"Right here?"
The Mermaid Princess looked at the whirlpool in front of her with a suspicious expression, simply unable to understand it.
Huo Yuhao nodded and replied, "This is the core of the formation. You can think of it as an illusion formation; your clansmen have actually been here all along."
"This is one of the points where we can see through the illusion."
The Mermaid Princess's eyes widened. "There's an illusion array here? My Spiritual Power didn't detect it at all."
Huo Yuhao continued, " Deity naturally wield more power than mortals. In fact, there are several places on this fire island where the flames, even if they touch people, will not cause any harm."
"Those flames are reflections of the illusion array, like invisible mirrors inserted into that area."
"False flames? Mirrors?" The Mermaid Princess was a bit confused.
Some human words were still difficult for her to understand.
Huo Yuhao didn't explain further, but simply pointed to the vortex and said, "The person is inside. My time is precious."
The Mermaid Princess fell silent, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped into the whirlpool.
Her delicate, fair feet gently touched the water's surface. The icy seawater had changed temperature; instead of feeling liquid flowing between her toes, she experienced a strange dryness.
Filled with doubt, the Mermaid Princess plunged into the whirlpool, and Huo Yuhao followed her in.
The Mermaid Princess felt as if a hazy illusion had obscured her vision, and even her attempts to use her Spiritual Power to investigate were futile as everything remained foggy and unclear.
Huo Yuhao's voice rang out at the opportune moment, "Calm your mind and wait a moment."
The Mermaid Princess quickly withdrew her Spiritual Power, her delicate white fingers awkwardly interlacing, clearly showing some nervousness.
A moment later, the Mermaid Princess felt her body floating in mid-air, enveloped in a warm sensation.
It was as if someone was lifting her up from behind.
The scene before their eyes also changed; the once flowing seawater instantly became calm and abruptly disappeared.
The Mermaid Princess found herself in a sinkhole, with flames above blocking the only exit like a fishing net.
"Your people are just ahead..."
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice appeared in the Mermaid Princess's mind.
"Who?!"
The Mermaid Princess warily surveyed her surroundings and shouted outwards using her Spiritual Power.
"Relax, the boss just sent me to help you out, since you'll be joining us soon."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm revealed itself before the Mermaid Princess and spoke.
The Mermaid Princess scrutinized the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Was this long, white silkworm with eyes like two large lanterns really reliable?
She subconsciously turned her head to look behind her, only to find that Huo Yuhao had already disappeared.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm noticed the Mermaid Princess's disdainful gaze and transformed into human form.
He wore a white hooded robe made of white silkworm silk, his bright eyes had a faint purple tinge, and a smile played on his lips. Especially with his short golden hair, he looked every bit the sunny, cheerful young man.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm crossed her arms and said smugly, "What, you still don't believe in my abilities? I was ruling the Far North, using ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice Marrow to pick my teeth every day, and you weren't even born yet."
The Mermaid Princess listened to his words and became even more disbelieving. She simply couldn't trust the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in front of her and remained wary.
"Alright, little bug, even though you're Million-Year Soul Beast, you're getting cocky just because Yuhao's not here? Get back to business."
An aged voice rang out from behind Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
The Mermaid Princess saw an old man with gray hair walk out from behind him.
The man nodded to the Mermaid Princess and said, "My name is Electrolux, little fish. I congratulate you on joining us in advance."
No, that's not right, it's not an old man, it's a man with gray hair and an extremely young face.
It wasn't his gray hair that Mermaid Princess think he was an old man, but rather a unique aura about him.
It was as if he had witnessed all the vicissitudes of life, the fall of stars, and the entirety of the world.
His eyes were filled with a sense of vicissitude, as if he were a reed in the long river of time, about to be swallowed up at any moment.
The Mermaid Princess turned her gaze back to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. What had she heard in those few words?
Million-Year Soul Beast?!
Really?!
The Mermaid Princess was deeply shocked, yet somewhat incredulous.
"My lord... where is he?"
Electrolux smiled slightly and said, "He has more important things to do. All you need to know is that after rescuing your people, you must immediately perform the sacrifice."
"That's right, just like you promised before, don't try any tricks this time, after all, the boss's tolerance has its limits," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm reminded her.
Upon hearing this, the Mermaid Princess no longer had any doubts. After all, both of them knew about the deal between herself and Huo Yuhao, so there was no need to be alarmed any further.
Only then did the Mermaid Princess have a chance to look at her people, and she saw nearly a hundred mermaids huddled together in one place.
They all had furrowed brows and had lost consciousness.
There were also many different kinds of Sea Soul Beast nearby. They were not unconscious, but they were listless, as if most of their life force had been drained away.
Four blood-red chains, each tens of meters thick, extend from the so-called 'birdcage' in the four cardinal directions: east, west, north, and south.
The viscous blood slowly undulates on it, its movement as natural as human breathing.
Tick-tock! Tick-tock!
The sound of blood hitting the ground on the chains was in sync with the sound of a heartbeat; with each thud, a desperate silence spread through my heart!
At the center of the blood chains, a mermaid with a face strikingly similar to the Mermaid Princess Liya hung in mid-air, dripping with blood.
Pale golden blood seeped from her body and flowed down the chains.
The blood on the chains actually came from the mermaid!
Liya's eyes widened, and her pupils suddenly contracted!
"Mother!"
"Mother! Can you hear my voice?... It's me, it's Liya!..."
Mermaid Princess Liya, her voice trembling, watched as glistening tears uncontrollably slid down her cheeks.
The Sea Princess struggled to open her tightly closed eyes a crack, trying to look in the direction from which the sound came, her lips parted slightly but no sound came out.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm surveyed its surroundings, stroked its chin, and said, "This is truly a giant birdcage. This Deity is quite something."
Electrolux, standing to the side, said, "It's constructed using Divine Power, somewhat like a magic circle; dismantling it shouldn't be difficult."
"However, I might need a little help."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Liya asked anxiously.
Electrolux shook his head and said, "It's nothing serious, don't worry."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm laughed and said, "When will the caged bird fly?"
"Today!"