CHAPTER 203: CHAPTER 6, YEAR 3, SEA GOD

Time passed quickly, and three years went by.

Three years ago, after his eldest senior brother’s commotion, the top powers of the Sea Pearl Tower all became aware of Chen Jiuge’s background and treated him with great courtesy.

Even the Jiang Family, who had initially offended him due to their handling of the Merfolk auction, took the initiative to come forward and offer an apology, hoping to resolve their past conflict.

Chen Jiuge had no objections to this. He hadn’t suffered any losses, and it was the Family Head of the Jiang Family who had lost face. Since they had taken the initiative to apologize, he certainly wouldn’t cling to the matter.

...

Over these three years, the number of Merfolk Tian Yiyi delivered every month increased from ten to thirty, thus accelerating Chen Jiuge’s research on the Sea God Bloodline substantially.

As the Sea God Bloodline, once again activated through infusion, devoured the last traces of Merfolk Bloodline, Jiao Yue began to undergo earth-shattering changes.

THUMP THUMP THUMP.

A blue halo suddenly rose from Jiao Yue, forcibly pushing Chen Jiuge away.

Could it be that the so-called Sea God Bloodline, the Sea God’s Blessing, is about finding a suitable host for Body Seizing? A shocking thought flashed through Chen Jiuge’s mind.

The sturdiness of the blue halo far exceeded Chen Jiuge’s expectations. Even using a life-saving technique that stored the strike of a True Immortal proved unable to shake it in the slightest.

"Let’s set up a Great Array to prevent any accidents," Chen Jiuge decided, digging out the highest-level Array Plate he currently had in his small treasury.

A True Immortal-Level Defense Magic Array—the Xuanwu Formation. It should be the one the Clan Leader of the Xuanwu Clan gave me last time.

With the completion of the Great Array, a colossal Xuanwu condensed from Law materialized above. Its chubby form exuded a strong sense of security. Now all that was left was to wait for Jiao Yue’s transformation. The wait lasted three days.

Chen Jiuge blinked his somewhat dry eyes, feeling rather puzzled. Why is it taking so long?

WHOOSH.

The blue halo suddenly disappeared, and within the Xuanwu Formation appeared an extremely beautiful woman.

Is this the Sea God? Or Jiao Yue? The woman before him, though her features were far more exquisite than Jiao Yue’s had been, still bore a strong resemblance in her overall contours.

The woman walked silently to the edge of the Formation, touched it, and instantly her dazed expression turned imposing. "Mortal, you dare offend this goddess! Kneel!"

Chen Jiuge stared at the woman, momentarily startled, then retorted irritably, "Lady, what era do you think this is? Still with the ’goddess’ act?"

Deities did exist in the Ancient Times, he mused. But with the passage of eras, achieving godhood through incense offerings became a relic of the past. The laws of heaven and earth no longer permitted the Way of Incense to exist.

Seeing the mortal before her remain indifferent and even mocking her, the newly reborn Sea God planned to teach this mortal a lesson.

In Chen Jiuge’s eyes, the woman spread her arms wide, and then, nothing more happened.

"What are you doing?" Chen Jiuge asked, looking at the undisturbed tranquility within his Grotto Heaven, somewhat perplexed.

Could it be because the Sea God Bloodline isn’t complete, leaving this Sea God underdeveloped? Chen Jiuge guessed.

Wait, this Sea God should be human, right? I can understand extracting Bloodlines from Merfolk, since, strictly speaking, they are a type of Spiritual Beast. But why would Merfolk possess the Sea God Bloodline? A problem suddenly struck Chen Jiuge.

My Golden Finger can’t extract Bloodlines from my own kind. Yet, the Sea God before me seems to imply that’s not the case. It feels like the more I experiment, the more things I don’t understand.

Putting other thoughts aside, Chen Jiuge watched the Sea God shift through various poses. Though a beautiful woman looks good doing anything, he wasn’t here to watch her perform. Waving his hand, Chen Jiuge sent a large crab into the Formation, issuing a threatening command.

A mere Golden Core Realm crab bulldozed its way straight toward the Sea God. An hour later, within the Formation, a crab nearly half a person’s height was chasing the beautiful woman in circles. She looked terrified, while the crab seemed to be thoroughly enjoying itself.

Chen Jiuge could barely watch any longer. This Sea God doesn’t seem dangerous. Nevertheless, to be safe, he ensured he had several True Immortal-level life-saving measures ready before entering the Formation.

Holding down the gleeful crab, Chen Jiuge looked at the Sea God, who was now crying from fright, not quite knowing what to say. The contrast was a bit too stark!

"Mortal, you’ve come to rescue me! I knew this goddess was still greatly cherished," the Sea God said amidst sobs.

Chen Jiuge’s mouth twitched. "Then may I ask, Lord Sea God, what’s happening now?"

The Sea God looked a bit dazed, thought for a moment, and then said, "I don’t know. I just remember my body being shattered... No, not shattered, disintegrated... No, that’s not right either... Oh, what’s happened to me now?"

Could it be the awakening of a deity from the Ancient Times? But that doesn’t make sense either. Nowadays, there are no Cultivators who follow the Way of Incense, let alone deities. Chen Jiuge frowned as he watched the Sea God rolling on the ground, clutching her head.

After rolling for a bit, the Sea God suddenly sat up and said, "Mortal, I’m hungry."

Was this really the Sea God? This strong sense of déjà vu left Chen Jiuge speechless.

Half an hour later, the originally bluish crab had turned completely red. Holding onto a crab leg, the Sea God exclaimed, "Delicious!"

During this time, Chen Jiuge secretly examined the Sea God’s body with his Divine Sense and found nothing unusual. If he had to mention something, it was that her innate talent was absurdly good. Even without cultivating, Spiritual Energy kept flowing into her body, and she had now almost reached the later stages of Qi Cultivation.

"Don’t call me mortal anymore. My name is Chen Jiuge. What is your name?"

"Oh, I’m Jiao Yue, and I’m the Sea God. Mortal, considering the delicious food you’ve given me, this goddess grants you the privilege of becoming my guard," Jiao Yue declared magnanimously.

Chen Jiuge felt a bit drained. After several conversations, he discovered that this Sea God truly remembered nothing. After learning that she could read, he tossed a pile of books to her, suggesting she get acquainted with the current state of the Heavenly Realm.

After leaving his Personal Cave Heaven, Chen Jiuge glanced at the residence where he had lived for three years. "It’s time to go," he said regretfully.

Since he had decided to leave, it was necessary to say goodbye to the Cultivators he had been on good terms with these past years.

「That evening, Chen Jiuge hosted a banquet on the eighth floor of the Sea Pearl Tower.」

The main invitees were Tian Yiyi, Hai Bo, and Jiang Huahua, with whom he had maintained some contact over the years.

"Today, I am here to say goodbye. Thank you, Pavilion Master Tian and the two Fellow Daoists, for your care over these years," Chen Jiuge said, raising his glass in gratitude.

Tian Yiyi looked at Chen Jiuge and tried to persuade him, "Fellow Daoist Chen, why not stay a bit longer?"

Over these years, aside from the dealings involving Merfolk, Chen Jiuge had also provided Lingbo Pavilion with numerous, even more exquisitely flavored seafood Spiritual Beasts. This caused Lingbo Pavilion’s business to boom even further. Tian Yiyi genuinely wanted to retain Chen Jiuge. Even without Wudao Tian’s emergence, Chen Jiuge’s own value was undeniable.

"Fellow Daoist, you’re too polite. We can hardly claim to have taken care of you," Hai Bo and Jiang Huahua said, shaking their heads repeatedly.

After the Jiang Family made amends, they discovered Jiang Huahua had contact with Chen Jiuge. Consequently, they naturally encouraged her to maintain these ties. Hai Bo, as Jiang Huahua’s Daoist couple, naturally joined her in this.

Oh, by the way, Jiang Huahua and Hai Bo had also officially become a Daoist couple during these years. However, their families’ agreement to the union was largely influenced by consideration for Chen Jiuge.

But it was a good thing nonetheless, as lovers finally end up together.

With the final drink swallowed, the banquet eventually dispersed.