"Court death!"
The Mermaid Queen gritted her teeth, enduring her injuries, and channeled her Soul Power, causing a mermaid phantom to appear behind her.
The mermaid phantom began to chant a song, the sound waves of which, though tangible, carried a terrifying mental attack.
Huo Yuhao smiled dismissively and lightly pointed his finger forward.
His eyes held a hint of purple as his Spiritual Power poured out, enveloping the Mermaid Queen.
puff!
The Mermaid Queen suddenly coughed up blood, and the mermaid phantom behind her shattered like glass.
"Mother! How are you?"
Liya's heart tightened instantly. She wanted to help her mother up, but she was bound by the magic circle beneath her and could not move.
"Cough cough..."
The Mermaid Queen waved to Liya, about to speak, when suddenly she felt a heavy weight on one side and fell uncontrollably to the ground.
Huo Yuhao stood up, his gaze sharp, and with his boundless Soul Power, he transformed into an invisible hand that suppressed him.
"Who are you!"
The Mermaid Queen struggled to stay upright, glaring fiercely at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao stood up and stopped the Soul Spirit ritual.
Liya felt the restraints on her body disappear and quickly stood up to check on her mother.
But as soon as he got close, Huo Yuhao's eyes sharpened, and another illusory hand appeared out of thin air, suppressing Liya to the spot.
"Behave yourself, resolve the matter, and fulfill the agreement."
Liya hurriedly explained, "I've already promised you, please don't hurt my mother."
The Mermaid Queen frowned and quickly asked, " Liya, what did you promise him?"
"Mother, it's alright. As long as this matter is resolved, you and your people will be safe." Liya forced a smile.
"Shh, be quiet."
With a smile, Huo Yuhao squatted down in front of Liya, his two slender fingers pinching her delicate face again and gently lifting it up a little.
Liya let out a muffled groan, sounding somewhat uncomfortable.
The Mermaid Queen channeled her Soul Power to the fullest extent, trying to break free of the restraints. Her fair skin became flushed with blood, and bulging, ferocious veins appeared on her skin.
"I told you to behave yourself, is that so hard?"
Huo Yuhao frowned, picked at his ear with a finger, and increased his Soul Power again.
boom!
The massive hand of Soul Power slammed mercilessly onto the sand, even spitting out a large amount of blood.
"Mother!" Liya cried out urgently.
Huo Yuhao turned to look at her, his tone still calm, "I told you not to rush, I just want her to behave herself."
"Cough cough cough..."
A painful cough echoed from the dust, Mermaid Queen's body, which had just recovered, began to crumble once more.
Blood flowed down the body to the ground, staining the sand and forming droplets of blood.
The blood flowed and collided, turning into large bloodstains that soaked the ground.
"Can we talk properly now?"
Huo Yuhao yawned and looked at the heavily injured Mermaid Queen.
The Mermaid Queen's pupils were bloodshot as she glared fiercely at Huo Yuhao, only able to make muffled sounds due to the blood in her mouth.
"Looks like it'll work. That makes things simple."
"Madam, you wouldn't want your daughter to get hurt, would you?"
Huo Yuhao chuckled and tightened his grip on Liya's two fingers even more.
The Mermaid Queen was pale. She took a deep breath, and blood gushed from her mouth, blooming into a bloody flower on the sand. It was as if this simple action had drained her of all her strength.
She turned her head with difficulty to look at her daughter, who was being controlled by Huo Yuhao. Her eyes were dim, and a tear of humiliation rolled down her cheek.
Her voice was weak and trembling as she weakly uttered, "Okay..."
Huo Yuhao propped his head up and gently raised his hand towards the Mermaid Queen. The illusory hand formed from his Soul Power rose slightly, reducing its power.
Snap!
In the blink of an eye, a crisp sound rang out, and Huo Yuhao smiled.
"It's a very clear choice; let your daughter tell you herself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Yuhao released Liya's hand and vanished in a flash.
The powerful Soul Power that had been binding the two of them also disappeared at this moment.
Liya hurriedly got up and went to the Mermaid Queen's side, carefully helping her mother up.
"Mother, are you alright?"
"I... I'm fine. What's going on? Tell me, those runes were absorbing your life energy." The Mermaid Queen took a breath and spoke.
"Mother, it's alright, this is part of the deal..."
Liya began to tell the Mermaid Queen about her relationship with Huo Yuhao, including the deal they made.
After some time, the Mermaid Queen finally understood the deal her daughter and Huo Yuhao had made.
" Liya, although you did the right thing for the sake of your people, from your mother's perspective, I don't want you to do this." The Mermaid Empress sighed.
Liya shook her head. "It's alright, Mother. This was my own choice. As long as you and our people exist, I'm happy."
The Mermaid Queen struggled to sit up, reached out and took Liya's hand, and said softly, "You must have had a tough time these past few days."
Liya felt a pang of sadness, and tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily.
Slurp!
Liya reached out and wiped away her tears, smiling gently, "It's not hard at all!"
The Mermaid Queen hugged her daughter tenderly and gently stroked the back of her head.
Liya felt the warmth of her mother's embrace and hugged her mother tightly.
One last time, I felt my mother's embrace, inhaled her scent, and remembered the Mermaid Queen before leaving.
"Mother, please take care of yourself. These humans are wicked. You must hide in the deep sea and stay far away from them."
Liya gently pushed away her mother's embrace, forced a smile, and carefully gave the Mermaid Queen some instructions.
The Mermaid Queen simply looked at her daughter, her eyes filled with heartache.
"Then let's keep our promise."
Huo Yuhao had appeared behind Liya without her noticing. His black longsword was stuck in the ground, and he leaned lazily on the hilt.
"Yes, I'm ready." Liya nodded, then turned to her mother, "Mom, please take good care of yourself."
After saying that, Liya was about to get up and return to the position where the ceremony had begun.
"Wait!"
Huo Yuhao had just sat down when he was interrupted again by the Mermaid Queen.
His eyes turned cold, and the Soul Power within his body surged forth, its terrifying aura unconsciously building up.
The Mermaid Queen quickly spoke up, "Your Excellency, allow me to interrupt again, but I think I have a deal that might be more suitable for you."
"Oh?" Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, showing some interest, wanting to know what other deals the Mermaid Queen had up her sleeve.
Liya turned to look at her mother, about to speak, but met her resolute gaze.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he unconsciously swallowed them back.
"Tell me about it. If I'm interested, I'll consider making a deal with you," Huo Yuhao continued.
The Mermaid Queen spoke, "It's simple, it's an exchange."
"I will replace Liya."