Purple Pearl Island Is Right There...
The towering waves, the final roar of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King... they... A tremendous panic and icy despair instantly gripped his heart, even more intense than the excruciating pain within his body.
His hands, which were at his sides, clenched unconsciously, his nails digging deep into his palms, causing a stinging pain, but this could not ease the turmoil in his heart.
Hu Liena's cries seemed to echo in my ears again... Could it be that they really...?
Just then--
"Woo--woo--woo--!"
A deep, long, and Infiltrator conch shell sound suddenly came from afar, breaking the silence inside the cabin and the roar of the waves.
The horn sound carried a peculiar rhythm, like some kind of signal, swirling and echoing over the island.
Jixiang's usually calm and composed face showed a barely perceptible furrowing of her brows.
He quickly removed the perfectly grilled oysters—with slightly charred edges, a snow-white center, and an intensely fragrant aroma—from the fire and placed them in a clean, large seashell.
He stood up, his movements still swift, but Lin Xia caught a fleeting, extremely complex emotion deep in his eyes—not fear, but more like... annoyance?
Or perhaps, a sense of foreboding that trouble is about to break?
"The Conch Shell of Purple Pearl Island".
Jixiang's voice remained calm, but her speaking speed seemed to have increased slightly.
"Looks like I can't let you eat in peace today." He placed the seashell containing the rock oysters on a small wooden stool within easy reach of Lin Xia's bed.
"Eat it while it's hot, it'll smell fishy when it's cold. Try not to move around too much, your internal organs haven't calmed down yet."
After saying that, Jixiang stopped looking at Lin Xia, turned around, walked to the door, and pushed open the creaking wooden door.
The blinding sunlight rushed in instantly, outlining his figure as a silhouette.
He didn't go out immediately, but stood at the doorway, tilting his head slightly, as if listening to more information brought by the sea breeze.
The deep, resonant sound of the conch shell continued, one after another, carrying an undeniable sense of urgency.
Lin Xia lay on the simple wooden bed, her gaze shifting from Jixiang's back at the doorway to the grilled oyster in the seashell beside the bed, emitting an enticing aroma and steam.
The delicious aroma filled his nostrils, stimulating his hungry stomach, but at this moment, the fragrance could not dispel the heavy gloom in his heart or the pain within his body that felt like a dormant volcano.
Their companions were separated, their fate unknown.
The power of the demonic whale within him felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
The young man who saved my life is shrouded in mystery.
At that moment, the sound of the conch shell from Purple Pearl Island, Infiltrator the sea breeze and carrying a domineering tone, foreshadowed an unknown storm that was surging toward this small, seemingly isolated fisherman's wooden house.
Three days.
In just three days, it felt like a long cycle of life and death.
At this moment, the last trace of weakness deep in his eyes completely disappeared, replaced by a more profound and restrained radiance than ever before.
Soul Power surged and flowed through meridians that were nearly twice as wide, no longer the stagnant and violent torrent of the past, but like a tamed river, surging and turbulent yet orderly.
Level 60!
Under the devastating pressure of the Demon Whale King and the catalysis of the remnants of the Sea God's divinity, the bottleneck of the Soul Emperor was actually broken through by him.
The feeling of strength filling my entire body dispelled the long-standing pain and weakness, bringing an unprecedented sense of peace.
However, the price of this power was too heavy. Every time he recalled the colossal tail that blotted out the sky, the Abyss maw that devoured everything, the countless destructive blue water arrows, and the despair in his companions' eyes before they were swallowed by the giant waves, his heart clenched. A blessing in disguise?
He'd rather not have the horse!
"Gurgle..."
The thunderous protest from his stomach pulled him back from his heavy thoughts.
An intense hunger, like a beast awakening, gnawed at his stomach.
Having gone three days without a drop of water, relying entirely on the body's potential and Soul Power to sustain itself, the crisis was now over, and the body immediately let out its most primal cry.
He quickly took out food—dry rations, dried meat, and water—from the Storage Soul Tool at his waist.
Ignoring all decorum, he sat down at the rough wooden table and began to wolf down his food.
The hard, dry bread was torn and chewed forcefully, the salty and savory jerky was swallowed whole, and cool water was gulped down. The food slid down the esophagus, warming the empty insides and further dispelling the last trace of coldness and fatigue in the body.
Strength, accompanied by nourishment, revived more clearly throughout his body.
As she swallowed the last bite of food, Lin Xia's gaze sharpened like an eagle's. The hunger subsided slightly, but an even stronger sense of urgency surged forth.
Friends!
Hu Liena's shrill cries, Xie Yue's unwilling gaze, Yan's roar, Dugu Yan's horror, Ye Lingling's despair... each scene Burn into his heart like a brand.
They were swept away by the world-destroying wave, their fate unknown!
The Jixiang words still echo in my ears.
"On the rocky beach, you are the only living thing... No other survivors have been found, nor... a body."
The absence of bodies means there is still hope!
Even if the hope is as faint as a candle flame in a storm, he must hold on to it no matter what!
He suddenly stood up, his movements no longer showing any weakness or hesitation, and a sense of power at the Soul Emperor level arose spontaneously.
He pushed open the wooden door and strode out.
Suddenly, the view opened up before us. It was a small island with a gentle slope, covered with low but resilient shrubs and salt-tolerant weeds.
The wooden cabin was built on a sheltered slope, not far from a rugged black rocky beach where the waves relentlessly pounded, producing a dull roar.
The air was salty and humid, the sun was blazing, and the sky was a pure, clear blue, a stark contrast to the apocalyptic scene of the Demon Whale King's rampage in my memory.
Jixiang stood on a rock with his back to the wooden house, gazing at the boundless sea.
He was still wearing the same faded gray cloth shirt and trousers, barefoot, his slender figure exuding an indescribable sense of stability, as if he had become one with the reef beneath his feet and the turbulent sea.
Lin Xia stopped a few steps behind him.
"Jixiang."
His voice was steady and powerful, without the slightest hint of hoarseness.
Jixiang slowly turned around, her calm gaze falling on Lin Xia without the slightest surprise.
He looked Lin Xia up and down, and a faint, almost appreciative glint finally flashed in his usually calm eyes.
"It seems you not only survived, but also benefited from the misfortune."
"Thanks to you, I had the time and place to recover."
Lin Xia said solemnly, then changed the subject, her gaze intense.
"I must find my partner. You know this area better than I do, do you have any clues? Or are there any other islands nearby? What is the area where the Purple Pearl Pirate Crew operate?"
He directly pointed to the Purple Pearl Pirate Crew, which is currently the only clear lead that could potentially connect them to other survivors.
Haider's dying frenzy led them into the territory of the Demon Whale King, but the pirate crew's own territory, Purple Pearl Island, might be located in the nearby waters.
Upon hearing the words "Purple Pearl Pirate Crew," Jixiang's perpetually calm expression finally showed a noticeable change.
It wasn't fear, but a deep, complex sense of solemnity.
He did not answer Lin Xia's question immediately, but remained silent for a moment, his gaze returning to the sea, as if Infiltrator the surface to look at some distant and heavy place.
"Purple Pearl Island..."
Jixiang's voice deepened, carrying a sense of vicissitude that seemed out of place for his age.
"It's southeast of this sea area. Sailing at full speed, it will take about one and a half to two days."
He accurately stated the location and time that Haider had previously confessed to.