Chapter 70 Chapter 70 "Blessings from Gazing into the Abyss"...
The diving process seemed extremely long, yet also seemed to take only a moment.
Huge pressure came from all directions, and the golden light shield emitted a subtle humming sound that seemed to be unbearable.
The swamp energy was like a living thing, trying to penetrate the defense. The cold, dead, and sticky feelings alternately hit Jiang Qing's nerves.
Zhu Tianba was extremely excited beside her. The hair on his forehead was blown away by the pressure of the sea water, revealing an increasingly brighter light inside, almost penetrating the thick darkness. Its resonance with the light spot in the depths became stronger and stronger.
"Hurry up, faster!" said Zhu Tianba.
finally.
Jiang Qing felt his body lighten, as if he had broken through some kind of boundary.
She seemed to have entered a strange "cavity" inside the vortex.
There was no sea water inside, only thick, insoluble ink, surging like fog, and in the center of this darkness was an irregular, multi-faceted crystal.
It is completely black, but a deep and dim light emanates from the inside out, as if it has swallowed up all the light around it, yet it also generates its own light.
Countless tiny streams of water emerged from the crystal like tentacles and sank into the surrounding void.
The three mutated sawtooth sharks were obviously affected by it.
The source power of this beast core is of water attribute.
Zhu Tianba was also affected by the water flow and struggled to pounce on it.
"Wait!" Jiang Qing held it down tightly, resisting the mental pressure and temptation brought by the crystal. "If it absorbs it directly, your body will be forced to shut down."
She could feel that the power of this beast core was stronger than any she had encountered before.
Although Zhu Tianba was impatient, losing consciousness underwater was not a good thing.
Just as Jiang Qing was hesitating about how to safely collect this dangerous object, Zhu Tianba in her arms suddenly stopped struggling.
The diamond-shaped mark on its forehead glowed, no longer a single white color, but with an imperceptible hint of gold.
A breath of air quietly spread around.
Heading towards the thick dark energy that enveloped the source force.
The next moment, something happened that shocked Jiang Qing again.
The air currents that were originally surging seemed to be attracted by something and began to be sucked into Zhu Tianba's body bit by bit.
This time, Zhu Tianba was not absorbing the beast core power, but was preparing to absorb and transform the mutant factors that had been released.
Its expression was not relaxed, and one could even see some pain. Those mutant factors were constantly impacting its nerves.
Jiang Qing could clearly feel Zhu Tianba's body trembling slightly, but she could do nothing but wait.
This process lasted for about ten minutes.
Outside the vortex.
In the eyes of the other four people, the vortex not only did not calm down, but was showing a trend of gradually expanding.
Above the whirlpool, the weather in the sea area has changed completely. The strong wind swept the dark clouds, as if a heavy rain was about to fall at any time.
The four people retreated to a safe place. The three sawtooth sharks kept circling around them, but were not in a hurry to pounce on them.
Zhao Peng and his four companions were in a tough fight.
Without the support of Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba, their defense line was in danger when facing three Earth-grade level 4 and extremely crazy mutant Sawtooth Sharks.
The Iron Bull was covered in wounds, the Vine Monkey's vines were almost torn apart, the Blastoise's interference effect was getting weaker and weaker, and the Undead Rat could only try its best to restrain it.
"Ten seconds have passed! What happened to Jiang Qing?!" Zhang Ke shouted anxiously, narrowly avoiding the bite of a crazy shark.
"I don't know, but I know I can't hold on any longer!" Zhao Peng roared. The Iron-Armored Bull was knocked away again, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
“…”
A staff member standing by not far away whispered to the person next to him, "That girl has been sucked into the vortex for more than ten minutes. Do you want to rescue her?"
She frowned.
It is a big deal if a student dies on the field. Both they and the organizing committee have to bear great responsibility.
Those big leaders won't be in any serious trouble, at most they will be dismissed and investigated, and the ones who are most likely to suffer are those non-staff members like them.
"Wait a little longer," the narrator said patiently, "Her warning system hasn't sounded yet, which means there's no danger yet."
They must not interfere with the progress of the game unless absolutely necessary.
Jiang Qing was indeed in no danger inside the vortex, because there was another beast in danger.
Jiang Qing's heart was in a clenched knot. She could feel the violent fluctuations of energy in Zhu Tianba's body. The dark energy that was absorbed was like a raging wild horse, rampaging through his meridians.
Even underwater, Zhu Tianba's body was still incredibly hot.
The slight tremor gradually turned into an uncontrollable spasm, and a low groan of pain escaped from its throat, but its amber eyes burned with unprecedented stubbornness and desire.
It didn't stop.
Time seemed to be stretched out.
Just when Jiang Qing was almost unable to bear it and forcibly interrupted this process, the chaotic and violent energy fluctuations around Zhu Tianba suddenly stagnated, and then began to calm down in a way that Jiang Qing could not detect.
The dark energy that was sucked in was actually initially tamed and transformed by it. Although it was not completely absorbed, it at least no longer posed a threat to it.
The diamond-shaped mark on its forehead began to glow less brightly, and its color seemed to become deeper, with a faint, barely noticeable dark luster faintly flowing around its edges.
"Jiang Qing..." Zhu Tianba called out weakly, his voice was hoarse, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. He looked at the core eagerly again.
Jiang Qing no longer hesitated and quickly scanned the surroundings.
Touching it directly with your hands is undoubtedly the stupidest thing to do.
She immediately took out a spare high-intensity energy isolation bag from the tactical bag on her waist.
This is the standard equipment distributed by the academy to each team member for temporary storage of special trophies. I hope it can be of some use.
She carefully opened the bag, took a deep breath, wrapped her palm with source power, and then reached out to the suspended black crystal through a thick cloth bag.
Just as her fingers were about to touch the crystal through a layer of cloth, a bone-chilling chill, as if capable of freezing the soul, spread along the bag and the source power.
At the same time, countless chaotic and violent thoughts pierced her mind like steel needles.
——So this is how it works every time you absorb source power.
Jiang Qing groaned, clenched his teeth, endured the discomfort, and exerted force on his wrist.
Swish——
She successfully swept this water-attributed beast core source power into the energy isolation bag.
Almost at the same time, she quickly tightened the bag and sealed it tightly with a special energy lock.
Even after being sealed in the isolation bag, the crystal still emitted disturbing fluctuations. A thin layer of black frost quickly condensed on the surface of the bag and was slightly bulging, as if something was struggling inside.
We can't stay here any longer.
With this thought in mind, Jiang Qing quickly hugged the vibrating isolation bag tightly in his arms, and with his other hand, he hugged the weak Zhu Tianba: "Tianba, let's go!"
Zhu Tianba forced himself to stay awake, silver light flashed in his eyes, and the power of space enveloped them again.
…
Outside the vortex, Zhao Peng and his four companions were already at the end of their strength.
The Iron Bull was covered in wounds, the Vine Monkey's energy was almost exhausted, the Blastoise's control range was compressed to the limit, and the Undead Rat could only rely on its speed to harass and delay the Crazy Shark's crazy attack.
The three mutated sawtooth sharks also began to breathe unsteadily because their cores were taken away, and they seemed even more anxious and crazy.
At this critical moment, the three mutated sawtooth sharks that were attacking madly suddenly stopped moving. A trace of confusion flashed in their red eyes, and then they let out an even more painful and chaotic roar.
The dark red lines on their bodies began to flicker, and the violent aura quickly weakened like the tide. Their strength actually began to plummet rapidly, falling all the way from Earth Rank 4 back to Earth Rank 1, and there was even a trend of continuing to decline!
They seemed to have lost the source of their strength, becoming weak and confused.
"What's going on?" Lin Wei looked at the sudden change in surprise.
Meng Yanlang immediately realized something and looked up at the sea in the distance.
"Never mind, the opportunity has come! Kill them!" Although Zhao Peng didn't understand why, the opportunity was fleeting, so he immediately roared and commanded the Armored Bulls to launch a counterattack.
The Sawtooth Shark, having lost its violent power, could no longer withstand the full-force attack of the four-man team. It was quickly defeated one by one and turned into light and dissipated.
Not until the last shark disappeared did the four of them gasp for breath and look in doubt at the gradually calming whirlpool sea, their hearts filled with worry and fear.
The Fifth Beastmaster Academy team successfully defeated the Sawtooth Shark, cleared the abnormal energy source, and gained the special status "Blessing of the Abyssal Gaze." Buff Effect: The entire team's mental resistance is slightly and permanently increased, increasing resistance to chaos and mental erosion effects.
The system's prompt sounded again throughout the stadium, but the content stunned everyone who heard it.
"Blessing of the Abyss-Gaze?"
"Clear the abnormal energy source?"
"Unknown enhancement?"
"What? I haven't heard of it, but it sounds like a great bargain!"
This is completely different from other tips for killing wild monsters!
"what happened?"
"What happened over at the Fifth Academy?"
"Unknown enhancement? It sounds powerful..."
The teams from other academies were all confused and focused their attention on the direction of the Fifth Academy.
Huo Qiushan, Renata and others who were in command of the main island of the Fifth Academy were also surprised and happy. Although they were not clear about the specific details, this was undoubtedly great news.
On a reef not far away, Zhu Tianba and Jiang Qing stepped out from the void.
Zhu Tianba was in a trance and could not directly locate the location of Zhao Peng and the others, so he had to find a nearby reef to rest for a while.
She immediately checked Zhu Tianba's condition and found that he was just exhausted and suffered from mental shock from absorbing the dark energy. His body was fine, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
She quickly tied up the energy isolation bag, which was still vibrating slightly and emitting an ominous chill, and stuffed it into the innermost part of her tactical backpack.
Almost at the same time she finished all this, Meng Yanlang and three teammates found her.
The four of them rushed forward and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba were in a mess but seemed to be intact.
Jiang Qing looked at several people at the same time. He didn't know what was going on until he saw them.
There were several deep tooth marks on Zhao Peng's Iron-Armored Bull's body, Zhang Ke's Vine Monkey was listless, and Lin Wei and Meng Yanlang's faces were pale. It was obvious that the battle just now was extremely difficult.
Jiang Qing briefly answered the questions of several people and cleverly avoided the details of the vortex.
"Zhu Tianba used some special means to interfere with the source, so the sharks became weaker." She pointed at Zhu Tianba, and the little guy made a weak hum at the right time and cooperated by closing his eyes and pretending to be unconscious.
This explanation was barely reasonable. Although the four of them felt that it was definitely not that simple, now was not the time to ask further questions.
What's more, the system's prompts of "clearing abnormal energy sources" and "blessing of the abyss gaze" cannot be faked. They can vaguely feel that their mental strength seems to be more condensed, and their resistance to the vague sense of oppression in the surrounding environment has increased.
"That's great, junior! Not only did we not lose any members this time, we also got special gains!" Lin Wei said excitedly. She has participated in many melees, and this one's start is undoubtedly the best one.
"I think the other colleges have heard the system notification just now. We need to leave here immediately." Meng Yanlang remained calm and looked around vigilantly. "We are now conspicuous targets."
"Well, let's return to our base immediately, or move closer to the main force." Jiang Qing nodded in agreement and tried to pick up the heavy Zhu Tianba who had not yet had time to shrink.
Zhao Peng saw this and stepped forward: "Let me do it, you take charge."
He easily carried the limp Zhu Tianba onto his shoulders.
The armored bull growled, seeming a little dissatisfied with his master carrying other pigs, but he had no choice but to stamp his hooves.
The team quickly organized themselves, with Lin Wei's Blastoise leading the way. They chose a relatively hidden route and moved quickly towards the reef platform that had recently been occupied by the Fifth Academy.
Along the way, they could clearly feel that more "eyes" were falling on them.
The battles on other platforms in the distance seemed to pause tacitly for a moment, and various exploratory energy waves swept across the sea, obviously searching for their traces.
The main team of the Fifth Academy naturally also heard the prompt.
Renata, who was battling the Second Academy for a medium-sized platform, had a stern look in her eyes. She attacked even more fiercely, forcing back a wave of her opponents. She immediately contacted Huoqiushan via internal communication: "Confirm their location and safety immediately, and bring them back. The 'Blessing of the Abyss Gaze' is extremely effective. They are now a mobile treasure trove and will definitely become a target of public criticism!"
"Understood!" Huoqiushan immediately mobilized two nearby school teams to provide support.
At the same time, in other competition areas, commanders from various colleges also responded.
......
"The Fifth Academy is lucky." Inside the Second Beast Taming Academy, the white-haired leader said with a stern face, "Inform everyone. If you encounter the Fifth Academy team with special status, prioritize encircling and destroying them. Test the quality of that 'blessing' and snatch it away if you can!"
Yan Ling, the red-haired girl from the Third Academy, licked her lips, her eyes full of interest. "Oh? A permanent increase in mental resistance, that's great stuff. Let's find them and see if we can 'cooperate'?"
Yue Zhe from the Fourth Academy showed a cruel smile: "Do the losers from the Fifth Academy deserve such a reward? If I come across them, I'll just destroy them and beat them to the bone."
He advocates pure destruction.
Hai Yun from the First Academy seemed calmer, but her instructions were equally clear: "Keep an eye on the Fifth Academy team's movements and gather data on the 'Blessing of the Abyss.' If necessary, contact them to exchange intelligence."
Amidst the undercurrent, Jiang Qing's team safely reunited with the supporting school team members and successfully returned to the reef platform No. 17.
Xu Weiran and others were already on full alert.
As soon as they returned to the relatively safe base, Jiang Qing immediately put Zhu Tianba in a corner to rest, while he was called by Huoqiushan to report the situation.
She concealed the specific form of the beast core source power and the fact that Zhu Tianba absorbed dark energy. This kind of thing is not suitable to be broadcast live in public.
She only said that Zhu Tianba sensed an unusually powerful energy source underwater, and after risking his life to dive in, he used his spatial ability to barely destroy the core, triggering subsequent changes.
As for the energy isolation bag, she didn't mention a word.
Although Renata felt the process might be even more thrilling, the system prompt confirmed the result, so she didn't delve into it. "You guys rest here first. Don't attack rashly until Zhu Tianba recovers."
Jiang Qing nodded in agreement.
She just needed time to let Zhu Tianba recover and study that hot potato.
She found a secluded corner and pretended to take care of Zhu Tianba, but in fact she carefully used her mental power to explore the energy isolation bag.
The bag was still ice-cold, and the black frost on its surface hadn't melted for a long time. Although the fluctuations emitted by the crystals inside were mostly isolated, it still made Jiang Qing feel palpitations.
She didn't dare to open it at all, and could only confirm that it was temporarily sealed.
At the same time, due to the unexpected action of Jiang Qing's team, the rhythm of the entire battlefield was obviously disrupted.
Although the Fifth Academy gained valuable global gains, it also became a target vaguely targeted by the other four academies.
In the following period, the strongholds occupied by the Fifth Academy suffered significantly more attacks, especially after the location of Platform No. 17 where Jiang Qing's team was located was roughly determined, they suffered several waves of tentative attacks in succession.
Renata was forced to adjust her strategy, withdrawing some of the peripheral forces and strengthening the defense of key strongholds, and the offensive had to slow down.
Although the Fifth Academy ranks high on the points table, its accumulation speed has been affected.
As a result, friction between other colleges has intensified. Everyone wants to take the opportunity to weaken the Fifth College, but is afraid of being taken advantage of by others. The situation has become more complicated and subtle.
Night gradually enveloped the simulated sea area, the temperature dropped, and visibility became even lower.
Night is a good time to lurk and launch a surprise attack, but it is also more dangerous.
Jiang Qing leaned on the reef. Zhu Tianba had woken up. Although he was still a little weak, he was in much better spirits and was nibbling on the high-end energy bar that Jiang Qing had exchanged for him.
It would occasionally look in the direction of Jiang Qing's tactical backpack, its eyes still filled with desire, but with a hint of awe, and no longer as impulsive as before.
"How do you feel?" Jiang Qing asked in a low voice.
Zhu Tianba hummed twice and sent a thought: [Hungry... still a little dizzy, but... I think I can see more clearly.]
It shook its head, and the diamond-shaped mark on its forehead flashed a barely perceptible light in the night.
Jiang Qing patted its head and said, "Have a good rest. Tomorrow... I'm afraid it will be even more turbulent."
"Blessing of the Abyssal Gaze" is like an eye-catching halo, which not only greatly increases the buff effect of their team, but also makes them the target of other teams.
People's reactions today are not that quick, so a lot can change in one night.
There is a high possibility that other colleges will join forces and prioritize dealing with their Fifth Beast Taming College.
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