One Piece, I'm just an adventurer.

"Hehehe, big brother, just watch and see!" Da Pan's chubby face instantly broke into an excited smile as he confidently replied. Before he finished speaking, Da Pan's body suddenly vanished from the spot like a ghost. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of an unusually large sea beast corpse. Facing the huge sea beast remains before him, Da Pan didn't say a word. He raised the gleaming, exquisitely carved dragon staff in his hand high, and then slammed it down with all his might. A loud "bang" resounded, and the entire ground trembled violently.

In an instant, a deafening roar resounded! The once enormous and awe-inspiring sea beast corpse was instantly shattered into pieces by Da Pan's thunderous bombardment! The immense impact blasted the sea beast's corpse into pieces, with flesh and blood flying everywhere and limbs scattered all around.

As bits of flesh and blood rained down, a figure gradually emerged. Upon closer inspection, it was a small, humanoid shark! It suddenly appeared before Lin Yi and the others.

The humanoid shark looked utterly frustrated, muttering under its breath, "Damn it, I was so careless!"

It turned out that just now, it had attempted to launch a mental attack on Da Pan. After its mental power invaded Da Pan's mind, it began to exert influence and interference, trying to completely control Da Pan's thoughts.

However, to its utter surprise, Da Pan's spiritual energy was incredibly powerful! In fact, when it realized this, it already considered retreating and wanted to withdraw its spiritual energy from Da Pan's mind. Unfortunately, it was all too late.

Just as it was about to retreat, the two powerful spiritual energies collided violently! In a mere instant, its spiritual energy was easily torn apart and devoured by Da Pan's surging spiritual energy, like fragile paper. Moreover, Da Pan used this devoured spiritual energy to pinpoint its exact location. Faced with this situation, how could the humanoid shark not feel angry and furious?

The humanoid shark opened its gaping maw, its rows of incredibly sharp teeth gleaming with a chilling light, seemingly capable of crushing anything in an instant. Its eyes burned like flames, emitting a blinding red light that dared not be looked at directly. At the same time, an extremely violent energy, like a surging wave, continuously erupted from its seemingly small but immensely powerful body.

At this moment, the humanoid shark, its face contorted with rage, glared fiercely at Da Pan before it, and roared through gritted teeth, "You wretched ants! How dare you ruin my carefully planned scheme! Today, I will make sure you leave your lives here!" Before it finished speaking, the small shark couldn't wait to launch a fierce attack on Da Pan.

However, just as he was about to make his move, Da Pan's coiled dragon staff arrived like lightning, striking the humanoid shark's hideous face with overwhelming force. A crisp sound rang out, and the humanoid shark was instantly knocked to the ground by the powerful impact.

Seeing this, Da Pan mercilessly raised one foot and stomped heavily on the humanoid shark, while mocking it with a contemptuous and disdainful tone: "Hmph! With your meager strength, you think you can spare our lives? It's like a cow flying to the sky—you're really too arrogant!"

The humanoid shark, pinned beneath Da Pan's feet, felt an unprecedented humiliation. He struggled desperately, roaring, "Aaaaah! You damned bastard, let me go if you dare! Once I'm free, I'll tear you to pieces to vent my hatred!" He had never suffered such a humiliation since drinking that mysterious potion over seven hundred years ago.

"Heh." Da Pan's lips curled up slightly, letting out two cold laughs full of disdain. In an instant, his body trembled violently, and an extremely domineering and terrifying aura surged out from within him like a volcanic eruption! This aura crushed directly towards the humanoid shark beneath his feet like Mount Tai crushing an egg.

The poor humanoid shark instantly felt an unprecedented pressure, as if the entire world had collapsed and crushed it. Terrified, it tried to struggle and resist, but found its body completely immobile, forced to submit to the terrifying aura that enveloped it entirely.

"Who...who are you?" The humanoid shark managed to squeeze out the words through clenched teeth, its voice trembling with extreme fear. At this moment, even its last remaining consciousness was about to collapse; to it, Da Pan before it was like a demon god descending.

However, when confronted with the humanoid shark's questioning, Da Pan merely snorted coldly, "You are not worthy to know who I am." His words were icy and devoid of any emotion, as if the humanoid shark before him were nothing more than an insignificant ant.

Upon hearing this, the humanoid shark's last line of defense finally crumbled. Its eyes widened, and it only managed to utter one word—"You..." before its eyes rolled back and it fainted.

Seeing the humanoid shark so easily defeated and knocked unconscious, Da Pan shook his head, a hint of disappointment on his face, and muttered to himself, "How boring, this guy is so weak. I thought I could stretch my muscles a bit."

At this moment, Lin Yi walked over with a smile and patted Da Pan on the shoulder, comforting him, "Haha, Da Pan, with your strength, you've already reached the pinnacle of this world! Those who can rival you are extremely rare. This humanoid shark, for example, is at most a lieutenant general. If it weren't for its strange abilities, it would probably have been easily dealt with by those ferocious orcs long ago."

Upon hearing this, a warm and honest smile instantly bloomed on Da Pan's hairy face. This smile was as gentle and radiant as the warmest spring sunshine. To receive such clear affirmation and recognition from Lin Yi was undoubtedly a source of great joy for Da Pan.

At this moment, Da Pan was extremely happy. He excitedly bent down and tightly grabbed the humanoid shark lying on the ground. Then, he quickly stood up, holding the humanoid shark, and walked briskly to Lin Yi, asking him, "Brother, what do you think we should do with this guy?"

Lin Yi's lips curled slightly, and he chuckled before replying, "Hehe, don't rush! In my opinion, we might as well take this shark-man into the inner city first. You see, this shark-man is the real mastermind behind the sea monsters' frenzied attack on the city! If we can successfully capture him and hand him over to the people in the city, they will surely show great interest." As he said this, a subtle glint of cunning flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.

I suppose this sharkman can get some benefits from those guys in the inner city. Of course, these benefits aren't gold or silver treasures, but rather the secrets of Star Chaser Island.

As for whether the other party was willing to offer a correspondingly generous reward, Lin Yi hadn't given it much thought. After all, if persuasion failed, he still knew some martial arts.

Just then, on the inner city wall, a sea beast soldier tugged at Lang Yan's arm and said in disbelief, "Lord Lang Yan, look over there... isn't that Lin Yi and the others?" The speaker was a personal guard who had always followed Lang Yan.

Upon hearing the guard's words, Lang Yan subconsciously swallowed, but did not immediately give any reply. Instead, he stared intently in the direction of Lin Yi and the others, his eyes gleaming with intense light, muttering to himself, "Strong... truly too strong!"

The strength of these visitors from beyond the realm far exceeded his expectations! With a few swift strokes of their blades, the once ferocious beasts were easily slain as if they were fragile fruits and vegetables. Such swift skill and formidable combat power would likely even make the revered and exceptionally wise sage admit defeat.

Just then, his eyes widened suddenly, his pupils contracting sharply, for he saw a figure that utterly shocked him—the infamous villain who had appeared repeatedly in textbooks was actually standing alive before his eyes! Yes, it was the one known as the Demon Bone Sea, the legendary Great Demon. Everyone had always thought he was dead, but now he had reappeared; how could this not terrify anyone?

However, an even more astonishing scene followed. The demon bone sea, which had filled their entire race with fear and resentment for generations, was effortlessly dealt with by the newcomer in the blink of an eye! It was simply unbelievable, like a fantasy. Yet, what was happening before his eyes was so real that he couldn't help but believe it.

"Brave and fearless orc warriors, heed my command! I order you all to leave the city now and annihilate those vile sea beasts that dare to set foot on our island!" That familiar yet slightly aged voice echoed once again in the ears of the many orc soldiers.

Upon hearing the wise man's command, the beastmen's faces lit up with excited smiles. Now that the fearsome demon Bone Sea had been vanquished, the remaining sea beasts would surely pose little threat. Their moment of revenge had finally arrived!

"My men, follow me and kill!" Roars echoed through the sky as the commanders, leading the charge, raised their arms and charged like tigers descending a mountain, rushing towards the horde of sea beasts that had already suffered heavy casualties and were barely clinging to life.

"Roar! Kill! Slaughter these hideous creatures!" The orc soldiers were not to be outdone. They roared in unison, brandishing all sorts of sharp weapons, and surged towards the ferocious sea beasts like a tidal wave. For a moment, shouts of battle and roars mingled together, deafeningly loud.

Wolf Words led the charge with unparalleled bravery, his longsword flashing as it slashed precisely at the vital points of the sea beasts. In mere moments, he had slain over a dozen ferocious creatures. Then, covered in blood, he approached Lin Yi and the others.

Wolf Words first glanced quickly at the unconscious Demon Bone Sea lying on the ground, then a look of gratitude appeared on his face as he respectfully said to Lin Yi, "Thank you, Lord Lin Yi. If it weren't for your and everyone else's help this time, our Star Chasing Island would probably have been breached by these beasts long ago."

Lin Yi smiled slightly, waved his hand lightly, and replied casually, "It's just a small matter, nothing to mention. Commander Wolf is too kind."

Wolf hesitated slightly, but quickly spoke up: "It's like this, the Wise One just gave me an order, saying he wanted to see you. I wonder if Lord Lin Yi is available to meet you now?" He then looked at Lin Yi expectantly.

After a moment's thought, Lin Yi nodded in agreement. He was filled with curiosity about the many secrets hidden here, and this mysterious wise man was undoubtedly the fastest and most effective way to unravel the mystery.

Chapter 45 The Ratman Sage

After briefly explaining the relevant matters to his subordinates, Lang Yan didn't dare to delay for a moment and hurriedly led Lin Yi and his group towards the inner city.

The inner city, though built by orcs, was in no way inferior to the prosperous cities of humans. Moreover, in the realm of technology crucial to people's livelihoods, it far surpassed human cities. The railway trains that snaked through the air like silver serpents were novelties they had never seen in human cities before.

As the group stepped into the inner city streets, they were greeted by a variety of beastmen. These beastmen all had solemn expressions and were whispering among themselves, occasionally glancing out of the city in unison.

The astonishing news that the once incredibly sturdy steel walls of the outer city had suddenly sunk had spread like wildfire throughout the inner city.

This sudden turn of events plunged the city's residents into deep panic and unease. In particular, the young, spirited, and passionate orcs gripped their various weapons, ready to throw themselves into the fierce battle to defend their homeland.

In this oppressive and tense atmosphere, Lang Yan led Lin Yi and the others through the inner city gate.

When their weary yet resolute figures slowly came into view, time seemed to stand still. In an instant, countless eyes, as if drawn by a magnet, turned to them. Those gazes revealed deep fear, like helpless souls in a dark abyss, yet also held a faint but tenacious hope, like the faint glimmer of dawn on the horizon.

On one side of the street, an orc recognized Wolf's Words. His body trembled involuntarily, and his voice trembled as well: "Lord Wolf's Words, please tell us, is the battle at the front progressing smoothly?"

Upon hearing this, Lang Yan's tense expression instantly relaxed, replaced by a bright smile. He tilted his head back slightly, took a deep breath, and then shouted in a slightly excited tone, "Fellow clansmen! This fierce siege by the sea beasts has finally come to an end with our victory!"

Upon hearing this exhilarating news, the area at the inner city gate fell into a brief, deathly silence, as if frozen in place. However, just seconds later, a deafening roar of cheers erupted, like a surging torrent, instantly shattering all the silence and unease. The cheers initially echoed only at the inner city gate, but quickly spread like a plague to every corner of the entire inner city.

The orc who asked the first question stared wide-eyed, muttering to himself, "That's...that's great." He still seemed unable to believe what was happening before his eyes.

Looking at the tribesmen around him who were almost frenzied with joy, Lang Yan felt an unprecedented sense of pride welling up in his heart. Wasn't this the true meaning of his long-term silent perseverance and hard work?

Lin Yi and his companions stood quietly to the side. Although they couldn't feel the joy as deeply as the orcs, they remained silent, not wanting to disturb the orcs who were reveling in the moment. At this moment, the orcs were immersed in the joyful atmosphere, dancing and gesturing, fully releasing their inner emotions.

After a while, Lang Yan gradually recovered from his excitement. He took a deep breath, then turned around and said to Lin Yi with a slightly apologetic tone, "I'm really sorry, Lord Lin Yi. I was a bit out of control just now, please forgive me."

Lin Yi smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind, and comforted him, "It's alright, anyone would find it hard to control themselves in this situation. I completely understand how you feel. But now, shouldn't we hurry up and go find your wise man? Otherwise, if we delay any longer, we might run into some trouble when we leave." As he spoke, Lin Yi pointed to the orcs around him who were looking at him with burning curiosity.

Following Lin Yi's pointing finger, Lang Yan saw many orcs staring curiously at them, the outsiders. He smiled confidently and replied, "Haha, Lord Lin Yi, please rest assured. As long as I'm here, they definitely won't dare to surround us easily. However, to reach the location of the Wise One, we'll need a special means of transportation. So please wait here for a moment."

Seeing that Lang Yan had already said so, Lin Yi didn't say anything more.

For him, he was just grateful that the orcs didn't swarm around him and his companions. After all, they were different from the orcs, and once they got entangled, it wouldn't be so easy for them to escape.

However, the strange looks those orcs occasionally cast at them were truly unsettling. It was as if they were being treated as some kind of rare and exotic animal, filled with curiosity and a desire to explore.

Just then, a deep engine roar came from afar. Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a sleek, silver-white car slowly pull up in front of them and come to a smooth stop. The car's exterior design was exquisite, with smooth lines outlining an elegant silhouette; its interior was also unexpectedly spacious, even after accommodating all eleven of them, there was still plenty of room to spare.

Once everyone was seated, the driver lightly pressed the accelerator, and the car sped away like an arrow, leaving the orcs staring dumbfounded at the receding car.

Once Lin Yi and the others had completely disappeared from sight, the previously quiet beastmen erupted into a commotion, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

"Could those guys just now be humans from beyond the realm?" a burly orc asked first.

“You’re absolutely right! I saw pictures of humans in an ancient annals before,” another, slightly thinner orc replied smugly.

"Oh? Really? Tell us about it!" Upon hearing this, the other orcs immediately gathered around, urging him on with expectant faces.

Then, the orc cleared his throat and began to recount the story vividly: "According to this record, humans played a crucial role in our orc race's development to its current prosperity!"

"Tch~ Stop spouting nonsense! How could such a thing possibly happen!" Someone scoffed, indicating that they didn't believe the story at all.

"Hmph! Believe it or not, I didn't lie to you. You must have heard of the Saint, right?" The orc sneered and retorted.

"Of course we know that! The Holy One is the undisputed pioneer of our orc race. It is because of his guidance that we are able to live such a happy and fulfilling life today!" the orcs said in unison.

"Hehe... So are you aware that this highly respected saint is actually a human?" The orc's lips curled up slightly, revealing a mysterious smile.

The sleek hovercar streaked across the sky like a streak of light before landing steadily in a quiet and mysterious forest.

A simple and elegant three-story pavilion stands quietly deep in the forest, like a long-sleeping immortal, exuding a tranquil and solemn aura.

As soon as Lin Yi and the others got out of the car, they couldn't contain their curiosity and began to carefully look around. To their surprise, they found that apart from this solitary pavilion, there were no other buildings in sight. It was as if this pavilion was the center of this dense forest, and its only existence.

Wolf Words took the lead and led the group toward the ancient pavilion. Just as they were about to reach the pavilion's door, the tightly closed door slowly opened by itself.

Immediately afterwards, an elderly orc with a rat's head and a human body, who appeared frail and hunched over, walked out of the door. However, despite his small stature and slight hunchback, his deep and sharp eyes shone with a light that was so intense that it was impossible to look directly at them, like the brightest stars in the night sky.

"Wise One, we have arrived." Upon seeing the old man, Lang Yan immediately bowed respectfully and spoke.

The rat-headed old man nodded slightly, then his gaze swept over Lin Yi and the others. When his eyes fell on Lin Yi, he paused for a moment, seemingly showing some interest in the human youth. Then, in a deep, hoarse voice, he said, "Welcome, guests from afar."

Lin Yi felt the old man with the rat-headed head's gaze and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

He was secretly astonished, never expecting that this legendary orc sage would be a rat-man. Even more shocking was that, although the old man appeared thin and hunched, the aura he possessed was several times stronger than that of the demon bone sea he had encountered before!

"Hello, Mr. Wise Man," Lin Yi said with a smile.

"Please come in, everyone. I have ordered a feast to be prepared. Let's eat and chat," the rat-man sage said, gesturing for them to enter.

"Haha, Mr. Wise One seems to have a great understanding of our human habits." Lin Yi said happily as he stepped into Green.

Da Pan and the others smiled, surprised that they were served food as soon as they arrived.

"Hehe, I've met quite a few humans, so I know a bit about how you play," the rat-man sage chuckled, stroking his beard.

When they arrived at the dining room, several fox-clan orc maids had already set out various delicacies and fine wines on the table, awaiting their arrival.

"Please have a seat, everyone," the rat-man sage said gently, gesturing for everyone to sit down.

After Lin Yi and the others sat down, the Ratman Sage raised his wine glass and said gratefully, "Thank you all for your help to Star Chasing Island. Without you, Star Chasing Island might have fallen this time. You are the benefactors of our Beastman race, and our Beastman race will remember your great kindness for generations to come. Thank you."

After saying that, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and bowed deeply to Lin Yi and the others.

Lin Yi and the others quickly got up and helped him up, saying, "Mr. Wise One, you're too kind. It was just a small favor for us."

The Ratman Sage looked at everyone with sincere eyes and spoke with utmost earnestness: "Perhaps this is nothing more than an easy matter for you, but for our entire Beast Clan, it is as great as a life-saving grace! If you have any needs, please tell us directly, and our Beast Clan will do everything in our power to fulfill your wishes!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at the elderly man. After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled meaningfully and said, "Sir, how do you know that we have come here with ulterior motives?"

A bitter smile appeared on the Ratman Sage's face as he sighed softly, "Star Chaser Island has weathered over seven hundred years of history, during which time there have been sixteen recorded instances of humans accidentally stumbling upon this place. However, of these people, only one successfully left the island, and that was one hundred and twenty years ago. That person was named Taku, and according to you humans, he was an experienced navigator. Presumably, you were able to find this place thanks to the map he drew."

"Haha, you're right. I accidentally obtained the map he drew, and we found this place based on the map," Lin Yi said without any attempt to hide his feelings.

"Alas!" The rat-man sage sighed deeply, his gaze fixed on the group before him. He slowly spoke, "From the moment you appeared outside those steel walls, I knew perfectly well that you hadn't arrived here through the perilous spatial turbulence by normal means. You must possess some unique and mysterious method! Moreover, I suspect you've come here for that thing." With that, he gently shook his head, a hint of helplessness and regret on his face.

Upon hearing the wise rat-man's words, Lin Yi replied frankly, "That's right, wise man, you are absolutely right. We have come for this very thing. Would you be so kind as to give it to us?"

The rat-man sage was silent for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he said softly, "Very well, we have guarded this item for seven hundred years. However, to this day, it still has not hatched, which is enough to prove that it has no destiny with our orc race. In that case, handing it over to you may not be a bad choice."

This sudden and readily agreed turn out to be quite unexpected for Lin Yi. He had originally thought that it would require a difficult negotiation or struggle to achieve his goal, but he never expected that the Ratman sage would be so decisive and efficient.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Wise Man!" Lin Yi said with a happy expression.

At this moment, the Ratman Sage also wore a broad smile. There were three reasons why he was able to make this decision so decisively. First, Lin Yi had previously saved the entire Beastman race, a debt of gratitude that was deeply etched in the hearts of everyone in the race. Second, although the Beastman race had guarded that object for countless years, after over seven hundred years of dedicated research, they had made no substantial progress. Giving it up now wouldn't be too regrettable. Third, and most importantly, was the formidable strength displayed by Lin Yi and his group. Faced with such a powerful force, it was better to go with the flow and do them a favor than to confront them head-on.

Afterwards, both sides enjoyed the delicious food. Once they were full, the Ratman Sage led Lin Yi and the others to an underground secret room.

Chapter 46 Divine Beast Bai Ze