Whoosh, whoosh—
Fierce wind brushed past their ears as Chen Junting led Huo Yuhao, Gu Tianchen, and Ning Tian, speeding toward the Ice Sea.
When they arrived above the territory of the Mermaid Princess Clan, many sea soul beasts on the icebergs were attracted by them and surrounded them one by one, but they didn't attack immediately. Instead, the vast majority of the sea soul beasts narrowed their eyes, sizing up the four of them.
They had a vague feeling... they looked quite familiar...
However, in the next second, Chen Junting's aura spread out, instantly attracting the attention of many sea soul beasts in the Ice Sea.
In a short while, the seawater gently rippled, and sea soul beasts of various shapes surfaced. Looking at the somewhat familiar figures in the sky, they launched attacks.
A nimble little fish swam happily in the seawater, continuously blowing bubbles as if conveying a message.
Seeing this, Chen Junting spoke to that sea soul beast. "Please inform the Sea Princess that Chen Junting and the others are here to visit."
A sea soul beast with a cultivation of around ten thousand years had an intelligence no less than that of a human child. After understanding Chen Junting's words, it swiftly wagged its tail, dove into the seabed, and swam toward the Sea Princess's underwater palace.
In response, Chen Junting and the others quietly stood in the sky. "Let's just wait here for now."
Before long, the seawater parted. The Mermaid Princess Li Ya rode the waves, rising from the ocean floor.
Her graceful figure and fish tail sparkled with colorful light, and her smooth long hair seemed to still be floating in the seawater. When she saw Chen Junting and the others, especially Huo Yuhao, Li Ya's face lit up with joy, her eyes shining with happiness.
"Ah— You're here!"
"Yuhao, long time no see."
"Li Ya, it's been a while."
As her savior, Huo Yuhao took a step forward, arriving in front of Li Ya with a smile. "Li Ya, I've come this time for an important matter." Saying this, he pointed to himself. "I have broken through to Level 80, so I can contract my next Spirit Soul."
"A Spirit Soul..."
As the Mermaid Princess, Li Ya naturally knew what this was. Hearing this, a trace of sorrow couldn't help but flash in her eyes. She understood this wasn't a bad thing, but she also knew what it meant. A clansman was about to leave and become a Spirit Soul.
But she quickly adjusted her emotions and nodded lightly. "Mother has already mentioned this matter to me. We always keep our promises, and Grandma Li La has been waiting for you for a long time."
As she spoke, her fish tail swayed. "Follow me."
Pop, pop, pop, pop—
Four light sounds rang out as four bubbles enveloped Chen Junting and the other four, serving to keep the seawater away.
With Li Ya leading the way, the four of them quickly dove into the seabed.
Looking at the scenery under the sea, Ning Tian's face was full of wonder. Truthfully, it was her first time admiring it like this. It really felt quite nice.
At the same time, Huo Yuhao was also exchanging pleasantries with Li Ya.
However, it wasn't long before Chen Junting and the others learned of a piece of news from Li Ya. After Li Ya answered Huo Yuhao's question about how she had been lately, she suddenly paused.
"Oh right, Mother is currently receiving a VIP guest. And this guest was personally welcomed by Mother." Before she could even finish her words, Li Ya playfully raised an eyebrow. "And it has to do with you guys."
VIP? These two words couldn't help but arouse the curiosity of everyone. Exactly what kind of VIP deserved such treatment? Moreover, it was related to them. Did someone they knew have such status?
Just as Chen Junting and the others were pondering this, and before Li Ya could finish her sentence, they had already arrived at the Mermaid clan's settlement. In the central area of the settlement, that magnificent and spectacular palace still radiated a mysterious and charming light.
"So beautiful." Ning Tian exclaimed, seeing it for the first time. At this moment, Li Ya kept them in suspense. She just smiled and said, "Since we're almost there, you'll know who it is in a moment. Let's go in and take a look."
Saying this, she stood motionless in place.
Huo Yuhao, seeing this, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Li Ya, aren't you coming in with us?"
"Um..." Li Ya rubbed the back of her head a bit embarrassedly, trying to curry favor as she mischievously stuck out her tongue. "The atmosphere inside is too serious; I don't like it. Besides, with Big Sister there, it's fine. I'll go ask Grandma Li La about her situation for you, Yuhao..." Before she could finish, she darted away.
As for whether the address "Grandma Li La" messed up the seniority... you have to know that the Sea Princess had a cultivation of a full six hundred thousand years! Even if she hadn't truly lived for six hundred thousand years, the Sea Princess was still unfathomably older than Li La. What a mess! But obviously, Li Ya didn't care.
And right before her figure disappeared, she added a sentence next to their ears, "Right, tell Mother I'm going to handle official business."
Everyone looked at each other in speechless dismay, left with no choice but to walk into the palace.
Stepping into the corridor, Pop, pop, pop, pop— As the bubbles burst, the four of them gradually entered the great hall.
At this moment, besides the maids who should have been there, the Sea Princess herself, and the Sea Princess's eldest daughter Li Jing, sitting opposite them was a majestic, imposing man.
The middle-aged man was dressed in a crimson robe. His temperament was extraordinary and refined, and he emitted a powerful yet gentle aura.
Regarding the arrival of Chen Junting and the four, this man actually wasn't surprised at first. But when Chen Junting and the four truly stepped into the great hall, it made him glance over with mild interest. These youths are quite young, and their talents aren't bad. But that was where it ended.
"You're here." The Sea Princess was full of smiles, but when she didn't see Li Ya in the crowd, the smile on her face faded quite a bit. "Where did that girl Li Ya go?"
Knowing her daughter best, the Sea Princess guessed the reason just as Li Jing got nervous. "This damn girl..." She said this, but her movements were not the least bit sluggish.
Soon, Chen Junting and the other four took their seats one by one. Once they were mostly settled, the Sea Princess reached out to gesture toward the man.
"Let me introduce you. This is the Sea God's Grand Worship, Grand Elder, the Level 99 Sea God Douluo."
Obviously, this person was Chen Juntao. Such a background instantly made the four of them widen their eyes. They never expected that visiting the Mermaid Princess this time would coincidentally bump into the Sea God Douluo!
However, not a single one of the four had any favorable impressions of the Sea God. But regardless, they at least had to keep up appearances. Thus, they cupped their hands in greeting: "We pay our respects to Senior Sea God."
But Chen Juntao was inherently very proud... "Mm."
He simply shot them a glance, let out a nasal sound, and nodded to acknowledge them, having no intention of saying anything more.
Seemingly knowing his temperament, the Sea Princess just smiled. After giving Chen Junting and the four a look that said "don't mind him," she smiled and introduced to the Sea God Douluo: "Weren't you looking for the humans who defended me against the Demon Empress last time? He is right here."
Hearing this, the Sea God Douluo immediately grew interested.
"Oh!?"
He didn't think the Sea Princess would lie to him.
Facing the Sea God Douluo's gaze, Gu Tianchen and the others looked confused, not understanding what the Sea Princess meant. Only Chen Junting's eyes lit up as he guessed something based on the Demon Empress's identity.
Is the Sea God Island—or rather, the Sea God Family—planning to eradicate the Demon Empress?
At this moment, the Sea Princess slowly explained the whole story. However, the specific details were skipped over quite a bit.
"I see." Chen Junting feigned a sudden realization. At the same time, a flash of inspiration struck him. Pretending to understand, he said, "We have indeed clashed with the Demon Empress several times."
The Sea God Douluo's expression remained unchanged, but he thought to himself: So coming to the Mermaid Princess clan to scout for information was the right move.
"Little friend, could you tell me about this Demon Empress?"
Chen Junting didn't hide too much. Aside from appropriately omitting the content related to the arrays used against the Demon Empress, he informed the Sea God Douluu of her appearances in full detail.
Although this Sea God Douluo would likely stand on the opposite side of them in the future, at least he wasn't right now. Since the Sea God Family was willing to deal with the Demon Empress, let them do their best. It just so happened to save them from being distracted by the Demon Empress. Plus, their side of the original Three Great Empires might gain some powerful reinforcements. After all, the long-hidden Sea God Family definitely had quite a few Titled Douluo-level experts.
Chen Junting raised his eyebrows and assessed Chen Juntao. So strong! This was Chen Junting's first impression of the Sea God Douluo. Besides Di Tian, no other Limit Douluo had ever given him this feeling. Mm... perhaps the Evil Emperor counted as one. And now, he had to add the Demon Empress to that list.
At this moment, the Sea God Douluo was frowning in thought. When he raised his head to look at Chen Junting, he said, "So you're saying this remnant has allied with the Holy Spirit Soul Cult from your land soul masters."
Chen Junting nodded slightly. "That's correct."
This matter is going to be hard to resolve. The Sea God Douluo Chen Juntao frowned. If this was true, then the Sea God Family didn't have enough manpower. But was this Holy Spirit Soul Cult really that formidable? Three Limit Douluos! A whole three of them! That was just a single power. Even their Sea God Family, even though they had all received the Sea God's trials, didn't have three Limit Douluos! Could it be that they also had a god backing them?
Just as the Sea God Douluo was pondering, Chen Junting and the others were chatting freely with the Sea Princess and the others. Most of the conversation focused on Huo Yuhao's Spirit Soul.
"I didn't expect you to cultivate so fast." The Sea Princess sighed in emotion. Humans truly were a uniquely blessed race.
By the time she pulled herself out of her sighs, the Sea Princess naturally fulfilled her promise. "Since you have made your decision, I have already discussed this matter with Li La."
"With the help of my Mermaid clan, she will surely be of great use to you."
No one refuted this sentence. After all, one had to admit that this Spirit Soul was highly suited for Huo Yuhao. Among all mental attribute soul beasts, she could rank third.
Right at this moment, "Mother." The crisp voice of the Mermaid Princess Li Ya echoed in the great hall like silver bells, instantly interrupting everyone's conversation and bringing the Sea God Douluo's previously pondering thoughts to an abrupt halt.
At this moment, Li Ya solemnly bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Mother, Grandma Li La is ready."
"You girl, you're quite enthusiastic about this..." The Sea Princess scolded with a smile and nodded slightly, a trace of satisfaction in her eyes.
Then, she looked at the Sea God Douluo. She couldn't just leave this VIP out here. If so, it would show the Mermaid clan lacked hospitality.
Seemingly, Chen Juntao also noticed this. "Are you guys about to do something?"
In response, the Sea Princess didn't hide it. After all, in the current continent, the various powers that didn't know about Spirit Souls were actually rare. Even their Mermaid clan knew about Spirit Souls now, even if the information they had was somewhat inaccurate...
"Oh? A Spirit Soul?" Hearing this, the Sea God Douluo couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity. He frowned slightly and asked, "This is quite a novel term. I wonder, what exactly is this so-called Spirit Soul?"
The Sea Princess smiled slightly and began to explain it to him. After listening, the Sea God Douluo nodded slightly, a trace of contemplation flashing in his eyes: "So that's how it is. This is quite a marvelous symbiotic relationship. It's similar to some unique phenomena in the ocean."
"However..." After a brief comparison, Chen Juntao shook his head. Ultimately, it wasn't the same.
Thus, the Sea God Douluo asked with interest, "I wonder if this old man can witness the contracting of a Spirit Soul?"
The matter of the Demon Empress wasn't in a rush. Besides, he had roughly obtained what he wanted to know. As for the extra experts, he would just have to think of another way.
Meanwhile, facing the inquiry, the Sea Princess cast her gaze toward Chen Junting and the others. Seeing that they had no objections, she agreed. "The one contracting the Spirit Soul with Yuhao this time is Li La. Among our sea soul beasts, she is also a highly respected senior with profound foundations and powerful mental strength. If she truly had no other way to continue, she wouldn't want to become a Spirit Soul either."
As she spoke, the Sea Princess, Li Ya, and Li Jing—three mermaids—led Huo Yuhao, Chen Junting, Gu Tianchen, Ning Tian, and the Sea God Douluo toward Li La's residence.
As for how to travel... just put on a bubble! After all, with their current cultivations, walking in the seawater with a bubble was just as steady.
Before long, they arrived before a seabed cave. Obviously, Li La didn't live in those coral houses. At this moment, the cave was permeated with a faint blue halo, mysterious and tranquil. And all of this was mental power. From this alone, one could see Li La's might.
The Sea Princess signaled everyone to wait here for a moment while she went in first. A moment later, the Sea Princess walked out of the cave.
"Yuhao, go on in. Li La is already inside waiting for you."
Chen Junting patted his shoulder at this moment. "Go on."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and walked into the cave with steady steps. The interior of the cave was extremely spacious. In the center was a massive crystal platform radiating a soft glow.
The Mermaid Li La floated quietly above the platform, her fish tail swaying, pushing away the seawater around her. In less than a single breath, the seawater in the cave retreated three feet. The entire cavern was no longer flooded; all the water was blocked outside the cave by a thin membrane of mental power.
At this time, Grandma Li La's gentle and benevolent voice rang out, "Child, come here."
But her ancient and withered face made Huo Yuhao hard to accept.
Is this still a mermaid?
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