The surface of the sea was churning with raging waves, yet beneath it lay a realm of serene calm. Lin Xiao passed through a curtain of water, and suddenly a powerful current surged beneath his feet, lifting his body lightly upward.
He paused briefly but did not resist much. Instead, he allowed this force to carry him upward.
Soon, his figure appeared at the very top level of the palace.
Stepping once more onto the floor made of some unknown material, Lin Xiao couldn't help but glance back.
The effect of that current just now was similar to an elevator on land, though this sensation was far more novel—an exclusive feature of the underwater world.
Quickly gathering his thoughts, with a slight shift of his mind, the information perceived by his assassin senses instantly flooded his brain. Lin Xiao tilted his body slightly, his palm parting the surrounding seawater as he continued swimming forward.
According to the Great Elder, the Heart of the Ocean was kept at the top level of the palace, and this place was also the residence of the Sea Princess.
Now that the Sea Princess had been lured away and the guards around her had been taken elsewhere, there should be no one else here.
Passing through a curtain of seven-colored pearls, a glowing jellyfish seemed to detect the change in water flow caused by Lin Xiao's arrival and quickly swam off in another direction.
Lin Xiao paid it no mind and simply surveyed the surroundings.
The semicircular dome was studded with pearls, along with some clearly man-made decorative objects that tinkled softly under the gentle rush of water currents.
"Who's there?"
A light shout suddenly rang out. Lin Xiao's heart jolted, and soul power instantly gathered in his palm.
He had not sensed any other presence here at all—not even in his assassin's field of vision.
With a shift of his foot, a ripple gently spread outward. The decorative object he had just seen once again emitted a series of "ding-ding-dang" sounds.
In that instant, he understood. That wasn't a mere decoration—it was an alarm device.
Under the sea, there might be many ways to conceal one's aura, but as long as someone moved, the water would change, and those objects would make noise.
Time was short. Before Lin Xiao could think of how to avoid it, the decoration rang out again in rapid succession.
Someone was coming.
Lin Xiao knew clearly that this was caused by the water flow changes from others approaching.
Taking a large gulp of seawater, the air contained within calmed his mind a little. He controlled his body to avoid any further movement, only allowing soul power to course rapidly through his meridians.
He had already considered the possibility of being discovered before coming here. Now that he could move freely underwater, as long as the opponent's cultivation wasn't overwhelmingly high, he had ways to escape.
"Sister, are you all back?"
Another crisp voice sounded. Lin Xiao frowned slightly.
The Sea Princess's younger sister?
Lin Xiao quickly dismissed the thought. If the Sea Princess's sister, from six hundred thousand years ago, were still alive today, her cultivation wouldn't be low either. Under the perception of the merfolk clan, who excelled in spiritual power, he should have been discovered long ago.
Perhaps it was someone else…
As the thought crossed his mind, Lin Xiao once again scanned the entire room and suddenly realized that the information the Great Elder had given him was somewhat outdated.
No wonder the Great Elder had never mentioned, before actually arriving here, that there were so many buildings besides the palace itself.
Perhaps when the Great Elder had come here long ago, this place hadn't looked like this. It might truly have been the Sea Princess's residence back then, but now, this room had changed owners.
Before Lin Xiao could think further, a figure had already entered the room. A pair of beautiful eyes looked around, her fish tail swaying lightly behind her, once again causing the decorative alarm to ring continuously.
Lin Xiao's left arm swung fiercely. A pale silver gleam flashed, and a metal short blade instantly condensed on his forearm.
With a heavy stomp of his foot, his body shot forward like an arrow leaving the bow, heading straight behind the figure. The short blade on his arm sliced through the water, on the verge of landing on the figure's neck.
Lin Xiao had no real intention of killing. Murder in the mermaids' clan's palace would inevitably cause massive chaos and might even draw the Sea Princess back.
He only needed to subdue the person in front of him and keep her from making a sound.
However, just as he rapidly closed in, the figure suddenly turned around. Their eyes met, and a crisp voice came from her mouth: "You're the guest Mom mentioned?"
Lin Xiao's left hand froze, and the short blade on his arm quickly dissipated.
"Guest?"
"Yeah, Mom said a guest was coming, so she took Sister and the others out."
Lin Xiao frowned, looking at the mermaid before him whose size was similar to his own, trying to discern from her face whether this innocence was genuine or deliberately feigned.
"Aren't you the guest?"
"No." Lin Xiao shook his head, then suddenly changed his words. "I mean, I am the guest your mother spoke of."
"I thought so." The mermaid nodded, then carefully examined Lin Xiao a few more times. "What kind of soul beast are you? I've never felt this kind of aura from you before."
"You can take human form, so you must have already passed a heavenly tribulation, right?"
"I've heard humans call soul beasts that have passed a heavenly tribulation 'Ferocious Beasts.' I once watched the human world from afar, but when I came back, Mom scolded me harshly."
Lin Xiao remained silent, merely staring intently into the mermaid's earnest eyes, gradually easing his guard.
It seemed the throat bone the Great Elder had given him was working. Being able to breathe freely in the sea like other sea soul beasts had caused this already inexperienced mermaid to misunderstand.
"Where are Mom and Sister, and the others? Didn't they come back with you?"
"They still have some matters to attend to and told me to wait at your mother's place first, but it seems I came to the wrong spot." Lin Xiao spoke with a calm expression.
"Then you must have come a very long time ago. I only just reached one hundred thousand years not long ago, and my memories from before are a bit fuzzy, so no wonder I don't seem to have seen you."
The mermaid smiled. "This used to be Mom's place, but after both Sister and I broke through to one hundred thousand years, Mom gave this place to us to live in."
"You want to go to Mom's place… then follow me."
Watching the mermaid swim ahead, Lin Xiao slowly followed behind.
Soul beasts were ultimately different from humans. Before ten thousand years, they only had beast-like instincts; only after ten thousand years did they gain soul beast consciousness; and only upon breaking through one hundred thousand years did they possess intelligence comparable to humans.
In other words, this mermaid had only recently broken through one hundred thousand years. If she had a bit more experience, she would probably realize that even a guest wouldn't barge into someone else's home without reason.
"I still don't know your name," Lin Xiao suddenly asked.
"Me? You can call me Liya."
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