Chapter 133: The Sea of Wandering 26
The wall of water trapping Yi Ke was positioned directly above the Sea God Temple, still some distance away from the cruise ship stuck in the center of the ice crystals; it wasn’t a distance that could be crossed in a single step. So, naturally, he chose to leap down through the water hole, first stepping on the head of the black Sea God statue, then using the force to launch himself steadily onto the deck, returning to the side of his fragrant wifey.
Endless roars of rage echoed from the deep sea, causing the entire Sea God Temple to tremble slightly. Giant waves surged, and dark clouds hung low. The rescue team found this reaction entirely understandable. After all, this Sea God had boasted to the King just five minutes ago, making all sorts of promises, only to be used as a launching pad by Little Yi five minutes later. It was a great humiliation—an absolute humiliation.
Thunder rolled across the horizon. Ye Jiaoyue counted down silently in her heart: Five, four, three, two, one!
The cooldown for the Eye of Fate was finally over. The Prophet card activated once more, and this time, she unhesitatingly chose the Queen—
“The Queen learns the truth,
Decides to take up arms.
A debt of blood,
Must be paid in blood.”
After prying into the Queen’s fate, Fan Xiaoying used her “Retrospect” skill, rewinding time around Ye Jiaoyue by one minute.
Sure enough, the Eye of Fate returned to its unused state!
This time, the target of the prophecy was the Princess—
“Thunder shall shatter the monarch’s courage,
Yet the Princess stands before the King.
Embracing the will to die together,
Loudly shouting,
To harm the King,
You must first step over my body!”
Boom! Before everyone could even process under what kind of insanity Qing Gang would ever block a hit for Fu Dong, several massive objects resembling octopus tentacles extended from around the Sea God Temple. Coated in mucus, they slapped straight toward the deck!
Fan Xiaoying grabbed Ye Jiaoyue and dodged at high speed.
Qing Gang, whose barbecue stall menu had already lost its kelp supply, now painfully lost his squid tentacles. He leaned back, performing a kneeling slide to avoid the oncoming deep-sea ingredients. The tentacle didn’t pursue him; instead, it curled around another team member at the side of the ship, hoisting them into the air and dragging them toward the Sea God Temple!
While sprinting, Zhuang Ningyu aimed and fired a steel cable. The steel claw at the tip hooked into the slippery yet tough skin with a pfft sound. Two or three other team members threw themselves forward, grabbing the rope alongside Zhuang Ningyu and hauling it back! Under the immense pulling force, the claw tore downward like a zipper—zzzip—slicing the tentacle open down the middle. It thrashed wildly in pain. The entangled team member managed to slip down slightly, using the momentum to stomp his military boots onto the exposed cross-section of flesh. The hidden spikes in his soles popped out, and with a reverse twist, he churned the flesh into a bloody mess!
The tentacle instantly went limp. The freed team member fell straight from the air into the sea, where he was fished out and tossed back onto the ship by the skeleton crew. However, before he could even stand up and catch his breath, another new tentacle swept in. Bang, bang, crash—it smashed everything in its path into ruins!
Railings shattered, and masts collapsed. The originally sturdy metal curled and snapped under the crushing weight. A tentacle swept past Yi Ke, but he casually grabbed it and pressed it against the sharp jagged edge of a broken railing. The living muscle was instantly sliced in two. The remaining half of the stump panicked and retracted with a whoosh. As it passed over the Sea God Temple, it once again showered the black statue in blue blood.
The blood first pooled in the deep eye sockets, then slowly trickled down. Fine cracks finally appeared on the solemn face of the stone statue—perhaps it really couldn’t hold it together anymore. Accompanying the cracks was a more tangible manifestation of the Sea God’s fury: the number of tentacles extending from the temple exploded by more than fivefold in an instant. They stood upright, dancing wildly in the air. At first glance, it looked like a peacock fanning its tail!
Of course, it was much uglier, and far more sinister.
“They have specific targets,” Ye Jiaoyue noticed the pattern.
The others realized it too. The tentacles’ aim was obvious; they were only targeting the eight ministers loyal to the King. These were likely the “sacrifices” and “rations” mentioned on the character cards earlier. In the game, the King chose to offer them to the Sea God in exchange for benefits, and the real-world Fu Dong was even more ruthless—even without any benefits, he would choose to let them die in the rule zone.
Qing Gang stomped a new tentacle into the ground, feeling a headache coming on. If these damn things could regenerate infinitely, fighting like this was useless; they had to be destroyed at the source. The Sea God Temple had now transformed into a massive tentacle parasite, and the sea was full of merfolk blocking the water route. He turned to run toward Yi Ke, intending to ask him to use the poetry book to cover his approach to the rear of the temple. Instead, he saw Zhuang Ningyu stuffing the poetry book back into Yi Ke’s hands.
“Everyone, listen to me,” Zhuang Ningyu didn’t have time to explain to Qing Gang individually. He pressed his communicator, speaking while running toward the other side of the deck.
The tentacle attacks continued. Three minutes later, a minister, exhausted, was snatched up by a tentacle. Seeing this, the others instinctively rushed to rescue him, inadvertently exposing more gaps in their rear defense. The tentacles seized the opportunity to intensify their offensive. The second, the third… soon, all eight ministers were suspended in the air. From a distance, it looked like they were riding a Cthulhu-style Ferris wheel.
The merfolk let out “great” sounds of congratulation. Compared to their ferocious image when they first landed on the island, they had essentially been beaten by Yi Ke and Zhuang Ningyu into becoming a deep-sea atmosphere squad.
Since the Sea God had received the sacrifices, the next moment was for him to fulfill his promise to the King.
“Put them down!” Qing Gang roared. “Or you will regret it!”
His voice was blown away lightly by the fierce wind, just like the bullets hitting the tentacles at the same time—carrying no weight whatsoever.
Accompanied by the Sea God’s whispers, golden light pierced through the pitch-black clouds, illuminating the entire cruise ship—
“The Great King, amidst the cheers,
Regains the power of the Sea God.
From henceforth, the King’s wrath,
Shall carry the might of the ocean.”
This golden text floated above Fu Dong’s King card. Simultaneously, parts of the golden light condensed into several item cards, drifting down onto him before quickly vanishing—they dissolved directly into his blood.
“King!” The merfolk cheered deafeningly. It looked like genuine reverence and joy, though it was unclear if they were happy about the renewed covenant or just acting to save face for the Sea God.
Ye Jiaoyue used this time to rub out a new prophecy—
“All subjects,
Including the bard who fled long ago,
Swear a solemn oath,
Promising never to inflict harm upon the noble King.
The act of submission,
Shall never change.”
This time, even Fan Xiaoying was confused. Is this broken prophecy actually accurate? First, it said Qing Gang would take damage for Fu Dong, and now it says everyone will be loyal to Fu Dong… Could the Sea God release high-concentration mental pollution to forcibly control everyone? Thinking of this, she instinctively checked her wristband. Fortunately, the stats were still green.
Zhuang Ningyu also frowned slightly, looking up at Fu Dong. The man was nearing the completion of the Sea God’s secondary coronation. The light surrounding him hadn’t fully faded, appearing as gold with a blue filter.
“King!” The merfolk’s celebration continued.
Song Qiaowei also looked at her husband. Her eyes betrayed no emotion. Before this, she didn’t know he had made a deal with the Sea God.
Furthermore, he hadn’t secured even a single game item for her.
In the Queen’s hands, there was no power bestowed by the King.
Fu Dong didn’t look at Song Qiaowei, but he actively took her hand. In the past, when attending various public events, they would always appear in this intimate pose. Part of it was love, and part of it was because creating the image of a loving couple helped the group’s development. As for the weight of the former versus the latter, Song Qiaowei couldn’t judge, yet she had made a judgment.
Along with the coronation process, a giant sphere was slowly emerging from behind the Sea God Temple. Beneath a semi-transparent membrane, various colored and shaped biological tissues pulsed—it was the control body of the tentacles, something akin to a squid’s brain and torso.
The ritual was complete; the Sea God was about to enjoy his sacrifice. The control body opened a foul-smelling maw, about to inhale a team member on a tentacle like a vacuum. But in the next moment, another massive wave slapped it from behind, carrying the force of toppling mountains and overturning seas! Caught completely off guard, its brainpan slammed—BANG—into the Sea God Temple. Its fragile brain matter was instantly scrambled, and the semi-transparent membrane around it turned the white of fading life—
Splat! Dead.
The Sea God roared again, partly due to the escaped sacrifice, and partly because of the rebellious subjects stepping on his head one after another. Fu Dong watched helplessly as the eight ministers belonging to him broke free and leaped back onto the cruise ship.
Someone on the other side could control the waves—a power that originally belonged only to the Sea God and the King.
Fu Dong scanned his opponents inch by inch. Zhuang Ningyu didn’t avoid his gaze; instead, he offered a very friendly smile. The item card in his pocket was still warm—the King’s Scepter. During the coronation, it shared the glory bestowed upon the King by the Sea God. Just now, after seeing the description in the poetry book, Zhuang Ningyu had decisively ordered all team members to passively resist. Whatever Fu Dong gained in the coronation, he would gain too. It was a profit-only venture.
Fu Dong wasn’t too stupid. After locking eyes with Zhuang Ningyu for a few seconds, he guessed the truth: the King’s Scepter was in Zhuang’s hand.
The Sea God brought down his wrath again, determined to slaughter the mortals who dared to step on his head! Giant waves condensed into water blades, slashing horizontally toward the deck. The merfolk, who had been watching the show and drifting with the current, shouting “Ow ow ow” like excited surfers, were suddenly bathed in a large patch of golden light—
[King’s Grace] The Great King decides to appoint a new batch of ministers, letting them offer endless loyalty and hot blood to the Kingdom!
Before the newly appointed merfolk ministers could enjoy the benefits of power, they were forced to leap high out of the water, using their bodies to block the water blades. Even getting their heads sliced flat didn’t matter, because even if they were unwilling, they couldn’t resist the fact that Zhuang Ningyu held the “King’s Scepter”—loyal subjects must bow in reverence and obey all decrees.
The Sea God’s roar grew even louder!
“Thief!” This wasn’t shouted by the merfolk; it was shouted by the Sea God himself. He looked like he had finally figured out why Zhuang Ningyu could control water and the merfolk. His voice trembled with rage! This time, the merfolk didn’t echo him. Instead, they shrank back into the sea, likely afraid that Zhuang Ningyu would effortlessly appoint another batch of scapegoats on a whim.
“King!” The Sea God issued a command to the King, seemingly dissatisfied with his inaction.
Qing Gang: Good, good, good. I love watching bad guys infighting.
Fu Dong didn’t want to disobey the Sea God, but he made no move. Just as he prepared to act, the world flickered slightly before his eyes. Accompanying this flicker, the golden royal power that had just been infused into his blood was stripped away again. The King turned back into a commoner.
Being played like a monkey by a game deity, Fu Dong looked up and spoke through gritted teeth to the Sea God’s spirit body, which only he could see: “Is this your sincerity?”
“Idiot!” The Sea God swung a giant palm of seawater. Fu Dong paled and stumbled back two steps, but the target was someone else! Yi Ke dove and tackled Fan Xiaoying, who was standing behind Fu Dong, taking her with him to hide behind the stairs. The deck cracked under the immense force, and the “Recall Card” fell to the ground. The time rewind surrounding Fu Dong ceased, and the royal power was able to return to the King’s body.
When time flows backward, the core destiny of those within it cannot return to the starting point. Logically, the power of kingship Fu Dong received shouldn’t have been affected by the rewind. However, he had lost the Scepter. His kingship was illegitimate and deviated from the preset core destiny. Therefore, as long as Fan Xiaoying reversed time, he would inevitably be affected.
Qing Gang: “Oh my, I wonder who the Thief is now. Tsk tsk tsk.”
The Sea God, exasperated by the King’s stupidity, decided to join the fray himself to resolve the trouble quickly.
The seawater had turned from deep blue to pitch black, and the Sea God’s spirit took on a semi-transparent substance. The King, now acknowledged by the Sea God, and his wife were hoisted high by water columns. In the next moment—
King’s Wrath!
Rolling thunder descended from the sky. Zhuang Ningyu was prepared for this skill and had Fan Xiaoying wave her hand to release the “Abyssal Devourer.” Countless black vortexes appeared in the ocean, and chains grew and expanded from the abyss, whipping toward the sky with whooshing sounds. The wet metal was instantly wrapped in lightning, then smashed one after another toward Fu Dong, who was positioned high above!
Everything happened extremely fast—so fast it almost exceeded the Sea God’s reaction speed, let alone Fu Dong’s. Before he could even think to dodge, the blue-glowing chains touched his arm!
BOOM! Amidst the muffled sound, the King took no damage. The person who collapsed was Qing Gang, standing on the deck. Branch-like red markings crawled inch by inch across his skin—traces left by the lightning. The ornaments around his neck melted into his skin under the high heat. His consciousness and body convulsed in sync, and he fell into a coma!
The King can transfer damage! Realizing this, Fan Xiaoying’s expression changed. she tried to use the abyss to pull the chains back, but it was too late. She could only watch helplessly as the remaining chains roared through the air toward Fu Dong, her heart filled with panic. Fortunately, in the next moment, a large batch of loyal, newly appointed merfolk ministers were sent high up by water columns in front of the King. Amidst a cacophony of crackling sounds, they all turned into grilled fish jerky.
Several team members were performing emergency CPR on Qing Gang. Amidst the beep-beep of the defibrillator, Ye Jiaoyue asked, “What happened?”
Zhuang Ningyu shook his head, squatting down to check Qing Gang’s condition urgently. “I don’t know. As far as I know, the King didn’t gain the authority to transfer damage.”
However, everyone soon learned the answer, because the ministers loyal to the Queen once again heard Song Qiaowei’s inner thoughts—
“The Queen deliberated deeply and finally decided to use the Princess as a shield to protect herself and the King for all eternity.”
“Song Qiaowei’s skill lets Qing Gang take damage for her and Fu Dong.” Ye Jiaoyue realized instantly. “No wonder the prophecy earlier mentioned the Princess blocking for the Monarch, and that all of us decided not to hurt the Monarch anymore.”
Qing Gang’s physical constitution was indeed ridiculously tough; he was durable and resilient. After lying there for just a few minutes, he coughed twice and woke up violently. Everything else was normal, except the blood-red lightning scars made his face look particularly ferocious. Upon hearing that he had been sacrificed by the Queen as a meat shield, the burly man, still numb from the shock, instantly unleashed ten thousand swear words in his heart. What happened to the Queen giving her life for the Princess? Where is the motherly love? He asked, “Does this skill have a cooldown?”
“The game database didn’t mention it. It should be unique to the Rule Zone.” Yi Ke helped him up. “If you really want to know the answer, we just have to try again.”
That won’t be necessary. Qing Gang: “Hold on, let me catch my breath first.”
Above the water column, Fu Dong turned his head. This was the first time he had actively looked at his wife since the coronation ceremony. “Your skill?”
Song Qiaowei: “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
“Because I just found out myself.”
Fu Dong nodded, not pressing the issue further. He simply held her hand tighter.
“Your skill is excellent.” He looked at the deck below. “Now, they can never harm the King and Queen again.”
The waves calmed temporarily. The cracks on the Sea God’s face were gradually expanding, and two chunks had even fallen off, finally revealing a grotesque and triumphant smile. He leisurely looked at the rebellious subjects on the ship, as if admiring trapped beasts in a coliseum.
Buzz… buzz… buzz… The phones of all the action team members vibrated. It was the latest message from the investigation team.
It was about Fu Siheng.
Perhaps seeing the action team members’ movements, Song Qiaowei also took out her phone, but the signal was still zero. She looked at the photo on the screen and rubbed it heavily with her thumb, as if trying to touch that soft little face through this method.
Fu Dong caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. He hesitated, wanting to say something, but remembering the Queen’s protection skill, he swallowed his words and replaced them with a brief, emotionless command: “Change it!”
“I just miss Sisi too much.” As a mother, Song Qiaowei’s greatest pain in the Rule Zone came from her child, and her greatest support also came from her child. She didn’t listen to her husband and change the wallpaper. She simply turned off the screen and put the phone back in her bag.
“Once they are all dead, we can leave,” Fu Dong softened his tone. “Do you think I don’t miss our child?”
Song Qiaowei wiped her cold cheek and didn’t answer. For some reason, she couldn’t help but cast her gaze toward Yi Ke—If only Sisi had been born into the Yi family, she thought entrancedly.
On the deck, Fan Xiaoying pushed up her glasses: “Is she okay? Why does the way she’s looking at… um, Little Yi seem a bit off?”
Alice: “Indeed.”
Ye Jiaoyue and the other team members also looked at Yi Ke: “Is there some new bond formed?”
No! Yi Ke denied it instantly and immediately looked at his fragrant wifey, solemnly raising his right hand: “I’m not close to her at all, really, I swear!”
Zhuang Ningyu covered his face with one hand. Please be normal.
The rest of the teammates: “Wait a minute, that’s not the kind of bond we meant!”
