Yes, I did all of this!

Upon hearing this, Cang Yuan fell silent.

Judging from her expression, Duanmu Mo guessed what was going on:

"—You didn't kill it at all, did you?"

Duanmu Mo said with certainty, otherwise, it would not have been able to be sealed inside like this.

"...It was also very cunning. At that time, I had just obtained this power, and I used all my strength to severely damage it—I knew it was not dead, but I did not want my people to perform the sacrifice again, so I deceived them."

"And then? What happened to it?"

“I’ve been looking for it all these years, but I haven’t found any trace of it.”

As soon as Cang Yuan finished speaking, the sea and clouds changed dramatically, and the sky darkened, as if reflecting Cang Yuan's mood at that moment. At the same time, a huge whirlpool rose not far away from the surging waves, slowly trying to suck Duanmu Mo in.

The air grew damp, blurring the portrait on the bed. The blue whale, tossed about, dripped ink, its long tentacles trailing beneath it, making its posture even more ferocious.

"This is..." Duanmu Mo put down his fishing rod and looked at the whirlpool that he was getting closer and closer to. Suddenly, his head hurt, and he realized something.

During that human sacrifice ritual ten years ago, people would take several small boats and leave the boats with children behind when they reached the vicinity of this whirlpool, while they would quickly move away, leaving the children to be swallowed by the whirlpool.

"I will never let my people suffer like this again." With only half of his body above the water, Cang Yuan suddenly spoke calmly, placing his hand on the edge of Duanmu Mo's small boat.

A slight but firm force emanated from the small boat, which slowly drifted out of the whirlpool's range.

. . . . . .

Chapter 315: Change

"hold head high--"

A long, deep cry suddenly spread from the whirlpool, resonant and hollow, slowly spreading across the sea surface like an echo from the deepest abyss, making those who heard it unconsciously feel fear because of their own insignificance.

call......

Duanmu Mo stood on the boat, leaning on his oar, squinting at a group of dark figures on the sea behind Cang Yuan.

He could see it clearly; those dark figures... were outlines that resembled people.

However, these figures all had long tentacles trailing behind them, connected to the vortex.

They surged toward Cangyuan and Duanmu Mo's small boat, rising and falling with the waves, their every move causing unease.

"...It seems it doesn't intend to let us go."

Looking behind him, Cang Yuan's expression turned serious:

"Rest assured, I will not let the tragedy of my people repeat itself!"

As she spoke, the gemstone on her wrist lit up—

Azure light emanated from her body, illuminating the cloud-covered sea.

The ocean around her began to surge towards her, and the water transformed into white light that enveloped her body, with glimmers of light flowing down her body.

The light melted, transforming into a form-fitting pleated skirt. The pure white dress clung tightly to her body, outlining her figure and revealing a beautiful physique that seemed incongruous with her current youthful age.

The hem of her long dress was extremely short, perfectly revealing her slender legs as she immersed herself in the sea.

—This tight-fitting dress appeared for only a moment before it was covered by blue light.

The light flowed like water, adding another layer of clothing to this thin dress—azure water flowed along the torso, complementing the white dress inside to form the long skirt on the outside.

Blue ribbons converge from both sides of the chest towards the center and are tied around the neck. The smooth outer fabric of the dress reveals glimpses of the white inner garment. The long skirt splits open from the lower abdomen and spreads outwards towards the back.

In front of Cangyuan, there was a white dress that revealed the inside of her fair legs, but on both sides of her legs, a dark blue long dress that split open from the abdomen draped down behind her and swayed gently in the seawater.

—A long dress appeared in an instant, followed by a translucent light blue veil formed from seawater, draped over her head like a hair ornament.

After doing all this, as a pale blue light rapidly spread, Cang Yuan opened his eyes, and his temperament changed dramatically.

If Cang Yuan before her transformation was somewhat awkward and timid, like a girl next door who rarely spoke to anyone, then the current Cang Yuan exudes a more obvious elegance and nobility, like a princess from an underwater palace, with every move radiating an arrogance that makes people dare not approach her.

She released the small boat and turned to look at the figures.

"He is my kinsman...and even more so, my believer."

The surrounding seawater trembled, and Cangyuan rose into the air, surrounded by a few drops of seawater. She did not use any power, but simply relied on her own consciousness to float in the air, looking down at the figures that extended tentacles from the whirlpool.

If it were a magical girl like Lingyin or Fengling, even if it were Duanmu Mo, no matter how high or fast she flew, she would still need to consume her own energy and would eventually need to land and rest.

But for Cangyuan, flying had become as simple as breathing; if she wanted, she could live in the air for a long time.

But this is not the limit of her ability.

Cangyuan floated in the air and raised his hand toward these figures.

At that moment, the seawater trembled and surged violently.

Towering waves crashed onto the sea again and again with deafening roars.

The massive waves, surging wildly, seemed to reach even the sky, inspiring awe and fear.

Duanmu Mo stood on the boat, but felt that the boat did not rock much. Not only that, but even the seawater did not wet his body.

He could see it clearly: the shocking scenes on the sea did not represent the strength of Cangyuan—to be precise, these waves were merely the aftershocks of Cangyuan.

The real battlefield lies deep in the ocean.

Duanmu Mo couldn't see clearly, but he could understand Cang Yuan's actions.

She spread her five fingers, and seawater appeared out of thin air, forming a trident with a deep blue blade.

The handle and blade are inlaid with gemstones, and the entire weapon has wave-like patterns, making it look extremely gorgeous.

But the next moment, Duanmu Mo knew just how terrifying the power of this weapon, which looked like a work of art, would be.

Holding the trident, Cang Yuan calmly watched the whirlpool on the sea surface, then raised his hand and threw it into the whirlpool.

It was just thrown out; it was that simple.

But the instant the trident left his hand, a loud explosion suddenly rang out.

boom!

Layers of clouds erupted and spread from behind the trident's trajectory, piercing straight through the vortex—the moment the trident entered the vortex, the sea surface around it suddenly caved in, and an even deeper, more muffled roar spread from the seabed.

--boom!

Duanmu Mo still couldn't hide his surprise.

—What terrifying power! It's even more astonishing than the orca's condition. No wonder Cangyi has such great confidence in her.

Looking at the sea with its whirlpools, after the violent turbulence, it had returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

The sky cleared up again, but in mid-air, Cangyuan suddenly leaned back and fell into the sea.

"Cangyuan?" Seeing this, Duanmu Mo was about to row the boat to her side when he saw Cangyuan's head emerge from the sea.

She nimbly swam onto Duanmu Mo's boat: "What are you worried about?"

Looking at Duanmu Mo, Cang Yuan asked quietly with a smile.

After a moment of silence, Duanmu Mo nodded seriously, praising her without reservation: "...Yes, I was so worried about you. I didn't expect you to be so strong. I was in a daze when I saw you fall from the sky. I was so scared that I thought you might have some kind of burden doing that."

"Am I very strong...?"

Upon hearing Duanmu Mo's praise, Cang Yuan paused for a moment, then revealed a satisfied smile.

"Extremely strong. Outside, you are the undisputed number one in the world."

"Hehe..." Cang Yuan chuckled softly, pushing the small boat towards the fishing village.

"Although I don't know who the second-best in the world is, I think even the top ten combined wouldn't be a match for you."

Duanmu Mo continued speaking, to which Cang Yuan simply shook his head slightly: "There's no need to talk about things outside, but... I'd like to hear more of your praise."

"Want to hear more? Okay."

Duanmu Mo felt like he was coaxing a child; if he could make her happy, perhaps he could get her to come out.

However, there is one thing to do before she fully awakens: find a way to obtain her power as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, we still have no clue.

"The noise you made when you threw that trident just now was outrageous! With such power, I reckon you could have unleashed even greater power if I hadn't been there."

Now, Duanmu Mo praised her, looking at her smiling face.

—However, Cangyuan stopped very soon:

"We're almost ashore now, you can cross the rest yourself."

"Why?" Duanmu Mo asked, puzzled.

"Because... people will see it."

Cang Yuan gazed into the distance and spoke softly.

"See? Someone's unconscious?"

"...I don't know what you're talking about, but in short, this time is different from the previous ones. You'll see for yourself when you see it."

As Cang Yuan spoke, his tone became somewhat melancholy.

She released his hand, putting some distance between herself and Duanmu Mo: "Alright, I'll leave you here. Goodbye..."

"Wait a moment!"

Duanmu Mo frowned, picked up the octopus, and said, "I'll make something delicious. Will you come over?"

"..." Upon hearing this, Cang Yuan remained silent for a moment, then smiled faintly and dived into the sea.

Kneeling on one knee by the side of the boat, Duanmu Mo watched Cangyuan's figure fall towards the seabed and suddenly felt her loneliness.

Orcas are extremely social creatures, and Cangyuan probably always longed for companionship, which is why she mingled among the villagers during the annual Sea God Festival. Even when these villagers sacrificed her, Cangyuan did not abandon them...

—No, from Cangyuan's perspective, it's more likely that the villagers abandoned her.

Even so, Cangyuan still longed for the life of his people, not for any other reason than a simple desire.

. . . . . .

Duanmu Mo withdrew his gaze and rowed the boat closer to the shore.

As the small boat docked, Duanmu Mo saw people working on the beach, carrying their catch home.

Looking at these fishermen, Duanmu Mo quickly realized the problem.