Chapter 432: The Mother Nest’s Ocean Beast’s Secret
“Yes, I have to do this.”
“Even at the bronze level, the big guy’s physical prowess rivaled the silver level. If he advances to iron level, I won’t be able to hold him back at all.”
“Once he reaches iron level, if he goes berserk again, even Chi Lai and Men Shi might not be able to restrain him.”
The mere thought of the big guy’s madness intensified Tripleblade’s sense of urgency.
He summoned Fei She once more, left a brief message for Chi Lai and Men Shi, then immediately set off. Using the teleportation formation, he headed toward Blood Kin City.
Leveraging his connection with the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord, Tripleblade cut through the queue and swiftly arrived at Blood Kin City.
Seeing Tripleblade arrive secretly, looking as though he had urgent news to report, Zi Di's heart skipped a beat. She feared some mishap had befallen the sub-corps: “Could someone be sabotaging our alchemy workshop, undermining my business plans?”
Instead, what she heard concerned the big guy's cultivation secret.
Zi Di expressed genuine astonishment.
This was no act.
Though she knew the big guy possessed a high bloodline grade, she hadn’t anticipated his cultivation progress would be this rapid!
Like Tripleblade, Zi Di’s eyes were opened.
Upon hearing this, Zong Ge remained unflappable: “The big guy's bloodline grade is exceptionally high, at least saint level, possibly even legendary.”
“If saint level, his bloodline concentration must be over 75%.”
Tripleblade gaped in disbelief.
Unbelievable!
That clumsy oaf was at least a potential saint cultivator?
"What kind of luck have we stumbled into? We just picked up a saint cultivator like this?" Tripleblade was stunned by sheer happiness.
Zi Di, meanwhile, observed Zong Ge discreetly.
His unflappable composure once again hinted at his extraordinary background.
Based on the big guy's cultivation speed, Zong Ge had swiftly assessed his bloodline grade, a level of insight beyond ordinary people.
Zong Ge mused, "This is a blessing, but it carries risks. The big guy has mental instability; his intelligence falls far below average. The stronger he grows, the greater the hidden danger."
“Exactly,” Tripleblade nodded in agreement.
Zi Di remarked, "I believe the big guy's intelligence issues will ease as his life level increases. I believe this issue will resolve itself without our intervention."
But Zong Ge looked at her and countered, "That is precisely the problem, President Zi Di. As the big guy's intelligence grows, his perception of things and the outside world will change. How will he view his own situation? How will he view us? Will he become dissatisfied with his treatment? Will he still rely on our leader? What if one day he becomes a saint, and our strength falls below his? What will he think then?"
These questions plunged both Zi Di and Tripleblade into silence.
At that moment, Zi Di realized with a jolt: “Yes! Why hadn't I considered this?”
She had tested the big guy's bloodline and deduced his intelligence issues would resolve themselves, but she'd never anticipated the subsequent complications.
“Not just me, even the commander failed to foresee this. This really shouldn't have happened...”
“No, it's because we know about the Bloodcore! That's why none of us saw this as a problem!”
The thought of the Bloodcore instantly calmed Zi Di.
Even if the big guy's bloodline reached legend, or even the god level, so what?
With the Bloodcore, why would they fail to achieve the god level?
The Bloodcore gave the dragonman youngster and Zi Di boundless confidence, fearing nothing in the big guy's growth.
“But we still need to consider the details.”
“Although the commander's Flaming Dragon King bloodline is legendary level, its concentration isn't high. His cultivation speed pales in comparison to the big guy's.”
“The safest approach is to proactively suppress the big guy's growth rate somewhat.”
With this thought, Zi Di turned her gaze back to Zong Ge.
Zong Ge gave her a slight nod. "It seems you've already considered this. We're heading to the royal capital now, and the commander is still missing. We can't let the big guy grow like this unchecked. Don't forget he has that madness! Once he reaches iron level and his madness flares up again, the sub-corps won't be able to suppress him!"
Zi Di fell silent.
Tripleblade followed suit.
None of them wanted to suppress the big guy, but reality was forcing them to do so.
Zong Ge grew impatient, looking at Zi Di urgently, “What are you still hesitating about?”
A bitter expression crossed Zi Di's face, “I'm wondering... if the commander were here and learned of this situation, how would he handle it?”
Ocean Mother Nest.
The fishman youngster was unaware his son was about to be suppressed. His entire focus was now fixed on observing the magic projections.
The precision eel driller combined with the dual-eared detector had finally allowed him to glimpse beyond the Mother Nest.
To his utter astonishment, a coalition army of undersea races had gathered outside the Mother Nest, a development far exceeding his wildest expectations.
Now, this army had commenced another blood sacrifice.
Hordes of sea beasts were herded onto the altar, where they were obliterated by the altar and the vast magic formation.
A saint level octopusman priestess chanted prayers in a loud voice: “Gulrgurluglurglur...”
Two gold level octopusman priests stood beside her.
Beneath the altar knelt a vast congregation of believers, fishmen, octopusmen, nagas, mermaids, and even colossal sea giants.
In truth, since the moment the fishman youngster first glimpsed the outside world, six grand blood sacrifices had already been performed.
This was the seventh.
And this time, it was distinctly different.
Not only was the scale more grandiose, with a saint level priestess personally presiding, but the believers kneeling around the altar had been carefully selected and arranged beforehand, unlike the random seating of previous ceremonies.
This unusual detail sparked a suspicion in the fishman youngster's mind: “Perhaps... they're about to teleport in again!”
After two days of observation, the fishman youngster had gained deeper insight into this undersea army.
He learned the saint level octopusman priestess was named Zhou Zhang. The other two octopusmen were: a short one with a head as large as an umbrella, called Zhang Yu Wan; and a towering one with jaw tentacles as thick as arms, known as Jiu Hua Bi.
These three were undoubtedly the commanders of the great army.
Though other gold level members and numerous other races existed, all trusted these three octopusmen priests and followed their directives.
Thanks to the tower spirit's post-translation, the fishman youngster had learned more.
He now confirmed that this undersea army shared a common faith - Charming Blue Goddess.
Whether in the octopusman priestess's prayers or the divine script inscribed within the magic circles, there was only one object of worship: Charming Blue Goddess!
“Charming Blue Goddess's primary artifact is the Mermaid Fairy Tale. Its disturbance caused me and the Deep Sea Monster Fish to be teleported here.”
“As for those fishmen teleported in earlier, it was likely the combined operation of the saint level priestess, the altar, and the magic circles.”
The fishman youngster had already formed several conjectures in his mind. He couldn't help but ask the tower spirit, “Have all the Rubber Swallowers been deployed?”
The tower spirit responded immediately, “All six frog-type Rubber Swallowers have been deployed and confirmed to have reached their designated positions.”
These alchemy puppets had been urgently crafted by Zhong Yong specifically for this operation.
“They're here.” The fishman youngster's expression brightened.
In the magic projection, the saint level priestess raised both arms, chanting hymns at the top of her lungs. The surging aura of saint level divine magic, amplified by the ritual formation, ultimately converged upon the altar.
The altar erupted in blinding radiance, illuminating the kneeling faithful below.
The light vanished in an instant, and a large number of believers disappeared, along with numerous sea beasts.
The next moment, violent spatial fluctuations erupted within the Ocean Mother Nest. The believers and sea beasts that had vanished were teleported back inside.
“Just as I suspected!” the fishman youngster thought excitedly.
Such commotion immediately roused the slumbering saint level sea beast within the Mother Nest, the Snow Pear Octopus.
The octopus immediately launched its hunt upon the prey delivered to its mouth.
In an instant, the sea churned violently, its waters stained crimson.
The believers huddled in corners, desperately trying to avoid being swept into the carnage.
“Now!” The fishman youngster gave the command. Six frog-type Rubber Swallowers, already positioned throughout the area, sprang into action.
They selected their targets and swallowed them whole.
Empowered by the Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell, these Rubber Swallowers were disguised as seawater. Only the informed fishman youngster could discern their incomplete frog-like forms.
To the other believers, they witnessed only surging waves mysteriously vanishing nearby believers.
Not one of the six Swallowers missed; all successfully consumed their targets.
On one hand, this was because these Swallowers were all iron level, targeting bronze level prey, a clear level advantage.
On the other hand, Deceptive Disguise spell ensured their ambushes were utterly unforeseeable. The targets had fixated their attention entirely on the saint level sea beast.
Not even their disappearance was noticed by all of the believers.
After securing their prey, the Swallowers immediately turned back.
The Deep Sea Monster Fish was no longer a reef; it now bore the appearance of a cluster of pearls.
Even as it opened the landing pod and let the Swallowers enter one by one, neither the sea beasts nor the believers detected the slightest anomaly.
The fishman youngster had long been waiting inside the landing pod.
The Swallowers lined up, each approaching him in turn to regurgitate their unconscious targets.
These targets had been carefully selected, all fishmen.
The fishman youngster raced against time, using the Bloodcore on these fishman, swiftly absorbing multiple fishman bloodlines.
“Got it! Looks like my luck's holding!” A flash of delight crossed the fishman youngster's face.
From one fishman bloodline, he had gained knowledge, information about the fishman language!
Now, he could understand their conversations.
The information inherent in transcendent bloodlines wasn't limited to racial magic; it also encompassed racial knowledge, environmental data, and, of course, languages.
“Too bad there aren't any octopusman...”
After absorbing five fishmen captives, the youngster brought the sixth into the depths of the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
He swiftly reached a compartment and handed the captive over to the tower spirit.
After the tower spirit scanned him, the youngster once again activated his Bloodcore, reducing the final captive to ash.
Carrying the captive's data, the tower spirit manipulated the Deceptive Disguise Formation to empower a silver level alchemy puppet.
Soon, the puppet took on the appearance of the sixth captive.
Of course, to the knowledgeable fishman youngster, this puppet's appearance was a chaotic assemblage of puppet and fishman parts, riddled with flaws.
“Deploy immediately!” the fishman youngster ventured.
The disguised alchemy puppet was first swallowed by the Swallower, which then, like seawater, reentered the Mother Nest.
The saint level sea beast was at its hunting climax. The believers were tense, their attention severely diverted.
The Swallower opened its maw, and the disguised alchemy puppet swam out, joining the believers gathered in another corner. Those believers glanced at it hurriedly before fixing their gaze back on the saint level sea beast.
“The first step succeeded,” the fishman youngster's heart settled.
His attempt primarily aimed to verify whether the Deceptive Disguise spell could deceive the outer magic formation and the saint level priestess.
If it could deceive them, it meant he too could temporarily leave the Mother Nest using this method.
“Next, I just hope it gets teleported out,” the fishman youngster watched the magic projection intently, filled with anticipation.
The Snow Pear Octopus' hunt concluded. It greedily sucked all the blood into its belly before slowly approaching the believers.
The believers trembled in fear, their prayers rising in unison.
Massive, snow-white octopus tentacles drifted slowly around their bodies.
Suddenly!
A tentacle shot out, snatching one of the believers and retracting with lightning speed.
In the next instant, the believer was swallowed whole by the saint level octopus.
The fishman youngster's face turned ashen.
The swallowed believer had been his disguised puppet.
His attempt had failed completely midway.
“Wait, I think I get it!” A bolt of insight struck the fishman youngster's mind, “I've figured out the pattern this Snow Pear Octopus uses to choose its victims.”