Chapter 528: Little Mermaid

The Jiao leader who spoke truly baffled Long Kun and his companions. It turned out that after all that commotion, their target wasn't their ship at all.

"Damn it, if that's the case, then let's part ways..." Long Kun, with a touch of humor, cupped his hands towards the Jiao surrounding them in the sea. Simultaneously, Xu Yang descended from the sky, landing firmly on the deck. He used his immensely powerful aura to subtly guide the ship's course, directing it to continue deeper into the glacial ruins.

As expected, the Jiao did not continue their pursuit, and what should have been a hostile confrontation was thus resolved.

After approximately five minutes, Xu Yang let out a chuckle and focused his aura on an unfamiliar corner of the deck.

"Come out. The Jiao are far away now. Our ship can help mask your presence. We are not your enemies." Xu Yang's unexpected words made Long Kun, Ling Yao, and Shi Lingyun involuntarily follow his gaze. Sure enough, a small mermaid girl, only a meter tall like a child, suddenly peeked out from a corner of the ship's cabin, genuinely startling Long Kun.

"What?! You, you... When did you get in?!" Without a word, the little mermaid transformed into a streak of light and darted straight to Xu Yang, or more precisely, into his arms.

Xu Yang felt a touch of helplessness. Holding the incredibly delicate-looking little mermaid girl in front of him, he was about to ask something when he suddenly realized she was clearly trembling!

"Humans, can I trust you?" The little girl's eyes were incredibly clear, truly like something from a fairy tale, as if they held an endless, sparkling starry sea.

"Perhaps. If we are not your enemies..." The little mermaid seemed to ponder for a moment before finally revealing her secret.

"Those Jiao were looking for me. They want to find out the location of the mermaid nest from me so they can plunder our clan's inherited treasure."

The little mermaid's innocent and adorable appearance made her instantly likable, and Long Kun and the other two gradually moved closer to her.

"Damn, that's a lot of information. You can take your time, little girl. As long as you're on this ship, whether it's a Jiao or a dragon, our boss is here, and no one can harm you."

And so, the adorable little mermaid gave a brief overview of the conflict and secrets between the mermaid clan and the Jiao clan.

It turned out that the mermaid clan this little girl represented lived in a very hidden underwater cave nearby. The reason this mysterious mermaid cave could evade the Jiao's pursuit was entirely because of the supreme treasure they sought to plunder: the Supreme Sea Pearl!

According to the little mermaid, the power nurtured by the Sea Pearl could gradually evolve the mermaid clan's bloodline, eventually transforming them into true human forms. This was undoubtedly a very long process, but she explained that a legend existed in the mermaid world: anyone who could transform into a true human under the influence of the Supreme Sea Pearl's power would gain god-like abilities and become truly immortal.

"Wow! I can't believe such a miraculous lineage like yours exists deep within this far northern ocean! So tell me, where did your mermaid clan acquire this Supreme Sea Pearl?"

The little mermaid paused for a moment before saying, "It's a divine gift from the Glacier Kingdom."

"What did you say?!" Xu Yang and the others were utterly shocked when they heard the words "Glacier Kingdom."

Without a doubt, the sudden appearance of this little mermaid girl introduced a new twist to Xu Yang and his companions' quest to find the glacial ruins. This was a truly priceless and valuable clue!

"Then do you know where the glacial ruins are located now?"

The little mermaid helplessly shook her head. "I'm still young; only the elders of our mermaid clan know such secrets. If I hadn't suddenly gotten lost and been targeted by the Jiao clan, I wouldn't have swum out to this outer sea area alone. But I'm very lucky to have met you kind people; if you hadn't chosen to protect me, I would probably be dead by now."

The little mermaid spoke pitifully, and it was clear she didn't know anything more.

Xu Yang sighed softly. With a sudden wave of his palm, he produced several water-attribute inner cores from marine beasts, which could replenish energy, and offered them to the adorable little mermaid.

"I can feel that your body's energy is almost depleted. I hope these inner cores can help you."

Xu Yang's inherent kindness put the little mermaid at ease, and she swallowed the inner cores with virtually no worry or doubt.

Soon, the aura emanating from the little girl once again astonished Xu Yang and his companions.

"Is this an aura approaching divine power fluctuations?" Shi Lingyun's Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart was exceptionally perceptive, and she instantly sensed that the girl's aura was highly unusual.

It was remarkable that she, a mere child of the mermaid clan, possessed such miraculous power. One could only imagine how powerful the mermaid elders must be.

"If I'm not mistaken, the power she possesses originates from the Supreme Sea Pearl within the mermaid tribe. And this, should be the Divine Essence that Xiao Hua previously mentioned to me."

The term "Divine Essence" was no longer unfamiliar to Xu Yang. It was precisely the grace of deification bestowed upon the entire continent by the Divine Realm Imperial Dynasty, the fundamental source of divine power that had been stolen by the Dragon and Qilin clans.

If everything this little mermaid girl said was true, then the Supreme Sea Pearl — the mermaid clan's treasure inherited from the glacial ruins — must indeed nurture Divine Essence power. This would further suggest that the Glacier Kingdom was once a place of true miracles.

"It seems the Angel Soul Pillar Force also went to the glacial ruins, likely in search of the lost divine relic at the continent's edge, correct?" Xu Yang agreed with Shi Lingyun's speculation: "Precisely, that's very possible."

"Hahahaha, well, there's no need to say more. Both logically and emotionally, we must visit the mermaid tribe. We'll escort this little girl back and, while we're there, inquire about the true whereabouts of the glacial ruins."

Long Kun said, squatting down and somehow producing a lollipop, which he offered to the little mermaid girl. "Take us back to the mermaid tribe, and this candy is yours."

The little mermaid was incredibly naive. She wasn't afraid that Xu Yang and the others might be villains with ulterior motives. Her big eyes fluttered as she nodded, and she ate the candy with a blissful expression, completely forgetting the recent predicament of being chased by the Jiao.

"You just need to follow my guidance, and you'll quickly find the exact location of the mermaid clan."