I Don't Agree to the Terms

In the dim deep sea, Gu Shanhai saw a great number of dilapidated walls and ruins.

The place he was in was the Deep Sea vortex, as well as the remnants of lands from an age past, spoils of war from the oceanic era, and the besieged remnants.

He was naturally not the only one who had come; there were quite a few sea dwellers, who more or less exhibited some non-human features about them.

This was not a bad thing, but rather, it signified that the individual possessed high-level Transcendent abilities acquired from a Divine being, also serving as a symbol of strength.

On the contrary, sea dwellers like Gu Shanhai, who seemed most human, were barely taken seriously; either they were powerless sea dwellers accidentally swept into the situation or merely possessed low-level Transcendent abilities.

At this moment, everyone was blocked by a membrane of the deep sea, unable to take action until the vortex of the deep sea had completely closed.

There were two ways the closure could occur: one was when enough people had gathered, the other when time was up. Meeting either of these conditions would signal the start of the official exploration.

Gu Shanhai, participating in the Deep Sea vortex for the first time, did not understand the situation, but it didn't matter—he would start a bloodbath first and then search slowly.

As for leaving, that too was not a worry; even if the Deep Sea vortex refused to open the door, he could make his own way out.

Time ticked away by the second, and many incoming sea dwellers were rubbing their hands together, their expressions filled with ruthlessness; their thoughts were the same as Gu Shanhai's—eliminate the competitors first.

As long as there was no competition, then the rewards could be exclusively theirs.

The idea, of course, was good, but their capabilities were as grand as the heavens and yet as fragile as paper.

With the arrival of the final sea dweller, the membrane isolating everyone collapsed instantly.

In that instant, various Transcendent abilities burst forth incessantly, and the sea dwellers were immediately entangled in a brawl.

Gu Shanhai was a bit luckier, for no one cared about him—who would concern themselves with an ant they could easily crush.

"Tch, really lucky..." perched on Little White's back, Gu Shanhai chuckled at the scene while Little White watched the fight with relish, occasionally blowing large bubbles into the sea.

Being in the Deep Sea vortex, they were surely underwater, that kind where there was sea everywhere and no air.

The Transcendent abilities of the sea dwellers were even more adept underwater, each one fighting with full force.

At this moment, Gu Shanhai was in a bit of a predicament; he didn't know whom to summon as he had experienced many worlds, but few had involved the sea.

After some deliberation, Gu Shanhai decided to forget it and call upon the Heart Demon Dao Soldiers; that would save trouble.

Thus, while the sea dwellers were fighting so intensely their brains were about to fall out, a mass of Heart Demon Dao Soldiers emerged quietly.

Each one emitted a chilling aura, causing the fighting sea dwellers to involuntarily feel a chill inside, stopping in their tracks.

Seeing a large group of twisted creatures surrounding them, the sea dwellers grew increasingly unsettled.

Under such pressure, someone shouted, "Let's deal with these monsters first!"

At this moment of life and death, the sea dwellers were forced to unite; there were no individuals with their heads so screwed up they would rather forfeit their lives than murder others.

Everyone was here for profit, not some grand cause; now, something more important than profit appeared, and there was no reason they couldn't cooperate.

The encircling Heart Demon Dao Soldiers swarmed and relied on their numerical and strength advantage to roundly kick anyone who opposed them; none could escape.

Copious amounts of blood and torn flesh diffused into the water.

The sounds of crunching accompanied by wails spread continuously.

"Alas, this must be my first time entering a secret realm, right? Why haven't I encountered any scene of showing off and slapping faces." Gu Shanhai sighed; he also wanted to show off.

"If it really comes to it, having someone jump out and slap my face would do, too."

Gu Shanhai glanced at the sea dwellers, seeing that not a single one was left intact under the beating of the numerous Heart Demon Dao Soldiers.

"But then again, if this is truly a Tribute, then am I not stealing someone else's food..." Gu Shanhai watched the thoroughly cleaned sea dwellers and called back his Heart Demon Dao Soldiers.

The group of sea dwellers who entered the Deep Sea vortex had mediocre strength; the strongest were only of average level, standing no chance whatsoever, and all the more so as each sea dweller was consumed by greed, murderous intent, and such, directly annihilated by the myriad of abilities of the Heart Demon Dao Soldiers.

"Eaten clean, didn't leave a scrap." Gu Shanhai checked and could only say that the Heart Demon Dao Soldiers had grown tremendously and were becoming less picky about their diet, daring to eat anything.

"The life span feedback is a bit lacking, just over a thousand years." Gu Shanhai sensed his increased lifespan, shook his head, and continued, "Not even good enough for a dog."

But Gu Shanhai was not a dog, so he certainly would take it.

After dealing with the sea dwellers, Gu Shanhai then strolled through the ruins.

Clearly, this place was once a Territorial area of a Transcendent power during the land era.

"Judging from the power of the islands, the power of the land during the land era should have been more inclined towards a lord-style group ability rather than the individual abilities of the current oceanic era."

Gu Shanhai observed the entire architectural cluster; indeed, in terms of development, the land era was far superior to the oceanic era, from a complete civilization broken into illiteracy.