"The Extreme Saint of the Great Desolation, I am the Crossing Envoy, sent to bestow upon you the mark of crossing."
The drifting bottle floated to the black flood dragon and released an aura unique to the rules of crossing, declaring its identity.
"Crossing Envoy?" a voice, deep and resonant like a mountain, echoed in the darkness of the abyss.
"You are mistaken. I am not an Extreme Saint of the Great Desolation, but an Extreme Saint of the Endless Abyss," the black flood dragon stated, its tone devoid of emotion.
"Uh..." The drifting bottle was taken aback and immediately felt displeased!
Being suppressed and bullied by Xu Mo was one thing; after all, he was too monstrous.
You, a mere black flood dragon, are an Extreme Saint? This bottle has encountered at least a dozen, if not dozens, of Extreme Saints!
The drifting bottle grumbled, "I can call you whatever I want! I only have the marks of crossing from the Great Desolation here, no marks of crossing from the Endless Abyss. Take it or leave it!"
It showed no deference to the Extreme Saint, retorting as it pleased!
Did they think the Crossing Envoy lacked authority just because it was a bottle? Was anyone allowed to bully it?
Silence fell upon the abyss. The black flood dragon pondered for a long time before finally relenting, accepting the designation of the Great Desolation.
The drifting bottle, now satisfied, handed the mark of crossing to the black flood dragon, feeling immensely triumphant!
What it had lost in front of Xu Mo, it had now regained.
It even began to reflect, wondering if it had been too subservient to Xu Mo in the past. It was a Crossing Envoy, after all, a being of high status, and should not be so lacking in dignity!
It decided it needed to gradually change and re-establish its position. It would no longer be a subservient bottle; it would climb to the top step by step, becoming a "bottle emperor"!
It would never be bullied again, especially not by that fellow Xu Mo.
At this moment, the drifting bottle's confidence soared, feeling revitalized.
The black flood dragon accepted the mark of crossing, then turned its massive head, stirring up currents, its colossal crimson eyes fixing on Xu Mo.
"A Saint from the Great Desolation?" the black flood dragon rumbled, its voice seeming to emanate from nowhere.
Xu Mo's expression remained calm as he met the flood dragon's immense gaze and nodded placidly, "Indeed, I am from the Great Desolation."
The black flood dragon's eyes narrowed, its aura suddenly surging. It stared coldly at Xu Mo, its voice chilling, "A confident young man, daring to call himself 'I' in my presence? How audacious!"
An oppressive pressure, befitting an Extreme Saint, bore down on Xu Mo.
Xu Mo remained unfazed. The Chaos Furnace within him rotated slightly, and the Extreme Saint's pressure dissipated in an instant.
"Why should I not dare?" Xu Mo stated calmly, meeting the black flood dragon's cold gaze without flinching, even seeming to push back.
The black flood dragon was surprised that a Great Saint could so effortlessly break its pressure.
"Interesting, not a simple Great Saint. You have some skill," it said coldly.
Then, the black flood dragon attacked. Or rather, it extended a claw.
A colossal dragon claw emerged from the darkness, gleaming with sharpness, tearing through the void and emitting sounds of spatial fragmentation.
Xu Mo's expression turned grim; he had been wary of this black flood dragon.
Seeing the old mud-fish make a move, he did not dare to be careless. This was an Extreme Saint, and an attack on a Great Saint would be overwhelming.
The Chaos Furnace materialized in an instant. Xu Mo grasped one of its feet and swung the Chaos Furnace towards the dragon claw!
The dragon claw collided with the Chaos Furnace, instantly erupting in a blinding white light, intensely brilliant in the dark abyss.
Then, countless torrents of seawater surged, and immense currents churned, agitating the entire Endless Abyss.
The black flood dragon quickly retracted its claw. It no longer dared to underestimate Xu Mo. It raised its massive head, its gaze fixed intently on Xu Mo.
It was inwardly shaken. Its initial strike, intended to subdue a Great Saint, had not only failed but had also injured it.
Several of its dragon scales were now curled, having been struck by Xu Mo wielding the Chaos Furnace.
Could this furnace, capable of injuring an Extreme Saint, be an Extreme Saint artifact? Or perhaps... a celestial artifact!?
The black flood dragon's heart churned. It stared at Xu Mo, its eyes fixated on the Chaos Furnace in his hand, revealing undisguised greed.
"If we were of the same realm, I could have crushed you with my bare hands!" Xu Mo said coldly.
After this collision, he had a rough understanding of an Extreme Saint's strength.
They were powerful. Without the Chaos Furnace, he, a mere Great Saint, would be unable to resist.
And this was merely the old mud-fish's casual strike. If it were to fight seriously, he would need to awaken the Chaos Furnace.
Of course, if his Infinite Dao Foundation were fully rebuilt, he might be able to contend with an Extreme Saint!
"How dare you! Do you truly believe I wouldn't dare to kill you with the Crossing Envoy present?" the black flood dragon roared.
"You can try!" Xu Mo said, holding one foot of the Chaos Furnace in his hand and pointing at the black flood dragon.
The black flood dragon's eyes flickered with a hint of apprehension as it glanced at the Chaos Furnace.
If it were an Extreme Saint artifact, it would not be afraid. But if it were truly a celestial artifact, it would indeed hesitate to act rashly.
The power of a celestial artifact was immense. Even if it could eventually kill Xu Mo, it would pay a significant price. With the crossing about to begin, suffering severe injuries at this juncture would be unwise.
However, to retreat now would be a grave loss of face for an Extreme Saint, to be intimidated by a Great Saint.
"Enough! In front of this envoy, do you two intend to fight?" the drifting bottle interjected, its tone carrying a commanding air, like a senior admonishing juniors.
Hearing this, Xu Mo felt an urge to punch the bottle. Had it been too long since this bottle had been disciplined, to speak to him in such a manner?
"Since the envoy has spoken, I shall spare you this time, young man!" the black flood dragon said coldly.
It seemed to be genuinely giving Xu Mo a pass out of respect for the drifting bottle.
The drifting bottle felt incredibly pleased, thinking that the little black dragon was sensible, unlike Xu Mo, who was always threatening him with slow simmering.
"If that is the case, then this envoy shall depart," the drifting bottle stated calmly, then gestured for Xu Mo to carry it away.
Its demeanor suggested that Xu Mo had escorted it to the Endless Abyss.
In fact, the black flood dragon also thought so.
Although this Great Saint appeared formidable and possessed a valuable treasure, the Crossing Envoy was an integral part of the crossing rules, commanding respect even from Extreme Saints.
It was perfectly normal for a Great Saint to serve a Crossing Envoy, escorting it.
Xu Mo cast a meaningful glance at the drifting bottle. He had no intention of lingering to entangle himself further with the old mud-fish. Thus, he took the drifting bottle and left the abyss.