"You..."
Li Xinyi furrowed her brow, her tone carrying a hint of displeasure, feeling that Lu Chen was boasting.
"I'm warning you, that ghost ship is much more terrifying than you imagine."
Fan Yingying also quickly interjected, her eyes flickering with worry.
"Lu Chen, don't argue with Sister Xinyi. That ghost ship is truly terrifying, it would take at least four third-tier Evolutionists working together to possibly defeat it."
"We were able to escape this time entirely thanks to Sister Xinyi's magnetic manipulation talent, otherwise none of us would have made it back alive."
However, Lu Chen paid no heed to the two women.
The wooden boat slowly sailed into the strange waves ahead under the astonished gaze of the two women.
...
Not long after sailing out, the Corpse Shark approached again.
Its figure was dimly visible in the water, carrying an ominous aura.
【Undead: Corpse Shark】
【Characteristics: No pain, fights harder the longer the battle goes on, low intelligence】
【Talent: None】
【Skill: None】
【Combat Assessment: First-tier peak (a strange creature lingering between life and death)】
"No wonder my Giant Tooth Shark couldn't beat it, it turns out it's a first-tier peak."
Looking at the approaching black shadow, Lu Chen's lips curled into a cold smile.
"However, can you withstand this?"
With that, Lu Chen pulled the trigger of the Whale Hunting Ballista.
"Bang!"
Accompanied by a dull and earth-shattering roar, the boat body trembled violently.
A giant crossbow bolt, as thick as an arm and nearly two meters long, streaked across the sky like lightning and shot out.
The Corpse Shark had no time to react at all, its massive body was struck by the crossbow bolt.
Half of the Corpse Shark's body instantly exploded into countless fragments, the splashing rotten flesh creating ripples in the water.
"Hehe, a creature lingering between life and death? I'll just shoot you to pieces, let's see if you die."
Lu Chen was very satisfied with the power of the Whale Hunting Ballista.
As expected of a bronze-grade ship weapon, its power was terrifying, capable of killing even a first-tier peak Undead with a single blow.
【Ding, killed Corpse Shark (first-tier peak), gained 50 Death Energy】
"Death Energy? Why isn't it Life Energy anymore?"
Hearing the heaven's oracle prompt, Lu Chen frowned.
Clearly, killing this Corpse Shark wouldn't allow him to level up.
He quickly flipped through the Tian Yu System's encyclopedia explanation, and after some searching, he finally understood.
It turned out that killing Undead couldn't grant Life Energy.
After all, Undead aren't living creatures, so where would the Life Energy come from?
However, Death Energy could grant intelligence to Undead creatures and allow them to level up.
Seeing this, Lu Chen's eyes lit up.
"Death Energy can grant intelligence to Undead creatures? Doesn't that mean that the next time I summon a skeleton, I can use this Death Energy to turn the skeleton into an Undead creature?"
The more Lu Chen thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
But now wasn't the time to research this, dealing with that ghost ship was the priority.
...
Behind them,
Fan Yingying witnessed this scene and couldn't help but cover her red lips.
"So... so powerful, a first-tier peak Corpse Shark was actually dealt with so easily by him."
In contrast, Li Xinyi wasn't surprised, her gaze still fixed ahead, her tone calm.
"Lu Chen being able to become number one on the rankings naturally means he has some strength."
Then, she slightly tilted her head to look at Fan Yingying.
"Yingying, how long do you think he can last?"
"This Lu Chen, although he's handsome and strong, he's just too arrogant. I'm afraid if he goes any further, he'll be attacked by those monsters."
"Sister Xinyi, do you think he might die there too?"
Speaking of this, a hint of unconcealed fear couldn't help but surface in Fan Yingying's eyes, as if she recalled the terrifying experience she had encountered before.
Li Xinyi gently patted her shoulder, comforting her.
"As long as he doesn't rush in, he'll come back after suffering a bit. Although those things are terrifying, they shouldn't be able to keep him."
As the two women talked, Lu Chen's small boat continued to advance towards the ghost ship.
Suddenly,
A mournful, intermittent crying sound pierced the water surface, echoing all around.
"Woo woo woo~ uh woo woo woo..."
Lu Chen vigilantly looked around.
However, as far as his eyes could see, there was nothing unusual except the vast sea.
"No wonder it's called a ghost ship, the atmosphere it creates is quite immersive."
As the small boat got closer, the crying became clearer, and the number seemed to be increasing.
Like a group of homeless souls recounting their misfortunes.
"No, this sound... is coming from underwater!"
Lu Chen's heart tightened, and an ominous premonition surged.
Suddenly, a skeletal hand with bony, withered fingers suddenly reached out from under the water and tightly grasped the side of Lu Chen's boat.
There was still some rotten flesh clinging to the fingers, making it look exceptionally terrifying.
Lu Chen turned his head sharply.
He saw a half-rotted, half-decayed corpse slowly climbing out of the water, its eyes empty and lifeless, yet filled with hatred and jealousy towards life.
【Undead: Drowned】
【Characteristics: No pain, fights harder the longer the battle goes on, low intelligence, hates living beings】
【Talent: None】
【Skill: None】
【Combat Assessment: Second-tier peak (the corpses of sailors who died from drowning, every living being is an object of their hatred)】
"Putting on airs!"
Lu Chen snorted coldly, his right hand gripping the granite battle axe, which he swung down fiercely, bringing with it a sharp gust of wind.
"Splurt!"
Accompanied by a dull sound,
Rotten flesh splattered,
The battle axe heavily cleaved into the Drowned's seemingly decayed skull.
However, unexpectedly, the Drowned's skull was exceptionally hard, like iron or stone, firmly lodging the granite battle axe and making it impossible to move.
"Hehehehe..."
A strange smile actually appeared on the Drowned's face, as if mocking Lu Chen's incompetence.
"Smiling?!"
Lu Chen clenched his left fist, pulling it back to gather strength.
Power Super-Enhancement activated! (Strength increased threefold)
Then he punched out fiercely!
With the boost of 165 points of strength, his fist was like a cannonball leaving the barrel, carrying a whistling wind as it heavily slammed into the Drowned's face.
"Bang!"
After a loud bang, the Drowned's skull instantly exploded like a smashed watermelon.
Splattering rotten flesh and bone fragments drew strange arcs in the air.
The corpse, which had only climbed halfway, instantly lost its support and fell powerlessly into the icy sea.
【Ding, killed Drowned (second-tier peak), gained 100 Death Energy】
However, Lu Chen didn't even have time to catch his breath.
The chilling climbing sound echoed in his ears again.
This time, the sheer number was terrifying.
Looking around, he saw dozens of pale hands gripping the side of the boat.
One after another, Drowned with twisted, hideous faces slowly emerged from the icy sea.
"Damn, so many?!"
Lu Chen's heart sank.
Even with his third-tier combat power, under the siege of such a number of Drowned, the odds were stacked against him.