Is this it?
Chen Qi's mouth opened slightly, a bit incredulous. After all, this was the legendary treasure.
Little Crow also looked puzzled.
But in the crack, the captain's words allowed no room for doubt.
Moreover, they now had to run at full speed!
"Run!"
Little Crow said to Chen Qi, this newcomer was braver than she had imagined.
Under the Pathfinder's lead, Chen Qi and the others tread across the slippery rocks and dangerous tunnels at an unprecedented pace...
During this time, more and more monsters from the dark corners, seeing new food, gathered around.
This was both a treasure hunt and a flight!
Many collapsed due to lack of strength and were buried in the wave of monsters.
Chen Qi sprinted with all his might, his concept of time growing a bit hazy.
"I can't hold on any longer! Captain!"
"Captain, how much longer?"
Some pirates shouted loudly, as they began to show clear signs of breathing difficulties.
Chen Qi also gasped heavily; if not for the Yellow Needle, his strength would have likely been depleted already.
After pushing through for an indeterminate amount of time, the pace of the team finally slowed.
Those at the front naturally slowed their steps.
We've arrived!
Chen Qi's eyes widened as he also slowed his steps.
Before them stood a massive stone door full of cracks.
The traces of age on it were just like a temple buried deep within a cave, weathered by countless years.
Chen Qi looked inside and could faintly see the battered stone steps and a massive wall.
Despite the large number of monsters behind them, the Black-eyed Captain still stopped.
"We've finally arrived..."
He smiled, then suddenly grabbed the Pathfinder's collar, staring intently into his eyes!
Before entering this stone door, he needed to confirm some things.
The deep sea monsters brought fear and could cause humans to lose their sanity.
And by observing the eyes, one could simply determine if the other's mind had gone astray or was controlled by some strange creature.
The captain, like a fierce ghost, asked the Pathfinder:
"Have you been inside? Is it safe? By the way, were you satisfied with the salary I paid you yesterday?"
The Pathfinder lifted his head and snarled:
"I stayed at the entrance for a while, no danger, and Captain, I didn't receive your salary yesterday!
Not only that, but you also owe me five Gold Coins!"
This captain was quite cautious... Chen Qi remarked.
But with monsters chasing them, they probably had no choice but to step into the room beyond this stone door.
They had no choice.
"True, I still owe you some money."
The Black-eyed Captain grinned, set down the Pathfinder, clutched the Blade tightly, and stepped through the stone door.
Chen Qi followed behind Little Crow, passing through the stone door into a new cave.
The stone door was massive, with a handle and the kind of bolt lock that inserts and withdraws.
Upon entering, Chen Qi immediately turned back and, together with the pirates, used his muscles to close the stone door to prevent the monsters from getting in.
Bang! Bang!
Just in time, right after the door closed, the monsters outside fiercely slammed against it.
"No time to spare, they probably won't be able to get in."
Chen Qi examined the stone door.
Although there were many cracks, the material of the stone door was special and should hold for a while.
But only for a while…
Chen Qi dusted his hands, feeling the warm breath of the sea beasts through the cracks.
With the stone door closed, fearsome voices also erupted among the pirates.
"My hand, my hand is bleeding…"
"I've made enough money, after this last bit, I'll go back to town and buy back my girl from the gang."
"Damn... I want to lie on big sister's legs, her chest."
"I survived! I survived, I'm still alive!"
"A bunch of good-for-nothings, can't you be a bit braver, look at the newcomer the ship's doctor brought, even he is braver than you."
In this brief moment of safety, the panting pirates sat down and celebrated surviving.
Though it was brief, it was undeniably a life-and-death escape they had just experienced!
Being chased by those monsters all the way, even the pirates showed some emotional instability.
Some looked toward Chen Qi, who displayed a level of calmness that even surpassed these veterans.
Little Crow glanced at Chen Qi and said flatly:
"It's okay to want to cry, to make a fuss, but wait until we are back on the ship, understand?"
Understood… Chen Qi stretched his limbs, his clothes soaked with sweat.
What a thrilling long run!
Unlike the pirates, he felt not fear, but a slight joy and a sense of relief after a workout.
After all, those sea beasts, in his eyes, were not monsters.
"Don't be scared, we are safe, for now."
Little Crow reassured again, shaking her head, even she, a control of the deep sea, felt the primal fear in her body.
"Hmm..."
Chen Qi nodded, raised his head, and began to seriously observe the place before him.
This place was more of an altar than a temple.
Before them lay a large staircase leading upwards.
Near the stairs on the ground was a very noticeable, artificially made crack.
The stairs were about twenty meters high, and at the top was a massive wall.
Engraved on the wall were dense, wave-like 'I' patterns.
And beneath the wall—
Chen Qi's pupils suddenly contracted.
An aged blue-green box was placed right under the wall.
Undoubtedly, that was the ultimate goal of their quest, as revealed in Enlightenment!
The Deep Sea Hunter's treasure!
Everyone looked up, drawn to the blue treasure.
"We found it!"
"Goddess!"
"Treasure! Gold, wealth, blessings!"
At this moment, the pirates, who had endured a long voyage and life-and-death adventures, could no longer contain their excitement and shouted aloud.
Little Crow also revealed a smile, her face in disbelief:
"It actually, actually exists..."
The Black-eyed Captain's hand holding the Blade also trembled uncontrollably:
"Yes, it actually exists..."
In fact, the Black-eyed Captain had kept a very important matter from everyone, that being the authenticity of his intelligence.
There were many portions of the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure, but over time, most of what was said about this treasure was merely false rumors.
According to the intelligence he received from his superiors, there were as many as seventy possible locations for the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure.
This Sea Beast cave was just one possibility.
And their Sawshark was just an inconspicuous one among the many ships seeking the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure!
And they were just taking their chances, gamblers all.
The Black-eyed Captain had dragged them into this life-and-death gamble all on his own.
But they had never imagined that this treasure truly existed! And that it was found by their Sawshark!
The Deep Sea treasure atop those stairs seemed to possess an infinite magical allure, drawing in everyone present.
"Ah~"
The Black-eyed Captain let out a delightful sigh and walked forward a few steps in fascination.
Chen Qi was not drawn in but continued to observe the surroundings.
The anomaly level of this crack was 0%, and likewise, this place was not hard to find.
This meant that it was very possible others had come to this place before them but had not managed to acquire the Hunter's treasure.
This treasure was certainly not something one could simply take by stepping over the stairs.
Chen Qi squatted down and inspected the ground.
There was a very conspicuous crack line on the ground.
This line was...
Chen Qi, wearing a puzzled expression, faintly heard a wriggling sound.
Looking around the walls, he could also see some small white bones.
Something wasn't right... Chen Qi gently stroked the ground:
"Big sister Crow, this seems to be a warning line. We'd better not cross it."
"Hmm?"
Little Crow lowered her head, only now noticing the clear line on the ground.
This line appeared as if cut by a Blade, strikingly conspicuous.
Upon hearing Chen Qi's words, everyone immediately took a few steps back.
Now, everyone longed for the treasure atop the stairs, but no one dared to make a move!
Boom! Boom!
The sound of the Sea Beast pounding on the stone door came from behind them again!
Caught between enemies... Chen Qi remarked.
Clearly, they couldn't stay in this place for much longer.
The Black-eyed Captain gripped his Blade, and as the person with the highest status in the team, it was time for him to step up.
Moreover, although the Sawshark didn't have many people, it was filled with talented individuals.
Even though Chen Qi hadn't paid much attention, there were quite a few talents in this team.
The Black-eyed Captain said to a third-rate scholar in the team who had studied history:
"Scholar, can you interpret the patterns on that wall?"
There was also a scholar... Chen Qi slightly surprised.
Me? The scholar was startled, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and looked carefully at the dense series of '一' patterns on the wall, coughing twice:
"Hmm... hmm,
these patterns are clearly symbols of waves, so dense, they represent people's primal awe of the ocean.
Appearing here, they must be testing our reverence for the ocean."
"Testing our reverence for the ocean..."
The Black-eyed Captain scratched his head, clueless about what to do.
He could only give a look to the Pathfinder:
"You're sure you can handle it?"
Such tasks of breaking mechanisms were typically handled by this pathfinder.
The Pathfinder, looking at the crack on the ground, revealed a confident smile:
"Leave it to me, I'll succeed!
After all, I'm a professional!"
Hiss—Hearing this, Chen Qi suddenly furrowed his brows.
The Pathfinder skillfully picked up a large stone from the ground and then threw it across the warning line.
The stone slowly rolled across that crack line, and nothing happened.
The Pathfinder followed the path rolled by the stone, carefully stepped over, and crossed that crack line.
"No ground traps—"
Two seconds after crossing the warning line, the Pathfinder smiled knowingly.
Boom!
In the next instant of his smile, a massive tentacle, with unimaginable speed from the wall above, came down and gently slapped.
Whoosh!
Chen Qi just heard a whizzing sound, and the Pathfinder was slapped against the wall, almost completely crushed, bleeding profusely, unable to rise again!
That was it... Although he was mentally prepared, he was still shocked.
This adventurous pirate was a Transcendent specialized in agility and had enough caution!
The speed of the attack just now was not something ordinary people could react to.
In this crisis situation, there was no time to mourn the Pathfinder, and everyone simultaneously looked up.
On that gigantic wall, those dense series of '一' patterns started to move, revealing a crimson color like ink.
Many of the '一's slowly opened their eyes.
At this moment, the pirates finally realized that those weren't ancient carvings of wave patterns at all, but rather closed eyes!
It was awakening...
As it slowly came to life, hundreds of giant crimson eyes, a wall of blood-colored tentacles, loomed far above, watching over everyone present.
Chen Qi unconsciously swallowed a gulp of saliva.
This was what he had been prophesied.
Below the Crimson Eyes lay the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure.