Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

He was mostly planning his tasks for the next few days.

Searching for the lost idol.

Sinking Star Coast.

It has no face, six arms, and the second arm on the right side is missing.

These characteristics are completely consistent with the divine figures in the Quiet Room illusion.

The unusual movement of the evil god's remains doesn't lie; that so-called lost idol is very likely from the same source as the thing in the right arm.

The danger is undeniable.

The power associated with evil gods has never been measured by ordinary or extraordinary standards.

That severed limb was merely an insignificant part of something, yet it repeatedly attempted to erode and transform his body.

If it weren't for the balance between the Xuan Yin Coldness, the Breath of the Styx River, and the Heart of the Thunder Dragon, his right arm would probably have been completely out of control long ago.

But danger also means reward.

What he lacks most now is knowledge about the remains of the evil god.

I don't know its origin, its capabilities, or what changes it will ultimately bring to my body.

Keeping unknown substances inside your body for an extended period is definitely not a good thing.

This exploration might lead him to the answer.

Xilun took a sip of wine.

There are only a few days left before departure.

His Breath of the Styx has been elevated to the expert level, and his physique is also closer to perfection.

After months of training, the Azure Thunder Spear Technique, the Nine Dragons Overturning the Sea Cover, and the Azure Wave Step have become vastly different from what they used to be.

With his current strength, as long as he doesn't encounter a fourth-tier expert head-on, he's quite confident he can escape even if something unexpected happens during the mission.

Of course, this is on the premise that there is no contamination by evil gods beyond our comprehension.

"Are you thinking about cultivation again?"

Elena's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Xilun looked over and found that the wine jug was more than half empty.

"Thinking about the tasks for a few days from now."

"The mission hasn't even started yet, can't you clear your head for a moment?"

"Considering potential dangers in advance can reduce accidents."

"That's why I said you're a cultivation fanatic."

Elena poured him a full glass too: "Drink."

Xilun did not refuse.

The pale gin has a sweet and sour taste followed by a slight astringency.

Elena looked at the lights outside the window and suddenly said, "I've rarely been to places like this since I was a child."

Why?

"Cultivation."

She gently swirled her wine glass: "Meditation in the morning, sword practice in the late morning, studying pharmacology and extraordinary knowledge in the afternoon, and continuing my cultivation in the evening. My father believes I have great talent and shouldn't waste my time."

He's right.

Elena turned to look at him, her eyes dangerous.

"However, adequate rest is beneficial for recovery," Celen added.

"Your statement isn't very convincing."

She had personally witnessed what Xilun looked like when he cultivated.

Despite being severely injured in the Black Abyss Forest, he dared to forcefully wield the Crimson Star Spear; despite being mentally corrupted in the Sea of ​​the Dead, he dared to stay there for more than twenty days.

Even though he still had a remnant of an evil god hidden inside his body that could go out of control at any moment, he was still thinking about how to turn danger into strength.

"At least I'm willing to treat you to dinner now."

"That's what Xilun said."

Elena paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"That's progress for you."

When she smiled, most of the gloom she had felt from her defeat in the sparring match finally dissipated.

Elena put down her glass and picked up the bottle of Red Coral Spirit instead.

The bottle is dark red all over, and once the cork is removed, a spicy and rich aroma immediately fills the air.

The wine, when poured into the glass, was the color of molten ruby.

Xilun took a bite.

The fiery aroma traveled down his throat and into his stomach, stronger than the strong liquor that sailors in the outer seas often drank, but after a moment, a strange sweetness emerged.

Elena drank it all in one gulp.

"This is good."

She poured herself another glass.

Siren frowned: "Slow down."

"I don't get drunk that easily."

You drink faster than I do.

That's because you're drinking too slowly.

After Elena finished speaking, she tilted her head back and took another big gulp.

Her long, light golden hair slid down her shoulders, and the warm light from the gas lamp shone on her face, gradually bringing a faint blush to her fair cheeks.

The young men not far away watched with growing fascination.

The man in the green jacket seemed to want to get up, but was held down by his companion.

Someone gestured towards the two swords at Elena's waist with their lip and whispered something, but the group ultimately did not approach.

The restaurant gradually became lively at night.

Someone on the first floor started playing the accordion, and a cheerful, island-style melody drifted up the stairs.

Several drunken crew members tapped the edge of the table with wooden spoons and sang off-key nautical songs to the beat.

The night outside the window grew even darker.

After finishing the last piece of venison steak, Xilun discovered that the bottle of Red Coral liquor was almost half empty.

Elena rested her chin on her hand, her eyes seemingly clear, but her gaze was duller than usual. Her cheeks were flushed, and even her earlobes were tinged with a light pink.

"Let's go."

Xilun stood up: "You're drunk."

Elena slowly raised her head and stared at him for a few moments.

"I'm not drunk."

"You just used a fork to pick up your wine glass."

Elena glanced down at her right hand.

She was indeed holding a silver fork in her hand.

After a moment of silence, she casually put down the fork.

"I just took the wrong one."

"Walk."

She picked up her robe from the back of the chair.

Elena tried to stand up, but her body swayed slightly.

Xilun reached out and took her arm, and she leaned some of her weight on his shoulder.

As I got closer, the faint scent of wine mingled with the delicate fragrance of her hair.

The young men's gazes then turned regretful.

Xilun glanced at them.

The group immediately looked away and pretended to continue their conversation.

When the bill came, it was much higher than Xilun had expected.

However, he calmly paid the bill and helped Elena out of the restaurant.

A night breeze blew in my face.

Elena seemed to have regained some of her senses, but her steps were still unsteady.

The streets were brightly lit, and there were far fewer pedestrians than in the evening.

Nine chimes echoed from the distant clock tower, their sound slowly spreading across the city.

Xilun walked for a while, then suddenly stopped.

Where should he send Elena?

My own place is obviously not suitable.

Although there are quiet rooms in the Thunderclap Cliff Cave, it is Swain's residence.

If he were to help a drunk Elena home in the middle of the night, Bruno and Genna would probably look at him strangely the next day.

He didn't know whether Elena had her own residence now.

After a moment's thought, Xilun changed direction.

Correctional institution.

Elena is the daughter of the head of the correctional institution, so sending her to her father is the safest option.

As the two walked through the main path of the inner courtyard, they attracted a lot of attention.

Elena was already quite a figure of interest at the monastery, and Siron has recently gained even more fame.

The two returned side by side late at night, with Elena almost leaning on Siron, which naturally aroused speculation.

"Is that Elena?"

"Is she drunk?"

"Is that Xilun supporting her?"

Someone lowered their voice.

The other person looked surprised: "Isn't Elena currently accepting the advances of Aldrich from the Sea Demon Temple? How come she's with Siron...?"

"Don't talk nonsense. When did she accept it?"

"But the two families have been discussing the marriage."

"That's not something we can discuss."

The soft, fragmented sounds reached my ears.

Siren ignored her, and Elena seemed not to have heard clearly either, only frowning and turning her face to the other side.

Arriving at the secluded courtyard behind the correctional facility, Xilun raised his hand and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the lights came on inside.

The sound of steady footsteps approached from afar.

The wooden door opened, and a tall, middle-aged man with slightly graying temples stood behind it.

He was wearing a dark gray coat, and his gaze first fell on Siren, then swept over Elena, who was being helped up.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Xilun remained unmoved.

"Dean."

The man didn't ask any questions immediately; he simply reached out and took his daughter from him.

Elena muttered something under her breath, seemingly recognizing the familiar scent, but she didn't struggle.

"How much did she drink?"

"A jug of wine and a large bottle of spirits."

The man glanced at Elena's flushed face, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

"His alcohol tolerance is better than before."

He helped Elena into the inner room, took off her outer robe, and placed her on the bed.

A moment later, the man came out again and saw that Xilen was still standing outside the door, so he stepped aside.

"Come in and sit down."

Xilun shook his head: "The person has been delivered, I'm going back now."

"Come in and have a seat."

The man's tone was gentle, yet carried an air of undeniable authority.

"Let's talk."

After a moment of silence, Xilun had no choice but to go inside.

The living room is simply furnished.

A row of bookshelves stood against the wall, filled with correctional institution files and extraordinary books.

The embers in the fireplace had not yet completely died out, and there was a faint smell of charcoal in the air.

There were unfinished documents on the desk by the window, and a coastal map was pressed down next to the ink bottle.

The man gestured for Xilun to sit down, then lit a small stove to boil water and make tea.

"After drinking alcohol, have some tea to cut through the richness."

Pour hot water into the teapot.

The slender tea leaves unfurled in the water, their bitter aroma gradually masking the smell of alcohol on Xilun's body.

The man poured a glass and pushed it in front of him.

Xilun took a sip.

It has a slightly bitter taste at first, followed by a sweet aftertaste, which is indeed quite good.

"Silver Mist Tea?"

"You can tell the difference by drinking it?"

"Elena gave it to me once."

The man smiled and picked up his teacup.

"Youth is wonderful."

Xilun did not respond.

He rarely felt nervous when facing a formidable enemy, but now, sitting in front of Elena's father, he seemed inexplicably reserved.

The fact that the other party didn't ask any questions and just slowly drank tea made him even more at a loss for words.

A moment later, the man put down his teacup.

"My daughter spends too much time in meditation and rarely interacts with people."

"Especially male extraordinary individuals."

Xilun paused for a moment.

"We probably have some connection."

Tell me about it.

Xilun organized his thoughts.

"We spent some time together in the Black Abyss Forest during our previous mission to advance to the Inner Court. We've also seen each other a few times during training and missions since then."

He spoke very briefly.

The details of impersonating a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple, joining forces to kill the innocent prince, and treating Elena's wounds were not mentioned in detail.

The man, however, seemed to already know a lot of the inside story, and simply nodded slightly.

"Black Abyss Forest".

"When she came back that time, she was seriously injured. She had injuries on her back, arms and legs, and several of them almost damaged her tendons."

Xilun held his teacup without saying a word.

She said it was from fighting pirates, and that you saved her.

"Help each other."

The man glanced at him.

"Speaking of which, you came from a small place like the Langte family."

"It's quite rare to find someone as extraordinary as you in such a remote colony."

This statement doesn't sound malicious; it sounds more like a calm statement.

Xilun raised his eyes.

"Everyone can cultivate themselves."

"Below the extraordinary, there is no high or low, noble or base."

The man stared at him for a few moments, his eyes now filled with scrutiny.

This statement sounds somewhat jarring in the context of a monastery.

The extraordinary world is never equal.

Bloodline, wealth, heritage, and birth—any one of these can create a huge gap between people from birth.

The descendants of high-ranking extraordinary individuals are more likely to awaken, and noble families control resources that ordinary people can never access in their entire lives.

Ke Xilun spoke calmly.

There was no anger, nor any deliberate display of nobility.

He was simply stating what he believed to be true.

The man nodded slightly.

"Well said."

He refilled Siron's tea and did not press Elena further.

"Go back now."

Xilun put down his teacup with a sigh of relief.

Goodbye.

The man escorted him to the door.

The night wind rustled through the leaves of the trees in the courtyard.

Xilun walked away along the stone road and soon disappeared into the dim light at the end of the road.

The man stood there for a while, then closed the door and went back inside.

In the bedroom, Elena lay on her side on the bed, her brows slightly furrowed, clearly not sleeping soundly.

The man brewed her a cup of weak tea and helped her up.

"Have a drink."

Elena closed her eyes and took two sips, then suddenly turned her head and spat the third sip of tea back into the cup.

"bitter."

"Isn't Red Coral liquor bitter?"

Elena's eyelashes fluttered, and she finally opened her eyes.

She looked around blankly, and it took her a few moments to gradually come to her senses.

"I'm back?"

"Yes."

The man handed the teacup back to him.

A man helped you back.

Elena responded softly.

"oh."

She lowered her head and sipped her tea, her expression returning to calm, but her earlobes still had a faint red tinge, whether from the lingering effects of the alcohol or for some other reason.

The man sat on the edge of the bed and asked with a chuckle:

"Why don't you introduce it?"

"Just ordinary friends."

Elena, holding her teacup, said, "I figured it didn't matter, so I didn't introduce myself."

The man shook his head.

You can't fool me.

"My daughter isn't stupid; she wouldn't get drunk with a casual friend."

Elena remained silent.

"Father, you're overthinking it."

"Maybe."

The man took the empty teacup, his voice softening.

"I'm not trying to pry into your privacy."

"I'm just really happy."

Elena raised her eyes.

The man looked at her, his gaze devoid of the usual authority of the head of the disciplinary court, only filled with the gentle kindness of a father.

"You used to train diligently, and you almost never interacted with other people except for missions and swordsmanship."

"Aldrich's entanglement made you even more disgusted with male extraordinary beings. During that time, you even refused to attend banquets with disciples of the Sea Demon Temple alone."

Elena gently gripped the corner of the blanket with her fingers.

"It seems much better now."

The man got up and drew the curtains for her, but left them half open so that the moonlight could shine into the room.

"At least, you've started to have people you're willing to drink with."

Elena said calmly, "Father, I'm going to sleep."

"it is good."

The man didn't press further and walked out of the bedroom with his teacup.

The door closed gently.

The room fell silent.

Elena lay back on the bed, but did not close her eyes immediately.

The night sky outside the window was exceptionally clear after being washed by the rain. A crescent moon hung over the distant sea, and silvery moonlight shone through the half-drawn curtains onto the floor beside the bed.

Her father's words just now echoed in her mind.

People who are willing to drink together.

Then, the scene shifts to the Thunderclap Cliff training ground.

Siren stood in the floodwater, gun in hand, his eyes focused and his expression calm.

He said, "Is 'not as good as me' a very low evaluation?" and then seriously said that his talent was not bad.

Thinking of this, Elena's lips involuntarily curved into a smile.

Then she remembered the restaurant.

Xiren told her to drink less, draped her robe over her shoulders, and helped her across the night streets.

And even longer ago.

In the torrential rain of the Black Abyss Forest, Siron was seriously injured but still stood in front of her; in the narrow cave, she desperately guarded the entrance, and after Siron woke up, he used his spear to block Fisher's knife.

Together they killed pirates, faced the innocent prince, and kept the absurd secret of "Senior Brother Yi Ze".

Ordinary friends.

Elena repeated it to herself.

This description seems correct, yet it feels like something is missing.

She had never seriously thought about these things.

Aldrich's advances disgusted her because they were devoid of emotion, driven only by family interests and the power of the monastery.

The men who were attracted by her appearance only dared to admire her face from afar, never caring about the sword in her hand or what kind of person she wanted to become.

West London is different.

He didn't seem to see her as a noble lady who needed to be pleased at all.

He would join forces with her to fight enemies, he would bluntly tell her that she was not as strong as him, and he would comfort her in a clumsy and almost infuriating way when she was frustrated by failure.

But what does that prove?

Elena gazed at the crescent moon outside the window, her heart still beating faster than usual despite the alcohol.

She seemed to be asking herself, or perhaps inquiring of the ancient and silent god in the night sky.

"Moon Goddess".

"Can you tell me what I'm thinking?"

The moonlight fell silently.

no answer.

Elena watched for a long time, but finally couldn't resist the overwhelming drowsiness.

She turned over, burying half her face in the soft pillow, her long, pale blonde hair cascading onto the white sheets.

After an unknown amount of time, her breathing gradually became steady.

The crescent moon outside the window slowly sank in the west.

Meanwhile, on Thunderclap Cliff in the distance, Xilun had returned to his cave and unfolded the map of the Sunken Star Coast once more.

At the edge of the map, the dark red patterns on the faceless, six-armed statue flickered quietly in the moonlight, like blood vessels.

……

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, a layer of damp, cold mist still shrouded Thunderclap Cliff.

The sea breeze, passing through the narrow crevices between the cliffs, emitted a low, mournful sound.

Deep within the cave, Xilun slowly opened his eyes.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the quiet room, his chest rising and falling steadily with his breathing.

Pale blue vapor swirls against the skin, sometimes gathering into waves, sometimes sinking into the flesh and blood.

With each heartbeat, subtle bluish-white lightning spreads along the blood vessels, tempering the still-developing muscles and bones within the body.

After a long while, Xilun exhaled a breath of stale air.

A wisp of very faint black mist was mixed in with the airflow. After leaving the mouth and nose, it did not dissipate, but condensed into a thin line in mid-air.

Xilun raised his finger.

The black line seemed to be drawn back into his palm.

Expert-level Breath of the Styx.

After being tempered by the Nether Lotus, this chilling technique is no longer just about corroding flesh and blood.

If an enemy inhales it at close range without warning, their mind will also be impacted by the lingering resentment of the dead.

Samuel suffered greatly because of this.

However, Xilun did not relax just because he had this trump card.

The power associated with evil gods cannot be measured by common sense.

Whether the Breath of the Styx will have any effect on the lost statue on the Shrouded Star Coast remains unknown.

He checked his internal condition and then got up.

Several leather bags were neatly arranged against the wall, containing healing potions, antidote powder, spices to dispel mental pollution, and two days' worth of compressed rations.

Xilun confirmed each one.

Then, he untied the dark gold belt from his waist.

As the energy was poured into it, the fine, dark red patterns lit up one after another, and the originally soft metal quickly straightened, transforming into a heavy spear in the blink of an eye.

Thunder Spear.

Xilun gripped the butt of the gun and flicked his wrist slightly.

hum!

A low gunshot rang out in the quiet room.

Moisture flowed forward along the patterns on the gun barrel, while bluish-white lightning was hidden beneath the water flow, only illuminating itself when it reached the tip of the gun.