Lord of the Earth

"His Majesty!"

"Let me lead a squad of elite troops to rush up in the chaos, seize that Demon Mother Tree, and take control of the gateway!"

Gan Ning watched the pirate ships rushing frantically toward the island, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit, and immediately asked for permission to lead the attack.

"Do not worry……"

Summer's gaze swept calmly over the pirates who were like moths drawn to a flame, his tone remaining steady and unhurried.

"Just watch for now. Let the bullets fly for a while longer..."

He then turned around and gave instructions to Qi Jiguang, his voice clearly echoing throughout the entire "Mirage".

"Pass down the order: the entire army is on high alert! All ships, activate the 'True Martial Demon-Slaying Formation' and protect your own formation... Prepare to welcome... our true 'guests,' and the hidden 'masters' of this sea!"

Faced with these pirates who had gone mad and were rushing toward the island, the Qianxia side, which had been pushing forward aggressively all the way, was in trouble.

At this moment, however, they became unusually calm and did not immediately stop these people from approaching the "Ultimate Land". Instead, the fleet slowly retreated a distance and set up a defensive formation in place.

A giant array of black tortoise and serpent phantoms enveloping the fleet began to shimmer with light, radiating an awe-inspiring and inviolable divine might!

It was as if they were on guard against something.

At this moment, the first batch of anxious pirate ships rushed onto the menacing "coastline" of the "Ultimate Land" like arrows released from a bow.

The edge of the island is not a soft sandy beach, but is covered with sharp, slippery black reefs that resemble giant snake scales.

However, the pirates, filled with greed, only had eyes for the alluring "Demon Mother Tree" and the mysterious portal at the center of the island, completely ignoring the eerie environment beneath their feet!

"Quick! That tree is just ahead!"

"Heavens! Look under that tree! There's even a 'Ten-Thousand-Year Blood Coral' with effects comparable to the blood of a true god growing there! And a 'Netherworld Dragon Soul Grass' that has already taken human form! These are all treasures for refining divine-level pills!"

A sharp-eyed pirate discovered that, in addition to the Demon Mother Tree, many rare and exquisite spiritual materials, seldom seen in the outside world, were also growing scattered on the island.

Immediately, the frenzy intensified, with everyone jumping off the boat to scramble for the prize.

"Not bad, not bad, it's actually a million-year-old seven-colored Ganoderma lucidum... Haha, we're rich now!"

A pirate captain had just grasped a Ganoderma lucidum-like plant that emitted a seven-colored glow in his hand, his face beaming with ecstasy.

This island is incredibly rich in all kinds of resources.

A simple grab on the ground is worth more than what they could earn in a year of conquering the Devil's Sea!

Even some of the more cautious pirates couldn't resist collecting it, and many fought fiercely over a "100,000-year-old spiritual plant," risking their lives in the struggle.

However, in their ecstasy, they did not realize that the surrounding night seemed to have become even deeper at this moment, and the fog on the sea was so thick that it could not be dispersed, as if some enormous creature was about to emerge from the void beneath the sea surface, or from another overlapping dimension!
"Wait... why is the ground moving?"

A demigod-level pirate who was mining spirit ore suddenly felt a creeping sensation beneath his feet!
The next moment, the surrounding "rocky ground" suddenly rose up, crushing his body and instantly turning him into a pulp.

"Ah! My hand!"

Meanwhile, another pirate with god-level cultivation touched what appeared to be an ordinary vine, but the vine instantly wrapped around his arm as if it were alive!

Immediately afterwards, the roots pierced his divine body like sharp arrows. The next moment, a terrifying suction force came, and the divine blood and his own divine soul in his body were uncontrollably lost at a rapid speed. His whole body withered up at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Immediately afterwards, the black flame-like branches and leaves of the "Demon Mother Tree" located in the crater swayed.

On a certain branch, a new, strangely shaped prototype of a "Devil Fruit" condensed at an astonishing speed, radiating an aura similar to that of a deity!

"Something's wrong, what the hell is this?!"

"Oh no, something's wrong with this place..."

Screams rang out as pirates died fighting for the spiritual herbs or being attacked by the strange plants.

Their corpses did not fall, but were quickly "swallowed" by the ground, or their flesh and blood essence turned into streaks of blood-red light, which were absorbed by the island itself and the "vines"!

"This...this Devil Fruit tree uses gods as 'seeds'...and the lives and power of all intruders as nourishment to nurture new fruits?!"

One of the more cautious demigod pirate kings, who had fallen behind, finally noticed something amiss, his voice trembling with fear.

This is because not only those weak pirates in the Holy Realm, but even the divine power and soul essence of several god-level pirate leaders who unfortunately perished were greedily absorbed by the Demon Mother Tree after their deaths, just like rivers flowing into the sea, and in the blink of an eye, they condensed into "devil fruits" on the tree!
"Hmph, who cares about that demonic tree! The treasure behind that door is the real one! This place belongs to me, 'Sea Rending King'!"

A pirate king, as burly as an iron tower and possessing cultivation at the level of a top-tier deity, wielded a giant axe the size of a door panel, cleaving through the strange vines along the way, and charged ahead towards the central volcano.

The allure of this "Devil Fruit Tree" is an almost irresistible temptation for non-god-level beings.

In fact, for those god-level pirate kings, their greater goal is the gateway to "Takamagahara" above the crater!

That place signifies greater power, longer lifespan, and even the opportunity to become a god or ancestor!

His actions ignited the greed of the remaining god-level powerhouses.

"Get out of my way! This treasure is mine!"

"Hmph, do you think you can handle that?"

"kill!"

In an instant, dozens of "god-level" pirate powerhouses engaged in a fierce battle in this "ultimate place" for the qualification to be the first to approach the gate!

The sounds of divine power clashing, the clang of weapons striking each other, and the dying roars and screams of gods filled the air. The violent energy surge tore through the clouds, turning night into day! However, this powerful clash, with its overwhelming force, seemed to have failed to destroy the somewhat "grotesque" rocks on the island...

This somewhat "abnormal" situation should alert ordinary people.

However, none of them realized, or rather, they deliberately ignored, driven by greed.

Just as the remaining, most powerful, top-tier god-level pirate kings finally broke through numerous obstacles and approached the crater, their eyes gleaming with a fanatical light as they prepared to seize the treasure, and they all unleashed their "divine forms" to capture the "gateway"—

A sudden change occurred!

Boom!

The entire island "mountain range" seemed to come alive all at once. The layers of "snake scale" rocks covering the surface peeled away, revealing a terrifying body covered with slimy black scales and bulging muscles. The seawater around the island surged wildly, forming a huge whirlpool, and the "volcano" that had always been coveted...

At this moment, it also opened with a roar...

Suddenly, several huge fangs appeared, instantly piercing through the body of a "deity" who was trying to "seize the door"!

"what is this?"

Just as the "Eastern Heavenly Gate" is guarded by a blue dragon, how could the "Takamagahara" gate be without any protection?

In the summer's "quasi-god" insightful vision, the abnormality of this "volcano" had long been noticed. The huge crater that constantly spewed black smoke and fire was not a natural landform at all, and the life fluctuations emanating from its depths were enormous and evil.

That was clearly the gaping maw of a terrifying giant serpent whose strength had reached the pinnacle of godhood, and even faintly touched the threshold of quasi-godhood, waiting for its prey. Inside was not magma, but a bottomless throat that exuded a strong fishy smell and destructive energy. Thick, highly corrosive saliva dripped down like a waterfall, instantly melting the god-level armor on the "pirate king"!
"No! My divine kingdom! Block them out!!"

This deity is known as the "Sea King".

After feeling himself locked by an invisible force field and his body falling uncontrollably toward the "snake's mouth," he let out a roar of extreme shock and rage.

He desperately channeled his divine power, causing the void behind him to tremble violently, and a secret realm filled with sacred aura appeared in the void.

That is his own divine kingdom!
Within this divine kingdom, there was a surging, blood-red ocean, and countless devout and fanatical saints kneeling and praying on islands piled with bones, offering their faith; and there was also his most elite pirate war spirit legion, clad in spirit armor, wielding sharp blades, uttering silent battle roars!
This is the culmination of his life's work, the source of his strength, and his final bulwark!

The laws within the divine kingdom shone, attempting to resist the devouring power from the outside world. The sea of ​​blood surged with towering waves, transforming into a solid barrier. The prayers of countless saints converged into a golden curtain of faith, layer upon layer protecting the divine kingdom. The pirate war spirit legion formed a massive battle formation, burning their soul power and pouring their strength into their god!

However, before that "snake mouth" that seemed capable of swallowing stars and obliterating the world.

All this resistance seems so pale and powerless!

"Crack——!"

First to shatter was the light curtain of faith, breaking into pieces like fragile glass. The saints kneeling and praying within the divine realm instantly bled from all seven orifices, their bodies transforming into the purest specks of faith amidst desperate wails, forcibly extracted and torn apart.

Immediately afterwards, the Blood Sea Barrier was like water flowing into a black hole, forcibly pulled and twisted, forming a huge vortex that surged uncontrollably toward the Serpent's Kiss!

The foundations of the Kingdom of God began to crumble, the earth cracked, and the sky was filled with fissures!
"No!"

The Sea King's eyes were bloodshot as he sensed that his connection with the divine kingdom was being forcibly severed and devoured by an extremely tyrannical force.

In the blink of an eye, the once solemn and majestic divine kingdom, which contained the rudiments of a world, was like a burst bubble. Everything inside—saints, legions, accumulated resources, and even the divine soul imprint that was imprinted on the core of the divine kingdom—was swallowed up by the giant serpent!
The flesh and soul of the Sea King himself were also stripped away and dissipated like weathered rocks under the combined effects of the backlash from the collapse of the divine kingdom and the terrifying suction from the outside world.

In the end, only a bloodcurdling scream filled with endless regret and fear remained!
"Oh no, this is a trap!"

"Supreme deity, this island is the body of a giant serpent..."

The same scene played out on several other top-tier, god-like pirate kings.

A pirate king skilled in manipulating storms, whose divine kingdom is a perpetually stormy sea of ​​clouds.

At this moment, the thunderclouds were torn apart, the wind spirits wailed and dissipated, and the entire divine kingdom was as if it had been crushed by an invisible giant hand, along with the flock of thunderbirds and the storm giant guards that it had been raising, all of which were turned into nourishing nutrients.

Another pirate king known for his mystery and curses has his divine realm hidden in the shadow plane.

But at this moment, the shadows were forcibly illuminated and torn apart, and countless vengeful spirits and curses melted away like ice and snow. The divine kingdom, like a vampire exposed to the sunlight, vanished in an instant.

The shattering of the divine kingdom was not merely the demise of the physical body, but also the complete erasure of its very foundation. The wealth they had accumulated, the power they had cultivated, the laws they had constructed, and even some of the traces that existed in the memories of their believers were all greedily absorbed and transformed by the giant serpent and the enormous demonic mother tree at this moment!
As these god-level powerhouses and their divine kingdoms were devoured, the demon mother tree rooted on the serpent's head swayed violently, its black branches and leaves shaking as if in excitement.

Above the tree canopy, the previously formed Devil Fruit rudiments rapidly matured and solidified, their surfaces displaying more complex and profound patterns of rules, radiating a chilling energy fluctuation. In particular, the fruits corresponding to those top-tier deities emitted a "mysterious yellow" light of rules...

"Oh no, how come so many poisonous snakes suddenly rushed out?"

If even the most powerful deities are like this, then it goes without saying that ordinary pirates are no exception. Those pirates who are seriously injured or exhausted in the struggle for treasure are quickly devoured or poisoned by the strange plants that are everywhere on the island, or by small snakes made of shadow and poison that suddenly emerge from the crevices of the "snake scale" rocks...

Their life energy was completely transformed into nourishment for the "Demon Mother Tree"...

Blood stained the black reefs, tattered flags fluttered in the bloody wind, and the once noisy and chaotic landing site quickly turned into a purgatory of death and despair. The number of pirates decreased at an alarming rate, as if a grand "purge" was taking place!
"Crash!"

At that moment, the white bone portal floating above the Snake Mouth Volcano suddenly shone brightly.

Following closely behind, several powerful figures exuding divine aura stepped out from within.

The leader was clad in menacing dark armor, with the famous sword "Onikiri" hanging at his waist, and his eyes were cold.

It was none other than Oda Nobunaga, the ruler of the "Heavenly Demon Dynasty" and known as the "Sixth Heavenly Demon King"!
He stood atop the massive, mountain-like serpent head that slowly rose, looking down at the island below, now a desolate wasteland littered with wreckage.

And the combined fleet of the Qianxia and Yanming dynasties, which were waiting in the distance.

A knowing smile spread across his face, and his voice, carried clearly by the sea breeze, reached the "mirage":
"Emperor Xia has arrived as promised, and has presented these brutal, tyrannical, and ignorant pirates as a 'gift' to my Heavenly Demon Dynasty... We are truly grateful!" (End of Chapter)