Two seconds.
Three seconds.
…
In the dead silence, a long moment passed before the Black Shark Pirates on the ship finally came back to their senses.
"T-The captain is dead?!"
"T-The captain was… was… killed?!"
"What… what just happened?! What the hell just happened?!"
"…"
Amid the panicked shouting, one of the Black Shark Pirates suddenly screamed hysterically:
"Brothers! Kill him! Kill this guy! Someone who can kill the captain with a single punch at only the fourth tier is definitely a top-tier genius! This guy must be carrying an enormous amount of resources!"
The moment those words were spoken—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The fear and panic on the pirates' faces instantly vanished.
Their eyes turned blood-red.
In that instant, all fear was completely replaced by greed.
As they stared at Zhao Xuan, it was as if they were looking at a walking, living fat sheep.
After all—
The more talented a person was, the more resources they would inevitably possess.
Because geniuses grew rapidly.
And for those fast-growing geniuses, merely absorbing the natural spiritual energy of heaven and earth was never enough.
They had to consume massive quantities of spirit herbs and medicines to support their cultivation.
As the saying went—poor scholars, rich warriors.
No matter how outstanding your talent was, without resources, rapid growth was impossible.
"Hmph. You overestimate yourselves."
Facing the pirates' greedy gazes, Zhao Xuan let out a cold snort.
Step!
The sound of a foot striking the deck rang out.
In the next instant—
Zhao Xuan vanished from where he stood and appeared directly in front of the pirate who had just shouted.
"BOOM!!!"
A steel fist wrapped in Armament Haki and surging lightning smashed forward.
In an instant—
In the blink of an eye—
Amid flashing thunder—
The man didn't even see when Zhao Xuan appeared.
He didn't even understand how Zhao Xuan appeared before him.
And then—
Crackkkkk!
The crisp sound of shattering bones rang beside his ears.
A terrifying force surged into his body.
It felt as though an invisible giant hand had seized his heart.
Pshhk!
His heart exploded on the spot.
"PUFF!"
"Aaagh—!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body was sent flying backward, smashing into another pirate behind him.
Splash!
The immense impact flung both men off the ship, sending them crashing into the sea dozens of meters away.
"Damn it!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill that brat!"
"Kill him or we're all dead!"
"…"
The remaining dozen or so Black Shark Pirates, driven by greed and fear, charged at Zhao Xuan.
"Fools."
"A bunch of useless fifth- and sixth-tier trash."
Zhao Xuan's expression was icy.
Facing their encirclement, he showed not the slightest hint of fear.
Boom!Boom!
Boom!Boom!
One punch.
Then another.
In the blink of an eye—
Aside from the single person Zhao Xuan deliberately spared, every last pirate fell under his terrifying strength.
Then—
Zhao Xuan turned his gaze to the final surviving Black Shark lackey.
Step… step… step…
He walked toward the man, who was curled up on the deck, crying out in agony.
"Y-You… you… don't come any closer! D-Demon… you demon… don't… don't… please—!"
It was obvious—
This man had been completely scared out of his mind.
He pushed himself backward with his hands and feet, retreating frantically.
Until—
His back slammed into the cabin wall.
There was nowhere left to run.
"N-No… no… please… don't…"
Zhao Xuan stopped in front of him.
He reached out—
Grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
Coldly, he asked:
"Speak. Where is the Black Shark Pirates' base?"
"I-It's… southwest… southwest… that direction… about… about fifty li…"
"Are your first and second leaders on the island right now?" Zhao Xuan pressed.
"T-The first… first leader and second leader went out… b-because the neighboring White Emperor Pirates… came again… to fight over a newly discovered ruin…"
Hearing this—
Zhao Xuan's eyes flickered.
In the next instant—
His fingers tightened.
Crack!
With a sharp snap of bone, he crushed the man's neck and tossed the corpse onto the deck.
"No one guarding the base?"
A playful smile crept onto Zhao Xuan's face.
"Even if they're just a third-rate pirate group, they once had five seventh-tier experts at their peak."
"Their base should have quite a bit of good stuff, right?"
His eyes lit up immediately.
Raiding someone's home—
He loved that kind of thing.
As usual, after sinking the pirate ship, Zhao Xuan boarded his own small boat and headed straight for Black Shark Island.
Zhao Xuan was always cautious in how he acted.
He wasn't someone who easily trusted others.
Nor was he reckless.
So—
He didn't rush straight into Black Shark Island after hearing that testimony.
Instead, when he was still one or two kilometers away, he slowed down.
After observing from afar, he circled around to a cliff on the back side of the island and leapt up, landing silently on Black Shark Island.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
Just as Zhao Xuan was about to move deeper inland, a flash of golden light appeared.
The golden rat materialized in front of him, hands on its hips, chirping loudly.
"Oh right, right—this is your payment."
Zhao Xuan casually took out a cactus flower and tossed it over.
The golden rat caught it instantly, a satisfied look appearing on its face.
"Chirp!"
It chirped again.
"Alright, alright. Go in, go in."
With a thought, Zhao Xuan opened the entrance to the Desert Ruins.
Whoosh!
In a flash of golden light, the golden rat vanished into the ruins.
"Seriously… it's just a cactus flower. Is it really that good?"
Zhao Xuan shook his head, completely baffled by how obsessed the rat was.
"Forget it. First, I'll loot the place while those two seventh-tier leaders aren't around."
"Even if the Black Shark Pirates are just a third-rate force, they're supposed to be the overlords of the surrounding few hundred li. They should have plenty of loot."
With that—
Zhao Xuan disappeared in a flash and slipped deeper into the island.
Soon, he reached the southeastern area of the island—the Black Shark Pirates' stronghold.
It was clear the White Emperor Pirates had placed them under heavy pressure.
Only about twenty fifth- and sixth-tier pirates were stationed here, making the place look empty.
How could pirates of this level possibly detect Zhao Xuan, who possessed Observation Haki and a physique exceeding 24,000?
He easily avoided their patrols and entered a building at the center of the base.
Just from its appearance alone, it was far more luxurious than the surrounding structures.
There was no need to guess.
This was clearly the first leader's residence.
The interior was decorated with various ornaments—vases, calligraphy, paintings, and more.
But—
After scanning the place several times with Observation Haki, Zhao Xuan didn't find a single spirit herb or medicine.
"Could it be that the Black Shark leader also has a spatial ruin?"
That thought immediately soured his mood.
"Are spatial ruins really this common now? Even a low-level pirate leader has one?"
Zhao Xuan found it hard to believe.
Yes, he himself possessed multiple spatial ruins.
And yes, during the national exam, three or four out of ten people had one.
But—
That comparison was meaningless.
Those were geniuses among geniuses, with powerful backgrounds.
Their families could obtain spatial ruins, even if it wasn't easy.
Small spatial ruins might cost "only" around ten billion.
But they were practically priceless due to scarcity.
Moreover—
Zhao Xuan didn't believe a seventh-tier pirate would spend ten billion on storage instead of cultivation resources.
"I must have missed something."
"I didn't search carefully enough."
He activated Observation Haki again and searched thoroughly from top to bottom.
Five minutes later—
Still nothing.
"What the hell?"
Zhao Xuan frowned deeply.
"Does he really have a spatial ruin… or is this pirate base just dirt poor?"
Then—
A spark flashed in his eyes.
"Right! That's it!"
"I'll just ask the pirates guarding the base!"
"If they're trusted to stay behind, they must be core members. They should know where the treasure vault is."
With that realization, Zhao Xuan's frustration vanished.
He pushed open the door and walked out openly.
Immediately, he ran into a pirate.
Their eyes met.
The next moment—
"Intruder! Intruder! All hands on alert!"
Step! Step! Step!
Footsteps thundered from all directions.
Zhao Xuan narrowed his eyes and watched as pirates who had been chatting or resting leapt up and rushed over.
"Good. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."
He stood calmly in place and waited.
Within seconds—
All twenty-odd pirates guarding the base had gathered.
They glared at Zhao Xuan fiercely.
"A fourth tier?"
"So young?"
"How did a mere fourth-tier brat sneak in here?"
"…"
Once they sensed his cultivation, confusion spread across their faces.
"Kid, who are you?!" a sixth-tier peak pirate demanded.
"Is everyone here?" Zhao Xuan ignored the question, scanned the group, and smiled.
"Since you're all here… it's my turn now."
"What?!"
The pirate leader froze.
Before he could react—
BOOM!!!
A terrifying pressure erupted from Zhao Xuan's body.
In an instant, it felt like a mountain had slammed down on his shoulders.
He could barely breathe.
Then—
BOOM!!!
A violent gust hit him.
The next thing he knew, he was sent flying.
Boom!
He crashed into the ground dozens of meters away, the earth trembling violently.
Zhao Xuan didn't stop.
Step!
Using Shave, he appeared before another pirate.
One punch—
Pop!
The man's head exploded.
One.
Then another.
Then another.
In an instant, no fewer than five pirates fell dead.
Only then did the remaining pirates finally react.
They roared and charged together, trying to overwhelm Zhao Xuan with numbers.
Their combat coordination was excellent.
They sealed off all escape routes.
Even a seventh-tier expert would struggle.
But—
Zhao Xuan was different.
With his terrifying physique and Grandmaster-level Iron Body—
He didn't dodge at all.
Their attacks couldn't even break his defense.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Screams echoed endlessly.
Before long, almost every pirate lay dead.
Almost—
Because Zhao Xuan deliberately left two alive.
One was the sixth-tier peak leader he had punched away earlier.
The other was another sixth-tier peak captain.
Zhao Xuan walked up to the first and asked coldly:
"Speak. Where is your treasure vault? Answer honestly, and I might let you die quickly."
"Heh… heh… hahaha…"
The pirate laughed crazily.
"Kid… you'll never get anything from me… never…"
"I already contacted the first leader… they're on their way back… you're dead… you're dead!!!"
"Looking for pain."
Zhao Xuan remained expressionless.
His foot came down—
Crack!
The man's left forearm shattered.
Then—
Another stomp.
His upper arm broke.
Then his leg.
In seconds, all four limbs were crushed.
But Zhao Xuan still didn't stop.
This time—
His foot slammed down between the man's legs.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
A scream pierced the sky.
The pirate rolled his eyes back and passed out.
"Hmph. Weren't you threatening me just now?"
Zhao Xuan crushed his skull.
Pop.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Then—
Zhao Xuan turned to the last remaining pirate.
Seeing his companion's fate, the man trembled violently.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
Zhao Xuan smiled.
Killing a chicken to warn the monkeys—success.
--------------------------------------------------
Read 30 Chapters ahead: [email protected] / KaiOynx