Chapter 2426: Evil and Filthy Land

The Peacock Princess also stood up, saying, "I'll go too!" She certainly wouldn't want to miss out on a major secret involving the demon race.

"You're injured..." the Mermaid Queen said, sounding a little worried.

"It's fine, this small injury is nothing and won't affect my fighting ability," the Peacock Princess replied, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Seeing her insistence, Zu An didn't say much and left with both women.

Cherry had also wanted to go, but realizing her own limited abilities meant she likely couldn't protect herself in such a dangerous place, the Mermaid Queen instructed her to stay behind and look after the severely injured Xuan and Su guards.

"Thank you, Sir, and Your Majesty, for saving Xuan and Su," the Peacock Princess said with both surprise and joy when she learned on the way that the twin guards had also been rescued.

Zu An glanced at the Mermaid Queen. "It was all the Queen's doing; I didn't contribute much."

The Mermaid Queen rolled her eyes. "If not for your subsequent help, they might have risked their lives to create a disturbance in the Four Directions Hall to attract the demons' attention."

She, of course, now knew what had happened that night. She thought about how he, despite his high cultivation, had pretended to be a foolish guard and even dispersed the seahorse swarm to save her. The thought of being completely outwitted by him, and how he had witnessed her clumsy performance that night, made her feel a little annoyed.

Zu An chuckled. "How could I not save such loyal individuals?"

Since both women knew his current appearance wasn't his true one, to avoid awkwardness, he simply found an iron mask to cover the upper half of his face.

When the Peacock Princess learned what had happened that night, she couldn't help but feel grateful. "Xuan and Su are my subordinates in name, but we share a bond like siblings. Your great kindness, Qingwu will never forget."

She also felt a bit troubled, wondering how she could ever repay such a profound debt. The Mermaid Queen was one thing; with time, she would surely find a way to repay her. But what about this mysterious 'elder brother'? How could she repay him?

As if guessing her thoughts, Zu An said, "There's no need. You bear some resemblance to an old acquaintance of mine, and furthermore, I have some connections with the Peacock clan, so naturally, I couldn't stand by and do nothing."

If anyone else had said that, the two women would have dismissed it as a clumsy pick-up line, as they were both so beautiful and had seen all sorts of tricks. But when Zu An said it, they had no doubt. The Peacock Princess blinked. "Is it the person who gave you that feather?"

Zu An hummed in affirmation.

The Mermaid Queen watched Zu An with an amused expression. According to her speculation, this man likely had some sort of relationship with a woman from the Merfolk clan in a future era. But now it seemed his connection with a descendant of the Peacock clan was also unusual. "Tsk, tsk, could this guy be a playboy?"

The Peacock Princess, with her youthful curiosity and fewer reservations, directly pressed, "Is she a love interest?"

Zu An's old face flushed. "Just a close female friend, not what you're thinking."

The Peacock Princess didn't believe him. She walked around Zu An, continuously scrutinizing him. "You said that person looks like me. How much alike?"

Zu An didn't answer; it wouldn't be good to say they looked almost identical, as if cast from the same mold. However, both women were extremely intelligent, and his lack of an answer immediately gave them a good idea.

The Peacock Princess's pretty face instantly turned red. The Mermaid Queen's expression also showed some surprise. Recalling Zu An's reaction when he first saw her, which was identical to his first reaction to the Peacock Princess, she wondered, "Could the Merfolk woman he knew in the future also resemble me so closely?" Upon realizing this, many of her previous doubts were instantly resolved, but this realization brought with it even more questions. Was all of this a coincidence, or was it destiny?

The Peacock Princess, however, thought of another crucial question: "You said you're from the future, and that Peacock woman resembles me so much... could she be my descendant?"

Zu An actually had the same doubt. "I don't know." Even if she were a descendant, it seemed highly unlikely for them to look so alike.

The thought that she might have descendants made the Peacock Princess's face burn. She also wondered who the father of her child would be. For many years, she had been haughty and proud, her status and beauty unrivaled among the demon race, so no man had ever caught her eye. Although Xuan and Su had a very good relationship with her, it was strictly one of siblings and master-servant, nothing more. She found it hard to imagine any man in the world making her fall madly in love and willing to bear his children.

Suddenly, her gaze landed on Zu An, and her cheeks grew even redder. "Oh no, Kong Qingwu, what are you thinking? He's likely your descendant's lover!" With that thought, she became so embarrassed she almost burrowed through the seabed. Determined not to be the only one feeling awkward, she said, "In that case, shouldn't you be calling me great-grandmother?"

Zu An: "???"

Seeing the young woman's mischievous look, Zu An thought, "This is utterly outrageous!" He felt a sudden urge to pin her down and spank her.

However, while she spoke without malice, her words struck a chord with another. The Mermaid Queen's pretty face, however, turned pale. As she silently repeated the words "great-grandmother," she felt that the Peacock Princess might have guessed the truth. No wonder he had been so resistant to her, dodging all her attempts at overtures. This was why. Had she fallen in love with the lover of one of her descendants from an unknown generation? What kind of situation was this?!

As the three chatted, they arrived near the Eye of the Sea. Hearing the various commotions, clashes, and wails of agony coming from not far away, the Mermaid Queen put aside her internal conflict and quickly looked in that direction.

The previously heavily guarded underwater canyon was now in complete chaos. The large formation covering the canyon flickered on and off, seemingly damaged and struggling to hold, but it could collapse completely at any moment. Meanwhile, the Dragon clan guards who should have been strictly holding their positions were fighting amongst themselves, seemingly killing one another. The Four Dragon Kings were already there, but many Dragon clan guards were still attacking them, filling the Dragon Kings with shock and rage. Among these Dragon clan guards were powerful elders stationed there, all attacking desperately despite their injuries, leaving the Four Dragon Kings looking somewhat disheveled.

"Could some of the guards have rebelled?" the Peacock Princess guessed upon seeing this scene.

"Pay attention to the expressions of those guards," Zu An advised. He had originally intended to set up some stealth formations to conceal their presence, but given the chaos, it was clear the Four Dragon Kings were already too preoccupied to notice them.

Prompted by him, the Mermaid Queen and the Peacock Princess observed carefully, only then noticing that the crazed guards' eyes were somewhat ashen and lifeless. Yet, despite fighting so ferociously, they appeared lifeless. These two contradictory states coexisting made for an extremely bizarre sight. Furthermore, they noticed that the guards rarely used weapons in combat, instead wildly clawing and biting. Any guard who was scratched or bitten soon developed a greyish-white aura and became like them, turning to attack their own companions.

"Is this some kind of poison?" The Peacock Princess couldn't help but gulp, wondering if there was any highly contagious poison like this in the world.

"It's not poison; it's death energy," the Mermaid Queen said, her face grim. She pointed at the greyish-white gas continuously gushing from below the canyon. "That's the death energy from the Eye of the Sea, which the Merfolk have suppressed for generations—the most vile and evil existence in the world!"