That night, a chill crept in silently, waking the Chaotic Sea Archipelago.
Outside Canghai Pavilion, a middle-aged scholar stared at the sky in silence, his face full of worry.
Thick clouds piled high in the sky, eerily echoing the whirlpool in the sea, forming an unbreakable storm celestial phenomenon.
The anomaly had arrived early, more terrifying than ever before. The entire sea was treacherous and unpredictable, and everyone could feel the strange changes.
News came from Ju’ao Island: two girls matching a certain description had teamed up to rob a Golden Core cultivator, and a Duanhai Alliance Invitation had also gone missing.
White Whale knew Li Su well, and he was equally worried about Yun Liu’s beloved disciple. Now the whale pod had already taken Qin Xiang and Yan Bingling to Howling Fjord.
The disciples of Clear Mist Peak were left in the care of Mister Canghai. Penglai Island had never been one to contend with the world; among the five great harbors, it remained neutral, usually waiting until the Great Whirlpool stabilized before diving to collect some rare herbs.
“Hopefully they haven’t caused any major trouble.”
No major trouble, but perhaps a major blessing.
At this very moment, the East Extreme Pavilion Master, who had been treated as a guest of honor by the Duanhai Alliance, was lying on the bed, staring blankly, his mind full of backstabbing Senior Sister Qin.
Ji Shiyu crossed her arms and stared at the identical little yellow chick in front of her, her expression serious.
Just when Ao Tian thought that even this foolish child should have realized the truth, Ji Shiyu giggled and ruffled the bird’s head.
“Even a spirit pet this valuable is entrusted to my care. Big Brother-in-Law must really like this brother-in-law. If only Mother thought the same way.”
Coincidentally, your mother really does think that way, though she’s more interested in the stepfather.
The Phoenix Hatchling sighed, then suddenly sensed a chill, all its feathers standing on end.
“Well, whatever. All the bad deeds were done by Ao Tian. What does that have to do with me, Ao Di? Let’s call old gambling debts settled.”
“It’s coming!”
“Who’s coming? Big Brother-in-Law?”
Ji Shiyu pushed open the window and saw Li Su poking his head out from next door, his face full of shock.
“There’s a whirlpool in the sea, and a whirlpool in the sky too. How did this happen so fast?”
“What a big cotton candy!”
Ji Shiyu stood on tiptoe and gasped. Above her head, Ao Tian’s gaze was unusually serious; he no longer had the mood to joke.
“Yellow Hair, let’s get out of here now. No joke. If we get sucked in, we’re done for!”
Li Su was starting to feel scared. He had only come along for the excitement, to see the world.
Now he had already bragged and put on a show. He really couldn’t go down to sea with this ragtag bunch. Not only would he be exposed, but Teacher would surely expel him from the sect.
“What’s there to panic about? Isn’t that Fortress Master Wu pretty strong? Everyone’s been sucking up to him all night. Can’t he protect me, the Pavilion Master?”
Ji Shiyu shook her head, not yet having had her fill of fun.
“I’m just afraid these idiots can’t even save themselves. Do you know who created the Great Whirlpool?”
“It wasn’t me.”
Li Su covered his face and said:
“In the Northern Dark, there is a fish, whose name is Kun. Kun is so huge that its size spans thousands of li. The Great Whirlpool formed because the Kunpeng woke up. That’s what Teacher said.”
“I see. Is it bigger than Senior Bai’s whale?”
“Idiot, much bigger. Only a Kun can churn up the entire sea!”
Ji Shiyu tilted her head, lost in thought.
A fish that big—if Mister cooked it, they’d be able to eat it for a long time, right?
“But its early awakening is not a good sign.”
“The sea is angry. The Kunpeng is furious. Though I don’t know why.”
Li Su muttered to himself, staring at the tornado, inexplicably panicked.
Mister Canghai also said that thing wasn’t just a big fish; it was a deep-sea divine beast on par with the Golden Crow of the East. Only during the Kunpeng’s century-spanning transformation into a Peng, when it soared, could mortals have a chance to explore the Mirage City at the bottom of the sea.
Ao Tian held a Phoenix feather in his beak, knowing full well that Mister’s plan to divert trouble was quite effective, successfully stirring up the anger of the two provinces’ sacred beasts.
Now the Kunpeng felt threatened, because Ying Lian had left the Divine Tree Canopy and come here, seriously interfering with its takeoff!
As if confirming Li Su’s warning, the Underwater Spiritual Spring was stimulated and strengthened, and the Great Whirlpool was expanding rapidly, pulling at the Inner Sea Archipelago, facing off against the tornado in the sky.
This spectacular sight was something even the extremely experienced Baili Laotou had never seen in his lifetime.
On both banks of Howling Fjord, cultivators’ eyes burned with passion as they murmured among themselves. They were not puzzled by the early arrival of the anomaly; instead, they grew restless.
Because the rare treasures that would appear this time might be more precious than any before. The Duanhai Alliance cultivators gathered here were all famous wandering cultivators, accustomed to lives lived on the edge of a blade.
Chaos in the sea and sky, tornadoes and whirlpools—the Boundless Sea had never seen anything like this in a thousand years.
Yun Liu, meditating with his eyes closed, opened them to see the resolute faces of Gelan and Yan Bingling. They were ready to fight to the death.
Yun Liu frowned, patted the stack of Spirit Talismans on his chest, and finally relaxed.
“It came faster than expected.”
Ying Lian’s injuries might not be as severe as imagined, but the arrow had been nocked and had to be loosed. There was no time to consider other matters. They had to lure that Evil Dragon into the Great Whirlpool!
Yun Liu gently stroked the girl in his arms. Ying Lian had long since curled up, her pretty face expressionless, but her teeth were chattering.
“Mm…”
“Mm!”
“A Lian is not afraid. Big Senior Brother is here.”
All along, he had been passively accepting, silently waiting for plot triggers, as if he couldn’t play without a strategy guide.
This time, it was his turn to take the initiative, to protect everything he cherished with his own hands, to rewrite Junior Sister’s tragedy, and grasp his fate in his own hands!
“Woo—”
Sensing the commotion from the opposite shore, the Duanhai Alliance had already begun to act.
Chain Docks also sounded its horns, unwilling to be outdone.
The Hong Dock warships became active. Hong Xiufang raised an eyebrow and ordered the fleet to set sail.
“Lads, hoist the sails!”
Hundreds of warships sailed out of the fjord one after another, like a school of fish entering the sea—a magnificent sight.
Between the tornado in the sky and the whirlpool beneath the sea lay a vacuum zone with no spiritual energy to replenish, Divine Sense severely restricted. The sailors could only rely on experience to pilot the spirit boats, carefully avoiding hidden reefs and not letting the vortex carry them away.
The Hong Dock vessels slowly joined the Chain Docks fleet, relying on the defensive magic arrays built into the hulls to struggle forward under the battering of giant waves, even with the Duanhai Alliance.
The Great Whirlpool had quietly formed. The incident was sudden, and the storm center was near Howling Fjord; the other four islands had not reacted so quickly.
This was the perfect opportunity. Whoever seized the initiative might be the first to open the Mirage City and claim the fortune.
Seawater was blown into the sky by the tornado, turning into a torrential downpour, soaking their clothes. Everyone was conserving their Qi Sea, letting the wind and rain beat down on them.
The Fang family led the way on a magnificent treasure ship, exceptionally huge, reinforced by six combined magic arrays.
Fang Ya stood at the bow, reached out from afar, and threw out an olive branch, inviting Ji Shiyu to join the flagship. That was the safest place.
At least, that was what he thought.
Wu Family Fort had Big Brother Wu in command, and the Fang family’s ancestor was also in the Divine Transformation Realm.
You’re asking for death.