They kept moving forward.
Led by countless sea beasts, Yun Jin rescued more captives along the way—a Spirit Sea Horse trained as a mount, a Sun Coral brutally trimmed with scissors just because its original form looked "aesthetic."
Finally, she reached the heart of the territory.
Two high-ranking races were imprisoned here: the Charm Mermaids and the Spirit Pearl Clams.
Yun Jin swiftly wiped out every Ink Sea Dragon Palace guard in this area, freeing both races. By the time she finished, every enslaved race had gathered around her.
Two high-level species, dozens of mid-level ones. When counted together, there were over a hundred thousand of them. At that moment, those who'd just been told they were free looked completely lost.
They'd been saved... but what now? Where were they supposed to go?
The Ink Sea Dragon Palace would definitely retaliate. If they stayed, they'd only be captured again. If they ran, it was only a matter of time before they were hunted down. No matter how they looked at it, they were still trapped in despair.
[Ding. Mission 'Rescue the Enslaved Races' completed. The tasker may now return to the Mission Hall to claim the reward.]
The system paused briefly.
Then, it continued,
[Alternatively, you may upgrade the mission. New SS-rank mission: 'Reclaim Freedom.' Help the freed races gain the ability to control their own destiny. Mission completion will be determined by their collective will. Would you like to accept the upgraded mission?]
Reclaim freedom.
Yun Jin raised a brow.
The word "freedom" carried too much weight. Even she couldn't claim to truly possess it. Still, this version of freedom only required these sea beasts to feel free. That made it a lot more achievable.
Looking at the anxious sea beasts, she said calmly, "Upgrade the mission. Accept."
She hadn't planned to just leave anyway. Sure, the task was technically done, but if she walked away now, these sea beasts' fate might turn out even worse than before. She wasn't a saint, but she wasn't heartless either.
[Mission upgraded and accepted. Based on the current state of the sea beasts' will, their sense of freedom is: six percent. A hundred percent represents mission completion. Tasker, please continue working hard.]
Six percent...
That barely counted as freedom at all. They looked free on the outside, but in their hearts, they were even more lost and afraid.
Yun Jin checked through her storage. She had the Palace Pearl with her, and though Zhu Zhu wasn't here, she could still access items from the Celestial Divine Palace. With that vast storage space, she habitually carried all kinds of supplies with her. After checking through the materials, she quickly began to work.
The Charm Mermaid sisters exchanged puzzled glances.
"Senior, what's she doing?" one asked.
Their eyes were full of curiosity.
Hei Chi froze. How was he supposed to know?!
Truth be told, he'd only met Yun Jin a few hours earlier than they had!
Still, as her so-called right-hand man, he couldn't let that show. He put on a mysterious look and said solemnly, "Heaven's secrets can't be revealed."
The sisters stared at him in awe. So mysterious?
They looked at Hei Chi differently after that.
Meanwhile, Yun Jin continued gathering materials, working in one spot, then another. She laid down four massive formations in the four corners of the region.
Then, she placed in several spirit stones. Once energy flowed into them, the formations lit up one by one. Moments later, they linked together, forming a huge barrier that enveloped the entire area once more.
Yun Jin tested it, then nodded in satisfaction. When she'd broken the previous barrier earlier, she'd realized something—this ocean world's understanding of formations and barriers was pitifully basic.
That old barrier should've required at least half her strength to break by force. But after a single glance, she'd found multiple weak points. By striking those flaws, she'd needed less than ten percent of her strength to shatter it. And everyone had still been shocked.
That barrier had been created by the strongest formation masters of the Ink Sea Dragon Palace, which supposedly represented the highest standard in the East Sea. If that was the best they could do, it only meant one thing—this ocean world's formation mastery lagged far behind the human world's.
This time, Yun Jin set up four level-eight formations. The defensive barrier was only one part of their full function. If she controlled them herself, they could defend, attack, trap enemies, or even generate illusions.
Combined, their power was comparable to a level-nine formation. It was time these sea beasts saw what a real formation looked like.
As the new barrier sealed the area, the sea beasts all gaped in awe. The previous one had taken ten Mahayana cultivators seven days and seven nights, plus their own blood essence, to complete.
Yet this Senior…
They hadn't even seen her do anything special. She'd just placed some materials around, and somehow, a barrier was formed?
One curious beast attacked it experimentally. Not even a ripple appeared. It was as if the strike had hit nothing at all.
This barrier… was terrifyingly strong.
The others tried too, with the same result.
Yun Jin didn't stop them, only watched with a faint smile.
"Senior, this barrier—it's unbelievably strong!" the Charm Mermaid sisters said, excitement flickering in their eyes.
Yun Jin chuckled. "This barrier will keep you safe for three months."
"Three months?"
All the sea beasts stopped testing it. Their faces turned grim.
Only three months? Why?
"I checked earlier," she explained. "The spirit stones Mo Yu left behind can sustain the barrier for three months. After that, they'll be completely drained. Once the stones are gone, the barrier will collapse."
Of course, Yun Jin still had plenty of spirit stones herself.
But she had no intention of letting these sea beasts rely on her so easily.
"For the next three months, I can guarantee your safety," she said, her gaze sweeping across their tense faces. "During that time, I'll train you. When the barrier breaks, the Ink Sea Dragon Palace will launch an all-out attack. When that happens, I need you to fight with me."
She paused. "Yes, our enemies are the Ink Sea Dragon Palace—and possibly the entire East Sea.
If you're afraid, you can leave now. I'll help hide your presence so you can escape safely. As long as you're careful, the Palace won't find you easily.
But if you choose to stay, you'll have to endure three months of harsh training. I don't want slaves. I want comrades who can stand beside me. Whether you stay or leave, the choice is yours."
Her voice was calm. In truth, she didn't need their help.
But if they wanted her to fight for them, they needed to earn that right first.