"Lord Seagod..."
Bo Saixi murmured softly, her voice light as a mosquito, instantly blending into the howling sea wind and completely drowning in the ceaseless, frantic roar of the Outer Realm Demon God.
"The one you await, the existence carrying all our hope... when exactly will he arrive?"
She withdrew her gaze, her eyes instantly becoming as firm and resolute as bedrock once more.
No matter how long she had to wait, no matter how faint the hope was, like a spark, as long as the Seagod's Light had not completely extinguished, she, Bo Saixi, as the High Priestess of Seagod Island and the Seagod's representative in the human world, would fight until the last moment, until her last drop of blood was spent.
This was her innate mission and her unswerving belief.
If it were in the past, the version of her that clung to life and yearned for freedom might not have hoped for the successor to the Seagod's divine seat to appear.
Because that would mean she would serve as the staircase to the divine throne, offering up everything she had for the newborn deity, becoming the necessary sacrifice in that sacred ritual.
Even though this was her destiny, known since she accepted her mission, the desire to live had once caused her to secretly resist.
But now, looking at the people who trusted and followed her behind her, seeing the resolute yet visibly exhausted faces of the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardians, for the sake of the innocent populace and loyal Sea Soul Masters of Seagod Island to survive, she had never before, from the bottom of her heart, prayed for the person who could inherit the Seagod's position to appear, and quickly.
Even if the price was her life.
Just at this moment, outside the golden barrier, several of Osial's heads raised high again, frantically converging frightening, dark purple, destructive energy.
The next instant, a gigantic pillar of light that seemed capable of piercing the heavens, like an apocalyptic spear hurled by a demon god, violently slammed into the shimmering barrier.
"BOOM—!!!!!"
A deafening crash erupted, and blinding energy turbulence instantly obscured everything.
The barrier shook and twisted violently with an unprecedented amplitude, emitting a clearly audible, mournful cracking sound.
Fine fissures began to subtly spread across the sacred golden wall of light.
The future of Seagod Island, in this destructive impact, seemed to plunge into peril along with the flickering light.
In the distance, space was forcefully torn like fragile silk, and a pitch-black rift abruptly appeared.
Immediately after, a slightly rushed beam of light shot out from it, plummeting onto the surging sea like a meteor, splashing up a sheet of white water.
The light dissipated, and two figures appeared slightly unsteady atop a towering, isolated reef.
"Where is this..."
Bai Xiuxiu barely managed to steady her body, which was still feeling virtual from the spatial transit. Her eyes, blue as the deep sea, carried lingering fear and confusion as she rapidly scanned the unfamiliar surroundings.
Under her feet was rough, slippery reef rock. As far as the eye could see, there was a vast, boundless ocean of an ominous, inky blue.
The sky above was terrifyingly gloomy. Heavy, lead-gray clouds pressed low against the sea surface. The air was thick with dampness and oppression, as if a catastrophic storm was brewing.
"Did we... escape, Teacher?"
Bai Xiuxiu patted her chest with lingering fear, her voice still carrying a subtle tremor.
She and Skirk had been sucked into a sudden time-space passage opened in Ming Dou City and had been stranded in this uncanny parallel world for some time.
During this period, they drifted about, witnessed many strange customs and landscapes, and gained some recognition of the hidden dangers in this world.
Relying on Skirk's unfathomable strength, although they had encountered several monsters bred from the so-called Foul Points, they managed to escape danger and even harvested some treasures dropped by the Foul Points.
However, good luck did not always follow them.
Previously, they mistakenly entered a mountain range engulfed by an inextinguishable flame. The soaring firelight and abnormal energy fluctuations piqued their curiosity.
Banking on Skirk's power, they ventured deep into it without hesitation.
The result was an encounter with unimaginable terror.
The thought of the white-haired young man standing silently in the fierce flames, and the crimson demonic sword in his hand that seemed to devour all light, still sent a shiver of bone-deep coldness through Bai Xiuxiu's body.
The youth merely stood there, and the time-freezing chill and solidified killing intent radiating from him nearly froze her blood.
Even someone as powerful as Skirk was almost instantly slain the moment she exchanged blows with the youth.
Every swing of that demonic sword carried the terrifying power to sever the soul. With just one hasty exchange, Skirk was gravely injured.
Fortunately, Skirk was incredibly decisive in the face of mortal danger, enduring the lethal aftershock of that sword blow and forcefully tearing open a spatial passage to flee into the turbulence, taking Bai Xiuxiu with her.
In the final moments of their escape, the corner of Bai Xiuxiu's eye caught a glimpse of a charred mountain peak nearby, where a corpse was pinned against the rock face by a greatsword wreathed in fierce flames.
Although the figure had lost its life force, it still exuded a chilling, powerful killing intent and bloody aura. Its power level, in Bai Xiuxiu's perception, was absolutely no weaker than the Limit Douluo she knew.
What chilled her even more was that the residual aura of the corpse was of the same origin as the crimson demonic sword in the white-haired youth's hand. This bizarre connection made her shudder.
"Cough, cough..."
Skirk silently circulated her power, calming the churning blood within her body, and raised a hand to wipe away a trace of fresh red that spilled from the corner of her lips.
Her face was slightly pale, but her eyes remained calm.
The white-haired youth was indeed terrifying, but he lacked sentience; he was merely an aggregate of massive negative energy, possessing only the form, power, and instinct for slaughter. Otherwise, she and Bai Xiuxiu might truly have perished there today.
Just then, Skirk frowned slightly, sensing the abnormal energy fluctuations coming from the distance, and said in a deep voice:
"This feeling... there's a sense of familiarity."
"Familiarity?"
Bai Xiuxiu collected her thoughts and looked at her curiously.
"Yes."
Skirk nodded slightly, casting a sharp gaze toward the distant sea horizon, where energy turbulence could be clearly perceived even from a great distance.
"It feels like something from my world... but more chaotic, distorted, with only the purest malice and desire for destruction remaining."
After a brief adjustment, the two decided to investigate.
A faint, almost imperceptible glow emanated from around Skirk, enveloping Bai Xiuxiu as well. She then transformed into a dim stream of shadow, skimming along the undulating waves, subtly approaching the center of the energy eruption.
The closer they got, the more suffocating the world-destroying pressure became.
Towering waves connected to the gloomy sky, like an enraged god brandishing gigantic whips made of water, ferociously lashing at an island in the distance, which was enveloped by a warm and tough golden aura.
And within the wild waves and fury, a colossal demon god figure with multiple grotesque heads, woven from violent water currents and ominous dark light, let out a soul-shaking roar, continuously gathering terrifying destructive energy to pound the island's defense.
"That is... the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial!"
Skirk abruptly halted, her pupils slightly contracted, her tone carrying a hint of surprise.
But quickly, her rich experience and perception distinguished the anomaly.
"No, it's not the original entity. Like the white-haired youth before, it's a negative energy memory body condensed from a Foul Point in this world. It possesses a powerful external shell of power, but inside there is only the chaotic instinct for destruction and ruin."
Skirk's brows furrowed tightly as she gazed at the demon god wantonly displaying its divine power over the sea.
The energy level of this Osial memory body, judged by the standards of this world, had already reached the level of a Rank 100 True God. While not as powerful as the white-haired youth who had injured her, it was certainly dangerous enough.
And her current state was not fully recovered, her injuries were not light. If she were to face such a formidable enemy head-on again, the consequences would be unpredictable—a highly perilous endeavor.
At this moment, Bai Xiuxiu's attention was completely drawn to the island that remained unshaken under the demon god's violent attack, radiating a warm, sacred glow.
The protective and peaceful power contained within that golden light gave her a sense of reassurance and familiarity that originated from the depths of her bloodline.
"Seagod Island... Is that Seagod Island?"
She murmured, the records of the Seagod's sacred land from her clan's heritage surfacing in her mind.
Her gaze involuntarily moved downwards, falling upon the waters outside Seagod Island, the area where a tragic battle was taking place against countless water element monsters summoned by the demon god.
A group of agile, fierce Demon White Sharks, radiating powerful soul power fluctuations, were relentlessly and fearlessly charging the demon god's minions, constructing a defense line with their teeth and bodies.
Then, her vision completely froze.
At the very forefront of that group of brave and fearless Demon White Sharks, the one leading the charge, the largest in size, with a silver skin flowing with radiance, whose every charge carried an unstoppable momentum...
Time, as if infinitely stretched in this moment, finally stagnated.
Bai Xiuxiu's breathing suddenly completely stopped. Her heart felt as if it were tightly squeezed by an invisible, cold hand. A surge of intense sourness and piercing pain washed up into her nasal cavity, instantly blurring her vision. All that remained in her sight was that familiar figure, one that made her soul tremble.
That was...
That was her mother!
The King of the Demon White Shark Clan, the mother she missed day and night.
In her original world, the Demon White Shark Clan was brutally massacred by the Demon Emperor, and her beloved mother had long since turned into a cold corpse, eternally sinking into the black, endless deep sea.
That bone-deep pain of losing her loved one was a wound in her heart that could never heal, one that often throbbed violently in her midnight dreams.
But now... what did she see?
The mother she thought she would never see again in this life was fighting, alive, right before her eyes.
That massive and graceful streamlined body, that combat posture that showed no retreat in the face of a formidable enemy, that resolute momentum leading her clan bravely forward.
Everything, everything perfectly overlapped with the most heroic and glorious image of her mother deep within her memory.
The hot tears could no longer be restrained. Like pearls snapping their thread, they burst from her eyes without warning, continuously sliding down her fair, smooth cheeks.
She subconsciously took a step forward, her slender hand slightly extended, as if wanting to penetrate this unattainable distance to touch that warm figure that only appeared in the most beautiful dreams.
"Mother..."
She choked, uttering these two weighty words in a faint, emotional whisper, fraught with yearning and sorrow, audible only to herself.
However, the cold reality instantly engulfed her like a tide.
She abruptly realized that this was impossible.
This was a parallel world.
Her mother in this world was still fighting to protect Seagod Island.
Her mother in this world had not yet given birth to Bai Xiuxiu, and perhaps... had not even fallen in love with her father yet.
If she rushed forward now, what kind of response could she possibly receive other than being treated as a strange human girl acting erratically and emotionally? Perhaps not even a moment of extra attention.
A tremendous sorrow and a nearly absurd, desperate sense of powerlessness instantly swept over her entire being.
Her long-missed mother was right before her eyes, seemingly within reach, yet separated by an invisible, insurmountable chasm of time and space.
So close, yet a world away.
Skirk keenly noticed Bai Xiuxiu's uncontrollable, intense emotional fluctuations. Following the girl's fixated gaze, she, too, saw the King of the Demon White Sharks, Xiaobai, bravely fighting on the front line.
With her wisdom, she instantly understood the reason.
Seeing the girl fiercely suppressing her sobs, yet unable to control her body from trembling slightly, her tears flowing like a burst dam, a fleeting, subtle softness and pity flashed across Skirk's eyes, which were usually as deep and calm as an abyss.
"It's her, isn't it?"
Skirk's voice was extremely soft, as if afraid of disturbing the girl's fragile emotions.
Bai Xiuxiu nodded hard, her tears falling even more profusely, spreading dark wet patches on the rough reef surface beneath her feet.
"Teacher... that's my mother... my mother, who is still alive in this world..."
Her voice was utterly broken, mixed with unbelievable ecstasy, but even more so, a deeper pain and despair.
Skirk remained silent, her gaze turning again towards the distance.
In the aftershocks of the Overlord of the Vortex Osial's attacks, Xiaobai's Demon White Shark clan was struggling to hold on, with every impact bringing them close to disaster.
She understood how heavy this yearning, which had crossed the barrier of space and time, was, and the pain of watching a loved one in peril yet being unable to immediately recognize them.
Just then, Bai Xiuxiu abruptly turned, gripping Skirk's arm with all her strength. She raised her tear-stained, pitiful face and pleaded in a choked voice:
"Teacher, please, help them, help Seagod Island... I... I can't... I can't stand to watch my mother... die again... in front of me..."
The rest of her words were completely drowned out by her uncontrollable sobs.