......


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    A group of sea creatures halted their advance when they saw a figure standing before them, blocking their path.


    The leading creature among the group squinted his eyes and glared at the other party, especially when he realized that it was someone from the World Serpent Race.


    "We are here to assist Madam Darya, but who would have thought that we would stumble upon one of our main targets along the way?" he said wearing an evil grin.


    Shin, who was the one blocking their path, ignored the latter''s words and said. "The place ahead is a restricted area. I ask you to turn around and look for another path."


    Hearing his words, the leader could not help but laugh. "Hah! Do you think you are a big shot just because you have awakened your bloodline powers once?"


    "Do you think you are invincible because you are from the World Serpent Race? Don''t make us laugh!" he added as he signaled the sea creatures behind him.


    Shin remained calm despite the overwhelming pressures locked at him. He was treating their powerful auras as some gentle breeze of the spring.


    He swept his gaze at everyone before shaking his head in disappointment. "Sigh. I thought that there should be at least one top candidate among you given that you are trying to target Falan."


    "But there is nothing, but a bunch of small fries here," he added while shaking his head.


    With such obvious provocation, the opposing group just smirked at his words before the leader signaled everyone to attack.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Seeing the incoming surge of enemies, Shin sighed before suddenly waving his arm.


    Whoosh!


    Then a powerful wave swept forward, forcing everyone to either halt their advances or sweep along with it.


    The water current only grew stronger in every passing second, forcing the rest enduring it to retreat as well.


    They were swept by the current, which suddenly spun rapidly. The flow of water grew stronger until it became a powerful whirlpool that dragged all the sea creatures and trapped them within it.


    Despite their respective abilities to swim, they could not escape the range of this whirlpool, which carried a strange power mixed in the waters.


    The leader of the group was able to withstand the current for a bit longer due to the protection provided by the blessing of his tribe. But it did not last that long as it was quickly crushed by the overwhelming power carried by the water current.


    Bang!


    Right after the barrier protecting him was shattered, the leader was swept by the whirlpool just like the rest.


    Roar! Roar!


    They tried to escape this whirlpool that was slowly growing stronger by releasing their true forms and transforming into colossal beings. But their efforts were futile as their actions only made the whirlpool grow stronger.


    He felt like he was at the razor''s edge while dodging these attacks.


    "Tsk!" he clicked his tongue as he knew that this was going to be troublesome if he let the situation continue, especially when the opposing side was slowly gaining momentum in every attack he threw.


    This could only mean that this humanoid lobster was not as simple as it seemed to be on the surface.


    Hup~!


    Shin inhaled deeply and held his breath before suddenly throwing a powerful punch toward the exposed side of his opponent right after he dodged another attack.


    "Heh! Foolish!" the sea creature sneered at Shin when he saw that simple-looking punch. "Do you think someone like me from the Devil Lobster Tribe will be affected by that kind of attack?"


    At the same time, he also waved his arm, planning to smash Shin with the spikes of the armor protecting his forearm.


    Bang!


    The fist landed on the armor protecting his waist. It seemed to be a very weak punch as it did not even produce any sound despite how fast the punch was.


    But the smug look on this guy''s face immediately contorted when he sensed something exploded within his body.


    Little did he know that this punch was packed with Yin Energy that focused on penetration and internal damage rather than an explosive force that dealt external damage. Continue reading at empire


    Combined with the unique abilities and powers of a World Serpent and the Mentalism Techniques he had learned, this particular punch dealt more serious damage than expected.


    It was the perfect counter for opponents, who were confident with their external defense just like this lobster monster.


    "Argh!"


    The sea creature was pushed back as he endured the pain of his innards exploding. Fortunately, the toughness of his entire body and internal organs was quite high along with its strong tolerance against any kind of internal damage.


    His regeneration was quite strong, and the injuries he just received rapidly healed.


    Normally, Shin was supposed to chase after his opponent for a follow-up attack, riding the sudden turn of moments and gaining the upper hand in the battle.


    But he did not do it this time as his arm was quite damaged as well. The bones in his fist were shattered due after it collided with the shell armor earlier.


    He quickly circulated his energy according to the Boundless Ocean Technique to amply the natural healing abilities of the World Serpents to heal his hand while fixing his eyes on his opponent.


    "As expected to the fourth seed-... you really can''t be underestimated, Gammarus," said Shin while shaking his hand, trying to get used to the newly healed hand.


    On the other hand, Gammarus, the Devil Lobster, stared at Shin for quite a while before shaking his head. "I must apologize for underestimating you. A World Serpent is still a World Serpent after all."


    "Regardless of just recently awakening your bloodline, you still belonged to that cursed race – the Watchers of the Sea," he added while getting ready for a much more intense battle than he had expected.


    "I guess I have to show you why I am a seeded candidate for this festival."


    ......