"Fourth Junior Brother! Watch out!"
Shen Chuyun panicked and tried to draw his life-bound sword, but it was too late. He was dragged into the sea first.
Pei Xuanjing's eyes were bloodshot with anger. He picked up his sword and was about to jump into the sea.
He Yu sensed Pei Xuanjing's intention to save the person, but stepped in front of him and blocked him. "Senior Brother! That's a sea beast, a giant octopus! Are you crazy?!"
Pei Xuanjing turned around and roared, "He's our junior brother! How can you just stand by and do nothing?!"
He Yu hugged Pei Xuanjing tightly, preventing him from taking a single step forward. He also activated the protective formation on the ship with a formation stone.
"Who said he's our junior brother? If it weren't for Shen Qing, he wouldn't even have the qualification to enter the mountain gate of Qingyun Sword Sect and become our junior brother!"
"Are you really going to sacrifice your own life for someone like him, Senior Brother? Wake up!"
He Yu roared with all his might, trying to bring back Pei Xuanjing's rationality.
After a moment, Pei Xuanjing slowly gave up struggling. He helped He Yu up, his eyes filled with grief. "Second Junior Brother, perhaps that's why Shen Qing doesn't want to come back."
"We weigh the pros and cons, blind and heartless. That's why we're easily deceived. Now, at this life - and - death moment, what we're still considering is whether it's worth it."
"Second Junior Brother, if Shen Qing were still here, no matter which one of us was in trouble, she would spare no effort to save us. It's a pity that her sincerity didn't get our sincerity in return. That's why we were abandoned."
He Yu took a step back. Pei Xuanjing's words hit him like a heavy blow to the head.
Sincerity can't be repaid with sincerity...
Did Shen Qing feel as desperate and pained as this when he misunderstood her and scratched her face back then...
Pei Xuanjing glanced at He Yu, then flew onto the railing on the side of the ship. Looking at the churning sea beast in the sea, determination flashed in his eyes.
The sea breeze made his robe flutter and his long hair fly. Even though he knew that his fate would be uncertain if he jumped in, he showed no fear.
"Second Junior Brother, you still have the He family behind you. I don't blame you for not going to save him, but don't stop me!"
With that, Pei Xuanjing quickly swallowed a breath - holding pill and jumped into the sea resolutely.
He Yu reached out his hand, gasping for breath, his voice trembling. "Senior Brother..."
He didn't understand why Senior Brother would go to such lengths for Shen Chuyun, even though they were fellow disciples.
He Yu, who had grown up in a noble family, was used to having all the good things presented to him. His father was the head of the He family, and everyone flattered and served him.
If any collateral family members had ill - intentions, his father would deal with them severely.
In the He family, there was only interest, no affection.
Even if it were for someone with the same bloodline, he might not be able to sacrifice himself, let alone for a junior brother with whom he didn't have a deep relationship.
Everyone's kindness to him came with a purpose, but only Shen Qing didn't. If there was one, it was that she just wanted a bit of warmth from him.
He Yu stumbled to the side of the ship and looked at the churning sea. From time to time, the light of spells appeared from the bottom of the sea.
A huge octopus tentacle thrashed out of the sea in pain and almost hit the ship directly, making He Yu's legs go weak.
"Senior Brother, why?!"
He Yu trembled as he looked at the life - bound sword tightly held in his hand. His eyes were full of panic and fear.
This sword in his hand had never been stained with any blood.
Even when facing those demons in the City of Sea Corals, he always just took out magic tools to protect himself. He didn't want to, and didn't dare to, swing his sword. The feeling of cutting through flesh terrified him.
However, he seemed to have had enough of being a coward.
He Yu took out a breath - holding pill and put it in his mouth. Then he flipped over and jumped into the sea. This feeling of recklessness made him feel terrified but also extremely exhilarated.
"One Sword Frost Cold!!"
He Yu's sword flew out quickly and cut off two octopus tentacles in succession. Frost formed at the wounds.
The sea beast was in pain. The remaining tentacles flailed about wildly, churning the sea into a mess.
Shen Chuyun was tightly sucked by the suction cups on the octopus tentacles and was shaken violently. He almost vomited.
But the sea water was pouring into his mouth and nose, so he could only clench his teeth to avoid drowning.
The worst part was that his storage bag was lost when he was forcibly dragged into the sea by the sea beast. He couldn't even take out a breath - holding pill.
Fortunately, he saw Pei Xuanjing jump into the sea to save him, and his panicked heart calmed down a little.
——
Li Xian carried Shen Qing on his back and swam through the dragon - horned fish. Even though there was still a bit of blood on Shen Qing's body, the dragon - horned fish didn't dare to get close when they saw Li Xian.
"Why are the dragon - horned fish afraid of the merman clan?"
To make Shen Qing more comfortable, Chen Xi, which was originally on Li Xian's back, was held in Shen Qing's arms.
One person and one sword chatted casually. Chen Xi also showed the form of his sword spirit and swam beside Li Xian.
"The merman's voice is a deadly and alluring poison to the dragon - horned fish. The Sound Charm Technique can bewitch everyone and make the dragon - horned fish willing to die."
"So, to avoid being bewitched, the dragon - horned fish will avoid the merman when they see them. Moreover, since the dragon - horned fish are relatively aggressive in the sea but are quite gentle when they're not crazy, the merman clan raises a large number of dragon - horned fish near the Merman Palace."
"And also, the dragon - horned fish like to eat humans because mermen are similar to humans. Having been oppressed by the mermen for a long time, the dragon - horned fish vent their resentment on humans."
Shen Qing showed a helpless expression. Wasn't this just an innocent disaster for humans?
Chen Xi kept chattering on and on, making Shen Qing feel a bit sleepy.
Maybe because he hadn't talked to anyone for a long time, Chen Xi just couldn't stop talking. His talkativeness was different from You Lang's. You Lang was a complaining talker, while Chen Xi just liked to ramble on.
"Chen Xi, stop talking. I'm about to fall asleep."
Shen Qing patted his drowsy head, trying to wake himself up.
Actually, it wasn't entirely Chen Xi's fault. Being on Li Xian's back and not having to do anything, this sense of security made Shen Qing, who had been on high alert, relax and naturally feel sleepy.
Farther away from the Merman Palace, the number of dragon - horned fish decreased significantly.
They had gone to the cave they came from before, but found that the cave was already closed. So, they had no choice but to look for another exit.
Li Xian swam for a long time but didn't feel tired. Instead, he felt a bit excited because Shen Qing was on his back.
Going forward, they saw an obviously man - made arched gate on the coral stone in the distance.
There seemed to be a barrier in the middle of the arched gate, separating the outside from the inside.
Chen Xi shouted excitedly, "Hey hey hey, I remember. When Li Yuan took me away back then, we passed by here!"
"This gate is a barrier gate. Passing through this barrier can lead to three other barrier gates with formations set up."
"However, this formation is a bit random. We'll just have to take our chances."