Subjugation

The female merman struggled in terror, her long fishtail thrashing about like a fish being held in mid-air.

Xu Qi'an then clearly saw the lower body of the merman, which was not much different from that of an ordinary fish, but its forked tail fin was thick and wide, and it felt like it could kill a person with a flick of its tail.

Her fishtail swung powerfully, its lines graceful; among human women, these were—no, they were long, shapely legs. Xu Qi'an noticed she wore rattan armor and a necklace of pearls and scallops around her neck, conveying a message:

"Are you the Mermaid Queen's personal guard?"

Merfolk certainly don't speak human language, but fortunately, their Primordial Spirit is powerful enough to directly transmit thoughts, replacing language.

The most basic use is to let the other party know your joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. To use thoughts to replace words, Primordial Spirit level must be at least extraordinary (this only applies to martial artists).

Who are you people?!

The female mermaid said.

The merfolk spoke a language of Gods and Devils, a language passed down from ancient times, which is why Xu Qi'an didn't understand it.

The silver-haired enchantress said calmly:

"You have no right to ask us questions or answer my questions."

She immediately released a wisp of her aura, which caused the female merman's fishtail to tremble, revealing a look of fear, and she nodded vigorously.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's expression was serious, and she looked extremely cold and aloof. Only now did she possess a touch of queenly haughtiness as she asked:

"Is your Mermaid Island in trouble?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the half-destroyed mermaid corpse on the deck.

The female merman, held aloft by Xu Qi'an, stared at the corpses on the deck, a look of sorrow on her face. "Not long ago, a powerful descendant of Gods and Devils came to Mermaid Island and devoured many of our people. The queen led her guards out to sea to fight, but they couldn't drive him away, and many of our sisters were eaten."

Merfolk have a twisted view of love, so loyal that they insist on a one-child policy even when faced with willful couples. They would not even want two children, let alone three.

Therefore, even after countless years of reproduction, the number of sharks has never increased, and sometimes it has even experienced negative growth.

Every member of the clan is exceptionally precious.

Xu Qi'an asked:

Why does this dragon want to eat you?

The female merman shook her head in frustration and said:

"I have no idea.

"The people are currently hiding in the caves on the island, afraid to go out to sea. The queen is injured and recuperating in the palace. I came out to investigate; I heard its roar over here, so I came to check."

At this point, she recalled the terror of being dominated by monsters, her golden eyes darting around in a panic, glancing left and right, and she said tremblingly:

"You were attacked by it too, weren't you?"

"I'm just here to investigate, I mean no harm, please let me go. If it finds me, it will go berserk."

Seeing that Xu Qi'an and the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox remained calm, seemingly unaware of the seriousness of the situation, she grew increasingly anxious.

"You may not know this, but it goes berserk whenever it encounters a merman. Once it goes berserk, even the Queen is no match for it."

Don't think that just because it's gone, it's nothing special.

Xu Qi'an, who couldn't understand the language of Gods and Devils, turned to look at the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, who then translated the female mermaid's words.

Xu Qi'an's expression changed, and he pointed to the sea beneath the female merman, exclaiming in panic:

Is that it?

The female merman looked down and saw a ferocious dragon head emerging from the undulating blue sea. Its scarlet eyes stared at her menacingly as it slowly opened its blood-red maw.

Ah~

She let out a scream, her face contorted with fear, her fishtail trembled spasmodically, and a part of her tail split open, spurting out a clear liquid.

That scared the crap out of me, huh? Wait, sharp fangs. Xu Qi'an noticed that when the female merman screamed, her small mouth opened, revealing two sharp little fangs.

"The merfolk have no luck with food," he thought with some regret. He stopped trying to frighten her, manipulated the dragon to dive into the sea, and waited until the female merfolk had calmed down before saying:

"I have subdued it; now it will lead us to see the Mermaid Queen."

The female merman frequently glanced at the sea, not entirely believing it, her face still showing fear.

Xu Qi'an manipulated the dragon to surface and made it swim around the boat, appearing obedient.

After witnessing it firsthand, the female merman gradually accepted reality and chose to believe it; her gaze towards Xu Qi'an was filled with undisguised surprise.

This dragon was even more powerful than the queen, and yet this powerful creature willingly submitted to her.

This is even more difficult than killing it.

She knew that the evil dragon was insane and irrational.

Thinking of this, the merman woman felt even more awe.

But she still stubbornly shook her head:

"I... I must first report to the Queen."

She couldn't possibly bring such a terrifyingly powerful person to see the Queen on her own; that's the kind of awareness a Queen's personal guard should have, an awareness that transcends life itself.

Xu Qi'an nodded slightly:

Go early and come back early.

He casually tossed her out; the female merman arced through the air before 'plop' falling into the sea.

The capital city.

In a secluded courtyard of Lingbao Temple, Chu Yuanzhen sat cross-legged in the meditation room, gazing at Luo Yuheng, who sat on a futon opposite him, her beauty as ethereal as a celestial being.

"What does the Imperial Advisor think I should do to forge my own path and ascend to the extraordinary?"

Chu Yuanzhen humbly sought guidance.

As Registered Disciple the Human Sect, Chu Yuanzhen followed the path of the sword, and the only person he could consult was Luo Yuheng.

Xu Qi'an's words before his departure, as well as the successive advancements of the Heaven and Earth Society members to the extraordinary realm, put immense pressure on him, making him eager to improve himself, transcend mortals, and enter the realm of the extraordinary.

In front of outsiders, Luo Yuheng always maintained a cold and aloof demeanor, appearing unapproachable and dignified.

She hesitated for a moment, then slowly said:

"The three great sword techniques of the Human Sect are Control, Mind, and Qi. To unleash the full potential of the first two, a powerful Primordial Spirit is required. Since you don't Daoist School mental techniques, the fourth rank is already your limit. As for Qi, your cultivation of intention has already opened up a completely new path."

"However, this move relies on accumulating strength before unleashing it; it can be used as a trump card, but it's difficult to use in normal combat."

Chu Yuanzhen smiled bitterly:

The Imperial Advisor has a discerning eye.

Luo Yuheng said:

"Cultivating one's will, cultivating one's spirit, is also about cultivating emotions. The karmic fire of the human race happens to be the seven emotions and six desires, so why not try to explore in this direction?"

Chu Yuanzhen's eyes lit up, then his expression became complicated.

He felt that the imperial advisor had opened a door to a new world for him, but at the same time, he felt that what lay behind that door might be an abyss.

What if I get corrupted by karmic fire? Should I also seek out Xu Qi'an for dual cultivation...? Scholar Chu's expression became even more complicated.

Mermaid Island, inside a cave.

The island is dotted with natural caves, whose entrances connect to the seabed. Seawater flows into the caves, forming natural sanctuaries suitable for the merfolk to live in.

Azi swung its strong tail, stirring up the currents, and slid swiftly across the seabed. The skin under its armpits separated, revealing gills that allowed it to breathe underwater.

Before long, they returned to Mermaid Island.

She accurately located an underwater cave leading to a lava cavern and nimbly slipped inside.

She quickly passed through the narrow, long underwater tunnel and began to rise. A few seconds later, she successfully surfaced.

Azi adjusted her respiratory system, twitched her straight nose, and took a few deep breaths of fresh air.

This is a huge cave with stalactites hanging upside down from the ceiling, interlocking like jagged teeth. In the middle is a wide "river" with uneven but walkable paths on both sides.

Azi continued swimming along the river, and after many twists and turns, she finally saw the palace built in a huge cave.

The palace is located right next to the stone wall, half of it submerged in water and the other half above water.

The architectural style is simple and rustic, with massive stones and pointed roofs, without much ornate decoration.

Inside the cave and outside the palace, there were many mermaids, some in the water and some sitting on the shore with their fish tails submerged in the water, talking in hushed tones, their faces full of sorrow.

Ever since that evil dragon arrived, the merfolk have dared not go out to sea anymore.

With a population of over two thousand merfolk, food became an enormous problem.

At first, some merfolk would venture out of the underwater caves to hunt for food nearby, but gradually, there were no more fish to hunt around Mermaid Island.

In addition, since the sharks were killed every time they went out, no shark dared to go out anymore.

Today, their food sources are wild fruits from the island and animals that inhabit it.

However, this amount of food is still far from enough to feed the entire merfolk tribe.

"This can't go on. I've been starving for two days. If I don't get any food soon, I'm going crazy."

"But there's no food left nearby."

"Eating seaweed is fine too; going out means death, hiding here means death as well."

"Why is that evil dragon targeting our Merfolk race? Even the Queen is no match for it, what should we do?"

Whispers arose among the merfolk.

Their faces were solemn, their brows furrowed, and they lacked smiles; a sense of oppression and heaviness permeated the group.

Some of the merfolk were so hungry that they were completely weak.

"Lady Azusa is back!"

Some of the tribespeople saw Azi return, and while overjoyed that she hadn't perished in the dragon's jaws, they asked with anticipation:

Did you bring back any food?

Azi shook her head:

There are no fish or shrimp left in this area.

The tribesman who asked the question looked disappointed, and the merfolk around him, who had been looking at him with eager eyes, also looked gloomy.

A few seconds later, another member of the tribe asked:

"What about that evil dragon? Azi, did you encounter it?"

The tribespeople looked over again.

Azi nodded:

"It was killed."

The cave fell silent. The merfolk in the distance all turned to look, their eyes filled with shock, doubt, and a hint of anticipation.

"Azi, what did you say?"

An elderly merman asked in a trembling voice.

"Really, Azi, are you telling the truth?"

"Don't lie to the merman! How could that monster have been killed? The Queen is still recuperating in the palace."

"Azi, if you're lying, I'll report you to the Queen."

The surrounding merfolk became excited and started asking questions, creating a noisy commotion.

At this moment, the doors of the distant main hall opened, and a middle-aged female merman, wielding a steel fork, swam out. Looking at the mermen gathered in the river within the hall, she reprimanded them:

"The Queen is recovering from her injuries; please refrain from making any noise."

She was beautiful, but time had left obvious marks on her face, with faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes.

But in terms of charm, she is more alluring and captivating than younger female mermaids.

The middle-aged female merman then looked at Azi, her cold expression softening slightly, and said:

"It's good that you're back."

Azi twisted her waist, swung her fish tail, and swam over, saying:

"Captain of the Guard, I need to see the Queen. I have something to report."

The middle-aged female merman nodded slightly:

"Come with me."

The two sharks immediately swam into the palace. The palace had a simple interior structure, with a huge pool and countless luminous pearls embedded in the walls, like stars in the sky.

In the center of the pool is a base carved from bright red, translucent coral. On the base is a large bed made of red agate, with a gossamer-thin gauze curtain hanging down. A beautiful woman with a graceful figure and jade-like skin lies on the bed.

She was stunningly beautiful, with flawless features.

Her long, dark green hair flowed smoothly like seaweed, her high breasts were covered by a tough fish skin, her abdomen was flat, and her navel looked cute and delicate.

Her face was slightly pale, and her delicate beauty was slightly furrowed, presenting a pitiful fragility rather than the cold arrogance of a queen.

"You're back!"

The mermaid queen's voice was soft and gentle, and her golden gaze was dreamlike.

Azi glanced at the Queen's lower abdomen, where the exaggerated wound from yesterday was no longer visible, and felt a slight sense of relief.

The Mermaid Queen noticed her gaze and said softly:

"Without food, the tribe will eventually collapse. My injuries will heal tomorrow, and I will try to lure that creature away. You can take the opportunity to go hunting."

The head guard's expression changed slightly. He opened his mouth as if to dissuade him, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

That evil dragon is powerful and also possesses water-based talents; the queen may not be able to escape its pursuit.

Once entangled, it becomes a fierce battle, and there is even a risk of death.

But this is the only way.

Azi took a breath, seemingly having made up her mind, and said:

"Your Majesty, your subordinates encountered that evil dragon outside, along with two powerful individuals of mysterious origin."

"Then, that evil dragon was subdued by one of the male humans."

Yes, it should be the human race.