Suddenly, Chu Feng looked toward Little Fishy.
"Fishy, we're almost there."
"From what I can tell, this should be a fairly critical area — and far more dangerous."
"If you can't hold on, just let me know and I'll get you out."
Upon hearing this, Little Fishy pouted. "Don't underestimate me, Big Brother. You might be the first one who can't hold on."
"In that case, you'll have to get me out," Chu Feng said with a laugh.
"No problem." Little Fishy tilted her chin up, looking both mischievous and adorable.
Chu Feng and Little Fishy pressed onward, but before long the sea's surface began to boil. An even more intense killing intent materialized in tangible form, like a hurricane that swallowed them both in an instant.
In that moment, the air filled with wailing ghosts and howling spirits — specters, infants, savage beasts — all manner of piercing sounds tangled together, grating on the nerves and driving one toward madness.
At the same time, a torrential wave of violent aura surged at them in relentless succession.
Even though both of them had braced themselves beforehand, they were forced to shut their eyes tight and regulate their breathing for a moment before they could acclimate.
When they opened their eyes again, both wore looks of surprise.
The tangible killing intent had vanished.
But on the sea's surface below them, an enormous disc had appeared.
It was vast — like an enormous plaza floating upon the water.
The only problem was that this massive disc was pitch-black as well, offering no sense of safety. If anything, it deepened one's unease.
Compared to the disc that had now materialized on the sea, the dark miasma overhead was undergoing its own transformation.
The colossal eyes were still shifting about, but they hadn't vanished entirely. Instead, directly above Chu Feng and Little Fishy, a wide expanse of space had been cleared.
Then, in the gap that had opened in the miasma, the previously calm aura began to churn violently. Enormous waves of red miasma erupted forth.
The moment that crimson aura appeared, the turbulence intensified dramatically. Wind and clouds whipped across the entire sky and sea. The ocean below, as though it were an awakened beast, sent waves — each one a thousand meters high — crashing across the whole region.
Seeing this spectacle, even the bold Little Fishy tightened her small grip on Chu Feng's hand.
They both felt an absolutely terrifying killing intent emanating from that red miasma.
And it kept growing stronger.
Eventually, the crimson aura coalesced into a single character spanning ten thousand meters in diameter.
**Kill!!!** Once the character took shape, the killing intent reached its peak.
But soon after, both Chu Feng and Little Fishy's eyes went wide, their earlier composure completely gone.
Above the first character of Kill formed in red miasma, even more tremendous crimson aura appeared — all of it condensing into additional characters of Kill.
If the first Kill was a single soldier, then the characters now filling the void had assembled into an entire army.
They hung within the black fog, glaring down at Chu Feng and Little Fishy like predators eyeing their prey.
Shortly after, several lines of text surfaced on the disc below.
The gist was this: once Chu Feng and Little Fishy stepped onto the platform, the Kill characters in the sky would descend.
Each character that landed would cause the platform to sink further. When the platform had sunk all the way to the ocean floor, they could choose whether to accept the final trial.
But it was clear to both of them that those Kill characters would not be easy to withstand.
"Fishy."
Chu Feng looked at Little Fishy. He was worried — not because he doubted her abilities, but because even he lacked absolute confidence in facing Kill characters brimming with such dense killing intent.
This was a gamble.
But Little Fishy extended her free hand toward Chu Feng, then held up her pinky.
"Big Brother, let's make a pact — pinky promise."
"We both have to make sure we keep ourselves safe."
"If you can't hold on, give up on your own. Don't become a burden to the other."
"But whoever still has strength left must keep going. Don't lose focus because of the one who gave up."
Little Fishy looked straight at Chu Feng as she spoke, her expression unusually grave and earnest.
Chu Feng considered for a moment, then reached out and linked his pinky with hers. "It's a deal."
With that, Chu Feng and Little Fishy flew downward together, landing upon the disc.