Lost on the Journey Home

The Martial Soul Fusion Skill had not kept the sea frozen for long. Soon, the ice melted.

Xiao Yao returned to Shui Lingji's form, and he and Shui Bing'er landed on the deck with their arms around each other.

Qiu Wanxi stared in astonishment. "What happened to you two?"

Xiao Yao was just about to admit his oversight.

But Shui Bing'er took Qiu Wanxi's arm first. "It was a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"We thought of a way to deal with the Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish, but it refused to accept defeat and tried to bring us down with it-the fish dying and the net breaking."

"Luckily, we awakened a Martial Soul Fusion Skill at the critical moment and escaped."

"Is that so?" Qiu Wanxi suspected nothing, though she was puzzled. "But don't you already have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Xue Wu?"

"Maybe senior sister is exceptionally gifted? Nobody ever said a person could only use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with one partner. Martial Soul Fusion Skills are simply too rare, so there aren't enough subjects to study."

Xiao Yao stepped in to smooth things over. Though Qiu Wanxi was surprised, she could only accept it.

"It's a shame about that Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish. It really might have evolved Bing'er's martial soul into Ultimate Ice."

Shui Bing'er felt a little regretful too.

"Not necessarily. Look what I've got!"

They looked at the slightly translucent Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish in Xiao Yao's hand. It had shrunk countless times over, but it was undeniably there.

Shui Bing'er and Qiu Wanxi both widened their eyes. "The Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish? How did you do that?"

Xiao Yao rubbed his nose without answering.

In fact, when the eruption occurred, the instant the Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish lost its ability to resist, Xiao Yao had activated the Heavenly Book's sealing ability and sealed it inside.

So, while Shui Bing'er and Qiu Wanxi had both thought the Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish had either been utterly annihilated in the explosion or fled without a trace,

he was able to bring out the intact Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish.

"Ah, I love you to death!"

Overcome with excitement, Shui Bing'er leaped up and kissed Xiao Yao's cheek, as lightly as a dragonfly touching water.

Qiu Wanxi was a little surprised. Since when had Shui Bing'er become so uninhibited?

Still, she paid it no mind. There was nothing wrong with girls being a little affectionate with each other, after all.

It was just that Shui Bing'er had always cared about etiquette and had never done anything excessive.

Perhaps today's string of accidents and surprises had gone to her head.

Alongside his surprise, Xiao Yao felt a sweetness in his heart. Shui Bing'er's Intimacy with him had exceeded eighty.

That meant she would not tell anyone else his true identity.

At the same time, he could reveal more secrets to her.

And that kiss showed all the more that she did not mind his past deception.

"Stop fooling around. Hurry up and absorb the Soul Ring."

While Qiu Wanxi was not looking, Xiao Yao squeezed Shui Bing'er's pert bottom.

Two blushes rose on her cheeks.

The Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish's organ for storing mass had been ruptured, and it was no longer in that state of having form but no substance.

Coupled with its severe "water loss," it was no longer thirty or forty meters across, looking no different from an ordinary jellyfish.

Shui Bing'er took the Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish and examined it from every angle, but she still had no idea where to start.

"Do I kill it to get its Soul Ring too? But how do I kill it?"

"You don't need to kill it. Just swallow it."

Qiu Wanxi offered her guidance.

Shui Bing'er felt nauseated at those words.

The thing was already sticky and slimy in her hand, and squeezing it made it squirt white fluid.

If she swallowed it, wouldn't that white fluid squirt straight into her throat?

That's so disgusting!

I'm not eating it!

If I'd known, I wouldn't have hunted it!

Xiao Yao noticed her discomfort and resistance.

"I have a way for you to get its Soul Ring without eating it."

"Really?"

Shui Bing'er was delighted, her eyes lighting up.

She truly could not stomach something like this, but she could not give up the temptation of Ultimate Ice either.

Nothing could be better than having a way to resolve it.

"Remember our Martial Soul Fusion Skill? It isn't the kind that releases its power in a single burst."

"Instead, it's a Soul Skill that fuses and elevates our Soul Power before unleashing astonishing power."

"As long as I eat it and transfer my Soul Power to you, you can absorb its Soul Ring just the same."

"Would that work?" Shui Bing'er asked Qiu Wanxi for her opinion.

Even the widely knowledgeable Qiu Wanxi was uncertain now. "Perhaps?"

Shui Bing'er glanced at the Disc Water Spirit Jellyfish, but in the end, she still could not bear to risk it.

"Forget it. If half its energy goes to you and my martial soul can't evolve, won't I cry myself to death?"

With that, she scrunched up her face, opened her mouth, and swallowed it in one gulp.

Shui Bing'er successfully obtained her Soul Ring. According to the plan, they should have headed back.

But the ship had lost its bearings, probably because of that vortex.

Out at sea, all they could see was a vast ocean. Blue followed blue, without a single landmark.

The only things they could use to determine their direction were the stars overhead.

But using the stars to find their bearings had its problems too.

Namely, the stars visible from different places were different.

They could not rely on a star chart observed from shore to determine their direction and position at sea.

Put plainly, observing the heavens at night while at sea did not mean they could head straight home.

Instead, they needed many days to judge their bearings through changes in the stars.

Half a month passed.

It was far longer than anyone had expected!

Their fresh water and food had run out!

They could only rely on Shui Bing'er and Xiao Yao combining their Soul Skills to make fresh water, and go into the sea to catch fish for food!

More importantly, the sailors in the cabins could no longer stand the isolation and monotony inside!

To avoid a backlash, Qiu Wanxi could only allow them to come up for fresh air at set times!

The three of them had also changed back into their normal clothes, but the sea wind and seawater had soaked them!

Their clothes clung tightly to their lovely bodies, fully revealing their graceful curves. How alluring they were went without saying!

Added to that were their faces, youthful, charming, or coldly beautiful!

Xiao Yao could already clearly sense that something was wrong with the way those sailors looked at them!

But because of Qiu Wanxi's formidable strength,

they did not dare do anything more!

"Lady Soul Saint, please go into the cabins immediately."

"The signs in the heavens indicate an exceptionally severe storm tonight. Our Soul Power barrier won't be able to withstand it."

"We must activate the high-grade barrier in conjunction with the hull to withstand these winds and waves."

"Also, our anchor has broken, so we can't stabilize the ship."

"The winds and waves this time are very likely to drive us off our position. Anyone on deck is extremely likely to be swept into the sea, and finding them again would be nearly impossible."

"For safety's sake, please take shelter in the cabins."

The leader of the hired sailors handed Qiu Wanxi the report from their observations of the heavens the previous night.

Qiu Wanxi held the report, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

"An exceptionally severe storm? Then we'll do as you say and go into the cabins."

"But the three of us must have a room to ourselves. We'll leave tonight's watch to you."

She knew the dangers of facing a storm on deck without a protective barrier.

Unwilling to take that risk, she could only accept the sailors' leader's suggestion and enter the cabins.