Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

Baili Cang finally spoke.

"King Qin Guang is quite skilled."

Baili Cang has lived for over eighty years and has witnessed the fall of too many geniuses and the rise of too many powerful figures.

He turned his head and looked at Qingxuanzi, Jingxiao Zhenren, and Wudu Zhenren.

His gaze was calm, yet profound.

"Gentlemen, have you finished testing them?"

The representatives of the three giant islands all changed color at the same time.

Qing Xuanzi coughed lightly and quickly stood up. His smile was somewhat stiff, and he twirled his whisk three times in his hand before stopping.

"Mr. Baili is too kind," he said, cupping his hands in greeting. "Li Tianxiao's recklessness is his own fault and has nothing to do with anyone else."

"It has nothing to do with others?"

Baili Cang said calmly, his gray eyebrows slightly raised.

"Then why didn't any of the three of you stop it?"

Qingxuanzi was speechless.

Master Whale Roar clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice still like muffled thunder, but his imposing aura was noticeably diminished: "Li Tianxiao is impetuous, and we were unable to stop him in time. We hope that you, sir, will understand."

Baili Cang snorted.

The hum was very soft, but it made everyone present feel a jolt in their eardrums and a squeeze in their heart as if it had been gripped by an invisible hand.

He did not pursue the matter further.

Bailicang turned to Ouyang Feiying.

"King Qin Guang, the King of the East Sea means that the people of the East Sea should discuss matters among themselves."

He paused, his gaze falling on Ouyang Feiying's face, as if confirming something.

"If you have the ability, you should naturally get a share. But a 30% toll is indeed too high."

Ouyang Feiying and Yang Dingtian exchanged a glance.

Yang Dingtian stood behind him the whole time, from the start to the end of the battle, without moving or saying a word.

At this moment, Yang Dingtian nodded slightly.

"25%," Ouyang Feiying said.

Bailicang looked at the representatives of the three giant islands.

Qingxuanzi was the first to speak, his smile returning to its usual composure: "No objection to Penglai Island."

Master Whale Roar pondered for a moment, then clasped his hands and said, "Whale Island agrees."

His tone was crisp, but a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes—though he hid it well, and it vanished in an instant.

The Five Poisons Master said hoarsely, "Ten Thousand Snake Island has no objections either."

He opened his eyes, lingered on Ouyang Feiying's face for a moment, and then closed them again.

Baili Cang nodded.

"Then it's 25%. The original territory of the Sea Sand Gang will belong to the Underworld, and the salt transport route will be under the jurisdiction of the Underworld. Passing merchant ships will pay a 25% toll."

His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced the ears of everyone present like a nail.

"Gentlemen—do you have any objections?"

No one answered.

Li Tianxiao had just struggled to his feet from the rubble, blood still dripping from the corner of his mouth, his face ashen. His arms hung limply at his sides, still trembling slightly—Ouyang Feiying's palm strike had injured his meridians, and it would take at least three months to recover.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But seeing Ouyang Feiying's indifferent gaze, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He didn't dare say another word.

"Then it's settled."

Bai Li Cang made the final decision.

Ouyang Feiying sat down again, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.

After the alliance meeting on Penglai Island ended, the Underworld's "Netherworld" ship sailed back to Iron Shark Island.

Ouyang Feiying stood at the bow of the ship.

Yang Dingtian walked to his side and stood beside him.

After a moment of silence, Yang Dingtian finally spoke.

"King Qin Guang".

"With today's battle, the Underworld has finally gained a firm foothold in the East Sea."

"But the attitudes of the three giant islands and the King of the East Sea," Yang Dingtian emphasized, "still need to be observed."

Ouyang Feiying nodded.

The nod was so light it was almost imperceptible, but Yang Dingtian knew he had taken it to heart.

"None of these three are easy to deal with."

Ouyang Feiying finally spoke, his voice even.

"Qing Xuanzi appears aloof, but in reality, he is the most cunning. Jingxiao Zhenren appears rough and bold, but he is the most cautious when he makes a move—if he were the first to jump out today, Li Tianxiao would not dare to act. As for Wudu Zhenren..."

He squinted slightly, and the moonlight condensed into two cold stars in his eyes.

"That old poisoner barely opened his eyes from beginning to end, but every time he did, he was looking for my vital points. He was looking for my weakness."

Yang Dingtian felt a chill run down his spine, and his fist clenched involuntarily, his knuckles making a slight clicking sound.

"What about the King of the East Sea?"

When he asked the question, there was a hint of seriousness in his voice that he himself didn't even realize.

Ouyang Feiying remained silent for a moment.

A sea breeze blew, causing the strands of hair on his forehead to flutter slightly. His gaze remained fixed on the horizon where the sea met the sky, as if trying to pierce through the darkness to see some distant place.

"Baili Cang is a Grandmaster at the fifth level."

He finally spoke, his voice a few decibels lower than before, as if he were talking to himself.

"But before the King of the East Sea—he was merely a messenger."

Yang Dingtian's breath hitched slightly.

He was waiting for Ouyang Feiying to continue.

Ouyang Feiying slowly turned his head and met Yang Dingtian's gaze.

In that instant, Yang Dingtian saw a fleeting look of seriousness in his eyes—not fear, not worry, but an instinctive alertness in the face of an unknown and powerful enemy.

"The cultivation level of the King of the East Sea..." Ouyang Feiying said slowly and deliberately, "is unfathomable."

"Stronger than a peak Grandmaster?" he asked, his voice slightly strained.

"I'm afraid it's more than that."

Ouyang Feiying shifted his gaze from his face back to the sea. His tone returned to its usual calm, but every word he spoke felt as heavy as lead:

"Beyond the Grandmaster realm, there are even higher levels. Before the arrival of the Golden Age, these old monsters remained dormant. But the fact that the King of the East Sea could remain unmoved in Haizhou Prefecture for decades was not due to luck."

Yang Dingtian fell silent.

He recalled Baili Cang's demeanor at the alliance meeting earlier that day—sitting motionless, his gray robes unfurled, his aura as unfathomable as an abyss at the fifth level of the Grandmaster realm. Such an existence was merely "an envoy" before the King of the East Sea.

So, what kind of terrifying existence must the King of the East Sea himself be?

"He won't take action as long as we don't cross his bottom line."

Yang Dingtian nodded, slowly opening his fist, leaving a few shallow nail marks on his palm. His gaze held a heavy weight—responsibility, and pressure.

"When the time comes, everything will become clear."

Ouyang Feiying withdrew his hand and put it back behind his back.

His voice was very soft, almost as soft as if it could be blown away by the sea breeze, yet it was like a nail that pierced Yang Dingtian's heart.

Yang Dingtian remained silent.

He simply nodded solemnly—once, twice, three times. Each nod was more forceful than the last.

The "Phantom" continued its journey.

The silvery-white trail left by the stern shimmered in the moonlight, like a path of light leading to the unknown. The sea closed in behind the ship, gradually swallowing the trail, as if nothing had ever happened.

Ouyang Feiying gazed into the depths of the sea, his eyes as unfathomable as an abyss.

Those eyes seemed to pierce through the boundless night, through layers of waves and mist, and see a future still beyond the horizon.