The passage of countless eons had eroded the rough edges of Haidong Lin’s personality. He finally understood why the Sea Emperor had looked at him with such a meaningful look when he gave his commands.
Haidong Lin was the strongest of the four sea lords; his sea dao had reached unparalleled heights. Only his dao could somewhat help Mazu. The emperor hadn’t gone himself because he needed to protect the World of Sea.
……
Lu Yun patted the man’s shoulder when he saw the forlorn look in Haidong Lin’s eyes.
“Since I have come back, I will rebuild the dynasty and revitalize His Imperial Majesty’s glory!” Haidong Lin suddenly roared and sent his voice out as a sound wave, startling everything caught in it.
“How do you know the Sea Emperor’s dead?” Lu Yun sighed. “This world has declined and your altar is deserted, but that doesn’t mean the emperor’s dead.”
Haidong Lin started and realized that the young man was still looking in the direction of the Abyssal Hell.
“Do we need to go further in?” he asked.
“Yes,” Lu Yun nodded. “Perhaps the original emperor brought the Sea Emperor and countless powerhouses of this world to the Abyssal Hell.”
He’d employed formula dao and analyzed the world through the signs around the altar—this was the conclusion he reached. The Sea Emperor wasn’t dead and he wasn’t far from the Imperial Seal.
However, although the emperor wasn’t dead, his dynasty had completely collapsed.
“Impossible…” Haidong Lin gently shook his head. “His Majesty’s life goal was to protect the World of Sea and drive out the darkness. The gloom still lingers in the world, so he wouldn’t have entered the abyss.”
Rumble!
The sea waters around the altar exploded and collected back together as a giant of water.
“Who goes there, how dare you defile the ruins of the Imperial Sea Sect!” The giant slammed a hand down on the two as it spoke.
“The Imperial Sea Sect?!” Haidong Lin flew into a rage and punched back at the hand before it landed.
Scatter!
The giant of water broke apart from a single hit.
“Get your ass out here!” Haidong Lin reached forward and hauled a frail figure out of the ocean. Although he was fuming, he was very careful with his movement. He didn’t harm the main body of the water giant—especially as it looked to be a fifteen-year-old young man.
The young man was only true void realm; he was the bottom of the food chain in a place like the World of Sea. He hefted an orb in his hands and stared dumbly at Haidong Lin, not knowing what to do.
“Heh, a Water Virtue Orb huh? The kid’s only in the true void realm and has yet to reach World Manifest, but he can already control a Water Virtue Orb and release its full power?” Lu Yun’s eyes gleamed. There was a fetus of a Fire Virtue Orb in the Disordered Hell—although it was alive, it hadn’t taken form yet. Lu Yun didn’t know how much time it needed to become a true living being.
But he was in no hurry. The five Virtue Orbs were treasures of order and thus slightly different from connate treasures. They’d formed from the process of living beings mastering the connate five elements. That this young man could call upon the Water Virtue Orb’s complete power and release Nihil-World-Sovereign-level strength was proof of his uniqueness.
“I ask, you answer.” Haidong Lin didn’t look at the Water Virtue Orb. To him, an item of that level was no different from a pebble by the side of the road.
The young man quickly bobbed his head as he’d realized he was in over his head.
“Who is she?!” roared Haidong Lin as he pointed at the massive sculpture. The many buildings that’d been constructed later by the altar had all been destroyed. Only this sculpture remained intact.
“She is the sect master of the Imperial Sea Sect,” the young man answered carefully.
Haidong Lin narrowed his eyes.
“It’s said that the noble sect master was once the guardian spirit of the World of Sea. She was Princess Mu, the youngest daughter of His Imperial Majesty,” the young man hastily added when he saw Haidong Lin’s expression change. “According to the Chronicles of the Sea Emperor, after Sea Lord Donglin and His Imperial Majesty went missing, the mighty dynasty collapsed overnight. Creatures of the dark killed the other three sea lords. When the tide of darkness ebbed, Her Highness built the Imperial Sea Sect to fight against the dark…”
“What happened afterwards?” Haidong Lin’s expression eased. While he didn’t know who Princess Mu was, he was willing to let things go since she’d raised the emperor’s banner and protected the world.
“Afterwards… Well, things became like this afterwards.” The young man cast a sad glance at the ruins in front of him. “Her Highness perished and the sect fell apart. We drift about aimlessly in the World of Sea since we have no leader. Without someone to champion the charge against the shadows, we are slowly being overtaken.
“Us lowly beings can only build a sculpture for Princess Mu on the ruins of the Imperial Sea Sect and worship her daily, praying that she can revive through the altar.
“This is the Chronicles of the Sea Emperor!” Seeing that this mighty personage wasn’t very satisfied with his explanation, the young man quickly offered up an ancient book.
Haidong Lin didn’t take it. At his cultivation level, all he needed to do was to scan it with his consciousness to finish reading it. The records were what the young man had spoken of.
“So she’s Princess Mu…” Haidong Lin looked at the sculpture again. Its hazy features weren’t a result of erosion, but that the makers hadn’t known what she looked like. They didn’t even know what her figure should resemble.
“This Princess Mu might not be dead either,” Lu Yun chuckled. “She seems to have followed the Sea Emperor into the abyss.”
Haidong Lin raised a brow and suddenly felt extremely irritated by Lu Yun’s smile.
“Don’t be mad,” Lu Yun quickly placated his companion. “Perhaps they found a way to repel the darkness.”
Haidong Lin’s brows knit together.
“Otherwise, how would the Sea Emperor—someone whose ambitions lay in protecting this world—and Princess Mu—someone who also safeguards its denizens—suddenly leave?
“They’re in the abyss and they’re with the original emperor. There’s got to be a way to take care of the darkness once and for all!” The look in Lu Yun’s eyes was resolute. “It’s logical that the dark exists, it’s part of order. But its presence here is irrational. If my guess is right, they’re looking for a way to put it back where it belongs.”
