The trench shuddered.
A distant pulse rippled through the water, slow at first, then steadily rising. Like the heartbeat of something enormous stirring in the deep. Yan Shen's eyes narrowed as he felt it roll across his skin.
Kaelrin stiffened.
"That… that's not the Teeth Clan."
Yan Shen tilted his head.
"Then who?"
Kaelrin's answer came not in words, but in the sudden shift of the entire sea.
Light bloomed.
A glow spread across the upper waters, soft blues, shimmering silvers, the colors of calm oceans and moonlit tides. Dozens of silhouettes emerged through the darkness… then hundreds.
Soldiers.
Merfolk in full ceremonial armor, scales polished to gleam even in the abyssal gloom. They moved with precision, their tridents angled forward, the currents bending around their formation like respectful servants.
Yan Shen exhaled once, quiet.
"…That's a lot."
Kaelrin swallowed.
The army of the Azure Depths had arrived.
The vanguard descended first, sleek warriors with fins sharpened for speed. Their auras flickered at early Foundation Establishment, each one strong enough to be an inner disciple in any sect on the surface.
Behind them came the bulk:
mid Foundation Establishment elites, armored in coral-forged plates carved with crest markings. Their tridents hummed faintly with embedded water runes.
Then...
Three deeper shadows cut through the ranks like sharks gliding past schools of fish.
Three generals.
Each radiating Core Formation realm pressure, their mere presence bending the currents around them.
And at the rear...
A single figure.
Tall.
Regal.
Haloed in swirling ribbons of azure light.
His aura slammed into the trench like a falling sea.
Golden Core.
Even the water trembled around him, sinking under the weight of his presence.
Yan Shen studied the formation calmly.
The sea is bigger than the land… I guess this level of power is normal down here.
He rolled his shoulders once.
Still, he wasn't impressed enough to step back.
Kaelrin, however, stared with wide eyes.
"That's… the First Legion," he whispered. "My father sent them?"
The Golden Core commander glided forward, water bending away from him like it feared touching his armor. His voice carried with crisp authority.
"Prince Kaelrin. You have caused quite a stir."
Kaelrin straightened instinctively. "Commander Leerin."
The commander inclined his head.
A gesture of respect, barely.
His gaze flicked to the cracked trench, the shattered coral, the shriveled corpse still drifting downward.
His pupils contracted.
"You killed the First Prince of the Teeth Clan?"
Kaelrin hesitated.
"I… survived him."
Yan Shen added flatly, "I killed him."
When Yan Shen's voice rumbled through the water, vibrations forced outward by Qi instead of direct thought, an entire row of soldiers blinked in confusion.
Whispers rippled through the ranks like a shifting tide.
"He… he's vocalizing?"
"Does he not know resonance?"
"Is he truly from the surface?"
"There must be something wrong with him"
Even the Core Formation generals exchanged uneasy glances.
Hundreds of merfolk turned their eyes on Yan Shen.
The water grew tense.
Leerin's gaze sharpened, briefly probing Yan Shen with his divine sense. When it met his late Qi Gathering realm that was Yan Shen's existence, his expression shifted, surprise, then caution.
"You are not ordinary," he said slowly.
Yan Shen shrugged.
"So I've been told."
Leerin turned back to Kaelrin.
"Your majesty, by royal decree, you are to return to the Azure Depth Capital immediately. Your disappearance has already caused political tremors.The Queen and father await."
Kaelrin's jaw clenched.
"Commander… I can't go yet."
The thousands-strong formation seemed to freeze.
Even Yan Shen looked over.
Leerin blinked once. "What?"
Kaelrin lifted his chin, his trident glowing faintly at his side.
"I need time. There's somewhere I must visit first, the periphery of the Blue Depths."
A ripple went through the soldiers, fear… or disbelief.
Leerin's expression darkened.
"That place is forbidden."
His voice hardened. "Even for you, prince. The Abyssal Maw borders that region. No one is allowed to trespass."
Kaelrin didn't back down.
"I don't want to trespass. I want to see it. To understand it."
Leerin's tail flicked sharply, agitation rippling the water.
"Whatever childish curiosity you have can wait. Your father demands your presence now."
"My father also taught me to question the depths," Kaelrin retorted. "I won't turn back just because..."
"You will," Leerin cut sharply, "because this is not curiosity. It is recklessness. And now is not a time for reckless heirs."
Kaelrin's fists tightened.
Yan Shen spoke quietly.
"Kaelrin."
Both merfolk turned.
Yan Shen's eyes were steady, unreadable.
"You're the prince. Soon, you'll be more than that. But you can't lead if your people think you're dead."
Kaelrin froze.
"You survived the trench," Yan Shen continued. "You inherited ancient power. You killed the prince who hunted you."
His gaze flicked to the army.
"Now your people have come for you."
Kaelrin looked down.
Yan Shen finished softly.
"Go see your father."
Silence fell.
Kaelrin closed his eyes once, exhaled, and nodded.
"…Fine."
Leerin stepped forward, relief barely masked beneath discipline. "Good. The Emperor will..."
Kaelrin raised a hand sharply.
"Yan Shen comes with me."
Leerin's authority shattered like a shell.
"What?"
Kaelrin stood straight, trident humming with newly awakened dominion.
"He saved my life. Twice.
He killed Varn.
He escorted me to the shrine.
"He held the trench alone while I received the inheritance."
Yan Shen muttered, "Held is generous."
Kaelrin ignored him.
"So he comes with me."
Leerin's jaw flexed.
"Prince… the palace has strict rules. Outsiders, especially surface cultivators, cannot simply..."
Kaelrin's eyes flared with azure light.
The currents trembled, obeying.
Leerin felt the shift.
His pupils widened.
The inheritance… He's already manifesting the blood-command?
Kaelrin spoke coldly.
"That was not a request."
A heavy silence swallowed the trench.
Finally, Leerin bowed his head.
"…As you command, my prince."
Kaelrin turned to Yan Shen.
"You ready?"
Yan Shen smirked.
"Lead the way."
The ocean around them stirred, thousands of merfolk repositioning, forming escort lines around their prince and the black-haired human who had broken a royal heir.
The army of the Azure Depths began its march.
And the sea prepared to change.