sea teemed with peril.

Within the endless ocean lurked many powerful creatures—especially the colossal marine beasts.

Their strength dwarfed that of ordinary monsters of equal rank, often by dozens or even hundreds of times.

Due to their immense size and habitat, these terrifying leviathans—known as Sea Beasts—could never venture close to shallow waters.

Thus, few humans ever laid eyes upon them.

During their month-long journey through the endless ocean, they had already encountered several such titanic creatures.

Compared to the Ice Emperor, perhaps these Sea Beasts seemed smaller.

But compared to regular monsters—or humanity itself—they were staggeringly massive. Even the smallest floated atop the waves like a small island.

*RUMBLE!*

Li Wei sensed a hidden current surging toward them.

His spiritual energy condensed into threads, expanding tenfold in reach.

Following the direction of the disturbance, his consciousness pierced through chaotic undercurrents, schools of fish, and roaming beasts, finally brushing against something unimaginably vast.

Instantly, he understood—one of the Sea Beasts was approaching.

Saint Xi’s draconic presence could repel lesser sea monsters—but it also attracted the rulers of this realm.

Clearly, the sovereign of these depths was none other than a Sea Beast.

Roughly sensing its aura, Li Wei realized the creature had reached the eighth tier.

Magic surged in his palm.

A fireball coalesced in midair.

Elemental Fission activated.

From within the blazing orb emanated violent magical fluctuations that made one’s heart race.

It felt as though it might explode at any moment—an unseen ticking bomb without warning.

Li Wei clutched the violently pulsating fireball in his hand, yet he did not hurry to hurl it away.

After a month's time, he had gained new insights into elemental fission.

Li Wei realized that his previous method of employing elemental fission had been too crude and wasteful.

Every time he used elemental fission, he had hoped to maximize the spell’s potency.

Thus, he would exert all his strength, concentrating every ounce of power into casting the spell.

Later, he discovered there was no need for such excess.

Excess mana was simply waste.

All that was required was to give the post-fission spell a moment of time.

The destructive force it could unleash would meet expectations.

Just as Li Wei was doing now.

The chain reaction of elemental fission within the fireball had already continued for some time.

Nearly ninety percent of the fire element within had undergone fission.

Li Wei flung the fireball outward.

It dropped into the boundless dark ocean.

Like a solitary firefly amid the night, it was utterly inconspicuous, unable to illuminate the surrounding darkness.

Indeed, even its own light seemed on the verge of being swallowed by the void.

No words were needed from Li Wei.

Sheng Xi abruptly contracted her form, transforming into a straight spear that pierced deeper into the sea.

Racing away swiftly.

A massive silhouette emerged.

An eighth-order oceanic beast.

Its body stretched a full thousand meters—capable of swallowing both Sheng Xi and Li Wei in a single bite.

It slowly opened its mouth, vast volumes of seawater rushing into its jaws.

Below, Sheng Xi rapidly distanced herself from the oceanic beast.

That unremarkable speck of fire drifted along with the current and floated into the beast’s gaping maw.

Boom!

A burst of flame exploded within the endless dark sea.

Illuminating the shadowed seabed world.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

The violent shockwave of the explosion spread rapidly through the water.

Boom!

Li Wei was struck hard from behind by an immense force, sending him flying.

He felt as though he had been slammed by a wall.

The shockwave overturned countless sea monsters.

Li Wei and Sheng Xi rode the wave’s momentum, diving swiftly toward the ocean’s depths.

Pop!

The faint blue membrane of Sheng Xi’s water-repelling spell around her body vanished.

Terrifying deep-sea pressure instantly bore down upon her.

Pressure enough to flatten steel in an instant.

Her movements hesitated slightly, but she ignored the crushing force and quickly dove after Li Wei, who had been knocked away.

Around Li Wei’s body appeared a circular magical shield composed of one thousand and twenty-four hexagonal segments.

This was the final form of the sixth-tier Invisible Armor spell.

One thousand and twenty-four layers of shields stacked together.

Enough to effortlessly withstand the crushing pressure of the deep sea that could flatten steel.

Whoosh!

Li Wei grabbed hold of the dragon fin on Sheng Xi’s back, securing himself.

Sheng Xi accelerated once more, following the currents created by the explosion’s shockwave as they plunged deeper into the ocean.

They had already descended past one hundred thousand meters.

And still, they continued downward.

Li Wei no longer knew how far beneath the surface they were.

Finally, they saw their destination.

In the pitch-black seabed world, unexpectedly lay a luminous realm.

Countless underwater plants emitted faint glows, illuminating the seafloor.

Among the myriad glowing flora, one radiance stood out most brilliantly.

It was an undersea city.

Seeing this glowing city beneath the waves, Li Wei stood transfixed, utterly stunned.

When he had learned that the third shard of the Divine Core lay somewhere in the ocean,

he had wondered whether perhaps the Sea Dragon King had perished, dropping the fragment into the abyss.

Never had he imagined there would be an entire city hidden beneath the waves.

But whose hand had built this underwater metropolis?

There was no need for Li Wei to urge her onward.

Sheng Xi sped toward the glowing city beneath the sea.

As they drew near, Li Wei sensed a dangerous presence approaching.

“Watch out!”

Whoosh!

A black trident pierced through the water, striking Li Wei where he stood atop Sheng Xi’s back.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In an instant, nearly a hundred layers of Li Wei’s protective shields shattered.

He retaliated swiftly.

Boom!

Flames burst forth in the darkness.

The power of fire magic was suppressed to its utmost limit.

It failed to harm the assailant.

But it illuminated the attacker's visage.

An ugly monster with a humanoid upper body, four arms, emerald green skin, and a fish tail for its lower half.

The moment he saw it, Levi knew the race of his attacker.

Naga.

The evil race of Nagas who dwelt in the ocean depths.

The Naga professional, a legendary Marine Hunter, continued its assault on Levi.

Each attack carried the surrounding seawater to strike Levi's body.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle!

Violent sounds of rushing water came from all directions.

Saint Xi also had her own enemy.

Another Naga legendary professional whose form remained hidden in the darkness.

Controlling the power of the sea to attack Saint Xi.

Seawater transformed into countless enormous tentacles that seized Saint Xi, attempting to tear her apart.

Boom!

The Naga marine hunter's trident pierced through Levi's fireball.

Seawater formed into sharp forks that struck the shield surrounding Levi.

The shield shattered layer upon layer.

Roar!

Saint Xi roared furiously, spewing forth sacred breath.

To no avail.

The enemy hid in the distance, she could not lock onto their form at all.

They were in crisis.

Deep within the ocean, situated in the enemy's advantageous territory.

Levi and Saint Xi's strength could hardly be brought to bear.

Facing the continuous attacks and constantly shattering magical shields.

Levi did not panic or lose composure.

He continued ceaselessly casting spells that could not harm his opponent.

[Elemental Fission (Epic) (Legendary Path)] 9996/10000

(End of Chapter)