Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The crab swung its claws, but they couldn’t reach Han Sen and Bao’er who were now on its back. After a while, the crab gave up trying to kill Han Sen. Instead, it just started to go back the way it had come.
The gold word upon its back, overbearing, eventually dissipated as well. Han Sen became human again, holding Bao’er as he stood on the back of the crab. They weren’t sure what to do.
The crab ignored his presence there, but who knew what would happen if Han Sen decided to leap off. So, Han Sen remained there and did not yet dare to jump.
The crab waddled its way through the cave systems, but eventually, Han Sen realized it was not returning to where the shell king had been. He had no idea which way it was going.
Not long after, Han Sen heard a roaring sound in the distance. His face changed when he realized it was the sound of a waterfall.
“Does the crab want to dive into the water and try to drown us?” Han Sen frowned. He could breathe underwater, but it was not like he could spend the rest of his days submerged in water. And what’s more, he didn’t know if Bao’er would fare as well as he would. He didn’t know if she could breathe underwater or not.
An underground river eventually appeared in front of them. The crab jumped into the river and dived below the surface.
Han Sen and Bao’er stayed with it. Fortunately, Han Sen was able to breathe underwater, and he was unaffected. He looked over to Bao’er and noticed she was entirely fine, as well. She was playing in the water, and it brought him some peace of mind.
The underground river was deeper than Han Sen believed it to be, though. The giant, gold pattern crab was firmly inside it. It had dived deeper into the stream.
The crab seemed to be swimming downstream, too. Han Sen held onto Bao’er as he looked around. He saw a number of underwater creatures that all fled upon seeing the crab. They all made sure to stay out of its way.
The crab remained underwater for an hour. Han Sen thought that the crab might have forgotten about him and Bao’er’s presence on its back, and he considered ways in which he might be able to sneak away.
But as soon as Han Sen left its back, the pincers quickly approached. He hastily used Alien Beast to dodge the claw and return to its back.
It seemed as if the crab was clearly aware that Han Sen was still there. The crab remained intent on trying to kill him.
Han Sen sat on the crab’s back and tried to think of a way in which he might escape. Bao’er looked happy, swinging her arms against the water’s resistance. She always loved water.
The crab did not stop traveling. It followed the stream for a few days, and they had no idea how long that river might have been. It seemed endless.
But whenever there was a cave, Han Sen could see parts of the Holy Vine wreathing its way across the ceilings. The vine was huge, and it supposedly held up the entire Underworld.
“This vine is much bigger than the one that gave birth to Bao’er. I wonder what will reside in the gourd on this Holy Vine; will it be another being similar to Bao’er?” Han Sen wondered to himself.
Han Sen was unable to think of a way to get out of his current situation. He followed the crab through the water for an additional two days. He eventually noticed the waters had become wider and even deeper.
It was like they had come to a bottomless ocean.
The crab continued swimming through the wider expanse of water, diving deeper and deeper. This place was far deeper than the river, and not long after, they were submerged a few hundred meters deep underwater.
Some underwater creatures were moving around, Han Sen could see. They were not afraid of the crab like the others. But still, the crab raised its pincers and grabbed a few of the creatures to munch on.
Han Sen opened his Bulwark Umbrella for respite from the water. He brought out some food and water of his own that he could share with Bao’er.
Not long after, Han Sen saw some sort of blue light flash in the distance. It looked like a thunderstorm, but without the sound. The crab was heading in the direction of that thunder, but what its aim was, Han Sen had no idea.
The thunderstorm flickered between dark and bright, and once the crab had gotten closer, Han Sen noticed it wasn’t a thunderstorm. It was a giant eel that was like a diamond.
The eel had some blue lightning coursing around it. It was like a living storm, and it was rather beautiful.
“That eel can’t be the crab’s mate, can it? Is it going to ask the eel to eat us off its back?” Han Sen’s face looked ill as he thought about this.
Han Sen saw the eel and how scary it looked. If the two really were related in some way, Han Sen didn’t fancy his chances. The fact that he would have to deal with both the crab and the eel dropped his survival rate by a significant margin.
“Bao’er, can you absorb the crab and eel into the gourd?” Han Sen asked Bao’er. If this would work, Han Sen wouldn’t mind sacrificing his pride by getting Bao’er to solve the problem for him.
Bao’er shook her head and said, “They are too strong. The gourd can’t do it.”
Han Sen felt depressed. Nothing was working out for him this time.
The eel noticed the crab coming closer, and it became alert. It stared at the crab, and its translucent diamond body, which channeled and coursed with lightning, became stronger. The increased volume of lightning was like a warning for the crab not to come any closer.
Han Sen was very happy seeing this, and he thought to himself, “They aren’t together after all. That’s great!”
But when Han Sen thought some more, his face fell. The crab was provoking the eel. If the eel released lightning and attacked the crab with it, Han Sen and Bao’er would obviously be caught in the cross-fire.
The crab’s shell was very strong, so it could take a lightning strike just fine. Han Sen was afraid the reason the crab had gone there was to get the eel to kill them on its behalf.
The crab raised its pincers to provoke the eel, and then the eel went mad. The blue lightning around it rose in volume. Its entire body was consumed by blue lightning, making it look like some sort of thunder dragon.
Boom!
A bolt of blue lightning was launched from the eel’s body, and it covered the entirety of the crab. The crab hadn’t dodged, and it simply accepted the blue lightning. It showered itself in it. There were no injuries, and only a number of bubbles rose around the creature.
Han Sen felt terrible. When the blue lightning rained down, the umbrella took a powerful hit. It already seemed likely to break.
“D*mn crab! You are mean. But electrifying us won’t be that easy.” Han Sen tightened his jaw and looked around, trying to find a means of escape.
