jdhmnovel Chapter 554
Chapter 554
Dongfang Wan'er pressed the fused Zhenhai Pearl against the girl's brow and heard her murmur in a broken voice, "The third one... in the slumbering tear cave of the Mermaid King... there are... seven thousand days and nights..." Before she finished speaking, the girl turned into thousands of points of light and disappeared, leaving only a pearl adorned with seaweed in Dongfang Wan'er's palm.
Ye Jiuchen picked up the Azure Frost Sword from the ground. Its blade was covered in coral-like cracks—this magical weapon had withstood three heavy blows from the sea monster to protect its master. Little White brushed against Dongfang Wan'er's knee, a bone fragment engraved with ancient sea god script dangling from its mouth; it had fallen from the skeletal knight's waist. By the light of the Sea-Suppressing Pearl, the three could see the markings on the bone fragment: a star map pointing to the depths of the South China Sea, marking the location of the Dragon Silk Palace where the Mermaid King slept.
Suddenly, the sea surface in the distance cracked open, revealing a much larger being awakening. At that moment, the merman lanterns on the mast of the spirit boat lit up all at once, and in the warm yellow flames, the prayers of the deep-sea race could be faintly heard.
“There’s one last one.” Dongfang Wan’er put the pearl into her brocade pouch. The blue light of the Zhenhai Pearl shattered into a galaxy in her pupils. “The Mermaid King’s tears never refer to pearls.” She looked at Ye Jiuchen and found that he was also looking at her—the tassel of the Dragon Roar Sword had somehow become entwined with half a sea monster’s tentacle, and the eerie blue fluorescence flowed with the same aura as the Mermaid Princess. Suddenly, Xiaobai raised its head and howled, the sound waves startling countless phosphorescent lights on the sea surface, drawing a route to the South China Sea on the night sky. When the spirit boat set sail again, the tattered sails were patched with Ye Jiuchen’s torn sleeve, on which the Big Dipper was drawn in blood, and outside the ship’s side, thousands of small lights were surrounding them as they moved forward. These were deep-sea spirit fish awakened by the light of the Zhenhai Pearl, escorting them on their final journey.
Above the deep sea shrouded in night, a ghostly blue phosphorescence swirled around the spirit ship. Thousands of spirit fish, head to tail, their scales gleaming like pearls, swarmed around the treasure ship, its hull shimmering with runes, as it cleaved through the waves. The silk lanterns hanging from the bow swayed gently in the sea breeze, scattering dappled light like scattered gold on the crests of the surging waves, yet they could not dispel the increasingly heavy and eerie aura surrounding the ship.
The seawater temperature plummeted at a visible rate, and ice crystals began to condense on the ship's hull. Dongfang Wan'er lightly touched the railing with her fingertips, a chill creeping up her veins. She gazed at the seawater, which was gradually turning bluish-gray, her brows furrowing: "This is definitely not a natural cold; it must be caused by an anomaly in the Dragon Silk Palace's barrier." Before she finished speaking, the seawater ahead suddenly seemed to be churned by an invisible giant hand, forming a bottomless whirlpool. A deep hum, like the roar of an ancient beast, emanated from the center of the whirlpool.
Ye Jiuchen's long, silvery-white hair fluttered in the wind. As the Dragon Roar Sword was drawn, its roar echoed across the sea, and the light emanating from the sword was like the rising sun at dawn. He lightly touched the mast with his toes, and sword energy transformed into a golden shield of light that enveloped the spirit boat: "Stay calm! This is a merman's restriction. The key to breaking the formation lies in the vortex's eye!" Dongfang Wan'er flipped her jade hand, and the Sea-Suppressing Pearl floated in her palm. Its soft light contrasted sharply with the dark purple of the vortex, and spiritual energy spread out like a spider web, attempting to restrain the all-consuming suction force.
Xiao Bai transformed into human form, her snow-white beast ears trembling slightly in the sea breeze. She roared to the sky, the sound waves creating visible ripples that shattered the whirlpools near the ship. However, just as everyone was exerting all their strength, a piercing metallic scraping sound came from the depths of the whirlpool, and dozens of sea monsters, baring their fangs and claws, leaped out of the water—they were shaped like giant pythons, but had human faces covered in sharp teeth, and wherever their slime dripped, the seawater immediately billowed into white smoke.
"Watch out for the poisonous fog!" Ye Jiuchen spun around and swung his sword, the Dragon Roar Sword drawing a half-circle of light. Wherever the sword energy reached, the sea monster's poisonous fog instantly dissipated. Dongfang Wan'er's Azure Frost Sword danced with countless sword flowers, intertwining with the golden light of the Dragon Roar Sword to form an impenetrable sword net. Xiao Bai's figure transformed into afterimages, its sharp claws tearing through the sea monster's soft armor, its sharp teeth biting off the tentacles that were wrapping around it, and a sweet, pungent mist of blood permeated the seawater.
The fierce battle lasted a full hour. As the last sea monster sank to the bottom of the sea, the whirlpool began to slowly subside. Ye Jiuchen sheathed his sword, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. Dongfang Wan'er's face was slightly pale, yet she still gripped the Sea-Suppressing Pearl tightly. In the distance, the sea surface shimmered with a strange light, and a palace built of seven-colored coral and glass appeared and disappeared. The pearl atop the Dragon Silk Palace emitted a warm glow, like the moon in the deep sea.
"The third Zhenhai Pearl is located in the Tear Cave where the Merfolk King sleeps..." Ye Jiuchen gazed at the mysterious palace, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "This treasure, guarded by the Merfolk for generations, may be the key to unraveling the anomalies of heaven and earth." The spirit boat, surrounded by the newly gathered spirit fish, set sail again, cutting through the night and carrying everyone's determination to seek the truth, slowly heading towards that mysterious light.