While heading to Sea Battle City, Lu Jun recalled the intelligence he had gathered.
Coincidentally, the Water Elemental Spirit's habitat lay just off the coast of Japan. To reach that [Merfolk Sea], one would have to break through the surging tide of sea monsters coming from the east.
That was incredibly difficult even Super-tier mages didn't dare to guarantee a safe passage through the entire battlefield surrounding Sea Battle City.
What's worse, even that old hunter couldn't confirm the presence of the Water Elemental Spirit with certainty; it was merely tagged as "suspected."
Still, in Lu Jun's view, it was almost a sure thing. That area was home to a massive elemental merfolk tribe, similar to the large number of fire-elemental monsters dwelling in Dunhuang.
When an elemental monster's bloodline reached the Commander level, and coupled with its pure energy form possessing possession capabilities, it became an Elemental Spirit. The causal link was strong.
Moreover, according to Master Qixiu's description, the elemental merfolk seemed to be guarding a nest something only a supreme being of a species would be privileged to have adding even more weight to the possibility.
But right now, he feared the worst: what if he did find a Water Elemental Spirit, and it turned out to be a mature Monarch-level being? That would be game over. Let alone forming a Contract, even escaping would be impossible.
"Hope my luck holds. Even a peak Commander-level is fine; I'm confident I can subdue it."
Lu Jun felt uneasy. Forming a Contract with an Elemental Spirit truly required the alignment of heaven, earth, and man. He admired Mo Fan's luck just drawing a [Confidential Scroll] gave him news of the Flame Belle, who just happened to be an appropriately aged newly born spirit.
Under such conditions, no wonder Elemental Spirit contractors were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
He mentally reviewed the maritime map near Japan. The old man had said the sea monsters and that merfolk tribe had a tacit agreement though the sea monsters surged up from the deep sea, they were never attacked, and the merfolk would even yield the path to let them pass.
In truth, the two groups formed a dual-layered barrier, guarding the central nest.
Fortunately, Lu Jun cultivated Psychic magic. Back when he was only Mid-tier level 4, he could move through undead zones as if walking on flat ground. Now at High-tier, he should be able to sneak in with ease.
The real trouble would come afterward, during the subduing and contracting process, which would likely draw massive attention he'd be surrounded by sea monsters and merfolk from all directions.
"Sigh, if only those noble-blooded monsters were as easy to fool as the Night Thunder Dream Beast."
Lu Jun shook his head. In reality, a Summoner who wished to contract a powerful Summoned Beast almost always had to fight it first.
Major monsters were overlords of their own territories how could they bow their heads and submit? Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.
Look at Asian Councilman Su Lu just to contract a real dragon, he schemed for years. The incident in Feibird City was merely one piece of the puzzle.
Thinking of the Night Thunder Dream Beast, and having just witnessed the tragic sight of Master Qixiu in his twilight years, Lu Jun realized he must extend his lifespan. Otherwise, even his Summoned Beasts might outlive him.
Night Thunder Dream Beast: Good grief, so you want me to work for you all my life, huh?
As Lu Jun and his companion approached Sea Battle City, they suddenly halted!
The color of the sky had changed it was now a thick gray, like rain could fall at any moment.
Rumble—!!
Suddenly, a massive blue-and-white curtain surged from the horizon, blotting out the sky with no gaps in sight. The tide line soared to the clouds. The visual shock and soul-crushing fear it brought were beyond the imagination of ordinary people...
Within the blue-and-white tidal roar, black specks could already be seen densely packed, scattered over the rolling tide screen. Those were the heads of sea monsters poking out. The tsunami was at least several hundred meters tall, towering over the grand sea wall.
Seeing this, Mo Fan was stunned. "This tide is terrifying... I feel like Sea Battle City is no less intense than the Ancient Capital."
Lu Jun was equally astonished. "This sea monster offensive is fierce probably the largest in recent years. I'd say everything up to the tenth district will be submerged, and half of the twentieth will go under."
The so-called district zones were actually numerical tiers of Sea Battle City. The higher the number, the higher the elevation, and the less likely they were to be swallowed by the tide.
Here, one had to admit the clever design of Japan's Sea Battle City. It adopted a strategy of layered encampments, minimizing the sea monsters' storm-summoning powers and drawing them onto land the battlefield where humans had the advantage.
When the tide rises, humans retreat; when the tide falls, humans advance. Within the hundreds-of-meters-tall, hundreds-of-meters-wide, thick and complex city-wall maze, the battle seesawed back and forth.
Besides the tiered layout, every district was intentionally designed with densely packed buildings, allowing mages to move freely, evade sea monsters, and even hide to rest temporarily.
Years later, the invasion of the Sea Monster Empire had already begun showing signs. The rapid proliferation of sea monsters in Feibird City, the escalating chaos in Japan's Sea Battle City all were part of the same picture.
Mo Fan spoke with deep concern, "With waves this massive, Mu Ningxue and the others might be in serious danger. We'd better hurry back."
Lu Jun agreed. Thinking back now, he realized their team was probably in a dire state, facing the most severe trial to date.
In just a short period, half the team had lost combat power, many heavily injured. Nanrong Ni was on the brink of death, and Mu Ningxue was likely burning through her soul's origin.
There was no helping it Ai Jiangtu was the only High-tier mage. It was too much to support the entire team. Normally, defending a district required multiple High-tier mages working together.
"Even fledgling eagles must one day leave the nest to grow strong. I'm sure the national team instructors are happy to see this."
That's what Lu Jun thought to himself. But his hands didn't slow down he summoned the dashing and graceful Night Thunder Dream Beast, leapt onto its back, and charged straight toward the battlefield.
Next to him, Mo Fan's lips twitched. He quickly summoned his own Warrior-level Old Wolf. Though still tall, mighty, and handsome, it now seemed completely outclassed by Lu Jun's steed. No matter how he looked at it, he was dissatisfied.
Even Old Wolf looked dispirited, lacking its usual playful energy.
"Scram, you drama queen. Alright, alright, I'll find a way to strengthen you."
Mo Fan cursed with a grin, but in his heart, he silently vowed, Damn it, after this mission, I'm definitely hunting down a top-tier Soul Essence. It's gotta look cool it'll be my face card.
The two of them dashed into the battle zone of Sea Battle City, one ahead and one behind.
By this time, the towering tsunami had already come crashing down. The colossal impact struck the fortified city walls with a force equal to hundreds of millions of tons, shaking the earth making the entire Tokyo region tremble.
However, Japan had long been situated along the volcanic and earthquake belts, so minor tremors like this were nothing new. With all kinds of precautionary measures in place, no real damage was caused.
As a massive flood of seawater poured in, thick white mist surged into the air so dense it blocked vision completely. The humidity was overwhelming, providing the perfect cover for the sea monsters' assault.
Dense swarms of sea monsters slammed in like falling rain. In a blink, the entire crescent-shaped coastline spanning hundreds of kilometers was crawling with them. Every few hundred meters, a Commander-level beast would drop into the fray. The sheer density exceeded all imagination.
In an instant, cruel and bloody combat erupted on every inch of land.
As soon as Lu Jun entered the mist riding his Night Thunder Dream Beast, his pores relaxed and opened. His Water Elemental Star Galaxy in his spiritual world surged with activity. With just a bit of meditation, he could break through to High-tier level 2.
Likewise, this water-element dominant field gave him a massive boost.
"Who's approaching? This is an active sea monster assault zone. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted. Please show your identification."
From within the mist, a squad of Sound Element military mages came forward to intercept him.
Unfortunately, all of Lu Jun's identification documents had long since been taken by his mentor. He could only ignore them and spurred his Night Thunder Dream Beast forward, leaping past them.
For additional chapters
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