Chapter 82: Beneath the Sea

Beneath the boundless sea.

The Silver-scaled Shad Demon, accompanied by the Blue-shelled Crab Soldiers, pushed the bubble containing Su Yuanbai and his companions all the way back from the ocean floor until they arrived at the dazzling, multicolored coral reefs outside the Dragon Palace of the Boundless Sea.

The coral was dense and towering; the wide, round bubble could no longer be pushed any further.

“Can’t we just go over the top?” Qu Hanchen muttered as he watched the Silver-scaled Shad Demon pacing anxiously outside the coral, uncertain what to do.

“All along the way, this Silver-scaled Shad Demon has had the Blue-shelled Crab Soldiers push us along the seabed. There must be a reason for it. Oddly enough, we haven’t encountered any other sea demons or monsters on the way,” Xi Chunxue remarked, gazing at the Crab Soldiers clustered around their bubble.

She had expected at least some conflict along the way. After all, the Boundless Sea was not ruled by the dragon clan alone, and the demon escorting them wasn’t particularly strong.

“Perhaps the path was already cleared. Aren’t you curious why three Red Dragons landed at the Dragon Palace just now?” Xie Miu’an asked, his clouded eyes fixed on Su Yuanbai, who leaned against the edge of the bubble. This handsome man had only looked up when the third Red Dragon descended upon the palace.

“I am curious, but I’m more concerned about our predicament. We’re clearly being treated as human cultivators who stole the Ocean-stabilizing Pearl. I don’t believe anything good awaits us inside the Dragon Palace,” Xi Chunxue replied, shaking her head.

“The first two dragons showed nothing unusual, but the last one—its body was thick and powerful, its horns robust and mighty, with a faint red gleam and conspicuous white whiskers. If I’m not mistaken, that must be the Dragon King of the Southern Sea,” Xie Miu’an said heavily.

“The Dragon King of the Southern Sea? What is he doing here? Is it because of the Ocean-stabilizing Pearl? But the theft of the Boundless Sea’s pearl has nothing to do with him,” Xi Chunxue asked, puzzled.

“I don’t know. Perhaps the Dragon King of the Boundless Sea or someone else invited him, or maybe he simply wished to come. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t bode well for us,” Xie Miu’an said, looking up into the endless darkness above. The depth of the sea let in no sunlight, only the oppressive weight of the deep pressing on their hearts.

It was suffocating.

The ground trembled, and ripples spread through the water as the white-whiskered Red Dragon soared from the Dragon Palace, its massive body stretching so far it vanished into the distance, shrinking to a black dot before disappearing completely.

“He’s gone,” Xi Chunxue said softly as she watched the white-whiskered Red Dragon fly away.

She had felt nothing when the dragon first entered the palace, but as it left, its form seemed to grow, and its overwhelming dragon might was suffocating. Not until it was gone did she dare to speak.

“That’s good for us,” Xie Miu’an said, lifting his head.

No sooner had he spoken than two more Red Dragons soared from the palace, followed shortly by a slender third dragon.

“Time is running out,” Su Yuanbai suddenly spoke.

“Why?” Xie Miu’an asked, his murky eyes searching Su Yuanbai’s face. Xi Chunxue and Qu Hanchen also looked to him, waiting for his words.

“The comings and goings mean they’ve made a decision. Whatever it is, our time is short,” Su Yuanbai said, his dark eyes fixed on the direction the dragons had gone. If Xie Miu’an was right, their destination was none other than Sanyu Island.

With endless rain pouring down on Sanyu Island and these dragons on the move, it seemed the dragon clan of the Boundless Sea had made up its mind.

“Then what should we do?” Qu Hanchen asked hesitantly. Even now, he didn’t know their purpose. In the underworld, at least Su Yuanbai had given them a clear order—to kill the Yama King—though even now, Qu Hanchen thought that was dubious.

At least then, they had direction. Now, Su Yuanbai spoke little, and since arriving here through the bronze gate’s teleportation array, he hadn’t said what they were meant to do.

Were they supposed to retrieve the Ocean-stabilizing Pearl?

But Su Yuanbai’s calm demeanor made Qu Hanchen doubt that was his true intention. His composed face and indifferent, dark eyes were utterly unreadable.

In truth, not only Qu Hanchen, but Xie Miu’an and Xi Chunxue as well, could not fathom Su Yuanbai’s intentions. Occasionally he asked questions, but once he received a clear answer, he fell silent again, never offering his own opinions.

Was Su Yuanbai friend or foe?

Xi Chunxue hardly dared ponder this. If he was good, all would be well, but if not, nothing could be worse.

“We find the Ocean-stabilizing Pearl and end the endless rain on Sanyu Island,” Xi Chunxue said, taking a deep breath, her bright eyes fixed on Su Yuanbai.

Xie Miu’an, arms still wrapped around the Soul-guiding Banner, did not speak. He simply watched Su Yuanbai, waiting for the handsome man’s answer. The fate of those on Sanyu Island mattered little to him—he had lived too long for matters of life and death to stir his heart, unless they concerned himself.

“Agreed,” Su Yuanbai replied calmly.

Though it was only a single word, the tension in Xi Chunxue’s heart suddenly eased, her legs giving way as she sat at the bottom of the bubble.

“Thank you,” she said with a self-mocking smile, wiping cold sweat from her brow, her eyes shining with gratitude as she looked at Su Yuanbai.

“Am I really that intimidating?” Su Yuanbai asked with a gentle smile, glancing down at her.

“You can ask them,” Xi Chunxue replied, glancing at Xie Miu’an, who seemed calm but still clutched the Soul-guiding Banner tightly, showing no sign of relaxation.

“It’s true—the pressure is immense... mostly because you’re impossible to read,” Qu Hanchen said with a sheepish grin.

“There’s no need to guess at my thoughts. You only need to make one of two choices regarding me: believe, or don’t,” Su Yuanbai said quietly, his gaze drifting to the Silver-scaled Shad Demon, who cowered on the seabed outside the coral, cowed by the lingering dragon’s might.

A moment later, the Silver-scaled Shad Demon finally dared rise, just as a blue-faced, tusked Sea Patrol Yaksha, wielding a gleaming battle-axe, strode toward them.