Chapter 121: Reaching A-Level Strength

Xiao Zi, having released the energy from the sphere, finally beheld the legendary Sea God. She was a goddess whose form was perfectly integrated with the ocean, her eyes brimming with profound hatred.

When the deity caught sight of Wang Hui, she faltered for a moment, yet showed no other reaction, shifting her gaze instead to the Third Princess. A stream of blue energy drifted slowly from her body. Xiao Zi knew this was the coronation ceremony for a proxy; by absorbing this energy, the Third Princess would become a true, full-fledged divine proxy. Her strength would leap from that of a fragile human to one of the top combatants in this world.

The Third Princess was, of course, well aware of this; it was the goal she had strived for her entire life. It is no exaggeration to say that attaining this power was her entire existence. Now that the goal was within reach, her hands trembled with excitement. She had already made up her mind: she would never become a subordinate to Xiao Zi like Wang Hui had, but she wasn’t certain she could defeat him in combat. However, she had a clever plan. This was the deep sea, her home turf; slipping away would be effortless.

As the energy drew closer, a defiant smile spread across her face, and she prepared to flee at the first opportunity. But just as the energy came within a meter of her, a searing pain erupted in her abdomen. Slowly looking down, she saw a blood-red hand protruding through her body. Blood gushed out, mingling with the seawater as her life force drained rapidly, her body beginning to float upward beyond her control.

"Why... why?"

Turning back to look at Xiao Zi’s grim expression, the Third Princess was filled with disbelief. She had never imagined that this eerie creature would discard her the moment her usefulness ended. Xiao Zi merely offered a sinister smile: "The moment you lost your utility, your fate was sealed."

Xiao Zi was no fool. What would someone with the Third Princess’s personality do after gaining such power? Fleeing would be the best-case scenario; the real danger was her becoming his enemy. While he didn't know the full extent of a proxy's growth, he knew it would surely be trouble. Furthermore, the ocean would naturally counter his desert-based powers; she might one day strike Wang Hui in the back. Seeing that the Third Princess was not yet dead, Xiao Zi immediately finished her off with a soul-blade, extinguishing her life force entirely.

Beside him, Wang Hui was stunned. He had hoped his boss would finally take on a female subordinate, and one who was a divine proxy like himself—wouldn't that have been to his benefit? He never expected his boss to kill a human so ruthlessly and without a second of hesitation.

The Third Princess was dead, beyond any hope of revival. The energy that was meant for her suddenly became ownerless. Xiao Zi’s solution was simple: "Wang Hui, come here and absorb this."

Indeed, he intended for Wang Hui to become a proxy for two gods. The energy of an eerie creature and that of a god were incompatible, otherwise, he would have taken the role himself. At this moment, the Sea God’s phantom seemed to notice something, staring at Xiao Zi and Wang Hui with shock. Xiao Zi remained calm: "What are you looking at? Don’t think I don’t know you’re desperate for a human proxy. Isn't this a living, breathing one right here?"

Xiao Zi never considered that killing the Third Princess might anger the Sea God. He did not believe a deity cared for the life or death of a human. The goddess had likely only used the Third Princess to facilitate her own resurrection; now that the goal was achieved, what did it matter if the girl was dead? As expected, the Sea God’s phantom showed little reaction, instead controlling her energy to flow into Wang Hui’s body.

Now, it was a gamble: could the power of two different gods coexist in one vessel? The moment the Sea God’s energy entered Wang Hui, his body erupted in golden light. Xiao Zi felt his heart tighten, fearing that the Desert God’s energy within Wang Hui was rejecting the new power. But just as he prepared to intervene, an unexpected turn occurred.

Wang Hui’s eyes turned golden for a split second, shining with an strange luster, but the next moment, the golden light on his body dimmed. Moments later, the blue energy of the Sea God was fully integrated into his body. Before Xiao Zi could react, a barrier formed, tightly enveloping Wang Hui. His eyes shifted as well, turning one golden and one deep blue.

Witnessing this, Xiao Zi couldn't help but marvel: "The legendary twin-deity vessel? Not bad at all."

Wang Hui looked at his own hands in utter disbelief. "I actually possess the energy of two gods simultaneously? I feel incredibly strong!"

As this concluded, the system’s voice finally resonated:
[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission "Resurrect the Deep Sea." Reward: Level raised to A-rank.]

[Mission 1 issued: Absorb the life essence of an eerie creature from the previous era. Reward: A conversation with the Fear Demon God.]
[Mission 2 issued: Follow the system prompt to travel to another plane and trigger an "Eerie Resurrection" there. Reward: A random restricted-grade skill.]

Just as the system’s voice faded, the aura around Xiao Zi began to shift. His essence coalesced into a tangible red mist floating around him. The surrounding seawater seemed affected, forming a small vortex around his body. The commotion caused by rising from B-rank to A-rank was far greater than he had anticipated. The rapid surge in power made it impossible for him to contain his leaking energy. Like a rebellious child, the energy refused to obey, surging outward incessantly.

This meant every entity in the vicinity could sense his presence. It was the equivalent of exposing all his information under the blinding sun—terrifying. Fortunately, he was in the deep sea, and nothing was likely to target him; otherwise, he might have been finished while mid-upgrade. Why was this upgrade so slow? Was the gap between A-rank and B-rank really this massive?

As he pondered this, he sensed three behemoths rapidly approaching. Xiao Zi, still in the process of upgrading, looked up to see three gargantuan, whale-like eerie creatures closing in. Judging by their aura, they were already in combat mode, and their target was self-evident.

"Why are there whales at such a depth? And judging by their aura, they are B-rank eerie creatures?"

The next second, one of the whales exploded, flesh and blood splattering to stain a vast expanse of the ocean red. Xiao Zi looked at Wang Hui, who gave a thumbs-up with a grin: "Don't worry, Boss!"

But his smile quickly faded. Behind the three massive whales lay an endless swarm of eerie creatures. Xiao Zi, currently unable to use his skills, could not gauge their exact number, but he knew one thing: Wang Hui was not confident he could protect him against such a multitude. They were in deep trouble. What should he do now?