However, now is not the time to dwell on this. Ruan Mingchu focused his gaze on Xu Yi, who was not far away.
Xu hadn't expected his sneak attack to fail, but he wasn't too surprised. Those who had been brought here by their respective masters were certainly not pushovers.
However, the sneak attack failed, and Xu no longer felt that his six mermaids would be no match for the other side in a head-on confrontation.
With a "whoosh," long, hard, and sharp fingernails grew from his ten fingers, and Xu charged towards Ruan Mingchu at high speed like a cannonball, brandishing his sharp nails.
Not understanding what had happened, Ruan Mingchu temporarily chose a conservative approach, which was to dodge.
Xu's goal had failed, but instead he raised the corners of his mouth, because his goal was none other than the human shepherd.
Pick the softest persimmon, and a pure human is definitely better than a mermaid.
Xu hadn't expected to encounter such a tough opponent, after all, humanity hadn't had a tough opponent in thousands of years.
Ruan Mingchu was dissatisfied with his failure to retaliate, but since Xu Yi had already fought with Mu Yu, Ruan Mingchu didn't want to disturb Mu Yu, so he simply raised his hand and crippled the mermaids who were following Xu Yi.
Ruan Mingchu randomly grabbed a merman and asked, "What do you do? Why did you suddenly start hitting people?"
The mermaid groaned in pain, unable to speak. Only then did Ruan Mingchu realize that he had accidentally knocked off her chin.
"Alright," Ruan Mingchu changed her hair into a mermaid bun, "did you hear the question I asked earlier?"
The mermaid raised his head and spat angrily at Ruan Mingchu. Luckily, Ruan Mingchu reacted quickly, otherwise he would have really hit him.
Well, this one wasn't cooperating either, so Ruan Mingchu threw him away. Turns out, these mermen were all quite temperamental, and none of them were willing to cooperate.
Xu Li: Proud, they are naturally very loyal because I trained them.
In the end, only Xu Yi was left.
Ruan Mingchu turned his head and saw Mu Yu hitting him excitedly. He guessed that he had turned his shyness into anger and was venting it on Xu Yi. Xu Yi was being beaten by him and couldn't escape even if he wanted to.
Okay, he should go and see these mermaids' memories.
Ruan Mingchu's mental energy made another visit to someone else's mental sea, and he learned the reason why he was attacked. He was both amused and exasperated.
Qingyao is really something; he can always find trouble for himself no matter what he does.
It wasn't a big problem. After Mu Yu finished fighting, he put Xu Yi and the mermaids lying on the ground together, clapped his hands, and left.
Go and test his findings.
Xu Li, on the other side, didn't pay any attention to the little bug that had sneaked in, and focused on fighting the black monster until evening when he realized that Xu hadn't returned.
They sent someone to look for him, and brought back Xu Yi, who had been beaten beyond belief. Xu Li was so angry that he ate three extra bowls of rice.
Bai Qianqian, just you wait.
While watching Mu Yu repeatedly scatter the black monster and then have it reassemble, Ruan Mingchu discovered that after being scattered, it was no different from the matter in the air, except that a strange force made it reappear.
So Nguyen Minh Thu wanted to see what would happen if the black monster was scattered when there was no such substance in the air.
Ruan Mingchu and Mu Yu found five black monsters and used their spatial abilities multiple times to take them away from the Sea of Difficulty.
This time, the black monsters failed to reform, but those substances appeared in the air.
Ruan Mingchu observed them there for two days. These things were degraded by microorganisms over time, but the degradation rate was very slow.
The current concentration is quite low; it has only decreased by one-twentieth in two days. The concentration in the South Sea is so high, and with the continuous appearance of black monsters, natural degradation is almost impossible.
To defeat the Black Monster, we must first eliminate the substances that allow it to continuously "revive".
In the healing professions of humans, there is a skill called "Great Purification". As long as you are strong enough, this skill can purify anything that is harmful to nature and eliminate negative status effects.
This was the only solution Ruan Mingchu could think of to try, but neither he nor Mu Yu had any connection to healing, and this kind of profession-specific skill couldn't be learned just by trying.
I wonder if mermaids have similar skills.
He sent a message to Qiu Fang to inform him of the situation and asked him to look for something similar. Qiu Fang said that he would definitely search through all the books in Haohai Pavilion within three days.
In the days that followed Qiu Fang's news, Ruan Mingchu did not take the black monster outside to eliminate it. Instead, he and Mu Yu embarked on a "journey" on foot, observing and searching everywhere in an attempt to find the source of the black monster's appearance.
His reckless behavior led the various saints to accuse their rival of breaking the rules, attempting to seek justice for themselves, and soon chaos ensued.
You criticize me, I criticize you, and before we even have a chance to return to the Holy City and be judged by others, we're already fighting to the death.
Nguyen Minh Thu initially did not realize that he had inadvertently started a war. Later, when he did realize it, he did not restrain himself but instead deliberately provoked others and stirred up trouble everywhere.
The more they make a fuss, the greater the chance that the story of the black monster will spread.
In Ruan Minh Thu's view, there was absolutely no need to suppress the news about this matter. What was the point of covering it up? Simply covering it up would only cause greater damage when the truth finally came out.
The mermaids, drawn by the fierce battle between the holy sons and daughters, were horrified and brought news of the black monster to the mermaid community, attracting even more mermaids who "didn't believe the rumors" to verify it.
There are no shortage of malicious and ambitious individuals who want to use this opportunity to cause trouble, and such matters will be judged by the rulers of various countries and the temple. However, not all mermaids are as devoid of national responsibility as Qiu Fang described; many mermaids actively join the ranks of those who want to eliminate the dark monsters and seek a solution.
The arrival of the foreign mermaids completely disrupted the rhythm of the Holy Sons and Daughters. However, due to their superior numbers, they were unable to drive away the civilians. They could only work harder while keeping an eye on their movements. Even if they couldn't claim the credit for themselves in the end, they couldn't let it fall on the other Holy Sons and Daughters.
In short, it means to inflict 1,000 damage on yourself but also 800 damage on the enemy.
Overall, things seem to be developing in a positive direction.
Finding nothing of value on land, Nguyen Minh Thu decided to search in the dark sea.
The water along the coast of the South Sea looks even worse than the water in the Garbage River, and the stench it emits makes the fish feel nauseous and want to vomit.
The mermaids who came to the Sea of Terror did consider that there might be something valuable in the sea, but none of them thought of staying.
The most reckless merman just dipped his hand into the seawater and stirred it around. His hands were covered in filth that he couldn't wash off, and it smelled terrible. He still hasn't gotten it clean.
Mu Yu didn't want Ruan Mingchu to go down. The danger was one factor, but more importantly, he felt it wasn't worth the risk. If the local mermaids, who should be on the front lines, weren't going down, why should the two outsiders get involved?
Ruan Mingchu curled up the corners of her mouth and ruffled Mu Yu's hair. "I can guarantee my safety before I go down. Besides, since Qingnuo can cooperate with the Miracle Organization for a long time, they must have mastered the passage back and forth. I guess this passage is very likely in the Difficult Sea. Even if it is not there, there should be news about it."
This reason was more acceptable to Mu Yu than saving the mermaid, but rationally speaking, he was still worried.
"Let's go together."
Ruan Mingchu winked playfully: "As long as you don't mind."
It's impossible not to dislike the waters of the Nanhai Sea. If it weren't for Ruan Mingchu, Mu Yu would never have approached this place, let alone gone down.
Hearing Mu Yu simply say "hmm," Ruan Mingchu admitted he was somewhat disappointed. He thought Xiao Shaoyu would definitely pour out his heart to him, and the two of them would naturally become affectionate.
The touch of skin, the exchange of body heat, the mingling of breaths—Ruan Mingchu found herself longing for it all. She told herself that Mu Yu's company was enough, but her greedy soul craved more and more.
A mental barrier created a spherical clear zone for the two of them, allowing Ruan Mingchu and Mu Yuxin to stroll leisurely from the shore toward the deep sea.
They hadn't walked far when they were attacked by black monsters, and not just one.
The density of black monsters in the sea is much higher than on land!
The two were as if they had entered the lair of the black monsters, with a continuous stream of black monsters gathering to eliminate the two alien beings, Ruan Mingchu and Mu Yu.
Just as Mu Yu was about to make a move, Ruan Mingchu pressed down on the back of his hand.
This means he should wait and see how things develop.
Mu Yu indicated that he understood, but Ruan Mingchu seemed to have forgotten, and his hand remained on the back of Mu Yu's hand.
Ruan Mingchu's hands were delicate and dry, but the temperature of his palms was like magma, scalding his heart.
Mu Yu tried to ignore the strange sensation on the back of his hand, but he couldn't remain calm. He could only move his foot slightly and take half a step to the side.
"Wow, there are so many dark monsters here."
As soon as he said that, Mu Yu regretted it. What a stupid brain of his! He couldn't even come up with a suitable excuse. Didn't he already know that there were many black monsters?
Ruan Mingchu chuckled.
The laughter seemed to have a warmth to it, burning Mu Yu's ears red.
Ruan Mingchu knew that Mu Yu was shy, and since she had already touched his hands enough, she decided to let him go for the time being.
The barrier of spiritual energy not only blocked the black seawater but also blocked the attacks of the black monster. No matter how turbulent the seawater was outside, the world inside the barrier remained peaceful.
Ruan Mingchu's position kept shifting.
The black monster blocked his vision, and his spiritual energy was contaminated as soon as it was released in thin threads, so Ruan Mingchu could only rely on his senses to determine the direction of his journey.
Ruan Mingchu always felt that he was very lucky.
Although there are many things that don't go as planned, God never makes things difficult for him, especially small things like finding something.
The same thing happened again; in just half a day, Nguyen Minh Thu discovered a corner of the underground structure.
Logically, it should have been completely buried underground. Perhaps an earthquake or other tectonic movement pushed it out a little, which led to its discovery by Nguyen Minh Thu.
On the seabed, where corals stood tall and seaweed swayed wildly, Nguyen Minh Thu immediately spotted the alloy plate beneath his feet.
We've found it, but how to get in is still a problem.
Ruan Mingchu and Mu Yu walked around the spot several times but found no way in or out.
Mu Yu asked, "Use the [Space Gate]?"
It is indeed convenient to avoid the main entrance, but without knowing the inside layout, going around randomly may cause problems.
He tried to enter with his mental energy, but the response he received was complete chaos, which is why Ruan Mingchu wanted to go through the main entrance.
After considering for two seconds, Ruan Mingchu nodded: "Luckily, I have you."
Mu Yu's response was simply an "Mmm".
Ruan Mingchu told herself to be strong and not to be defeated by the shy little fish. She wanted to hear the little fish say some dirty words.
Mu Yu took the initiative to extend his hand, and Ruan Mingchu was ready to hold hands, but Mu Yu unexpectedly grabbed his sleeve.
Ruan Mingchu: What's going on? Mu Yu never seemed to care about all the physical contact we had before!
Mu Yu: An upright fish would never take advantage of a legitimate business without permission.
Mu Yu used his spatial abilities to bring the two of them directly below where they had been.
Once inside, Ruan Mingchu understood why the feedback from his mental energy was chaotic; the place was filled with an extremely high concentration of black matter.
Ruan Mingchu extinguished the spiritual energy that had been contaminated when he used it as a barrier, and withdrew the rest. Here, he could probably only rely on his eyes.
The metal walls, ceiling, and floor reflected a cold light, smooth as a mirror, so that you could clearly see your own reflection when you stood in front of them.
"Huh?" Mu Yu exclaimed, looking at the wall.
Ruan Mingchu looked over and saw himself in the form of a fish tail. He subconsciously looked down and saw his legs.
Looking at Mu Yu again, Mu Yu's mirror image was no different.
So this is a material that can identify mermaids?