The next day, dawn broke.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, swept across Yuanbo Island.

Gandalf stood in the open space in front of the encampment.

In front of him, more than twenty Dragon Tooth Special Forces members were already lined up.

Their postures were straight, and their expressions solemn.

After a night of rest, each of them was full of energy, their eyes gleaming with the anticipation of the coming battle.

Zhou Huai's gaze swept over every face.

His calm voice echoed in the morning air.

"This ruin has a special environment, primarily oceanic."

"Therefore, we need a team more adept at underwater combat."

He wasted no time, immediately beginning to call out names.

"Wang Meng, Chen Chi, Li Hao, Zhao Jing... step forward."

Zhou Huai quickly read out nine names.

Among them were three water-elemental professionals, two healers, and two tanks.

And two support-class professionals skilled in crowd control.

The nine team members swiftly re-formed their line in front of Gandalf.

Although a hint of disappointment flashed across the faces of the remaining unselected team members, there was no resentment.

They understood that the captain's choice was to maximize the team's survival rate and combat effectiveness in a special environment.

"The rest of you, stand by."

Gandalf's voice was beyond question.

"Be ready to provide support at any time."

"Yes, Captain!"

A unified response echoed across the seaside.

Soon, Gandalf led this carefully selected ten-person squad to rendezvous with Lin Zhu and Zhang Cheng, who had been waiting for a long time.

The group boarded a medium-sized ship and sailed through the waves towards the coordinates of the ruin.

The ship moved swiftly across the sea.

The deep blue seawater was split by the bow, churning up white foam.

Approximately twenty minutes later, the ship's speed slowly decreased.

Finally, it stopped in a calm sea area that appeared to have no abnormalities.

Looking around, there was nothing in sight.

Only the endless sea and sky.

At this moment, several ships of varying sizes had already gathered in this sea area.

The Free Federation's airship, like a silver falcon, hovered at a low altitude nearby, casting a huge shadow.

The teams from Great Bear Country and Ancient Egypt had also arrived.

"Strange."

Li Hao leaned on the ship's rail, looking around, his face full of puzzlement.

"Where is the entrance to that ruin?"

"Why can't I see anything?"

Zhang Cheng walked over to him, pointed at the bottomless seawater below, and explained.

"The entrance to the ruin is three hundred meters below this sea area."

"Non-water-elemental professionals need to wear special diving suits to go down."

As he spoke, crew members distributed the already prepared diving suits to everyone.

The diving suits were entirely black, thin yet tough, and full of a sense of technology.

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, shook his head.

"I don't need it."

Ever since he comprehended the water-elemental forbidden spell 【Surging Tides】, his affinity for water elements had reached a terrifying level.

Not to mention breathing underwater, he could even manipulate water currents, making his speed in water faster than on land.

Wang Meng and Chen Chi in the team also refused the diving suits.

They were water-elemental professionals to begin with; the ocean was their home ground.

The other seven quickly put on their diving suits.

Just then.

A steel ship, entirely black with a ferocious ghost head carved on its bow, had quietly docked next to the Great Xia Country's ship at some unknown point.

On the hull, a flag with a red sun fluttered in the sea breeze.

It was Sakura Country.

An old man in a black kimono stood at the bow, hands clasped behind his back.

He was not tall, even a little hunched, and his bald head reflected light in the sun.

His cloudy, small eyes lit up sharply the moment he saw Lin Zhu.

"Hehehe..."

A strange, unpleasant laugh, like a night owl, came from his mouth, revealing a set of uneven, rotten teeth.

"Madam Lin Zhu, still well, I see."

His voice was hoarse and full of mockery.

"It's been a long time indeed."

Lin Zhu leaned against the ship's rail, eyes closed in meditation, not even bothering to lift her eyelids.

She merely let out a disdainful snort from her nose.

"You old ghost, you're not dead yet?"

"Thanks to you."

The old man in the kimono showed no anger; instead, the smile on his face grew wider.

"Still hanging on by half a breath; I'm afraid I won't die anytime soon."

His small eyes brazenly scrutinized Lin Zhu.

"However, Madam Lin Zhu, you look quite a bit older compared to when we last met."

"It seems the last battle indeed caused you considerable damage."

The moment his words fell.

Lin Zhu's fingers, gripping her cane, tightened abruptly, her knuckles turning white from the effort.

The air temperature around them plummeted.

The seawater beneath Sakura Country's ship churned violently without warning, as if instantly boiling.

"What is that?!"

A cry of alarm came from the Sakura Country's ship.

Countless ink-green vines, as thick as bowls and covered in barbs, shot out from the dark seawater like awakened giant pythons!

They intertwined and wrapped around the steel ship in an instant, binding it into a giant zongzi!

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Ear-splitting sounds of metal twisting continuously rang out.

The sturdy steel hull began to deform and dent under the terrifying strangulation of the vines!

The Sakura Country team members on the ship all turned pale.

They drew their weapons and unleashed skills, trying to cut through the damned vines.

But the vines were incredibly tough; their attacks only sparked, unable to leave even a white mark.

"Hehehe..."

Just as everyone was horrified, the old man in the kimono at the bow still maintained his composed demeanor.

He didn't even turn his head to look.

Nor did he make any movement.

Only a soft 'clang' was heard, as if an invisible sharp blade had cut through the sky.

The next second.

The hundreds of vines that had tightly bound the ship were severed at their base!

The cuts were smooth as a mirror.

The lifeless vines, like dead snakes, slid powerlessly and sank to the seabed.

The old man in the kimono slowly turned his head, his cloudy, small eyes once again falling on Lin Zhu.

"Madam Lin Zhu, what is the meaning of this?"

His voice was still hoarse, but a hint of coldness had crept in.

"Are you perhaps trying to tear up the agreements between nations and directly attack in front of everyone?"

Lin Zhu finally slowly opened her eyes.

Her face remained indifferent.

"I just simply find you annoying."

"What?"

"Do you have an objection?"

"Hehehe."

The old man in the kimono laughed again, but that smile was full of dangerous implications.

"If Madam Lin Zhu is truly itching for a fight, why not wait until the matter of the ruin is settled."

"We can find a private place to properly spar."

"I do indeed miss Madam Lin Zhu's 'Myriad Manifestations'."

Just as the tension between the two was escalating, and the atmosphere was on the verge of exploding.

A gentle and sacred voice came from the sky.

"You two, why such strong tempers?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.

They saw a middle-aged man approaching through the air.

He wore a pure white priest's robe, had fair skin, handsome features, and golden short hair that shimmered in the sunlight.

He held a pure silver cross in his hand, and a compassionate smile was on his face.

Simply by appearing there, he exuded a sacred aura that made people involuntarily want to prostrate themselves in worship.

Seeing the newcomer, Lin Zhu's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

And the arrogant old man in the kimono's smile instantly vanished, his expression becoming unprecedentedly solemn.

As the priest continued to approach.

An invisible, vast, sea-like mental pressure descended from the sky, enveloping this sea area!

On the ships of Great Xia Country and Sakura Country, all professionals of slightly lower Rank instantly turned pale.

They felt as if countless grand and solemn hymns were echoing in their minds.

A sense of insignificance and humility, stemming from the depths of their Soul, naturally arose.

Their legs began to weaken uncontrollably.

"Thud!"

A Dragon Tooth Special Forces member, no longer able to bear the terrifying mental pressure, his knees buckled, and he directly knelt on the deck!

His head was bowed, his face filled with struggle and pain, yet he could not control his body.

It was as if he was offering the most devout worship to the descending deity.

"It's Archbishop Andrew of the Free Federation!"

Zhang Cheng's face was extremely grim.

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, struggling to resist the mental pressure.

"Everyone, steady your minds! Do not kneel!"

However, his warning was ultimately in vain.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Where there was one, there were two, then three...

Not just on Great Xia Country's side, the situation on Sakura Country's side was the same.

One by one, the Prodigies who usually looked down on others, now knelt like docile lambs.

Veins bulged on their foreheads, and their entire bodies trembled violently.

Sweat had long soaked their clothes.

They tried their best to resist the pressure that came from the depths of their Soul.

But their resistance seemed so pale and powerless in the face of an absolute disparity in strength.

Even Yingsi Lan, who had been standing behind the kimono-clad old man.

At this moment, his face was flushed, he leaned on his katana, knelt on one knee, and let out an unwilling grunt.

Zhou Huai's consciousness within Gandalf also felt that terrifying pressure.

A strong, irresistible urge to kneel surged wildly from the depths of his Soul, wanting to press his knees firmly to the ground.

"Want me to kneel?"

A cold laugh emanated from the depths of Zhou Huai's consciousness.

"I'll be damned if I kneel!"

The next second, he withdrew his consciousness from Gandalf's ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ body.

Gandalf, whose knees had already slightly bent, suddenly paused.

Then he straightened up again!

He raised his head, calmly looking at Archbishop Andrew, who was slowly descending from the sky.