This was too absurd...
But Rhett couldn't dwell on it for long. After observing the patterns on the ground for a while, he said, "I've studied most of these runes, and it seems this one is primarily for healing injuries. However, without the proper formula, it's impossible to determine its exact effect, the medium required, or its duration and other aspects."
Taking a deep breath, Rhett's thoughts began to clear. "How do you think Tymos' research on alchemical fusion compares to yours?"
"He's not as good as me!" Heisenberg's voice was firm and resolute. "In the field of alchemical fusion, no one in the world understands it better than I do! Although I don't know why Tymos has also mastered this knowledge, it's likely due to the assistance of the Undead Patriarch. With his help, it's no surprise Tymos could achieve this."
Rhett shrugged. "Alright, I believe you. But there's one last favor I need to ask of you."
Heisenberg's face showed curiosity. "What is it?"
"Introduce me to the Merfolk King."
At the Gale Sea.
The fierce wind howled like an enraged demon, never ceasing.
Rhett stood still in mid-air, allowing the strong wind to whip at his clothes. He remained motionless, as solid as a boulder.
Looking out over the endless sea, with birds flying and fish leaping from the water, Rhett couldn't help but feel something indescribable in his heart.
Who would have thought that this Gale Sea would later become known as the Storm Sea?
Located in the eastern part of the East Blue Sea, the coordinates and area were almost identical, yet at this time, the stormy, thunderous waves of the future had yet to form. The current weather was bright and sunny, with no sign of the violent thunderstorms that would later plague the region.
Though gusts of wind blew constantly, the sky was cloudless, the sun bright, and the scene held a unique beauty.
At this moment, Rhett was filled with doubt. "Could this space have unique properties? Even minor spatial disturbances could affect the real world. Is it possible that other regions remain stable and unaffected?"
As he silently pondered, the surface of the sea began to stir with an unusual ripple.
Rhett's attention shifted. He refocused his mind and gazed toward the shoreline, where something strange was happening.
A small, rainbow-colored fish had washed up onto the shore with the rising tide.
Oddly, while other sea creatures like shrimp and crabs retreated with the tide, this colorful fish remained, glowing with radiant light before transforming into a tall humanoid figure with a fish's head.
Covered in multicolored scales, with blue pupils set in white eyes, the humanoid man warily observed Rhett floating in the sky before speaking, "Are you the one Heisenberg said wanted to see me?"
Rhett slowly descended from the sky, a smile playing on his lips. "Merfolk King, I've long heard of your fame. Seeing you in person confirms your extraordinary presence."
Though Rhett's words were polite, the Merfolk King's eyes gleamed with suspicion. "Who are you? Why have I never seen you before? No, you're not a newly ascended Saint. Strange… none of the human Saints I know are like you."
"Haha, why can't I be like you merfolk, descending here from another world?" Rhett half-joked, half-seriously.
To his surprise, the Merfolk King actually considered this possibility for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think so... Your aura is too closely aligned with this world. You're not an outsider. Strange..."
Rhett raised an eyebrow. Was the Merfolk King admitting that he was from another world? Though this had long been rumored, hearing it confirmed firsthand made Rhett more confident in his assumptions.
"Enough. Humans are always scheming and hiding things. Maybe you've just been in hiding all this time. What do you want from me today? Hmph, if you're here to convince me to hand over control of the sea like those others, forget it." The Merfolk King thought for a moment but chose not to dwell on Rhett's origins. His face turned cold, as though preparing for battle.
Rhett couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement. He was curious to test the Merfolk King's strength, but after a moment of consideration, he realized that rushing into a fight might cause him to miss out on important information.
With a sigh, Rhett responded calmly, "I'm not interested in that. You can rest easy."
The Merfolk King looked puzzled. "Then what is it you want?"
"I'm curious about the origins of your merfolk race. I've heard that you emerged a century ago, and within just a hundred years, you've taken half the world from humanity's control." Rhett's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "So, can you satisfy my curiosity? Where did your people come from?"
Hearing this, the Merfolk King's expression changed, and his tone carried a hint of anger. "Hmph, so that's what you're after. Let me be clear: when we descended, we lost most of our memories. Don't think you can get any information about the merfolk from me. And tell your fellow humans this: if they know what's good for them, they'll stop bothering us. Maybe then we'll return the seas willingly one day. Otherwise… they'll have to face the consequences."
Rhett frowned at the veiled threat. The Merfolk King's insistence was proving troublesome.
"Is there really no room for further discussion?" Rhett's voice turned cold.
"Human, my patience has limits. I'll forgive your provocative words, but only if you disappear from my sight in the next second..."
The Merfolk King's face darkened, and his body began to glow with a radiant, seven-colored light. Though it appeared similar to elemental energy, the aura it exuded was vastly different.
It was clear that if Rhett pushed any further, the Merfolk King would unleash a devastating attack.
"So, you choose punishment over persuasion… Very well, don't blame me for being ruthless..." Rhett muttered to himself as he summoned the power of his mystical abilities.
The air rippled with a sudden surge of power.
Sensing the shift, the Merfolk King's expression twisted in fury. His scales shimmered even more brilliantly, and in an instant, he transformed into a rainbow-colored streak, rushing directly at Rhett.
But just as the Merfolk King reached top speed, Rhett's gravity field fully activated.
The Merfolk King, who had been moving as fast as a blur, suddenly slowed as though stepping from an ice rink into a mud pit. His movements became sluggish, like a turtle wading through a swamp.
"Impossible… A perfect-level gravity field? Which human could have possibly mastered such a technique?"
The Merfolk King's eyes widened in shock, bulging like a dead fish's eyes. His face twisted in fear as he realized he was dealing with a force on par with the legendary Tymos.
The seven-colored scales on his body reflected light, shooting beams in all directions. These beams carried a formidable energy that instantly shattered the gravity field restraining him.
Freed from the constraints, the Merfolk King vanished.
Yes, he disappeared completely from Rhett's view.
Rhett was stunned. What kind of power was this? Spatial teleportation? The rainbow-colored glow had vanished so suddenly, leaving Rhett caught off guard.
As he quickly reviewed the details of the fight and tried to guess the conditions for the Merfolk King's abilities, a sudden warning bell rang in Rhett's mind—a life-threatening danger loomed.
In an instant, a chill ran down his spine, and his hair stood on end. Instinctively, Rhett activated his dispersion technique!
Even so, he felt his mental energy draining rapidly, as if a dam had burst.
A long spear pierced through his chest, radiating a strange, powerful energy that exerted pressure on both his body and soul.
Even though Rhett had used his dispersion ability, the drain on his mental energy was immense—far greater than in any previous battle.
"Die… you foolish human!"
The Merfolk King's voice, filled with killing intent, echoed from behind him.
But in the next moment, the Merfolk King cried out in shock, "What? Dispersion at a perfect level? You've mastered two perfect techniques?!"
Rhett no longer held back. He now regarded the Merfolk King as an opponent more dangerous than even the Beast King or the Blood God Sect leader.
His body, now like a mass of yellow sand, whirled around as Rhett swiftly turned, locking the Merfolk King in his grasp. At the same time, he activated his consolidation technique, making his body as tough and unyielding as stone.
Even though the Merfolk King realized something was wrong, he couldn't escape in time.
A terrifying, buzzing shockwave radiated from Rhett's body, causing the entire area to tremble under its pressure.
The Merfolk King, caught so close, suffered the full brunt of the force.
His colorful scales shuddered violently, blood seeping from the cracks, while a muffled cry of pain escaped his throat.
"So… much pain…"
The Merfolk King's eyes turned bloodshot, his face contorted in agony. He struggled with all his strength and finally managed to break free from Rhett's grip, retreating several hundred meters away.
At this point, his once radiant body was now a battered mess, covered in wounds and drenched in blood.
Luckily, the vitality of a Saint is incredibly strong, and the Merfolk King's life force, being at this level, was extraordinary. His wounds healed rapidly, almost visibly, and the blood evaporated swiftly.
However, the fear and caution in his eyes did not diminish; instead, they intensified! "I admit, your strength is formidable, perhaps the greatest of our time. The others aren't even worthy of carrying your shoes," the Merfolk King said warily, keeping a close eye on Rhett. "But I warn you, don't push me too far. While I may not be your match, if I choose to flee, evading your pursuit would be all too easy. Are you not concerned that I could slaughter humans at will?"
Afraid? Of course I'm afraid, but this isn't the real world… Rhett smirked coldly and replied firmly, "If you dare try such a thing, don't blame me for exterminating the merfolk race and making sure the plans of those behind you come to nothing!"
The Merfolk King's expression shifted drastically. "What plans? I don't understand what you're talking about. Just name your conditions. How can we achieve peace? Do you want merfolk labor? Or for us to give up part of the sea territory? None of that is a problem!"
Rhett's cold smile remained unchanged. Seeing the Merfolk King retreat, he did not stop but pressed harder, step by step, with an imposing aura.
"This ocean belongs to humanity by right. Returning it entirely is the only reasonable option. When did you think it was up to you to decide?"
The Merfolk King's face darkened, becoming as cold as ice. "So, what do you want to do? Insist on mutual destruction? I acknowledge your unparalleled combat power, but your speed is your weakness. You may protect yourself, but what about the others? Can you stay by their side at all times?"
The air rippled slightly.
A spike silently condensed in the air, and just as the Merfolk King tensed up, it shot forward, piercing his left arm.
Originally, the strike should have aimed for his heart.
But the Merfolk King's reaction was astonishing. At the last second, he twisted his body, narrowly dodging a fatal blow. Still, a cry of pain echoed as the attack hit.
"Ah!"
The spike had pierced his left arm, leaving a gaping hole where a chunk of flesh the size of a bowl had vanished, a gruesome sight.
"D-dissolution mastery… perfect dissolution mastery… the fifth perfect mastery!" The Merfolk King stammered, trembling as he looked at Rhett as if seeing a monster.
"Earth mastery perfected... You actually achieved it. This might be the first time in human history someone has reached this level…"
The Merfolk King muttered to himself, his expression full of complexity. Why was such an extraordinary talent in the enemy camp, rather than on his side?
"Now… can you talk?"
Rhett slowly approached the Merfolk King, and with every step he took, the Merfolk King's heart thudded, so much so that he was too terrified to move.
The Merfolk King swallowed nervously. While this monster's terrifying strength was bad enough, the worst part was that Rhett truly didn't seem to care about the fate of others…
But the Merfolk King did care!
That was what made him most afraid. If he couldn't defeat Rhett in single combat, he could at least target his allies. Yet now, it seemed that this plan wouldn't work.
Swallowing hard again, the Merfolk King took a deep breath and said, "What do you want to know…? But let me be clear: I don't know much. When I awakened, my mind was a blank slate, so I can't tell you about my origins."
Rhett was surprised, thinking for a moment. "Then what is your ultimate goal?"
"I don't know… I just know that we must keep expanding the merfolk's power and propagate our race. Some instinctive mission tells me that's all we need to do," the Merfolk King said, gazing up at the sky, speaking as if to himself.
"What is the purpose of the rainbow shell?" Rhett suddenly asked after a brief silence.
The Merfolk King was startled, his eyes flashing with caution. "Why do you ask about that? It's an extremely important artifact. There's no way I'll hand it over to you, even if you kill every last merfolk!"
Rhett shook his head. "Relax, I'm not here to take your artifact. I just want to know everything about it."
The Merfolk King remained on guard, ready to flee at any moment, but he finally started to speak:
"Hm, that shell has been with me since I awakened. In the first few years, it seemed to stabilize a spatial rift through which all the merfolk came."
"Beyond that, just by keeping it near me, all merfolk are able to grow rapidly. Even just being in its vicinity offers some benefits. You could say it's a sacred object for the merfolk. It's useless for humans or any other creatures in your world!"
By the end, the Merfolk King didn't forget to emphasize that this object was only valuable to the merfolk.