In the Purgatory World, due to the chaotic nature of the World Will, it was clearly highly suitable for powerful beings from other worlds to migrate and settle.
From ancient times to the present, the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents was not the only one who had migrated her people here.
Over these many years, native powerhouses of the Purgatory World had also emerged. In total, seven "Supreme"-level powerhouses had appeared across the entire Purgatory World, each occupying a continent and not interfering with the operations of the others' territories.
Many commoners even regarded the Supremes as mythological legends, or worshipped them as actual deities. Although, in a sense, the Supremes had already become very similar to gods—or perhaps even surpassed them.
"But... only seven rule-level existences in the entire Purgatory World? What a joke. Never mind those recluses—the ocean is even larger than the land! In such vast oceans, it would be truly suspicious if there weren't a few Supreme-level beings!"
The more carefully Leilin thought about it, the more he felt the Purgatory World's waters ran deep, and this would inevitably bring tremendous variables to his plans.
"How could he turn these Supremes to his advantage—or at the very least, keep them from ruining his plans? And the most crucial matter of all: the Grand Momentum, and the existence of the World Will?"
Leilin's brows furrowed tightly.
...
A chill wind blew across the deck. The sky was filled with stars radiating soft halos, and the moon seemed far larger than the one in the Wizard World, encircled by a ring of purple luminescence.
"Moo... moo..." From beneath the speeding sailing ship came tremendous breathing sounds, and from time to time tall white columns of water were sprayed into the air.
"Mr. Lei!" "Good day, Lord Lei!" The numerous fish-man sailors all bowed respectfully upon seeing Leilin approach.
Leilin waved them away and walked to the edge of the deck, gazing at the dark expanse of the sea, lost in thought.
And beneath the surface, there was still a massive silhouette, like a prehistoric beast. Even though only a few scattered scales and claws were visible, it radiated an overwhelming, terrifying power.
"Truly enormous in size, and brimming with vital energy!" Leilin marveled, looking at the biological scan and data displayed by the Chip.
"Compared to that third-tier peak Evil Eye Gegeduor, this creature might actually be the strongest in our entire fleet. And with this fellow around, most ordinary dangerous creatures probably wouldn't dare approach recklessly..."
"Mr. Lei!" Gegger dragged his numerous tentacles across the ground and came to Leilin's side, his demeanor even more respectful than before.
After all, from his father Gegeduor, he had learned that this Mr. Lei was a supernatural being no less formidable than his own father. That alone was enough to command his deepest reverence.
"Mm." Leilin nodded coolly.
Gegger was not surprised by this attitude. For supernatural beings and mystics, having all manner of temperaments was perfectly normal. Leilin's relatively cold manner was already considered quite agreeable.
"Interested in our Gudolic?" Gegger came to the edge of the deck and peered down at the dark shadow beneath the ship, asking with a smile.
"Gudolic? That's its name?" Leilin showed genuine interest.
Seeing this, Gegger explained with even greater enthusiasm: "We call this creature—Gudolic! In our ancient language, the word 'Gudolic' carries meanings of 'massive' and 'powerful.' An adult Gudolic often possesses power like the stars in the sky. Though this Gudolic is only in its juvenile stage and will never grow any further, it took several Evil Eye elders working together to subdue it back in the day!"
When mentioning this, his tone carried a clear note of pride.
"Ever since we acquired this Gudolic, it has not only saved the fleet from many troubles, but even in the doldrums, we can rely on its towing to boost the fleet's speed. It's saved us no end of hassle..."
"It is quite impressive," Leilin nodded.
"However... precisely because of this Gudolic, we can only sail the Heier route. The deeper regions beyond—the Deep Realm, the Road of Bones, the Golden Coast, and other places where Gudolic colonies exist—we've had to give those up..."
Gegger raised a tentacle, seeming somewhat wistful and melancholy.
Leilin understood perfectly well that intelligent tribal species deeply despised seeing their own kind enslaved. If they happened upon such a sight, it could even trigger frenzied attacks.
And clearly, the other party understood this well too, deliberately avoiding the oceans where Gudolic might appear and sticking only to this particular route.
There were still some risks and potential consequences, but compared to the terrifying alternative, it was already quite acceptable.
"I imagine you deliberately sealed its growth to prevent it from breaking through to the Morning Star level and becoming an uncontrollable force?"