Chapter 546: Undead Guardians of the Whirlpool Hall
The stone wall shuddered as Marcus’s companions stepped through one after another.
The world around them shifted in an instant. Before them stretched a vast spiral passage carved into solid stone, winding endlessly downward into dim, silent darkness. The air was cool and heavy, and the deeper they looked, the more the corridor seemed to swallow the light itself. It gave the unsettling impression that it descended straight into the heart of the earth.
The oppressive depth alone was enough to make everyone instinctively lower their voices.
Noticing the girls glancing around in curiosity, Marcus explained, "We just keep following this passage until we reach the bottom. That’s where the treasure is hidden, inside the Whirlpool Hall. According to the navy captain’s memories, he discovered a blue vortex there that constantly released spiritual energy. That’s why he chose it as his final resting place."
With that, the group continued down the winding corridor. Fortunately, the journey proved uneventful. There were no monsters lying in ambush, only the endless spiral path leading deeper underground.
After walking for well over an hour, the passage finally leveled out. Roughly eighty yards ahead stood an enormous stone doorway, its entrance bathed in a soft blue radiance that spilled across the floor like moonlight.
The girls immediately brightened.
"Marcus... are we finally here?"
"Yeah."
Marcus nodded and walked toward the entrance. Above the ancient archway were four large carved characters.
Whirlpool Hall. This was the place.
He immediately activated Insight.
—
Whirlpool Hall: Constructed by Lady Azure Tide, a close friend of the Daoist Lamp-Lighter, this chamber served as her cultivation sanctuary within the blessed lands of Crescent Island.
At the center of the hall lies the Azure Vortex, a spiritual whirlpool directly connected to the seabed. It continuously draws immense spiritual energy from the depths of the ocean. Lady Azure Tide frequently rode her mount, the Azure Wave-Splitter Beast, through the vortex from the sea below to cultivate here.
—
Marcus nodded to himself. ’So the navy captain really had chosen to bury himself in someone else’s cultivation chamber.’
Keeping his guard up, he slowly crossed the doorway after confirming there were no immediate threats.
The moment he stepped inside, the scenery opened into a breathtaking underground hall.
The chamber covered well over ten thousand square feet, with a towering ceiling embedded with luminous crystals and precious minerals that glowed like a field of stars. In the very center, an enormous whirlpool of seawater rotated with a deep, rhythmic rumble that echoed throughout the cavern. It was the Azure Vortex.
The water shimmered with an impossibly pure sapphire-blue glow, rotating endlessly as though it possessed a life of its own. Gentle waves of blue light spread outward with every revolution, bathing the entire hall in a calm, dreamlike radiance.
Suspended nearly twenty yards above the vortex floated a crystal coffin. Its transparent surface sparkled under the blue light while streams of golden spiritual energy occasionally rose from the vortex below, drifting upward before disappearing into the coffin.
The spiritual energy gathered from the ocean depths was continuously nourishing whoever rested inside. There was little doubt about it. The navy captain’s corpse was sealed within that crystal coffin.
Encircling the Azure Vortex were more than two hundred figures dressed in faded naval uniforms. Warriors, mages, archers, and knights marched in slow, endless circles around the whirlpool, each gripping polished weapons that still gleamed despite the passage of time.
They were clearly standing guard. Anyone who attempted to approach the vortex would have to fight their way through every one of them.
Marcus quietly raised a hand, signaling the girls to stay where they were. Taking only his two Sea Demon Souls, Pebble, and the five Royal Sorcerers, he carefully advanced toward the patrols.
The undead soldiers marched without the slightest expression. Their faces were pale and lifeless, their movements stiff and mechanical, more like animated corpses than living people.
Marcus closed to within fifty yards before stopping. None of them reacted. ’Good.’ He silently cast Insight on one of the undead mages, the spell revealing everything without disturbing the target, just as smoothly as ever.
—
Undead Naval Mage, Level 65
HP: 50,000
Once an elite mage under the navy captain’s command. Before his death, the captain fed his soldiers the Heart-Stealer Pill to erase their free will, then used Necrotic Infusion to preserve and strengthen their bodies after death, transforming all 250 of them into undead guardians to protect his tomb for eternity.
Passive: Water Affinity
Greatly enhances control over water-element spells.
Passive: Corpse Body
Under the navy captain’s necromantic power, these undead possess defenses far exceeding ordinary monsters of the same level.
Skills: Intermediate Water Magic and below.
Special Skill: Azure Tide Surge
Unleashes an area-of-effect water attack learned through prolonged exposure to the Azure Vortex. Deals double water-element damage while binding enemies in rushing currents, reducing movement speed by 10% for 10 seconds.
Cooldown: 1 minute.
—
Marcus quietly inspected the other undead as well. The warriors, archers, and knights were all Level 65 with nearly identical attributes. Their signature abilities differed only by class, with names like Azure Battle Rage and Azure Barrage, but each carried the same enhanced damage and movement-slowing effects.
Level 65. That wasn’t enough to trouble him. Their increased defenses meant very little against his current lineup. The enemies Marcus feared were those capable of overwhelming his healing through sheer burst damage. As long as his team could survive the fight, it was only a matter of time before even the toughest opponents were worn down.
Still, he made no move to attack. Instead, he slowly circled the outskirts of the formation, carefully examining every corner of the hall.
Charging into battle recklessly had gotten countless players killed. There was no reason to throw away the advantage of preparation. If a hidden elite or unexpected boss appeared in the middle of the battle, the entire fight could spiral out of control.
Marcus intended to know exactly what he was walking into before making his first move. As he rounded the right side of the vortex, one figure immediately caught his attention.
He stood taller than the surrounding undead, his lean frame draped in an ancient blue robe embroidered with golden trim. A longsword rested at his waist while dense black energy drifted around him like smoke. Beneath his feet floated three shifting aura rings, each pulsing with a different color that marked him as something far beyond the ordinary undead soldiers.
Covering his face was a sinister black metal mask forged from an unknown material. Jagged fangs protruded from its mouth, and its savage expression radiated overwhelming authority. Even from a distance, Marcus could feel the suffocating pressure emanating from the figure, along with an icy aura of death that was both brutal and oppressive.
The moment Marcus laid eyes on him, he knew. There was no need to check. This was the boss.