Chapter 115 – Reach an Agreement
The advanced bloodline purification serum had already begun taking effect. Lin Jiu manipulated the water to bind the demon-spirit’s legs, sending the current spiraling upward as Si Xu launched his surprise attack. Lin Jiu and Si Xu joined forces to fight the demon-spirit!
Two against one—finally, they could hold their own against him.
Lin Jiu and Si Xu had plenty of magic essence crystals to supply them with energy. Even though the demon-spirit also had reserves of magic essence crystals, time was not on his side. The longer they fought, the purer Lin Jiu and Si Xu’s bloodlines became, and the stronger they grew.
A pure-blooded sea siren and a pure-blooded demon-spirit against another pure-blooded demon-spirit—there was no reason they should lose.
The battle was intense, and none of the surviving ability users dared approach. They could only watch from afar, as they had no place in a fight like this. The three combatants moved so fast they left afterimages.
The demon-spirit began to realize the problem—Lin Jiu and Si Xu were getting fiercer, and their power was steadily increasing.
Both Lin Jiu and Si Xu were undergoing visible transformations. Lin Jiu’s eyes, tail, and hair had all turned purple. Si Xu was the same—where once only his eyes and blood had a silver tint, now his hair had turned silver, save for the black tips.
The demon-spirit finally realized what was happening and roared angrily, “You actually have advanced bloodline purification serums?!”
Furious, he took a blow from Si Xu, but managed to lock onto Lin Jiu, who was trying to evade.
Lin Jiu was frozen in place, unable to move or escape. His body suddenly lifted into the air. Lin Jiu knew what was happening—this wasn’t the first time he’d been restrained like this.
A steel-like hand gripped the back of his neck, but Lin Jiu didn’t hesitate. A spear appeared in his hand, which he thrust backward into the demon-spirit’s chest. The demon-spirit withdrew, avoiding the strike. Lin Jiu also backed away, unleashing another ear-piercing shriek!
The demon-spirit was sent flying, while Si Xu, enduring the effects of the siren’s shriek, filled his demon blade with magic essence and stabbed the demon-spirit from behind, piercing through his body!
The demon-spirit’s body shook, but Si Xu was once again thrown into the ocean.
Lin Jiu quickly dove in after him, but as Si Xu sank, he was suddenly pulled upward by an unseen force, flying toward the demon-spirit. A stream of water shot up, wrapping around Si Xu’s waist and pulling him back.
Lin Jiu burst out of the water, spear in hand, aiming directly at the demon-spirit’s throat! The demon-spirit dodged, grabbing the spear mid-thrust. Si Xu, meanwhile, was flung toward Lin Jiu, but before they collided, he twisted midair, swinging his demon blade at the demon-spirit’s neck!
The demon-spirit desperately dodged, no longer able to focus on Lin Jiu and Si Xu. Despite his efforts, a gash opened on his neck, and silver blood began to flow.
By now, Si Xu’s hair had turned completely silver, his eyes gleamed silver, and his skin shone with a cold, silver-white glow. He had become a full-blooded demon-spirit!
Lin Jiu was the same—purple hair, purple eyes, and a purple tail, his power surpassing his previous limits!
The demon-spirit looked at the silver blood staining his hand, in disbelief. The soft light covering his face faded, revealing an older, but still strikingly handsome, appearance.
“You… both must die!” The demon-spirit unleashed his full power.
If he couldn’t return to the Magic Sea Plane or seize the growth-type system, his body wouldn’t last. His stasis pod had run out of energy, and he had no more options—he would either live or die, with no middle ground.
Suddenly, the sea level began to rise, and the ability users watching from a distance screamed in terror as a massive blue head slowly emerged from the ocean, its bald surface resembling a vast blue island!
The ability users shouted to warn the three combatants.
But no warning was needed—they had all sensed the overwhelming pressure. The sunlight above was completely blocked out by the enormous shadow. Yet, none of the three stopped fighting, because whoever stopped first would die. Now it was just a matter of who could last the longest.
A massive tentacle slammed down. Si Xu grabbed Lin Jiu, dodging the blow with a swift move. In Si Xu’s arms, Lin Jiu twisted, a small magic essence gun appearing in his hand. He took several seconds to aim, unsure of his marksmanship.
Si Xu steadied Lin Jiu’s hand, fired two shots at the demon-spirit, and the two of them were then engulfed by a wall of water, crashing into the ocean.
Beneath the waves, the situation grew even more dangerous. Everywhere Lin Jiu looked, there were huge blue and gray tentacles covered with enormous suction cups. Lin Jiu felt like his fear of tight spaces was about to kick in.”
The Demon Spirit was unlucky, being shot by Lin Jiu and Si Xu as they teamed up, crashing into one of the massive blue demon’s tentacles. It got entangled by the tentacle. The Demon Spirit gathered magic energy and fiercely slashed at the giant blue demon’s thick tentacle.
The giant blue demon, in pain, started frantically wrapping its tentacles around, trapping the Demon Spirit, making it impossible for him to escape. Si Xu pulled out the real magic energy gun, seized the moment, and fired… but missed the headshot. The Demon Spirit had used a spatial barrier to defend himself. His state was nearly deranged, as space exploded around him, blowing away the annoying tentacles, and he shot towards Lin Jiu and Si Xu.
Si Xu stayed calm, firing several more shots. Some were blocked, some dodged, but some hit, leaving holes on the Demon Spirit’s body. Silver blood dispersed in the seawater, agitating the giant blue demon even more.
The enormous tentacles churned the water, tossing the three like small boats in a storm. Even Lin Jiu, being a pure-blooded siren, felt dizzy. When he finally managed to see clearly, his hair stood on end. Instinctively, he grabbed Si Xu and shot away.
A huge, gaping mouth loomed overhead, and the Demon Spirit, still tumbling, was instantly swallowed whole!
Lin Jiu’s scales bristled all over, his tail creating afterimages as he swam at lightning speed, dodging the massive tentacles chasing him. Everywhere he looked, there were massive “pillars,” and he darted between them like a tiny tadpole dodging elephant legs.
As Lin Jiu fled with Si Xu in his arms, he realized the Demon Spirit had no chance of survival. Now it was all about saving themselves.
Lin Jiu, focused on escaping, suddenly noticed a shadow fleeing alongside him. Its speed was nearly equal to his. Turning his head, he saw a giant anglerfish frantically swishing its tail to flee.
Lin Jiu thought the anglerfish looked familiar… Of course, all anglerfish look similar, but the size of this one reminded him of the one Vera kept… or rather, the one that kept Vera.
“Hey!” Lin Jiu shouted.
The giant anglerfish, focused on fleeing, was startled, tilting its head to glance at Lin Jiu. Then Lin Jiu noticed the serrated tooth with a missing piece.
Damn! It *was* Vera’s anglerfish!
Lin Jiu was stunned, wondering how this anglerfish ended up here. Wasn’t it supposed to be guarding the waters near S City?!
The giant anglerfish recognized Lin Jiu and tried to swim towards him several times, but Lin Jiu was terrified.
“Keep going forward! Don’t stop!” Lin Jiu shouted at it.
Si Xu, battered by the rushing water, was questioning his life choices. He quickly created a protective bubble around his head to catch his breath and speak.
Si Xu said, “There’s… someone in its mouth.”
Lin Jiu froze, and as the giant anglerfish turned its head again, he finally noticed a hand clutching the broken tooth. Clearly, it was the webbed hand of a siren!
Lin Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. “Mom! Is that you?!”
The webbed hand gripping the broken tooth strained, first revealing an arm, then a head. And yes, it was indeed Vera in her siren form!
The giant anglerfish was swimming so fast that Vera couldn’t open her eyes due to the water rushing past.
Lin Jiu, excited, shouted, “Mom, is Lady Si with you?!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. Lady Si wasn’t like Si Xu, able to move in water. If she was really in the anglerfish’s mouth, that would be dangerous.
Vera shouted back, “I hid her… on a lifeboat!”
Lin Jiu and Si Xu were not reassured; instead, they became more worried.
Lin Jiu urgently asked, “Many ships were destroyed just now. Which lifeboat is she on?”
Vera raised her hand to block the rushing water, but it was futile, and her webbed fingers were quickly forced apart. “Don’t worry! She’s safe!”
After saying this, Vera ducked back behind the anglerfish’s teeth.
Both Lin Jiu and Si Xu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as their mothers were safe, they had nothing to worry about.
Lin Jiu glanced back to see the giant blue demon still pursuing them. He turned and let out his most powerful siren screech at the massive blue demon!
The giant blue demon’s body momentarily froze, its thick tentacles recoiling to shield itself.
Lin Jiu’s siren screech evidently worked even on high-level sea monsters. Seizing the opportunity, Si Xu used his powers to push the creature away, whether it was pushing the blue demon or pushing them further from danger, it didn’t matter. The distance was now greater, and by the time the giant blue demon recovered from the screech, Lin Jiu and the giant anglerfish had already fled far away.
Finally freed from the giant blue demon’s pursuit, Lin Jiu and the anglerfish slowed down. Vera emerged from the anglerfish’s mouth, swimming toward Lin Jiu.
Vera asked, “Are you two alright? Any injuries?”
She looked at Si Xu. They both had some injuries, but to avoid worrying Vera, they insisted they were fine.
Lin Jiu asked, “Are you hurt?”
Vera replied, “I’m fine, but Sister Song got injured protecting me.”
It turned out that Vera and Song Mo Zhi were on one of the ships surrounded by the enemy when the Demon Spirit’s actions angered the navy, causing the warship to open fire on the surrounding vessels. At the moment of the explosion, Song Mo Zhi had fully metallized her body to shield Vera, and both were blown into the sea. Vera transformed into her siren form and carried Song Mo Zhi, swimming toward a lifeboat from Z Country, where she left Song Mo Zhi safely aboard.
Vera had then returned to the depths, planning to launch a sneak attack, but before she could, she encountered mutated sea monsters. It was a fight to the death on sight. Several of them tried to surround Vera, but she swiftly took out a small magic energy gun, killing them all with precise shots, making her shooting practice worthwhile.
Vera continued, “After killing those mutated sea monsters, I swam forward and ran into Lawson and Ansael, who had just killed Vannes. However, Lawson was badly injured, and Ansael suffered minor wounds. I helped them drag Lawson onto a Z Country lifeboat. On my way back, I ran into the anglerfish. It must have followed the fleet.”
Then Vera hid in the seabed, intending to help Lin Jiu and Si Xu, but their battle was so fast and brutal that she never had a chance to intervene. In the end, she encountered the giant blue demon and had to focus on escaping with the giant anglerfish.
Lin Jiu and Si Xu were both relieved that Vera hadn’t intervened. If she had been captured as a hostage, they would have been severely handicapped.
The three of them sat on the giant anglerfish’s head as they chased after their rescue ship.
At that moment, all the surviving ships were returning. The sudden appearance of the giant blue demon had terrified everyone, and it was best to retreat for now.
When they caught up with the rescue ship, Lin Jiu first used a water column to send Vera on board, then did the same for Si Xu. Finally, Si Xu grabbed Lin Jiu from a distance and pulled him onto the ship.
The giant anglerfish surfaced, proving its presence, and followed the rescue ship as it swam back.
Lin Jiu and Si Xu looked quite inhuman at this point, but fortunately, everyone on the rescue ship was a trusted ally, and they were already mentally prepared for the fact that they were no longer quite human.
They followed the rescue ship back, knowing they would later need to discuss how to handle the Mother Seed.
All injured ability users were sent to the “Special Security Division” for treatment. Vera wasn’t hurt, but Song Mozhi had burns on her back and internal injuries from the shock. Lin Jiu purchased an advanced healing potion for her, and in half an hour, she would fully recover with no more pain.
As for Lin Jiu and Si Xu, they only had basic healing potions, which would take 24 hours to fully heal. Lin Jiu’s magic points were running low, and the remaining ones had to be spent on basic potions for those severely injured and slow to recover.
This time, it wasn’t just in Z Country—ability users from other countries had also suffered casualties. The sudden appearance of the demon spirit was overwhelming, nearly terrifying, but at least Lin Jiu and Si Xu managed to hold him off together.
Lin Jiu’s magic points were now in the single digits, so he borrowed a few magic crystals from Si Xu to convert into reserves.
Finally, Lin Jiu and Si Xu could truly relax. The demon spirit, Vannes, and the others had all been eliminated, and the potential danger was resolved.
Most of the people who came with the demon spirit were dead, and the few survivors had been captured and taken back to various countries for interrogation.
Z Country had also captured a few of them. These prisoners claimed to be descendants of the Demon Spirit Clan and demanded to see Si Xu, refusing to talk unless they did.
Like Lin Jiu, Si Xu wasn’t in the best condition to meet people.
They could cover their eye color with contact lenses, but hair dye didn’t work well, so they wore wigs. Lin Jiu only needed a mask to hide his face, but Si Xu had it harder—his skin was different from normal humans, so he had to wear a hat and mask to cover up as much as possible before going out.
Si Xu personally went to see the captured individuals.
Meanwhile, Lin Jiu went to the Demon Sea plane to begin preliminary negotiations with Golofitz.
Lin Jiu asked, “So, what are your demands?”
Golofitz replied, [My demands are simple: once all the magic crystals have been converted into magic points, I want you to replenish the points you’ve overdrawn. That’s not too much to ask, is it?]
Lin Jiu found this reasonable—after all, repaying debts wasn’t excessive.
Golofitz continued, [The items in the special space I originally planned to give you for free, well, I can’t give them away for nothing now. You’ll have to spend magic points if you want anything.”]
Lin Jiu protested, “Isn’t that too much? You said it was free before. Now what do I get in return?”
Golofitz reasoned, [I think this is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Don’t you? Our future is still uncertain, and we don’t yet know if we’ll find the energy we need. But both the Earth and the Demon Sea planes contain energy we can use. If you can gradually provide us with that energy, we’ll feel confident in continuing our search for a new home.]
[When we finally settle down and you’ve used up all the items in the warehouse, you can still come to us to buy new products. We can maintain a trading relationship between planes. If the Demon Hunter system is truly severed from the Demon Spirit main system, we might lose contact with each other entirely. Do you really want to sever that relationship? Aren’t you curious about what our future home, or even the world beyond Earth, might be like?”]
Lin Jiu hesitated.
Sighing, he said, “Of course I’m curious, but I doubt I’ll live long enough to see your new home and new plane.”
Golofitz reassured him, [Your lifespan is in your own hands. You’re a pureblooded sea demon, and Si Xu is a pureblooded demon spirit. Both of you can naturally live for over 200 years. Plus, during that time, you can continually use cell regeneration agents. Anytime you see wrinkles or start feeling less youthful, you can use a cell regeneration agent to restore your youth. One dose can last for decades, or even a hundred years. The more advanced ones can last for centuries. You can live as long as you want.]
Lin Jiu was stunned.
“Are you sure you’re not lying?”
[If you don’t believe me, you can ask the Demon Hunter system. It knows about these agents.]
The Demon Hunter system chimed in, [Yes, such agents exist, but they’re quite expensive.]
Lin Jiu sighed deeply. “In exchange, I want the control of the Demon Hunter system. I don’t want my life to be in someone else’s hands.”
[That’s possible] Golofitz said, [As long as the link between the Demon Hunter system and the Demon Spirit main system remains intact]
Lin Jiu pressed, “Then hand over the control now.”
Golofitz hesitated, [Let’s be reasonable here. Shouldn’t you repay your magic debt first before asking for the control?]
Lin Jiu thought for a moment. “Fine, once I repay the debt, you’ll have to keep your promise.”
[Of course, we Demon Spirits always keep our word.]
Lin Jiu accepted, “Alright, since you’re not in a hurry for the magic points, I’ll take my time. After all, I don’t need too many things right now, and the magic points won’t accumulate quickly. Looks like you’ll have to keep waiting in this limbo.”
Gorofitz: “???”
**[Did you say something wrong? Weren’t you supposed to give me a magic crystal core from the energy vault first?]**
Lin Jiu chuckled softly. “Do I look like a fool to you? I give you a magic crystal core for free, and then when I need something from the space inventory, I have to buy it with magic points, and even pay back the magic points I used in advance? How do you get all the benefits while I get nothing?”
**[We agreed beforehand that you would make concessions. Are you going back on your word?]**
Lin Jiu: “I also said not to cross my bottom line. Are you treating me like I have no limits at all?”
Gorofitz was silent.
**[What are your conditions?]**
Lin Jiu: “Simple. If you want a magic crystal core from the energy vault, then open the entire space inventory to me for free access. Whatever I want, I can take.”
[Isn’t that like giving everything away for free?]
Lin Jiu shrugged. “How can it be free? You’re still getting a magic crystal core from the energy vault, aren’t you?”
[This doesn’t match the terms we agreed on.]
Lin Jiu replied indifferently, “Then why don’t you think it over some more?”
Lin Jiu was ready to end the conversation, but Gorofitz wouldn’t let it go. They had waited too long to leave the dimensional rift, and now that they had a chance, they weren’t going to give it up.
Finally, Gorofitz proposed a condition: as long as Lin Jiu could pay 10 billion magic points in one go, the space inventory would be open to him for free.
It wasn’t truly “free”—Lin Jiu would be prepaying the total cost of everything in the space inventory. It was certainly better than just giving away a magic crystal core.
However, Lin Jiu raised one issue: since he would be buying everything in the space inventory for 10 billion magic points, Gorofitz shouldn’t make him repay any pre-used magic points for items already withdrawn.
Gorofitz had no choice but to agree.
Lin Jiu did some rough calculations. Ten billion magic points would require about 50,000 magic crystal cores. A single energy vault should have that many crystals—Si Xu had mentioned that an energy vault likely contains around 50,000 magic crystal cores, and Gorofitz probably knew this as well.
The two sides reached an agreement, and now they just had to wait for the energy collection system to finish converting the energy.
—
