Deep within the East Sea, the currents seemed to possess a consciousness of their own. Ye Chenyu, Liyue Ying, Xuan Ye, and Xing Lan moved cautiously through the dense sea fog, each breath carrying the tang of salt and decay. The thick mist gradually parted above the water, revealing a horrifying sight—a palace woven from coral and bones. Pillars, arches, and stairways were all constructed from massive skeletal remains, as if ancient creatures had been frozen in time and woven into a mysterious altar. Faint carvings and rune-like patterns remained etched on every bone, flickering softly underwater, as if quietly chanting an incomprehensible ritual.
Ye Chenyu held his breath, eyes reflecting the labyrinthine structure of the bone palace. With every step, echoes rolled from beneath the water, like the abyss itself breathing, or countless ghostly fingers lightly touching his soul. Xuan Ye led the way, the rune shard in his hand emitting a faint glow, barely countering the oppressive weight of the water. Yet, his furrowed brows revealed his awareness that every bone in this palace hid latent power.
Suddenly, the waters and sky shifted with an unnatural hue. Above the distant bone palace, a massive aquatic beast descended. It bore four pairs of translucent wings, a body enormous as an ancient ship, scales glowing with an eerie blue luminescence. Fins ran along its spine, trembling slightly with the currents, each flap of its wings stirring whirlpools. Sharp horn-like protrusions and a fishlike maw made its form even more menacing amid the mist, a harbinger from the hellish depths. Ye Chenyu's chest tightened, as if struck by a heavy hammer, his breath momentarily frozen.
Xing Lan turned slightly, eyes piercing the depths beneath the waves. She whispered, "It is not a guardian, but a summoned envoy." Her voice was low, resonating strangely with the sea itself, as if each word could leave traces on the palace walls. Ye Chenyu instinctively sensed that this was no ordinary creature, but an embodiment of the ancient sea's will, connected directly to a core hidden deep within the bone palace.
The four-winged beast hovered like a phantom over the palace, its wings beating in a continuous vortex, tearing the water as if to shred intruders into pieces. Liyue Ying remained calm beside Ye Chenyu, the faint glow of the rune shard forming a wall of light that partially diffused the shockwaves of water, yet the suffocating pressure still seeped into bones and nerves, threatening to shred their minds.
Ye Chenyu struggled to steady his breath, a chill rising within his chest. Light in the water flickered like living creatures, revealing countless twisted skeletal faces deep inside the palace, their eye sockets seemingly watching, judging him. He understood clearly: this bone palace was not naturally formed, but shaped by an incomprehensible power. Every bone was a remnant of ancient rites.
The beast's shadow flickered within the mist. Each sweep of its wings cut through the boundary of air and water like blades. Every low roar caused the palace's bones to tremble subtly, resonating with the runes below. Xing Lan watched it briefly, unease flashing in her eyes. "It tests us, and it clears a path for the unknown," she murmured, tracing the water with her fingers. Ripples spread, only to be absorbed into the void by the beast, as if all reactions were under its control.
Xuan Ye slowly raised his rune array, creating a buffer zone in the surrounding currents. Liyue Ying and Xing Lan assisted, slightly relieving the water's pressure, but the suffocating weight still swirled around each of their hearts like tides. Ye Chenyu felt an unprecedented sense of emptiness; his thoughts were continuously eroded by the currents, shifting lights, and whispering voices, as if every breath stripped away fragments of his past self.
After circling several times, the four-winged beast gradually lowered its wingtips. Deep within the palace, an invisible hand seemed to guide the faintly flickering runes, converging into a faintly discernible path. Xing Lan focused on the core, whispering, "The secret ahead is revealing itself. It wants to lead us into the unknown." Ye Chenyu's chest tightened; he realized this path might lead to the true spiritual altar hidden deep in the East Sea, and this aquatic beast was merely a vanguard.
The four exchanged a glance, silently agreeing that no matter what horrors awaited ahead, they must step onto the path. The water churned beneath their feet, the palace's eerie glow illuminating their faces. Every drop of water seemed to gleam like the eyes of the dead, gazing upon their souls. Ye Chenyu drew a deep breath and stepped onto the path woven from bones and runes. The four-winged beast hovered above, lowly emitting a hum, both guiding them and warning of the abyss's inviolable depths.
Deep within the Bone Coral Abyss Palace, unknown horrors and the whispers of the sea accompanied them. The four figures gradually disappeared into the eerie blue glow, as if entering an endless, surreal dream…