The Great Whale!

On this small island, the people of the world knelt on the ground one after another, lifting their heads to revere this deity of the sky.

Whether they were lawless pirates or ambitious merchants, their hearts were all seized by boundless fear.

Their pupils were smeared with layer after layer of black.

In the distant and profound sky hung a heart-palpitating scene—the materialization of the sea's most inconceivable nightmare—

Its body surpassed the limits of what mortal creatures could imagine, covered in mottled dark gray scales, each one seemingly capable of devouring faint light, plunging the surrounding space into oppressive gloom.

It was more massive than any deep-sea titan they had ever seen, more incomprehensible than any monster they had encountered.

At the border, the Great Whale slowly moved its body, wave after wave, sailing toward the distant sea.

In that instant, everyone understood—this was a being that could truly be called a deity, an ancient god from the Fringe World!

And ancient gods must not be directly gazed upon.

Brains trembled, bodies twisted!

One after another, distorted, black-haired pustules continuously sprouted from everyone's skin.

On this island, at this moment, only the Whale Father and the taciturn Ferryman of the Underworld River could maintain their sanity.

Amid the storm, the Whale Father stood atop the misty mountain peak, raising his lantern high and roaring at the sky:

"Great Whale! Long time no see!"

"You've finally arrived!"

The Whale Father's voice was immensely powerful, like the light of the pale sky, stirring everyone's hearts, pulling the pirates back from losing control.

The Whale Father... The Black Death Doctor exhaled a black breath, looking up.

The Whale Father's tempered back was so broad.

And just then, the pitch-black sky suddenly pressed down!

Amid the storm, the Whale Father continued to roar:

"Great Whale, you've come much earlier than I imagined!

You too, like me, yearn for this sea, don't you!"

Boom!

The moment the Whale Father's words fell!

As if a moon had suddenly fallen, that vortex eye of unimaginable scale pressed down!

The massive Blackfin Island shook violently.

Then, within that vortex eye, a slender rift abruptly opened, filled with densely packed, screaming black figures—

These black figures stood side by side, forming an abyssal mouth composed of countless black people above the rift.

The Great Whale had opened its mouth.

Without any words, everyone could understand the Great Whale's meaning.

It expressed the most primitive hunger, the most primitive fusion, the most primitive appetite!

The Great Whale craved sacrifices!

In that instant, a pirate suddenly understood today's events.

Since the Dimensional Tide, they had continuously sent captives to this island.

And within this mist-shrouded Blackfin Island, over ten thousand captives had already been piled up.

The thick mist gradually dispersed.

Now, many pirates could finally see the full extent of Blackfin Island.

On Blackfin Island, countless people were bound with black bandages, writhing in agony on the ground.

These blackened people numbered over ten thousand, laid out across the island like goods.

Among them were high-ranking members of the Bonfire Company, the Navy Admiral White Seagull, and the fourth-tier Disaster Messenger from the Book Tower...

This horrifying scene struck fear even into the hearts of the well-traveled pirates.

Those once lofty powerhouses were now piled together like food on a dining table!

They struggled, called out for their families, wailed in agony, but all they could do, tightly bound, was writhe.

Finally, this Blackfin Island formed a terrifying scene resembling a squirming mass of maggots.

This was the Whale Father's greeting gift to the Great Whale! The sacrifice offered to the Great Whale!

The Great Whale in the sky opened its abyssal mouth.

With a heavy breathing sound, soul threads were abruptly drawn out from the bodies of the bound people—

These soul threads connected to the Great Whale's abyssal mouth.

The moment the threads were extracted, the ten thousand struggling captives ceased their movements.

And on that massive abyssal mouth, ten thousand additional blurry black figures appeared.

Crunch, crunch—

The Great Whale made chewing motions.

Amid the sticky sounds, many pirates couldn't stop trembling.

They understood that the souls of those ten thousand captives had become sacrifices, had become part of the Great Whale.

Soon, the Great Whale stopped chewing and opened its mouth again.

That pitch-black vortex eye once again fixed on the Whale Father.

Not enough, far from enough!

Ten thousand bound souls were far from sufficient!

"Great Whale of the border, you truly are a monster—"

The Whale Father walked along the mountain, holding his lantern.

He continued:

"All delicacies come with a price."

"I have offered the necessary sacrifices;

you should give your reward in return. If you truly wish to descend upon this sea and devour it, then surrender your flesh and blood—"

"Give us your flesh, and we will give you food, Great Whale."

The Whale Father walked step by step atop the mountain peak.

And the Great Whale's vortex eye drew closer and closer.

The entire sky pressed down, and the massive Blackfin Island was instantly crushed beneath the sea!

The Whale Father... Everyone was shocked;

they never imagined their Whale Father would dare to negotiate directly with the Great Whale!

Clearly, this ancient border god would not easily agree to a human's terms!

The Great Whale drew nearer!

That terrifying eye grew larger and larger!

Ten thousand meters!

One thousand meters!

One hundred meters!

Until ten meters!

The 'sky' pressed down, the enormous vortex eye arriving above the Whale Father's head in mere moments.

Originally in the sea, they now seemed trapped in a narrow room squeezed between the ocean and the Great Whale.

The moment the Great Whale was about to reach the Whale Father, the Whale Father no longer concealed himself, unleashing his spiritual energy field!

Boom!

The massive spiritual energy field resembled a gigantic tsunami, shaking all directions!

The twelve scars on his tempered body erupted with unprecedented killing intent!

Then, the Whale Father thrust his thick right hand into the pitch-black vortex.

Like a hunter threatening a ferocious beast, he roared with a voice that echoed across the sea:

"Remember!

Without our help, the Ice Witch will banish you once more! You will never obtain a physical body to survive under the light of the pale sky!"

"You will remain forever in that lightless world, feeding on those lifeless souls!"

"Cut away your flesh, Great Whale! Otherwise, return to your border!"

The Whale Father roared.

His voice, like that of an enraged hunter, resounded across the sea.

In that brief moment, this border Great Whale also fell into silence.

A long, prolonged silence.

Everyone looked up;

they couldn't comprehend the thoughts of a border god, only sensing that their life and death might hang in the balance.

The entire Blackfin Island remained silent for a very long time.

After an unknown period, the Great Whale returned to the sky ten thousand meters above.

This time, it no longer looked at them but gazed into the distant sea.

The vortex eye rapidly contracted, as if craving something!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, between heaven and earth, came the cry of a whale—

Excitement flashed in everyone's eyes.

They understood the Great Whale had agreed to the Whale Father's terms, willing to grant them boundless power!

"A wise choice, Great Whale. In a hundred years, this sea shall be your divine kingdom—"

The Whale Father released his steel-cast hand.

Then, he turned back to look at the many pirates kneeling devoutly.

The numerous pirates trembled violently.

He spoke with a voice like a steel furnace:

"Fear not! We are the Blackfin Crew, the true pirate kings of this sea!

Whether it's the lofty king of Beiguo or the Magic Bullet Family of this sea, whether the current Beiguo military or the witches of the past, they are merely our fuel!"

"Rise! Accept your power! In this tidal wave, we shall achieve boundless dominance!"

"And all who receive this grace shall become kings of this sea!"

As the Whale Father's resonant voice echoed, from the vortex eye, an endless stream of black whale blood fell like a waterfall.

"How is this possible..."

The Black Death Doctor looked up, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The Great Whale was cutting away its flesh.

The quantity of Great Whale blood had always been a hindrance to his research.

Each piece of whale blood required an extremely dangerous hunt.

Yet now, that once incredibly precious black whale blood was continuously falling from the sky.

This stimulation was no less than the sky raining down the most precious gold and jewels.

This black whale blood was enough to create a terrifyingly powerful legendary pirate crew, a true great catastrophe!

The Black Death Doctor's hands trembled uncontrollably.

He never imagined that one day he would be so wealthy.

Splash! Splash!

Squirming black whale blood drenched the entire island, the entire Fog Sea!

Finally, the Great Whale spat out two heart-like black objects from the vortex.

The moment the hearts fell, the space across the entire island became distorted.

The Black Death Doctor jolted, his mouth agape.

Without a doubt, those were the legendary forbidden objects!

Great Whale Hearts!

Truly divine gifts!

Objects even demigods coveted!

The Great Whale had bestowed such generous blessings! And two whole ones at that!

The Whale Father collected the Great Whale Hearts:

"Fine gifts indeed."

Everyone took a deep breath, never imagining they would witness such a grand sacrifice with their own eyes.

Just then, within the boundless black mist, four blurry figures appeared.

Everyone inhaled sharply.

They understood—this was what the Great Whale required.

All blessings come with a price!

After the sacrifice, the believers must inevitably pay an unprecedented heavy price!

Deities are extremely dangerous, without exception!

Even the great Whale Father was no exception.

The Great Whale needed fresh sacrifices!

Imitating human language, the Great Whale spoke:

"I need their bodies, bring them to me—"

Within the blurry black mist, four figures abruptly appeared.

These were the sacrifices the Great Whale craved.

The first shadow quickly became clear.

It was a decaying figure seated upon a deep-sea throne—none other than the leader of the Sea God Pirates, the self-proclaimed 'Sea God'!

The pirates exchanged glances;

in legends, the Great Whale and the Sea God had always been archenemies.

This was also why the cooperation between their Blackfin Crew and the Sea God Pirates remained superficial.

The Great Whale wanted the 'Sea God' as its sacrifice!

However, no one present had any means to accomplish this.

Since the Dimensional Tide arrived, countless bounty hunters and information brokers had searched for the Sea God's whereabouts.

Yet, to this day, they had never once seen the Sea God.

Many even believed the leader of the Sea God Pirates was already dead.

Next, everyone looked at the second blurry shadow—a hunter wrapped in bandages, with doll arms inserted into its body, located inside a massive research tank.

That was their Blackfin Crew's blade, the strongest Pirate General—the Blood Hunter.

The Great Whale actually wanted the Blood Hunter!

Everyone took a deep breath.

Even the Whale Father couldn't help but frown.

The Blood Hunter was his most beloved subordinate, his only trusted lieutenant.

He slowly said:

"Great Whale, you should seek other sacrifices."

The Great Whale remained silent.

Then, the third figure began to appear.

It was an extremely elegant white-haired, red-eyed woman holding black tea.

Without a doubt, this was the recently resurrected Ice Witch.

A demigod's body was undoubtedly a delicious sacrifice.

Feasible, but this body had suffered too much damage, now too broken and fragile...

The Whale Father replied:

"Great Whale, look forward to it;

we will soon offer her to you."

Then, the fourth blurry figure appeared.

The fourth figure was a young black-haired hunter on a ship's deck, with a squirming, unidentified bouncy creature placed on his head.

The Black Hunter—

Everyone took a deep breath.

Everything the Great Whale desired were legendary individuals with powerful bodies.

They never expected the Black Hunter would also be chosen by the Great Whale!

After all, the Black Hunter was currently only a fourth-tier legend.

However, the moment the Black Hunter appeared, the Great Whale's body abruptly began to squirm, twist, and excitement!

Heaven and earth trembled!

Everyone inhaled sharply.

Its most primitive appetite seemed to have shifted slightly, leaning more toward a primitive desire for fusion and reproduction.

The Black Hunter possessed something special.

The Whale Father looked at the final figure, remaining silent for a long time before saying:

"As expected, though still weak, he is the most suitable vessel..."

"Great Whale, with the help of your blood, we will bring him to you for your consumption."

Among these four figures, aside from the Blood Hunter, the Black Hunter was the weakest.

The Great Whale materialized four objects of desire. Finally, it glanced at the many pirates below and slowly rose.

The vortex eye gradually dissipated. With a tremendous roaring sound, the sky returned to normal.

Ocean waves swept past.

The Great Whale departed.

Finally, the Whale Father grasped the Great Whale Hearts, holding them tightly.

"Finally obtained..."

At this moment, the curse engraved upon his body was gradually broken through by a certain power.

Then, atop the mountain peak, the Whale Father gazed at the distant sea.

The originally dark sea was now polluted by boundless black blood.

Countless sea creatures consumed this black blood, then instantly twisted and mutated.

The waters of the Fog Sea had completely merged with the whale blood.

"A pity the Black Hunter couldn't drink the whale blood..."

The Whale Father let out a rare sigh.

The border wind blew past.

Seawater carrying the Great Whale's whispers began slowly spreading throughout the entire sea.

...

The ocean waves grew increasingly turbulent.

The Rift Sea.

Chen Qi's Nether Sea Ghost Ship had become the center for vessels of numerous factions.

Many factions watched the Black Hunter and the Ice Witch from afar, only daring to discuss among themselves, none daring to approach further.

The Ice Witch sat by the ship's edge, drinking flower tea, her gaze slowly shifting away from the direction of the Fog Sea.

"What's wrong, Ice Witch?"

Chen Qi asked.

He could faintly sense that something in the distant border had been calling to him just now.

It was a bone-chilling voice, a desire to merge with him, similar to the Illusion Beast from before.

However, that voice was far more distant and filthy than the Illusion Beast's.

The Ice Witch frowned:

"Little Black Hair, I don't know;

my Lamp affinity intuition has failed, fate is in chaos."

"Is that so..."

Chen Qi leaned against the ship.

Then, he looked at the many Meteorological Bureau vessels on the sea.

Although currently surrounded by Beiguo Meteorological Bureau and other factions, he didn't feel particularly tense.

Even if all these factions united, he and the Ice Witch working together could easily sweep them all away!

The two of them, Chen Qi and the Ice Witch, could do whatever they wanted on the sea!

The Ice Witch finished her tea:

"Somehow, we need to recuperate. Before helping you and Fen advance, I need sufficient intelligence.

At the same time, to restart the fate projections, I need to understand the current world and the various events happening in the sea now."

Start the fate projections? Chen Qi tilted his head.

Fate projections were the miracle the Ice Witch took pride in.

The Ice Witch asked:

"In this era, which organization knows the most about major events in the Witch Sea?"

Starting fate projections requires sufficient understanding of the current world... Chen Qi thought for a moment:

"Understanding the sea... if it's about disaster situations, undoubtedly, it's the Beiguo Meteorological Bureau...

But if it's about events happening across the sea, the organization that knows the most in this era should be the White Pigeon Press."

"White Pigeon Press?"

The Ice Witch was momentarily stunned.

In her era, the Witch Sea didn't have this newspaper that loved scattering papers everywhere.

But it sounded like a decent supernatural organization.

Chen Qi replied:

"Ice Witch, did you know? In their newspaper, you're portrayed as a perverted witch who enjoys collecting leverage on others, training them, and exposing their ugly hearts."

The Witch Times not only had various strange rumors about him and Fen, but also all sorts of rumors about the Ice Witch.

The reason Witch Times loved reporting various scandalous affairs was also because the Ice Witch was a curious witch.

The Witch Times editor Lilith believed their newspaper was paying tribute to the curious Ice Witch!

Huh? A flicker of curiosity passed through the Ice Witch's eyes as she continued asking:

"There's actually such a nonsensical newspaper? Where are their core members now?"

Hmm... Chen Qi recalled.

Not long ago, their ship fell from the sky and crashed into a vessel full of reporters.

That little blonde on that ship seemed to be the White Pigeon Press editor—Pelu Lane!

Where are they now? Chen Qi turned his head, spotting a drowning 'floating corpse hand' and a floating camera on the sea.

The camera was secretly aimed at the Flower Witch and Little Crow.

Due to lacking spiritual energy, plus the whale cries from the border, neither Chen Qi nor the Ice Witch had noticed this small camera initially.

Secret photography... Chen Qi quietly answered:

"Right beneath our feet."

"Huh?"

The Ice Witch turned her head, momentarily stunned.