The moment they saw the Monster Emperor’s corpse, stretching over 3,000 metres in length, nearly everyone gathered around Mist Island Lake, from every nation, including the incomparably powerful Planetary Level experts, felt as though their hearts had stopped beating and their blood had frozen. It was simply unbelievable, utterly astonishing.
Above the lake, Hong dragged the Monster Emperor’s corpse towards the nearby wilderness before slowly descending and laying the gigantic body upon the ground.
Thud.
The thick, immense tentacles, each 1,500 metres long, crashed heavily onto the wilderness, causing the entire area to tremble as though struck by an earthquake.
“So powerful.”
Luo Feng gazed at Hong, dressed in black and floating in the sky.
Although Hong’s face was pale, his eyes shone brilliantly, with a faint trace of satisfaction.
Hovering above, Hong looked down upon everything below like an emperor surveying his domain.
No one dared meet his gaze.
“Invincible at Planetary Level? I never imagined he could kill an aquatic Monster Emperor, even in its own environment.”
Luo Feng was deeply shaken.
Being invincible at Planetary Level only meant that among opponents of the same level, one could not be defeated.
It did not mean one could kill every Planetary Level opponent.
Just as ordinary High Level Monster Lords possessed greater strength and speed than Advanced Warlord humans, monsters naturally held physical advantages because of their species.
A Monster Emperor far surpassed Hong in pure physical strength.
Moreover, the battle had taken place in water, its most favourable environment.
Without his Domain, if any other Planetary Level Sixth Rank martial artist had entered that fight, they would probably have been killed immediately.
Hong’s Domain was what earned him the title of being invincible at Planetary Level.
On land or in the air, he could kill virtually any opponent.
But once underwater, his own strength dropped dramatically while the Monster Emperor became even stronger.
One side was weakened while the other grew stronger.
That was why Hong had previously been unable to deal with the Monster Emperor underwater.
This time, however…
With the addition of the Moyun Vine, combined with his timing during the battle…
He had succeeded.
“One day, I’ll kill a Monster Emperor with my own hands as well.”
Looking at Hong, who seemed almost godlike in the distance, boundless determination rose within Luo Feng’s heart.
While Luo Feng and the others remained stunned by Hong’s achievement, governments across the world began to grow restless.
…
“The corpse of a Monster Emperor. This is the first Monster Emperor corpse ever obtained on Earth. It’s priceless.”
…
“Mr President, our research team has never had access to a Monster Emperor specimen. I request that negotiations be opened with the Dojo of Limits to obtain part of the corpse.”
…
“I propose we immediately purchase part of the Monster Emperor’s body. We must be the first to study its skeletal structure, skin composition, and everything else. Our HR Alliance is the world’s largest weapons supplier. We must develop even more advanced weapons and combat suits to maintain our dominance of the high end market.”
…
The five great powers, the HR Alliance, and countless others all coveted the corpse.
Back then, the first King Level monster corpse had enabled humanity to develop SS grade combat suits and weapons.
It had even led to the development of the superior SSS grade combat suits and weapons.
However, from a cost effectiveness perspective, SSS grade equipment was simply too expensive, relying mainly upon extremely costly materials.
Very few people actually purchased SSS grade combat suits.
With that amount of money, they would rather buy a Black God Suit.
Now, with the very first Monster Emperor corpse available, careful research might well produce another major breakthrough.
Night had fallen.
Deep within the Australian continent, the gigantic corpse lay across the endless wilderness like a mountain.
Standing beside it, Hong, dressed in black, appeared no larger than an ant.
“Liu He.”
Hong activated his communicator.
“Headmaster.”
Liu He, the Inspector at Hong Ning Base City, answered immediately.
“Immediately dispatch Research Team A One, along with two Special Warlord Squads. Have them reach Mist Island as quickly as possible to report to me.”
“Yes, Headmaster.”
Liu He accepted the order.
…
Hong did not stop there.
He also ordered Beast, one of his three personal guards, to come immediately.
That would bring all three of his trusted guards together.
When it mattered most, Hong trusted those three above everyone else.
“Yes, Master.”
A deep voice sounded from the communicator.
“Brother Hong.”
A teasing voice interrupted.
Hong, whose pale face still showed no trace of colour, turned calmly.
It was the bald Thunder God in his white robe.
Smiling broadly, the Thunder God looked up at the enormous corpse.
“Brother Hong, I really have to admire you. You actually killed the Monster Emperor.”
Hong merely nodded slightly.
“Come on. You’re not even pretending to be modest.”
The Thunder God blinked helplessly.
Hong glanced at him with mild resignation.
The two of them had both been born before the Great Nirvana Period.
The Thunder God was of mixed Chinese and Indian descent.
His father had been a yoga practitioner who travelled to India to study yoga, where he met the Thunder God’s mother before eventually returning to China.
As a child, the Thunder God had always been cheerful and mischievous.
Influenced by martial arts films, he became fascinated with Chinese kung fu.
Raised under his father’s strict yoga training while studying Chinese martial arts with equal dedication, he became famous within martial arts circles.
People throughout China’s martial arts community knew of the young mixed race challenger known as Mad Lei.
When the Great Nirvana Period arrived, he combined traditional Chinese martial arts with yoga to create the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, an art capable of drawing out extraordinary physical power.
Hong had been completely different.
Before the Great Nirvana Period, he had been an assassin.
An assassin and a carefree eccentric.
It was an unusual combination.
Despite their contrasting personalities, they shared one important trait.
Both demanded absolute perfection from themselves.
The Thunder God had been subjected to strict yoga training by his father from childhood and was naturally able to endure hardship.
Hong required no explanation.
His life as an assassin had left him cold and reserved.
During the Great Nirvana Period, both men’s strength advanced at astonishing speed.
Combined with fortunate encounters and their own extraordinary talent, they constantly learned from one another, accelerating their growth.
In terms of physical conditioning, the Thunder God, who had received exceptional training since childhood, was clearly superior.
His systematic education also allowed him to improve at an astonishing rate.
His physique, speed, strength, and efficiency in using his body all surpassed Hong’s.
Hong excelled in only one aspect.
His comprehension was unbelievably extraordinary.
He had developed his own Domain while still at Planetary Level.
That alone made him the strongest person on Earth.
One founded the Dojo of Limits.
The other founded the Thunder Dojo.
Although their organisations competed constantly, neither man ever interfered.
They had survived countless life and death struggles together.
Their friendship was unshakable.
Competition between their subordinates only benefited both sides.
“Brother Hong, now that you’ve killed this Monster Emperor, what about the other two in the ocean? Can you eliminate them as well?”
The Thunder God asked eagerly.
“If you can, life will become much easier for all of us.”
“It’s different.”
Hong shook his head.
“This lake is only about 300 metres deep. Although it’s large enough in area, each of that Monster Emperor’s tentacles is already 1,500 metres long. In other words, it could barely even turn around inside the lake. The limited depth greatly restricted its movements.”
“Furthermore, it only recently reached Monster Emperor level. Its control over its own strength remains relatively poor.”
“That’s why I was able to kill it in one decisive battle.”
“As for the two old monsters in the ocean, they became King Level monsters during the Great Nirvana Period before gradually evolving into Monster Emperors.”
“They fought battle after battle across the oceans before earning that title.”
“This Tentacle Beast appeared out of nowhere. It lacks experience, and its control over its own power is nowhere near the level of those two old monsters.”
Hong shook his head.
The Thunder God nodded slightly.
“No need to rush. We’re stronger than those two. They’ll never dare come ashore.”
Hong continued.
“Once one of us reaches Stellar Level, or once my Moyun Vine grows much stronger, we’ll have confidence in dealing with them.”
“The Moyun Vine is still quite weak.”
“Don’t mention the Moyun Vine.”
The Thunder God muttered bitterly.
“Every time you do, I get jealous. Of all places, you managed to discover a Moyun Vine on Earth. Your luck is simply unbelievable.”
The Moyun Vine…
It truly was an invaluable treasure.
Across the vast universe, the price of a single Moyun Vine was beyond imagination.
Because Hong understood its value through inherited cosmic knowledge, he had been so delighted when he found it.
He had even been willing to give Luo Feng the Spirit Weapon.
In Hong’s eyes, a Spirit Weapon was nowhere near as valuable as a Moyun Vine.
“Luo Feng, come over here.”
Luo Feng received Hong’s call.
“Yes, Headmaster.”
He immediately flew towards Hong’s position.
Looking down at the enormous Monster Emperor corpse below, Luo Feng felt puzzled.
The Headmaster had defeated the Monster Emperor entirely on his own.
What purpose could there be in calling him over?
As far as Hong was concerned, a few additional Councillors would hardly make any difference.
Whoosh.
Luo Feng landed.
Hong stood beside the Monster Emperor’s corpse.
Standing with him were his two personal guards, Enchantress and Iceberg.
“Headmaster.”
Luo Feng greeted him.
“Luo Feng.”
Hong nodded.
“I’ve already killed the Tentacle Beast. The greatest obstacle to exploring Mist Island Lake has now been removed.”
“Governments around the world, the HR Alliance, and many Councillors have already begun exploring the lake. Even more are making preparations.”
“I’ve already arranged for additional personnel to come.”
“Now, the three of you are to dive into Mist Island Lake immediately and search for treasures.”
Hong spoke solemnly.
“If you discover a treasure, seize it if possible. If not, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, Headmaster.”
The masked Enchantress, Iceberg, and Luo Feng all answered in unison.
“Of course, if a treasure is ultimately obtained, the person who first discovers it will receive thirty percent of its value.”
“The person who secures it will also receive thirty percent.”
“The remaining forty percent will belong to the dojo.”
Hong continued.
“In other words, if any one of you both discovers and obtains a treasure, you will receive sixty percent of it.”
Enchantress, Iceberg, and Luo Feng all nodded.
Receiving sixty percent was already an excellent arrangement.
After all, even if others tried to steal the treasure, they had Hong standing behind them as their greatest support.
“Good. The three of you depart immediately.”
Hong gave the order.
“Yes.”
Luo Feng, Enchantress, and Iceberg acknowledged the command.
The three instantly transformed into streaks of light and shot towards the distant lake.
At the same time, from other directions, Councillor level experts continuously appeared one after another, diving into Mist Island Lake.
A massive excavation, watched by the entire world, had officially begun.