169: I've got my eye on this piece of land. Who's in favor and who's against it?
The heavy rain was still falling, splattering loudly against the deck.
After the priest finished speaking, the surrounding sea surface fell into a brief silence.
Immediately after, the static from the loudspeaker was the first to break the silence.
"Agreed." The Blood Anchor Group was the first to state their position. The warship's main cannon slowly lowered, no longer aimed at the Sea Wave Society's cruise ship, but instead pointed toward the sea below.
"Since the Divine Emissary is so generous, our Thousand Hands Society has no objection either." A strange laugh came from the flashy speedboats to the west, "As long as we don't return empty-handed."
Xiao Zhenhai stood at the bow, rain running down his Zhongshan suit.
He glanced at the leisurely young man on the speedboat beside him and gritted his teeth.
"Black Shark Gang, seconded."
The four parties reached a consensus.
"Very good." The priest nodded slightly.
He turned, faced the sea, and raised the scepter in his hand.
"Bring the sacrifices."
Following his command, several cultists dragged over more than a dozen tightly bound people from the cabin.
These people were wearing tattered sailor uniforms; they were fishermen or crew members of passing merchant ships who had previously gone missing at sea.
Their mouths were stuffed with rags, and they struggled, whimpering, gazing desperately at the sea.
A cold light flashed, giving no one time to react.
Over a dozen captives were pushed into the sea.
Blood gushed out, staining the sea surface red.
"Stop!" Su Wanqing shouted sternly, about to rush out to save them.
A hand pressed down on her shoulder.
Su Wanqing turned around and saw Lin Yuan.
"Let go of me!" Su Wanqing growled, "Those are living people!"
"They are dead men." Lin Yuan did not let go; instead, he increased his strength, forcefully pressing Su Wanqing back into her seat.
"From the moment they were captured and taken onto that ship, they were dead men."
"You..."
"Look down there." Lin Yuan pointed to the sea surface with his other hand.
The bodies that fell into the water did not sink, nor were they washed away by the waves.
The blood was drawn by some force, forming a red rune on the sea surface.
"That door needs a 'key'." Lin Yuan looked at the bloody rune, his tone flat, "Trying to save them now is meaningless, except to sacrifice yourself."
Su Wanqing looked at him, her chest heaving violently.
She wanted to curse this cold-blooded bastard, but logic told her that Lin Yuan was right.
At this distance, at this point in time, saving them was impossible.
"Buzz—!!!"
Just then, the rune on the sea surface lit up with a red glow.
Centered around that rune, the seawater was pushed aside by a certain force, forming two water walls a hundred meters high.
A wide passage appeared before everyone's eyes.
And in that passage, a winding blue mineral vein was emitting a mesmerizing halo.
"It's open!"
"Charge!"
The people from the Thousand Hands Society reacted the fastest.
The genetically modified mutants jumped into the passage like dumplings dropping into a pot, occupying the foremost section of the mineral vein.
"Full speed ahead!"
The Blood Anchor Group's landing craft were lowered, and a group of fully armed mercenaries rushed straight toward the far end of the mineral vein.
Both factions tacitly avoided the central position.
That spot was reserved for the initiator, the Sea Wave Society.
It was also the most dangerous place and the one with the richest reserves.
"Young Master Lin?"
Xiao Zhenhai stood at the bow, watching the other two factions already starting to grab territory, his forehead veins throbbing with anxiety.
He turned to look at Lin Yuan, just about to ask which section they should go to.
Swish!
A gust of wind blew past.
Xiao Zhenhai only felt a blur before his eyes.
Lin Yuan and Su Wanqing had already disappeared, leaving only the speedboat behind.
"So fast?" Xiao Zhenhai was stunned for a moment, then roared, "What are you all staring at! Follow them! Don't let those bastards steal all the good stuff!"
The seabed.
The pressure here was isolated by that mysterious force.
Lin Yuan had just jumped down from above.
The ground beneath his feet was not sand, but a single large crystal emitting a blue light.
This was the core of the mineral vein.
"Hoo..."
Lin Yuan inhaled.
[High-purity Source Quality mineral vein detected...]
The notification sound in his mind sounded several degrees happier than usual.
"The feng shui here is really good." Lin Yuan stepped on the crystal beneath his feet, feeling the immense energy, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Get lost!"
A furious shout came from behind him.
Although the Sea Wave Society's cruise ship couldn't enter, the group of gray-robed cultists had already slid down the ropes.
Leading them was the priest holding the scepter.
And in front of the priest, four tall warriors with blue skin were glaring angrily at Lin Yuan.
"Heretic!"
A Protector warrior drew the curved saber from his waist; water ripples flowed across the blade.
"This is where the Sea God slumbers! How dare a Mortal like you defile it! Retreat immediately, or else..."
"Or else what?"
Lin Yuan turned around and looked at the group with the expression one reserves for idiots.
"Does this place have your name written on it?" Lin Yuan pointed to the ground beneath his feet, "Or did your Sea God get a property deed?"
"Presumptuous!"
The Protector warrior was furious.
In the Nine Rings Archipelago, no one dared to speak to the Sea Wave Society like this.
He pushed off with his foot, and the curved saber tore through the air, slashing straight toward Lin Yuan's neck.
C-rank Peak.
"Zzzt."
A soft sound.
Like a mosquito hitting an electric fly swatter.
The warrior, full of Aura, suddenly stopped three meters away from Lin Yuan.
A bolt of lightning, which had sprung up from under Lin Yuan's feet at some unknown point, pierced through the man's chest.
"Ugh..."
The curved saber in the warrior's hand clattered to the ground.
He looked down at the charred hole in his chest, then looked at Lin Yuan, who hadn't moved from his spot.
Thump.
The corpse fell to the ground, breaking into several pieces of charcoal.
The three warriors behind him, who were preparing to rush forward, slammed to a halt, their shoe soles scraping sparks on the rock.
They looked at Lin Yuan in terror.
What just happened?
This person didn't even raise his hand!
"Trash." Lin Yuan shook his head, looking disgusted, "This is your Sea God's blessing?"
He raised his head and looked at the priest.
"Hey, the one wearing the tall hat."
Lin Yuan beckoned with his finger.
"I'm taking this spot."
"Do you have a problem with that?"
The priest tightened his grip on the scepter, his gaze locked on Lin Yuan.
As a B-rank Expert, his perception of energy far surpassed that of ordinary people.
This young man's ability seemed extremely compatible with this place.
"Lunatic..." The priest squeezed two words through his teeth.
He suppressed the anger in his heart.
"Retreat."
The priest decisively turned and pointed toward the area occupied by the Thousand Hands Society on the side.
"Go over there."
"But, Milord..." The subordinates were somewhat unwilling, "This is the core..."
"Shut up!" The priest growled, "Do you want to turn into charcoal?!"
Although the people from the Sea Wave Society were unwilling, seeing the smoking corpse on the ground, no one dared to speak further nonsense.
They sheepishly bypassed Lin Yuan and squeezed toward the Thousand Hands Society's territory.
Cursing immediately erupted from the Thousand Hands Society's side, followed by the clatter of gunfire.
Lin Yuan ignored the commotion over there.
The area was cleared.
"Beauty Su, help be my Protector."
Lin Yuan waved his hand at Su Wanqing, then directly sat cross-legged on the largest blue crystal.
"Protector?" Su Wanqing looked around vigilantly, "What are you going to do? Shouldn't we start mining immediately? The people from the Black Shark Gang have already brought their equipment down."
"Mining?"
Lin Yuan sneered.
"That clumsy method is too inefficient."
He closed his eyes.
He placed both hands on the mineral vein beneath him.
[Primordial Thunder God Body. Full power operation.]
[Target: High-Energy Aggregation Crystal.]
Boom!!!
Su Wanqing only felt the ground beneath her feet shake.
A blue energy storm erupted, centered around Lin Yuan.
The violent thunder-magnetic energy scrambled to drill into his body.
Lin Yuan's clothes moved without wind, and patterns appeared on the surface of his skin.
That was the evolution that had been interrupted earlier due to insufficient energy.
Now, it was continuing.