Chapter 666: Sea Battle Rules

The ritual complete, the ten people on the high platform rose to their feet. Elder Hai Xu turned, his gaze pausing on Ye Wushuang for a moment before he addressed all the Sea Race of Heaven-Reaching Island.

Ye Wushuang frowned slightly. ’Why did that old man single me out with his gaze?’

"The Sea God’s sacrifice is complete! The great Sea God has heard our prayers and will surely bless our Sea Race with prosperity!"

Hai Xu boomed, and the confidence of the assembled Sea Race surged!

"The Sea God has bestowed his Divine Power and now seeks the luckiest person among you to receive this blessing. Therefore, we shall now commence the grand event of the Three Thousand Seas—the Sea Battle!"

Hai Xu announced once more.

"The Sea Battle!"

Upon hearing those two words, the blood of every young person present began to boil. The most outstanding youth would receive a special gift: the Divine Power!

It was a gift that everyone coveted!

Down below, a fiery glint appeared in the eyes of the prodigies from the Half-Demon Race, the Original People Clan, and others. Obtaining the Divine Power would grant their bodies a fundamental transformation!

For them, this was a heaven-defying opportunity!

"The Divine Power, a blessing from the Sea God, is located within the Sea God’s Relic behind me."

Elder Hai Xu spoke again, pointing to the giant bubble floating in the void. The Sea God’s Relic was, of course, the palace within it.

The crowd’s gazes converged on it, burning with intensity.

"There is only one portion of Divine Power, so only one person may obtain it. The Sea Battle is the competition designed to select this single, lucky individual. There are a few rules I must explain beforehand."

"First, participants in the Sea Battle may include those from outside the Sea Race, but they must be youths under the age of thirty. This is a contest for their generation. Experts from their backing powers are forbidden from interfering. Should anyone break this rule, I and the other ten Clan Leaders will unite to eliminate them."

"Second, to open the Sea God’s Relic, you need the keys. There are seven keys in total, and you must gather four of them—no less. These keys have been placed on Profound Turtle Island, Merfolk Island, Mermaid Island, within the Nine-Headed Sea Demon Palace, and in the Profound Sea Abyss. The first four locations hold one or two keys each, while the Profound Sea Abyss holds only one. The first to gather four keys and return to this high platform will be the ultimate victor."

The elder laid out all the rules in one breath.

Ye Wushuang understood the rules perfectly. ’It sounds simple, but this will pit every prodigy here against each other in an endless struggle.’

’First, with no powerful backers allowed to interfere, everyone has a chance. No one will give up; they’ll all fight for it with everything they have.’

’Second, with only seven keys, many people might get one, but it’s unlikely anyone will get them all. If one person has four and another has three, the fighting will never stop!’

’And since they’re scattered across different territories, there’s no way to collect them all at once. Fierce battles are inevitable!’

"Something’s not right!"

Jiao Peng muttered suddenly.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Wushuang asked, turning to Jiao Peng in confusion.

"You might not know this, Ye Xiong, but the Nine-Headed Sea Demon Palace was never included in previous Sea Battles. Why add it this time?"

Jiao Peng’s response sounded more like a question.

"They probably wanted to increase the difficulty," the Dragon King said.

"That’s the only explanation. Whatever, we just need to get four keys." Jiao Peng thought for a moment but couldn’t come up with a better reason.

Ye Wushuang, however, frowned. ’That Elder Hai Xu seemed to pay special attention to me earlier, and now he’s added this extra challenge. Can that really be a coincidence?’

"Alright, I won’t say any more. The Sea Battle begins now! You have ten days to return. If you understand, then set off."

Elder Hai Xu shouted. All the while, Jiao Ming and the other leaders were watching.

The Sea Battle had begun!

At this command, countless members of the Sea Race surged forward, taking to the sky and flying away from Heaven-Reaching Island.

"Let’s go."

Jiao Peng exchanged a look with Jiao Ming on the high platform, then called out to Ye Wushuang.

Ye Wushuang nodded and turned to leave the Dragon-Vomiting Jade Disc.

On the high platform, Elder Hai Xu stroked his beard, a kindly smile on his face.

Below, the young man named Hai Wuya, who wielded a Square Heaven Halberd, stared at Ye Wushuang’s departing back with a cold smile before streaking through the sky.

BOOM!

Suddenly, just as Ye Wushuang and his group stepped off the Dragon-Vomiting Jade Disc, Shaxuan General’s face twisted with malice. He launched a sudden attack, unleashing his Ambush from All Sides technique straight at Ye Wushuang.

"Shameless!"

On the high platform, Jiao Ming’s gaze turned sharp. He knew that Ye Wushuang couldn’t possibly evade such a sudden ambush and prepared to intervene.

"Jiao Ming, the Sea Battle has begun. You cannot interfere."

The Shark King at his side snorted coldly.

At this, the other clan leaders also turned their gaze on him.

"If you dare to interfere and break the rules, the nine of us will join forces against you."

The Shark King sneered. The moment Jiao Ming made a move, he would strike him down without hesitation.

The terrifying killing intent washed over them, sending a chill down everyone’s spine. Their expressions changed in shock; no one could have imagined an ambush so soon, before they had even left for the battlegrounds.

This was an attack meant to kill!

The Xiaoo Yue Celestial Roc was about to warn Ye Wushuang, but he saw that Ye Wushuang’s figure had already become a streak of golden light, spinning around and charging forward.

BOOM!

His white robes whipped in the wind, his cold eyes flashing like lightning and radiating a frigid glint!

"I slapped you twice before, but it seems you didn’t learn your lesson!"

Ye Wushuang’s voice, filled with icy fury, boomed across the firmament!

"Heavenly Concealing Hand!"

A colossal, blood-red hand blotted out the sky as it descended, pressing down on the ten stormy waves and causing the terrifying maelstrom to shudder and halt for an instant.

"Mad Shark Ten Directions Kill!"

Shaxuan General’s face was vicious. Ten giant, mad sharks surged forward to devour Ye Wushuang, their massive, gaping maws filling the space in every direction, leaving him with no room to escape.

"World Destruction!"

At that moment, the Dragon Blood Battle Saber slashed through the air. The World-Destroying Slash tore a fissure across the heavens and earth!

BOOM!

Using the Seven Steps of the Reversed Dragon, Ye Wushuang crossed the fissure and closed in on Shaxuan General.

The smile vanished from Shaxuan General’s face, and he hastily retreated.

"Ye Wushuang, I don’t have time to play with you. I’ll spare you for now. I’ll come back for your life after I’ve claimed the Divine Power."

As Shaxuan General rapidly retreated, he shot a mocking smile over his shoulder and fled into the distance!

’I can’t kill him here. I’ll have to wait.’

"Hahaha, just a bit of a farce! Continue the competition!"

On the high platform, the Shark King roared with laughter.

He looked down upon Ye Wushuang, his eyes radiating vicious killing intent. ’Ye Wushuang dared to ruin my plans. He won’t be leaving the Three Thousand Seas alive.’

"Get back here!"

However, just as Shaxuan General was bolting into the distance, Ye Wushuang’s sharp cry suddenly rang out. An icy aura billowed out, blanketing the area.

’Shaxuan tried to kill us, and they call it just a farce?’

’If that’s the case, then let’s see this farce through to the end!’

A colossal, blood-red hand shot out, plunging deep into the void and reaching for the fleeing Shaxuan General in the distance.