Evan Chu glanced at the Dark Abyssal Kraken, then rapidly retreated. Staying in this dark undercurrent for too long was suffocating—the constant pressure gave him an unshakable sense of discomfort.
Yet the twin beams shooting from the Kraken's eyes still hadn't stopped. If not for the Firmament Light Mirror's protection, those rays might've already struck Evan.
With a thought, he instantly activated Light Transformation, turning his whole body invisible, then quickly shifted a few meters to the side. The incoming beams shot straight into the dark current.
Evan could clearly sense the lake water boiling, a pungent stench rising up. He hadn't expected the monster's attack power to be this fierce—almost on par with his own Icefire Eye.
To truly injure this beast, he'd have to wait until the beams from its eyes completely faded, then strike its eyes with a lightning-fast Icefire Eye attack. But Evan still had some misgivings about using Icefire Eye.
After that battle with the Roc King, he'd burned through a lot of his Chaos Immortal Liquid. Even though he'd broken through to Immortal Emperor, he could only manage a few more shots at most. And firing Icefire Eye drained his energy just as much as unleashing Divine Cleave.
He took a Jadeheart Lotus seed out of his storage ring and popped it into his mouth for safety, then slowly edged closer to the monster—step by careful step—until he stopped about ten meters away.
Icefire Eye's attack range was more than enough at this distance. He was waiting for the light in the Kraken's eyes to vanish before launching a sudden strike. But it seemed the Kraken had sensed Evan's intent—its eyes kept scanning, and the beams nearly grazed him.
"How did this human just disappear into thin air? That's weird... If this emperor runs into you again, I'll definitely kill you! I can't believe this guy has such terrifying power—the Immortal Realm really is packed with monsters." The Dark Abyssal Kraken actually muttered to itself.
Honestly, Evan was struggling too—trying to keep himself steady against the current while dodging the rays from those eyes. All he could do now was wait, anxious and tense.
After a while, the light in the monster's eyes faded and everything went quiet again. Evan was just about to launch his sneak attack—when suddenly the beast shifted, exposing what lay behind it.
One glance and Evan nearly jumped out of his skin. Behind the Kraken was a little black tree, over a meter tall, its whole body pitch-black. On its branches hung two black fruits, and Evan could clearly sense powerful dark element fluctuations pulsing from them.
And under the tree grew a small red herb. The moment Evan saw it, his heart leapt for joy—but before he could speak, the Emerald Immortal Empress's voice rang out: "That's the top-tier soul medicine, God-Drunk Herb. It's incredibly rare in the Immortal Realm. Master, you have to get it for me!"
"God-Drunk Herb? Just the name sounds amazing. I can't believe something like that would show up here—it's almost too strange," Evan muttered.
"God-Drunk Herb only appears under extremely harsh conditions—it needs both Immortal Essence and Nether qi, plus a powerful dark element to grow. This place just happens to meet those requirements, so that's why it's here.
I've never actually seen God-Drunk Herb in person, but I've read about it in ancient texts. It can gather and re-condense scattered soul fragments. If I take just one leaf, the rest of my soul left in the God Realm can return to the Immortal Realm and rejoin me—it's truly miraculous."
"God-Drunk Herb is a real top-tier soul medicine—its value can't even be estimated. This stalk is so big, I only need one leaf; Master, you can use the rest in the future." The Emerald Immortal Empress was so excited she was trembling.
"Don't worry, Emerald—I swear I'll get you that God-Drunk Herb. And those fruits on the dark tree don't look ordinary either. Maybe eating one could push my Darkshift to the second layer!" Evan grinned—this was a once-in-a-lifetime jackpot.
"That's Darkfruit. It's a grade below God-Drunk Herb, but still top-tier. Your luck is off the charts this time. But to get either, you'll have to kill the Dark Abyssal Kraken first."
Whenever heaven-defying treasures or spirit medicines appear, there's always a powerful monster guarding them. Looks like the Dark Abyssal Kraken is the guardian for both. Maybe the Kraken and these two medicines showed up together—you're going to need a plan." The Emerald Immortal Empress said seriously.
"I've got this. In a moment, I'll send my Golden Battle Body to snatch the soul medicine and Darkfruit, while I take on the Kraken myself. I refuse to believe I can't kill this thing—no matter how tough it is, it can't withstand my Divine Cleave. The only reason I haven't used it yet is because I'm afraid unleashing Divine Cleave will break open the Netherworld Gate. Now is not the time for that.
If the Immortal Beasts, Netherworld, and Demonic Realm all attack the Immortal Realm together, no matter how strong we are, we'll still be wiped out or split up between the three sides." Evan said.
Just then, the Dark Abyssal Kraken touched the Darkfruit with a tentacle and muttered to itself: "Once another Full-Moon Night passes, the Darkfruit will be fully ripe. Then I'll finally be free. Once I swallow it, my power will reach mid God-Realm.
By then, no one in the Netherworld or Immortal Realm will be a match for me. For my Kraken race to ascend to the Netherworld, the Crimson Demon Star must appear. There's still a hundred thousand years until the next appearance—plenty of time for me to unify both realms."
Evan was stunned by what he heard. He hadn't expected the Kraken to have such wild ambitions—or that eating the Darkfruit could make it so powerful. Mid God-Realm was a level mortals could only dream of; to the Immortal Realm, it was like Immortals to Emperors—utterly out of reach.
As for the Crimson Demon Star, Evan had no idea what it was, but just hearing the name sounded ominous. So he asked the Emerald Immortal Empress, "Emerald, do you know what the Crimson Demon Star is? This thing is too dangerous—we have to kill it."
"The Crimson Demon Star is a terrifying ancient legend. Supposedly, it appears once every ten million years, and whenever it does, chaos erupts across the world. The star contains immense Stellar Power, which can be absorbed from afar.
Whoever absorbs more of its Stellar Power can control more of the Crimson Demon Star's might. Imagine what it means to wield the power of an entire star. The ancient War of the Gods was actually connected to the Crimson Demon Star's appearance.
In another hundred thousand years, the Crimson Demon Star will show up again, and the world will be thrown into turmoil once more. If anyone can stop it, it's you, Master. You bear the Primordial Dragon Bloodline and are the reincarnation of one of the God-Realm's strongest Lords. You're the true savior." The Emerald Immortal Empress said.
Evan's face darkened. Suddenly, he felt the weight on his shoulders grow even heavier...