Ever since Li Qing's earth-shattering confession in Sea God Hall had left Bo Saixi completely flustered and sent her fleeing in disarray, she had spent the following month flawlessly avoiding any private contact with him.
Sea God Island was still burdened with countless affairs: the Seven Sacred Pillars' daily reports, maintaining the Sea God faith, arranging the island's defenses, and gathering information from the mainland while keeping their distance from it... All of it required the High Priestess to oversee and handle.
Yet Bo Saixi had abandoned her old habit of personally attending to everything, including often guiding Li Qing in his cultivation. As for anything concerning him, she now pushed it off whenever she could and avoided it whenever possible.
She stopped going to the main hall of Sea God Hall, where she might run into Li Qing while he cultivated. When offering guidance, she made every effort to relay it through Seahorse Douluo or another Sacred Pillar. She even arranged for Sea God Hall's own attendants to take over Li Qing's daily meals and supplies.
It was as if overnight she had changed from that gentle older sister back into the aloof, reclusive, awe-inspiring High Priestess of Sea God Island.
Only Bo Saixi knew that she wasn't putting on airs. She was... hiding.
Whenever she had a break from handling official business, the scene from that day would surface in her mind against her will—the boy's warm, unwavering hand, those astonishingly bright eyes, and his absurd yet utterly self-assured words: "Isn't being older even better?" "I just like someone like you!"
Every time, an uncontrollable blush spread across Bo Saixi's stunning face, and her heart began to race for no apparent reason.
She had to force her Soul Power into motion to suppress that strange restlessness, then drive herself even harder to focus on work, hoping that busyness would numb the turmoil in her heart.
She felt a deep sense of helplessness and... a trace of shame.
She was Bo Saixi, High Priestess of Sea God Island, a Level 99 Peerless Douluo who had lived for over a hundred years. What storm had she not weathered?
When the Spirit Hall army had once threatened her shores, she had faced them calmly, without so much as a change in expression.
When Tang Chen pursued her, and Qian Daoliu admired her, she had treated them both with composure and kept her distance.
Yet now, a few words from a brat of only twelve, a boy she had watched grow up, had thrown her into such disarray that she was even avoiding him?
This was simply... improper!
An insult to her reputation!
More than once, Bo Saixi had admonished herself: It was nothing but a child's joke, another prank from Li Qing's mischievous nature. It wasn't to be taken seriously. As an elder and the High Priestess, she ought to laugh it off—or even give him a proper scolding so he would learn his place and show some restraint.
But... whenever she tried to summon the courage to put on a stern face and lecture Li Qing, she would think of his clear eyes, always carrying that hint of a mischievous smile, and his twisted arguments. The imposing air she had managed to muster would vanish in an instant, replaced by a strange flutter that left her even more flustered.
She actually... felt a little afraid to see him.
That realization only made Bo Saixi more vexed.
She decided she must have spent too long in seclusion, or dealt with too many divine affairs, and her mind had grown hazy.
Perhaps once Qian Daoliu and the others arrived and settled the matter of the marriage alliance, Li Qing could shift his attention to Qian Renxue, and everything would return to normal.
Bo Saixi tried to comfort herself with that thought, but selectively ignored the faint trace buried deep in her heart that she herself refused to acknowledge... disappointment.
Amid that subtle, awkward atmosphere, a month slipped by.
The day was clear and bright, with a cloudless sky stretching to the horizon.
The waters surrounding Sea God Island, known as the Sea of Demon Soul Great White Sharks and kept under watch, were as calm as ever. Only the steady waves gently lapped against the reefs.
But that calm was soon broken.
A small yet finely crafted black sailboat was making its way toward Sea God Island at a brisk pace.
The boat seemed to have undergone special modifications, for it made very little sound as it sailed. Unless one had exceptionally keen eyesight, it would have been almost impossible to spot across the vast sea.
It was, of course, a ship belonging to Spirit Hall, carrying Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue. After several days at sea and crossing the vast waters, they had finally reached Sea God Island's territory.
The ship did not rashly enter the Demon Soul Great White Sharks' patrol zone.
While the main island of Sea God Island was still a considerable distance away, the sailboat slowly came to a stop and dropped anchor.
Two figures emerged from the cabin one after the other and stepped onto the deck.
They were Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue wore a simple moon-white gown, as she often did, with a pale-gold gauze cloak over it that lent her tall, graceful figure an even more sacred air.
Her golden hair was loosely gathered into a bun at the back of her head, held in place with a simple jade hairpin. A few strands fell beside her cheeks, fluttering in the breeze.
Her violet eyes were fixed on the enormous island in the distance, shimmering beneath the sunlight with a soft halo, like a celestial isle beyond the seas. Her gaze was filled with undisguised curiosity and wonder.
So this was Sea God Island... the mysterious place Grandpa had said stood shoulder to shoulder with Spirit Hall and held the Sea God Inheritance.
It was also where the boy lived—the boy whose fate might one day intersect with hers.
The sea breeze carried the salty tang of the ocean, yet it was fresher than the breeze on the mainland, infused with dense water elements and an indescribable sense of holiness.
Qian Renxue could clearly feel how astonishingly active the energies of heaven and earth were here, especially those of the water element.
"We've arrived, Xiao Xue." Qian Daoliu's voice came from beside her. He stood with his hands behind his back, his golden eyes also fixed on Sea God Island, his gaze complicated, touched by both reminiscence and gravity.
"The waters ahead belong to the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan. No ship may enter without permission. We'll fly over."
Qian Renxue nodded. She knew the rules of Sea God Island, of course.
She focused her mind, and a sacred, vast presence rose from within her!
Brilliant golden light erupted at once behind her, gathering and spreading into two enormous, resplendent angel wings made entirely of pure light energy!
Each feather seemed forged from the purest holy light. As the wings unfolded, golden feathers drifted down, and a sacred, imposing aura spread around them. Even the waves seemed to quiet.
The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul had descended!
A trace of satisfaction flashed through Qian Daoliu's eyes.
He didn't release his Martial Soul. His Soul Power rippled faintly around him, and an invisible force lifted him into the air.
At his level, he no longer needed his Martial Soul to fly short distances.
"Let's go." Qian Daoliu gave a low call. His figure turned into a streak of golden light and shot toward Sea God Island first, moving as swiftly as a startled swan.
Qian Renxue didn't dare delay. She gave her six wings a mighty beat!
Boom!
The air let out a soft, sonic-boom-like crack, and she turned into an even more brilliant, dazzling golden meteor, following closely behind Qian Daoliu as she soared through the sky!
The sacred radiance swept across the sea, leaving a golden trail that slowly faded away.
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