With half a game of chess, I vanquish all demons!

The merfolk had come down from the reef and were scattered on the beach in twos and threes. Some were singing, their voices as melodious as silver bells; some were combing their long hair, which was fluttering in the sea breeze; and some were talking to the strongmen, their voices as soft as honey.

The triangular-eyed warrior stood on the beach, gazing at the beautiful merfolk, his eyelids twitching slightly.

He didn't want to come.

But he dared not disobey Jin Guang's orders.

Jin Guang is not only the manager of Tianbao Pavilion, but also has powerful backers who he cannot afford to offend.

The triangular-eyed warrior gritted his teeth and walked towards a lone merman.

The mermaid sat on a rock, her fishtail dangling in the seawater, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, her face beautiful, and her eyes gentle.

She saw the triangular-eyed martial artist approaching, looked up, smiled at him, revealing a row of pearly white teeth.

"Come here."

The mermaid's voice was like a sea breeze caressing the strings of a harp, incredibly beautiful.

"Gurgle~"

The triangular-eyed warrior stared at the merman, swallowed hard, and mustered his courage to speak:

"Come on then."

He walked over and took the merman's hand.

The mermaid's hands felt cool and delicate to the touch, like a piece of cold jade.

The merman grabbed his hand and gently pulled him, causing the warrior to pounce on her.

She twisted her body and pressed the martial artist down beneath her.

"Hmm~"

She pressed her face against his chest and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Your heart is beating very fast."

"Gurgle~"

The triangular-eyed martial artist remained silent, swallowing again.

His heart was indeed beating fast, but not because of anticipation, but because he truly only liked men.

The merman looked up at him, a faint, eerie light gleaming in her blue eyes:

Are you unhappy?

"happy."

The triangular-eyed martial artist forced a smile.

"Giggle~"

The merman stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

Her smile is beautiful.

The triangular-eyed martial artist, however, felt that there was something else in that smile, like an undercurrent beneath the surface of the sea—unseen, yet chilling.

……

What did Zhao Yao see on the deck?

They saw everything naturally.

He never expected that Manager Jin, who had helped him just a few days ago, would be up to no good here.

Zhao Yao didn't understand why Manager Jin insisted on sending him to the island to mate with the merfolk, but he knew he had to be more wary of Manager Jin in the future.

"Knock knock knock~"

While in his room, Zhao Yao was once again reading the Fubo Gong when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

Who else will come looking for me on this ship?

He frowned, stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and saw Steward Jin standing outside with a wry smile on his face.

He stated directly:

"Young man, I've come to apologize to you."

"Oh? What's this, Manager Jin?"

Zhao Yao raised an eyebrow, pretending not to understand.

"It's like this, you may not know, but I actually have another identity."

I am a member of the Sea God Cult, and my mission is to introduce new bloodlines to the sea race.

The moment I first saw you, brother, I knew you had extraordinary blood. From that moment on, I had the idea of ​​having you leave your bloodline on Mermaid Island.

Brother, you must have seen what happened on the deck just now... Dishonesty in friendship is a big no-no. I apologize to you now, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept these things from you.

Actually, it wasn't just you; I tried to persuade many people on this ship, and I used various methods to do so.

I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I feel that what happened might have caused you some misunderstanding, so I had to come and talk to you to clarify things.

I befriended you, brother, not only for the mission, but also genuinely to make you my friend. I have no ill intentions whatsoever.

Jin Guang smiled wryly, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhao Yao. Without waiting for Zhao Yao's reply, he immediately said:

"I know I am in the wrong and I don't expect my brother's forgiveness. I just want to make things clear."

Now that things are clear, young man, please make yourself at home. I'm leaving.

As Jin Guang turned to leave, a commotion suddenly broke out in the corridor outside the door.

"The Heavenly Dao Division orders: Everyone disembark and slay the demons!"

"The Heavenly Dao Division orders: Everyone disembark and slay the demons!"

"The Heavenly Dao Division orders: Everyone disembark and slay the demons!"

Shouts echoed from the corridor and also from the seashells inside the room.

"What's going on??"

The sudden change made Zhao Yao frown, puzzled.

Jin Guang looked nervous and turned to explain:

"Is this your first time at sea, young man?"

If they encounter demons, cultivators, regardless of their circumstances or conflicts, must temporarily set aside their concerns and unite to attack the demons.

This is an unspoken rule that is generally accepted overseas.

But on the Windward, this is an ironclad rule that no one can break; if you don't, you'll be kicked off.

Something must have happened on Mermaid Island.

Young man, my men are waiting for me. I can't linger here any longer; I need to get my hands on them.

When you get to the island, be careful. If things get really bad, just look for my Tianbao Pavilion's flag. I'm confident I can keep you safe.

After quickly finishing his words, Jin Guang's face tightened, and he hurried away.

Zhao Yao watched his departing figure, remaining motionless for a moment.

Is it really that coincidental?

They tried to persuade me to go to the island, but I didn't go, and then problems arose on the island?

"Sigh~"

He took a deep breath, closed the door, and started walking onto the deck.

If he doesn't go, he'll be kicked off the ship. He still needs to take the ship to the front lines of the Great Overseas Expedition and to find Su Shangtao. How can he be kicked off?

……

"ah--"

A heart-wrenching scream echoed from Mermaid Island.

On the deck, Zhao Yao looked in the direction of the sound and quickly located the triangular-eyed warrior amidst the chaos of the merman island.

On a corner of the beach, the triangular-eyed martial artist's body was trembling violently.

It looked as if countless snakes were crawling beneath his skin, his muscles bulged and collapsed, and his bones made a cracking sound.

"They've turned to demonic powers! The merfolk have turned to demonic powers!"

Those who got close to them also turned to demonic possession!

"Will getting too close cause you to become demonic?"

"How could this happen?"

On the deck, someone shouted, and everyone immediately erupted in chaos.

They were originally ordered to go to the island to fight the demons, but now they were hesitant and dared not move.

Under Zhao Yao's gaze, the triangular-eyed martial artist's body began to swell.

Three meters, four meters, five meters. His clothes were torn apart by the swelling flesh, revealing bluish-gray skin covered with black lines that looked like blood vessels or some kind of ancient runes.

His eyes turned blood red, his mouth opened wide, revealing two rows of sharp fangs, and saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth onto the beach, emitting a wisp of blue smoke.

Not only the triangular-eyed warrior, but all the other strongmen who were preparing to mate with the merman underwent similar changes.

Meanwhile, the merfolk hid in the back, their pupils and scales turning pitch black, black blood overflowing from their mouths, their appearance becoming more like inanimate objects, monsters, and demons than normal living creatures.

"roar!"

"roar!"

"roar!"

The men, now transformed into monsters, roared to the sky, their dense sonic booms causing waves to surge across the sea and shaking the coconut trees on the island.

The next moment, these monsters, two or three zhang tall, began rampaging across the beach, slaughtering the unmutated warriors and fighters.

On the deck, the captain of the Windward appeared.

This is a middle-aged man with a refined appearance.

He walked to the ship's railing, looked down at the scene below, sniffed, smiled easily, and then shouted:

"Don't be afraid, everyone. The power that caused these merfolk to undergo demonic transformation has temporarily disappeared. Seize this opportunity and kill them all."

Killing demons is a great achievement!

For those of you who don't have much money, you can start thinking about how to use these demons to get rich.

Now, I command everyone to disembark immediately and join forces to fight the demons!

"Let's fight the demons together!"

"Let's fight the demons together!"

"Let's fight the demons together!"

The sailors on board, fully armed, shouted slogans twice in unison, their expressions excited, and took the lead, being the first wave to rush off the ship.

"Let's fight the demons together!"

Immediately afterwards, a dozen strongmen and warriors shouted the same words, leaped off the ship, each wielding a weapon, and charged toward the demonized monsters.

"Let's fight the demons together!"

"kill!"

More people followed suit.

Zhao Yao was among them.

He had just rushed onto the island when suddenly everything went blank, and all around him became quiet. The crowd disappeared, the shouts of battle ceased, and even the sound of the waves became distant and indistinct.

Call ~

A hazy mist drifted in the air.

He was surrounded by this gray mist, which stretched as far as the eye could see.

What's going on?

Zhao Yao frowned, looked around, his eyes flashed, and his X-ray vision activated...