As he continued descending, Ye Yu's legs began to tremble uncontrollably. After all, even ordinary people's legs shake when climbing down a mountain, let alone after traversing the Gravity Stairs earlier. Now, descending these steps under such terrifying gravity was even more daunting.
He had to hold on. Internally, he felt grateful they had entered after the Pirate Crew List rankings. If they had come in at level 40, even he would have struggled to pass. But now, at level 42, Ye Yu could clearly feel his growth—his improvements in every aspect were substantial.
This high-difficulty Mystic Realm had not only tested his strength but also solidified his gains. Such an environment was excellent for tempering oneself.
Pushing through, he finally reached the bottom step. The moment he stepped off, the oppressive gravity vanished, leaving him feeling weightless. He collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted.
A message echoed: "One hour of rest time granted. After one hour, the final stage's teleportation will begin."
Ye Yu gasped for breath, taking the time to recover.
Meanwhile, Yang Luo and the others wore grim expressions.
Song Ling was furious. "This is all because of you! We never should have allied with you. This loss is devastating."
Though they were part of the Four Emperors Pirates, with so many alliances, the title would only be retained by one crew if they disbanded. Moreover, the experience gained was pitifully little—even as captains, they hadn't leveled up, let alone their subordinates.
Not only had six top-tier Chosen Ones perished, but each of their crews had also suffered casualties, losing Executives and Combat Crew members. The lower-ranked crew members had been nearly wiped out—Ye Yu's Conqueror's Haki was simply too overwhelming.
In short, this venture had been a catastrophic loss with zero gains.
They had been brimming with confidence, believing that with thirteen allied crews, the worst outcome would still be first place. Yet, in the end, they were the ones forced to surrender.
Wang Quanshi spoke gravely, "Ye Yu, as the Captain of the One King Pirates, has gained massive experience. Though leveling up is far harder for him, he's undoubtedly surpassed us now. His strength has grown tremendously, and if he clears the Black Mystic Realm… he might just succeed."
Bai Shaohan added solemnly, "This time, we witnessed Ye Yu's terror firsthand. He already has seven Contracts. If he acquires another unknown Bloodline from the Mystic Realm, he'll become even stronger. Given the Black Mystic Realm's difficulty, the Bloodline he obtains won't be weak."
The others grew even more somber, their worries deepening.
Meanwhile, the other participating pirate crews felt a sense of relief—they weren't in the same sea as Ye Yu, so they'd be safe for now.
But they couldn't shake their fear. If they encountered him on the open seas in the future, they'd be in grave danger. Some had even begun questioning—would Ye Yu ever truly be at a disadvantage? At this point, even they were starting to doubt it.
Aboard the Tyrant Feather Pirate Ship, the atmosphere was jubilant. The crew bustled about, preparing a grand feast to celebrate Ye Yu's return.
The crewmates couldn't stop praising him.
"Our Captain is not just strong—he's brilliant!"
"Right? He told our top fighters to hold back, letting the King's Alliance think they had the upper hand. That kept them from surrendering too soon."
"This was perfect! Not only did we deny them first place, but we also took out six of their top Chosen Ones. We even killed some of their Executives and Combat Crew. And the Captain's Conqueror's Haki wiped out 70,000 low-tier crew members. Absolutely glorious!"
"Hahaha! They've suffered a crushing defeat!"
"This time, we've made an even bigger statement to the world!"
...
At this moment, Xia Ling was busy because after this incident, no one was worried about the dangers of joining anymore.
Many people wanted to join. Initially, they had hesitated, fearing that the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew had provoked so many powerful pirate crews. But now, all those concerns were gone. Even those who had never considered joining before were eager to do so—after all, this was the One King Pirates, and Ye Yu was terrifyingly strong.
As a result, every minute, countless people were signing up through the official website, causing the numbers to skyrocket. Xia Ling, who was in charge of this, was quite occupied.
Meanwhile, Lin Muxue naturally took notice and issued a statement.
"Ye Yu is just riding high on his current momentum. In the later stages, it will be the world of powerful Ability Users. Ye Yu won't remain this strong by then."
Lin Muxue still held firm to this belief. Though somewhat shaken, she remained convinced that Ability Users would dominate in the later stages.
Many others shared this view, as this ideology had already taken root in their minds.
Song Ling frowned gravely. "Not only has he gained rewards for becoming the One King, but many will also join the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew now. Their strength will rise again. What do we do?"
Wang Quanshi sighed. "We need to leave these waters as soon as possible."
Lin Muxue said calmly, "Why are you panicking? Are you really that afraid? I'm not scared of Ye Yu. In half a year, I'll settle things with him in an Arena Duel. By then, I will surely achieve Awakening. I've always believed my potential surpasses Ye Yu's—I will be stronger than him in the later stages. Can Human Power truly rival God's Power? In the end, I will be a god."
Yang Luo couldn't be bothered to respond, finding it all rather foolish.
However, Song Ling and Wang Quanshi briefly fell silent before regaining their confidence.
"It's true we were intimidated this time, but that doesn't mean Ye Yu will keep overwhelming us like this in the future."
"Right, it doesn't prove that Non-Ability Users are truly stronger than us. Maybe the time just hasn't fully come yet."
...
Yang Luo's expression darkened as he made a suggestion. "We lost this time, but there's one silver lining."
The others were stunned. What silver lining? They had suffered a massive loss—there was no upside.
At this moment, though the other pirate crews weren't physically present, they were participating in a video conference from the meeting room aboard Yang Luo's pirate ship.
The other crews were furious.
"We never should have formed this alliance."
"I regret getting involved."
"The title of the Four Emperors Pirates must go to our strongest crew."
...
Wang Quanshi said solemnly, "We agreed earlier—if we disband, the title goes to the strongest among us. We'll determine that when the time comes."
Yang Luo interjected, "Everyone, quiet. Let me explain the only advantage: we now know the true strength of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew and Ye Yu's real power. This time, we weren't at a massive disadvantage—we were just slightly short. If we had two or three more top-tier pirate crews, we definitely could have won. So, we should issue a statement to see if others are willing to ally with us. With more alliances, victory is certain."
"What? You still want to crush Ye Yu? Form another alliance to attack him?"
Many paled at this, some already feeling fear.
Yang Luo insisted, "We must. First, we'll see if Ye Yu can clear the Mystic Realm. If he fails, three more powerful pirate crews will suffice. If he succeeds, we'll need even more."
Song Ling frowned. "There aren't that many top-tier pirate crews. In this world, crews as strong as ours are few and far between."
"Then we'll gather more strong crews—those ranked between twentieth and fiftieth."
Wang Quanshi shook his head: "It's difficult now. Whether they dare or not is one thing, but can we guarantee no one will ally with the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew to curry favor? This time they didn't seek help because they wanted to defeat us alone, to become number one, to become the true One King Pirates - ensuring the title belongs solely to the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew, not some alliance between Dominant Feather and other crews. But out there, with more potential alliances, the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew definitely won't stand alone."
This realization made Yang Luo's expression turn grave: "No matter what, we must stop them. We can't let Ye Yu advance unopposed."
Lin Muxue sneered: "I've told you already - in the late game I'm invincible. There's no need for this. An alliance? Impossible. This is pure suicide now. I'll deal with him when the time comes."
Yang Luo sighed helplessly: "There'll be even less hope later. Trust me on this."
Lin Muxue fumed: "Trust you? You nearly got me killed this time! Several top Chosen Ones have already fallen because of you."
Other pirate crews showed similar resistance, displaying no interest.
After investigating, Yang Luo discovered that many powerful pirate crews across the world had grown fearful - none dared form alliances anymore.
Left with no choice, he could only give up, praying silently: "I hope Ye Yu fails this Mystic Realm. And if he does pass through, may he not obtain any overwhelmingly powerful abilities."
(End of Chapter)