Chapter 352: South Sea Scenery, Mermaid Empress

Zhou Chen stood up.

The mission at Demon Burial Ridge was complete, and the Academy wouldn't have any new arrangements in the short term.

He would take this opportunity to make a trip to the South Sea.

Given Zhou Chen's status, a verbal report was all that was needed to enter or leave the Academy.

Zhou Chen did not delay; once everything was ready, he left his Immortal Cave and sped toward the Academy's exit.

After only informing the Vice Palace Master, Zhou Chen quietly left Jixia Academy.

Although the Academy was currently under martial law, with Zhou Chen's strength and methods, it was not difficult to leave without being noticed.

Zhou Chen activated the xuanyuan ferry, transforming it into a streak of green light that sped toward the South Sea.

The South Sea was located at the southernmost tip of the Tianxuan Continent.

The sea there was vast and dotted with many islands, making it an important resource site in the cultivation world. Many rare sea beasts and Spiritual Materials could only be found in the South Sea.

However, the South Sea was also extremely dangerous.

Countless powerful sea beasts hid in the deep sea. Some were even at the Venerable Realm, and ordinary Cultivators did not dare to venture deep.

The xuanyuan ferry was incredibly fast. In just three short days, it crossed more than half of the Central Continent and reached the border of the South Sea.

Zhou Chen stood on the deck of the Flying Boat, looking at the boundless blue ocean before him.

The sea breeze blew, carrying a salty, damp scent.

On the distant sea surface, several giant sea birds could occasionally be seen gliding past, letting out sharp cries.

“So this is the South Sea. The scenery is indeed boundless.”

In high spirits, Zhou Chen stowed away the xuanyuan ferry and landed on the surface of the sea.

He didn't head deep immediately, but instead took out a Jade Slip given to him by the Academy.

This Jade Slip recorded geographical information from all over the Tianxuan Continent, including detailed maps of the South Sea.

Zhou Chen projected his Divine Sense into the Jade Slip and quickly found the location of the Ancient Mermaid Kingdom.

“It's in the depths of the South Sea, about a hundred thousand miles from here.”

Zhou Chen frowned slightly.

A distance of a hundred thousand miles wasn't too far for a Sovereign Realm Cultivator, but the depths of the South Sea were fraught with danger and teeming with powerful sea beasts. Reaching it smoothly would not be easy.

“Forget it, I'll take it one step at a time.”

Zhou Chen activated his spiritual Qi, condensing a layer of green light beneath his feet as he walked upon the sea.

He chose not to fly, but instead moved close to the surface of the water.

Although this was slower, it allowed him to better hide his aura and avoid startling the powerful sea beasts within the water.

Along the way, Zhou Chen encountered many sea beasts.

Some only had Emperor Realm cultivation; upon sensing Zhou Chen's aura, they immediately fled.

However, there were also some sea beasts at the Sovereign Realm that launched attacks against him.

But even the strongest of these sea beasts was only at the Third Layer of the Emperor Realm and was no match for Zhou Chen at all.

With a casual swing of several sword lights, Zhou Chen slew these sea beasts.

“The demon cores of these sea beasts are actually decent Materials for Artifact Refining.”

Zhou Chen put the demon cores into his storage ring and continued forward.

Two days later, Zhou Chen finally arrived at the outer waters of the Ancient Mermaid Kingdom.

The seawater here took on a strange, deep blue color.

The surrounding temperature plummeted, and a faint Death Qi permeated the air.

Zhou Chen stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowed.

“This Death Qi… something is wrong.”

He used his Divine Sense to probe the seabed.

A second later, Zhou Chen's expression changed slightly.

Deep beneath the sea, there was an extremely cold and evil aura.

Although this aura was faint, the pressure it contained startled Zhou Chen.

“Remnant Soul of a Demon?”

Zhou Chen's pupils constricted.

It seemed the mysterious curse mentioned on the opportunity panel was caused by this Remnant Soul of a Demon.

“Interesting.”

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Zhou Chen's mouth.

Without any hesitation, Zhou Chen began to dive directly toward the seabed.

The deeper he went, the denser the surrounding Death Qi became.

The scenery on the seabed also became increasingly bizarre.

The coral reefs that should have been full of life had all turned a grayish-white, losing their vitality.

The schools of fish in the ocean were nowhere to be seen.

The entire sea area was deathly still, like a land of the dead.

Zhou Chen continued to descend, finally reaching the deepest part of the seabed.

Before him was a massive trench.

The trench was bottomless, emitting a terrifying pressure.

And at the entrance of the trench stood a massive palace.

The palace was constructed entirely of white coral and was exquisitely beautiful.

But now, the palace was in ruins, covered in cracks—it had clearly undergone an intense battle.

Dozens of mermaid guards stood at the palace gates.

These guards wore silver armor and held Tridents, warily watching their surroundings.

Their cultivation was not weak, mostly at the Emperor Realm Fifth Layer or above; the leading guards had even reached the Sovereign Realm, First Layer.

As soon as Zhou Chen approached, he was spotted by these guards.

“Who goes there!”

The lead guard shouted sharply, pointing his Trident at Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen did not hide his aura, instead revealing himself openly.

“I am Zhou Chen, a Disciple of Jixia Academy.”

Zhou Chen said calmly.

“I heard that the Mermaid Race is facing a crisis from a curse and have come specifically to help.”

The guard was stunned and sized Zhou Chen up.

The name of Jixia Academy was famous throughout the entire Tianxuan Continent.

Furthermore, the aura emanating from Zhou Chen was clearly at the Sovereign Realm, Seventh Layer, which was stronger than even their most powerful guards.

“Please wait a moment.”

The guard hesitated for a moment before turning to enter the palace.

Before long, a woman wearing a purple gown walked out of the palace.

The woman was stunningly beautiful, with skin as white as snow and eyes as clear as water.

Her lower body was a silver fish tail that swayed gently in the water.

These were the characteristics of the Mermaid Race.

And the aura emanating from this woman had actually reached the Fifth Layer of the Emperor Realm.

“The Mermaid Empress greets Young Master Zhou.”

The woman bowed gracefully, her voice crisp and pleasant.

Zhou Chen nodded. “The Empress is too polite.”

The Mermaid Empress observed Zhou Chen, a flash of surprise in her eyes.

She could sense that although Zhou Chen was only at the Sovereign Realm, Seventh Layer, the aura he emitted far exceeded that of ordinary Sovereign Realm Cultivators.

Furthermore, there was a faint pressure coming from Zhou Chen that made her feel vaguely uneasy.

“Young Master Zhou, please follow me.”

The Mermaid Empress did not ask many questions and turned to walk into the palace.

Zhou Chen followed behind her into the palace.

The interior of the palace looked even more dilapidated than the outside.

Battle scars were everywhere, the walls were full of cracks, and the floor was littered with broken weapons and armor.

“Young Master Zhou, to be honest…”

The Mermaid Empress sighed.

“Our race has recently encountered an unprecedented crisis.”

“Three months ago, a curse suddenly appeared within the tribe.”

“Tribespeople who are cursed lose their vitality continuously, eventually turning into withered bones and dying.”

“We have tried all sorts of methods, but none can break the curse.”

“By now, hundreds of tribespeople have died from the curse, and the remaining ones are living in fear.”

Zhou Chen frowned slightly. “Does this curse have any specific characteristics?”