Obedience Without Choice

Fish will die soon after leaving the water.

Mermaid also find it difficult to stand upright when they leave the water.

In the midst of the icy snow, a group of Mermaid, dressed in thin clothes, braved the vast expanse of snow.

Under the watchful eyes of the powerful beings of the Far North, they reluctantly left their homeland, the Ice Sea, and headed deeper into the Far North.

The group included many elderly, women, children, and a few young adults. These Mermaid varied in strength, but at this moment, their eyes were filled with deep despair.

Without the Sea Princess in charge, they lost most of their clan's main fighting force, even though there were still two Mermaid with over 100,000-Year of cultivation left behind.

However, the Mermaid Race, fighting on Far North, were no match for the powerful forces under their command and did not last a single day.

Even if the ocean gives the Mermaid Race a great home-field advantage, it is not enough to give these old, weak, sick and disabled people the power to contend with the strong in the Far North.

He watched as his people, even with their considerable Soul Power protecting them, trembled in the howling winds of the Far North.

Princess Liya, the Merfolk Princess who was being held in the hands of the Titan Snow Demon King, spoke with some difficulty.

"Your Majesty, Snow Empress Emperor, please allow my people to use their Spiritual Power to isolate themselves from the wind and snow."

Compared to those tribespeople who need to walk.

Although she was under more strict supervision as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Liya's condition was not that bad.

However, she was extremely anxious at this moment, after all, her mother, sister, and the main fighting force of the Mermaid Race had all gone missing.

The powerful beings from the Far North, who were their adversaries, were able to penetrate deep into the Ice Sea and attack and control their Mermaid Race.

Even if she didn't want to believe it, Liya could guess that her mother, sister, and other members of her tribe had probably already been defeated in the war against the Far North.

They didn't even have a chance to escape back to the Ice Sea; it was a complete and utter defeat. Moreover, the Far North clearly didn't intend to leave any future troubles but wanted to wipe out their Mermaid Race in one fell swoop.

However, Liya still held a sliver of hope and said, "Your Snow Empress, although you have controlled our Mermaid Race, you have not exterminated them."

"I suppose there is still room for negotiation between us, or perhaps my Mermaid Race has other value."

"However, once we are no longer protected by the Haiyang, the Soul Power of my Mermaid Race is insufficient to protect us. We probably won't be able to hold out for long against the wind and snow of the Far North."

"Whatever your requests may be, please have mercy and allow my people a short rest."

Upon hearing Liya's plea, some Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast from the Far North secretly curled their lip in disapproval.

For Soul Beast, aside from Soul Master, they are a common enemy.

Unless it's due to a difference in strength, they won't hesitate to attack other races of Soul Beast.

In the eyes of these Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, the Mermaid Race were clearly utterly defeated and had no right to make any demands.

In their view, the fact that the Snow Empress did not exterminate the offending Mermaid Race was already a testament to her magnanimity.

However, at this time Snow Empress held the power of life and death over these Mermaid.

After a moment's thought, the Snow Empress said, "Ah Tai, your Titan Snow Demon Clan also possesses Spiritual Attribute."

"You keep a close watch on these Mermaid and don't give them a chance to use their mental connection to do anything underhanded."

Titan Snow Demon King nodded his enormous head and said in a simple and honest voice, "Yes, Snow Empress."

However, a chilling mental pressure then descended upon these Mermaid, causing even those with nearly 100,000-Year of Mermaid to tremble.

However, after obtaining permission from the Snow Empress, these Mermaid were unable to use excessively strong Spiritual Power due to the mental pressure from the Titan Snow Demon King.

However, it is still possible to use Spiritual Power to isolate oneself from the wind and snow, maintain one's body temperature, and avoid being frostbitten or crippled by the ice and snow.

They continued on their journey, stopping and starting intermittently, and were frequently met with blizzards. After many Mermaid fainted several times, they were finally brought to the Ice Palace.

Some Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast on the road were also secretly wondering about the unpredictable weather in the Far North today.

"What's going on? How come there's a blizzard one minute and Xue Beng the next? It doesn't make sense."

"Hey, consider them unlucky. Anyway, they've behaved themselves after these few waves."

"Is that enough?" Snow Empress asked Huo Yuhao through her Spiritual Power.

Although she was also somewhat puzzled as to why the Titan Snow Demon Clan didn't just bring these Mermaid over as quickly as possible.

Instead, it took them two whole days to walk little by little.

It's worth noting that many Mermaid along the way showed signs of resistance under these circumstances.

However, they were quickly and mercilessly suppressed by the even more ferocious Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and more than a dozen Mermaid died along the way.

On the contrary, the Merfolk Princess Liya appeared extremely calm, trying her best to soothe her desperate people and calm them down.

Unlike other simple-minded Soul Beast, the Mermaid Race are born with a considerable level of intelligence.

'Furthermore, they have always held themselves in high esteem, and as the Sea God's chosen ones, they consider themselves superior to other Soul Beast.'

'The torture and suppression along the way were all to make them more obedient and compliant, at least so they wouldn't cause trouble while locked up.'

'Subduing them will naturally require more effort, but it's all worthwhile. Now it's easier for us to manage them.'

'Otherwise, with nearly a thousand Mermaid, each with over a century of cultivation and a certain level of intelligence, even sealing their Soul Power and Spiritual Power would be troublesome.'

Huo Yuhao's voice, calm and unhurried, mingled with the wind and snow, reached the Snow Empress's ears. Although she had been reborn as a human, the Snow Empress still knew very little about such intricacies.

However, she memorized it, though she didn't quite understand it. Then she ordered the other Soul Beast to take these Mermaid into the cages that Huo Yuhao had set up earlier in the Ice Palace and imprison them.

Immediately afterwards, the Snow Empress led the Merfolk Princess Liya to the depths of the Ice Palace.

"Very well, leave her here. I'll take care of the rest," Huo Yuhao said calmly.

Looking at the young man before her, Snow Empress couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Compared to the human boy I remembered before, who was very brave but slightly weaker.

After the battle with the Sea Soul Beast of the Ice Sea, Huo Yuhao now gives Snow Empress the feeling of being unfathomable.

Even someone as powerful as her wouldn't dare underestimate Huo Yuhao in the slightest.

However, Snow Empress was more relieved that she had agreed to form an alliance with Huo Yuhao.

Otherwise, at this very moment, their Far North might also be like the Ice Sea, unknowingly being controlled by Huo Yuhao.

The Sea Princess is an example of this; even if it were her and Ice Empress, they might not have fared any better.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao was playing with a Shark Pearl in his hand.

When the Merfolk Princess Liya saw this scene, her pupils constricted, clearly indicating that she was extremely frightened.

It should be noted that only members of the Demonic Soul Great White Shark King, whose cultivation has reached over 100,000-Year, are qualified to condense Shark Pearl.

Moreover, its existence is equivalent to, or even more important than, the human Soul Core.

Because in addition to being a crystallization of Soul Power, the Shark Pearl is also the essence of the Life Force the Demon Soul Great White Shark.

The appearance of a Shark Pearl signifies the fall of a Demonic Soul Great White Shark King.

If Huo Yuhao could be so ruthless towards the Demonic Soul Great White Shark King, then he would certainly be even more ruthless towards the Mermaid Race of the Sea God's Kin.

Liya extinguished the last glimmer of hope in her heart, quietly lying on the ground, waiting for Huo Yuhao's next move.

Seeing this, Snow Empress also left the Ice Palace. Looking at Liya, whose body was trembling slightly, Huo Yuhao said softly, "Do you know why I kept your Mermaid Race instead of the Demon Soul Great White Shark?"

As Huo Yuhao spoke, the scene inside the Ice Palace began to change, with ice crystals disintegrating and reforming, and space shifting and changing positions.

The Sea Princess and the Crown Mermaid, who had been sealed away by Huo Yuhao through various means, appeared together in front of the Merfolk Princess Liya.

Seeing her mother and sister, who were extremely weak despite being sealed up, but still alive, Liya could no longer control her emotions and burst into tears.

Meanwhile, the Sea Princess and the Crown Mermaid discovered that although they were still under control, they were no longer in their original solitary cells.

Upon hearing that familiar sound of weeping, both the Sea Princess and the Crown Mermaid felt a tremor in their hearts and looked towards their loved ones.

Huo Yuhao did not stop them, but coldly watched as they cried.

Liya's Spiritual Origin flowed away with her tears, then fell to the ground and transformed into pale golden pearls.

"Crying is time, but I don't intend to give you Mermaid Race much time."

A cold, judgmental voice rang out, and at the same time, an hourglass, symbolizing a timer, appeared beside Huo Yuhao.

At this moment, the Sea Princess had no time to comfort Liya, as Huo Yuhao had been ignoring her for the past few days.

Her longing for her clan and her worry for her daughter grew stronger, gradually forming a fear that she could Jiujiu shake off.

As Ferocious Beast with 600,000 years of cultivation and the queen of the Mermaid Race, the Sea Princess felt fear for the first time; she was truly afraid.

She began to regret declaring war on the Far North.

After all, even if they lost the Ice Sea, the Mermaid Race, as the Sea God's Kin, could choose to migrate to other sea areas.

"What do you want from our Mermaid Race? As long as it can save our people, I will grant you any request."

Without making any further attempts to probe or bargain, the Sea Princess closed her eyes and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Smart," Huo Yuhao said casually, without any particular interest.

"I will serve as the priest of the Sea God, and I will share all the knowledge, memories, and legends related to the Sea God that your Mermaid Race has worshipped and offered sacrifices to for generations."

"I know there is a lot of this information, so I need the cooperation of you, the Sea Princess, who has been the High Priest of Sea God for tens of thousands of years."

"As for your other clansmen, whether or not I need to use them in my subsequent plans."

"But as long as they cooperate with my actions and do not resist, I will at least spare their lives."

"And if you, Sea Princess and the Crown Mermaid, cooperate, it won't be a problem for me to remove the shackles and seals from your bodies."

Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's proposed conditions, both the Crown Mermaid and the Merfolk Princess Liya trembled and looked at Huo Yuhao in disbelief.

If the previous battles between the Ice Sea and the Far North could only be considered internal frictions among the Soul Beast races...

From the moment Huo Yuhao revealed his true intentions, the nature of the matter completely changed.

"This is blasphemous!" The Sea Princess was now caught in a dilemma.

If her sacrifice is necessary to ensure the survival of her people, then as the clan leader, she will naturally not hesitate in the slightest.

But now Huo Yuhao wants to target the Sea God, regardless of whether he succeeds or not, and regardless of his purpose.

If, as the high priest of the Sea God, one cooperates with him in carrying out this series of actions, then the Sea God will surely despise the Mermaid Race.

It's not impossible that divine punishment could be unleashed to wipe out the Mermaid Race.

Is it out of concern for the possible punishment from the Sea God in the future? Or is it to preserve the future of the Mermaid Race first?

Although Huo Yuhao seemed to have given the Sea Princess a chance to think, in reality, the Sea Princess never had the right to choose.

"Okay, I promise you. What do you want me to do?"

As the remaining time in the hourglass beside Huo Yuhao gradually decreased.

In the end, the Sea Princess reluctantly nodded in agreement, and at this moment, both the Crown Mermaid and the Merfolk Princess Liya could feel the Sea Princess's deep helplessness.

"A wise choice." With Huo Yuhao's words, the seal that had been binding the Sea Princess and the Crown Mermaid was lifted.

However, at this moment, they were still in a state of extreme weakness.

Their Soul Power and Spiritual Power were drained by Huo Yuhao the moment the seal was lifted. If they wanted to recover, they would need at least several days of recuperation under these circumstances.

"Alright, Sea Princess, come with me. You two go with the Snow Empress to keep an eye on your people, otherwise the other Soul Beast in the Far North won't be so lenient."

"Yes," Liya composed herself and put away the Mermaid tears she had shed while grieving.

With her still somewhat confused but trembling older sister by her side, they left through a passage that Huo Yuhao had opened for them.

As the Ice Palace continued to transform, an Ice Crystal Path leading underground and deeper into the world appeared before the Sea Princess and Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao remained silent and continued downwards, while the Sea Princess silently followed him to the deepest part of the underground.

When Huo Yuhao was creating the Artificial Profound Ice Cave, he had excavated a space. After building the Ice Palace, Huo Yuhao did not abandon this space.

Instead, it was continuously expanded and modified by the Spirit of the Ice Dragon, forming an independent space attached to the Ice Palace.

Although it is not attached to Douluo Star like Demiplane and does not exist in the present world, it is still enough to isolate most of the outside world's prying eyes.