The cloaked man narrowed his eyes, looking toward the light source. In the very center of Sea City was a large clearing, and the light emanated from there.

It was an enormous jellyfish, a species unlike any known to humanity.

The strangest part was that its colors were constantly changing.

Within a ten-kilometer radius of the jellyfish, not a single Sea Demon could be found.

In other areas, the normally bloodthirsty Sea Demons were all prostrate on the sand, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"You've come."

The jellyfish's voice was quite pleasant, clear and crisp like an oriole's song, but it was impossible to tell if it was male or female.

"Not bad at all."

The cloaked man looked around, satisfied. "Leaving you here all those years ago was indeed the correct choice."

"Back then, there were three million Sea Demons here. Now, only 10,000 remain." The jellyfish's enormous body turned blood-red as it said coldly, "Slaughter unfolds before my eyes every day. Do you have any idea how I feel! Trapped in this darkness for four hundred years, do you know what I want to do most right now!"

"You want to kill me." The cloaked man wasn't flustered. He said nonchalantly, "Don't forget, I hold your Divine Soul imprint. And don't forget how you reached the Demon King Realm."

"..."

The jellyfish fell silent.

Four hundred years ago, it was just an ordinary, nameless little jellyfish. One day, the tides washed it ashore, where it was captured by human children. Those children, who appeared so innocent, acted with incredible cruelty. Amidst their laughter, they crushed its body with their hands and tossed it onto the sand, disdainfully wiping their hands before running off with smiles on their faces. Many adults also stepped over its broken body, not caring that it was a living being. The seawater washed over it. It felt so cold that the world turned black.

It swore an oath to destroy this cruel, dark world and kill every last hypocritical, filthy human.

But it never got the chance.

As it lay dying, the cloaked man before it saved its life and gave it a drop of his blood. After devouring that blood, it mutated and grew stronger. Afterward, it was unceremoniously thrown into this sealed Sea City.

There was no food inside. The only way to survive was to devour other Sea Demons.

Over four hundred years, it devoured countless Sea Demons, finally transforming from a creature that human children could torment and kill at will to the ruler of an entire city.

It... had achieved the Demon King Realm!

...

Reflecting on the past, the jellyfish was silent for a long time. Finally, it calmed down and asked, "Speak. Why have you come for me?"

"I need you to kill a human named Xu Lai," the cloaked man said straightforwardly.

"Oh?" The giant jellyfish narrowed its eyes. "You mean the human Xu Lai who killed the Yamata no Orochi Demon King and the top-tier Demon King, the Thunder Beast, from Sakura Country?"

The truth can't be hidden forever. Many monsters had already learned about the deaths of the Yamata no Orochi Demon King and the Thunder Beast. Somehow, the news had spread that a human named Xu Lai was responsible.

Although he was confined to Sea City, there were still plenty of Sea Demons outside willing to serve a Demon King. As such, his information wasn't too outdated.

"I, Mu Cheng, am no fool. I have only just reached the Demon King Realm. Aren't you just sending me to my death?" The jellyfish's eyes widened in anger. "You may have saved my life, but I have no intention of throwing it away for nothing!"

The cloaked man scoffed. "Your Divine Soul is in my hands. If I command you to go, do you dare refuse?"

"..."

The jellyfish fell silent. It was true.

The cloaked man was Ji Wuming, the leader of the Moon Clan members sent to Earth by the Royal Clan from the Moon. The surname Ji was a gift from the Moon King. Wuming was his codename for Earth. As for his real name... he had forgotten it long ago during these four hundred years.

He was just a nameless, originless shadow, silently dedicating his life to the Royal Clan.

Neither Ji Wuming nor Crown Prince Ji Gui had ever intended to rely solely on a being in the initial stage of the Demon King Realm to kill Xu Lai. They needed someone else.

THUD.

Ji Wuming tossed a Crystal Ball the size of an adult's head next to the jellyfish. He said nonchalantly, "A peerless ferocious beast is suppressed inside. I'll transmit the incantation to you to break the seal."

"What's inside?"

The jellyfish, Mu Cheng, felt his heart pound with terror. He hardly dared to touch the Crystal Ball, from which he could vaguely sense a thunderous heartbeat and a terrifying pressure that made him want to flee. It was a tremor of fear that emanated from the depths of his very soul!

Ji Wuming glanced around. Seeing that Sea Demons were still watching from a distance, he transmitted his message via Divine Sense instead of speaking aloud.

The massive body of Demon King Mu Cheng went completely rigid. He shot back several hundred meters in an instant, his voice trembling. "How do you have a Tao..."

"Silence!" Ji Wuming snapped.

Mu Cheng quickly fell silent, his breathing ragged. He was so terrified he wanted to turn and flee.

"With such a ferocious beast on hand, won't killing Xu Lai be a simple matter?" Ji Wuming said. "Remember, Xu Lai must die. As for whether you survive, that will depend on your own fortune. By the way, Mount Haitang is a Spirit Vein."

With that, his figure flickered and vanished.

Mu Cheng swam over slowly. He extended a tentacle and cautiously picked up the Crystal Ball, his eyes glinting with uncertainty.

A Spirit Vein. It was an irresistible prize for any Demon King, especially for him. He had been stuck at the initial stage of the Demon King Realm for many years without the slightest progress. To advance further, he needed to devour a vast amount of Spiritual Energy or consume a Spirit Vein directly.

This gamble... I'm in! To break free from Ji Wuming's soul control, I would need to reach the legendary Boundary above the Demon King Realm. I, Mu Cheng, refuse to be subservient to another for the rest of my life!

His voice was slow, yet it carried a magnetic power. "Open the city gates! Follow me... to slaughter the Human Race!"

"ROAR!"

A frenzy erupted within Sea City as pairs of blood-red eyes lit up in the darkness.

...

「Friday」

The weather was overcast. A wind rose over the sea, stirring up five-meter-high waves that crashed against the boulders on the shore.

Whenever this happened, First, Second, and Third Grade Martial Artists or police would patrol the coastline to prevent tourists from being swept away by the sea. After all, anyone caught by the waves in such weather was almost certain to die.

Xu Lai stood at the entrance of Haitang Court, gazing into the distance, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Ruan Tang, holding her handbag and her daughter's hand, hesitated before asking, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Xu Lai said, shaking his head. "Let's get in the car."

"Wait. Yiyi, you get in the car first." Ruan Tang then ran back into the house. When she returned, she was holding a men's down jacket. She put it on Xu Lai and chided, "It's so cold out, and you didn't even think to wear something warmer. What if you catch a cold?"

A warmth spread through Xu Lai's heart. He chuckled. "As long as I have you, I'm always warm."

"Enough with the sweet talk. Let's go, I have a meeting this morning."

"Alright."

Xu Lai drove, dropping his daughter off at kindergarten and his wife off at her company, before heading to Dongli University for work.

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