Chapter 22: Beneath the Sea

The Chengying Sword lived up to its half-divine reputation, slicing through iron like butter and digging pits with lightning speed.
In no time, it carved through the coral reef.

When the sword tip finally hit something hard, Zong Ji sheathed Chengying, carefully retracting his spiritual energy to probe the seabed.

Unfortunately, he’d misjudged his strength.
The sword had sliced off a chunk of Mysterious Star Stone, causing a muffled thud that left the scene awkwardly silent.

“Good grief, you’re too strong.”

As a top-tier crafting material, Mysterious Star Stone’s hardness was unquestionable.
Yet, before being tempered by fire, Chengying cut through it like chopping garlic.

Thankfully, the cut was serendipitous—a thumb-sized piece, perfect for his junior brother’s sword forging.

Mysterious Star Stone earned its name from its surface, which shimmered like stars.
In the pitch-black deep sea, its faint glow stood out, radiant and dazzling.
Holding the small piece, Zong Ji felt like he’d captured the starry sky in his palm—utterly dreamy.

It was quite pretty.
Crafting it into a sword tassel or pendant would be nice, shocking anyone who recognized it.

Zong Ji freed a hand to pat Chengying, eyeing the large stone at his feet.
Feasible.
He acted fast, slicing off a palm-sized chunk with a swift cut, tucking it into his Qiankun bag before leisurely covering the pit.

He’d send it to the Dark Guard to craft a stunning pendant for Chengying.

Will brew wine · will gather intel · will run errands · will carve and forge · just won’t give birth · all-purpose Dark Guard: ?
Fine, you’re the Hall Master, you pay, you call the shots.

Zong Ji was delighted, giving the sword hilt a dog-head pat.
Before Chengying could react, he ruthlessly shoved it back into its sheath, hung it on his waist, and smoothed his wrinkle-free robes, ready to meet his old friend after five years.

The series of moves was seamless.
Poor Chengying didn’t even get a breath of fresh seawater before being locked back in its dark prison.

Zong Ji’s fan tassel bore a jet-black pearl, unremarkable on land.
But underwater, it revealed its true nature, glowing with faint golden flecks like fireflies, dancing vibrantly in the sea as if alive.

Zong Ji knew this pearl would signal his unique friend the moment it touched the Sea of Illusion.
After all, his friend was—

Standing on the seabed, his immense spiritual energy parted the water, defying the sea’s crushing pressure.
Not a drop touched him.
Yet his black hair and robes floated like seaweed, wild and chaotic, like an octopus, his golden eyes gleaming.

Sensing swift currents and surging demonic energy, his handsome face broke into a faint smile.

“You’re here.”

A wild vortex suddenly spun in the sea, churning in the desolate depths.
In an instant, a figure emerged at its center, floating steadily.
A very peculiar “person.”

More accurately, a demon.
With androgynous features—sharper than a woman’s, softer than a man’s—it was beauty beyond description, as if the creator’s ultimate favor.
Long, deep blue hair cascaded to the waist, a faint smile mirroring Zong Ji’s.

This beauty transcended gender, an ethereal charm.

Ancient Xuanyu texts spoke of a strange race beyond the Sea of Illusion: water-dwellers like fish, weaving without pause, human above, fish below, their tears forming perfect pearls—merfolk.

Merfolk.
Its deep blue tail shimmered with silver, stirring hurricanes with a flick of its fins.
The undisputed ruler of the Sea of Illusion, born with the power to command winds, rain, and waves.

“Long time no see.”

With this old friend as his backer, Zong Ji could strut through the Sea of Illusion.

Before him stood the sea’s sole merfolk, its unchallenged overlord.

Cultivators rarely met merfolk, who dwelt in the far ocean, avoiding human areas.
Merfolk acted as stewards, dutifully managing the sea’s affairs, rarely crossing paths with the continent.

The variable was this merfolk, named Xi.
Merfolk were famously long-lived, but every few millennia, a new one emerged from the seabed’s crevices to take over as guardian.
A decade ago, the old merfolk neared its end, and a new king was born.

The issue was this new merfolk.
The previous one met a tragic end—maybe overate or something, dying early.
The new Xi, still absorbing its inherited memories, was wildly curious about Xuanyu Continent, eager to explore and compare itself to humans.

Then—
Years ago, Zong Ji, exploring the Sea of Illusion, stumbled upon a nearly sun-dried mermaid on an untouched beach.

Merfolk were unstoppable in water but helpless on land, utterly stranded.

Xi was thrilled, reportedly leaping from the sea with a mermaid flip, landing with a “splat” on the beach.
Then… the scorching sun taught it a lesson.
It lay there, a dried fish desperate for rescue.

Before Zong Ji found it, Xi had baked on the white sand for ages.
Its apex-predator aura kept even seabirds at bay, let alone a return to the sea.

A Little Mermaid opening turned into a comical ending.

Thankfully, Zong Ji swooped in.
Otherwise, Xi would’ve languished for months, waiting for the sea’s annual high tide or East Continent’s rainy season to wash it back.

To repay Zong Ji, the genderless merfolk pondered long.
Marry him? No way, what are you thinking?!
Instead, Xi gave Zong Ji a black pearl.
Enter the sea, call its name, and Xi would appear for its eternal friend.

Five or six years later, Xi had shed its youthful naivety, exuding the aura of a sea overlord.
Zong Ji was pleased.
They caught up underwater.
Zong Ji shared tales of the continent and his travels; Xi animatedly recounted beating a Saint-tier sawtooth shark in the Calis Trench or dueling a terrifying deep-sea beast barehanded, evenly matched.

Zong Ji: …
Alright, as long as you’re happy.

When writing the merfolk, Zong Ji had glossed over Xi, making it an NPC to guide Jing Zhe to the Mysterious Star Stone.
But the world fleshed itself out, and the Heavenly Dao added a catch: Xi couldn’t step on land.
Zong Ji felt a twinge of guilt.

So, he secretly tasked the Dark Hall to search for a Little Mermaid-style potion to let Xi experience the continent.

“By the way, Xi, do you know where the black cranes roost in Flower City?”

The cranes’ habitat was hidden within Flower City’s layered maze of bays.
Searching one by one would make him miss the demon sect conference.
Zong Ji was set on catching a couple to train, aiming to stun those unworldly demon sect leaders.

With two days left and no need for sleep, Zong Ji had plenty of time to regale Xi with tales of the continent.

“Not far. I’ll take you.”

Xi waved its trident, instantly teleporting them through the water to a bay.

A few roosting black cranes: Panic intensifies!