Chapter 160: Let Him Be Strong

"Bah!" Lu Dongliang cursed. "Didn't I already say it? Whoever wants to stay in this godforsaken place can stay, but I can't stand it! Fuck! I choked on a fishbone when I was a kid, so I hate eating fish more than anything else. Since I got to this hellhole, I've had to eat fish nine fucking times a day!"

Hu Jie's eyes flickered. "Mr. Lu, the Sea Kingdom indeed cannot compare to the Real World, but at least staying here guarantees your survival. There are many powerful monsters in the sea, as well as sea god's familiars. You need to think this through. Is enjoying yourself more important, or is keeping your life more important?"

"Bullshit! Of course enjoying myself is more important. If I can't enjoy myself, what's the point of living? I'd rather be an emperor for a day than a beggar for a lifetime! Stop trying to persuade me and get out of the way."

Hu Jie was somewhat stunned. He never expected so many weirdos among this batch of nightmare apostles. He could understand the others wanting to return because of their attachments, but what the hell kind of creature was Lu Dongliang?

"You can enjoy yourself in the Sea Kingdom too. The women here..."

Lu Dongliang scoffed in disdain. "You really haven't eaten anything good in your life, have you? The women here are dark and beefy, and their mouths reek of fish the moment they open them. Only you people would fancy them."

Hu Jie was left completely speechless.

He was genuinely getting angry. This brute simply refused to listen to reason.

"But there are many powerful monsters in the sea..."

"Hmph!" Lu Dongliang had already shaken off Hu Jie's restraining hand and was taking great strides to catch up with Su Mu and the others. His gruff voice drifted back from a distance.

"Let them be strong! I am Lu Dongliang!"

Watching the retreating backs of the four, Hu Jie's face had already gone expressionless. He looked at them as if he were looking at dead men.

Right then, Pang Yang threw an arm around Hu Jie's shoulders. "Forget it. Good words can't persuade a damned ghost. Let them go. I heard you took a new concubine recently? Want me to help you train her?"

"Sigh." Hu Jie wore a look of pity. "I truly didn't want to watch them throw their lives away. Why couldn't they just stay and live a good life?"

...

...

Out on the ocean, a boat carrying over a dozen people sailed through the water. It wasn't large; the hull was primarily constructed of wood held together by metal fittings. Its size was somewhat comparable to a small yacht in the Real World, though it was in fact far more primitive.

Even so, this was considered the best ship in the Sea Kingdom, reserved exclusively for the Royal Family.

On the deck, the sailors provided by the King bustled about. Though experienced, their faces were plastered with anxiety and fear upon learning their destination was the deep sea. The only things giving them any comfort were the Sea Stones worn on their chests and the massive Sea Stone hanging from the ship's hull.

Inside the cabin, Su Mu and the other three gathered to discuss their voyage.

"We're all in the same boat now, so we should each explain our abilities. It will make it easier to cooperate when we run into danger," Su Mu instructed, acting as their leader.

Mu Qing and the others didn't find this inappropriate. As a powerhouse who had returned from the Black Fog, it was only right for Su Mu to give the orders. Even Lu Dongliang, who seemed difficult to get along with, didn't step up to contest the command of the team.

"I'll go first," Su Mu began, lying with practiced ease. "I have many abilities, so I won't list them all. My primary ability is the Eye of Annihilation. It can annihilate matter at the atomic level."

Mu Qing and Lu Dongliang were instantly shocked.

"Annihilation at the atomic level!? What kind of Law is that? Isn't that a bit too terrifying?" Lu Dongliang exclaimed, unable to hide the astonishment in his tiger-like eyes.

"Mr. Su's Law doesn't fall within any known Sequence. Truly worthy of a powerhouse who returned from the Black Fog." Mu Qing's constantly tense little face relaxed slightly. As a member of the crew, she naturally wanted her teammates to be as strong as possible to increase their chances of survival.

Though both were shocked by the sheer power of Su Mu's ability, neither voiced any doubts. It would be far more suspicious if someone who returned from the Black Fog didn't have an overwhelming ability.

Sitting to the side, Yang Dongqing subconsciously shifted in his seat and lowered his head slightly. He knew he was a terrible actor, and he was terrified someone might spot a flaw in his expression.

He had no idea which number ability this was for Su Mu by now. Regardless, the abilities were never the same, and Su Mu spouted them effortlessly.

"I'll go next." Mu Qing suppressed her shock and volunteered her abilities. "Silver Law Sequence 3, Call of Nature. Its manifestation is the control of plants."

Her statement drew a sidelong glance from Yang Dongqing. He had finally met someone whose Sequence was lower than his own. Even though she was in the Silver Sequence and he was only Bronze, it didn't stop him from feeling a slight swell of superiority.

"I'm also Silver 1. Sequence 18, Bloodshed Berserk. This ability is like going Berserk in a game. It vastly boosts strength, speed, resistance, and so on. If it weren't for the side effect of lowering my intelligence and making me unable to distinguish friend from foe after activation, its Sequence ranking definitely wouldn't stop at 18." Lu Dongliang seemed very dissatisfied with his ranking, prompting him to add the specific explanation.

His implied meaning was very simple: Even though my Sequence is low, my combat prowess isn't weak at all. I just might end up killing my teammates.

"Bronze Tier 2. My Bronze Laws are Sequence 8, Ceaseless Recovery, and Sequence 9, Heart of Steel." Yang Dongqing felt somewhat embarrassed stating his abilities and rank. Being a Bronze Tier 2 suddenly mixed in with a group of Silvers was truly humiliating.

Mu Qing looked over, glancing at Yang Dongqing with a hint of doubt, but she didn't say anything. Lu Dongliang, on the other hand, couldn't keep things to himself. "Brother Yang, I'm a bit puzzled. Why is your transcendent level so low? If I remember correctly, you should have been Bronze 1 when you first entered, meaning you only just broke through to Bronze Tier 2, right?"

Yang Dongqing possessed the temperament of a teenager after all. Feeling a bit defiant, he retorted, "That's because I've only been a nightmare apostle for a short time. Give me some time, and I'll eventually advance to Silver!"

Lu Dongliang shook his head. "That's not what I meant. What I mean is that the omens of the Nightmare World get progressively harder. The nightmare you enter as an ordinary person is definitely different from the one you enter after becoming a transcendent. You play video games, right? You know about matchmaking systems? I speak directly, so don't take offense. Generally, in a single match, it's very hard for noobs to be matched with pros. The three of us are so strong, so logically speaking, we shouldn't have run into you."

Yang Dongqing was speechless.

Fuck! You speak directly and tell me not to mind? Why the hell aren't you this direct when talking to Su Mu!

"I've been wondering about that too. It really is a bit illogical," Mu Qing said with a frown. "And what's even more illogical is, given our current level, why would we encounter a legendary God in this nightmare? Even if it's like Hu Jie said and the Sea God is merely the ocean itself and has never taken the initiative to appear, it still doesn't make sense. Unless..."

She paused and looked at Su Mu, who was sitting upright to the side.