Chapter 400: The fox returns, gathering from all corners of the earth |
At this moment, the sea seemed to stop flowing, and all the miners held their breath.
From the depths of the Netherworld Mine, a pitch-black figure emerged from the pit. As it moved, it transformed into a human shape, though nine tentacle-like appendages sprouted from its head, giving it an eerie appearance.
"Go, Nine-Headed Worm, seize the first place this time. Show your father your skills, hahaha!"
A hearty laugh echoed from the mine, like nine voices merging into one, resonating heavily.
The man known as Nine-Headed Worm merely snorted coldly and vanished into the distance in an instant.
…………
In the far north, on the Sighing Plains.
There was a village here, with houses made of ice bricks, inhabited by a group of polar demonic beasts that had lived in harmony with humans for countless years, adopting human habits.
Their house structures, social systems, and daily habits were almost identical to those of humans.
This bear was different from other polar bears; it had black and white fur, with black ears and eyes, and was round and chubby.
It was a panda.
"Since Master left, no one drinks with me anymore!"
"He's a directionally challenged old man. Without me guiding him, what if he gets lost?"
"No, I have to find him!"
Whether it was drunken madness, a spur-of-the-moment decision, or a long-planned action, this panda, after getting thoroughly drunk, actually took out a spaceship, boarded it, and flew south at an incredible speed, impossible to catch with the naked eye.
Despite being drunk, his sense of direction was astonishingly accurate, heading straight for the Penglai Sea.
…………
Star Island, Whale Hunting Gang.
After a year of development and respite, the Whale Hunting Gang had repaired five docks and recruited a batch of new members. With the support of the Sea Commerce Guild, they were back on track.
Originally, the Sea Commerce Guild had planned to abandon the Whale Hunting Gang, but Ye Hai was a determined man. Despite his crippled legs, he led his team personally out to sea and captured a Demon Core Stage sperm whale.
The sperm whale was rich in ambergris, which could calm the mind and enhance comprehension, making it priceless. With sperm whales nearly extinct, ambergris was even more valuable.
This sperm whale was priceless!
Ye Hai made a great contribution, which led to his reinstatement and the allocation of abundant resources, saving both the Whale Hunting Gang and his own legs.
On this day, Ye Hai came to the Sea Commerce Guild, standing before his leader, Li Yuan'an.
"Mr. Li, I suspect that the Average Cultivator who caused a commotion at the Melodic Sect last year is a demonic beast named Xu Hei!" Ye Hai said bluntly.
Li Yuan'an glanced at him, picked up his teacup, and said calmly, "Tell me your thoughts."
"Yes!"
Ye Hai immediately began to recount.
"I have fought this demon before. The first time, he infiltrated my whaling ship and killed everyone on board. During that battle, he used a sonic spell that shattered the souls of two people..."
Ye Hai recounted everything Xu Hei had done, including his actions in the Penglai Sea.
"Initially, I was just suspicious, but when I heard he used the Black Tortoise Shield in the Enforcement Hall to severely injure a one-eyed octopus, nearly killing it, I was certain that the Average Cultivator was him. He used the Black Tortoise Shield on me too!"
Ye Hai's tone was firm, his spirit excited, as this was information he had painstakingly gathered!
That one-eyed octopus had also been imprisoned and was only released a month ago, which was how Ye Hai obtained this crucial information.
However, after hearing this, Li Yuan'an remained very calm, merely smiling slightly.
"Not bad, you've improved since before. Take a look at this."
Li Yuan'an took out a jade slip and handed it to Ye Hai.
Ye Hai took it and looked, his eyes immediately filled with surprise.
Inside was information—after Xu Hei was imprisoned in the dungeon, he mysteriously disappeared, only to reappear a week after the incident at the Melodic Sect.
Where did he go during that disappearance?
"I've been investigating what you've been looking into for a while now. I was initially suspicious, but now I'm eighty percent sure that the Average Cultivator is Xu Hei!"
"Moreover, I'm fifty percent sure that the theft at the Immortal Pavilion and Mu Hou's murder are also related to him."
At this point, Li Yuan'an changed the subject, "However, this snake doesn't have such great abilities; he has accomplices."
Ye Hai was dumbfounded.
It turned out that what he had thought of, Li Yuan'an had already considered, but had not yet acted upon.
Ye Hai instinctively wanted to suggest eliminating Xu Hei, but he still nodded and cupped his fists, probing, "So, what do you mean, sir?"
"The Immortal Pavilion isn't stupid. Since we can investigate, their relationship with the Penglai Sea is even closer, so they must have found out. But as far as I know, they haven't taken any action, not even an investigation, just symbolically issued a bounty."
"This demonic snake's backing is bigger than I imagined."
Li Yuan'an looked at Ye Hai with a half-smile.
Ye Hai wasn't foolish; he understood Li Yuan'an's implication and smiled bitterly, "Mu Hou is dead. If it was really him, with his vengeful nature, the next target might be me."
His implication was clear: either eliminate Xu Hei, or he would have to flee far away!
Why did Ye Hai go to such lengths to investigate? Wasn't it to eliminate future threats?
He was unwilling.
He had given everything for the Whale Hunting Gang, establishing a former pirate group on Star Island, making it one of the eight major forces, and he didn't want to flee in disgrace.
He didn't want the gang passed down from his ancestors to collapse in his hands.
"If there was a way to let the Whale Hunting Gang survive, but you might die, would you be willing?"
Li Yuan'an picked up his teacup, quietly watching him, this middle-aged man with a bent figure.
Ye Hai raised his head in a daze, and the entire council hall fell into a long silence.
…………
Penglai Sea, Shark Lineage.
Prison Tower, a place to suppress demons, sealing some uncontrollable ancient fiends.
The biggest difference from the dungeon is that the prisoners in the dungeon are controllable, while those in the Prison Tower are not!
At this moment, a white figure suddenly appeared inside the Prison Tower.
It was a fox carrying a sword box, wearing a black blindfold that covered both eyes, with a wine jug hanging from its waist, swaying as it walked, reeking of alcohol.
"Plop!"
It casually tossed a strange piece of flesh onto the ground.
This mass of flesh had countless eyes and faces, covered in blood, occasionally extending tentacles, emitting hoarse cries.
If Xu Hei's team were here, they would recognize it as the Ghost Infant refined by the Soul Refining Demon Lord!
However, the aura of this Ghost Infant had already surpassed any they had seen, reaching the level of a Demon Infant. Among Demon Infants, it was also top-tier!
It was like a lump of mud, casually thrown into the Prison Tower by Yu Jianqiu.
After Yu Jianqiu appeared, not even a breath later, Elder Tiger Whale and the core high-level Water Kylin also appeared in the Prison Tower.
"Is this... the progenitor of Demon Infants?" Elder Tiger Whale's eyes flashed with a strange light.
"I thought it would be strong, but it was gone with one sword. The search was just too troublesome."
Yu Jianqiu took a swig of wine and lazily said, "A year of searching, five seconds of fighting, that's about it."
The entire scene fell silent.
Every team had tasks, and more than half a year ago, the third team was also assigned a task to investigate new Ghost Infant clues in a certain place.
As a result, Yu Jianqiu went alone, without mobilizing any other team members.
Everyone knew what happened next.
Yu Jianqiu didn't return until today.
However, he did find clues about the Ghost Infant and brought back the strongest one, single-handedly, and alive!
Not to mention Elder Tiger Whale, even Water Kylin was deeply shocked.
Water Kylin suddenly asked, "Why didn't you just eliminate it and bring it back?"
They had seen many Demon Infants in the southeastern sea before, and they were all directly destroyed, leaving no survivors.
"I noticed that the Demon Lord seemed to care about this thing and wanted to chase it, so I brought it back as bait to see if he'd come." Yu Jianqiu said lazily.
Elder Tiger Whale's expression changed in surprise, "You encountered the Soul Refining Demon Lord?"
"Of course."
At this point, Yu Jianqiu's drunkenness faded a bit, and his voice carried a hint of seriousness, "This Demon Lord is quite troublesome. I couldn't handle him alone, so I had to resort to this tactic."
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