Chapter 2402: Deep and Unfathomable

The Mermaid Queen instinctively wanted to run back and save them, but just as she moved, Mogard blocked her path.

"Where is Your Majesty going?" Mogard's originally stern face was now full of smiles.

The Mermaid Queen's face was etched with frost. She had been too careless.

She had thought she had secured a retreat, but she didn't realize that a great reputation is rarely unfounded. The Unnatural King had already anticipated this, making a grand show at the front to distract her, then secretly sending bribed traitors to seize the person.

Finally, they would catch her red-handed!

She still tried one last effort: "Cherry is just an inexperienced young girl; she's never even seen a real demon in her life. How could she withstand any interrogation or torture? You'll just get whatever confession you want from her!"

"You needn't worry about that. I will invite the Dragon King to observe the entire process. Surely you don't doubt your Dragon King's impartiality?" Mogard seemed to have anticipated her words.

The Dragon King, standing beside them, also smiled cooperatively: "Indeed, Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. I won't let Cherry suffer any injustice."

The Mermaid Queen's heart sank. Though Cherry was loyal, she was no match for these old monsters.

She truly didn't know what to do now. She even thought, *If only that foolish guard could escape successfully; he still needs to save his sister and cannot die here with me.*

Meanwhile, in the inner courtyard, Cherry was busy trying to find out all sorts of gossip about Zu'an and the Queen when suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Cherry was startled.

"It's me, Miss Cherry." The voice from outside sounded respectful; after all, Cherry was the Queen's close attendant, and everyone treated her courteously.

"Oh, it's Deputy Commander Sha. Is there something you need?" Cherry asked, puzzled.

"The demons outside are pressing hard. The Queen asked me to escort you to a safe location," Commander Sha said with a smile.

Zu'an's eyebrows raised slightly at his words, a hint of amusement on his face.

Cherry frowned slightly. "The Queen didn't mention this to me."

She also felt a bit confused. With Commander Sha's cultivation, shouldn't he have sensed that there was another person in the room?

"The Queen is currently dealing with the Unnatural King and his forces outside, so she secretly sent me." Commander Sha's voice held a hint of impatience.

Cherry was about to say that the Queen had told her to stay with the future Queen's consort, and wondered why she would suddenly be sent to another place for safety.

What about the Queen's consort?

Just then, she saw Zu'an subtly shake his head, and her heart immediately skipped a beat as she realized what was happening.

*That's right,* she thought. *If Commander Sha were truly sent by the Queen, how could he not know about the Queen's consort?*

So she said coldly, "Thank you for your kindness, Commander Sha, but the Queen ordered me to wait for her here. I dare not disobey."

The moment she finished speaking, the door was kicked open with a bang.

A long-faced general, clad in silver armor, burst in. Most striking was his sharp, high nose, indicating his merman lineage.

"You won't accept a toast, so you'll have to take a pu—" Commander Sha, having just entered, suddenly spotted Zu'an in the room and froze. *Why is there an extra male guard next to the Queen's chambers?*

And he didn't even recognize him.

Cherry flinched in alarm and quickly hid behind Zu'an.

Commander Sha laughed. "I knew there was a reason you didn't want to leave, Cherry. So you're having a secret rendezvous with a lover here? Does the Queen know about this?!"

Even in this situation, he didn't connect Zu'an with the Mermaid Queen at all.

The Mermaid Queen was widely renowned for her beauty, and her companions were always the world's top cultivators.

Furthermore, she was known for her purity; how could she possibly keep a man hidden here?

Cherry was both angry and anxious, thinking, *If the Queen misunderstands anything between me and the Queen's consort, I'll be completely ruined!* "Commander Sha, you've betrayed the Queen!"

"Looks like you're not so foolish after all. In that case, come with me," Commander Sha said with a smile, closing in on her.

The Queen was normally unapproachable, and no one dared to harbor improper thoughts about her.

But Cherry was spirited and beautiful, the dream girl for many guards. However, as she was the Queen's attendant, no one usually dared to do anything to her.

Today, however, he might have an opportunity to get close to her.

Cherry urgently grabbed Zu'an's hand and pulled him back, "Run!"

She knew there was a secret passage there; if they could get into it, they might have a chance to escape.

Although she had some cultivation, she was far too inferior compared to Commander Sha and didn't even think of resisting.

To her surprise, her pull didn't budge him. Zu'an merely frowned and said, "If we run, what about your Queen?"

Cherry was both annoyed and anxious. The Queen was powerful; she would naturally have a way.

On the other hand, if they were caught, it might bring trouble to the Queen.

Well, due to this delay, they had already missed their last chance to escape.

Enrage points from Cherry +555555...

Commander Sha had now blocked their escape route, grinning menacingly. "Come along quietly. The Unnatural King promised to reward you to me afterward. From now on, you'll be mine."

Cherry's face turned pale. She certainly didn't want to be Commander Sha's plaything.

And what did he mean by "Unnatural King" and "afterward"? *After what?*

She instantly imagined countless miserable, humiliating scenes, and was on the verge of tears.

Just then, Zu'an sighed softly. "Did you forget there's someone else here?"

"Trying to be a hero and save the beauty? You're asking for death!" Commander Sha brought his saber down with the force of splitting a mountain, aiming directly for Zu'an's head.

Seeing Zu'an secretly "meeting" with Cherry in this room had greatly displeased him.

He didn't know if this young man had already been intimate with Cherry, so he struck without mercy.

"Look out!" Cherry cried out in alarm. The Queen's consort was just an ordinary guard; she could barely sense any vital energy fluctuations from him, and his cultivation might even be lower than hers. How could he withstand a strike from an expert like Commander Sha?

She was about to desperately shield him; after all, it was a task the Queen had entrusted to her, and she couldn't let the Queen's consort die.

To her surprise, the next second, her eyes widened.

Commander Sha was equally dumbfounded: "???"

His powerful, heavy saber strike had stopped a foot above Zu'an's head, as if blocked by an invisible force. No matter how much strength he applied, he couldn't make it descend even an inch.

The crucial point was that the other man hadn't even raised a hand, simply standing there, quietly watching him.

As the Deputy Commander of the Mermaid Queen's guard, he naturally possessed considerable discernment. He immediately realized the situation.

*Damn it, this guy is unfathomable. I'm definitely no match for him.*

He abandoned his saber and turned to rush outside: "No—"

Only the Unnatural King could suppress such a top-tier master. As he was about to shout loudly, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his chest, and he instantly lost all his strength.

He lowered his head in disbelief, seeing half a blade protruding from his chest. His mind screamed, *Impossible!*

It was well known that the merfolk were always wealthy, and because of the Mermaid Queen, powerful individuals from all sides often sent various rare treasures and celestial materials to win her favor.

Therefore, as members of the Mermaid Queen's personal guard, their armor was the finest in the entire sea clan, with defensive capabilities even surpassing those of the Dragon Palace guards.

Moreover, as a merman, he had a layer of tough, inherent scales refined onto his body, providing even greater defense than his armor.

Under this double protection, he was nonetheless run through by a single strike from his opponent. Just how high was this person's cultivation?

He desperately wanted to turn back and take one last look at that unremarkable man, but unfortunately, halfway through his turn, all his strength left him, and his vision plunged completely into darkness.

Cherry was stunned, staring in disbelief at the man beside her.

"So you're that powerful!"

In that moment, she felt as if a golden light emanated from him, and his previously unremarkable face now seemed strikingly handsome.

*I was so foolish, truly.*

*What kind of person is the Queen? How could the consort she chose be an ordinary man?*