The troubles encountered by Harry and the third squad were all seen by Bai Qi from not far away. Bai Qi also knew the identity of those undying monsters: they were a type of cursed creature called sea ghosts.
Those who sailed at sea, whether they were fishermen out at sea or pirates who killed and plundered, held great reverence for the ocean.
According to legend, anyone who sailed at sea without reverence for the ocean would be punished by the ocean. Towering waves would capsize their ships, and the ocean's curse would trap them in the sea forever.
This legend sounded terrifying, but it was just that.
The ocean had no will of its own. It was simply that the cold, dark waters were more conducive to the gathering of dark energy. Those who were said to disrespect the ocean were merely those who fell into the sea during a shipwreck and were influenced by the dark energy in the ocean, thus becoming sea ghosts.
The greatest characteristic of sea ghosts was their immortality. Although they lost their sense of smell, taste, and touch, and their bodies became dilapidated, it could be considered a form of eternal life.
However, as the legend stated, sea ghosts produced under such circumstances could not leave the seawater. Once they stepped onto land, they would quickly turn to ashes and perish completely without the seawater.
The current situation, however, was that these sea ghosts, which lived in the sea, were standing on the ice and fighting against Harry and his subordinates.
There were likely two reasons for this situation.
The first was that this ice island was formed from frozen seawater, or it itself existed at the bottom of the sea and surfaced because Bai Qi and others completed a ritual at the first marked point.
Furthermore, the sea ghosts crawled out from beneath the ice, indicating that they were originally sealed beneath the ice.
If this were not the case, the sea ghosts would have died in the ice and would not have been able to climb out.
Another reason was that the small mountain where the crystal fragments were located was not inanimate but alive, a more ancient creature of dark energy nurtured by dark energy, called a Sea Ghost Mountain.
Although it had "mountain" in its name, this creature was an arthropod, similar in form to a hermit crab. The small mountain on its back, composed of shells and coral, was its shell for protection and camouflage. It was called a Sea Ghost Mountain because sea ghosts appeared around this dark energy creature.
Sea Ghost Mountains and sea ghosts could be said to have a symbiotic relationship. Sea ghosts could not leave the seawater due to their nature, while Sea Ghost Mountains lacked self-preservation methods. Despite their thick shells, they could not change their weakness of slow movement.
Thus, they struck a deal: sea ghosts provided protection for the Sea Ghost Mountain, while the Sea Ghost Mountain used its characteristics to create a marine environment for them on land, allowing the sea ghosts to move within a small radius around it. Moreover, the dark energy emanating from it could also provide buffs to the sea ghosts.
Sea Ghost Mountains, as creatures of dark energy, gradually decreased in number as the dark energy weakened, and they had now become rare species. However, rare did not mean extinct. The strength of a Sea Ghost Mountain depended on its age; the older the Sea Ghost Mountain, the stronger it was. The age of a Sea Ghost Mountain could be estimated by the size of the mountain on its back; the taller the mountain, the older it was.
This one, over ten meters tall, was at least a hundred years old.
Such a Sea Ghost Mountain, let alone with the assistance of sea ghosts, would not be a match for Harry and his subordinates, even without the sea ghosts.
The reason Bai Qi let them go to retrieve the crystal fragments, even though he knew they couldn't win, was more of a tempering experience, to let them know that there were always greater powers out there and not to get too arrogant after a slight improvement in strength.
Harry and his subordinates were busy dealing with the sea ghosts and didn't notice, but Bai Qi saw it clearly. Several small holes at the top of the Sea Ghost Mountain were continuously spraying out humid mist mixed with dark energy.
Harry and his subordinates, as werewolves, were also creatures of dark energy. However, their attributes were different. The dark energy sprayed by the Sea Ghost Mountain carried its own moisture. Harry and his subordinates, having stayed with Bai Qi for a long time, had somewhat absorbed the fiery energy emanating from Bai Qi, which clashed with the dark energy of the Sea Ghost Mountain.
Therefore, inhaling this dark energy would not provide any enhancement but would instead weaken them.
Seeing his subordinates in a stalemate with the sea ghosts, and as time passed without Bai Qi getting impatient, Harry began to get anxious.
After all, he had boasted to the great one earlier. With such a long delay, Harry was already losing face. If they couldn't defeat it quickly, he was afraid the great one would truly be displeased.
He smashed the sea ghost blocking him and said to his subordinates, "You guys hold the line, I'll go get the crystal."
With that, he rushed towards the Sea Ghost Mountain.
"Alas, still too impatient," Bai Qi sighed helplessly as he watched Harry's actions. With a flick of his finger, several shadows darted out from Bai Qi's silhouette.
At this moment, Harry had reached the Sea Ghost Mountain. He exerted force with his legs, leaped up, and used all four limbs to grab onto the protruding coral to climb.
Just as Harry was climbing higher and was about to touch the crystal fragments above, the Sea Ghost Mountain suddenly moved. The violent shaking caused Harry to lose his grip and fall, hitting the ice with a heavy thud.
"What in the world is this thing!?"
When Harry got up, the scene before him left him too shocked to speak.
He saw the small mountain in front of him shake violently, then grow legs and pincers. This thing was actually alive!
The awakened Sea Ghost Mountain was furious, not only because Harry and his subordinates had intruded into its territory and disturbed its dreams, but more importantly, because they wanted to steal the treasure on its shell.
It should be known that with the weakening of dark energy and the onset of the Age of Ending, many creatures of dark energy could not withstand the test of time and had disappeared into the long river of history. The reason this Sea Ghost Mountain had survived for over a hundred years was entirely due to the crystal fragment on its head, which continuously provided it with magical power.
Now, Harry wanting to take away the fragment was tantamount to taking the Sea Ghost Mountain's life, so it was no wonder it was angry.
The furious Sea Ghost Mountain didn't waste any words with Harry and swung its large pincers at him.
Fortunately, Harry was quick-witted and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being smashed into a pulp by the large pincers.
However, this further enraged the Sea Ghost Mountain. It brandished its pincers, and by its posture, it was determined to smash Harry into a pulp today.
He quickly got up from the ground and, after dodging several attacks from the Sea Ghost Mountain, he launched an attack against it.
Unfortunately, Sea Ghost Mountains were inherently hard, and an aged Sea Ghost Mountain was even harder. This one was harder than steel all over. Harry attacked several parts of it consecutively but failed to succeed even once, not even managing to leave a scratch on the Sea Ghost Mountain.
"Ah! This is bad!"