Everyone was completely bewildered.

Zhou Han's fire phoenix belongs to the fire element and is not good at fighting underwater. They have no mortal enmity with these mermaids, so Jiang Xi felt there was no need to linger in the fight. They should go straight ashore, since these mermaids would not chase them once they left the sea.

Taotie stayed behind to cover their retreat, and happened to run into Tianning there.

Tianning felt a pang of grievance in Taotie's words, seeing how frustrated the children were in the Western continent.

"Tao Tao, don't be angry, don't be angry..." Tian Ning stroked the Taotie's fur, as if petting a small animal.

The Taotie grumbled, "I'm leaving, I'm leaving! I'll never come back to this lousy place again in my life!"

Neither of them intended to interfere with Gongsun Lian.

This made Gongsun Lian grit her teeth in anxiety. The underwater world was a natural battleground for mermaids, and she and Yao He were no match for them. The mermaid who was leaning towards her had been imprisoned by the Mermaid Queen.

She didn't want to hand over what she had just obtained. This item was of great importance, a key item in the system's mission to "explore the secrets of the mermaid race".

This thing's properties are very compatible with hers, and if she could possess it for her own use, it would greatly benefit her cultivation breakthrough.

However, given the current situation, it's almost impossible to take anything with her, so she asked Taotie for help when he first intervened. Unfortunately, Taotie ignored her!

These people are really strange. Gongsun Lian had actually intended to win them over long ago, after all, these people were outstanding in both appearance and cultivation, definitely among the best in the Eastern Continent. But on the way to the Mermaid Sea, Fu Hongming and his group were completely unmoved by her attempts to be friendly. She worked hard the whole way, but her favorability rating didn't increase at all. She was even stared at with pity by one of the women, as if... she was some kind of pitiful creature?

With no progress made, Gongsun Lian lost interest in trying to win over these men. There were so many men in the world; there was no need to fixate on just a few.

But she had witnessed Taotie's formidable strength, and as long as the other party was willing to help, she and Yao He could leave smoothly.

Moreover, a very domineering woman appeared by Taotie's side, casually throwing out handfuls of defensive talismans. In all her years of life, even when she was pampered in the Gongsun family, she had never seen anyone use top-grade defensive talismans like this.

Doesn't she feel any pity?

"Fellow Daoist Tao, we've been through thick and thin together to escape the Four Holy Temples, you can't just stand by and watch me die!" Gongsun Lian said urgently. "And this female Daoist, you must save me! What I'm carrying is of utmost importance; it's evidence of the Merfolk's crimes. They've been plotting for a long time, planning something detrimental to the Western Continent. As righteous sects, we must stop this disaster..."

Perhaps she was genuinely panicking, Gongsun Lian stopped hiding all the information and tried to make the two realize the seriousness of the situation.

But before she could finish speaking, the surrounding seawater began to flow abnormally.

Gongsun Lian's expression changed drastically. Not only were Tian Ning and Taotie attacked by the underwater whirlpool, but Gongsun Lian's skin also began to twitch inexplicably. If one didn't look closely, one might think there was something inside her body. But in reality, in that instant, Gongsun Lian felt her body was no longer under her control. It was as if the blood flowing through her body was being manipulated, causing her to unconsciously raise her hand and fiercely strangle her own neck with such force that she almost strangled herself to death!

Manipulating blood...

Taotie shattered the vortex with a single palm strike, and he and Tianning looked over at the same time.

Not far away, a dazzling silver-white fishtail shone brightly in the dim deep sea. She was as beautiful as people imagined in fairy tales, with long, seaweed-like hair reaching her waist and deep blue eyes that seemed to be part of the ocean. Just standing there, she exuded a mysterious and noble aura.

"I was going to spare your life, why did you insist on courting death?" the Mermaid Queen said, her tone filled with sorrow for Gongsun Lian's impending demise.

She turned her gaze to Tianning and Taotie, seemingly annoyed by these two unexpected troublemakers.

She said, "I swear an oath to Heaven to leave the Western Continent and never mention what happened here to anyone; or... die here!"

"Choose one of the two."

"You think you can take me?" Taotie raised an eyebrow: "Believe it or not, I'll turn you into dried salted fish!"