Sea Demon Realm

Fifteen hundred miles south of Winged Human Island lies the territory of the Sea Demons.

Qin Yi concealed himself and hovered in front of a sea monster, looking at her face up close.

This is a test.

Before him was a siren of the Huiyang level, sitting contentedly on a reef and singing... Qin Yi had deliberately chosen a siren of this moderate level to test his skills; if he got too close, he would be discovered, but he would still have time to escape.

The sea is vast, and sea monsters are clearly not a large race; the area is sparsely populated, which explains why it took so long to find just one. But one can imagine that the deeper they go, the denser the population will become. They can escape in the open outside, but if they are discovered in the depths, there will be no escape.

The test results were alright. Even at such close range, the other person was completely unaware that someone was invisible right in front of them, and continued singing to themselves.

The singing was beautiful, matching Qin Yi's understanding of siren voices. Soul Hooking, alluring, and mesmerizing, drawing you into its spell and making you lose your will, becoming its puppet in a daze.

The siren didn't use any magic; she simply sang, yet Qin Yi already felt that allure, his heart itching to listen a little longer. He wondered what the full effect would be if she unleashed her ultimate move.

If the Dragon Son likes music, I wonder if the Siren's Song counts as one of them.

The siren before him was undeniably beautiful, but definitely not Qin Yi's type. She resembled the female ghost he'd seen in Red Rock Land, her brows furrowed with a fierce, intense intensity that was difficult to dispel. One could imagine that if they intended to seduce you, they wouldn't act this way, but in solitude, she appeared most real.

They were originally a collection of resentment.

Its body was in the form of a spirit, somewhat transparent, and colorless. But it was indeed exquisitely beautiful and very alluring.

Liusu pouted inside the ring.

Anyway, Qin Yi knew that no matter how beautiful it was, it was useless; it was poisonous, so he wouldn't be tempted. The test was complete, and the concealment was working perfectly, so he quietly left the sea monster and headed deeper into the ocean.

With the Sea Mirage Pearl by your side, you can hardly feel the pressure of the seawater. When you dive into the deep sea, it's as if you're walking on air. The seawater will automatically separate when it comes into contact with you. If an outsider is watching, they won't even be able to tell that someone is moving in the seawater.

Qin Yi easily dived to a depth of over a thousand feet. Sure enough, the deeper he went, the more sea monsters he saw. They mainly lived on the seabed, not just one or two that could be seen on the surface.

Qin Yi carefully avoided contact with the sea monsters and swam towards the deepest part of the sea, following the directions marked by the Winged Human Race.

The deeper you dive, the greater the pressure becomes—not physical, but mental. It's as if demonic voices are piercing your ears and tearing at your soul, driving you to the brink of madness, making you want to rip your own flesh off piece by piece.

This was actually a trap within the Siren's internal defense system. After all, it was a place where a clan lived together, and even stealthily infiltrating was not a matter of leisure. It seemed that the Siren's defense system was also based on the soul, a fact that even the Feathered People were not aware of beforehand and could not inform Qin Yi in advance.

Fortunately, Qin Yi still had the pearl he had wanted to buy for Qing Jun to resist the invasion of external demons. Unexpectedly, it came in handy here, resisting most of the effects of the various brain-piercing demonic sounds.

Even so, the residual chaotic power of the soul was still unbearable for most people. The siren's song drifted everywhere, Qin Yi felt countless times that he wanted to move involuntarily closer to the source of the song, but he knew very well in his heart that once he could not maintain his clarity of mind, he would truly become a puppet whose soul was being controlled, and he would never be able to break free.

This is not entirely dependent on spiritual practice.

The music of the Music Sect has a similar nature; it uses sound to evoke resonance in the human heart, infinitely amplifying a certain thought in your heart, whether it be expectation, longing, sadness, joy, or desire for beauty. Once it is aroused and resonates, the soul will be sucked in like by a suction cup, losing its autonomy.

This is not something that spiritual practice can resist; it is based on the fundamental human nature deep within the soul.

Fortunately, Qin Yi himself had studied the art of the Music Sect and had a certain ability to analyze it. He also knew more deeply that it mainly relied on willpower.

As long as one has a strong will and ignores all demonic sounds, their effect will be very limited.

He gritted his teeth and continued diving. He'd weathered countless storms and hardships; how could he possibly fall victim to someone else's passive defense system? What a joke!

"Whoosh!" Qin Yi quickened his pace, gradually reaching the bottom of the deep sea. In the distance, he could already see the shimmering entrance of a fiery red cave, the seawater blocked from seeping in, and he could faintly sense the Dragon Breath emanating from it...

This is it. As expected, there were no heavy guards, just some sea monsters floating around, as if it were their own backyard.

Qin Yi felt this was somewhat similar to sneaking into the back mountain of some sect, except this was underwater. Thinking about it, he suddenly realized that if others could see people bathing when they sneaked into the back mountain, wouldn't something similar happen if he sneaked into someone else's territory?

Just as this absurd thought crossed my mind, I overheard a conversation. "The Feathered People might be negotiating Myriad Images of the Universe? Is there any concrete evidence?"

"There's no definitive answer... but her actions reveal something. Yu Shang went to Xun Wood City to rally the various races against the Netherworld, but she returned with a husband, seemingly putting the important matter aside. What does that signify?"

Qin Yi paused, then stopped walking.

Something really did happen...

It seems that Mother-in-law hasn't discussed this matter with the Dragon Son either. I wonder if they'll wait until I retrieve the Phoenix Feather before discussing it. Even so, the mere fact that Yu Shang's mission has been suspended has already sparked much speculation.

That makes sense. I just wonder what the Dragon Son think about this...

"I don't know how His Majesty can still have the mind to hold Music Festival at such a critical juncture..."

"... The Great Great King has always been like this, avoiding conflict. As far as I know, the Fifth Great King may not be so pleased."

The Fifth Great King ... Qin Yi didn't know the ranking of the Nine Sons of the Dragon in this world, nor did he know which Dragon Son it was. But his impression of the Fifth Great King immediately turned sour.

Is it justifiable to send the Winged Human Race to the front lines, only to have them suffer heavy losses? What's wrong with them considering the interests of their people, temporarily halting their actions, and striving for mutually acceptable negotiations? Why should we be unhappy?

Just because you're the leader? Well, those feathered people aren't your subordinates!

"The Feathered People have protected our kings for tens of thousands of years, and their race is powerful. Even if the Fifth Great King are displeased with this mere delay, they probably can't do anything about it... Let's not talk about them. But what does it mean that the Fifth Great King want us to go to the Nether River Blood Sea?"

"I wonder... where did the little rascal die back then? Is Your Majesty afraid it will rise again?"

"The Netherworld has collapsed, and the River Styx is dead; they cannot be resurrected."

"I heard that the Myriad Images of the Universe is only missing one or two fragments to be connected, one of which is the Nether River Blood Sea."

"Then our journey is most likely related to this... It's hateful that the Feathered People aren't putting in any effort, but instead making us fight."

Qin Yi, who was listening in, felt a jolt in his heart.

The Nether River Blood Sea —just hearing the name makes it sound like an extremely dangerous place. If Qing Ying to venture there, her mind filled with thoughts of ghostly creatures, and suddenly she were ambushed by an invading sea monster... what would she do?

Do the sirens have another passage to the River Styx?

It's possible; after all, the bottom of the deep sea could lead to any kind of underworld.

Qin Yi's mind was thrown into disarray, which weakened his resistance to the surrounding demonic sounds. Suddenly, his soul throbbed with pain, and he subconsciously increased his power to suppress it.

In that instant, a small amount of breath was released.

The siren who had been speaking immediately looked in his direction and shouted sharply, "Who!"

Qin Yi cursed inwardly, and without caring about continuing to hide, he decisively shot towards the fiery red cave.

Running away is definitely too late; instead, hiding in this place filled with Dragon Breath will prevent the siren from getting in.

When the time comes, I'll rely on my wife to help me get out.

A terrifying suction force came from behind him, as if the entire deep sea had turned into a vortex that would devour him, threatening to suck in his soul and flesh. At the same time, right between him and the cave, the seawater suddenly churned up, turning into terrifying spiritual pressure that surged into his Sea of Consciousness.

Qin Yi took the staff in his hand and swept it backward. Spiral Gang Qi swept out, severing the suction force behind him, and then he slammed forward, withstanding the blocking spiritual pressure, and broke through the waves.

Just as the cave entrance was in front of them, a surprised exclamation suddenly came from behind. "Qin Yi?"

Qin Yi subconsciously wanted to turn his head. Could this be some acquaintance?

But as she turned her head, a warning from Palace Master Xu Buyi suddenly flashed through her mind. "If someone calls your name, never answer!"

He didn't show himself, so the other party shouldn't know it was him. Knowing his name out of the blue—if not now, when?

The movement of turning his head was abruptly halted, and Qin Yi felt as if his neck had almost broken from the force of the sudden movement.

Then, amidst the surprised "Eh!" sounds behind him, he rushed into the secret cave.