On the Purple Pearl.
"Spare us! Don't kill us! Don't kill us!"
"We really know we were wrong; we shouldn't have poisoned the goods!"
"We'll compensate you for anything you want, just make this man's face close!"
On the deck of the Purple Pearl, the pregnant merchant and all the other Merchant and crew members were neatly arranged, bound hand and foot.
On the opposite side of them...
These are our old acquaintances, Zhang Yan and Lu Zhihui, and the female pirates they lead.
What these water ghosts feared most was not the two leaders, but Lin Ying stood at the very front.
Her face split open from the middle, opening and closing, revealing not teeth or a tongue.
It was the tip of a long spear, gleaming with a cold light.
At this moment, the hot-tempered Wu Shuang stepped forward, pointing her finger at the pot-bellied businessman and launching into a tirade of abuse.
"Gao Qiu's lackeys! You're all accomplices of that damned Gao Nantong!"
"You actually dared to secretly plot to poison our goods! You're courting death! You're blind as idiots!"
Zhang Yan and Lu Zhihui watched coldly from the side.
On the deck at their feet lay a woman, Janet, foaming at the mouth.
Just moments before, after successfully hijacking the merchant ship, they unexpectedly discovered that the cargo consisted entirely of high-end pastries.
So, Janet, who always had a sweet tooth, went up and ate her fill without saying a word.
The result was obvious: the pastries had been poisoned.
She immediately foamed at the mouth and collapsed on the floor...
The Merchant originally intended to use poison to turn their fortunes around, but they never expected that one of the female pirates would be so reckless as to steal food.
This prematurely detonated their conspiracy.
Amitabha Buddha~
Lu Zhihui stepped forward, "What I hate most is apologizing afterward."
"You don't know you're wrong, you just know you're going to die."
She waved her hand. "Lin Ying, perform a ritual to help them pass on to the afterlife."
"Good."
Lin Ying clenched her fist, and the spear in her face burst forth!
"No... no!!"
The wealthy businessman at the front of the line let out a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered.
But the next moment, the spear pierced straight through his stomach!
As the space fluctuated, the wealthy businessman disappeared from the deck and was forcibly teleported to a place ten thousand meters deep in the sea.
They were forever nailed to the reef on the seabed!
Next up is the next one.
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
Lin Ying remained expressionless, like a ruthless quality inspector on an assembly line, sending these begging Merchant one by one into the deep sea to feed the fish.
At the very end of the line, the Clown disguised as a crew member still maintained his smile.
"Interesting..."
The Clown glanced at Zhang Yan, who stood silently behind him, out of the corner of his eye.
Or rather...
He was staring at the dark red spear that Zhang Yan was gripping tightly in her hand.
Godslayer Spear!
The Clown could never forget that terrifying thing.
Back in Soul Return Town, he was almost pierced and killed on the spot by the Dragon God with this spear.
Even today, his shoulder still seems to ache slightly whenever he sees that gun.
"Unlike the fakes that Gao Qiu conjured up in his domain, this gun exudes killing intent just by looking at it..."
It's genuine!
"But this thing should have originally been in the hands of the Dragon God, but now..."
"Why did it end up in the hands of this female pirate?"
The Clown frowned slightly, completely baffled.
In his eyes, there were only two possibilities.
Firstly, this item was personally bestowed upon her by the Dragon God, indicating that the Dragon God had a close relationship with this group of female pirates.
Secondly...
The Dragon God encountered an accident in this perilous sea, and this woman happened to find this unclaimed divine spear.
The probabilities of these two possibilities are vastly different, and he lacks sufficient information, requiring many factors to corroborate his findings.
But now...
Preserving my own life is the most important thing right now.
The Clown turned his head and looked at the crew member in front of him in line.
With a scream, the man was pierced through by Lin Ying's spear and disappeared from the deck.
Now, it's his turn.
Lin Ying had already stood before him, the spear deep within her cheek drawing its power...
Then, the Clown smiled and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Wait a minute, everyone. I know some information about the inside of Deep Pool Fortress."
"Perhaps we can make a win-win deal?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan, who had been silent all along, suddenly opened her eyes.
"What did you say?"
Seeing this, Lu Zhihui quickly raised her hand to stop Lin Ying: "Lin Ying, stop! Don't kill him yet!"
Lin Ying remained remarkably calm and immediately withdrew her spear upon hearing this.
The split face closed up, and he looked like a normal person again.
The hot-tempered Wu Shuang rushed forward and grabbed the Clown by the collar!
Stop trying to fool me!
Wu Shuang pressed him, "What ability do you, a mere crew member, have to find out internal intelligence about a fortress guarded by Quasi-God level expert?"
"And what makes you think you're qualified to do business with us?!"
Despite Wu Shuang's threat, the Clown maintained his smile.
With his hands bound, he could only helplessly shake his head, signaling the other person to calm down.
"Hey, calm down, sister!"
"Ordinary crew members would naturally not know those secrets."
"But what if... I were Gao Qiu's colleague?"
Gao Qiu's colleague?
"Stop spouting nonsense in front of me!"
Wu Shuang cursed loudly, feeling as if her intelligence had been rubbed into the ground.
"Gao Qiu is the Minister of War of the Dragon Xia Imperial City!"
"Do you think you're the Minister of Rites in the imperial court?! With your pathetic appearance..."
The Clown chuckled and corrected him, "Calm down, I never said I was from the Dragon Xia Imperial City's court."
"The colleagues I'm referring to are... the Desolate God Society!"
Desolate God Society?!
"What is this thing? I've never heard of it."
Wu Shuang scratched her head, looking completely bewildered.
Zhang Yan and Lu Zhihui exchanged a glance, their brows furrowing slightly.
Clearly, they knew nothing about this cult.
But at that moment, Lin Ying, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up.
I know this organization.
Lin Ying recalled, "Back when I was the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards in the Dragon Xia Imperial City, I had the honor of meeting one of them."
"At that time, I was personally invited by the Great Love National Preceptor to observe the training as an honored guest."
"That woman's strength is terrifying; compared to her, I am utterly out of reach."
"Even if Duanlang, the lord of Deep Pool Fortress, were to personally face her, I dare say I would not be able to defeat her."
"And I've secretly inquired about the faction she belongs to; it seems to be from this so-called... Desolate God Society!"
After listening, Wu Shuang clapped her hands in sudden realization. "Oh~ I understand!"
"So this lowly lackey means that Gao Qiu, that treacherous minister, is also a member of the Desolate God Society?"
No wonder there's a fake emperor sitting on the throne now!
"It turns out the entire Longxia Dynasty was rotten to the core, and had been possessed and controlled by someone!"
"That's right~ that's right~ this lady is incredibly clever."
The Clown nodded repeatedly, then revealed, "Gao Qiu is none other than the 12th seat [Merchant] of our Desolate God Society."
"And the one that the sister with the splitting face was talking about is our strongest member of the No. 1 seat, Lord [Void]~"
"Void..."
Lin Ying's face darkened even more as the memory of that time resurfaced in her mind.
"That's indeed a reasonable nickname for her."
At this moment, Zhang Yan, carrying the Godslayer Spear, slowly walked forward.
And what about you?
Zhang Yan stared at the Clown, twirling the Cosmic Ring in her hand, ready to trap and kill him at any moment.
"They're all extraordinary people to be able to work with these monsters."
"I suppose you're not exactly an innocent figure in this Desolate God Society either?"
"Speak! Which seat are you?!"
The Clown sensed the murderous aura emanating from Zhang Yan.
He knew that if he didn't say this one thing well, he would definitely die here today.
The Clown took a deep breath, and his playful expression suddenly turned serious!
Upon seeing this, everyone immediately felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy and gripped their weapons tightly.
Thinking this guy was about to reveal some earth-shattering identity, they prepared for a desperate battle!
However...
The Clown's face fell the next second, and he cried out as if he were about to burst into tears.
"Oh dear ladies! Which seat could I possibly be?"
"I'm just a trainee who recently joined the Desolate God Society! My name is Hislay!"
"You wouldn't believe it, but not long ago, that Dragon God killed the Evil God behind us!"
"The Desolate God Society is now in complete chaos because its leader is dead, with the higher-ups fighting amongst themselves!"
"I'm just a lowly intern with a fixed salary, and I'm afraid of getting dragged into their power struggles at the top."
"That's why I quickly grabbed my buckets and ran away, hiding my identity and becoming a crew member on this merchant ship to make a living! Hehe~"
"..."
Upon hearing this answer, everyone was so shocked that they almost slipped and fell on the deck.
"Go to hell with your intern!"
Enraged, Wu Shuang threw a heavy punch at the Clown's eye, giving him a black eye.
"You, a mere intern, dare to act all mysterious in front of me! You made me worry for nothing!"
Zhang Yan, who was standing to the side, did not have any doubts after hearing these words.
Because, back in the novice trials on Blue Star, she had personally witnessed the Dragon God kill the flesh-and-blood Evil God Su Gelu.
That Human Heart scene.
It makes perfect sense that the Dragon God was able to kill the gods behind them.
However, Zhang Yan remained vigilant.
"Alright, tie him up and throw him into the hold."
"Once we get back to base, we can slowly interrogate him to get the information he needs."
Zhang Yan coldly gave the order.
Lu Zhihui nodded in agreement. "Mm."
"Song Yao and her group of defectors are patrolling the nearby waters. This place is not safe; we need to evacuate immediately."
"Alright! Let's go!"
Wu Shuang pulled on the rope binding the Clown and, together with Lin Ying, led him toward the cabin.
The Clown was dragged along, but he still wore a wicked grin.
"Plan is complete..."
"Just wait, Gao Qiu..."
"Watch how I slow down the Dragon God while..."
"And while we're at it, let's drag you, you treacherous businessman who kicks someone when they're down, down into the Abyss too!"
On deck, everyone had their own worries and calculations...
Only Janet, who was lying on the ground still foaming at the mouth, suddenly twitched her fingers.
She groggily opened her eyes, her unfocused pupils gradually regaining focus, and got up from the ground.
"Hmm~ Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"
She covered her askew pirate hat, drool still dripping from the corner of her mouth, and subconsciously chewed on the crumbs of pastry left on her lips.
"Mmm~ So delicious..."
"After eating... I feel a little... sleepy..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Janet's eyes rolled back, and she fainted again, foaming at the mouth.
"Yes!"
Inside the Human Emperor Lamp.
Jiangnan tightened his belt and let out a soft breath.
Tiffany lay on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
I just sparred with him, and I'm exhausted.
"Phew... I've used up so many Word Spirit in one go, and I've also relaxed a bit. I feel much better now."
Jiangnan cracked his neck. "It's time to get to work on the plan."
After saying this, he transformed into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared into the Human Emperor Lamp.
In the blink of an eye, Jiangnan was back inside the Wuling RV.
Without pausing, he opened both doors and stepped out of the van.
Outside, it was gradually getting dark.
They were currently on a Flat-Topped Mountain hill between the Rainy Night Valley and the shoreline of the Prayer Deep Pool.
As far as the eye could see, a garrison company had already established a makeshift outpost on this Flat-Topped Mountain.
Soldiers are patrolling the area.
On a high point in the center of the base, Wang Meng was adjusting a military astronomical telescope.
Beside him, several military researchers in white lab coats were assisting him in calibrating the lens parameters.
Jiangnan stepped forward.
Wang Meng caught a glimpse of Jiangnan out of the corner of his eye, immediately stood up straight, and saluted loudly. "Greetings, Big Boss!"
The researchers next to him also followed suit and saluted in a similar manner.
Jiangnan nodded slightly in response.
Then, he took out Memo Pad from his pocket, quickly wrote a line, and handed it to Wang Meng.
How is the equipment setup going?
Wang Meng glanced at the note and immediately patted his chest, assuring everyone, "Reporting, Big Boss!"
"The equipment is basically assembled, and experts are now fine-tuning the parameters."
"It is expected to be fully operational once nightfall!"
Upon hearing this, Jiangnan nodded in satisfaction.
The pace is just right.
This will not affect his future plans.
After all, it's nighttime...
That's where the Stars truly shine.
Then, Jiangnan turned his head and gazed at the Prayer Deep Pool shrouded in darkness in the distance.
"Tonight, let's see how I crack your turtle shell."
With a surge of fighting spirit rising within him, Jiangnan glanced at the Word Spirit Sign-in System panel at the edge of his vision.
And at this moment...
After just exchanging blows and grinding Word Spirit inside the Human Emperor Lamp...
Three new Word Spirit have appeared in his pool!
[Word Spirit: Wind of Calamity (Sequence 020)]
[Effect]: After activating the Word Spirit, the caster transforms into a catastrophic storm.
[Characteristics]: Physical immunity, self-regulation.
[Consumption]: 12 characters.
[Range]: The maximum radius of the storm's impact is 1000 meters.
[Activation Method]: Spread your arms to the sides, "All things obey my command, the gale gathers, I am the storm!"
[Word Spirit: Restart (Sequence 077)]
[Effect]: The caster's body is unconditionally restored to its full state before the start of this battle.
[Features]: Simple and unadorned, can only be used once within 24 hours.
[Consumption]: 4 characters.
[Range]: None.
[Activation Method]: This body is invincible!
[Word Spirit: Echo (S-class)]
[Function]: Summons a phantom that will repeat the caster's actions once over the next 3 seconds.
[Characteristic]: Perfect replication; the phantom will copy all of the caster's stats, including Word Spirit.
It needs to cool down for one hour after each use.
[Consumption]: 6 characters.
[Range]: The phantom appears anywhere within 5 meters of the caster and can move independently.
[Activation Method]: Bring your right index and middle fingers together in a sword-finger gesture, "Listen to my Echo!"