The Serpent’s Wrath and a Looming Threat

Upon unleashing its formidable aura as a high-tier magical beast, the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish immediately realized they had already lost three companions before the battle even began. A cry of alarm resonated within them. They had initially planned to overwhelm the Deep Sea Winged Serpent through sheer numbers, but in their current predicament, further hesitation would only lead to more losses.

“Gao! Gao!”

The Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish in the center let out a resounding cry. Immediately, a blue light emanated from the bodies of all the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish. Waves of energy surged from them, continuously repelling the surrounding seawater. Then, the entire swarm of Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish launched their assault on the Deep Sea Winged Serpent.

They moved like meteors wreathed in fiery waves, striking the serpent with immense force.

Disdain gleamed within the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s beastly eyes. Just as it prepared to act, a sudden sensation struck it. Its own intimidating aura, which it had unleashed, was being broken. More than that, it felt as though its presence had awakened the primal instincts of some great existence. A majestic, mysterious pressure began to envelop it, though its raw power was negligible to the serpent. However, the essence of this pressure—its inherent rank and the very level of its life—far surpassed its own. It was akin to a creature from an entirely different dimension. Moreover, the essence of this pressure seemed to be precisely what it had always yearned for.

As the Deep Sea Winged Serpent was momentarily distracted by the unconscious pressure emanating from Ai Ou, the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish seized their chance. The bone spurs on the bodies of the ten Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish suddenly detached and shot towards the Deep Sea Winged Serpent.

As they flew, they merged into a single, exceptionally sharp bone spike. A deep blue light pulsed from the tip of the bone spike, as if containing an explosive force. In the instant the Deep Sea Winged Serpent was distracted, the spike swiftly reached its target.

The moment it made contact, it exploded, unleashing countless tiny bone needles. Propelled by the force of the explosion, these needles relentlessly assailed the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s body.

Immediately, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent was enveloped by the cloud of smoke generated by the explosion.

‘Did it succeed?’

This was the thought that flashed through the minds of the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish as they witnessed their attack take effect. This was their most powerful combined assault, and they had fortuitously discovered the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s distraction. Such a perfect opportunity could not be missed.

They promptly gathered their collective strength, launching their strongest attack, hoping to ensure the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s immediate demise. Once the Deep Sea Winged Serpent fell, this entire sea region would be theirs. All its resources would belong to them. With this sea region as their foundation, achieving the Saint Domain would be no mere dream!

Alas, dreams were beautiful, but reality was cruel. When the smoke dissipated, a chill instantly permeated the hearts of all the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish. Their strongest combined attack, equivalent to that of a quasi-Saint Domain magical beast, surely should have been effortless against a ninth-tier magical beast? Yet, this attack had only managed to breach a few of the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s scales?

As the smoke cleared, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent emerged largely unscathed. Only the scales at the point of impact were damaged, oozing a tiny amount of blood. However, the blood quickly ceased flowing under the circulation of its own magical power. Only the few missing scales indicated that it had indeed been wounded.

‘This can’t be real! Such formidable defense is beyond what a ninth-tier magical beast should possess! What kind of enemy are we truly fighting? Can we truly defeat it?’

Discovering that their combined attack had only mildly ruffled the Deep Sea Winged Serpent, the group instantly lost their courage to fight. Some Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish even contemplated fleeing.

At this moment, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent was enraged. It had not anticipated being injured by these insignificant minnows. While the damage was akin to a human accidentally biting their tongue, being wounded by ants it had not taken seriously was an utter humiliation. The Deep Sea Winged Serpent opened its mouth, and an incredibly terrifying power condensed within it. It then roared at the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish before it.

After the roar, thirteen corpses remained. With just a single, ordinary roar, the challengers of this domain lord battle were annihilated. Even the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish that had merely fainted were obliterated by the roar.

Observing the dozens of meter-long floating corpses on the ocean surface, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent stirred its spiritual power, causing the bodies of the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish to float upwards. With another open of its maw, the challengers of this battle all vanished into its belly, becoming its dinner.

After swallowing, it let out a satisfied burp, then spat out thirteen magical cores. These were the magical cores of the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish that had challenged it. It grasped the cores and then gazed in Ai Ou’s direction.

Its beastly eyes, as large as chariot wheels, fixated on Ai Ou. In its perception, the mysterious and majestic power it had felt earlier originated from the human before it. This human was also the only one who remained utterly unaffected by its intimidating aura.

****

I, a sea serpent possessing a fraction of dragon bloodline, have lived in the deep sea for thousands of years. Humans bestowed upon me the name ‘Deep Sea Winged Serpent.’ It wasn’t bad; I quite liked it, so I adopted Deep Sea Winged Serpent as my own name.

I am the lord of this sea region. Since I defeated the previous ruler, I have dominated these waters for over a thousand years. We marine magical beasts have always adhered to the principle of strength above all else. As long as one can defeat the former lord, all marine creatures will acknowledge them as their new leader.

Becoming a lord grants access to all the resources of the entire governed sea region, which greatly aids in enhancing one’s strength. Thus, every marine creature aspires to become the lord of their local waters. Each year, I am subjected to various sneak attacks from marine creatures.

They foolishly conspire to eliminate me and usurp my position. They always seem to believe that if they could defeat me, they would gain everything. How laughable.

Every year, I encounter many overconfident magical beasts. They invariably end up in my belly, becoming my dinner. In this manner, over a thousand years have passed, yet no magical beast has managed to put pressure on me. Not even my scales could be breached. My strength, however, has long been stuck at the limit of a ninth-tier magical beast, with no progress for a considerable time. Although I am merely a ninth-tier magical beast, my true power is in no way inferior to that of a Saint Domain magical beast. Perhaps it is due to the dragon bloodline flowing within me. As a dragon-species magical beast, my strength far surpasses that of other magical beasts of the same tier.