Liam did not understand what was happening but at this point he was ready to take whatever was thrown at him.

His body was weak when compared to his soul. Even his mana core, and his mind was stronger when compared to his body. action

So no matter how small, this kind of strengthening was godsent to him for taking care of the imbalance. However, he knew that this was not all good news.

It was the freezing cold and the pressure at the bottom of the ocean that was molding him a little by little. These same conditions would have probably done the same for any other creature that rested in these depths.

Liam was just passing by and the effect was already this visible, then he couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of monstrous beings might exist within the ocean's depths.

However, no matter what it was, he had no other option but to face it today.

Enduring the torturous pain, Liam continued to head downward. His oxygen barrier had already cracked, so he did not have much time on his hands.

He was able to survive for a while without the flow of air, thanks to his mana circulation but it wouldn't last too long. It also weakened him considerably.

As he descended further, the darkness became absolute, and the pressure reached its peak. Every minute felt like an eternity.

Liam did not know exactly when but a while later he could see something. Finally, his perseverance paid off, and he caught sight of a faint glimmer ahead.

A soft glow emanated from a distance, drawing him closer.

Liam immediately swam toward the source of light. He knew that this was the last seed fragment. He could feel the strong pulse of the incomplete world seed in his hand, wanting to combine with the last fragment. This was unmistakably what he was looking for and there was nothing guarding it. Liam did not know if this was a temporary situation or a permanent situation but he needed to hurry up and get to the fragment before something showed up.

As he neared, the water seemed to shimmer with a surreal luminescence. He extended his hand, gently reaching into the glow, and retrieved the object—the final world seed fragment.

The moment he touched the world seed fragment, instantly a surge of energy coursed through his entire being. The better half of his physical and mental fatigue completely evaporated as his whole body radiated with warmth.

However, the next instant, Liam felt something else. A sudden shift in the waters surrounding him. A deep, rumbling growl echoed through the water.

Liam's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively knew that his time was running out. He had to escape the depths of the ocean before whatever lurked in the darkness found him. He turned and swam upward, propelling himself with all the strength he could muster.

At the same time, he also took the other incomplete world seed in his possession. He could feel the magnetic pull between the last fragment and this incomplete world seed. He immediately fused the two together.

The next second he could feel a strong wave of energy course through him. Even as he was blasting upward at full force, he could feel his body becoming lighter and all of his months and months of fatigue disappear.

He could also feel his soul which was severely injured and close to being torn to shreds, heal a little. The energy brimmed him with life force and vitality and slowly started to mend everything that was broken.

Liam did not expect this. Though he had used the water that was encasing the world seed fragment for healing himself, he did not think that the complete world seed would be so potent before it even began to sprout and grow into a tree.

All the scars from battling continuously for days and days together, from jumping into one fire from another fire constantly, every single damage was healing a little.

The most notable change was to his mind and his spirit. His entire being was brimming with hope and positivity even though the world around him was on the brink of destruction.

If just a seed was so powerful then how much strength could an actual world tree provide? However, Liam did not have the time to think about all of that right now.

At this moment, there was only one thought running in his mind. How to bind to this world seed that was in his possession?

Wait, was it like a herb? Could something like this even be bound to?

The draconian princess had said something about this so there was probably a way to do it.

This was important because right now there were several beings after it, each one of them far more powerful than him.

As he was barreling upwards, Liam raised his thumb finger to his teeth and nicked it with his teeth. He then let his blood drip generously onto the world seed, the crimson also diffusing into the vast oceanic waters. This was the most common way of binding things that he knew.

Unfortunately… the attempt did not feel successful as he did not feel any change at all. He also did not get any notifications.

Chucking this method aside, Liam did not give up and next tried the other method he knew of. He gripped the completed world seed tightly and summoned every ounce of mana within him. He then sent the entirety of his mana into the world seed.

The all-powerful seed only looked like a normal grain of rice but it immediately sucked in everything that was thrown its way, once again not giving any sort of response.

Liam pushed through the waters, next trying to reach the world seed fragment with his soul. Since his soul was now healed a little, he was able to gently use it to probe the world seed.

However…

Once again, there was no response.

What the hell? At this point, Liam was close to spitting on the damn thing to see if it would work. A second later, he also tried that, but nothing seemed to work at all.

Damn it. This was not good. Liam knew that this just made his situation a hundred times worse. If he was not able to bind this world seed, then protecting it was going to become a lot more difficult.

As if reading his thoughts, the next moment Liam felt the waters around him suddenly start to churn. Out of nowhere, a violent force gripped him and he felt his body being pulled upward with incredible force.