Chapter 116: Hungry Sir Bloodsmelter
Inside and outside Revered Ancient, on whatever island one reached, there were countless forbidden regions, within which existed all sorts of unusual species.
The Seazombies were just one of many. They originated on the fringes of a forbidden region in the Sea of Endlessness. However, they didn’t exist in the countless epochs before the arrival of the broken god’s face. When that god arrived, bringing an aura that assailed the world and transformed countless living things, some species vanished into history. Other species struggled hard enough to survive, while at the same time, many new species arose.
Among those new species were the Seazombies. They were a strange species that were able to directly absorb mutagen. Furthermore, they were incapable of reproducing, and had to use a special method to multiply. That method was... zombification. By placing a special mark on the dead of any other species, they could resurrect them! The resurrected corpses wouldn’t have intact memories from their past, to the point where they were like different people. They would become more violent, cruel, and ruthless, and they would pulse with mutagen. They hated the world around them, and at the same time, felt a constant call to join the Seazombies.
That call would lead them to the Seazombies’ ancestral land, where they would become a full-fledged seazombie. After that, they could cultivate seazombie techniques, gradually recover their mind, and become stronger.
Because of the unique qualities of this species, as they advanced in cultivation, they became more ruthless, and cared less about the world. Furthermore, the stronger their cultivation was before death, the greater battle prowess they would have as a seazombie. However, there were many limitations that came with the zombification process. Also, there was a high failure rate. Therefore, other species didn’t view them as a huge threat. But for various reasons, they had survived and multiplied.
Over the epochs that had passed, the Seazombies had come to discover that the corpses of human cultivators had a higher success rate when hit with seazombie marks. Therefore... Seazombies came to focus on humans. Because the Seazombies’ ancestral land was close to Seven Blood Eyes and the continent of South Phoenix, the two hated each other. As that hatred grew, war would break out every so often.
Now, because of what was happening in the Merfolk Isles, the Seazombie army had come. Thus, the vortex appeared, and a 3,000-meter crocodile climbed out of it.
Atop the crocodile’s head were numerous figures who pulsed with black energy and strong mutagen. Because of the black energy, they weren’t fully visible. It was only possible to see red eyes within a dark fog. However, they seemed to have cultivation base fluctuations no weaker than the Merfolk patriarch.
Seeing that the Seazombies had arrived, the Merfolk patriarch howled with laughter. “I can’t wait to see what your sect is capable of, Zheng Kaiyi!”
“Then pay attention.” Master Seventh’s facial expression was the same as ever as he produced an ordinary jade slip, which he threw in the direction of the Seazombies.
Before the Seazombies could do anything to the jade slip, it reached their ranks and exploded.
At that instant, it seemed like countless thunderclaps erupted out. The dome of heaven sank down, and great rifts spread out across the sky. The rifts looked like serpentine dragons whipping about wildly. From a distance, it was like a massive brush was being used to draw a painting in the sky.
Before long, those rifts connected together. Shockingly... they formed the image of a person! It was an old man! He seemed connected to the canopy of heaven itself, and his face was completely expressionless as he looked down at the living beings below. Beneath his gaze, the sea surged with massive waves, and for 5,000 kilometers in all directions, all of the beasts hidden beneath the surface trembled.
His terrifying gaze caused the Merfolk patriarch to cough up mouthfuls of blood, then drop to his knees trembling.
When he looked at the force of Seazombies, the half-emerged crocodile howled in grief, and the rot covering it began to spread rapidly. However, it didn’t dare to move. The powerful experts on the crocodile’s head also began to shake, and the mutagen surrounding them fluctuated wildly. In their shock, all of them coughed up blood. Many Seazombies in the army behind them immediately exploded.
“We offer respectful greetings, Patriarch!” Master Seventh clasped hands and bowed respectfully to the composite image of the old man.
The elders and Foundation Establishment cultivators all did the same, and they joined their voices with Master Seventh to offer greetings. The moment they clasped hands and bowed, the countless rifts that made up the image of the Seven Blood Eyes patriarch sprang into motion as if they were alive, becoming countless red streams of light that crashed down into the seazombie army, throwing it into chaos.
The seazombie cultivators reacted with open astonishment as the red streams of light stabbed into one after another of them. Each seazombie that was stabbed in this manner seemed like they were being devoured from the inside out, and within moments, withered into husks.
In the blink of an eye... the 3,000-meter crocodile collapsed into nothing, and the experts atop its head were withered into destruction.
The rest of the army had no way to flee, and within moments had been reduced to ashes....
Next, the red streams of light shot toward the vortex that had brought the seazombie army. Apparently, that vortex was the true goal!! The vortex began to close, but it wasn’t fast enough. It was with insatiable madness that the red light streamed inside....
A moment later, the vortex disappeared. However, it was possible to imagine what was happening on the other side!
With the vortex gone, the sky turned bright and clear again, and the sea went back to normal. It was as if nothing had happened. However, the withered husks of the dead Seazombies fell down to the surface of the sea like raindrops. It was a very ghastly sight.
“What do you think?” Master Seventh said, turning to the prostrated and trembling Merfolk patriarch.
The Merfolk patriarch’s eyes shone with despair as his mind and heart crumbled. “H-he broke... broke through...? The patriarch of Seven Blood Eyes, Sir Bloodsmelter... he broke through? You didn’t come here for us Merfolk, did you, Zheng Kaiyi? This was all a trap for the Seazombies!!”
The Seazombie cultivator in the other sphere of water looked like he was about to melt, and his previously cold expression had turned into one of absolute terror.
“So, you aren’t an idiot after all,” Master Seventh said. “Our sect couldn’t care less about you puny Merfolk. Our patriarch broke through and was hungry, therefore, we decided to lure out the Seazombies. I do have to thank you for bringing them here. Just in the moment our patriarch broke through and was feeling hungry, they opened their front door for him. And now, the Grand Competition can continue.”
Sweeping up the Merfolk patriarch and the Seazombie, he stepped onto his dreadnaught and sat down, looking very carefree. He didn’t bother observing the competition below. When raising venomous bugs in a jar, genuine moments of danger were a good thing.
“The wolf pups are just there to make some money. There’s nothing worth paying attention to.”
***
Down on Joine Island, in the fish skeleton city, Xu Qing was heading toward the Foundation Establishment Tower. Suddenly, he looked up, but didn’t see anything noteworthy overhead; the sky was clear.
However, the Merfolk spell formation was eating away at the Seven Blood Eyes violet sea, causing the pressure from the latter to slowly ease up. Sensing that, Xu Qing’s pupils constricted.
I need to hurry!
Taking out a flight talisman, he slapped it onto himself, then suddenly shot forth as a beam of light toward the Foundation Establishment Tower. It only took thirty breaths of time for him to get close to the tower, which was over thirty meters tall. That was when he saw at least seventy Merfolk cultivators standing as dharma protectors around the tower.
Obviously, whoever was in that tower was no ordinary person. There were seven or eight Seven Blood Eyes disciples around as well, all of whom seemed interested in the Spirit Breath Lamp. That was no surprise considering it was worth 500,000 spirit stones.
The fighting was fierce, and corpses were already piling up, some from Seven Blood Eyes disciples, and some from Merfolk. There was so much blood and gore that anyone unused to such things would vomit.
Both sides noticed Xu Qing rushing onto the scene. However, before any of them could get a good look at who he was, he transformed into a series of afterimages that headed straight toward the tower itself.
Instantly, the Merfolk cultivators who weren’t involved in any fighting roared and jumped to intercept him.
One of them was currently in the great circle of Qi Condensation, though in reality he should have been in Foundation Establishment. Glaring at Xu Qing, he performed an incantation gesture and waved his right hand. The projected image of a merman appeared behind him, pitch black in color and holding a trident. As it charged viciously toward Xu Qing, the other Merfolk unleashed magical techniques in his direction.
At the same time, the other Seven Blood Eyes disciples looked over with grim eyes. One after another, they produced various trump cards which they used to charge toward the Foundation Establishment Tower, hoping to use Xu Qing’s actions as a distraction to acquire the lamp.
Xu Qing’s eyes filled with coldness. He had already made the decision that he would kill anyone who tried to take what was his. Therefore, he waved his hand, causing black light to spread out as his dharmaboat appeared.
It was dozens of meters from prow to stern, and was awe-inspiring in a way that made it obvious this dharmaboat was different from the boats of other disciples.
The moment it appeared, Xu Qing’s hand flashed in an incantation gesture, and the boat’s four legs reached down to the ground. Cracking sounds rang out as the spikes on them shot out with explosive force, creating a tempest in all directions.
The Merfolk cultivators who were hit by the storm screamed in agony as they were punched full of holes. The Foundation Establishment cultivator looked shocked, but not even he was able to escape. His flesh was ripped into gore as he screamed, until a knife flashed with shocking speed through his throat, killing him.
The Seven Blood Eyes disciples who had thought to compete with Xu Qing met the same fate. From the moment they chose to take what he wanted, he decided not to hold back. After the storm subsided, the area around the tower was filled with corpses and silence.
Meanwhile, Xu Qing had never stopped moving, and was now racing to the top of the tower. Looking through the open framework to the interior, he saw a young merman sitting cross-legged in front of a lamp. The lamp looked like an opened black umbrella, turned upside down, with the handle serving as the wick. It was a strange sight, as the light’s auburn glow covered over the young merman, offering him complete protection.