Chapter 120: Crisis Returns
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“Senior, you’re too generous. I’m feeling a bit embarrassed,” Yu Zhao said with a bashful smile.
The old Merfolk sighed inwardly, muttering to himself: If you’re embarrassed, return what you took! These cunning humans! To this day, he still couldn’t figure out how he’d been persuaded into this situation.
“Senior, rest assured. Since I accepted your gifts, I’ll do my best to fulfill your request,” Yu Zhao continued.
“Not just your best—you’re obligated to do it!” the old Merfolk emphasized furiously.
“Yes, yes,” Yu Zhao replied smoothly.
Seeing her agree so readily, the old Merfolk grew even more uneasy. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had boarded a pirate ship.
“Senior, if there’s nothing else, I should be on my way.”
Originally, Yu Zhao had come to the Southern Abyss to gather information about Shui Qing Yue, but unexpected events had caused her to linger for a month. With the grand cultivation competition approaching, she still needed to visit the Marsh Forest and the Green Wood Sect, leaving her uncertain whether time would allow it.
The old Merfolk’s expression darkened as he realized Yu Zhao intended to leave. Despite his apparent disdain for her, he secretly admired her abilities. However, he also understood that their paths were inherently different. Even if he persuaded her to stay, it would only delay the inevitable.
“Fine. I’ll escort you partway,” he said solemnly.
“Oh, there’s no need for that,” Yu Zhao protested, glancing discreetly at his peculiar mount.
Ignoring her objection, the old Merfolk patted the shell beneath him. Together, the Merfolk and his massive shell began crawling sluggishly through the palace.
Watching their slow progress, Yu Zhao sighed in exasperation. With a subtle motion of her finger, a gentle force lifted the shell, speeding up their journey significantly.
Before they reached the palace hall, Yu Zhao detected a faint, metallic scent in the air. The smell of blood.
As they entered, the scene before her confirmed her suspicions. Zhao Xian and Wang Zhen lay embracing each other, short blades buried in their chests. Zhao Xian’s face was twisted in agony, his eyes wide open, refusing to close even in death. In contrast, Wang Zhen leaned peacefully against him, her lips curved in a serene smile. If not for her cold body and lifeless aura, she could have been mistaken for sleeping.
Nearby, Big Boss Wu was also dead, a gaping hole in his chest where his heart had been torn out. The bloody organ lay discarded at a distance.
Lady Hua knelt on one knee, clutching her bleeding abdomen. Blood streamed relentlessly between her fingers, pooling at her feet. Big Boss Wu’s iron axe rested beside her.
She raised her head, ignoring the old Merfolk, and fixed her gaze on Yu Zhao. Her lips curled into a mocking smile.
“When did you figure it out?” she asked.
“From the very beginning,” Yu Zhao replied calmly.
“But why? Big Boss Wu and I never communicated directly!” Lady Hua demanded.
“It was precisely because you two kept your distance that it was suspicious,” Yu Zhao explained, gesturing toward Big Boss Wu’s body. “When we first boarded the ship, he introduced you. From your interaction, it was obvious you were familiar with each other—quite close, in fact. So why pretend otherwise afterward?”
Yu Zhao continued, “And when you tried to provoke Ji Han Zhou, did you notice the way Big Boss Wu looked at him? In that moment, he had already decided to kill him.”
From the start, Yu Zhao had sensed something odd about the ship’s crew. The power levels among them were inconsistent—some were exceptionally strong, while others were inexplicably weak.
The strong ones included the three Long brothers, while the weakest was clearly Big Boss Wu, who traveled alone. Once Yu Zhao learned that the crew had been assembled by Big Boss Wu, it was obvious he had a hidden ally onboard.
Considering the circumstances, the only person it could be was Lady Hua.
Lady Hua let out a cold laugh. “I thought our disguise was flawless, but it seems you saw through it from the start.”
The treasure hunt at the Merfolk Tribe’s Territory was actually a carefully devised plan by Lady Hua and Big Boss Wu. After obtaining the Merfolk Tribe’s Map, Lady Hua realized that undertaking the expedition with just the two of them was too risky. So, she brought in the Long Family’s Three Brothers and the Zhao Xian couple to share the risks.
If the expedition yielded nothing, the Zhao Xian couple and the Long brothers would become their next targets. As for Yu Zhao and Ji Han Zhou, they were unexpected additions. Since they were prey anyway, having a couple more wasn’t a problem.
Lady Hua never imagined that her long-planned scheme would ultimately fail at the hands of Yu Zhao. Nor did she foresee that Big Boss Wu, who acted as though he was deeply in love with her, had always intended to use her. When his Heart Demon Tribulation struck, his first thought was to kill her and take the treasure.
It turned out she had placed her trust in the wrong people her entire life.
“Yu Zhao!” Lady Hua suddenly laughed loudly, her voice filled with despair. “Losing to you is not unjust! Remember this: the one who killed me, Hua Ziyan, is you, Yu Zhao! Not him! Not him!”
With that, Lady Hua breathed her last. Her body fell backward, her arm dangling limply, revealing a gruesome, unhidden wound at her waist—a near-fatal strike that almost severed her in half. The merciless strike left no room for hesitation, explaining her lifeless despair and final words.
“She was a pitiful soul,” the old Merfolk elder commented nearby.
Yu Zhao nodded solemnly. “She was the one who obtained the map.”
The elder glared at her. “So what? I didn’t kill her, and if you must blame someone, blame their greed.”
Yu Zhao acknowledged the truth in his words and let the matter drop. “When I leave, I’ll take them with me. I don’t want their corpses defiling the Merfolk Tribe’s Territory.”
The elder gave her a look of disdain. “Fine. Just don’t forget.”
Yu Zhao stored Lady Hua’s and the others’ bodies into her Storage Space, planning to deal with them once back on land.
Suddenly, she spotted someone still alive. “Oh, this one isn’t dead.”
“That’s my junior brother,” she quickly replied to the elder’s implied question.
The elder smirked. “Take him along. I’ll escort you both out.”
“Thank you, elder.” Yu Zhao used her Spiritual Energy to support Ji Han Zhou, who was injured.
The elder swiftly performed a series of hand seals. A small vortex formed beneath them, expanding rapidly as a gale rose around their feet. The pull of the vortex intensified, spiraling upward until it disappeared into the distance.
“Don’t resist,” the elder advised.
Yu Zhao relaxed her body as the vortex’s powerful suction force propelled her and Ji Han Zhou upwards. Below, the palace shrank, and the ocean transitioned from dark depths to a lighter hue.
Before long, they burst out of the sea and landed on the rugged terrain of Dead Island, the very place they had first arrived. Feeling the solid rock beneath her feet and breathing in fresh air, Yu Zhao felt a sense of relief. Land was still her favorite place.
“Yu Zhao, don’t forget your promise,” the elder called out. Seated on a shell throne, his ancient face was solemn, his many wrinkles etched with gravity.
Yu Zhao gave a deep nod. “I will remember.”
The elder waved dismissively, signaling her to leave. Yu Zhao retrieved a boat from Big Boss Wu’s Storage Pouch and placed it on the sea.
As she prepared to board, a massive dark cloud swept over the island, engulfing it in moments. The sky dimmed, and a terrifying pressure descended.
Both Yu Zhao and the elder’s expressions changed drastically.
A Nascent Soul powerhouse had arrived!
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