A useless person with five spiritual roots? I sacrificed the proud daughter of heaven.

Suddenly, a surge of water rose up from beneath her feet. Zhao Yanran tried to escape again, but found herself completely engulfed by the water and unable to move.

A Yuan restrained Zhao Yanran, and when he looked at the dress she was wearing, he trembled all over. His eyes were bloodshot, and his right hand gripped Zhao Yanran's neck tightly.

"Tell me, where did you get that dress?"

Zhao Yanran's face turned bright red from suffocation. She looked at A Yuan and suddenly forced a smile.

"Of course it was taken from that mermaid."

She crushed the jade disc in her sleeve, and a sharp sword aura immediately emanated from it. A Yuan's expression changed drastically; this sword aura clearly belonged to the cultivator who had been chasing the mermaid clan.

He released Zhao Yanran and was about to dodge when, with a loud bang, all the surrounding trees snapped at the roots, and the scales on his chest shattered inch by inch. The sword energy tore through his protective scales, and blue blood gushed out, leaving a deep wound on his chest that exposed the bone.

"Pfft!" A Yuan vomited a mouthful of blood. He clutched his chest, but his eyes remained fixed on the shimmering dress.

Zhao Yanran curled her lips and was about to leave when A Yuan grabbed the hem of her skirt tightly.

"Where is that mermaid now?"

Zhao Yanran kicked A Yuan impatiently, but her gaze paused when it fell on the broken scale on his chest.

"System, is this also a mermaid?"

System: You just realized that?

Zhao Yanran nodded thoughtfully, squatted down, and suddenly laughed as she looked at the dying A Yuan.

"You mean that mermaid?" Zhao Yanran took out a golden scale and waved it in front of A Yuan. "She's in my hands now. Do you want to go see her?"

“Mother…” A-Yuan grasped the scale in Zhao Yanran’s hand, “You…you take me…to find her…”

"Okay!"

How could mermaids be so easily fooled? Zhao Yanran raised the corners of her lips. Just as she was about to get up, she found that her legs were tightly wrapped by vines.

This trick again?

Unfortunately, she is no longer the Zhao Yanran of five years ago.

Zhao Yanran snapped her fingers, and flames instantly spread from her fingertips to her entire body. Under the reflection of the flames, her flowing dress shone brightly.

Sensing the threat of the flames, the vines immediately receded from her body. Before Zhao Yanran could even smile, the ground beneath her feet suddenly collapsed.

Sheng He helped A Yuan up and, seeing the wound on his chest, immediately took out a pill from her storage ring and fed it to him.

"This is a Grade 7 Rejuvenation Pill refined by Martial Uncle Jinglan. It has the best healing effect. Don't move around. Leave the rest to me."

"No... Xiao He..." A Yuan said, blood continuously spilling from the corner of his mouth. He stared at Zhao Yanran and said with difficulty, "Mother... my mother..."

Sheng He gently held A Yuan's hand reassuringly: "Don't be afraid, I will help you."

Zhao Yanran tried to move her body, but her legs were stuck in the soil and she couldn't get out. Watching Sheng He dragging his sword and approaching her step by step, Zhao Yanran calmed down instead.

"It really was you who tried to kill me in the Pure Moon Secret Realm last time."

"You're something else. In front of all the elders and the sect leader, you not only refuse to admit it, but you also turn the tables and push all the blame onto me and Chu Heng. Now it seems that what I said to those disciples wasn't exactly slander against you."

Sheng He didn't speak. She gathered all her spiritual power into the longsword in her hand. The Five Elements Armor was slightly warm, and a faint green light could be seen on the sword.

She released her grip, and the longsword shot towards Zhao Yanran like an arrow. Countless vines emerged from the sword, intertwining with it and binding Zhao Yanran tightly before the sword even got close.

Zhao Yanran did not struggle. The long sword pierced through her body in an instant, leaving a bloody mark. Her eyes widened, her head slumped to one side, and she stared blankly at Sheng He before she stopped breathing.

Zhao Yanran just died like that?

Sheng He frowned. In her memory, although Zhao Yanran was stupid, she always valued her life. How could she not even put up a fight?

The next instant, Sheng He's pupils shrank sharply.

Before her, Zhao Yanran, who had just been tightly bound by vines, suddenly burst into flames. The vines quickly retreated, but the fire continued to burn.

In just a moment, Zhao Yanran in front of him turned into a pile of ashes and vanished in the wind.

Zhao Yanran tidied her hair, clutched the concealment bead, and rushed towards the Dragon Palace. The substitute talisman she had exchanged for with 5,000 points was indeed useful. Now that Sheng He and the mermaid had been lured out, there was no one left in the Dragon Palace, so the treasures were at her disposal.

Zhao Yanran, dressed in a flowing dress, was no longer stopped by the merman statue by the door. She pushed open the door and, guided by the system, made her way to the second floor.

When she saw the hundreds of eggs displayed in the room, she couldn't contain her greed and desire.

"Are these all mermaid eggs?"

Seeing that Zhao Yanran had shown some rare intelligence, the system became more patient.

"Yes, eating mermaid flesh will greatly increase your cultivation level. With these eggs, you'll be able to ascend to immortality."

"There are other treasures on the third floor of the Dragon Palace. Take whatever you like. The others don't matter, but you must find that dragon bone. With the dragon bone, I can help you refine a magic weapon to resist the lightning tribulation. It can help you block the lightning tribulation when you break through or ascend to immortality."

"Once you successfully ascend, the mission is complete."

Zhao Yanran's breathing became rapid, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Without hesitation, she put all the eggs in the room into her storage bag.

A Yuan's brow twitched suddenly. He covered his wound and forced himself to stand up, his eyes fixed on the Dragon Palace.

Sheng He followed his gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"

A Yuan didn't speak. He suddenly raised his head and let out a sharp roar at the sky. His chest was shaking. His wounds, which had just begun to heal, were pulled and bled profusely, but A Yuan seemed not to feel it.

His roars grew louder and louder, and soon, the same sharp roars gradually echoed around Dragon Island.

The sound was deafening. Sheng He covered his ears and looked around warily.

In the eastern sea, countless mermaids slowly emerged from the water, responding to the roars of their companions, and rapidly approached Dragon Island.

The roar was like the howl of a pack of wolves, and more and more mermaids joined in. A Yuan grabbed Sheng He's sleeve, his voice barely a whisper: "Take me to the Dragon Palace, quick!"

Sheng He nodded, not daring to delay for a moment, and carried A Yuan on his back to rush towards the Dragon Palace.

Along the way, shadowy figures appeared in the dense forest, as if something was darting past them, and the air was filled with an unfamiliar atmosphere.

It wasn't until they arrived at the Dragon Palace that Sheng He finally understood what that aura was.

Hundreds of mermaids surrounded the Dragon Palace like an iron barrel, roaring to the sky with their faces full of anger.