Owen Bertram broke his wrist but didn't let go. With a forceful tug, Cliff Maxwell found himself involuntarily drifting towards Owen.
A punch from Owen came crashing down.
Cliff raised his other arm to block, but another sharp pain pierced through him. Owen's punch broke this arm too, then collided with his chest.
Blood gushed from Cliff's seven orifices, and his chest caved in.
With eyes bulging, he couldn't understand – even in his final moments – how his newfound great power was so utterly useless against Owen, like a child playing with an adult.
His grand ambition to unify the Extinct Village was now sinking to the bottom of the river, along with his corpse.
Owen reached out and took the human skin mask and pill bottle from Cliff's body. He frowned instinctively, not particularly liking these two items.
Little Loach swam over, while Owen searched for the crossbow bolt. Little Loach glanced around, claiming no credit or blame for the situation.
Not only was the God-slaying weapon gone, but the two crossbow bolts had also disappeared.
Owen noticed the first one stuck in the shield.
The turtle shell shield was impenetrable even by the bone dagger, yet the God-slaying weapon's bolt penetrated it with ease. It was a truly extraordinary magical instrument.
If Cliff hadn't encountered Owen, he would have undoubtedly succeeded.
Little Loach nimbly moved past Owen, who then saw that the bolt lodged on the turtle shell shield was also gone.
Little Loach swam and chewed on something at the same time.
"Wait! Share half of the good stuff with me!"
After a while, a feeble warmth emanated from Little Loach, though pathetically thin. A diagram was transmitted into Owen's mind along with it.
"God-slaying Weapon Refining Diagram Records."
"What do I need this for?" Owen was unhappy, feeling almost no change as the faint warmth melted into an acupoint on his left chest.
The diagram was excellent, but he didn't need it.
If he needed any divine weapons, he could just squeeze them out of Little Loach, like the bone dagger he had now.
Why bother learning smithing and artifact making when he would have to painstakingly follow the diagram to create something?
Little Loach didn't understand elder brother's intentions and focused on heading towards the cave. It was still hell-bent on that ancient demon corpse, refusing to hand it over and determined to handle it alone.
The elder brother duo arrived at the cave entrance once more but didn't dare act recklessly.
...
People on the shore were getting anxious, not for Owen Bertram, but for Cliff Maxwell.
When Cliff volunteered to help around noon, he treated Uncle Yao and Master Basil completely differently from the day before, earning their approval.
But now, as the sun set, there was still no sign of Cliff since he entered the water.
In the village's tower, the Horizon Bureau members also remained silent. They knew Cliff didn't possess the same abilities as Owen, and his prolonged absence implied the inevitable outcome.
The Chief sighed, "He had good luck yesterday with Owen saving him, but today his luck ran out..."
Horizon Bureau members were no strangers to life and death. Except for unqualified newcomers like Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow and drama-loving old maid Cersei Bertram, the others remained stoic.
Another military officer calmly said, "He wished for death and got what he wanted."
"After yesterday's events, his body was severely damaged, and he could no longer be a pearl diver. We promised to take care of his family once he died – at least their lives would be better than before."
The explanation was reasonable, but it was miles away from the truth.
Cersei Bertram sighed, "It seems we have nothing to show for today."
By the Hunshui River, Owen Bertram emerged with a splash and shook his head at the jade talisman, "Let's come back tomorrow."
Little Loach remained in the river, guarding outside the Giant Tortoise Cave.
Cersei Bertram and the others packed up their belongings and returned to the cave. The military officers were somewhat anxious, "If we don't find anything, are we just going to wait here and put all our hopes on these pearl divers who don't have much ability?"
Cersei Bertram did not answer, pondering the problem in her heart.
...
Ava had never been so happy in her life; she ate all kinds of snacks in the morning and continued to eat meat in the evening!
Owen Bertram, on the other hand, was somewhat absent-minded. He couldn't persuade Little Loach. Although he could forcefully dominate Little Loach and report the location of the corpse, he always felt this was not the best solution.
If the Underground Palace Iron Spear and those Demon Beast Glyph Bones were exposed, the Horizon Bureau's people still wouldn't easily enter the village. Then, whether it's exploring the underground palace or trying to take the Iron Spear or Demon Beast Glyph Bones, it might still fall on the pearl divers.
He had already shown his ability, so it might be difficult to refuse at that time.
"I need to find a way to get the Ancient Demon Corpse out of there."
It was late at night before Owen Bertram finally fell into a drowsy sleep.
...
A dark figure drifted into the village, with a clear target heading straight for the Hunshui River.
Little Loach was sleeping at the bottom of the river, curled up in a circle with its head in the center and two pale golden whiskers softly draped on each side.
With each inhale and exhale in the water, the Sword Pill flew out of its mouth and then was sucked back in.
After swallowing the God-slaying piece and three crossbow arrows, the Sword Pill grew larger; in this process of inhaling and exhaling, the Sword Pill was slowly refined, shrinking back to its previous size.
However, its power was beyond compare.
Suddenly, a slight wave came through the water. Little Loach snapped its eyes open and then gently shook its body, burying itself in the muddy sand at the bottom of the river.
In the village, the sleeping Owen Bertram also opened his eyes and attached his soul to the Little Loach in the river.
A faint dark figure sank from the surface of the river, found the Giant Turtle Nest, and approached the Ancient Corpse.
The dark figure had no physical form, but when it saw the Ancient Demon Corpse, its eyes lit up with bright red radiance, clearly excited.
The figure floated towards the Ancient Corpse. Little Loach was instinctively agitated but was suppressed by Owen Bertram.
An insider from the Horizon Bureau? But the dark figure was clearly practicing demonic techniques; was it a mole within the Horizon Bureau?
The dark figure hesitated slightly at the entrance of the cave—the Ancient Demon Corpse was still refining a spear of energy, and the radiance within its body rose and fell.
The figure seemed hesitant, the black energy on its body constantly churning and surging, but in the end, it couldn't resist. The figure drifted into the cave and attached itself to the Ancient Demon Corpse.
The dark figure quickly overlapped with the Ancient Demon Corpse.
Little Loach was anxious, but Owen Bertram remained steady. He suppressed Little Loach, and they both stayed still at the bottom of the river.
The dark figure tried various methods but still couldn't control the Ancient Demon Corpse. The figure was visibly impatient, floating up once more, gathering above the Ancient Demon Corpse, its eyes shining with an increasingly intense blood-red radiance, revealing its greed.
Finally, it seemed to have made up its mind, and the illusory figure began to morph and expand, manifesting into an Evil Ghost Avatar with three sides, four eyes, and two tails.
Its enormous body almost filled the entire cave.
Yet the Ancient Demon Corpse and the spear of energy remained motionless.