AITAMITB Chapter 131

“Golden mermaid, it’s been so long since I’ve seen one. Never thought in my lifetime I’d encounter another.”

Having ascended to the fifth rank, Zhao Xiaokui considered herself extraordinary. However, in front of the man, an indescribable fear still rose in her heart. Her instincts continuously sent warnings, informing her of the man’s danger.

“Again?” She caught the flaw in the man’s words. “What do you mean by encountering another one?”

Her golden fish tail was a very special mutation, a color that didn’t fit the natural underwater environment. Among deep-sea mermaids, she was the only one with this color. Zhao Xiaokui had searched through the mermaid history books and found no records of mermaids with a similar color.

Of course, there might have been mermaids like her in history, mutated with a golden fishtail. However, due to their low rank, they might not have been deemed worthy of recording, and thus she remained unaware.

“It seems you’re a lucky survivor…” The man’s interest intensified.

As he spoke, he launched an attack on Zhao Xiaokui. She had been closely watching his movements and, at the moment he raised his hand, she quickly submerged, swimming straight into the depths of the ocean.

A tremendous and eerie force followed closely behind her, resembling a black python.

Her body tensed to the extreme, and everywhere she passed, every small fish brushing against her disintegrated abruptly.

Escape.

Instinct screamed for her to flee.

The golden mermaid frantically swayed her fish tail, maneuvering through the ocean without stopping.

The man stood on the water’s surface, like a conductor of an orchestra, casually wielding his power.

He toyed with the mermaid, much like a human playing with an ant, his expression always content and relaxed.

“Little Mermaid, if I were you, I’d stop obediently. After all, in case I lose control, your little life might be forfeit.”

“Don’t worry, compared to killing you, a living golden mermaid is more valuable.”

“Good baby, behave. Don’t struggle anymore. Escaping is useless. How could you think you could escape from my hands? The warship stationed in the open sea, is that your compatriots? Even if you escape, do you think they can get away?”

Zhao Xiaokui’s teeth nearly bit her lips, drawing blood.

But her brain was unusually calm.

Golden mermaid… This was a term she had never heard before.

It sounded like some unique attribute.

Upon hearing this name, her blood vessels slightly warmed, and her eardrums throbbed. It was as if something locked within her body was preparing to break free from the deepest reaches of her soul. Zhao Xiaokui had a vague premonition that she seemed to have touched upon some secret boundary.

Tell her, what is a golden mermaid!

Tell her, how can she survive!

Relying on the man’s lack of intent to kill her, she desperately fled. However, she intentionally kept the range of her escape within the man’s control, to prevent him from losing patience and attacking the military ship anchored on the sea.

She intended to convey a message, urging Zhu Wei and the others to leave first. However, under the relentless pursuit of the man manipulating the mysterious shadow realm, she had no time to catch her breath. The fishtail even felt a stabbing pain due to the prolonged rapid swimming, and the tense muscles seemed as if they were about to snap.

Thud, thud—

Her heart pounded violently.

Shen Zhifei, waiting on the warship, suddenly knelt down.

Seeing her abnormality, Xiang Ruxin hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

The sound of the heartbeat echoed in Shen Zhifei’s ears. The thumping sound replaced everything around her, whether it was the noise of the warship’s engine, the voices of the people, or even the cries of seabirds soaring through the sky—all faded away in her ears. She could only hear the strong and powerful thumping of a heartbeat.

She closed her eyes, and before her, everything plunged into a blood-red hue.

The covenant from the depths unfolded, connecting her heart to another.

The white flames entwining the figurine in her consciousness suddenly soared as if fueled, blazing fiercely.

Shen Zhifei’s brain was bewildered by the burning sensation. She lifted her head, looking towards Zhao Xiaokui’s direction, her black pupils revealing a golden glow.

“Check—”

“Medical personnel—”

Shen Zhifei pushed away the hands supporting her, suppressing the trembling of her body, and said, “Holy water, give me holy water.”

On the warship, holy water was naturally available, but it was a crucial strategic resource, and no one dared to give it away casually.

Zhu Wei strode out, glanced at Shen Zhifei, and ordered, “Bring out a box of holy water.”

No one resisted his command, and a soldier silently carried out a safe containing holy water from the cabin. Shen Zhifei uncorked the bottle and poured it directly into her mouth. In almost an instant, a sizzling sound of corrosion emanated from her body.

Zhu Wei had brought undiluted holy water, with an astonishing concentration.

Even though Shen Zhifei had an affinity for light-elemental elements, her extraordinary level was not high enough to resist the corrosion of the holy water on her physical body.

However, she did not stop; instead, she continued to pour one bottle after another into her mouth.

Her skin gradually emitted a faint glow, and as the corrosion within her body intensified, her external appearance became even more radiant.

“Team Leader Zhu—” Xiang Ruxin looked at Shen Zhifei in horror as if she were inflicting self-harm.

Zhu Wei looked in the direction Shen Zhifei was staring at and speculated, “Xiaokui might be in trouble.”

They had suspected the special connection between the two since Shen Zhifei suddenly appeared in Fula Town. It wasn’t about guessing their romantic relationship but speculating that there might be some unique connection between them, allowing one person to sense the other’s situation and even provide some form of assistance.

Similar to the telepathic connection that might exist between twins in the ordinary world, the supernatural world also had such phenomena. Moreover, in the supernatural world, things were more mystical. Sometimes, two people who had never met and had no apparent connection awakened completely opposite supernatural abilities. Still, they could communicate on the first day they met, as if they were one person from a past life.

Shen Zhifei began to burn.

Her heart synchronized with the heartbeat she heard in her ears. In the depths of her consciousness, an invisible thread spread from her chest, extending all the way to the distant place where Zhao Xiaokui disappeared. The white flames burning on her body also followed this thread.

Initially, Zhao Xiaokui didn’t realize what Shen Zhifei was doing.

She was running for her life, her mind numb, only the instincts of her body remaining.

But when a white flame ignited from her chest, Zhao Xiaokui suddenly felt alive.

She instantly understood what Shen Zhifei was doing.

Sacrificing herself.

—She was sacrificing herself.

How dare she!

Crimson tears fell from Zhao Xiaokui’s eyes, merging into the water and disappearing. The flame quickly ignited in her heart. The seemingly impregnable barrier suddenly cracked open, and Zhao Xiaokui could feel a magical power pouring out from it.

That power was dense, sacred, like a hundred-year-old wine buried deep underground, with a fragrant aroma.

Zhifei, Shen Zhifei—

Stop, stop.

She shouted loudly in her mind, while her body began to undergo a painful transformation.

Strings of tears fell from her eyes like pearls, sliding down her cheeks. Surprisingly, they did not dissipate but sparkled like gemstones, radiating dazzling colors.

Zhao Xiaokui had always thought that the legend of mermaids shedding tears that turned into pearls was quite absurd and completely inconsistent with a scientific worldview.

Until today, every tear she shed sparkled like gemstones.

Countless scenes flashed in her mind—

The sacrificial altar, the nocturnal singing to the moon, battles against abyssal demons…

Various golden mermaids freely display their immense power, showcasing their might to her.

Feeling Zhao Xiaokui’s sudden change in direction, the man smiled gently, saying, “A truly disobedient little mermaid.”

Didn’t he realize that Zhao Xiaokui was intentionally buying time? Of course, he did.

But he wasn’t in a hurry because, in his eyes, Zhao Xiaokui was the meat already on the chopping board. When to put it in the pot was merely a matter of when he was willing to lower the cleaver he held high.

He had been immersed in darkness for too long, and now he finally saw the light. Encountering a lively mermaid, he couldn’t help but feel joy and was willing to expend a bit more energy to play a game of chase with her.

Golden mermaids… what a rare and precious species.

During the time of his previous civilization, these were creatures spoken of but never seen. Little did he expect that, shortly after the revival of the new world, he would sense the presence of a golden mermaid.

He still remembered the ancient legends about how these powerful beings single-handedly controlled the sky and the sea, effortlessly tearing apart abyssal demons during their invasion.

They were as sacred as the gods, yet their power was even gentler than that of the gods. They were born as natural priests, and each of their songs could bring the power of love and courage to people. Their flesh and blood were the world’s best elixir, as long as they were provided with enough souls, they could continuously produce potions to restore the soul…

He was truly lucky to be able to see a golden mermaid shortly after his revival.

He didn’t care why this mermaid appeared; all he knew was that before his comrades found her, he had to take the lead and capture her, keeping her confined for himself as his prey.

The sea surface was calm, showing no signs of turbulence below.

Suddenly, the man turned around, his gaze fixed on the seemingly calm sea. He whispered, “Caught you.”

He reached out, grabbing into the empty space. In his imagination, the mermaid with the golden fish tail would appear in the next moment, willingly falling into his hands.

Thud—

Water splashed open in his hands.

At the same time, his scalp tingled.

The crisis of life and death surged into his brain. Just as he was about to mobilize the majestic power within him, a hand, or more accurately, a sharp claw, suddenly drilled out from his chest.

The golden mermaid was behind him, surrounded by water splashes.

She tilted her head slightly, revealing a smile with a hint of innocence.

“Caught you.”

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