Boom—!!!
A thunderous collision exploded through the sky.
Woooo—! Woooo—!
The shockwaves scattered outward, whipping up howling gales.
This was nothing like when Zhao Xuan killed the Black Shark Pirates' leader, Zhen Youbing.
Back then, the kill had been sudden—an ambush.
Zhen Youbing never had a single chance to fight back.
From start to finish, until the moment he died, he hadn't even fully recovered from Zhao Xuan's storm-like barrage of attacks.
Since he never even had time to react—
Naturally—
The commotion was limited.
After all, it had been Zhao Xuan exerting force alone.
But now—
It was different.
Now—
Zhao Xuan was facing the White Emperor Pirates' leader head-on.
Both of them were exerting power!
And not just any power—
They were fighting with everything they had.
Neither Zhao Xuan nor Mei Maobing, the White Emperor Pirates' leader, was holding back in the slightest.
At this moment, there was only one thought in both their minds—
Kill the opponent.
No matter the cost.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amid the insane clashes, terrifying shockwaves blasted outward.
Wherever those shockwaves passed—
It could be said that nothing survived.
Flowers, grass, trees—everything was annihilated.
Ancient towering trees that would take several people to encircle were ripped straight out of the ground by the sheer force of their collisions.
The White Emperor and Black Shark Pirates' grunts, who had been fighting fiercely just moments ago—
Had long since retreated far away.
As for the Black Shark Pirates' grunts—
There was no need to even mention them.
From the moment they witnessed their leader's head being smashed apart by Zhao Xuan—
Their fighting spirit had completely collapsed.
Once they snapped out of their shock, not a single one of them thought about avenging Zhen Youbing.
Even Xiao Sanzi, Zhen Youbing's most trusted subordinate, was the same!
The moment they came to their senses—
Their first instinct was to run.
To turn around and flee as fast as possible.
The reason was simple.
At the end of the day—
They were pirates.
They were nothing like officially sanctioned forces with unshakable beliefs.
There was another reason as well—
Zhao Xuan's strength was simply too terrifying.
If Zhao Xuan had been weak, then after their initial rout, those fleeing Black Shark Pirates might have stayed behind, tried to avenge their leader, gained reputation within the crew, rallied new followers, changed the faction's name, and continued to scrape by in the Endless Sea.
But—
Unfortunately—
Zhao Xuan was anything but weak.
Compared to them, he was overwhelmingly strong.
In such a situation—
How could they even consider staying behind to kill Zhao Xuan for revenge?
As for the White Emperor Pirates—
The ordinary grunts didn't even need to be mentioned.
Compared to Zhao Xuan, they were simply far too weak.
Under the ferocious battle between Zhao Xuan and their leader Mei Maobing, they didn't even dare approach, retreating one after another.
As for the White Emperor Pirates' peak sixth-tier squad captains—
At the beginning!
They actually wanted to step in and help their leader, hoping to tip the scales of victory in their favor.
Their first two attempts did have some effect, pushing Zhao Xuan into a brief disadvantage where Mei Maobing suppressed him.
But—
After that—
Zhao Xuan went ruthless.
To stop those squad captains from continuing to harass him—
He chose a life-for-life tactic!
When three White Emperor squad captains charged at him simultaneously, Zhao Xuan deliberately ignored Mei Maobing's attack.
At the same time—
He sharply pivoted.
Left and right!
Two punches—
Boom!
They slammed straight into the fists of two charging squad captains.
How terrifying was Zhao Xuan's strength?
One had to understand—
After breaking through to the fifth tier—
In Dragonman form, his physique had reached an astonishing thirty thousand points.
Thirty thousand points?
What kind of concept was that?
An explosive one.
Physique didn't just represent stamina.
Sure—
The stronger the physique, the greater the endurance.
But at the same time—
The stronger the physique, the greater the raw strength.
Not just Zhao Xuan now—
Even when Zhao Xuan had only been at the fourth tier, those two squad captains would never have been able to face him head-on.
Under two punches—
Crack—! Crack—!
Clear sounds of bones snapping echoed through the sky.
The arms of the two White Emperor squad captains shattered on the spot.
Forearms! Upper arms!
None were spared.
Next—
Zhao Xuan's fists did not slow.
They slammed brutally into the two captains' chests.
Crack—! Crack—!
More crisp bone-breaking sounds rang out.
This time—
His fists struck beneath their chests.
Both men's ribs shattered almost simultaneously.
The overwhelming force surged into their bodies and crushed their hearts instantly.
Boom!
Boom!
The two White Emperor Pirates were sent flying.
And at that moment—
Mei Maobing's furious roar and fist arrived.
Thud—!!!!!
A heavy punch smashed into Zhao Xuan's back.
Puff!
Zhao Xuan spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying, crashing heavily into the ground dozens of meters away.
The earth shook violently, a massive crater forming where he landed.
Dust filled the air.
"Stand down! Do not interfere in my fight with that brat! He may only be a fifth-tier grandmaster, but his strength is terrifying—no weaker than mine! You'll only be throwing your lives away!"
Mei Maobing looked at the bodies of his fallen subordinates.
For a moment, grief flickered across his greed-filled face.
After barking orders to the remaining peak sixth-tier subordinates, his expression suddenly changed.
Because—
His Observation Haki sensed Zhao Xuan taking advantage of the moment to devour spiritual herbs and medicines in huge mouthfuls.
In just a few seconds—
Zhao Xuan had swallowed at least fifty million worth of resources.
"Damn it!"
Panic flashed through Mei Maobing's heart.
With an enraged roar, he activated Shave and charged straight at Zhao Xuan.
"Hahahahaha! Perfect! Perfect! Perfect!"
Sensing Mei Maobing charging toward him, Zhao Xuan closed his spatial ruin with a thought and burst into excited laughter.
It was igniting!
It was igniting!
It was igniting!
Zhao Xuan felt the blood in his veins about to boil.
Unbridled excitement and overwhelming exhilaration surged through his body.
"Kill!!!"
With a furious roar, Zhao Xuan leapt into the air, charging fiercely toward Mei Maobing.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
In an instant—
The sounds of battle shook the heavens.
Within several kilometers—
No.
Far more than that.
To be precise—
The deafening clash could be heard across ten, even dozens of kilometers.
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
Woooo—! Woooo—!
Gale-force winds howled across the island.
Even—
Under the violent exchange, the entire island began to tremble.
For a moment—
The island looked as though it had plunged into an apocalypse.
The ground shook, winds screamed.
Gulp.
Far away—
On a beach well outside the battlefield.
Feeling the terrifying disturbance, the White Emperor Pirates swallowed nervously, terror written all over their faces.
"T-that… that really is a fifth-tier grandmaster fighting the boss? Th-that kid… is he really not a seventh-tier lord?"
Feeling the trembling air and island, this thought inevitably arose in their minds.
"T-the boss… he should be able to beat that kid, right?"
"H-he should… right?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?! The boss is a seventh-tier lord! And he's above average even among seventh-tier! How could he lose to a mere fifth-tier?"
"B-but… the Black Shark Pirates' leader… d-died at that kid's hands… just like that…"
The moment those words were spoken—
The atmosphere froze.
Everyone's expressions stiffened.
One by one, the image of Zhen Youbing's brutal death beneath Zhao Xuan's fists replayed in their minds.
An inexplicable fear crept over them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The battle on the island continued.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Fifteen minutes.
Half an hour later—
Only after a full half hour did the battle finally come to a sudden halt.
Over a hundred meters away, out at sea—
"It stopped! It finally stopped!"
"H-has a winner been decided?"
"Did the boss win?"
"He must have won!"
On the pirate ships—
The White Emperor Pirates stared with wide eyes at the island, waiting anxiously for the victor to appear.
Why were they on the ships, so far from the island?
Ahem—
The reason was simple.
They were scared.
They were afraid—
That if the winner was Zhao Xuan, they wouldn't have time to escape.
And so—
Under countless burning gazes—
In suffocating silence—
Time ticked by.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Three seconds later—
A black figure suddenly burst out of the island's dense forest.
"It-it's the boss!"
"Hahahaha! Great! The boss won!"
"Long live the boss! Long live the boss!"
"I told you! I told you! A mere fifth-tier kid—how could he possibly beat the boss!"
Just as the pirates on the ships erupted in excitement—
Suddenly—
A panicked scream rang out:
"No! No! No! Something's wrong! Something's wrong! Look! Look! That guy—he's coming out too!"
Everyone froze.
Then—
They stared toward the island's beach again.
And then—
They saw it.
Their leader was sprinting for his life across the sand, utterly disheveled.
And chasing him—
Was Zhao Xuan.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Feeling the weakness and agony wracking his body, seeing his ships still a hundred meters away, despair crept across Mei Maobing's face.
"Damn you all! Hurry! Hurry and come save me!"
He roared hysterically at his subordinates at sea.
However—
Those subordinates—
Upon hearing his plea—
Not only did they not come to rescue him—
They raised their sails.
"Quick! Quick! Raise the sails!"
"E-even the boss isn't a match for him—run! Run now!"
The ships hastily turned away, fleeing from the island as fast as possible.
Seeing this—
Mei Maobing cursed furiously:
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! You ungrateful bastards! You worthless traitors—!"
In the midst of his rage—
Woooo—!
A sharp wind tore through the air behind him.
Then—
Boom!
Zhao Xuan's fist smashed brutally into Mei Maobing's back.
Puff!
Mei Maobing spat out blood and was sent flying, crashing headfirst into the golden sand.
"No! No! No! Don't kill me! Please don't kill me! I beg you… cough… I beg you! I'll give you everything the White Emperor Pirates have accumulated over the years! I'll give it all to you—just spare my life!"
Hearing this—
A playful expression appeared on Zhao Xuan's face.
"Everything the White Emperor Pirates have accumulated?"
He grinned mockingly.
"You mean the nearly nineteen billion worth of spiritual herbs and medicines locked behind that eighth-tier adamantine security door?"
Mei Maobing froze.
Then—
Realization struck him.
His face changed drastically, eyes wide as he trembled.
"You… you… you…"
"That's right."
Zhao Xuan smiled brightly.
"I already stripped your underground treasury completely clean. Not just yours—the Black Shark Pirates' treasury too."
"You… you… you…"
Mei Maobing felt a metallic taste rise in his throat.
The next instant—
Puff!
A mouthful of blood sprayed out.
His vision went black.
His aura rapidly faded.
Ding-dong.
"You have experienced an exhilarating great battle. All your abilities (excluding swordsmanship) have undergone explosive improvement. All abilities (excluding swordsmanship) proficiency +3000."
Hearing the system notification, Zhao Xuan was momentarily stunned.
"He… he died? Just like that? If I'm not mistaken, this guy was literally angered to death? That actually works?"
His expression turned strange.
Then—
He shook his head, casting aside the thought.
Next—
Zhao Xuan continued wolfing down spiritual herbs and medicines while sprinting toward the ruin entrance on the island.
On his way here, he had already learned the truth about the ruin from the battling pirates.
The sudden all-out war between the White Emperor and Black Shark Pirates wasn't because someone had passed the ruin trial.
As for why they suddenly escalated the conflict—
Even the grunts didn't really know.
No—
Not just them.
Even most of the squad captains were unaware.
The full-scale war was sparked by impulsive decisions.
If Zhen Youbing had listened to the survivor's full report—
He never would have rashly gone to war.
Because then—
He would have known about Zhao Xuan.
He would have known that someone capable of threatening him existed in these waters.
When two fight, a third profits.
He had no intention of becoming one of the fighters.
Unfortunately—
He didn't listen.
And Zhao Xuan reaped the benefits.
Soon—
Zhao Xuan arrived at the ruin entrance.
Thanks to his reckless devouring—
His condition had already recovered to around sixty percent.
In just over a minute, he had consumed seven to eight billion worth of resources.
Why rush so desperately?
Because he wanted to clear the ruin trial as quickly as possible.
And why clear the trial quickly?
Because once he obtained the ruin core, he planned to immediately hunt down the pirates who had escaped.
Whether they were White Emperor Pirates—
Or the Black Shark Pirates who had fled earlier.
Why be so ruthless?
The reason was simple.
In short—
If you don't eradicate the roots, trouble will grow again.
Or more accurately—
Kill to silence witnesses.
He hadn't forgotten—
He was already on the kill lists of many eighth- and ninth-tier experts.
He refused to let carelessness expose his trail.
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