The originally dark vision instantly brightened, revealing a crystal-clear palace. The huge, bright pearl above the palace was astonishing! Below the pearl were two mermaid-like sculptures... No one would have thought such a scene existed beneath the unseen barrier.
After falling to the seabed, Jin Bao'er noticed a profound change in the young man! His golden fish tail shone brilliantly, and several light golden scales appeared on his ears, which then vanished. Scales also grew on the sides of his arms, forming claws that appeared light and harmless but were in reality incredibly sharp!
His cultivation... should be similar to the early Golden Core stage among human cultivators.
At this moment, some merman soldiers were intermittently patrolling around the palace...
"Do you... think we have a chance of winning?!"
Hidden by the seaweed, the blue-haired young man turned his head and spoke softly to her, his eyes full of suppressed emotions and unease. His golden fish tail was also nervously coiled.
Clearly, after approaching the enemy, he couldn't help but feel hesitant and doubted Jin Bao'er's strength. After all, he had only witnessed her power once. What if they couldn't win? Wouldn't his parents continue to suffer? This human female cultivator would likely be torn apart on the spot!
The woman turned her head upon hearing him. Her calm eyes held no hesitation, only seriousness. Noticing his nervousness, she raised an eyebrow and said,
"You're scared? If so..."
As she spoke, the woman smiled slightly, her expression gentle and enchanting...
The next second...
"Ah!!!"
A sharp scream of terror echoed around them. The young man with the golden fish tail was suddenly thrown towards the palace! His terrified eyes stared fixedly at the woman within the seaweed, filled with disbelief! He had never expected her to suddenly throw him out!
"Bang!"
He cried out in pain as his back hit the ground hard. He couldn't help but frown and groan. Simultaneously, he heard the sound of many footsteps. When the young man looked up, his face instantly turned deathly pale, his pupils contracting! Above his head, sharp weapons were lined up, mere centimeters from his face! If he moved forward any further, they would pierce his skull!
"Yo... isn't this the little merman prince?"
"All merfolk are forbidden from approaching the palace. Do you want to die?"
"Has His Highness the Prince finally come to his senses and prepared to seek refuge in our Majesty's embrace like your sister? Haha!"
"Not to mention, these merfolk are indeed good-looking. Besides, he hasn't decided on his gender yet. Who knows, His Majesty might have a taste for this!"
The more they spoke, the more lewdly the soldiers laughed, their gazes shamelessly appraising the merman youth before them...
The humiliation of being publicly insulted surged into the young man's heart, causing his cheeks to flush red. Hearing them discuss his sister, his face turned ashen! Enraged, the young man suddenly stood up and, with great speed, delivered a fierce blow to the merman who had insulted his sister...
"Shut up!"
"Boom!"
The attack, infused with spiritual energy, sent the merman flying dozens of meters away, smashing into a building and creating a tremendous noise.
After completing this action, the young man took a breath! His face was grim and fearful as he stumbled back. At the same time, the other merfolk reacted and pinned him firmly to the ground!
"You little brat dare to fight back? Beat him!"
As he spoke, fists rained down upon him. His golden fish tail was also viciously kicked, but the young man merely curled up on the ground, covering his head, the earlier ferocity completely gone!
Behind the seaweed, Jin Bao'er watched this scene with indifference. She wasn't blind. The cultivation of those merman soldiers was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage; they were no match for the young man. The power he had unleashed in that moment was comparable to a human at the Nascent Soul stage!
And all of this was because his kin were held captive! Therefore, he didn't even dare to have thoughts of resistance.
It was precisely for this reason that she had thrown the young man out... Firstly, she wanted to see how the Nascent Soul stage merman deep within the palace would react. Secondly, this was the quickest way to discover the location of where all the merfolk were imprisoned.
Soon, the merfolk grew tired of beating him.
"Big brother, why don't we lock him back up? It just so happens that the little prince is absent."
"Good! It'll also save them from discovering that matter!"
Jin Bao'er didn't understand their language, but from their actions, she knew they were going to lock the young man away somewhere...
After the merfolk left, she followed closely!
At this moment, deep within the palace...
A giant green tail twitched slightly, with hints of gold interwoven within. Above it was a sturdy chest and solid muscles, exuding a powerful masculine aura. Following that was a handsome, ethereal face! His clear, cold gaze held a hint of surprise, and his thin lips curved into a smile...
"We have a guest..."
If Jin Bao'er were present, she would likely be stunned to see this face!
On the other side, Jin Bao'er followed the merfolk and quickly arrived at the so-called underwater prison. The dimly lit water cell was quiet, save for the occasional clinking of iron chains...
With a swing of his hand, a merman threw the young man into the cell, sealed the barrier, and turned to leave.
The pain in his body made the young man let out a soft whimper. His golden fish tail lost its luster, and his tightly closed eyes seemed to ponder something.
"Are you crying?"
A clear, cold voice suddenly sounded. The young man instinctively stiffened but refused to turn around, his hands gripping his arms tightly...
A hallucination... it must be a hallucination! That woman ran away! She abandoned him and ran! He had trusted her so much! Silent tears fell uncontrollably, soon dripping onto the ground and turning into tiny pearls!
Although Jin Bao'er couldn't see the expression on his face, the pearls rolling into the water made her unable to ignore them! Amazed, she murmured,
"So the legends are true, mermaids' tears turn into pearls... How magical!"
Hearing the voice again, the young man suddenly froze, then quickly turned his head. His clear eyes stared fixedly at the figure outside the cage, surprise and excitement flooding his heart!
She... didn't leave? She was still here!
"You... why?"
Why did she throw him out? Why didn't she help him? Why did she watch him get beaten? Why didn't she escape... A myriad of questions swarmed his mind, leaving him bewildered!
Although he didn't voice these questions, his expression clearly conveyed his thoughts. Jin Bao'er looked at him with a hint of exasperation.
"Are you an idiot? If I had captured them, wouldn't that draw attention? What if they refused to reveal the location of the dungeon? Do you think I would just charge into the palace and fight their so-called Majesty, winning everything?"
The young man froze at her words, followed by an expression in his eyes that seemed to say, "Why not?" Jin Bao'er almost grimaced.
He really thought that, didn't he?