Douluo Continent: The Eye of Truth

Chapter 156 Obedience Without Choice

Fish will die soon after leaving the water.

Mermaids also find it difficult to stand upright when they leave the water.

In the midst of the icy snow, a group of mermaids, dressed in thin clothes, braved the vast expanse of snow.

Under the watchful eyes of the powerful beings of the far north, they reluctantly left their homeland, the icy sea, and headed deeper into the far north.

The group included many elderly, women, children, and a few young adults. These merfolk varied in strength, but at this moment, their eyes were filled with deep despair.

Without the Sea Princess in charge, they lost most of their clan's main fighting force, even though there were still two mermaids with over 100,000 years of cultivation left behind.

However, the merfolk, fighting on foreign soil in the far north, were no match for the powerful forces under their command and did not last a single day.

Even if the ocean gives the mermaid race a great home-field advantage, it is not enough to give these old, weak, sick and disabled people the power to contend with the strong in the far north.

He watched as his people, even with their considerable spiritual power protecting them, trembled in the howling winds of the far north.

Princess Liya, the mermaid princess who was being held in the hands of the Titan Snow Demon King, spoke with some difficulty.

"Your Majesty, Snow Emperor, please allow my people to use their spiritual power to isolate them from the wind and snow."

Compared to those tribespeople who need to walk.

Although she was under more strict supervision as a 100,000-year-old soul beast, Liya's condition was not that bad.

However, she was extremely anxious at this moment, after all, her mother, sister, and the main fighting force of the mermaid clan had all gone missing.

The powerful beings from the far north, who were their adversaries, were able to penetrate deep into the icy sea and attack and control their mermaid race.

Even if she didn't want to believe it, Liya could guess that her mother, sister, and other members of her clan had probably already been defeated in the war against the far north.

They didn't even have a chance to escape back to the icy sea; it was a complete and utter defeat. Moreover, the far north clearly didn't intend to leave any future troubles but wanted to wipe out their mermaid race in one fell swoop.

However, Liya still held onto a sliver of hope and said, "Your Majesty, although you have controlled our mermaid race, you have not exterminated them."

"I suppose there's still room for negotiation between us, or perhaps my mermaid clan has other values."

"However, after leaving the protection of the ocean, the soul power of my mermaid clan is insufficient to protect ourselves. We probably won't be able to hold out for long under the wind and snow of the far north."

"Whatever your requests may be, please have mercy and allow my people a short rest."

Upon hearing Liya's plea, some 100,000-year-old soul beasts from the far north secretly curled their lip in disapproval.

For soul beasts, aside from soul masters, they are a common enemy.

Unless it's due to a difference in strength, they won't hesitate to attack other races of soul beasts.

In the eyes of these 100,000-year-old soul beasts, the merfolk were clearly utterly defeated and had no right to make any demands.

In their view, the fact that the Snow Emperor did not exterminate the offending mermaid clan was already a testament to her magnanimity.

However, at this time, the Snow Emperor held the power of life and death over these mermaids.

After a moment's thought, the Snow Empress spoke up: "Atai, your Titan Snow Demon Clan also possesses spiritual attributes."

"You keep a close watch on these merfolk and don't give them a chance to use their mental connection to do anything underhanded."

Titan Snow Demon King nodded his enormous head and said in a simple and honest voice, "Yes, Snow Empress."

However, a chilling mental pressure then descended upon these merfolk, causing even those with nearly 100,000 years of cultivation to tremble.

However, after obtaining permission from the Snow Empress, these mermaids were unable to use excessively strong mental power due to the mental pressure from the Titan Snow Demon King.

However, it is still possible to use mental power to isolate oneself from the wind and snow, maintain one's body temperature, and avoid being frostbitten or crippled by the ice and snow.

They continued on their journey, stopping and starting intermittently, and were frequently met with blizzards. After many mermaids fainted several times, they were finally brought to the Ice Palace.

Some 100,000-year-old soul beasts on the road were also secretly wondering about the unpredictable weather in the far north today.

"What's going on? How come there's a blizzard one minute and an avalanche the next? It doesn't make sense."

"Hey, consider them unlucky. Anyway, they've behaved themselves after these few waves."

"Is this enough?" Xue Di asked Huo Yuhao through her mental power.

Although she was also somewhat puzzled as to why the Titan Snow Demons didn't just bring these merfolk over as quickly as possible.

Instead, it took them two whole days to walk little by little.

It's worth noting that many mermaids along the way showed signs of resistance under these circumstances.

However, they were quickly and mercilessly suppressed by the even more ferocious 100,000-year-old soul beasts, and more than a dozen mermaids died along the way.

On the contrary, the mermaid princess Lia appeared extremely calm, doing her best to soothe her desperate people and calm them down.

Unlike other simple-minded spirit beasts, the merfolk are born with a considerable level of intelligence.

"Moreover, they have always held themselves in high esteem, and as the sea god's chosen ones, they consider themselves to have a status superior to other soul beasts."

"All the torture and suppression along the way were to make them more obedient and compliant, at least so they wouldn't cause trouble while locked up."

"It will naturally take more effort to subdue them, but it's all worth it. Now it's easier for us to manage them."

"Otherwise, with nearly a thousand mermaids, each with over a century of cultivation and a certain level of intelligence, even sealing their soul power and spiritual power would be quite troublesome."

Huo Yuhao's voice, calm and unhurried, mingled with the wind and snow, reached the Snow Empress's ears. Although she had been reborn as a human, the Snow Empress still knew very little about such intricacies.

However, she memorized it, though she didn't quite understand it. Then she ordered the other soul beasts to take these mermaids into the cages that Huo Yuhao had set up earlier in the Ice Palace and imprison them.

Immediately afterwards, the Snow Empress led the mermaid princess Liya to the depths of the Ice Palace.

"Very well, leave her here. I'll take care of the rest," Huo Yuhao said calmly.

Looking at the young man before her, Xue Di couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Compared to the human boy I remembered before, who was very brave but slightly weaker.

After the battle with the sea spirit beasts of the Ice Sea, Huo Yuhao now gives Xue Di the feeling of being unfathomable.

Even someone as powerful as her wouldn't dare underestimate Huo Yuhao in the slightest.

However, Xue Di was more relieved that she had agreed to form an alliance with Huo Yuhao.

Otherwise, at this very moment, their northernmost territory might also be like the icy sea, unknowingly being controlled by Huo Yuhao.

The Sea Princess is an example of this; even if it were her and Hyotei, they might not have fared any better.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao was playing with a shark pearl in his hand.

When the mermaid princess Lia saw this scene, her pupils constricted, clearly indicating that she was extremely frightened.

It should be noted that only members of the Demon Soul Great White Shark royal family, whose cultivation has reached over 100,000 years, are qualified to condense Shark Pearls.

Moreover, its existence is equivalent to, or even more important than, the human soul core.

Because in addition to being a crystallization of soul power, the shark pearl is also the essence of the life force of the Demon Soul Great White Shark.

The appearance of a shark pearl signifies the fall of a demonic great white shark king.

If Huo Yuhao could be so ruthless towards the Demon Soul Great White Shark King, then he would certainly be even more ruthless towards the mermaid race, who are also members of the Sea God's clan.

Liya extinguished the last glimmer of hope in her heart, quietly lying on the ground, waiting for Huo Yuhao's next move.

Seeing this, Xue Di also left the Ice Palace. Looking at Liya, whose body was trembling slightly, Huo Yuhao said softly, "Do you know why I spared your mermaid race instead of the Demon Soul Great White Shark?"

As Huo Yuhao spoke, the scene inside the Ice Palace began to change, with ice crystals disintegrating and reforming, and space shifting and changing positions.

The sea princess and the crowned mermaid, who had been sealed away by Huo Yuhao through various means, appeared together in front of the mermaid princess Liya.

Seeing her mother and sister, who were extremely weak despite being sealed up, but still alive, Liya could no longer control her emotions and burst into tears.

Meanwhile, the sea princess and the crowned mermaid discovered that although they were still under control, they were no longer in their original solitary cells.

Upon hearing that familiar sound of weeping, both the Sea Princess and the Crowned Mermaid felt a tremor in their hearts and looked towards their loved ones.

Huo Yuhao did not stop them, but coldly watched as they cried.

Liya's spiritual essence flowed away with her tears, then fell to the ground and transformed into pale golden pearls.

"Crying counts as time, but I'm not going to give you mermaids much time."

A cold, judgmental voice rang out, and at the same time, an hourglass, symbolizing a timer, appeared beside Huo Yuhao.

At this moment, the sea princess had no time to comfort Liya, as Huo Yuhao had been ignoring her for the past few days.

Her longing for her clan and her worry for her daughter grew stronger, gradually forming a fear that she could not shake off.

As a ferocious beast with 600,000 years of cultivation and the queen of the mermaid race, the sea princess felt fear for the first time; she was truly afraid.

She began to regret why she had declared war on the far north.

After all, even if they lost the icy sea, the mermaid race, as the kin of the sea god, could choose to migrate to other sea areas.

"Whatever you want our mermaid race to do, as long as it can save our people, I will grant you any request."

Without making any further attempts to probe or bargain, the Sea Princess closed her eyes and said in a trembling voice.

"Smart," Huo Yuhao said casually, without any particular interest.

"I will serve as the priest of the sea god, and I will share all the knowledge, memories, and legends related to the sea god that your mermaid clan has worshipped and offered sacrifices to for generations."

"I know there's a lot of this information, so I need your cooperation, Sea Princess, who has been the chief priest of the sea god for tens of thousands of years."

"As for your other clansmen, whether or not I need to use them in my subsequent plans."

"But as long as they cooperate with my actions and do not resist, I will at least spare their lives."

"And if you, Princess Sea and the Crowned Mermaid, cooperate, it won't be a problem for me to remove the shackles and seals from your bodies."

Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's proposed conditions, both the Crowned Mermaid and the Mermaid Princess Liya trembled and looked at Huo Yuhao in disbelief.

If the previous battles between the Ice Sea and the Far North could only be considered internal frictions among the soul beast races...

From the moment Huo Yuhao revealed his true intentions, the nature of the matter completely changed.

"This is blasphemous!" The sea princess was caught in a dilemma.

If her sacrifice is necessary to ensure the survival of her people, then as the clan leader, she will naturally not hesitate in the slightest.

But now Huo Yuhao wants to target the Sea God, regardless of whether he succeeds or not, and regardless of his purpose.

If, as the high priest of the sea god, they cooperate with him in carrying out this series of actions, then the sea god will surely despise the mermaid race.

It's not impossible that divine punishment could befall them and wipe out the merfolk.

Is it out of concern for the possible punishment from the sea god in the future? Or is it to preserve the future of the mermaid race first?

Although Huo Yuhao seemed to have given the Sea Princess a chance to think, in reality, the Sea Princess never had the right to choose.

"Okay, I promise you. What do you want me to do?"

As the remaining time in the hourglass beside Huo Yuhao gradually decreased.

In the end, the sea princess reluctantly nodded in agreement, and at this moment, both the crowned mermaid and the mermaid princess Lia could feel the sea princess's deep helplessness.

"A wise choice." With Huo Yuhao's words, the seal that had been binding the Sea Princess and the Crowned Mermaid was lifted.

However, at this moment, they were still in a state of extreme weakness.

Their soul power and spiritual power were completely drained by Huo Yuhao the moment the seal was lifted. If they wanted to recover, they would need at least several days of recuperation under these circumstances.

"Alright, Princess Sea, come with me. You two go with the Snow Empress to keep an eye on your people, otherwise the other soul beasts in the far north won't be so lenient."

"Yes," Liya composed herself and put away the mermaid tears she had shed while grieving.

With her still somewhat confused but trembling older sister by her side, they left through a passage that Huo Yuhao had opened for them.

As the Ice Palace continued to transform, a path of ice crystals leading underground and deeper into the world appeared before the Sea Princess and Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao remained silent and continued downwards, while the Sea Princess silently followed him to the deepest part of the underground.

When Huo Yuhao was creating the artificial ice cave, he had excavated a space. After the Ice Palace was built, he did not abandon this space.

Instead, it was continuously expanded and transformed by the spirit of the ice dragon, forming an independent space attached to the Ice Palace.

Although it is not attached to Douluo Star like a demi-plane and does not exist in the present world, it is still enough to isolate most of the outside world's prying eyes.

(End of this chapter)