Collective Increase in Bounty Amounts
Inside the Titan Battleship's living room, all the members of the Gu Ding Pirate Crew sat together on the sofa in front of the coffee table.
Even Tagore had his own footstool, enjoying the same treatment as humans.
Blue stood in Gu Ding's shirt pocket, sticking his head out and looking around, clearly with an attitude of "you guys talk your way, it's none of my business, I'm just here to observe."
"The main reason I've gathered everyone here is to discuss the latest Bounty Order. This time, the bounty amounts for all members have increased significantly," the Sea Emperor said, first projecting Gu Ding's Bounty Order.
[Wanted Criminal: Gu Ding]
Gender: Male
Age: 16
[Cultivation Level: One-Star Low-rank God]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Three-star Half-Step True God or higher]
[Bounty Amount: 900 million Originium]
[Note: This Wanted Criminal is the leader of the Gu Ding Pirate Crew]
"Wow, the bounty has increased so much! It jumped from thirty million to nine hundred million..." Dokter exclaimed in disbelief.
"In the Universe Sea, under normal circumstances, the bounty for Peak-rank God wouldn't exceed three hundred million. Those exceeding three hundred million usually possess Combat Strength at the Half-Step True God level. If we're talking purely about Gu Ding's Combat Strength, he wouldn't actually be able to get such a high bounty; at most, it would be around five hundred million. However, the bounty amount isn't simply judged by Combat Strength; it also depends on a person's level of danger. And Gu Ding, as the leader of our Pirate Crew, is extremely dangerous, so his bounty has a rather large jump." The Sea Emperor explained, and then projected the bounty amount for the second person.
[Wanted Criminal: Bigge]
Gender: Male
Age: 17
[Cultivation Level: Mid- Two-Star Mid-rank God]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Six-Star Half-Step True God]
[Bounty Amount: 650 million Originium]
[Note: This Wanted Criminal's swordsmanship level is at the Lesser Completion stage of the Enlightenment Realm.]
"Bigge's sword intent is actually higher than mine?!" This was something Gu Ding hadn't expected. He had thought that even if Bigge had broken through recently, he would be at the initial stage of the Enlightenment Realm, just like himself. But he hadn't anticipated that Bigge was actually at the Lesser Completion stage of the Enlightenment Realm, a whole minor realm higher than him.
[Wanted Criminal: Scarlet]
Gender: Male
Age: 17
[Cultivation Level: One-Star Low-rank God]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Three-Star Half-Step True God]
[Bounty Amount: 500 million Originium]
[Note: A new member of the Gu Ding Team, formerly Interstellar Wanderer and Sword Cultivator.]
[Wanted Criminal: Hake]
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
[Cultivation Level: One-Star Low-rank God]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Three-Star Half-Step True God]
[Bounty Amount: 500 million Originium]
[Note: A new member of the Gu Ding Team, extremely dangerous, other details unknown.]
[Wanted Criminal: Liliath]
Gender: Female
Age: 15
[Cultivation Level: One-Star Low-rank God]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Three-Star Half-Step True God]
[Bounty Amount: 480 million Originium]
[Note: This Wanted Criminal is a spiritual cultivator. He possesses a unique inherited Pupil Technique.]
[Wanted Criminal: Elsa]
Gender: Female
Age: 17
[Cultivation Level: One-Star Low-rank God]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Three-Star Half-Step True God]
[Bounty Amount: 450 million Originium]
[Note: This Wanted Criminal is Body Cultivation, Viking Clan.]
[Wanted Criminal: Dokter]
Gender: Male
Age: 17
[Cultivation Level: One-Star Low-rank God]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Three-Star Half-Step True God]
[Bounty Amount: 420 million Originium]
[Note: This Wanted Criminal possesses a special type of inheritance.]
[Wanted Criminal: Fa Te]
Gender: Male
Age: 17
[Cultivation Level: Five-Star Low-rank God]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Two-Star Half-Step True God]
[Bounty Amount: 380 million Originium]
[Note: Obese; other information unknown.]
[Wanted Criminal: Miko]
Gender: Male
Age: 11
[Cultivation Level: Demigod]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Above Two-Star Half-Step True God]
[Bounty Amount: 400 million Originium]
[Note: This Wanted Criminal Heavenly Eye and is a recipient of a special kind of inheritance; other details are unknown.]
[Wanted Criminal: Dokter]
Age: Unknown
Cultivation Level: Unknown
[Combat Strength Assessment: Unknown]
[Bounty Amount: 300 million Originium]
[Note: This Wanted Criminal is a non-combatant Mechanical Race.]
[Wanted Criminal: Tagore]
[Gender: Male]
Age: Unknown
[Cultivation Level: High-rank God]
[Combat Strength Assessment: Unknown]
[Bounty Amount: 300 million Originium]
[Note: It looks like a cat, but its specific breed is unknown.]
[Wanted Criminal: Blue]
[Gender: Male]
Age: Unknown
Cultivation Level: Unknown
[Combat Strength Assessment: Unknown]
[Bounty Amount: 100 Million Originium]
[Note: A mutated Gold-type Devouring Beast, the pet beast of the Gu Ding Pirate Crew.]
The Sea Emperor listed the bounties for all the members, and to everyone's surprise, Blue, that guy who just ate and slept all day, actually had a bounty of 100 million Originium. Clearly, this amount was related to the overall influence of the Gu Ding Pirate Crew.
"The total bounty on all members of the Pirate Crew is 5.38 billion Origin Stones. This bounty is terrifying, even exceeding the bounties once offered to a few True God-level powerhouses. Our entire team is practically a mobile gold mine in the Universe Sea, so it will inevitably attract the pursuit of truly powerful beings there. Especially Gu Ding, with a bounty of 900 million Origin Stones. There are definitely many people who want your head." The Sea Emperor revealed the biggest crisis facing the team. "Given the current situation, the only way for everyone to cope is to improve their strength as much as possible. If they are not strong enough, they could be killed or sent to the Federal Prison."
The group, initially delighted by the surge in bounties, now wore grim expressions upon hearing the Sea Emperor's words. While a higher bounty was undoubtedly good news for Interstellar Pirate, without the strength to match that bounty, it was a very dangerous situation.
"Besides updating the Bounty Order, the Federal Government has also released an annual ranking list. Two particularly popular categories are the Annual Rookie and the Annual Rookie Team Ranking List, which always generate a lot of discussion in the Universe Sea every year. Gu Ding ranks first in the individual Ranking List, making him the Rookie of the Annual Rookie. And in the team rankings, our Gu Ding Pirate Crew is also ranked first. Koude.Brad and his Judicator Pirate Crew are ranked second." The Sea Emperor said, projecting the ranking list onto the screen.
"This Federal Government's list, along with the three Star Pavilion's prodigy Ranking List, and our team's latest Bounty Order. With these three factors combined, I predict that in the near future, our Pirate Crew will become a truly well-known Pirate Crew. For many, this is something they would love to have. But for us, it will do more harm than good."
The Federal Government's original intention in publishing this list of Interstellar Pirate was to inform the general public about these Pirate Crew so that they could assist in capture operations if necessary. However, it has instead become a hot topic of gossip for the public every year, leaving the Federal Government somewhat helpless.
"Improving one's strength isn't something that happens overnight; it takes time and accumulation. We will definitely do our best to cultivate and improve." Gu Ding and the others knew that the Sea Emperor's concerns were not unfounded. If they encountered someone with strength above six stars Half-Step True God, the entire Pirate Crew might face an unprecedented crisis.
"I've said so much mainly to raise everyone's awareness of the crisis." The Sea Emperor didn't intend to dwell on the matter any longer. "If we sail normally, we'll reach the Ikes Star Region in less than an hour. Gu Ding, do you want to find a place to get through the Heavenly Tribulation ahead of time? Lily and the others have already done it."
After Gu Ding ascended to godhood, he had been in the Ancient Ruins, shielding himself from the Heavenly Tribulation. However, after leaving the ruins, Gu Ding rushed to reunite with Bigge, having no time to concern himself with the Heavenly Tribulation. Only after reuniting did Gu Ding plunge into the Time Acceleration Cabin, once again isolating himself from the Heavenly Tribulation, thus delaying his tribulation until now.
Upon hearing the Sea Emperor's suggestion, Gu Ding quickly nodded. The spaceship soon docked on an uninhabited planet, and Gu Ding stepped out of the spaceship.
After disembarking from the spaceship, Gu Ding unleashed his full power, and within just a few minutes, the Heavenly Tribulation above his head rapidly condensed.
Gu Ding stood unmoved, his gaze towards the Heavenly Tribulation filled not with fear, but with anticipation. He wanted to use the power of this Heavenly Tribulation to break through his physical body, already at the peak of the Mid-rank God level, to the High-rank God level in one fell swoop. Once his physical body broke through, his Combat Strength would be further enhanced, providing an extra layer of security for the team's future.
Soon, the first bolt of lightning struck. Gu Ding neither dodged nor avoided it, nor did he activate any supernatural powers or launch any counterattack. Instead, he directly withstood it with his bare body.
The lightning was, after all, Heavenly Tribulation. Although Gu Ding's physical strength was not afraid of the initial attack, it still left scorching marks on his body. Gu Ding felt excruciating pain and numbness, but at the same time, he vaguely sensed that his physical body had indeed become slightly stronger.
Then, the second, the third... lightning bolts continued to strike. Gu Ding withstood eighteen bolts of lightning with his bare body, his entire body charred black, even his hair completely burned off. Finally, on the nineteenth strike, his physical body underwent a qualitative transformation, advancing from the Mid-rank God to the level of High-rank God.
The charred skin began to grow new, tender flesh at a visible rate, and even the hair began to regrow rapidly.
In the next tribulation, Gu Ding no longer tried to withstand it with his physical body. Instead, he used the Devouring the Heavens and Swallowing the Earth Divine Power to completely absorb the Heavenly Tribulation. Streams of pure energy flowed back from the Black Hole formed by the divine power, merging into his Divine Source. The strength of his Divine Source, at the upper-level one-star stage, was raised to the three-star level before finally stopping. With this, Gu Ding's overall strength improved slightly once again.
After changing his clothes, Gu Ding returned to the spaceship, which then departed from the scorched planet, heading towards its destination Ikes Star Region...
~~~
[I can't finish the make-up chapter for chapter three today, but I'll definitely make it up tomorrow...] (To be continued...)