"Wooo!"
The moment Lu Jun opened the helicopter door, the gale and rain pelted in like a torrential downpour, instantly turning the interior into a soaking mess.
His hair whipped wildly, and his black-gold coat flapped in the wind. He peered into the pitch-black horizon no sky, no sea, visibility nonexistent.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Jun leapt out.
In the cockpit, the Zu Family pilot gripped the controls with trembling hands. Turning back, he saw Lu Jun jump out without even a parachute and his soul nearly left him in terror.
"Damn, aren't you asking to die?!"
Lu Jun no longer heard anything but the roar of the storm, rain stinging his face, relentless and harsh.
WHOOOOOM!
His body plummeted, shattering the sound barrier. The feeling of weightlessness intensified. In the darkness, it felt like falling into a black hole endless, directionless, terrifying.
Suddenly, he spotted the tumultuous waves below and channeled his qi and blood.
BOOOOOM!
A crimson aura erupted from his body, and behind him a majestic ghost-god manifestation formed. He stomped hard into the air.
A wave of spiritual power erupted. A silver glow from his mental Space Element solidified beneath his feet into a platform.
Thud. Lu Jun's body shifted from extreme motion to complete stillness he hovered hundreds of meters above the sea.
The lingering downward force created a shockwave that carved a massive depression hundreds of meters wide on the ocean surface.
The colossal waves and storm paused for a moment. Time seemed suspended—then shattered, sending water spraying through the sky.
Fwhoosh!
Centered on Lu Jun, layer upon layer of waves swept outward, growing higher and higher.
His hair flew wildly, eyes deep and resolute, his blood pulsing. Standing atop the waves, he appeared towering and godlike. Anyone who saw him would be awestruck.
Lu Jun felt exhilarated—such extreme contrasts of motion and stillness, without any harm to his body. At most, a tight chest.
"Fourth Realm blood energy… so this is what a Commander-level body feels like…" he murmured. He realized he had been too cautious before. This nonhuman physique had unlocked so many capabilities. This daring leap opened the door to a new world.
Scanning the surging sea around him, Lu Jun saw hundreds of grotesque water-monkey demon corpses floating—victims of his drop.
"Scouts from the deep sea… filth-hunters?"
He scowled and looked up; the helicopter was now just a speck thousands of meters above, shaking as it sped away.
All around him, the storm raged—a doomsday scene. He stood alone in it, as if abandoned by civilization.
He steadied himself, then focused on a massive waterspout tens of kilometers in diameter. Suddenly, his pupils constricted. He saw a great crimson pillar crashing into the ocean, creating a terrifying shockwave.
In an instant, a wave of force hit him. He was pushed back over a hundred meters.
As the storm cleared slightly, Lu Jun realized it wasn't a pillar—it was a dragon tail. Its surface was covered in hard red shells and jagged spikes.
Through the darkness, he made out a giant crimson-scaled serpent dragon, winding through the storm. Its presence was undeniably majestic. If not for the pair of giant claws on its front limbs, he might have thought it was a true dragon.
"Is this… a lobster?! A Crimson Shell Dragon Lord?!"
Lu Jun blinked in surprise. This Monarch was no joke—it carried draconic blood, with combat power far beyond typical orthodox Monarchs, closer to a mid-tier Monarch.
Seeing this, his heart sank. With a casual tail swipe, this creature had sent him retreating hundreds of meters. How could he stand against a Crimson Shell Dragon Lord?
"Australia's specialty—dragon-lobster. Awakening draconic blood to reach Monarch status… I wonder how its meat would taste once cooked."
He muttered to himself, venting his stress with a bizarre thought.
Ding!
Just then, a clear, melodious hum rang out from the depths of the waterspout storm, resonating across sea and sky.
Immediately, the tidal wind and rain ceased. With his mastery of Water Element control, Lu Jun sensed that all the water element around had been seized by another.
The immense Crimson‑Shell Dragon Lord shuddered violently. Its upper body was slammed upward by a column of starlit water and then crashed heavily back onto the sea. Cracks appeared on its hardened shell.
Lu Jun was stunned—who could rival such a mighty Monarch?
Soon, within the water vortex, he caught sight of a beautiful, towering figure dozens of meters tall a stunningly gorgeous human woman from the waist up, with a long dragon-like fishtail below.
She stood tall and graceful, with mature and seductive beauty. Her chest was covered by large seashells, her figure lush and shapely like a full-grown mermaid. Her fish tail gleamed with scales like a perfect skirt of starlight.
At this moment, she exuded divine authority—the Queen of Water, commanding all the waters of this world with unrivaled grace.
"Hisss… this is the Water Elemental Spirit?!"
Lu Jun realized he was seeing her true form for the first time a mermaid-type Water Elemental Spirit, clearly at Monarch level.
Though not yet at peak development, she was in her full form. No wonder when he used his level 5 Basic Curse Spell Soul Lock Across a Thousand Miles, he had been easily blocked.
Damn it—Lu Jun instinctively wanted to turn and flee.
Contracting with a Spirit far beyond his cultivation, or one too mentally mature, had disastrous consequences—similar to Mo Fan's contract with the Snake Queen Mermaid "Medusa Apasis."
Not only did she assist Mo Fan significantly, she also refused to obey commands, essentially wasting his second contract slot and rendering his Summoning Element less useful.
And here was a Monarch-level Water Elemental Spirit, holding both factors, plus the fact she was being hunted by the Sea Monster Empire clearly the worst choice for him.
Even if he saved this mermaid, his power wouldn't be enough to force a contract.
Lu Jun was about to leave—but the situation took a turn.
He whispered, noticing behind the massive figure in the water storm, another smaller, exquisite mermaid shape swaying on the sea surface.
This smaller figure looked identical to the Monarch mermaid, but was smaller in face and body, her expression serious and unyielding—radiating resolve like a young guardian princess.
Ding!
The Monarch mermaid moved to shield the smaller one, angrily singing out to the Crimson‑Shell Dragon Lord and the sea monster army hidden in the depths of the dark water.
The sight of these two mermaids one large, one small brightened Lu Jun's eyes. A family, indeed.
The larger one was off the table—but the smaller one? Her aura had only just entered the Commander level. She had been developing well, with potential similar to a powerful Flame Empress, and still possessed pliable mentality. Her combat strength was quite good—he had found the perfect choice.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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