The Grand Line (III)

Without hesitation, Wang Yan immediately left the underground area and went to Fanxin's side.

"They're out, but those guys all seem to be very strong," Wang Yan said.

"Hmm, hmm, you're injured," Fanxin asked. He saw bright red liquid flowing from the corner of Wang Yan's mouth, and he was certain it wasn't lava, because he smelled blood.

"Yes, I don't know what was done on the spikes of those guys, but they can actually hit my body." Wang Yan said doubtfully, "My body is an elemental body, so ordinary attacks should not be able to hit me."

Fanxin asked, "Were you hit head-on, or what?"

"I got hit head-on," Wang Yan said. "After I turned into magma, every drop of magma became my body. Before, if someone attacked my body, I wouldn't be hurt. But now, even a single hit from those spikes hurts me. With so many spikes rushing towards me, I couldn't withstand it at all. So, I ran away immediately."

"No way!" Upon hearing Fanxin Xin vaguely guessed what was going on.

"Don't know what?" Wang Yan asked.

"Those guys might use Haki," Fanxin said immediately.

"Haki? What's that?" Wang Yan asked.

"I can't explain this to you right now, but in short, everyone needs to be careful from now on. Don't turn into lava either, you'll attract too much attention," Fanxin said.

"Okay." Everyone nodded.

"And another thing, those guys are no longer ordinary opponents. They can see through our attacks. So, from now on, we must be more cautious and not try to take shortcuts," Fanxin said.

Everyone nodded again.

"Alright, let's get started now!" Fanxin said. "Langyue will be in charge of creating giant wolves to distract them, while the rest of us will launch the attack."

After everyone agreed, we began to take action.

His Fanxin searched everywhere, heading forward. The others followed behind him.

Langyue, however, remained at a distance, not approaching. It created many giant earth wolves, sending them to attack in all directions, forcing all the diamond lifeforms out.

Thanks to its efforts, the diamond lifeforms could no longer stay underground and all came out.

Fanxin took a look and saw that those diamond-like creatures were reptiles, their entire bodies covered in diamond-like scales. More importantly, except for their abdomens, they all had sharp thorns on their bodies, which were extremely sharp and chilling to behold.

Fanxin guessed that those sharp spikes must have been shot out from here.

"My God, there are a thousand of them!" Wang Yan glanced at them, his expression changing several times.

If so many Diamond Beasts were to launch those spikes all at once, they wouldn't be able to get close at all, let alone possess their bodies.

"There are quite a few, damn it. We need to find Old King quickly, otherwise, we can just deal with Old King." Fanxin said. He couldn't handle so many Diamond Beast either. However, these Diamond Beasts had a weakness: they were all separated from Old King and obeyed Old King commands. As long as they controlled Old King, the other Diamond Beast were no threat.

"Look at the middle one, that Diamond Beast is the most special, it's not very big. But all the other Diamond Beast are protecting it." Ren Fang had sharp eyes and noticed it at a glance.

"Hmm, it does look somewhat similar," Fanxin said. "How about this, I'll use the Wind and Sand Tower to distract the other Diamond Beast, and then we'll go and deal with that Old Diamond King together."

"That's all we can do."

Then, Fanxin stopped wasting words and unleashed his Tornado and Fist of Wind and Sand, bombarding the surrounding Diamond Beast and clearing them away.

To prevent the Old Diamond King from escaping, Fanxin created a massive tornado to envelop it and prevent it from going anywhere else.

Despite being anxious due to the tornado, Old Diamond King didn't run around recklessly because it sensed that the tornado was unsafe.

This relieved Fanxin; if that Diamond Beast had run amok, he would have been in real trouble.

He cleared a passage through the sandstorm. Then, he took the lead and flew inside. Wang Yan and the others immediately followed. Finally, they all entered the area surrounded by the tornado.

They were enveloped by tornadoes, so they didn't need to worry about the Diamond Beast attacking them from outside, as the tornadoes would block all their attacks.

"Go! We only have three hours!" Fanxin shouted. The tornado could only last for three hours; after that, it would disappear on its own.

Once the tornado disappears, they will be besieged by a thousand Diamond Beast, which will be no joke, because the Diamond Beast are already outside, and they will be surrounded by Diamond Beast.

If they don't deal with this Old Diamond King within three hours, their situation will be dangerous.

"Understood, let's go!" Wang Yan nodded and took the lead in attacking the Diamond Beast. She created countless Explosive Flame Bullets and threw them all at the Old Diamond King, intending to injure it.

The Explosive Flame Bullet roared and exploded beside Diamond Beast, completely engulfing it in Diamond Beast. The flames didn't disappear until much later.

Soon after, Ren Fang launched an attack on the Diamond Beast. Wielding dual pistols, she aimed at the Diamond Beast and fired repeatedly, each bullet hitting its Diamond Beast. Ren Fang stopped after firing fifty rounds. Next, the Little Black Cat intervened, using a laser gun to fire dozens of shots at the Diamond Beast.

Then everyone stopped; they wanted to see how Old Diamond King was doing.

They hadn't noticed, but when they did, their expressions turned strange. Old Diamond King was completely unharmed; they could even hear him snoring.

Everyone was speechless. This guy was actually sleeping, ignoring everyone who attacked him.

"Damn it, this is completely ignoring us!" Fanxin said dejectedly.

"What can we do? This guy's defense is too strong; our attacks seem to be useless against it," Wang Yan said dejectedly.

Her Explosive Flame Bullet were incredibly powerful; most people couldn't withstand them. She'd used so many this time, yet her opponent was completely unharmed. She truly didn't know what to do.

"I'll go ask the Giant Dragon," Fanxin said after a moment's thought.

He didn't know how to deal with the Old Diamond King either. The Giant Dragon seemed to know a lot about the Old Diamond King, and he thought the Giant Dragon should know how to deal with it.

Without further hesitation, he shouted and summoned the Giant Dragon.

"Hey, how do we deal with it? Our attacks are ineffective," Fanxin said dejectedly.

"It's sleeping? This is troublesome," the Giant Dragon said.

"Hmm, what does that mean?" Fanxin asked, puzzled.

"Old Diamond King has only one weakness: its mouth. You can only enter its brain by going through its mouth. Right now, it's asleep, and its mouth is closed. It will be extremely difficult for you to get in," the Giant Dragon said.

"Ah, when will it wake up?" Fanxin asked.

"When Old Diamond King goes to sleep, he sleeps for ten years at a time. I'm afraid you'll have to wait another ten years," the Giant Dragon said dejectedly.

"What did you say? You have to wait ten years? Are you kidding me?" Fanxin's eyes widened. He didn't have time to wait ten years, because he had more important things to do.

"Tell me, is there any other way?" Fanxin asked hurriedly.

"Hmm, there's another way. You need to find a way to pry its mouth open," the Giant Dragon said. "Actually, the fact that Old Diamond King is asleep presents an opportunity for you. Once you enter its brain, you can easily take over its body. It won't resist at all."

"But I can't get in!" Fanxin said, frustrated.

"That's not necessarily true. Don't you have the Wind and Sand Tower? Place the Wind and Sand Tower near its mouth and let Wind and Sand Tower slowly grow larger. The Old Diamond King's mouth should be able to be pried open," the Giant Dragon said after a moment's thought.

"Hmm, that's a good idea." Fanxin's eyes lit up upon hearing this, thinking it was feasible.

Seeing Fanxin's joy, the Giant Dragon immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm, saying, "However, don't be too happy yet. Although this method is feasible, you might lose the Wind and Sand Tower."

"What do you mean by losing the Wind and Sand Tower?" Fanxin Xin asked, puzzled.

"The Old Diamond King's bite force is incredibly powerful. No matter how strong something is, it can bite through it in one go. Although your Wind and Sand Tower is made of special materials, it could still be crushed by the Old Diamond King's bite," the Giant Dragon said. "The decision is yours: wait ten years, or abandon the Wind and Sand Tower and take a gamble."

Upon hearing this, Fanxin hesitated. The Wind and Sand Tower was very useful, and he really didn't want to destroy it. If he encountered danger, he could use the Wind and Sand Tower to escape. If he didn't have the Wind and Sand Tower, it would be difficult for him to escape if he encountered danger in the future.

"Fanxin, use Wolf Valley. Wolf Valley can do it too," Ren Fang said immediately when she saw Fanxin's dilemma. She wanted to help Fanxin. Although Wolf Valley was very useful, she was willing to give it up for Fanxin 'Wolf Valley sake.

"No, Wolf Valley has already been given to you, I can't use it," Fanxin said.

"But aren't you very reluctant to Wind and Sand Tower?" Ren Fang said.

"That's true, I'm reluctant to give it up. However, to get a body, I have no choice but to take the risk," Fanxin said after a moment's thought.

Without a physical body, he couldn't cultivate his strength to its full potential, making it impossible for him to fight Akainu. Akainu was Admiral whose strength had long since reached its peak, while he had only just begun. He couldn't possibly contend with Akainu using only his soul power.

Since Akainu is Admiral, he must have also learned Haki. His soul body is no longer visible to Akainu, so his soul advantage is not obvious.

Therefore, he needs a body. Once he has a body, he can develop it and master Taijutsu. With his Taijutsu becoming stronger, his Soul Skill will also become stronger. With the two combined, dealing with Akainu shouldn't be difficult.

"Fanxin." Ren Fang hesitated for a moment, because she knew that Fanxin liked the Wind and Sand Tower.

"Alright, no need to say more, my mind is made up." After a moment's hesitation, Fanxin said, "You should all prepare to escape from here. If the Wind and Sand Tower is destroyed, the tornado will immediately disappear. There are a thousand Diamond Beast outside. It will be very dangerous if you don't leave."

Upon hearing this, everyone began to prepare to leave at any moment.

"Alright, let's leave. I'm starting now," Fanxin said.

Ren Fang hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She had been with Fanxin for two years and knew Fanxin personality very well. Once he made up his mind, no one could stop him. So, she had no choice but to give up.

A moment later, Ren Fang, Wang Yan, and Little Black had all left the area enveloped by the tornado.

Only Old Diamond King, Fanxin, and the Giant Dragon remain here.

"Are you unwilling to accept this?" the Giant Dragon asked, seeing Fanxin's sullen expression.

"Yes, I've lost a lot to get this body," Fanxin nodded, saying, "I've given up all the abilities I gained, and my Wind and Sand Tower is about to be destroyed."

Fanxin didn't know whether what he was doing was worthwhile or not, because he felt that what he was losing was completely disproportionate to what he was about to gain.

"Heh, there are gains and losses in everything. That's how gains and losses are," the Giant Dragon said. "Not only are you about to lose the Wind and Sand Tower, but you'll also lose me."

"Hmm, why? Aren't you perfectly fine?" Fanxin asked, puzzled.

"Heh, I'm already finished. Didn't you say so long ago? No living being can live this long. In fact, I should have died eight hundred years ago." The Giant Dragon sighed and said, "It was your Soul Clan that saved me, and your Soul Clan helped me fulfill my long-cherished wish. I've lingered on for hundreds of years only to repay your kindness."

"Your ancestors asked me to do them a favor: to guard the Diamond Beast. Actually, the Diamond Beast was raised by your Soul Clan ancestors. Do you know why?"

Fanxin shook his head, his face filled with shock, because he realized that all of this had been arranged beforehand, and he was merely an executor.

"I've heard from your ancestors that the Soul Clan is born with powerful souls. In ancient times, their bodies were actually quite strong, but for some reason, they all became extremely weak overnight. They couldn't find the reason, but they sensed that a great catastrophe was about to befall them."

The Giant Dragon said, "Their souls are powerful; they can contain the souls of others and strip them of their power. Once someone finds out, they will surely try to take advantage of it. More than ten years ago, your Soul Clan was wiped out for this very reason. Someone wanted to control the Soul Clan and build an overwhelming force; their only goal was to destroy all who resist."

"Your ancestors, the Soul Clan, had foresight; they knew this day would come sooner or later. Therefore, they arranged everything for themselves. That was to allow the Soul Clan to regain a powerful body."

"They searched for a hundred years, and eight hundred years ago, they finally found the world's only Diamond Beast. However, the Diamond Beast's growth was too slow, and they couldn't wait that long. Therefore, they placed the Diamond Beast not far from the Calm Belt Diamond Beast, allowing it to grow slowly."