The Omniscient Wang Kun?

Bang!

The heavy scent of blood permeated the environment, accompanied by an intense heat. It felt as if countless insects had invaded Qin Huai’s body. However, contrary to his expectations, there was no wave of agony. The center of the blood sea was oddly serene.

Qin Huai inspected his skin, realizing that his blood, qi, and stamina were rapidly diminishing. “Sneakily draining my power?” he thought. This silent assault was far more lethal than any surge of pain, for it made it impossible for him to gauge the condition of his body through discomfort. Perhaps at any moment, the blood sea would engulf him without a warning.

Yet, he had no time for extensive contemplation. He scanned the heart of the blood sea, aiming to locate the array core in the vast crimson expanse.

“Brother Qin!” Wang Kun’s voice echoed from behind him.

Turning, Qin Huai saw Wang Kun, seemingly in his element amidst the blood sea. He was even capable of speech. Despite knowing about Wang Kun’s refinement of the black-red fish king, Qin Huai couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.

“Brother Qin, refining the black-red fish king has granted me exceptional speed and vision here. Just follow my lead,” Wang Kun assured, his confidence evident even in the midst of the bloody waters.

Qin Huai nodded in agreement. With a wave of his hand, a white dragon erupted from his body, obliterating the few spectral arms that hovered nearby. However, the white dragon qi could only neutralize threats within a ten-inch radius, any further and it would be devoured by the blood sea, leaving him powerless.

For Qin Huai, the spectral arms were a boundless menace. He had to continuously unleash the white dragon qi to fend them off. If they ensnared him, he would be as helpless as a man entangled by seaweed in the deep sea — escape would prove extraordinarily challenging.

“Let’s go! Brother Qin, keep up!” Wang Kun hollered, disregarding the spectral arms that surrounded him. In fact, they recoiled, as if sensing a formidable adversary within him.

Even though Qin Huai was exceptionally fast, he struggled to match Wang Kun’s pace. Fortunately, Wang Kun seemed to swim with a clear goal, as if he had already found something.

They swam tirelessly. The blood sea was vast, covering almost the entirety of Qingzhou City, but its depth was around a mile. Despite his prolonged breath-holding capacity, Qin Huai couldn’t endure the exhaustion.

Luckily, he managed to evade the spectral creatures, quickly entered the bronze mountain and river diagram for a brief respite, and then swiftly emerged again. This tactic ensured he didn’t sink into the blood sea, or lose sight of Wang Kun.

Soon, Wang Kun stopped. “Found it,” he announced.

Arriving slightly late, Qin Huai floated next to Wang Kun, following his gaze to the skull hovering not far away.

“Even a visceral prefecture realm expert would struggle to resist being consumed by the blood sea. Yet, this skull rests here undisturbed, perfectly intact,” Wang Kun mused aloud. “This must be the array core.” He turned to Qin Huai, seeking his opinion, “What do you think, Brother Qin?”

“In the vast expanse of the blood sea, this is indeed the only anomaly,” Qin Huai conceded. Despite his limited vision, he had been traversing the heart of the blood sea for quite some time. Among the countless vengeful souls, he could distinguish the black skull as a unique entity.

“Brother Qin, this array core seems to be an exceptional treasure,” Wang Kun murmured thoughtfully.

“Let’s bring it out first!” Qin Huai proposed, gritting his teeth. His strong body was nearing its threshold, with his skin starting to peel away, revealing raw flesh and blood.

The surrounding vengeful souls were like wolves drawn to the scent of blood, converging swiftly toward Qin Huai.

“Alright!” Wang Kun reacted in alarm upon seeing Qin Huai’s deteriorating condition. In the next instant, he propelled himself towards the black skull and, without hesitation, clutched it in his arms.

Almost simultaneously, all surrounding vengeful spirit arms froze, then redirected their assault towards Wang Kun. Vengeful souls from all directions started congregating, amassing until their density formed a black ocean.

“Elder Wang!” Qin Huai shouted. Regardless of his reservations about Wang Kun’s true identity, he couldn’t let Wang Kun perish now. Furthermore, they had been battle comrades for several months.

He was about to plunge into the sea of souls to save Wang Kun when an odd sight unfolded. The infinite arms of the vengeful souls halted two meters away from Wang Kun, seemingly immobilized. Even as Wang Kun advanced, the spectral arms would politely retreat.

“Hahaha… Brother Qin, it appears my decision to refine the black-red fish king was correct!” Wang Kun’s voice echoed from within the mass of souls.

Qin Huai, who had been preparing for a rescue, sighed in relief.

“Brother Qin, don’t worry, I’m unharmed. They don’t even dare to touch me!” Wang Kun’s voice exuded confidence.

“That’s a relief. Let’s retreat first,” Qin Huai suggested. Thanks to Wang Kun, he was now clear of the surrounding vengeful souls.

While the corrosion rate of the blood sea remained unchanged, Qin Huai’s speed improved significantly now that he didn’t have to fend off the vengeful spirit arms.

Moments later, they arrived at the periphery of the blood sea. From beneath the sea’s surface, Qin Huai watched the fierce battle ensuing above. Without a moment’s hesitation, he spread his wings and surged out of the blood sea.

Exhaling deeply, Qin Huai gulped in the crisp air. He lifted his gaze to the sky where the Kun Peng clan’s sect master, exuding a familiar aura, was still locked in combat with the other clan leaders.action