As the spray leaped, everyone instinctively staggered back a step, their faces etched with terror as they stared at the massive wave, thinking that monstrous beast had reappeared...
Especially the bearded man and the dozen or so officers at the Xiantian realm; the fear in their eyes deepened. With Ye Jingyu unconscious, they had no means to face such a gigantic creature. As for the sacrifice? That was nonsense for fools—merely a method of releasing the women in small boats to distract the sea monster...
"Who, who harmed my precious Lù?" Just then, a cold, sharp female voice rang out from the sky. It sounded like an old crone speaking, yet it carried immense power, as if from a woman in her early thirties...
Everyone looked up and saw a woman standing in the air, clad in an ancient court gown. She had long, silver hair and a veil obscuring her delicate features. She had clearly risen from the sea, yet not a single strand of her attire was damp, and she could stand suspended in mid-air. Such power struck awe into the hearts of all present...
Recalling the "precious Lù" she had mentioned, a few sharp-witted officers seemed to grasp something.
"It was him, he hurt the Lù with soul magic..." The bearded man pointed directly at Ye Jingyu, overjoyed that they might eliminate this great enemy without lifting a finger themselves...
"Hmph..." The woman in the sky snorted, reaching out a hand to grasp the void, and Ye Jingyu’s body was instantly snatched away!
Zhuge Siyu’s face grew anxious, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes as an invisible wave of energy swept toward the woman in the sky...
But the woman didn't even glance over. Instead, holding Ye Jingyu in one hand, she raised the other, preparing to strike him down, when her eyes suddenly fell upon the pitch-black iron saber strapped to Ye Jingyu’s back...
Her expression, normally as placid as a deep, still well, fractured with sudden change...
She hurled Ye Jingyu toward the deck, effortlessly drawing the long, black blade. She held it in her hands, gently caressing the Tianzun Dao (Heavenly Venerable Saber). Her body actually trembled faintly, especially the arm stroking the blade...
In her eyes flashed a confusing storm: excitement, joy, adoration, profound resentment, and a faint melancholy...
It seemed impossible for so many complex emotions to coexist in one person's gaze...
As for Ye Jingyu, he crashed heavily onto the deck. Yet, his physique was so formidable that even falling from such a height left no sign of broken bones; instead, he cracked the deck planking...
Zhuge Siyu ignored the silver-haired woman’s expression, instantly lunging toward Ye Jingyu. Only after confirming he was largely unharmed did she relax, though the vigilance in her eyes intensified. Protecting Ye Jingyu against such a high-level master of unfathomable strength seemed nearly impossible...
"What is his name?" Zhuge Siyu was still pondering when the crone's voice entered her ears, her form instantly appearing before her.
Zhuge Siyu looked up to see the old woman’s eyes subtly glistening with unshed tears, her face alight with emotion. Confused, she couldn't understand why the sight of that saber had caused such a massive reaction.
However, she clearly could not answer the old woman’s question; she merely opened her mouth and formed the shape of Ye Jingyu’s name with her lips...
The old woman paused, realizing Zhuge Siyu could not speak, yet she read the three characters forming on her lips...
"How did he get this saber?" the old woman asked again...
Zhuge Siyu shook her head...
The old woman looked into Zhuge Siyu’s dark eyes, recognizing she was not lying. Then she glanced at the still-unconscious Ye Jingyu, suddenly striking out a hand that emitted a clear light, which shot directly into Ye Jingyu’s body...
"Ah..." Ye Jingyu, who had been deeply unconscious, sprang up as if violently shocked...
But once standing, he realized he was unharmed and stared blankly at the strange surroundings, particularly the silver-haired woman before him. She radiated an overwhelmingly powerful pressure, far more terrifying than that of a Martial Saint—a feeling he had only experienced from Dugu Bacheng and Bai Xiaodi...
"Where did you get this saber?" The silver-haired crone paid no mind to Ye Jingyu’s confusion, raising the Tianzun Dao he held.
"I picked it up?" Seeing how much the old woman cared about the saber, Ye Jingyu guessed it might relate to Dugu Bacheng. Unsure whether they were enemies or something else, he dared not state the truth directly...
"Picked it up?" The aura surrounding the crone instantly turned icy, and intense killing intent radiated outward. It wasn't just Ye Jingyu; everyone else on the boat felt a chill far deeper than when Ye Jingyu had previously used 'Thousand Miles Frozen'...
"What is your relationship with Dugu Bacheng?" The old woman seemed to be forcibly suppressing her rage, speaking coldly...
Sensing the immense killing intent, Ye Jingyu now strongly suspected she truly harbored a deep hatred for Dugu Bacheng. However, having long regarded Dugu Bacheng as his master, he felt no urge to deny it. He stated plainly:
"He is my master..."
He could lie, but he would never deny the fact that Dugu Bacheng was his master simply out of fear of death...
Hearing this, the old woman did not immediately move to kill Ye Jingyu. Instead, she scrutinized him from head to toe, and the killing intent in her eyes slowly dissipated...
"Hahahaha... Hahahaha... Excellent, excellent! Dugu Bacheng, you truly have good taste, taking on such a fine disciple. But if you have emerged and taken on students, why haven't you come to find me? Three hundred years, three hundred years—have you truly forgotten me completely?" Suddenly, the old woman threw her head back and laughed loudly. Yet, as she laughed, tears streamed from her eyes—tears of bright crimson blood...
What depth of sorrow, what degree of pain, could cause tears of blood to flow?
For some inexplicable reason, hearing the crone's laughter, which sounded more sorrowful than weeping, and seeing those crimson tears, both Ye Jingyu and Zhuge Siyu felt as if their hearts were being torn apart by such pain and bitterness...
What story lay between their master and her?
That question flashed through Ye Jingyu's mind. Just then, the old woman abruptly stopped crying and turned her gaze toward the white-clad Zhuge Siyu. Within her formerly lifeless eyes, a faint light gradually ignited.