Timo gazed at the dust-covered wooden trough.

  He gathered water essence, drawing clear mountain-spring water from hidden veins and pouring it in until the basin was full.

  Through the rippling surface, he glimpsed threads of metal embedded in the bottom—screws, perhaps—but before he could examine them closely, Ugly Bastard plunged in with a gleeful splash and relaxed completely.

  Its short tail flicked rapidly, splashing water across Timo’s face.

  He simply wiped it away.

  “So—you’re telling me the Tide-Weaver Priestess uses earth-spirit blood to breed you, then feeds mongrels like you to the sea demons… and the Black Sea Lord controls everything?”

  As Timo spoke, his mind conjured a monster far more terrifying than the tentacle-covered sea demon he had faced.

  “It’s all from the fish mother’s own mouth,” Ugly Bastard whispered, lowering its voice each time the Black Sea Lord was mentioned. “Mongrels like us aren’t qualified to lay eyes on it.”

  “Then how many sea demons does this Black Sea Lord keep?”

  “On the far side of Black Mountain Reef lies the pirate legion loyal to the Lord.

  The nightmare demon that feeds on us lives out in the open Black Sea.”

  Its stubby claw pointed toward the cave mouth, comically writhing to mimic the tentacles.

  “The priestess’s small tribes are all clustered around the blood-vein springs.

  The Lord’s lair is said to be hidden deep in the abyss—that’s what I heard from the fish mother.”

  “This Black Sea Lord sounds formidable. No wonder Master and the others couldn’t escape…”

  Hearing how extraordinary the Black Sea Lord was, a glint flashed in Timo’s eyes.

  If he tamed this Ugly Bastard, leaving this place might become easier.

  “I’ve got it.

  As long as you behave, I’ll make sure Master keeps you.”

  He yawned. “Ah… I’m exhausted. I’m going to sleep.”

  With that, Timo lay down on the fur-covered stone bed nearby.

  It looked haphazard, but it was infinitely more comfortable than the fish demons’ lairs.

  “Good brother, don’t worry—I swear I’ll be obedient.

  I want to live. I don’t want to become food.”

  Ugly Bastard submerged its head and drank deeply.

  The shallow cut on its neck from the dagger healed rapidly before Timo’s eyes.

  Seeing this, pity stirred in Timo’s heart.

  This little creature—homeless, yet it had guarded him all along.

  Apart from being ugly, it didn’t seem like a man-eating monster at all.

  “You can sleep here tonight.

  Master said you only get one night—come dawn, you have to leave.

  But… we’ll see about tomorrow.

  I’m truly exhausted.”

  Just one night.

  Without the fish mother’s protection, Ugly Bastard wouldn’t survive long outside.

  It suddenly lifted its head and gazed at Timo with pitiful, pleading eyes.

  “Good brother… I have no kin left.

  You’re my only brother now. I can only rely on you.”

  Timo felt the same emptiness.

  He glanced up at the moving shadow in the crack of the stone door.

  All his hope rested on Master now.

  When he turned back, Ugly Bastard was already snoring thunderously again, its earlier fear vanished without a trace.

  Timo felt he hadn’t slept peacefully in ages.

  He soon drifted into dreams.

  All night, his mind replayed the people and events from the illusion—moments of happiness.

  At that very moment, Yue Yang, who had taken the heavenly thunder trial in her brother’s place, teetered on the edge of death.

  Her soul consciousness was trapped in void.

  She knew she still lived because the entity calling itself the Spirit Lord kept trying to seize control.

  “Why suffer needlessly?

  Just give me your body, and I’ll avenge you.”

  Yue Yang’s white consciousness form was bound in darkness.

  Excruciating pain tore through her body, yet she refused to yield to the Spirit Lord’s temptation.

  “I’d rather die than hand my body over to you.”

  The black consciousness coiled around her and laughed maniacally—a game of fragile emotions it had played countless times before.

  “The longer you hold out, the more damage your body takes.

  With my help—and your Purifying Spirit Eye—you’ll be far stronger than before.

  Heavenly thunder is pure heavenly gift.

  Water, wind, and lightning fused—immensely powerful.”

  Yue Yang remained unmoved and rejected it outright.

  “Hmph. Do you think I care?

  My brother died for me.

  How could I live just for revenge?

  I’d rather be locked in an ice prison than be used by you…”

  The black consciousness swirled back and forth, finally forming a dark face.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Poor little beauty.

  Struggle all you want.

  I have all the time in eternity.

  After all, a melon forced off the vine isn’t sweet. Haha…”

  As the Spirit Lord’s voice faded, Yue Yang’s consciousness continued resisting the pain radiating from her body.

  Every inch of her skin felt as though it were burning.

  In the real world, Ge Bai wept silently, tears streaming down her aged face.

  She applied priceless spirit medicines to Yue Yang’s body, channeling healing power to ease the torment.

  Hidden in the passages, Lulu Gan observed the Iron Law bald guards maintaining twenty-four-hour rotating watches.

  She knew the WatchLegion would soon face great change.

  Having overheard the alliance trade council, Lulu Gan understood her mission even more clearly.

  She could not spread hatred because of the siblings’ plight.

  Looking at Fei’s message on her communicator, she replied only: Sister Yue Yang is recovering well.

  She did not send the video she had taken—no glimpse of the suffering for Fei, far away on the black forest border.

  There, Fei stood alone atop a high peak, overlooking the vast black forest.

  Occasional roars rose from within.

  His thunder eagle stayed close, never leaving his side.

  Along the border below, Shanhai Wu’s field troops were stationed, lights flickering everywhere.

  Clearly, the hidden Evil Cultivators were fully prepared; the field troops could not easily locate them.

  “Good brother—save me!”

  After one night, Timo was still immersed in his beautiful dream when a cry for help woke him at dawn.

  Opening his eyes, he saw a set of old training clothes neatly folded beside him.

  He was about to thank his master when another scream interrupted.

  “Good brother, save me…”

  With another wail, Timo whipped around.

  Yan Tang had Ugly Bastard lifted in one hand, a cleaver raised in the other, ready to slaughter it.

  “Master—Ugly Bastard isn’t like the other fish demons!

  It saved me—it bears no malice!”

  Timo scrambled out of bed and threw himself in the way.

  Hearing the creature’s gurgling cries, Yan Tang understood none of it.

  The strange tones irritated him deeply, echoing the seductive voices of the merfolk sirens.

  His mind flooded with memories of those fish demons slaughtering his comrades.

  At his apprentice’s plea, Yan Tang lowered the blade to the stone.

  How is it different? Tell me.

  *Give me on

  The words scrawled in the sand were wild and jagged—his anger barely contained.

  Seeing this, Timo knew Master was far from pleased.

  A spark lit in his eyes as he recalled Ugly Bastard’s information from the night before.

  “It knows this sea domain intimately—the Black Sea Lord, the merfolk.

  If we tame it, it can definitely help us.”

  At those words, the bulging veins on Yan Tang’s arm relaxed.

  He had captured lesser fish demons before, but unable to understand their speech, he had only skinned them for armor and weapons.

  “Very well. You may tame this pet—I won’t object.

  But it must hunt with us, or it gets no food.”

  As Yan Tang’s fingers danced, he roughly flung Ugly Bastard back into the corner.

  His fierce glare shrank the creature like a frightened chick.

  “Understood!

  Ugly Bastard, Master agrees to let you stay—but you have to hunt with us to earn your food!”

  Hearing this, Ugly Bastard immediately prostrated itself, pressing its forehead to the stone and splaying its fins in the highest ritual obeisance a fish demon could offer to Yan Tang.

  For the first time in decades, Yan Tang beheld a fish demon so eerily human, his furrowed brow betraying genuine surprise.

  Ugly as the little thing was, its gestures echoed the groveling courtiers of the old empire—obsequious, desperate to please.

  In his memory, the merfolk were monsters: faces twisted in malice, tentacles crowning their heads with watchful eyes that wove illusions and ensnared souls.

  He had seen elite warriors dragged into the depths, torn to white bones in moments.

  Now, as Ugly Bastard rose, it brandished its razor claws in playful sweeps—a naughty child’s antics—babbling shrilly.

  The piercing sound startled Yan Tang; essence flared in his palm, and a spirit blade nearly flew.

  “Master—it says the sea is full of endless fish! Leave the food to it!”

  Timo watched the creature’s comical display and laughed innocently, then sensed the killing intent.

  He hurriedly relayed its words.

  Even more astonishing: amid the gurgles, Yan Tang clearly caught one syllable—“fish.”

  His broad hand swept, and sand flowed swiftly, scrawling jagged words.

  Did this little thing just say “fish”?

  Seeing the script, Timo was equally stunned—he had been too focused on protecting Ugly Bastard to notice.

  “Ugly Bastard—say ‘fish’ again.”

  At Timo’s command, the creature puckered its lips in clumsy imitation and repeated the word several times, proud of itself.

  Timo whooped with excitement, scooping it up and tossing it lightly into the air.

  “You can speak!”

  “Quiet!”

  As Timo and Ugly Bastard chattered, Yan Tang tapped the stone wall lightly.

  The rock trembled faintly.

  Boy and demon froze in place, like children caught misbehaving.

  Yan Tang pointed to the training garb, words forming before Timo’s eyes.

  My son’s old training uniform.

  Wear it from now on.

  Rise at dawn.

  Eat.

  After eating, lift the round stones—starting with the lightest—a thousand times.

  Then run ten kilometers.

  “Received!”

  Seeing his master’s uncompromising expression, Timo reined in his playfulness.

  He snapped a crisp salute.

  Ugly Bastard mimicked him awkwardly beside him.

  Though Yan Tang’s demeanor remained stern, the creature’s behavior strengthened his confidence in escaping this place.

  Questions about his apprentice’s origins stirred once more.

  “Master—the clothes are a bit big.”

  Timo donned the uniform; the flame emblem on the chest had faded from countless washes, barely discernible.

  “Stuff them. They’ll fit soon enough—you’ll grow.

  From now on, the first thing you do upon waking is fill your belly.

  Food is the foundation of all strength.

  Eating comes before everything.”

  “Understood, Master!”

  Ugly Bastard nodded in sync, mimicking the human motion clumsily and strangely.

  After a few tries, it managed a high, reedy “Master!”

  The childish tone startled Yan Tang again.

  “You little thing—do you even know what ‘master’ means?”

  It couldn’t read the sand—but it read his eyes.

  It nodded vigorously.

  My hatred for your kind is eternal.

  I will teach you nothing.

  If your good brother wishes to keep you, he may.

  Otherwise, you fend for yourself.

  Timo translated the jagged script.

  The playful gleam in Ugly Bastard’s bulging eyes turned to fear.

  It fell silent.

  Boy—this passage leads straight to the rear slope.

  That will be your training ground from now on.

  Never climb to the summit.

  Even I could not save you there.

  I write these words only once.

  Commit them to heart.

  Seeing his master point to a narrow tunnel, Timo stood ramrod straight once more.

  “Received, Master!”

  “No more chatter.

  Go hunt breakfast.”

  As the bold sand words faded, the stone wall behind him parted silently.

  Sea wind poured in.

  Timo felt the wind’s power; essence gathered instinctively in his palm.

  He thumped his chest in assurance.

  “Master—from now on, leave the food to us.

  Rest well.”

  At that moment, a faint glow touched the Black Sea’s horizon.

  The beach lay unnaturally still, as though last night’s spirit soldiers had been mere nightmare.

  Outside is deadly.

  Strike fast and stay hidden.

  I will keep watch from the cave.

  Go prepare today’s food.

  Before Yan Tang finished scrawling, Ugly Bastard vanished with a whoosh.

  It reappeared amid the thin mist over the reef stones and dove in without hesitation.

  Seeing it flee, Yan Tang grew wary—even if the creature escaped, no one could ever find the cave’s location.

  As its small form lingered out of sight, he began writing a warning for his apprentice: never trust any demon.

  Then the water churned.

  Deep below, Ugly Bastard spun at blinding speed, whipping up vortices.

  A school of fish surged ashore on the waves.

  As the largest flopped back toward the sea, Ugly Bastard’s claws pierced it clean.

  Again.

  Again.

  In mere minutes, several fat fish lay on the sand.

  “Master—keeping my brother was the right call!”

  Timo shivered with excitement, grinning as wind essence carried him swiftly down the slope.

  He reached the beach, grabbed two fish, and began hauling them back.

  Yan Tang stroked his streaked white beard, his face softening with a kindly smile.

  Watching his apprentice glide effortlessly on the wind filled him with hope for escape.

  Enough—return quickly.

  The blood will draw sea demons and dreadwolves.

  Timo made five trips; in just over ten minutes, the cave’s storage was piled with fish.

  Seeing the sand words, he hurriedly scanned for Ugly Bastard—it had vanished far out on the waves.

  Anomaly in the sea—return at once!

  As Yan Tang wrote, Timo heard the waves growing louder.

  He snatched the two largest remaining fish and began retreating.

  Moments later, Ugly Bastard appeared atop a massive swell, racing back in evident panic.

  “Run—adult sea demon!”

  Its cry whistled past as it streaked by.

  Timo summoned wind essence, leapt, and vanished into the beach mist in bounding strides.

  From the thinning fog, a giant tentacle followed the wave, sweeping the remaining fish ashore—and erasing the blood scent.

  Another massive tentacle rose.

  Yan Tang channeled wind essence, driving the sea fog inland.

  Soon the thick mist veiled the demon’s view.

  The waves subsided.

  A colossal shadow submerged into the shallows, lurking—ready to devour any living thing that stirred.

  Having bounded a safe distance, Timo caught up to Ugly Bastard.

  Glancing back, he saw only gray haze swallowing the beach.

  They had lost sight of the peak in the dense fog.

  Then a fresh breeze parted the mist briefly.

  Yan Tang’s silhouette appeared—a clear beacon.

  Following that fleeting window, Timo rode the wind back to the ledge.

  The stone sealed shut.

  The outcrop blended seamlessly into the sheer cliff—hidden, impregnable.

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