"Eli… Big Pan, he won't be hurt, right?"
Filina stared anxiously at Big Pan, who still lay motionless with his eyes tightly shut. Her brows were drawn together, worry written all over her face, and her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
Eli Winters frowned faintly, his gaze resting on Big Pan. His tone, however, was calm and reassuring.
"Relax, Filina. He'll be fine. It was nothing more than a mental attack, a cheap trick at best. With Big Pan's strength and willpower, he'll wake up soon enough."
In truth, when Eli had frozen the space around that eerie red light, he had clearly sensed the mental energy contained within it. The power could drive a target into madness, but its intensity was limited. Eli was confident Big Pan could break free on his own.
The only strange thing was how long Big Pan remained unconscious.
That made Eli suspect that Big Pan was deliberately staying under the influence, using the lingering mental link to trace the one pulling the strings from the shadows.
Hearing Eli's confident words, Filina finally relaxed. She bit her lip lightly, then broke into a relieved smile.
"Really? That's great. I hope he wakes up soon."
Once the others learned that Big Pan was not in danger, the tension that had gripped them finally eased. Smiles appeared one after another, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
At that moment, Robin, who had remained silent until now, noticed the thoughtful look on Eli's face. She stepped forward and asked softly, "Captain, do you think we can track down the one who attacked us through that strange red light?"
During the earlier battle, Robin had stayed on the sidelines. Though she was the oldest among them, her childhood had been spent constantly on the run, leaving her little chance for proper training. As a result, her combat ability was far weaker than the others.
Eli shook his head slowly, disappointment flickering across his face.
"That bastard is extremely cautious. The moment I locked down the red light, he immediately severed the connection. Dragging him out won't be easy. Still, Big Pan might have picked up something useful."
Almost as if on cue, Big Pan's eyes snapped open.
He burst into laughter the moment he woke up, his voice full of excitement.
"Haha! Boss, I've got him. I know exactly where that guy is hiding!"
Eli's eyes lit up.
"Well done, Big Pan. Then I'll leave the job of tracking him down to you."
"Heh, just watch me," Big Pan replied confidently, his round face splitting into an eager grin.
Before anyone could react, his body vanished from where he stood.
In the blink of an eye, Big Pan reappeared beside the massive corpse of a sea beast. Without hesitation, he raised the Dragon-Coiling Staff high above his head and smashed it down with all his strength.
A thunderous boom shook the ground.
The enormous sea beast corpse exploded apart, flesh and bone flying in every direction. Blood sprayed like rain, and the earth trembled violently beneath their feet.
As the debris scattered, a figure was revealed.
It was a small, humanoid shark.
The creature stared at them with a twisted expression, grinding its teeth in frustration.
"Damn it… I was careless."
Earlier, it had launched a mental attack on Big Pan, attempting to invade his mind and seize control. When it realized how terrifyingly strong Big Pan's mental energy was, it had tried to retreat.
But it was already too late.
The moment it attempted to pull back, their mental energies collided. In that instant, its power was torn apart and swallowed whole. Worse still, Big Pan had used that connection to lock onto its exact location.
How could it not be furious?
The humanoid shark opened its jaws, rows of sharp teeth glinting coldly. Its eyes burned red as violent energy surged out from its small frame like a raging tide.
"You insignificant worm! How dare you ruin my plans? I'll kill all of you here!"
Before it could move, a blur flashed.
Big Pan's staff struck its face with crushing force.
A sharp crack rang out as the shark was sent flying and slammed into the ground.
Big Pan stepped forward and planted his foot firmly on its chest, looking down at it with pure disdain.
"That's all you've got? And you thought you could kill us? You really overestimate yourself."
Humiliation flooded the shark's mind as it struggled helplessly beneath Big Pan's foot.
"Let me go! When I get free, I'll tear you apart!"
Ever since drinking that mysterious potion more than seven hundred years ago, it had never suffered such disgrace.
Big Pan sneered.
In the next instant, a terrifying aura erupted from his body, overwhelming and suffocating. It pressed down mercilessly on the humanoid shark like a collapsing mountain.
The shark froze in terror.
Its body refused to respond. Even breathing became difficult, as if the entire world was crushing down on it.
"Who… who are you?" it managed to ask, its voice shaking.
Big Pan looked down at it coldly.
"You're not worthy of knowing."
Those words shattered the last of the shark's resolve.
Its eyes widened, its mouth twitched, and then it lost consciousness completely.
Big Pan shook his head in disappointment.
"That's it? What a letdown. I thought I'd at least get a workout."
Eli walked over, laughing, and patted Big Pan on the shoulder.
"At your level, you're already standing at the top of this world. Anyone who can challenge you is rare. This guy was barely at a vice-admiral tier. Without that annoying ability, the beastmen would have dealt with him long ago."
Big Pan's face immediately lit up with a simple, honest smile. Praise from Eli always made him genuinely happy.
In high spirits, Big Pan bent down, grabbed the unconscious shark man, and walked over to Eli.
"Boss, what should we do with him?"
Eli chuckled.
"Let's take him into the inner city first. He's the real mastermind behind the sea beasts' assault. I'm sure the people there will be very interested in him."
A calculating glint flashed through Eli's eyes.
This shark man might not be worth gold or treasure, but he could be exchanged for something far more valuable: the secrets of Starfall Island.
As for whether they would cooperate willingly, Eli was not concerned.
After all, he was perfectly capable of persuading people with his fists if words failed.
At that moment, atop the inner city wall, a beastman soldier tugged on Lang Yan's arm, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Commander Lang Yan… look over there. Is that Eli and his group?"
Lang Yan swallowed hard, saying nothing. His eyes were fixed on the battlefield, blazing with awe.
"So strong… unbelievably strong."
These outsiders had far surpassed his imagination. With every casual strike, terrifying sea beasts fell like fragile toys. Even the revered Sage might not match such power.
Then his pupils shrank sharply.
He recognized that figure.
The Demon Bone-Sea. The nightmare etched into their history books.
Everyone believed it had died long ago.
Yet now, it had appeared again, only to be defeated effortlessly.
The shock left him speechless.
Moments later, the Sage's aged voice echoed once more across the battlefield.
"Brave warriors, heed my command. Leave the city and wipe out the remaining sea beasts!"
Cheers erupted instantly.
With the Demon Bone-Sea captured, the remaining sea beasts were nothing more than prey.
"Warriors, follow me!"
The commanders charged first, roaring as they led the counterattack.
"Kill them all!"
The beastmen surged forward like a tidal wave, weapons flashing as they descended upon the battered sea beasts.
Lang Yan fought at the forefront, his blade dancing relentlessly. In moments, more than a dozen sea beasts fell at his feet.
Covered in blood, he finally made his way to Eli.
After glancing at the unconscious Demon Bone-Sea, Lang Yan bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Eli. Without you and your companions, Starfall Island would have fallen today."
Eli waved his hand casually.
"It was nothing."
Lang Yan hesitated, then spoke again.
"The Sage wishes to meet you. Are you willing to go?"
Eli thought for a moment, then nodded.
He had many questions about this island, and the Sage was clearly the fastest path to the answers he sought.