The train was like a silent metal beast, slowly driving into the depths of the thick fog.

Outside the window was no longer the clear, shimmering light common to the Emerald Sea; instead, it was swallowed by a gray mist, making even the sound of the waves indistinct.

The needle on the elemental detector began to vibrate irregularly, emitting a low-frequency hum.

The train continued forward through the thick fog.

The pink haze outside the window became increasingly apparent, silently washing over the sea and coiling around the islands.

As the journey progressed deeper, the mist gradually thinned, and a strange sight emerged before their eyes.

Countless small islands were scattered across the sea like pieces on a chessboard, evenly spaced and arranged with apparent mystery, as if forming a vast, naturally occurring formation.

The train slowly entered the central area of the island cluster.

In the control room, Zi Yuan, who was on duty, suddenly narrowed her eyes. She keenly sensed a powerful aura lurking on every island—cold and obscure, like a sleeping ferocious beast.

Before she could speak a warning, those auras suddenly awakened and erupted, then converged from all directions into a torrent of dark red energy, tearing through the sea mist and striking directly at the train!

Zi Yuan reacted extremely quickly; the long saber at her waist unsheathed, and a sharp purple blade-light slashed through the air, clashing violently with the dark red torrent.

A booming explosion rang out, and the residual energy wave dispersed the surrounding mist; the two were actually evenly matched.

Zi Yuan frowned deeply—in her perception, she should have been able to block this strike easily.

Was the enemy too strong?

But a second later, she suddenly realized: it wasn't that the enemy had become stronger, but that she had become weaker.

The pink mist permeating the air was quietly eroding her power. Though it was so slow as to be almost imperceptible, it was continuously weakening her combat strength.

This mist... there really is something strange about it!

By now, the other Employees inside the train had been alerted by the commotion and appeared one after another, their eyes full of vigilance.

Qingniao's gaze turned sharp as his wings unfurled, transforming into a streak of green light that soared into the sky, charging straight toward the nearest island.

The other Employees also instantly understood the situation.

That attack didn't come from a living creature, but was an ambush from a pre-arranged formation.

As long as the formation nodes were destroyed, the situation could be resolved.

"Split up and finish this quickly!" Zi Yuan barked, leaping toward another island with her saber.

Everyone moved in response, displaying their various abilities and shooting toward the surrounding islands like sharp arrows.

On the sea, blades flashed and elements surged as a fierce battle to break the formation suddenly unfolded.

The train remained suspended in the center of the formation. Inside, Bai Cheng, Leng Ningxue, and Yu Nian had also been awakened, watching the battle outside intently.

The pink mist still lingered, but now no one viewed it as a harmless nighttime decoration.

It was precisely the most hidden killing intent within this death formation.

The moment the formation was broken, the energy vortex at the center of the island cluster suddenly collapsed, and the dark red light receded like a tide.

Amidst the chaotic aftermath, a blurry figure separated from the shadow of a certain island. Without the slightest hesitation, the figure turned and sped away toward the rear of the train, deeper into the mist.

The train's massive body was difficult to turn flexibly in the narrow waters of the island group; just as the figure expected, it could not pursue immediately.

However, Qingniao's reaction was even faster.

Almost at the same instant the figure appeared, he had already turned into a streak of green lightning and changed direction. Lightning flashed violently on his wings as he tore through the air at an incredible speed, giving chase.

Though the fugitive was fast, they were ultimately no match for Qingniao's extreme speed while wielding lightning.

In just a few breaths, Qingniao had overtaken them and intercepted them from the front.

The two sides faced off in mid-air, their auras colliding violently.

The fugitive was enveloped in a layer of dark water-light, clearly a first-rank King Rank Expert who specialized in the water element.

Although his rank was slightly lower than Qingniao's, his energy was solid and heavy, carrying the ferocity and shrewdness unique to the Infinite Realm, honed through countless slaughters.

He wasted no words; with a phantom grip of his hands, the seawater below suddenly boiled, condensing into countless ink-black water blades with sharp edges that shot toward Qingniao like a torrential rain, making a shrill and piercing sound as they broke through the air.

Qingniao's gaze was cold as he gave his wings a sudden flap. Dazzling lightning exploded from him as the center, turning into an interlaced electric grid.

The water blades crashed into the lightning net, immediately erupting in a continuous "sizzling" sound. They were evaporated and dispersed by the violent power of the lightning, leaving a black mist behind.

However, several exceptionally solid water blades still penetrated the gaps in the lightning net, attacking Qingniao's vital points from tricky angles.

"Hmph." Qingniao snorted coldly, his body leaving several afterimages in the air as he narrowly avoided them.

He grabbed at the air with his right hand, and a long spear composed entirely of highly compressed thunder instantly took shape, with brilliant white electric snakes dancing along its shaft.

The next moment, his figure vanished, reappearing right in front of the opponent as he thrust the Thunder Spear forward, fast as a startled swan!

The King-level powerhouse's pupils constricted. He crossed his arms to block, and a deep blue water shield, flowing with runes and as thick as a city wall, instantly rose before him.

Boom—!

The Thunder Spear and water shield collided violently, producing a deafening roar.

The violent thunder elements and the condensed water elements frantically eroded and annihilated each other, the shockwave pressing a huge depression into the sea surface below.

The water shield fluctuated violently and cracks appeared, but it did not break immediately, showing its master's exquisite and solid control over the water element.

Qingniao's offensive was as continuous as thunder.

Having failed to break through with one strike, his left hand had already formed a seal. Dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, and several thick, azure lightning pillars struck down without warning, sealing off all of the opponent's evasion space.

Simultaneously, the light from the Thunder Spear in his hand intensified as he ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) thrust it forward with a second surge of power!

The fugitive's expression changed. He was forced to divide his attention to manipulate the water currents into a vortex to try and deflect the lightning pillars while also putting everything into maintaining the water shield.

In that split second of divided focus, with a "crack," the water shield was finally pierced by the Thunder Spear!

Although the spear's momentum had weakened and failed to cause a serious injury, the stray electricity had already surged onto his body, making his movements stiffen.

Qingniao seized this fleeting opportunity. He abandoned the spear and clapped his wings together forward, sending two condensed storms of lightning slamming into the opponent's chest.

"Pfft!" The fugitive spat out a mouthful of blood as his protective water-light completely collapsed, his body flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

Qingniao followed him like a shadow. With lightning flickering at his fingertips, he instantly placed dozens of fine lightning shackles around the opponent's vital points, completely imprisoning his power.

By this time, the train had also slowly come to a steady stop.

Qingniao carried the captive, who was bound by lightning and had lost all ability to resist, transformed into a streak of electricity, and returned, throwing him onto the train's deck.

From start to finish, the battle lasted only a brief moment, yet it fully demonstrated the danger and efficiency of King Rank combat in the Infinite Realm,

as well as the overwhelming victory Qingniao achieved through superior speed, explosive power, and combat experience, despite the disadvantageous elemental matchup.

Although these King-level powerhouses of the Infinite Realm were strong, Bai Cheng's Immortal Level Employees were certainly no pushovers either.

Bai Cheng and the other two approached, their gazes sizing up the strange figure before them.