The largest sea in the fourth realm roiled incessantly, its surface transforming into a giant's face.
"I can sense that my son is dead! Who did it, who did it?!"
The sea shook in rage. Waves charged forward, lapping the shore, sounding like peals of thunder, like stampeding hooves.
The surface of the sea frothed with angry waves, like dragons emerging with the tide. The entire sea shifted, and lightning crackled amidst the void.
The sea had morphed into a boundless battlefield. The sea breeze was as a horn to action, and the waves, thousands of courageous soldiers heeding its call. Boulders on shore, weighing thousands of tons, were sent sinking into the sea.
The surface of the sea frothed with angry waves, like dragons emerging with the tide.
A whirlpool formed, distorting space and time. Karmic power extended outward and traced images on the surface of the water.
Cthaat's son shouted, "I'm an envoy of Eternal Sun, son of Cthaat!"
"You've said that before," Zhang Lie replied, his eyes cold.
"If I perish, my father won't ever forgive you. Eternal Sun itself will be your enemy!"
"I'll look forward to it."
The pitch-black genetic energy expanded as it swallowed up the sky, replacing the dark clouds above the swamp with black genetic energy.
As Zhang Lie struck, an underworld river hurtled into existence, roaring into the sea. The sword energy roiled like black waves.
A dense cloud of serpents swallowed up the mud and killed the black mudman bit by bit.
This was the scene of Zhang Lie killing Cthaat's son. The giant face that manifested from the sea was none other than a core member of Eternal Sun, Cthaat.
Upon witnessing the ignoble death of his son, Cthaat couldn't remain calm. He howled, "My sons, kill this murderer!"
In all corners of the fourth realm, boiling-hot lava began to crack. Waves of lava formed, looking like countless volcanic beasts from afar.
The sky spun and the air distorted, forming a huge, swirling whirlpool in the air.
In the center of the whirlpool, waves roared through the skies like galloping steeds, like thundering dragons.
The waves crested in mid-air. The whirlpool was like a mirror into the far end of the sea. The near end continued to seethe and roil.
The lava transformed into a human face. "Father, what's wrong? Who has angered you?"
A face appeared over the roaring sea. "Black Swamp has died!"
Lava spewed as the volcanoes all around began to erupt. Lava sprayed into the sky, dyeing everything in sight red. Huge numbers of genetic lifeforms appeared from amidst the lava, bathing in it like fiery dragons. Each was at least peak-grade.
"Who! Who dares kill my brother? Do they not respect you or the might of Eternal Sun?!"
The face formed from lava was none other than one of Cthaat's sons. In truth, Cthaat was genderless; his children were born via parthenogenesis. None of his sons had proper names. Rather, they were named after their respective habitats.
Violent lava coursed through the air and the ground, like thousands of unbridled horses. Huge pillars of lava fountained into the air as fire and brimstone rained down.
"Is it our old enemy, the Ancient Gods' Abode? Or the new rising star, the Halls of Chaos?"
"He is the one who killed your brother."
The whirlpool in the air transformed into a human face, that of Zhang Lie.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe lava scrunched its face. "I have never seen this lifeform before."
Cthaat continued, "The Ancient Gods' Abode and the new Halls of Chaos have been keeping tabs on me, and I cannot easily make a move. If I do so, so will the Ancient Gods' Abode, and I don't know what havoc the Halls of Chaos will cause. I will leave Black Swamp's revenge to you."
The face of lava replied, "Don't worry, Father. I won't let any who disrespect Eternal Sun live."
"I'll leave it to you, then." The whirlpool in the air winked out as the face of lava shouted, "March! We seek revenge for my brother!"
The surface of the sea frothed with angry waves, like dragons emerging with the tide.
Of the lifeforms that emerged from the lava, some looked like lions wreathed in fire, with lava rolling over their bodies. Others were fiery-red dragons that looked like salamanders. Yet others were wolves with sharp, steely claws, and dark red birds that flew overhead.
A hundred thousand troops emerged from the lava—and the weakest among them was superior-grade.
Cthaat's son didn't know where Zhang Lie was located at present, but that wasn't a problem. He knew what Zhang Lie looked like now, and he simply had to exterminate all such members of that species he came across.
Before Zhang Lie departed, Bu Wentian specially reminded him, "Don't forget that three days in the Milky Way corresponds to a year in the fourth realm."
"I'm aware!"
Zhang Lie left the trial-taker's chamber. Bu Wentian's flying airship was sealed away in a glass ball. He didn't know what sort of technique Bu Wentian had used, and neither was he in a hurry to find out. Rather, he immediately entered the disaster-grade dragonwhale soulshard.
Li Qianlin was overjoyed to see him. She wanted to hug him, but resisted the temptation.
"So you've finally come back? I thought you had forgotten all about me."