My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Without uttering any unnecessary words, Gao Tianxiong transformed into a streak of white light and charged straight towards Lin Mo.

This sword strike embodied fifty years of his power, carrying the overwhelming rage of grief over the loss of his son.

Before the sword even arrived, its sharp aura had already carved a deep trench in the ground.

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

Ajin and the others' expressions changed, and they were about to step forward to defend themselves.

"Need not."

Lin Mo raised his hand to stop them and slowly drew the black sword from his waist.

The black sword light and the white sword energy collided, but there was no earth-shattering sound, only a muffled thud.

The white sword energy, powerful enough to cleave mountains, melted away instantly, like ice and fire.

The black sword light continued its relentless advance, slashing straight towards Gao Tianxiong's neck.

Gao Tianxiong's pupils shrank suddenly, and the holy light all over his body surged wildly towards the sword, which he used to block.

"clang--!!"

With a deafening clang of metal clashing, Gao Tianxiong's holy-armored longsword snapped in two.

The black blade stopped just short of his throat, the icy touch freezing his blood instantly.

Time seemed to stand still.

Gao Tianxiong froze in mid-air, the broken sword slipping from his hand and crashing to the ground with a crisp sound.

He could clearly feel the aura of death emanating from the sword's edge. If Lin Mo moved forward just an inch further, his head would roll to the ground like his son's.

He looked into Lin Mo's calm, expressionless eyes.

There was no anger, no smugness, not even a trace of emotion in those eyes.

Just then, the surrounding people began to murmur.

"He defeated the king in one move? Just how strong is this guy?"

"Wait, that black sword of his... I think I've seen it before!"

"Holy crap! Isn't this the new emperor of the Human Empire who just ascended the throne a few days ago? I remember his name was Lin Mo."

……

Hearing these words, Gao Tianran felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He recalled the rumors that had spread throughout the continent.

The demon king Lin Mo who slaughtered the imperial palace of the Holy Ancient Empire, killed three demigods, and established a human empire.

He originally thought those rumors were exaggerated; how could a young man in his twenties possibly have such strength?

But now, he was personally experiencing the terrifying aura emanating from that black sword.

Only when he felt the coldness emanating from Lin Mo, who treated human life as worthless, did he understand.

Those rumors were not exaggerated; in fact, they were somewhat reserved.

Gao Tianxiong's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Just then, Lin Mo spoke slowly, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

"Either prepare the best ship for me, coat it with the finest materials, and I need to depart within half an hour. Or, I'll slaughter this city and dive to the Mermaid Kingdom myself, though it will be a bit slower."

As he spoke, the black sword's blade moved forward a little further, slicing through Gao Tianxiong's skin.

A trickle of blood flowed down her neck.

Gao Tianxiong's body trembled violently.

He looked at his son's head on the ground, then at the trembling people hiding in the corner in the distance, and finally at Lin Mo's cold eyes.

Finally, he slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the anger in them had died down, leaving only endless despair and icy hatred.

He gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "I... will prepare a boat for you."

After saying that, he fell from the sky.

He knelt down on the ground with a thud.

It wasn't out of genuine acceptance, nor was it a sincere apology.

He had no choice but to kneel in order to save the city and preserve his fifty years of hard work.

Everyone around was stunned.

The arrogant city lord who had dominated the South China Sea for fifty years actually knelt down before this young man who had killed his only son.

Gao Tianxiong didn't look at anyone, he just kept his head down, his voice hoarse like sandpaper being rubbed.

"Within half an hour, the Haijiao will be ready, coated with the best deep-sea resin."

Lin Mo slowly sheathed his black sword: "Very good."

Gao Tianxiong stood up, not glancing at his son on the ground or at Lin Mo again, and coldly said to his terrified subordinates beside him, "Go and prepare."

The men quickly responded and hurriedly ran off to prepare.

Gao Tianxiong stood there, his back to everyone, so no one could see his expression.

All that could be seen was his tightly clenched fist, his knuckles white, his nails digging deep into his flesh, and blood flowing down between his fingers.

Ajin led the other nine Golden Dragon Warriors to Lin Mo's side, where they all knelt on one knee. Their voices were unified and filled with unprecedented determination: "We are willing to follow His Majesty to the death, even at the cost of fire and water!"

Lin Mo glanced back at them and nodded slightly: "Get up."

The ten Golden Dragon Warriors stood up, their eyes filled with fervor and loyalty as they looked at Lin Mo.

They were no longer bargaining chips sent by Hong Lü, but Lin Mo's true warriors.

Yin Xue sat on Lin Mo's shoulder, swinging his legs, glanced at Gao Tianxiong's back, and sneered, "He's smart to be sensible. But that old bastard must hate you to death. Should I help you kill him too, to eliminate any future trouble?"

Lin Mo shook his head: "No need. An old man who has lost his son can't cause any trouble."

He walked to the harbor, looked at the surging sea in the distance, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Half an hour later, a jet-black speedboat docked at the pier.

The hull had a pale blue sheen, which was the highest grade deep-sea coating.

Lin Mo led everyone onto the ship without saying goodbye to Gao Tianxiong.

Only after the ship disappeared above the horizon did Lei Hu, standing beside Gao Tianxiong, speak up and ask, "Your Majesty, are we just letting them go like that?"

Gao Tianxiong frowned deeply: "This madman dares to fight even dragons and kill demigods. He wouldn't hesitate to raze a small Qianjin City to the ground."

"Young Master Gao Ran... he's your only son."

Gao Tianxiong looked sorrowful: "Yes, I can only choose one of my 63 daughters to inherit the throne."

Finally, Gao Tianxiong looked in the direction Lin Mo had left, gritted his teeth, and said, word by word.

"Go and inform the Holy Kingdom of the Tower to send people to provide support."

……

On the sea, the Haijiao submersible braves the wind and waves.

A layer of bubble coating covered the hull, and the entire ship slowly and silently sailed towards the mermaid kingdom at the bottom of the sea.

"Your Majesty, we have inspected the ship and found no tampering."

Akin reported to Lin Molin.

Lin Mo nodded, even if Gao Tianxiong had tampered with things, it wouldn't be a problem.

Just as he said before, even without a boat, he could dive into the sea with his bare body.

Lin Mo stood at the bow of the ship, closing his eyes to check his attribute panel.

"Almost there, I'll be level 80 soon."