Chen Zhou sat cross-legged and brought out the super bait he had carefully prepared earlier.
The Dream Demon piglet floated over and nestled obediently behind his back. Its little hooves pawed at the ground as it glared warily at the surroundings, standing guard for him.
"Guess what contract rank he’ll pull up this time?"
In the distance, the three old fogies had begun their spectating again.
"Last time, he jumped two stages at once. I’m guessing it’ll be similar this time; being able to hook a third symbiosis contract would already be a great feat."
"Then I’ll guess the fourth contract."
"Have so little faith in the lad?" the woman said heroically. "He took my artifact, so he is destined for greatness. I’ll bet on the fifth contract."
The middle-aged man smiled slightly. "Of course, I also hope he can land a fifth contract, but you know as well as I do that the fifth contract is never that simple."
The young man nodded in agreement. "A fifth contract requires passing a dual trial of both the internal and external worlds. It is far beyond what the third or fourth contracts can compare to."
"I know you have high hopes for him, and so do I. Given time, he would certainly be able to land one, but right now, it’s indeed a bit of a stretch."
As the three discussed, Chen Zhou cast the bait into the pool.
Plop!
The Abyssal Underworld Pool, which had been deathly still, suddenly seemed to come to a boil.
Compared to the previous bait made simply of Rank 6 pills, this batch of bait was clearly far more attractive to the monsters within the pool.
Massive shadows instantly converged beneath the surface.
Countless terrifying auras awoke from the depths of the pool. They swam frantically, biting and tearing at each other in a desperate struggle to snatch the delicacy that had fallen from the heavens.
Rumble—
The entire Abyssal Underworld Pool vibrated, its black waters churning and throwing up towering waves.
"This commotion... I’m afraid it’s stirred up every monster at the bottom of the pool," the middle-aged man said, swallowing hard.
Chen Zhou, however, sat as steady as a statue, the fishing rod condensed from death qi held firmly in his hands without a single tremor.
A long time passed—it might have been several hours, or perhaps several days.
Just as the chaotic struggle was beginning to subside, seemingly having decided a final victor, the rod in Chen Zhou's hand suddenly dipped violently!
A massive force traveled up the line. Even with Chen Zhou's current seventh-stage strength, his body swayed from the impact.
"Here it comes!"
Chen Zhou’s eyes turned sharp. He tightened his grip and exploded with his full strength. Death qi coiled around his arms as he yanked the rod back with a mighty heave.
"Rise!"
With a thunderous splash, a gargantuan creature was forcibly dragged out of the water.
In the next second, the familiar sensation of weightlessness took hold.
His vision blurred and spun as the battlefield manifested.
The scenery shifted, and Chen Zhou once again found himself in that familiar independent space.
Before him stood a ruined celestial sect hall.
Broken walls and shattered eaves floated in the void, and massive stone pillars lay toppled, marked with heart-stopping claw gashes.
In the center of the hall, the 'big fish' Chen Zhou had hooked finally revealed its true form.
The monster looked like a tangled mass of white silk threads.
The threads flew through the air, each one as sharp as a steel needle yet as flexible as a spiritual snake.
They converged together, forming a white giant dozens of zhang tall. It had no facial features, only countless wriggling white threads.
Seventh-stage, fifth contract!
Chen Zhou instantly judged the opponent's strength.
"An enormous fellow indeed."
Chen Zhou’s gaze narrowed. Without further chatter, he immediately entered his strongest state.
His ghost domain opened, bolstered by Faith Conferment, and all the Bone Ghost Servants were summoned forth.
Grayish-white death qi instantly spread out, shrouding the ruined hall.
The ground transformed into defiled earth, and countless skeletal hands reached out, attempting to seize the dancing white threads.
The battle was triggered in an instant.
Meanwhile, back at the Immortal-Slaying Shrine in the outside world...
The Dream Demon was guarding Chen Zhou's meditative body with absolute focus.
As Chen Zhou engaged in a fierce struggle with the monster within the battlefield, the Abyssal Underworld Pool seemed to sense something and began to strike back frantically.
Splash—!
Streaks of pitch-black death qi occasionally lunged from the pool, transforming into arrows or even ghostly hands, stabbing viciously toward Chen Zhou. His divine sense had entered the battlefield, leaving his physical body completely defenseless.
This was also a part of the fishing trial.
If the fisher's own strength was insufficient or their guardian was incompetent, it was highly likely that their physical body would be assimilated by the death qi before the fish was even caught.
But this time, the Abyssal Underworld Pool had kicked a steel plate.
Hmph—!!!
Seeing something dare to attack Chen Zhou, the piglet—which had looked adorably innocent—suddenly revealed a ferocious countenance.
Its body expanded abruptly, transforming into a terrifying dream nightmare beast.
Countless eyes opened across the piglet’s body, each pair containing a nightmare powerful enough to drive one insane.
Slice!
A death qi arrow had barely come within ten feet of Chen Zhou before it was swallowed by a massive mouth that appeared out of thin air.
The Dream Demon stood before Chen Zhou as the Dream-Weaving Shuttle flew frantically through the air, pulling at the surrounding fiendish qi. It forcibly wove a seamless dream barrier around Chen Zhou.
The death qi constantly attacking from the pool crashed against the barrier, and the vast majority was ground down into nothingness.
The few streaks that occasionally managed to bypass the barrier struck the edge of Chen Zhou’s enhanced ghost domain and failed to cause even the slightest ripple.
In the world of dreams, the Dream Demon was the sovereign.
It would not allow any outside factor to disturb Chen Zhou’s battle.
The three observers in the distance watched this scene with eyes full of astonishment.
"I didn't notice before, but he actually has a spirit beast following him..."
The woman in the palace dress murmured to herself. "It should be a fiend, but with that power to control dreams... is it a Lord of a Thousand Dreams?"
"Correct, it is a Lord of a Thousand Dreams."
The young man was already numb with shock.
"The Immortal-Slaying Shrine cannot be entered by anyone other than those of our divine path. Even a fiend whose origin is dreams should not be able to get in."
"But it did, and it can even exert such powerful strength here. It must have a very deep connection with this junior."
"To be able to subdue a Lord of a Thousand Dreams to act as a guardian..." The middle-aged man’s face was full of praise.
"With such a fierce creature helping him, the external trial is a complete joke. He only needs to focus on dealing with the big fish he hooked."
"To be honest, even I’m starting to feel a bit jealous."
"Assisted by a dream beast while fishing, protected by a Guardian Auspicious God Destiny... Tell me, could he be the illegitimate son of the Heavenly Dao?"
As if to confirm his words, phenomena suddenly began to appear around Chen Zhou’s meditative body.
First, a patch of seven-colored auspicious clouds manifested out of thin air—the sign of a Guardian Auspicious God Destiny.
Immediately following that, wisps of black smoke rose from his body.
Under the laws of the Immortal-Slaying Shrine, these wisps of black smoke quickly shed the disguise of Cloud Sea Resplendence, returning to their original form.
Golden light.
A golden light so brilliant it was blinding!
That was pure Merit, so dense it had almost materialized, coiling around Chen Zhou like a golden dragon.
"This..."
The observers’ eyes sparkled with various emotions—shock, joy, and bewilderment. Their mouths hung open wide enough to fit an egg.
"Such dense Merit?!!"
"This is even more exaggerated than last time. Is this really something that can be achieved in just two or three months?"
"Just how many living beings has he saved? How much faith has he gathered? Did he go out and mend the sky?"
The middle-aged man stared at the golden light that nearly blinded him. He took a deep breath, his tone becoming absolutely certain.
"It’s a done deal."
"With someone like him... Merit shrouding his body, a Guardian Auspicious God Destiny, and a Lord of a Thousand Dreams guarding him..."
"Even if that Wanchuan big fish is at the peak of the fifth symbiosis contract, taking it down is merely a matter of time."
Rate on N.U.
