The countless swords took on different forms, there were domineering heavy blades, lightning-fast rapiers, short swords, and light sabers. Every type of sword imaginable was present, each wielding its own law and power.
The mass of swords clashed against the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, while Xu Zimo used the opportunity to advance.
With a single step, he shattered the massive iron gate before him.
What met his eyes was a breathtaking undersea world.
Azure waters stretched endlessly into the depths.
Schools of luminous fish, lanternfish, and brilliantly colored koi swam calmly as if the chaos above the surface had nothing to do with them.
Seaweed, coral, and purple wisteria intertwined and thrived together, with occasional flashes of starlight glimmering in the water.
Xu Zimo dove straight into the sea, his gaze searching for the Green-Scaled Serpent King.
Once in the ocean, the serpent moved as if returning home, her long tail flicked gracefully, and she vanished swiftly into the deep.
“Where is the Dragon Maiden?!” Xu Zimo demanded, gripping the White Tiger Venerable in one hand.
“I don’t know,” the tiger snarled coldly.
“Last warning. I’m not interested in useless talk.” Xu Zimo tore off one of his arms.
“Ahhh!” The White Tiger Venerable screamed in agony.
Then the other arm was ripped off.
A moment later, both his legs followed.
“Will you speak or die?” Xu Zimo asked calmly, his hand resting on the man’s head.
“You won’t leave here alive,” the White Tiger rasped through gritted teeth. “Even if I die, I’ll be waiting for you down below.”
The next instant, his head was torn clean from his neck, thick blood gushing forth.
Xu Zimo tossed the corpse aside and scanned his surroundings, finding no trace of anyone.
Searching blindly would be useless.
He slowly drew out the demon horn from his True Fate World, his eyes narrowing.
Activating the Hell-Suppressing Demon Physique, he released a tide of demonic energy.
The surrounding blue ocean turned pitch-black under its influence.
Closing his eyes, Xu Zimo let the demonic aura of the horn merge with his own, extending his spiritual sense across tens of thousands of miles.
At last, he opened his eyes.
“East,” he murmured, and the power of water encircled him as he surged toward that direction.
He swam for half an hour through the boundless sea, following only the faintest thread of perception.
Finally, he stopped before a massive gate.
Within a hundred miles of this place, there was no life, no fish, no coral, only silence.
Before the gate stood a dozen guards holding halberd-axes.
Their weapons crossed in formation, arranged in ten precise rows before the entrance.
“The Dragon Guard stands here, let all gods retreat!” they chanted in unison.
Their solemn voices echoed through the empty water, heavy with reverence and authority.
“Piss off,” Xu Zimo said coldly.
The Dragon Guards ignored him, their auras rising in unison, merging together into the faint outline of a divine dragon.
This was the Azure Thunder Dragon Formation, a battle array formed by the combined might of many Dragon Guards.
“Die,” Xu Zimo commanded, stirring the waters with a sweep of his hand.
A massive celestial hand rose from the sea, summoning a storm that sent waves thousands of meters high crashing down toward them.
The Dragon Guards’ energies surged as the spectral dragon above them roared forth.
It burst through the celestial hand and charged straight at Xu Zimo.
“Weaklings,” Xu Zimo said softly.
He reached out and grabbed the dragon by its horns, wrenching it sideways.
With a violent heave, he slammed the colossal creature into the seafloor.
A thunderous crash followed, the impact carving a deep crater into the ground.
Xu Zimo’s fist came down next, smashing the dragon’s massive head into the depths below.
As the dragon fell, the Dragon Guards coughed blood, their bodies staggering from the backlash.
Before they could recover, Xu Zimo hurled the dragon’s body toward them.
Another deafening crash shook the waters, sending the Dragon Guards flying in all directions.
Step by step, Xu Zimo approached the great gate.
It looked ancient, sealed for countless ages, with patterns of yin and yang intertwining across its surface.
He clenched both fists and struck.
A thunderous boom echoed, waves surging high into the heavens.
But the gate did not budge, not even a crack.
Xu Zimo frowned slightly.
Just then, a voice echoed beside him.
“Don’t bother. You can’t open that gate. It’s sealed by the power of an Ancient God, no one can.”
Xu Zimo turned. A towering phantom appeared within the water behind him.
The figure stood a hundred meters tall, like a serene goddess gazing down at him.
“Dragon Maiden?” Xu Zimo asked.
“So, you’ve come seeking the demon,” she replied.
“And you as well,” Xu Zimo said.
“Me?” she asked, intrigued.
“I heard you’re a master blacksmith of the Mortal Ascension Heaven. I came to have you forge me a weapon,” Xu Zimo explained.
“The matter of forging can wait,” the Dragon Maiden replied coolly.
“Whether you can leave this place alive is another question.”
“So, the North Sea bears me such hostility,” Xu Zimo said lightly. “Then stop hiding and face me head-on.”
“I will, naturally,” the Dragon Maiden replied. “But before that, shall we make a deal?”
“What kind of deal?” Xu Zimo asked, frowning.
“A battle,” she said. “If I lose, I will forge a weapon for you, free of charge. If you lose, you will remain imprisoned in the North Sea for one hundred thousand years. After that, you’ll regain your freedom.”
“Deal,” Xu Zimo agreed immediately.
“You won’t even think about it?” the Dragon Maiden asked, surprised.
“No need,” Xu Zimo shook his head.
He knew well that within the Mortal Ascension Heaven, only Brahma stood above all.
Below the Saint Sovereign Realm, he feared no one.
The waters of the North Sea began to churn violently as the Dragon Maiden’s phantom solidified.
Her face was radiant and flawless, framed by long flowing hair. She wore a white robe, her bearing noble and composed.
Two cerulean dragon horns rose from her head, and a white dragon tail trailed behind her. Her skin was as pale and smooth as mutton-fat jade.
Her long silver hair drifted gently in the water.
Her figure was exquisite, graceful, full of life, and commanding.
“So, you’ve finally chosen to appear,” Xu Zimo said.
“I knew you would come one day,” the Dragon Maiden replied, “though not this soon.”
“What can I say? I often defy all expectation,” Xu Zimo chuckled. “Even the Heavenly Dao cannot foresee everything, how could you?”
The Dragon Maiden raised her hand. The entire North Sea trembled.
From the depths of the abyss, a massive iron staff rose, parting the waters in a roaring tsunami, and landed in her grasp.
The staff radiated overwhelming might, capable of crushing mountains and stirring oceans.
“The Torch Dragon Staff ranked twenty-ninth among the Grand Thousand Treasures,” she said calmly.