Chapter 189: Target Tony Clark
While the human world remained busy discussing rankings, alliances, resources, and the upcoming World Tree Blessing, deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, the Demonic Sea Tribe was preparing for something entirely different.
The enormous crystal plaza at the center of the sea tribe settlement had become crowded with warriors. Sixty-six selected participants stood in organized rows beneath the glow of countless underwater crystals.
Every one of them had earned a qualification slot through the tribe’s internal selection process, and every one of them represented the future generation of the Demonic Sea Tribe.
At the front stood Ancestor Luka.
Her wrinkled face carried none of the excitement visible among human organizations.
The pressure released by the old woman immediately silenced the entire plaza.
"Listen carefully."
Her voice wasn’t loud. Yet every warrior heard it clearly.
"The human forces are currently celebrating. They are discussing treasures. They are discussing inheritances. They are discussing opportunities."
A mocking smile appeared on her face.
"Idiots."
Luka slowly raised her hand. Several elders immediately stepped forward carrying dozens of enormous storage conches.
Unlike the human storage bags distributed by the Octopus Organization, these conches were unique treasures of the Demonic Sea Tribe. Each one had been refined using ancient methods passed down through generations and possessed far greater storage capacity than ordinary equipment.
The conches floated through the air and landed beside each selected participant.
The warriors immediately attached them to their waists.
Luka continued.
"I don’t care about treasures."
Silence.
"I don’t care about resources."
More silence.
"I don’t care about inheritances."
Several younger disciples looked surprised.
Then Luka’s eyes became cold.
"What I care about is reducing human numbers."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
The murderous intent hidden beneath her words became obvious.
"If you remove the human participants, the resources inside the World Tree naturally belong to our Demonic Sea Tribe."
The logic was simple.
Brutal.
Effective.
Several sea warriors immediately smiled.
Now that sounded like a proper mission.
Luka slowly began walking before the gathered disciples.
"The World Tree is large."
"Very large."
"Large enough for accidents."
The corners of her mouth curled upward.
"Very unfortunate accidents."
Many of the younger warriors immediately understood.
No further explanation was necessary.
The sea tribe had never been friendly toward human organizations.
The upcoming World Tree merely provided another battlefield.
Eventually Luka stopped before three particularly powerful disciples.
One was a giant warrior covered in blue scales.
The second carried a pair of crescent-shaped blades.
The third was a silent young woman whose eyes never revealed emotion.
The surrounding participants immediately became serious.
These three represented the strongest combatants of the younger sea generation.
Luka’s gaze settled on them.
"I have a separate mission."
The three immediately bowed.
The old woman’s eyes narrowed.
"Tony Clark."
The name immediately attracted attention.
After all, the Golden Flag Champion had become famous even among the sea tribes.
Luka continued.
"And the bald monk."
The three nodded.
No questions.
No hesitation.
The giant warrior grinned.
"We’ll bring back their heads."
Luka shook her head.
"Don’t underestimate them."
The warning immediately surprised everyone present.
Very few people received such caution from Ancestor Luka.
The old woman folded her arms behind her back.
"The monk is strange."
"The Clark boy is even stranger."
Her thoughts briefly drifted toward the suspicious reports she had received recently.
The missing hours.
The deep sea incident.
The accelerated blooming.
None of it proved anything.
Yet her instincts continued warning her.
Something about Tony Clark felt wrong.
Eventually Luka dismissed the matter.
The World Tree would provide answers.
One way or another.
After another hour of instructions, warnings, and mission assignments, the gathering finally ended.
The selected warriors began returning to their residences.
Excitement filled the settlement.
Tomorrow.
Everything would begin tomorrow.
Soon only two people remained inside the crystal plaza.
Luka.
And Elsa.
The beautiful sea tribe genius stood calmly beneath the crystal lights while waiting for the others to leave completely.
Only then did Luka wave her hand.
A storage ring appeared.
Unlike the ordinary rings used throughout the martial world, this one was crimson in color and covered in ancient sea runes.
Elsa’s eyes widened slightly.
"Ancestor?"
Luka tossed the ring toward her.
Elsa caught it.
The moment her spiritual sense entered the ring, her breathing stopped.
A jade manual rested inside.
Its cover shimmered with ancient blue light.
Powerful fluctuations leaked from its surface.
The title alone caused her heart to race.
Ocean God’s Phantom Tide Steps.
Elsa’s pupils contracted.
Sky Rank.
A genuine Sky Rank movement technique.
Not a fragment.
Not an incomplete inheritance.
A complete Sky Rank movement art.
Luka watched her reaction calmly.
"Open it."
Elsa immediately obeyed.
Several pages turned.
The deeper she looked, the more shocked she became.
Every movement.
Every transition.
Every concept.
The complexity far exceeded anything she had practiced before.
Luka finally spoke.
"This technique once belonged to a sea king."
Elsa slowly looked up.
The old woman pointed toward a crystal container floating nearby.
Inside rested a crimson pearl the size of a human fist.
The pearl released terrifying fluctuations.
"The Red Sea Pearl."
Even Elsa had heard stories regarding the treasure.
A supreme cultivation resource available only once every several generations.
Luka’s expression became serious.
"I want you to use it tonight."
Elsa immediately understood.
The old woman wasn’t merely giving her a technique.
She was giving her an opportunity.
A chance.
A chance to transform before entering the World Tree.
Luka’s next words carried unmistakable expectations.
"Master the first stage before tomorrow."
Elsa nodded.
The old woman continued.
"Inside the World Tree, speed matters. You must get those seeds."
Elsa immediately remembered the ancient records. The true treasures of the World Tree. The seeds capable of changing destinies.
Luka stepped closer.
"I don’t care who obtains inheritances... I don’t care who becomes famous... I don’t care who wins battles." The old woman pointed toward the jade manual. "I only care that you become the fastest person inside."
A smile slowly appeared on Elsa’s face. Then she looked toward the title again.
’Ocean God’s Phantom Tide Steps...’
Even reading the name felt powerful. The excitement inside her chest became impossible to suppress.
***
Meanwhile...
Thousands of kilometers away, inside the Clark Family estate, another cultivation session was reaching a critical point.
Outside a heavily protected meditation chamber, Tony’s personal servant Mary stood anxiously while holding a communication device.
The poor girl had already arrived three times.
And failed three times.
The academy had issued another summons regarding tomorrow’s preparations.
The selected participants were expected to attend.
The problem was simple.
Tony wasn’t answering.
Mary stared helplessly at the sealed cultivation chamber.
"Young Master..."
No response.
She knocked lightly.
Nothing.
Another knock.
Still nothing.
Inside the chamber, Tony couldn’t hear a single word.
His entire consciousness had entered a strange state.
Golden Buddhist symbols floated around him.
Ancient chants echoed endlessly throughout the room.
The Buddhist Origin Relic Fragment obtained from the bald monk’s reward had already merged halfway into his spiritual sea.
Every second brought new insights.
The fragment wasn’t increasing his cultivation.
It was strengthening his mind... Tempering his will... Refining his spirit.
At the same time, the Dragon Bone Tempering Pool granted by the system had transformed the chamber into a miniature dragon domain.
Golden liquid covered Tony’s body.
Ancient dragon runes moved beneath his skin.
His muscles continuously broke apart and reformed.
His bones released faint cracking sounds as impurities were expelled and replaced by increasingly powerful structures.
The process should have been painful.
Excruciatingly painful.
Yet Tony remained completely immersed in cultivation.
Because he had already discovered something extraordinary.
The Buddhist relic and Dragon Bone Tempering Pool weren’t conflicting.
They were complementing one another.
One tempered the body... One tempered the soul.
The combination created results neither reward could achieve alone.
Hours passed.
The night deepened.
Outside, Mary eventually sat beside the door with a defeated expression.
Inside, golden dragon energy and ancient Buddhist light continued intertwining around Tony’s body.
Neither he nor anyone else realized that tomorrow’s gathering would proceed without him once again.
And somewhere far beyond the horizon, the giant golden pod surrounding the World Tree released another massive crack that illuminated the night sky.
Tomorrow... The waiting would finally end.
