The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1245 - 663: Zhao Douan Enters the Sea, Wu Xiankui Enters the Trap (Part 2)
Wu Xiankui glanced at him and said, "As followers of the Sea God, don’t say you truly have no way to enter the Silent Sea to gather herbs."
After a pause, he continued, "If you don’t dare, then I shall make the journey myself!"
The three became increasingly distressed, knowing full well that the so-called "make the journey myself" was mere bravado. Even in his prime, forcing entry into the Silent Sea to confront the Sea God was an extremely difficult task for Wu Xiankui.
Therefore, it was necessary for the Thousand-Island Cultivators to assist him in retrieving the herbs.
And refusal would only offend this Heavenly Human Martial Artist completely.
"Here’s what we can do," murmured the Tianyuan Island Master, biting his teeth, "Qingshan has cared for my Thousand Islands for centuries. How can we not lend a hand when Master Wu seeks herbs? I shall make the decision, and it so happens that in these days, we’re preparing to select two women to offer in sacrifice to the Sea God, to calm His anger slightly. Once the sacrificial ritual is complete and the Sea God’s wrath reduces, we can help the Sect Leader gather herbs, what do you think?"
This would be the safest approach, and would not offend Wu Xiankui.
Wu Xiankui’s face finally showed a smile: "If that’s the case, then I’ll impose here for a few days."
Just at that moment, footsteps approached chaotically from outside the hall. The few people inside looked up to see several elders returning from patrol.
Soon, plus the three inside the building, nine elder-level island masters gathered and exchanged pleasantries with Wu Xiankui.
"Huh, hasn’t Qingmu returned yet?" Tianyuan Island Master wondered.
He was about to order someone to hasten him when suddenly, a cultivator hurried in, looking grim: "Bad news! Qingmu is dead!"
What?! The elders were shocked, even Wu Xiankui raised his eyebrows: "What’s going on?"
...
...
After leaving Red Coral Island, they continued southward, quickly reaching a desolate stretch of sea.
Unlike the sea shrouded in storms and dark clouds, this particular sea was enveloped in dense white fog, devoid of fierce winds, or dark clouds and rainstorms.
There wasn’t even a ripple; the sea surface seemed like gray cement cast.
"Is this the East Sea Eye, the dwelling of the Sea God?"
At the edge of the sea mist, a wooden sailing ship slowly moored.
On the deck, Zhao Douan marveled at the misty, silent sea ahead: "I’ve heard that nothing exists in the Silent Sea. Is it true?"
Beside him, apart from Zhang Yan Yi and a few others, there were also the Red Coral Island Master, Shuibei, and several magicians from Red Coral Island.
The group comprised less than twenty people.
The party departed Red Coral Island heading straight here, unhindered likely due to local cultivators patrolling outside, or deliberate evasion by the Red Coral Island Master.
A beautiful woman, adorned with a red coral hairpin, shook her head: "Not quite. It’s said that only a few special life forms can survive in the Silent Sea. For instance, some corals, seaweeds... As for sentient creatures, such as some intelligent fish, they rarely enter, and when they do, they exit soon."
Zhao Douan asked, puzzled: "Sentient ocean life? Like monsters? Why do they enter the Silent Sea?"
"For offering," explained the beautiful woman. "They collect treasures from the ocean and deliver them into the Silent Sea, offering them to the Divine. Over time, many treasures have accumulated on the Silent Sea’s floor; this explains why people keep treasure-hunting during the Divine’s slumber each year."
Well, what a character, this Sea God, like a greedy dragon fond of shiny treasures... Zhao Douan admired.
Jin Jian also perked up, clutching his magic wand, standing at the ship’s rail, with longing in his eyes focused on the desolate waters ahead.
"Time is of the essence, I’ll dive in now," Zhao Douan looked at Old Zhang beside him: "Heavenly Master, is it still the previous plan?"
He meant that Zhang Yan Yi would again distract the Sea God while he led others to dive.
But this time, Zhang Yan Yi shook his head. His eyes gleamed with clear brilliance, silently observing the sky; two beams of blue light shot from his eyes, penetrating the sea fog.
Moments later, Zhang Yan Yi withdrew his gaze, the blue light extinguishing, with a strange expression: "There’s another Heavenly Human here."
"What?" Zhao Douan froze.
Zhang Yan Yi remarked solemnly: "I just deduced the fortunes, sensing vaguely that danger lies above the sea. If my guess is correct, Wu Xiankui is probably here."
Qingshan Sect Leader here? Zhao Douan was taken aback, then a revelation struck: "Perhaps he’s hiding or healing?"
This was a reasonable speculation.
He didn’t doubt Old Zhang’s judgment; the old man was invariably crafty, if he said he sensed a Heavenly Human, then there surely was one.
"It’s very likely," thought Zhang Yan Yi aloud: "Anyway, it’s impossible for him to know in advance about our coming, but since you killed Qingmu and visited Red Coral Island, the news will soon spread, which means Wu Xiankui might come looking for you."
Zhao Douan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stared at the Old Heavenly Master, and said quietly, "What bad idea do you have?"
Zhang Yan Yi glared at him with annoyance, and then a slyness also appeared in his eyes: "Hehe, I am a person of the righteous path, acting openly and honestly. It’s just that if Wu Xiankui is willing to share the burden of the Sea God with me, it would be a good thing."
Good fellow... Zhao Douan immediately understood:
Wu Xiankui probably doesn’t know Zhang Yan Yi is here, so he might rush over, and by then Old Zhang could give him a surprise.
And pull him along to resist the Sea God together.
"This way, you first take Jin Jian and Tuoba Weizhi into the sea, but don’t go too deep. First, explore around under the sea. I’ll stay on the ship and wait until you sense a fight on the surface, then take the opportunity to dive deeper," suggested Zhang Yan Yi.
Zhao Douan gladly accepted, having no objections to the arrangement.
Jin Jian comes with teleportation, which can save lives. Tuoba Weizhi’s combat power is terrifying, making it a reasonable combination.
"Sir, let me go with you as well," Ji Yue volunteered stepping forward after hearing this.
Zhao Douan shook his head, ruffled her messy hair with a smile, and said, "You practice Water God, not Sea God. Going in with us is too dangerous, it’s better to stay on the ship and wait for my return. That’s the decision."
Ji Yue had never entered the Silent Sea and couldn’t serve as a guide. Fortunately, the Silent Sea isn’t very large, and Zhao Douan had asked about the general location of the "Dragon Remains."
He then gave Tuoba Weizhi and Jin Jian a signal before leaping into the sea, with the two women following closely behind.
The three, holding on to one another, quickly vanished into the sea mist.
Leaving Ji Yue on the ship, worried and resentful, she couldn’t help but lower her head dejectedly, silently blaming herself for being useless and unable to help her master.
Meanwhile, the Red Coral Island Master and other magicians, immersed in the shock of knowing Wu Xiankui’s presence, now found it impossible to back down from the current situation.
...
...
On Tianyuan Island.
"...That’s roughly the situation. First, the people sent to find Elder Qingmu only saw the dead Bone Whale corpse underwater, along with the bodies of the elders. Later, news came from Coral Island that the once-defected Ji Yue led a man from Yu Country and his guards onto Red Coral Island."
The magician delivering the message explained.
The elders were both shocked and furious, on one hand, finding Qingmu’s death hard to accept, while on the other, surprised by Ji Yue’s return for vengeance.
As for the news from Red Coral Island, it wasn’t released by the Island Master, but rather through spies secretly planted by other islands on Red Coral Island.
"What does this Ji Yue look like, and what about the man?" Wu Xiankui suddenly asked.
Everyone was taken aback; they hadn’t expected this Heavenly Human powerhouse to inquire personally.
The magician couldn’t explain clearly, so he simply exited to summon a spy planted inside Red Coral Island. The latter vividly described the scene of Shui Bei delivering the message, followed by the Island Master leading people to the dock to welcome Zhao Douan.
With just those few words of description, Wu Xiankui’s face changed completely. He involuntarily stood up, his empty sleeve billowed, and his sole hand clenched tightly, his gaze sharpening like a knife.
"Zhao! Dou! An!"
He coldly spat out the name.
On the day of the Marine Road battle, Ji Yue, Jin Jian, and others were present, so upon hearing the description, Wu Xiankui easily realized the man who landed on the island was likely Zhao Douan.
As for the elder God Priest and the black-skinned girl in a cloak with him... Wu Xiankui didn’t know who they were.
He instinctively thought they were helpers and guards Zhao Douan found... as for whether the priest could be Zhang Yan Yi?
This absurd notion only existed for a moment before disappearing, as the messenger cultivator made it clear:
The entire ship was led by that man, with the elder merely standing guard to the side.
So it certainly couldn’t be Zhang Yan Yi...
Why would Zhao Douan appear among the Thousand Islands?
Could it be... he’s here to hunt him down? Impossible...
Wu Xiankui’s eyes suddenly brightened, thinking of a possibility.
