Into The Sea

The whirlpool churned the waves, sending white sprays of water shooting toward Lan Wu like arrows. She gently pushed Ji Lingyue away, using the momentum to flip backward.

But the water seemed to have a mind of its own, slipping past her waist before turning sharply and flying back up toward her.

Lan Wu was startled, quickly summoning a sword to block the incoming spray. However, the water merged seamlessly with the blade, and a surge of dark blue demonic energy raced toward her hand.

“Let go!”

At the critical moment, Lan Yuan appeared beside her, her slender fingers gripping Lan Wu’s wrist tightly.

As Lan Wu instinctively released her grip, Lan Yuan conjured a swirling stream of water to envelop the spray and hurled it back at Lan Zhichuan. “Take it back!”

Realizing what had happened, Lan Wu exclaimed. “He’s so petty.”

“Isn’t he?” Lan Yuan smiled, her smooth hair dancing in the wind. “Lan Wu, do you remember when we used to catch jellyfish together?”

Lan Wu paused, then nodded. “Of course…”

“Good.” Lan Yuan said, summoning a silver sword. Her usually stern, beautiful face now radiated a wild, unrestrained energy. “Let’s hope your swordsmanship has improved over the years.”

With a roar, a massive dragon formed of water burst from the surface. Lan Yuan leaped down gracefully, half-kneeling on the dragon’s head. She charged towards the center of the whirlpool, facing the raging winds.

Lan Wu followed closely behind, landing on the water and summoning a familiar teleportation formation.

Clang!

At the eye of the storm, Ji Lingyue and Lan Zhichuan exchanged rapid blows. Though Lan Zhichuan had lost his right hand, he had quickly regained his composure and was now matching Ji Lingyue’s speed, even managing to block her strikes with precision.

The sounds of clashing weapons echoed around them. The sea and sky were filled with the figures of sea yaos and cultivators locked in battle. Ji Lingyue gritted her teeth, her sword’s tip just inches from Lan Zhichuan’s face, but she couldn’t push any further.

“After all this, you still think you can win?” Ji Lingyue said.

“No one knows the outcome until the very end.”

“Is that so?” Ji Lingyue scoffed. “Do even half of the sea yaos still support you? You lured other clans with promises of power, but in doing so, you lost the support of the merfolk. Don’t you see how pathetic that is?”

Lan Zhichuan gritted his teeth. “Ji Lingyue, aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?!”

“I don’t think so,” she retorted. “You worked so hard to claim this throne, but now no one is willing to acknowledge you as their emperor. Can’t you see? All your efforts over the years have been for nothing.”

Lan Zhichuan’s temple throbbed. He roared, sending multiple water pillars towards her. Ji Lingyue’s lashes fluttered. She blocked one with her sword, but the impact numbed her hand. She staggered back, barely managing to regain her footing.

When she looked up, Lan Zhichuan’s figure was already upon her.

Whoosh…

In that split second, Lan Zhichuan could almost see the woman’s pupils shrinking.

A surge of exhilaration washed over him. He thrust his sword forward, about to pierce her body, but suddenly felt something.

He froze, instinctively looking up. He was met with the sight of a massive dragon head descending from the sky.

On the dragon’s head, Lan Yuan held her sword with both hands, her gaze intense. The deadly sword aura was already falling toward him.

His eyes widened. He didn’t have time to activate his demonic energy. In his haste, he could only grab the blade with his bare hand. Blood gushed out instantly.

“Lan Wu!” Lan Yuan’s voice was sharp. “Now!”

Thud!

A silver flash pierced Lan Zhichuan’s back, emerging from his chest. Lan Wu appeared behind him like a phantom, the sword in her hand thrusting forward until it hit his back.

For a moment, everything was silent except for the sound of Lan Wu’s rapid breathing. Slowly, she released her stiff grip and stumbled back from Lan Zhichuan.

Ji Lingyue relaxed slightly, stepping forward. “Lan Wu, it’s…”

Before she could finish, Lan Zhichuan, pale and bloodied, suddenly coughed up blood. But with a swift motion, he grabbed Lan Yuan’s sword and yanked it down, seizing her throat.

Everyone was too slow to react. Lan Wu cried out, “Sister!”

Lan Yuan was suspended in mid-air, her eyes wide with shock, her face turning red. “You, you…”

Lan Wu’s face was filled with panic, but Lan Zhichuan’s hoarse voice stopped her. “Don’t move!”

She froze, staring at Lan Zhichuan intently.

Under their unblinking gazes, the man gasped for breath, slowly pulling the sword out of his body. Blood quickly soaked the fabric over his chest.

Ji Lingyue’s eyes widened. “How…?”

“You mean, how am I not dead?” Lan Zhichuan’s lips curled into a strange smile, his eyes bloodshot. “All these years, I have been searching for every possible elixirs. My body has been more medicine than flesh for years… Even this heart is a fusion of flesh and bone jade.”

“Blood Bone jade…” Lan Wu said instinctively. “Isn’t that something only the dying take?”

“Yes.” Lan Zhichuan said, his voice growing colder, almost venomous. “A gift, courtesy of your beloved mother.”

Just the mention of her made his whole body tense. He tightened his grip, and Lan Yuan groaned. She struggled to grab his hand. Lan Wu rushed forward. “Don’t…”

“I said don’t move!” Lan Zhichuan growled. “Or I will crush her throat!”

Lan Wu gritted her teeth. “What will it take for you to let her go?! Lan Zhichuan, even with the Blood Bone jade, that sword strike must have done some damage. You have already lost. If you let Lan Yuan go, I’ll… I’ll agree to anything you want!”

“Anything?” His fingers loosened slightly, giving Lan Yuan a chance to breathe. He laughed coldly. “I want you dead. Will you agree?”

Lan Wu stiffened, unable to respond.

Lan Zhichuan clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “As expected, you are just like your dear mother. You call me selfish, cold-blooded, and cruel, but how are you any better?”

Lan Wu couldn’t help but clench her fists. “Don’t talk about my mother!”

“Why not? She made me into this, and I can’t even speak of it!?” Lan Zhichuan staggered, hatred filling his voice. “I gave her everything. She wanted books from the human realm, so I got them for her. She loved pear blossoms, so I planted an undying pear tree for her in the sea.” His voice grew increasingly unhinged. “She didn’t want me to touch her, so I only took her blood essence to conceive our child!”

He let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Ha… I thought having a child would move her heart. But no, she remained cold-blooded to the end, showing no regard for our past ties. She did not hesitate to self-destruct her spiritual core to try to kill me!”

His eyes blazed with a mixture of hatred and pain as he turned to Lan Wu. “And you—you think I’m heartless, but I was the one who raised you! Meanwhile, she abandoned you early on! Tell me, what about her deserves your respect? What about her deserves your love?!”

“Shameless!” Lan Wu trembled with anger. “It was my mother who raised and protected me. You had no part in it and now dare to claim credit!”

“Then what about Chu Chunhan?!” Lan Zhichuan retorted. “Did she ever love you? Why would you go so far for someone who is already dead?!”

Lan Wu was stunned, staring at him in disbelief before letting out a weak laugh. “You’re wrong. I’m not killing you just for my mother. And I never needed Chu Chunhan to love me.” Her voice softened. “Chu Chunhan had her own life. I didn’t have to be part of it. She didn’t have to love me. I loved her… and that was enough.”

Lan Zhichuan’s expression darkened. “Such nonsense…”

But Lan Wu raised her eyes. “I understand now.”

Before Lan Zhichuan could react, she continued, “I always thought that when Chu Chunhan self-destructed her spiritual core, you were only severely injured and would recover after some time. But the truth is… you were more than just injured, weren’t you?”

She said coldly, “You were almost dead.”

After a long silence, Lan Zhichuan let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “The world is truly unfair. Humans on the verge of death can be saved with merfolk blood. But when a merfolk is dying, there is no salvation…”

Lan Wu frowned. “But Blood Bone jade can only buy you time. It can’t sustain you forever. That’s why you wanted the Guling flower.”

“It would have been a win-win situation,” Lan Zhichuan said coldly. “My so-called gifted sister, who was always praised by our clan, was completely fooled. I did not even need to lift a finger. No bloodshed, no risk, yet I almost had the flower of immortality.”

“By then, regardless of the outcome, both humans and demons would have bled and weakened each other. And in the end, I would stand above them all. Not just as ruler in name, but as the true Emperor of the Four Seas, revered by all.”

Everything had gone perfectly…

“Until you. All of you ruined it.” Lan Zhichuan’s voice was bitter, “My father always believed Lan Yueyao would lead the sea clans back to the near seas, but he was wrong. She couldn’t do it. Only I could.”

“I was so close to proving to our ancestors that I could make humanity pay for centuries of merfolk suffering. The sea would have been ours, and even the land might have followed.”

“But then you interfered. You shattered everything.”

“Without you, I would have claimed it all. I would have become what I was meant to be—the true Emperor of the Four Seas.”