Chapter 214: Section 2: Deep Sea Monster Fish
“Ah!” Jia Sha couldn’t help but scream in agony, kneeling on the ground with a chunk of flesh sliced off his arm by a dagger.
Lan Zao was the instigator; he handed the dagger to the person behind him, then left without expression.
The person behind him was none other than Bai Ya.
Bai Ya took the dagger, teeth clenched, and stood in front of Jia Sha.
He looked down on Jia Sha, a scene he could hardly have imagined before—Jia Sha, priest to the Holy Emperor, a figure of high status, now kneeling before him, a commoner!
Sometimes, reality proves to be more absurd than fantasy.
Jia Sha was covered in wounds, bathed in blood, with nearly all the flesh carved from his body, revealing his stark white bones, yet stubbornly he didn’t die!
The torment of pain made Jia Sha spit out foam, his expression grotesquely twisted.
“Don’t hesitate, kid, do it,” Lan Zao hadn’t gone far, standing by, urging Bai Ya on.
Bai Ya clenched his teeth with effort, raising the dagger above his head.
But his movement froze there; he hesitated, his arms trembling, the dagger in his tight grip shaking even more.
Jia Sha, catching sight of this, suddenly burst into laughter.
He was hairless, his life force nearly spent, his whole being extremely decrepit. Now, with his blood-stained face and wounds ripping open on his cheeks, he looked particularly fierce and horrifying.
His exceedingly weak voice rasped, “Hehehe, our young lad is scared! You should be scared, because you know if you kill me with this stab, you’ll be committing a capital offense! You will become an enemy of the Empire, a foe to the Holy sect. Your sins are so grave, even killing you wouldn’t be enough to settle them; only by exterminating your whole family can the Empire’s wrath be slightly appeased!”
“Come on, do it, if you kill me you will be doomed! Hahahahaha!”
Bai Ya’s hesitation grew stronger, his whole body almost shaking.
“Shut up, you lunatic!” Lan Zao shouted in anger, “It’s because of you that we are trapped in this dire situation. Bai Ya, strike!”
Bai Ya turned pale; he truly couldn’t bring himself to act.
Throughout his life, everyone had taught him never to offend the high and mighty, or the consequences would be severe. Now, he was supposed to kill Jia Sha!
He could take risks and save Cang Xu from a swarm of lizards, risking his own life, but he couldn’t bring himself to kill Jia Sha.
“I can’t do it…” Bai Ya quivered, his voice weak, almost on the verge of tears.
Almost everyone had taken a shot at Jia Sha, and now countless eyes were focused on Bai Ya.
Lan Zao grew anxious, wanting to step forward and assist but was stopped by Zong Ge, “Let him do it himself. Only if he takes action himself can he be considered one of us.”
“Do it!” Lan Zao suddenly roared.
Like struck by an electric shock, Bai Ya’s body shook violently, and his arms plunged down involuntarily.
The dagger buried itself deep into the right side of Jia Sha’s neck, piercing his windpipe.
Blood slowly bubbled out, and as Jia Sha coughed up blood, he laughed, “You’re finished, your entire family is finished. You sinners, you all must die! I’m just leaving first; I’ll wait for you, I’ll wait for all of you, hehehe…”
Bai Ya was beside himself; he loosened his grip on the hilt instinctively, shaking his head back and forth, stepping backward, then fell to the ground, buttocks first.
Jia Sha’s breathing gradually ceased, but his laughter eerily kept expanding.
Bright red blood surged forth, more and more, gradually changing color—from red to a deep blue.
The blue blood instantly engulfed the entire fourth floor, sounding like the tide, roaring, and in an instant, Bai Ya was swept to the deepest depths of the sea.
The next moment, Bai Ya woke up with a start.
He gasped for breath, drenched in cold sweat, realizing, “Another nightmare.”
He covered his pale face, and after a long while, his breathing slowly steadied, but his mood had yet to calm.
He glanced out the window.
A huge round window, similar to glass material, one meter thick.
Beyond the round window was a pitch-black sea.
Bai Ya climbed down from the hammock.
The hammock was tightly tied at both ends to two sturdy metal poles, and beneath it was a wooden box with Bai Ya’s clothes on top.
Bai Ya moved the clothes aside, opened the wooden box, and carefully took out ink, pen, and parchment.
He half-knelt on the ground, writing a letter under the blue, strip-shaped magical glow on the ceiling.
Dear Miss Xi Qiu,
I have awakened once again aboard the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
It has been five days since we escaped from Mysterious Monster Island on the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
We are still searching for the Green Jade Gold Coffin. This Divine Artifact had previously been thrown into the Teleportation Gate, and only Jia Sha knew its exact location.
Jia Sha is dead, killed by me.
The pain I feel is immense!
I am terrified.
The words Jia Sha said to me in the dream, I know they are all true. I have committed murder, and not just of anyone, but a priest, a significant figure of the Empire!
I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice, I really had no choice.
Everyone else took their turn; if I hadn’t, they would have abandoned me.
Of course, I must admit, at the moment I struck, there was an excited thrill in my heart.
But so many days have passed, and upon calming down, I am filled with regret and worry.
I originally wanted to become a knight, to serve the Empire. But now, I have become a fugitive, wanted by the Empire. Fate… has mocked me.
Sometimes, I even feel desperate.
The Empire is so mighty, and one day, I will be caught, bow my head, admit guilt, and submit to the law. I will be executed by hanging or beheading, and my family will suffer because of me.
Please believe me, esteemed Miss Xi Qiu, I truly did not mean to kill Priest Jia Sha. Even if he abandoned us to escape for the sake of the Divine Artifact.
Lord Zhenjin was not killed by us; he has been imprisoned on the Deep Sea Monster Fish. He is the hope of many of us!
We hope to use him to negotiate with Clan Leader Fat Tongue. Through this once Great Noble of the South, and with the influence of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, we can reach the upper echelons of the Empire to exonerate ourselves.
Everyone knows that opposing the Empire is foolish and hopeless.
We are all humans, at least with the blood of the Human Race flowing in us. Without the Empire, where else could we go?
All of this really is the mockery of fate.
I believe that even the Boss did not truly wish to act against Priest Jia Sha. But there really was no other way. Without killing him, we could not have escaped.
Thank you, Miss Xi Qiu. Writing to you, my mood can always quickly stabilize.
And please forgive me, I cannot send these letters to you. I must keep them secret!
At this point, Bai Ya stopped writing; he heard a loud disturbance.
First came the sound of a metal door opening and closing, followed by the sound of rushing water.
Bai Ya was very familiar with these sounds, and he immediately realized, “The Boss has returned!”
He hurriedly got up, took his sword, and walked out of the corner, entering the narrow passage made of metal.
He crossed the passageway and just reached a metal door.
The metal door swiftly opened, revealing a spacious hall inside, with some water stains still on the floor, and standing in the center were the Beast Knight youth and Zong Ge.
“Captain, Lord Zong Ge, you have finally retrieved the Green Jade Gold Coffin. That’s great; Zi Di can be saved!” Bai Ya, seeing Zong Ge carrying the lavish coffin, was suddenly overjoyed.
The two nodded to Bai Ya and left the entrance hall, passing through the passage, into the deeper parts of the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
The Mana Pool, deliberately drained and wasted by Jia Sha, was almost completely depleted. It wasn’t possible anymore to transport all the people, let alone take the Divine Artifact. But with the help of the Tower Spirit, they found this Alchemy Ship.
It wasn’t surprising, when you think about it.
Since Mysterious Monster Island was not a Half-plane but hidden within the sea, it was quite normal to have a vessel ready for entry and exit.
Soon after, in the Alchemy Room, the construction of the alchemy array around the Green Jade Gold Coffin was completed.
The voice of the Tower Spirit sounded.
“Beginning the detection of the Alchemy Array, 10%, 20%… 100%. The alchemy array is accurate.”
“Initiating mana transfer, countdown to alchemy array activation 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”
A mild humming noise spread out, and on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the Alchemy Room, patterns lit up, straight and curved. These patterns slowly extended, separating from the plane, consolidating in mid-air, forming a hollow spherical shape. Finally, the patterns converged on the Green Jade Gold Coffin at the very center.
The light from the array became somewhat dazzling, and the Green Jade Gold Coffin began to tremble slightly.
As the Deep Sea Monster Fish’s mana was rapidly consumed, a green liquid began to brew within the coffin.
Zi Di’s body had been laid inside, and as the youth and Zong Ge, among others, watched, she was gradually submerged in the green liquid.
After a while, the Alchemy Array came to a halt, the Green Jade Gold Coffin calmed, and some of the green liquid produced was absorbed by Zi Di’s body, though much of it remained.
Zi Di did not awaken.
The result disappointed everyone.
The substitute youth’s gaze dulled.
“It was you… you killed… our Chairman!” Fat Tongue was the most agitated, unable to accept this fact, and he grabbed Cang Xu by the collar.
Cang Xu coughed continuously from the constriction: “Calm down, I’ve said before, I did not have complete confidence.”
“Alright, let go. We all agreed to Cang Xu’s proposal back then,” the youth sighed.
Fat Tongue was still upset, but Lan Zao pulled him away, rescuing Cang Xu.
Fat Tongue burst into tears.
The youth reached out, caressing Zi Di’s cheek, feeling the smoothness and warmth, “The green liquid is effective; her physical injuries should be fully healed.”
“This green liquid is very diluted; our hastily prepared alchemy array couldn’t fully harness the effects of the Green Jade Gold Coffin. Perhaps we should gather more Magic Material and construct a better Alchemy Array.”
But Cang Xu shook his head: “According to the Tower Spirit, even the War Merchant’s alchemy array has no power of resurrection. I think the problem lies with Chairman Zi Di’s spirit.”
“Spirit?”
“Yes. Chairman Zi Di had previously engaged Jia Sha on the fourth level, suffering great spiritual exhaustion…”
Boom, boom, boom!
Before Cang Xu could finish, a series of loud bangs interrupted him.
The voice of the Tower Spirit became urgent, “Warning! Warning! Three enemy ships have appeared to the southeast. The number and strength of the enemies are unknown.”
“To arms!” commanded the youth, and the people around him sprang into action.