“Why is this happening? Wasn’t the Skeleton Lord just promoted? How can he be so fierce? Was he toying with me all along?”

The heart of the Lion Knight trembled just as his palms did.

In the face of danger, the Lion Knight and the Blazing Lion beneath him roared in unison, flames surging from their bodies, merging into a colossal lion of fire.

Blazing Fury Lion!

The giant lion leaned forward slightly, its fiery claws ferociously swiping at the Skeleton Lord.

Confronted with a flame claw larger than his entire body, Skeleton Saga didn’t dodge or evade, thrusting out his spear instead.

A glint of cold light arrived first, followed by the spear thrusting like a dragon. In an instant, the black blood spear tore through the fiery lion’s claw, piercing it.

The entire grey, silent world seemed to freeze for a moment.

Then, the next second—Boom! The black and white Skeleton Lord tore through the lion’s arm and chest, bursting out from its back.

Skeleton Saga stood silently amidst the flames, spear resting against the heart-pierced Lion Knight, with the slowly dissipating inferno behind him.

Roar!

The Blazing Lion roared in fury, pouncing towards the Skeleton Lord from the not yet vanished flames, but the Skeleton Lord suddenly turned around, sweeping his spear and striking the Blazing Lion’s head.

The gravely wounded body of the Lion Knight and the Blazing Lion were thrown out, heavily hitting the ground.

“Thank you for your help, Father.”

“You are as powerful as ever.”

After the dust settled and the crisis was averted, the little skeleton slowly spoke.

The Undead Kingdom was very dangerous. After the little skeleton was washed ashore to the Blackland Continent in a coma due to the tsunami caused by the Shark King and natural ocean currents, Saga often possessed it to lend a hand when it faced dangers it couldn’t resolve on its own.

Although the little skeleton often got into trouble, for Saga, the sights and experiences of the Blackland Continent were quite novel, and he enjoyed possessing it. When there was nothing else to do, he would occasionally learn about the Blackland Continent through the little skeleton.

Saga:

“I’ve told you many times not to call me Father.”

Ever since he first named the little skeleton when it was newly born and barely conscious, it had been keen on calling Saga “Father.”

“I understand, Father.”

The little skeleton nodded.

It understood but did not change.

“Why did I give this unfortunate child such a resolute personality? It’s becoming more and more stubborn.”

Saga shook his head, too lazy to make the little skeleton change its form of address, letting it call him whatever it wanted.

“After you joined the Great Tomb of the Undead, couldn’t you ask for help from the Tomb when in danger?”

Saga returned control of the body to the little skeleton and then asked in his mind.

“I could, but afterwards, I’d have to pay a lot of bone tax. I’ve just become a lord and can’t afford it.”

The little skeleton replied.

Bone tax, this was a rule set by the king of the Undead of the Great Tomb.

Lords under his command had to offer high-quality bones to the king in exchange for the Tomb’s protection and resource cultivation. What the Undead King did with those bones, nobody knew.

Soon, faint groans arose from the Lion Knight.

Both it and the Blazing Lion were not dead, just severely injured and had lost their fighting strength.

“You handle these two yourself.”

The little skeleton nodded and slowly said, “I will kill them. Once their bodies are eroded by negative energy and turn into Undead creatures, I’ll try to subdue them as my subordinates.”

After a pause, the little skeleton continued:

“Father, the Great Tomb has been continuously summoning powerful Undead Lords for discussions. The specifics haven’t leaked, but all the lords who leave the Tomb later consolidate their Undead legions. I think they’re probably preparing to unleash a new Undead calamity.”

Upon hearing this, Saga, soaring above the Stormy Ocean, was slightly taken aback.

The Undead Empire was also stirring.

Upon reflection, it made sense.

With the Casserly Abyss prisoners invading, the gods’ sects opposing each other, and the oceanic empires at war, this long-peaceful planet was gradually descending into chaos. For the Undead Empire, which had been oppressed and strangled for years, launching an Undead calamity at such a time was indeed a good opportunity to turn the tide.

After chatting a bit more about the situation on the Blackland Continent with the little skeleton.

Saga withdrew all his attention, focusing on the surrounding seas.

After some time traveling, he had left the Whirlpool Sea and passed through another sea area nearby, but he was still several sea areas away from the Golden Sea.

Looking down from the sky, the azure sea surface rippled with the wind, glittering and boundless.

At the same time, numerous fleets belonging to pirates, either sailing on the sea or docked at island ports, also came into Saga’s view.

These were all pirate fleets.

This sea area, known as the Galley Sea, was the largest gathering place for pirates in the Stormy Ocean.

Holding a piece of a treasure map possibly left by the Pirate King, Saga had spent some time researching pirates and had a certain understanding of them.

The Galley Sea was the birthplace of the first Pirate King and was considered sacred by pirates.

Also, as the search for the Pirate King’s treasure progressed, with more and more sea areas ruled out, countless pirates believed that the treasure of the first Pirate King was hidden in the Galley Sea. This was the fundamental reason why the Galley Sea became the largest pirate gathering place in the Stormy Ocean.

The pirates Saga encountered in the Whirlpool Sea were basically those who couldn’t make it in the Galley Sea and had fled elsewhere.

Due to the concentration of many pirates, these lawless rogues made this seemingly sunny and bright sea area one of the most dangerous. Most creatures passing by chose to detour, unwilling to deal with pirates.

Saga, however, was fearless.

With the continuous crackdown by various empires, pirates were gradually weakening.

After a total of three demigod-level Pirate Kings, it had been a long time since a demigod ruler emerged among the pirates. Now, the strongest were just some high-ranking legendary pirate generals, leaderless.

The reason pirates still existed was mainly that the various empires were reluctant to spend too much to eradicate them, and the existence of pirates was convenient for doing some unsavory deeds.

Saga did not choose to detour.

The Galley Sea was vast, and detouring to the Golden Sea would waste a lot of his time.

Continuing to soar in the air, the Golden Dragon swept through the sky like a whirlwind, also entering the range of the Galley Sea.

After officially entering the Galley Sea, the number of pirate islands and active fleets in the sea area visibly increased rapidly.

At the same time, some pirates noticed the Golden Dragon crossing the sky.

A pirate, basking in the sunlight on the deck with bare arms, felt the bright sunshine dim for a moment, instinctively opened his eyes, and looked up at the sky.

“There’s a dragon flying in the sky.”

“Eh? It’s really a dragon!”

“Let’s fire a few shots at it and see if we can bring it down,” a burly pirate said with a silly grin.

Smack!

A pirate leader next to him, who had been looking up at the sky, slapped the head of the pirate who wanted to fire the shots, scolding irritably, “Looking for trouble, the fastest way to die at sea is to be a fool like you.”

Saga didn’t pay much attention to the attention he had drawn.

Because the trip to the Golden Sea was a long one, he didn’t continuously expend energy to maintain a light-bending force field to stay invisible. Being seen was normal, and besides, Saga didn’t need to be overly cautious now.

Time continued to pass.

Saga flew through the airspace of the Galley Sea at a steady pace.

During this time, besides the vast majority of ordinary pirates, he also noticed some large pirate forces with legendary pirate generals. Some of them noticed Saga passing by, but since they felt this Golden Dragon was not an easy target, very few chose to stop Saga, even as he flew over their territories.

However, very few does not mean none.

Those who ran to the Galley Sea to become pirates were never good men or women; most were extremely vicious. Among them, a few who were used to throwing their weight around in their own territories couldn’t tolerate other creatures flying over their heads.

Like now.

Saga flew quietly in a straight line, passing over an island with a peculiar cross-shaped structure.

Sensing many life forms below, he glanced down.

On the Cross Island, many pirate flags fluttered in the wind, and pirates were everywhere. This was clearly a pirate stronghold, and judging by the huge ships docked around the island, it was a rather powerful pirate group.

At the same time.

Just as Saga withdrew his gaze and continued forward to cross the area.

Suddenly, a legendary creature’s aura erupted from the Cross Island, followed by a shout, and a tall and burly figure shot into the sky.

“Who is this dragon that dares to fly over the head of this general without a word? Stop right there!”

Saga’s gaze shifted slightly, and as requested, he paused and hovered in mid-air.

Turning his head, he saw a wide-waisted, hairy figure that at first glance resembled a large black bear.

The legendary fourth-tier pirate general—Demon Bear Jabal.

Demon Bear crossed his arms, his face showing undisguised malice as he stared at the Golden Dragon in front of him, saying in a deep voice, “My territory is not a place you can come and go as you please.”

As he spoke.

The pirates below saw their general confront the passing dragon and began to move. One by one, the huge ships started up, engines roaring like steel beasts, and the numerous mechanical and magical war machines on board locked onto the dragon in the sky, waiting for the Demon Bear’s order to fire.

“Oh? This sky belongs to you too?”

The dragon’s faceplate showed a smirk.

“Of course, wherever I am, whether it’s the sky or the ocean, it’s my territory.”

Demon Bear’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke.

“You’ve trespassed into my territory without cause, do you think you can leave without paying a price?”

Hearing the provocative words, the dragon lifted its head and grinned.

“Leaving without paying a price indeed doesn’t seem right.”

Demon Bear nodded in satisfaction at Saga’s first sentence, but the dragon’s following words made his face darken and his eyes turn fierce and violent.

“Since I’ve passed by a pirate stronghold, it wouldn’t hurt to strike a blow and carry on the Metal Dragon bloodline’s tradition of punishing evil and promoting good.”

Saga muttered to himself.

“Foolish!” Demon Bear roared, his body, already much larger than an ordinary human, swelling several times over, his bulging muscles nearly tearing his magical garments.

This Demon Bear was a naturally strong warrior with exceptional talent. His physique was powerful, and he never used weapons, preferring to crush his enemies’ bones one by one with his fists in close combat. His ferocity and physical appearance were the origins of his nickname.

“Although it’s only a second-tier legend, a dragon’s body should be quite resilient, I hope you can last ten minutes under my hands.”

Demon Bear sneered.

At the same time, he charged barehanded into the sky, running on air as if on flat ground, with the momentum of a raging bear, heading straight for the Golden Dragon.

It didn’t take ten minutes.

Just a few seconds later.

Many pirates stared blankly at the sky, witnessing an unbelievable scene.

The Demon Bear, invincible in the pirates’ minds, was now held in the claws of the majestic black and gold dragon, being contemptuously scrutinized.

“Ha, let me go!”

Only the upper half of his body visible, Demon Bear struggled with all his might, veins popping on his forehead, muscles bulging intimidatingly, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make the heavy dragon claw budge an inch.

“Fire, fire at this damned dragon!”

Unable to break free, Demon Bear furiously roared orders for his pirate group to attack Saga.

Many ships stirred, their weapons beginning to charge with energy, emitting a dangerous aura.

At the same time, the black and gold dragon looked down, its indifferent gaze like that of the Grim Reaper sweeping below, an invisible and terrifying aura of having killed countless lives spreading out.

The pirates, accustomed to life and death, suddenly broke into a cold sweat.

Those who were operating the ships, having locked on the target and ready to fire, trembled, their fingers as heavy as lead, unable to press the firing mechanism.

In their perception.

Behind the black and gold dragon, the originally sunny and clear sky seemed to suddenly turn into a sea of blood, soaked with countless blood and bones, a dreadful killing intent solidifying into reality.

Saga didn’t use Dragon Might.

The aura naturally formed on his body from killing too many lives had an effect similar to a fear aura.

“A bunch of cowardly fools.”

Demon Bear cursed angrily.

Feeling that they would die as soon as they fired, the pirates below hesitated and still dared not attack.

Lifting his dragon claw, Saga brought it in front of him.

He quietly stared at the tiny Demon Bear.

“It seems you’re quite brave.”

“I admire brave warriors. For such people, I personally grant them the honor of death.”

The dragon’s whisper was like the wind, reaching Demon Bear’s ears.

Under the mournful gaze of many pirate underlings, Demon Bear showed a defiant expression unafraid of death, shouting, “I, Demon Bear Jabal, have never feared death! Hmph, if I’m no match for you, dragon, then kill me and stop the nonsense.”

At the same time, just as Saga was about to strike.

Demon Bear opened his mouth, a faint voice quietly emerging, pleading softly:

“Golden Dragon, there are many people here, let me save face on the surface, I can’t lose this dignity.”

Under Saga’s bewildered gaze, the rugged Demon Bear cleared his throat and continued to whisper softly: “As long as you spare my life, I’ll do whatever you want. Of course, it would be best if you could give me some face, please don’t let me lose face in front of my subordinates.”

Saga was almost amused by the drastic change in the man’s demeanor.

“I’ve been a pirate for many years and have accumulated a lot of treasure. If you spare me, all these treasures will be yours.”

Seeing no response from the other party, remembering that dragons love treasure, Demon Bear quickly added.

“Also, I have a piece of the treasure map from the first Pirate King. You must have heard about the treasure of the first Pirate King. Once the map is complete, you’ll instantly gain wealth to rival nations.”

A piece of the map?

Saga’s gaze sharpened.

Extending a claw, he pressed it against Demon Bear’s forehead, Saga spoke sternly, “Do not resist, or you will bear the consequences.”

Besides getting a substantial collection and a potentially valuable piece of the map.

Saga thought it would be good to have his own pirate group in a place rife with pirates, which could plunder wealth for him like the Black Rose he had let loose.

Thus, he decided to enslave this Demon Bear who had presented himself.

Those who fear death usually do not have very strong wills, making them easier for Mind Warlocks to enslave and control.

Thunderous booms!

Psychic energy turned into lightning, invading Demon Bear’s mental world, and due to his non-resistance, it successfully transformed into a series of mental imprints.

Not long after.

In the pirate general’s manor on Cross Island.

The Golden Dragon quietly observed a piece of the map, while the rugged and burly Demon Bear stood obediently by the side.

“Compared to the piece I have, the texture and style are completely identical.”

“It seems the complete treasure map was divided into four.”

More than twenty years after obtaining the first piece of the map, Saga had acquired a second piece, now possessing half of the treasure map.

“Jabal, I’m giving you an important task—pay attention to and collect all information related to the Pirate King’s treasure map.”

Saga was quite curious about the treasure left by the legendary first Pirate King, a demigod who had caused headaches for many empires, stealing countless treasures from them, inciting their wrath, and being captured by the Skyrealm Empire after being hunted down by multiple parties.

“Your orders are my command.”

Demon Bear nodded.

Then, after this little interlude, Saga left Cross Island, letting Demon Bear roam free, and continued on his journey to the Golden Sea.