CHAPTER 508: 15 SUPERIOR RELATIVES

"ID 900534, initiate Void Shifting. Successfully breached the Moon Goddess’s Barrier. Locking in landing coordinates."

"Location area..."

"Endless Sea Domain’s isolated island cluster."

"Begin!"

Accompanied by a mechanical voice, a thick cylindrical object tore through the void and plummeted onto an island. The cylinder plunged straight into the center of the island, smashing through hard rock, its tip rotating rapidly as it drilled deeper.

A short time passed.

CRACKLE...

The cylinder, now burrowed deep within the island, emitted a faint, brittle sound as its surface unfolded layer by layer, like fish scales. Behind the surface were fist-sized holes. Within these holes, octopus-like creatures lay curled up. Now fully activated, they began crawling outwards. These creatures moved their tentacles with ease, effortlessly crumbling the surrounding rocks, advancing like drill bits boring through stone. In less than a day, the entire mountainous underside of the island was riddled with tunnels carved out by these octopuses.

"Record!" A man with a metallic sheen appeared above the island. He spoke in a monotonous voice, "In Year 993 of the Otherworld calendar, Upper-level Vassal ’Li’ successfully entered this world and commenced base construction."

"Sensor data incoming..." Li continued, "The current power limit of this world is Second Order Early Stage. My strength is being suppressed to some extent. Native powerhouses are extremely rare; the only concern is followers sent by other deities."

BEEP BEEP... A sphere floating in mid-air rapidly approached, emitting an urgent sound. "Base core construction complete. Please, Upper-level Vassal, arrange the subsequent tasks: extract Source Material, breed ore thieves, expand the base..."

Li solemnly commanded, "Allocate a portion of the miners to extract Source Material. Use the collected Source Material to breed mechanical guardians for the base. Continue to explore the surrounding environment. Ensuring the smooth operation of the base is the top priority; everything else can wait."

"Understood." The sphere flashed green in response, then suddenly pulsed with an intense red light as its voice turned urgent.

"Warning!"

"Warning!"

"An unknown entity has infiltrated the base! Blind spot detected in Sector Three. A large number of squid miners are unresponsive!"

"Hmm?" Li turned and said, "Display the holographic image!"

"Understood!" the sphere complied.

A vast holographic image materialized in the void, encompassing the entire island, both inside and out. Numerous red dots darted about within the island’s interior. As the image focused on Sector Three, the details became clearer: squid miners lay motionless on the ground, their energy depleted. There were no unusual figures nearby, and air sensors detected no infiltration of neurotoxins.

"Water!" Li quickly sensed something was amiss. "Focus surveillance on the water flow in Sector Three."

"Understood." The sphere oscillated, and the holographic image shifted, rapidly magnifying the slowly flowing water in the mine tunnels.

Upon magnification, the water itself seemed alive, writhing within the bodies of the squid miners. Though appearing slow, it was actually eroding the squid miners’ internal components at an astounding rate, thereby destroying their power source.

SWOOSH!

Without needing instruction, the sphere had already locked onto the meandering water flow, tracing it back to its origin.

"What is that?" Li’s eyes darted.

At the source of the water flow, hundreds of meters below the island’s water level, a gigantic, bizarre squid was perched on a boulder. The squid possessed dozens of thick tentacles, each adorned not only with sharp, saw-like teeth but also with eerie, unsettling eyes. A peculiar power enveloped the squid’s body, making it appear as nothing more than a lifeless boulder under surveillance. If the base hadn’t dedicated all its resources to tracking it, its camouflage might have remained unpenetrated.

"No, something’s wrong!" Li’s eyes suddenly narrowed. "Quickly—"

Before Li could finish, the giant squid abruptly contracted its body, and a blinding electrical light erupted from within. The lightning surged along the water that had infiltrated the base, instantly engulfing the entire facility and every squid miner. Unbeknownst to them, the water controlled by the squid had already spread through the tunnels, encompassing the entire base.

BOOM!

The entire island quaked violently. Lightning tore through the earth, lancing towards the sky, and the fragmented corpses of numerous squid miners were blasted out from the explosion.

"Abyssal Squid!" Li burst through the stone and flew into the air. Its expression was hidden as it looked down at the squid below, its voice icy, "A follower of the Abyss Evil God!"

"Hmm..." The Abyssal Squid’s massive tentacles, dozens of meters long, writhed as its large head bobbed uncertainly in the water. "Do Evil Gods also maintain connections among themselves?" it muttered softly. Then, the eyes covering the Abyssal Squid’s body simultaneously bloomed with an eerie, dim light.

Fear Aura!

A wave of spiritual power, potent enough to destroy a First Order Peak creature, swept over Li but passed by as harmlessly as a gentle breeze.

"Useless!" Li’s voice was cold. "I am a mechanical lifeform. My life core is stored with the Creator. I am immune to ninety-nine percent of mental attacks."

As it spoke, Li’s form appeared beside the Abyssal Squid. Li’s body was almost identical to a human’s, distinguished only by a refined iron-like sheen on its skin. It was as if its entire body had been cast from fine iron. In reality, its body was crafted from void crystals, making it exceedingly durable, and it could be further enhanced by devouring other metals.

Divine Martial Seventeen Forms—Beng Fist!

BOOM!

The already ravaged island was torn asunder by this punch, and tumultuous waves surged through the surrounding sea. The Abyssal Squid, directly facing the brunt of the fist, dived rapidly, its intercepting tentacles snapping one after another.

So strong! Carl’s eyelids twitched. This being’s physical strength is likely not inferior to my own at the fifth stage of Holy Demon Transformation. It truly lives up to the name of Upper-level Vassal. But this world is constrained by the Power of Laws. Even if your original body is stronger, the power you can display here is limited.

Ten Thousand Buddha Hands—Dragon Suppressing Seal!

Dozens of tentacles erupted from the water’s surface, weaving into a complex hand seal that struck fiercely towards Li.

Divine Martial Seventeen Forms—Titanium Extreme!

BANG!

The two powerhouses, both possessing terrifying strength, collided above the water. Waves churned madly, and the nearby islands swayed precariously.

"An Upper-level Vassal!" Li shot back in retreat, its brow furrowed. "So what if you’re an Upper-level Vassal? Abyssal Spells don’t work on me. Ultimately, my physical strength is still a cut above yours. Once I kill you, I can also please the Creator!"

WHOOSH...

The water below swirled as the Abyssal Squid manipulated the seawater, rising into the air and fixing its gaze on Li.

Indeed, in terms of physical strength, Carl was somewhat inferior to his opponent. Even his Ten Thousand Buddha Hands, though more intricate and versatile in its moves, lacked the raw, straightforward power of his opponent’s Divine Martial arts. Combined with the ineffectiveness of his Spirit Secret Techniques...

"What a pity!" Carl exclaimed. "I am still a Wizard!"

As his tentacles swayed, the water torrent swelled, and simultaneously, countless thunderclaps descended from the sky, bombarding Li.

"Die!"

Thunder... it countered the opponent!

Wizards are seekers on the path to truth; their strength may not be the absolute greatest, but their spirit of exploration is unmatched. During their brief exchange, Carl had covertly employed various investigative witchcraft and Secret Techniques from different schools. He had already found his opponent’s weakness.

BOOM!

CRACKLE...

「A short while later.」

Source Material +14

The squid form Carl had taken bobbed with the rise and fall of the seawater, its injuries rapidly healing under the water’s nourishment. His consciousness turned to his data panel.

Name: Carl

Constitution: 31

Spiritual Power: 23

Source Material: 25

Level: Second-Order Holy Knight, Second Circle Wizard

Abyss Bloodline Fusion: 58%

When he killed the fire demon Viers, the Divine Son energy core that had integrated into his heart provided over twenty points of Source Material. This had allowed Carl’s Constitution to climb to 31. Now, after killing two Evil God’s followers, his Source Material had once again reached 25 points, enough to increase a single attribute by 2.5.

Where should I allocate it? Carl pondered. If I were in the Magic Forest, I would unhesitatingly add it to Spiritual Power, as witchcraft is more potent there. But here, with power limited to Second Order Early Stage, most powerful witchcraft cannot be utilized. Physical strength, however, can be pushed to its limits through the Ten Thousand Buddha Hands.

Therefore... add to Constitution!

With a thought, the data panel changed once again.

Name: Carl

Constitution: 33.5

Spiritual Power: 23

Source Material: 0 (Note: Original text showed 25 here, but it should be 0 after spending it)

Level: Second-Order Holy Knight, Second Circle Wizard

Abyss Bloodline Fusion: 58%

A continuous stream of energy surged into his body, causing Carl to groan involuntarily as the Holy Demon Transformation rapidly circulated within him. The Holy Demon Transformation was a type of cultivation method that became easier to practice the stronger a Cultivator’s Constitution was. He believed that once his Constitution value surpassed forty, he would likely be able to cultivate it to the sixth stage.

That is, the Silver Body!

By then, his physical strength would surge dramatically. Relying solely on his physical power, he could go toe-to-toe with a Three-Circle Wizard at close range.

An opportunity! Carl’s thoughts raced. Now that the Moon Goddess’s Barrier has not yet completely collapsed, the Gods find it difficult to enter. They can only send their followers ahead to harvest faith and collect Source Material. I can seize this chance to kill them and obtain Source Material, directly increasing my own strength!

He had only encountered two groups and had already harvested 25 points of Source Material. If he continued... he might even become a Third-tier Taboo Knight, or even a Demigod. Would he still need to fear the Wizards of the Green family then?

Hmm... unless the Green family would send a Four-Circle Wizard to the Magic Forest.

"Haha!" Carl reverted to his original form and couldn’t help but laugh uproariously at the sky. "Truly, when all paths seem blocked, a glimmer of hope appears! This is a tremendous stroke of fortune for me!"

"It’s just that..." he mused, "dealing with Lower-level Vassals and Middle Position Vassals isn’t difficult, but hunting Upper-level Vassals still carries some risk. If I were unfortunate enough to encounter a Divine Son, I’d probably have no choice but to flee for my life."