God-Tier Fishing System

The moment Ethan's gaze swept across the desolate maze landscape ahead, his heart grew heavy.

Bones littered the ground in chaotic heaps—some large, some small, some human, and others belonging to long-extinct beasts. Their withered forms radiated an ancient chill, the air thick with the suffocating aura of death and decay.

In the center, a complete humanoid skeleton caught Ethan's attention.

The body's clothing had long since rotted away, disintegrating into ash the instant Ethan brushed it with his fingers. Around him, the lingering energy of lost souls and time spoke of those who had fallen here tens of centuries ago.

"With this many bones… this level of danger must have claimed countless geniuses," Ethan murmured under his breath.

He stood silently for a moment, then released his mental energy, spreading it outward like invisible threads through the stone forest. Detecting no obvious traps nearby, he continued deeper into the labyrinthine expanse.

A quarter of an hour later, the dense forest of towering rock pillars began to thin out, revealing an open area at the heart of the stone maze. At its center lay a massive circular stone platform etched with faint, complex runes that pulsed weakly with faded energy.

Ethan stopped, scanning the jagged stone walls surrounding it.

Then, without warning, a violent roar thundered across the canyon.

A moment later, a swarm of creatures blotted out the light above him—thousands of them, fluttering together in a suffocating black mass. Their screeches shredded the air, and the sky itself dimmed beneath the endless tide of wings.

Ethan's pupils shrank. "Blood bats."

He recognized them immediately.

Individually weak—barely at the level of a fourth-ranked monster—but numbers were their advantage. Blood bats never hunted alone; when they appeared, they emerged in terrifying legions that filled the heavens.

This species, once thought wiped out, only survived in ancient, forbidden lands like this—the inheritance ground of Azure Origin Dao Sect.

Blood bats thrived by drawing the life essence and blood energy from the living, leaving behind lifeless husks wherever they passed. Their strength wasn't in one-on-one battles but synergy.

Even Soul Formation and Void Amalgamation realm cultivators were no match when surrounded by their legion.

"Blood bats share their essence when flying in unison. Their kings can absorb the energy of the swarm to strengthen themselves instantaneously."

Ethan's eyes flickered with caution, but not fear. "Low-level beasts remain what they are. Even a hundred thousand can't wound me."

At the forefront, two enormous bats flapped their scarlet wings, their blood-hungry eyes fixed hungrily on the energy pulsing from Ethan's body.

The pair hissed, their roars shaking the cavernous air.

Instantly, the rest of the swarm trembled and released a crimson mist.

The blood energy merged midair into a vast cloud, coiling around the two leaders. Their size expanded grotesquely; their power swelled to the equivalent of mid-stage Void Amalgamation cultivators.

Both surged toward Ethan in a storm of wings and shrill cries.

Ethan raised his hand slightly, expression calm.

Azure-blue flames surged from his palm, twining into a radiant phoenix that let out a resonant cry. The bird of flame descended like divine wrath, engulfing the monstrous bats whole.

The cave filled with the smell of burning flesh and the sound of crackling fire and shrieking pain.

When the ashes settled, only blackened husks remained—charred beyond recognition.

Ethan flicked his wrist, and the azure fire rippled through the sky like a storm wave. The blood cloud shattered in an instant, and the thousands of remaining bats combusted mid-flight, reduced to drifting cinders.

In mere heartbeats, the darkness lifted; not a single sound remained but the faint hum of fading energy.

Ethan exhaled slowly. "So that was the warm-up."

He continued forward, stepping onto the circular stone clearing, when an eerie cry echoed from the depths of the forest ahead.

The noise was sharper than that of the ordinary blood bats, vibrating with a sinister resonance that struck faintly at the soul.

Bang. Bang. Bang!

Massive impacts reverberated through the rock.

Ethan turned his head in time to see towering stone pillars collapsing, the shockwaves rolling toward him.

From the choking dust, a massive shadow burst forth—a gigantic bat with blood-red wings, over ten times larger than the earlier ones. Its demonic energy swirled violently, eyes gleaming like molten coals.

"A seventh-level monster," Ethan murmured, intrigued. "The Blood Bat King."

Creatures of this rank equaled the Body Integration realm among humans—a mighty force in its own right. Few dared to confront one head on.

"So this comes before the true trial—the Bronze Man Formation." His eyes glowed faintly red as he studied the monster. "Seems the appetizer's getting grand."

The beast's overwhelming aura swept across the open clearing as it hurtled straight toward him. Stone crumbled under its passage. Despite its ferocity, Ethan remained composed.

Raising his palm, he summoned his blood essence; red energy surged out in waves, cloaked by a layer of Azure flame.

Boom.

A colossal palm manifested in midair, grabbing the Blood Bat King by the torso. Sparks of energy rippled in the air as Ethan's grip tightened like iron clamps.

The beast screeched, its massive wings beating furiously, but it could not break free.

"Die."

Ethan's eyes hardened. His hand clenched, and the essence of blood exploded outward.

With a thunderous crack, the Blood Bat King exploded. A blood lotus blossomed in the sky, scattering flesh and gore like meteoric fragments.

Ethan swept his arm again. Azure fire roared upward, reducing all remnants into drifting black smoke. The air shimmered with spiritual heat—and then stilled.

The azure flicker vanished. Not a trace of the monster remained.

Landing gracefully, Ethan's robes fluttered softly as he stepped onto the center of the stone platform.

The ground began to vibrate beneath him, deep rumbling rising from within the earth, but he remained composed, quietly observing.

The platform rotated slowly, lifting upward like the rising stage of an ancient mechanism. After a few moments, it ascended several feet, the hum of shifting stone echoing throughout.

Click.

Subtle sounds rippled through the cavern.

A towering stone pillar to Ethan's left suddenly cracked from its top. The fractures snaked down its length before the outer layer of stone peeled away, crumbling onto the ground in clouds of dust.

From within, twelve towering bronze figures emerged, their surfaces gleaming with the dull luster of age.

"So this is the Bronze Man Formation," Ethan murmured.

The twelve bronze men opened their eyes in unison, their ancient gears groaning with terrible power. The ground quivered as they stepped forward, movements unnaturally precise, surrounding him in an iron circle.

Rocks fell, and another pillar to the far right began splitting open. This time, a rectangular monument stood revealed, words carved into its aged surface.

Two columns of names stretched endlessly down the tablet.

Ethan narrowed his eyes—the left side inscribed in golden brilliance, the right glowing faintly crimson.

There—among the gold—were two familiar names: Lyralei and Seraphina.

"So… they've both been here." His brows furrowed slightly.

In contrast, the names on the right shimmered with a blood-stained hue. Realization struck immediately—those names marked the dead.

The golden inscriptions denoted those who had survived the trial; the red, those whose lives had perished here.

The red names far outnumbered the gold, stretching down the slab like a river of tragedy, countless beyond measure.

Yet Ethan didn't flinch.

He remembered reading about this place before entering—the inheritance land of Azure Origin Dao Sect held trials for promising disciples centuries ago. Eight hundred years back, it was said that entry required little more than sect selection.

But each expedition ended the same: entire teams lost, only a handful returning alive.

Eventually, the Dao Sect raised the threshold of qualification.

A/N:

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Capsule - 1 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 3 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters