Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

The Water Python, now unopposed, eagerly charged toward the soon-to-emerge Abnormal Clam once more.

A determined glint flashed in Li Qingyan’s eyes as she prepared to use her Lifebound Magical Treasure.

Just then, a vast and sacred chant suddenly echoed from the heavens.

The chant was extremely bizarre. It held not a hint of compassion; instead, it stirred the deepest desires from the bottom of one’s heart.

Immediately after, a colossal hand of blood suddenly appeared in the sky.

The hand blotted out the sun, then descended with terrifying, world-destroying might, slamming down toward the Water Python below!

The Water Python clearly sensed the mortal danger. Its massive body thrashed wildly as it let out a terrified hiss, struggling to resist.

However, beneath the colossal blood-red hand, all its struggles seemed pale and futile.

RUMBLE!

The giant hand fell, and the entire surface of the lake shook violently.

The incomparably ferocious Water Python was brutally crushed into the depths of the lake before it could even let out a cry of pain.

Immediately after, crimson blood gushed forth like a spring, rapidly staining the entire area of water red.

Everyone who witnessed this scene was utterly horrified.

Chen Ye, hiding in the distance, was shaken to his core.

’Are these the methods of an Immortal?’

Although he was far stronger than before, a sense of despair still washed over Chen Ye as he faced the scene that had just unfolded.

’He knew full well that if he had been the one to face that palm strike, he would have been just like the Water Python—crushed to dust without the slightest chance to resist.’

Chen Ye subconsciously clenched his fists, silently warning himself never to become the least bit arrogant or complacent just because his strength had greatly increased.

’Because this world was far more dangerous than he had ever imagined!’

Just then, the sun-blotting hand of blood slowly dissipated.

Immediately after, a giant clam, a full meter in diameter and a lustrous, jade-like white, slowly surfaced from the bloodstained lake water.

The surface of the giant clam shimmered with an iridescent glow, emitting faint wisps of Spiritual Qi. It was clearly the source of the disturbance—the Abnormal Clam that was about to emerge.

However, before anyone could get a clear look, an invisible force seized the Abnormal Clam, which then shot up into the air and vanished from sight.

Seeing this, the color instantly drained from Li Qingyan’s face as she hovered in mid-air. She subconsciously bit her lip, her nails digging deep into her palm, yet she dared not show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.

’She knew very well that anyone who could kill a Water Python on the verge of Transforming into a Flood Dragon with a single, devastating palm strike and then nonchalantly take the Abnormal Clam had to be a terrifying, top-tier existence within the Sect.’

’Logically, a powerhouse of that Level shouldn’t be interested in an Abnormal Clam of this grade, but who could say for sure?’

’Perhaps they sensed its aura and just decided to take it on a whim.’

Li Qingyan dared not harbor any complaints about this; she could only lament her own bad luck.

She withdrew her gaze and shot a cold glance at the dumbfounded Pearl Collectors below. Then, she transformed into a streak of bloody light and vanished over the distant horizon in an instant.

She left cleanly and decisively, but the few Pearl Collectors who had risked their lives to report the news now wore expressions uglier than if they had swallowed a fly.

’What about the handsome reward? What about being freed from our Identity as Sinful People?’

’She just left? Just like that?’

One of the bolder men, watching the direction where Li Qingyan had disappeared, could finally no longer suppress his anxiety and indignation. He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Fairy, wait! What you promised us—"

Before he could finish shouting, a blinding red light shot back from the distant horizon. It moved at an extreme speed, striking him in the head in an instant.

With a sickening SPLAT, the man’s head exploded like a watermelon struck by a sledgehammer, splattering the person next to him with a nauseating mix of red and white.

The headless body swayed twice before falling stiffly onto the small boat. Blood gurgled down the planks, quickly staining the lake water below.

The once-noisy crowd was instantly plunged into a deathly silence.

Everyone was scared out of their wits by the gory scene. They fell silent as stone, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

Just then, the sinister voice of the Outer Disciple, Zhao He, drifted over.

"What are you still gawking for? The show’s over, now get the hell back to work!"

As if waking from a nightmare, the Pearl Collectors didn’t dare utter another word. They lowered their heads, silently rowed their boats, and scattered in terror, afraid they would be the next to die.

Chen Ye stood on his own small boat, coldly observing the still-twitching headless corpse, and couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly.

’Trying to reason with people who treat human lives like worthless weeds is just asking to die.’

’In their eyes, the lives of Pearl Collectors like them weren’t even worth as much as dust.’

The storm came and went quickly, but the shock it left on Chen Ye was immense.

’That world-destroying palm strike made him realize with profound clarity that his current level of strength, in this world, at best made him a slightly stronger ant.’

’To truly take control of his own destiny, he had to become stronger!’

’He refused to continue living this stifling, precarious existence, never knowing if he would survive to see another day.’

Therefore, from that day forward, Chen Ye began to desperately search for high-quality Spirit Pearls.

’He wanted to begin his next journey across worlds as soon as possible to accumulate even greater power.’

However, finding high-quality Spirit Pearls was much easier said than done.

Ever since the Abnormal Clam was taken by the Sect powerhouse, the Spiritual Qi in this outer water area seemed to have been completely drained. Both the production and quality of Spirit Pearls had noticeably declined.

Fortunately, Chen Ye possessed Spirit Clam Sensing, a unique Skill from his Pearl Collector Profession, which allowed him to perceive Spirit Clams that ordinary people could not.

In the following days, Chen Ye began to consciously avoid the areas where the Pearl Collectors congregated, turning his attention instead to the more remote waters.

These places often had bone-chillingly cold water or more complex underwater environments, causing ordinary Pearl Collectors to shrink back in fear.

But for the current Chen Ye, none of this was a problem.

After advancing to a Divine-Seeing Grandmaster, his physical body was already far beyond that of a mortal. The sheer power of his vitality and blood was beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.

Therefore, the chilling cold was nothing more than a drizzle to him, posing no real threat whatsoever.

His persistence paid off.

After searching continuously for over a month, one day, Chen Ye finally sensed an exceptionally strong fluctuation of Spiritual Qi in a Deep Water Area near the Inner Water Area.

’Found it!’

Elated, Chen Ye immediately dove down.

The water pressure in this area was immense, and the bottom was pitch-black, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

Moreover, the Spirit Clam was buried extremely deep. If not for Chen Ye’s precise positioning from Spirit Clam Sensing, one could pass by this spot a hundred times and never discover its existence.

After pinpointing the location, Chen Ye didn’t hesitate and immediately got to work.

With swings of his arms, his powerful strength pushed aside the silt, forcibly digging a large pit in the lakebed.

It took a full half-day for Chen Ye to clear away the silt on top, revealing the large creature that was emitting a Spiritual Light.

Chen Ye took out the Spiritual Shovel issued by the Blood Lotus Sect, carefully found the seam of the clam’s shell, and then pried it open with a sudden burst of force.

A brilliant, colorful light instantly burst from the opening, illuminating the surrounding dark water until it was as bright as day!

Chen Ye’s heart settled. He reached inside and pulled out a Spirit Pearl that was smooth and warm to the touch, radiating a seven-colored halo.

A Seventh Grade Spirit Pearl!

’Success!’

Chen Ye gripped the precious Spirit Pearl, his heart pounding with ecstasy.

’With this, I can activate the Boat of the Other Shore again and travel to a new world!’

However, just as he was about to return to the surface, a sudden, extremely intense sense of crisis washed over him.

Chen Ye’s body froze, and every hair on his body stood on end.

Forcing himself to remain calm, he slowly raised his head. In the water before him, a hazy, indistinct female figure had appeared at some unknown point.

The woman’s head was bowed, her long hair drifting in the water like seaweed. The image was utterly eerie.

Chen Ye’s heart tightened. ’I’m in trouble.’