Chapter 1300: South Sea Lord Invites

Three figures walked side by side across the barren, gray land.

“By the way, how’s that guy, Red Heart, doing?” Jian Changsheng asked tentatively. “Has he made much progress over the past six months?”

Sun Bumian thought for a moment. “Him... his performance has improved quite quickly, but his rank doesn't seem to have gone up much; he's still at Tier Five.”

Upon hearing this, Jian Changsheng immediately relaxed, a smug smile spreading across his face. As he idly smoothed his tangled hair, he spoke leisurely, “Red Heart is nothing special... It looks like it’s my time to get even!”

Jian Changsheng could never forget the scene from over six months ago at the Crimson Sky Cult branch, where Chen Ling had pinned him to the ground and brutally beaten him. At the time, he had believed his strength had significantly improved, yet he was utterly defeated when facing Chen Ling's Calamity Incarnation. He could only watch helplessly as the large red opera robe turned and walked away, a receding figure he felt he could never catch.

The intense frustration and vexation over his own weakness at that time had been the core motivation driving Jian Changsheng’s rigorous training over the past six months. His greatest wish now was to fight Chen Ling again; he had to personally crush the inner demon that had tormented him for over six months and erase that past humiliation.

He was confident. This time... he would absolutely not lose again.

Sun Bumian was about to say more when Jian Changsheng suddenly frowned and stopped abruptly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Something’s wrong…”

Jian Changsheng sniffed the air, a sharp, murderous glint appearing in his eyes. “It’s the scent of those bastards from the Forbidden Sea…”

Sun Bumian looked around in surprise. They were still more than ten kilometers from the ocean where the South Sea Domain was located, and as far as the eye could see, there was only endless wilderness... Where could the Forbidden Sea be?

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I’ll never forget that strong, foul, underwater smell as long as I live.” Jian Changsheng nodded with certainty.

“We were swallowed alive by a whale from the Forbidden Sea and lived in its stomach for seven days,” Jiang Xiaohua explained, providing context for Jian Changsheng. After a brief pause, she added, “But my sense of smell still isn’t as keen as Spades’.”

Sun Bumian eyed Jian Changsheng skeptically. “Have you truly developed the scent of a military dog?”

Jian Changsheng rolled his eyes and continued walking. “There’s no mistake, it’s the aura of the Forbidden Sea... And for it to be this strong from such a distance, the entire Forbidden Sea must have mobilized.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Bumian’s brows immediately furrowed, and an ominous premonition stirred within him.

The next moment, golden and black energy surged from his pupils!

A divination of fortune and misfortune.

Sun Bumian’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his entire being exuded a mysterious and sacred aura. Jian Changsheng and Jiang Xiaohua knew what he was doing and refrained from speaking to disturb him.

A moment later, the golden and black energy in Sun Bumian’s eyes gradually dissipated, leaving him with a puzzled expression.

“What did you see?” Jian Changsheng asked.

“Strange. If the Forbidden Sea has truly mobilized, it should spell great misfortune for us... but this reading shows an equal mix of good and bad fortune.”

“So, it’s nothing serious then?” Jian Changsheng blinked.

“From our perspective, it’s nothing serious, but…”

Sun Bumian left the latter half of his sentence unspoken. In truth, he already had a faint suspicion... the Forbidden Sea would certainly not appear without reason, and that direction was precisely where the South Sea Domain was located. It was likely that...

“We should hurry.”

The three immediately picked up their pace, heading straight towards the ocean.

Soon, they followed the broken train tracks to the original location of the South Sea Domain. However, the sea surface there was now covered with the massive, bobbing corpses of Calamities and Miracle creatures, pushed by the waves – a sight that made one’s scalp tingle!

“Good heavens, they really went to war?!” Jian Changsheng stared at the horrifying scene before him, struggling to imagine the brutal battle that must have unfolded here.

“Where’s the South Sea Domain?”

Sun Bumian’s first thought was that the South Sea Domain had been sunk by the Forbidden Sea, but upon reflection, it seemed unlikely. After all, the South Sea Domain was defended by two demigods; it couldn't have fallen so quickly, could it? He knew that everything had been fine when he and the Fusion Faction had arrived here not long ago.

“The scent of Calamity is heading that way,” Jian Changsheng said, pointing in a direction.

Without hesitation, the three rushed along the coastline in the direction Jian Changsheng indicated.

This time, the three walked for over an hour more until, in the distance, they finally spotted a colossal object, sprawling motionless on the barren gray land like a vast plateau...

It was a giant turtle.

Its immense size made it appear, from a distance, like a towering mountain emerging from the gray land. Yet, its once sky-domed shell was now heavily shattered, as if something had brutally cracked more than half of it. Four massive, pillar-like turtle legs, soaked in black blood, were plunged into the earth, appearing weathered and stiff. At the very front of the shell, a colossal three-eyed head lay motionless on the ground in a grotesquely twisted posture, its three eyes tightly shut, completely devoid of life.

“It’s enormous…” Jian Changsheng couldn’t help but exclaim. “But there’s no Calamity aura… What is this thing?”

“This is the South Sea Domain.”

“The South Sea Domain is a giant turtle?”

“More accurately, the South Sea Domain is hidden within the turtle’s shell,” Sun Bumian paused. “However, it appears this colossal turtle, which carried the South Sea Domain, is dead... it was strangled to death.”

“Oh no, does that mean the South Sea Domain is finished too?!”

“Hard to say... Let’s go take a look.”

All three now looked somewhat worried. While they didn’t particularly care if something had happened to the South Sea Domain, Sun Bumian had just mentioned that the Fusion Faction had sought refuge there. If the South Sea Domain had suffered, the Fusion Faction would likely not have escaped unscathed either.

As for Red Heart Six... no one was worried at all. Even if Calamity had overturned the entire South Sea Domain, it likely wouldn’t dare touch Chen Ling.

As the three drew closer to the turtle shell where the South Sea Domain was located, several figures suddenly leaped out from the shattered shell fragments, charging directly towards them.

Jian Changsheng’s gaze sharpened, a faint, almost imperceptible murderous aura emanating from him. His right hand instinctively hovered near his waist, as if poised to draw something at any second; Sun Bumian lightly adjusted the small round sunglasses on his nose, and a crystal-clear lion dance pendant on his wrist chain swayed slightly, lifelike; Jiang Xiaohua, meanwhile, silently began to unravel the dark bandages on her body, her entire presence exuding a melancholic aura.

After all, they were wanted criminals from the Human Domain, and with figures charging directly at them just as they approached the South Sea Domain, it was clear the visitors meant trouble.

Just as the three braced themselves, a voice resonated from above:

“Esteemed guests, Lord Nanhai requests your presence.”

The three froze in place simultaneously.