Chapter 8: The Merman

Chapter 8: The Mermaid

On the beach, there was first a dead silence, followed by an explosive burst of cheers. The group of vibrant young maidens standing at the very front cast worshipful gazes toward Zhangyue, shouting at the top of their lungs and running about to cheer for his successful tide-riding feat.

"Good brother, this humble one was watching to the point of tears, worried to death! The moment you were swallowed by the tide, I could only think of perishing right along with you, you heartless man!" One maiden clutched a purple silk handkerchief, her beautiful eyes welling with tears as she gazed at the purple-robed figure on the sea surface, speaking with a grievance-laden tone.

"Brother Zhangyue is forever the best! He truly didn't disappoint his little moon. Zhangyue, Zhangyue, you're the best! I am your little moon; I love you, love you, love you, giving you all my love!" Two twin maidens looked cute and charming as they raised their hands high above their heads to make a giant heart shape toward the purple-clad figure.

"Zhangyue is the handsomest, and no objections are accepted! Brother is the strongest, and no objections are accepted! The male god is the ultimate, and no objections are accepted!" Seven girls dressed in seven different colors of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—stood in a row, facing the ocean and Zhangyue as they chanted their support and pledge.

In contrast, that purple-robed figure on the sea surface never once paid the maidens on the shore even a single glance from beginning to end. Having spent ten years riding the tides to temper his physique with the ocean's mighty force, his immortal energy had grown thick and substantial, rendering his early-stage Golden Immortal realm exceptionally stable. At this moment, he was thoroughly soaked; his mop of black hair hung down wetly, and his handsome face was dotted with water droplets, which only accentuated his sharp, three-dimensional features. His purple robes clung tightly to his body, making his tall and well-proportioned figure all the more striking.

"Hah!" Zhangyue closed his eyes and breathed out gently. His slender body immediately lifted off the sea surface and rose into mid-air. Wisps of water vapor began to fly off his surface; with every breath in and out, more and more vapor billowed forth, becoming increasingly dense, all of it suspended motionless around him.

Within a mere ten breaths, his clothes looked as though they had been baked dry, and his soaked body became clean and refreshed. Under the sunlight, the purple-clad youth seemed to have stepped right out of a celestial painting, breathtaking all living beings!

Buzz!

The youth in purple opened his eyes, and a fleeting golden glow seemed to flash within his pupils before vanishing instantly. His gaze shifted toward the towering mountain ahead—Unfeeling Mountain.

Zhangyue took a step, walking through empty space as he flew toward Unfeeling Mountain, instantly provoking another wave of reluctant, heart-wrenching cries from the vibrant maidens on the beach, as if their very lives were being taken from them.

However, an unexpected change occurred at that moment. Ripples stirred across the sea once more as another figure appeared on the distant horizon.

Zhangyue was the closest; the moment the disturbance began, he sensed something was amiss and immediately spun around, transforming into a streak of purple rainbow to fly toward that figure.

It was a monstrosity, neither human nor beast, with a ferocious and malevolent appearance, a wide mouth full of tusks, a forked head, and eyebrows and hair resembling roaring flames. Its skin was cyan, its chest bare, and it wore only a leather armor skirt around its waist while the rest of its body was exposed. In its hand, it wielded a deep-blue steel trident.

Riding the towering waves, it stepped upon the crests to chase a half-human, half-fish creature that was swimming desperately through the water. The latter's swimming speed was growing slower and slower; it was clearly injured, and blood stained its green fish tail, leaving a crimson trail in its wake across the sea.

A cruel, savage grin hung on the face of the monster-like creature, and it let out bizarre roars. Riding the crest of the surge, it pursued from a commanding height, and the steel trident in its hand was about to skewer the increasingly desperate half-human, half-fish creature.

Sensing the encroaching danger from behind, the half-human, half-fish creature glanced back and saw the blood-stained trident descending upon it, instantly shrieking in sheer terror.

Surprisingly, the creature's shriek sounded inexplicably pleasant, resembling the call of a dolphin. The pitch was extremely high, and visible acoustic ripples seemed to ripple outward through the air, clearly heard by everyone.

While shrieking, the half-human, half-fish creature despairingly closed its eyes, awaiting the moment of death. Yet, it felt no pain of a trident piercing its flesh; instead, it heard a strange, sharp shriek of agony.

Out of curiosity, it hastily opened its eyes, only to witness a scene it would never forget for the rest of its life: the monster-like creature stood motionless on the sea surface, the steel trident in its hand having plunged down toward its back, yet hovering frozen mid-air. A beam of blue lightning had pierced straight through the monster's chest. Following the trajectory of that beam of light, it slowly looked back to see a youth in purple quietly standing in mid-air above the sea, his right palm extended forward, lightning spewing from his palm.

The half-human, half-fish creature was left utterly dumbfounded, silently thinking to itself, *Does a man this extraordinarily handsome truly exist in this world? He saved me!*

The purple-clad youth's gaze was ice-cold as he looked at the monster-like creature ahead, which stared back at him with wide eyes filled with terror.

Boom!

Zhangyue showed no mercy whatsoever. The sword-like beam of blue lightning directly obliterated the creature's body, and the lightning then dissipated, returning to its master's hand. On the palm of that fair hand was clearly imprinted a diamond-shaped mark containing a lightning-bolt-shaped golden symbol.

"Daina the Mermaid thanks benefactor for saving my life!" The half-human, half-fish creature felt as though a vast ocean was surging and churning within her heart. She hurriedly straightened her upper body and bowed in deep gratitude to the peerlessly handsome youth in purple.

Zhangyue glanced at her and lightly parted his lips to say, "No need."

The half-human, half-fish creature, who called herself a mermaid, had the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. She looked roughly thirteen or fourteen years old—about the same age as Hanhuo—though her features were rather ordinary. She possessed short orange hair, large eyes with emerald-green pupils, a upturned nose covered in a dense cluster of tiny freckles, and ears that were long and pointed. Aside from her chest being covered by two purple seashells, the rest of her upper body was bare, revealing fair and slender shoulders and torso, while her lower body was a green fish tail that had been pierced by the steel trident, leaving a heavy trail of blood.

"Benefactor, could you please help me with one more thing? I beg you!" Daina the Mermaid spoke again, her expression earnest.

"Speak," Zhangyue said expressionlessly.

"The one you killed just now is a Sea Yaksha. Their clan are bullies of the deep sea. Three days ago, the Sea Yaksha clan attacked our Mermaid Palace, slaughtering countless mermaids and locking up the King, Queen, Prince, and Princess, usurping our palace. I implore benefactor to drive out those bullies and help our Mermaid clan regain peace!" Recalling her previous ordeal, Daina slowly recounted the events.

"An attack similar to that night's?" Zhangyue murmured thoughtfully after listening.

"Benefactor, what did you say?" Daina failed to catch what Zhangyue muttered.

"How far is the Mermaid Palace from here?" Zhangyue asked.

"I don't know. I was only a little maid responsible for serving the Princess's daily meals and living quarters, and I've never left before. Yesterday, the Sea Yaksha clan flew into a rage and went on a massive slaughter of the mermaids. I fled through the night before finally reaching here," Daina shook her head sorrowfully and said.

"Very well, take this pellet first; it will heal your injuries. We shall set off for the Mermaid Palace immediately." A jade bottle appeared out of thin air in Zhangyue's hand. He poured out a red pill and handed it to Daina.

Daina's eyes lit up. Gazing with utmost delight at Zhangyue's mesmerizing face, she carefully accepted the red pill and showered him with endless gratitude, babbling, "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you, benefactor! Daina will never forget this immense kindness for all eternity and will engrave it in my heart. Daina can be benefactor's little maid!"

"No need," Zhangyue coldly declined.

Daina lowered her head, though she didn't feel saddened. Looking at the pill in her hand, she smiled, gently placed it into her mouth, and swallowed it slowly.

The very next moment, she watched in astonishment as the gaping hole on her green fish tail, which had been gouged out by the vile Sea Yaksha's trident, stopped bleeding. Miraculously, new flesh began to sprout, quickly sealing the wound tightly shut, and the pain vanished along with it.

In an instant, Daina felt her entire being surge with power; she even felt she could swim a hundred meters in a single second.

" Wow, how magical! The wound has healed and it doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you for the pellet, benefactor!" Daina's face beamed with a brilliant smile as she expressed her gratitude to Zhangyue once more.

"Lead the way," Zhangyue commanded.

"Understood, benefactor, follow me!" With a splash, Daina plunged into the sea, flicking her large green fish tail and swimming at extreme speed toward the ocean depths.

Zhangyue formed hand seals with one hand, and a radiant purple glow manifested on his surface to protect his entire body—this was the Water-Aversion Immortal Art, allowing one to enter water without getting wet. He then plunged straight through the surface, following closely behind Daina the Mermaid.

Meanwhile, back on the white-sand beach beneath the swaying coconut palms, the onlookers dispersed one by one once the excitement had ended. Those who wanted to swim swam, those who wanted to sunbathe sunbathed, and the crowd returned to normalcy.

However, Zhou Hao and his companions felt differently. Having employed their Thousand-Mile Eyes and Wind-Favour Ears to witness everything from afar, the turtle was the first one who could no longer sit still.

"Meow-meow-meow, even mermaids have appeared! It seems the Nine-Turn Golden Pill and Old Man Turtle are truly destined for each other, hahahahaha!" The turtle burst into wild laughter.

"Are you referring to the Mermaid Pearl?" Zhou Hao asked.

"Hehe, clever! Refining the Nine-Turn Golden Pill requires nine primary ingredients and eighty-one secondary ingredients, and the Mermaid Pearl is one of the nine primary ingredients," the turtle chuckled.

"I heard that Mermaid Pearls are also called Mermaid Tears. Are their tears really that valuable? They're actually one of the primary ingredients required for the Nine-Turn Golden Pill?" Zhou Hao asked doubtfully.

"What do you know? Mermaids rarely shed tears throughout their entire lives unless they encounter special stimulation and experience intense emotional fluctuations. Even then, the vast majority of pearls formed by their tears do not qualify as the Mermaid Pearls needed to refine the Nine-Turn Golden Pill. It must specifically be a genuine tear of true love shed by a mermaid for romance, condensed into a pearl," the turtle explained.

"That's why such Mermaid Pearls are also known as the Pearls of Deepest Love, representing the purest love of the mermaids!" the green snake added.

"How romantic..." Hanhuo clasped her hands together, her sparkling eyes filled with starry adoration.

"I see. So you mean we must now follow that mermaid to the Mermaid Palace as well?" Zhou Hao nodded.

"Indeed. The Mermaid Palace has been attacked by the Sea Yaksha, undoubtedly because the latter wish to seize the Mermaid Pearl. Just like the Purple-Gold Vermilion Fruit, swallowing a Mermaid Pearl can also enhance an immortal's magic power. There's no time to lose, let's catch up immediately!" the turtle urged.

With that, the two humans and two beasts transformed into streaks of rainbow light, plunging into the vast ocean. To their surprise, however, other figures on the beach had also set off, presumably having caught wind of the Mermaid Pearl. Judging by the immortal energy fluctuations radiating from their rainbow streaks, they were undoubtedly in the Golden Immortal realm.

"I wonder if these people are those legendary otherworldly prodigies," Zhou Hao thought, inwardly startled. He sensed an aura within their immortal energy fluctuations identical to that of the purple-clad youth named Zhangyue; had they not been flying at that moment, he might not have easily detected it.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Several figures entered the sea almost simultaneously, after which their divine senses and spiritual awareness expanded outward, tracking the female mermaid named Daina.

In the deep sea, Daina the Mermaid swam at an astonishing speed—truly a hundred meters per breath. Her arms were pressed flat against her sides, her upper torso rose and fell rhythmically, and her fish tail swayed left and right, making for a remarkably graceful swimming posture.

Beside her, Zhangyue kept pace side-by-side, maintaining a uniform speed without lagging or pulling ahead.

"Not good, someone is following us. We must hurry. Tell me the direction directly, and I'll carry you!" Possessing sharp spiritual awareness, Zhangyue instantly perceived that Zhou Hao and the other young Golden Immortals were tracking Daina.

"Why are they following us?" Daina asked, looking puzzled.

"Probably for the treasure of your Mermaid clan—the Mermaid Pearl," Zhangyue replied.

"Mermaid Pearl? Mermaid tears? We mermaids rarely cry. When we do, they condense into pearls, which we string together into necklaces and accessories and such. They're very pretty, but aside from looking nice, they don't have much value. There are plenty of pearls in the sea," Daina said.

Without a word, Zhangyue reached out and swept Daina the Mermaid up into his arms by the waist. The latter let out a startled gasp, but immediately grew quiet, gazing at him with infatuated eyes as she thought, *He actually hugged me! Could it be that he's fallen for me?*

"You swim too slowly. Just point the way, and I'll take you there directly." Transforming into a purple rainbow, Zhangyue sped forward at extreme speed, directly ignoring the seawater.

Behind them, a full eight figures pursued relentlessly, likewise transforming into rainbow streaks that could freely traverse the ocean depths, sending schools of fish scattering in panic.

Their speed was immense, and in the blink of an eye, they left behind the shallow sea zone—the deepest area reachable by sunlight where rays of light could still be seen, roughly a thousand meters deep.

Beyond a thousand meters beneath the sea lay absolute darkness, occasionally illuminated by the passage of massive marine organisms, some of which could even battle Golden Immortals and Superior Immortals.

Among the eight figures, aside from Zhou Hao's group, the other four figures were all genius Golden Immortals of the younger generation. Each possessed extraordinary strength, far beyond what ordinary Golden Immortals could resist.

At this moment, Zhou Hao and the others guarded against one another. None of them had any intention of attacking those nearby, clearly wary of each other's strength. Under such an atmosphere, the journey remained quite "peaceful"!

"It seems they all plan to wait until we reach the Mermaid Palace before making their move. I suspect these people aren't otherworldly prodigies, but most likely young Golden Immortals from the Sun-Moon Immortal Domain," the turtle transmitted its voice, not wanting the four figures nearby to overhear. It and Qingqing had shrunk in size once more, perching on Zhou Hao's left and right shoulders.

"Even if they are otherworldly prodigies, I have no fear. Without sufficient confidence—always living in fear of this and that—how can one ever aspire to reach the peak of the Immortal Domain?" Zhou Hao sneered.

"Very good! That's the mindset a true powerhouse should possess!" the turtle praised.

Woo... woo...

From deep within the ocean depths came a bizarre sound, accompanied by a massive pink glow shining upward from below.

The bizarre sound grew louder and multiplied, coming not from just one spot but from near and far, as if surrounding Zhou Hao and his group.

The next moment, the pink glow finally materialized before everyone's eyes, illuminating a sea area spanning tens of miles.

This place turned out to be the summit of a deep-sea canyon. Zhou Hao and the others were surrounded by steep cliffs and rock faces, and inhabiting this place was a particular clan—Pink Jellyfish!

They looked like mushrooms, hats, or pink balloons, with thousands of long tentacles dangling beneath them. Their bodies were transparent, glowing with a dreamy pink hue. Although the pink light they emitted could illuminate a vast expanse of the deep sea, they normally resided at the bottom of the canyon, which was why they hadn't been visible earlier.

These pink jellyfish were nearly a hundred meters long. At this moment, they had all floated up from the canyon, surrounding it entirely. Looking down from above, it appeared as though a pink encirclement had formed within the sea.

"We must break through, otherwise we won't catch up to the mermaid!" the turtle urged anxiously.

"Charge right through them. Let's see how they dare try to stop us!" Zhou Hao declared.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than those pink jellyfish struck—or rather, their tentacles struck, since they had no hands or feet.

Resembling tens of thousands of cracking whips lashing out, a barrage of snapping sounds echoed through the water. There was no way to evade them; not only Zhou Hao, but the other young Golden Immortals as well, were entangled by the tentacles of the pink jellyfish.

Those tentacles were as tough as steel wire. No matter how hard Zhou Hao struggled, he couldn't break free, and they tightened around him until his breathing grew unstable and he was panting heavily.

"Pink jellyfish are afraid of fire! Use fire attacks!" the green snake informed the others. At that moment, even though it and the turtle had shrunk, they were also entangled, as those tentacles could perceive life fluctuations.

"Hah!" Zhou Hao exhaled desperately, attempting to unleash a flame-spouting art. Alas, the jellyfish tentacles bound him too tightly, causing the fireball he spat out to be minuscule and utterly useless.

"Look at me!" Though Hanhuo was also bound, crimson flames manifested all around her body.

Roar!

A blazing ball of fire surged within the sea, its flames reflecting off the transparent bodies of the pink jellyfish. Before Hanhuo could even burn through the tentacles binding her, the jellyfish reflexively contracted as if struck by lightning, seemingly terrified of such high-temperature objects.

Following that, not only her, but the tentacles binding Zhou Hao, the turtle, and the green snake likewise retracted. Even the four young Golden Immortals found themselves freed as the intense heat and light radiating from the massive wall of fire around Hanhuo successfully drove back all the pink jellyfish.

Within moments, the pink jellyfish plunged back down to the bottom of the canyon, never daring to emerge again. The group resumed their journey without mishap, pursuing the mermaid once more!

This time, the four young Golden Immortals all seemed to linger very close to Zhou Hao's group—more accurately, very close to Hanhuo—casting friendly gazes toward her.

"This one is Zhang Cheng of Dome Mountain. Many thanks to the fairy maiden for extending a helping hand. I am endlessly grateful!" Finally, a tall, slender youth wrapped in cyan rainbow light, carrying a sword on his back, stepped forward rather shyly with a cupped-fist salute to express his thanks to Hanhuo.

Seeing this, the other three also stepped forward, introducing themselves and thanking Hanhuo in turn.

"This one is Zhao Zhen of Golden Light Cave. Many thanks to this fairy maiden for saving us." A slender youth in yellow robes wrapped in golden rainbow light, holding a horsetail whisk and dressed like a Taoist, held one palm vertically across his chest and spoke.

"This one is Lin Chen of Meteor Pavilion. Many thanks to the fairy maiden for saving my life. I will surely repay this kindness another day," a handsome youth wrapped in purple rainbow light said with a cupped-fist salute.

The final person was a woman with a slender waist, tall stature, perfect proportions, and picturesque features that were a joy to look at. Between her brows rested a cluster of vermilion flower-shaped adornment, giving her the aura of a distinguished aristocratic lady. Slightly nodding, she said, "Li Qingrong of Obedience City acknowledges the fairy maiden's kindness in saving us!"

As for the introductions of the previous few, Zhou Hao didn't know where they came from anyway, so he simply let it go in one ear and out the other. However, the introduction of the last woman caught his attention slightly—not because of her peerless looks, but because of Obedience City and her surname.