Deep within the water mansion, inside a lavish chamber built from enormous glowing shells.
Attendants filed in one after another, placing platter after platter of rare delicacies upon a massive crystal table.
"Deputy Cult Master, please have a taste. This is a deep-sea silver shuttlefish caught just now. It is brimming with spiritual energy, its flesh tender as fat, and simply steaming it makes it incomparably delicious."
"These are century-old roe shrimp. Their shrimp paste is rich, their meat springy to the bite. On land, they would be worth ten thousand gold and still impossible to obtain."
"This is an ice-soul sea urchin, harvested from an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep. It melts upon entering the mouth, icy, refreshing, and sweet..."
"..."
Li Xuanxiao looked at the dazzling array of deep-sea treasures overflowing with spiritual energy before him.
Then he glanced at Di Nüfeng beside him, looking smug as though presenting her treasures, and helplessly rubbed his brow.
Over the past month, scenes like this had played out almost every day. Di Nüfeng seemed determined to use the finest resources of the deep sea to corrupt him and keep him in Heavenly Fiend Hall as her Deputy Cult Master.
He did not covet the pleasures of the palate, but when he saw Di Nüfeng's sparkling, expectant eyes, he could not bring himself to refuse.
He could only let her have her way.
"..."
At the same time, within a secret cave a hundred nautical miles from Heavenly Fiend Hall's water mansion.
Zi Shan, who had just awoken from unconsciousness, stared in lingering terror at the green-robed figure standing before him with hands clasped behind his back and a calm expression.
Li Xuanxiao.
Overwhelming fear and humiliation made the muscles beneath his scales tremble faintly.
He forced himself to remain calm.