Into The Sea

A long silence hung heavy in the hall.

Someone finally broke the stillness. “Lan Zhichuan!”

Jiang Xi’s eyes were filled with tears as she cried out, “How could you? How could you?!”

She stumbled forward, her body swelling into a massive white dragon, roaring as she charged toward the man.

“Jiang Xi!”

Jiang Luan was shocked and quickly followed, with dozens of Dragon Clan members close behind.

Lan Wu pursed her lips, glancing back at the merfolk behind her, her voice filled with anger. “After all this, are you still going to obey him?!”

Unlike their earlier aggression, the merfolk stood frozen in place, their faces still clouded with shock and confusion.

“He even made Lan Ji die in his place! His own son, the Crown Prince you all watched grow up. If he could cast aside his own flesh and blood, why would he care about you? Wake up! He doesn’t deserve your loyalty!”

“No…” A merfolk shook his head, his voice helpless. “His Majesty… His Majesty has protected us for hundreds of years. He wouldn’t do something like this without reason. He must… he must have his reasons…”

“Fool!” Lan Yuan snapped, her brows furrowed as she glared at another group. “Feng Yi, are you going to obey Lan Zhichuan and raise your sword against me too?”

“No!” Feng Yi quickly shook her head, drawing her sword and swimming to her side. “I am Your Highness’s personal guard. I serve only you. I would never betray you!”

“Good,” Lan Yuan drew her sword, her voice firm. “You are my people. Unless absolutely necessary, I do not want to raise my sword against you. If you have any sense, stay out of this or stand with us. If you don’t… don’t blame me for being merciless!”

The merfolk exchanged looks, but remained silent. Lan Yuan had already turned, following behind Lan Wu and Ji Lingyue, heading towards the throne.

At that moment, the throne was engulfed in surging demonic energy, sending out powerful waves of water. With a deafening boom, several white dragons were thrown back, rolling across the floor before vomiting blood.

On the exquisitely carved throne, Lan Zhichuan’s long hair billowed like grass in the wind. Half his face was covered in silver scales. With one hand, he blocked Jiang Luan’s sword, while the other tightly gripped Jiang Xi’s throat. His narrow, slit-like pupils glowed eerily as he stared at her face, now red from suffocation, as if contemplating whether to snap her neck.

“Jiang Xi,” he said in a voice laced with ice. “You should never have betrayed me. Believe it or not, after all these years of marriage, you were the one person I never intended to hurt.”

Jiang Xi’s long lashes trembled, and she managed to squeeze out a hoarse voice. “You… die…”

Several black butterflies quietly appeared in his vision. Ji Lingyue’s figure blurred like mist as she materialized a long black sword, slashing toward Lan Zhichuan’s arm with a surge of demonic energy.

Lan Zhichuan’s eyes flickered, and he flung Jiang Xi and Jiang Luan aside and retreated.

Boom!

The long black sword tore through the water, sending waves of demonic energy that struck Lan Zhichuan. Before he could regain his footing, a barrage of demonic spikes shot toward him like arrows, propelled by Ji Lingyue’s kick.

Lan Zhichuan stepped back, steadying himself as he used his demonic energy to redirect the spikes toward the fallen Jiang Xi.

“Lan Wu!” Ji Lingyue shouted in alarm.

Lan Wu reacted instantly, diving to Jiang Xi’s side and rolling them both away. Just as they moved, several demonic spikes pierced the ground where they had been, shattering the jade floor.

“You bastard!” Lan Yuan snarled, her beautiful face now flecked with silver scales. Her slit pupils lost all reason, replaced by violent madness. “Go!”

At her command, several water dragons burst from the mist surrounding her and lunged at Lan Zhichuan with savage jaws.

“You are using the techniques I taught you to kill me?” He sneered, a massive dragon forming behind him, roaring deafeningly. “Overestimating yourself!”

A thunderous crash followed as their summoned beasts collided, releasing a brilliant flash of blue. The shockwave from the clash created sharp water blades that forced everyone in the hall to retreat a few steps.

On the high platform, Lan Zhichuan’s smile faded slightly.

He had expected to easily crush Lan Yuan’s water beasts, but when they collided, the smaller dragons suddenly grew in size, matching his own.

He frowned, glancing at Lan Yuan and noticing the faint glow of a formation beneath her feet.

A spirit-gathering formation? No, this formation gathered demonic energy, temporarily boosting Lan Yuan’s power.

He looked up and quickly noticed Lan Wu standing in the center of the hall, her expression cold as she formed hand seals with one hand.

She resembled Chu Chunhan so much, and now she had even mastered her unpredictable formations.

What a nuisance.

Lan Zhichuan’s expression darkened, and he gritted his teeth. “I should have killed you back then.”

“In your dreams!”

As she spoke, Ji Lingyue and Lan Yuan attacked together. Although their swords were firmly blocked by Lan Zhichuan, they still managed to push him back a step.

Ji Lingyue looked up, seeing the sweat on the man’s forehead, and suddenly chuckled mockingly. “After all these years, your power is still no match for Lan Yueyao.”

Lan Zhichuan stiffened, his bloodshot eyes glaring at her.

Lan Yuan also scoffed, adding, “If she were still alive, she could crush you with a single finger.”

Those words struck his deepest nerve. Lan Zhichuan roared, and a surge of demonic energy erupted from him. The two women sensed danger and quickly retreated, but they were still thrown back by the shockwave.

Lan Wu instinctively stepped forward, catching Ji Lingyue as she fell from the air. “Ah Yue?”

Ji Lingyue coughed, wiping blood from her lips as she stood up, “We have tested him. We can kill him.”

Just then, Lan Zhichuan began to laugh hoarsely.

All eyes turned to him.

He slowly raised his right hand, a silver sword embedded with a blue gem materializing in his grasp.

Lan Wu’s eyes widened. “The Sea Emperor’s Sword…”

Ji Lingyue quickly asked, “What’s that?”

Lan Yuan stepped closer, her tone wary. “Legend has it that thousands of years ago, a divine dragon fell from the heavens and wreaked havoc across the seas. When things were at their most desperate, a lone mermaid named Lan Yin single-handedly killed the dragon, united the Four Seas, and became the first Sea Empress. Since then, the sea yaos have revered the merfolk, and the title of Sea Emperor has been passed down through the merfolk lineage.”

“What does that have to do with the Sea Emperor’s Sword?”

“The Sea Emperor’s Sword is the weapon used by our ancestor to kill the divine dragon.” Lan Wu explained, her voice low and serious. “But now, it’s more than just a weapon. It’s a symbol of imperial authority. When the sword is drawn, the throne shifts.”

As expected, under the gaze of everyone present, Lan Zhichuan raised the sword with both hands and declared. “Since you no longer acknowledge me as your emperor… then my rule is meaningless.”

“But Lan Yuan and Lan Wu have betrayed their ancestors, conspired to kill their own father, and committed treacheries so grave even the heavens would not tolerate them.”

“They are unworthy of becoming the next Sea Emperor!”

His lips curled into a chilling smile. “Therefore—today, I will break the tradition of merfolk sovereignty!”

Lan Yuan was stunned, suddenly realizing what he meant, and looked at him in shock.

With a venomous grin, Lan Zhichuan declared:

“Whoever kills Lan Wu—no matter their bloodline—I will willingly bestow upon them the Sea Emperor’s Sword.”

“Regardless of their rank or bloodline, they shall become the new ruler of the Four Seas!”