Chapter 220: The Second Playthrough of the Dream Begins
"No!" The moment the earth-type card barrier enveloped her, Huali turned and rushed towards Yanxi.
"At the very least, you should say goodbye."
"Father! No!!" Li Yuan's hoarse voice rang out in despair!
But the water dragon had once again transformed into a destructive torrent, crashing down upon Huali.
"Crimson Flame Sparrow Feathers, disperse!!!"
Karin impatiently threw out the fire-type card and took out a seashell from her pocket.
From the first moment she sensed the dream was about to end, she was prepared. Her fear was that she might suddenly leave at any moment, so she could give the little mermaid an explanation.
Just as she was about to send the seashell over, the peacock feathers that had been gathered together suddenly scattered into fragments of light!
Karin's pupils contracted instantly; it was too late to dodge.
"Bang—" The water dragon struck her directly!
The expected pain did not occur, but in that instant, Karin's figure was like shattered glass, instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks.
She looked down in disbelief and found that her figure was gradually dissipating into fragments of light.
Huali suddenly looked at Yanxi!
"No!!! Huali!!!" Li Yuan desperately tried to break free from Guan Lan's hands, pinching and biting, but the disparity in strength made him a laughing stock.
*
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bloody breaths coming from the cave entrance grew heavier, and the sounds of impact grew more desperate.
The little mermaid's deep blue scales were exposed beneath the impacts, revealing her tender flesh. Each impact brought new wounds, but she remained oblivious.
The tiny tail fin thrashed wildly, stirring up mud and sand mixed with blood!
In vain!
In vain!
In vain!
No matter how crazy or disdainful he was, even if he risked his life, all he got in return was double the scars and imprisonment!
"Ugh...woo..."
In extreme pain, Yan Xi suddenly grabbed her throat, desperately opening her mouth, her vision blurred by blood and tears.
He just stared intently at the void that he could never see.
"Host, your body is about to disappear!"
The moment Ao Bai's voice fell, Hua Li used the last of her strength to throw the seashell toward the entrance of the cage.
The seashell slipped from her grasp, tracing a brief and desolate arc along with the vanishing figure of the rosewood.
But—in the end, they failed to reach the cave entrance.
The spiritual energy on the seashell withered away as the girl disappeared, and the light went out completely with a "poof."
"Huali!!" Li Yuan's roar came from not far away!
The little mermaid desperately reached out, but her fingertips only barely grazed the shell as she watched helplessly as it fell to the ground...
No miracles, no pauses, and it ultimately turned to ashes...
Just like her.
null.
The little mermaid's mind went blank for a moment, and her body froze on the spot.
Aquaman scoffed, coldly watching the afterimage in the mirror slowly dissipate. "Nobody."
“Yuan’er, you must not be deceived by appearances…” The Sea King turned back and reached out to Li Yuan, “Come back with your father.” But his hand was slapped away by Li Yuan in an instant.
"You killed her!! You killed Huali!" Li Yuan's eyes were bloodshot. "Why! Why did you do this!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Neptune sighed, "This thing isn't a physical object. Haven't you considered why only you can see it? Yuan'er, although you were born weak, you have exceptionally good fortune. She's probably going to..."
"I won't listen!"
The immense pain turned Li Yuan's face deathly pale. One was his only friend, and the other was his respected father.
Why! Why! The unventable pain tore his heart apart!
Suddenly! Li Yuan looked sharply towards the cave entrance!
"It's you!! If it weren't for you, Karin wouldn't be here at all! She wouldn't have disappeared!"
"It's you! It's all your fault!!"
*
Yan Xi could no longer hear any sound.
His tears fell like beads from a broken string, more and more pale pink pearls scattered on the ground, dripping and landing in every corner of the dark room.
In that instant, the little mermaid transformed into a real little wooden puppet.
Only one thing kept playing in my head—she disappeared.
...completely disappeared.
"Uh...ah...ho..."
Inside the cage, the little mermaid's body suddenly arched, like a young beast whose heart had been pierced by a sharp sword!
His small face, covered in scars and blood, was contorted to the extreme, his mouth opened to its widest extent, and a silent, tearing spasm erupted from deep within his throat.
She disappeared... taking with her the seashell that could never reach his grasp...
even...
In fact... he never even saw what she looked like in the end...
Heh...heh...heh...
Yan Xi let out a sob like a broken bellows, unable to make a sound, unable even to vent his grief!
The overwhelming despair and the heart-wrenching resentment could only be stuck in their throats!
The mermaid's small body convulsed violently. Faced with Li Yuan's repeated questioning and roars, she could only frantically slap the ground with her tail, splashing up mud mixed with blood.
Following Li Yuan's gaze, the Sea King looked at the watermelon-sized hole.
With a wave of his hand, the barrier collapsed, and the cave entrance was completely blasted apart.
The seashells that the little mermaid treasured, along with the pale pink and deep red pearls, were completely crushed in the ruins.
For the first time, the light from the deep sea shone completely on Yan Xi, but for him it was an extremely cruel torture.
He was like a silent, worn-out doll, his breathing so weak that the rise and fall of his chest was barely visible.
In this most cruel loss and the most utter despair, he finally became a complete "sacrifice".
Guanlan, who was not far away, watched all of this silently, and a sentence suddenly came to mind.
The most skillful form of taming in the world is to let him put on his own shackles and regard them as a crown.
The merman leader tilted his head, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes.
......
"It's all your fault! You're just a sacrifice, why can't you stay here peacefully!"
"Speak!"
"Why aren't you saying anything! Give me back my rosewood!!"
As Li Yuan rushed forward, grabbed Yan Xi's shoulder, and questioned him, the pale moonlight shone on the little mermaid's face.
Aquaman, who had been expressionless, suddenly paused.
Sensing something, Guanlan immediately stepped forward, subtly blocking Yanxi's face with her body. "Your Majesty, the offerings are already in such a state, their spiritual light has dissipated, and their vitality is weak."
Under the oppressive gaze of the Sea King, the merman leader grunted and knelt down, gritting his teeth. "If this continues, I can't guarantee my body will last until the sacrifice. Perhaps... I should 'keep' it safe, so as not to miss the time or defile... Your Majesty's eyes."
Neptune gave Guanlan a meaningful look, "Sometimes knowing too much..."
He stopped there, glanced at Li Yuan who was still sobbing, sighed, gently waved his spiritual power to hold her in his arms, and turned to leave.
Only after the two had completely disappeared did Guanlan, who was already drenched in sweat, finally breathe a sigh of relief.
A giant lobster scurried out from behind, "Commander, this little mermaid..."
Guanlan waved his hand, looking at Yanxi with a complicated expression. "Now you have two choices: stay here and be a puppet waiting to be sacrificed."
"Second, leaving this place means facing a life-or-death situation. But as long as you possess power, even if you are sacrificed, you will not necessarily die."
"Although the pain is far beyond your imagination, there is still a glimmer of hope..."
As the words fell, only a deathly silence remained in the icy seawater.
Suddenly, the little mermaid's fingertip twitched extremely slightly.
Those hollow pupils, like the Dead Sea, struggled to focus on Guanlan's face...
What took its place was a sudden, ignited, and frenzied obsession...
Revenge... He wants revenge!!
*
"A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years!"
Karin suddenly stopped, realizing that she had returned to the front of the Sea King's Palace.
"That old codger was wiped out hundreds of years ago; all he can do is flaunt his power in this dream world," Ao Bai sneered. "Are we trapped in another cycle? Just like Chenliu City?"
Huali shook her head. "No." She pointed to the coral tree by the door. "Last time I came, it only reached my ankles, but now it's almost as tall as me."
Ao Bai immediately understood, "Then we have entered the second layer of the dream."
Huali swam tirelessly toward the small palace, but upon getting closer, she discovered that the entire palace had vanished, as if it had never existed.
She paused for a moment, and was about to ask someone when she saw an old sea turtle slowly swimming towards her in the distance.
His appearance looked somewhat familiar.
The old tortoise swam up to Huali and slowly asked, "Little...girl, is this the way to the Dragon Palace?"
She paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, yes."
The old tortoise smiled with satisfaction, "One hundred and fifty years, it's finally here."
"Huh? Why did you swim for so long?" Huali was startled.
The old turtle sighed, "Originally, it should have arrived a hundred years ago, but while swimming, I don't know how, it suddenly turned around twice and even flipped over, losing its direction."
"Swimming back, realizing something was wrong, returning again, and here I am now..."
Karin: "???"
Huali: "......"
Under the loving gaze of the old sea turtle, Huali suddenly tensed up and stood up straight!
With his hands behind his back, he flashed a grimacing grin reminiscent of Talking Tom, and exclaimed, "!!!"
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