“I can’t believe this is happening.”
Ji Shiyu sized up Yun Liu while he looked back at her, smiling without a word.
After the Second Manor Lord introduced all the guests, the usual round of mutual flattery and long-renowned praise ensued.
Xu Qihua’s gaze landed on the stranger.
He asked suspiciously, “Young Master Fang and Harbor Master Hong are naturally heroes of the raging sea, but may I ask this little friend’s Daoist title?”
He felt slightly displeased.
Fang Ya hadn’t informed him beforehand that there would be an unknown outsider.
If anyone thought just anyone could come to the Sea-Severing Alliance and claim a share of the spoils, they were sorely mistaken.
“I am Ji Shiyu. Do you have any advice for me?”
Yun Liu spoke concisely, without further elaboration.
His extraordinary bearing drew attention.
Faint divine senses probed from all around, attempting to secretly spy on him.
Yan Bingling merely gave her sword case a light shake, and her fierce, murderous aura suppressed the surrounding rogue cultivators, revealing her cultivation level without doubt.
The crowd’s expressions shifted.
Even the attendant by his side was an Nascent Soul expert?
“Advice? I wouldn’t dare. Heroes emerge from youth as always; the Chain Docks truly hide dragons and crouching tigers.”
A gleam of sharp light flashed in Xu Qihua’s eyes.
The Chain Docks had brought a show of force.
The Fang family indeed kept their talents well hidden.
Wu Lei sneered inwardly.
He had just suffered a loss at the hands of this yellow-haired girl.
The Second Manor Lord had taken the initiative to invite a wolf into the house, and in the end, he probably wouldn’t have the ability to clean up the mess.
Back to business.
Fort Lord Wu had widely issued the Hero Invitation, gathering everyone here solely to inform the other four islands that the Wulang Sea was still the territory of rogue cultivators.
Heavenly materials and earthly treasures belonged to those capable—if anyone wanted to monopolize the blessed fate of Mirage City, they would first have to ask the Sea-Severing Alliance.
Xu Qihua wasted no words and cut straight to the point.
Among those present, many were seniors who had experienced the last Mirage City Bloodbattle.
The bottom of the Great Whirlpool was extremely dangerous, and sharing and exchanging experiences was the best course.
“I heard that the White Whale Island Master once ventured deep into Mirage City alone. Do you have any insights on that?”
It was also a hundred years ago that the White Whale was injured by a Bloodthirsty Banner demon cultivator, leaving his Qi Sea damaged.
For an Nascent Soul spell cultivator to suffer such a fate showed how perilous it was.
Li Su had no idea what had happened back then—she hadn’t even been born at the time.
Yet on the surface, she remained calm and indifferent.
“Among us here, Senior Baili has the most seniority. I only stumbled into that strange realm by sheer chance and still haven’t figured out all its mysteries, so I won’t make a fool of myself.”
The white-haired elder stroked his beard, nodded, and took over the conversation.
“In that case, let me throw out a modest spur to attract greater insights. The Great Whirlpool has a heavenly-earth restriction formed by ancient sea beasts that have hibernated for a hundred years, breathing out their essence—everyone must already know that. The deeper one goes, the stronger the soul suppression becomes, regardless of cultivation level. So having too high a cultivation isn’t all good. Extremely few experts above Nascent Soul dare to risk entering the sea.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
This was also why they dared to compete with the heroes of the Chaotic Sea.
Fortune favors the bold.
Before the Great Whirlpool, all are equal.
“Another point to note: deep within the Mirage City maze dwells the merfolk race. Although they have a gentle temperament, sea demons are still sea demons. Not of our kind, their hearts are sure to differ.”
Ji Shiyu tugged at Li Su’s sleeve and asked, “What are merfolk? Can you eat them?”
“Merfolk are merfolk. Eat less rice and read more books, will you?”
Li Su gestured dismissively, disdainful of the ignorant little yellow hair.
“Merfolk live in water like fish, with human upper bodies and fish tails. Their tears turn into pearls. They can communicate with humans but don’t particularly hate the human race. Instead, they accompany sea demons and roam the ocean freely—they’re considered an anomaly among the demon tribes of the Nine Provinces. Such strange creatures really do exist in the world.”
Ji Shiyu suddenly understood.
So they were true salted fish.
Among the five islands, only Penglai Island’s Qiongxiao Palace had a good relationship with the merfolk, often coming ashore to trade fabrics for spiritual medicines.
Thus, it was most convenient and safest for elixir cultivators to enter the sea, protected by the ocean.
The fleet from Howling Fjord would find it very difficult to dive into the Great Whirlpool.
Baili the old man said thoughtfully, “If we could have a whale pod clear the path, it would likely be much smoother.”
“That’s certainly no problem.”
Li Su braced herself and waved her hand, casually making an empty promise.
She would have fled long before that day came.
She just wanted to take a distant look at the whirlpool wonder—who told her master to forbid it?
At this age, the more a little girl is forbidden, the more rebellious she becomes!
The cultivators of the Sea-Severing Alliance gained great confidence.
This time, the Chain Docks and the Sea-Severing Alliance joining hands brought together over a dozen Nascent Soul experts—a force not to be underestimated in any harbor.
During the banquet, rogue cultivators shared the sea feast and spoke freely.
The two manor lords each had their own factions and didn’t hold back from subtle jabs and sarcasm.
As for waiting for Fort Lord Wu to emerge from seclusion to take charge, that remained.
Xu Qihua valued the White Whale and Yun Liu highly and intended to recruit them into his own faction.
He frequently steered the conversation toward the East Pole Pavilion Master, deliberately emphasizing his identity as a Heavenly Dao alchemy master.
He was far more articulate than the hot-tempered Wu Lei.
“Master Yun, what do you think? We’re all brothers here—speak freely.”
“Ah? Me?”
Ji Shiyu groaned inwardly.
Before she knew it, she had become the center of attention again.
She had already cursed Xu Qihua ten thousand times, and she always felt that mysterious yellow-haired girl staring at her.
‘I’m just a stinky alchemist, an oily boy! What insights could I have about fishing in the sea?’
‘If my master were here, what would he say? Probably something like “None of my damn business,” completely disregarding everyone’s face.’
Not that she, this shameless disciple, knew her old man that well.
Fang Ya finally found an opening to cut in.
He sneered coldly, “And who do we have here? What wind blew the Sword Sect traitor all the way to the Boundless Sea? Is the Empress’s embrace not comfortable enough for you?”
This remark was extremely sharp, insinuating that the East Pole Pavilion Master was just a kept man of the Zhusheng Royal Family.
Xu Qihua frowned slightly.
He didn’t know what grudge the Fang family held against Yun Liu, and this was not the situation he wanted to see.
The speaker looked familiar to Ji Shiyu; it seemed to be a senior brother from one of the peaks.
Senior Sister Qin had said before she left: not a single person in the Fang family was any good.
Within the sect, there were rules to restrain them, but out in the outer sea, lawlessness reigned.
She had to be especially careful.
How could she allow anyone to badmouth her master?
She lazily retorted,
“Maybe my hands got itchy. Every so often, I have to find someone named Fang to beat up, or else I feel uncomfortable all over.”
“Pfft.”
Gelan burst out laughing at that.
Although she didn’t know who the imposter was, he sure knew his stuff.
The Yun and Fang families had been feuding for generations—this wasn’t their first round.
“Hmph! This is Howling Fjord, not the Divine Splendor Cloud Estate. No one’s here to wipe your backside. Master Yun, you’d better be very careful when you go out!”
“Likewise.”
Fang Ya shot a fierce glare at the calm Ji Shiyu beside him, his threat obvious.
He wouldn’t allow a Heavenly Dao alchemy master to continue growing.
This time, Yun Liu had walked right into the trap—a golden opportunity to eliminate a future major threat.
The two were thick with gunpowder, but everyone else was confused.
The welcome feast broke up on bad terms.
Li Su and Ji Shiyu made an excuse to go out for some air and strolled along the Sea Alliance Long Street.
Li Su muttered curses under her breath, “Do you really not know, or are you pretending? The Fang family patriarch of Chain Docks is at the peak of Nascent Soul. If you had said earlier that Master Yun had a grudge with the Fang family, I would have run off halfway.”
People sank to the bottom of the sea every day in Howling Fjord.
If they angered the Fang family, even the title of White Whale Island Master wouldn’t help.
“I’m not leaving! Do you think I was scared into coming here?”