Chapter 122: An Absurd Ending

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Teng Xiao, in his relentless pursuit to extend his lifespan, would stop at nothing.

With a cold snort, his soul force surged again. Yu Zhao’s face twisted in agony, veins bulging on her forehead as her Sea of Consciousness began to collapse under the immense power.

“Ahhh!” she screamed as silent streams of blood-tears flowed down her face.

Just when Yu Zhao thought she would perish from the destruction of her Sea of Consciousness, a blue spiritual light suddenly emerged within it. The light expanded swiftly, wrapping her Sea of Consciousness completely. Her fragile consciousness stabilized instantly, forcing Teng Xiao’s soul out.

Instead of anger, Teng Xiao’s face lit with delight.

“So, the Water Spirit Jade truly resides within you!” he exclaimed.

He prepared to launch another soul attack, but a flash of white light suddenly intercepted.

Bang!

Teng Xiao staggered back several steps, while Yu Zhao, seizing the opportunity, fell to her knees, breaking free from his grasp. Although her consciousness was foggy from the earlier assault, her faint awareness kept her from passing out. However, she was no longer capable of fighting.

Before Teng Xiao, a colossal shell, now cracked, stood defiantly. A smirk curled his lips.

“It might block me temporarily, but do you think it can hold me forever? Those who defy me… shall perish!”

He opened his palm, summoning a black flame. Instantly, the surrounding temperature spiked, waves of heat rippling outward. With a flick of his hand, the flame took the shape of a Fire Phoenix, screeching as it swooped toward the shell.

Sensing the imminent danger, the shell charged at Teng Xiao with a speed that belied its size, swift as lightning.

“Courting death!” Teng Xiao roared, his anger flaring.

Previously distracted by the Water Spirit Jade, he had been caught off guard. But now, he was ready. Channeling immense spiritual energy, he unleashed a crushing force. Ten feet away from him, the shell froze mid-charge, unable to move closer.

Above them, the Fire Phoenix descended, its searing heat enveloping the battlefield.

Pop!

At the critical moment, the shell burst open. A figure shot out like a blade, slicing through Teng Xiao’s protective barrier. Teng Xiao froze in shock.

“When did that old merfolk hide inside the shell?” he muttered, confusion flashing across his face.

Yet he wasted no time, vanishing in a blur. The elder merfolk, with a flick of his tail, shifted directions effortlessly, gaining speed with every move.

Meanwhile, the Fire Phoenix consumed the shell, leaving only scorched remnants behind. A child-like wail echoed from the flames as a charred scent filled the air. Tears welled in the old merfolk’s eyes, but he did not look back.

Years ago, he had chosen to survive in hiding, lurking in the Undersea Palace for centuries to preserve his tribe’s last spark of hope. Today was the day he would finally avenge them!

“Yi—!”

A soul-piercing cry suddenly erupted. Invisible sound waves rippled through the ocean, stirring violent tides and monstrous waves. For a brief moment, Teng Xiao’s gaze faltered.

Then he felt it—a binding force wrapping around him. He looked up, meeting a pair of brilliant blue eyes unique to the merfolk.

He had seen countless such eyes, often filled with sorrow, rage, or despair. But never before had he seen eyes like these—burning with the resolve to annihilate everything.

A shadow of death loomed over Teng Xiao’s heart. Panic filled his expression as he opened his mouth to speak, but the elder merfolk gave him no chance. A crazed grin spread across the elder’s face, and an overwhelming energy surged from within him.

Boom!

The explosion shook the waters, the immense force obliterating everything nearby.

Yu Zhao was thrown by the blast’s shockwave, tumbling wretchedly across the ground.

Bang!

Her body slammed hard against a jagged rock, jolting her into partial consciousness.

The elder merfolk had self-destructed to save her.

Biting her lip, Yu Zhao propped herself up against the rock and stared toward the site of the explosion. Blood mist enshrouded the area, obscuring everything.

Suddenly, a mournful cry echoed from the sky. The black phoenix disintegrated, and a scorched, unidentifiable object plummeted earthward.

Suppressing her nausea, Yu Zhao quickly summoned her spiritual energy to catch the falling object and bring it closer. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a shell pearl, scorched and marred with burn marks.

Holding the pearl, her heart ached with sorrow.

“Senior…” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Before the words fully left her lips, she abruptly looked up.

Emerging from the blood mist was an infant figure no larger than a fist, resembling Teng Xiao by a startling nine-tenths.

Yu Zhao’s scalp prickled as she gasped sharply.

Teng Xiao wasn’t dead!

The defining trait of a Nascent Soul cultivator, distinguishing them from a Golden Core cultivator, was that their core had transformed into a nascent soul. As long as the nascent soul remained intact, even if their body was obliterated, they wouldn’t die.

Teng Xiao was precisely in this state. While his physical form had been reduced to pulp by the elder merfolk’s self-destruction, his nascent soul was untouched.

Given the chance to seize a suitable body, Teng Xiao could soon rise again as a fearsome Nascent Soul expert.

Yu Zhao’s eyes flickered, her mind racing. A moment later, she shook her head.

She had briefly considered whether it was possible to keep Teng Xiao confined to the deep sea forever but quickly realized how slim her chances were. Even as a nascent soul, Teng Xiao could teleport away at will. She had no way to stop him.

Once Teng Xiao recovered, he would undoubtedly return for vengeance. And when that time came, there would be no second elder willing to self-destruct for her survival.

Yu Zhao’s mood turned heavy, but Teng Xiao’s was far worse.

Once again!

Despite holding the upper hand, he had ended up injured and at a disadvantage!

The hatred burned fiercely within him.

But the current situation didn’t allow for lingering on unfinished business. A nascent soul was far too fragile to remain exposed for long.

His venomous gaze pierced through space, landing squarely on Yu Zhao.

He swore a vicious oath.

“Shui Qing Yue, as long as I live, I will not rest until one of us is dead!”

Yu Zhao felt the intensity of his hatred and her heart sank.

As long as Teng Xiao lived, she would never know peace.

Teng Xiao cast one final glance at Yu Zhao before attempting to leave.

But then—a splash!

A soft, pink tongue broke through the ocean’s surface, shooting straight for Teng Xiao’s nascent soul.

Teng Xiao panicked, attempting to teleport, only to discover that an invisible force had locked the surrounding space, preventing any escape.

Helpless, he could only watch as the pink tongue coiled around his nascent soul and dragged it underwater.

Glub!

Bubbles surged from the sea, then gradually subsided into stillness.

Yu Zhao, who had witnessed the entire scene, remained frozen in disbelief. Teng Xiao had become a meal for some unknown underwater beast.

The absurdity of the situation left her stunned.

“Is it… over?”

Yu Zhao murmured as she gazed blankly at the endless ocean.

Fatigue and dizziness, suppressed until now, overwhelmed her once more. Her body swayed and collapsed backward.

In the final moments before losing consciousness, her hand gripped the shell pearl tightly. A single tear, glistening like crystal, slid down her blood-streaked cheek.

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