Kraken spoke with a hint of embarrassment.
âHow did Senior come to be here?â
Li Xiaobai, who had a knack for asking the most inconvenient questions, asked with a smile.
âI was tricked into this place by that wretched Old Dragon King.â
Kraken became visibly agitated, reliving some infuriating memories.
âFor someone as clever as Senior to be deceived, and directly into the Celestial Prison at that?â
Li Xiaobai found it strange. Heâd thought that maybe the other party had been making trouble within the Dragon Palace in the Eastern Sea, which was why he had been captured and thrown into the Celestial Prison, but now it seemed there was more to the story.
âHmph, that Old Dragon King took advantage of my kindness, lied to me, and lured me into the seventh level of this high tower to trap me. Otherwise, how could he ever be my match! If there comes a day when I see the light of day again, I will definitely toss that worm into this Lava Purgatory to properly torment him!â
Kraken was full of resentment as he slowly recounted his experiences of the past two months.
It turns out that after he successfully escaped from the Three Sects Secret Realm, he did not linger in the outside world. After recovering some strength, he went straight to the Dragon Palace in the Eastern Sea, hoping to find the current cultivators of the Sea Clan and prepare to regroup and fight the human race cultivators once more.
What he hadnât expected was that, over the centuries, the Sea Clan cultivators had completely changedâthe savage aura was gone, and everything had become orderly and structured.
In fact, since the Old Dragon King took over the Sea Clan, he had established a dynasty on the seafloor, imitating the human race, and even appointed civil and military officials. This was all new to the Sea Clan, and having never seen anything like it before, Kraken, who had just escaped, found it hard to adapt to this dramatic change and even became angry.
In his view, the Old Dragon Kingâs approach completely killed the aggressive nature of the Sea Clan. Clan members living in harmony and peace without that sense of being on the brink of war every second made their instincts no longer as sharp.
So, Kraken confronted the Old Dragon King in front of the Golden Imperial Hall, demanding that he abdicate in favor of Kraken, who would lead the armies once again and prepare to wage war on the human race Mainland. As it turned out, just like Kraken had described, the Old Dragon King tricked him by saying that the crown and scepter, symbols of royal authority, were stored on the seventh floor of the tower. As soon as Kraken went up, the Old Dragon King turned on him, suppressing him outright.
âDamn it, that reptile is just a junior!!! When I shed blood and sacrificed my life for the Sea Clan, it wasnât even born yet. And now it dares to act against its superior and imprison me. And worse, itâs leading our Sea Clan to adopt the ways of the human race. It seems that reptile has long forgotten our ancestral teachings!â
âLiving in peace and obeying lawsâthese are not the characteristics of the Sea Clan cultivators. We should be lawless ruffians; disciples within our clan should fight each other to compete for supremacy, not like now, where everyone is well-read and full of bookish wisdom, a bunch of weaklings who canât even fight!â
âI never imagined that in just a few hundred years, the youths of my Sea Clan would have their edges worn down!â
âItâs pitiful, lamentable!â
Kraken, with an air of desolation, was highly dissatisfied with the current state of the Sea Clan and cursed the policies implemented by the Old Dragon King.
âThe outside world is still wonderful.â
Li Xiaobai felt speechless inside. This bigshot had been imprisoned for so many years that, once out, his mind wasnât working properly. To dare to go to the Golden Imperial Palace and demand the Old Dragon King abdicate without having fully regained his strengthâthat was a bit too brave, wasnât it?
Moreover, the Sea Clanâs current policies, which were offensive and defensive, couldnât have been better, and certainly not something that could be compared to Krakenâs barbaric ways as he described them.
This bigshotâs thinking was very conservative, trapped for so many years and still unable to keep up with the times.
âThat is the beauty of your human race, and what does it have to do with us, the Sea Clan? Dwelling in a secluded spot, the Undersea World is dark, without sunlight, even the sources of light are replaced by Luminous Pearls, hateful and pitiful!â
The Kraken didnât think it had said anything wrong. In its view, the Sea Clan had lost their fighting spirit, focusing solely on development under the sea and showing no intention of seizing human territories, diverging from the right path.
âItâs just as well itâs locked up. If this guy were to lead the Sea Clan cultivators, there would likely be another blood and gore on the Immortal Spirit Continent.â
Li Xiaobai muttered to himself, this one was a warmonger, and even after being imprisoned for three hundred years, its ambition to conquer the human race hadnât faded at all.
âBy the way, kid, you said you came to the seventh layer to find an item. What is it? Perhaps this old one has seen it too.â
It seemed the Kraken had recalled something as it turned to Li Xiaobai and asked.
âItâs a few blood-colored shards, I wonder if the senior has seen them before?â Li Xiaobai said.
âAre there ten pieces in total, completely blood-colored and thin as a cicadaâs wing, fragments from some kind of Formation?â the Kraken inquired.
âSenior has seen them?â Li Xiaobai appeared somewhat astonished, not expecting the other party to have actually seen the Blood Sacrifice Fragments, and even deduced that they were remnants of a Formation.
âHeh heh heh, so thatâs what youâre looking for. Indeed, I know of it, but youâll have to tell me first which Formation these shards come from. If you can reveal everything, I might consider helping you retrieve the shards.â
The Kraken spoke indifferently. It had seen the shards, but even it could not discern their origins, only feeling an obscure power within, clearly no ordinary objects.
âI actually do not know what this shard is, only that it relates to a conspiracy by a great power of the Upper Realm. Collecting them is part of investigating this matter.â
Li Xiaobai spoke slowly, his eyes scanning over the magma. There were no other places to hide, so the shards were very likely within the magma itself.
âA conspiracy of the Upper Realm? Kid, donât try to deceive me. How could there possibly be a connection between the Upper and Lower Realms? It must be a story you concocted!â
âNot afraid to tell you, those shards lie at the bottom of the magma, tens of meters deep. Unless I make a move to retrieve them, you alone would be instantly incinerated to ash.â
Having the Old Dragon King as a precedent in mistrusting Li Xiaobaiâs words, the Kraken now didnât believe a word. The Upper Realm was too far-fetched for it; it was the unreachable sky only accessible to supreme beings capable of ascending through the shattered void. How could there be a plot against the Immortal Spirit Continent?
âItâs rare that I speak the truth, and yet, senior, you still donât believe me. Thereâs no trust left between people.â
Li Xiaobai shook his head and sighed. Under the astonished gaze of the Kraken, he leapt from the steps, his figure instantly swallowed by the surging waves of lava.
[Attribute Points +70000â¦]
[Attribute Points +70000â¦]
[Attribute Points +70000â¦]
The attribute values on the System panel jumped, and at the same time, a few streaks of light flashed below, tracing an arc inside the magma and merging into Li Xiaobaiâs forehead.
[Acquired Blood Sacrifice Fragment X10â¦]