The mermaid slowly raised her arms as she faced a group of Crabmen, the surrounding water forming a barrier that enveloped her form. The Crabmen's fierce assault struck the water shield, and for a moment, no one could breach the defense. The Crabmen did not give up. The Merfolk possessed powerful water manipulation abilities, and being underwater, this was undeniably their home turf. However, the Crabmen’s strength lay in their pincers, which contained immense power, capable of crushing anything caught between them.
The continuous attacks caused ripples to appear on the water shield. Seeing this, the young mermaid opened her mouth, and waves and ripples spread out from the ocean. The once calm seawater began to move, gathering around the mermaid. She extended her arms, and the water transformed into sharp swords that shot towards the Crabmen. The Crabmen, seeing this, showed no fear. Different races had different abilities. The Merfolk excelled at water manipulation, while the Crabmen’s prowess was in their pincers, capable of severing anything.
The water swords were continuously severed by the Crabmen's pincers. The mermaid did not give up her resistance, knowing that if she surrendered, her fate would be dire. The thought was terrifying, and she wanted to survive. She channeled all her strength into controlling the water, regretting sneaking out to play. If she had mastered her abilities, dealing with mere Crabmen would have been effortless. Before the Crabmen’s pincers, her attacks shattered repeatedly.
The pincers even closed in on her. The mermaid slowly closed her eyes, when suddenly, a beam of light appeared, blocking the incoming pincers. Chen Tian’s arm stopped the attacking pincers. The young Crabman looked at the human before him and said, "Human, mind your own business! You are not of this world, leave quickly."
The young Crabman increased his strength, trying to break free from Chen Tian’s control, but he found that no matter how much he exerted himself, he couldn't escape Chen Tian's grasp. It was as if Chen Tian's arms were magnetic, his pincers firmly stuck. Chen Tian shook his head and said, "I will protect this one. You should all leave."
"Boy, who do you think you are? A mere human dares to interfere in the affairs of our half-human race. You court death."
The leading young Crabman spoke menacingly. Chen Tian did not reply. With a gentle toss of his arm, he sent the young Crabman he held flying. Chen Tian stood before the group of Crabmen and calmly stated, "Leave here within three counts. You are merely cultivators at the third realm. Ants should cherish their lives."
"Boy, we are not afraid. If you attack us, the entire half-human race will not spare you."
The leading young Crabman did not believe Chen Tian would kill them all. After all, this was the half-human world, and for a human to attack them would make him an enemy of their entire race.
Chen Tian slowly opened his eyes and raised his arm slightly. Instantly, the surrounding water was influenced, forming a large net that enveloped all the Crabmen. With a *bang*, the net exploded. Chen Tian could freely control water energy, and in the ocean, he was even more adept.
Chen Tian looked at the scene before him. He had given them a chance to live, but they did not cherish it.
Just as Chen Tian thought the matter was over, a voice echoed from the sky: "Kill, kill, kill all humans, kill all humans!"
"Kill all humans!"
From within the exploding corpses, countless black lines converged. The broken bodies miraculously fused together, and a colossal being appeared before Chen Tian and the mermaid.
"Impossible, a Demon-Clawed Crab!"
The young mermaid stared at the colossal being before her. Such a creature shouldn't exist, yet it was right in front of her. She couldn't believe it.
Chen Tian looked at the gigantic crab, which seemed to possess no consciousness. Its eyes were perfectly aligned. It had a black and red carapace, nine crab legs on each side, and four large pincers in total, two on each side.
Chen Tian was very interested in the voice he had just heard. It seemed the Star Radiance World indeed held secrets. Things were happening as soon as he entered it.
Seeing how the creature hated humans, the giant crab brought down its pincers. Chen Tian quickly dodged, and the pincer missed, stirring up water. The pincer retracted, and Chen Tian seized the opportunity to attack. He was not one to passively wait.
He launched an offensive, wanting to gauge the strength of this colossal being.
Chen Tian's fists flew out, and with a rumble, they struck the crab's shell. Chen Tian was forced back several steps, his arm faintly aching. Even with thirty percent of his strength, he couldn't shatter the crab's shell. This crab's power was at least on par with his own.
The crab's shell was incredibly tough. Chen Tian estimated he would need to use his full strength to break it. While Chen Tian was contemplating, the pincers descended again. Chen Tian opened his hands and grabbed the pincers. Tremendous power emanated from the pincers, and Chen Tian gritted his teeth as he resisted.
He was forced to increase his strength, using seventy percent this time to push the pincers away. He then threw his fists forward, the surrounding water coalescing around his fists, forming drill-like shapes. His water-drill fists struck the crab's shell, producing a sizzling sound. Chen Tian’s attack had some effect, leaving a shallow, fiery scratch on the creature.
This also proved the extraordinary toughness of the crab shell.
Chen Tian retreated, the water flow around his fists dissipating. This shell was truly hard, was Chen Tian's assessment.
"Roar roar roar!"
The enraged Demon-Clawed Crab swung its pincers. This time, the pincers shot out, separating from its arms and attacking from both sides, as if intending to crush Chen Tian into paste. Chen Tian's figure flashed, dodging rapidly. As fast as the pincers were, they couldn't match Chen Tian's speed, as they were too large and cumbersome. Chen Tian’s body was agile, making the pincers’ attacks easy to evade.
After dodging the attacks, Chen Tian was covered in a water-elemental armor. In the ocean, an inexhaustible supply of water elements allowed him to drive it. Chen Tian didn't need any other energy. The water-elemental armor's defensive power was already comparable to the crab's shell.
After all, this was the ocean. As long as the ocean didn't dry up, Chen Tian's water armor would continuously increase its defense. Chen Tian's mastery over elemental energy was growing, especially after reaching the second level.
Chen Tian's body collided with the Demon-Clawed Crab's body. This clash was a test of defense: whose defense was superior?
Amidst a deafening explosion, a figure was thrown back. It was Chen Tian. His defense, ultimately, was slightly inferior to the opponent's, but with time, his defense would surpass it.
Seeing that it couldn't take down Chen Tian, the Demon-Clawed Crab let out a roar, and the surrounding water became chaotic.
"Angry?"
Chen Tian could tell the Demon-Clawed Crab was enraged, in a fury. But its eyes lacked any sign of reason, which Chen Tian found strange.
Was it just a puppet, his subconscious whispered.