Chapter 557: Rotting Corpse Megalodon
"Up ahead is the location marked on the map. We call this place the Eye of the Wrathful Dragon. From above, it looks like an eye. I don't know if the stone coffin you're looking for is here."
Philipa slid down from the mast, speaking casually.
Wu Heng stood at the bow of the ship, looking ahead.
He saw that the sea beneath them was pitch black, distinctly different from the surrounding ocean's color.
Whether it looked like an eye was unclear, but it was more like ink had dyed this area black.
"Is there any danger?" Wu Heng asked.
"The sea beasts here are quite fierce. If anyone falls into the water, they will be swarmed and attacked." Philipa glanced at the skeletons on the ship. "If they go down, they'll likely be attacked too."
"Hold on, don't move the ship closer yet," Wu Heng said.
Philipa nodded and turned to relay the order.
The ship circled the area for a while before 'Glenda,' sent out to investigate, flew back from underwater and dove into Wu Heng's body, sharing the underwater vision.
The waters beneath the Eye of the Wrathful Dragon were pitch black. Even though the sun was shining above, only faint light penetrated, leaving it dim and murky.
Glenda descended further and spotted three massive sharks circling beneath the ship.
Like underwater sentinels, they tore apart and devoured any sea creatures that approached.
Going even deeper, she saw a stone coffin half-buried in the silt, covered in intricate runes and carvings.
A sea turtle, its body torn apart, was bleeding, and the blood slowly flowed toward the stone coffin.
The area was littered with human remains and a large number of fish bones.
It resembled an underwater graveyard.
At this point, the shared vision ended.
Wu Heng released Glenda, allowing her to float invisibly nearby.
Based on what he had just seen,
Those three massive sharks were likely the fierce sea beasts Philipa had mentioned.
"We've circled several times!" Philipa walked over.
Wu Heng said, "There are three large sharks below. They look quite aggressive. Do you have a way to kill them?"
"Only three?"
"Three, and they've already noticed our ship. They're right beneath us."
Philipa raised an eyebrow, rolled up her sleeves, and said, "I've got a way. We're eating shark meat tonight."
With that, she walked off and began giving orders to the skeletons.
Soon, several barrels filled with gutted fish were brought over.
They were dumped overboard on one side of the ship.
The barrels floated on the water, their blood spreading outward.
Very quickly, large shadows became clearer beneath the water. Whoosh—
Three ferocious megalodons broke through the surface, fighting over the floating barrels.
"Fish spears!" Philipa commanded.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Accompanied by mechanical sounds, ballistae adjusted their angles, and with a thunderous twang—
Giant bolts, chained to the ship, shot out with a roar.
They instantly pierced into the bodies of the three megalodons.
The megalodons thrashed violently, the chains tugging at the ship, making it sway intensely.
"Open fire! Kill them outright!" Wu Heng ordered while gripping the railing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Skeletons standing at the deck's edge pulled their triggers, and a hail of bullets rained down on the struggling sharks.
In the blink of an eye, the sharks were engulfed in gunfire.
When the gunfire ceased, three dead megalodons floated on the surface, still tethered to the ship by the ballista bolts.
"That was awesome! Your weapons are the best!" Philipa said excitedly.
"Retrieve the coffin first. We'll deal with the sharks later." Wu Heng turned to the skeletons and instructed, "Go down and secure the stone coffin."
Splash! Splash!
Several skeletons leapt from the deck, dragging iron chains as they swam toward the seabed.
Once they resurfaced, Wu Heng ordered the ship to haul up the coffin.
The stone coffin, buried in silt, was gradually pulled onto the deck.
...
Wu Heng and Philipa stared at the stone coffin.
The yellowish stone was covered in intricate patterns, caked with silt but free of barnacles.
"Should we take it back?" Philipa asked.
Wu Heng recalled the contents of Lilith's letter and became more certain of what she wanted him to do.
He said, "No, check the state of the exile inside."
With a small gesture, the surrounding skeletons gathered, aiming their weapons at the coffin.
Next, he ordered the skeletons to try opening it.
They used crowbars and chisels, but the coffin's seams remained tightly sealed.
"Move it to the bow of the ship."
The skeletons carried the coffin to the bow, where Wu Heng pulled out a machine gun.
Boom!
The machine gun fired, striking the coffin's center.
A cloud of dust erupted as the coffin shattered.
As the sea wind blew away the dust, a pale-faced woman with sunken brows and cheekbones appeared.
Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall, and she wore a black gown with bright red embroidery on the collar and cuffs.
Though once elegant, her attire was now bloodstained from the machine gun's blast.
The next moment, the woman's eyes snapped open, and bloodthirsty red light flashed within them.
Ah—!
The scorching sunlight made her scream. She raised her wide sleeves to shield her face and scanned the surrounding skeletons.
Her eyes flickered rapidly, and she rasped, "Necromancer, save me, and you will be greatly rewarded."
"Fire!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sniper rifles and assault rifles around the deck fired simultaneously.
Bullets pierced her skull and body.
The vampire woman's eyes widened in terror before she collapsed, lifeless.
A cage of bones rose from the ground, trapping her fleeing soul. As it struggled and cursed, it was absorbed into the Soul Urn.
Wu Heng took out a straw mat. "Wrap up the body."
A skeleton stepped forward and rolled up the corpse.
Wu Heng stored it in his spatial ring.
Philipa, with a parrot on her shoulder, walked over. "These sharks are so torn up, there's not much edible meat left."
"Forget eating them. Just convert them into skeletons to help escort you at sea." Wu Heng glanced at the shark carcasses trailing the ship.
The sea was filled with blood, attracting small fish.
If they lingered, more sharks or fierce sea beasts might arrive.
Hearing she'd get an escort,
Philipa's eyes lit up. "Smart thinking, mage! But can skeleton fish swim? Won't the currents wash them away?"
Uh…
Wu Heng, who was about to cast a spell, paused.
That was a good point.
Land creatures retained their limbs after being converted, but sea creatures—would they just turn into skeleton fishbones?
Would their 'tail fins' remain? That was uncertain.
"Would you accept rotting corpses instead?" Wu Heng asked.
"I don't care, as long as they work."
Wu Heng nodded. [Raise Corpse] activated, causing the shark carcasses' wounds to scab over, transforming them into skeletal, decayed creatures.
[Rotting Corpse Megalodon (Level 9)]
Not a low level.
Just a bit more, and it would reach level 10, advancing to the next stage.
"Follow the fleet!"
Wu Heng commanded, then turned to Philipa. "Let's go to the next location."
Philipa shouted an order, and the ship set sail again, heading for the next spot on the map.
Philipa shouted loudly, and the ship set sail again, heading to the next location on the map.
...
Late at night.
The ship arrived at the second location.
A hidden cave.
After the specter conducted reconnaissance,
Philipa stayed behind on the ship while Wu Heng led the skeletons forward.
[Dancing Light Spell] was cast, illuminating the entire cave.
At the far end, an open stone coffin stood in the center, with remnants of ritual markings still visible on the ground.
"It escaped." Xiaoxiao appeared nearby.
"No, it was rescued. Locked inside the coffin, it couldn't perform the ritual." Glenda said.
Xiaoxiao flew over, circling the stone coffin. "Auntie makes a good point."
Wu Heng also walked over and took a look. "Looks like we arrived a step too late. This ritual was performed recently. Search the area for any corpses."