At the edge of the cliff, ocean waves churned wildly.
“Young Master, the mermaid tribe resides right beneath us.”
The bamboo-hatted Water Ghost pointed below.
As he spoke, he removed an embedded pearl from his harpoon and offered it to Chen Ning with both hands in deep respect, offering a somewhat apologetic look:
“Mermaid law dictates that any member of the tribe who transforms into a human is strictly forbidden from ever returning to the sea. Therefore, my wife and I cannot accompany you down there.
“However, this pearl serves as a token of my wife's identity. As long as you hold it, the mermaids will naturally understand your intent.”
Chen Ning took the pearl.
“Where do the two of you plan to go next?”
The bamboo-hatted Water Ghost gave an honest, simple chuckle and scratched his head.
“Now that I’ve turned into a Water Ghost, I can no longer live a normal life of farming and weaving with my wife like before.
“Next, I plan to take her to the City of All Demons.
“I’ve heard that in that city, great demons have established an order modeled after human systems. Even though it is a mixture of demons and monsters, it is as harmonious and peaceful as any human town.”
“The City of All Demons? There’s actually a place like that?”
Chen Ning nodded, then turned to Xiangqin.
“You aren’t good in the water, so go escort them on their way first. Once I return from the mermaid tribe, I’ll meet you back on shore.”
“Chirp~”
Xiangqin let out a response.
Only then did she take the Water Ghost couple onto her back and fly toward the distance.
Although this demon and ghost had suffered through countless hardships, they were ultimately reunited at last.
Turning around, Chen Ning walked toward the edge of the cliff.
Just as he prepared to leap into the ocean, he suddenly felt a wriggling sensation at his chest.
Immediately after, Xiao Jiu poked her head out from inside his robes, taking a breath of the fresh outside air.
“Why did you tag along as well?”
Only then did Chen Ning realize that Xiao Jiu had been clinging to him ever since he left the Imperial Capital.
“Forget it. Since you’re already here, come dive into the sea with me.
“Just make sure you stay properly inside my clothes so you don't get washed away by the sea currents.”
After giving his warning, Chen Ning leaped directly into the ocean.
With Purple Qi cloaking his body, the sea water could not get near him in the slightest, nor did he need to worry about breathing.
Following the direction indicated by the bamboo-hatted Water Ghost, the mermaid tribe's residence should be located directly beneath this cliff.
Treading upon the sea waves, Chen Ning descended into the deep waters.
The waves parted to both sides as his vision underwater gradually began to darken.
Eighty meters, two hundred meters, five hundred meters...
Suddenly, a whirlpool churned up in the deep sea. The whirlpool rapidly expanded, drawing in everything around it like an underwater tornado.
The suction force of the whirlpool was immense. Whether it was swimming fish or underwater rocks, the moment they were swallowed, they were instantly crushed to pieces.
“What happened?”
Chen Ning's brows knit slightly.
Such a powerful whirlpool was obviously not naturally formed.
He himself would not be injured by something of this level, but the underwater situation was complex and treacherous. If the Purple Qi protecting his body were damaged within the whirlpool, things could turn troublesome.
Evading the center of the whirlpool to detour around it was clearly impractical as well.
In that case...
“I’ll just shatter it with a single punch.”
Chen Ning gathered qi in his dantian, accelerating the flow of the Divine Phoenix Bloodline within his body.
As his blood and qi surged and boiled, a scorching heat radiated from his body, and golden flames even began to burn across his skin.
His fingers snapped tightly into a fist.
The next moment, a single punch roared forth against the ocean current.
Though the Fist Intent was formless, the power embedded within it was even sharper than Sword Intent.
Boom!
The flowing seawater suddenly came to a dead stop.
They remained at a standstill for a brief breath.
Abruptly, the seawater gushed back downward as the column of water swept up by the punch wind roared forth, driving directly into the dead center of the whirlpool.
Rumble!
A loud crash echoed.
The terrifyingly mighty column of water actually pierced straight through the whirlpool!
Water splashed violently as waves churned, and the sea current resembling a giant wave tornado slowly dissolved into nothingness!
...
At the same time.
Deep in the sea, inside the Mermaid Princess's bedchamber.
“Princess Xiao Yue, are you really sure you want to put this on?”
Looking at the red bridal dress in her hands, the maid hesitated with uncertainty.
“If I don't do this, what other choice do we have?”
A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Yue's lips.
Her light blue hair had already been styled into a high bun, and a touch of desolation leaked from her clear, beautiful eyes.
The members of the mermaid tribe were all female, and the vast majority possessed enchanting, stunning beauty.
Combined with the presence of the Spring of Undying, many sea demons in the deep ocean harbored greedy desires for the mermaid race.
However, because the mermaid race possessed formidable combat strength and controlled many high-grade magic treasures, no one had dared to act recklessly for many years.
Except...
Just one month ago, a water python that had lived in the deep sea for ages morphed into a Flood Dragon after a thousand years of bitter cultivation.
In ancient times, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox were known together as the Three Great Divine Beasts.
They were beings capable of looking down upon heaven and earth and despising all races.
After ancient times, the Three Great Divine Beasts vanished entirely from the world.
Only a few descendants inherited their extremely thin bloodlines, possessing strength far beneath what it once was.
Yet how mighty were the Three Great Divine Beasts? Even a mere fraction of their bloodline was enough to stand far above all other demons and monsters.
And this was precisely why the mermaid race had fallen into dire straits.
After that water python transformed into a Flood Dragon, its strength exploded to a terrifying degree, utterly incomparable to its past self.
Not only that, but it also bestowed its own bloodline upon other sea tribes.
For the sea tribes, consuming the Flood Dragon's bloodline allowed their power and even lifespan to skyrocket.
Thus, many sea tribes voluntarily drank its blood and became vassals of the Flood Dragon.
In no time at all, that Flood Dragon assembled an army of its own.
It not only rampaged throughout the deep sea, but also set its sights on the mermaid race.
After it assumed its Flood Dragon form, the mermaid race suffered a devastating defeat in battle.
They realized that the combat power between both sides was no longer on the same level.
Had it not been for the ancient grand array guarding the exterior of the mermaid race for generations, the invaders would have probably breached their domain long ago.
Thus, in this tense stalemate, the Flood Dragon put forward two conditions.
First, it demanded to marry Princess Xiao Yue of the mermaid race. Second, it demanded the surrender of the Spring of Undying.
If these two demands were met, it would consider sparing the mermaid tribe.
If not, it would wage a fight to the death, slaughtering its way into the deep sea to completely annihilate the entire mermaid race.
Xiao Yue knew full well in her heart that even if she agreed to the treacherous Flood Dragon's demands, it would likely not leave them in peace.
However, she had no choice.
As the sole hope of the tribe, even if there was only a sliver of a chance, she had to try for the sake of her people.
“Help me dress.”
Xiao Yue glanced at the bridal dress in the maid's hands, a trace of loneliness in her eyes as she slowly shed her garments.
Rumble!
At that exact moment, a thunderous roar suddenly shattered the roof of the bedchamber.
Immediately after, a figure fell from above without the slightest warning!
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