Chapter 128: The Vanishing of Lin Qiu

Even though Lin Qiu was now the lord of the Other Shore King City, how could the Ocean Royalty possibly tolerate his arrogant and overbearing demeanor in silence?

If there were a familiar face beside Lin Qiu now, they would surely question whether he had lost his mind.

Speaking of which, even Lin Qiu himself began to doubt his sanity after voicing such boldness.

Yet, he did not regret the impulsive decision made in that moment.

If he continued to hide and swallow his pride, he would forever remain trampled beneath others’ feet!

Leveraging the prestige of Other Shore King City, he hoped to intimidate many of the troublesome threats. As for the remaining monstrous foes, perhaps one by one he could defeat them—there was still hope.

“You’re far too impulsive!” Sun Erniang hurriedly grabbed him after he had activated the Ancient City Stele.

Looking into Sun Erniang’s beautiful eyes, brimming with concern for him, Lin Qiu’s heart softened instantly.

He had to become so strong that no one in the East Sea would dare to challenge his bottom line, ensuring Sun Erniang’s safety.

“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Lin Qiu assured her.

Sun Erniang was left speechless. Their eyes met, and a subtle, intimate aura flowed between them.

Every time she thought of how Lin Qiu risked his life to save her, she felt a strange sensation.

She was just an ordinary member of the White Fish clan, a humble cook by status...

Yet this delicate and handsome man risked offending the entire Mermaid Royalty for her sake.

“Why did you come to save me?” Sun Erniang finally asked after much thought.

“You’re my woman. Of course, I have to save you!” Lin Qiu said with righteous confidence.

He wasn’t the type to shirk responsibility after stirring up trouble, especially since Sun Erniang was the woman who had elevated his fish nature.

If not for him, she wouldn’t have fallen into such peril.

“Don’t worry, I will protect you,” Lin Qiu said as he gently took Sun Erniang’s soft, fair hand.

Moved beyond words, tears glistened in Sun Erniang’s eyes.

“Cough, cough.” An old cough came from behind Lin Qiu. Turning, he saw the old Turtle Chancellor standing there, feigning a cough with a clenched fist.

Catching Lin Qiu’s murderous glare, the Turtle Chancellor hurriedly looked up to the sky.

“I saw nothing at all,” he said.

Judging by the reddening on his old face, Lin Qiu knew he was lying.

But if the Turtle Chancellor came to disturb him, it was certainly not a trivial matter.

“Speak. What do you want?” Lin Qiu said.

There would be plenty of time later to deal with the old fellow; right now, the situation was unique, and Lin Qiu could discern what was more important.

The Turtle Chancellor was filled with deep emotion. Other Shore King City had once dominated as one of the Eight Great King Cities precisely because its former lord, like Lin Qiu, had provoked other cities while crushing them in strength.

Even their methods were remarkably similar.

Yet such provocations were too ambitious for Lin Qiu’s current power.

If he suffered repeated defeats within this so-called one-month deadline, the reputation of Other Shore King City would be lost forever.

“The notice sent out with the Ancient City Stele cannot be retracted. What are your plans now?” the Turtle Chancellor asked.

“No plans. Take down anyone who comes!” Lin Qiu’s eyes burned with killing intent. The Turtle Chancellor admired this confidence, reminiscent of the old city lord.

But countless ocean creatures were at the fifth rank, and Lin Qiu had only recently entered that level.

Still, Lin Qiu’s rapid evolution over the past month astounded the Chancellor, who believed that with time, Lin Qiu could become as formidable as the former lord.

Time was what they lacked most.

“A mere fifth-rank dares to challenge the Ocean Royalty?” As Lin Qiu and the Chancellor spoke, a discordant voice interrupted.

When Lin Qiu infused his blood into the Ancient City Stele to become the lord, many had resented it.

Bound by the Chancellor’s approval, they held their tongue.

But now, Lin Qiu foolishly challenged all ocean creatures openly—how could they endure that?

Normally, the Chancellor would have driven them away long ago, but these visitors had come at just the right time.

He wanted to see what capital Lin Qiu relied on to dare issue such a challenge.

“Unbelievable that in my Other Shore King City, there are still rotten fish like you.” Lin Qiu stepped forward, signaling the Chancellor to protect Sun Erniang.

The fish snarled; Lin Qiu estimated them to be in the late fifth or sixth rank.

In his current half-dragon state, their strength was negligible.

The Ancient City had its rules, and even Lin Qiu as lord could not alter its ancient restrictions.

“We’ll fight outside,” Lin Qiu said, baring a row of neat white teeth.

Seeing Lin Qiu so confident, the fish hesitated.

If they fought outside, death would be real.

“We have numbers; why fear one? We can wear him down with a war of attrition!” one fish, its head covered in slime, said.

Others grumbled in agreement, accepting Lin Qiu’s challenge.

Several fish swam out of the Ancient City, beyond its restrictions, revealing their true forms.

Lin Qiu, in his small dolphin form, felt like the smallest shrimp among them.

These fish had never seen Lin Qiu’s true form and suddenly lost sight of him.

“Where is he? Why can’t we find him?” the large catfish snarled, its whiskers swaying with the waves.

A swordfish spun in place, also unable to locate Lin Qiu.

Seizing the moment, Lin Qiu swallowed a motionless red stingray at the back of their formation in one gulp.

Immediately after, his body ached terribly, as if being seared by the molten core during the previous eruption.

“What’s happening?”

“The fish you just swallowed, called a red stingray, has a poison gland at the base of its tail. Its tail barb is venomous,” the system explained.

Poisonous?

He had never known that devouring a poisonous fish could actually poison him!

The system sounded completely unbothered, as if the toxin were of no concern.

“What do I do now? Is there a cure?” Lin Qiu was frantic, like an ant on a hot pan. His body throbbed in pain, and nearly ten fish were glaring at him above.

“If nothing unexpected occurs, the toxin will integrate into your body. The ancestors of this red stingray likely possessed the bloodline of primordial fish.”