Chapter 52 If you promise, then let's kiss.
There was a moment of silence on the deck.
A group of old men looked ashen-faced, their eyes filled with a desire to tear Bai Ye to shreds.
"Oh......"
Crimson Serpent Master sneered, his face filled with ferocity. "Young friend, you are still young. In this cultivation world, there are no eternal enemies..."
"Stop!" Bai waved his hand to interrupt, impatiently picking at his ear. "If you want to fight, then fight; if you want to talk things out, then speak like a human being. Otherwise, I feel like I'm going to chop something off this hand!"
Master Chilian suppressed his anger, enduring it for a long time until his old face turned a deep liver color.
What level of cultivation did he possess? A dignified Nascent Soul Realm cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, he had reigned supreme on Storm Island for hundreds of years, and everyone who saw him had to address him as a True Person.
Having been publicly humiliated by this junior in the Golden Core stage, how could he possibly swallow this insult?
Seeing this, Zhong Jiuli couldn't help but smile. Her little tiger usually seemed well-behaved, but once it opened its mouth, its ability to annoy people was truly remarkable.
Jiaojiao, never one to shy away from a good show, perched on Zhong Jiuli's shoulder and, mimicking a parrot, said, "Old man, you need to speak like a human being~~~"
The atmosphere on the deck plummeted to freezing.
No one expected that this last key holder would be such a stubborn and unyielding person. The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, realizing that no one recognized either of them.
I don't know where this troublemaker came from; she's so difficult to deal with. Even if I wanted to target her, I couldn't find her weakness for the time being.
In the end, Hai Qingyue stepped forward to smooth things over, and the atmosphere among everyone eased a bit, allowing them to begin discussing how to land on the island.
As the people on the ship were arguing, a towering wave surged up in the sea below, and a dragon-crocodile, a hundred feet long, burst out of the water, its cold, vertical pupils staring intently at the people on the spirit boat.
An elderly monk with white hair and beard slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "How long are you all going to argue?"
He pointed to the turbulent sea, where countless dark shadows were surging madly toward Dragonbone Island. Some enormous sea beasts surfaced, waiting for the human cultivators above to walk right into their trap.
"The aura of true dragons emanating from Dragonbone Island is a deadly temptation for these beasts. If we delay any longer, and they form a beast tide, then we will not only be unable to reach the island, but we may not even be able to leave with a whole corpse."
"Alright then, the person holding the key can stay behind and hold the line, while the rest of you can clear the way!" Master Chilian waved his hand and made the decision.
As soon as he finished speaking, the cultivators on the ship, dressed in crimson robes, transformed into streaks of light and flew off in all directions.
These well-trained attendants moved swiftly between the ships, delivering orders precisely to each spirit vessel.
"You want us to clear the way? Isn't that sending us to our deaths?" a bearded monk protested loudly.
With a whoosh, a drop of blood, glowing with crimson light, pierced the chest of the bearded cultivator like a shooting star.
The man stared wide-eyed at his exposed chest, which was now completely pierced, and collapsed into a pool of blood, his face filled with resentment.
With a flick of his sleeve, Master Chilian stood at the bow of the ship, his hands behind his back. His sinister gaze swept over the silent crowd, and he forced a smile, saying, "I never force anyone to do anything against their will. If anyone is unwilling to come along, they may leave now."
No one present dared to say anything more. They had gone through so much trouble to get here, how could they just leave like that?
The cultivators from Dongzhou quickly assembled into battle formation and rushed into the surging sea. They had been training in this sea area since childhood and were very familiar with naval warfare.
Although there are many monsters in the sea, the group is not without the power to fight back.
Bai Ye looked at the cultivators desperately clearing the way ahead and felt that his perspective was still too narrow. To be honest, evil cultivators are evil cultivators; they really don't hold back when it comes to killing.
Although she also committed murder, compared to old Deng, who still loves to wear red clothes at his age, she was nothing.
Seeing her deep in thought, Zhong Jiuli couldn't help but frown, worried that the little tiger might be influenced by these people.
"Let's go back." She reached out and grabbed Bai Ye's wrist, leading him back to her spirit boat.
When Liu Xianyue saw the two of them return, she casually asked, "Why did it take so long?"
Bai said, somewhat speechlessly, "I've only heard them arguing. A bunch of old guys, not only are they old, but they're also all scheming."
"The bone we stole earlier is a key, but we need to collect all the bone pieces and put them together to use it." Bai said, pointing to the Crimson Serpent Master who was still posing on the ship.
"The one who likes to wear red clothes, just like you, wants everyone to put the bone pieces together first and then hand them over to a designated person for safekeeping."
Liu Xianyue's originally lazy expression changed when Bai Ye compared her to the Crimson Serpent Master. A wisp of red light flashed at her fingertips, and the next moment, that wisp of red light ignited Bai Ye.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, it's hot!" Bai hurriedly patted the red lotus fire burning on his clothes.
"Heh~ I'll just scald you to death. If you dare to compare me to that filthy stuff again, I'll roast you and Jiaojiao together and have them as snacks with my drinks."
Upon hearing this, Jiaojiao immediately poked her head out from Zhong Jiuli's hair and said angrily, "What does this have to do with me? I haven't said a word since just now."
Liu Xianyue snorted, "Since you're all together, you might as well grill them all together."
Zhong Jiuli ignored the three people bickering and kept her eyes on the battle below. The group of cultivators who were clearing the way had barely managed to tear a gap in the sea beast horde. A large number of sea beast remains floated in the murky water. At this rate, they should be able to pass through in about an hour.
Just as the battle was raging on, another whooshing sound came from the sky.
An ancient and imposing spirit boat pierced through the clouds and appeared before everyone's eyes. Unlike the cultivators of Dongzhou who liked to decorate the prows of their boats with the heads of sea beasts, this spirit boat had a large golden flag standing at its bow, on which was written an ancient character for "king".
As soon as the spirit boat came to a stop, True Person Chi Lian looked up and said loudly, "Young Master Wang, you've arrived rather late this time. Could it be that you've been held up by some fairy?"
"It hasn't even started yet, and I've timed this perfectly." A sharp, piercing male voice came from the Wang family's spirit boat.
Along with the sound came a young man dressed in golden armor. He was quite flamboyant, and even the longsword hanging at his waist was adorned with spirit stones, so dazzling that it was hard to open one's eyes.
Bai also looked up and saw that the group of people had deliberately hovered the spirit boat at a higher position, as if they wanted to put themselves in a superior position.
She pursed her lips, not to make a sweeping generalization, but because she found the behavior of these ancient aristocratic families utterly disgusting.
In comparison, even that old evil cultivator, Chi Lian Zhenren, who always wore red, seemed somewhat endearing. At least he was openly evil; he practically had my villainy written all over his face.
"It's him!" Chu San Niang suddenly exclaimed in barely audible surprise. The two sisters' faces instantly turned ashen, and they retreated in unison, wishing they could disappear into the crowd.
Bai followed their horrified gazes and saw that they were looking at the flashy guy.
The young man seemed to sense something and looked over at Bai. His previously somewhat nonchalant expression suddenly broke into a smile when he saw the Chu sisters hiding behind the crowd.
In a flash, he stepped into the air and landed above the crowd, looking down at the Chu sisters with a wicked smile, like a cat playing with a mouse.
"Two little fisherwomen, you're quite good at escaping, aren't you? Let's see where you run this time. Catch them!" With a wave of his hand, a group of guards rushed towards the spirit boat where Bai Ye was.
"Wang Jian!" Hai Qingyue leaped into the air, her white skirt billowing in the wind. She stood in front of the Chu sisters, her voice as cold as ice, "This is the Eastern Continent Sea, not your Ancient Continent Wang family. If you want to cause trouble, go back to your territory."
"Heh, why be so distant, cousin?" Wang Jian sighed, feigning concern. "They're just two lowly fisherwomen. Why don't you take them in as maids and have them marry into my Wang family someday? That way, they'll have company, won't they?"
"Shameless!" Hai Qingyue trembled with rage. "Although we are engaged, who gave you permission to commit atrocities on Tian Shu Island in my name? Abducting women, murdering and arson... Is this how your Wang family behaves?"
Instead of getting angry, Wang Jian laughed upon hearing this, "Cousin, you're wronging me. I, Wang Jian, can't represent the entire Wang family to take them down!"
The guards, who had paused briefly when they saw Hai Qingyue come out to block them, charged at the Chu sisters again.
Bai leaned close to Chu San Niang's ear and whispered, "Was it this golden-haired idiot who was harassing you earlier?"
Chu San Niang bit her lower lip and nodded gently, her voice barely audible. "He claimed to be the young leader of the Sea Dragon Gang and said he wanted to kidnap me and take me back as his concubine. My sister risked her life to escape from Tian Shu Island with me."
Thinking of the tragic state of Chujia'ao, a cold glint flashed in Bai Ye's eyes. What a family of ancient cultivators, how could they produce so many scoundrels?
Bai patted Chu San Niang on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm here, you'll be fine."
A simple promise carries immense weight.
The next instant, Bai Ye appeared in the group of guards and unleashed a Tai Xu Xuan Lei.
The black lightning ball struck silently, and before the guards could even react, they were reduced to charred remains in the black lightning.
The stray lightning bolts rushed toward Wang Jian, but were all blocked by the golden light emanating from his golden armor.
"Who are you, and why are you attacking me suddenly?" Wang Jian's sharp voice suddenly rose, like a rooster being choked.
His eyes widened in shock. Those were dozens of Golden Core cultivators! Yet they hadn't even lasted a single move against this man.
Wang Jian's Adam's apple bobbed violently. Even his elder brother, who was hailed as a once-in-a-century genius in the Wang family, could not possibly kill dozens of Golden Core experts so casually.
"A person who acts on behalf of Heaven!"
Bai Ye's shout resounded through the sky, and his heavy sword was already drawn.
The jet-black heavy sword slashed towards Wang Jian with the force to split mountains and cleave peaks. With a clang, the heavy sword struck the golden light emanating from the golden armor, and Wang Jian was jolted back several steps, the protective golden light around him trembling violently.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!" Bai Ye's sword strikes were extremely fast, one after another, as fast as thunder and as heavy as Mount Tai.
Each strike sent Wang Jian's blood and qi surging.
"Damn it, damn it, you damned lowly commoner!" Wang Jian was furious, but he could only vent his anger verbally and was unable to launch an effective counterattack.
No matter how much he cursed, he could only spin around in the air like a runaway golden top, being slashed and rolled by Bai Ye's heavy sword.
Hai Qingyue stood in mid-air, looking at her disgusting cousin in such a sorry state, and a surge of pleasure welled up in her heart. If she were not afraid of the power of the Wang family of Guzhou, she would have taught this arrogant and domineering playboy a lesson herself long ago.
"So, in her eyes, Golden Core cultivators really are nothing special," Chu Erniang murmured softly.
Looking at the figures fighting in the sky, Chu San Niang's eyes were filled with envy. She also wanted to have such power so that she could protect herself and her sister.
The onlookers were even more stunned. This young master of the Wang family was clad in golden armor, like the hardest tortoise shell. He had been slashed in the air for a long time, yet he was completely unharmed.
"As expected of an ancient family from Guzhou, I have never seen such armor in my thousand years of cultivation!" an old man on the crimson ship said with great emotion.
As soon as these words were spoken, greed gleamed in the eyes of the others. This was a young master born with a silver spoon in his mouth, able to wear the treasures they could only dream of so easily.
Bai shook his numb wrist, cursing inwardly. This showy golden armor was ridiculously tough; hundreds of sword strikes had left the opponent completely unharmed.
“Fool, that golden armor is enough to withstand a full-force attack from a Mahayana cultivator. With your current cultivation level, you naturally can’t break through its defenses,” Zhong Jiuli transmitted her voice into your ear.
Upon hearing this, Bai unconsciously stopped his swordplay. He hadn't expected this guy to be such a slowpoke.
"Pfft, cough cough..." As soon as the attack stopped, Wang Jian finally had a chance to catch his breath, and he spat out a mouthful of blood as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Oh, so you still have something to do. I thought you were really that resilient." Bai Ye raised an eyebrow and raised his sword again.
Just then, a suffocating pressure suddenly erupted from the Wang family's spirit boat. An old man stepped through the air, his withered hand swelling in the wind, instantly transforming into a hundred-foot-long giant palm, pressing down on Bai Ye with a world-destroying force.
"A Nascent Soul cultivator!" someone exclaimed in shock. The terrifying pressure made it difficult for everyone to breathe.
Bai's expression changed. If this palm strike landed, even if she didn't explode on the spot, she would be seriously injured and fall into the water below, which was crowded with sea beasts.
Just as he was about to call for Xiao Lü to help, a slender figure darted out first. With a flick of her robes, Zhong Jiuli effortlessly blocked the attack.
Two devastating forces collided in mid-air.
"boom!"
Amidst the deafening explosion, the entire sea was stirred up, with towering waves thousands of feet high shooting into the sky, and countless deep-sea monsters were shaken to the surface, their white bellies turned upside down.
This is the battle of high-level cultivators; every move they make is enough to move mountains and fill seas, and destroy the heavens and the earth.
Zhong Jiuli's black hair flew in the wind, and her every move carried a natural Daoist charm. Every time she made a move, it seemed as if there was no spiritual energy fluctuation at all.
The old man was forced to retreat step by step by her seemingly effortless attacks. After a few moves, he was no longer able to defend himself and was finally pierced through the chest by a silver glint, falling into the sea like a meteor.
"Roar!" With a deafening roar, the hundred-foot-long dragon crocodile, which had been lurking beneath the sea surface, burst out of the water, and its blood-red maw covered with barbs caught the falling elder of the Wang family.
After finishing its meal, the dragon crocodile contentedly dived back into the water, continuing to watch the aerial battlefield, seemingly waiting for its next meal.
Wang Jian was stunned by what he saw. His eyes were filled with disbelief. "You actually dared to kill an elder of my Wang family!"
"Reluctant to part with him?" Bai chuckled. "Then I'll send you to see him."
Before she finished speaking, she slashed with her sword again. A barely perceptible black lightning flashed across the dark heavy sword. The movement was so subtle that it was almost impossible to notice without close inspection.
"Clang!" A sword slashed down, and Wang Jian's golden armor once again burst forth with dazzling golden light, but this time it was different from before. He felt his body go numb for a moment.
Bai also noticed this. It seemed that adding Xuan Lei to the sword's edge could indeed make the attack more powerful. She kept moving her sword and used the Nine Styles of the Heavy Sword in succession.
In just a few breaths, hundreds more swords fell.
Wang Jian was completely paralyzed and couldn't even roll over; he could only stand there stiffly and take the beating.
He slurred, “Damn it, you really deserve to die! Do you think the Wang family is someone we can bully?”
"Don't talk nonsense." Bai also slashed his head with his sword, sending Wang Jian flying again.
"Heh, you think you're invincible just because you have a master protecting you? You underestimate the strength of our family!" Wang Jian's voice was much lower.
He suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the jade pendant on his chest, "Please summon the image of the Ancestor!"
The jade pendant instantly emitted a dazzling light, and a phantom that blotted out the sky appeared in mid-air.
It was an illusory image of an old man with white hair and beard; with just a glance, it froze the air within a radius of ten thousand feet.
Bai Ye's heavy sword was blocked in mid-air and could not advance any further!
"Youngster, how dare you harm the bloodline of my Wang family?"
The voice of that majestic Dharma image was not loud, but every word it uttered transformed into a sharp sword, piercing straight into Bai Ye's soul.
At the critical moment, a green light flashed between Bai's eyebrows, blocking most of the attacks for her, but ultimately the difference in cultivation level was too great, and Little Green could not block all the attacks.
Bai also spat out a mouthful of blood, his mind churning violently as if he had fallen into an endless abyss. The heavy sword in his hand slipped limply, and he fell towards the sea like a kite with a broken string.
"You're courting death." A clear shout pierced the sky, and Zhong Jiuli's figure flashed as she caught Bai Ye as he fell. She raised her hand and gently stroked the little tiger's pale cheek, her eyes flashing with a cold light.
Without saying a word, he swung his palm out.
This seemingly casual palm strike darkened the entire sky, with endless power of rules swirling in the air, forming a giant hand of law.
The old man's illusory image raised his hand to block, and his whole body trembled violently. A look of shock appeared on his majestic face. He never expected that this woman's strength would be so terrifying.
"Leave this place." Fa Xiang made a quick decision, his illusory hand grabbing the still-shaken Wang Jian and throwing him toward the Wang family's spirit boat in the distance.
A burst of light immediately lit up the spirit boat, clearly indicating that the escape formation on the spirit boat was being activated to flee.
Zhong Jiuli stood in mid-air, holding the unconscious Bai Ye in her arms, her eyes shimmering with silver light, as if they held the entire Milky Way.
"You hurt my people and you think you can just leave?" She parted her red lips slightly, her voice not loud, but it froze the entire sea, even the sea beasts churning in the water seemed to be stunned by her voice.
She raised her hand and tapped lightly, and a dazzling silver chain condensed from the sky, like a divine punishment descending from heaven, instantly binding the spirit boat that was trying to escape.
The old man's illusory form was greatly shocked, its image trembling violently. "It's you!"
His voice was filled with undisguised horror. In this land of Kyushu, there was only one person who could manipulate the laws of time.
"It's me, Old Wang! Your descendant isn't going anywhere!"
Zhong Jiuli lightly flipped her palm, and countless silver light spots poured down like a galaxy, drifting and scattering towards the spirit boat. These light spots were like the most common fireflies, gentle and harmless, with an alluring halo.
The golden armor that Bai had slashed hundreds or even thousands of times without breaking through was as fragile as paper in front of the silver light.
"Ugh, Ancestor, save me!" Wang Jian only managed to utter a short, urgent cry before his纨绔 (playboy/rich young master) face was forever frozen in a look of terror.
His body gradually became transparent in the silver light, eventually turning into specks of light and dissipating into the world, leaving behind only a perfectly intact suit of armor.
The old man's avatar was about to roar, but the silver fireflies had already climbed up to it. The power of the laws of time caused this incomparably powerful avatar to decay and peel away at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Zhong..." The old man only uttered a short syllable before the towering illusory image of the Dharma collapsed like a sand tower.
In the end, what vanished were those resentful and bitter eyes.
Between the sea and the sky, only this proud figure remained. She looked down at the person in her arms, and the murderous aura in her eyes instantly dissipated, turning into a gentle warmth like spring water.
On the crimson ship, the Crimson Serpent Master gently touched his chest, the veins on the back of his aged hand bulging, his palm already soaked with cold sweat.
He secretly thought how close he had come to disaster. When Wang Jian was at a disadvantage, he had wanted to speak up to stop him, but luckily he was too late. Otherwise, he would have been killed by now.
The ancient beings around them, who had lived for thousands of years, remained silent in unison, their wrinkled faces filled with lingering fear.
Looking back now, the blow the other party dealt to me on the ship was actually quite merciful.
Zhong Jiuli carried Bai Ye back to the spirit boat. Liu Xianyue looked at them, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
"No need for further words. Now that I have made my move, I am prepared to bear all the consequences." Zhong Jiuli's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable power.
Liu Xianyue opened her mouth, but ultimately only sighed deeply. This was truly troublesome. The Wang family of Guzhou was not the same as the Sima family.
None of the eight ancient aristocratic families were easy to mess with; who knew just how much wealth and power they possessed?
But Liu Xianyue didn't say anything, she just watched her friend carry the person into the cabin.
Inside the cabin, Zhong Jiuli placed Bai Ye on the bed and gently stroked her pale cheek with her fingertips.
As her fingertips traced the faint bloodstain between Bai Ye's brows, a hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes. She had been careless and hadn't prepared a magical artifact to protect the little guy's soul.
The old man's attack was truly ruthless, targeting the vital points of the soul. A cultivator's sea of consciousness is extremely fragile; once damaged, it is very difficult to repair, and the slightest carelessness can destroy the entire foundation of one's cultivation.
Zhong Jiuli sighed softly, clasped her hands together, and formed an intricate hand seal. In an instant, the entire cabin was enveloped in silver light.
The silvery light, like smoke and mist, shrouded the two figures within it. Zhong Jiuli's figure transformed into specks of silver fireflies, disappearing into Bai Ye's brow.
In Bai Ye's sea of consciousness, darkness spread like a tide, her primordial spirit was falling continuously, and all around her was endless void.
She thought she might be having a nightmare. She often had this kind of dream when she was a child, in which she fell into a void, with nothing around her but a continuous fall. But usually, when she kicked out suddenly, she would wake up from the dream.
But even after kicking her legs many times, Bai was still falling. Just as she was getting so bored that she was about to doze off, specks of silver light drifted down from above.
Bai also widened his eyes and looked closely, discovering that they were crystal-clear butterflies. When the butterflies fluttered their wings, they scattered specks of silver light, illuminating this void.
"What is this? Where did this butterfly come from?" Bai reached out to grab it, but a larger moon butterfly flapped its wing and swatted her hand away.
The butterfly wings trembled, and more and more butterflies gathered around, landing on Bai Ye and carrying her upwards.
The abyss receded beneath my feet, the surroundings grew brighter, and a bright, clear moon appeared overhead.
In the center of the bright moon, a familiar figure could be vaguely seen reaching out to her.
"Zhong Jiuli, what are you doing here?" Bai Ye flew towards the figure, wrapped his arms tightly around her slender waist, and hugged her tightly.
Zhong Jiuli caught her, her voice gentler than moonlight: "We've come to find a lost little tiger."
The Zhong Jiuli before him was too gentle, and too beautiful. So beautiful that Bai was somewhat dazed.
"Zhong Jiuli," Bai Ye murmured softly, "Am I dreaming?
"Um?"
"Since it's a dream, let's give each other a kiss!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Dog head with rose in hand] No prize for guessing game: Did they kiss or not?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com