Zhou Huai's consciousness once again sank into Gandalf's body.

In his left hand was the heavy bronze key.

In his right hand was the glittering pendulum of life.

He tried to put away the bronze key.

To Zhou Huai's surprise, the bronze key was smoothly put into the spatial ring.

Just then.

On the distant sea, a small, extremely crude wooden raft was approaching, cutting through the waves at a speed utterly inconsistent with its appearance.

Ten people stood densely packed on the raft.

They wore uniform, exotic clothing and had dark skin.

They were people from the White Elephant Country.

This group of people had clearly also noticed the giant ice island that had appeared out of nowhere on the sea, as well as the solitary figure on the island.

"Big Brother! Look! It seems there's someone ahead!"

At the front of the raft, a thin man from the White Elephant Country excitedly pointed towards the ice island and shouted.

Standing behind him, a burly man with a scarred face heard this and narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm, I see him too."

The man referred to as "Big Brother" fixed his gaze on Gandalf.

And the golden pendulum of life in his hand, shining brightly in the sun.

"Look, isn't he holding something else in his hand?"

One of his subordinates behind him, with sharp eyes, immediately exclaimed.

"It's golden! Big Brother! That thing, could it be the legendary Divine Artifact?!"

"What?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone on the raft was in an uproar.

"It seems... it seems that person got there first!"

"What should we do, Big Brother?"

"What's there to be afraid of!"

The Big Brother snorted coldly, a ferocious smile appearing on his face.

"He's only one person! We have ten!"

"Just snatch it!"

As they discussed, the raft, which looked like it could fall apart at any moment, had already docked steadily at the edge of the ice island.

The ten people from the White Elephant Country nimbly jumped off the raft, their target clear, and walked directly in front of Gandalf, subtly surrounding him.

The Big Brother, who was leading them, sized up Gandalf, his eyes filled with scrutiny and disdain.

"I've seen you before."

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"You are from the Great Xia Country."

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, calmly nodded.

"What do you want?"

The Big Brother didn't answer immediately, but instead vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

On this ice island, there was nothing but ice.

There was nowhere to hide.

He tentatively asked.

"Why are you the only one on this island?"

"Where are your teammates?"

Gandalf's tone carried a hint of impatience.

"I don't like talking to people who beat around the bush."

"If you have something to say, say it directly."

Just then, the sharp-eyed subordinate from before leaned into the Big Brother's ear and whispered mysteriously.

"Big Brother, I've already sensed it with my professional skill."

"On this island, besides him, there are no other professional Qi practitioners!"

Hearing this, the Big Brother's heart immediately settled.

The smile on his face became more unrestrained, no longer holding back in the slightest.

He looked at Gandalf, his expression filled with pity, as if looking at a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"People of the Great Xia Country, we gave you the opportunity to cooperate, but you yourselves were unappreciative and refused."

"For this, I can only express my regret."

He took a step forward, and a fierce aura emanated from him.

"Now there's only you here."

"I advise you to obediently hand over what's in your hand."

"Otherwise..."

He hadn't finished his sentence.

Gandalf casually flicked his right hand.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound.

The glittering pendulum of life was thrown directly at the feet of the people from the White Elephant Country, as if it were trash.

This scene directly caused the brains of these ten people from the White Elephant Country to crash.

Everyone froze in place.

The Big Brother stared blankly at the golden pendulum of life at his feet, which was emitting a sacred glow, then looked up, incredulously at Gandalf.

"You... what do you mean by this?"

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, looked at them with an expression as if they were idiots.

"Don't you want it?"

"It's yours."

"It's... it's ours?"

The Big Brother's mind was a bit slow to process.

He just gave it away?

When did the people of the Great Xia Country become so easy to talk to?

Just as he was half-believing, the quick-witted subordinate next to him leaned in again and whispered a reminder.

"Big Brother, be careful, it might be a trick!"

"The people of the Great Xia Country are always cunning; they would never be so kind!"

"There must be something wrong with this pendulum of life!"

The Big Brother heard this and nodded in agreement.

"Hmm, you make a lot of sense."

He patted the subordinate's shoulder, a look of approval on his face.

"So, you go over, pick it up, and examine it carefully."

Subordinate: "???"

The expression on his face instantly froze, he pointed to his nose, his voice a little stuttering.

"Me... me?"

"Hurry up!"

The Big Brother glared, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Do I have to go myself?"

The subordinate's face instantly fell, and he cursed the Big Brother's ancestors eighteen generations back in his heart.

But he dared not disobey orders, so he could only move cautiously towards the golden pendulum of life with a mournful face, looking back three times with every step.

He squatted down, held his breath, and extended his trembling hand, gently touching the pendulum of life as if it were some highly poisonous object.

No reaction.

He then bravely picked up the entire pendulum of life.

Still no reaction.

He had an idea and tried to check the pendulum of life's properties.

The next second, his dark face instantly flushed crimson!

His eyes were filled with uncontrollable ecstasy!

"Big Brother!"

He suddenly turned his head, his voice becoming incredibly sharp due to excitement.

"It's real! It's real! It's the pendulum of life!"

"What?!"

The Big Brother's eyes suddenly lit up, and he darted over, snatching the pendulum of life from the subordinate's hand.

"Quick! Let me see it!"

When he personally saw the familiar attribute panel, his breathing instantly became heavy.

It really was a Divine Artifact!

Their White Elephant Country had actually obtained a Divine Artifact!

"Hahahahaha!"

He threw his head back and let out an unrestrained burst of laughter.

"The Divine Artifact is ours! It belongs to our White Elephant Country!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone, from their spatial ring, pulled out a uniquely shaped speaker.

The next second.

A magical and rhythmic music echoed throughout the entire ice island.

"Dong! Da! Dong! Da!"

The ten people from the White Elephant Country, as if hearing some mysterious call, began to twist their bodies uncontrollably.

They threw their weapons to the ground, their faces beaming with genuine joy, and began to sing and dance around the Big Brother, who was holding the Divine Artifact.

The scene was as joyful as could be.

Zhou Huai's consciousness, inside Gandalf, watched this familiar yet abstract scene before him, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

These people...

Their thought process was indeed different from ordinary people.

The racial talent of dancing at the slightest provocation was truly ingrained in their bones.

After a full five minutes, the enchanting music finally stopped.

The ten people from the White Elephant Country were drenched in sweat from dancing, yet each one was energetic and radiant.

The Big Brother walked happily towards Gandalf, and even the way he looked at him became much friendlier.

He clapped Gandalf heavily on the shoulder, his face showing undisguised admiration.

"You are a smart person."

"Very good, I appreciate you."

"Don't worry, although your Great Xia Country previously refused to cooperate with us, given your good sense today, once our White Elephant Country surpasses the Free Federation and becomes the world's number one, I will consider taking care of your Great Xia Country a little."

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand and called to the excited subordinates behind him.

"Let's go!"

"Get the pendulum of life out of here as soon as possible!"

"From today onwards, our White Elephant Country will be the new myth of this world!"

A group of people, surrounding the Big Brother holding the Divine Artifact, grandly returned to the dilapidated wooden raft.

And sailed away, cutting through the waves.

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, merely stood quietly in place.

Watching them depart with an expression as if looking at dead men.

The small raft gradually receded into the distance on the sea.

However, just as it was about to disappear at the end of Zhou Huai's sight.

An anomaly suddenly occurred!

"Splash—!"

The sea around the raft, which had been relatively calm, suddenly surged violently without warning!

Innumerable terrifyingly thick black tentacles, covered in slimy mucus, like demonic claws reaching out from the abyss of Hell, suddenly broke through the water!

"It's a beast attack!!!"

A terrified scream came from the raft.

Before they could even react.

One of the thickest tentacles, with a roar that tore through the air, fiercely struck the already precarious wooden raft!

"Crack!"

A crisp sound!

The small raft instantly shattered into pieces!

The ten people from the White Elephant Country, like dumplings falling into boiling water, screamed as they plunged into the icy cold sea water.

They began to frantically fight the besieging beast army in the water.

However, the number of underwater beasts exceeded the imagination of these people from the White Elephant Country.

They were endless.

One wave was killed, and another came!

The next second.

More tentacles, like sharks smelling blood, surged in from all directions!

They precisely wrapped around each person from the White Elephant Country who had fallen into the water, dragging them relentlessly towards the bottomless seabed.

"Help... help!"

"No! I don't want to die!"

"Big Brother, save me!"

The shrill screams were «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» soon drowned out by the surging sea water.

On the surface of the sea, only strings of blurry bubbles remained, and a rapidly spreading crimson stain.

After a brief struggle, everything returned to peace.

That sea area, as if nothing had happened.

Only the glittering pendulum of life, having lost its owner's support, spun slowly, sinking towards the dark deep sea.

From beginning to end, not a single beast gave it a second glance.