Chapter 13: The Merman's Pearl of Deep Affection

Chapter 13: The Affectionate Merman Pearl

"Trivial trick. I won't fall in the same place twice." Seeing the Heavenly Thunder Spear once more, the Sea Yaksha King was fully prepared this time. With a wave of his massive hand, two thick walls of ice instantly materialized in mid-air.

Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Thunder Spear was as sharp as an arrow. Despite the immense thickness of the ice walls, they were effortlessly pierced right through, hurtling straight toward the Sea Yaksha King’s face.

The Sea Yaksha King’s pupils constricted, his expression turning pale with shock. He frantically tried to dodge, only to find that the two thunder spears seemed to possess eyes of their own; no matter where he fled, they relentlessly pursued him. Left with no other choice, the Sea Yaksha King chose to escape upward. There was an exit at the dome of the Merman Palace, similarly warded by a light barrier, but it was nothing more than a decoration in the eyes of the Sea Yaksha King. He smashed directly through the light barrier, charging out of the palace. The two thunder spears showed no signs of stopping; with a piercing whistle, they transformed into two scorching white beams of light and gave chase.

"Great! Hurry up and take the Merman tribe to the surface. We two will hold off the Sea Yaksha King!" Seeing the Sea Yaksha King driven out of the Merman Palace, Zhou Hao was overjoyed. Without wasting a word, he and Zhangyue rushed out of the palace, leaving behind two conspicuous glowing spheres, one golden and one black.

At that moment, Huohuo made her move. Utilizing the Void Evasion technique, she appeared before the pink seashell in the grand hall in the blink of an eye. Before the Merman Princess could even register the newcomer's appearance, Huohuo grabbed her and flew away. The two transformed into a streak of rainbow light, soaring toward the top of the Merman Palace.

Seeing that the princess was gone, the rest of the Merman tribe rushed toward the palace dome as well. Zhang Cheng and three others formed the rear guard to cover their retreat; any Sea Yaksha brave enough to obstruct them was instantly decapitated.

Outside the Merman Palace, swarms of Mermans could be seen following the crimson rainbow light transformed by Huohuo toward a single destination—the edge of this luminous undersea world.

Meanwhile, the Sea Yaksha King was fleeing frantically amidst the coral thickets. Once struck by the Heavenly Thunder Spear, the sheer terror of the lightning might contained within it would be enough to injure even a Superior Immortal.

"Sea Yaksha King, stop hiding! Today is the day you die!"

Zhou Hao and Zhangyue used the Great Sun's Yang and the Great Moon's Yin behind them to deceive the eye, making it appear to anyone outside the Merman Palace as merely two glowing orbs of gold and black. The Sea Yaksha King had no idea the Merman Princess had already been evacuated; when he cast his gaze upward, he saw only two youths stationed at the top of the palace.

Furthermore, the only exit from the Merman Palace seemed to be the shattered dome above. The main gate allowed only entry, not exit, and with Zhou Hao and Zhangyue guarding the upper vantage point, the surviving Sea Yakshas had no way to transmit any messages outward.

Hum!

Furious to the extreme, the Sea Yaksha King summoned his double-pronged halberd once more. Retreating step by step, he clashed with the incoming thunder spears. Along the way, the coral thickets shattered into pieces, blooming like brilliant fireworks in a scene strangely devoid of aesthetic horror.

Originally, this luminous undersea world was teeming with magnificent marine flora, especially the colorful corals that grew in abundance everywhere. However, as the thunder spears pursued the Sea Yaksha King, the marine plants suffered a catastrophic fate.

Mere shockwaves from the Superior Immortal's immortal energy caused the undersea world to violently shudder. The moment the double-pronged halberd whipped through the water, successive vortexes surged, tearing apart everything in all directions. Various marine creatures swimming carefree nearby were directly ground to death by the eddies. In mere moments, the area was reduced to utter chaos, resembling a wasteland.

Clang, clang, clang!

The double-pronged halberd collided violently with the Heavenly Thunder Spear, sending sparks flying in all directions. The undersea world felt like a giant anvil, the reverberating strikes echoing across the wilderness. The Heavenly Thunder Spear, in particular, was wrapped in blinding electric radiance and possessed boundless power. Like two enraged white dragons, they acted with absolute impunity, nothing able to block their piercing advance. As they tore through the path, numerous coral thickets were scorched pitch-black, with electric arcs crackling wildly.

Battle energy surged within the Sea Yaksha King's body, his cyan-gold armor glowing to protect his entire being. Wielding his double-pronged halberd, he fought the two masterless Heavenly Thunder Spears entirely alone. Though temporarily locked in a fierce stalemate, even with the full eruption of his Superior Immortal might, he could not easily subdue the thunder spears. With every clash, the double-pronged halberd trembled, sending a numbing sensation tingling up his arms.

"Halberd Whirlpool!"

As the battle dragged on, the Sea Yaksha King fought desperately, swinging his double-pronged halberd. The weapon, forged from a certain cyan-gold metal of the deep sea, spun horizontally. Instantly, a massive vortex materialized before him, drawing in the surrounding seawater from all ten directions.

The Heavenly Thunder Spear was fast, but its entry into the vortex was even faster, swallowed up in the blink of an eye. The Sea Yaksha King was overjoyed, then thrust out his palm, batting away the double-pronged halberd, which was now spinning like a giant sphere of water.

Boom!

Ultimately, the Heavenly Thunder Spear within the water sphere detonated, unleashing a ferocious shockwave of seawater that shook the entire luminous undersea world. This magnificent sanctuary was shattered directly, and the Merman Palace collapsed from the bottom up. Zhou Hao and Zhangyue hastily fled at top speed.

"Not good!"

Believing the Merman Princess was still trapped inside the palace, the Sea Yaksha King transformed into a streak of light and dove straight into the collapsing Merman Palace. His heart burned with consuming anxiety, terrified that the princess might perish and extinguish his last remaining hope.

"Your Heavenly Thunder Spear is amazing! We didn't even have to lift a finger, and the Sea Yaksha King was sent scrambling in a panic." Zhou Hao glanced at the distant, collapsing Merman Palace, then turned to Zhangyue.

Zhangyue’s face remained devoid of joy or sorrow. "Just beginner's luck. Let's go. I'm only worried the Sea Yaksha King might still pursue us before we reach the surface."

With that, Zhangyue transformed into a beam of purple light, flying toward the edge of this luminous realm. This place had once been the exclusive territory of the Mermans, where generation after generation lived in peace and prosperity. It was a tragedy that they had been invaded by the Sea Yakshas these past few days, losing even their Merman King and Queen, forcing the entire clan into a mass evacuation.

Seeing Zhangyue take off, Zhou Hao cast one final, distant glance at the fragmented Merman Palace before transforming into a streak of golden light to follow. He muttered under his breath, "What a pity. Who knows where that Affectionate Merman Pearl is actually hidden?"

Deep in the ocean.

Huohuo and Princess Beifu transformed into a beam of light, rapidly parting the seawater as they soared upward. Following closely behind were about thirty members of the Merman clan, led by the silver-haired male Merman, Diya. Bringing up the rear were Zhang Cheng, Zhao Zhen, Lin Chen, and Li Qinglu, guarding the flanks and rear to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

"Alas, this is a body-immobilization spell cast by a Superior Immortal. Even this immortal cannot undo it," the turtle said, shaking its head with a solemn expression as it looked at the completely motionless Merman Princess.

Huohuo sighed softly. "Then we'll just have to wait until we reach the surface. Let's hope Zhou Hao and Zhangyue have already slain the Sea Yaksha King."

"Compared to that, I'm much more concerned about the Affectionate Merman Pearl," the turtle suddenly said dejectedly. "Where on earth could the Merman King and Queen have hidden that bead? We truly took a loss on this venture; we didn't even catch a glimpse of the pearl."

Beside them, although Merman Princess Beifu was immobilized and her mute acupoints sealed, her senses of hearing and sight remained fully functional. Hearing that these people had actually come for the pearl as well, her delicate feathered brows furrowed, and a cold light flashed in her beautiful eyes. She thought to herself: Could it be that these people didn't come to rescue her and her people at all, but were actually after the Merman Pearl and wanted to capture her too?

"Better if we can't find it. The Affectionate Merman Pearl is a treasure of the Mermans. For its sake, the Merman King and Queen were willing to sacrifice even the lives of their children. That proves how crucial the pearl truly is. Allowing the Sea Yaksha King to obtain it might trigger an even more terrifying catastrophe. The Merman King and Queen acted out of consideration for the entire undersea world," Huohuo reasoned.

Hearing Huohuo’s words, Princess Beifu seemed somewhat swayed. Even she had no idea what the pearl actually looked like, nor why her royal parents refused to hand it over despite the Sea Yaksha King threatening her and her brother's lives. Now, it seemed, it might genuinely be as this red-robed maiden said: the Affectionate Merman Pearl could endanger the entire East Sea, and her parents chose to embrace death out of a sense of responsibility toward the ocean.

Meanwhile, amidst the ruins of the Merman Palace.

Nearly all of the Sea Yaksha clan members lay dead here, utterly incapable of escaping the collapse of the Merman Palace. Only a sparse dozen or so managed to cling to life. Among them was the Sea Yaksha general whom Zhou Hao had previously pierced in the shoulder with the double-pronged halberd. As one of the Sea Yaksha King’s four Golden Immortal-level generals, he wasn't so easily killed.

"My King, the Merman Princess was rescued by those detestable Human Immortals!" Seeing the Sea Yaksha King rush frantically into the shattered palace, the Sea Yaksha general naturally knew what he was searching for.

"Outrageous! These young Human Immortals of mere Golden Immortal cultivation are far too arrogant, daring to stretch their hands into the East Sea. Do they really think my Sea Yaksha clan is so easily bullied?" The Sea Yaksha King flew into a rage. The ground where he stood instantly cracked anew, sending surrounding rubble flying wildly and reducing the fragments of the Merman Palace to dust.

"Eh?"

The Sea Yaksha King suddenly let out a cry of surprise. His gaze landed on a pink seashell nearby—the throne of successive Merman Kings. Under the ferocious fluctuations of the immortal energy he released, surrounding objects had been utterly pulverized and shattered; yet this seashell remained as steady as Mount Tai, completely undamaged.

"A mere seashell can withstand the fluctuations of my immortal energy? Fascinating." The Sea Yaksha King pondered for a moment before fiercely thrusting his double-pronged halberd toward the seashell. A ringing, metallic clash echoed out, but the seashell remained unblemished.

With this strike, the Sea Yaksha King had exerted seventy percent of his strength. To think that an attack capable of sinking mountains and shattering the earth failed to breach this tiny seashell throne genuinely astonished him.

"Could it be... that the Affectionate Merman Pearl is inside this seashell?" Staring at the pink seashell, the Sea Yaksha King realized something, his face lighting up with wild ecstasy.

"Indeed! Since the Merman Pearl was artificially placed inside, there must be a weak spot. As long as you attack that weak point, you will surely pierce the seashell from outside to inside," the Sea Yaksha general suggested, stepping forward.

"That makes sense. Let me try this." The Sea Yaksha King nodded, stomping down hard. The seashell immediately floated entirely into the air.

Following that, the Sea Yaksha King spat out a column of water that completely enveloped the seashell. The seashell bobbed and spun within the water before countless dense, hardened ice needles materialized, piercing the seashell inside and out in the blink of an eye like a hedgehog.

Clink, clink, clink...

The next moment, countless ice needles shattered. When meeting the sturdy seashell, no matter how sharp and keen they were, they failed to make even the slightest dent.

"Right there!"

At that moment, however, a look of joy crossed the Sea Yaksha King's face. He noticed that three particular ice needles piercing the exact same spot showed no signs of shattering. Clearly, this spot was the weak point.

It was an extremely inconspicuous location—the lower back of the seashell, right at the junction connecting to the upper back. If the seashell hadn't been spinning in the water, those three ice needles would never have been visible.

"Break for me!"

The double-pronged halberd transformed into a bow and arrow. The Sea Yaksha King pulled the bowstring and released it, shooting a cyan-gold arrow straight toward the spot pierced by the three ice needles with a whoosh.

With a loud bang, the pink seashell fractured like fragile glass, shattering apart. A blood-red radiance rose from the fragments. The Sea Yaksha King stared intently and saw a pearl—a gemstone as red and translucent as a blood diamond.

It was only the size of a grape, yet it contained incomparable power. Even the Sea Yaksha King felt a chilling, formidable might radiating from it.

"The Affectionate Merman Pearl! The Affectionate Merman Pearl! A pearl that belongs exclusively to me! Hahahaha..."

The Sea Yaksha King’s vision was entirely filled with that crimson red light, and he laughed aloud like one possessed.

"My King, what is wrong with you?" Sensing something amiss with their ruler, the Sea Yaksha general shouted out in alarm.

Yet at that moment, the Sea Yaksha King wore an expression of extreme impatience. He thrust out a palm, and a burst of cyan light shot forth, piercing straight through that fiercely loyal Sea Yaksha general.

Seeing this, the remaining Sea Yaksha clan members looked as though they had seen a ghost; none dared utter another sound. They could essentially confirm: their king had gone mad!

And indeed, that was the truth. The bizarre red light emitted by the Affectionate Merman Pearl targeted only the Sea Yaksha King, because he was the one who had shattered the pink seashell—the seal of the Affectionate Merman Pearl. This pearl had been sealed away by the Merman clan for over four thousand years. It was a cursed pearl brimming with resentment; once its seal was broken, it would unleash a tempest of blood and slaughter upon the East Sea.

Whoosh!

The Sea Yaksha King reached out, and the blood-red pearl flew toward him automatically, resting quietly in his palm. Its brilliant red light dyed his entire suit of armor in a wash of crimson. In a trance, a woman's head materialized within the pearl—yes, merely a head, as if hacked off by a blade, with vivid blood streaming from the severed neck to dye the entire body of the pearl.

Clearly controlled by the merman pearl, the Sea Yaksha King had lost his own will. His eyes were now dyed completely crimson, his pupils reflecting only the image of the pearl. He picked up the merman pearl, tossed it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole.

Boom!

At that instant, a towering pillar of red light erupted from the site of the Merman Palace, piercing through the ocean depths and rapidly expanding until it formed an enormous crimson pillar of light.

Deep in the ocean, wherever the red light shone, the eyes of countless creatures turned blood-red, their expressions gradually turning ferocious as they launched frenzied, endless attacks on the surrounding lifeforms.

The source of the red light, naturally, was the Sea Yaksha King who had just swallowed the Affectionate Merman Pearl. Standing atop the ruins of the Merman Palace, not only did he release an astonishing red beam of light, but his cultivation base began to surge faintly, pushing to break through a bottleneck and ascend to the realm of the Great Immortal.

Distant by several dozen zhang from the Sea Yaksha King, the surviving members of the Sea Yaksha clan tore and battered at each other, engaging in a chaotic melee with their double-pronged halberds. Already fierce and hideous by nature, they had now reached a state of ultimate malevolence, their blood-red eyes filled with gore and slaughter. Before long, these Sea Yakshas had hacked each other into complete extinction.

Deep within the ocean, lightning and thunder suddenly erupted out of nowhere, enveloping this luminous, paradise-like world with millions of electric arcs as if signaling the end of the world.

"What is happening? Why is there sudden thunder deep in the ocean?"

Far away, in a certain dark expanse of the deep sea, Zhou Hao and Zhangyue, who had left the luminous undersea world not long ago, were startled by the deafening thunderclaps.

"This is no ordinary lightning. Could it be a Heavenly Tribulation?" Zhangyue narrowed his eyes, gazing back toward the faint flashes of electric arcs in the distance.

"Tribulation? Is someone breaking through a realm barrier?" Zhou Hao asked in confusion.

"Not good. If I'm not mistaken, the Sea Yaksha King must have found the Affectionate Merman Pearl within the Merman Palace." Zhangyue frowned, his expression changing drastically as realization dawned on him.

"What? He actually found it?!" Zhou Hao gasped in absolute shock.

"Once the Sea Yaksha King breaks through to the Great Immortal realm, he will likely be able to easily catch up and annihilate us. However, his tribulation has only just begun; he lacks the time to hunt us down. All the better—let's leave immediately," Zhou Hao said, changing his perspective.

"No, on the contrary, I believe this is a prime opportunity. We must slay the Sea Yaksha King during this crucial window, or else killing him later will become nearly impossible." Zhangyue turned around, staring into the dark distance where lightning flickered and thunder rumbled.

"You are a disciple of the Extinguishing Emotion Palace. Can't you simply ask any Great Immortal elder from your sect to step forward and eliminate this scourge? There's no need to risk your own life, right?" Zhou Hao asked, perplexed.

"You don't understand the Extinguishing Emotion Palace. They would never intervene in such trivial matters," Zhangyue shook his head.

"I want to slay the Sea Yaksha King with my own power!" Zhangyue’s gaze hardened with resolve.

"We couldn't kill him a moment ago. Now it's bound to be even harder, isn't it?" Zhou Hao smiled bitterly.

"We couldn't before because we were covering the safe retreat of the Merman tribe, and the Sea Yaksha King was merely a Superior Immortal, hardly worth fearing. But now he possesses the Affectionate Merman Pearl and will surely break through to the Great Immortal realm. His threat to marine life will be even greater. Therefore, I want to try stopping him—to make him fall short of success and perish on the spot!" Zhangyue replied indifferently, before flying alone toward the luminous undersea world.

Hearing Zhangyue’s words, Zhou Hao finally understood. Zhangyue had never intended to run away; he had only evacuated to ensure the Merman tribe's safety and prevent them from being pursued when he left the Merman Palace and that luminous undersea realm.

Yet now, not only had the Sea Yaksha King failed to pursue them, but he had also found the legendary Affectionate Merman Pearl and was attempting to use it to break through his cultivation bottleneck. Once he succeeded, a Great Immortal-level Sea Yaksha King would indeed be terrifying, spelling doom for countless marine creatures.

"No, once the tribulation descends, anyone who goes there will face the wrath of the tribulation lightning. Stopping the Sea Yaksha King won't be easy. I have to follow and check it out. With the Yellow Gourd, I can at least preserve my life," Zhou Hao muttered to himself.

With that, he transformed into a streak of golden light, tracing his path back along the original route toward the source of the rumbling thunder.

Above the ruins of the Merman Palace, the Sea Yaksha King was bound by thousands of lightning chains, enduring the bombardment of heavenly thunder as if he were a prisoner. Yet bathed entirely in red light, he showed no fear of divine punishment; instead, the entire luminous undersea world was saturated by the crimson pillar of light he emitted.

This dreamy sanctuary, once brimming with vitality and resembling an undersea garden belonging to the Merman clan, had now turned utterly lifeless.