Chapter 85

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Chapter 85: Dark Currents of the Deep Sea

The azure waves rippled gently, and the flute’s melody resonated through the winding Donghua Realm. Ming He held the black compass in her right hand, stepping cautiously through the coral caves and deep waters. Qu Yanran walked beside her, playing the flute, while Zhan Qing Yi led the way, and Qin Chu Yi brought up the rear.

“The Donghua Realm is divided into two mansions and eighteen halls. The two mansions are the Upper Clear Mansion and the Lower Source Mansion, each containing nine halls. According to the compass, the Phoenix Fire Seed should be in the Upper Clear Mansion to the south, though we don’t yet know which specific hall it resides in.”

Qin Chu Yi tightened her grip on her sword, her expression serious as she shared the information she had gleaned from the ancient scrolls with Ming He and Qu Yanran. Ahead, schools of fish drifted away under the enchanting sound of the flute, weaving through the underwater labyrinth as if the sea floor were a world unto itself.

The Upper Clear Mansion?

Ming He nodded slightly. The Donghua Realm beneath the deep sea was a place of profound mystery, rivaling even the ancient cave dwellings of Luoyin City on the Ninth Continent. It was a land rich with opportunities and dense spiritual energy, but their current mission left no room for distractions. Thus, she paid little attention to the realm’s intricate layout.

Silently, she guided them through a dark cave, the currents swirling around them until the water suddenly brightened, revealing a breathtaking new expanse.

“Junior Sister Ming He, do you see the Moon Reef behind us? Isn’t it beautiful?” Qin Chu Yi’s voice broke the silence unexpectedly.

The Moon Reef was no ordinary formation. It was not a natural creation but rather the petrified remains of a sea creature known as the Moon Fish, its stones glowing with the brilliance of a crescent moon.

Yet, they had not encountered the Moon Reef on their journey.

Ming He paused for a moment, instantly understanding Qin Chu Yi’s meaning. Without breaking stride, she smiled softly. “It is beautiful, but not as beautiful as my Senior Sister.”

As she spoke, she followed Zhan Qing Yi around a jade-green corridor of unknown origin, her figure a fleeting blur of blue before vanishing into the depths.

Qin Chu Yi smiled faintly and followed, the four of them disappearing swiftly, leaving only the rippling waters as a testament to their passage.

“Where are they?” Several black-clad figures emerged from the shadows, their faces obscured by black cloth, their expressions a mix of urgency and shock.

“Hurry, search ahead. We can’t lose them,” another black-clothed man urged, his voice tense. This was a contest between the deputy leader and the envoy; failure was not an option.

The thought of the consequences sent a chill through him, colder than the depths of the sea itself.

“Are you looking for me?” A cold voice cut through the silence, followed by four figures moving with lightning speed.

Ming He had already stowed the black compass when Qin Chu Yi mentioned the Moon Reef. Now, she gripped the Moon Crescent Dagger Qin Chu Yi had given her, her movements swift and unhindered by the deep sea. In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance, engaging the black-clothed man before he could react. Their clash was silent, the sound swallowed by the vastness of the sea.

“Shh.”

With a fierce glare, Ming He endured a blow from the black-clothed man, driving the dagger into his chest. In one fluid motion, she withdrew the blade, letting the crimson blood bloom in the water before pushing him aside to aid Qin Chu Yi.

Half a cup of tea’s time later.

Ming He surveyed the scene calmly, the water now tinged with blue and red. She bent to support Qin Chu Yi, her voice laced with concern. “Are you alright, Senior Sister Qin?”

“Why does Junior Sister Ming He only worry about Senior Sister Qin and not ask if I’m hurt?” Zhan Qing Yi quipped, pushing aside the body of a black-clothed man with a calm expression.

Qu Yanran’s expression shifted slightly. She tucked away her flute and retrieved a pill, placing it in Zhan Qing Yi’s mouth. Her voice was soft but carried a hint of concern. “If you’re injured, don’t speak.”

“Alright,” Zhan Qing Yi replied, her expression softening with a touch of surprise. She hadn’t expected Qu Yanran to notice her injury.

“I’m fine,” Qin Chu Yi said, her smile warm as she observed the exchange. When her gaze met Ming He’s peach blossom eyes, filled with concern, she lowered her head to wipe the blood from her lips, her smile radiant, outshining even the brilliance of the sea.

There had been about ten black-clothed men trailing them, all at the Wind Master realm. Using the shadows and the element of surprise, they had gained the upper hand, but their true strength was limited. Ming He and Qu Yanran, at the Dust Dispersal stage, were exceptional for their level, but the remaining eight opponents fell to Qin Chu Yi and Zhan Qing Yi.

Their mission was to find the Phoenix Fire Seed, and secrecy was paramount. With the demon protector Mo She in the Donghua Realm, they had to keep their movements quiet. Eliminating their pursuers while sustaining only minor injuries was the best outcome they could hope for.

Yet, something felt off. The black-clothed men seemed weaker than expected.

A flicker of doubt crossed Qin Chu Yi’s mind, but she quickly composed herself. “We mustn’t delay. Let’s move forward, but stay vigilant. We can’t afford to reveal our location.”

She took Ming He’s hand and was about to press on when her brow furrowed. She stepped back abruptly. Before them stood not the ten black-clothed men they had faced earlier, but a sea of black figures, silent and unmoving in the blood-red waters, like harbingers of doom.

“Clap, clap, clap!” The crisp sound of clapping echoed from behind. The black-clothed men swiftly and uniformly stepped aside, their respectful demeanor clearly indicating the visitor’s noble status.

The hem of a black robe floated in the water as a figure in dark attire, with intricate patterns on the sleeves, slowly emerged. His demeanor exuded the same arrogance and indolence as before, reminiscent of the Black Wind Village in the Vast Ancient Realm’s cause and effect of the mortal world.

“Ming He, my friend, we meet again!” Yóu Lìng leaned casually against a nearby rock, her tone nonchalant and her gaze audacious, as if greeting a long-lost friend—polite yet distant.

“It’s you!” Ming He tightened her grip on the sword, quickly piecing together the events. “The black-clothed men earlier were sacrificial pawns you sent out, both to scout and to die.” She emphasized the words “to die,” her intent clear.

Yóu Lìng chuckled softly. “Ming He, you’re quite clever. You even understand the art of sowing discord. Truly worthy of being the opponent I admire.”

Her smile turned cold, her voice laced with a chilling detachment, as if human lives meant nothing to her. “But I brought them here specifically to die.”

She glanced at the black-clothed men standing motionless nearby, a faint smile playing beneath her mask. “I told you to die; would you dare to live?”

“By the order of the Envoy, we dare not disobey,” one black-clothed man replied flatly, devoid of emotion, like a soulless puppet—indeed, no different from one.

“Did you hear that?” Yóu Lìng’s smile deepened. “They yearn for death!” After all, she had never viewed these people as anything more than walking corpses, barely clinging to life.

Ming He did not respond but tightened her grip on the sword, ready for a fight that could spill blood into the deep sea. If it meant dying for the human race, so be it.

She thought of the main purpose of their journey to the Donghua Realm, her expression momentarily distant. She glanced at Qin Chu Yi beside her, feeling that dying together with her wouldn’t be so bad.

What a pity, though—not for herself, but for Qin Chu Yi. She was a Young Master of a prestigious clan, after all, with such a noble status.

“Perhaps Young Master Qin is waiting for the rescue of other talented individuals?” Yóu Lìng stepped closer, though she showed no intention of attacking. “Let me guess, who will come? The Beast Master Sect’s Meng Zizhong? Southern Region’s Bei Ye Xun? Haoran Sword Sect’s Xie Feihe? Who else? There should be many more.”

“After all, it is the Phoenix Fire Seed, which concerns the survival of the human race!” Even though Ming He couldn’t see the expression beneath her mask, she could sense the prideful arrogance in her tone, as well as her confidence in orchestrating a strategy to secure victory from afar.

“What else do you know?” Qin Chu Yi’s voice turned icy, her heart sinking. The information on the Phoenix Fire Seed was recorded on an ancient scroll, and such a scroll was unique—there couldn’t possibly be a duplicate. The Black Wind Alliance could never have obtained news of the Phoenix Fire Seed from outside the human race.

So there was only one possibility: the human race had informants within the Black Wind Alliance, and those informants held significant positions.

Since the human race discovered the uniqueness of the Phoenix Fire Seed, they had plotted for a long time to contact trusted young prodigies from various regions, like Meng Zizhong, Bei Ye Xun, and Xie Feihe mentioned by Yóu Lìng. They were the elite of the younger generation and had undergone rigorous tests and verifications; it was impossible for them to leak information.

Thus, the only possibility was that the higher-ups of the human race, the small number of people standing at the pinnacle of power, were involved, and that was even more terrifying than the leakage of information by talented cultivators.

Knowing of the Phoenix Fire Seed, knowing that this operation was led by her, and knowing that she had already sent a hidden message, the black-clothed envoy before her seemed omniscient, able to infiltrate every corner.

And such a person turned out to be a traitor of the human race. Qin Chu Yi felt a mix of admiration for her schemes and hatred for her betrayal, her eyes reflecting coldness and murderous intent without concealment.

Yóu Lìng stood not far in front of her, clearly seeing the unreserved emotions in her gaze—indifference and murderous intent. Over the years, she had seen those emotions hundreds of times, yet she had never managed to remain unperturbed.

She let out a cold laugh, her voice chilling enough to seem as if it came from hell. The black-clothed black wolf and a Shura bore no difference. “What qualifications do you have to judge me?” She had never felt that she had done anything wrong and would never regret her actions.

“Just in time for everyone to arrive; let’s get started.” After saying that, it seemed she noticed her emotions were too intense, so she changed her tone, looking at the distant figures of several young cultivators, her voice calm. She ordered the black-clothed men behind her, “Begin the slaughter.”

She stepped back a few paces, lazily leaning against a coral reef, as if she really had just brought them here to die.

“Stay close behind me,” Qin Chu Yi whispered to Ming He, pulling out her long sword in an instant. The blade cut through the deep sea’s blue light, slashing the chilly water toward the chest of a black-clothed man with unreserved murderous intent.

There was no longer a way to hide their location now.

Ming He lowered her gaze, committing Qin Chu Yi’s words to memory. She knew her own capabilities well; though superior to ordinary practitioners, she could fight across small realms. However, beyond that, she would struggle.

The previous kill of a black-clothed man had been unexpected, resulting in a swift death—not likely to happen again.

But doing nothing was not an option either.

In one swift motion, she drew her Longquan Sword, holding the brilliant blue long sword in her left hand. She hadn’t forgotten the feeling of wielding both swords back in Mo Ze City. Although time was tight, she had studied the application of the left-hand sword on her way here. While she couldn’t compare to a practitioner who specialized in it, she wasn’t completely unprepared either.

“Clang!”

Qin Chu Yi had already engaged in combat with one black-clothed man. The blades clashed, and the fish in the sea scattered in all directions. Ming He activated her recently learned Shadow Steps, transforming into Qin Chu Yi’s shadow, closely following behind her. Then, as Qin Chu Yi and the black-clothed man battled intensely, she struck from behind with her sword, their teamwork natural and instinctive, briefly taking the upper hand.

Over there, Zhan Qing Yi and Qu Yanran were in a similar state; one brandished a sharp long sword while the other transformed her flute into a blade, maneuvering swiftly and nimbly in the confined space. The seawater was increasingly stained with blood, none of which was theirs.

Yóu Lìng leaned casually to the side, showing no intention to join the fray, merely observing Zhan Qing Yi and Qu Yanran with a slightly distracted gaze, as if reminiscing about something.

“Chu, true disciple; Zhan, true disciple, you two go ahead.” A young cultivator clad in blue, wielding a sword, had already darted into the battlefield during their skirmish. His swordplay was graceful and steady, and even in the chill of the sea, his blade danced with a righteous spirit, impervious to demons.

Ming He twisted her wrist, ending the life of a black-clothed man. She glanced up and found the newcomer somewhat familiar; it seemed he was the young genius Qin Chu Yi had mentioned, Xie Feihe, a true disciple of the Haoran Sword Sect and the junior brother of Sect Master Song Guanshi.

There was also Meng Zizhong, a core disciple of the Beast Master Sect. She watched as the young man, wielding a long flute, controlled a celestial leopard that charged wildly into the battlefield.

Disciples of the Beast Master Sect were unlike ordinary cultivators; they valued their ability to tame beasts over their own cultivation. Thus, even though the young man hadn’t yet reached the Wind Master realm, he was still qualified to engage in strategic combat.

“Bang!”

A thunderous noise erupted from the right side of the battlefield. Ming He focused her energy in her gaze, seemingly seeing invisible sound waves soaring past them toward the black-clothed men, shaking their eardrums until blood filled their ears. That was a young woman clad in the hide of a blood king lion, wielding a silver war hammer, hailing from the Southern Region’s wilderness—Bei Ye Xun.

And there were many others, all young faces, cultivators above the Wind Master realm; they were the talent of the human race and the future of humanity, now fighting for their kind.

Ming He watched as some displayed great strength, slaying black-clothed men under their blades, while others succumbed to exhaustion, losing their heads to the black-clothed assailants. The seawater had turned to blood, both sides soaking in it.

This had never been a fair battle; with numbers overwhelming her, she could not see a glimmer of hope for victory. Yet no one among them had considered retreating, just like in Mo Ze City.

Her Master had said that everywhere outside Liu Yun was a battlefield; this was what he meant.

She sighed deeply, feeling a heavy weight in her heart. For the first time, she hated her low cultivation, stuck at the third stage of the Dust Dispersal, far from enough.

“Let’s go.”

Qin Chu Yi led Ming He away from the black-clothed men’s blades, blending into the shadows with the cover of other cultivators. Staying behind to kill the black-clothed men was easy, but the information about the Phoenix Fire Seed was far more important. This was a calculation of temporary gains and losses versus eternal ones.

Only Ming He could skillfully use the black compass, and only she and Qing Yi knew the information about the Phoenix Fire Seed. They could not fight to the death yet because they carried the hope of humanity on their shoulders.

“Clang!”

Other young cultivators looked towards Qin Chu Yi with faint smiles before stepping forward like an unyielding mountain, blocking the path of the black-clothed men. They were cultivators, geniuses, but there was a prefix before that—they were first and foremost human.

Regardless of their status, since they had chosen to undertake this mission, they could not easily withdraw; it was the responsibility of the great sect disciples.

Members of noble clans were not all good-for-nothings.

“This path is blocked!” Xie Feihe, the true disciple of the Haoran Sword Sect, asserted with his sword in hand.

His spiritual energy was nearly depleted from fighting, and he had already claimed several black-clothed lives under his blade. He bore injuries from black-clothed men; his blue clothes, like the surrounding deep sea, were stained blood red.

It seemed that he might not escape today.

He offered a bitter smile, remembering his senior brother’s teachings. If he couldn’t get away, then at least he would die meaningfully, so he looked at the younger disciples of other sects beside him with a warm smile, determined to protect them.

“Dear friends,” he shouted, determination in his eyes. “Today, fighting side by side, Feihe feels honored. I shall take my leave first.”

He summoned the remaining spiritual energy gathered in his heart and, with a nimble push of his toes, dashed into the crowd of black-clothed men, “You all go quickly.” Qin Chu Yi and the others had already made it nearly out; if others could escape, there was no need to stay behind.

“Not good, he’s going to self-destruct!”

“Quickly, get out of the way!”

The black-clothed men finally displayed alarm on their numb faces, but it was sadly too late.

Xie Feihe, hailing from a prominent sect in the central region, was among the top disciples of his generation. Once he decided to sacrifice his life, he wouldn’t leave anything behind.

Thus, he took down more than ten black-clothed men as his energy waned.

Adding those he had already slain, it became quite an impressive achievement, one traded for his life.

“Xie Senior Brother!” A disciple’s voice echoed with irrepressible sorrow, but they were pulled away by their companions.

They could not let Xie Feihe die in vain; they had to prioritize their own safety first.

Yóu Lìng remained casually leaning against the reef, calm and unperturbed. Even as Qin Chu Yi and Ming He fled, even as Xie Feihe self-destructed and took down half the black-clothed men, he showed no sign of emotion. He merely observed as the remaining cultivators escaped and the black-clothed men fell, then lazily stood upright.

“Envoy, why didn’t you act earlier?” A black-clothed man who survived questioned him, filled with discontent.

“Act?” Yóu Lìng sneered, “Because I didn’t want to!”

“Envoy, you…” The black-clothed man reacted with anger.

“Didn’t you say I let you all come to die, and you absolutely wouldn’t dare disobey?” Yóu Lìng laughed coldly. “Did you think I was just joking? Unfortunately, I was quite serious.”

His expression remained unchanged, still exhibiting the haughty and arrogant demeanor of someone at a height looking down, “Those still alive, go all out to chase after Ming He.”

“Yes.” The black-clothed men felt discontent in their hearts but dared not show it in front of him, swallowing their displeasure as they thought to address it later. They hurriedly followed the direction Ming He had disappeared into.

Unaware of Yóu Lìng’s calm silence after hiding his emotions, “A group of fools, thinking they can return alive?” Impossible!

He stepped closer, dipping his fingers into the blood-stained water, his expression a bit stunned. “Human race!”

With that, his form melded into the moving sea, leaving only a bloodstain to signal the intensity of battle.