Chapter 121: Slaughter

The towering palace complex stood before him, bright and opulent, illuminated by the glowing radiance of night-luminescent pearls. The Whale-Slaying Palace was built within a deep-sea trench, surrounded by impenetrable darkness. Despite its grandeur, it exuded a heavy, malevolent aura. To either side, the gloomy submarine canyons stretched toward unknown depths, shrouded in an ink-black darkness that refused to dissipate.

Hundreds of miles away, Lu Danyang was already locked in combat with the Shark-King. Le Zhengqing, trapped in the midst of a heavy encirclement, was engaged in a fierce battle against the demons of the Li Sea. Massive whirlpools spiraled across the seabed, churning with blood; one could only imagine the tumultuous, apocalyptic scene unfolding upon the ocean surface above.

"The time has come!" A current of water slid along the trail of bubbles rising from the seabed toward the palace. The four armored guards stationed at the rear gate kept their focus entirely to the front, never noticing the person hidden within the flow.

Inside, the Whale-Slaying Palace consisted of one hall after another, all constructed from crystal and agate—a true crystal palace. The floors were paved with cyan jade, and the imperial gardens were filled with a stunning array of seaweeds and anemones. Giant clams rested on the reefs, their shells slightly agape, spilling forth the luster of treasures. There were also countless statues carved from mysterious crystals—fish, crustaceans, sea beasts, birds of prey, dragons, apes, lions, and elephants—every creature of the world was represented, yet there was not a single human likeness.

At this moment, in an inner chamber in the eastern part of the palace complex, draped in strings of pearls, a refined young man with a complexion like white jade sat before a desk, a faint smile on his lips. He took up a brush and wrote the character for "King" heavily upon the white paper.

"You have finally decided to show your face, heh."

...

Once within the palace gates, which were as deep as the sea, Lin Feng dared not scan the halls with his spiritual energy, fearing he might alert the hidden masters. Relying on intuition, he began to investigate the deep-seated halls one by one.

"Who goes there? How dare you pry into my Whale-Slaying Palace!" Just as Lin Feng passed through a hall, a domineering voice boomed abruptly. Accompanying the roar was a ferocious punch that slammed precisely into the spot where he had just been standing.

A burly man in intricately patterned armor leaped from the shadows, his fists clenched tight. With a sharp crack, the jade floor beneath his feet shattered into powder; the force of his arrival caused the ground to shudder repeatedly. The man had a tiger-like face, a thick beard, and eyes that were wide and round.

"Damn it! I've been discovered!" Lin Feng’s first thought was to run, but the second was to kill—to silence him, or force him to lead the way!

"Haha, the Whale-Slaying Palace truly is full of masters. The Shark-King, the Kui Ancestor, Bei Sajin—each more arrogant than the last. But who are you? You don't seem to be anyone famous."

"I am your grandfather, Xi Zhenjiang! Take this!" The burly man’s tiger-eyes widened. As his fist struck out, thousands of whirlpools of air pressure surged forth. It was a straight punch, devoid of any trickery, yet it contained boundless intent: fury, bloodlust, and raw, tyrannical power!

Xi Zhenjiang! The second son of the Shark-King and master of Tiger Shark Stronghold! He possessed immense physical strength and a high level of mastery in the way of the fist, deeply favored by his father.

Seeing the punch coming, Lin Feng remained calm. Borrowing the power of the Prison-Fire Wind-Chasing Fan, he unleashed the Red Lotus Karma Fire, meeting the punch head-on. With a resonant explosion, Xi Zhenjiang was engulfed in leaping flames!

"Disperse!" With a tiger-like roar, he scattered the flames in every direction. Crystal eaves and animal statues ignited on contact, shattering with a continuous, rhythmic cracking.

The Red Lotus Karma Fire had failed! With a two-stage difference in cultivation, and given Xi Zhenjiang’s reliance on his Fire-Repelling Dragon-Scale Armor, failure was only to be expected.

"Waaah! You dare use underhanded tricks!" Xi Zhenjiang lunged forward, his fists striking the air so hard it warped. His demonic power surged out like sharp sword energy, and his body crackled with sparks and a pungent, fishy odor.

*Boom!* The Great Majesty Vajra raised its trident, clashing hard against the twin fist energies. Golden light exploded, shattering the weapon in a single strike.

"Haha, what kind of trash is that! No matter how many tricks you have, it’s all the same!" Xi Zhenjiang sneered at his unseen enemy, though he could clearly track Lin Feng’s presence.

"Then taste this!" Beneath his hazy phantom form, threads of sword energy suddenly spilled out. The powerful aura radiating from him caused Xi Zhenjiang’s expression to stiffen, his gaze deepening instantly.

"Sword energy! Good! I want to see if your sword is sharper, or my spear!" A black-purple long spear suddenly appeared in Xi Zhenjiang’s hand. The shaft was so dark it gleamed with a purple sheen, appearing to expand and contract as if breathing. The spearhead was three-edged and golden, with strange lights flickering within.

"A fine weapon!" Lin Feng, who had traded his sword for another, recognized the quality at a glance. The material must be Purple Thorn Gold, likely enhanced with other rare treasures. It was at least a high-grade spirit weapon, far surpassing the spears he had seen in the Xuanzang Pavilion.

As Lin Feng praised the weapon, his footwork and sword techniques did not pause. Four figures merged into one, and four curtains of sword light descended, striking at a single point: Xi Zhenjiang’s chest. The aligned sword energy formed a dazzling, unstoppable beam that seemed to split the very earth.

"You have guts!" A flash of rage crossed Xi Zhenjiang’s eyes. He thrust his spear forward, the weapon roaring like a tiger. A surge of battle intent erupted, and the spear strike felt like an entire army charging forward. A golden tiger manifested within the golden light at the spearhead, ferociously pouncing on the peerless sword light!

*Sizzle!* Sparks and light exploded. The golden tiger dimmed, shrieked, and shattered like glass, but it had blocked Lin Feng’s full-force four-strike combo.

This exchange of offense and defense instantly revealed the gap in their strength. Xi Zhenjiang laughed wildly, and with a flash of dark light, the spear lunged at Lin Feng once more!

"Phantom Sword Style!" Unable to win through brute force, Lin Feng changed tactics. In a flurry of clashing sounds, the Moyan Sword danced through ten different stances. The erratic sword intent left Xi Zhenjiang unable to judge the trajectory. Consumed by rage, he delivered a heavy, piercing blow; with a thunderous roar, the hall was sliced in two, crystal and jade shattering as dust filled the air.

That such a massive disturbance failed to draw a single guard left Lin Feng filled with suspicion. Just as he considered ending the fight quickly by using his final move, a flash of white light appeared in the void, accompanied by a gentle, elegant voice: "Second brother, who has angered you so? If you destroy the Chonghua Palace, it will be hard to explain to Father."

The newcomer was a dashing scholar with a fair face, dressed in white robes, his lips slightly parted as he toyed with a jade flute.

"Big brother, stay out of this! Once I kill this brat, I will beg Father for forgiveness myself." As Xi Zhenjiang spoke, his aura continued to skyrocket. The appearance of the eldest son, the White-Fin Shark Xi Huaiyu, only made him more frantic. If he couldn't capture the intruder who had broken into the Whale-Slaying Palace, where would his face be?

"Then you must be careful, second brother." A cold glint flashed in Xi Huaiyu’s eyes, and his figure drifted away like the wind, a dozen yards out.

"This is bad. Both sharks are here. Even if I risk my life, I only have a twenty percent chance of winning! If this goes wrong, I won't save anyone and will be murdered instead!"

The situation was dire; there was no time to hesitate! Xi Zhenjiang crouched, his accumulated aura exploding. His patterned armor reflected a brilliant white light, enveloping him like a blinding little sun.

"War-Sun Spear! Die!" A massive light soared into the sky, piercing the water-repelling barrier with a shrill sound, vanishing in a blink—faster than an arrow! The massive water pressure above the palace surged, and the circular ripples vibrated violently. Just as they stabilized, the white light reflected back, plunging downward with lethal force!

The air sounded as if its throat had been slit by the spear, emitting a tragic wail.

The air current surged down, and Lin Feng felt as if he were being shackled, unable to move a single inch. The disparity in their strength was clear; Xi Zhenjiang’s aura and cultivation were far superior.

"Kill!" A flash of blood-red light appeared in Lin Feng’s eyes. He pushed all his spiritual energy and aura to the limit, letting out an earth-shaking roar—the desperate cry of a trapped beast—and threw himself into the fray regardless of the cost!

Twenty-grade Red Lotus flames swirled around him like a blooming flower. A straight beam of sword energy shot skyward, followed by three phantoms that connected in succession, charging forward!

Head-on! Sword against spear! A strike with an unpredictable outcome.

However—

In the void, a beam of blue light suddenly flashed, crossing the distance with speed beyond imagination, accurately enveloping Xi Zhenjiang’s blinding white light.

Caught in this shroud, Xi Zhenjiang was frozen in mid-air, unable to thrust his spear further.

The situation turned instantly. Lin Feng’s expression remained unchanged as his sword light and fire-shadows met the target. Four sharp sword energies struck simultaneously: two forced the Heaven-Sturdy Tiger-Subduing Spear aside, one shattered the patterned armor, and the final one pierced deep into Xi Zhenjiang’s chest!

In an instant, erupting sword energy and blood went wild. Xi Zhenjiang’s roar was deafening.

"Xi Huaiyu, you dare strike at me! You treacherous villain! Where do you put the laws of the King!"

"Heh, second brother, of the four of us brothers, only you and I remain. Father favors you, and who knows who will rule the Li Sea in the future? We were bound to fight eventually, so why not end it now? Why not be quick about it?" Xi Huaiyu spoke calmly, though his eyes flashed with resentment.

"Ah! Father! Father will surely kill you!" Xi Zhenjiang let out a long howl, staggering to the ground. He leaned on his spear shaft with one hand while the other fumbled to pull out the Tidal Decree.

"Even if he knows, it will be too late!" Xi Huaiyu’s gaze shifted. With a flick of his finger, a thin sword flew from his jade flute, instantly growing to ten yards in length. With a single strike, it pierced Xi Zhenjiang’s body, cleaving him in two! Blood sprayed toward the heavens, staining the blade a vibrant crimson.

"You may leave now." With a flash of murderous intent, Xi Huaiyu said coldly.

Leave? With a treacherous villain like this present, where could he go? There was no truth in the mouths of the wicked! Xi Huaiyu had not withdrawn his sword; he clearly harbored malicious intent.

"Who is the Shark-King marrying? Where is the person being kept?"

"So that is why you came. Do you see those largest palaces behind you? Those are the sleeping quarters. Go find them yourself." Xi Huaiyu pointed, seemingly indicating the way, but in reality, he was controlling his sword!

A vast, sweeping wind of sword energy slashed viciously. Using the same technique, Xi Huaiyu intended to kill Lin Feng as well, leaving no witnesses so he could frame him for Xi Zhenjiang’s death.

"Villain!"

It was hard to imagine such majestic sword energy coming from such a malicious monster, but Lin Feng, who had been secretly prepared, dodged the main strike at the very last second.

"Hmm?" Xi Huaiyu’s brows arched. He waved his palm, and the giant sword struck again. The blade flowed like mercury, thin and sharp, heavy with killing intent.

*Clang!* With a massive roar, the Moyan Sword collided with it. Lin Feng was sent flying backward like an arrow, crashing through the palace pillars behind him. Crystal eaves collapsed, burying him under the rubble.

A cold smirk appeared on Xi Huaiyu’s lips. He drifted over, standing above the ruins, and beckoned for his sword to return.

*Pfft!* His vision suddenly blurred. His eyes widened, and he reached up to touch his chest. It was sticky and wet—it was blood!

His entire body then collapsed, blooming like a vibrant flower of blood amidst the crystal shards.

With his heart shattered and his physical body destroyed, unless he had cultivated a primordial spirit, no amount of power could save him.

"The last one... wasted just like that!" Emerging from the ruins, Lin Feng was covered in wounds and drained of strength. He quickly gathered the two corpses, swallowed two Qi-replenishing pills, and without time to meditate, dashed toward the sleeping quarters.

Above the Li Sea, the Shark-King Xi Bing and Lu Danyang were in the heat of battle. Dark clouds and waves filled the heavens, thunder and lightning raging with endless explosions. Killing intent, sword energy, fist pressure, and magical light surged unrestrained. Just then, a tremor of horror gripped Xi Bing’s heart; a connection within his soul seemed to have been severed by force.

"I have been tricked! Lu Danyang! If I do not kill you today, I will never quench the hatred in my heart! I will kill you, and then I will capture the old thief Yu Baili to comfort the souls of my sons! Die! I will leave you without a grave!" In an instant, the Shark-King understood. The feeling of blood-bound connection, the bond between father and son, had suddenly vanished. His two sons had likely met a foul end!

With his sons gone, there were still grandchildren; the Whale-Slaying Palace would not lack an heir. But the hatred of an enemy breaking into his home could not be tolerated. The Shark-King let out a wild roar. Thousands of water pillars rose from the Li Sea, freezing into ice, each four or five yards thick, instantly trapping Lu Danyang in their midst...