Chapter 1133: 1133
The fish’s intestines were longer than Saleen expected them to be . A level seven Water Shield was able to last for about two miles of the journey before collapsing . In contrast, level ten would last over 20 miles . Things were hellish and chaotic in the fish’s intestines .
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The walls kept expanding and contracting . Any matter that entered the intestines turned into weapons against Saleen and his people .
Even if Saleen’s calculative abilities were very bad, he knew it was a matter of time before things would take a turn for the worse . He said to others around him, “I don’t think I’d be able to keep doing this till the end of the journey . If you guys have anything else to bring to the table, work with me and get things in order . We can only protect everyone here by doing so . ”
Sul answered immediately, “my liege, the golden sword aura would work, but it would only work with you, and I have no idea how long it would last . ”
“Doesn’t matter . Leave the calculations to me . ” Saleen had ample mental powers at the moment; it was running out of magic chords that concerned him . If his scrolls and magic staffs were depleted in such a predicament, he would only have himself to rely on .
Nailisi said, “Master, my shield could cast Demonic Protection, but I can’t hold it for long . ”
Saleen nodded in acknowledgment . He looked into Nailisi’s shield before . If Nailisi was capable of using it to cast demon skills, it would possibly work better than his Water Shield .
Eleanor then said, “I’m not quite sure of my defensive skills . It could protect everyone here but the duration…”
“I’ll do the calculations . Relax . ”
Sika then said, “I’d be able to keep everyone safe for about a hundred miles . But if restoration is to be taken into consideration, I’d probably only be able to use it once . ”
Cuisi felt rather sorry for himself . “Your highness, I’d only be able to protect myself . If any of you run out, feel free to leave me out . I’d be able to survive for some time . ”
Saleen smiled . “We won’t need to do that . We have Nailisi to blame for not giving you a set of powerful gear . If we survive this, I’ll have her see to it . ”
Nailisi stuck out her tongue and ground her teeth secretly . Cuisi was the most powerful of the four demons directly under her, and the most loyal . It was entirely within reason to get him a decent set of equipment . However, her failure to do so in time meant that it was entirely within reason to have her master chastise her for it .
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Saleen thought for a bit . “Sika is able to hold on for the longest duration . We’ll have her use her skills last . Eleanor’s duration is the one that’s most difficult to pinpoint, but she is able to stay in Sensory Sharing with me for quite a long period . She’d be the second to use hers . Cuisi, no need to fret . If Sika were longer be able to last, I’d keep you out of the loop . You’d need to only focus on protecting yourself . I’d be able to last for another hour by taking care of one person less . ”
Cuisi nodded, and Saleen continued, “Sul, you’re up first . You’re able to recover golden sword aura quickest . Nailisi will be next . She can share senses with me, so nothing will go wrong . If Nailisi’s strength fails and you’ve recovered enough, you’ll take the helm again . ”
Sul understood . While his powers paled in comparison to everyone around him, he was able to regenerate the most quickly . A golden grand swordmaster’s regeneration rate was far above a mage’s .
It was his edge over everyone else . When Sul was so tired that he was no longer able to regenerate in time, others would take his place . When everyone was worn out, he would be able to help Saleen hold on for the next few rounds .
After Saleen got the plan in place, he cast his last Water Shield . The level seven shield simply served as a buffer before the plan began . When the Water Shield burst, Sul unleashed thick golden sword aura under Saleen’s command, keeping everyone wrapped in it .
Saleen had considered using the 12 Notes of First Purgatory . But if he did that, the resulting massive spatial fluctuations would alert the big fish . If a person knew that something dangerous lurked within their stomach, they would take some magic pharmaceuticals to kill it . The big fish’s powers might not have exceeded level 12, but it would be at the pinnacle of level 12 at all times .
Its powers had been limited by the rules of their plane, but if it were a human being and its powers likened to a level 12 sorcerer, it would be capable of casting more than 10 thousand level 12 spells continuously .
Such was the difference between their powers and that of the fish . As such, Saleen had no intentions whatsoever to fight the fish . He was, after all, so insignificant to the fish that they would make it through safely so long as they did not alert it .
If he had a death wish and summoned his elemental creatures, demons, and ancient figures to fight the fish, then the fish would digest them, reducing them to nutrients .
When Sul’s golden sword aura was unleashed, Saleen was able to tell the difference between Sul then and now . Sul’s powers had reached the pinnacle of golden grand swordmaster after training for a hundred years .
The golden sword aura stuck close to everyone’s bodies, causing no discomfort at all . In the fish’s perspective, the golden sword aura was completely devoid of offensive capacities . It was a pure defensive measure .
Sul had developed such precise control of his sword aura, but he was still unable to advance to level ten . It was a testament of how potent the powers of a level ten True Might would be .
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Saleen had developed quite a deep understanding of what combat capacities of swordmasters were like relative to their levels . Sul did not disappoint . His golden sword aura protected six people and lasted for more than 30 miles before dissipating .
Saleen had Nailisi take his place immediately . She took out her shield, getting ready for the moment the golden sword aura was no longer around, before casting black energies and enveloping everyone within .
It was apparent that Nailisi was unfamiliar with the skills needed to do so . Saleen maintained a sensory connection with her, allowing him to assess her skills . She relied on the shield’s inherent power to protect everyone around her .
Nailisi lasted a very long time . Her energies were only exhausted after about a hundred miles . All skills had their limits . Nailisi was able to maintain combat readiness, but she was no longer able to activate the shield . It was the shield, rather than her, that lacked the ability to continue doing so .
It was satisfactory to Saleen . He deemed it fortunate that he had discussed with everyone beforehand . He had expected the fish’s intestines to be little more than a hundred miles long, but they were still unable to see the end even after moving over 200 miles .
Saleen shifted his Sensory Sharing to Eleanor after sensing that Nailisi was about to give . The longbow in Eleanor’s hand shone with brilliant green light, shrouding everyone . The black energies from before dispelled without a trace .
Nailisi smirked . She was able to see that Eleanor’s longbow had grown in power, which meant that her master had worked on it again .
Nailisi speculated if there was something going on between her master and the elf . However, as Sika was around, she dared not ask about it, and it bothered her immensely .
Saleen was able to feel Nailisi’s emotional fluctuations . However, it was his utmost priority to take care of everyone, which meant that he had no time to spare to analyze Nailisi’s thoughts .
Eleanor was humble about her abilities . Saleen had initially prepared to keep Sensory Sharing activated between them, but there was no sign of her skills giving in after over ten miles .
Saleen was at ease enough to temporarily cut his connection with her . He knew that the Seven Nights that he had re-crafted would be over ten times more powerful in the hands of an elf than it would in the hands of a human .
While Eleanor did not hide any of the elf’s skills to Saleen, but he was unable to train in most of them to begin with . Such all-encompassing defensive skills used at the moment was something that would see limited use in battle, so he had never seen Eleanor use .
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He quickly found, in surprise, that it had worked better than his level ten Water Shield when she did come to use it .
That was that level ten spells was inferior; it was just that Saleen still lacked the mastery of his Water Shield spells . He was concerned about lightning patterns on the shields shocking the fish, so he rubbed it all off for the moment .
That, unfortunately, meant that his Water Shields suffered a sharp drop in performance . If there were lightning patterns on the surface of the Water Shield, electrical currents would jump when it came into contact with the fish’s body, which would definitely alert the fish .
Other creatures were incapable of attacking things inside their bodies, but Saleen was sure that something of that size would have means to do so .
Eleanor lasted for over a hundred miles before her skill collapsed . Half of the power of faith within the Seven Nights was exhausted . Saleen cast a level seven Water Shield to cover for her, then gestured for Sika to get ready .
Sika took out her triangular bone piece, which expanded to the size of a small boat in Sika’s hands, the hollow parts spacious enough to hold all of them . Everyone bent and wiggled into the bone . Green energy then seeped out of the bone’s crevices, sealing it altogether .
Sika’s work was not done . She kept her focus and steered the bone . The sharpness of the bone’s edges exceeded any blade . However, Sika dared not try and see for herself if the fish intestines were able to withstand the bone’s attacks .
If the bone truly cut up the intestine, it would be the end for them all .
Saleen, however, was at ease . He conjured Water Flame . “It seems like everyone is doing fine . Restore your mental powers as quick as you can . We have no idea what awaits outside . ”
A tornado was conjured out of the Water Flame as he spoke, which flew outside the bone and wrapped its edges . the tornado was incapable of damaging the bone piece .
The tornado was hardly a threat to the fish intestines . It was enough for Sika to simply maintain the energies at the crevices of the bone .
Sika sighed in exasperation . “I’ve underestimated a priest’s skill . I would have crafted a totem if I knew sooner . It would have saved me a lot of trouble . ”
Everyone calmed down, finding themselves safe in the fish intestine . Other than Saleen and his people, there were also some small magic beasts to be found in the fish intestine .
The magic beasts were all caught by surprise . Most were absorbed into the fish’s body and died . There were, however, some fish that were enveloped in energy balls, which kept them safe .
Saleen’s Elemental Eye peered out to analyze and record the energy balls conjured by the small fish, keeping the records forcefully etched in his mind using magic .
The way the energy balls worked differed considerably with magic, and only the Water Shield shared some similarities with them . Saleen knew that it was his chance at improving the Water Shield . The fish had probably spent years inside the big fish’s body, and had developed self-preservation instincts as a result .
The small fish’s energy balls were formed through trial and error . They were flawless as defensive measures, and only absolute, overwhelming power would be able to crush them .
All of them were moving forward and around the fish’s intestines for over 1700 miles . Saleen helped Sika seal the bone’s crevices several times throughout the journey . They alternated in keeping everyone safe, and did not run into further dangers .
The fish’s stomach felt a sting within and decided to flush the pain-inducing pharmaceuticals and other small impurities out of its body . It never intended to kill any parasitic life forms inside its body .
The life forms were not entirely useless to the fish, as they helped the fish clean the insides of its body . They were even some fish that were so small, that they were capable of entering the fish’s bloodstream and help clear any true parasites and impurities within .
It was due precisely to such an environment and special attributes of the big fish that Saleen and his people were able to stay safe . Any single part of the big fish could unleashing powerful attacks . If the fish’s intestines contracted earnestly, everyone would be crushed to death .
“The exit is near . Everyone, brace yourselves!” Saleen’s Elemental Eye caught sight of that exit that continued contracting and expanding, and he felt rather disgusted…