Chapter 155: A Heavy Victory, the Sea Princess's Resolve
The deep sea returned to a deathly silence.
The turbid silt stirred up by the Demon Empress's retreat slowly settled, bit by bit burying the traces of the heart-pounding battle that had just occurred. Only the turbulent energy currents in the seawater that had not yet fully dispersed, along with the tragic aura of blood, destruction, and heroism permeating every drop of water, silently spoke of how catastrophic the collision here had been.
Sunlight struggled to penetrate thousands of meters of seawater, casting down a few distorted, dim patches of light that barely illuminated this sea region which had just undergone the baptism of divine punishment and self-detonation.
Amidst the patches of light, Chen Yunshen hunched his body, coughing violently. Every cough strained his nearly exhausted meridians and damaged soul core, bringing heart-wrenching pain.
His originally black hair had completely turned grayish-white, and his face was etched with deep wrinkles. His aura was like a candle flickering in the wind, weak and disordered. His cultivation, which had plummeted from the peak of level 99 to Level 98, was now even more unstable, as if it could collapse further at any moment.
His gaze looked forward somewhat hollowly—there, the sea god helmet, the symbol of glory passed down for tens of thousands of years by the Sea God Family, had once floated. Now, only a few blue divine energy sparks remained, slowly dissipating like tears, like dying stars in the night sky, eventually melting completely into the seawater without a trace.
The divine artifact annihilated, the soul core burned, and cultivation plummeted.
Paying such a tragic and inhuman price had not resulted in the execution of the Demon Empress, but merely her retreat after being heavily wounded.
"Heh... heh..." Chen Yunshen made a wheezing sound like a broken bellows, dark red blood mixed with fragments of internal organs constantly overflowing from the corners of his mouth.
He struggled to raise his head and look toward the deep, dark trench where the Demon Empress had fled. There was no joy of victory in his eyes, only a heavy haze and anxiety that seemed ready to crush his very soul.
"A few decades... maybe shorter..." His heart felt ice-cold. "That Demon Empress... as long as she doesn't die... with her nature of devouring everything to restore herself, these heavy injuries... will eventually heal..."
When that time comes, when a 900,000 years Deep Sea Demon Whale King recovers her full strength—and perhaps becomes even more cunning and deeply resentful due to this crushing defeat—who in this ocean will be able to resist her when she makes her comeback?
He, Chen Yunshen, was already crippled. Having burned a soul core, his foundation was severely damaged; it was unknown if he could ever return to his peak in this lifetime, let alone take a step further.
Although the Sea Princess was strong, the chasm between a 600,000-year cultivation and 900,000 years was by no means easily crossed, and the Giant Pincer Crab King was even more heavily injured and on the verge of death.
As for the Sea God Family... having lost the sea god helmet, their inherited divine artifact, the family's foundation was damaged, making it difficult to give birth to another powerhouse capable of facing the Demon Empress head-on.
At the thought of the Demon Empress returning healed to ravage the ocean while everything withered, and he and the Sea God Family could only watch helplessly, unable to turn the tide, Chen Yunshen felt a bone-chilling coldness and despair.
The price of this victory was too heavy, so heavy that it made one almost unable to see any hope for the future.
The atmosphere at the scene was suffocatingly oppressive. The Giant Pincer Crab King lay limp on the seabed rocks, its broken giant pincers hanging powerlessly, letting out faint wails; it too could feel the impending sense of despair.
The Sea Princess's exquisitely beautiful face was also devoid of color, and her deep blue eyes were filled with exhaustion. But compared to the almost tangible despair in Chen Yunshen's eyes, a flame was struggling to burn and gather in the depths of her gaze.
Silence, like an invisible boulder, weighed on the heart of every survivor.
After a long time, it was the Sea Princess who first broke this suffocating silence.
Struggling against her Spiritual weakness and physical pain, she swam in front of Chen Yunshen and bowed slightly. Though her voice was hoarse, it carried an unquestionable firmness and gratitude: "Clan Head Chen, the Merfolk Clan and the myriad creatures of this ocean will never forget today's kindness! If not for your self-sacrificing strike, we all might have perished here today."
Chen Yunshen slowly raised his head, his graying eyes reflecting the Sea Princess's figure, which remained upright despite her disheveled state. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a helpless sigh as he shook his head.
Gratitude? This "victory" bought by nearly cutting off his future—what was there to be thanked for?
The Sea Princess seemed to see through the heaviness and pessimism in his heart. She took a deep breath and straightened her back. In her eyes, which were as clear as sapphires, an unprecedented light of resolve erupted. Word by word, she said clearly, "Clan Head Chen, please rest assured. The matter of the Demon Empress is not yet over! Since she has been heavily wounded, she has given us—given this ocean—one last chance!"
Her voice gradually rose, carrying a solemnity like an oath: "From this day forth, the responsibility of hunting down the Demon Empress and preventing her recovery shall be borne by me alone!"
"As long as I have a single breath left, I will search the ends of the earth to track her down. I will stop her from recovering at all costs and seek the opportunity to execute her completely! I must return a clear sky to this vast ocean and ensure that your sacrifice today... is not in vain!"
These words were like a flash of lightning through the dark night, suddenly illuminating Chen Yunshen's heart, which had been frozen by despair.
He stared blankly at the Merfolk Queen before him, looking at the unquestionable firmness and responsibility in her eyes. For a moment, he felt as if her figure slowly merged with the towering statue of the First Generation Sea God in the family's forbidden grounds—the one holding the Golden Trident and gazing into the distance with a profound look.
The same conviction to protect, the same standing forth, the same... spirit of moving forward even against ten thousand people!
At this moment, Chen Yunshen's heart was filled with a mix of emotions: admiration for the Sea Princess's courage to take on such a heavy burden, complex sorrow for his own powerlessness and the annihilation of the family's divine artifact, and even more... an indescribable sense of relief and entrustment, as if a destiny was being handed over.
He remained silent for a long time. Finally, all his churning emotions turned into a complex curve on his lips, filled with endless bitterness and a faint glimmer of hope. He said hoarsely and slowly, "Since that is the case... then the Demon Empress... I leave her to you." These words seemed to drain his last bit of strength, and it also felt as if some mission of the Sea God Family to protect the ocean was solemnly entrusted in a silent manner at this moment.
The Sea Princess nodded heavily, her gaze as sharp as a blade: "There is no time to lose! The Demon Empress has just been defeated and her injuries are extremely severe; this is the perfect time to track her. I will set off now to hunt her down. I must not give her any chance to catch her breath!"
She quickly arranged the follow-up: "My clan's territory and the many ocean creatures we've taken in are currently vulnerable. I will have to trouble Clan Head Chen and the Crab King to return and preside over them, helping my clansmen stabilize the situation to prevent any accidents."
Chen Yunshen and the Giant Pincer Crab King, who was struggling to raise its eyes, both nodded. This was only right; although the Demon Empress had retreated, the deep sea was full of dangers and needed a relatively safe rear.
With the arrangements made, the Sea Princess no longer hesitated.
She took one last look at Chen Yunshen and the Giant Pincer Crab King, her gaze full of entrustment and resolve. Then, she solemnly performed the highest etiquette of the Merfolk Clan toward the two.
After the salute, she turned abruptly, a faint blue halo appearing around her body. She transformed into a swift stream of light, unhesitatingly chasing toward the depths of the dark ocean trench where the Demon Empress had fled!
Her figure soon disappeared into the murky deep sea, leaving only ripples of water that gradually settled.
Chen Yunshen and the Giant Pincer Crab King floated in place, staring for a long time in the direction where the Sea Princess had disappeared. In the darkness, it felt as if an invisible weight had pressed down, yet also as if a faint light of hope had been cast toward the unknown and perilous distance along with that resolute blue figure.
They could only pray silently in their hearts: You must succeed... the future peace of this vast ocean might truly depend on this brave Merfolk Queen.
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