Chapter 652: Saving Hun Tong
After offering a few more words of comfort to the big guy, the fishman youngster severed the connection.
His attention returned to the Ocean Mother Nest.
Teacher Si Ling was still constructing the grand ritual sacrifice formation.
Damaged by Qian Xing's assault, Teacher Si Ling had begun repairs immediately after the battle.
His repairs were completed by the second day. Yet he did not rest. Instead, he proceeded to add magic runes, constructing new formation frameworks.
Each day, thousands of magic inscriptions and vast new structures were designed by Teacher Si Ling, becoming integral parts of the sacrificial formation.
The intricate web of magic runes and lines no longer confined itself to a flat plane. It extended into the air above the formation and deep into the earth below.
Teacher Si Ling effortlessly neutralized the intense water element interference of the coastal environment, his mastery in designing and constructing formations proving astonishingly profound.
Such actions by Teacher Si Ling had put Zhou Zhang on high alert.
To prevent leaks about the secret alliance between the Charming Blue Church and the undead orthodoxy, Zhou Zhang had already relocated the vast majority of Charming Blue believers. The latter had resettled, maintaining a safe distance from the gold level altar.
Cang Xu had discerned that the Charming Blue Church and the undead orthodoxy had united out of external pressure, a relationship marked by both cooperation and mutual wariness.
These days, he remained close to Teacher Si Ling, eagerly absorbing knowledge. While constructing the formation, Teacher Si Ling generously imparted his teachings to Cang Xu and Jian Gui.
True to his reputation, Teacher Si Ling genuinely enjoyed teaching and proved exceptionally skilled at it.
Cang Xu felt both blessed and burdened.
The blessing lay in receiving guidance from a saint level teacher. Moreover, this Teacher Si Ling was no ordinary saint level being, evident from his previous battle where he effortlessly sent Qian Xing and Da Han fleeing.
“To receive such favor...”
Cang Xu felt honored yet remained vigilant: “The only reason I've gained his favor is the saint level bloodline of the Hanging Corpse Tree within me.”
“More precisely, I've demonstrated the process of bloodline mutation, with its concentration slowly increasing over time.”
“It's precisely this potential that makes Teacher Si Ling place greater faith in me. During our training, he favors and looks out for me more.”
“All of this is thanks to the Lord Commander...”
What troubled Cang Xu more was the constant surveillance. Teacher Si Ling kept a close watch on him, requiring his constant presence. He assisted with menial tasks, helping with simple work in the construction of magic formations.
Even when Cang Xu occasionally left Teacher Si Ling's side to be alone, he remained uneasy. He used alchemy devices to communicate with the fishman youngster.
“The undead faction's strength lies largely in the mystical bonds between souls.”
Wary of this, Cang Xu played it safe and refrained from attempting communication with the fishman youngster.
“The tower spirit records everything.”
"The Lord Commander can observe all changes in the outside world. He understands what's happening without needing to communicate with me."
Just as Cang Xu had surmised, the fishman youngster was stunned by Teacher Si Ling's sudden appearance upon awakening.
He summoned a magic projection via the tower spirit and, upon viewing it, instantly grasped the entire sequence of events.
The astonishment lingered on his face for a long while.
He never imagined it would draw such a formidable figure as Teacher Si Ling! Nor did he anticipate the true nature of the relationship between the Charming Blue Church and undead orthodoxy.
What surprised the fishman youngster even more was that the special divine spell Cang Xu had previously acquired originated from Teacher Si Ling's design.
Upon further reflection, the fishman youngster found this reasonable.
After all, Teacher Si Ling was no ordinary being; he also possessed a page of the artifact, the [Truth Slate].
Zhou Zhang paid far closer attention to Teacher Si Ling than the fishman youngster did.
She proactively inquired multiple times about the purpose behind Teacher Si Ling's construction of the magic formation.
Teacher Si Ling's addition of the formation surprised Zhou Zhang, yet it remained within the bounds of their pact, leaving her powerless to intervene.
What troubled Zhou Zhang deeply was the fragility of their alliance. What if Teacher Si Ling openly manipulated events to harm the divine domain or the Ocean Mother Nest, and she remained oblivious?
This was often the weakness of clergymen.
Among the three transcendent systems, magicians placed the highest value on knowledge accumulation. Fighters developed their physical bodies, while clergymen pursued their own deities, seeking higher energies to infuse their forms.
Whenever Teacher Si Ling constructed a formation, Zhou Zhang almost always came to observe.
Though she couldn't comprehend it, she maintained this posture of close supervision to exert pressure on Teacher Si Ling, urging them not to play tricks.
Zhou Zhang was watching Teacher Si Ling, while the fishman youngster was watching Zhou Zhang and Teacher Si Ling.
"Once the task at hand is completed, I'll leave this place."
"This place isn't safe to stay in any longer!"
The fishman youngster had already made up his mind.
Earlier, from the big guy, he'd deduced that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps might be in dire straits. Even then, he'd considered withdrawing.
Later, Cang Xu persuaded him to stay. The fishman youngster pondered deeply and concluded that Cang Xu's perspective was sound. If he could rely on Charming Blue Goddess to ascend to the saint level, it would resolve many problems. Thus, he chose to take the risk and stay.
However, the situation changed too rapidly.
The big guy faced encirclement by the earth elemental army. Tu Ji sacrificed himself to help, but the fishman youngster's assistance was even more crucial, and extremely strained. In the end, the big guy narrowly escaped with his life.
Reflecting afterward, the fishman youngster realized: his rescue of the big guy had been sloppy! Numerous traces were left behind, loose ends that posed a massive threat.
Even more terrifying was that, just as he was about to act, he unexpectedly received a divine revelation from Charming Blue Goddess.
It was precisely by following the guidance of this revelation that he used the artifact, deceiving the Main Earth Elemental God. The price paid was also extremely heavy, the pearl bubbles within the artifact [Mermaid Fairy Tale] were nearly depleted!
Whenever he thought of that divine revelation, the fishman youngster couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
“Such timely and targeted divine revelation proves one undeniable truth.”
“That everything I've done has been under the goddess' watchful eye.”
Based on the fishman youngster's previous deductions, it wasn't Charming Blue Goddess herself who answered his prayers, but the Charming Blue Godhead.
In his understanding, the Godhead was akin to a tower spirit elevated many times over.
“My every action must have been recorded by the Godhead.”
“Just as I witnessed Teacher Si Ling's emergence through the tower spirit's magic projection.”
“In the future, should Charming Blue Goddess' main body awaken, how would She view me? Would She act against me?”
The fishman youngster analyzed that this was highly probable.
For he was not a true Surging Wave fishman; he had been transformed through the Bloodcore.
His prayers weren't born of genuine faith either, but rather a facade maintained through various means. With such blatant sacrilege, could he possibly expect Charming Blue Goddess to look upon him kindly?
“Regardless of Charming Blue Goddess' attitude, being within Her divine domain means placing my life in the hands of another's whim.”
Witnessing the Main Earth Elemental God's intervention had shifted the fishman youngster's perspective once more.
Another factor strengthened his resolve to depart:
Qian Xing and Da Han.
The safe retreat of these two saint level figures signaled that this Ocean Mother Nest had been fully exposed.
Should Da Han or Qian Xing return in the future, the fishman youngster would once again find himself in grave peril.
These two saint level pirates wouldn't even need to lift a finger. Merely presenting evidence of Teacher Si Ling's presence would draw the attention of powerful factions like the Blood Light Punishment Institution.
In short, this Ocean Mother Nest was no longer the hidden sanctuary it once was
The fishman youngster scanned his surroundings for a moment before refocusing his attention.
Divine spell - Perceive Believer.
Divine spell - Divine Power Channel.
The next instant, he connected with Dao Hen.
The moment the Divine Power Channel formed, Dao Hen sensed the gaze of the deity, his heart surging with emotion.
“Great Fish God Mist, my Lord, the current situation is as follows.” He immediately reported to the fishman youngster.
Truthfully, he didn't need to say anything. The fishman youngster simply scanned his memories and instantly grasped the previous events.
Dao Hen was concealed aboard the Treasure Chest, Tan Mo's ship.
This gold level naval vessel was now closing in on the pirate crew led by Cong Mang.
A clash between the two sides was imminent.
On the surface, it appeared Tan Mo had stumbled upon Cong Mang's crew by accident. In reality, however, this entire encounter was part of Tan Mo's plan.
Dao Hen had uncovered this intelligence. The classic combination of the Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell forcibly transformed a fishman swordsman into an exceptional intelligence operative.
Thus, the fishman youngster also learned of Tan Mo's battle plan, understanding that the latter intended to eliminate Hun Tong.
"To the human race, to the Empire, Hun Tong is a hero. He expanded territories and made significant contributions."
"His imprisonment stems largely from a frame-up. I know the truth about the Devil Gold Coins."
The fishman youngster initially held a poor opinion of Hun Tong, but after fighting alongside him, his perception gradually shifted.
Compared to Hun Tong, the fishman youngster held a far worse impression of Tan Mo.
Tan Mo was the primary focus of Dao Hen's surveillance, rarely leaving his side. Thus, through Tan Mo's daily actions and conversations, the fishman youngster discerned his greedy nature. Simultaneously, Tan Mo's repeated attempts to gather intelligence on the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps revealed his sinister intentions.
“Tan Mo plans to use pirates, feign innocence, and eliminate Hun Tong.”
“Hun Tong can be saved.”
"He shouldn't die at the hands of a villain. Sparing his life might help me deal with Tan Mo's extortion in the future."
The fishman youngster had already devised a plan.
He did not intend to rescue Hun Tong directly.
He sought to ride the momentum, avoiding any slip-ups, allowing Tan Mo to mistakenly believe his treacherous scheme had succeeded. One crucial point remained: he needed Hun Tong to fully recognize Tan Mo's true colors!
“Tan Mo is an investigator within the Empire's spy agency. I must treat him with utmost caution.”
“Never imagined I'd be the one to save Hun Tong one day.”
The fishman youngster watched intently, waiting for the battle to begin. Just then, a new face approached the trio led by the big guy.
“Greetings, all three.”
“I'm an auxiliary agent from the Blood Light Punishment Institution. Due to Lord Tu Ji's unexpected demise, I've come to take over and investigate.”
The big guy kept his head down, stuffing his face.
Da Dou paused mid-sip, while Hong Zhu's pupils narrowed slightly. She immediately stopped eating and turned to face the newcomer.
Despite her efforts to conceal it, a flicker of tension escaped her.