In the Purgatory World, the chaotic nature of the world's will made it an ideal destination for powerful beings from other worlds to migrate and settle.
Since the ancient era up to the present day, the Mother of Myriad Serpents had not been the only one to bring her kind over.
Over the span of so many years, powerful natives of the Purgatory World had also risen. In total, seven beings of the "Supreme" level had emerged across the entire Purgatory World. Each one claimed a continent for themselves, and none interfered with the operations of another's domain.
In fact, many commoners regarded the Supremes as nothing more than mythological legends—or even deities to worship. While in some sense, the Supremes had already become quite similar to gods, or perhaps even surpassed them.
"Still… only seven rule-level beings in the entire Purgatory World? That's a joke, right? Setting aside those who live in seclusion, there's the ocean—which is even larger than the land! In such a vast expanse of sea, it would be far more suspicious if there *weren't* several Supreme-level existences lurking within!"
The more Lei Lin thought about it, the more he felt the waters of the Purgatory World ran deep—and that would inevitably introduce enormous variables into his plans.
"What should I do? How can I make use of these Supremes—or at least prevent them from ruining my plans? And the most critical factor of all: the world's will?"
Lei Lin's brows furrowed tightly.
…
A cold, biting wind swept across the deck. The sky was studded with luminous stars, and the moon seemed far larger than the one in the
"Moooo… moooo…" From beneath the swiftly sailing ship came enormous breathing sounds, and at intervals, towering columns of white water shot into the air.
"Mr. Lei!" "Good day, Lord Lei!" The numerous fishman sailors bowed respectfully as Lei Lin approached.
He waved them off and walked to the edge of the deck, gazing out at the pitch-black surface of the sea, lost in thought.
Beneath the water's surface, an enormous silhouette loomed—like some prehistoric leviathan. Even though only fragments of its form were visible, the sheer power it radiated was overwhelming.
"Truly massive. And with such abundant life force!" Lei Lin murmured in admiration as the Chip's scanned biological profile and accompanying data filled his vision.
"Compared to that third-rank peak Evil Eye, Gegeduo'er, this creature might actually be the strongest of the entire convoy. With this thing around, most ordinary dangerous creatures probably wouldn't dare approach…"
"Mr. Lei!" Gegeler dragged his trailing tentacles over to Lei Lin's side, his manner even more deferential than before.
After all, from his father Gegeduo'er, he had learned that this Mr. Lei was an extraordinary being on par with his father himself. That alone was enough to command his utmost respect.
"Mm." Lei Lin gave a faint nod.
Gegeler was not at all bothered by this attitude. For extraordinary beings and the mystically attuned, having all manner of temperament was perfectly normal. Lei Lin's comparatively aloof demeanor was actually quite agreeable.
"Interested in our Guliduoker, are you?" Gegeler came to the deck's edge and peered down at the dark shadow gliding beneath the hull, asking with a grin.
"Guliduoker? So that's its name?" Lei Lin's interest was genuinely piqued.
Seeing this, Gegeler eagerly launched into an explanation: "This creature is what we call a Guliduoker! In our ancient language, the word 'Guliduoker' carries meanings of 'massive' and 'powerful.' A fully grown Guliduoker possesses strength on par with the stars in the sky. This one is only in its juvenile stage—and it will never grow any further. But when we set out to subdue it, it took several Evil Eye elders working together!"
There was unmistakable pride in his voice.
"Ever since we obtained this Guliduoker, it has saved our convoy from countless troubles. Even when we pass through the doldrums, it can tow the fleet and increase our speed. You could say it's been an immense help…"
"It's quite impressive," Lei Lin agreed with a nod.
"However… precisely because of this Guliduoker's existence, we can only sail this Blacker route. The deeper regions—the Abyssal Realm, the Bone Road, the Golden Coast, and other waters where Guliduoker herds dwell—we've had to give up on entirely…"
Gegeler raised one tentacle, a note of regret and wistfulness in his voice.
Lei Lin understood perfectly well. Intelligent tribal species despised seeing their kin enslaved. If one happened to encounter such a situation, it could trigger a frenzied attack.
And clearly, they knew this too. That was why they deliberately avoided any ocean where Guliduoker might appear, sticking exclusively to this particular route.
There were still some risks and potential consequences, but compared to the horrifying alternative, it was more than acceptable.
*I suspect they deliberately sealed its growth to prevent it from reaching the Morning Star level—an uncontrollable force.* Lei Lin glanced sidelong at Gegeler but said nothing.
Whether in the Wizard World or any other world, the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest—always held true.
Based on his own experience, compared to those other worlds, the common folk of the Wizard World probably had it relatively better. Even so, within the Wizard World itself, ordinary people and even nobles didn't live as well as an average citizen in his previous life. Wizards, of course, lived quite comfortably—arguably better in certain respects—but the odds of transmigrating directly into the wizard class, compared to being born a commoner, were vanishingly small.
*So high-energy worlds on the mystical side are only suited for the strong to survive. For the weak, organized, orderly societies are far preferable…* Lei Lin's gaze grew distant, his thoughts wandering. Just then, the Chip's mechanical voice rang out, pulling him back to reality.
[Ding! High-energy biological signature detected! Distance: 18,762 meters! High-energy radiation concentration detected—judging hostile intent!]
"Even in coastal waters, there are dangerous creatures? One that can completely disregard the Guliduoker's pressure must be a big one…"
Lei Lin's eyes flickered. He spoke up suddenly: "Mr. Gegeler! If I were you, I'd retreat toward the center of the deck."
"Hm? What do you mean?" Despite his confusion, Gegeler was quick to comply, retreating with Lei Lin to the middle of the deck.
"I just detected a massive creature approaching at high speed!"
Lei Lin made no attempt to hide it, giving a brief summary. After all, mystically attuned beings and extraordinary beings each had their own detection methods. Even that Gegeduo'er would discover the anomaly soon enough—so he might as well do them a favor.
After all, they had rescued him and taken him aboard. Unless there was a serious conflict of interest, it was only right to repay the kindness.
"A big one? What do you—wait! You mean… a monster attack?!"
Gegeler was momentarily stunned, then immediately bellowed with terrifying spiritual force that surged across the entire deck and spread outward in all directions.
"Attention! All hands, attention! Protect our cargo! If even a single piece goes missing, I'll turn every last one of you into fish soup for tomorrow's meal!"
The fishman sailors on the deck froze for a heartbeat, then scrambled frantically at the rigging. Some charged directly into the cargo hold.
Just as the deck descended into chaos, a wash of dark crimson light enveloped the entire hull, calming even the most panicked fishmen.
"Prepare yourselves! We're under attack—likely a deep-sea creature! Let's see if the Guliduoker can scare it off first!"
Gegeduo'er's voice echoed from everywhere at once, along with a brief word of thanks to Lei Lin.
Lei Lin only gave a perfunctory response. What truly interested him was the other's covering spell: "Hmm. Let me take a look. Aside from [Soul Pacification], there appear to be hidden effects—[Latent Awakening], [Primal Instinct]—layered into the magic…"
Though each world had its own system of power, Lei Lin preferred to analyze everything from the perspective of wizardry.
Watching the fishman sailors across the ship grow calm—and noting that every fishman's speed and strength had visibly increased—he could clearly see the effectiveness of the magic at work.
"Based on these few conversations, the Evil Eye species seems to lean more toward a bloodline-based clan. Their power grows with age, and some even awaken innate supernatural abilities!"
"As for the entire Purgatory World's power system, I can't inquire too directly right away—otherwise I'd arouse suspicion…"
Lei Lin stroked his chin. "This works out perfectly. I can observe the natives' strength and energy circulation through this danger. As for the rest, I'll probably need to reach the Iyas port—or even the Blacker Continent—before I can learn the details…"
"MOOO!!" Just as Lei Lin was still speculating, a deep, resonant bellow boomed from beneath the ship, like the roar of some great bull.
The massive dark shape rose from the depths of the ocean and finally emerged almost completely before Lei Lin's eyes.
It was a colossal sea monster resembling a manta ray, its body covered in irregular brown markings. Several thick iron chains connected it firmly to the ship's hull.
The Guliduoker roared, directing a terrifying sonic wave toward a specific direction.
And from that direction, an equally enormous silhouette slowly surfaced. First came a profusion of thorned iron spines, jutting from the sea like blades and cleaving two long trails of white surf.
Then came a massive, fish-like head flanked by two broad pectoral fins. Its entire body bore a steel-black sheen, and two orange eyes blazed in the depths like enormous searchlights. A bloodthirsty, savage aura radiated ceaselessly from the creature.