Chapter 174: Chapter 127: Don’t Tell Me You’re Getting Jealous Over This
"This is just how their clan is. It’s not right for you to be so meddlesome. Considering how respectful and deferential they’re being to you, just give them a break. Don’t forget, we have important business to attend to."
Jiang Yunnuan lowered her voice and whispered in his ear, her heart filled with sympathy for the Merfolk.
’They were just living their lives in peace, and then one day some self-proclaimed overlord shows up, criticizes them for being indecent and shameless, and even wants to smash their palace.’
’What kind of mess is this?’
"You’re right, I shouldn’t give them a hard time. But you better watch where you’re looking. No staring."
He warned in a low voice, leaving Jiang Yunnuan utterly speechless.
"Are you serious, buddy? You’re getting jealous over this? Weren’t you just confidently boasting about how your bloodline is far superior to the Merfolk’s? Why are you stooping to their level and getting jealous now?"
"Compared to you, the Merfolk are just slightly better-looking fish. I finally get to visit this free aquarium, so what’s the harm in looking around a bit?"
Fu Yuan: "..."
"I am not jealous!"
"Right, right, you’re not jealous. Then why won’t you let me look? Hmmm? Why not? Oh, right, aren’t there Mermaids, too? Did you get a look??"
She reached out and hooked an arm around his neck, the corners of her lips curling up as she spoke in a teasing voice.
Fu Yuan’s brow twitched, and he answered in a hoarse voice.
"No!"
"Alright, I believe you. Now can you move your hand? I heard that Merfolk are born without a gender and can choose one later based on their own will. I wonder if that’s true."
Seeing her so interested in the Merfolk, he sighed and moved the hand that was covering her eyes, somewhat regretting bringing her to the seabed.
"It’s true."
Her vision suddenly cleared. Before Jiang Yunnuan could react, a voice rang in her ears, and then she saw another group of Merfolk appear.
"It’s this aura, Father! It’s what my brother and I sensed before. It has to be him."
The Merfolk in the lead wore a crown and possessed an incredibly powerful aura. Behind him were two other Merfolk, one blue and one pink.
The pretty, pink-hued Mermaid was pointing right at Fu Yuan.
The stronger one’s power, the stronger their Perception. The Merfolk King instantly sensed the terrifying suppression from Fu Yuan’s bloodline, and his expression grew solemn and respectful.
"Man’er, do not be rude to His Excellency."
He scolded her sternly before turning to Fu Yuan and bowing respectfully.
"May I ask if Your Excellency has come to our Mermaid Clan on important business?"
Seeing this, Jiang Yunnuan leaned close to Fu Yuan’s ear and asked in a low voice, "Fu Yuan, could the thing that’s summoning you be here in the Mermaid Clan’s royal palace?"
Fu Yuan nodded and said softly, "That’s right. It’s here."
"So what do we do now? Ask them for it? Or just take it by force? What if we ask and they refuse? But just taking it seems a bit wrong, doesn’t it?"
Jiang Yunnuan frowned, her heart torn with conflict.
The Mermaid Clan had done nothing to offend them; on the contrary, the Merfolk King and the Elder had both treated them with great courtesy. The last shred of her conscience rebelled at the thought of becoming their enemy by acting like a robber.
"Don’t worry. Just watch me."
Fu Yuan gently squeezed her fingers to reassure her, then turned to the Merfolk King and spoke.
"Hello, Merfolk King. I have appeared here because I sensed the summons of a mysterious power. I believe a destined opportunity awaits me here. I will now respond to it. I ask for your forgiveness for any offense I may cause."
At these words, the expressions of all the Merfolk changed in an instant.
The Merfolk King and the Elder exchanged a look, their eyes filled with panic and helplessness.
’A mysterious summons?’
’Could it be... that thing?’
’How is that possible?’
The Merfolk King looked at Fu Yuan anxiously. "That’s impossible. How could there be a mysterious power in my Mermaid Clan’s royal palace summoning Your Excellency? You must be mistaken."
"Is that so? Since you put it that way, Merfolk King, then that mysterious power must not belong to your clan. In that case, I have no need to waste my breath with you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Yuan closed his eyes. Suddenly, the seawater erupted into chaos, and the entire seabed began to tremble as if in an earthquake. The beautiful crystal palace shook violently.
The seabed cracked open, and an immense power swept out, sending the Merfolk on the ground flying.
It was as if something mysterious was trying to break free from the earth.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...
A strange sound echoed in everyone’s ears. It was strong, powerful, and rhythmic, beat after beat, just like a throbbing heart.
At some point, the crown on the Merfolk King’s head had been knocked off, and his long hair was in disarray. He lay on the ground, pale-faced and disheveled, looking at Fu Yuan.
"Your Excellency, wait!"
Fu Yuan opened his eyes and looked at him. "Do you have anything else to say?"
"Your Excellency, that is the ultimate treasure our Mermaid Clan has guarded for generations! Please, be merciful and do not lay a hand on it."
"Lies. That divine object has no master, and it summoned me of its own accord to acknowledge me as its own. Why do you claim it’s your clan’s treasure? As I see it, your Mermaid Clan coveted the divine object but was never acknowledged by it. Left with no other choice, you built your palace here to wait for an opportunity."
As Fu Yuan spoke, a translucent, deep blue heart slowly rose from the fissure in the ground.
The heart was the size of a newborn baby and radiated a pure, dazzling light.
Its immense pressure bore down on the Merfolk, leaving them breathless.
"Huh? Fu Yuan, what is that? It looks like a giant, beating heart."
Jiang Yunnuan stared at the object with curiosity.
Before Fu Yuan could answer, the shocked voice of the Merfolk Prince rang in her ears.
"The Heart of the Ocean... It’s the legendary Heart of the Ocean! It’s said that whoever refines it will obtain the Power of the Sea and become the ruler of all seas...!"
"To think that the Heart of the Ocean, coveted by all the Sea Clans, was buried beneath our own royal palace! Father, we absolutely cannot let them have it."
The Merfolk Prince, lying prostrate on the ground, gritted his teeth and spoke fiercely to the Merfolk King.
’The Heart of the Ocean must belong to their Mermaid Clan. If they could obtain the Power of the Sea, the Mermaid Clan could ascend to divinity and rule over all the seas.’
The Merfolk King clenched his fists and snapped, "Fool! Divine Powers like this choose their own masters. Do you think you can take it just by wanting to?"
’If it were that easy to take, their Mermaid Clan wouldn’t have spent thousands of years guarding the Heart of the Ocean, trying every method imaginable, without ever once even laying eyes on it.’
’It was only thanks to this Honored One that he was fortunate enough to witness it with his own eyes in his lifetime.’
He looked at Fu Yuan and spoke urgently.
"Your Excellency, I can let you have the Heart of the Ocean. But as compensation, you must marry the princess of my Mermaid Clan and allow our royal family to bear a child of your bloodline."
’This Honored One’s bloodline was already exceptionally powerful. If he also obtained the Power of the Sea, he would become unimaginably strong in the future.’
’If the Mermaid Clan could bear a child of his bloodline, they would surely evolve in the future. For the Mermaid Clan, this would be an immense blessing.’
’The Heart of the Ocean was lost, so he had to secure the evolution of his clan’s bloodline. He absolutely could not walk away with nothing.’
