Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

Refining the Nether Divinity.

A moment later,

Su Ye concluded his refinement, rose to his feet, and gazed into the distance.

He saw an imposing, pitch-black spirit vessel appear on the distant horizon, floating toward him!

It was none other than the Ghostly Flood Dragon!

’Arriving late?’ Not at all. According to Su Ye’s plan, the Ghostly Flood Dragon was supposed to reach the battlefield within one minute of his resurrection.

And Jiaojiao had faithfully executed this plan.

However, what Su Ye hadn’t expected was that after the Nether Mirror and the Withered Wood Elder took each other out, the elder was far weaker than he’d imagined. A single Quasi-Technique, the [End of Tracing Origin], had been enough to kill him instantly!

Therefore, Su Ye had used Harmony to send a message ordering the Ghostly Flood Dragon to turn back and handle another task.

"Master~!"

"The spirit wood has been collected!"

Jiaojiao’s soft voice came through the transmission.

This so-called spirit wood was none other than the Divine Vault Wood!

This ancient, colossal tree from the Second Era had degenerated somewhat due to the decline of the divine kingdom and the scarcity of spiritual energy, but the heart of its wood was still at the peak of the fourth tier!

The Ghostly Flood Dragon’s advancement required three extra conditions, as well as a sufficient amount of high-quality, fourth-tier spirit wood!

The heartwood of the Divine Vault Wood was a perfect fit!

With a flicker of his Divine Sense,

Su Ye sensed the cargo hold below, which was packed nearly to the ceiling with Divine Vault Wood, and a look of bountiful joy spread across his face.

’Not bad, not bad at all...’

’Fourth-tier spirit wood of this quality is incredibly difficult to gather in bulk in the Nanyaoguang Outer Sea...’

’I might even have had to spend a fortune importing it from the Central Sea Region!’

’But to be able to solve it here in the Far South now is for the best!’

Su Ye was delighted.

Getting this haul of Divine Vault Wood for free had saved him at least six or seven million Spirit Stones!

Granted, besides the spirit wood, there were still quite a few other conventional materials needed for the vessel’s advancement.

But the difficulty of gathering them was now much lower.

With the Nanyaoguang Corporation’s influence, it wouldn’t be difficult to gather the rest!

’Excellent!’

...

Then, the Ghostly Flood Dragon drew near.

With a thought, Su Ye transformed into a beam of Escape Light and landed on the deck of the Ghostly Flood Dragon.

Before he could even steady himself, a petite figure in black and red suddenly leaped into his arms!

Jiaojiao was light and soft. Her chubby, round face, full of baby fat, nuzzled against Su Ye ceaselessly, like an affectionate puppy.

"Master... *sob*..."

Tears welled in Jiaojiao’s almond-shaped eyes as she sobbed quietly.

"There, there, Jiaojiao..."

Su Ye reached out and stroked her hair.

Her long, black tresses, soft as silk, flowed past his fingertips.

He could feel the terror and anxiety in her heart.

And the reason... was self-evident.

When Su Ye had "died" earlier, his Harmony connection with Jiaojiao had been severed for a moment!

Even though she knew Su Ye’s plan, this unprecedented sensation had filled Jiaojiao with an uncontrollable sense of despair, as if she had been abandoned!

Pity welled up in Su Ye’s heart, and he comforted Jiaojiao.

Watching from a distance, Ziyuan felt a pang of jealousy.

But just then, her gaze fell upon Su Ye, and a look of astonishment appeared in her eyes!

"Mr. Su?"

"Your eyes?"

Ziyuan wore a strange expression as she pointed to her own eyes, gesturing for Su Ye to look.

’My eyes?’

Su Ye’s mind stirred.

He summoned a water mirror to see his reflection.

One look was all it took.

He was stunned!

There, in the water mirror,

Su Ye’s eyes had turned a startling icy silver!

They were as magnificent as frost and as uncanny as a demon’s, carrying an inexplicable cruelty that was daunting to behold!

Su Ye was no stranger to this color. It was the same shade his pupils took on when he activated the Eyes of Eternal Union, and also when his Divine Blood concentration had previously surged out of control!

’But now...?’

Su Ye frowned slightly and turned his Divine Sense inward to inspect his body. His Divine Blood concentration was normal, not exceeding its limits, and its activity level was also stable.

’But... why?’

’The Annihilation Secret Scripture?’

After a moment of thought, Su Ye identified the culprit in his mind.

This anomaly was clearly related to the lineage of the Old Gods.

At this thought, Su Ye’s expression darkened.

’How bizarre...’

’Even death can’t erase the influence of the Annihilation Secret Scripture?’

A shadow fell over Su Ye’s heart!

The influence of the Annihilation Secret Scripture had persisted even after he died and came back to life... This was something Su Ye had never anticipated!

Before this, the only reason Su Ye had been so fearless—daring to turn his enemy’s plot against them and even risk his Divine Blood going berserk—was because of his Quasi-Technique, [Reversing Destiny and Returning to Life]!

First, death itself could clear away most abnormal statuses—you can’t kill someone who is already dead!

Furthermore, the Quasi-Technique [Reversing Destiny and Returning to Life] would use the power of life force to cleanse the physical body, performing another powerful purge of any abnormal conditions!

One could say these two safeguards were like two layers of city walls protecting Su Ye!

They made him feel that the influence of the Annihilation Secret Scripture wouldn’t be a problem... but rather an opportunity to obtain a top-tier inheritance and deepen his own foundations.

But it was only now that Su Ye suddenly realized something.

He had, it seemed—probably, maybe—grossly underestimated the Annihilation Secret Scripture!

This top-tier inheritance from the Old God lineage was far more bizarre and sinister than he had ever imagined!

’A hidden danger...’

Su Ye frowned and investigated carefully.

The results of his investigation brought him some relief.

The change to his eyes was mostly benign, with no obvious negative side effects.

In fact, it even came with many wondrous new abilities.

For example, he could now project a frost aura with his gaze, with a power at the peak of the Crystallization level.

It also came with basic abilities like enhanced pupil power, increased visual range, and the ability to see through Illusion Techniques.

It was basically like gaining a Superior Pupil Skill out of thin air, with no cultivation required.

But this, in turn, only made Su Ye more vigilant.

It wasn’t that he was being paranoid.

After experiencing the extreme brutality and madness of his Divine Blood going berserk, it was impossible for him not to be wary of such a forbidden power!

As powerful as it was!

But in Su Ye’s eyes, if the Spiritual Mechanism Immortal Dao was like earning an honest living, then the Annihilation Secret Scripture was like gambling.

You might win big at first, but in the end, it was highly likely... that you would lose everything!

Su Ye was extremely wary of this. He placed several more layers of seals on his memories of the Annihilation Secret Scripture, driving them deep into his sea of consciousness.

—In fact, the very first thing he did after being reborn was to seal his memories of the Annihilation Secret Scripture.

However, while memories could be sealed, the changes to his eyes were difficult to reverse.

Su Ye tried, but he could only partially conceal them. Whenever he used his Pupil Technique’s unique abilities or circulated a large amount of Magical Power, the icy silver color would reappear!

’I suppose this is how it has to be...’

Su Ye sighed in resignation.

He resolved to shelve the powers of the Annihilation Secret Scripture indefinitely.

He had originally planned to study it properly after reaching the Golden Core realm...

But now, it seemed he’d better forget about it.

’Besides, the Old God Heart Core is already shattered. All its activity was annihilated by the Nether Mirror’s Divine Power!’

’The Annihilation Secret Scripture alone can hardly match the might of a Nine-Method Golden Core... Why seek something far-flung when a better option is right at hand?’

Su Ye banished his greedy thoughts and calmed his mind.

...

Then, after a short wait,

the divine kingdom’s collapse reached its final stage.

VMMMM!

The Void Forbidden Realm spread!

The pitch-black realm spread like a tidal wave, annihilating everything in its path.

Of course, a glowing portal materialized in the center of the divine kingdom.

"Mr. Su, aren’t we leaving yet?" Ziyuan asked in a panic.

"Not yet."

Su Ye glanced at his panel.

[Analyzing: 99.3%]

[Analysis Complete]

"Now!"

SWOOSH!

The Ghostly Flood Dragon transformed into a streak of black light and shot into the portal at top speed!