*Ding! High-energy biological magnetic field detected! Assessment: Fifth-rank powerhouse! Please be alert, Host!* At that moment, the Chip suddenly popped up a notification window, catching Leilin slightly off guard.
"Looks like I can't leave even if I wanted to now." A peculiar smile curved across Leilin's lips, though on the surface he maintained an expression of complete ignorance. After bidding farewell to
"Wait! He cannot leave!"
Just as Leilin was about to depart, a massive wave of spiritual power rippled outward, carrying staggering intensity and unyielding willpower.
A transparent figure gradually emerged from the ocean's surface. The eerie, warped transparency encasing its body slowly dissipated, revealing a colossal Evil Eye.
This Evil Eye was nothing like the Gegewu Leilin had encountered before. It boasted three enormous vertical eyes—each a different shape and different in size—arranged in a sinister triangular formation. Thick, fleshy red tubes connected the trio, while pristine white tentacles hung straight to the ground, forming the creature's legs.
An aura of ancient gravitas and overwhelming power continuously radiated from it.
*This Evil Eye has to be one that's reached the extreme twilight of its years—an Elder of the Evil Eye race!* Leilin assessed silently.
Ordinary adult Evil Eyes possessed the strength of Third-rank Wizards, and those that had entered this extreme elderly phase as Elders often wielded Morning Star-level power.
This one was even more remarkable, for beyond its racial strength, it was also a formidable Priest! The impartial power of judgment continuously emanated from its body, causing Leilin to narrow his eyes slightly.
*This must be the leader Belinda mentioned earlier? Then its priestly rank would be Fifth-rank?* A Fifth-rank Priest granted this Evil Eye Elder strength rivaling that of an ordinary Radiant Moon-level
"Greetings, Lord Belakle!" Belinda knelt respectfully and tugged at the hem of Leilin's clothing.
"Lord Belakle!"
Leilin offered only a slight bow, his bearing somewhat haughty. A flicker of displeasure passed through the Elder Evil Eye's massive vertical pupil.
It turned toward Belinda, and a tremendous spiritual wave pulsed outward, carrying anger and an accusatory undertone: "Belinda! Your conduct today has truly defiled my Lord's glory! The fall of the Iyas Port outpost, and your reckless actions just now—both are equally disgraceful!"
"Lord Belakle!" Though still on her knees, Belinda straightened her back. "I accept full responsibility for the fall of Iyas Port. But letting Nick leave was entirely justified! Even though he isn't a follower of the Lord of Order, he is a descendant of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents..."
"And your own kin!" the Evil Eye Elder added coldly. "Belinda, I've warned you before—don't show too much kindness to your mixed-blood kin. It will only bring disaster upon yourself!"
"Lord Belakle, I can vouch for Nick! He's on our side. At the port, he even helped me—"
Seeing the red glow flickering in Belakle's eye, Belinda gritted her teeth and pressed on with her assurance.
"Fine! I'll grant you this! Hehehe... I hope fortune keeps favoring you. Otherwise, my collection will have to acquire a new pair of crimson vertical pupils!"
After finishing, Belakle twisted its body around and fixed Leilin with its gaze: "Oh! No—I should say, two pairs."
Being threatened by a Fifth-rank powerhouse, after enduring all that mockery and distrust—most people would be consumed by either rage or terror.
Leilin, of course, was no ordinary person. Though on the surface he wore an expression of righteous indignation, his face flushed with barely contained fury, inside his mind was analyzing with icy calm: *Its speed getting here was suspiciously fast—which means it was already nearby. Perhaps the overall commander of this operation. And Belinda is the person in charge of Iyas Port...* While Belakle and Belinda exchanged words, vast numbers of sea folk—fish-men, octopus-men, shark-men, and other breeds—densely surfaced from the ocean. They wore specially crafted leather armor and carried spears, machetes, and other weapons. Some even wielded staffs as spellcasters. They assembled neatly into formation, forming a massive army arrayed behind Belakle.
"Children of the Lord of Order! The evil forces of chaos have seized Iyas Port and slaughtered my Lord's faithful, committing unspeakable atrocities! What is to be done?!"
The Evil Eye Elder turned around, its colossal spiritual waves radiating outward in every direction.
"Kill them!" "Crusade against them!" "Burn them all!"
The sea folk raised their weapons and roared as one.
"Excellent! You are all my Lord's most devout followers!" The Elder Evil Eye's vertical pupil seemed to web with red veins. "Now I issue my command: Full mobilization! Target—Iyas Port!"
"Hurrah!" "Hurrah!" "Hurrah!" "Hurrah!"
The thunderous battle cries of the sea folk surged high enough to scatter the clouds overhead.
Amid the chorus of roars, the sea surface suddenly split open. Enormous sea beasts rose from the ocean depths, their broad, flat backs breaking the surface.
The sea folk armies boarded in perfect order, and the massive creatures instantly became terrifying war fortresses.
"And you! Mixed blood of the White Devil! Follower of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents! You will come with me and prove your loyalty with the blood of chaos believers!"
"What gives you the right?" Leilin snarled in displeasure, playing the part of a brash hothead.
"What gives me the right? Hehehe... The right that I can execute you whenever I please!" The Evil Eye Elder Belakle sneered. Its vast spiritual power surged forth like a tidal wave, enveloping Leilin completely—the threat unmistakable.
Given the role Leilin was playing—as at most a Morning Star-level mixed-blood descendant—his face drained of color instantly.
"Belinda..." He looked at Belinda, still prostrate on the ground, her eyes filled with desperate pleading. Finally, he gritted his teeth: "Fine! I'll go!"
"Hehehe! That's the spirit! The power of chaos is the sworn enemy of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents! Your actions will surely earn her favor!"
The Evil Eye Elder released its spiritual grip and moved to the coastline. An enormous golden octopus immediately surfaced, allowing Belakle to stand upon its head.
"I merely sympathize with certain of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents' ideals! My primary cultivation is in myself and my Beast Soul—not the path of priestcraft! This kind of massacre benefits me not at all!"
Leilin wore a dark expression as he boarded the ocean beast alongside Belinda.
"I'm sorry, Nick! I dragged you into this. Just focus on protecting yourself—leave everything else to me!" Belinda transmitted apologetically.
"It's not your fault!"
Leilin offered a 'reluctant' smile, though deep in his eyes, a trace of cold light flickered.
*A Fifth-rank Priest? And clearly holding a senior position in their ranks? This offering—the Defiler Bird will surely be delighted.* ...
Iyas Port. Due to the arrests and violent clashes that morning, the entire port had been placed under lockdown, and martial law had yet to be lifted.
The once-bustling streets were eerily quiet. Wreckage of ships and smears of blood could be seen in the harbor waters, and the destroyed homes and buildings hadn't been repaired, lending the area an air of bleak desolation.
Patrol squads jogged through the streets in formation, periodically barging into shops to conduct searches, sending the entire district into chaos.
At that moment, urgent alarm bells and piercing air-raid signals suddenly blared to life.
Looking from high above, one could see a massive wave of enormous sea beasts cutting across the water, leaving broad white wakes behind them like rolling tsunamis. Countless figures stood atop their backs.
In the sky above, even more powerful individuals of unknown number hung in the air, all radiating menacing auras.
Considering the events of that morning, many independent merchants had already begun quietly preparing to flee with their goods. For them, neither of these two factions was one they could afford to offend—and being caught in the crossfire meant only one outcome: utter annihilation.
Even the most ruthless pirates were scrambling to board their ships and evacuate, clashing with port guards in their desperation, plunging the port into total chaos.
"Screech!"
Just as the conflict threatened to escalate further, a piercing eagle cry rang out. An enormous Dark Night Eagle Beast Soul spread its wings and circled above the port, with a faint figure visible on its back. The terrifying pressure of Fourth-rank Morning Star Peak power pressed down from above, finally restoring a semblance of calm to the dock.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several streaks of light shot out from different positions within the port, converging behind Iyas. Each figure bowed respectfully: "Governor!"
All of these figures possessed Morning Star-level strength, and their faces showed undisguised worry.
"It's the followers of the Eye of Judgment! I could smell that nauseating stench on them from across the sea!" An elderly man with a white mane and a hooked, eagle-like beak spoke coldly.
"It must be connected to this morning's incident! I've already contacted the mainland headquarters for reinforcements, and they're taking it seriously. But the distance is too great! Even with teleportation arrays, it would require multiple transfers... and these enemies were clearly well-prepared in advance!"
Governor Iyas's face was grim. He clenched his fist so hard the air itself cracked with a sharp report—his fury had reached its absolute limit.