155: Chapter 155 Fifth-Rank Azure-Backed Dragon

The Level-5 Whale Demon was completely bereft of life.

Its eyes closed, its breathing stopped, and the massive body that had hovered above the trench for countless days moved no more.

Death energy poured from its body in surges, mixing into the seawater with the stench of ancient decay, pressing down from above the trench.

All the demons in the trench raised their heads to look up.

The Giant Squid floated up from its cave, its ten tentacles spreading out around its body. Its suckers opened and closed as the fine tendrils at the tips of its tentacles gently swayed in the seawater.

Its body slowly rose from the dark depths of the trench, passing the entrances of the Third-Turn demons' caves and the rocky crevices packed with First-Turn and Second-Turn lesser demons. None dared to stand in its way.

The Hammerhead Shark also floated up from its cave, its hammer-like head cutting through the dark seawater. Its eyes, situated on either side, had their pupils narrowed to thin slits.

The Oarfish slid its entire body out of its cave and followed upward, its dorsal fin spread out like an unfurled flag.

The aura of the three great demons overwhelmed the surrounding lesser demons, forcing them back into their caves, not even daring to breathe loudly.

The three Fourth-Turn great demons floated to the highest point of the trench, hovering directly above the sinking Level-5 Whale Demon.

None of them made the first move.

The Giant Squid pulled its tentacles in slightly, bending all ten of them like spears poised to strike rather than keeping them spread wide.

The Hammerhead Shark's fins fluttered lightly in the water, its body leaning slightly forward, its muscles tense and ready.

The Oarfish coiled its long body into a ring with its head in the center, its crimson crest standing straight up like a sword.

They were all waiting for the Level-5 Whale Demon to sink into the trench.

Only then would this grand feast officially begin.

Not now—whoever moved first right now would become the target for the other two.

The three Fourth-Turn great demons remained at a standoff, none making a hasty move.

The Third-Turn demons cowered inside their caves, not even daring to stick their heads out.

The First-Turn and Second-Turn lesser demons curled themselves into tight balls, softening their breaths as much as possible.

The five demons of the Eastward Expedition Team cowered inside their cave, watching the backs of the three Fourth-Turn great demons above the trench.

Naturally, they did not take any action either.

With those three Fourth-Turn great demons lurking at the top of the trench, any reckless move from little demons like them would truly be courting death.

Bengbu lay flat on the Mantis Shrimp's back with its shell tightly shut, not even daring to stick out its tongue.

The Mantis Shrimp's antennae dangled in the seawater, its compound eyes fixed on the three Fourth-Turn great demons above the trench.

The Blue Crab pressed its shell against the cave wall, tucking its pincers before its chest and pulling in its eight legs, not daring to budge an inch.

The Sea Turtle pulled its head inside its shell, exposing only its eyes as its slit pupils stared upward, its throat swallowing nervously.

The Starfish gripped the Mantis Shrimp's back tightly with its five arms, curling its body into a ball.

They were all waiting to see how the Whale Fall would unfold.

The corpse of the Level-5 Whale Demon sank deeper and deeper, drawing closer to the bottom of the trench.

The Giant Squid's tentacles were strained tight, suckers pulsing open and shut as drool seeped from its mouth, mixing stickily into the seawater.

The Hammerhead Shark narrowed its eyes into two thin slits, its body leaning slightly forward, its muscles bulging as if about to burst.

The Oarfish loosened its coil a bit, reaching its body downward as the crimson crest on its head quivered gently.

They had waited for so long, ever since the day the old whale chose this place as its Whale Fall ground.

And now, it was finally dead, finally sinking down, finally within their reach!

The three Fourth-Turn great demons leaned forward simultaneously, opening their mouths to reveal their teeth as drool dripped through the gaps.

They were already imagining how delicious a bite of that whale meat would taste in their mouths.

Just then, a powerful aura pressed down from above the trench.

This formidable aura belonged by no means to the Level-5 Whale Demon, but was an even more fierce aura.

The ferocious aura unleashed itself recklessly across the entire trench.

Sensing this aura, the Giant Squid snapped its tentacles back, pinning all ten tightly to its sides.

The Hammerhead Shark's body froze, its hammer-like head tilting slightly backward.

The Oarfish's coil completely unraveled, its long silvery body hanging limply down.

The expressions of the three Fourth-Turn great demons changed drastically.

They recognized what that aura was.

It was a Level-5 great demon!

The five demons of the Eastward Expedition Team cowered inside their cave, looking up at the three frozen Fourth-Turn great demons.

They had also sensed that overwhelming aura, and judging by the state of the three Fourth-Turn great demons, this powerful presence was undeniably an even stronger entity.

Hovering at the highest point of the trench, the three Fourth-Turn great demons looked at each other with extremely grim expressions.

The worst-case scenario had occurred—had the Whale Fall of this Level-5 Whale Demon truly attracted another Level-5 great demon after all?

The source of that aura swam down from above the trench.

First came a section of a green spine, its scales gleaming with a cold light in the dark, lined up like neatly arranged blades.

Then came a long, slender body winding downward, each scale pressed tightly against flesh and skin, muscles pulsing faintly beneath the scales.

Finally came the head—a hideous green dragon head.

The Green-backed Dragon.

A Level-5 dragon-kin great demon!

The Giant Squid completely retracted its tentacles.

The Hammerhead Shark no longer leaned forward; it lowered its hammer-like head, not daring to raise it.

The Oarfish curled itself into a ball, its long silvery body coiling into a tight ring in the seawater.

Its head was buried in the center of the coil, its crimson crest pressed flat against its skin.

In the eyes of the three Fourth-Turn great demons, the greed was gone, and the anticipation was gone.

They knew that the prime part of the Whale Fall no longer belonged to them.

Against a Level-5 dragon-kin great demon, even if the three Fourth-Turn demons joined forces, it would be utterly futile.

The Green-backed Dragon swam past them without sparing them a single glance.

With a gentle flick of its tail, the displacement of water pushed the three Fourth-Turn great demons backward.

The three Fourth-Turn great demons did not resist, nor did they dare to.

The Green-backed Dragon swam beside the Level-5 Whale Demon's corpse, opened its jaws, and bit into the fattest piece of meat on the whale's belly.

Teeth sank into skin and flesh, and blood spurted from the wound, spreading a bloody stench through the seawater.

It chewed twice, swallowed, and took another bite.

The three Fourth-Turn great demons crouched at the very top of the trench, looking up at the Green-backed Dragon tear into the carcass bite by bite, none of them daring to move.

The Third-Turn demons shrank back inside their caves, not daring to stick their heads out.

The First-Turn and Second-Turn lesser demons curled themselves into even tighter balls.

The five demons of the Eastward Expedition Team huddled in their cave, watching the Green-backed Dragon through the crevices of the trench.

A Level-5 dragon-kin great demon!

They truly hadn't expected a great demon of this caliber to appear here!

Bengbu lay on the Mantis Shrimp's back, its shell parting slightly as its eyeballs peered out.

It had seen dragon-kin in the near-shore waters before; the Little Li Dragon that had been corrupted by demonic energy was also of dragon species.

However, that Little Li Dragon had been slain with a single sword strike from Lord Qinling.

Of course, this Green-backed Dragon was clearly far stronger than the Little Li Dragon.

Even during its peak, when uncorrupted by evil energy, that Little Li Dragon was merely at the Fourth-Turn stage at best.

It couldn't compare to the Level-5 Green-backed Dragon before them.

But between this dragon and Lord Qinling, who was stronger?

Bengbu didn't know.

However, it instinctively believed that Lord Qinling was stronger!