"Richard—Warrior Richard."
"Welcome to the Underground World. On behalf of everyone, I welcome you. I am Kage, the barbarian. If you don't understand anything, find me. I like mentoring newcomers the most."
This beast-like physique claiming to like mentoring newcomers was as ridiculous as a carnivore switching to vegetarianism, but Li Xi merely offered a perfunctory "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. We don't have as many people as those above. We are few, so we avoid infighting as much as possible. I'm planning to form a mercenary group. If you're interested, Brother Richard, you can try it out."
Li Xi glanced at the hulking figure in surprise. He hadn't expected this simple-minded barbarian to have such aspirations.
Of course, Li Xi was unaware that the barbarian Kage was forced into this situation. Kage had contributed the most in the battle at the ancient castle but received the least. He was so angry upon returning that he barely ate for days. After deep contemplation, he realized that while he didn't know the exact problem, he knew the solution: he needed to form a mercenary group like the ones above. That way, he wouldn't be alone next time such an event occurred.
Naturally, wishes are beautiful, but reality is cruel. Since Kage conceived this idea, his mercenary group has consisted of only himself. He had already asked everyone else, but their attitude was that drinking and chatting were fine, but forming a team was out of the question.
This was why he approached Li Xi, a newcomer, for a chat. For Kage, who had earned the reputation of a brute ten years ago, it would have been more in character to bully newcomers than mentor them. Not beating them to death was already a sign of his good conscience.
"Heh, thank you for your trust, senior, but I have no intention of joining any factions."
"Haha, it's fine. Perhaps in the future. My mercenary group always welcomes your joining." Kage had never recruited anyone before. He hadn't even mentioned his own benefits. Who would join? After being rejected, he could only laugh awkwardly and walk away.
Since arriving in the Underground Mercenary World, Li Xi had been studying missions daily. Desperate for strength, he formulated a plan for the fastest possible growth. During this time, many people brought various strange insects to complete missions.
There was the Thunder-Patterned Celestial Beetle, which could produce lightning threads in its mouth. These beetles hunted using a fine thread of lightning spat from their mouths, and their size was no bigger than half a fingernail.
There was the White Ice Moth, which lived in ice layers more than a hundred meters deep in the extreme north. This creature, as beautiful as a work of art carved from ice and snow, possessed innate cold abilities. It could exhale frost to freeze its prey before swallowing and digesting it slowly.
There was the Iron Gate Leaf Beetle, capable of lifting over ten thousand times its own weight. Although it was as small as an ant, a dozen Iron Gate Leaf Beetles could easily lift a mole. Tens of thousands of them dared to hunt animals the size of domestic dogs, their ferocious and combative nature surpassing any other creature.
These three were treasures Li Xi selected from hundreds of insects. When controlled with the insect control secret technique, one could generate electricity, another could produce freezing abilities, and the third could significantly enhance Li Xi's physical strength. They were truly formidable.
Others were also promising, such as the Nether God Dragonfly, whose single drop of venom could kill hundreds, and the Golden Armored Turtle, which could enhance Li Xi's defense. However, Li Xi always felt something was missing from these insects, as if they weren't what he was looking for.
It was this inexplicable sixth, seventh, and eighth sense that prevented Li Xi from controlling any of these insects. These insects were currently in their primitive forms and would require multiple evolutionary mutations to be combat-ready. This process would necessitate Li Xi investing considerable time in their cultivation.
"How is it? Any news about what I'm looking for?"
"Yes. A new tribe has been discovered overseas. It is filled with primitive worship, and the faith in the evil god that has been nurtured over the years has become substantial. Their strength is not to be underestimated. You must be careful if you go."
"It's fine. If I kill this evil god, does that count as completing the god-slaying mission?"
"Yes, as long as you can bring back the divine power, it will be considered complete."
"Alright, I understand."
...
"Earth Release: Weighted Rock Technique!"
Leaving the Underground World, Li Xi directly used a rare flying ninjutsu to travel towards his destination. This ninjutsu allowed one to escape the control of terrestrial gravity and fly at high speeds in the air, a signature technique of the Third Tsuchikage.
He had received two lottery chances from completing the A-rank mission of protecting the princess, which he had never used. Only after 'dying' did he begin to draw.
Obtaining the ninjutsu 'Earth Release: Weighted Rock Technique' greatly compensated for Li Xi's lack of mobility. With this ninjutsu, Li Xi no longer needed to avoid others by transforming into a dragon and flying, significantly reducing the risk of exposure.
As he had not yet found suitable Gu worms, Li Xi began to pursue another path to rapidly increase his strength: absorbing the Flame Demon bloodline or the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, using divine power. Absorbing either of these would result in a significant improvement in his strength.
Thinking of this, Li Xi hated the black-clothed assassin who had ambushed him even more. Without taking anything, they had snatched all ten drops of divine power, forcing him to risk pursuing an evil god.
If all the resources in this other world were ranked from rarest to most common, evil gods would undoubtedly be the rarest resource in this world. Everyone knew divine power was good, but its generation required immense faith, and sustained faith over long periods. This was an enormous undertaking, often spanning millennia, yielding only a meager amount of divine power.
Divine power was the prerequisite for godhood and the foundation for measuring a deity's strength. One could never have too much. Even ancient beings like Dracula, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, risked blood sacrifices of entire cities to forge divine power, highlighting its importance.
No one dared to covet the divine power of true deities, as before they could even make a move, countless followers would be chasing them with bloodshot eyes. Large-scale blood sacrifices of cities were also not something everyone could undertake, as killing the followers of other deities would incur their wrath. This was the most dangerous and least rewarding method of acquiring divine power.
Thus, evil gods, which could produce divine power through other means, entered the sights of all ambitious individuals and gods. Without backing or background, yet capable of producing divine power, they were like beggars flaunting golden bowls. If they appeared on anyone's radar, surviving a single day was a testament to their longevity.
Evil gods recently born on the main continent might be slain and consumed before their first full moon, as no one had time to wait for their growth. They were discovered and plundered immediately. On a continent with countless living races, evil gods were already legendary delicacies.
This led to the conclusion that only the myriad small islands in the vaster oceans could harbor some evil gods overlooked by others.
Don't doubt it. Much like digging for jade, even after countless people have scoured an area, one can still find a few precious stones missed by predecessors. The ocean is the same. Over tens of thousands of years, countless beings, both mortal and divine, have come here to hunt evil gods for their divine power.
Even in the mythological stories that have been passed down, there are hundreds of versions about deities slaying evil spirits to save their people before achieving godhood. It's safe to assume they were hunting evil gods for their divine power, and saving people was merely a side benefit. Now, it was Li Xi's turn.
Within the sealed space, Li Xi's phantom appeared.
"Jinchuriki, after discussions between myself and Isobu, we have decided to achieve perfect Jinchuriki with you. The next time you encounter danger, you can choose to combine with either of us to overcome the crisis," Matatabi said to Li Xi, still shaken after so many events.
It wasn't that he and Isobu were afraid. As mentioned before, death here was final. It was only at the brink of death that one truly understood the horror. They never wanted to experience the feeling of powerlessness, like facing the black-clothed man and being unable to do anything but watch oneself die. They possessed world-shattering power within the sealed space but could only watch themselves perish.
If Li Xi hadn't used one Sharingan to perform Izanagi, he and Isobu would have long since vanished. In this regard, both he and Isobu were grateful for Li Xi saving their lives, making it particularly practical to enhance Li Xi's strength to the greatest extent.
"Thank you."
"No need. Helping you is helping ourselves."
Matatabi extended a fist. Li Xi paused for a moment, then understood and extended his fist to meet it.
As their fists touched, Li Xi felt Matatabi opening his heart to him, allowing him to borrow his power one hundred percent.
"I, Matatabi."
"I, Li Xi."
"Bound by life and death, inseparable."
Isobu also extended a fist. Li Xi touched it, and the feeling was the same.
"I, Isobu."
"I, Li Xi."
"Bound by life and death, inseparable."
The evil gods in the shallow seas had long been plundered. The Underground Mercenary World found a primitive island in the deep sea for Li Xi. By the time Li Xi flew there, half a month had passed.
Looking at the crescent-shaped island below, Li Xi compared the celestial positions to the map in his hand. "This is it."
This island was discovered by a deep-sea fishing boat that was hiding from a storm. A primitive tribe lived there, and the fishermen had witnessed the tribe performing blood sacrifices to their totem, clearly indicating the presence of an evil god.
After recording what they saw, the fishermen returned to port and sold the information for a high price, ensuring they would never have to worry about food and drink again. Li Xi then paid an even higher price to the Underground Mercenary World to acquire this information.
Although the Underground Mercenary World didn't claim the information was exclusive when selling it to Li Xi, he was confident he was the first to arrive. After all, he had the means to fly non-stop for half a month.
Following the direction of the smoke rising from the island, Li Xi descended. Deep in the forest, a small primitive tribe was roasting sea fish, enough to feed its members.
The spearheads were sharpened stones tied to spears. The fish was cut with smooth, jade-like bone knives worn down by years of use. They wore skirts woven from palm leaves, used earthenware for utensils, lived in thatched huts, and wore woven grass hats adorned with colorful feathers. This was a primitive tribe that had just begun to civilize and use fire for weaponry.
With their dark, emaciated bodies and incomprehensible language, Li Xi hid nearby and observed carefully. Soon, his gaze fell upon a stone pillar in the center of the tribe, engraved with a strange, scarlet face.
The pillar appeared strangely carved, with each stroke placed in an unexpected location, making it look disgusting and awkward.
The aura emanating from it was filled with violence and madness, yet the subtle pressure within made Li Xi ecstatic. This was the feeling of divine power. It seemed the evil god this tribe was sacrificing to had achieved considerable power, enough for its divine power to spread outwards.
If not for the sudden intrusion of fishermen, perhaps in another thousand years, this evil god might have spawned its own divine kingdom and become a true deity.
This stone pillar was merely an external object of worship for the evil god. Li Xi still needed to find the specific entity. Perhaps it was a deep-sea leviathan, a bizarre monster imagined by the primitive tribe, or even a dominant magical beast on this island.
According to the rules of this world, any creature that received worship and faith could potentially generate divine power. For example, the Dragon God, worshipped by the dragon race, the Elven God, worshipped by the elves, and the God of War, worshipped by the orcs, were not humans.
Life possesses spirituality; anything is possible.
The simplest way to deal with such an unknown evil god was to slaughter its followers. Its entire strength came from the faith of its subjects. Cut off its source of faith, and it would naturally come out to fight Li Xi desperately.
If it were in the past, Li Xi would indeed need to slaughter the primitive tribe before him to force out this evil god. But now, he didn't need to.
Quietly leaving the tribe, Li Xi slipped to the sea surface and leaped into the depths.
Moments later, at the crescent bay of this crescent-shaped island, a colossal, dark figure slowly emerged from the sea, its size so immense it could fill half the bay.
Three shrimp-like tails, with a casual flick, could create waves several meters high, a terrifying display of nature's fury for any lifeform near the coast.
A grey turtle covered in short horns on its body was the epitome of defense. Even if it just lay there and didn't fight back, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to hurt it. The most likely outcome was that the enemy would exhaust themselves after a long struggle, while the great turtle would remain unfazed, fast asleep.
This was none other than Isobu, who had just formed an alliance with Li Xi.
In the sea, for Isobu, it was like returning to its home battlefield.
Within the mental space, Li Xi could perfectly sense every part of Isobu and simultaneously control the enormous body.
"Jinchuriki, how is it? Full Bijuu transformation, not bad, right?"
"Excellent."
If Li Xi's full power before could make creatures below Level Eight despair, then after the full Bijuu transformation, he now included Level Eight as well.
Indeed, it was a treasure left by the Sage of Six Paths for the ninja world. The chakra contained within its colossal body could be described as heaven-shattering and soul-stirring, not at all an exaggeration. Especially with its mountain-sized body, rolling and pushing forward could obliterate an entire city.