Chapter 164: The Sea Demon Whose Bloodline Was Stolen

The mist on the sea could obscure vision, but it couldn’t block one’s senses.

The Skeleton Monarch flung off the Filthy Cloth stuck to its forehead. Burning with hatred for Aragon and a yearning to birth new life, it plunged headfirst into the mist.

For a fleeting moment, the Skeleton Monarch actually wanted to turn back.

At that moment, Aragon was the only other living creature near it.

It wanted to entangle itself with Aragon, to become pregnant with Aragon’s child.

That would be the ultimate revenge against him.

The Skeleton Monarch was desperate to see if Aragon would actually harm his own child.

In the end, the Skeleton Monarch abandoned the idea.

Aragon’s speed was increasing.

It feared that before it could even get close, it would be bound by his Purifying Cloth.

‘That disgusting and powerful bastard will definitely bring back the Magma Treasure I just threw away…’

The Skeleton Monarch was certain he would do it; the man had no moral bottom line whatsoever.

Why hadn’t the Demon Qi he possessed tried to take over his body?

He was such a fine vessel—perfect, powerful.

If the Demon Qi occupied Aragon’s body, it could undoubtedly surpass the Monarch itself and become the true king of this world.

‘Dealing with that Demon Qi has to be better than dealing with that pervert!’

Clinging to this sliver of fantasy about the future, the Skeleton Monarch lost its last shred of sanity.

…

According to Li Ye’s senses…

A behemoth was rapidly approaching from the depths of the sea. It had the shape of a gigantic Sea Serpent, but it also had a human head and human arms.

‘Did another stream of Demon Qi take over a Sea Serpent?’

“It’s here,” the scroll reminded him.

“Mm.”

Li Ye nodded and took another step back.

Demon Qi naturally clashed with other Demon Qi.

Not knowing the Sea Serpent’s abilities, he naturally hoped it would fight the Skeleton Monarch, allowing him to observe its methods and strength.

It would be best if they both suffered heavy losses, allowing him to swoop in and reap the rewards.

He had crushed the Skeleton Monarch’s luck again and again. At this point, it was so cursed with misfortune that it couldn’t even drink water without it getting stuck in its teeth. Li Ye wasn’t worried at all that they wouldn’t fight.

Fundamentally, the Skeleton Monarch’s calculations were wrong from the very start.

No.

The moment it was hit with Drenched in Dog Blood, its defeat was already sealed.

No matter how great its power, it couldn’t compare to Derived Skills. What Undead Mist? What one-hundred-percent Undead conversion? The Skeleton Monarch had clearly gone down the wrong tech tree.

The mist over the ocean was different from the Undead Mist.

The Undead Mist was cold and sinister, carrying an aura of death and decay—the perfect environment for the Undead to thrive.

But the mist on the sea’s surface was oppressive and frigid. It was the kind of cold that seemed to freeze everything, and within that cold was a trace of resentful energy, unwilling to pass on.

Li Ye guessed that the mist over the ocean was likely created by some ancient creature that had died here, much like how the Dragonbone Mountain Range was formed when a black dragon, a symbol of despair and disaster, fell during the great calamity.

When a whale falls, ten thousand things are born.

There were too many similar stories in ancient myths. Even in ancient Huaxia mythology, after the world-creating Pangu fell, his body also transformed into all living things.

‘I really don’t want to deal with these monsters from ancient times,’ Li Ye complained silently to himself.

Because of the mist, there were almost no living creatures in the coastal waters.

Even tormented by desire, the Skeleton Monarch had no choice but to fly toward the depths of the ocean.

It sensed the approaching Demon Qi from the sea, but in its delirious state, it only wanted to find the nearest creature to complete its impregnation. Its earlier plans had long been forgotten.

Just as the Skeleton Monarch chose a flounder swimming beneath the surface and prepared to scoop it out of the sea, an immense pressure caused its Soul Fire to flicker violently.

Immediately after.

Countless spears formed from seawater stabbed toward its body…

By now, the Skeleton Monarch’s Divine Sense was hazy. It paid no attention to the water spears shooting toward it; its eyes were fixed only on the chosen flounder.

The water spears pierced through the Skeleton Monarch’s body, causing almost no damage.

Then, a blue, human-headed, serpent-bodied Sea Demon leaped out of the sea.

It was at least a thousand meters long.

Looking at the skeleton that had delivered itself to its doorstep, a flash of greed and contempt crossed the Sea Demon’s eyes. It brandished a massive steel trident and thrust it straight at the Skeleton Monarch’s skull.

As the trident lunged toward the Skeleton Monarch, the demon still remembered to glance in Li Ye’s direction.

But it clearly didn’t take Li Ye seriously.

Among the three of them, Li Ye was the weakest. It wouldn’t be too late to deal with the little human after it finished off the Skeleton Monarch.

At the same time.

A shrill, sonorous horn-like call erupted from the Sea Demon’s mouth.

At the sound of the call, the sea’s surface churned violently. More giant sea creatures began swimming rapidly toward their location.

The thick fog surged, and enormous creatures hidden within it were also drawn over by the Sea Demon.

In Li Ye’s perception, these creatures were colossal.

Some were hundreds of meters long, while others even reached several kilometers in length. There were whales, crabs, sea turtles, octopuses, and more.

As for the creatures in the fog, they were bizarrely shaped—some humanoid, some avian—all of them grotesque. Their only common trait was their immense size…

‘Giving birth to the children of these behemoths must be incredibly painful!’

Watching the increasingly agitated Skeleton Monarch, Li Ye suddenly felt a pang of pity.

…

The massive trident viciously stabbed into the Skeleton Monarch’s mouth, pierced through its cranium, and jutted out the back of its head.

Seeing this, Li Ye’s eyelid twitched violently.

The skull that he could only manage to crack with his full strength… had been so easily pierced by the Sea Demon?

‘This thing’s strength is greater than mine?’

‘Son of a bitch!’

No wonder the Skeleton Monarch only dared to cause trouble on land…

“Li Ye, feeling a little shaken?” the scroll’s voice chimed in his mind at just the right moment. “I told you long ago that you’re too weak, but you wouldn’t believe me.

“But don’t be discouraged. Creatures of the ocean are naturally stronger than you.

“Besides, remnants of the Ancient Divine Spirits’ power linger in this mist. They’ve lived here for a long time and have been imbued with divine power. It’s normal for them to be stronger than you.”

“I don’t care,” Li Ye said, shaking his head with a smile. “So what if they’re strong? Aren’t we still playing them like a fiddle? Lord Ling, care to relive your glory days as the Chaotic Heaven Silk?”

“To be honest, not at all,” the scroll huffed, knowing what Li Ye was up to. “That was right after I was captured by Nezha. It was the most painful time of my existence. You’re just reopening old wounds. However, if it’s just to increase my power, I don’t mind giving it a try…”

…

The Skeleton Monarch completely ignored its pierced head.

It stared at the Sea Demon before it, finding it alluring and strong—a suitable father for its child.

If they combined, the child they produced would surely be both intelligent and outstanding.

With a roar, the Skeleton Monarch broke free from the trident, activated stealth, and appeared beside the Sea Demon. It hugged the demon with all its might, trying to wrap it around its own waist as if it wished it could stuff the demon right into its belly…

Failing to kill the Skeleton Monarch in one blow was within the Sea Demon’s expectations.

But the skeleton’s next move baffled it. ‘Has this thing gone mad? Getting so close during a fight? Doesn’t it know that my greatest strength is Entanglement?’

Since its prey had served itself up on a platter, the Sea Demon wasn’t about to be polite.

Its serpentine tail shot up, coiling around the Skeleton Monarch’s tall frame. It then began to constrict, trying to crush the Skeleton Monarch into bony dust.

Soon, the Sea Demon realized something was wrong. The moment its tail wrapped around the Skeleton Monarch, it felt a sliver of its Life Qi being stripped from its body and fusing with the skeleton.

As the Life Qi was stripped away, the Sea Demon trembled involuntarily.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Did this thing just violate me in the middle of a battle?’

The Sea Demon was incandescent with rage.

Its serpent tail was still coiled around the Skeleton Monarch’s waist, but its upper body leaped high into the air. After creating some distance, it gripped its trident with both hands and viciously stabbed at the center of the Skeleton Monarch’s brow.

It was going to shatter this disgusting skull.

The trident stopped abruptly before the Skeleton Monarch’s brow. It had reached out and caught the end of the trident’s shaft just in time.

Sensing the new life growing inside its belly, the Skeleton Monarch’s sanity returned.

It hastily sent a telepathic message to the Sea Demon: “Don’t be reckless! We should team up and kill that guy first, or we’re both going to die.”

“Before I kill him, I’ll kill you, you disgusting skeleton!” the Sea Demon roared, utterly furious. It could already sense the fetus forming inside the Skeleton Monarch’s belly. “You shameless creature, you stole my bloodline…”

The Skeleton Monarch activated its Breath of Aging. The blue serpent tail coiled around it instantly turned white before reverting to blue. It was equally enraged. “You think I wanted this? This is that guy’s ability! He can make anyone endlessly pregnant! If I die, you’ll be the next one to be tormented.”

“Him?” The Sea Demon sneered. “Do you think I’d be fooled by you?”

It withstood the Skeleton Monarch’s Breath of Aging and continued to tighten its tail, while also increasing the downward pressure on its trident. Of course, it didn’t forget to manipulate the seawater, sending a massive wave rolling toward Li Ye.

Better safe than sorry.

What if the Skeleton Monarch was telling the truth?

Better to trap that guy first…

“Idiot.”

The Skeleton Monarch was on the verge of going insane.

It tilted its head, dodging the descending trident, and slashed its bony claws viciously at the Sea Demon’s head. At the same time, it released countless streams of black energy, initiating a Death Entanglement that pried the serpent tail slightly loose. Then, it quickly activated stealth and escaped the Sea Demon’s grasp.

It lowered its head, glanced at the fetus that had once again formed and was rapidly growing in its pelvis, and felt its power being absorbed. A despairing roar escaped its jaws.

The Sea Demon couldn’t care less. It hurled its trident again, aiming for the Skeleton Monarch’s abdomen.

It had gotten a clear look at the fetus inside the Skeleton Monarch’s abdomen.

It was a Sea Demon, but with a skeleton’s head. It would absolutely not allow such a monster to be born…

“Idiot, that’s our child!” the Skeleton Monarch roared. It raised both hands, condensing Necromancy into a Magic Staff to block the Sea Demon’s attack. The desire for new life compelled it to protect its fetus. Its Soul Fire flickered. “Whoever dares to harm my child, I’ll take their life! Even its own father is no exception.”

At that moment.

It suddenly understood how the whip-wielding creature must have felt when the Monarch had unintentionally killed its child.

Desolate, yet utterly powerless to control its own actions.

“Idiot,” the Sea Demon cursed again. The thought that such a creature had stolen its Life Qi made its attacks even more ferocious, every strike aimed at the Skeleton Monarch’s abdomen.

The two behemoths battled on the sea’s surface. Death Qi and seawater intertwined, kicking up monstrous waves.

Just as Li Ye couldn’t defeat the Skeleton Monarch in a short amount of time, the Sea Demon, even though it was stronger, would also find it difficult to take the Monarch down quickly.

The Sea Demon was not protected by Michael’s Divine Power. The Breath of Aging would easily strip away its Life Energy, so it had to expend its Demon Qi to counteract it.