I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

Deep Blue Seafood Restaurant, Jianghai City.

The morning sunlight streamed into the lobby through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, but this warm light could not mask the lively, chaotic atmosphere inside the store.

"Hurry up! You there, pack up all the leftover stir-fried tentacles from yesterday! They're our rations for the road!"

"Ergou! Stop looking in the mirror! Change out of that chef's uniform and into one of our sailor suits (though it's a secondhand camouflage suit we somehow found). We're going to buy supplies, not to walk the runway!"

Jiang Li stood in the center of the hall, like a general about to lead his troops into battle (actually a foreman), loudly directing his "employees".

I'm going on a long trip today.

Objective: The Dragon Palace Ruins deep within the East China Sea.

Purpose: To purchase goods (for free).

"Boss, is it alright to leave the shop to Lao Lei (Lei Meng) alone?"

Liu Wei (Thousand-Faced Ghost) asked with some concern, carrying a huge hiking backpack (filled with various repair tools).

Although he was forced to work, he had been eating and drinking well every day during this period, and even felt that his strength was about to break through the A-level bottleneck. He also felt a sense of belonging to the store (mainly because he was afraid that if the store closed down, he would have nowhere to eat).

"Don't worry, Lao Lei is tough enough to take a lot of damage."

Jiang Li glanced back at the kitchen.

Lei Meng was shirtless, his muscles glowing with a faint golden light (a side effect of eating too much divine meat). He was wielding two cleavers, furiously attacking a pile of ordinary seafood (used as a cover) that had just been delivered. His actions were more ferocious than a vegetable chopper.

"And I left that 'brain' (Mi Go's brain) for him to guard the house. As long as it's not a nuclear attack, this shop is pretty safe."

Jiang Li patted Liu Wei on the shoulder, "This trip is a huge undertaking. I heard that the Dragon Palace is full of treasures, such as pearls, agates, gold and silver jewelry, and even giant lobsters weighing hundreds of kilograms... Just thinking about it makes my mouth water."

"Several hundred kilograms of lobster..."

Liu Wei's lips twitched slightly.

He had heard of the legend of the "Dragon Palace Ruins." It wasn't some mythical Crystal Palace at all, but an ancient "colosseum" used by the Abyss Clan to imprison and modify creatures! The monsters inside were all Gu Kings who had survived countless years of battles, and their ferocity far surpassed that of the wild monsters in the Misty Sea.

But in Jiang Li's words, it was no different from going to a seafood wholesale market.

"Alright, stop dawdling! Let's go!"

Jiang Li waved his hand.

The group of people made their way into the "dog hole" (portal) in the basement.

……

Old Wharf.

The Black Pearl (the remains of Leviathan) is already poised to set sail.

After being "fed" for a period of time (mainly by consuming too much of the remnants of abyssal creatures), the ghost ship seemed to have grown even larger. The black wooden planks on the hull gleamed with a metallic sheen, and some dark red fleshy buds even sprouted on the towering [Star Pillar] mast, making it look even more ferocious and terrifying.

"Woof!"

Big Yellow was the first to rush onto the deck, stand at the bow, and bark wildly into the sea breeze.

The collar around its neck was now inlaid with that green [Filthy Core], making it look like a Green Lantern dog from hell, emanating a toxic aura that was too dangerous to look at directly.

"Get on the boat! Hurry up!"

Wang Ergou, along with dozens of Deepsea sailors, skillfully untied the mooring ropes and raised the red flag bearing the four large characters "Deep Blue Aquatic Products".

"set sail!"

"Ugh—!!!"

The Black Pearl let out a deep roar, its black heart pounding violently, spewing out plumes of black psionic smoke, propelling the behemoth into the vast ocean.

……

Deep in the East China Sea, about 500 nautical miles from Jianghai City.

This area is usually a desolate stretch of open sea, but it has become unusually lively these past few days.

The sea was filled with all kinds of ships.

There were warships flying the flags of various countries, spy ships disguised as fishing boats, and some strangely shaped warships that were obviously modified by the Awakened.

At the center of the encirclement of these ships, on the once calm sea, stands a huge "gate of light" emitting a ghostly blue glow.

The portal was hundreds of meters high and tens of meters wide, like a spatial rift that had been forcibly torn apart. Inside, mist churned, and the outline of a magnificent underwater city could be vaguely seen.

This is the entrance to the Dragon Palace Ruins!

"I heard that the ruins were opened this time because of a change in the seabed crust, which loosened the seal."

On a destroyer flying the White Eagle Federation flag, Captain Jack (the one who was paralyzed by Jiang Li's lightning element crystal last time, now on a new ship) was holding a telescope, his face grim.

"Damn it, why are there so many people? Even the Onmyoji Association from Japan is here."

He pointed to a wooden boat not far away, with white lanterns hanging on it and several men dressed in hunting clothes sitting at the bow, and started cursing.

"Captain, when are we going in?" the first mate asked.

"What's the rush? The nail that sticks out gets hammered down!"

Jack snorted, "There's an Abyssal Giant Claw Crab (A- rank) crouching at the entrance of that portal. Whoever goes first is just throwing their life away! We can just wait and pick up the scraps."

Indeed, directly below the portal, a giant crab, the size of two tanks, was waving its pair of scissor-like claws, glaring menacingly at the surrounding ships.

Its carapace is covered with barnacles that look like human faces, each face emitting a sharp hiss, forming a visible sound barrier.

This is the watchdog of the ruins!

Just when the various forces were deadlocked and no one dared to make the first move.

"Boom!"

A thunderous roar suddenly echoed from the distant sea.

Immediately afterwards, a black wave spread outwards from this center.

"What's going on? A tsunami?"

Everyone turned to look.

A colossal, jet-black ship, radiating overwhelming ferocity, was seen cutting through the waves with an extremely tyrannical manner, hurtling towards them!

The ship was enormous, larger than any of the warships present. Its two huge eyes on the bow were still blinking, and dark red lightning crackled around its mast. It was like a moving sea monster!

"Holy crap! What...what kind of ship is that?!"

"What a terrifying aura! Even from this distance, I can feel my soul trembling!"

"That's... the Abyss Ship?! The legendary king of ghost ships?!"

Captain Jack's telescope fell to the ground again.

He immediately recognized the red flag and the excited man standing at the bow of the ship, dressed in blue overalls.

"It's him! It's that devilish chef! He's here again!!!"

Jack was so scared his legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the deck. "Quick! Get out of my way! Don't block this guy's path! Otherwise, we'll all be roasted fish fillets!"

……

Jiang Li stood at the bow of the Black Pearl, looking at the densely packed ships ahead and the huge portal of light, his eyes instantly lit up.

"Wow! It's so lively! Is this a temple fair?"

He looked at the various flags hanging on the ships; although he didn't recognize them, they all seemed very impressive.

"Looks like there really are some good things here, otherwise why would so many people come to fight over them?"

Jiang Li rubbed his hands together. "Dahuang! Ergou! Be more alert! We're here to buy goods, we can't lose face!"

"Woof!" (Don't worry, boss! Anyone who dares to steal our goods, I'll bite them to death!)

Big Yellow stood at the bow of the ship, the emerald (Core of Filth) around its neck gleaming with an eerie light, and its hairless, muscular body made it look like a menacing creature.

The Black Pearl showed no sign of slowing down, charging straight toward the portal like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep.

All the ships along the way, whether warships or ships belonging to people with superpowers, were terrified when they saw this monster ship billowing black smoke charging towards them, and they all frantically steered their rudders to avoid it.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Can't you see Deep Blue Aquaculture is on duty?!"

Wang Ergou was shouting from the bow of the boat with a megaphone, displaying an air of arrogance and swagger.

Soon, the Black Pearl rushed to the front, directly facing the portal of light.

And the Abyssal Giant Claw Crab guarding the entrance.

"roar--!!!"

The giant crab sensed the abyssal aura emanating from the Black Pearl, a aura of the same origin but at a higher level, and instinctively felt fear. But as a guardian, its duty prevented it from retreating.

It brandished its massive claws, powerful enough to sever the keel of an aircraft carrier, and roared a warning at the Black Pearl.

"Hiss—Gah—!!!"

The sound waves vibrated, and countless water columns erupted from the sea surface.

"Oh? This is the doorman?"

Jiang Li looked at the big crab and, instead of being afraid, laughed.

"Such a big crab? How much crab roe must it have?"

He swallowed hard, then turned to Liu Wei and asked, "Old Liu, do you think crabs are better steamed or spicy?"

Liu Wei: "..."

He stared at the terrifying monster covered in human faces, radiating an A-level aura, and his legs trembled.

"Boss... this crab looks pretty fierce, should we... go around it?"

"Go around it? That would be such a waste!"

Jiang Li looked at him with exasperation. "These are ingredients delivered right to our doorstep! And they're blocking our way to get supplies—that's road hogging! What's Deep Blue Seafood's principle when it comes to road hogging?"

"Is it... a physical ritual to deliver the deceased?" Wang Ergou asked tentatively.

"Wrong! It's confiscating the 'tools of the crime' (referring to the body)!"

Jiang Li corrected him.

He pulled out the butcher knife from behind his back and took off the large iron hook from his waist, which he had bought from a hardware store and was slightly bent after many battles.

"Big Yellow! Follow me! Er Gou! Get ready to set sail and retrieve them!"

At Jiang Li's command, he shot out from the bow of the ship like a cannonball.

"You audacious demon! I need your help in my cultivation (to fill my stomach)!"

While still in mid-air, Jiang Li had already swung the iron hook in his hand.

"Whoosh—"

The iron hook, with its steel cable attached, precisely hooked onto the joint of one of the giant pincers of the crab.

"Get down here!"

Jiang Liren had nowhere to grab onto in mid-air, but he managed to pull the steel cable with a strange force that defied the laws of physics.

"Snap!"

The giant crab's massive body was pulled so hard it almost flipped over.

"roar!!!"

Enraged, the giant crab unleashed its other massive claw, which slammed down like a mountain towards Jiang Li, who was suspended in mid-air.

The various factions watching from the sidelines were all stunned.

"Is that guy crazy? He dares to physically confront an A-level evil beast?"

"Oh no, we're going to turn into mincemeat!"

however.

"when--!!!"

A resounding boom, like the grandest bell.

Jiang Li didn't dodge; he simply raised the butcher knife in his hand, blade facing upwards, and withstood the blow head-on.

The giant tortoise, powerful enough to shatter steel, crashed onto the small butcher knife, yet it seemed to have struck an unshakeable mountain, remaining completely still!

On the contrary, a large gash appeared on the giant crab's claw.

"That's pretty powerful!"

Jiang Li grinned, "Too bad, I'm not one to be trifled with either!"

The terrifying energy that had accumulated within him from consuming too much flesh and blood from the abyss erupted instantly.

"Big Yellow! Bite its leg! Don't let it get away!"

"Woof!"

Big Yellow, who had been lurking in the shadows, suddenly leaped out of the void and bit one of the giant crab's legs.

The fangs, imbued with the [Filth Poison], pierced through the carapace in an instant, injecting the toxin. The giant crab's leg instantly turned black and lost sensation.

Taking advantage of the monster's momentary stiffness, Jiang Li moved.

He flipped in mid-air and landed on the giant crab's carapace.

"Let's open the can!"

Jiang Li stabbed the butcher knife in the back of his hand.

"Pfft!"

The blade pierced through the armor that even missiles couldn't penetrate, as easily as cutting tofu.

Then, he made a forceful stroke.

"Sizzle—"

With a teeth-grinding scraping sound, a large gash was forcefully torn open on the giant crab's carapace, revealing its still-pulsating internal organs and abundant crab roe.

"Holy crap! Full of yellow! Absolutely amazing!"

Jiang Li's eyes widened in disbelief.

"roar--!!!"

The giant crab let out a dying scream, frantically waving its pincers to try and tear the flea off its back.

But Jiang Li stood there as if rooted to the spot, remaining completely still no matter how much it shook.

"Don't move! If you move again, the yellow stuff will spill!"

Jiang Li stomped on its back.

"boom!"

This kick carried the power of the rule of [suppression].

The giant crab's massive body instantly went limp, as if its spine had been removed.

The battle ended so quickly that those around them didn't even have time to react.

From the moment Jiang Li jumped out to the moment the giant crab lay down, it took less than a minute.

An A-rank gatekeeper boss, just like that... got its head split open?

"Who...who is this person?"

Captain Jack Sparrow, watching from his ship in the distance, broke out in a cold sweat.

"That guy codenamed 'The Chef'... he's actually this strong?!"

"Quick! Record this! This is S-rank... no, this might be a combat performance that surpasses S-rank!"

At this moment, Jiang Li was standing on the crab shell, waving at the Black Pearl.

"Ergou! Bring the boat over here! This crab is too big; we need a crane to lift it up!"

"Also, prepare the ginger and vinegar sauce! We'll have a whole crab feast here tonight! After we're full, we'll head to that Dragon Palace thing!"

"Yes, Captain!"

The Black Pearl slowly approached, and dozens of Deepsea sailors cheered and jumped onto the crab's back, beginning their skilled cutting operations.

The surrounding ships, watching these lunatics having a party on the corpse of an A-level evil beast, were all terrified and fell silent, not daring to even breathe.

That's brutal!

This isn't an adventure; this is clearly a shopping spree!

and……

They watched the man standing on the crab's head, scooping up a spoonful of crab roe and stuffing it into his mouth with a satisfied expression.

The man seemed to exude an aura deeper than the abyss and more terrifying than an evil god.

It was the aura of... an absolute predator standing at the top of the food chain!

"Is this... the mysterious power of the East?"

A thought arose in everyone's mind:

Never mess with this chef! Absolutely not!