Chapter 373: Chapter 77: Divine Chosen Lord, Rapidly Leveling to 50

"We are ready!"

Leviathan’s roar sent ripples across the ocean’s surface. Its blue-gray back rose and fell gently, and droplets of water on its dorsal fin trickled down its bone spikes, splashing softly onto the shallow shore.

"Ready to serve Your Majesty at any moment!"

As it finished speaking, Kraken’s tentacles coiled gently at its sides, avoiding the reefs by the shore. Its dark purple scale armor glinted coldly in the daylight, and the suckers on each tentacle tightened in unison as if preparing to charge at a moment’s notice. Even the howling sea breeze seemed to quiet down for a moment in response to this resolute declaration.

As Divine Chosen BOSSes who had pledged 100% loyalty to Qin Feng, they knew better than anyone that Lord Tingfeng was burdened with numerous important tasks. The Sea of Storms was remote and perpetually turbulent; there was no reason for him to make a special trip here just to meet with Ocean Giant Beasts like them, who could not go ashore to fight for the Holy Empire.

Therefore, they were certain that His Majesty’s personal appearance meant there was a crucial matter that required their assistance.

Seeing this, Qin Feng didn’t waste any time. He immediately laid out his plan to exterminate the Sea Magical Beasts, explaining every detail to the three Ocean Giant Beasts who were completely loyal to him.

The salty sea breeze swept across the shore. Kraken, whom Qin Feng had designated as the "person in charge of the Sea of Storms," slowly lowered its enormous head. Its tentacles gently brushed against the gravel of the shallows as it replied in a deep voice:

"Understood!"

"Lord Tingfeng!"

"You can ride on my back, just as before. I will carry you into the depths of the Sea of Storms to annihilate those roaming Sea Magical Beasts!"

Afterward, Qin Feng stood steadily upon Kraken’s dark purple scale armor, its massive back as stable as a moving island, letting the fierce winds of the Sea of Storms whip at his robes.

Inky waves carrying chunks of ice crashed against Kraken’s tentacles, but with a gentle flick, it sent them flying for miles. The suckers at the tips of its tentacles held a few glowing Deep Sea Crystal Clusters, which provided a faint light in the dim storm.

"That school of Deep Sea Ice Fin Beasts ahead."

"Take care of them."

Qin Feng’s gaze pierced through the heavy curtain of rain as he pointed toward the churning waves to their front-left.

The moment he finished speaking, Leviathan burst from the water like a bolt of cyan lightning. As its blue-gray back sliced through the surface, ice blades instantly formed on the bone spikes of its dorsal fin, and it flung them violently toward the churning water.

Instantly, several ice spikes plunged accurately into the sea. With a muffled roar, several hundred Ice Fin Beasts, each over ten meters long, were forced to the surface. Their ice-covered bodies were still draped with the wreckage of ships, and they spewed frosty air from their massive maws.

Kraken followed close behind, its ten thick tentacles coiling around the Ice Fin Beasts like giant pythons. The barbs on its tentacles dug deep into their icy carapaces, and no matter how frantically the Ice Fin Beasts struggled, they could not break free.

Cetus, meanwhile, fanned out to encircle them. Its form—a human torso with a serpentine tail—weaved nimbly through the waves. Its tail barb struck precisely at the Ice Fin Beasts’ weak spots, its silver-white scales reflecting a cold light in the storm. The dull thud of its spear piercing flesh mingled with the roar of the ocean.

Standing on Kraken’s back, Qin Feng’s voice carried clearly through the storm to each of the giant beasts’ ears:

"Leviathan, control the left flank! Cetus, cut off their retreat! Kraken, use your tentacles to block their escape route!"

The instant the command was given, Leviathan violently whipped its tail fin, raising a wall of ice tens of meters high to block the Ice Fin Beasts’ left flank. Cetus leaped behind the Ice Fin Beasts, and its tail plunged into the sea, kicking up pillars of water that formed an impenetrable barrier.

Kraken, in turn, tightened its tentacles, trapping three Ice Fin Beasts firmly in the center. Its barbs sank deeper and deeper until their struggles gradually weakened.

The storm grew more intense. Amidst the wreckage of the Ice Fin Beasts floating on the inky surface, Kraken’s tentacles gently shielded Qin Feng in the center to prevent any splattering gore from touching him.

Leviathan slowly swam closer, its blue-gray head bowed slightly, awaiting Qin Feng’s next command.

Cetus retracted its tail, coiling in the waves. Droplets of water trickled down its serpentine body from its scales, creating small ripples on the surface.

To be honest, considering the overwhelming power that Kraken and Leviathan possessed, the three Ocean Giant Beasts could have easily used their instincts to sniff out the Demon Beasts in the deep sea and tear them to shreds in the waves, even if Qin Feng hadn’t said a word.

The problem was, a significant portion of the exclusive leveling experience that a Divine Chosen Lord could obtain was directly tied to the commands issued by the Lord Player.

This meant that regardless of whether the battle situation required it, Qin Feng had to clearly issue every single combat command to his Divine Chosen Soldiers or Divine Chosen Heroes.

And Kraken, Leviathan, and Cetus had to follow his commands strictly, from the direction of their encirclement to the timing of their attacks, without the slightest deviation. Only then could Qin Feng gain the full amount of command experience and rapidly raise his Professional Level as a Divine Chosen Lord.

However, fortunately, the depths of the Sea of Storms were so filled with all kinds of Sea Magical Beasts that they practically clogged the waters.

In the gloomy seawater, one could see giant tentacles churning in the waves, schools of phosphorescent-scaled beasts sweeping past, and spiky deep-sea worms poking their heads out of trenches.

In terms of numbers alone, they were so densely packed that they blocked the sunlight from reaching the waters below.

In terms of variety, with everything from giant beasts that could spit ice-mist to venomous-scaled fish skilled at ambushes, it was far beyond what the Northern Forest—a "Newbie Village" that only produced basic Demon Beasts—could ever compare to.

Therefore, Qin Feng’s "Rapid Leveling" plan was proceeding very smoothly.

Even though many of the Sea Magical Beasts succumbed to the powerful pressure from Kraken and Leviathan and voluntarily submitted to his Recruit Prisoners Talent, Qin Feng could still gain a large amount of Lord Experience, equivalent to what he would get for commanding Divine Chosen Soldiers to slay enemies.

Afterward, during a lull while Kraken’s tentacles searched the deep sea for traces of Demon Beasts and Leviathan patrolled slowly on guard, Qin Feng took out the Dragon Crystals he had acquired in the Void Realm from his Lord’s Domain.

These Dragon Crystals were pale purple crystals, their surfaces still holding the residual warmth of a mysterious energy. They refracted fine specks of light in the dim glow of the deep sea.

He swept his fingertips over the Dragon Crystals before him, converting them all into a stream of energy, and began to focus on upgrading the only Talent he currently could: Evil Aura.

Instantly, a faint black halo began to swirl around Qin Feng, forming a stark contrast with the salty sea breeze and the sound of the waves.

[Consuming Dragon Crystal resources! Beginning upgrade of the "Evil Aura" Talent!]

[Current upgrade range for "Evil Aura" is Level 44 to 50! Each level requires 80 Dragon Crystals! Total cost: 480 Dragon Crystals! Upgraded to Level 50! Upgraded stat: "Talent Effective Range"! Total increase: 600 meters! New effective range: 2800 meters!]

[Current upgrade range for "Evil Aura" is Level 50 to 60! Each level requires 160 Dragon Crystals! Total cost: 1600 Dragon Crystals! Upgraded to Level 60! Upgraded stat: "Talent Effective Range"! Total increase: 1000 meters! New effective range: 3800 meters!]

[Current upgrade range for "Evil Aura" is Level 60 to 70! Each level requires 320 Dragon Crystals! Total cost: 3200 Dragon Crystals! Upgraded to Level 70! Upgraded stat: "Talent Effective Range"! Total increase: 1000 meters! New effective range: 4800 meters!]

[Current upgrade range for "Evil Aura"...]

In the end, after clicking through who knows how many system prompts, Qin Feng finally used up his entire stockpile of over ten million Dragon Crystals, bringing his "Evil Aura" Talent to exactly Level 180.

[Talent—Evil Aura (LV 180): Within a 5,000-meter radius, you, all armies under your command, and allied troops gain +100% movement speed and recover 122 Life Value per second... Each subsequent upgrade requires 1,310,720 Dragon Crystals and can be used to increase the effective range, movement speed, or Blood Volume recovery.]

’Good heavens!’

’A single upgrade from here costs 1,310,720 Dragon Crystals!’

’I’m afraid I won’t be able to afford another upgrade anytime soon.’

’Still, a 5,000-meter effective radius, plus 122 Life Value restored per second, is already insane.’

’Even a Tier Four Lord Player with several hundred thousand Blood Volume could fully restore their health in an hour at most, and at no cost...’