When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 52.2

Xiao Gang couldn’t watch any longer. He summoned his two-meter-long saber and flew over to join the fight.

“Island Master Cheng, I’ll help you!”

Fu Ning remained calm, dealing with two opponents with ease. Since she decided to accept the demonic energy, her cultivation had leaped three stages, reaching the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Stage, with one foot already in the Soul Transformation Stage. How dare two mere Golden Core cultivators fight her? Overestimating themselves!

Seeing Fu Ning’s surge in cultivation, Bai Yujing dared not join the fight. His eyes darted around, looking for a plan. A thought flashed through his mind, and he shouted to Fu Ning, “Fu Ning, your Junior Sister is not dead!”

Fu Ning paused, and the momentum of her sword attack slowed.

Seeing an opportunity, Bai Yujing winked at Shangguan Ao beside him. Fu Ning, preoccupied with the thought of Jiang Yan, didn’t notice the subtle exchange between them.

“Your Junior Sister was only sealed by a special formation of mine. If you surrender obediently, I can let you see her.”

Fu Ning knew this was impossible, but the urgent desire to see Jiang Yan overwhelmed her reason. She retrieved her sword and said to Bai Yujing, “If you lie to me, you know the consequences!”

Shangguan Ao had already quietly approached Fu Ning. Bai Yujing created an opening for him, speaking confusing words to distract Fu Ning’s attention.

“Of course. None of us can defeat you. There’s no need to lie. Your Junior Sister also wants to see you. She said she’s very scared.”

The thought of Jiang Yan’s pitiful appearance made Fu Ning’s heart ache. Before she could speak, a sudden pain pierced her chest.

Shangguan Ao plunged a cone-shaped weapon into Fu Ning’s chest. It was covered in strange inscriptions.

A triumphant smile appeared on Bai Yujing’s face. He said sinisterly, “You’re still too young, and you care too much about your little Junior Sister. Don’t you understand that concern leads to chaos?”

Fu Ning knew he was lying. She would never see her Junior Sister again. This thought filled her with immense despair. The demonic energy around her began to intensify again.

“Quick, Sect Leaders! You must control her! Don’t let her go mad!”

After Bai Yujing spoke, Xiao Gang and Cheng Ming inserted their respective magical artifacts into Fu Ning’s chest, restricting her movement.

Fu Ning stared intently at Bai Yujing, her eyes as cold as millennia-old ice.

Shangguan Ao said proudly, “Sect Leaders, don’t worry. This God-Slaying Cone can even kill an ancient Demon Lord, let alone a small demon like this.”

The other three smiled, visibly relieved.

Fu Ning felt her life force slowly draining away, but she was unwilling to give up. She hadn’t avenged her Master yet. She hadn’t killed Bai Yujing and used his blood to mourn Jiang Yan!

Just when the four thought they had succeeded, black clouds began to roll across the previously clear sky. Suddenly, a fierce wind howled, accompanied by flashes of lightning and thunder.

Hundreds of black figures descended from the sky, filling the entire courtyard.

The leader was dressed in a black robe, his sleeves trailing on the ground. His long hair was loose. A black mark adorned his forehead, and strange lotus patterns covered the left side of his face. He held a folding fan in his hand, and the sinister aura emanating from his body enveloped the entire courtyard.

Fu Ning looked up and recognized the Protector behind him.

Yan Yi’s face was covered in black markings. Seeing Fu Ning’s gaze, he lowered his head, not daring to look. This person was now an ancestor; he couldn’t afford to be targeted by her.

Chi Jie looked at the dying Fu Ning and let out a “tsk tsk” sound, as if regretting it.

“See? I invited you nicely, but you wouldn’t come. Now you’ve been beaten into this state. Where is the dignity of a Demon Venerable in you?”

Bai Yujing and the other three’s faces changed color. The cone in Shangguan Ao’s hand sank deeper, and Fu Ning spat out a large mouthful of blood.

She was certain that Chi Jie was doing this intentionally.

“Didn’t the Demon Venerable die ten thousand years ago? How could this be…” Bai Yujing stared at Fu Ning, his eyes dark.

Chi Jie snapped open his fan and shrugged. “Yes, he died, but isn’t he alive again? I can only say this fellow has a strong life force, like an eternal fire that can’t be extinguished. Sect Leaders, give me some face and let me take her away. The weather is so nice; I don’t want to resort to violence.”

Chi Jie didn’t look like a Demonic Cult Master at all, even bowing to Bai Yujing and the other three when he spoke.

“Chi Jie, don’t think I can’t see your malicious intent. You brought so many people here just to force us to comply. We will absolutely not hand over this demon to you!”

Xiao Gang finished speaking, pulled the saber from Fu Ning’s chest, and took a defensive stance.

Chi Jie glanced at him, his eyes suddenly turning cold, his voice utterly chilling: “I always adhere to courtesy before force. The courtesy is over. Now comes the force.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the demons behind him rushed out and engaged in battle with the disciples. Xiao Gang and Cheng Ming also entered the fray to assist. Only Shangguan Ao was left controlling Fu Ning.

Chi Jie paid him no mind. With a slight wave of his sleeve, Shangguan Ao was sent flying. Fu Ning fell forward. Chi Jie reached out to catch her and casually pulled out the God-Slaying Cone from her chest.

“Why is this broken cone still here?” As he spoke, the God-Slaying Cone turned into dust in his hand.

Blood flowed ceaselessly from Fu Ning’s chest wound. Chi Jie found this quite bothersome, wondering if he should find something else to stick back in there.

Bai Yujing knew he was no match for Chi Jie. He didn’t join the fight at all, hiding to preserve himself.

Chi Jie fed Fu Ning a Soul Reversion Pill and transferred some demonic power into her. Only then did the bleeding finally stop.

They were not of the same demonic lineage, so his demonic power could not be fully absorbed by Fu Ning. She was still barely alive, breathing weakly.

Chi Jie glanced at the battlefield and said to Yan Yi, “Clean up here. I’ll take her back to heal her.”

Yan Yi had been holding back before. After Chi Jie left, he immediately launched a full-scale assault, severely wounding Shangguan Ao and Cheng Ming.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, Bai Yujing quickly fled with his disciples into a secret chamber, narrowly escaping the disaster.

After Fu Ning was brought back, she remained unconscious. Chi Jie had no choice but to place her in the frigid ice cave where he had nursed her soul ten thousand years ago, letting her recover on her own.

Although the battle was not large in scale, the three sects suffered heavy losses. Only one out of ten disciples from each sect survived. The Sect Leaders themselves were also severely injured, returning to their territories battered and humiliated.

Bai Yujing was afraid of being held accountable. He forced himself to stay in the secret chamber for three days before daring to come out.

…

Three months had passed since Jiang Yan’s cultivation stagnated. During these three months, her mental state underwent the following changes:

Anxiety, doubt, disappointment, greater anxiety, gradual calmness, resignation, and finally, stability like an old dog.

As long as she was sure Fu Ning was fine, staying here a few extra days wouldn’t matter.

It was another ordinary day without a breakthrough. Jiang Yan was napping on the grass when she was startled by a bird call.

She had been here for over a year and had never heard any sound other than the wind and rain. This bird call was so piercingly high that she began to wonder how large this bird actually was.

The sun above her was obscured. Jiang Yan rolled over and looked up. It was indeed a very large… bird?

Why were its feathers red, and why did it have strange tail plumes?

Vermilion Bird looked at the unmotivated Jiang Yan lying on the ground and nearly fell from the sky.

Shouldn’t a normal person trapped here be very anxious, cultivating day and night after receiving a secret manual? Why did she look so nonchalant?

Forget it, she’s not a normal person.

After complaining, he consoled himself. Then, he tossed a feather down, which set the scroll beside Jiang Yan on fire.

Jiang Yan rolled to the side, pointing at the bird in the sky and cursing, “Where did you come from, you lousy bird? Why did you burn my secret manual?!”

Meili: “…”

His trip here was completely unnecessary. He thought she would be desperate without a way to advance and specially came to give her guidance, but she was relaxed and in no hurry.

In the end, the joke was on him.

Jiang Yan watched the large bird fly past, seemingly giving her a scornful look.

What does that mean? Is this thing looking down on her?

After the scroll burned away, a crystal-clear, pearl-like bead dropped down. Jiang Yan picked it up and examined it, feeling puzzled.

“Good heavens, the secret manual actually burned into a sheli-zi (relic). This is a manual with great merit!”

Just as she finished her exclamation, the bead broke free from her hand and flew straight into her mouth. It traveled down her throat, echoing the warmth in her dantian. Her inner core, which had been dormant for a long time, began to stir, absorbing all the spiritual energy within the bead.

Jiang Yan knew this meant she was about to break through. She quickly sat up to meditate, closing her eyes to guide the spiritual energy.

Time seemed to pass for a long time, yet also in an instant. Jiang Yan opened her eyes again. The sky was dark.

All she could see were the faint green lights emitted by the flowers and grass, and the pale white rain curtain.

So, after her cultivation increased, she started having day and night?

Jiang Yan was excited by this change. She ran to the rain curtain and tested it. The moment her hand touched the rain curtain, the curtain seemed afraid of her and retreated ten meters. She touched it again, and the curtain retreated another ten meters. After ten such attempts, the rain curtain stopped moving.

It had retreated a hundred meters. Although it was progress, it was not what Jiang Yan wanted.

She had been full of confidence at first, but after realizing the core issue, she returned to her lazy state.

Advancing three stages only caused it to retreat a hundred meters. For it to retreat another hundred meters, she would likely have to become a god.

That wasn’t feasible. It would be difficult to achieve within a century.

She fell asleep while lying down. In her dream, she heard someone calling her. The voice was still familiar, but she couldn’t remember who it was for the life of her.

When she opened her eyes again, the sunlight was dazzling but not hot, radiating a comfortable warmth onto her body.

Looking around, the rain curtain had vanished.

It had vanished!

Jiang Yan scrambled to her feet, still not understanding what had happened.

Glancing around, she realized that where she was wasn’t an endless grassland. She had only thought so because the rain curtain had obscured her view before.

High mountains surrounded the grassland, completely enclosing her location. Jiang Yan looked around and understood that the shackles confining her had merely changed form.

First, it was rain, now it was mountains. She wondered what would come after the mountains.

Jiang Yan really wanted to offer the person who created this small world a hammer and tell them: Duckhead, I admit you have some tricks. If possible, let’s just die together.

“Master, what are you looking at?”

The sudden voice startled Jiang Yan. She looked down and saw a small rabbit standing in front of her.

It stood on its two hind legs, its front paws tucked against its chest. Its ears twitched, making it look very cute.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yes, Master. Why don’t you go inside?”

Jiang Yan was confused: “Go where?”

The rabbit extended a paw and pointed to a door that had appeared out of nowhere. “The Vermilion Bird Divine Lord and Fairy Yao Ji are waiting for you.”

Jiang Yan stared at the door that had spontaneously materialized, her expression one of utter shock. There’s such a move?

After the rabbit spoke, it transformed into a very adorable little girl.

“Don’t worry, Master. We are not bad people.”

She certainly didn’t look like one, but would a bad person ever say they were a bad person?

“Yin Que, just pull her in.”

The little rabbit glanced at Jiang Yan, slightly hesitant. “Vermilion Bird Divine Lord, I dare not be disrespectful to the Master.”

Vermilion Bird snorted coldly and flicked a finger. Jiang Yan was swept inside the door, nearly failing to stop herself from crashing into a breathtaking beauty wearing white clothes.

Yao Ji turned around, catching her in time, and smiled: “It’s been many years, and the Divine Venerable has become much more lively.”

Jiang Yan could tell she was sincerely complimenting her, but something felt off.

“Let’s save the pleasantries for later. Let’s deal with the important matter first.”

The man beside her, with red robes and red hair, and a vermilion mark on his forehead, spoke. He had an exceptionally handsome face—the kind that would make girls scream on the street.

Yao Ji smiled faintly and handed a scroll to Jiang Yan. “Divine Venerable, this is the divine oracle bestowed by the Father God at the beginning of your tribulation. We do not know the contents. Father God only said that you must follow it, or a catastrophe will befall our Divine Clan.”

Jiang Yan took the scroll. The two figures immediately vanished, leaving no trace. The little rabbit returned to its original form and played by tugging at her trouser leg.

Jiang Yan felt a sense of familiarity with the two, but she remained suspicious.

Appearing out of nowhere, handing her an ordinary scroll, and calling it a divine oracle—wasn’t that ridiculous?

Where is the god?

Jiang Yan sat for a day, opening the scroll before nightfall.

No matter what it was, she should look at it first. Maybe it contained a way to get out.

As soon as the scroll opened, Jiang Yan was blinded by a golden light. The dazzling light illuminated the darkening sky, and a deep, majestic voice echoed in Jiang Yan’s ears.

“Chanyue, the calamity began with you and will end with you. You must resolve Fu Ning’s malevolence and allow her to return to her divine position. If she remains stubbornly lost, you may eliminate her if absolutely necessary.”

Jiang Yan was greatly shocked. She couldn’t open her eyes for a long time. She didn’t recognize “Chanyue,” but she knew “Fu Ning.”

Resolve her malevolence…

Malevolence? Is that the demonic energy that appears when Fu Ning gets angry?

She could control that demonic energy herself. Why did she need to resolve it?

Although she knew Fu Ning was not in danger, Jiang Yan was faintly worried. That final sentence kept echoing in her ears.

Eliminate her.

Could it really come to that?

The golden light disappeared, replaced by a sigh in her ears.

The scroll read: The way out is in your heart.

Jiang Yan felt extremely annoyed. She tossed the scroll aside and stared blankly at the starry night sky.

…

Fu Ning lay in the ice cave for three years, and the external situation grew more serious day by day.

The Mount Tai Sect, Floating Cloud Isle, and Mount Wu were all important cultivation sects. Having been humiliated by the Demonic Cult, they naturally sought to win back their prestige.

Over the past three years, they had actively gathered forces and besieged the Nine Yin Cult’s main altar several times under the banner of “Exterminating Demons.” Chi Jie paid no mind to these rabble-rousers, never showing his face. In his spare time, he either watched singing and dancing, drank, or slept. Yan Yi was the one who always went out to fend them off.

The righteous sects were angry, but helpless, as none of them could defeat Chi Jie.

The day Fu Ning awoke, a heavy rain fell upon the continent, which hadn’t seen rain for three years—a timely downpour after a long drought.

She opened her eyes, and her entire body radiated a chilling aura. Chi Jie, who was drinking wine nearby, laughed so hard that the wine spilled from his cup.

“Well, was that a good long sleep?”

Fu Ning climbed down from the ice bed and glanced at him. “Instead of mocking me here, you should get rid of the Seven-Leaf Demonic Lotus pattern on your face first.”

Chi Jie’s smile froze on his face. He raised his wine cup and drank it in one gulp. “You’re still as piercing as you were ten thousand years ago.”

“The feeling is mutual. You’re not bad either.”

Chi Jie quickly recovered from his low spirits and turned to Fu Ning, saying, “There seems to be hope for your little Junior Sister. Don’t you want to go check out Mount Sumeru?”

Fu Ning picked up the wine pot and took a gulp, a cold look flashing in her eyes. “What little Junior Sister? Did Master take in any other disciples besides you and me?”

Chi Jie was stunned for a moment. He asked tentatively, “Do you remember the name Jiang Yan?”

“No impression.” Fu Ning finished her drink, stood up, and started to walk out. “Don’t just stand around. Go to Mount Sumeru and tell Chanyue that I am coming back.”

She wanted her to be ready for battle.

Chi Jie followed her, his voice lighthearted: “I would love to go, but I can’t enter Mount Sumeru anymore. After Chanyue died, Yao Ji and… Meili sealed Mount Sumeru.”

Fu Ning suddenly stopped, turning to look at Chi Jie. Her eyes were chillingly dark, and her dark red pupils radiated malevolence.

“What did you say?! Say that again!”

Chi Jie knew how insane his Senior Sister could be. He braced himself and concisely explained the sequence of events.

Fu Ning’s expression changed several times, finally settling back into calmness.

“I’m just going for a walk. You don’t need to follow.”

Chi Jie obediently stayed put, sighing as he watched Fu Ning’s hurried departure.

“A hopeless romantic. She says she’s just taking a walk, but she’s definitely running off to Mount Sumeru to cry.”

Fu Ning went to Mount Sumeru alone, immediately losing her way in the thick fog.

She wandered in the fog for thirty full days before forcefully breaking through the barrier that enveloped the entire mountain.

After many days of contemplation, Jiang Yan finally figured out the key.

The scroll said that the way out was in her heart, which essentially meant whether she would accept the so-called “divine oracle.”

If she didn’t accept it, she would be trapped here forever.

She knew clearly that she was not the “Chanyue” they spoke of, yet the task had to be done by her. In short, she had to clean up someone else’s mess.

The moment she made her choice, the mountains surrounding her began to move. Two mountains merged into one, and the exit appeared right before her eyes.

Wuwuwu, it was so difficult!

Jiang Yan had barely taken two steps when a figure flew into the exit. The person…