Master and Disciple Miss Each Other, Siblings Rely on Each Other

The phosphorescence of the entire dark sea was extinguished in an instant, as if a giant maw had swallowed all the stars.

Before You Su's pupils could adjust to the sudden chaos, her eardrums were numbed by countless layers of roaring sounds—the mournful cries of the sea, the bones of billions of living beings bursting under pressure, and the swallowing sounds that even the abyss itself trembled with.

Bai Ze's ear tips twitched, and the downy hair on the back of her neck suddenly bristled. A chill ran from her toes to her head. As a beast, she could better understand this fear that reached the depths of her heart. Her eyes were slightly dazed, but she still slowly raised her head, as if she wanted to die knowing why.

The moment she looked up, You Su's hand was already pressed against her brow, covering her eyes and holding her head down.

"Don't look." You Su's voice was low, but unusually firm, tinged with the sand that had accidentally entered her mouth.

The girl's eyelashes brushed against his palm, where cold sweat was seeping out.

No matter how bold You Su was or how powerful his identity as the True God was, when such an overwhelming being appeared above him, all he could feel was fear.

Despite his fear, You Su always adhered to the principle that he could not be crushed by fear. He quickly applied the first Principle left by that predecessor, stopping the girl from trying to peek at the being above him.

In this unfathomable deep-sea world, he and Bai Ze were no different from a speck of dust in the eyes of this being. So what they needed to do now was to play the role of a speck of dust well.

Do not make assumptions, do not pry, do not be afraid.

Darkness is creeping.

It was not an ordinary shadow, but a kind of viscous texture, like a bowl of ink teeming with millions of maggots, and that bowl was placed right above one's head.

Bai Ze gripped You Su's sleeve tightly, her soft body leaning against You Su. You Su could feel the girl's stiffness, and his own back went numb.

But this at least proves one thing—He has absolutely no interest in them.

The 'big fish' wasn't hunting them, but rather the giant Tridacna that had emerged from its lurking hiding place!

In the distance came the muffled sound of coral reefs collapsing. Those magnificent branches that had grown for thousands of years were breaking off in patches. The dark blue fluorescent moss scattered like stardust, but turned to dust the moment it touched some invisible boundary.

You Su could even hear the sound of the Tridacna's thick, perhaps thousand-year-old shell cracking and crumbling, the rustling of the withering fleshy buds, and the sigh of the coral reefs as they collectively perished. All the sounds were jumbled together and stuffed into some unseen stomach.

He felt no smug satisfaction at escaping death, for when gods fight, mortals suffer—a truth he understood more profoundly today.

From that 'slaughterhouse' onwards, the sand and gravel began to flow backwards, with fine black sand mixed with broken snail shells rising up like a black blizzard rolling in reverse.

You Su's robes fluttered wildly in the gale. He bent down to shield Bai Ze in his arms, Ink Pine Sword was deeply embedded in the crack in the ground.

He didn't run because he had too much experience in escaping; he knew at a glance that they couldn't escape. This 'man-made' underwater dust storm was destined to sweep through the area, and running would be futile.

Bai Ze's skirt was lifted by the gale, revealing her pale calves. Through You Su's fingers, she also saw the despairing dust storm.

Suddenly, she yanked off You Su's hand; the girl, who was usually as nimble as a cat, had never been so rough. Her pigtails were blown about by the wind, and a faint, icy blue glow seeped through the strands.

"Stop!"

You Su gripped the girl's wrist tightly, preventing her from further channeling her power.

"You must leave! I can't hold them off for much longer!"

The girl shouted anxiously, her chilling aura causing the sweat on You Su's palms to freeze into frost, but You Su did not let go.

Just as the girl tried to break free from You Su's grasp for the first time, the tragic atmosphere of her attempting to sacrifice herself to protect her brother was shattered by a few slaps from You Su.

However, the slap wasn't landed on the face, but on another equally delicate area.

The girl never expected that, in the face of imminent disaster, You Su would so forcefully pick her up, then tie her hands behind her back and press them firmly onto his knees, personally carrying out the family discipline that was both shameful and infuriating.

"Do you need to act tough?! If you had said you were going to your death, why would I have bothered coming down here?! Didn't I tell you from the beginning to stay behind me? You're a coward, you don't listen to me, what kind of hero are you trying to be?!"

The girl lay prostrate on You Su's lap, facing the ever-approaching dust storm, yet constantly feeling the distinct touch of You Su's thick, firm hands behind her. This complex experience in a state of despair made her body grow increasingly limp, emitting soft, sweet moans.

"I'm asking you if you know you're wrong!!"

You Su raised his eyebrows, genuinely angry at the girl's disregard for his life. He was even angrier to see the foolish cat seemingly enjoying its impending doom, completely oblivious to what he was saying.

The heavy blow snapped the girl out of her daze, and she said tearfully, "I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong..."

"A second offense will result in even harsher family discipline!"

You Su threatened her sternly, then reached out and wrapped his arms around the girl's legs, hoisting her to his chest, and ran like a mad dog.

Bai Ze nestled in You Su's arms, raising her eyes to examine You Su's jawline. Her eyes no longer held the fear of death, but were filled with the boy's gaze. This was the place she knew best. Lying here made her feel exceptionally safe, because here she was just a little cat who didn't need to worry about anything, and her master would take her to a safe place.

Where are we going...?

"What's your name?" You Su's cheeks were distorted by the headwind, and she suddenly asked a question that seemed out of nowhere.

Bai Ze answered blankly, "Pearls."

As soon as she finished speaking, her expression became interesting again; she quickly realized what You Su was about to do.

Pearls are formed inside oyster shells. Since they can't escape this dust storm, they hide inside the shells and wait for the storm to subside before trying to come out. In this way, they at least have a better chance of survival.

A clam, half-buried in a sand dune, slowly opens its shell, its mother-of-pearl layer shimmering faintly with iridescent light.

You Su had his eye on it long ago. He wedged the scabbard of the Ink Pine Sword into the gap of the spiral pattern, and the friction between the metal and calcium produced scarlet sparks. Finally, he pried open a gap that allowed someone to enter.

You Su pressed Bai Ze's head into the crook of his neck and rolled over. The moment the clam shell closed, a deafening roar, like a mountain collapsing, came from the outside.

"This big seashell... I feel like I've seen it before...?"

A slightly androgynous voice rang out in the murky, dim space.

Following the sound, one could see a tall and imposing figure. Although the exact features were unclear, the voluptuous curves suggested it was a woman.

The enormous creature beneath her feet had already vanished, and she glanced back. The hunting scene had been turned upside down, dust and sand obscuring everything, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

"Hurry up and leave after you've eaten your fill, they're about to catch up."

The woman lightly stomped her foot, as if urging the massive object beneath her feet to move faster.

She hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly withdrew her gaze. She had been here for who knows how long, and there were countless things that seemed familiar. Some she had actually seen with her own eyes, while many more were illusions cast by Evil Demon. At first, she would try to distinguish them, but over the years she had long since become accustomed to ignoring them.

So she didn't linger because of this inexplicable sense of familiarity, because she had more important things to do.

She took out a jade pendant from her bosom and examined it in her hand. The jade pendant glowed with a clear red light in the dim light. It was a life pendant made from the Heart's Blood of a newborn, which could reveal the life or death of the Heart's Blood's owner even from thousands of miles away.

"Soon... as long as I figure out what's going on, I'll be able to get ashore... I wonder what you look like now, and how your fake Mistress treats you... Sigh, I'm getting lonely staying in this dark seabed for so long... He Shutong, if you dare to cripple my only disciple, I will never let you off the hook!"

"Have you missed eating or something?! My apprentice could carry me faster than you when he was nine! I'm telling you, I'm in a hurry!!"

You Su could never have imagined that these ethereal sounds lingering in the depths of the sea, besides possibly being the enchanting whispers of some forbidden being, could also be the incessant mutterings of a powerful being...

The two were once again forced into a cramped space, the salty, sticky fluid soaking through their gauze skirts, sticking their clothes together in a messy clump. You Su could even feel the girl's pounding heartbeat through the damp fabric, and all she could hear was their intertwined breaths.

"Don't move." You Su held Bai Ze's trembling waist. "It's trying to expel the foreign object."

Before the words were even finished, the clam's repulsive reaction became even more intense. If it weren't for the pressure of the heavy dust outside, the two of them would probably have been squeezed out.

"You Su... are we going to turn into real pearls...?"

The inside of the shell was adorned with faint iridescence, reflecting the girl's weak smile.

The space inside the clam shell is small and damp, and sand and dust seep in through the gaps, encroaching on the already cramped space.

"The dust storm won't last long. Once the pressure stabilizes, we'll figure out how to get out," You Su reassured the girl with a confident tone.

"Good..."

The pearl layer continued to exude a viscous pearly substance, and the girl obediently nestled in the crook of You Su's neck, her nose surrounded by the scent of rust and the fishy smell of the sea.

Each rejection reaction from the snail meat brought new torment: the skirt was rolled up to his thighs, his bare skin rubbing against You Su's lean belly, and his black hair cascaded down, wrapping around his wrist holding the sword.

As the air grew thinner, You Su finally noticed the unusual quietness of the person in her arms. Bai Ze's breathing was as thin as a whisper, and the blood on his shoulder gleamed eerily bluish-purple in the dim light.

You Su then remembered that Bai Ze had a gash on his shoulder that was thicker than her own wrist.

"Pearl?"

He anxiously tapped the back of her neck with his fingers, finding it damp and cold to the touch, and was met with increasingly disordered breathing.

Her breathing was rapid and shallow, as if it might stop at any moment. The girl's long eyelashes brushed against his collarbone, like the wings of a dying butterfly.

You Su's Adam's apple bobbed, his chest filled with anxiety and regret. The girl's earlier act of preparing to sacrifice herself was merely a facade, which made him forget how seriously injured she was.

Now trapped in this place where air and space are limited, coupled with the reckless use of her unstable power, she barely has the strength to breathe.

You Su's heart clenched involuntarily. Gazing at the girl's pale lips, he had no time to think about anything else. He slowly moved closer, close enough to count the tiny dust particles clinging to Bai Ze's eyelashes, close enough to feel her sweet breath brushing against his cheek.

The moment their lips touched, Bai Ze's eyes widened suddenly.

She instinctively gripped his shirt, her fingertips digging into You Su's firm muscles, but the sea clam, always eager to repel foreign objects, deepened the kiss that was meant to be a breath-filled one. You Su could even taste the lingering blood between her teeth, mixed with a dizzying sweetness.

You Su's palms were sweaty; he didn't see it as a romantic experience at all, his only thought was to save the silly cat.

He raised his head, took another deep breath, and continued crossing the river.

"Don't close your eyes, focus on your breathing." You Su's instructions were brief, yet carried an undeniable gentleness.

However, You Su, who was focused on saving the cat, was still disturbed. His pupils widened and he happened to meet Bai Ze's slightly narrowed eyes.

Her eyes held a naive clarity, like a kitten instinctively licking milk stains.

Without much thought, You Su realized the method was working and the girl was thirsting for oxygen, so she gave her a few more breaths.

"You Su..." The girl regained some strength and tried to call out to him.

"Shh." You Su pressed her forehead against his. "Remember to breathe. I'll take you out."

"Your heart is beating so fast..." the girl murmured with a smile.

You Su raised an eyebrow, slightly embarrassed, but escaping was the priority right now, and he was too lazy to discipline the mischievous kitten any further. He simply replied coldly:

"Speak again and you'll die."

He moved his body with difficulty, and Bai Ze obediently moved aside, his warm cheek brushing against the carotid artery on his side, and then pressed his sweaty forehead against You Su's chest.

Bai Ze smiled in You Su's unseen arms, where the rapid, burning heartbeat that resonated with her seemed to make her understand something.

The muffled tremors outside the clam shell finally stopped, You Su knew that the outside world had stabilized. The air here was getting thinner, and with Bai Ze still seriously injured, getting out was of utmost urgency.

He suddenly let out a muffled groan, and with all the strength he had been holding back, he managed to force open an even larger opening in the clam shell.

He crawled on his hands and knees, using his entire body to brace against the clam shell and the thick layer of mud and sand covering it. More sand and dust rushed in during this brief respite. You Su gritted his teeth and forced out a few words:

"You freeze me for a moment... so I can unleash a sword strike!"

Bai Ze lay beneath him, looking at You Su's face, and the smile on her face involuntarily froze.

This was a feeling and excitement she had never experienced before, and it was different from ordinary rescues. It felt as if... someone had sheltered her from the storm.

Without further hesitation, a deep blue, cold light swirled around her fingertips.

When the ice temporarily relieved the immense pressure on You Su's body, his long-accumulated sword intent burst forth.