I was born a god, the son of the Demon Lord.

Lin Qingyue raised her head, her light blue eyes meeting those of the person on the throne.

"Indeed, it has been a century since we last met."

"Zhao'er".

Hai Zhaoyue lightly traced a circle with the tip of her scepter on the armrest. The address caused a fleeting, almost imperceptible, flicker in her eyes.

"My sister is back this time..."

"I'm not back to see the Queen Mother."

Lin Qingyue interrupted her.

Hai Zhaoyue's fingers stopped.

"I want to enter the Dreamland Temple."

The main hall fell silent.

The cold light of the deep-sea moon pearl fell on the two people, casting their shadows extremely long.

Hai Zhaoyue did not speak immediately. She stared at her sister kneeling in the hall for three breaths, then leaned forward slightly, a layer of interest appearing in her clear pupils.

"Could it be that, sister... you too have received the sea god's blessing?"

Lin Qingyue's brow twitched.

and also?

Lin Qingyue looked up. "Some children in the clan heard the mermaid's echo."

The so-called Mermaid Echoes refer to the powerful merman who has received the inheritance of the sea god at a certain time in the past or future, transmitting information from the past or future to a specific time and space through song.

Only the inheritors of the Sea God can hear the [echo].

The curve of Hai Zhaoyue's lips finally gained some real warmth. She gently patted the armrest of the throne, her voice carrying towards the back of the palace.

"Lily, come out and meet your aunt."

There was a rustling sound behind the coral curtain.

An eight- or nine-year-old girl emerged from behind the throne. Her long, light blue hair reached her waist, interspersed with a few strands of silver, like moonlight falling into the deep sea. Her features were delicate, and her gentle eyes exuded a dignified air, a demeanor cultivated by the royal family of the sea tribe.

She walked to the front of the hall, her fishtail slightly tucked in, and clasped her hands together in front of her chest, performing a standard sea creature greeting.

"Haley, greetings to your aunt."

His voice was clear and bright, without any fear or panic.

Lin Qingyue looked at the child, her gaze lingering for a moment on the silver strands in her hair. She took out a shimmering seashell pendant from her sleeve, inside which was a drop of water spirit pearl formed from a thousand years of tides, and handed it over.

"A gift to mark our meeting."

Hailey accepted it and bowed respectfully.

Lin Qingyue stopped being polite and shifted her gaze from the child back to Hai Zhaoyue's face.

"What did she hear?"

Hai Zhaoyue slightly raised her chin, indicating that her daughter should speak for herself.

Hailey raised her head, her clear blue eyes sparkling. She opened her mouth, but didn't speak immediately. Instead, she gently closed her eyes, as if recalling something extremely distant.

"Six months ago, when I entered a meditative state during my cultivation, I heard a folk song."

"It came from a very, very far place... like bubbles rising from the deepest part of the trench, carrying the sound."

Lin Qingyue's breathing slowed down.

"What did you sing?"

Hailey opened her eyes and repeated the words one by one—

"Treading the golden steps, climbing the jade ladder, everyone says they go to heaven. Heaven is good, heaven is wonderful, but has anyone ever returned?"

"Don't open the door, don't open the door, for there is no god living inside."

"Smiling, smiling, she opens her mouth and devours people without leaving a trace."

The water in the main hall seemed to freeze for a moment.

Lin Qingyue's expression changed. She had cultivated for a thousand years and experienced countless dangers, but at this moment... a childish nursery rhyme sent chills down her spine.

The one living inside the Heavenly Gate is not a god.

What is that?

"I knew this wasn't an ordinary song after I heard it," Hailey's voice regained its composure. "So I cast the Mermaid Echo Prayer spell, hoping for a response."

"Did you get it?"

Hailey nodded.

"Four words."

She looked at her mother, Hai Zhaoyue slightly closed her eyes.

"Supreme, the Nine Netherworlds."

Lin Qingyue's pupils suddenly contracted.

Hai Zhaoyue's voice came from above, unhurried: "I took her to see the High Priest."

"What do you mean, 'big'?" Lin Qingyue's voice was slightly hoarse.

"She said—" Hai Zhaoyue raised her scepter, and the moon pearl at the tip of the scepter dimmed for a moment and then brightened again.

"When the fifth generation of the destined person of the Taiyuan Realm appears, the Dreamland Temple will tell us the answer."

The Dreamland Temple is the legacy left behind by the first Sea God who mastered the Laws of Water, and it has never been opened for ten thousand years.

It will only open when the mermaid's echo appears.

"And the new generation of guardians of Taiyuan—"

Hai Zhaoyue stood up, the radiance on the coral throne flowing with her movements, and for the first time, her transparent eyes revealed true solemnity.

"It will be born here."

Silence descended.

long time.

Hai Zhaoyue lowered her eyes to look at her sister, the woman who left the deep sea a hundred years ago and drifted alone on land. Now she stood in her palace, her back still straight, but the things in her eyes... were much heavier than they were a hundred years ago.

"I'll let you in early."

Lin Qingyue looked up.

Hai Zhaoyue didn't explain why, nor did she need to.

They are sisters by blood, and Hai Zhaoyue knows this better than anyone else... Since Lin Qingyue has returned, it's not to reminisce.

There was only one thing that could make this woman turn back to the deep sea.

Something more important than life itself.

……

Menglan Temple.

The palace gate is carved from a single piece of deep-sea crystal, standing over a hundred feet tall. The gate is inscribed with the oldest merfolk script, with a faint blue light flowing between the strokes, as if the creatures were breathing in the water.

Lin Qingyue stood alone in front of the palace gate.

Hai Zhaoyue and Hai Li had already retreated a hundred feet away.

She reached out, her fingertips touching the cold, crystalline facade—

A flash of inspiration.

A blinding blue light shone through the crack in the door, silently engulfing her.

The moment she stepped inside... a voice rang in her ears.

It's not a song, not a whisper.

It was a young, flamboyant voice, brimming with youthful spirit, that pierced through all barriers of time from the distant past, clearly striking her eardrums.

"You smuggled thief! You've seen us, the Four Guardians of Taiyuan! Why don't you surrender obediently!"

Lin Qingyue paused, the voice still echoing in the hall, breaking into countless ripples, then coalescing into another ancient melody—

Those who approach Taiyuan will see the four guardians.

Those who guarded the four rivers were buried in Taiyuan.

Mermaid script lit up beneath her feet, spreading out in concentric circles. Lin Qingyue stood there, the blue light making her appear transparent.

A hundred years ago, she thought the Taiyuan Realm would have ten thousand years of peace, but now...

So, is our era coming to an end?

The wind blew from the depths of the temple; no, there was no wind on the seabed, it was a breath from the cracks of time.

Lin Qingyue closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, there was no fear in her light blue pupils.

She took a step forward.

The torch is passed down, the loyalty remains undiminished; though countless eons may pass, my path will never be lonely.

The merfolk script beneath their feet lit up, and an ancient sound echoed from the depths of the Dreamland Temple, as if something that had been asleep for ten thousand years had finally opened its eyes.