Whoosh—

A wave crashed against the reef, the sound deafening.

Er’er was startled awake, clutching the corner of her quilt and staring wide-eyed outward: “How did such a strong fishy smell suddenly mix with the wind?”

Long Xu quickly gathered the traveling clouds and, without another word, placed Er’er along with her quilt onto them: “Someone has come from the sea to receive me, naturally, they bring their scent with them. You should leave quickly; it’s so late, and they don’t have time to entertain you.”

With that, she clapped her hands once, and the clouds unsteadily carried Er’er eastward.

“How dare you injure someone in my Western Sea, then think you can simply turn and flee!” An angry shout came from the sea, followed by a beam of light that streaked across the night sky, shooting directly toward Er’er.

Long Xu drew a breath and raised her hand to act, but the young woman reacted even faster, lifting her hand and swatting the light beam back with a single strike.

Boom!

As if a thunderbolt had struck the ground, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals who had just crawled ashore were sent tumbling head over heels. The attacker froze momentarily, and then a golden dragon emerged from the sea with a long roar.

…

…

Thunder and lightning flashed over the sea, and fierce winds raged. Er’er was blown until she could not open her eyes. She simply descended from the clouds and, tugging at Long Xu’s sleeve, asked: “Who is this?”

Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Long Xu lowered her eyes and said: “My royal father.”

The Lord of the Western Sea, Long Ding (Dragon Ding).

Er’er suddenly understood, yet was still puzzled: “Why does he seem to be glaring at me?”

It wasn’t just seeming—the massive golden dragon hovered in the sky, its dragon eyes fixed intently upon her. If not for her earlier counterattack being so skillful and powerful, Long Ding would certainly have already stomped down with one claw.

“Why did you grievously injure my child?” he asked in a deep voice.

Er’er turned her head, looking in confusion at the wound on Long Xu’s hand: “I caused this injury?”

“He’s not talking about me,” Long Xu pressed her lips together. “He means Long Shu (Dragon Shu), the Western Sea’s Crown Princess.”

Earlier, when she had bled, Long Shu was nearby and rushed over after catching the scent. Then, predictably, she was severely injured by Er’er’s immortal energy. Judging by how she fell back into the sea, her injuries must be extremely serious, enough to anger Long Ding into coming ashore.

After all these years, Long Ding still favored Long Shu so much.

With a scornful laugh, Long Xu placed her hands behind her back and said softly: “You are no match for him. Don’t strike back again. I’ll cover for you while you leave first.”

Er’er nodded, then shook her head: “If I leave after injuring someone, what will happen to you?”

Long Xu didn’t answer, merely pushing her backward.

Er’er frowned, looked at the golden dragon circling in the sky, pondered for a moment, and still walked around Long Xu to stand in front.

“Dragon King, please calm your anger. This junior did not notice where Your Highness’s daughter appeared, nor do I know how I injured her.”

Long Ding was furious, snorting heavily. Without transforming into human form, he roared directly at her.

A dragon’s roar can damage a person’s internal organs. Even as an immortal, Er’er could not withstand it. She quickly formed a protective spell, while Long Xu hurriedly stepped forward and declared loudly: “Royal Father, calm your anger. She is from the Li Clan Immortal Sect.”

Long Ding paused, then laughed coldly: “Is my Western Sea Princess worth less than a member of the Li Clan? Intruding into my Western Sea, injuring my princess—even if reported to High God Li Ye, it would not be my fault.”

“But…” Long Xu opened her mouth.

Long Ding looked at her, his eyes half-closed: “After all these years, you still side with outsiders against your own. Since you descended to the Netherworld, why have you returned?”

Her fingertips tensed, and Long Xu regained her cold demeanor, her purple pupils calm and unruffled: “Just passing through.”

Moving his gaze away with disgust, Long Ding no longer looked at her and only increased the volume of his dragon roar.

Crash—

The protective barrier Er’er had just formed suddenly shattered. She froze, looking at her own hands with disbelief.

Even with Li Ye’s cultivation reinforcement, she couldn’t defend against it?

In the next moment, the overwhelming roar engulfed her like a tidal wave. Er’er felt her ears buzzing, and then her mind went completely blank.

Long Ding observed this and immediately felt relieved. It seemed this person wasn’t so formidable after all. Perhaps her earlier effortless defense had been due to some other reason.

After dominating the Western Sea for so many years, then being suppressed by the Nine Heavens, dragons had developed a tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong. Seeing an easy target, Long Ding showed no mercy. Dazzling golden light burst from his mouth, carrying lethal intent, determined to level the entire coastline.

Er’er had been stunned by the roar and couldn’t react in time. Long Xu coldly watched that beam of light, figuring he hadn’t spared her either, and simply stood in front of Er’er, deploying her weak defensive barrier.

The golden light struck the barrier, breaking through as easily as an arrow shattering glass.

Long Xu pressed her lips together and resignedly closed her eyes.

A tremendous explosion shook the entire coastline, making the distant mountains collapse and raising waves ten zhang high.

Er’er was shaken off balance. As she stumbled, she didn’t know which rock she fell against—it wasn’t very hard, nor did it hurt. The rock even reached out and embraced her.

Amid the buzzing in her ears, Er’er heard a familiar grunt.

She froze, instinctively reaching out to grab this person’s sleeve.

As the golden light dispersed, Long Xu stood at the front, completely unharmed. Somewhat dazed, she looked down at herself several times, then looked toward the golden dragon in the sky.

Long Ding seemed to have seen something that left him frozen in place.

A thought flashed through Long Xu’s mind, and she whirled around.

Indeed.

Li Ye was half-kneeling on the ground, his left arm holding Er’er, his right hand forming a spell, using his immortal energy to very gently soothe her hearing and internal organs.

His movements were light and unhurried, as if he weren’t rushed at all. He didn’t even raise his head to look at Long Ding once.

Around him were traces of the golden light’s explosion, but only the spot where they stood remained intact, while the surrounding coastline had been submerged by seawater.

For some reason, Long Xu let out a laugh.

She had warned Long Ding, which was as much as she could reasonably do. If he wouldn’t listen, what else could she do?

Long Ding clearly didn’t understand why Li Ye had appeared here. He froze for a moment, then quickly transformed into human form, descended on a cloud next to Long Xu, and cupped his hands in greeting: “I did not know the High God had arrived; please forgive my failure to welcome you properly.”

Li Ye remained silent, carefully examining Er’er’s injuries before slowly raising his head: “You injured my person?”

At these words, even the mighty Western Sea Dragon King broke into a cold sweat.

He very much wanted to explain that this young woman had struck first, but everyone knew Li Ye’s temperament—arguing with him would be worse than admitting fault.

But where was his fault? And who was this person to Li Ye?

Full of discontent, Long Ding finally reluctantly said: “It was this humble king’s oversight, having eyes but failing to recognize Mount Tai. However, my daughter lost three hun-souls from her injury…”

“Where is your daughter?” Li Ye asked.

Long Ding quickly made a spell to summon Long Shu up as well.

Long Shu was indeed gravely injured, unable to stand steadily. As soon as she reached the shore, she collapsed on the ground, raising her head very weakly. Upon seeing Long Xu, she immediately tried to make accusations.

Li Ye raised his hand with extremely swift movement. In the blink of an eye, Long Shu’s remaining four hun-souls were also in his grasp.

“Royal Father!” Long Shu’s spiritual soul cried out in terror.