Chapter 84: Encirclement

The Silver-scaled Shad Demon never imagined that the water bubble would burst so abruptly, just as it was pushing open the grand gates of the Azure Sea Dragon Palace—before even reaching the screen wall. Was it possible that its own strength had pierced the bubble? But this was no ordinary bubble; it was formed by the Imperial Consort Su himself, who breathed out a stream of dragon energy, gathering it to create the bubble—unyielding and indestructible. Otherwise, the Silver-scaled Shad Demon would never have dared let those blue-shelled crab soldiers push it along, for their claws could not transform into human hands as its own could.

Yet the bubble had inexplicably vanished. The Silver-scaled Shad Demon, caught completely off guard, remained stunned, gazing blankly at Xi Chunxue and her companions as they recovered their senses.

“What should we do now?” Qu Hanchen carefully pried the demon’s cold hands from his body. The fish demon’s hands looked no different from a human’s, but lacked all warmth—like the hands of the dead.

“An excellent question,” Xie Miuan replied, raising her eyes toward the perch demon beneath the distant screen wall. This perch demon was much quicker-witted than the Silver-scaled Shad Demon; the moment the bubble burst, it darted away from under the screen wall. Unlike the perch demons patrolling among the coral reefs, this one wore a long robe, and its two whiskers nearly brushed the ground. When it saw the bubble rupture, its fish eyes flashed a startled, panicked expression, and it vanished in a blink.

“Release,” Xi Chunxue commanded, pointing at the now-alert Silver-scaled Shad Demon. The demon’s hand, which had been swinging a silver hammer at Qu Hanchen, suddenly slackened; the hammer fell onto the jade-paved floor with a crack, leaving a fissure in the white stone. Xi Chunxue, however, let out a muffled groan as well.

“The demons here have cultivated for decades at the very least, and being close to the Dragon Palace, they are nourished by dragon energy. You may know many arts, but your cultivation is still too shallow,” Xie Miuan said quietly, watching Xi Chunxue clutch her chest.

“You damned humans, you tricked me! Perch demon guards, mackerel demon guards—these humans emerged from the bubble!” The Silver-scaled Shad Demon did not charge forward, but retreated to the threshold of the grand golden doors, calling out to the black-eyed perch demon and the white-eyed mackerel demon stationed at the entrance.

The two demon guards entered through the golden doors, and ripples shimmered above the threshold. As they passed through, the ripples vanished.

As soon as the white-eyed mackerel demon stepped through, its eyes rolled, and Qu Hanchen felt as if he were suffocating at the bottom of the sea, each breath bringing a sharp, choking sensation. Meanwhile, the black-eyed perch demon, long spear in hand, lunged at them as the white-eyed mackerel demon’s gaze worked its illusion.

“Don’t look into its eyes; it’s an illusion,” Xi Chunxue whispered to Qu Hanchen. She strode forward, pointing suddenly at the jade tiles beneath her feet. Instantly, the tiles rose up to form a barrier. But the spear pierced through them with ease. Xi Chunxue remained unflustered; with a flick of her finger, the spear’s tip bent upward. She then quickly formed a seal with her hands.

The jade tiles exploded, their fragments suspended in the air, transforming into countless sharp shards that flew at the black-eyed perch demon. With a metallic clatter, the demon retreated, its armor scored and ultimately shattered by the onslaught. The white-eyed mackerel demon, caught off guard, had its fish eyes slashed by two razor-sharp fragments.

“Take one more step forward, and I will reduce your decades of cultivation to ashes along with your lives,” Xi Chunxue said coldly, her posture upright and hands clasped behind her back, gazing at the three fish demons with icy resolve.

Though her time studying the Dao in the mountains was not long—just over twenty years—if she could not handle these demons, she would truly disgrace Langhuan Palace. Yet even the miraculous Langhuan Jade Canon could not restore her strength in a short time. Qu Hanchen glanced down at Xi Chunxue’s trembling fingers behind her back, realizing her condition was not as calm as she appeared.

Meanwhile, all around them, more sea demons and their shrimp and crab minions had gathered, encircling them.

“I advise you to surrender,” the Perch Marshal stepped out from the throng, stroking his long whiskers and regarding the humans who had startled him with a cold voice.

Xi Chunxue glanced sideways at the Perch Marshal, shifting her feet in a Daoist step, her figure flickering like a shadow. In the blink of an eye, she was before him. Yet before she could seize the Perch Marshal, a gray light shone on her arm, and it instantly turned to stone. She stared in shock, seeing a sea demon emerge from among the shrimp and crab soldiers—a beast with three serpent heads and the body of a bear.

“Did you think the Azure Sea Dragon Palace consisted only of fish demons and shrimp soldiers, with no other powerful aquatic clans?” the Perch Marshal sneered.

“Let me eat her,” the three-headed serpent-bear demon rumbled.

Xi Chunxue formed a seal with one hand, sending a beam of white light from her fingertip toward the serpent-bear demon. But it merely rang out crisply against its thick scales, failing even to break the skin.

“Serpent Bear General, you may eat any of these humans, as long as you leave one alive for questioning,” the Perch Marshal said with a sly smile.

“Very well.” The serpent-bear demon lumbered toward Xi Chunxue, sensing she would be a delicious morsel—the aura she exuded was a rare tonic, perhaps enough to help him grow a fourth serpent head, and awaken new abilities. Yet when he reached out to grab her, his hand closed on empty air. The human, seizing the moment of his distraction, slipped back among her companions in a flash.

“This creature seems to be a descendant of the ancient fierce god Xiangliu. My arts are useless against it, and the gray light from its serpent eyes can petrify me,” Xi Chunxue said, breathing heavily as she looked at her stone arm. “Not just petrify—my use of the Langhuan Jade Canon is severely impeded.”

“A descendant of the ancient Xiangliu? That predates even the old Celestial Emperor. Are you certain it’s truly descended from Xiangliu? I never heard that Xiangliu possessed petrification powers. Has its lineage mutated?” Xie Miuan drew a sharp breath.

“That’s why I’m not certain, but its bloodline is definitely extraordinary. Its scales alone can block my arts, and its petrifying power can even interfere with the Langhuan Jade Canon,” Xi Chunxue replied gravely.