Chapter 1671: Let's Place A Bet

"May not be?" smiled the Octopus man. "Childe Chen, I'm afraid you don't understand that the oceans in Neptune Starfield are the deepest, most expansive in the human realm*! The deeper we go, the greater the pressure would bear down on you. It would difficult for a human, even one with a high cultivation level to swim quickly to the bottom!"

"I already told you that I'm good with water!" Chen Xiaobei answered calmly. "If you don't believe me, we can race each other!"

"Are you sure, Childe Chen? Are you sure you're not just joking?" Octopus man chuckled. "This is the first time in my life that I'm hearing a human challenging a merperson to a swimming race!"

"Childe Chen, don't be stubborn!" Ao Liancheng was also very amused. "Every race* has its own strengths; the merpeople's strength is water! The oceans are the merpeople's homeground! You are the first person to have ever challenged a merperson in his backyard!

Chen Xiaobei merely shrugged at the comment. "Childe Liancheng's cultivation is higher than mine so I cannot compete with him, but I am confident enough to compete with Brother Octopus."

"Childe Chen, you are our honored guest but..." Octopus man frowned. "I must tell you this, however - you're being a bit too ostentatious!"

"You think I'm being ostentatious?" Chen Xiaobei's eyebrows raised. "Does Childe LiangCheng think so too?"

Ao Liancheng smiled. "It's a little rude for me to say this, but to be honest, a human challenging a merman to a swimming race undoubtedly is quite the ostentatious move indeed!"

"Alright! Since both of you think that way, why don't we place a bet?" Chen Xiaobei grinned. "Brother Octopus and I will dive 3,000 meters deep. The first person to reach wins! If I lose, I will fulfill any request you have but if I win, you'll have to give me a 100,000 years Ambergris!"

"What?!" Ao Liancheng and Octopus man stared at each other, a strange expression adorning their faces.

"Why? Are you guys afraid?" Chen Xiaobei challenged.

Ao Liancheng hesitated for some time before saying, "Childe Chen, it appears that you do not understand the current condition in Neptune! We don't even have a 30,000 years Ambergris to spare!"

"Why... Why is that?" The disappointment was evident on Chen Xiaobei's face.

Chen Xiaobei had hoped that he could increase his cultivation as quickly as possible using high-grade Ambergris. Woefully, Ao Liancheng had just shattered his dream of that ever happening!

Ao Liangcheng answered. "That information is kept secret - it has something to with our holy emperor's illness! If you could cure his royal highness, I will tell you everything! Should anything happen to him, this secret will be buried forever, and our race will face the risk of extinction!"

"Extinction? That drastic?!" Chen Xiaobei was suddenly worried.

Ao Liancheng smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry, Childe Chen. The danger is there but we should be fine for the time being."

Chen Xiaobei's forehead wrinkled. He found it difficult not to worry.

If even the Neptunes could not save themselves, what would happen to him should he get entangled in their affairs?

"Childe Chen! There really is no need to worry! I can vouch for your safety!" To lighten the mood, Ao Liancheng steered the conversation in another direction. "So that bet you were mentioning just now. Are you still on? Don't tell me you're scared now!"

"Scared? Such a word does not exist in my dictionary!" Chen Xiaobei said with full confidence.

"Alright! The conditions are the same except we'll have to raise the stakes!" Ao Liancheng said. "If my bodyguard loses, I will agree to fulfill an attainable request you have! If you lose, I won't pay your consultation fee!"

"Alright! I concur!" Chen Xiaobei answered.

Although he may not obtain the Ambergris, he could at least ask for Ao Liancheng's help to find the emperor of Greenhill.

This had to do for the sake of Bai Lingsu and girls' safety - this was of paramount importance.

"Then, I'll go wait at the 3,000-meter mark first! The first to arrive wins!" Ao Liancheng smiled. He dove into the ocean so quickly he was but a blur of a red, leaving a crimson trail behind.

Chen Xiaobei could not help but exclaim, "Wow! So fast!"

Ding!

[Cultivation: Early phase of God-Ascension cultivation; Lifespan: 1,317 years; Health: 600,000 (+100,000); Combat power: Health: 600,000 (+100,000)]

Chen Xiaobei checked Ao Liancheng's cultivation again.

It was as what Ling Qingfeng had said: In the sea, Ao Liancheng could wield 700,000 combat power.

On top of that, the ocean was the merpeople's domain. The crushing pressure from the depth and the resistance of the seawater were barely an impediment for them.

In the vast ocean, Ao Liancheng was undefeatable to those of the same cultivation level.

Ding!

[Cultivation: Pinnacle phase of Celestial cultivation; Lifespan: 104 years; Health: 130,000 (+50,000); Combat power: Health: 130,000 (+50,000)]

Octopus man's cultivation, on the other hand, was much lower. His bloodline was nowhere near Ao Liancheng's either.

Nevertheless, with all things considered, Octopus man was not to be underestimated.

In the ocean, he could compete with an Ethereal Cultivation elite with 180,000 combat power.

As a matter of fact, Chen Xiaobei's combat power was 180,000.

But after he had consumed the Blood Emperor's neutron, his health was increased to 200,000. With the enhancements gained from the Primordial Witch King Combat Enhancement Training Manual, he could then wield a whopping 200,000 combat power!

That was going to be Chen Xioabei's basis for winning!

Not knowing this, Octopus man even teased, "Childe Chen, should I give you a ten-minute head start?"

Chen Xiaobei shrugged. "That won't be necessary. When Childe Liancheng gives the signal, we'll start together!"

Octopus man chuckled, "Won't that make me a bully then?"

"You should save that speech after you win. Who knows, you might have spoken too soon!" Chen Xiaobei said playfully.

"Alright! If you insist, I won't go easy on you!" Octopus man smiled. "Don't blame me for beating you later!"

"Hehe." Chen Xiaobei smiled back at him, unfazed.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a red light shot out from the deep end of the ocean. It was simply a harmless beam - Ao Liancheng's signal for them to begin the race.

Whoosh!

Octopus man's eight tentacles stirred under the water, and off he went, pulsating away deep into the ocean as a black shadow.

Whoosh!

Chen Xiaobei was just as focused. He quickly dove into the water, wielding all his might.

At the initial 1,000-meter mark, the water pressure and the water-resistance were not too bad. Chen Xiaobei and Octopus man were racing each other shoulder to shoulder.

"You... Aren't you human... How could a human..." Octopus man stared at Chen Xiaobei, who was swimming next to him. He was completely baffled that a human could swim as quickly as he could. He had never heard or seen anyone like that before... until now!

Chen Xiaobei merely responded with a smile, and a confident, "The best part is yet to come!"