The Shark Monster 2

It had clearly warned them already, but these two guys were relying on their True God Old Ancestor, and it was really annoying.

That was right. The Shark Monster had sensed the pressure unique to a True God, which was why it hadn't dared touch Zhang Tao and Li Zhen. Otherwise, it would have killed them long ago.

"This shark is up to something. There's definitely something wrong with it!" Zhang Tao said, deeply displeased. They had found four Heavenly Gold Lotuses, and the Shark Monster had been nearby every single time. It was ridiculous. It only showed up when the two of them were about to pick the lotuses.

"Is this guy following us?" Li Zhen asked.

Zhang Tao shook his head. How would he know? Besides, this was the Forbidden Sea. They didn't dare enter the world beneath the sea.

"This is troublesome!" Li Zhen sighed. There was nothing you could do when a high-ranked monster kept making trouble for you. It could dive into the Forbidden Sea, while they couldn't follow. What was more, it might even be a Rank 8 monster.

Zhang Tao was just as frustrated. It seemed the Heavenly Gold Lotuses near the Kyoto Catacombs were out of reach.

"Let's keep looking. If that Shark Monster follows us again, we'll switch catacombs!" Zhang Tao could only hope the first two times had been a coincidence.

Unfortunately, when they found two more Heavenly Gold Lotuses, the Shark Monster ate them again. The two men were at a loss. But just as the Shark Monster dove away, Zhang Tao sent it a mental message: "Brother Fish, let's talk."

His message vanished without a trace. Zhang Tao was speechless. Didn't this monster want to talk?

Just as the two were preparing to head ashore and leave, the Shark Monster surfaced again and looked at Zhang Tao.

Zhang Tao was delighted. It was willing to communicate. That was great.

"Brother Fish, let's talk. We mean you no harm!" Zhang Tao hurriedly said through mental transmission.

The Shark Monster had come back because it didn't want Zhang Tao and the others to keep ruining its plans. They had already wrecked three of its nests.

"Humans, you've ruined my nests time and again. What are you after? Do you think having a True God Old Ancestor means you can do whatever you want?" the Shark Monster said angrily through mental transmission.

Zhang Tao raised his eyebrows. Its nests? He understood at once. It had been using the lotuses as bait to catch fish. No wonder.

"Brother Fish, it's a misunderstanding. We didn't know they were yours. Waiting here like this is a bit like waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump. Do you know what that means? It means..." Zhang Tao explained. He was trying to tell the Shark Monster that this approach took a lot of time and effort without much to show for it.

The Shark Monster understood, but so what? What else could it do? Compete with those great monsters for energy? It wasn't capable of that.

"By the way, Brother Fish, those Heavenly Gold Lotuses probably aren't much use to you. Tell me what you need, and I'll look for it in the human world. We could trade what we have. Wouldn't that be better?" Zhang Tao launched into his usual silver-tongued persuasion.

The Shark Monster's eyes brightened a little. This human had a point. Why hadn't it thought of that before?

"Do you have energy? I only want Destruction Energy!" the Shark Monster said at once.

Zhang Tao grimaced. Energy? He needed it too. The human side was dirt poor. And this monster had some nerve asking for Destruction Energy. Wasn't that just Indestructible Substance?

"Destruction Energy? That's easy, Brother Fish. My Old Ancestor has a lake of it at the Boundary Land. Have you heard of it?" Zhang Tao casually bluffed.

"An energy lake! I know about it, I know! A huge amount of Destruction Energy flows out every year. Too bad I'm too weak to go there and fight for it. Is that your Old Ancestor's lake?" The Shark Monster was thrilled. It really knew of the place. Of course, it wasn't clever enough to suspect Zhang Tao was lying. After all, these two really were descendants of a True King. That pressure couldn't be faked.

"Exactly. Brother Fish, how about this: give me the Heavenly Gold Lotuses, and I'll take you there?" Zhang Tao said with a broad smile.

"Can I really go in?" The Shark Monster's eyes lit up. Countless great monsters had fought tooth and nail to enter that place.

"Of course. I wouldn't lie to you. If my cultivation weren't too low and I didn't need the Heavenly Gold Lotuses to break through, I wouldn't have come looking for them," Zhang Tao said as if it were obvious.

The Shark Monster nodded. Zhang Tao made a good point. But it was smarter than the average monster, so it said, "Human, you just said we could trade what we have. Here's the deal: I give you Heavenly Gold Lotuses, and you give me Destruction Energy. What do you say?"

Zhang Tao raised an eyebrow. This guy wasn't taking the bait.

"Of course, Brother Fish. But how do you plan to trade? And how many Heavenly Gold Lotuses do you have?" Zhang Tao asked with a smile.

The Shark Monster hurriedly spat out six Heavenly Gold Lotuses. It hadn't eaten them; it had stored them away. "I have six right now, but I have several more nests. Twenty in all. Is that enough?"

It sounded a little embarrassed as it said the last part. Twenty didn't seem like much.

Zhang Tao's eyes lit up. This shark was impressive. It had managed to get twenty lotuses. The humans had only three and a half in storage—yes, three and a half—and they had even given him half a lotus.

Now, they probably had only three left.

"That should just about be enough for my brother and me to break through. But for that many, I can only give you a little Destruction Energy. You know it's not easy to store," Zhang Tao said, sounding troubled.

The Shark Monster was at a loss, but soon it said, "Oh, right! I know where there are more Heavenly Gold Lotuses. Lots of them..."

Zhang Tao shook his head. "Brother Fish, once I break through, I won't need any more Heavenly Gold Lotuses. Of course, you and I hit it off, so how about this? Give me the twenty first, and I'll take you to the Boundary Land to collect Destruction Energy. That way, I won't have to make another trip, either."

"Ah, how would we get there? It's dangerous to swim all the way from here!" The Shark Monster hesitated.

Zhang Tao smiled. "Brother Fish, we'll go overland. Don't worry. No one will stop us on land!"

"Overland? That's even worse. It's more dangerous! Lots of monsters won't let sea creatures come ashore!" The Shark Monster shook its head like a rattle.

Zhang Tao sighed. Damn it, he couldn't trick it into coming ashore. If he could get it onto land, he'd gain an eighth-rank divine weapon. What a shame.

"Ah, then there's nothing I can do. I'm short on time this trip. How about this, Brother Fish: if you trust me, I'll take the Heavenly Gold Lotuses and send someone back with Destruction Energy for you. What do you think? Don't worry, Brother Fish. I swear on my Old Ancestor's name that I'll keep my promise." Zhang Tao immediately put on a solemn expression, adding one last assurance to show his sincerity.