CHAPTER 662: CHAPTER 661: A BLOODY LESSON

People in desperate situations, even when they see a glimmer of dawn, become extraordinarily zealous.

Regardless of whether they can grasp this sliver of hope, they will try every means to reach out and seize it.

This was what Lu Zixun observed among the Merfolk.

In the entire Merfolk army, there was a pervasive atmosphere of facing death with equanimity.

Lu Zixun, unable to speak, silently observed all of this from the shadows.

He still didn’t understand; sacrifice was inevitable, but the annihilation of the entire army could be avoided.

Could it be that the Deep Divers’ strength was really that formidable?

Hai Zhuming only said two sentences, both of which were common greetings, but Lu Zixun could feel that the atmosphere in Jerusalem had become three times more fervent.

And Hai Zhuming, being watched so intently by her people, had the tips of her ears turn a shade of red before she burrowed behind Hai Xin, no longer showing her face.

"We set out."

As soon as Hai Xin’s words fell, the Merfolk army’s bugles sounded, leaving Jerusalem and heading towards the Sea God’s Belly.

Before leaving Jerusalem, Lu Zixun looked back at Library City for a moment.

But there, as always, Lu Zixun did not see the person he had imagined.

Now it could be confirmed that Hai Lanyue was indeed Hai Zhuming’s father.

At such a critical moment of life and death, he, as a father, was surprisingly not there to protect and escort his daughter, which was incomprehensible.

At this moment, the more Lu Zixun thought about it, the more he felt something was off in his heart, suddenly sensing a deep malevolence; he always felt that there was something not so simple about this matter.

It seemed that he would have to adapt as circumstances unfolded, Lu Zixun sighed silently.

He had still been misled by Hai Lanyue’s amiable demeanor.

His idleness during this time led him to consistently think he was just an observer.

In reality, from the moment he accepted the duty to protect Hai Zhuming, he had already become a participant.

Just outside of Jerusalem was the seabed.

The surrounding seawater was icy and bone-chilling, and beyond the range of the sea lamps, it was pitch-black and silent.

Apart from the sound of the advancing Merfolk army, there was no other noise in the surroundings.

At this time, Lu Zixun’s heart felt extremely relieved; thankfully, he didn’t have any deep-sea phobias, otherwise he would have been scared unconscious by now.

"Heart... Clan Leader, do you think I can successfully defeat Hedis this time?"

At this moment, Hai Zhuming, who was equally uneasy in her heart, looked at Hai Xin with a nervous face.

Lu Zixun’s gaze also turned to look over.

He only saw in Hai Xin’s eyes a complexity that Lu Zixun could not understand, but with a reassuring smile, she looked at Hai Zhuming and said, "Don’t worry, Saintess, I’ve seen all your efforts, Hedis will definitely not be your match."

The certainty in her voice, and the confidence on her face, made Hai Zhuming’s hanging heart relax considerably.

Raising her hand to pat her chest, Hai Zhuming regained her confidence and said, "Yes! I will definitely win!"

The Deep Divers’ attack had not yet come.

And now, at just twelve kilometers from the Sea God’s Belly, Hai Xin became much more cautious.

When things are abnormal, there must be demons afoot; the abnormally unusual behavior of the Deep Divers today made Hai Xin extraordinarily worried.

In contrast, Lu Zixun appeared much more composed.

He understood that the best way to attack an army was through ambush, a method that worked for the Insect Clan.

As for the location of the ambush, Lu Zixun’s gaze deepened by three parts.

If all went as expected, it should be at a distance three or five kilometers from the Sea God’s Belly.

"Stop."

Hai Xin, feeling very uneasy within his heart, directly halted the advancing Merfolk army.

Having them stand by in full readiness, he silently pondered what exactly the Deep Divers wanted to do.

His gaze occasionally shifted towards Hai Zhuming, showing that he wanted to hear her opinion on the matter.

Seeing this, Lu Zixun also watched Hai Zhuming with interest,

eager to see how she would perform under the current circumstances.

Hai Zhuming, obviously unaccustomed to such matters, felt uncomfortable when her eyes met with Hai Xin’s.

The weight of expectations placed upon her left her feeling breathless.

She immediately avoided Hai Xin’s gaze and lowered her head to look at the ground.

At this, both Lu Zixun and Hai Xin simultaneously let out a silent sigh.

Hai Xin felt that there wasn’t enough time, and Hai Zhuming hadn’t fully grown yet.

Lu Zixun’s sigh was because he thought Hai Zhuming might not be well-suited for participating in Divine Enthronement.

The path to becoming Divine was filled with blood and thorns, and obtaining a Divine Position without shedding blood was far from simple.

"Regroup the entire army and rest in place, also starting now, establish defensive fortifications every kilometer we advance."

Faced with uncertainty about the Deep Divers’ plans, Hai Xin made a decision that even Lu Zixun, who couldn’t help but nod in approval, agreed with the moment the words were spoken.

Establishing fortifications would certainly be time-consuming, but compared to a battle with heavy losses, this expenditure of time was entirely acceptable.

Meanwhile, Hai Zhuming, who hadn’t spoken, furrowed her brow as if she wanted to make a suggestion, but ultimately, she didn’t say a word.

Lu Zixun, observing Hai Zhuming, couldn’t help shaking his head.

He recognized that Hai Zhuming certainly had ability, but not speaking out was not in line with a Commander’s role.

Perhaps Hai Xin also wanted to use this opportunity to show her something, to let her grow?

After regrouping and setting up fortifications, the Merfolk army continued its march towards the Sea God’s Belly.

However, the whole troop now realized the gravity of their situation and became much more cautious as they advanced.

At this moment, Lu Zixun, who had begun to employ reverse-thinking, started to ponder the purpose of the Deep Divers’ obstruction.

It was clear they did not intend to completely wipe out the Merfolk here; otherwise, they would have laid an ambush outside of Jerusalem to catch the Merfolk soldiers in a pincer the moment they appeared.

But if the goal was not to ensnare the Merfolk all at once, then the Deep Divers’ objectives became quite intriguing.

Was it just to delay time?

No...

He shook his head, his frown deepening.

If it was to buy time, they should have ambushed outside of Jerusalem.

Could it be...

Lu Zixun’s gaze grew three shades deeper, as he seemed to recall that the second checkpoint involved command capabilities,

and since it was about testing command capabilities, there had to be armies involved. But where would these armies come from?

It was highly likely they were armies assigned to the testees from both the Merfolk and the Deep Divers.

The purpose of the Deep Divers was then to weaken the numbers of the Merfolk army but not too drastically, hence the idea of ambushing them along the way.

Having realized this, Lu Zixun also understood why Hai Xin was prepared for Hai Zhuming to go to her death.

Hai Xin wanted to use their lives to give Hai Zhuming a bloody lesson.

Just at that moment, the Sea Energy around them grew three times denser, and the currents of the sea became even more turbulent.

The Deep Divers were coming!