"It's... what you promised... my mission reward..."
Chen Shu looked haggard, but there was anticipation in his eyes.
At the same time, he glanced at the sea of people below and said cautiously, "There are so many people here, you won't go back on your word, will you..."
"Are you making things up here?"
The old man smiled faintly, understanding that this fellow wanted to conjure something out of nothing.
After all, under normal circumstances, with so many people present, if he didn't give something good, it would likely disheartened them.
But the old man was not swayed by this at all, saying faintly:
"If you mention it again, I'll beat you right here!"
"..."
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Was he really going to be this direct? Was having great strength an excuse for doing whatever he pleased?
"Old man, I really need resources, lots and lots of resources..."
He had already estimated the survivors. Logically, he should be able to complete the mission smoothly and unlock the compendium.
When that happened, the more materials he had, the better...
One hundred and fifty nuclear bombs had such a shocking effect. What if it was ten or even a hundred times more?
"Are you that short on money?"
The old man shook his head and said, "You'd better proceed step by step, don't rush to improve your strength."
"However, you did very well this time, so I can give you a reward..."
With that said, he waved his right hand, and dark elements surged, causing an ancient bottle to appear. Inside it was a drop of blood!
"This is..."
Chen Shu's heart trembled, and he vaguely felt that this was a good thing!
The divine skill [Space Secret Power] originated from a drop of blood; it was definitely a supreme treasure!
The old man said faintly:
"Give it to your contracted spirit to swallow, and it can increase all attributes by 10%-20%, and it's highly likely to upgrade certain skills, with a small chance of bloodline evolution!"
"??"
Chen Shu's body trembled, and his eyes instantly filled with greed. As fast as lightning, he put away the bottle.
"This guy is really bold..."
Not far away, Liu Feng and others were all watching Chen Shu.
The moment they saw him return, they were instantly relieved and filled with joy.
"You kid..."
The old man shook his head, then said seriously:
"Seriously, how did you do it? Even Xiao Ning might not have been able to hold back the Shark Emperor."
"Alas... I paid a considerable price."
Chen Shu sighed, pointing to his panda eyes, and said:
"You can tell from my physical condition."
All the miraculous potions on his body were used up, along with a large amount of poison-type materials and the venom from the Bat Emperor's origin...
Most importantly, he could no longer borrow the power of the Starry Sky Ruins; that was a trump card for survival that was now gone.
The old man nodded, with admiration in his eyes:
"But what makes me most gratified is that you kid have come to your senses so quickly, actually stepping forward!"
At that time, he hadn't promised any rewards, but Chen Shu still stepped forward, exceeding everyone's expectations.
"Uh... it's okay..."
Chen Shu scratched his head and didn't say much.
He didn't just do it to save people, but also to unlock the miraculous compendium.
Most importantly, although the price was huge, there was no life-threatening danger. He could choose to return to the continent at any time, which was why he could step forward...
"You go back first..."
The old man patted his shoulder and said, "Rest well, you don't need to worry about anything else."
"No need... I'll wait..."
Chen Shu shook his head. Although his mind was weary, he could only rest peacefully after personally witnessing the compendium being unlocked.
"..."
The old man glanced at him and said nothing more.
Chen Shu seemed to have thought of something and asked, "By the way, old man, why didn't you go out to sea for support?"
Even a single contracted spirit could probably easily defeat the Shark Emperor in its weakened state.
"Dragon Abyss is watching menacingly. I really dare not pull myself away."
The old man sighed and said, "That little shark is already close to the border. I haven't even dealt with it."
"Is that so..."
Chen Shu nodded, not surprised.
As the strongest, the old man naturally had to be cautious. Once Dragon Abyss City was breached, the consequences would be unimaginable.
In other words, he couldn't gamble, and he couldn't afford to gamble...
Just as they were talking, another person returned from afar.
"En?"
Chen Shu's expression stiffened, and he looked at the approaching man with surprise!
That person was Ling Chen, who had been missing!
As a member of the Dragon Guard, Chen Qinghai naturally stepped forward to greet him immediately.
There was surprise in his eyes as he said:
"Ling Chen, you're still alive?!"
"Minister..."
Ling Chen looked disheveled and explained:
"I fell into the sea that day and coincidentally landed in an alternate dimension. I was lucky to survive, but there was a king-level fierce beast guarding the entrance to the space. I could only keep waiting for an opportunity."
"Until not long ago, there seemed to have been a change. All the king-level fierce beasts left the alternate dimension, and only then did I have a chance to come out..."
"Please punish me, Minister!"
There was self-reproach in his eyes. He hadn't contributed at all during the escort mission, making him seem like a deserter.
"Is that so?"
Chen Qinghai's eyes narrowed, and his king-level pressure spread out. He said faintly:
"You've never been to Blue Star?"
His gaze was sharp, and he sized up Ling Chen from head to toe, as if trying to find something unusual on his face.
Ling Chen shook his head and said:
"No, did something major happen? I see the seawater and the air are a bit yellowish..."
"A small situation occurred, nothing major!"
Chen Qinghai smiled slightly and retracted his gaze. "This is not your fault. Rest well."
The escort mission was supposed to be very smooth, but the exposure of the teleportation point caused frequent complications!
He had suspected Ling Chen from the very beginning, but upon realizing that only king-level beast tamers knew about the teleportation point, and that Ling Chen had no means to be a spy, his suspicions gradually dissipated.
As time passed,
More compatriots returned to the coastline. As soon as they stepped into the territory, they couldn't help but shed tears, filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.
"He's still too inexperienced..."
Chen Shu shook his head and said, "Why can't they all be as calm as me?"
Ning Bufan, who was by his side, said, "Do you think everyone is like you, dancing on the tip of a knife every day?"