Chapter 282: Aya, Do You Value Your Lover over Your Friend
Translator: Subudai11 Editor: Chrissy
The days on the sea were free and comfortable.
According to the scheduled voyage, Wang Lu and the others would be on the sea for about one month before arriving at the harbor on the Western Continent. This was already quite fast. If there was no navigation from Ayun of Sea-Tribe in order to ensure safety, the fleet would likely spend more time on the ocean to find a safe route.
Most of their time on the ocean was spent in leisure. After leaving Nine Regions, the surrounding spiritual energy gradually changed, which made it difficult to support the several people’s immortal cultivation need. Although it didn’t cause them to lose their cultivation base, it did make it difficult to meditate to improve their cultivation. Thus, in addition to the occasional simple practice of swordsmanship, they spent most of their time in leisure.
Life on the sea was very new for several of them. And considering that it was highly likely that they would face arduous tests after arriving at the Western Continent, they might as well take this opportunity to relax their body and mind. Among them, Liu Li was the happiest. Since childhood, she grew up on the Spirit Sword Mountain in the Blue River Region, thus has never seen the sea. And for her simple mind, not only the Endless Sea was not boring, but it also contained endless fun. Everyday, they would see her running around on the deck, and sometimes flying on her sword to brave the winds and waves not far away from the fleet. As for Bai Shixuan and Quan Zouhua, most of the time they spent their days sleeping in their respective room. Perhaps the body of immortal beast could not adapt to the change in the continent law as fast as a human, so it took some time for them to recuperate.
As for Aya, she has a strong interest in Ayun of Sea-Tribe. Oftentimes, she would take the initiative to strike up a conversation, inquiring about all kinds of stories and anecdotes about Sea-Tribe people. Unfortunately, Ayun’s reaction was very cold. Most of the time, she would just close herself inside her room. When occasionally she came out for fresh air, she remained cold and indifferent to the others.
After being rebuffed for several times, Aya tried to suppress her curiosity with her will, but eventually, it was unbearable to her, which made her particularly uncomfortable. From the side, Wang Lu looked at her with interest, shook his head and then said to her, "You’re asking the wrong way, no wonder she doesn’t respond to your questions."
Aya earnestly recalled, "Did I ever ask in any impolite way? I’m sorry, I don’t know much about the Sea-Tribe."
Wang Lu said, "I will give you a demonstration so you will know the difference."
Then, Wang Lu and Aya came to Ayun’s cabin and gently knocked on the door. After opening the door, the Sea-Tribe girl stood at the door while coldly looking at Wang Lu, with eyes asking what do you want.
Wang Lu said with a smile, "I want to ask you some questions. One answer is worth one hundred spirit stones. Are you interested?"
Ayun thought for a moment, stood aside and invited them to the room, "Please come in."
Outside the room, Aya didn’t know whether to laugh or cry while inwardly asking herself whether she should feel depressed or be at awe.
Wang Lu threw a mustard seed bag filled with thousands of spirit stones to Aya. "Now you can ask her whatever you want. I’m going to look for air on the deck."
A few hours later, Aya brought back the completely empty mustard seed bag to the deck and approached Wang Lu.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome."
The two people stood silently on the deck for a while before Aya smiled and asked, "Do you know a lot about Sea-Tribe people?"
Wang Lu shrugged. "How could I? This is the first time I saw a living Sea-Tribe person."
Aya asked, "So, you are very good at judging a person?"
Wang Lu nodded. "Judging a person? Not bad." Then he looked at Aya and said, "A cup, am I right?"
"…"
Were it not that her state was still unstable, Aya would’ve certainly fought it out with him.
Nevertheless, Aya was still furious. Her face was unusually gloomy, and hidden underneath, a storm was brewing. However, at this time, Aya suddenly seemed surprised. "Huh!?"
While she was still puzzled, a barefooted girl ran towards the deck, panting, with confused and uncertain complexion.
Wang Lu reached out and greeted her, "Ayun?"
However, Ayun completely ignored Wang Lu as she ran straight to the edge of the ship. Both of her hands were holding on the rail. Standing tiptoed to let her upper body as high as possible, she gazed at the faraway spot on the Endless Sea. From her expression, it was obvious that she was completely scared.
With his eyes, Wang Lu saw nothing out of the ordinary on the left side of the pilot vessel. Warm sunlight sprinkled on the sea as if they were a layer of gold.
"Is this… a strange urge to defecate?"
Aya took half a step forward and patted Wang Lu on the shoulder. She then said with a sinking voice, "Be careful, something is coming."
A moment later, even the fleet head Nie Yang also came up and anxiously asked, "Ayun, what’s the matter? Is something happens?"
Ayun turned her head. With tears in his eyes, the young girl nodded, and then shook her head, but no one knew what it meant.
But then, even without her explanation, everyone realized that they were facing imminent disaster.
The calm sea rose without warning, as if a towering mountain had risen from a flat land. A shady black dome rose abruptly on one side of the ship’s rail. The next moment, the rising sea turned into a waterfall, falling along the edge of the surface of the dome, revealing a ferocious behemoth monster.
It was an incalculably large sea animal, with a round head, hard outer shell, and ash-black surface. Below the head was about ten tentacles, each was more than thirty meters long. Along with the appearance of the giant creature, its tentacles flapped on the surface of the sea and stirred up stormy waves, demonstrating its monstrous strength. One touch from one of its tentacles was enough to crash this pilot ship into pieces.
"My god… that’s one giant octopus!"
Seeing this amazing giant, Wang Lu was also shocked and involuntarily gulped down his saliva. Crisis could appear anywhere on the Endless Sea, was a sentence that he was already tired of hearing when he was still on the Nine Regions, but when he actually met with one, it was still a horrendous shock to him.
"Sea beast, it’s a sea beast!"
Before long, the whole fleet went into panic. Flustered, the sailors continued to scream out one after the other. The fleet quickly went out of control. The initially neatly arranged formation of ships quickly scattered.
Looking at the sea beast that blotted out the sky in the distant surface, Nie Yang’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and his jaw almost fell to the deck.
"Ayun, what’s going on here?"
Ayun looked around in panic, obviously, she also didn’t expect an uninvited guest to appear in this supposedly peaceful route. As a member of the Sea-Tribe, she had performed a basic induction of everything in and on the sea before she went out on a voyage, and during the journey, she also communicated with the creatures in the sea, to choose a peaceful route to advance while avoiding hostile sea beasts and storm covered area.
And just half a day ago, she had just completed another round of induction, confirming that there was no sea beast that was wandering around near them. Why did such a big guy suddenly come! For a common Sea-Tribe people, they might never meet such a thing even once in their entire life!
At this time, all of the fleet crew felt a cold, icy chill that came from the bottom of their heart, which could freeze all of them. The next moment, a thundering roar swept everyone.
Blood immediately flowed out of the ears of many sailors with ordinary mortal physique, knocking them unconscious. Even Nie Yang was internally shocked that he couldn’t help but scream out.
Wang Lu and the rest of his team of course were not injured. However, upon hearing that roar, Wang Lu could not help but frown, for he felt that it was not a simple roar, but the sea beast was trying to tell them something?
"It said that it smelled our scent from miles away so it came immediately. It also said that it has been waiting for this moment for a long time."
Bai Shixuan’s voice faintly sounded through primordial spirit to translate it for him. Wang Lu was amazed. "Little Bai, you understand what it says?"
"It’s probably a beast reasoning." Bai Shixuan somewhat self-deprecatingly said, "It seems like it wants to take revenge."
"The hell, when did we tie enmity with him? Is it because we just ate mustard octopus at lunch?"
At the same time, Ayun, who was holding on the rail on the other side of the ship suddenly moved. Although the girl’s face fluctuated between red and white, obviously she was also badly affected by the roar, but she successfully resisted it. Standing firm, she strangely looked at Wang Lu and the others, and then forcefully tried to get off the rail, seemingly wanted to jump over the ship into the sea.
Aya’s reaction was the fastest. She stepped forward, held the girl down and then warned, "It’s more dangerous down there! We will do our best to protect you here!"
Ayun struggled, trying to get close to the side of the ship while screaming, "Let go! Let go of me!"
"Calm down!" Aya firmly held Ayun in place. Despite now she was less than one in ten thousand her original strength, she could still hold an ordinary girl down with ease, no matter how hard Ayun struggled.
"What are you doing?" Nie Yang, who just managed to get back his composure, exclaimed, "Let her go! Otherwise, we’re all going to die!"
"What!"
At this time, after saying its piece, the sea beast was now coming at them at full speed, creating monstrous waves on its path. Nie Yang panicked and said, "Let her go! Or we’re all going to die! She is the most important sacrificial offering to quell the anger of the sea god!"
"Sacrificial offering?"
No matter whether Aya, Wang Lu, or Bai Shixuan, they were not stupid so they immediately understood Nie Yang’s explanation.
No wonder… No wonder the price for one Sea-Tribe people was so high! No wonder the girl was dressed like someone that was about to be buried… It turned out that, beyond the navigation duty, the Sea-Tribe people was used as the last insurance of the fleet. In the event of encountering a disaster, like Sea-Beast attack or storm, the Sea-Tribe could sacrifice themselves as a sacrificial offering to the Endless Sea, to quell that wrath of the sea!
"The Sea-Tribe people are already well aware of this before going out into the sea. If you stop her, it would only implicate everyone, even Ayun herself would be ashamed. Let go of her, before it’s too late!" Nie Yang yelled, making his final effort.
However, Aya’s mind has already been set. Through primordial spirit, she talked to Wang Lu, "Wang Lu, help me. Save her."
Wang Lu was surprised. "Help you save her?" He then pointed at the sea beast gigantic octopus. "Are you saying you want me to pick a fight against that thing?"
After a pause, Wang Lu continued, "Don’t be such a holy mother here. Although Ayun is indeed very pitiful, this is her duty that she is well aware of and accepted. Everyone will die in the end, don’t take her responsibility…"
Aya said, "This is not taking away her responsibility, this sea beast is coming for me. When I crossed the Endless Sea a century ago, I met with it and dealt it a heavy loss. Now it wants to take revenge."
"…"
"Ayun is this generation’s most outstanding Sea-Tribe member. Her perception and navigation skill is second to none. This time, if not for me, she wouldn’t have encountered this sea beast. I’m the one to blame here, so it’s my duty-bound to save her, but I know that my strength is not enough."
Wang Lu was startled. "Aya, are you valuing your lover more than your friend? Ayun doesn’t deserve to die, but I do?"
Aya hurriedly explained, "I know that this Sea Beast couldn’t stop you because you have been preparing for this journey on the mountain for so long. Although there must be a price, but… I’m begging you."
Wang Lu helplessly said with a wry smile, "Since you’ve said that, then I’ll go."
"After all, I’ve already promised you to always succeed in every endeavor. Consider this my first endeavor."
Aya nodded. "Thank you. Although I only have meager strength, I will do my best to fight together with you!"
"Together with me? There’s no need." With that, he cut off their primordial spirit communication link. At this time, the Sea Beast has already arrived near the pilot ship, roaring.
Then Wang Lu leisurely reached out something from his mustard seed bag and tossed it towards the sky.
It was Spirit Sword Heavenly Talisman, yet significantly different than ordinary Heavenly Talisman. In the air, the heavenly talisman shone, and a white figure appeared from the light. The next moment, a layer of emerald green light covered the entire pilot ship. The giant beast crashed into the green light and was bounced back, crashing into the ocean like it was a mountain.
"Tsk, it hasn’t been that long since you went down the mountain, yet you have already called out for my help. Little Lu, are you okay?"
There was a part concerned and a part joking in that voice. Who else if not Wang Wu?