The red light, as it churned, gradually lost the shape of wings, becoming a smear of residual glow.
Continuous booming explosions sounded, like heavenly thunder that forgot to breathe, an unbroken barrage.
The two were pulled by a immense suction force, drawing them closer and closer together.
At every moment, they endured torment as if being sliced by a thousand knives, the tearing and burning surpassing even what they had experienced in the Myriad Manifestations Valley.
Both sides sustained increasingly severe injuries, blood trickling from their lips.
Blood surged, their eyes rolled back, and their souls felt on the verge of departing their bodies.
Mo Qi, protected by his Golden Body, could still endure under these circumstances.
He gritted his teeth and continued to exert himself fiercely.
The young woman, however, was on the verge of losing consciousness, clinging to the last vestiges of her awareness to persevere.
Just then, a beam of purple divine light descended from the heavens, striking the point where the two forces met. With a deafening roar, it shattered the intertwined multicolored brilliance and fiery red, instantly dispersing them like vanishing smoke.
Both Mo Qi and the young woman were violently impacted. Mo Qi lost consciousness instantly and plummeted from the sky.
The young woman also fainted and fell from the air. Another figure then shot forward, catching her rapidly descending form, and whisked away into the distance.
Water waves churned, and an icy, bone-chilling sensation washed over Mo Qi, jolting him awake. He looked up to see a vast, deep sea. The biting cold persisted, making his body stiffen.
He wanted to surge upwards; once airborne, the cold wouldn't be so intense.
However, his entire body felt as if it had fallen apart. His spiritual energy was scattered and uncontained, seemingly non-existent.
It was then that he realized how gravely injured he truly was.
He couldn't help but curse inwardly, "You stinking woman, next time I see you, I'll definitely destroy you."
That girl was at least at the Heavenly Immortal cultivation level. To have fought her to this extent was already a stroke of luck. But next time, he was confident he could kill her, regardless of her gender. She had truly angered him.
He also discovered with surprise that the speed at which thoughts moved in his mind was slowing down.
His limbs grew increasingly stiff, almost immobile, and his body began to sink.
A wave surged over him, engulfing him.
It seemed he was truly finished.
A wave of dejection washed over him, a mournful aura descending, causing him to lose consciousness once more.
In a haze, he saw a pretty figure swimming towards him…
After an unknown period, a warm current flowed through his body, gradually restoring warmth to his previously frigid form and slowly reviving his consciousness.
He opened his eyes to find himself in a stone cave. Cold rocks surrounded him, and he lay upon a hard stone bed. He could hear the sound of tides and the whistling of the wind. Though it should have been cold, his heart felt warm.
This warmth originated from his abdomen, where an object resided. It seemed that after he had lost consciousness, someone had made him swallow something, and it was entirely thanks to that item that he had awakened.
But who had saved him?
He turned his head and was startled. The scene before him was incredibly familiar.
A girl lay beside him, her face pretty, her skin fair, flawlessly beautiful, almost breathtakingly so. But her lower half was a fish tail!
This girl was Yu Sheng!
He scrambled to his feet and called out her name several times. Yu Sheng remained unresponsive, lying there quietly as if she had fainted.
What was going on? What had happened? What should he do?
Mo Qi felt somewhat at a loss.
At that moment, a voice came from the cave entrance: "She spat out her Mermaid Pearl for you. If you don't return it to her soon, it will be too late."
It was Ah Zhu, a maidservant of Yu Sheng!
Had he somehow returned to Cuiwei Island?
But the caves on Cuiwei Island were filled with pearls and jade, opulent and luxurious. This place was simple, cold, and damp, entirely unlike it.
He didn't have time to ponder these questions. He used his divine sense to probe internally, locate the Mermaid Pearl, and then used his telekinetic power to push it out. Disregarding the impropriety between sexes, he delivered the pearl back into Yu Sheng's body mouth-to-mouth.
Then, he sat beside her, watching her quietly.
Ah Zhu walked to the bedside, her eyes fixed on Yu Sheng, unblinking and anxious.
A moment later, Yu Sheng's slightly lifeless body began to warm up, gradually regaining its vitality.
Yu Sheng slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Mo Qi, a relieved smile spread across her face: "You're awake?"
Mo Qi nodded, "I'm awake. Why are you here? This isn't Cuiwei Island, is it?"
Yu Sheng sat up, then jumped off the stone bed. Her pretty face flushed slightly, and then she adopted a strangely indifferent demeanor. "No, Cuiwei Island was eventually swallowed by Divine Turtle Island. I'm temporarily hiding in this place. This is directly below the Southern Continent, in a cave on the shaded side."
Mo Qi was greatly alarmed. He looked around and said somewhat nervously, "Then what about your parents? Are you two the only ones left of your tribe?"
Yu Sheng shook her head, "My parents are fine. They've returned to the sea."
Mo Qi felt puzzled, "Then why didn't you go back to the sea with them?"
Yu Sheng turned her head, gazing out at the sea surface beyond the cave. "I want to live a different kind of life. There's no blue sky or sun in the sea."
Mo Qi felt that the Yu Sheng he was seeing today was different from the Yu Sheng of a few years ago.
He couldn't quite pinpoint how she was different.
Ah Zhu said, "Miss wants to become human. She must stay on shore for ten years. During these ten years, she cannot go into the sea."
"Then why do you want to become human? Isn't being a mermaid fine? You can come ashore when you want and live in the water when you want," Mo Qi said.
"What's so good about it?" Yu Sheng glanced at him. "We merfolk are driven away by the Dragon Clan in the sea, and we are not accepted by the human race on land."
Mo Qi was momentarily stunned.
Ah Zhu continued, "It's a pity. To save you today, over three years of effort have been wasted. All our previous efforts are in vain."
Mo Qi looked at Yu Sheng, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He suddenly thought, had he hurt her feelings last time when he said that humans and merfolk were incompatible?
Alas! His foul mouth!
Thinking back now, if he could take back that statement, he would be willing to remain silent for three years. But alas, spilled water cannot be retrieved; words once spoken are like water poured out.
After a long while, Mo Qi spoke softly, "Miss Sheng'er, I am just one among countless ordinary people. I am not worth such a sacrifice from you. Perhaps you have met too few people. If you had met many more, you would realize that everything was misplaced."
Yu Sheng looked at him, making him feel a prickle of unease.
He found himself involuntarily lowering his head.
Then, Yu Sheng said coldly, "You might be overthinking it. My desire to become human has nothing to do with anyone else."
Mo Qi was stunned!
How awkward!
He wished he could find a hole to crawl into!
Generally speaking, he had been a bit too conceited lately.
Perhaps Murong Yanran's enthusiasm had given him too much confidence.
"Alright, it's good to be human!" Mo Qi said incoherently.
Yu Sheng did not respond and walked towards the cave entrance.
Mo Qi also walked out of the cave and looked up at the vast, boundless blue sea, its waves surging and magnificent.
At the edge of the blue expanse, there was a black dot.
Mo Qi pointed at the black dot and asked, turning his head, "Is that an island?"
Yu Sheng nodded. "Yes, it's a human island, so we dare not go there. Because Divine Turtle Island is constantly annexing islands, the population on that island has been growing. More and more people and beasts are setting out from there to invade the Southern Continent."
Mo Qi realized that it was the invaders' base camp.
He would have to stir things up a bit.
Mo Qi thought again, she wanted to become human, but staying in this cave wouldn't allow her to integrate into the human world.
"Are you interested in coming with me to the human world for a visit?" Mo Qi asked, looking at Yu Sheng.
Yu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then, as if making a great decision, she uttered two difficult words: "Alright."
She still appeared somewhat cold.
Ah Zhu said to Mo Qi, "You two are going to the human world, but I don't want to go. I'm going back to the sea. From now on, I'll have to trouble you to take care of her." With that, she went to the cave entrance, leaped, and plunged into the water.
"Ah…" Yu Sheng cried out her name, but before she could finish, Ah Zhu had already disappeared.
Mo Qi was caught off guard by Ah Zhu's sudden action and felt a bit flustered. He had only said he would take her for a visit, not that he would take care of her permanently!
A moment later, he looked at Yu Sheng. "Do you have a longer skirt, one that can cover your tail?"
Yu Sheng thought for a moment. "Yes. Do you want me to wear that longer skirt and then blend in with the human race with you?"
Mo Qi nodded. "Yes! That would also reduce some unnecessary trouble."
A moment later, Yu Sheng emerged from the cave, having changed into a long skirt. Her graceful posture and slender figure made her look like a celestial maiden.
The two then rode the clouds towards Jingxing Island. Simultaneously, other people and beasts flew in from all directions, landing on the island. The island offered no resistance; it welcomed all arrivals.
Everyone, including Mo Qi and Yu Sheng, landed easily on Jingxing Island.
The island was bustling with people and swarming with beasts, appearing quite chaotic.
A group of people were directing a well-organized troop: "You beast tamers go first, attack from that position. And you, once the beast tamers open a gap, surge forward…"
Those people then followed their arrangements, flying up towards the barrier.
Everyone was anxious and frenzied, as if Divine Turtle Island were just around the corner.
Mo Qi casually grabbed someone and asked. As expected, Divine Turtle Island was on its way, drawing closer and closer to this island. Once it arrived, it would annex this island, leaving no place for all the people and beasts here to stand. They couldn't fly in the air forever, could they?
Therefore, they attacked the barrier with even greater frenzy.
There was also a group of people who were apprehending people everywhere. Upon seeing someone flying in from elsewhere, they would rush forward with their record books, attempting to register and recruit every newcomer.
But with people coming and going, they seemed overwhelmed. Many arrived at this place, unaware of the situation, and would chat about all sorts of things for a long time before getting to the main point. Then, they would have to persuade them earnestly before they agreed to join.
Some, after much persuasion, would still refuse, leading to arguments or even fights.