"Sea beasts killed: 2/10"
The black giant fish smashed back onto the sea surface, sending up a large spray of water. Then, crimson blood spread across the water, dyeing it red.
"Sea beasts..."
Bai Ye glanced at the mission.
This hidden quest was clearly related to the equipment "Nu Hai Lin Wei" (Wrathful Sea Dragon's Might). But why hadn't it triggered before?
Or perhaps there was something peculiar about this particular stretch of sea, which caused the hidden quest to activate only upon reaching it?
Bai Ye pondered for a while but found no answer, so he stopped thinking about it. The mission was acquired, and the reason for its activation was no longer important.
Moreover, judging by the current situation...
Two sea beasts were eliminated in the blink of an eye. Bai Ye mused that this hidden quest wouldn't be difficult to complete. However, if this was the extent of it, it hardly seemed worthy of a hidden quest's prestige.
Therefore, Bai Ye suspected it might be a chain of hidden quests.
Regarding the rewards, Bai Ye was quite satisfied. All physical attributes except intelligence were increased by 5 points. 138 Reading Network.
While the numerical increase wasn't substantial, any improvement that directly enhanced his combat prowess was valuable.
He looked up at the sky. The storm still raged. It seemed the weather had no bearing on the hidden quest or the sea beasts.
Resettling on the mount, Bai Ye patted its head and said, "Let's keep going!"
The turbulent waves weren't a significant problem for his mount. It had often rescued people in storms. However, with larger waves, its swimming became less stable.
But with "Nu Hai Lin Wei," Bai Ye no longer feared falling into the water. In fact, he could tread on the sea directly. He chose not to do so because he would undoubtedly be slower than his mount by walking.
Aside from that...
Bai Ye soon discovered his days of leisure were over.
He realized people were quite peculiar. He had felt bored when life was too easy, but now...
BOOM!
A thunderous roar erupted from the sea, followed by a colossal sea beast breaching the surface.
The beast's head resembled that of a sea turtle, half-erect, its limbs were massive crab claws, its body was greyish-white, and its scales were like stone slabs.
"The eighth one..."
Ever since the hidden quest appeared, Bai Ye felt as though he had become a magnet for sea beasts. They kept coming, one after another, seemingly intent on his demise.
What else could Bai Ye do?
Fight, of course!
Bai Ye patted his mount's head, urging the creature to stay clear, and then leaped off its back.
In the next instant, giant waves surged beneath his feet, lifting him into the air.
The sea beast lunged at Bai Ye, its maw agape.
A blue light emanated from its mouth, and a torrent of blue liquid sprayed towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye beckoned forward with his finger.
A massive wave rose, forming a colossal wall in front of him.
However, the liquid ejected by the sea beast was more potent than Bai Ye anticipated. It formed a raging current that tore through the wave and showered down upon him.
Bai Ye raised his hand to block, and a pungent, acidic odor assailed his nostrils.
He dipped a finger in the liquid and sniffed. Indeed, it was the source of the smell.
"So it's poison?"
Bai Ye nonchalantly shook his hand, flicking the liquid away.
The liquid appeared to be a highly corrosive venom. For anyone else, this would have likely reduced them to a skeleton with decaying flesh.
But Bai Ye was unfazed, thanks to his poisonous fruit. The venom had no effect on him.
On the other side, seeing Bai Ye unaffected by the poison, the massive sea beast pushed through the water and charged directly at him.
Without further ado, Bai Ye clenched his fist in the air.
The surrounding seawater churned, bubbling furiously, and then geysers of water erupted, hurtling towards the sea beast.
Bang, bang, bang...
The water spouts struck the beast with dull thuds, like drums beating, halting its advance towards Bai Ye. Despite its efforts to move forward, the impact of the water geysers rendered it immobile.
"Kai Hai!" (Break the Sea!)
Bai Ye uttered a soft command. Golden light flickered in his palm as the golden halberd reappeared. With another swift motion, Bai Ye unleashed a strike forward.
This move was always breathtaking, no matter how many times it was witnessed.
With that single strike, the sea's surface split in two, revealing the seabed below.
In the next moment, a gaping wound appeared on the sea beast's body, spewing forth a torrent of blood that stained the sea red.
Even its belly was cleaved open by Bai Ye's halberd, disgorging countless fish and shrimp that floated on the surface, emitting a putrid stench.
It didn't die from one strike.
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes, not entirely surprised.
The sea beasts that sought him out were growing stronger. This was the eighth one, and its power had naturally increased.
However, that was only in relative terms.
If one strike wasn't enough, then another would suffice!
The golden halberd swept forward, trailing a golden luminescence.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The sea's surface continuously echoed with thunderous sounds. The colossal wave, propelled by the golden halberd's light, surged forward, transforming into a hundred-meter-long blade of water that slashed horizontally.
Hiss!
This time, the sea beast couldn't withstand the assault. Its body was cleaved in two by the water blade, utterly severed.
"Sea beasts killed: 8/10"
With the elimination of the current sea beast, only two remained.
But Bai Ye felt no joy or sorrow. He didn't believe the hidden quest would end here.
Furthermore, compared to the unexpected hidden quest and the relentless onslaught of sea beasts, Bai Ye had a more pressing concern.
He was lost!
The storm was to blame for everything.
Stormy weather made it incredibly easy to get lost. It had raged for a day and a night, and during that time, he had fought four sea beasts. The result was that once the weather cleared, Bai Ye found himself completely off course.
Although Bai Ye had a sea chart, there were no landmarks on the open ocean. A slight navigational error could lead to being lost, making it incredibly difficult to return to the intended route.
A ship would fare better, as it had numerous instruments. But Bai Ye only had his mount...
While his mount was intelligent, it couldn't help Bai Ye determine his course.
Even more unfortunate...
His compass was broken!
A compass was a daily necessity and couldn't be stored in his inventory. Bai Ye had kept it in his pocket. Whether it was damaged during a fight or the unscrupulous boss had sold him a defective item, he didn't know.
Regardless, Bai Ye's compass was now in such a state that if he shook it, the needle would point wherever he jiggled it, indicating East.
...