Inside the vast, shadowy Sea God Temple, even the ceaseless sea breeze had fallen still.
"Deep within Hell Road in Slaughter City lurked a hundred-thousand-year-old Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King."
Lin Qing's voice was calm, barely rising or falling,
yet it sent echoes rolling through the solemn hall.
He looked up at the breathtaking woman seated high above him, as untouchable as a deity.
"I killed that beast."
"When the Bat King died, the soul it had possessed and suppressed for countless days and nights finally regained consciousness."
Bo Saixi's breath caught.
A faint ripple stirred deep within her once-tranquil eyes.
Her slender fingers tightened around the Sea God Scepter until her knuckles turned pale.
Lin Qing caught that tiny shift in her expression and knew he had reached her.
"He was spent. His life was fading, and death was close."
Lin Qing sighed softly. "As he lay dying, Tang Chen asked only one thing of me."
"He begged me to come to Sea God Island and deliver his final words to Lady Bo Saixi."
A deathly silence settled over the hall.
The composure Bo Saixi had maintained for a century began to crack across her flawless face.
Her lips trembled. Red quickly rimmed her eyes.
She gripped the scepter with all her strength, forcing down the sob rising in her throat. Her voice came out impossibly hoarse.
"What... did he say?"
Lin Qing lowered his gaze, hiding the glint in his eyes.
He gathered his emotions and put on a mournful air.
Then, in a voice heavy with grief, he slowly delivered the words he had already made up.
"As Tang Chen lay dying, he looked toward Sea God Island, tears of blood streaming down his face."
"He said he had swung the Clear Sky Hammer countless times, crushed