Chapter 416: Undersea Powerhouse

「Three days before the Blood Corpse Commerce held its celebratory banquet on the Spiritual Ship.」

The Star Sea Domain was as calm and placid as it had been for hundreds of millions of years.

SWOOSH!

A streak of dark yellow light flashed above the sea, plunging into the water with a loud splash.

‘Miao Ying… Six Arms… They were with me for countless years. Our bond was far from ordinary! To think they would fall in this raid… I will have my revenge!’

‘The Spiritual Ship has two Qinyuan Level Demon Fiends and a hidden expert of unfathomable power! I can’t possibly get revenge on my own! But…’

‘…if I have *his* help…’

A shimmering barrier of light flickered around the ugly man as he darted through the deep sea at an unimaginable speed.

The deeper he went, the more immense the fish and aquatic monsters swimming around him became.

There were monstrous fish the size of mountains and massive, dark silhouettes that radiated a yellowish-orange glow.

Finally, the ugly man came to a halt.

Before him lay a colossal underwater mountain range.

The range was continuous, stretching for countless miles.

“Lord Gongye, Jester of Spine Valley requests an audience!”

Gazing at the immense mountain range before him, the ugly man felt a tremor run through his spirit.

His voice, wrapped in Primordial Spirit Power, carried for an immense distance.

When his voice faded, there was no response from within the mountain range.

But the ugly man remained in a respectful posture, not daring to let his guard down for even a moment.

At last, an earsplittingly sharp voice echoed from deep within the mountain.

“Spine Valley!?”

The voice was so piercing it seemed to tear at the surrounding seawater.

“Come in!”

RUMBLE…

The face of the pitch-black mountain range suddenly cracked open, revealing a tunnel.

“Thank you, Lord Gongye!”

The ugly man did not rush inside. Instead, he bowed respectfully toward the entrance.

Then, taking a deep breath, he stepped into the tunnel.

Spine Valley was a truly ancient power within the Great Realm Di Jun, one that had endured for countless eons.

Many years ago, he himself had been a Core Steward in Spine Valley.

For certain reasons, he had left Spine Valley to strike out on his own. By a twist of fate, he became a Tribulation Cultivator, living a reckless and carefree life.

Countless years ago, while accompanying an Elder from Spine Valley, he’d had the good fortune of meeting this lord, Gongye Qingbo, just once.

A Demon Fiend of the Ji Meng Level, or anyone with equivalent combat strength, had stepped into the Great Realm’s Forest of the Strong.

Above the Ji Meng Level was the Qinyuan Level.

And above the Qinyuan Level was the Fei Lian Level—strong enough to preside over an entire Demon City!

This was the Seventh Stage!

Such beings were renowned experts throughout the Great Realm, their names echoing across vast regions.

And Gongye Qingbo had already been a Fei Lian Level Demon Fiend long before the ugly man was even born.

To this day, no one knew just how powerful he had become.

‘If I can convince this lord to act, avenging Miao Ying and Six Arms will be easy!’

The ugly man proceeded down the tunnel, heading deeper into the mountain.

Though it was called walking, his speed was actually so fast that he covered dozens of miles in the blink of an eye.

The tunnel opened into a vast, empty cavern.

The most striking feature of the cavern was a churning lake of golden magma.

The magma churned, and even before he drew close, the ugly man could feel a terrifying, indescribable wave of heat.

‘To think there’s something like this at the bottom of the Star Sea Domain!’

The ugly man’s spirit trembled.

‘This golden magma is no ordinary substance.’

‘With my Divine Techniques, I could swallow ordinary magma without any issue.’

‘But this golden magma… it gives me a sense of mortal danger.’

Hovering above the magma was a massive Jade Throne.

Upon the throne sat a figure clad in a black robe, their face hidden from view.

“You, from Spine Valley. Speak. What business do you have with me?”

The sharp voice echoed through the cavern, grating on the ugly man’s spirit and leaving him feeling agitated.

He suppressed his discomfort and spoke respectfully.

“Lord Gongye! For years, my men and I have made a living in this Star Sea Domain by preying on passing Spiritual Ships. This time, I led several dozen of my subordinates to raid a Spiritual Ship belonging to a commerce guild. But I failed.”

Before the ugly man could finish, Gongye Qingbo, seated on the throne, grew impatient.

“Hmph! My patience is limited. Get to the point!”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Gongye Qingbo’s cold snort sent a tremor through the ugly man’s Primordial Spirit.

“Lord Gongye, that Spiritual Ship carries immeasurable wealth! It’s more than I can handle with my own strength. I wish to ask for your help!”

The ugly man said succinctly.

“Immeasurable wealth!?”

“Yes, Lord Gongye. Immeasurable wealth, that’s right! Besides a large number of Demon Fiends and guards, the Spiritual Ship has at least twenty Ji Meng Level Demon Fiends, a minimum of two Qinyuan Level Demon Fiends, and a mysterious expert who I suspect is at the Fei Lian Level! With an escort that powerful, the wealth aboard must be unimaginable!”

“And who told you that a strong escort guarantees great wealth!?”

Gongye Qingbo’s sharp voice rang out.

“Lord Gongye, during the raid, I searched the Divine Spirit of one of the Demon Fiends. This Spiritual Ship comes from Kunpeng Land. It belongs to a very famous commerce guild in the Bone Demon Province! The guild suffered some kind of major setback and is now being targeted by various other powers. Their current objective is to relocate their entire operation to the Blood Rock Land.”

“They are currently passing through our Star Sea Domain. When a whole commerce guild relocates, they undoubtedly bring their accumulated wealth of countless years with them. It’s clear that this Spiritual Ship is carrying a fortune!”

“What is the name of the commerce guild?”

“Blood Corpse Commerce!”

“The Bone Demon Province, you say… I seem to recall that commerce guild.”

From within his black robes, Gongye Qingbo extended a deathly pale hand and began tapping it lightly on his throne.

The crisp sound echoed through the cavern.

The ugly man didn’t dare to interrupt, standing respectfully to the side.

Suddenly, the tapping stopped, and Gongye Qingbo’s voice rang out.

“You’ve brought me this information. What do you want in return?”

“The mysterious expert on that ship killed two of my best men. I ask for nothing else. I only wish for you, Lord Gongye, to kill that expert and grant me my revenge!”

“Fine.”

On the Jade Throne, the black robe billowed as Gongye Qingbo stood up.

“As long as that expert has not crossed the threshold of the Seventh Tier, I will see him slain!”

Hearing this, the ugly man’s spirit jolted.

“Do you know where they are now!?”

“I do. Before I left, I placed several thousand of my unique tracking marks on them. Most were annihilated by Primordial Spirit Power, but a few survived!”

“Excellent! Lead the way!”

“At once, Lord Gongye!”

The ugly man replied respectfully.

Suddenly, Gongye Qingbo vanished from the throne, reappearing beside the ugly man in an instant and revealing a deathly pale face.

“The accumulated wealth of a commerce guild, gathered over countless years… This will be worth the trip!”