Chapter 102 Sea Emperor: Should I call you "brother"? ...
The Sea Emperor's Palace, which was destroyed by a cataclysmic fire a century ago, lies thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean and remains in ruins.
The new palace was built in another sea area far from the fire peak, and all the government offices and the merfolk people moved there together.
Now, all that remains are broken walls covered with moss and the faintly visible charred fire peaks in the distance, a scene of utter desolation and ruin.
Travelers from afar pushed aside the overgrown thorns, and the once magnificent palace complex came into view.
He swam slowly past his childhood home, the dilapidated ruins still faintly showing the layout of the past, only now the former brilliance had been replaced by scorch. The land itself was scorched black from the erosion caused by the subterranean fire.
The traveler glanced at it a few times, then wagged its tail and left.
He wasn't there to dwell on the past; he had more important things to do.
The shimmering silver fish tail moved like an arrow released from a bow, swimming towards the fire crest deeper into the ruins.
A century has passed, yet the scorching heat has not dissipated. The water here is still much hotter than elsewhere, making it an area that ordinary fish cannot approach.
The traveler landed on the scorched, burning earth before the fire peak. Several clusters of eerie blue flames rose from the ground, burning brightly even underwater. Behind the flames was a small, unremarkable mound of earth, like an ordinary mound.
"Below the Earth Fire Peak lies the Sea Emperor's Tomb, where eerie lamps and fireflies burn eternally through the night."
This is a folk song that has been passed down in Haizhou for many years, and it continues to resonate even after a century.
The traveler gazed at the low mound, his icy blue eyes unfathomable.
He had known for a long time where his mother was buried, but he had never been there. After leaving, he rarely even set foot on the sea. He could never have imagined that the strong and resolute person from his childhood memories would end up like this.
Even seeing it with his own eyes, he still couldn't believe it. When he left, she was still the omnipotent Sea Queen, revered by all.
But what about now?
Her lonely grave is desolate; has anyone ever come to visit her?
When she handed his hand to someone else, she knew it was goodbye forever.
What did such a sacrifice ultimately bring?
What difference does it make whether those who can only wait to be saved live or die?
He ultimately just gave a cold laugh and cleared away the weeds and vines that were entangled around the desolate grave.
Beneath the dense thicket of grass, a blood-red vine was growing and twining around the grave mound—just what he needed.
While he was unconscious that day, he vaguely heard the man's words—he was using the Earth Flame Vine to threaten her.
Without much thought, he instantly understood her so-called reason for having to go.
She dared to break through the spirit-suppressing array for that person's eyes, a realization that plunged his heart into darkness.
But with this, that woman should know to turn back and not die needlessly in the battlefield.
As long as she hasn't reached the bottom and hasn't met that person, everything is still possible.
However, there are many obstacles there, so they cannot go down so quickly.
He will bring her out.
He had just reached out to pluck the vine when several slender silver rays shot towards him, forcing him to withdraw his hand.
Not far away, several thin, hair-like ice needles were stuck in the ground, and they quickly melted away completely.
Another strand of hair brushed past his cloak, knocking off his hood, and the long, grey-blue hair hidden inside drifted into the water like a soft mist.
Looking in the direction of the ice needle, he saw a blue-tailed merman, whose gender was indistinguishable, staring at him in shock from a short distance away.
The merman held a trident in his hand, and the silver ring on his right finger, symbolizing the power of the sea god, was dazzlingly bright.
"It's you! You actually came back?"
The merman wearing the silver ring swam closer, tilting her head to look at the traveler who had come from afar.
"So you still remember your mother. I thought you had forgotten who you were on land?"
The newcomer smiled, seemingly delighted, but the meteorite in his hand kept pointing at his heart.
“My compatriots…”
The newcomer circled him once, his gaze freely sweeping over him, before a mocking laugh rang out, "Hmm... wait, should I call you 'brother' now?"
"I'm so curious, who was it that made you—no, I mean, who made my brother split apart?"
"Shut up, Nanxing." Jia Yue's eyes flashed with coldness. "Get out of my way, don't block my path and court death!"
"Is my brother angry? I was just concerned about him."
Nanxing pouted, looking like a child, and said with dissatisfaction, "Everyone says that the elder brother should be the true Sea Emperor. In that case, the elder brother should have differentiated into a woman like our mother, how could he have willingly differentiated into a man?"
"I can't imagine how disappointed they would be if they saw you like this."
"What they say can be really harsh."
The little mermaid named Nanxing laughed, a laugh that was both innocent and cruel.
"But it's alright, those gossipy people have already had their tongues cut out by Father,"
Jia Yue mercilessly unleashed a palm strike.
Almost simultaneously, a beam of light shot out from the ring on Nanxing's hand, the cold light piercing straight towards Jiayue's brow with unstoppable force.
In an instant, the silver snake in Jia Yue's hand transformed into a bow. The incredibly sturdy silver bow deflected the Fallen Star's attack, and the silent undercurrent beneath her hand forced the androgynous little merman to retreat repeatedly.
Nanxing fell to the ground, but still couldn't resist making sarcastic remarks.
"Even if you are powerful, what good is it? You have differentiated into a male who cannot reproduce. What do you have to compete with me for the throne of the Sea Emperor?"
The little mermaid used the ring to unleash another attack, but this time, before it could even get close, the ring's power was neutralized by the ice arrow shot by Jia Yue.
"Seven years ago, you could only hurt me with the Fallen Star technique, and you're still using the same trick now. Seven years have passed, and you haven't improved at all?"
The little mermaid was rooted to the spot by that person's cold, sharp gaze—a gaze that made her feel utterly ashamed.
He was belittling himself again, and his condescending tone only fueled Nanxing's anger.
Nanxing was indeed inferior to him in every way. Jiayue was the child of the Sea Emperor and his sworn partner, inheriting the blood of the Mermaid God, while Nanxing was merely a product of his father forcing the Sea Emperor to marry him. Even though Nanxing had already ascended to the throne of the Sea Emperor, everyone was still waiting for him to return and overthrow them.
He was perfect in every way, but he is not now. He has been defiled and reborn as a man by a woman.
What use is perfection in other aspects if you've become a man?
Nanxing realized she had found his flaw and fearlessly met his gaze. "So what? After you were seduced and divided by that slut, you lost the right to compete with me! The Sea Emperor can only be me. You are nothing but a coward who betrayed his homeland."
Jia Yue had no intention of getting entangled with Nan Xing; his only reason for returning was for the Earth Flame Vine. But upon hearing this, the merman, who had already turned away, turned back again, his dangerous gaze forcing Nan Xing to unconsciously want to retreat.
"What...what do you want to do?"
"What right do you have to talk to me like that? You can't even unleash one-tenth of the power of a fallen star? Do you think you can protect the Sea Kingdom in your hands? You're not even as good as your rebel father."
Nanxing felt as if his whole body was being pressed down by the heavy seawater, making him unable to move.
Jia Yue patted the little mermaid's face and, with a little force, dislocated its jaw.
"If I hear you insult her again, I'll cut out your tongue!"
Perhaps hurt by his words, or perhaps because his force was too painful, tiny pearls spilled from the little mermaid's eyes and floated in the water. Nanxing growled indistinctly, "You know I can't do it well, why don't you come back?"
"Come back, to be a puppet like you?"
Upon hearing this, Nanxing became even more furious and burst into tears on the spot, scattering the colorful seashells from her waist pocket all over the ground.
Jia Yue stared expressionlessly at the pile of ornate but useless junk, only letting out a cold sneer, "Tsk, useless stuff."
Nanxing squinted through her tear-filled eyes, watching helplessly as that godlike figure gradually disappeared into the distance, unsure whether his last words were directed at the seashell or at herself.
*
Emerging from the Endless Sea, Jia Yue found a rock to rest on. The moon was high in the sky, allowing him to use its energy to regulate his breathing.
While he seemed to easily deflect the two attacks from the Fallen Star, they actually took a lot of his energy. Now no longer at his peak, he could only use all his spiritual power to resist the ring that contained the power of the ocean. After a few exchanges, he felt as if his spiritual sea was being drained.
Fortunately, Nanxing wasn't very bright and didn't notice his physical condition. Otherwise, this trip to retrieve the Earth Flame Vine might not have gone smoothly.
Looking at the blood-red vine in his hand, the exhausted merman coughed a few times, and specks of blood fell into the seawater. Immediately, fish followed the scent and came to kiss and peck at his tail. Fish don't have long memories, but they just kept following the beautiful fish tail again and again, enjoying it immensely.
The endless sea was pitch black in the night, desolate and boundless. It was far from the land and a place that fishermen would never set foot in.
If a person without a fish tail were hidden here, it would be like a prison isolated from the world, with no possibility of being found by anyone else.
He has loved places like this since he was a child, where he wouldn't be seen, wouldn't be disturbed, and wouldn't have to bear the burden of other people's wishes.
However, it seems she's not a very good swimmer; the first time we met at Shenshui Pond, she almost drowned there.
She must have been scared when he was suppressing her.
He didn't do it on purpose; he was just too angry.
She and the young man had only known each other for a few days, yet they were already very close. When they were together, he felt like an outsider, an outsider caught in their scheme. How could he not be angry?
But in the end, she still hugged herself. From the shock in her eyes at that moment, it was clear that she wasn't heartless towards him.
What was she thinking at that moment?
Will you also be moved by him?
He vaguely felt that he had found the fulcrum to pry open the hard shell in her heart.
Under the moonlight, the merman, followed by a school of fish, carefully put away the blood-red vine, thinking of the woman, a smile curving his handsome face.
She'll be happy to see this.
*
Haizhou is quite a distance from Tianque, and even with the ability to ride the wind, it took more than two hours to arrive.
When Jia Yue arrived at the Heavenly Palace, it was just before dawn. At this time, the Heavenly Palace should have been completely silent, with lights off and people resting. But from above, he saw the palace below brightly lit, with figures coming and going busily.
His Hall of Pure Splendor was in the same situation.
This is very unusual.
Jia Yue landed in the Xihua Hall and stopped a disciple who was rushing by, asking, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Upon seeing him, the disciple's panicked expression immediately calmed somewhat, but he was still incoherent, "Reporting to the Sect Master, the Spirit-Sealing Array... the array is malfunctioning..."
His heart skipped a beat. He grabbed the disciple's collar and demanded sharply, "Speak! What happened to the Spirit-Suppressing Array?"
The disciple was so frightened by his expression that his legs almost went weak, and he could only say the most important thing, "It collapsed... the spirit-suppressing array collapsed..."
His robes were loosened, and the disciple collapsed to the ground.
I have never seen Lord Zongzi with such an expression before; it is truly astonishing.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and when he looked up again, there was no sign of Lord Zongzi.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
