Xu Lai wiped the tears from his daughter’s eyes and said softly, "Daddy isn’t angry at all. It’s good to be curious, but safety must come first."
"I’ll surface right now."
Beibei’s tone couldn’t help but carry a note of regret. She actually quite wanted to take Yiyi to see Sea City, especially her hometown: a beautiful island inhabited only by shellfish and blanketed with pearls.
"Still want to visit Sea City? If you do, I’ll accompany you," Xu Lai asked, touching his daughter’s hair with his left hand and Qian Xiao’s head with his right.
"Yes!" the two little ones exclaimed in unison, as if the octopus eyes that had frightened them moments ago had never existed.
"Then let’s go," Xu Lai said with a light chuckle.
Beibei’s heart swelled with joy as she quickly dived to control the shell.
With Xu Lai’s Divine Sense illuminating the seabed and driving away the Sea Demons that had awakened their spiritual intelligence, the mysterious underwater world appeared exceedingly vibrant and splendid in the eyes of Xu Yiyi and Qian Xiao.
The two little ones clung to the edge of the shell, their eyes wide with amazement, constantly pointing at various sea creatures and chattering excitedly.
The ocean covers seventy percent of the Earth’s surface, and humanity knows very little about it, especially the world beneath the waves.
One after another, fish that had never been seen before floated through the deep. Because they spent their entire lives in darkness, most deep-sea creatures could not see, but there were a few exceptions...
Like the jellyfish now swirling around the conch shell. They were completely transparent, as if made of crystal.
"These are White Crystal Jellyfish!" Beibei said in a complex tone. "Their lifespan is very short, just a dozen days or so. Seeing White Crystal Jellyfish means we’re not far from the gates of Sea City."
As Beibei spoke, the view suddenly opened up.
Here on the seabed, at least three hundred meters deep, were vast stretches of unknown corals, green as jade, carpeting the ocean floor. Fish of various kinds sauntered over the coral reefs, hunting for microorganisms and small shrimp in the water.
The most eye-catching sight, however, was a giant, multi-colored turtle swimming above their heads. It was over a dozen meters long—clearly another Sea Demon.
"It’s so big..." Qian Xiao exclaimed, his eyes wide in awe.
"We’re here," Beibei said with pleasant surprise as what looked like a waterfall appeared up ahead.
To be more precise, a blue screen of light hung from a cliff on the ocean floor. It resembled a tall building, nearly a hundred meters high and at least thirty meters wide.
Around the light screen stood many humanoid monsters with shrimp or crab heads, inspecting identities.
The colorful turtle spat out a Jade Slip. After its identity was verified, its massive body passed into the light screen and vanished in the blink of an eye. This update is available on n0velfire.net
"This is the entrance to Sea City, and those guarding the light screen are..."
Before Beibei could finish, Qian Xiao interjected, "Shrimp soldiers and crab generals!"
His eyes blazed with curiosity as he fired off a series of questions. "Beibei, since there are shrimp soldiers and crab generals, is there a Dragon Palace? Did the Third Prince of the East Sea really have his tendons ripped out by Nezha? And where is the Sea-Calming Divine Needle?"
Beibei gave him a sidelong glance. "Is my name something you should be using so freely?"
The excited Qian Xiao instantly quieted down and hid behind Xu Lai, muttering, "If you don’t want to tell me, just say so. Why be so fierce?"
The massive conch Beibei was piloting didn’t require an identity check. The shrimp soldiers and crab generals simply waved them through. This left Xu Lai somewhat astonished.
"Hmph, I am the number one swordsman in this sea, after all. That earns me a little respect," Beibei said proudly.
As they entered the light screen, the scenery changed once again.
Unlike the darkness of the deep sea, the sun hung high over Sea City, its warm light shining down on a clear, blue ocean. Countless islands were scattered across the surface like pearls. These numberless islands served as a backdrop for a colossal city floating in the sky.
From the Teleportation Array on the small island below, one could gaze up at the city and see the splendid palaces standing tall within. The architecture was grand and orderly, clearly in the style of the Sui and Tang dynasties. If one were to look down from the sky, it would be clear that the islands were arranged according to the eight trigrams of the Bagua.
Qian Xiao and Xu Yiyi held Xu Lai’s hands, one on each side, curiously taking in the surrounding scenery and buildings.
"Within Sea City, there are hundreds of thousands of islands, but not every island is inhabited by demons. Only those who have awakened their spiritual intelligence and reached the Great Demon Realm may lead their clan to possess an island," Beibei explained. She paused, then looked up at the city in the sky with a look of longing. "That is the Demon King Pavilion, where Yuan Man, the Demon King, resides."
Xu Lai’s Divine Sense swept over the area, and he was slightly surprised.
The number of monsters here that had awakened their spiritual intelligence was countless. The strongest among them was probably the Electric Eel Spirit named Yuan Man. She had multiple seals within her body, obviously suppressing her Boundary. Otherwise, she would have likely been expelled from Earth by the Heavenly Dao long ago. After all, though Sea City was a barrier-sealed secret realm, it still existed on Earth and was subject to the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Dao.
Beibei took out two green petals and tucked them into Xu Yiyi’s and Qian Xiao’s clothes.
"These are petals from a Blinding Flower. They can prevent others from seeing your true form and Boundary. They are effective against all Sea Demons below the rank of Demon King," Beibei said sternly. "So, you must keep them safe!"
"Mhmm, mhmm, mhmm," Yiyi nodded repeatedly.
Only then did Beibei smile. "Let’s go. I’ll take you to see my hometown."
The conch shell once again became their vehicle, setting off toward a distant island.
「Meanwhile, inside the Demon King Pavilion.」
A bewitching and stunningly beautiful woman lay on a bed specially made of sandalwood. She cast a charming smile toward the two humans standing respectfully five steps away.
Her gaze skipped over the woman in the red dress, landing instead on the white-haired old man in white garments.
"Human, what did you just say? I didn’t hear you clearly. Say it again."
"I am Bai Ke, a mid-Ninth Grade Martial Artist of the Human Race from Hua Country," the old man said with neither servility nor arrogance. "I am here on behalf of the Martial Dao Association to request that the Demon King come forth and join us in the fight against the Outer Domain!"
This elder was, in fact, the Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor who had investigated the ’Sword Ranking’ alongside Ji Zhao—who died at the hands of an Otherworlder—and Ji Jing.
And the woman in the red dress was none other than Ji Jing. She was originally supposed to go to the Outer Domain with the swordswoman of the Penglai Sword Pavilion, but she had been assigned a last-minute mission and had no choice but to come to Sea City for reinforcements.
"The Outer Domain..." Yuan Man narrowed her slender eyes, a spark of electricity dancing on her fingertip as she spoke slowly and deliberately. "What does the Outer Domain have to do with me? That is your Human Race’s affair."
What does this have to do with her!?
Ji Jing clenched her fists, an icy glint flashing in the depths of her beautiful eyes.
Three hundred years ago, Hua Country’s first Martial Ancestor, Xu Yanyang, had defended a city single-handedly with his saber for a hundred years, never letting Otherworlders take a single step past Chang’an City.
But as battles became more frequent and casualties mounted, Chang’an was no longer impregnable. Not long ago, three Otherworlders led by Gu Jiu’an had infiltrated Hua Country. If not for Hua Country’s hidden Divine Gate Realm experts, great turmoil might have erupted.
However, from three hundred years ago until now, the Demon Race had almost always hidden within barriers or forbidden lands, never once helping to repel external enemies. Had the Martial Dao Association not been pushed to its limit, they would not have come seeking aid.
But the other party’s attitude truly infuriated Ji Jing. She retorted coldly, "When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain unbroken? If we hadn’t held the enemy back outside of Chang’an, how could the Demon Race enjoy the peace it has today!"