Chapter 529: Mermaid Queen

With a clear destination now, Xu Yang, the group's leader, pushed the ship to full speed. In just three hours, he brought the entire crew to their intended location.

However, the mermaid tribe's nest was located in the deep sea, so Xu Yang and his companions needed to temporarily abandon the ship and follow the little mermaid underwater.

"Uh, boss, what should we do? We can't just abandon the ship because we're going down for a bit, can we?"

Xu Yang pondered this question.

"That's easy, isn't it? You stay and watch the ship, and the three of us will go down." Ling Yao offered the simplest and most direct solution, patting Long Kun's shoulder encouragingly.

"Damn it, I can't believe you'd say that! That's not very brotherly, is it? You'd abandon me at a critical moment?"

Ling Yao snorted, "You don't seriously think this will be an easy mission, do you? Leaving you to watch the ship is a sign of my trust in your abilities! Don't forget, your specialty is Phoenix Power, which would be severely suppressed underwater, limiting your combat effectiveness. If a fight breaks out, your power would drop by at least three levels underwater. Staying on the ship is the most suitable job for you, isn't it?"

Long Kun was truly checkmated by her words, leaving him speechless.

"Alright, alright, whatever you say is right. You win..."

After reaching a consensus on the matter, Xu Yang wasted no time. He took Shi Lingyun and Ling Yao into the sea, heading straight for the mermaid nest deep below, guided by the little mermaid girl.

They descended more than two thousand meters into the ocean. It was pitch black, impossible to see one's hand in front of their face. If not for the faint glow emanating from the little girl guiding them, even Xu Yang might have easily gotten lost.

The endless deep sea of the far north was incomparably more profound and perilous than any inland sea on the continent.

Finally, the little mermaid turned and pointed downwards. A pure, faint blue aura flickered from a spot deep below, resembling a soul lighthouse guiding her tribe members home.

Indeed, guided by this blue light, Xu Yang and his group quickly and steadily reached their target area.

Under the little mermaid girl's control, the blue light transformed into a shimmering portal, drawing Xu Yang and his two companions inside.

After a moment of disorientation, when they regained their senses, they found themselves in a dreamlike and exquisite world!

"My heavens... this is the mermaid tribe's territory? It's utterly fantastic! It's like a fairyland!"

Completely unlike what they had imagined, this place was like an independent plane of existence. It had a sky, a moon, a sea, islands, and a vibrant array of rare flora and various birds and beasts.

More importantly, the air in this mermaid world was incredibly fresh, possessing a remarkably high degree of elemental purity. Cultivating here, even the most ordinary human would likely achieve rapid progress.

Had they not accidentally rescued the little mermaid girl, Xu Yang and his companions would likely never have found the entrance to such a hidden and beautiful world in their entire lives.

"Princess Lolita, you've finally returned safely! Thank the gods for their protection!"

Two mermen suddenly appeared before them, kneeling on one knee to greet the little girl with the highest respect.

"A princess!! My heavens..."

Shi Lingyun and Ling Yao exchanged surprised glances. They truly hadn't expected the little mermaid girl to possess such a noble status.

Xu Yang, however, seemed unfazed by this scene. Clearly, after sensing the bloodline aura on the little girl, he had already made an educated guess about her identity.

The reason was simple. No matter how precious the mermaid tribe was, it was unlikely that a mere juvenile would prompt high-ranking members of the Dragon race to organize such a large-scale capture operation.

Furthermore, for a girl of her age to be able to emit such a pure aura, nearly akin to divine power, indicated a bloodline far beyond the ordinary.

It's important to note that the strength of beast tribes is largely determined by the potency of their bloodline; innate factors play a much larger role than in humans. If a bloodline isn't strong enough, it's impossible to compensate significantly through acquired effort. Given the girl's extraordinary natural talent, she was certainly no ordinary member of the mermaid tribe.

Indeed, Xu Yang's earlier suspicions were now confirmed.

"Who are you?! You are not permitted to enter the inner domain of our mermaid tribe!"

The two adult merman warriors immediately adopted fierce expressions, but they were quickly dismissed by the little girl, who stood with her hands on her hips and a puffed-out face.

"They are my friends and my saviors! Without them, I would never have returned alive; I would have been captured by the Dragon race long ago. Move aside quickly; I'm taking my friends to see the elders!"

The two merman soldiers were simply performing their duties, but the little princess's actions put them in an awkward position.

Just then, an elder mermaid appeared, her lower body adorned with colorful scales. She was a woman of perfect beauty, her upper body possessing a level of grace that far surpassed ordinary human women. Her vibrant scales and the divine aura emanating from her clearly indicated her extraordinary status.

"Your Majesty!"

"Mother!"

Seeing the little girl excitedly rush towards the beautiful mermaid, Xu Yang and his two companions were startled, genuinely surprised that they had truly alerted the leader of the mermaid tribe.

The Mermaid Queen also wore an expression of relief, shedding her regal demeanor to embrace Princess Lolita like any ordinary mother worried about her daughter.

"You truly terrified your mother. Do you know that when you snuck out this time, the entire mermaid tribe was worried about your safety? If anything had happened to you, what would your mother have done?"

The little girl seemed to realize the gravity of her actions, tearfully admitting her mistake while nestled in her mother's embrace.

"Mother, Lolita knows she was wrong. I shouldn't have been so playful and nearly got captured by the Dragon race. These brothers and sisters saved me."

As Lolita spoke, she directed the Mermaid Queen's gaze towards Xu Yang and his two companions behind her.

"Thank you, three human experts, for saving my daughter. The mermaid tribe will not forget this kindness. Please, come inside."

The Mermaid Queen was clearly being very polite. However, Xu Yang knew well that while politeness was one thing, trying to extract information from them might not be so easy.

Regardless, they were here now, so they would make the best of it. The incident with Lolita had become a stepping stone for Xu Yang and his two companions to delve deeper into the great secret of the Glacier Ruins. It also offered them hope of uncovering the Glacier Ruins' mysteries, which was certainly better than endlessly searching the vast ocean.