58: Lord of the Ocean, Maximum Grandeur (Includes Nutrient Fluid Bonus Chapter)

A trace of unconcealed arrogance and self-satisfaction unconsciously slipped into the tone. Beside her, Fairy Li braced her backhand against the tree trunk, yet she could not suppress the trembling of her body.

To be precise, Theophania was merely looking in her direction, but her eyes were sightless. Where a pair of wise and spirited eyes should have been, there were now only two terrifying, unfathomable black voids.

As it turned out, this Seven-Star Grid Nascent Soul, with the dharma title Fakong, was an ordained monk at the Boundless Temple in the Empire's Southern Commandery, while the name Jingyuan was the secular moniker of the nameless elderly nun before she took monastic vows.

The next moment, however, a figure tore across the sky with even greater speed, instantly appearing at the doorway of the stone chamber. Then, monstrous divine might surged outward, completely enveloping the entire stone chamber.

The Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty? An Zijie could not help but chuckle to himself. However, when those polished and gleaming brand-new stainless steel torture instruments were carried in, his smile froze.

Ling Xian was able to attain this distinction purely by virtue of her own strength, though there was also a sliver of luck involved. Yet without strength, one could never seize the opportunity.

Tang Jin chuckled and said, "Alright! Let me flip my cards first." As he spoke, he turned over the playing cards laid out before him on the table.

If she were merely a second-generation disciple of the Heavenly Sect, it would be one thing; she could afford to make a desperate gamble, and even if she lost, it would cause no fundamental harm. However, if even a chief elder of the Heavenly Sect were to be defeated by the demon of the Underworld Cult, the consequences for the morale of the righteous path and the reputation of the Heavenly Sect would be incalculable. This realization instantly made her dare not act rashly.

In the Ninefold Astral Chart, nine clusters of firelight loomed faintly amidst the clouds. Seemingly unremarkable at first glance, the Nine-Lotus Divine Array was actually derived from this very array. Even after studying it for a long time, Cang Tong could only discern seven thousand two hundred variations. Had he been able to fully comprehend them all, he would have long since broken out of the array.

Lu Bu nodded, pondering in silence. At this rate, his forces would be reduced to a mere hundred thousand troops. Should an emergency arise, the mobile forces available for deployment would simply be far too scarce.

Zhou Yan failed to understand the implication behind the other's words, nor did Nanrong Ning intend to delve deeper into the topic. She narrowed her eyes meaningfully, a mischievous smile welling up in her gaze.

Beneath the rolling layers of mist, a ring radiating a golden light gradually appeared. Within the ring lay a profound and mysterious expanse of black, impenetrable to prying eyes.

Lan Chi's words trailed off midway as he sensed a chilling gaze directed straight at him.

Having cultivated physical mastery, his physique was exceptionally solid. He stepped forward and hurled a vicious punch straight at Mo Han.

Liu Yunzhou laughed from ear to ear at the side; this was all nothing more than a performance rehearsed in advance with Ye Xuan.

Upon hearing these words, King Ming grew even more furious. This was practically selling him out, yet he was expected to help them count their money into the bargain.

Old Man Su muttered under his breath that it had been so hard to have a few days of peace, only for those damned bastards to ruin it again.

The look she had received earlier made her skin crawl, but given her current predicament, she had no choice but to stay; otherwise, she would have left long ago.

A few guests staying at the inn had gone out earlier, only to encounter refugees. All their money and belongings were plundered, and they barely escaped with their lives.

Long Lihai let out a grunt, reached out to grab the Universe Subduing Demon Lock on Zhu Dachang's body, and with a gentle tug, instantly snapped the immensely tough iron chain into two halves.

Ni Duoshi furrowed his brow, wondering why she was standing so unsteadily. He stepped forward to support her, only to see her complexion pale and her teeth chattering so hard they rattled audibly.

These two remarks left Zuo Jun momentarily dazed. Looking up, he caught the mad Daoist priest winking at him.

After the poetry gathering concluded, Bai Qinghua was the last to leave. Her complexion could only be described as extremely ugly; Wei Yuxin had completely stolen the spotlight before His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, which placed Bai Qinghua at a severe disadvantage.

From his perspective, the moment they set foot in this place, everything was already a foregone conclusion without much room for deviation.

Everyone at the dock stared in astonishment at the sight. The pink dolphin paused beside Youyou, placing Xing Zeyuan back into the water. The sea, which had parted into two halves, closed back together as Youyou recovered her normal state.

Cheng Shu's words brought Zuo Jun crashing back to reality. Gazing at the burly man with a face full of hair before him, Zuo Jun suddenly felt a twinge of displeasure.

As for their opponents, the five core members of the SMT team had all taken the stage. It seemed they, too, recognized the critical importance of the first match—or rather, that every single match mattered. Since a single loss meant elimination, even if they could not claim the championship, they had to strive to go as far as possible to win greater glory for their academy.

Youyou was overjoyed. She squatted down beside everyone's feet, hoping to warm her own hands first before using them to warm Xing Zeyuan's hands.

"Sixty-five thousand spiritual stones! Realizer Jingyuan, our Fu family has no grievances with your Kaiping Island; why must you make things difficult for us? Once this matter is settled, I will personally accompany our ancestor to pay a visit and offer our gratitude!" Fu Lifu gritted his teeth as he shouted his final limit while begging Realizer Jingyuan for mercy.

Faint wisps of black fog continuously drifted out from the territory of the Netherworld clan, only to be blocked by that barrier of light, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch further.

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Li Jianming waved his hand and hurriedly urged Uncle Wu to drive away. If they stayed here any longer, Li Jianming feared he wouldn't be able to hold back his laughter.

As for Mount Shu, the five great elders returned to the mountain after wandering the four seas, only to discover that their master, the Saint-Martial Realizer, had passed away under mysterious circumstances. The skies over Mount Shu were instantly shrouded in an atmosphere of grief.

In response, Shi Lingyi merely cupped her hands toward Helin Yue and turned to leave without the slightest hesitation. However, rather than boarding the carriage she had arrived in, she strolled casually through the forest.

Regrettably, Yu Yan's lips were sealed far too tight, and she was far too bashful. Though her two best friends waited for a long time, she never finished that half-spoken sentence, leaving Shui Furong burning with renewed curiosity—completely forgetting about Cangwu upstairs—as she enthusiastically discussed the matter with Gong Lili.

When countless wisps of black fog drifted out from the territory of the Netherworld clan, Yunrou had already reached the edge of the Netherworld realm. Judging by this dense undead black fog, it appeared the Undead clan had completely broken through the seals.

Nancy suppressed the urge to whistle, closing the front door to shut out the confrontation between herself and Ji Mochen.

At the command, the figures in black swarmed forward. Holding Wanying in one arm while parading blows with the other, Liu Yang divided the black-clothed assassins into two groups—one to deal with Anmei, and the other to deal with Liuchengyang. The sounds of fierce combat echoed, accompanied by the sharp, tearing clash of swords and a chaotic flurry of parries and strikes. Suddenly, a flash of sword light swept across like a dense river of falling stars, enveloping Qin Ming from above.

Although the illusion had been jointly created by Gu Zhan and the Undead Emperor, as someone who had experienced it firsthand, the moment Yunrou opened her eyes, those scenes she had just lived through still replayed with vivid clarity in her mind.