The Shark Monster

We've struck it rich next time, I'm definitely not bringing you along. Hmph!

Li Zhen grumbled to himself. He didn't know why, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a sudden unease stirred inside him. After thinking it over, he decided the idea was a little dangerous after all. He'd better bring that deadbeat along. The guy might actually have great luck. He couldn't afford to take chances.

"Over there! Over there!" Zhang Tao pointed into the distance, interrupting Li Zhen's thoughts.

Li Zhen looked up. The Forbidden Sea's corrosive power was formidable, but they had both reached the high ranks, so they'd be fine for a short while. Given enough time, though, Li Zhen's qi and blood definitely wouldn't last.

The place Zhang Tao pointed to wasn't far away. Li Zhen could already just make out a Heavenly Gold Lotus swaying there, and hurried over. Just as Zhang Tao was about to pick it, a head suddenly emerged from the water. It was a shark, glaring at them with a vicious look.

Li Zhen was startled and quickly retreated a good distance before saying, "A monster. Looks like a high-rank one, too. What do we do?"

After all, not every monster in the Forbidden Sea was Rank 9. There were Rank 7 and Rank 8 monsters as well. This shark definitely wasn't Rank 9, but it could still be a Rank 8 monster.

Zhang Tao glanced at the Heavenly Gold Lotus, gritted his teeth, and said, "Go pick it!"

Li Zhen was speechless. How could he be so reckless?

As soon as Zhang Tao finished speaking, the shark seemed to understand him. It swallowed the Heavenly Gold Lotus in one bite, then spat a mouthful of Forbidden Sea water at them before diving beneath the waves and disappearing.

Zhang Tao was dumbfounded, and Li Zhen was just as stunned. That monster was such a damn scoundrel.

The seawater splashed over them, sizzling against their bodies. But their qi and blood were powerful, and the small amount of water had little corrosive effect before they managed to dispel it.

"What do we do? The Heavenly Gold Lotus is gone!" Li Zhen sighed.

Zhang Tao looked thoughtful. The monster was definitely high-rank, and certainly stronger than the two of them. But the fact that it hadn't attacked them was interesting. Was it being intimidated by the Heaven Suppressing King's avatar, or by the Kongtong Seal inside him?

"Let's keep looking!" Zhang Tao said. They couldn't just head back now.

Of course, they didn't venture farther in. They searched the same area instead.

Unfortunately, even after looking for quite some time, they didn't find another Heavenly Gold Lotus. By then, Li Zhen couldn't hold out any longer. His qi and blood didn't recover as quickly as Zhang Tao's, so they had no choice but to return to shore for a while.

"Searching like this won't work, will it? How about we go a little farther in?" Li Zhen asked as he recovered.

Zhang Tao glanced at Li Zhen in surprise. How could he have the nerve to call him reckless? He wouldn't even dare consider going farther in.

"We'll keep searching along the shore. If we go farther in and run into an Apex-level monster, we're done for!" Zhang Tao said, rolling his eyes.

Li Zhen didn't argue. He continued recovering his qi and blood. Zhang Tao was right: if they encountered an Apex-level monster, it definitely wouldn't fear the avatar inside him. Killing them would be all too easy.

What Zhang Tao didn't tell him was that the Heaven Suppressing King's Mental Power Avatar wasn't so simple. Even an Apex monster might run away.

But it was only a guess, and Zhang Tao didn't dare bet on it.

The two of them sat on the shore. Zhang Tao had actually recovered a while ago; he was just waiting for Li Zhen. Gazing at the vast Forbidden Sea, he felt a pang of emotion. If he hadn't transmigrated here, Zhang Tao and Li Zhen would probably still be stuck at Rank 6.

As for exploring the Forbidden Sea? Ha. Even after reaching Apex, Zhang Tao had only dared to look around the surrounding waters. He wouldn't have dared venture farther in. He was afraid that if he died, humanity would be plunged into dire straits.

"Gurgle..." A sound quickly put Zhang Tao on alert. He spotted six Catacombs warriors sneaking around in the distance. Only one was Rank 6; the others were Rank 4 or 5. An idea came to him. "Li Zhen, there are a few Catacombs brats over there. I'll go take care of them!"

Li Zhen didn't even open his eyes. He simply gave a casual nod.

Zhang Tao charged out. Having reached Rank 7, he could project his mental power. Under its suppressive force, all six were rooted to the spot, including the Rank 6 warrior.

Seeing the terror in their eyes, Zhang Tao didn't hesitate. He reached out and grabbed the Rank 6 and a Rank 5 warrior, then used his power to kill the rest.

When the two captives saw Zhang Tao carrying them toward the Forbidden Sea, their faces filled with terror.

Zhang Tao deliberately stopped a little way from Li Zhen, then tossed the Rank 5 warrior in his hand. The moment the warrior left Zhang Tao's grasp, a tentacle snatched him away.

Zhang Tao raised an eyebrow. There really were monsters here. Judging by the look of it, that one was Rank 9!

Looking at the distance between himself and Li Zhen, Zhang Tao was certain the Kongtong Seal was also intimidating the monsters. Otherwise, he would probably have been attacked by now.

Testing his theory was easy. Zhang Tao left the Rank 6 Catacombs warrior where he was, then walked toward Li Zhen. Sure enough, the moment Zhang Tao left, a tentacle shot out with blinding speed and snatched the Rank 6 warrior away.

Having confirmed his suspicions, Zhang Tao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he'd now have the means to venture out into the Forbidden Sea, too.

When he returned to Li Zhen's side, Li Zhen finally opened his eyes. He glanced into the distance and said, "I'm about ready."

Zhang Tao nodded. "Let's follow the shore."

Li Zhen had no objections. The two of them started flying along the coast of the Forbidden Sea. After they'd gone a long way, Zhang Tao and Li Zhen turned and flew out over the sea. Naturally, Zhang Tao hopped onto Li Zhen's back again. Li Zhen couldn't be bothered to say anything. Even now, he still thought they were able to venture out over the Forbidden Sea because of his Old Ancestor's Mental Power Avatar.

"Over there, quick!" Zhang Tao had sharp eyes and soon spotted three Heavenly Gold Lotuses.

Li Zhen's eyes lit up, and he hurried over. But just as they were about to pick them, another shark's head emerged from the water. Seeing that familiar head, familiar gaze, and familiar move, Zhang Tao flew into a rage.

That damn thing had swallowed all three Heavenly Gold Lotuses.

"Fuck you!" Zhang Tao cursed, but could only vent his fury helplessly. After eating the lotuses, the Shark Monster had dived into the Forbidden Sea, leaving them no way to deal with it.

What they didn't know was that the Shark Monster was cursing Zhang Tao and Li Zhen, too. Was it really so hard to lure in a meal? Did they have any idea how much trouble it had gone to? Why else would it have painstakingly planted Heavenly Gold Lotuses near the shore, if not to lure in a few shore-dwelling meals? And what had happened? These two kept trying to ruin everything!