I'm not just human!

However, neither the fishermen on the street nor the pirates and bounty hunters who looked elusive could see the Shark Princess at all.

The reason is simple: Princess Shark has become invisible, and the mysterious treasure is detected through the incomplete appearance of the mask she is wearing.

Fortunately, before she went invisible, she used the tiny gemstone mask to carve a rune into Xia Fa's palm, which allowed Xia Fa to see it.

Xia Fa followed Princess Shark, wandering around the fishermen's district of the City of Ten Thousand Stars, passing through muddy streets and alleys, yet never stopping.

On the way, Xia Fa also pondered the tactics and strategies for this trip in order to deal with any possible emergencies.

First, we must consider that the Roaring Emperor deliberately exposed his lair in order to lure Princess Shark and his cousin, the Father of Ten Thousand Stars, there and capture them all in one fell swoop.

In this situation, the Prophet with a Thousand Faces, or even the Scarlet Executor himself, could be lying in ambush in that place.

However, given the cautious nature of Princess Shark and her cousin Wanxing's father, this possibility is probably not very high.

After all, they've been navigating the Baron Ocean for hundreds of years; they're not so easily fooled.

But if that's the case, then the only option will be for me and my cousin to use all the secret abilities of the Gate of Stars to try and escape.

If the Roaring Emperor hadn't laid any ambush, or even knew about the attack, then it would be simple: kill the Roaring Emperor, take what you can, and leave.

As for the question of how powerful the Roaring Emperor is, given that he has already signed fifteen secret contracts...

Xia Fa was well aware that once a transcendent being reached the position of Sovereign, that is, after signing nine secret contracts,

The dividing line between strength lies at nine secret contracts, fifteen secret contracts, twenty secret contracts, twenty-five secret contracts, and thirty secret contracts.

Every five secret contracts roughly represent a difference equivalent to a small rank, but not as significant as the difference between a demigod and an angel, or between an angel and a ruler. It's more like the difference between fungi, insects, eagles, wolves, elephants, and whales.

As for why it always hits the fifth secret contract so precisely, the reason is quite simple.

Because every five secret contracts represent a qualitative change, a qualitative change resulting from quantitative change.

Of course, going from nine to fifteen cards is six cards, but that's about right.

In other words, when a ruler or transcendent monarch wants to increase their strength from nine secret contracts to fifteen secret contracts,

The first thing to do is to prepare enough anchor points to support fifteen secret contracts, or secret techniques or treasures with similar anti-loss effects.

Once that's achieved, one secret agreement after another can be signed until fifteen are reached, which is equivalent to reaching a hurdle.

Going from fifteen to twenty cards presents an even greater challenge, requiring significantly higher standards in both anchor points and talent.

Once you reach that point, there are basically no obstacles in the process of going from fifteen to twenty cards, but once you reach twenty cards, you will reach a new hurdle.

In other words, for each hurdle overcome, five secret contracts can be signed, increasing one's strength by one level, until the next hurdle is reached.

It is precisely for this reason that figures such as Saint Shalatu, Patriarch Osius, Pope Hercules, and others possess such terrifying power and are qualified to serve as earthly leaders of major churches.

Because, as extraordinary monarchs who have signed thirty secret contracts, they are equivalent to being four minor ranks higher than ordinary extraordinary monarchs!

Of course, Xia Fa understood that he didn't need to go through such trouble to take this path. He just needed to sign five overlord-level secret contracts and have enough anchor points.

As for the exact number of anchor points needed, that's unclear. We'll find an opportunity to ask our great-grandfather how many anchor points he established when he became a transcendent monarch.

In any case, Xia Fa speculated that when he signed his fifth hegemon-level secret contract, the anchor points he would need would certainly be no less than those needed by a transcendent monarch.

However, in this situation, since the Roaring Emperor has already signed fifteen secret contracts, he is actually only one rank higher than Longtao, this extraordinary monarch.

Before absorbing so much sacred metal and before starting to devour the Secret Code, I was able to kill Long Tao Yi. Now, fighting the Roaring Emperor should be no problem.

Just as I was thinking this, suddenly, the figure of Princess Shark floating in the air in front of me stopped.

They stopped in front of a small, dilapidated thatched hut.

Xia Fa couldn't help but turn his head and look at the thatched hut.

Although the walls were made of limestone, they had many holes and were filled with straw everywhere. The roof was also in disrepair and it was obvious that it would leak when it rained.

Xia Fa felt a pang of sadness in his heart. His cousin Hercules and his cousin Locke... actually lived in a place like this?

However, on second thought, under the threat of the seemingly extremely powerful Crimson Agent, the pirates under the Howling Emperor and the Thousand-Faced Prophet are probably still searching for them everywhere. They are hiding everywhere, and it seems that only by living in such a place can they avoid attracting attention.

"This is it, let's go in."

Princess Shark turned around, her cherry-colored lips moving, sending her voice directly into Xiafa's ears.

She remained invisible and flew inside first.

The two dilapidated wooden doors of the thatched hut opened by themselves. Luckily, there was no one around anymore. Otherwise, if someone had noticed, they might have thought it was haunted, since Princess Shark was invisible.

Seeing Princess Shark fly in first, Xia Fa sighed softly, feeling a pang of sadness as he followed her in.

The thatched hut was indeed very simple and dilapidated. The tables, chairs and counters were made of the lowest quality spliced ​​wooden planks, and many of them were stained with black stains. The table legs and stool legs had long been rotten and smelly, with an unpleasant fishy odor.

The room was filled with a strong fishy smell and a faint smell of blood, which made Xia Fa even suspect that his cousin and younger cousin had been seriously injured.

In the corner was a bowl of fish and shrimp, but they were no longer fresh, and many of them were floating on the surface of the water. It looked like the food that my cousin and his younger cousin usually ate.

Xia Fa's eyes reddened slightly, her nose tingled, and she couldn't help but sigh softly.

Thinking that his cousins ​​had also been treated like this by the Crimson Agents, his anger surged even more uncontrollably.

"Where are Cousin Hercules? And Cousin Locke? Where are they?"

This question was, of course, directed at Princess Shark. After entering the room, Princess Shark was no longer invisible.

Princess Shark, however, remained aloof, though her voice softened slightly, perhaps because she had learned of Xia Fa's future identity as the Secret Emperor:

"Wait a mininute."

Suddenly, Princess Shark waved her small hand, and several secret runes fell down, imprinting themselves on the wooden table, the wooden stool, and the cabinet next to it.

Xia Fa could tell that the positions of these secret texts corresponded to the constellations, indicating that this was an advanced application of ritual arrays, equivalent to a simple yet highly effective ritual array.

Snapped!

The wooden door of the thatched hut suddenly closed, and immediately the cryptic texts lit up, emitting rays of light that connected with each other to form a "net."

The next moment, the light net trembled slightly, and a circular light gate parallel to the ground opened and slowly descended towards the floor.

Xia Fa's breathing became shallow, and he felt inexplicably nervous, afraid that he would see his seriously injured cousin or younger cousin through the circular light gate.

Finally, the circular portal landed on the muddy ground of the thatched hut.

The ground trembled slightly, as if a barrier had been broken through.

Xia Fa looked inside with great eagerness, but then froze in surprise.

This circular portal clearly leads to a subspace beneath this thatched hut.

However, this subspace was decorated almost like the Emperor Suite of the Lushurui Hotel, or even more luxurious and noble.

Marble floors covered with luxurious ancient Persian carpets, artificial hills with fountains, crystal double-door cabinets filled with fine wines, plush velvet sofas, vases brimming with rare flowers...

My rugged cousin Hercules was reclining on an expensive and exquisite mahogany chair, holding a Bo Yue red pine cigar in his left hand and a glass of whiskey in his right, sipping it leisurely.

As for his cousin Locke, he was dressed in a white suit, with his hands behind his back, standing in front of a famous painting hanging on the wall, seemingly admiring it, or perhaps pondering it.

Xiafa: ...

So it turns out that the thatched hut was just a smokescreen all along!

I even felt sorry for my older and younger cousins, but all that worrying was for nothing...

But it makes sense. After all, the older cousin is a supernatural monarch and the younger cousin is an angel. Even if they are on the run, how could they possibly be doing badly?

A little bit of the wealth accumulated during his time as a pirate would be enough to set up such a subspace.

However, Xia Fa could also vaguely sense that this subspace was lifeless and not as real and vivid as the real world. Even supernatural power did not circulate much, and the air was somewhat suffocating.

It was like heaven and earth compared to his own little world.

Just then, Hercules seemed to sense something and looked over through the circular hole of light.

But with just that one glance, His expression visibly darkened.

As one of the five pirate emperors of the sea, and once the most prestigious, even in exile, his former majesty remained undiminished. His gaze immediately fell upon Princess Shark, filled with accusation.

"Princess Shark, why did you go to see my cousin without my permission? Didn't I tell you not to involve him in this matter under any circumstances?"

Chapter 262 What? My mother's family is also so powerful? The hidden past of the Father of Ten Thousand Stars who became a fish-man!

The words of the Father of Ten Thousand Stars were extremely stern, yet they also implied anxiety.

It seems that, in any case, He truly didn't want to involve his cousin, Xiafa, even if it meant fleeing himself.

Princess Shark's eyes flickered, and she prepared to explain.

It was clear that her relationship with the father of Wanxing was limited to a cooperative one. Seeing that the previously agreed-upon terms had changed, she had no choice but to speak up and clarify things.

Locke turned around at this moment, looking up at the circular light hole in surprise, especially at Shafa's face, seemingly not expecting that Princess Shark would bring Shafa here.

Just as the atmosphere was about to become tense, Xia Fa spoke with a smile.

"Cousin, cousin, it's been a long time. It's not convenient to talk here, let's go inside first."

As soon as the words fell—

hum! ! !

The jet-black, spherical bubble, resembling the starry sky of the universe, expanded outwards, completely ignoring the boundary between subspace and the real world, and enveloping everything inside and outside the circular light hole.

Of course, Xia Fa was still somewhat restrained. This time, the "star bubble" was not large and did not go beyond the thatched hut, so it would not expose any information.

Princess Shark and Xiafa's own figures were naturally included in it as well.

The next moment, without any warning, Xia Fa and Princess Shark vanished from the pitch-black star bubble and entered the subspace that resembled the Emperor Suite of the Lushurui Grand Hotel.

With a "pop," the star bubble burst open, and Xia Fa landed lightly and nimbly, while Princess Shark's body flashed with wine-red light and continued to float in the air.

Above their heads, the circular portal to the subspace slowly closed.

In that instant, the father of Wanxing trembled slightly, and the pine cigar in his hand almost fell to the ground, but he was completely unaware of it. He just stared at his cousin with his majestic black eyes, his eyes slightly lost in thought.

Locke's eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Clearly, he was far less composed than his brother.

As for Princess Shark, her wine-red eyes also showed a hint of surprise, obviously because she realized that she seemed completely unable to resist the transfer power of Xia Faxing's air bubbles.

"This is... a star bubble? Tefal's star bubble? My dear cousin, how do you know this move?"

The Father of Ten Thousand Stars finally recovered from his extreme astonishment. In a flash, he appeared in front of Xia Fa, leaving a faint starlight on the original peachwood armchair.

As the former most prestigious and powerful pirate emperor on the Baron Ocean, he could no longer remain calm. His large hands gripped Xia Fa's shoulders tightly, his face flushed, and his eyes gleaming. He was incredibly excited.

Clearly, although He was asking a question, He already realized something.