In the East of the Void Ocean, deep under the center zone of the Kuilong Ocean.
The surrounding water was glowing with soft blue rays which lit up the underwater utopia.
Seven majestic statues surrounded the venue, each of them holding a weapon while looking downward.
There stood a figure in front of each statue.
A figure emerged at the center of the statues. He held an ancient book and slowly stepped onto the altar.
“The meeting of the Eight Sea Nations hereby commences. Prove your identities!” the elder who spoke had seaweed growing all over his body, as well as seashells and other barnacles sticking on his back, and he reeked of rotten flesh.
“King of Tian Yu Sea Nation, Tian Kun!” the man in front of the elder shaman raised the ice-blue spear in his hand, followed by a roar from the sculpture behind him.
“King of Xiao Yu Sea Nation, Lan You!”
“King of Hei Yu Sea Nation, Hei Sui!”
“King of Lan Di Sea Nation, Lan Hushan!”
…
Those who were present reported their origins and used their clan’s holy artifact and spirit of their respective nations to prove their identities.
After everyone had verified themselves, the elder shaman slowly raised his head, his yellowish eyes scanning the surroundings.
“Where’s the king of the Mu Te Sea Nation?”
“Elder shaman, the Mu Te Sea Nation was destroyed long ago!” looking at the elder shaman, Tian Kun spoke with respect.
“Gone?” the elder shaman looked astonished. He then shook his head, crossing out a line on his ancient book.
“Fine. From now on, the meeting shall be known as the Meeting of the Seven Nations.”
After that, the elder shaman raised his head again.
“Can someone tell me how Mu Te Sea Nation fell? As the leader of the Eight Nations and ruler of the ocean, how could there be enemies they were no match for?”
“They were marked by the Death Clan in the abyss of the Void Ocean. The arrogant old king tried to fight Tao Wu but lost his life. No one else could defend against the Death Clan, and naturally they were demolished!” the king of the Hei Yu Nation seemed dissatisfied with the Mu Te Sea Nation.
“Why didn’t you send help?” the elder shaman asked again.
“The Mu Te Sea Nation thought they were the strongest when they conquered the ocean. They had no respect for anyone and bullied us frequently. We didn’t have a reason to help. Moreover, it wouldn’t have worked unless all the seven nations sent aid with our forces combined, for the Death Clan is immortal!” the king of the Hei Yu Nation spat coldly.
“All of you must understand that the Eight Nations work as one. We are the descendants of the Nether Sea Nation, and even though we have been split into eight factions, that fact does not change. Have you forgotten what happened?” the elder shaman looked furious, his body trembling as he spoke.
Everybody went silent hearing the elder shaman’s words.
Of course they knew this part of history well.
A few million years ago, the great Nether Sea Nation that dominated the Void, Kuilong, and Jade Spring oceans was the ancestor to the current Eight Nations.
Endless war and expansion caused the Nether Sea Nation to split into eight.
Even though they had never experienced the events, it was clearly written in the historical records in their clan. Everything was exactly as the elder shaman had described.
“Elder shaman, we have come here today as the ancestral teachings have instructed us. May we know the agenda of the meeting today?” feeling the shift in the atmosphere, Tian Kun asked the elder shaman again with respect.
“This meeting is held once every 500,000 years to remind the Eight Nations about our ancestral teachings. It serves to unite all of us and recover the power of the ancient Nether Sea Nation. But now, I don’t think it is necessary anymore!”
The elder shaman’s expression was ice cold, “From what I see, all of you have long forgotten the glory we once had. You have acted selfishly. If that is the case, today’s agenda will be changed to the unity of the seven nations, and the title of the nation shall be the Nether Sea!”
All seven of them were shocked upon hearing him. Some of them seemed to disapprove of the idea.
“I am not discussing this matter with you. Since the Mu Te Sea Nation has fallen, we won’t stand a chance to recover the entire Nether Sea if we don’t work together. Thus, today’s agenda is about the unity of the seven nations and the gathering of all our forces!”
“Then, elder shaman, who will be the king of the Nether Sea Nation?” Hei Sui asked with a cold expression.
This was also precisely what the other kings wanted to know.
Uniting the nations was not a big problem. They were not the strongest force in their respective regions so teaming up would bring them benefits as well. However, the biggest question was, who would be their new joint king?
If someone other than themselves became the king, the influence and power of their nations would be at the new ruler’s beck and call. Nobody would ever agree to this.
“Who will be king… what does that have to do with you?” the elder shaman sneered.
“Old man, are you thinking of becoming the king yourself? We respect you only because you are the elder shaman of our mother nation, but from what I see, you don’t want our respect anymore!” as Hei Sui spoke, his spirit behind him pointed its huge sword toward the shaman.
The situation was tense, but none of the other six kings moved, nor did they stop them.
They did not know how strong the elder shaman was. They were not clear about the shaman’s background either. Now that a hasty person was willing to take his chances, it was a good time to observe.
The elder shaman laughed. Just as he was about to speak, a figure slowly fell from the sky and entered the region. He then looked around curiously.
“My friends, ocean exploration is really fun. Guess what I’ve found!” as he was speaking, the strange man started climbing the large statue.
“From my experience, these statues have a long history. They definitely cost a fortune if they are sold as antiques. Sadly, nobody keeps antiques in this world,” as he spoke, the man swam forward once again.
Currently, in his livestream channel.
[67 Days of Ocean Exploration: I Won’t Level up If I Don’t Find the Inheritance!]
Host: Cloth_Is_Not_Mad
Rebar_Man: “Bro, look down, some glowing man-like creatures are below you. Are you blind!?”
OnePunchMan: “Are you blind? Look down! There are creatures! I think you are close to finding the inheritance. Quick, go and talk to them, and you will soon get the One Slash Health Inheritance!”
Sword_23: “Bro, you’ve definitely found the inheritance! This place is obviously a relic! There must be a legendary treasure there somewhere!”
Horse_Frozen_River: “Look down, stupid streamer, look down, quick! All you do is show off every day, and when you actually find the inheritance, you only focus on antiques! Low quality streamers like you should be blocked!”
…
The commotion in the forums attracted Cloth_Is_Not_Mad’s attention. He looked downward and saw a few pairs of eyes looking back at him with expressions of astonishment.
As he saw the figures clad in shining armor, he was stunned, too.
As the region was glowing in warm blue light, he really hadn’t noticed the living creatures below him. If it were not for the players’ messages, he would have looked more into the statues and made up some historic story for his viewers.
Immediately, the player’s eyes started to sparkle. He swam downward and landed beside the elder shaman.
“And you are?” the elder shaman was amazed.
This region was ruled by the seven nations. Nobody would dare to interrupt a meeting like this as they would have to face the wrath of the seven nations. That was why the elder shaman was quite confused to see this person.
“What are you guys doing here?” the player asked excitedly.
“We are holding a Meeting of the Seven Nations to choose the new king!”
The elder shaman did not know much about this guy, but he still decided to be honest. After all, it was not a secret. Since they had decided to return as the reunited Nether Sea Nation, the outcome of the meeting was to be announced to the world anyway.
The player’s heart tightened. He realized that luck was on his side. Moreover, it was the Meeting of the Seven Nations.
Is it that any player who encounters this incident will unlock a hidden mission to inherit the seven nations and become king?
Instantly, there was a wonderful fantasy playing in his mind.
“Do you think I’m a good candidate?” he asked.
When the seven kings heard him, their faces turned ashen.
Who the hell is this guy, barging in and asking to be a king in such an important meeting? He had absolutely no respect for them.
The elder shaman was also processing his words. After carefully observing him, he asked, “And who exactly are you?”
“Me? I’m a player!” he answered matter-of-factly.
In the livestream channel.
Rebar_Man: “Idiot, can’t you tell him you’re a Beiqi citizen? How would they know what a player is? How is it that a terrible streamer like you is still not banned yet? You always humiliate our IQ!”
OnePunchMan: “I’ve reported your stream for humiliating our IQ!”
Sword_23: “A low quality streamer like you expects us to tip you soul coins? You’re better off dead! I suggest a permanent ban!”
99_Days_Without_Smoking: “I’m better off watching the ringmaster challenging the sea creatures. Learn from them, you trash streamer!”
…
As he saw the players’ angry comments and just realizing his mistake, replied, “I’m part of the Beiqi Army!”
Now everyone at the scene looked at him with even more skeptical gazes.
To them, Beiqi was not too far nor too close to them. Why would someone from the Beiqi Army come here and ask about becoming the king? After all, the power of the seven nations combined was far more than a single Beiqi force.
“A part of the Beiqi Army? What business do you have here?” Hei Sui’s expression was turning cold.
Cloth_Is_Not_Mad was at a loss of words. After some thought, he spoke softly, “To activate my mission!”
Slap!
Hei Sui did not hesitate this time. He slapped him so hard that he died on the spot.
As the stream turned black and white, the comments section got even rowdier.
OnePunchMan: “What a relief, that idiot host finally died…”
Sword_23: “Another player died while trying to find the inheritance. You’re not alone, hahaha!”
Rebar_Man: “Nevertheless, even though his actions were stupid, he was lucky enough to find so many ruins. If it wasn’t for luck, nobody would even watch his stream.”
99_Days_Without_Smoking: “Brother, you make a good point +1”
…
After the incident of the stranger’s interruption ended, the atmosphere grew serious once more.
Choosing the king for the seven nations was no small matter. They wanted to know what the elder shaman meant when he said that it had nothing to do with them.
As though he had interpreted their confusion, the elder shaman stomped his leg and a figure emerged from the underwater altar.
The figure was a young, good-looking teenager. He had a distinct feature, which were his golden eyes. The runes in his eyes kept spinning, giving off a sense of nobility.
“He is the immediate descendant of the Nether Sea royals. Since the seven nations are once again united, we shall appoint him as the king!”
The golden-eyed teen smiled devilishly upon hearing him. He seemed content with the decision.
“I disagree!”
“I disagree!”
…
Everyone else immediately voiced their objections.
Even though the kings were the descendants of the Nether Sea Nation, they would never agree to work together and serve the royals again.
“This is not up to all of you!” the golden-eyed teen smiled and raised his hand. Golden pillars appeared and surrounded them, locking them within.
“The Oceanic Seal of the Nether Sea Nation!”
The seven of them were appalled upon seeing this.
They had only heard about the Oceanic Seal in ancient literature. It was said that it had power second to none and was a holy artifact of the nation. Anyone who had not reached the peak of the Ghost Emperor Realm would be incinerated by it.
That was why they panicked when they saw the Oceanic Seal.
“This is your last chance! Pledge your allegiance to me now, or I will kill you and take over your Sea Nation!”
There was no objection this time. Everyone’s face was pale.
Anybody who dared to voice out their opinion in this situation would definitely be killed as a warning to the rest. Therefore, they could not complain, even though they were unwilling to do so in the first place.
“The royal blood of the Nether Sea flows in my body. My talent in the future is immeasurable! Under my reign, we will recover the power we once had as the dominion of the three greatest oceans. We can even exceed our achievements in the past. This is our ancestral teachings and it is also the edict of the Sea God!” the lad spoke with great anticipation.
Hearing the young man, the elder shaman nodded with satisfaction and looked at the seven kings.
“Just as our king has said, if you all are willing to obey him, we shall unite as one and become more powerful. All of you will become lords and even though there might be a dilution in power, the oceanic area which you’ll rule over shall be far larger. What is it that you are not content with?”
“I shall obey!” the king of the Sha Shui Nation who stood at the very end suddenly spoke.
“You… good-for-nothing fool! No wonder the territory of the Sha Shui Nation has shrunk over time. What a loser!” Hei Sui casted a cold glance at the man who stood at the very end.
Originally, he thought that if everyone remained silent, that the descendant of the Nether Sea would not be able to do anything to them. However, someone had actually already succumbed to the little lad. He was furious.
“I shall also obey!” another person spoke.
“I shall also obey!”
The kings of Sha Shui, Lan Di, and Xiao Yu had decided to yield, leaving the other four kings flat-footed.
They immediately sensed that something was wrong. However, three nations have now yielded, and their combined power was rather strong. If the four of them did not form an alliance by themselves, they could only walk down the path of obedience with the others.
“You won’t lose anything. Stop being stubborn. Only under the king’s reign can we become stronger, and annex the forces that once had no respect for you!” the elder shaman berated at this crucial moment.
Facing such a situation, the four of them were in a dilemma. Their complexions were ashen. They didn’t know which option they should choose.
The golden-eyed teen raised his hand. The golden wristbands on his wrist shined, and four golden rays engulfed the four of them.
“This is your last chance!”
“I shall obey!”
“I shall obey!”
Another two of them decided to yield.
Only Hei Sui and Tian Kun did not speak.
Their faces were as pale white as pearls as they gazed at the rest of them with disappointment.
It was all over. They had no other choice but to obey. Otherwise, they would die in vain and their nations would be handed over.
As the golden-eyed teen saw Hei Sui and Tian Kun lower their heads, he started to laugh.
“You should have obeyed earlier…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a black halo sped in from afar and pierced through the golden curtain, stabbing into the golden-eyed teen’s heart.
“I, the King of the Mu Te Sea Nation, had yet to come. How could you choose a new king in my absence? Did you think that I was of no importance!?”
