The sudden emergence of countless Merrows from the coral fossils was like a black typhoon churning the water. Some of the Spectral Octopuses nearby that were slightly too slow were instantly engulfed by the tide of Merrows. Their ghost-fire-like, pale blue light waves transformed into countless fleeing meteors, and in an instant, vast swathes of colorful coral fossils were obscured by this murky torrent, turning black.

Fatty, Gu Cai, and I had not expected the interior of the cave system to be so intricately crisscrossed, resembling an ant's nest, and to conceal not only skeletons but countless living Merrows. The incident was sudden, but we remained clear enough to know we couldn't challenge them head-on. Clutching the dead infants, we hastily retreated into a Merrow bone-storage tomb behind us to take cover.

I switched off my dive torch, gripped the Water-Splitting Sword to guard the entrance, and then used the Merrow skeletons within the tomb to barricade the cave opening. Fatty and Gu Cai braced themselves at the back of the coral cave with their sharp blades. Sensing the turbulent water currents outside, with what seemed like countless Merrows swimming among the coral trees, they couldn't help but feel a secret dread. Had they been half a step slower entering the cave, they would surely have been torn to shreds by these sea-dwelling fiends by now.

After the Qin and Han dynasties, Merrows in the sea became almost extinct, with sailors sighting them only occasionally in the ocean once every few decades or even centuries. It was said that all Merrows were female and did not reproduce by laying eggs, but rather through a semi-oviparous, semi-viviparous method, which scientists still cannot explain how they have persisted to this day. Only the myriad legends passed down by the fishermen and water-dwellers described the Merrows as inherently ** and capable of coming ashore to ** with humans—tales that are hardly credible.

In ancient times, Jiao was also a name for sharks, though this is likely a misunderstanding. The Jiao possessed hideous, fierce visages and forelimbs similar to human hands. As early as the Spring and Autumn period, people were catching live Jiao to render their oil for lamps. Westerners considered them a type of mermaid; in reality, mermaids were more common in the East Sea, and far rarer in the South Sea, though not entirely absent. Mermaids are four-limbed fish resembling humans, possessing extremely long lifespans, lively natures, and the ability to tread the waves. Eating their flesh was said to cure all ailments and prolong life, making them far more precious than the Jiao, which were used only for lamp fuel. Although mermaids were rare and prized, they appeared more often in modern times than the Jiao. While no one recalled catching a live one, sightings were reported repeatedly. For nearly a thousand years, Jiao scales had virtually vanished, yet unexpectedly, within this isolated coral cave, there were so many Merrows.

I covered the head of my dive torch and secretly illuminated the deeply interwoven Merrow lair within the coral cave. The narrowest parts were only navigable by the skeletal Merrows, offering no passage for divers. There was no path forward; venturing in rashly would inevitably lead to being stuck halfway, unable to advance or retreat.

Fatty, confident in his experience, signaled for us to use diving explosives to blast a path, killing a group of Merrows, and then fight our way back to the surface in the chaos. Gu Cai had been clawed by a Merrow on his arm, leaving five bloody streaks. Seething with an inexplicable, internal rage, he immediately prepared to charge out with his knife to catch a live Jiao, intending to stab it until it was bloody.

I slapped Gu Cai on the head, telling him not to sacrifice his life based on brute force alone. Even if you, a Longhu, were made of iron, how many nails could you crush? I then took the explosives from Fatty, and a bold plan began to form in my mind. Just as I was about to act, the Merrow corpses blocking the entrance were violently yanked away by immense force, and a pitch-black Jiao head poked in.

I cursed silently at their swiftness. My Water-Splitting Sword shot forward, the tip piercing the Merrow's brain through its mouth. Bloody ichor immediately flooded the coral cave, obscuring the beam of the dive torch. Unable to see, I drew my short sword and randomly stabbed toward the cave entrance, not knowing if I had struck a Merrow or something else entirely.

Through the turbid water, pinpricks of cold light glimmered. It turned out that Merrows, living for years in pitch-black, cold water like those deep-sea fish, had either developed extremely acute tactile senses or evolved protruding eyes to adapt to their harsh environment. The Merrows belonged to the latter group; their eyes all bulged from their sockets, shining like two natural bioluminescent devices underwater. Fierce flashes of light pulsed before the cave entrance as several more Merrows blocked the coral opening.

The three of us, each wielding the sharp implements used by the ancient Tanka people for slaying dragons and breaking shells underwater, used the narrow terrain to impale and kill every Merrow that squeezed in. But our oxygen and strength were limited; holding out for long became difficult. Moreover, the number of Merrows surrounding the fossilized coral trees was immense. Unlike sharks that would fight over the corpses of their kin, these creatures only craved human flesh and blood, and they were already piled up layer upon layer at the entrance, completely sealing it off.

Fatty picked up the explosives I had dropped, intending to detonate them. Seeing his action, despair welled up in my heart. Now, no help was forthcoming from heaven or earth. I never thought we would capsize in such a trivial place, but at this point, dying together with the explosives, taking several Merrows down with us, was better than being dragged out and slowly dismembered.

Just as Fatty gripped the explosive charge, a Merrow shot past me and pounced on Gu Cai. Man and Merrow entangled, slamming into Fatty and knocking the explosives from his hand. The Longhu, Gu Cai, was ferociously powerful underwater, like most bloodthirsty aquatic beasts; the more blood he saw, the fiercer his innate brutality grew. He pressed his Dragon Arc against the Merrow's jaws. The vicious creature bit wildly, but its bites only landed on the blade, shattering its lower jaw into several pieces, yet it did not retreat but lunged with even greater ferocity.

I was blocking the Merrows pouring in from the entrance with my Water-Splitting Sword. Seeing Gu Cai trapped and struggling against the injured, vicious creature, I quickly reached out and gouged the Merrow’s bloodshot eyeball, then yanked outward, tearing out the entire bulging Merrow eye, complete with sinews and flesh.

The Merrow could no longer endure and thrashed outward, but in its agony, it tore open the submersible satchel Gu Cai was carrying. Its sharp claws ripped and slashed, tearing the sealed bag open. The remains of the dead infant contained within spilled out. Although the surrounding water was cloudy with blood, the stillborn fetus twitched in the water, as if it had suddenly come alive.

The large swarm of Merrows gathered at the entrance seemed to have encountered a plague spirit, quickly scattering and fleeing in all directions until the area was completely clean. I swiftly grabbed the deformed infant and, along with Fatty and Gu Cai, exchanged looks on the seabed. Even through our diving masks, the astonishment on all our faces was undeniable. These Merrows were so vicious that even the massive and savage "Dragon King Whale" of the deep sea would be gnawed down to bare bones if it encountered this horde of evil spirits. How, then, could they flee upon seeing the fetuses?

My heart pounded uncontrollably. I looked down at the skeletal remains of the fetus clutched in my hand. Under the shimmering light filtering through the water, it looked startlingly lifelike. Perhaps a fetus deformed by the lunar eclipse inherently carried an aura of 'Moon-Break.' Creatures like the Jiao and Mermaids were all greedy for the essence of the bright moon. Upon encountering these stillborn forms, corrupted by the lunar decay, they reacted as if facing venomous snakes and scorpions, eager only to flee.

The situation underwater was complex, and I couldn't dwell on it. In any case, these three skeletal remains of the dead fetuses served as the most potent protective talisman against the evil spirits below. This was the chance to dive deeper and search for the so-called Heaven-Shaking Tripod. So, Fatty and I also retrieved the fetuses from our bags. The three of us each held one, cautiously feeling our way out of the coral cave.

As the Merrows dispersed, the endless swarm of Spectral Octopuses began to swim out again. These spirits of the dark depths emitted waves of soft light with the currents, illuminating the coral trees like a crystalline Dragon Palace. Spectral Octopuses never surfaced; they lacked the common aquatic trait of responding to the moon and were not afraid of the deformed dead fetuses we held. They simply tumbled and danced around us.

We dared not be complacent any longer and dove straight to the bottom. At a depth of about thirty meters, we indeed found a massive tripod lodged in the coral fossil. This tripod's diameter was no less than that of the underwater sacred tree, with the fossil of an entire coral iron tree growing within it.

Approaching the belly of the tripod, we discovered that this giant vessel was naturally formed from a massive, basin-like rock, within which were nested several man-made bronze tripods. Dozens of chains, as thick as old trees, disappeared into the depths of the vortex, though whether they once tethered some colossal creature remained unknown. I gestured to Fatty to turn it, telling him that this natural structure hardly resembled a tripod vessel; it looked more like a giant stone turntable, with bronze grooves and vessels inside. These things were entirely unlike any mechanisms we had ever seen or heard of in our lives—they looked more like a massive underwater bonsai garden.

We circled the giant tripod halfway but found no "Zhen Trigram" markings, nor did we know where to place these three fetuses corrupted by the Moon-Break. At that moment, Gu Cai, who was behind me, tugged at my leg and pointed toward the deeper water, signaling Fatty and me to look. Aided by the glowing waves emitted by the Spectral Octopuses, we saw a massive fissure split open in the coral fossil on the seabed.

This fissure was both wide and deep, like a dark chasm. The water within was pitch-black, and not a single Spectral Octopus dared enter. Occasionally, some strange, bizarre fish or turtle would swim in with a wag of its head, but none ever emerged. After observing for a long time, no living thing came out of the deep chasm. The water there was a continuous vortex, and even from a distance, we could feel an extremely strong suction. Beside the chasm was a large slab of stone, which might have been the remnant of an ancient stele, its carvings illegible from its appearance.

I looked at the abyss beneath the coral fossil rock layer and asked Gu Cai if he knew what that place was. Gu Cai gestured extensively, but Fatty and I couldn't understand. However, the water there was too deep; anyone who went in would be swept away by the turbulence. I surmised that place was likely where the Dragon Bones lay, perilous and unpredictable. Moreover, without heavy diving gear, it was impossible to explore its depths. The primary task now was to ascertain the truth of the ancient tripod beside us, to see if it was the mechanism for the sea burial of the ancient corpse. If it truly could cause the zombie to surface, we could take the opportunity to follow it up. With our provisions and gear exhausted, our survival and success rested entirely on this; thus, we paid little attention to the situation in the deep chasm, continuing our careful observation of the giant tripod underwater.

On the other side of the seabed tripod, within the coral forest fossil, there was another enormous cave. Fatty and I crouched by the tripod, peering in for a while, but discovered nothing unusual. However, Gu Cai, with his superior underwater vision, seemed to see something dark and writhing inside the cave. He signaled that the place was extremely dangerous and absolutely off-limits.

Seeing that even Gu Cai was terrified of whatever was in that cave, Fatty and I knew it must be extraordinary. The three of us dared not move hastily and quickly swam into the tripod. This area was beyond the reach of the Spectral Octopuses' light, forcing us to use our dive torches for illumination. Between the surrounding bronze tripods were winches connected by bronze troughs and chains—apparently some kind of machinery, but we had no idea how to operate or activate it.

Fatty shook the dead fetus he was holding and asked me where this damned thing should be placed. I looked around, thinking that these fetuses damaged by the Great Moon-Break were likely only meant to drive away the swarms of evil Merrows underwater, not to be placed within this giant tripod. These things were light; they would float right up if let go. The Clan of Hentian were intimately familiar with aquatic habits, meaning the ancestors of the Tanka people must have known the Merrows' weakness. Otherwise, given the extreme dangers of this seabed, who could possibly descend here to move this great tripod? It seemed the way we brought these three fetal remains down was the same way we needed to carry them back up.

While I was pondering this, Gu Cai, relying on his goldfish eyes, spotted something beneath the coral iron tree inside the tripod. He gestured to us and swam ahead first. Fatty and I worried he might meet with disaster, wanting to shout for him to return so we could act together, but we couldn't open our mouths. We wanted to reach out and pull him back, but that fellow was as slippery as an eel and had already darted ahead. We had no choice but to grab the bronze chains inside the tripod and follow closely toward the base of the coral tree.

Locked beneath the iron tree was a black, rotten wooden coffin. The wood quality was good, but it had become brittle from underwater corrosion, crumbling away in flakes at the slightest touch. I grew increasingly confused. Before the Qin and Han dynasties, stone or bronze sarcophagi were common, while wooden ones were rare. However, the wood seemed like Fàn ①—it was still hard to say for certain if it was a wooden outer coffin.

But the wood, black as charred charcoal, was sized exactly to hold an adult corpse. Its long, rectangular shape did strongly resemble a coffin. Before I could examine it further, Fatty had already pushed aside the mud-like wood. Inside lay a corpse completely covered in green. The three of us were astonished to see the corpse’s vital energy, seemingly forced by the water currents, appear vibrant green, as if alive. How could such a thing exist underwater?