A whirlpool!

It was actually a whirlpool!

Meng Wanyue had originally thought that Madam Helian and Helian Shaoze wouldn’t have the audacity, nor the ability, to do something like this!

She hadn’t expected that they would actually…

Beneath their feet, a massive whirlpool slowly surfaced from the deep sea, growing more and more colossal as it rose, as if it could sweep the entire ocean into itself, as if it could even swallow the sky whole!

Whether it was Jun Beiyue or Baili Weisheng, whether it was anyone on Henggong Fish’s back, including Henggong Fish itself, in that instant everyone was struck dumb!

Unable to believe the scene before their eyes!

Heavens, surely they were dreaming!

How could there possibly exist a whirlpool this terrifying, this enormous, anywhere in this world?

The center of the whirlpool was like a giant black hole — one glance at it, and a person would be so terrified they wouldn’t even have the strength left to look away!

The entire sea was churning, and very soon, Henggong Fish found that even it could no longer hold out, and began drifting in the direction the current was spinning.

Finally, it was Xiong Xiaobao’s terrified cry of “Mommy” that snapped everyone back to their senses!

“Go!”

Jun Beiyue shouted, and with a sudden strike sent out a blade of wind, forcefully knocking Henggong Fish off its drifting course. Only then did Henggong Fish come to its senses and immediately swim upward!

But helplessly, as the whirlpool drew nearer, the deflecting force of the current grew stronger and stronger, and although Henggong Fish could still flee upward, its speed kept slowing!

Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng stayed close behind Henggong Fish, working together to shield it from the current’s pull while also continuously channeling their internal energy to drive the water and push Henggong Fish onward, helping it escape!

The situation had turned critical — Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng didn’t even have a moment to catch their breath. Baili Weisheng especially, being so familiar with the sea, understood clearly: once the center of the whirlpool rose to the surface, once the whirlpool drew close enough, then even the gods themselves would be unable to save them!

Ziqing didn’t dare to let up either — holding the terrified Xiong Xiaobao with one arm, she kept striking out with wind blades with the other, driving Henggong Fish forward from behind!

But this whirlpool was clearly being controlled by someone!

As the three of them combined their strength to accelerate their escape, the whirlpool suddenly stopped rising, and its center abruptly widened!

“No good!”

Madam Jinjiao and Baili Weisheng cried out at almost the same instant, but everyone could only hear Baili Weisheng’s voice.

Sure enough, as the center of the whirlpool widened, the deflecting force of the current nearly doubled!

“Aoooo—”

There came a strained, furious roar from Henggong Fish, and then it came to a halt in the rushing current, freezing in place in the sea, the torrent crashing over its body and churning up a mass of white waves!

Had it stopped?

No — it was locked in a standoff, forcing itself to hold on!

The force of the current had grown so great that it could no longer move; if it didn’t summon all its strength to stay still, then the moment it moved, it wouldn’t be swimming upward — it would be swept away by the current, dragged straight into the center of the whirlpool!

Heaven only knew what lay within that black-hole-like center of the whirlpool!

Henggong Fish’s frozen stillness wasn’t only because its own strength was insufficient — even with the combined strength of Ziqing, Jun Beiyue, and Baili Weisheng added together, they could only barely manage to hold their position, just short of being swept away!

What should they do?

“Think of something fast — if this keeps up, the whirlpool’s force will only keep growing, and we won’t be able to hold out!” Baili Weisheng said earnestly. Throughout this whole journey, this was finally the moment his sharp, piercing eyes showed through — eyes like carved lines, solemn as a deity’s.

“What if we split up?”

Ziqing asked urgently. Staying together, especially riding on Henggong Fish’s back, meant they could be sure not to get separated and could make use of Henggong Fish’s swimming speed to get away quickly — but right now, Henggong Fish had no advantage left at all!

If they split apart and each dashed for the surface on their own, wouldn’t that be easier?

The moment Ziqing said this, Baili Weisheng immediately blurted out, “Xiao Qingqing, don’t forget your mother-in-law!”

Baili Weisheng’s words were blunt enough that Meng Wanyue, seated on Henggong Fish’s back, very nearly glared daggers at him — only, she truly was formidable, and instead lowered her head, looking wronged.

In the current situation, to say nothing of him — even Ziqing and Jun Beiyue, if it came down to it, could dash straight to the surface the instant the whirlpool drew near, and even carrying their child as a couple, they would surely manage it.

But there was still Meng Wanyue here!

Meng Wanyue’s weight alone was equivalent to three or four children’s worth, and with the current running this fierce, weight was a factor that simply couldn’t be ignored when trying to flee upward.

But Baili Weisheng wasn’t wrong!

Yet there was no time now to properly work out a strategy!

“Henggong Fish, can you take Xiong Bao up on your own?” Ziqing asked earnestly.

“With just the young master alone, I can manage it!” Henggong Fish said with certainty!

“Alright then. Beiyue, you and I will take Auntie Meng up. Baili Weisheng, you take Xiaosheng. Let’s gamble on this — we’ll meet at the Shallow Water Palace!” Ziqing decided on the spot without hesitation. Jun Beiyue, even as he held back the current, shot Ziqing a look of firm agreement. “Good. Let go together!”

Right now, they were locked in a standoff against the current — the instant Baili Weisheng and Jun Beiyue let go, everyone would inevitably be swept away in that same instant!

The moment they let go — that would be the critical moment!

Baili Weisheng had to grab hold of Baili Xiaosheng, Jun Beiyue and Ziqing had to hold on to Meng Wanyue, and Henggong Fish had to seize the chance, the instant Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng let go and they all left its back, to swim upward with everything it had — because if it missed that instant, even by a moment, it would be swept away, and once dragged into the whirlpool, breaking free again would be nearly impossible!

This moment was absolutely critical!

Not a single person could afford to let up!

Ziqing had already released Xiong Xiaobao, telling him to hold tightly to Henggong Fish, and she moved to the very back of Henggong Fish, staying with Meng Wanyue. Not far from them, Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng stood ready to move in and assist at any moment.

Baili Xiaosheng stayed right beside Meng Wanyue, waiting for Baili Weisheng to come to her.

Everyone was ready!

“Let go!”

At Jun Beiyue’s command, in that same instant, Ziqing grabbed Meng Wanyue’s right arm and leapt into the air. Jun Beiyue also sprang up, moving toward Ziqing and Meng Wanyue, and at the same time, Baili Weisheng lunged fiercely toward Baili Xiaosheng.

Everyone seemed to be working together perfectly.

But who could have known — right at that moment, Meng Wanyue’s left hand suddenly pressed urgently against Ziqing’s arm, as if trying to grip her more tightly.

No one else noticed anything amiss, but Baili Xiaosheng had already been keeping a wary eye on her, and she clearly saw that Meng Wanyue’s left hand was hiding three silver needles!

She was finally making her move against Ziqing!

Seeing this, Baili Xiaosheng was struck with shock — with no time to think of the approaching Baili Weisheng, she summoned all her strength and lunged forward, slamming directly into Meng Wanyue and Ziqing to knock them apart!

Fortunately, Jun Beiyue was close by — with one hand he caught Ziqing, and with the other he grabbed Meng Wanyue, steadying both of them just in time. But Baili Xiaosheng wasn’t so fortunate; that single lunge and collision not only sent her flying away from her master, but sent her tumbling directly into the outermost current of the whirlpool!

“Xiaosheng!”

“Xiao Sheng!”

Baili Weisheng and Xiong Xiaobao cried out at the same instant, but there was no time at all — heaven only knew how powerful the water’s force was within that whirlpool. The moment Baili Xiaosheng landed in the outermost ring, in a single instant she was swept straight inward, on the verge of falling into the black hole at the center!

“No! Mommy, Daddy, save Xiao Sheng! Save Xiao Sheng, quick!”

Xiong Xiaobao screamed frantically, about to leap right off of Henggong Fish’s back. Ziqing and Jun Beiyue had never imagined such an accident could happen, and couldn’t fathom how the child Baili Xiaosheng could have made such a mistake!

Jun Beiyue handed Meng Wanyue over to Ziqing, signaling her to hold steady, and without a second thought, immediately spun around and dove headfirst down into the water!

No matter who it was — anyone who had come with him, Jun Beiyue, would leave together with him!

Just as Jun Beiyue plunged into the whirlpool, Baili Weisheng dove down right after him!

Two figures, one in white and one in black, shot down like a pair of swimming dragons, and quickly vanished into the whirlpool.

Even though Ziqing desperately wanted to go down and help, reason told her she had to stay calm — if she went down too, what would happen to Meng Wanyue? What would happen to Xiong Xiaobao?

“Henggong Fish, what are you standing there dazed for — go! Go now!”

Ziqing snapped furiously. Xiong Xiaobao immediately cried out, “I won’t go! I want to wait for them! I won’t go!”

“If you won’t go, you’re just a burden! Henggong Fish, I command you — take him and go!” Ziqing’s voice had turned almost to ice.

She knew that if they didn’t leave now, once the whirlpool rose further, leaving would become impossible altogether. In this situation, she didn’t dare let herself think too much about what might happen to Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng.

All she knew was that right now, as long as Henggong Fish could still flee, it had to flee! The more people who stayed behind, the greater the burden on Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng.

And as for her own strength — she couldn’t bear the burden of someone as heavy as Meng Wanyue; all she could do was hold the standoff. She couldn’t leave.

Even though Xiong Xiaobao was utterly unwilling to be separated from them, like Henggong Fish, he did not disobey Ziqing’s command. Ziqing, meanwhile, held tightly onto Meng Wanyue with one hand while staring fixedly, without blinking, at the whirlpool. By now, Baili Weisheng and Jun Beiyue were already nearly reaching Baili Xiaosheng!

The whirlpool was a massive circle, spinning at tremendous speed — if Jun Beiyue and Baili Weisheng went down along the direction of the current’s spin, they would move faster and expend less effort.

But at the same time, it would also be far more dangerous. Both of them instead shot straight down in a direct line. Watching this, Ziqing felt admiration well up in her heart — heaven only knew just how deep these two men’s internal cultivation truly was!

Alongside her admiration, she also felt some measure of reassurance!

At the very least, with the two of them combining their strength, they could absolutely save Baili Xiaosheng!

Ziqing readied herself as well, prepared at any moment for Jun Beiyue to surface so they could flee together!

However, Meng Wanyue had no such intention. She let Ziqing continue gripping her right hand while her left hand slowly lowered — and once again, three silver needles slid down from her sleeve into her palm!

A mother-in-law who offends her daughter-in-law is the most foolish mother-in-law in the world!

She didn’t like this daughter-in-law — getting rid of her directly was the best solution. Someone the Gu Nanny hadn’t even managed to cultivate into a proper human Gu — keeping around a body constitution like that served no purpose anyway!

Meng Wanyue slowly raised her left hand once more, moving to press it down onto the back of Ziqing’s hand. But just at that moment, a sharp voice suddenly rang out, stopping her.

“Stop! You vicious, wicked woman — aren’t you afraid of heaven’s punishment?”

That voice—?

Meng Wanyue immediately looked down toward the Golden Jiao Palace within the whirlpool. She could no longer see the stone pillar, yet she could hear the voice from within it with perfect clarity.

No barrier technique here could hide anything from her eyes — she had known all along that a woman of the Golden Jiao clan was trapped inside that stone pillar.

Meng Wanyue paused her hand, a trace of disdain flickering across her lips, and her hand slowly, slowly began to press down again…

…