Buzz—Buzz—Buzz!
The Sea Witch Monarch let out a long howl. The dazzling, multicolored light on its body grew brighter and brighter. Its entire form twisted, becoming transparent—like an illusion or a mirage.
In the next instant, its enormous, grotesque body vanished inexplicably from the Northern Dark Domain. A reflected silhouette appeared far away in the turbulent sea.
Displacement Mirage! Psychic Swap!
The Sea Witch Monarch roared in rage, its pupils igniting a trident-shaped Coral Ghost Flame. It summoned the ocean tides, opening up a brilliantly colored water realm. Towering coral reefs surged up, forming an endless Coral Sea, majestic and steep.
It looked graceful and dreamlike, exuding a surreal, illusory beauty.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From above, the pitch-black and serene Northern Heavy Sea and the vibrant, lively Coral Sea clashed violently. The terrifying power caused tidal waves to surge endlessly.
The two realms represented absolute opposites—one a calming force that suppressed all with boundless gravity, the other constantly stirring chaos and waves, launching towering waterspouts all around.
Lu Jun's expression paled slightly. In just a few seconds of combat, one-third of his spiritual world's magic energy had already been burned away.
At that moment, the mermaid girl behind him finally came to her senses. She let out a soft chime-like hum, "Ling~", her delicate face filled with confusion and gratitude.
Seeing this, the distant Mermaid Queen finally breathed a sigh of relief—but her situation was dire. The Crimson‑Shell Dragon Lord Monarch relentlessly pursued her, swinging its massive claws, shaking the vast sea, blotting out the sky. Even space itself shattered from the impact.
After several direct confrontations, the Mermaid Queen's elemental body grew increasingly transparent and dim.
Though Elemental Spirits had no vital parts, if too much of their source power was consumed, they could still perish.
Rumble—!
The situation was worsening. Lu Jun grew anxious. With a low roar, he focused his will, and the entire Northern Heavy Sea shimmered with light and began to rise from the ocean bed. Dim radiant clouds lit up half the sky. Moisture surged through the world.
The pitch-black sea spanning hundreds of miles suddenly levitated. The ocean below looked as if a massive chunk had been ripped away, leaving a gaping void. Even the seaweed-covered rocky seabed was exposed.
Lu Jun's eyes gleamed with spiritual brilliance. Circles of pitch-black Water Divine Rings enveloped him. He reached out and gripped, then forcefully smashed the dense, iron-heavy Northern Abyssal Sea like a mountain, sweeping it through the sky like a demonic giant claw shrouded in oceanic might.
Boom!
The sky-darkening Northern Heavy Sea fell and struck the Sea Witch, erupting in a deafening explosion. The sea collapsed entirely. A massive oceanic imprint was seared into the seabed. The quake reverberated all the way to the Australian continental shelf.
The sight was unimaginably shocking—a true feat of controlling the sea to slay enemies.
After unleashing such a devastating blow, Lu Jun's magic energy dropped sharply.
Seeing the Sea Witch Monarch temporarily suppressed, he wasted no time and began drawing a Space Element Star Constellation.
Under the Ascension State, a grand, exquisite silver magic array unfurled beneath his feet, enveloping both him and the mermaid girl.
Buzz—Buzz—Buzz!
In an instant, a vast spatial ripple burst outward. The two vanished from where they stood, transformed into a silver beam of light that pierced through the sky.
This wasn't just Teleportation anymore—it was the direct opening of a Void Channel, allowing for short-range dimensional transit.
When Lu Jun and the little mermaid reappeared, silver shards floated around them. Above was the blue sky stretching for miles—Sydney's sunny beaches were already within sight.
He gazed into the distance, where dark clouds and storms still blanketed the sea, and sighed.
Before leaving, he had purposely looked toward the Mermaid Queen. Her eyes were filled with relief rather than anger, clearly thankful that someone could rescue her daughter. She understood that letting a human mage form a contract with her daughter was better than letting her die at the hands of the Sea Demon Clan.
Staying alive was more important than anything else.
The little mermaid looked dazed, as if she hadn't fully registered what had happened. But once she realized her surroundings, she let out a sorrowful, low-pitched hum.
Ling!
She looked back at that dark sea, her delicate face resolute. With a flick of her starlight-scaled tail, she summoned waves and surged back toward the battle.
"Hey hey hey, don't be impulsive!"
Lu Jun saw the little mermaid behaving like the classic "Shen Xiang rescuing his mother". Reacting quickly, he stomped on the sea's surface, activating the Northern Dark Domain and triggering the Mystic Gravity effect.
Splash!
The giant wave beneath the little mermaid froze mid-surge, turning pitch-black. The weight dragged her down, and she tumbled into the water.
The young Mermaid face held a look of defiance. She rose from the sea again, controlling waves, rushing forward once more.
Lu Jun blocked her several times, but she kept trying—persistently and without hesitation.
Left with no choice, he was forced to cast another spell—constructing a prison using the Water Curtain. Pillars of pitch-black water burst up from the sea, surrounding the mermaid on all sides, forming a watery cage that locked her in tightly.
The little Mermaid was immobilized, unable to move from her spot.
Seeing this, Lu Jun was finally relieved. He sent her a spiritual transmission, speaking earnestly:
"You have to understand the phrase: 'As long as the green hills remain, there will always be wood to burn.'"
"Your mother is besieged by two Monarchs. And this is just the vanguard—there may be even more terrifying demons on the way. You've only just reached Commander-level. If you rush back, you won't stir the waves—you'll just be casually crushed to death."
"You won't save your mother—and you'll throw away your life. That's meaningless death!"
Lu Jun lectured beside her, speaking sincerely. Yet the little mermaid ignored him. After resting briefly, she made another attempt. Her graceful figure kept crashing into the water prison again and again. She couldn't use water control anymore, so she resorted to brute force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Even with the innate talents of an Elemental Spirit, it was still just short of what was needed to break through a level-2 High-Tier Spell that had received a 9x power amplification.
The little mermaid let out soft chiming cries, persistently ramming herself against the prison. Many of her shimmering scales broke off during the impacts, and her elemental body turned even more transparent—weak and frail.
Seeing the young mermaid torment herself like this, Lu Jun couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain in his heart.
After a moment, the mermaid girl raised her teary, watery eyes and looked at him through the flowing water barrier. Her star-like black eyes, bright and pure, were filled with sorrow and pleading.
"You like this…"
Lu Jun was at a loss. His heart softened.
Putting himself in her shoes—if one of his family members were trapped in such danger—he probably wouldn't be able to sit back and wait either, calmly waiting to grow stronger before seeking revenge.
That kind of restraint would be meaningless. Once the person was gone, even if he survived and reached his peak, he'd regret forever not trying to save them.
Moreover, the determination in the little mermaid's eyes told him—if her mother died, she wouldn't continue living.
In his heart, he too realized: whether morally or practically, he couldn't stand by and do nothing. If he truly wanted the little mermaid to form a willing Summoning Contract, it needed to be with her mother's blessing—not by taking advantage of her desperation.
As melodramatic as it sounded, a "properly arranged union" was what felt right.
"Fine then... I'll throw my life in with the princess—wait, no—the noble lady," Lu Jun muttered.
He had come to terms with it. If he wanted to be acknowledged by his contracted beast, he had to go all out and treat her with sincerity. He had always felt that way toward family and friends.
Splash—
He undid the Water Curtain Prison, letting the little mermaid out.
Ling~, the mermaid girl let out a soft chime of gratitude. Then, without a word or glance back, she resolutely charged toward that pitch-black stretch of sea.
Behind her, Lu Jun followed closely, his heart also firm. If it came to it, he'd use the Ancient King's Battle Robe.
Rumble—!
The two returned to the battlefield. All around them stood dense ranks of sea demons, surging with the tide. They had completely surrounded the severely injured Mermaid Queen in the center, who was barely clinging to life. They raised their pincers and claws high, cheering wildly.
On either side stood the Crimson-Shell Dragon Lord Monarch and the Sea witch Monarch, both eyeing their prey. The latter showed a menacing grin, as if victory was already in its grasp.
The Mermaid Queen's skin—once smooth and white like porcelain—was now covered in horrifying cracks, like shattered ceramic. With nothing left to hold her back, her expression turned blank as she prepared to self-detonate in one final strike.
Ling!
Just then, from the outskirts of the demon army came a familiar, long chime.
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