Chapter 798: Sea

Chapter 798: The Sea

Above a vast expanse of azure ocean, a colossal treasure ship was sailing under full sail. Li Huowang frowned as he gazed at the distant waves and the rotary light mirror beside him.

"Captain, are we heading in the right direction?" he asked again of the dark-skinned, calloused barefoot man beside him.

"Look at you, sir. I've been living off the sea for over forty years. As long as you give me the correct coordinates, this ship will never go astray. We'll reach our destination before nightfall."

Just then, a muffled scream echoed from within the cabin—a cry so pitiful it chilled the bones.

Yet the captain paid no attention to the anomaly caused by the Aojing sect members, continuing his work with indifference. When he turned around, a red patch adhered to the back of his neck.

Not only him, but all hands aboard had been deceived by Li Huowang's manipulation. Their thoughts had been subtly altered—turned into hidden pawns.

Under such circumstances, Li Huowang dared not approach anyone casually. To avoid potential infiltrators among the sect's agents, he naturally resorted to techniques of the Seat-Forget Way.

Once he confirmed the course was correct, Li Huowang entered the cabin. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Li Sui sitting cross-legged, eyes closed.

"What are you doing?" Li Huowang walked over and asked.

"Dad, didn't you say I became a heart essence? I'm learning cultivation just like you. I want to become as powerful as you."

Observing that there were no signs of supernatural phenomena around Li Sui, clearly she hadn't succeeded. Yet Li Huowang couldn't help but be moved by her efforts.

He patted her shoulder gently. "Keep practicing. No matter what problems arise, we face them together as father and daughter. By the way, did that illusion involving the young man you mentioned appear again?"

Li Sui lowered her legs and shook her head in confusion. "No, it only happened once."

"Just once..." Li Huowang pondered. This didn't seem like the kind of illusion associated with heart essence. It appeared the issue wasn't serious.

"It's nothing more than an illusion. Don't worry. I have several of these, some following me for years. Even if something like this appears in your life, it won't matter much—it'll just be a bit annoying to look at."

"Mm, Dad, I'm not worried." Li Sui narrowed her eyes and smiled brightly at Li Huowang.

"You've worked hard, yet you've been dragged into this matter."

"No, it's fine," Li Sui opened her arms and embraced Li Huowang tightly, resting her head against his chest. "Dad, I'm happy to help you. I want to protect you. I don't want you to die."

As Li Huowang stroked Li Sui's soft hair, a voice from nearby called out, "True Man Li, the Elder is requesting your presence."

Releasing Li Sui, Li Huowang followed the faceless man down to the lower deck.

In the sect's quarters, the air was already thick with bloodstains. Various bloodstained symbols adorned everything, but Li Huowang had long grown accustomed to such sights.

He approached Sheng Benyou and asked, "Something urgent?"

"Do you know who the Four Seas Dragon King we're targeting really is?"

"From the prisoner, it seems to be the god worshipped by the Tanka people. I encountered him once before—he seemed connected to water," Li Huowang explained briefly, recounting his previous experience at Yang Xiaohai's hometown.

"This Dragon King's heavenly path appears linked to water. And it seems capable of forcibly altering one's ten emotions and eight sufferings. If he truly is that powerful, prepare yourself accordingly."

Sheng Benyou shook his head. "These things didn't exist before. I know about the Tanka people's past beliefs—they were mostly blind faiths meant to bring peace of mind when sailing. These are foreign interlopers taking over."

"Foreign deities? Outside Baiyujing?" Li Huowang had long suspected this and showed no surprise.

Sheng Benyou shook his head again. "The Gushen hasn't responded in a long time. We don't know what's happening. But still, proceed with caution."

"No matter what origin the Four Seas Dragon King Ao Mojie has, since the sect managed to recruit him, he's certainly not easy to deal with."

"Now nobody's dying anyway. What are you afraid of? You're still part of the Aojing Sect."

Li Huowang continued, "Besides, we're not going to fight him directly. We just need to steal his tribute. This mission isn't particularly dangerous for you."

"When we get there, I'll take the tribute. You just hold everyone else in the dragon temple in place."

"This isn't fear—it's concern. Aren't you seeing the many variables here? Do you really think this is just coincidence?"

"What good does worrying do? You're asking me to help, yet you're setting conditions. If you were truly concerned, wouldn't you have helped without hesitation? I haven't seen you worried about anything."

As Li Huowang spoke with veiled meaning, a voice rang out from the deck. "Guest! We've arrived!"

"We're here. What are your thoughts? After we finish, I'll listen to your story slowly."

Sheng Benyou took a pouch of iron thorns from someone nearby, opened his ulcerous mouth, and swallowed them all, beginning to chew forcefully.

Four Aojing believers approached, lifted his sedan chair, and followed Li Huowang's silhouette toward the deck.

Everyone gathered on the deck. The sea remained unchanged from before, but Li Huowang knew trouble lay beneath. He could already feel the gaze rising from below through his feet—the waters held something that had noticed their treasure ship.

As Li Huowang opened his mouth and swallowed Li Sui, he waved his hand again. The black-robed Aojing followers fell into the water like dumplings.

With a splash, Li Huowang dove straight into the cold sea. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled heavily the stinking seawater into his lungs, followed by a growing sensation of suffocation.

His body instinctively panicked, his breathing became rapid, his muscles tensed, but the more frantic he became, the stronger the suffocation grew.

As the feeling of drowning intensified, reaching its peak, Li Huowang gradually adapted to the sensations.

If this had happened in the past, he would have drowned long ago. But now, with death not an option, he wouldn't drown either. That was why he dared to dive straight into the water.

Black tentacles with suction cups and barbs sprouted from various parts of his body, drifting slowly with the current, granting him swift movement underwater.

Looking around at the others, the creatures from Wushi Palace had fused into one mass, transforming into a more aquatic Kun fish, their countless palms arranged densely like fins.

Meanwhile, the Aojing sect had dyed the seawater red, enveloping everyone within.

Li Huowang pointed toward the pitch-black depths with his hand. Everyone began diving deeper.

(End of Chapter)