I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

Deep within the Ruins of Guixu lies an underground sea.

This is the end of the world, and the beginning of the abyss. The rocky dome overhead is inlaid with countless luminous crystals, like a non-existent starry sky, reflected on the silvery water.

In the center of that enormous island, the thousand-meter-long, silver-white avatar of the Abyss Dragon Nidhogg lay dormant on a black reef.

Each of its scales resembled a giant shield, upon which flowed ancient and obscure runes. Its breathing was like the working of a bellows, each exhale creating rings of white mist around the island (a high-concentration psionic storm).

S+ level Ancient God!

Even if it's just a clone, the pressure it exudes is enough to make an ordinary A-level expert kneel on the spot.

The Black Pearl was anchored a few hundred meters from the island, gently rocking with the silvery waves.

On the ship, there was a deathly silence.

Except for Jiang Li, everyone held their breath, and their heartbeats almost stopped from being scared.

"This is... the Dragon King?"

Lei Meng carried a large black pot on his back, and the two cleavers in his hands were trembling slightly.

As a powerful figure who has attained enlightenment through "eating," his instincts told him that the behemoth before him was definitely at the top of the food chain! Just one glance gave him the illusion that he himself was the "food."

"This aura...it's too strong!" Lei Meng swallowed hard. "Boss, can we really eat this stuff? Won't it break our teeth?"

"Broken teeth? That's impossible!"

Jiang Li stood at the bow of the ship, holding a telescope (actually made from the bottoms of two Coca-Cola bottles glued together), and was observing the "big dragon" with great interest.

In his view (with the poverty filter fully applied), it was not a majestic and sacred ancient dragon at all.

Instead, it was... an exceptionally long, exceptionally fat, white with a reddish tinge...

"A giant loach!"

Jiang Li put down the "telescope" with a confident look, "Although it has grown horns, its slippery body is exactly like those old mudfish that have become spirits in our river! It's just a bit bigger, probably because it's taken too many hormones."

"Mud...loach?"

Wang Defa, listening nearby, couldn't help but exclaim, "Boss, this thing has claws! Five claws!"

"It mutated."

Jiang Li didn't take it seriously. "Look at those chickens in the farms, some even have four wings. It's not surprising that loaches grow extra legs to make it easier for them to get ashore after living for a long time."

He focused his gaze on the thick scales on the dragon's body.

"But the skin looks quite thick, so it'll probably take some effort. Also, loaches have a strong earthy smell, so they'll need to be handled properly."

Jiang Li turned around and began to deploy tactics.

"Ergou! Go get that bucket of 'special bait' (which is the remaining deep-diving entrails mixed with expired chili sauce)! The loach is still sleeping; let's make a feeding area for it and lure it into the water!"

"Big Yellow! Get the rope ready! This thing is definitely strong, don't let it get away!"

"Old Liu! Charge the main gun! If it doesn't bite, give it a 'shock therapy' to stun it before you fish it out!"

"yes!"

Although they were terrified, the crew members quickly sprang into action under the influence of Jiang Li's inexplicable confidence.

……

On the island.

The sleeping Nidhogg clone suddenly felt a tickle in its nose.

An extremely pungent, spicy, and bloody odor drifted into its nostrils on the sea breeze.

"Achoo—!!!"

The dragon sneezed.

This sneeze triggered a small storm, blowing away most of the fog surrounding the island.

It slowly opened its eyes.

Those were a pair of golden vertical pupils, burning like lava, containing endless majesty and tyranny.

Who?

Who dares to disturb the slumber of the great God Eater's Shadow?

Its gaze swept across the sea and instantly locked onto the small, dark boat.

"Ants..."

Ancient dragon language resonated in the air, carrying an undeniable divine power.

"How dare you trespass into the forbidden land of the gods..."

It slowly raised its head, its huge body stretched out, and the scales rubbed together, producing a metallic rumble.

A terrifying dragon's might erupted instantly, forcing the surrounding seawater to collapse downwards and forming a huge crater.

On the ship, apart from Jiang Li and Da Huang, everyone else was so overwhelmed by the oppressive force that they lay sprawled on the deck, unable to move.

"Hey! You're awake!"

Jiang Li, however, acted as if nothing had happened, and became even more excited.

"Good that you're awake! Live fish are the freshest!"

He picked up the large S-shaped meat hook, with half a dripping piece of pork (brought from home) hanging on it, and waved it at the dragon.

"Hey! You loach! Hungry? Look here! There's something delicious!"

Nidhogg: "..."

loach?

This lowly human actually calls it a loach? And he even uses the flesh of such a lowly creature to humiliate it?

"roar--!!!"

The dragon was enraged.

It opened its mouth wide, and a blinding white light shone from deep within its throat.

That was the [Destruction Dragon Breath], containing the "deathly silence" rule capable of disintegrating all things. Once it was unleashed, the small boat and the ants on it would instantly turn into nothingness.

"Oh no! It's going to spit!"

Jiang Li's expression changed. "This mudfish has terrible manners! Spitting everywhere!"

He didn't think it was dragon breath; he just felt that the strange fish was about to spray venom or saliva.

"Old Liu! Fire! Shut its mouth!"

"boom!!!"

The already fully charged psionic main cannon (Star Destruction Cannon - Pseudo) opened fire instantly.

A thick black beam of light, streaked with dark red lightning, shot precisely into the dragon's open mouth.

"Bang!"

Before the dragon's breath could even be released, it was blasted back by this blast.

Terrifying energy exploded inside the dragon's mouth.

"Awooo—!!!"

Nidhogg let out a painful scream, black smoke billowing from its mouth, and several dragon teeth larger than a human flew out, falling into the sea and stirring up huge waves.

It was stunned.

How could this seemingly dilapidated fishing boat possess such formidable firepower?! The stellar power contained in that single shot was enough to injure its divine body?

"Good shot! Three-pointer made!"

Jiang Li clapped his hands and cheered, "Strike while the iron is hot! Big Yellow! Take the bait!"

"Woof!"

Big Yellow had now transformed into its full battle form, its body wreathed in blue spacetime flames, and its size had swelled to the size of a small elephant.

It bit the large meat hook connected to the steel cable, took a step, traversed space, and instantly appeared above the dragon's head.

"Pfft!"

With all his might, Dahuang plunged the steel meat hook, which had been "enhanced" by Jiang Li's will, deep into the dragon's charred lips!

"We've got a fish!!!"

Jiang Li shouted and grabbed the winch handle.

"Come here...!"

"Buzz—"

The steel cable taut instantly, making a teeth-grinding sound.

The dragon, in pain, frantically shook its head, trying to shake off that damned hook.

Its power was astonishing; the Black Pearl was pulled sideways on the sea surface, as if it were about to capsize.

"Wow, that's powerful! Even stronger than that mantis shrimp from last time!"

Jiang Li's feet were firmly planted on the deck, his muscles bulging and veins popping out.

"Ergou! Lao Liu! Stop lying there! Come and help!"

"Quick! This is a war of attrition! We have to outlast them!"

Under Jiang Li's roar, the believers who had been immobilized by the dragon's might miraculously regained their ability to move.

In the realm of the "Father God," divine power is neutralized!

"Charge! For the dragon meat!"

"Help the captain pull the rope!"

Dozens of people rushed forward and grabbed the steel cable like in a tug-of-war.

"One, two, three! Pull!"

"One, two, three! Pull!"

A tug-of-war between mortals and gods is unfolding deep within this underground sea.

Nidhogg's clone was absolutely furious.

It was a mighty ancient dragon, yet its mouth was hooked by a group of insects like a fishing rod.

This is an utter disgrace!

It wanted to fly up, take the ship into the sky, and then smash it to pieces.

But it was shocked to discover that the seemingly ordinary steel cable was bound by a bizarre rule called "Causality: Never Disengaging." Moreover, the ship was ridiculously heavy, as if it were connected to the entire ocean, and it was impossible to move it!

That's the gravity law of the Pillars of Stars at work!

"Since you can't be pulled... then I'll destroy you!"

The dragon roared and plunged its body into the water, creating towering waves that crashed towards the Black Pearl.

It intends to use its thousand-meter-long divine body to crush this wrecked ship!

"Oh? You can do that too? Dragon Tail Swing?"

Jiang Li looked at the enormous dragon body that was pressing down on him like a mountain range, but instead of being afraid, he was amused.

"It delivers itself to my door! Saves me the trouble of hauling it!"

He loosened the winch and pulled out the butcher knife from behind his back.

"Lei Meng! Where's your big knife? Get ready to cut some meat!"

"The boss is here!"

Lei Meng held a cleaver the size of a door in each hand. Although his legs were still trembling, the greed in his eyes had overwhelmed his fear.

S+ grade ingredients! You might never see them again in your lifetime!

"BOOM—!!!"

The dragon crashed into the Black Pearl.

The ship rocked violently, and the protective shield made a cracking sound.

But at the very moment of impact, Jiang Li moved.

He leaped onto the dragon's nose like a flea.

"Such a big thing, the chopped chili fish head must be delicious!"

Jiang Li gripped the knife with both hands and stabbed it fiercely into the dragon's forehead (where the dragon crystal was located)!

"Pfft!"

There were no sparks, no obstacles.

The butcher knife pierced through the dragon's supposedly "physically immune" scales as easily as cutting tofu, and went straight into the hilt!

"Awooo—!!!"

The dragon let out a deafening scream, its body twisting wildly and churning the sea.

"Still moving? Behave yourself!"

Jiang Li drew his sword and slashed again!

"This stab was for my sister, who was almost terrified!"

"Pfft!"

"This stab was for my still-paying mortgage!"

"Pfft!"

"This price cut is for this damn inflation!"

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Jiang Li transformed into a ruthless meat-chopping machine, riding on the dragon's head and unleashing a frenzied barrage of attacks.

Each strike took away a large amount of the dragon's life force and divinity.

Nidhogg's clone felt his soul being slowly tortured.

It was afraid.

It was truly afraid.

This human... is a demon!

"Spare...spare my life..."

The proud ancient dragon finally lowered its head and emitted a wave of pleading.

"I can... surrender..."

"Submission?"

Jiang Li paused, wiping the dragon blood off his face.

"You mean... you want to be my pet?"

He glanced at the large creature that looked like a loach.

"No, no, you're too ugly, and you're so big, you don't fit in the bathtub at home, and I'd have to feed you meat every day, I can't afford to raise you."

Jiang Li shook his head in disdain.

"It's more practical to serve it as sashimi."

Nidhogg: "???"

I'm Gu Long! I'm a god! And you actually think I'm ugly?! You even think I eat too much?!

It was desperate.

"Lei Meng! Don't just stand there! That tail over there is yours! Chop it off!"

Jiang Li shouted.

"Okay!"

Lei Meng jumped onto the dragon's back, brandishing his twin swords and hacking wildly at the dragon's tail.

"Jingle bells!"

Although his sword wasn't as monstrous as Jiang Li's, with the support of A-level power, it still managed to slash so hard that sparks flew and dragon scales flew everywhere.

"Big Yellow! Bite its throat! Lock it in a chokehold!"

"Woof!"

Big Yellow bit down on the dragon's reverse scale.

Under the combined assault of a man, a dog, and a cook, this once-arrogant abyssal dragon clone finally breathed its last.

Its massive body lay limply on the sea, like a floating mountain of flesh.

"Phew... I'm exhausted."

Jiang Li sat on the dragon's head, panting heavily.

"These loaches are really tough; they're much harder to handle than the mantis shrimp we had the other day."

He looked at the kilometer-long corpse and was overjoyed.

"How much meat is that... a billion orders?! This could easily sell for ten billion!"

"Ergou! Quick! Open the cold storage! Pack as much as you can!"

"Don't throw away these dragon scales! Scrape them off and sell them as bulletproof vests! Keep the dragon whiskers too; they're top-quality dragon tendons!"

"And that dragon horn...it looks like deer antler; soaking it in alcohol when we get home will definitely be a great tonic!"

A grand "dragon-slaying (dismemberment)" feast unfolded on the sea surface of Guixu.

The believers, armed with knives, saws, axes, and halberds, climbed up and down the dragon's corpse, busy and enjoying themselves immensely.

Lei Meng even set up a pot directly on the dragon's back, ready to try it out.

"Boss! This dragon liver is too big! It can't fit in one pot!"

"Then slice them and stir-fry them! Add plenty of garlic!"

……

While everyone was busy preparing the ingredients.

Jiang Li suddenly felt a strange gaze.

He turned his head and looked at the empty island not far away.

At the highest point of the island, something seemed to be glittering.

"What's that?"

Jiang Li walked over curiously.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered it was an altar.

A bead the size of a fist floats on the altar.

The bead is completely transparent, and inside it seems to be a starry sky, with countless stars rotating, being born and dying.

【Dragon King's Eye】(S+ grade core/world key).

This is the eye Nidhogg uses to monitor this dimension, and also the key to unlock the path to the deeper abyss.

"These beads...are really beautiful."

Jiang Li reached out and picked it up.

The moment I touched it, a cool sensation spread throughout my body.

"Could this be the legendary... Dragon Balls?"

Jiang Li looked at it against the light.

"It looks like a glass ball, but it's quite clear."

He thought for a moment, "I'll take it back and let the little fish play with it as marbles, or it would be nice to set it in a ring."

Jiang Li casually stuffed the treasure, which was enough to start a world war, into his pocket and turned back to the ship.

"Brothers! Let's get out of here! Let's go home and count our money!"

The Black Pearl returned fully loaded, dragging half a dragon carcass (there was simply no room left for the rest).

……

And shortly after they left.

In the darkness deep within the Ruins of Guixu, a pair of even larger and more ancient eyes slowly opened.

"My clone...is dead?"

The voice carried a hint of doubt, but more so, anger.

"Who dares to blaspheme the dragon's majesty?"

"That aura... it's that angler?!"

"He... he actually came?!"

The true abyss has begun to boil.