Oceanic Upheaval

"Sakun... Sakun..."

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

Sakun slammed frantically against the hard stone walls, manipulating its abilities to launch wave after wave of assaults, desperate to escape the underground water prison. Though the water inside was evaporated time and again, a constant stream continued to flow in!

Lu Zhiyu peered at Sakun through a fist-sized window at the top of the water prison. He had used the Dimensional Gate to lock Sakun away for some time now, and he had been observing the limits of its abilities: "The current maximum temperature limit it can control is 783 degrees, and the minimum is minus seventy degrees!"

Sakun spotted Lu Zhiyu and attacked him in a rage, but since its abilities were bestowed by Lu Zhiyu himself, all Lu Zhiyu had to do was use his mental power to stabilize the molecular motion. The attacks had no effect on him whatsoever. Sakun used its mental power to propel its body, flying and crashing within the water prison as if it never grew tired!

Lu Zhiyu felt a tinge of disappointment: "As expected, the life template is still too simple. Its abilities are too singular and easily countered. Then again, it is mostly because Sakun lacks intelligence and isn't adept at utilizing its own power!"

However, this was only from Lu Zhiyu's perspective. For anyone else, Sakun, having mastered temperature control and possessing immense mental power, could destroy a village and slaughter hundreds or thousands of people with just a few casual strikes. Its hard shell and powerful regenerative abilities allowed it to ignore most attacks. If it were to invade a city, it would be a natural disaster for ordinary people!

After studying the Zero-Degree Sea Monster Sakun for a while and unearthing the basic secrets of its existence, Lu Zhiyu prepared to release it. He dumped it into the South Sea and followed behind in his yacht, observing Sakun as it traversed the ocean.

Although Sakun could fly, it could not truly leave the water; it generally remained submerged and rarely left the surface. After observing its movement patterns and condition for a while, Lu Zhiyu completely abandoned his interest in it. Sakun thus escaped Lu Zhiyu's clutches and dove into the vast, boundless ocean.

This was the first mythical creature of the Maria World, a being that truly mastered extraordinary power. Across the entire ocean, it had no natural predators, and no other creature could be its match; it was the absolute and unrivaled king.

However, its chaotic and disordered will made it act like a wild beast, rampaging across the world. What Lu Zhiyu had not anticipated was that as it wandered the oceans, it began to contaminate the marine life.

Unlike Lu Zhiyu, it did not consolidate or control its Deified Cells. Even when its cells scattered, it made no effort to manage them. It frequently crashed into reefs and small islands in fits of madness, and the cells shed during these injuries were scattered into the sea. A large number of creatures that fused with Sakun's Deified Cells began to mutate and evolve. Large creatures began to appear on the sea, known as sea monsters, and Sakun itself was worshipped as a sea god.

As Sakun roamed the ocean, its offspring—known as the Children of the Sea God—included giant octopuses, massive squids, jellyfish capable of controlling explosions to release freezing temperatures, and bullet-shaped fish. Each one was incredibly massive, measuring dozens of meters in length.

Sakun's own size was much smaller than theirs, but with a mere thought, it could control the temperature within a range of dozens or hundreds of meters. It could incinerate a body to ash or freeze it into an ice sculpture in an instant. No matter how massive the size, it was meaningless; to the world, it was a god—an irresistible deity.

These 'Children of the Sea God' were completely unstoppable for ordinary people, and they would go on to give birth to vast populations. Over the decades, any sea monster of significant size in the ocean could basically be considered a descendant of Sakun.

Among these descendants, thanks to the small portion of 'Blood of Sakun' within their bodies, they inherited some of Sakun's abilities. Some could release flames, others could release frost; some were immensely large, while others possessed exceptionally hard bodies.

Beyond the ocean, the people of the Alan Continent grew increasingly expectant of the sea. The fish harvests from the ocean were growing, and the mystery of the deep continued to attract fishermen and navigators from the Alan Continent.

The number of nations on the Alan Continent continued to rise. After over a thousand years of development, both the human and beast races had established their own kingdoms, forming diverse cultures and civilizations. Both races gradually extended their reach across most of the continent and turned their gaze toward the vast ocean.

The boundless sea was the romance of men. The unknown brought fear, but it also fueled human imagination. Beyond the harvests brought by fishing, the moment the first ship sailed the ocean and discovered a maritime route, it became possible to travel from the south of the continent to the kingdoms in the north.

In reality, such a journey would require crossing countless mountains and passing through several nations; the tariffs and travel expenses alone would be enough to make anyone sigh in despair. But the sea was different—it could save a massive amount of time and money.

When the first adventurer to open a trade route returned with precious furs, spices, plants, herbs, and various rare goods, earning a fortune in dazzling gold coins, a massive wave of people rushed to the sea to engage in maritime trade.

Ship after ship hoisted their sails and headed into the ocean, laden with hope and wealth. For a time, the sea became the hope of all. Nothing could make money faster than a successful voyage. If one were lucky enough to discover an uncharted, safe passage, it was enough to secure the rise of an entire family.

Nobles, commoners, slaves, merchants, and officials alike all began to flock to the sea. Ports were established one after another, and small fishing villages transformed into large coastal cities, with cargo piling up on the docks.

The fervor for navigation also spurred the rise of the shipbuilding industry. From the initial wooden fishing rafts, people eventually created ships that utilized wind power—the sailing ship—through long-term practice.

Early sails could not be rotated and could only be used when the wind was favorable; if the wind was against them, they had to lower the sails and row. Thus, people invented rotating sails, allowing ships to advance even against the wind.

By now, some were already capable of building large sailing ships—sea vessels—that were thirty meters long, six to eight meters wide, and capable of carrying 60,000 kilograms of cargo across the ocean. People piloted them across the seas, yet they still could not conquer the ocean. When encountering strong winds, high waves, or dangerous reefs, they often faced the tragedy of shipwrecks and loss of life.

And as they ventured deeper into the ocean, they encountered the nightmare that haunted their deepest memories!

Several sea vessels sailed across the ocean. They possessed three masts and were sturdy and solid, capable of weathering even minor death-waves and storms. This was a fleet belonging to the Golden Rose Family of the human Luman Kingdom.

Captain Schroeder, wearing his captain's hat, sailed across the sea. The day was calm, with no signs of changing weather. Everything was going smoothly, putting Schroeder in a very good mood. Life on the ship was incredibly boring; there were no women and no real entertainment, so everyone had started playing a card game that had recently become popular in the human kingdoms of the Alan Continent. Because its inventor was a sailor, it was also known as Sailor Cards!

Most of the men were currently gathered on the deck, playing cards and drinking. The sailors on duty were either scrubbing the floors or checking the masts and sails. It was almost time for dinner, and the kitchen was preparing food. The sea vessel was like a small society, housing a large number of people.

A sailor standing on the deck, leaning on a bucket and staring blankly in boredom, suddenly saw a black shadow appear on the sea ahead. The sailor rubbed his balding head: "What is that?"

PS: You are actually afraid of Sakun? Don't you know who the most terrifying one is?

Lu Zhiyu: You know nothing of power!