Chapter 25: Panic
Boom!!!
With a sonic boom like a falling comet, the white-winged pegasus, trailing will-o’-the-wisp fire, vanished from sight.
The deafening roar, almost as loud as a modern airliner, caused the seawater below to churn and surge.
Meanwhile, within the palace inside the Sea Halberd Behemoth…
“Eh? Why did Instructor Youying leave first?!”
A shapely female instructor, peering through the behemoth’s transparent eyeball, saw the green meteor streak across the sky and cried out in surprise.
Youying, a senior instructor tasked with escorting them, how could she abandon her duty and leave alone?
“She said there was an anomaly on Fallen Whale Island. What should we do? Return for reinforcements, or stay put?”
“Those were the orders of a senior instructor. We have no choice but to stay here. If the Saintess selection is delayed, it’s not our responsibility.”
“Sigh, I have a private tutoring session tonight!!”
The instructors left behind in the palace began to discuss amongst themselves. They were former classmates who had participated in the Saintess selection together and were much closer than they usually appeared.
Within the Sea Concubine Palace, the current Palace Master held the most authority, followed by the Vice Palace Masters in charge of various duties.
Senior instructors also held a high position, responsible for training specialized, covert combat units, the core strength of the Sea Concubine Palace.
Next were the instructors like themselves, responsible for teaching ordinary members, but with no power to interfere with the decisions of the higher-ups.
Since the senior instructor had given the order, they could only remain where they were.
And so, the two Sea Halberd Behemoths floated quietly on the surface, gently swaying with the currents.
Unnoticed, perhaps due to a shift in wind direction, the flowing seawater began to converge and swirl.
The closer they got to Fallen Whale Island, the faster the current spun, pushing the two behemoths forward.
Two hours later…
“Chirp, chirp, chirp…!”
Awakened from her meditation by the fox’s cries, the blue-haired girl inside a single-person cabin lowered her head in confusion.
The Nine-Colored Cloud Dream Flower, transformed into a black fox, was anxiously biting at her dress, then pointing its paw insistently towards a wall.
“What is it? Is there something there?”
Gong Lianyue walked over to the corner and knocked on the icy wall where the little fox was pointing.
Thud!
Thud, thud!
The wall, made of an unknown ice crystal, was thick and solid, probably as hard as the monolith in the Monolith Temple. Difficult to break.
Gong Lianyue felt around the ice wall, then turned around, puzzled. She had thought there might be a hidden door.
“What are you looking for?”
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!!”
The little fox pointed at the wall again, then began to frantically wave its paws as if having a seizure.
[Scared]
[Go home]
Sensing its intense emotions, Gong Lianyue asked thoughtfully, “Are you saying there’s something terrifying in that direction?”
“Chirp!” The little fox nodded frantically, its fur standing on end as it trembled on the bed.
That direction… should be Fallen Whale Island…
Could it be that a senior instructor had summoned their spirit beast, and it had scared the little fox?
Gong Lianyue glanced at the Water Element, which was facing the wall as punishment. The troublesome child didn’t seem to be reacting strongly.
“Wait, it’s this late already. Shouldn’t we have arrived?”
“Why wasn’t there any notification about a delay?”
Rumble!
Just as Gong Lianyue was about to go out and ask, the entire crystal palace began to shake violently, throwing her off balance. She almost fell, but the Water Element caught her just in time.
Something was wrong with the Sea Halberd Behemoths. They were thrashing wildly in the sea, ignoring all commands.
Not only the behemoths, but all the spirit beasts of the Sea Concubine Palace members, including the instructors’, were becoming restless.
The lower the rank of the spirit beast, the more frantic it became. Even the little fox was no exception, even trying to burrow into Gong Lianyue’s underwear.
“What’s happening?”
In the main hall, an instructor stared at the outside world in shock. All she saw was a dark, cloudy sky and the massive island looming close by.
Was that… Fallen Whale Island?!
Somehow, the Sea Halberd Behemoths had been pushed forward by swirling currents. They hadn’t stopped at all.
A terrifying aura emanated from the dark clouds, sending all the spirit beasts into a frenzy of fear.
All creatures in the surrounding sea, from flocks of birds migrating in the sky to marine life passing below, were being drawn into the swirling black clouds.
The violent winds on the surface of the clouds disrupted the ocean currents. The Sea Halberd Behemoths thrashed and wailed in terror, but they couldn’t escape the swirling water, being pulled towards Fallen Whale Island.
At such a critical moment, the only senior instructor was nowhere to be found.
Feeling the behemoth’s panic and the shaking of the palace, Gong Lianyue, held in the Water Element’s arms, also sensed something was wrong.
For the Cloud Dream Flower to feel this much fear, it had to be caused by a higher-ranking spirit beast.
But Saint-rank spirit beasts were incredibly rare in the entire Sea Region. How could one appear on Fallen Whale Island right before the Saintess selection?
Unfortunately, the cabin was completely sealed, and she couldn’t see what was happening outside.
“Awooo!”
Tossed about in the terrifying black vortex, about to crash into the storm, the Sea Halberd Behemoth let out a deafening cry.
A few seconds later, with no way to stop themselves, the two behemoths slammed into the swirling barrier of wind.
Boom!!!
A deafening crash, like a plane hitting the ground. The Sea Halberd Behemoths were instantly mangled, a bloody, gruesome mess.
Inside the behemoth, Gong Lianyue felt a sharp blow to her head, her vision going black as she lost consciousness.
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