Battle Frenzy

The Dragon’s Head Shore was now filled with all kinds of people. The underground world did not have any special restrictions on the spreading of information. Thus, various new information was transmitted and spread at an extremely high speed. As a result, Lao Wang was not bored even after idling here for half a month. Other than chatting with Brewwre and his other friends daily, he spent most of his time strolling along the Netherworld River.

Grai had told him about the method that the two of them used to absorb power from the Netherworld River. Lao Wang had secretly tried it out, but it was obvious that his attempt was not successful. Even when he followed the exact same method that Mu Zi and Grai used, he was unable to absorb any hint of power from the water of the Netherworld River. When he came into contact with the water there, he would feel the chilling and terrifying underworld aura piercing through his bones, making it hard to continue touching it, let alone draw any power from the water.

Furthermore, this was only the ordinary Netherworld River water. It was hard to imagine Mu Zi and Grai’s experience in the depths of the Netherworld River as Grai had described. Moreover, the energy from this underworld aura was different from the pure spiritual power from the Heavenly River in the Land. Not only were the energy structure and attributes different, but there was also a strange feeling to it, as if the energy of the Netherworld River had some sort of independent consciousness that wanted to infiltrate one’s consciousness. After spending a lot of time along the riverbank, Lao Wang could feel hints of negative emotions, including restlessness, anxiety, and bloodthirstiness from the depths of his heart.

However, this was Lao Wang. Back when he was on Earth, his soul had become exceptionally powerful and sensitive from the “transformation” by the Fate Stone. Thus, the slight changes in his emotions were extremely intense, while an ordinary person would probably not be able to sense these. Additionally, when these restless and anxious emotions accumulated in the depths of one’s heart and surpassed a threshold, a person’s entire disposition would change. However, they would think that this was their inherent nature and not realize that they had been affected by the Netherworld River.

Lao Wang was silently apprehensive. When he thought about the bloodthirstiness that Mu Zi displayed towards the Three Great Factions as described by his friends, he was afraid that there was an inseparable connection between this and the will of the Netherworld River.

The traders thought that they would be waiting for only 10 days, but they had now been waiting at the Dragon’s Head Shore for over a month. They were approaching the three-month maximum that the Netherworld King did not appear for previously, but there was no news from the Wanderer.

The people at the Dragon’s Head Shore experienced fluctuating emotions, especially those who had spent a large amount of money to wait here. They had paid a good amount of money for accommodation fees or the Yin and Yang Pills just to wait here, spending large amounts of money every day. For each day the Netherworld King was not present, they would not have any return on their investment. As a result, they became anxious and worried.

Recently, there had been rumors all around Dragon’s Head Shore.

Some said that the Netherworld King had gone to a special place in search of treasures and might be trapped in a dangerous place at the Netherworld River. Others said that the Three Great Factions had taken action in secret and gathered several almighty Gold Cores to surround the Netherworld King. In this version, those Gold Cores had probably fought with the Netherworld King until the sky turned dark before finally slaughtering him, and the Dragon’s Head Shore had simply not received the news yet.

There were many diverse discussions, but Lao Wang did not participate in these messy comments or rumors. Instead, he continued to wait silently.

The Dragon’s Head Shore could now be considered a special place in the underground world, where all taboos were lifted. Various prohibited information that could not be circulated in the Land could be elicited here. There was information regarding Napier Mo, Mo Wen of the taboo Resistance Army, and so on. However, what was rarer was the rich treasure trade.

The Dragon’s Head Shore was now filled with many people, but not all of them came here for the Netherworld King. How much could the Netherworld King give after all? Those who had the qualifications to eye the Netherworld King’s possessions were the supreme tycoons of the underground world, but such people formed, at most, less than half of the people at the Dragon’s Head Shore. In fact, most came specially to do business with these tycoons.

When dealing with these tycoons, items that could be sold fairly were definitely treasures of the underground world. Objects that were rarely seen even at high-end auctions could be seen everywhere here.

Even though their prices were not cheap, this depended on how one compared them. For example, the Glittering Dark Gold was currently the only Dark-type metal in the Star Alliance that had achieved rank-E. It was a top-quality material used to refine several types of top Dark artifacts. It could only be found in the underground world, and only a small amount of Glittering Dark Gold was produced annually. The selling price here was extremely high, with one “gram” costing several hundred Gold Star Stones, and only a few people could afford this. However, what if one tried to sell this in the Land? People would definitely buy it for several thousand Gold Star Stones per gram. No, it would be more likely to be priceless there.

Needless to say, the Heavenly Shell Race was experienced in interacting with the underground world. Giving Lao Wang the status of a Black Titan had indeed given him great convenience. No matter where he went, as long as he casually paid one or two Gold Star Stones, the surrounding people would surge towards him like locusts, following him and being at his beck and call. Various family heirlooms that Lao Wang had never seen before would be placed before him, allowing him to choose from among them.

This was a Black Titan, the famous nouveau riche race in the underground world that had developed mining! As a result, the underground races had the impression that Black Titans were rich and frank. Honestly, they were simply a race of mad dogs who had grouped together. What if another race tried to do this? If they randomly spent Gold Star Stones, they would get treated as the foolish scion of a rich family who was going to get lured to an isolated place and killed; if not, one should do good deeds to repay the heavens for one’s fortune.

Lao Wang was slightly wistful. It was a pity he had given most of the money from the Ocean Empire Planet to Ma Dong and Old Cow. If not, he would have used this convenient opportunity to buy and sell things in order to gain a large profit. Luckily, he had some extra money on him and bought various pill ingredients that were specialties of the underground world.

The most peculiar item he had obtained was a small can of Netherworld River Origin Water. This did not refer to the water that one could see everywhere in the Netherworld River. Instead, it was the essence of the Netherworld River that could be found at the origin of the River. It was slightly similar to the Heavenly River Origin Water he had bought at the Heavenly Gates, except that the effects were different.

The Heavenly River Origin Water could cause the soil to be filled with life, while the Netherworld River brought death and decay to the soil. However, one should not think that death and decay were insignificant. Life and death were opposite, but also interconnected. They served as a reference to everything in this world. Without death, life would have no meaning. Everything in this world was lively and finite because of these opposing concepts.

The contrast between the Heavenly River and the Netherworld River contained great research value. Furthermore, according to the legend of the Golden Stone Slabs that he had heard from the Eight Heavenly Kings in the Illusion Sea World’s “Heaven”, there was a Golden Stone Slab at the origin of the Netherworld River…

Even though Lao Wang was only an observer in the projected world at the Illusion Sea World, he had been worried and curious about it ever since. This definitely contained great secrets that were related to him.

As usual, Lao Wang sat at his regular spot in the pub and drank alcohol while half-heartedly observing his fragment world. At that moment, he took his mind off it, and his consciousness instantly retreated from his fragment world.

“Old Black!” Brewwre had sat beside Lao Wang with a mysterious expression on his face. “I just received some great information.”

As he spoke, he poured himself a glass of alcohol hurriedly as if he was parched. However, he did not continue speaking.

Lao Wang smiled and threw out 10 Gold Star Stones.

“Ah, Old Black. Look at you.” Brewwre flashed a troubled expression. He simply said, “This is not an issue of money…”

Lao Wang threw out another 20 Gold Star Stones.

Brewwre instantly beamed with joy and kept the 30 Gold Star Stones. Then, he spoke, “With our relationship, I should not be taking this money. However, this information is just too thrilling and was sealed very tightly by the higher-ups. I spent a lot of money too…”

Wang Zhong calmly looked at him but had no intention to continue taking out money. At this moment Brewwre awkwardly laughed. He then lowered his voice and went close to Wang Zhong’s ear. “It’s information about the Netherworld King.

“It’s said that the Netherworld King passed by here three days ago. However, the current Dragon’s Head Shore has a messy environment and many idlers. As a result, the Netherworld King was very unhappy. Old Black, you know that great figures like the Netherworld King typically like things quiet.”

Wang Zhong furrowed his eyebrows and shot him an unkind gaze. Damn, even an Earthling could not endure this, let alone Black Titans with irritable tempers.

“Old Black, don’t panic. If I only had such information, it would not be worth your 30 Gold Star Stones.” Brewwre smiled and then leaned towards Wang Zhong’s ear again. “The Great Netherworld King definitely still has to do his business. According to the newest information I received, someone found the tracks of the Netherworld King along the upper reaches of Black Gold Town. Furthermore, his coffin boat was docked along the Netherworld River near there, as if he is about to change the trade location to Black Gold Town. I heard that a pupil of the Heavenly Shade Faction figured out the tendencies of the Netherworld King. The Faction has sealed this information, as if they want to monopolize the Great Netherworld King’s business. Thus, this information has not spread.”

“How do you know that?” Wang Zhong calmly looked at him.

“Heh heh, the Heavenly Shade Faction is not among the Three Great Factions, and their rules are not as strict. It just so happens that I’m acquainted with that pupil, and he knows that I interact with many influential officials. Thus, he privately sold the information to me at a high price. I spent a full 100 Gold Star Stones on that. You see…”

“You might as well sell me a house.” Lao Wang was not foolish and glared at Brewwre.

Brewwre laughed awkwardly. Then, he put on a stern expression and said, “Old Black, you know the ropes. I will not play dumb with you either. The information definitely did not cost you that much, and you are the first person who bought this information. With this situation, whoever goes to Black Gold Town first will have the opportunity to come into contact with the Netherworld King and benefit first! Furthermore, who knows whether Black Gold Town will become like the Dragon’s Head Shore when this information spreads throughout. If the Netherworld King is unhappy and forgoes this place, no one will know where to go and find him. When it comes to things like this, being earlier has more advantages.”

One could not completely believe Brewwre’s information. When it came to people like him who saw money as everything, ensuring that 80% of what he said was true came at a cost.

However, regardless of how reliable his tip was, when it came to people like Brewwre who had a reputation of living off information, if they dared to sell it for such a high price, their information would not be completely baseless. Furthermore, with his current identity as a Black Titan, he had no enemies or grudges in the underground world, and it was unlikely that someone would intentionally try to trick him. This place was only a few dozen kilometers away from Black Gold Town, and a return journey would only take one or two hours. There was no harm in going there to take a look. If Brewwre dared to sell fake information, he would no longer be able to survive in the Dragon’s Head Shore. If Wang Zhong came back from a pointless trip, he would teach him a lesson.

Black Gold Town had an established reputation for producing Spiral Black Gold in large quantities. In the underground world, any place that was near the Netherworld River brought about desolation and death, but was also the place of production of various peculiar minerals.

As he traveled several dozen kilometers from the Dragon’s Head Shore, he was able to see massive bottomless mines that dug into the depths of the earth. In particular, the riverbank along Black Gold Town was no more than ten kilometers wide, but several dozen massive mines were scattered throughout the riverbank. When one looked down from above, the holes looked as dense as the ones in a honeycomb, and they were everywhere.

At that moment, the sky had turned dark, and dim light faintly shot out from the holes, illuminating the dark riverbank. He could faintly see a small and dark boat that had stopped at the quiet riverbank. Even though the sky was dark and Wang Zhong was hovering high in the air, he was barely able to see that the “small boat” barely resembled a boat. On the contrary, it seemed like a long and flat cuboid that looked like a coffin. It bobbed with the light waves of the black Netherworld River water and radiated a deathly aura that resembled the underworld aura.

It was calm and quiet around.

It looked like Brewwre’s information was right. That was definitely Mu Zi’s Life and Death Coffin.

Even though Lao Wang was previously doubtful, at that moment, his doubts had been dispelled. Grai had said that Mu Zi’s Life and Death Coffin was the barrier they used to cross the Netherworld River and was not the unique Netherworld “boat” that was mentioned in the tales.

When Wang Zhong thought about Mu Zi, who he had not seen for over two years, he could not help but feel his blood surge. Even though he did not see Mu Zi and Grai, they should be nearby. Furthermore, with the connection between Mu Zi and the Life and Death Coffin, as long as he approached the Life and Death Coffin, Mu Zi would definitely be able to sense it and immediately come over to meet him.

The figure that was hovering in midair rapidly flew towards the Life and Death Coffin. However, he had only travelled half the distance when he suddenly realized something.

Something wasn’t right!

Lao Wang understood Mu Zi very well. To Mu Zi, the Life and Death Coffin was not merely a piece of equipment but also the medium that contained his miserable childhood memories and was more like his origin. The Coffin did not just contain power but also his memories of his parents and his obsession with life and death, among other things.

Thus, regardless of whether he was on Earth or in the Holy City, Wang Zhong had never seen Mu Zi away from the Life and Death Coffin. Even if he was sleeping, he would wear it on his back. How could he now randomly leave the Life and Death Coffin floating alone along the riverbank?

This was a trap! Did someone place this trap to capture all the “tycoons” who coveted the Netherworld King’s possessions in one go, or were they specifically targeting him?

His thoughts flashed past, and Wang Zhong rapidly stopped his advance. However, he was too late.

At that moment, the several dozen mines that radiated a faint light all burst forth with radiance. Then, waves of sombre aura charged forth from the holes and let out a sound that resembled pathetic screaming!

Hu hu hu~ Wu wu wu~

When he looked at the several dozen mines previously, they had seemed to be scattered randomly. However, at that moment, when the light and aura burst forth, he immediately sensed that every nine mines formed a group, while every nine small groups formed a larger whole. Waves of sombre aura came together and intertwined before soaring into the sky. In an instant, the entire space had been secured and sealed up.

“It’s the Ninth Shade Killing Formation!”

Wang Zhong’s tiger-like eyes suddenly turned cold. Since he had dared to come to the underground world, he naturally knew some basic general knowledge of the place. Among the Three Great Factions, the unique and brutal Ninth Shade Killing Formation was known throughout the underground world. Its characteristics were extremely obvious, and Wang Zhong definitely recognized it!

In an instant, the space around him felt blocked, making him feel as if he was struggling to walk while stuck deep in quagmire. Then, a wave of bone-chilling aura attacked him. With the ice natural endowments that Lao Wang possessed, his resistance towards harsh coldness was very high.

However, at that moment, he immediately felt that his entire body was cold to the bones. The waves of cold air simply ignored his resistance to the cold and simply seeped into his organs, his bones, and even his brain. His speed, thoughts, reactions, and other processes instantly slowed down. Even his blood was on the verge of freezing and solidifying in an instant.

“Divine cells!” Lao Wang knew that he was knee-deep in a hopeless situation and had no time to think about anything else. A thought flashed in his mind, and the divine cells throughout his body instantly burst forth. Vast and surging energy increased at an explosive rate, stimulating his blood that was gradually solidifying. Then, his divine cells rapidly took action, and the numb and cold feeling throughout his body dissipated. However, his divine cells alone were definitely not enough. His divine cells could only burst forth with power for a moment, but the cold aura surged in an endless stream. However, this moment of moderation allowed his spiritual power to energize. His true form could now be activated.

Boom!

A pair of wings mixed with red and blue energy instantly spread out from Wang Zhong’s back. His spiritual power and physical body rapidly increased in power. At the same time, he fiercely flapped his wings.

His elemental aura, mixed with ice and fire energy, was complex and faintly able to resist the cold aura. Furthermore, the storm that he kicked up was able to largely disperse the invisible cold aura. The numbness instantly vanished from Lao Wang’s body, and his thoughts and consciousness went back to normal.

Just the power released when the Ninth Shade Killing Formation activated had forced him to use his true form. As expected, the Ten Great Killing Formations of the underground world lived up to their reputation.

Before he could gasp for air, rays of dark light shot out from each of the numerous holes.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The dim light was fast and rapid as it traveled in a straight line. Not only did it travel faster than the speed of sound, its power was also shocking. Wang Zhong’s ice and fire wings were able to blow away attacks from Fire Demon Solid Core expert Gelawentu, but at this moment, he was unable to affect the dim light at all.

“Hidden Dragon!”

Wang Zhong’s figure flashed past, and a dragon imprint formed in his mind. He instantly drew in his wings and protected his entire body.

Without the storm from his wings, the terrifying solid space that the Ninth Shade Killing Formation caused immediately enveloped him and held still this “wing eggshell”. He could not move in the air.

At the same time, there was a series of clear thumping sounds as a powerful force charged towards him. This sent Wang Zhong and the “wing eggshell” that protected him flying. This massive impact caused Wang Zhong to feel slightly dizzy even as he was protected by his wings.

However, the dim light did not stop attacking. After this wave subsided, another wave of light surged forth. Wang Zhong could see even more rays of light whizzing out from the holes through his transparent wings. They formed dense masses that resembled locusts in the air and charged towards his winged defense with a loud bang!

The numerous attacks were enough to give Wang Zhong a headache, but at this moment, he was trapped in this space and faced a rain of locusts that seemed boundless and never-ending. No matter how powerful his Hidden Dragon defense was, it could definitely be broken through. Then, he would simply have to resign himself to his fate.

Lao Wang did not know how to continue. Time was pressing, and he did not even have enough of it to condense a new dragon imprint. The Hidden Dragon imprint in his mind simply turned into Draconic Spiritual Power and vanished as it was absorbed into his divine cells.

The eggshell-like defense instantly vanished. He stretched out his wings and fiercely flapped them, dispersing the Ninth Shade killing aura that trapped him once again. Then, he suddenly flew downwards to dodge the attack. However, the rain of light that was as dense as a swarm of locusts did not slow down and was hot on Wang Zhong’s heels. In fact, it was even faster than the speed at which Wang Zhong escaped!