Zu An rushed to the seaside. “Firework, where are you?”
He infused ki into his voice, such that even people fifty kilometers away would be able to hear him. Unfortunately, there was no response.
He leaped into the sea and spread his divine sense outward. When he detected a massive shadow several kilometers away, his expression darkened. The shadow couldn’t have been a hotel guest, and there wasn't supposed to be such a behemoth loitering on the beach near the hotel. Thus, he anxiously flew over.
Just then, there was an explosion. Tsunamis over fifty meters tall gushed from the sea. Guests on the beach exclaimed in astonishment, having noticed that something was amiss.
Zu An was startled. The explosion had come from Firework’s firecrackers. She must have met with danger! Knowing this wasn’t the time to be wondering where she hid her firecrackers in her skimpy bikini, he rushed over.
He spotted Firework’s silhouette amid the waves. She was desperately swimming toward the shore, but a massive shadow flickered behind her, and she was dragged backward.
Zu An quickly drew his sword and slashed at the shadow, his sword ki slicing the sea in two.
The crowd could finally see what the shadow was. It was a mountain-like sea monster emanating such a terrifying aura that the guests escaped to the hotel in a fluster. There were hardly any weaklings in Dreamland, but no one wanted to fight this behemoth from the sea.
A few people watched Zu An with curiosity. That fellow doesn’t seem strong, so how is he able to unleash such tremendous force with his sword as to slice the sea in half?
Pu!
Zu An’s sword ki landed on the sea monster, causing it to bleed profusely. However, the creature was so huge that it was unfazed by wounds that would usually be fatal. It wriggled and dove into the deeper sea, displaying speed that was at odds with its massive size.
Zu An activated the Crown of the Ocean Deity’s ability. Wherever the sea monster dove, the seawater automatically parted.
Boom!
With no seawater to support it, the monster crashed right into the seabed. Fresh blood oozed from its mouth, nose, and various parts of its body. If they had been further away from the shore, where the seabed was deeper, this maneuver could have taken the monster’s life.
Zu An flitted over and was about to grab Firework’s hand when the sea monster suddenly emanated a peculiar light, and in the next instant, it disappeared with Firework.
Zu An was shocked. That appeared to be teleportation. The sea monster had to have set a safe teleportation point somewhere in the sea, so it could teleport there whenever its life was in danger.
Zu An combed the sea, but despite searching tens of thousands of kilometers, he found no traces of the sea monster and Firework. He knew what he was doing was the equivalent of searching for a needle in the haystack, but he couldn’t sit still when his companion was in danger.
He used the Sea God Crown’s ability to commune with nearby sea creatures, and he soon found a lead.
He advanced another twenty kilometers and stumbled upon an area of the sea that was bombarded by intense lightning. There was some kind of formation there. This left him with no choice but to return to the hotel first.
The only silver lining was that the sea monster didn’t intend to hurt Firework, or else she would have been gone in a chomp.
On the way, Zu An bumped into a white silhouette—Tingxue. She said, “I just arrived. I lost your trail.”
“Thanks for coming!” Zu An had been searching the sea, so it was normal for her to be unable to find him. “Let’s head back and talk.”
When they returned to the hotel, they saw infuriated guests questioning the hotel staff, asking how there could be such dangerous sea monsters lurking in the vicinity of the beach. It was an unfamiliar lady this time, but it could be them next time!
Guard Captain Yani tried her best to maintain order while placating the guests. “Please be assured that the area around our beach has always been safe. We implemented anti-shark nets and defensive formations within a ten-kilometer radius...”
Unfortunately, the crowd wasn’t going to let things slip. They furiously questioned her about the sea monster. They had seen it with their own eyes, after all.
Yani was also at a loss. “We’re investigating the incident. Please calm down...”
But such words were insufficient to placate the crowd.
Just then, Zu An returned and loudly asked, “What’s going on out at sea? Why is there violent lightning in the deeper parts of the sea? There seems to be some kind of mysterious formation there. Is it from Dreamland?”
Yani was taken aback. “It’s not from Dreamland. The sea has gotten more violent in recent years, and sea monsters have occasionally appeared in the vicinity. However, we have never had a sea monster approach the beach before...”
Those words further stoked the guests’ anger. They angrily said that Dreamland wasn’t taking care of their guests’ safety.
Just then, a gentle voice called out, “The safety of our guests is our utmost priority. Put your mind at ease. There has never been a security incident in the many times we have hosted the Dream Gathering. I’ll offer you a satisfactory explanation once we get to the bottom of the matter.”
The crowd looked over and saw a seductive woman sashaying her way down the stairs. She had naturally curly hair, and her body swayed as she moved. Many guests looked at her with heated gazes.
“Paying respect to the Ninth Elder!” Yani and the other staff members bowed.
The crowd was taken aback. This woman is of even higher standing than Yani?
“It’s my pleasure to meet all of you. I am Diodora from the Dreamland Elder Council.” The seductive woman did a simple introduction. “I have been made aware of the incident at the beach, but there is something amiss about it. It should have been impossible for the sea monster to appear in the vicinity of the beach...”
Zu An sneered, “Are you saying that I put my friend’s life at risk to slander you?”
Several guests supported him. They had witnessed the incident, and this female elder was trying to shirk responsibility for it.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this...”
Before she could finish speaking, Zu An interjected, “I don’t need you to investigate this incident. I need you to help me save my friend!”
It would be difficult for him to single-handedly breach that mysterious sea region, and who knew if the sea monster had any helpers?
“I was about to get to that.” Diodora turned to the guard captain and said, “Yani, take your guards on board our combat ship and journey into the sea to rescue that guest.”
Yani was hesitant. “But the security here...”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take charge,” Diodora replied with a smile.
Yani breathed a sigh of relief. “With the Ninth Elder present, I’m sure everything will be fine.”
The guests assessed Diodora as they wondered if this seductive female elder was even stronger than Yani.
Yani went up to Zu An and said, “Guest, please come with me.”
Zu An was about to leave when Tingxue spoke up. “I’ll go with you.”
Another person in the crowd chimed in. “I’m coming as well.”