Lu Jun quickly asked the mermaid girl about the origin of this "Yellow Springs."
Soon, a look of astonishment appeared on his face. He had not expected that the name of this skeletal underworld river was truly "Yellow Springs." Even the Elemental Holy Spirit race called it that.
Moreover, it was not a name given by the Water Monarch race, but one naturally inscribed within the river itself, allowing living beings to comprehend its meaning.
The mermaid girl also explained that the reason this river contained so many bones was because it gathered the corpses of countless creatures from the entire Pacific Ocean, and perhaps even from the other three great oceans.
At the very bottom of the Mariana Trench, many undercurrents connected. The corpses of sea creatures that died every moment would sink to the ocean floor, and if caught by certain currents, they would eventually be carried here.
"So that's how it is."
Ye Mei and the others came to a realization. When all the corpses of the entire ocean gathered together, forming such a grand scene was only natural if anything, it even seemed somewhat small.
In a sense, this place could be considered a forbidden land of life. If not for this mission, they might never have witnessed such a spectacle.
Lu Jun looked around. Although both the Black Sea and the Yellow Springs were water, they were clearly separated, not interfering with each other at all. Even the flow of the water was different.
Furthermore, standing at the uppermost part of the Black Sea and overlooking the vast Yellow Springs, he still could not see its source or destination. According to the mermaid girl, her clan speculated that it might flow into the Underworld of the Dark Plane.
"What a perfect place for cultivation."
He praised it sincerely. Both his Water Element and Death Element were extremely suited to this place. Deep down, he also felt a trace of anticipation. According to intelligence from the Holy City, a terrifying fluctuation had once appeared in the Mariana Trench. Based on analysis, it was a Water Element Heaven Seed.
Given the nature of his Water Soul Seed Northern Dark Heavy Water, any Water Element Heaven Seed born here would definitely be a perfect match.
Lu Jun did not hide this matter and openly told President Xiao and the others. These people were all his own side, directly affiliated with the military, and upright in character.
They naturally understood as well. With Lu Jun's contributions, such an opportunity was rightfully his.
The mermaid girl led the way ahead, heading upstream along the vast Yellow Springs.
Ye Mei and the others quickly followed. Looking down at the river of bones beneath their feet, they could not help but feel uneasy.
Rumble—!
Unexpectedly, in the next moment, an accident occurred. Countless floating bones on the surface of the Yellow Springs shattered, and a massive sky-covering claw suddenly rose from beneath the water, carrying overwhelming black underworld aura as it grabbed toward the six of them.
Everyone's expressions changed drastically. Bai Lang reacted first and urgently shouted,
"A Great Monarch-level Undead Corpse Monarch, be careful!"
But before anyone else could act, Lu Jun stepped forward. With a thought, he traced a Death Element Star Track, and a gray-black magical radiance flickered around his body.
Behind him, the phantom of a Hades King appeared faintly, illuminating the heavens. Countless streams of dark underworld radiance surged upward, revealing a boundless ancient underworld domain filled with despair, ominousness, and deathly silence.
Lu Jun activated his Ascended State enhancement while secretly drawing upon the aura of the Ancient King Armor, and shouted angrily,
"Get lost!"
Undead Command!
In an instant, the enormous ghostly claw froze in midair. With a "whoosh," the black mist rapidly retreated, reacting as if a mouse had encountered a cat, vanishing without a trace as the disturbance in the Yellow Springs subsided.
Chen Zhen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered,
"Damn… the corpses in the Yellow Springs can actually come back to life. Good thing Brother Lu Jun is powerful."
The others also cast side glances. Just now, they had felt a pressure comparable to a Supreme Monarch.
Lu Jun restrained his immense power, his expression calm. After his battle with Underworld God Khufu, his Metal Element cultivation had advanced rapidly. He had consecutively awakened Calamity Talent and Transcendent Power, and combined with his Monarch physique, his Ascended State had naturally improved further.
He had already been close to the level of a Supreme Monarch, and now he had firmly stepped into it.
Of course, being a Supreme Monarch did not mean invincibility below Forbidden Curse. Even among Supreme Monarchs, there were still subtle differences.
For example, the Mountain Corpse was slightly stronger than the Totem Black Snake, while Skullrak and the Sea King Skeleton were undoubtedly among the strongest tier, true invincible Monarchs.
At the same time, the mermaid girl gestured while speaking in a clear voice. Deep within the Yellow Springs existed certain ancient Underworld Lords, native beings that usually did not interfere with the Elemental Holy Spirit race.
Mainly because, in the past, a Holy Spirit Emperor had cultivated here and suppressed those undead Monarchs.
Lu Jun and his group continued forward. Soon, not far upstream of the Yellow Springs, a magnificent altar came into view, covering a hundred-mile radius. It shimmered with starlight as countless streams of water from all directions gathered there, drawn from various undercurrents.
This Starlight Altar floated above the Yellow Springs, not obstructing the flow of bones. Instead, it took advantage of the convergence point of countless rivers to gather water elements and nourish itself.
"Ring ring!"
The mermaid girl's urgent call echoed over a great distance. She seemed to have sensed her mother's aura and cried out in excitement.
Soon, another long and distant melody came from the altar, its lingering tone resonant and profound.
Hearing this, Lu Jun felt a slight joy. The tone was far too familiar, it was clearly the voice of the Mermaid Queen.
He had not expected this journey to go so smoothly.
Splash!
As the waters of the altar gathered, a graceful figure hundreds of meters tall suddenly stood upright. She wore a beautiful, dreamlike starry fishtail gown, and her Monarch-level aura was unmistakable.
The mermaid girl shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, rushing to her mother and being embraced by the tall Mermaid Queen.
Seeing this scene, President Xiao and the others revealed relaxed smiles. Before coming here, they had already prepared for the possibility that the Mariana Trench would be empty, that the mission would fail and they would return empty-handed. Now, this was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.
Lu Jun and the others landed on the Starlight Altar, looking around. Across its vast surface stood numerous statues, each one a different mermaid, seemingly built as memorials for deceased and fallen clansmen.
Aside from that, they also saw seven or eight figures of Elemental Holy Spirits lying on the ground. Most of their bodies emitted dim light, as if they had suffered extremely serious injuries.
They struggled to lift themselves and greeted the newcomers. Judging from their appearance, most were at the Commander level, still in their growth stage, with only one or two having reached maturity.
Nearby, the mother and daughter reunited, gently comforting each other while sharing their experiences.
Lu Jun, possessing the Psychic Element, could easily understand the language of the mermaid race. Gradually, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
It turned out that after parting, the Mermaid Queen had been rescuing her clansmen along the edges of the Pacific Ocean. All the mermaids here had been saved by her. Then, through undersea currents, they secretly made their way to this ancestral land to recuperate, hiding right under the enemy's nose.
Back when the Pacific Empire breached the Mariana Trench, the Holy Spirit Emperor had fled, and they no longer paid attention to this place, allowing the mermaids to exploit that gap.
The reason most of those present were growth-stage Mermaid Holy Spirits was that they attracted the least attention from the Sea Demon Empire and were barely able to survive.
The Holy Spirits above Monarch level did not dare to return all at once. Instead, they chose to draw away the calamity, leaving hope of survival to the next generation.
The good news was that recently, the Pacific Empire's pursuit had eased somewhat. The Mermaid Holy Spirit race finally had a chance to breathe and planned to gather all their scattered clansmen before making their next move.
Most likely, this was because the Sea Demon Empire had advanced its invasion of the Nine Provinces ahead of schedule.
Hearing this, Lu Jun quickly asked,
"Where is your ancestor, the Holy Spirit Emperor? Is it still alive?"
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Fairy Tail{30 Chapters}
Patreon. Com/ALLISWELL123