191: Deep Sea Hunting

The seawater washed over his head, and the world instantly fell silent.

Unlike the clamor on land, the deep sea was another kingdom. Light was twisted into ghostly blue phantoms here, and sounds became dull and distant.

Li Dong did not cast any water-avoidance spells, letting the cold seawater envelop his entire body.

His Perfect Dao Body not only felt no discomfort in this high-pressure environment but, on the contrary, acted like an activated engine, with every pore joyfully inhaling and exhaling the Spiritual Qi in the water.

His Spiritual Domain unfolded silently, perfectly simulating his own aura to that of an inconspicuous deep-sea fish.

Several mutated sea beasts, polluted by the God Lord's power and growing twisted tentacles, swam past him, yet they turned a blind eye to him.

These things were the mobile sentries of the temple.

"How lazy," Li Dong muttered to himself.

He ignored these "small fry" and instead followed the "noise" of stubborn resistance he had captured with his spiritual sense, diving toward the deeper trench.

The further down he went, the greater the pressure, and the light became increasingly dim.

Finally, behind a massive coral reef community, he saw the scene of battle.

Dozens of warriors covered in fine, cyan-blue scales, with fins behind their ears and wielding bone forks and coral spears, were forming a strange water-flow Formation, fighting against mutated sea monsters and a fleet of fanatics that outnumbered them three to one.

These warriors were the Sea Clan.

Their fighting style was very unique; they did not rely on brute force but instead chanted strange syllables to manipulate the surrounding currents, turning them into invisible ropes and sharp blades.

In their hands, water was a weapon, a shield, and a partner.

But their opponents were too strong.

Those mutated sea monsters had thick hides and were fearless of death, while the fanatics on the ships threw blood-colored light orbs that could pollute the water source.

The Sea Clan's Formation was teetering under repeated impacts, and several young Sea Clan warriors had already been reduced to blood and water under the siege.

"Hmm, stubborn enough, and miserable enough."

Li Dong finished his observation and stopped lingering.

Just as a Sea Clan leader was about to be wrapped by the tentacles of a giant squid, an invisible wave swept across.

The mutated squid, comparable to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, had its massive body suddenly stiffen, and then, as if all its bones and vitality had been drained, it instantly turned into a puff of grayish-black powder, dissipating into the seawater.

Along with it, seven or eight smaller monsters around it met the same fate.

On the battlefield, a vacuum zone appeared abruptly.

All the Sea Clan warriors were stunned; they hadn't even seen what happened.

Li Dong appeared from the shadows, just hovering calmly in the water.

"Who?!" The rescued Sea Clan leader immediately raised his bone fork, looking at him with vigilance.

The remaining Sea Clan warriors also quickly gathered around, surrounding him tightly.

Li Dong didn't speak; he just raised his eyes and scanned them.

His gaze was not sharp, yet it made these battle-hardened Sea Clan warriors feel a shiver originating from their instinctive life force, as if they were being stared at by an ancient giant beast.

"Take me to see whoever is in charge."

His voice resonated directly in the minds of every Sea Clan warrior, clear and unquestionable.

The Sea Clan leader's expression shifted uncertainly, but in the end, he waved his hand, signaling his clansmen to lower their weapons.

The terror of that moment just now made him understand that it would be effortless for this "landsman" before him to kill them.

Passing through a bubble door made of a giant seashell, Li Dong entered the core of the Sea Clan tribe.

There was no seawater here; the air was moist and fresh, and glowing pearls and peculiar corals provided illumination.

In a council hall carved from a single piece of sea jade, he met a Sea Clan Elder with white hair and beard, and blue patterns covering his face.

"Landsman, thank you for your help." The Elder's voice was old and hoarse, carrying the dull echo of the deep sea, "But our world does not welcome outsiders."

"I am not here as a guest." Li Dong was very direct, pointing to the center of his own eyebrows, "I came for it."

The Elder's gaze fell upon the pitch-black God Lord mark on his forehead.

In an instant, a monstrous wave surged in those cloudy eyes that had been as still as an ancient well.

He stood up from his seat, almost losing his grip on his cane, and cried out, "You... the mark of the Void Realm?!"

"Void Realm?" Li Dong raised an eyebrow; he had heard the Dragon vein mention this term.

"In the ancient prophecy... when the sea is eroded by the false god, a game-breaker bearing the mark of the Void Realm will come from the land..." The Elder's voice was trembling, not from fear, but from excitement, "The prophecy says he will devour the false god and bring... an end, or a rebirth, to the sea."

"I'm not interested in prophecies." Li Dong interrupted him, "I only ask you this: do you want to tear down the thing lurking in the temple at your doorstep?"

The Elder stared into Li Dong's eyes, trying to find an answer.

He saw calmness, saw strength, and even more, saw a... desire that was similar to the false god's, yet completely different.

It was a pure, unmasked desire to devour.

"The false god's power is in Fusion with the sea; we... are no match." The Elder sat down dejectedly, filled with a sense of powerlessness.

"Fusion?" Li Dong laughed, "That's not called Fusion; that's called parasitism."

"The false god you speak of is essentially a loan shark. It gives you a little sweetness first, letting you taste the flavor of power, and once you can't live without it, it will swallow your entire world, principal and interest, and finally 'format' it into the shape it wants."

"Your Sea Clan, and this sea, are just a dish on its menu."

This easy-to-understand "loan shark theory" was more understandable to the Elder than any grand principle.

The blue patterns on his face dimmed slightly.

"We can cooperate with you." The Elder made his decision, "The Sea Clan is familiar with every inch of water around that temple; we can guide you and hold back those polluted sea beasts for you."

"Very good." Li Dong nodded, "This deal is worth making."

"As a sign of sincerity," the Elder tremblingly held out a box from his bosom. After opening it, a teardrop-shaped blue crystal lay quietly inside, "This is our clan's supreme treasure, the 'Tears of the Sea God'. It can purify seawater polluted by the false god; perhaps it will be useful to you."

Li Dong reached out and picked up the "Tears of the Sea God".

As the crystal entered his hand, a cold, pure power instantly flowed through his entire body.

But more importantly, the divinity core at his waist, which had always been quiet, suddenly became violently hot, the golden runes on its surface flowing crazily, like a beggar who had been hungry for three days seeing a grand banquet.

"This thing... is not bad." Li Dong could feel that the "Tears of the Sea God" contained an Origin power that was diametrically opposed to the God Lord's power.

The divinity core was not trying to purify it, but to absorb it, analyze it, and thereby find the key to restrain the power of the South Sea temple.

"This alone is not enough." Li Dong weighed the crystal in his hand, "I need more 'nutrients'. Those mutated sea monsters outside are a good appetizer."

Over the next few days, a strange hunt was staged in the depths of the South Sea.

Li Dong and a team of the most elite Sea Clan warriors cruised through the dark sea area like ghosts.

"Front left, three o'clock direction, that shark." Li Dong didn't even need to look with his eyes; the Spiritual Domain had already locked onto the target.

Before a Sea Clan warrior could react, Li Dong had already turned into an afterimage and rushed out.

He did not use any fancy Moves; he simply pressed a punch onto the body of the mutated giant shark.

The giant shark did not explode, nor did it turn into powder.

In the horrified eyes of the Sea Clan warriors, its massive body, like a melting wax figure, withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, and all its flesh and blood essence, along with that filthy divinity power, were completely absorbed by Li Dong's palm.

A wisp of a unique divinity fragment fused with the ocean's aura was unceremoniously swallowed by the Perfect Dao Body.

Refreshing!

This feeling was much more exhilarating than the "land goods" he had absorbed in Qingzhou.

Li Dong even felt that his control over the water currents had gained a hint of an indescribable and unclear realization.

"Next."

He was like the most efficient hunter, under the guidance of the Sea Clan warriors, precisely "cleaning up" one powerful mutated sea monster after another.

The Sea Clan warriors went from initial shock to later numbness, and finally, only awe remained.

They had never seen such an overbearing and unreasonable "devouring".

As he absorbed more and more divinity fragments, Li Dong's Golden Core Late Stage cultivation, which had already reached its Peak, showed signs of loosening again.

He could feel that the layer of window paper separating him from the Nascent Soul seemed closer, within reach.

At the same time, the God Lord mark on his forehead became deeper in color, like a piece of black jade capable of absorbing all light.

It was analyzing, adapting, and incorporating this unique ocean divinity into its own "database".

A few days later, after the last elite-level mutated sea monster was sucked dry by Li Dong, he returned to the Sea Clan tribe.

"How are the preparations going?" He asked the Elder.

The Elder handed over a map drawn on special sea beast skin, which detailed the hydrology and undercurrents around the temple island, and even included several little-known underwater secret passages.

"Everything is ready; the warriors are ready to strike at any time." The Elder's voice had regained its strength.

Li Dong looked at the map, his gaze finally falling on a location marked "Heart of the Tide" directly beneath the temple's foundation.

That was the core node where the island's ley lines and currents converged, and also the source of power for that Golden Core Perfection agent.

"He thinks he is a god fused with the sea." Li Dong tapped gently on that spot, his tone calm, but it carried a chill that made the entire council hall drop in temperature.

"Then let him experience what it feels like to be drowned by the sea."