The Golden-Tailed Mermaid

The Jiaoren's voice seemed to carry a bewitching quality; with just a few words, Sang Ying was left in a daze.

Fortunately, it was only for a moment. The moment Sang Ying stepped into the pool, she immediately regained her senses.

Once she regained her senses, Sang Ying quickly took a few steps back, her longsword pointing directly at the golden-tailed Jiaoren: "You want to bewitch me?"

"Oh dear," she laughed, "What a pity, you actually found out. I thought I could lure you into the water and make you my meal!"

With a flick of its golden tail, which resembled a scroll painting, the originally bottomless pool water gradually became clear, allowing Sang Ying to easily see the layers of white bones at the bottom of the pool.

With just one glance, Sang Ying could tell that the skeletons all belonged to the Human Race.

"You cannibalize people!" Sang Ying's eyes darkened slightly.

She wasn't unaware of the legends about Jiaoren devouring humans, but the other party was clearly trapped in the Thousandfold Formation, a formation that Ten Thousand Daos Born used to test new disciples; it shouldn't be capable of causing death.

Thinking of this, Sang Ying seemed to realize something. "No, you're still deceiving me. Those bones must have been conjured up by you! Ten Thousand Daos Born wouldn't let his disciple die in the formation!"

If so many people had truly disappeared within the formation, the matter would have escalated significantly long ago, and the Thousandfold Formation would never have remained in place.

The golden-tailed Jiaoren laughed upon hearing this. Her voice was melodious, and her laughter was even more delightful. "How naive you are, little girl. Even the founding ancestor of Ten Thousand Daos Born could only trap me here. I've only eaten a few people, so naturally they'll have to obediently cover for me."

She casually picked up Root Bone and threw it onto the shore. "If you don't believe me, come and feel if this is a real bone."

The Jiaoren's face was full of confidence, just like Elder Chen outside the formation. "Putting everything else aside, she absolutely cannot break through this formation!"

He announced it once again.

But inside the formation, Sang Ying completely ignored the Jiaoren and even kicked the bone back. "There's no need for this kind of verification. I just want to get through the formation. You just need to tell me what constitutes breaking the formation."

This was probably the first time the Jiaoren had encountered such a persistent cultivator, but fortunately, she was also a persistent person.

"I told you you can't get out. You only have two choices: either I swallow you whole, or you crush the leaf cards and leave before I get hungry." She giggled. "There's no other way!"

The Jiaoren's attitude was resolute, and his expression subtly took on a fierce quality.

Sang Ying nodded after listening. "In that case, I have no choice but to seek guidance from you, senior."

After speaking, her expression changed, and she raised her sword to meet the attack.

The Jiaoren seemed to have anticipated her choice, calmly swaying its golden tail. With a flick of its wrist, the water in the pool transformed into a gigantic water dragon, which murmured and instantly clashed with Sang Ying's sword.

The sword blade cleaved through the water dragon, and the splashed water instantly coalesced again. With a flick of its long tail, it delivered a sudden and devastating blow to Sang Ying!

Sang Ying, who was nearly knocked away, soon had a trickle of blood on her lips. She could feel the pain coming from her internal organs, which made her clearly know that she was really injured.

"Have you seen the difference between us? If you were smart, you should have left the Thousandfold Formation. This Ten Thousand Daos Born is not worth joining at all. He doesn't care about the lives of cultivators like you." The Jiaoren's sarcastic voice rang out at the right moment.

Even Gu Shu was somewhat swayed by her words: "Sang Ying, why don't we leave?"

The oppressive aura emanating from the Jiaoren was something even his Sword Qi could sense.

"I've thought about it carefully, and Ten Thousand Daos Born isn't a good place to go either. There are plenty of sects more powerful than him. If you don't like the Immortal Spirit Realm, you can go somewhere else! At worst, we can go back to the Twin Orchid Realm!" Gu Shu couldn't help but persuade him.

Sang Ying raised her hand to wipe the blood from her lips, shook her head, and that was her answer to the Jiaoren Gu Shu.

Sang Ying didn't want to give up. Firstly, she didn't believe that Ten Thousand Daos Born's sect was like this. Secondly, she genuinely wanted to become a disciple of this sect.

She still remembered what the head of the Jimo Household had said when he came to ask for her opinion. He had told Sang Ying that when Ten Thousand Daos Born founded the sect, the first sect leader established the sect precepts, requiring Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciples to cultivate the Way of the Common People and uphold benevolence.

Over the years, Ten Thousand Daos Born has never forgotten this ancestral precept, always adhering to his Daoist principles and prioritizing the well-being of all people.

She had witnessed fellow disciples betray her in an instant, she had seen the sect leader distort the truth, and she had even seen her master shatter her own Golden Core regardless of the truth...

Not only to gain greater power, Sang Ying also wanted to see if there were truly united fellow disciples in this world, if there were masters who upheld the righteous path without bias, and if there were sect leaders who acted in accordance with the great principles without regard for personal gain.

She liked this sect and wanted to become Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciple.

For no other reason than this, she wanted to persevere.

After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Sang Ying raised her sword again. "Again!"

The frost-covered sword fell on the water dragon, freezing parts of its body.

With another burst of force, Sang Ying snapped the once-intact water dragon in two!

Since we can't stop the flowing water, let's freeze it and then break it open!

Despite the numbness in her wrist, Sang Ying turned to look at the Jiaoren in the pool. The golden-tailed Jiaoren clapped enthusiastically for her, his smile still sweet.

"It seems one is still too easy for you. A few more would be better." As soon as she finished speaking, five more water dragons immediately stood up from the pool.

The ferocious dragon head lunged at Sang Ying, exuding a terrifying sense of oppression.

Sang Ying immediately used her movement Movement Method to barely avoid the sharp teeth formed from water.

The water dragons, imbued with Spiritual Power by the Jiaoren, were all quite powerful. They struggled even against one of Sang Ying, let alone five at once!

These water dragons seemed to have their own consciousness; whenever Sang Ying attacked one of them, the others would seize the opportunity to strike her back.

Even if one of the dragon's tails is severed with great difficulty, it can quickly grow back.

Sang Ying had never been so humiliated, nor had she ever felt so frustrated.

Even though it was formed from pool water, the dragon was still a dragon. Even though it was only swept by the tail, Sang Ying felt as if she had been hit by a heavy hammer.

After she cleaved the five water dragons in two, Sang Ying leaned against her sword, panting heavily.

A slender Jiaoren swam over. "Tsk tsk tsk, I already said you could just quit, why are you being so stubborn?"

"Senior, there's no need to say more. No matter what, I will get through this!" She said, enduring the nauseating taste of blood in her mouth, word by word.

"Fine!" the Jiaoren helplessly. "Then I'll play with you a little longer!"

With a flick of its long tail, five more water dragons emerged, their claws outstretched.

Sang Ying blinked slowly and then slowly raised her sword.

Having learned from her previous experiences, even though this time the victory was just as difficult, Sang Ying cleverly sealed off the entire pool with a single sword strike before she could completely eliminate the water dragons.

When the last water dragon turned into a drizzle and scattered, the pool, which was originally as green as jade, was covered with a thick layer of ice, which continued to emit a chill.

With half its body frozen in ice, the Jiaoren could no longer flick its tail, nor could it conjure a water dragon.

Sang Ying wiped away the blood that had dripped from her forehead and walked across the ice to the Jiaoren.

With the sword tip pointed at her beautiful face, Sang Ying asked, "Senior, may I pass through now?"

The Jiaoren slowly raised his head, and in his equally golden eyes, he saw a young woman covered in blood.

She curled her lips into a smile, "Still not, but I can mercifully tell you one thing: I'm hungry..."

The solid ice beneath her feet suddenly shattered, and Sang Ying's Spiritual Qi seemed to be sealed off, making it impossible for her to mobilize even a fraction of it.

She fell into the pool along with the Floating River Sword, and amidst the shimmering light and shadow, a long golden tail swept past her.

The next second, a giant mouth full of sharp teeth opened in front of Sang Ying and swallowed her whole.

In the end, all that remained in Sang Ying's memory was boundless darkness.

The water mirror continued to reflect, but nothing remained but pitch blackness.

Elder Chen had long since lost his initial smugness and disdain. He slowly exhaled, his expression somewhat unpleasant.

This time, however, Jiulian refrained from making any sarcastic remarks; it seemed that only the silent water mirror remained in their eyes.

A note from the author:

Sorry, Queque is late~ Queque does a 360-degree mid-air spin and bows in apology. (JPG)

The revision is still ongoing, but starting tomorrow, Queque will return to updating three times a week.

I hope to continue spending time with you all and finish telling this story. Love you all!

See you tomorrow~