"Am I supposed to just stand by and watch them die?! They are my people!!" Dongjun roared at Jiuxiao for the first time.

Jiuxiao coldly said, "If you can guarantee that you will meet him before you die of old age, then go."

Dongjun was speechless for a moment.

Dongjun gave him a deep look, then slowly pried open the hand that was tightly gripping his wrist, and said, word by word, "I have to go."

"Are you stupid?!"

"A king should be fearless and unyielding. Even in death, he should have no regrets."

Looking at his cold yet resolute handsome face, Jiu Xiao blurted out, "What about me? What am I supposed to do?"

Dongjun remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "I'm sorry."

"Fine...fine...you're a hero, you've always been a hero!" Jiu Xiao trembled with rage, his gentle blue eyes tearing away the facade and revealing the twisted darkness that had settled within: "If you dare to die, I swear I'll make you regret it!"

Dongjun suddenly smiled. His breathtakingly beautiful face smiled, which amazed even the fish.

He gently pulled the still trembling Jiuxiao into his arms, placed a tender kiss on his temple, and whispered, "Thank you."

Although it was a harsh statement, Jiu Xiao understood him.

He turned to leave, but Jiu Xiao grabbed him again. Meeting Dong Jun's questioning gaze, Jiu Xiao closed his eyes and resumed his gentle smile: "Dong Jun, find a way to force him out of the sea."

Floating mermaids are always weaklings in the water, but not in the air.

With a flick of its tail, Jiuxiao swam slowly toward the surface of the sea at a pace that made even the fish anxious.

Dongjun's eyes gleamed slightly, and he nodded emphatically at this moment when he could no longer see.

Suddenly, a hand patted his shoulder, and Yin Chen's somewhat distorted laughter rang out: "Flirting at a time like this, you truly live up to your title of the Eastern King."

Dongjun turned around and saw Yin Chen licking his lips excitedly, looking at the mermaid from the divine realm who was still slowly moving forward: "How about it, interested in playing a big game together?"

"good!"

Dongjun nodded and followed behind him, quickly traversing the battlefield to reach the polar mermaid.

Leng Xiang was directing the polar mermaids to retreat their battle lines, trying to prevent them from aging too quickly, while also condensing ice arrows and launching them.

Even as the ice arrows melted rapidly over time, they did not stop him from attacking.

Jiu Li was right beside him, using his superhuman strength to kill the scattered sea monsters. The fish tail that was purplish-blue gradient had grown longer at some point, and the fin on the back of the fish tail had also become much harder.

Thanks to Jiu Li's assistance, Leng Xiang didn't have to focus too much on the battle and could observe the entire battlefield more and make commands.

"Boss!" Yin Chen called out, making Leng Xiang and Jiu Li turn around.

"Time is of the essence, there's no time for further explanation. Boss, you and Leng Xiang should enter into a complete partnership contract!"

Yin Chen's words seemed so inappropriate on the battlefield that Jiu Li was almost furious: "Are you kidding me?!"

Leng Xiang quickly slashed sideways, swatting away a sea monster that was trying to get through the gap with its tail, and gave Yin Chen a cold, sidelong glance.

Even he, a straightforward and unconventional polar mermaid, knew that this was definitely not the time to joke.

"Listen to me, you're right. Whether you can defeat that guy depends on you! Make a contract, boss, you can feel it too, right? You've already made a half-contract with each other!"

Yin Chen spoke again.

Jiu Li turned her face angrily and met his dark red eyes. There was no hint of a joke in those strange eyes, only seriousness.

Turning back, Leng Xiang's icy blue eyes were also looking at him intently, her face as cold as an iceberg.

Jiu Li suddenly understood the meaning in his eyes.

If you don't want to, then don't order.

I can wait, don't force me.

...

"Alright!" Jiu Li gritted her teeth. Yin Chen wasn't the kind of fish who would joke around at crucial moments. Although he didn't know how a bar owner and an orphan fish could have the power to influence this war, he still decided to take the gamble.

If it were true, but he treated it as a joke, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life about something that could lead to the destruction of the entire race.

If it's fake, then there's no loss!

Jiu Li bit his fingertip, and Leng Xiang bit her fingertip the very first second he agreed. The two mermaids put their broken index fingers together, stained with each other's blood, and then pressed them against each other's foreheads.

The contract, passed down from ancient times, was swiftly chanted by the two fish.

The ocean that nurtured us bears witness to our loyalty and sincerity, forging a covenant between us. From this day forward, we will live and die together, share joys and sorrows. My glory is your crown, your strength my shield and spear; we are one, never to be separated.

Invisible fluctuations converged into halos of snow-white, cyan, and purplish-black light, which entered the foreheads of the two fish, leaving faint marks before disappearing in a flash.

Suddenly, the cover over Jiu Li's left eye disappeared, revealing his clear blue eyes. Leng Xiang closed her eyes along with him.

After forming a contract, the partner mermaid will see each other's past life, share power, share life, and everything else will be shared.

This is the true partnership contract in the mermaid world: we are one, sharing both good and bad fortune; if you die, I die; if I live, you live.

The same injury should be borne by both parties, each sharing half.

They depend on each other and stay together.

I will never regret it, even unto death.

However, this sharing process takes a little time.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!