"Lu Zi, you shall perform the ritual!"
"Understood, Lady Sangonomiya!"
Above the deep abyss, on a cliff resembling a mushroom, everyone gathered. Sangonomiya Kokomi handed the 'Key of the Moon-Washed Abyss' to Lu Zi.
Lu Zi stepped forward as commanded, awakening the key to the entrance of Enkanomiya with her Watatsumi bloodline.
The deep abyss below responded, its light blue waters appearing as if colored by a fluorescent brush, dividing into gradient layers.
In the next second, a soft white light illuminated the center of the deep abyss. The entire body of water surged backward, forming a massive, inverted whirlpool.
The ritual was complete. The passage to Enkanomiya was precisely this large whirlpool before them. kanshu wu.xa
"Feng Yi, be careful with everything. Your safety is paramount!"
Sangonomiya Kokomi watched Feng Yi with concern.
"Don't worry, Itto, let's go!"
Feng Yi nodded, then beckoned to Arataki Itto and leaped into the whirlpool first.
"Boss Feng Yi, wait for me!"
Arataki Itto took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and jumped, landing in the water with a 'plop'.
Contrary to Arataki Itto's expectation, beneath the whirlpool was not a swirling ocean current, but a damp cave.
That terrifying, reversing whirlpool was merely a shallow illusion.
Directly below the whirlpool was a clear pool of water that caught Arataki Itto as he jumped down, preventing him from being injured.
"This is Enkanomiya? It just looks like a natural underground cavern..."
Arataki Itto swam to the shore, looking around and taking deep breaths of the fresh air in the cave. The oxygen content was high, making him feel anything but stifled.
"This is just the entrance. Let's explore further. According to the records, there should be ruins of human civilization ahead..."
Feng Yi waved to Arataki Itto, then drew her spear, ready for any sudden combat.
Arataki Itto followed behind Boss Feng Yi, also drawing his Greatsword, gripping it tightly. Arriving in a completely unfamiliar environment, stepping on the wet grass, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
"Boss Feng Yi, look, there's a huge mushroom over there!"
After walking hundreds of steps through the long passage, they emerged into a wide-open platform.
Arataki Itto pointed to the center of the platform. Amidst some water plants glowing with a faint blue light, stood a plant several meters tall, shaped like a mushroom.
Rather than a mushroom, Feng Yi felt it was more like some kind of coral.
"Prepare for battle. The owner here doesn't seem to welcome us..."
Feng Yi stood with her spear, pointing at the monsters stirring and surrounding them below.
These creatures, resembling giant lizards with scales that shimmered with elemental energy, should be the Bathysmal Vishaps recorded in ancient texts, "Predators lurking in the dark deep waters, evolving perhaps with variants beyond Hydro to cope with the unknown forces of the deep sea..."
These native inhabitants of Enkanomiya lurked in the caves, harboring a natural hostility towards humans and possessing extreme aggression. Sangonomiya Kokomi had advised using overwhelming force to kill the chickens to scare the monkeys, deterring these beasts and avoiding much trouble later.
Feng Yi found this to be very sensible. He could sense many eyes watching him and Arataki Itto from the darkness on either side. If they showed any weakness, these beasts lurking in the shadows would surely swarm them.
The Bathysmal Vishaps before them were likely just their scout team, sent to probe their strength.
Therefore, they not only had to win, but win cleanly and effortlessly, making those hidden in the darkness feel fear.
"Perfect, I was just looking to stretch my muscles! Smash them!"
Arataki Itto grinned, hefting his Greatsword and charging towards the surrounding Bathysmal Vishaps. He leaped high, with unstoppable might, and immediately sent a large opponent flying. He wielded his Greatsword among the enemies with impressive ferocity.
Feng Yi's eyes sharpened, and then she threw her spear.
As if foreseeing the future, the spear struck first, with a 'swish', pinning two Bathysmal Vishaps attempting to ambush Arataki Itto to the ground.
To an outsider, Feng Yi's prediction looked as if she had casually tossed the spear, and the two Bathysmal Vishaps had willingly run into it.
Arataki Itto, seeing the Bathysmal Vishaps pinned to the ground beside him, was first stunned, then quickly reacted, giving Boss Feng Yi a thumbs-up to express his gratitude. If it weren't for Boss Feng Yi, he would have almost been ambushed by these creatures.
Arataki Itto admitted that he had underestimated these Bathysmal Vishaps. He hadn't expected them to be so cunning despite their brute appearance.
Arataki Itto shrugged, his gaze suddenly turning cold. Behind him, a golden oni spirit slowly materialized, releasing a powerful aura that made these Bathysmal Vishaps retreat several steps in fear.
Oni's Dance!
Arataki Itto infused his Greatsword with elemental power and leaped high, descending upon the gathering of Bathysmal Vishaps.
Boom—
A heavy burst of Geo energy erupted, and several Geo spikes rose from the ground, impaling all the surrounding Bathysmal Vishaps.
The blue and purple blood of the Bathysmal Vishaps splattered onto Arataki Itto, further enhancing his imposing presence, making him appear like an unstoppable, terrifying oni king from hell, scaring the surrounding Bathysmal Vishaps into stopping in their tracks, restless.
Terrified by Arataki Itto's fearsome aura, the Bathysmal Vishaps felt an insurmountable sense of powerlessness. They merely surrounded him, letting out low growls, but dared not advance another step.
"Hiss—"
A sharp cry suddenly echoed from the darkness.
The Bathysmal Vishaps surrounding Arataki Itto heard the roar, their eyes instantly turning blood red. They opened their fanged mouths, saliva flying, forgetting their fear as they charged forward en masse. kānshū lā
Seeing this, Feng Yi leaped down from the platform, glanced at the eyes in the darkness, and her figure flickered. She swiftly advanced towards the location where the cry had originated.
"Roar—Roar—"
Two more roars echoed from the darkness. The Bathysmal Vishaps who had been attacking Arataki Itto immediately split off more than half to intercept Feng Yi's advance.
Feng Yi acted as if she hadn't seen the Bathysmal Vishaps lunging at her from behind, continuing forward as if nothing were amiss.
In the next second, she leaped high and performed a clean backflip, evading the claws lunging at her from behind.
Feng Yi landed lightly, her foot falling precisely on the back of a Bathysmal Vishap.
The Bathysmal Vishap, unable to find its target, felt confused. The next moment, it heard a 'crack' – its waist was broken...
Using a heavy-fall technique, Feng Yi leaped back and landed, grabbing the Vishap's tail to use as a weapon.
Swinging the Vishap, with two 'slaps', she sent the attacking Bathysmal Vishaps flying.
Regardless of the attacking Vishaps who charged forward one after another, they were all sent flying. Feng Yi moved forward slowly, handling it with ease, not faltering for a moment...