Chapter 1188: One Thousand Years of Inheritance
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Pa!
The Netherworld King’s soul knelt on the ground with a dull sound. Not only were the killing intent and ferocity previously present gone, but they had also transformed into boundless reverence and respect.
An endless stream of memories surged into the Netherworld King’s soul. He now remembered!
Back then, he had not yet been named the Netherworld King. In fact, the Netherworld River did not even exist then. It was no more than a place where the Heavenly River produced filth in its usual operations, flowing to the underground world and creating a dark and dirty river. The appearance of this person in front of him had helped in the formation of his will. He devoured various dirty and filthy objects, which formed the so-called Netherworld aura. Then, he infiltrated almost one-third of the surface area of the underground world and used the massive Netherworld River as his body. Only then was the first-generation Netherworld King born. It could be said that without the person before him, there would be no Netherworld River, and the Netherworld King would not have his own will. This person could be said to be his father!
Throughout this process, this person had appeared three times. The last time he had appeared was a very long time ago. He said that he would return in another form and look for the Netherworld King as he needed the Netherworld King. However, the Netherworld King simply needed to assist silently and not interfere with this process. Fate would guide everything along.
He had recovered countless eras of memories. All of his instincts were waiting, waiting for this person to return. The person was now looking at him. He had finally returned.
He was needed!
“I am willing to take Mu Zi as my master and serve my life as a slave and as a servant. I will have no regrets even if I have to sacrifice my life!” The Netherworld King’s moving voice trembled. This respectful attitude caused Wang Zhong, Mu Zi, and Grai — who were prepared for failure — to be confused and dumbstruck.
After countless centuries, this was the first time the new Netherworld River heard his own voice. A sense of satisfaction burst forth from the Netherworld River. Just a projection was enough for him to willingly surrender.
At the side, Wang Zhong and the others clicked their tongue in astonishment, especially Wang Zhong. Even though the efficacy of the soul contract was powerful, before the contract was completed, both parties had to be willing.
He had planned to continuously torture the Netherworld King by deterring him and using his Draconic Spiritual Power until he could no longer stand it and agreed to the contract. Either that, or they would continue until Mu Zi could no longer endure the pain of sustained soul separation and the contract failed. However, they never thought that the Netherworld King would agree so respectfully even before Wang Zhong had done anything. There could not be any loopholes or fishy distractors in this special space, right?
This was far too successful. On the contrary, the three of them were on tenterhooks and did not dare to confirm this until Grai completed the entire contact process. Then, the contract runic array turned into a golden light and left a golden rune imprint on the souls of Mu Zi and the Netherworld King.
“Was it successful?” Grai did not dare to be certain.
Even Lao Wang was not too sure and looked at Mu Zi with uncertainty.
After a slight pause, a relaxed smile appeared on Mu Zi’s face. “It’s a success!”
The contractor of the contract would definitely feel it most directly. Wang Zhong had signed a contract with elemental spirits before and understood this best. If Mu Zi could say that it was a success with such certainty, then there was no doubt about it.
“Can you summon him?” Wang Zhong asked. After all, the Netherworld King was different from Nini and other elemental spirits. He was simply a spiritual body.
Mu Zi nodded and opened up his palm. There was a rune that was similar to the one that Wang Zhong used to summon Nini, except that there were some faint black lines within the gold rune.
At that moment, the rune in his palm dazzled, and a gray fog was emitted from the rune, forming an indistinct shadow in the air.
Very quickly, this shadow turned into a figure. He seemed to have Mu Zi’s appearance, except that his eyeballs were pitch-black, exactly the same as when Mu Zi was controlled by the Netherworld King… He was like a dead brother of Mu Zi.
The moment he appeared, he was extremely respectful. First, he called Mu Zi his master. Closely after, when he looked at Wang Zhong, it was hard to conceal the wild admiration in his pitch-black eyes. “Good day, My Lord.”
“What did you see when the contract was being formed?” Wang Zhong asked the entity as he was very curious. He could sense the Netherworld King’s state throughout the entire process more clearly than Grai or Mu Zi. The Netherworld King had always shown disdain towards the soul contract until he looked at Wang Zhong through the runic array. Then his attitude changed suddenly and drastically.
Wang Zhong did not believe that he could cause the Netherworld King to fear him to such an extent just because of his Draconic Spiritual Power. The Netherworld King definitely must have seen something then.
“I saw the past, the present, and the future,” said the Netherworld King respectfully. “Fate has never abandoned us nor stopped. You simply need to listen to the voice in your heart and look forward.”
The three of them were dumbstruck. What in the world was this?
A maniac who had gone crazy from slaughtering had suddenly become a philosopher. Furthermore, he seemed to have received redemption. This… was probably a good thing.
Ever since the appearance of the Fate Stone until the present, especially with everything that had happened since he arrived in the Land, were all these related incidents just a coincidence? Furthermore, it seemed like the Netherworld King knew something but kept his lips sealed. As a result, Wang Zhong wanted to know more but could not. Even a person who did not usually engage in gossip like Wang Zhong felt extremely curious.
It looked as if he had to go to the Ocean Empire Planet, which seemed to have some clues about the 11-headed dragon cauldron. Perhaps these clues could give him some inspiration. He only hoped that the Sea Emperor would not be as tight-lipped as the Netherworld King.
Mu Zi had also confirmed that he could control the will of the Netherworld King, and there was no doubt about this. All in all, they had resolved his trouble, and the three of them felt extremely carefree.
Now that they controlled the combat power of the Netherworld King, the Earth should be more secure. They now only had to consider how to deal with the Heavenly Gates.
The high-leveled civilizations simply sought after environments that could continuously produce powerful souls. They were a kind of resource. The low-leveled civilizations did not have enough strength and naturally could not protect themselves from these high-leveled civilizations. But what if it was a level-8 civilization? Who would dare to eliminate a level-8 civilization for such a reason? Frankly speaking, this depended on whether one had the qualifications and strength to protect their own property.
“I have many friends in the Heavenly Gates and can interact with the higher-ups there. I can go and discuss this with them.” In the Heavenly Gates, Wang Zhong mixed with various high-leveled civilizations, such as the Heavenly Shell Race, the Fire Demon Race, and the Machinery Race. He had already clearly understood the style and rules that these high-leveled civilizations used when dealing with matters. “Since we have succeeded with the contract, Mu Zi and the Netherworld King’s powers can be controlled completely. This is no longer just a crime, but a form of confidence, the confidence of strength. The Machinery Race will support me, and the Heavenly Shell Race probably will as well. With the support of these two level-8 civilizations, this matter will no longer incriminate the Earth. We might even be able to use this opportunity to adjust our civilization level. This is an opportunity for the Earth!”
Wang Zhong was rather confident when he spoke. Indeed, this was an opportunity, an opportunity to allow the Earthlings to stand even taller in the Land!
Furthermore, with Mu Zi and the Netherworld King’s perfectly complementary strengths, as well as Wang Zhong himself, the Earth could be considered extremely powerful just in terms of strength. At the very least, they could face some level-7 civilizations head-on in a battle of their top powers!
Even though Lao Wang definitely had the confidence to negotiate with the Heavenly Gates, what the result would eventually be could not be determined before the situation was settled.
Frankly speaking, Lao Wang only considered the Earth, as well as the stance of the Heavenly Shell Race and the Machinery Race. But what about the other civilizations in the Heavenly Gates, including the Fire Demon Race and the Blood Demon Race? Even with races like the Natural Race and the Soul Race who maintained a neutral stance in various affairs in the Heavenly Gates, the decision of any race could possibly affect the final results of this matter. After all, the Heavenly Gates was not a place where only the Heavenly Shell Race had a say.
Furthermore, it had been more than half a month since he left the Netherworld River Town, and it was very likely that the team of Celestial Honours Masters was already on the way. If they were caught by this team, according to the orders from the Heavenly Gates, they would definitely attack without asking any questions. It was hard to say whether they would try to kill Wang Zhong, an “accomplice”, but they would definitely force Mu Zi and the Netherworld King into the void.
“We will remain on Hell Island and wait for your news when you return here.”
“Right now, the underground world cannot find you anywhere. It is very likely that the Celestial Honors Masters will guess that you are hiding in the three forbidden places and chase you.” Wang Zhong paused. “Furthermore, I’m afraid that I will need more than one or two days of discussion with the Heavenly Gates. It should be easy to reason with the Heavenly Shell Race and the Machinery Race, but since the Netherworld King incident is on their list on assignments, if they want to revoke the mission or change their strategy, they will definitely not be able to produce a result after two or three days of meetings. Whenever the higher-ups bicker, let’s not talk about someone firmly opposing the higher-ups and starting a factional struggle. If someone intends to place obstacles in the way and delay the time taken, the Heavenly Gates will not be able to arrive at a clear result in less than a month.”
“Relax. If we do not initiate a battle, they’d better not think of doing anything.” Mu Zi and Grai looked at each other and laughed. It was obvious that both of them were very confident.
They had agreed on a plan. There was nothing else for Wang Zhong to attend to on Hell Island, and he immediately made the journey home. Back then, he had taken five days to travel across the sea and arrive at Hell Island. However, with the Netherworld River on his side, the entire River was like an assistive instrument that helped Wang Zhong with his journey. There were wind and waves whenever he wanted, and he traveled like a storm on his Jiuli Warship. He arrived at the shore of Netherworld River Town in less than half a day.
There was still a large group made up of various Factions waiting along the shore, just like when he had left. At that moment, Wang Zhong was using his disguise as a Black Titan. He thought that the incident where “Old Black” killed Bayan from the Profound Fire Faction would definitely have spread, and his identity might now attract attention to him. However, he never expected that the news had not seemed to spread, and no one felt that his Black Titan identity was unusual. Everything seemed normal.
Lao Wang reviewed the situation. It was now a period of unrest, and it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. It was good that the news did not spread. On the contrary, he had heard a lot of first-hand information about the Heavenly Gates while he was looking for the transmission array at Netherworld River Town. Over half a month ago, when Lao Wang headed towards the Netherworld River, the rumor that the Heavenly Gates had sent a group of Celestial Honors Masters to deal with the Netherworld King had spread in the underground world. But till now, this group of Celestial Honors Master still seemed to be a rumor, and no actual movement had been noticed. However, some news mentioned that the Heavenly Gates was in conflict over how to deal with the Netherworld King situation. It seemed as if this involved the secret dispute between the Fire Demon Race and the Heavenly Shell Race. However, no one was able to determine the actual situation.
Lao Wang was relieved. His journey to deal with the Netherworld King had been filled with countless difficult problems and lots of bad news. Now, things had changed for the better, and pieces of good news followed one after another.
Throughout the history of the Heavenly Gates, they had always been swift and decisive in their attitude when dealing with the Netherworld King. Now, since they had not decided on an official action to deal with this issue, it must mean that the internal dispute was very intense and there were many varying opinions. If he represented Mu Zi and negotiated with the Heavenly Gates under these circumstances, the success rate would undoubtedly increase greatly. In fact, he was also left with plenty of time. He had planned to immediately return to the Heavenly Gates without stopping, but he did not have to hurry now. He would even have the time to calmly investigate the reactions various parties had towards this issue, as well as negotiate with the Heavenly Shell Race.
His anxious feelings instantly relaxed greatly. In any case, nothing was urgent. Lao Wang thought about the Ocean Empire Planet and decided to make a trip there before returning to the Heavenly Gates. If not, when he returned to the Heavenly Gates, there would be too many things to deal with. He did not know the next time he would be this free.
He passed through the transmission array in Netherworld River Town and arrived at the entrance of the “Heavenly Tunnel” in White Elephant Town. The massive Heavenly Tunnel stood in front of him.
This was the pathway that connected the underground world and the Land. The Heavenly Tunnel passed through the entire continent and ran through the two worlds. There was a massive ancient lift, and it was a place where many goods and ordinary people passed through while traveling back and forth between the two worlds. Furthermore, the exit of the Heavenly Tunnel in White Elephant City happened to be at Catanlyke District in the Land.
The last time he came to Heavenly Treasures Street in Catanlyke District was during the secret investigation with the Machinery Race several months ago. When he returned after several months, the other places in Catanlyke District were the same, but the massive changes had occurred in Heavenly Treasures Street. Back then, Wang Zhong had represented the rise of the Earth, and the Heavenly Treasures Street gained popularity as a result. However, this “popularity” was simply the attention that various powers in the Catanlyke District placed on the Heavenly Treasures Street and did not mean that the shopping district itself had changed. However, ever since the Ocean Empire Pill Shop had established itself, the number of visitors to Heavenly Treasures Street had exploded.
The streets seemed to have become much wider. Meanwhile, the surface of the ground was no longer made of broken stones but covered with large green stones that shone with visible green light, greatly increasing the quality of the entire area.
The streets were also crowded with people. Even though it was almost dusk at that moment, it was still extremely crowded and could be compared to the most central areas in the Catanlyke District. Furthermore, he even started to see some business brands from the Earth in a few surrounding shops. Level-4 civilizations did not have the qualifications to openly peddle goods in the Land, but pseudo-level-5 civilizations did. They were allowed to promote their brands, but not to buy and sell shops. They would have to rely on rentals to do their business.
Lao Wang was familiar with this place and directly went to the Ocean Empire Pill Shop at the center of the street.
It was normal for people of the Land to look down upon people from the underground world. At first, the manager of the shop showed some disdain when he saw that a Black Titan had entered. If Wang Zhong had not taken out the letter that Prince Hayero had given him, the manager might have been too lazy to attend to him.
However, he only waited for three to five minutes at the reception room before he heard hurried footsteps. A young person from the Ocean Empire race briskly walked out with a doubtful expression on his face. Before he could speak, Wang Zhong had smiled and stood up. “Prince Hayero, I trust that you have been well since we last met?”
“Ah!” Hayero immediately recognized Wang Zhong from this voice. There was a pleasantly surprised expression on his face. “Is—”
He suddenly realized something. Then, he furrowed his eyebrows and looked around. “All of you, retreat!”
Everyone in the surroundings, even the boss of the pill shop, responded and hurriedly left. They even closed the door.
At that moment, there was no one inside and outside the room. Hayero immediately switched to a moved expression and took large strides towards him. “Thank the heavens, Master Wang Zhong! I knew that you would definitely be fine! How could the top Solid Core in terms of combat ability in the Heavenly Gates and a god-like figure lose his life in the underground world for no reason? It’s so good to see that Master Wang Zhong is safe!”
Even though he had only met Prince Hayero once, his concern was obvious from his words and actions. The Ocean Empire Planet had managed to align with the Heavenly Shell Race by using their connections with Wang Zhong. In particular, when they established a shop in the Heavenly Treasures Street later on, in reality, they had been connected to the fate of Wang Zhong and the Earth. Thus, the entire race saw Wang Zhong, a new high-ranking member of the Heavenly Gates, as a person of eminence. Furthermore, they expected Wang Zhong to have unlimited achievements in the future. This added great expectations to their original friendship with Wang Zhong and built up their capital.
If Wang Zhong died and the Earth collapsed, the next to be dealt with was very likely the Ocean Empire Planet. Thus, the Prince’s hope that Wang Zhong was safe was completely honest and genuine. It was not fabricated at all.
Lao Wang could feel the sincerity from his ally. He smiled and said, “Have there been many rumors about me? How did they spread? Did they affect the Heavenly Treasures Street?”
“Ha ha, how could there be no effect? Back then, it was said that Master had disappeared in the underground world. Then, it was said that an almighty Gold Core expert had attacked you and thrown you into the Netherworld River,” said Hayero. “How dangerous is the Netherworld River? Many people said that Master was dead. The various powers in Catanlyke District have been eyeing the current dividends in the Heavenly Treasures Street covetously. When the news that Master had died spread, the various powers were ready to cause trouble. However, the Heavenly Treasures Street had never published a clear death notice, and everyone was still observing the situation. Even so, there is a time limit to this. Over the past few days, people had come to tell me that Master’s corpse was discovered in the underground world and that the Heavenly Treasures Street would eventually descend into chaos and fighting. They invited the Ocean Empire Pill Shop to develop in their area. Of course, I sternly rejected them. Heh heh, I see that many people can no longer control themselves. If these people suddenly discovered that Master Wang Zhong has returned safely, I have no idea what expressions they will show.”
Lao Wang clearly understood that he was the Earth’s brand and their main pillar of support. Once he truly collapsed, the shine that the Earth had on the surface would instantly disappear. He did not feel that this was strange. Instead, he asked, “How about the Earth? I haven’t gone back, and I don’t know the situation now.”
“I contacted Mister Ma Dong several times and heard that there were some issues. There have been voices asking for the Earth to be denounced because of the Netherworld King incident, but the Heavenly Shell Race seems determined to protect it this time. Furthermore, they have not gotten clear information about Master. Thus, the Earth’s identity as a pseudo-level-5 civilization was maintained, but the higher-ups on the Earth were ordered not to leave it. However, these are just standard procedures to deal with suspicious civilizations, and it was considered rather polite treatment.”
It was obvious that Hayero did not understand much about the Earth. Even though he had many interactions with Ma Dong, their relationship had not reached the extent that the Illusion Race had achieved with the Earth. Whatever information they had was only on the surface, but at the very least, he had let Lao Wang know that great disorder had not broken out on his homeworld. If there were only small inconveniences, Ma Dong naturally had the ability to deal with them. Thus, Lao Wang was greatly relieved.
“Master, why are you still using this identity after returning to the Land? I heard from my subordinate that a Black Titan was looking for me, and I came full of doubt. I didn’t know I had a Black Titan friend.”
“The Netherworld King incident in the underground world is rather complex, and I want to see the reactions of the various stakeholders. Thus, I have to conceal my whereabouts for now.” Wang Zhong had chosen not to expose himself. On the one hand, he did not want the higher-ups in the Heavenly Gates to know that he was interacting with the Ocean Empire Planet so frequently. On the other, he also wanted to use this opportunity to properly observe the Heavenly Shell Race’s attitude towards the Earth. If they immediately abandoned the Earth because of his “death”, then that would be too heartless. However, from the look of things, the Heavenly Shell Race was treating the Earth well and still protected it even when his life or death was unknown. Even though this kind of protection would not last forever, the Earth would be protected for now at the very least. This seemed rather fair to Wang Zhong. “Also, I want to go to the Ocean Empire Planet and see the Sea King. Brother Hayero, could you help me make the arrangements?”
“That’s no problem. The transmission array to the Ocean Empire Planet has recovered, and it just so happens that I need to return to the Ocean Empire Planet for something. Master, if you want to continue hiding your identity, you can act as my guard and easily deceive the public. Others cannot trace your whereabouts using the namelist at the transmission arrays either. That’s right, Master hasn’t contacted the Earth, right? Do you want me to send a verbal message on your behalf?” Hayero was astute. If Wang Zhong had established contact with the Earth, he would not have asked for information about the Earth from him.
Lao Wang smiled. “There’s no need for now. Thank you for your trouble.”
The Ocean Empire Planet definitely had secrets related to him, especially in the area of “dragons”. Lao Wang could faintly sense that the so-called “dragons” seemed to be a taboo topic in the Land. Such a powerful race had suddenly disappeared two eras ago. Furthermore, many records in the Heavenly Gates were rich with introductions about dragons. Lao Wang would not believe it if there was nothing fishy about this.
Moreover, everything he had seen in the Illusion Sea World had actually happened in the past. Perhaps the “Dragon Race” was involved in the grievances among the four races in Heaven, but this was something that he could not come into contact with. Thus, it was best if his interaction with the Ocean Empire Planet was kept secret. If this involved anything taboo and someone was investigating him, it might not turn out well for either him or the Ocean Empire Planet.
At that moment, he was in the state of uncertain life or death in everyone’s eyes. Thus, no one would know if he secretly made a return trip to the Ocean Empire Planet. However, if he first contacted the Earth, there would definitely be supervision as the Earth was definitely the target of focused “care” from the Heavenly Gates. Thus, if he wanted to contact the Earth, he could not avoid the Heavenly Gates. If they knew that he had reappeared, with the amount of attention that Lao Wang received, it was a foolish dream to be able to silently go to the Ocean Empire Planet like this.
As the prince of a level-6 civilization, Hayero had the right to activate the transmission array back to their own planet at any time, and did not have to queue up and wait for a spot. He was also particularly efficient. After he gave instructions to his subordinates, he brought the disguised Wang Zhong to the transmission area. In less than half an hour, when they arrived at the transmission area, a specialized transmission array was waiting for them.
This was the second time Lao Wang had come to the Ocean Empire Planet. He arrived with different emotions from the previous time he had come, when he was prepared to cause a great commotion. He looked at the planet that was as blue as an ocean on Earth, and many feelings surged in Lao Wang’s heart.
Speaking of which, the two planets had many rare similarities. The Earth was also considered a planet that was primarily made up of water. In particular, after the Dark Ages, sea water occupied more than eighty percent of the Earth’s surface area. Furthermore, in the Star Alliance, few planets were primarily made up of water like the Earth and the Ocean Empire Planet. Even in the origin planets of many water races, land took up at least half of the planet’s surface area. The Ocean Empire Planet and the Earth could be said to be exceptions.
The palace of the Sea King was located at the bottom of the sea, more than several dozen kilometers below sea level. A mysterious water-splitting technique allowed the castle to hover above the bottom of the ocean.
When they took an aircraft through the water, the water several dozen kilometers below sea level seemed pitch-black. However, when they passed through the murky water and arrived in the world at the bottom of the ocean, the surroundings were not dark. On the contrary, it was filled with light. It did not seem damp either.
According to Hayero, this was a form of rune technology that had circulated in the Ocean Empire Planet since ancient times. Almost the entire bottom of the ocean on this world was “opened up”, not just the area around the Sea King’s palace.
They were able to isolate a dry and bright environment at the bottom of the sea, steadily pushing up the unimaginable heavy water on the planet for thousands of years. This method, the so-called rune technology, made Lao Wang gasp in amazement.
With his identity as Hayero’s guard, he followed the Prince into the golden glittering palace. The Sea King had already received a notice from Hayero and was waiting.
“Welcome, Master Wang Zhong. Your presence brings light into my humble palace.” There were no servants around. He had also taken Wang Zhong’s hidden identity into consideration, so only Hayero was present. At that moment, the Sea King smiled as he welcomed them. “Following Master’s intention, I have not exposed your identity and did not dare to set up a reception for you. Please be magnanimous enough to tolerate this arrangement.”
“Sea King, you are exaggerating too much.” He had met the Sea King when he previously arrived at the surface of the water. Back then, the Sea King had seemed to be an ordinary Void Core. However, at this moment, when he took another look at the Sea King, he could sense something out of the ordinary about him. On the surface, he seemed to be a mere Void Core, but he faintly gave Wang Zhong the feeling that he shone on the inside and did not reveal his deeply concealed talents. As a result, Lao Wang could not accurately determine his strength and was slightly shocked by this.
With his current strength, if someone was able to give him this feeling and he was unable to determine the exact details about someone else, that person was either an extremely powerful king-leveled Gold Core who intentionally concealed his or her strength, or they possessed a precious treasure that could completely conceal, change, or disguise their true strength and aura. From the situation, it was probably the latter. If not, if the Sea King was a king-leveled Gold Core that could rival the Heavenly Shell superintendent, then he could have challenged the Fire Demon Race head-on and would not need to act helpless and feel vexed. But even if this was the case, the Sea King was unfathomable. If he was able to activate such a high-leveled treasure, his strength definitely could not be underestimated.
As expected, the Sea King was not as simple as he seemed on the surface.
Lao Wang did not speak in a roundabout manner or exchange conventional greetings. Instead, he went straight to the point and took out the shattered pieces of the dragon cauldron.
“The Sea King had bestowed me with this gift, but it was destroyed because of my carelessness. I came here to see if there was a possibility that this could be repaired.”
“Master might not have known, but I did not give this to you. Indeed, it should belong to Master. I don’t understand much about this item, let alone anything about repairing it.” The Sea King was obviously slightly surprised as he had never thought that this item could be shattered. He simply took a brief look before laughing bitterly. “It is not that I am not willing to help Master, but I simply do not have the ability to do so.”
“I had never visited the Ocean Empire Planet before then. Furthermore, the Earth has never had any interactions with the Ocean Empire Planet. Sea King, how could you say that this belongs to me?” This time, Lao Wang was determined to get to the bottom of the matter. “Furthermore, I see that this item is an ancient item from several thousand years ago.”
“Master’s judgment is accurate.” The Sea King paused slightly. “This item has existed for over three thousand years in the Ocean Empire Planet.”
“Then I am even more curious.” Lao Wang smiled and said, “I wasn’t even born 3,000 years ago. How could my belongings appear on the Ocean Empire Planet?”
“Heh heh, I can’t blame Master for your doubt. Indeed, this is bizarre.” The Sea King seemed to be watching his words. Finally, he calmly said, “Then I have to start from the disaster that the Ocean Empire Planet encountered 3,000 years ago…”
Three thousand years was equivalent to three eras. Back then, the Ocean Empire Planet had not entered the Star Alliance, and their strength was a far cry from their current strength. In fact, the Ocean Empire Planet back then was divided and ruled separately by various sea races. However, since they had rich resources, the interstellar pirates repeatedly “patronized” their planet after its coincidental discovery. For an unqualified civilization whose strength was around level-3, they could not fight back at all when faced with interstellar pirates. At the time, the Ocean Empire Planet could be said to be extremely miserable. Many of its ancient races had been captured and eliminated, almost to the point of extinction, until a celestial appeared.
Not only did the celestial chase away all of the interstellar pirates, he even passed on many secret cultivation methods. The current Sea King and the sea dragon bloodline were no more than the most inconspicuous Sea Snake Race among the many water races on the Ocean Empire Planet. They gradually rose to power with the training methods of the celestial and became sea dragons before establishing a stable position on the Sea King throne.
Not only that, the celestial even passed on an extremely advanced form of rune technology to the Sea King, allowing the Sea King to build an underwater world that connected to the entire world at the bottom of the ocean, many kilometers below sea level. Furthermore, he used his divine powers to conceal the Ocean Empire Planet’s coordinates in the Fifth Dimension, allowing the planet to completely avoid the frequent attacks from interstellar pirates. This gave them a chance to recuperate and grow stronger through their development.
In just 1,000 years, they advanced to the level-5 and even level-6 civilization standard. Then, they followed the guidance from the celestial and destroyed the barrier that concealed their coordinates, allowing them to interact with and enter the Star Alliance. Thereafter, the Fire Demon Race coveted the Ocean Empire Planet’s rich resources, causing them to be a constant target over the past two eras. Lao Wang already knew the details and did not need the Sea King to repeat this.
“That celestial is the benefactor of the Ocean Empire Planet. Before he left, he left behind an item, which was this cauldron,” the Sea King said. “The celestial said that in the future, the owner of the item will come to the Ocean Empire Planet. When he arrives, the dragon cauldron will react, and we will then have to pass the cauldron back to its owner.
“This cauldron has existed in the Ocean Empire Planet for over three thousand years, but nothing unusual has happened to it until Master came. Then, the cauldron suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light that illuminated the entire underwater world. Thus, I knew that the owner of this item had arrived. I followed the benefactor’s desire and returned it to its owner in perfect condition.”
A celestial? From three thousand years ago?
When Lao Wang heard this, he was confused. However, the Sea King definitely did not seem to be faking it. This matter was probably not false. Furthermore, the Sea King had no need to trick him at all either.
Wang Zhong paused slightly. “Did that celestial have a name? Since he’s called a celestial, he should be from the Heaven, but do you know which race he was from? What did he look like? Since he said that I am the owner of this item, did he say anything else?”
“I only know that our benefactor had the appearance of a celestial, but he did not have any wings and was not from the Heavenly Wings Race. Other than that, I’m not too sure.” The Sea King was ashamed as he spoke. “As for the others, I also asked my ancestors about it, but our benefactor did not say much. He only said that when the owner of this item enters Heaven, we will naturally understand everything. This involves your fate.”
As expected…
Lao Wang sighed silently. The sort of concealment that he had felt from the Netherworld King was different from that of the benefactor of the Ocean Empire Planet, but the result was the same.
The Heaven?
Perhaps it was related to the Fate Stone. Yes, the Fate Stone was definitely something from the Heaven!
After integrating various information together, Lao Wang now further believed that the secrets he had witnessed back in the Illusion Sea World and all these items that were related to him were no trivial matters. It seemed like his strength and level were still too low. Perhaps he did not have the qualifications to access many of these secrets now. Just as the benefactor of the Ocean Empire Planet said, he might only understand once he had the opportunity to advance to the Heaven.
Once they were done with the dragon cauldron, the Sea King chatted idly with Wang Zhong. “I have another piece of news. It was said that during the period when Master disappeared, a small-scale rebellion had emerged on the Earth. Some higher-ups in the Earth civilization collaborated with the Blood Demon Race and were preparing to place the Earth under the Blood Demon Race as a subsidiary civilization. The Blood Demon Race had sent a Solid Core expert to sign the contract and accept them. However, the Earth’s elites rapidly suppressed the rebellion and killed the Solid Core from the Blood Demon Race. Furthermore, they also sentenced the rebels to death. The Blood Demon Race has reported this to the Star Alliance and the Heavenly Gates, portraying itself as a victim. They are preparing to punish the Earth civilization with the crime of rebellion, using the reason that they had arbitrarily killed another civilization’s envoy.”
The Sea King’s tone was calm. Lao Wang simply smiled and replied, “I believe that the Star Alliance must have dealt with the ‘rebellion’ that you speak of.”
The Sea King laughed out loud. Then, he sighed. “I give in. As expected, Master Wang Zhong is an extraordinary person. If ordinary people suddenly listened to this piece of news, they might have immediately been greatly agitated and would not know what to do. However, Master was able to clearly discern the details in my words. With such a state of mind and wisdom, it’s no wonder that you could rise to power so quickly.”
The Sea King continued, “Master’s guess is not bad. The Heavenly Shell Race and the Machinery Race are fervently supporting the Earth civilization in this matter. Furthermore, not only did the Solid Core from the Blood Demon Race that went to the Earth not possess a Star Alliance Diplomacy Document, he also did not have the approval to enter the Earth. Thus, he was considered to be trespassing. There is no problem if the Earth senses the threat of an external invasion and decisively deals with it. In the end, since the Blood Demon Race privately opened up a transmission pathway and a Blood Demon had deliberately broken the law, the Blood Demon Race was fined one million Gold Star Stones to compensate for the losses that the Earth suffered during this matter.”
The Sea King smiled and said, “Recently, this matter caused a sensation in the Star Alliance for a period of time. Now, the entire Star Alliance knows that the Heavenly Shell Race and the Machinery Race have the intention to protect the Earth and Master. Furthermore, the Earth was once a level-4 civilization that was not highly thought of, yet it had the strength to swiftly bring a Solid Core expert under control. This taught many unconvinced people a lesson. Thus, Master can rest assured about the current situation on Earth.”
Lao Wang understood the intentions of the Sea King. Since the Ocean Empire Planet was relying on the Heavenly Shell Race, it was natural for them to speak on behalf of the Heavenly Shell Race. However, no matter what, during his disappearance, he had nothing to say about how the Heavenly Shell Race dealt with and disposed of all these matters. Lao Wang felt greatly obliged.
However, he was rather surprised that Ma Dong and the others had the ability to swiftly dispose of a Solid Core Blood Demon. Even though Lao Wang did not seem to think that the plentiful Solid Cores in the Heavenly Gates were a big deal, in reality, this was an illusion as the levels and circles he interacted with were just too high. To the thousands of races and civilizations in the Land, the Solid Core Realm was a tall barrier that a large majority of civilizations could not overcome. Even the weakest Solid Core could casually destroy a group of weak level-4 civilizations. Furthermore, just one year ago, the Earth was a weak civilization that stood at the bottom, even among the level-4 civilizations…
So the Earth had unknowingly grown to this extent?
Wang Zhong could not help but feel overwhelmed by his emotions. In the past, he was worried that the rise of him, Mu Zi, and a few other people was merely coincidental or because of luck. Just like Celeste had said, their successes could not be replicated by other Earthlings. But from the looks of things now, an Earthling did indeed have extraordinary and unusual natural endowments! This was completely different from their previous predicament.
It was said that if one wanted to work with iron, they had to be tough themselves. If even other Earthlings were able to rapidly strengthen, then the Earth would not be like those low-leveled civilizations who relied on one or two rare experts and were brilliant for a period of time in history. Instead, they had the possibility of becoming the second Heavenly Shell Race. They simply needed people like Wang Zhong and Mu Zi to lead them. The rise of the Earth was unstoppable!
He was probably not the only one who could see this, and the other large civilizations could probably see this as well. What kind of contributions and honor would one attain if one followed a civilization that was still weak until they climbed to the peak and became rulers? Once the large civilizations recognized the Earth’s potential, their attitude towards Wang Zhong and the Earth became completely different. The Earth would no longer be as “lonely” as they were in the past. In fact, very quickly, they would no longer need to rely on the Heavenly Shell Race for protection.
However, these massive changes would usually be accompanied by massive dangers.
“Three thousand years ago, we had a benefactor save and teach the Ocean Empire civilization. Later on, we have Master who saved the Ocean Empire civilization from danger. It is very rare for Master to have a mysterious fate with the benefactor of the Ocean Empire Planet. It is enough to explain the natural affinity between the Ocean Empire Planet and the Earth. Thus, regardless of how the future situation develops, the Ocean Empire Planet will be a loyal ally of the Earth.” The Sea King had displayed his stance.
Furthermore, from his tone, it was obvious that he did not form an alliance with the Earth from considering the wishes of the Heavenly Shell Race. On the one hand, he had seen the potential and future of the Earth, but on the other, he also thought highly of their fate. He paused slightly. Then, he continued in a profound tone, “However, Master, you must be careful. No matter how much potential a civilization has, you will have to step on countless skeletons in order to truly rise. After all, the more potential you have, the more insecure your opponents will be… Over the next few years, I’m afraid that it will be an eventful period for the Earth. Master, you must be careful. In any case, you can use the territory of the Ocean Empire Planet civilization. As long as you inform us frankly, the Ocean Empire Planet will definitely be duty-bound.”
“Many thanks.” The Sea King’s tone was sincere, and Wang Zhong was slightly touched by this. He stretched out his hand and firmly shook hands with the Sea King. After seeing the current Sea King, Lao Wang was very clear that the Ocean Empire Planet was not as simple as the level-6 civilization it seemed on the surface. It was definitely lucky for the Earth to be able to have such a powerful ally when it was so weak. “The Earth is the same. I hope that both races will fight alongside each other while thriving and prospering and that our friendship will last for a long time!”