I'm Trapped in the Block

CLICK, CLICK, CLICK...

The sound of shells clicking grew more frequent, still abnormally clear over the rushing water.

None of them dared to move forward. They stared warily at the ground beneath their feet.

But the sound wasn’t just coming from below. It seemed to be emanating from within the rainbow lights as well.

Moreover, the lights were steadily solidifying, taking on all sorts of blurry shapes.

The rainbow lights, once simple curves, became amorphous blobs like colorful Play-Doh and began to slowly expand.

Shifts in the misty air sometimes made the lights vanish, only for them to reappear in an instant. It was like a broken television, its screen flickering at a dizzying frequency.

Before long, the rainbow light had diffused all around them, threatening to envelop everything.

"What is this?" Li Xiangyi couldn’t help but ask. "Did my light ribbon cause it?"

Worried, she prepared to put her relic away.

But Old Xu quickly stopped her. "Don’t worry. It’s perfectly safe here. Keep it lit."

Hearing Old Xu’s words, she relaxed slightly and continued to watch as the rainbow lights kept changing.

"It’s a mirage," Old Xu explained, grabbing a handful of the surrounding mist and rubbing his fingers together.

"A mirage?" the two asked in unison.

"That’s right. The damp air and this fishy smell are the hallmarks of a mirage. These rainbow lights are also a precursor to its appearance," Old Xu explained calmly.

"We just have to wait."

Although Old Xu seemed confident, Li Luo didn’t look so reassured. She had already pulled out her electronic screen to look up information on mirages.

...

Stories of mirages have existed since ancient times.

In ancient lore, they were believed to be the breath of a mythical clam that could form visions of cities and pavilions.

Modern science, however, has long since determined the true cause of mirages.

They are simply a natural phenomenon caused by the refraction of light, which projects images of distant scenery into the sky. They often occur near water during the summer or in deserts.

But in the Abyss, people have witnessed entirely different kinds of mirages.

A lone-wolf Hunter named Shen Ping was the first to discover this strange phenomenon on the 3rd Floor of the Abyss.

As a renowned Hunter, he had not only completed many official missions but also collected numerous relics, turning them over to the authorities to acquire a great deal of resources.

For a time, his fame was second to none.

But only Shen Ping himself knew that he had even borrowed the money to buy his boat.

The Abyss was full of information brokers—people with little ability of their own who sold the locations of islands to other Hunters.

Relying on his bold and venturesome style, Shen Ping had explored many island ruins alone. Recently, he had bought information about another island from one of these brokers.

"That island has a great environment. Once you’re done exploring, report it to the authorities. They might even build an island base there," the broker told him.

"Why don’t you explore it yourself?" Shen Ping knew these brokers always oversold their goods.

"Er, well, it’s a little strange over there. Illusions keep appearing on the island. They’re harmless but pretty scary. And the ruins are very easy to find..."

Shen Ping listened as the broker spouted a stream of nonsense.

’It’s not like you can get any useful information out of these brokers anyway,’ he thought. ’I’ll just be grateful if the location is correct.’

Once his preparations were complete, Shen Ping hastily set out on the designated route.

’After this one score, the loan will be paid off.’ Shen Ping was already imagining himself, debt-free, conquering the Abyss and reaching the pinnacle of success.

Soon, he arrived at the designated location.

"The environment really is amazing!"

The broker hadn’t lied. It was an exceptionally beautiful island, covered in lush vegetation. A stone mountain of modest height stood at its center, wreathed in mist, looking just like an Immortal Realm.

The island’s ruins weren’t buried deep, either. From the coast, he could see large sections of ruins on the mountain.

"I’ve hit the jackpot!"

Whenever he explored islands in the past, the ruins were often buried deep inland, sometimes even inside a Volcano. It was incredibly rare to find them sitting so conspicuously out in the open.

This was practically easy mode.

Shen Ping couldn’t wait to get onto the island. The path was devoid of danger, like a stroll through an ordinary mountain forest. He felt surprisingly relaxed.

The creatures in the forest seemed friendly enough, too—just small animals that scurried away when they saw him approach.

Shen Ping had a relic for monitoring his physical condition.

Even though the journey had been completely effortless, he still took out the relic from time to time to check if he was under any unknown influence.

"The safest place is the most dangerous place." This was the conclusion he had reached after exploring so many islands.

Fortunately, the path seemed genuinely safe, and he soon reached the foot of the stone mountain.

The ruins were classical Chinese-style pavilions, built onto the mountain face with ingenious architectural techniques. Their wooden frames rested on angled support pillars that extended from the rock, making them look as if they were flying high in the air.

A stone staircase, carved directly from the mountain, snaked upward into the clouds and mist.

"This really is an Immortal Realm," Shen Ping marveled at the ruin’s beauty as he carefully climbed.

By the time he was halfway up the mountain, the mist had grown very thick. Shen Ping caught a faint, fishy smell of shellfish within it.

The path ahead became blurry, and the damp air made the stone underfoot slippery. Shen Ping instinctively slowed his pace.

He might have been admiring the view, but he never once let down his guard.

’This is a ruin, after all.’

And sure enough, it wasn’t long before he noticed something was wrong.

Shen Ping had been very particular about the time he chose to land on the island. It was early morning, and as sunlight scattered through the air, faint rainbow glimmers began to appear in the mist.

He noticed the lights, of course, and immediately stopped walking.

The lights slowly spread, then gradually coalesced, forming one silhouette after another within the mist.

’These must be the illusions the broker mentioned,’ Shen Ping thought.

The silhouettes gradually resolved into humanoid figures draped in magnificent, embroidered robes. Their attire was extremely elaborate, complete with a full array of accessories that made them seem almost bulky.

These figures, with their incomparably splendid clothing, seemed to fit perfectly with this Immortal Realm-like mountain.

’Are these Immortals?’ The thought surfaced in Shen Ping’s mind.

However, as the figures fully solidified, Shen Ping was taken aback by what he saw.

The heads on these figures were all different kinds of sea creatures!

An orca with wide, glaring eyes.

A menacing, writhing octopus.

A head-bobbing lobster.

A smiling starfish.

...

These weren’t Immortals!

They were Sea Immortals!