Battle Frenzy

Wang Zhong seemed to be stronger than what the rumors made him out to be. He was standing in the target area of Elder Bayan’s Nether Absorption Skill, yet he didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Wang Zhong’s spiritual power was evenly spread out, and Elder Bayan couldn’t find an area of weakness to put his technique to use.

“So, you do recognize me,” Wang Zhong spoke slowly after seeing that there was no one else around them. Elder Bayan didn’t want others to know Wang Zhong’s identity, which was what Wang Zhong wanted too.

Otherwise, if the Star Alliance caught wind that Wang Zhong wasn’t dead and was even attempting to find Mu Zi, what would the higher-ups of the Star Alliance think of him? Even if the Fire Demon Race and Blood Demon Race didn’t add fuel to the fire, everyone clearly knew that Wang Zhong wasn’t doing this to help the Star Alliance “get rid of the trouble”. They would think that Wang Zhong was colluding with the Netherworld King and engaging in illegal activities. The Star Alliance’s attitude towards such extremely dangerous individuals was to kill the person in question first. If he was deemed guilty, the Star Alliance would probably start attacking the Earth before Wang Zhong could even make it out of Hell Island.

“Your disguise is a Black Titan, and you are going out to the sea at this point of time. Your identity is not hard to guess at all.” Elder Bayan’s eyes twinkled. “I’m just curious. How did you survive falling into the Netherworld River and manage to heal completely in less than a month? Do you Earthlings have some special connection with the Netherworld River?”

“Even if there is, do you think I will tell you?”

“I was just a little curious. It doesn’t matter if you tell me or not.” Elder Bayan had already raised his left hand. Spiraling dark energy condensed in front of him, seemingly becoming heavier with his pulling gesture.

Wang Zhong’s appearance would cause mayhem to the underground world’s current situation. Any faction who stood to gain from his death would not be glad to see him alive. Wang Zhong had to die!

“You narrowly escaped from the Netherworld River, yet you dared to come back? I’ll send you to your grave on behalf of the Ninth Shade Faction!”

Hua!

Elder Bayan waved his left hand.

Boom!

Unlike what was happening during his casual pulling gesture earlier on, the dark energy no longer permeated the air aimlessly but suddenly condensed together. A devouring and corrosive force that seemed terrifying was formed.

Huff huff huff…

Many mutated creatures were at the beach, but the moment they were enveloped by the suction force, their life essence was sucked in immediately. Their originally colorful bodies turned into a dead gray color, losing all signs of vitality. They turned into ash and disappeared with the wind.

Disciples from various Factions had been standing far away, but they were still scared out of their wits. They were far enough from the suction force such that it didn’t touch them, but they still felt as if their vitality was gradually vanishing, so they kept on madly retreating. They only stopped when they were a full 30 to 50 kilometers away, still in a badly shaken state.

Gold Core experts, especially Elder Bayan who had mastered his own technique, could make the heavens and earth tremble once they started attacking. No one dared to stay within a 15-kilometer radius during such an attack.

That unlucky and miserable Black Titan was only in the Solid Core Realm, yet he had to face this terrifying attack that targeted his soul and vitality. He would have no idea what hit him!

Wait, something’s not right. Elder Bayan hadn’t stopped his attack. Was the Black Titan not dead yet?

In the center of the battlefield, Lao Wang had already revealed his true form the moment the enemy started his attack.

Although he was a Solid Core now, he couldn’t afford to be careless against a Gold Core expert that had been famous in the underground world for quite some time.

Two energy wings had spread out behind him. Lao Wang’s soul resistance was strong, to begin with. This ability was even more enhanced in his true form. Although the strange devouring and corrosive force surrounded him, Lao Wang’s physical body and soul managed to stay rooted, just like a boulder in a whirlpool.

The corner of Elder Bayan’s mouth turned upwards in a smirk. He didn’t seem surprised.

According to rumors, Wang Zhong was merely a Void Core when he faced off against Elder Hades, yet he could resist a few attacks from the latter. Since Wang Zhong had reached the Solid Core Realm now, it was reasonable for him to be stronger.

Normally, Elder Bayan would want to play with his target. After all, it was rare to find a Solid Core that could slightly contend with a Gold Core expert. Bullying this sort of genius was something that Bayan found fun. However, this was a special case. He couldn’t drag this on for too long. If the noise from this battle attracted other Gold Core experts from the Netherworld Sea City, Wang Zhong’s identity would be discovered. He wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that he was the one who killed Wang Zhong. What if others such as the Heavenly Gates got to know of this? Especially the Netherworld King… Thinking about what happened to the Ninth Shade Faction, no one would dare to kill an Earthling in public as long as the Netherworld King was alive!

He had to end this battle quickly!

Elder Bayan’s eyes gleamed as he channeled the Netherworld energy in his body.

Boom!

Monstrous black flames suddenly appeared on his body. His small body that wasn’t even two meters tall suddenly swelled, and he turned into a strange beast!

This creature had the body of a sheep and the teeth of a tiger. Its eyes were at its armpits, and it had human hands. It was around five to six meters tall and seven to eight meters across. It had a huge round head and a gigantic mouth.

Glutton True Form!

Ying ying ying ying ying~

It made sounds that resembled that of babies. At the same time, it opened its gigantic mouth.

Nether Absorption Skill — Devouring the Heavens!

This time, it not only sucked vitality but also transformed into a small black hole. It absorbed everything including normal matter!

The tents in the surrounding were nailed several meters into the ground with huge stakes. However, they were completely uprooted by this suction force, right into Elder Bayan’s big mouth. This didn’t cause any damage to his mouth at all. All matter that he absorbed was reduced to one percent of its normal size before it even got close to his mouth. It then disappeared into oblivion upon entering his black-hole mouth. Even the ground didn’t manage to escape his wrath as the surface of the ground was being sucked in!

Lao Wang fell sharply. He flapped his energy wings continuously, forcefully resisting the suction while suspended in mid-air.

“I’ll eat you! Eat you! Eat you!”

A mad and shrill voice came from the suction force. It possessed a shocking effect towards the soul. Lao Wang immediately sensed that the suction force was forcefully tugging at his soul and attempting to pull his soul out of his body!

“Sink!” Wang Zhong focused all his power on stabilizing his soul.

When facing such an attack, it was useless to think of ways to dodge or counter it. If you weren’t able to resist it head-on, any other tricks you tried to play would be useless anyway, and you would die eventually.

He had literally “seen” Lavel’s Gold Core before in an in-depth manner. This was an experience that ordinary Solid Cores did not have. A Gold Core represented the highest standard of the Land and was its highest benchmark. Through that experience, Lao Wang was able to have a very intuitive and accurate perception of a Gold Core. His Solid Core had not reached the quality of a Gold Core. However, when he revealed his true form and unleashed his Solid Core, his Solid Core didn’t feel weaker than an average Gold Core. If he added his dragon imprint, he would be even stronger!

Wang Zhong felt that Bayan was much weaker than Lavel and that he would be able to resist him head-on.

He continued channeling elemental power from his energy wings. He drew out power from the core of his soul and merged it with his spiritual power. His physical body and soul were instantly stabilized. His soul that had almost been yanked out of his body returned to its original position too.

“Heheheh, now’s the main course, kid!” Bayan’s shrill child-like voice boomed in the air. Wang Zhong was able to resist his Nether Absorption Skill, but this wasn’t the end!

What exactly was his Nether Absorption Skill?

Absorption was the first part, but not the strongest part, which was the ability to transfer.

The dark energy in the surroundings started to surge into Bayan’s body non-stop. It was like a tonic that nourished his power, strengthening it!

Bayan’s soul was slightly hanging out of his true-form physical body. Unlike the half of Wang Zhong’s soul that was forcefully pulled out of his body, this soul willingly came out of its body. An invisible force tied these two souls together, forcefully tugging at the other half of Wang Zhong’s soul like in a tug-of-war!

This was a battle between Netherworld energy and spiritual power, and Bayan’s soul against Wang Zhong’s soul!

The power of the Nether Absorption Skill increased suddenly, and Wang Zhong’s soul was completely pulled out of his body. A soul lost all protection once it was outside of its body. A force in the black Netherworld energy started consuming Wang Zhong’s soul. It extracted streams of vitality and spiritual power from the soul and merged it into the Netherworld energy, further nourishing Bayan.

At the same time, the two souls tugging at each other produced a strange and inexplicable suction force, which firmly locked them in place.

Bayan felt extremely at ease. Wang Zhong dared to explore the underground world when he was merely a Void Core and managed to escape attacks from Elder Hades. That took extraordinary skill. Now that he was a Solid Core, his combat power and ability to escape were not to be underestimated. Bayan would probably have to expend a lot of effort in dealing with him if he used conventional means, and there was still the possibility that Wang Zhong would escape. However, the situation now was in his favor…

When the Nether Absorption Skill was fully unleashed and the two souls were locked in place, their bodies could not move, and they were unable to get out of this situation. Wang Zhong’s body was merely instinctively channeling spiritual power. The core of this battle was the fight between the two souls.

Bayan probably wouldn’t dare to use this skill against master experts, but he loved using it against opponents who were weaker than him.

Bayan’s opponent wouldn’t be able to unleash his power and techniques, and would be forced to fight with his soul and raw power. The opponent wouldn’t be able to escape at all since their souls were engaged in a tug-of-war! This ultimate skill did it all. It was not only the simplest and crudest way but the safest way too. Bayan’s soul was his forte, and he seldom lost to other Gold Cores in this aspect, let alone to a weak Solid Core.

So what if Wang Zhong was a genius? So what if he managed to create his own technique while he was still a Void Core? Even if he was exceptionally talented and had insane combat skills, he would die eventually in this situation. This kid’s soul was good at resisting, but he was merely a Solid Core, and his spiritual power would run out soon in another 10 or 20 seconds.

Bayan was still engrossed in his thoughts until he realized that Wang Zhong resisted his attack again and got out of the locked position. Something seemed off. This human’s soul was very strange indeed. It was sturdy and solid, unlike ordinary souls, which were weak and feeble.

Bayan frowned slightly. He didn’t have time to waste. According to his calculations, those Faction disciples should have already reported what was happening, to their respective Factions. This place was only a few dozen kilometers away from Netherworld Sea City. Someone would definitely be coming in another three to five minutes.

“Not bad, kid!” He let out a mighty yelp, and his Glutton True Form grew bigger again, his power increasing exponentially too.

Dirt and rocks were flying everywhere at once, and this terrifying suction force had expanded to a 30-kilometer radius. However, this was not working! This time, he couldn’t even tug the Earthling’s soul out of his body.

Wang Zhong’s soul was abnormally stable. He was able to ignore the devouring and corrosive properties of the Nether Absorption Skill, and he wasn’t inferior to Bayan in terms of strength.

Wang Zhong looked relaxed. Bayan had managed to tug his soul out of his body as his attack had been too sudden. However, Wang Zhong believed that he would never lose in this aspect. He was confident in his soul even when he was just a Casted Soul Stage weakling on Earth back then. Bayan underestimated Wang Zhong’s physical strength, which was on par with an average Gold Core. Wang Zhong definitely didn’t lose out in this aspect either.

After a couple of seconds, Bayan no longer looked as relaxed as before. He couldn’t believe that a Solid Core could contend with him in terms of soul and strength. Bayan was the one who started the attack, and he was the offensive party, yet he hadn’t managed to defeat a mere Solid Core? Wang Zhong must have used some secret technique.

Horrible trash!

“Kid, are you burning your Solid Core to resist my attacks? You are merely a Solid Core. How long can you last?” Bayan said sternly.

“Burning my Solid Core?” Lao Wang’s voice didn’t seem to be strained at all. On the contrary, it seemed much more relaxed than Bayan’s. “You are not worth that!”

Right after he said that, the dragon imprint took shape in his mind, and a sliver of golden spiritual power entered the tug-of-war!

The balance of power was upset immediately.

Bayan sensed that Wang Zhong’s power suddenly increased by several folds, and the latter now had the upper hand in terms of both soul and strength.

Wang Zhong’s soul was able to gradually return to its original position in such a tug-of-war situation. On the other hand, Bayan’s soul was firmly grasped and unable to return to its body. Bayan could sense that the opponent’s gold spiritual power had an indescribable hold over him. He felt disgusted by it and was unwilling to touch it. He instinctively wanted to avoid it.

In a battle between experts, it was clear who would be the victor when one party’s power suddenly increased, and the other party showed fear.

Bayan was extremely shocked. It was incredible that a little Solid Core could resist his Nether Absorption Skill. However, how could Wang Zhong’s power increase further after the tug-of-war? Was he really a Solid Core? Even most Gold Core experts in the underground world didn’t have such a powerful soul and an abundant supply of spiritual power!

“Rise!” In this battle situation, once one party was thrown off track, he would definitely lose. Bayan knew this very well and was aware of how dangerous this situation was for him. He didn’t dare to be careless and constructed a Netherworld Seal. Black runes instantly reflected onto the Gold Core in his body, as if he had put a seal on his Gold Core.

Gold Core Secret Technique — Sacrifice!

He had been joking about Wang Zhong burning his Solid Core, but now, it seemed that he was left with no choice but to burn his Gold Core!

The level of power of the tug-of-war increased instantly. The balance of power was restored, and Bayan seemed to be the one with the upper hand and faintly gaining control.

Regardless of whether one was a Void Core, a Solid Core, or a Gold Core, one could obtain strong and unparalleled explosive power in a short time by using secret techniques to burn one’s Core. However, there was a time limit to this power.

Also, burning your Core was like burning your life essence! It was true that Gold Core experts could change their physical bodies at will, but their Gold Cores were the essence of their life, and their life was imprinted on it. Once you exhausted your Gold Core, the damage would be almost irreparable.

Bayan couldn’t believe he had to pay such a high price to defeat a little Solid Core!

Bayan was extremely furious, but before he could unleash his anger, the terrifying truth made him sober up instantly.

Even though he had paid such a high price, he only gained a little advantage! He had only managed to drag that little Solid Core’s soul several inches out of his body, before it wouldn’t budge again. It was as if the Earthling’s soul had taken root in its body. Wang Zhong’s soul was perfect, and there were no flaws for Bayan to exploit. The latter couldn’t absorb Wang Zhong’s vitality at all.

The dark energy in the surroundings was still nourishing Bayan’s body, but there was less of it now, and the area it covered was smaller too. Without the replenishment of Wang Zhong’s vitality, the dark energy could not regenerate and was slowly being used up.

What was happening?! He couldn’t subdue this kid even after he burned his Gold Core?

No, he was far from subduing Wang Zhong! Bayan’s slight advantage over the battle situation had only lasted a dozen seconds. After the time limit for his technique was over, his power started gradually returning to normal, yet Wang Zhong was as strong as ever!

Was Wang Zhong really a Solid Core? How could his power last for so long? Wang Zhong clearly wasn’t using secret techniques such as burning his Core. He was actually relying on his own strength?

Wang Zhong just reached the Solid Core Realm and needed an opponent to test his new power. Bayan simply dropped down from the sky, and Wang Zhong was interested in seeing what skills the Elder had.

Bayan couldn’t believe his eyes. A Gold Core wasn’t able to defeat a Solid Core even after burning his Core? What kind of monster was Wang Zhong?!

Not only that, Bayan even felt some hallucinations appear before his eyes. He seemed to be seeing all the Gods standing in front of him and crushing him with their aura. It was as if he was fighting against the entire world!

Bayan knew clearly that this was just an illusion and not reality, but that didn’t matter. This was one of the most dangerous situations that could happen during soul attacks. When souls were tugging against each other, hallucinations were the deadliest thing that could happen. This meant that your power had gone haywire, and your soul was no longer pure and awake…

Boom!

Bayan didn’t hesitate and marked another secret technique onto his Gold Core.

Burning one’s Gold Core for a second time within a short time frame was a lethal thing to even the most powerful Gold Core experts. Even if they survived, they would be left with irreparable injuries. If their power decreased by 20% or 30%, this result would only be considered a minor injury! However, Bayan was left with no choice. He was like a person who was about to die of thirst. Even if he knew that there was only poison in front of him, he would drink it without hesitation in order to quench his thirst.

The balance of power was restored again, and Bayan even seemed to be gaining a little advantage. However, the balance of power was upset once again, this time faster than the previous time. Bayan hadn’t recovered from the damage he suffered from burning his Gold Core the first time, yet he already started burning his Core a second time.

Lao Wang was still very stable, just like a mountain. Although he looked calm, he was starting to feel the pressure. He had already unleashed his dragon’s breath true form. Lao Wang wanted to test the extreme limits of his power in front of this underground world Gold Core expert. He had used all of his trump cards now. Under the dual pressure of the opponent’s level of power and soul, Lao Wang had unleashed his Solid Core and divine cells to the extreme.

Wang Zhong felt like he was walking on a high-pressure steel wire. He was walking on the edge of danger, but he felt extremely comfortable and carefree using such power. He was facing a Gold Core expert head-on and exerting all of his power to the limit. This feeling of being evenly matched and even being able to gain a slight advantage was exhilarating!

Lao Wang was not anxious. It was true that a Solid Core couldn’t compare to a Gold Core in terms of energy consumption, absorption, and recovery speed. There was a huge difference in the quality of their Cores. However, Wang Zhong possessed divine cells that were naturally formed from the heavens and the earth. Other than having hundreds of millions of divine cells work together at the same time, what faster way was there for one to recover his spiritual power?

This long-lasting tug-of-war endured for around seven or eight seconds. As Bayan used up his explosive power from the second time he burned his Gold Core, he gritted his teeth and prepared to mark his Gold Core for a third time!

However, before the secret technique could be imprinted onto the Gold Core…

Crack crack crack crack!

After suffering continuous damage and intense pressure, Bayan could hear the sounds of cracking from his Gold Core. His expression changed swiftly.

He was already burnt out, and now with this psychological change…

Battles between souls and spiritual power would appear boring to spectators as it was just two figures standing there. However, in reality, this was the most dangerous type of battle. Once you were at a disadvantage, you would die a tragic death! There was almost no chance that you could turn the tables!

Bayan had looked proud at first, but now, he turned pale in an instant. His Nether Absorption Skill wasn’t able to subdue the enemy, and he had to suffer the backlash and also resist Wang Zhong’s attack.

In the next moment, Bayan caved in and totally collapsed.

Countless streams of dark energy disappeared into Bayan’s body at once, as if they had never appeared at all. His Glutton True Form dissipated, and a gray soul was abruptly pulled out from Bayan’s body. It flew towards Wang Zhong, while Bayan’s physical body fell to the ground.

Bayan was defeated just like that?! He was a Gold Core expert, yet he lost to a Solid Core in this manner? He lost to a Solid Core in terms of pure spiritual power and strength. This was unimaginable!

Pa!

Wang Zhong felt the suction force in the surroundings disappear. Sand and stones stopped flying around, and countless debris plummeted to the ground.

He stretched his left hand out as spiritual power wrapped around his palm. He caught the soul flying towards him by its neck.

Without the cover of a physical body, a floating soul was as fragile as paper. Having said that, powerful souls could execute soul attacks and even create illusions while in pure soul form. These so-called ghosts could petrify ordinary people and even take over their body. However, such soul attacks were useless against experts such as Wang Zhong. Bayan was at Wang Zhong’s mercy.

Wang Zhong could sense Bayan’s soul struggling crazily in his hand, but his struggle just felt like a mosquito’s.

“Spare me! Master Wang Zhong, spare me!”

Bayan was in soul form now, and his proud expression had long disappeared. He looked horrified and frightened now. “Don’t kill me! I have an artifact that can help you go out to sea!”

Wang Zhong glanced at him. “I can search your possessions after I kill you.”

“No! No, no, no!” Bayan exclaimed in horror. “Master Wang Zhong, it’s no use even if you manage to find it! It’s called the Jiuli Warship, an artifact from the Profound Fire Faction. My spiritual seal is imprinted on it. You won’t be able to use it even if you find it! I’m willing to give you this artifact in exchange for my life!”

Wang Zhong narrowed his eyes slightly.

Users imprinted seals on their artifacts, and others couldn’t use it unless the seal was broken. Of course, any equipment refinery master could easily break such a normal seal. However, Lao Wang was anxious to go out to sea now and didn’t have time to slowly search for an equipment refinery master.

Without hesitation, Lao Wang pointed a finger at Bayan, and a stream of spiritual power instantly pierced through Bayan’s Soul Sea.

Pap!

With a crisp sound, Bayan’s Gold Core was smashed. Without a soul, the physical body was extremely fragile and weak. Otherwise, even if cracks had appeared on a Gold Core, it would still be tougher than the hardest material in the Land, and Lao Wang couldn’t have destroyed it so easily.

“Ahhhhh!” Bayan started howling like a pig being butchered. “You little mutt, how dare you…?!”

“Think before you speak.” Before Bayan could stop howling, Wang Zhong interrupted him. “Do you want to live or not? The decision is yours.”

Lao Wang didn’t mind sparing Bayan’s life in exchange for the warship. However, he definitely had to destroy Bayan’s Gold Core. Otherwise, if Bayan went back on his word immediately after returning his soul to his body, Wang Zhong would have to expend a lot more effort in defeating him again. Since Bayan harbored the intention of killing him, it was only fair for him to destroy his Gold Core.

While speaking, Wang Zhong had already loosened his grip on Bayan’s soul.

Bayan’s physical body was not dead yet, so without Wang Zhong’s pulling, Bayan’s soul immediately bounced back into its body. He got up from the ground while trembling.

After all, Bayan was a Gold Core expert. Putting his level of power aside, he had foresight and good judgment abilities.

His Gold Core had been destroyed. Even though his physical body was still intact, it was practically useless in terms of power. At this point of time, any Solid Core could crush him, let alone Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong was right. The ball was in his court now. He could choose to die now or to prolong his feeble existence by a few more decades. He still had his Gold Core physical body. As long as he didn’t attract trouble, he could still survive a few more decades safely based on the longevity of this Gold Core physical body. He might even be able to find a way to recover his Gold Core…

Hope was often the motivation for one to struggle on whilst at death’s door.

“I hope you will keep your promise…” Bayan took in a deep breath and did not blabber on. He accepted the deal quickly and took out something from his space ring.

It was a ship model the size of a palm. This was the original form of the artifact. Bayan was right. If he didn’t personally break this seal, Wang Zhong wouldn’t have been able to use it. Bayan’s Gold Core had been destroyed, and he no longer had any spiritual power, so he simply cut his finger and dripped a drop of blood on it.

His blood contained his life imprint, which instantly broke the seal on the ship artifact.

Whoosh!

The ship model suddenly became larger. It was three meters long and one meter wide, and looked like a small boat from the outside.

This was the Profound Fire Faction’s Jiuli Warship!

“Nice ship!” This was a pleasant surprise to Lao Wang.

Major Factions in the underground world built their bases at various locations near the origin of the Netherworld River. It was inevitable that they would have to deal with the Netherworld River due to various reasons. Ordinary people found the Netherworld River inaccessible, but the various Factions clearly had their own methods of dealing with it. This Jiuli Warship was an exclusive possession of the Profound Fire Faction. It was built from a complete piece of Jiuli Wood and had a powerful ability to adapt to the Netherworld energy. Countless runes were carved on it so that it could withstand the corrosion and the impact of water currents while on the Netherworld River. However, it didn’t offer any protection other than that. This ship would be powerless against the spiritual pressure, gravity, and will of the Netherworld River. This was because the ship was too small, and it wasn’t possible to carve more runic arrays onto it. Nothing could be done as there were too few Jiuli trees, and it was even more difficult to find a big Jiuli tree…

However, this was sufficient for Lao Wang. He was not afraid of the water or the will of the Netherworld River. He merely needed a transport carrier that could take him across the Netherworld River. Otherwise, it would take forever for him to swim to Hell Island as flying across the Netherworld River was not an option.

He reached out to take the ship from Bayan. It was dull and heavy, but he was able to carry it with one hand over his head.

He was pressed for time. Mu Zi and Grai’s current situation was unknown, and the Heavenly Gates’ CHC team could set off anytime. He had to treasure every minute and second he had.

Wang Zhong didn’t even look at Elder Bayan, as if this Gold Core expert was just an ant. He spread his wings and soared into the air, turning into a streak of light that was heading towards the deeper parts of the Netherworld Sea. After a few kilometers, the streak of light appeared to be dimmer, and it dived into the sea.

Splash!

With a light splash of water, the Jiuli Warship landed on the surface of the sea. It was driven by spiritual power, which enveloped the entire ship. It braved the wind and waves, heading towards the fathomless depths of the Netherworld Sea.

It disappeared into the sea of overwhelming black Netherworld energy in the blink of an eye.

Bayan found it unbelievable that this Earthling kept his promise and didn’t kill him. He was even more flabbergasted at the scene that followed. Wang Zhong was able to resist the Netherworld energy and set sail smoothly in the Netherworld Sea. It was as if the terrifying water currents of the Netherworld Sea was just normal water to him. This kid was on a whole new level!

Netherworld Water was highly cohesive in nature, and it was extremely difficult to forge a path. One would need a really good understanding of Netherworld Water in order to navigate smoothly. However, even experts in the underground world who used Netherworld energy as their cultivation method could not do this.

Currently, everyone thought only the Netherworld King could do it. Wang Zhong was the second one! It should be noted that Wang Zhong was from the Heavenly Gates in the Land, and his cultivation method used spiritual power instead of Netherworld energy. So how did he manage to do this?!

Were these Earthlings all monsters? They were so talented in controlling Netherworld Water.

Bayan came back to his senses after being stunned for several seconds.

The most important thing now was to leave this place immediately instead of marveling at how exceptional Earthlings were. As a Gold Core expert, Bayan had been arrogant and domineering for quite a while and offended many in the underground world. If others realized that his Gold Core had been destroyed…

He needed to hurry and leave!

Before he could lift his leg, two powerful auras appeared in the air, heading towards him at high speed.

“It’s you, Bayan? Who were you fighting?”

“Huh? You…”

To be able to fly at such a high speed, the two powerful auras clearly belonged to Gold Core experts, and they were Bayan’s “friends”. They appeared to be united on the surface, but they secretly schemed against each other. Their intrigued tone made it seem like they had discovered something.

Damn it! How did they arrive so fast?

“Hehe, Elder Bayan.” The Gold Core expert seemed to have forgotten why he had come. “I heard that you found a lot of good stuff when the various Factions were cleaning up what was left of the Ninth Shade Faction. Would you like to share some of those things with me?”

Share? This was daylight robbery!

Bayan’s pale face instantly turned ghostly white.

He was finished!

On a dark brown island.

Hell Island had never been a deserted place. Although it was rare, people from the underground world did set foot here. From countless epochs ago, there were various legends about the three forbidden places in the depths of the Netherworld Sea.

It was said that the Netherworld King had shown his true form in the underground world before, and this place used to be his palace. Due to his strange hobbies, he bred various powerful hybrid species there.

Examples would be the Flaming Cerberi with three huge heads and Succubi who were hybrids of demons and goddesses. Most of the terrifying creatures related to darkness and hell that one could imagine originated from this place. These legends were just the tip of the tip of the iceberg.

Most of these mutated species had been the Netherworld King’s private possessions. However, after he disappeared, some of these mutated species escaped out of Hell Island to the outside throughout the countless epochs. They reproduced in the outside world and created their own race and legends. However, most of them stayed on Hell Island and reproduced there, making this place a paradise for monsters.

A dilapidated palace stood tall in the deepest part of the island, surrounded by towering trees. After countless epochs, this once glorious palace now looked dilapidated with no divine light coming from it. However, the monsters’ fear towards the Netherworld King was carved into their bones. All monsters on the island protected the palace out of habit even though it was shabby and powerless. Only powerful monsters could reside closer to the palace, creating a strict hierarchy system for the monsters on the island.

Few visitors ever came to Hell Island. Sometimes, there would even be no visitors for an epoch or two.

The hierarchy system of the monsters on the island had not changed for a very long time. After all, they had been fighting for so many years, so they knew which race was the strongest, each race’s strengths, and their trump cards. They knew each other very well and feared each other. They would not start battles easily. This peaceful situation would only be slightly disrupted when a super powerful expert appeared in one of these races. That race could then migrate their territory closer to the palace. However, this sort of thing only happened at most once or twice in an epoch. Hell Island was relatively peaceful most of the time.

However, this peaceful situation was destined to be broken today…

In the dense forest, a huge three-headed Cerberus was quivering. A bald human with a strange wooden coffin on his back was standing in front of it. Behind this human, hundreds of Cerberi had been turned into lifeless corpses. The smell of blood was everywhere. All of those Cerberi had been strangled by gray Netherworld energy. Their necks, which were as thick as tree trunks, had been snapped! Their heads were ripped off, and blood soaked the ground.

The bald human was smiling, but his soft voice sounded like a devil’s. “Are you going to surrender? Or die?”

The eyes of the Cerberus were bloodshot. Beasts like them had things they wanted to protect too. They had developed intelligence and actually valued their identity more than humans did. It struggled and trembled, seemingly trying to get rid of its own fear. The next moment, a flash could be seen in its eyes as it bared its ferocious fangs. It exuded a powerful blood aura that was equivalent to that of a Gold Core expert!

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!

However, three crisp sounds were heard before it could even condense an attack. The Cerberus’s pupils suddenly contracted, and all the condensed power in its body quickly dissipated. Its three heads were torn from its body, resembling the plucking of onions. Blood spurted out and traveled dozens of meters.

Bam!

Its huge body dropped to the ground and made a loud sound. The bald human smiled. “As a dog, how dare you bare your fangs at your master?! You deserve to die!”

“Killing these creatures only shows how timid you are!” Another human followed closely behind that bald human. “Mu Zi, I know you can hear me. No matter what happens, hang on! He will come!”

The so-called “Mu Zi” smiled creepily. “Can’t you sense that he has no reaction to your voice at all? Give up, Grai. Mu Zi is no longer here. You possess great talent. If you work for me, I will make you my proxy in this world. You will hold great power over millions of people!”

“If Mu Zi really isn’t here anymore, you would have killed me without hesitation.” Grai sneered coldly. “The only reason why you are still enduring my nagging is that Mu Zi is still here. He is still resisting you instinctively.”

“You provoke me repeatedly.” The Netherworld King glanced at Grai. “Are you not afraid that I will kill you out of rage?”

“Hehe, Mu Zi was the one who scooped you out of the Netherworld River. If not for Mu Zi, you would never have experienced the wonders of this world. How can a stupid low-level creature like you understand our resolve? No matter how you try to imitate us, it just shows your inferiority complex,” Grai said, not hiding his contempt for the Netherworld King.

“…You are smart indeed.” The bald human continued to smile. “You want to provoke me to kill you so that you can awaken Mu Zi’s last bit of consciousness?”

“Do you dare to kill me?” Grai’s voice was very firm. “Don’t you consider yourself to be omnipotent?”

“Hehe… I guess I shouldn’t bother lying to smart people. It’s so tiring,” the Netherworld King said. “You’re right. Mu Zi hasn’t completely disappeared, but that isn’t the only reason why I’m not killing you. Little Grai, I really admire you and want you to work for me. Anyway, so what if I kill you and awaken Mu Zi’s last bit of consciousness? It’s just his last bit of consciousness. Do you think he can really hold out against me?”

“Try it then?”

“It seems that you are not that smart after all.” The Netherworld King smiled creepily. “You’re not afraid of death. However, those who are not afraid of death often die the most tragic deaths. Hehe, after staying by my side for so long, don’t you know that death is sometimes a relief?”

Grai couldn’t help but shudder at his strange voice. He had seen what the Netherworld King was capable of, especially these two days after coming to Hell Island. Grai’s scalp turned numb upon seeing those scenes where the creatures would be better off dead.