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

"My son!"

"Sister...Brother!"

The strong mermaid in the lead smelled the familiar scent and quickly stepped forward to take A Yuan. He glanced at the wound on A Yuan's chest and saw the sword energy still remaining on the wound. His chest heaved violently. This sword energy was clearly left by the sword-wielding cultivator!

He immediately stretched out his large hand and placed it on A Yuan's chest.

"Father... Mother... Mother is inside."

"Don't speak! Ling'er, quickly take your brother to the Spirit Spring to heal his wounds!"

A steady stream of spiritual energy flowed from A Yuan's father's palm into his wound, and the bleeding gradually stopped. Ling'er took A Yuan from her father's hands, nodded slightly to Sheng He as a greeting, and then immediately left with A Yuan.

A Yuan's father's scrutinizing gaze fell on Sheng He. Just then, Zhao Yanran walked out of the Dragon Palace. Behind her, two mermaids, each holding a long spear, followed her on either side. They dared not get too close to her, as if they were wary of something.

The mermaids immediately became agitated. They crowded together in the open space in front of the Dragon Palace, glaring at Zhao Yanran, wishing they could swarm her.

Zhao Yanran stood confidently in front of the Dragon Palace gate. In the sunlight, her shimmering dress shimmered and shone, making her so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.

“Ah Tong…”

A Yuan's father clenched his fists, staring intently at Zhao Yanran's shimmering dress. He raised his head slightly, and the merfolk immediately surrounded Zhao Yanran.

Zhao Yanran remained calm and composed. She took out a white egg from her storage bag and weighed it in her hand.

A cry of surprise rang out from the group of mermaids: "That's my child!"

A mermaid rushed to A Yuan's father, pointing at the egg in Zhao Yanran's hand, her face filled with panic: "Chieftain, that's my child! You must save him!"

Zhao Yanran raised an eyebrow: "These are your children? I have plenty here, but they were too rough just now, and I accidentally dropped and broke two of them."

A Yuan's father helped the kneeling mermaid to her feet. He looked at the two mermaids following behind Zhao Yanran, and the two mermaids nodded slightly.

A Yuan's father's breathing became heavier. More and more mermaids were rushing towards them. He glanced at the tense group of mermaids, then looked at Zhao Yanran.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke:

"What do you want? Give us back our child. I can let bygones be bygones the hell that you killed Atong. You can also choose any treasures from the Dragon Palace."

"Treasures from the Dragon Palace?" Zhao Yanran chuckled, patting her storage bag. "Aren't they all here with me?"

"Prepare a ship for me and send me away from the Eastern Seas, and I may consider returning this egg to you."

"Chief, we can't let her leave!"

"Chief, those are my children! Do you want to watch them die in front of us?"

"Chieftain, please save our children!"

"Chieftain, you mustn't!"

"Humans are always cunning and absolutely cannot be trusted! She must be lying to us. Once we get ashore, she will take all the children with her!"

Two voices mingled, and A Yuan's father pursed his lips tightly. The Eastern Sea was vast and boundless; if they were to leave by boat, it would take at least half a month.

The human in front of them was only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. When they were alone and helpless at sea, they would still have a chance to snatch the child back. If all else failed, they could take the human back to the seabed.

He stared at the egg in Zhao Yanran's hand and nodded solemnly.

"Okay, I can..."

"No."

Sheng He's voice was clear and crisp. She stood in front of A Yuan's father and looked up at Zhao Yanran.

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Shen Ci came with you. He's a talisman cultivator. Drawing a teleportation talisman over ten thousand miles isn't a big deal for him, is it?"

Zhao Yanran's expression changed slightly. Sheng He guessed correctly; she did indeed have a teleportation talisman in her hand. However, the mermaids were pressing her too hard, and she was still within the Dragon Palace's range, so the teleportation talisman was ineffective. The teleportation items she had exchanged from the system were also useless.

But so what? Zhao Yanran looked at the group of mermaids.

As long as these eggs are in her hands, these mermaids will not dare to harm her.

"Senior Sister Sheng, since you've put it that way, I have nothing more to say."

Zhao Yanran shook her head regretfully, then suddenly let go of the egg and smashed it to the ground.

"Senior sister! She called her senior sister! They're in cahoots!"

"Humans cannot be trusted! Chieftain, quickly arrest this cunning human!"

A commotion suddenly broke out among the merfolk.

No! My child! My child!

Just as the egg was about to fall to the ground, a mermaid suddenly darted out from the side and pounced on it.

Suddenly, the sand beside it caved in, and a small pile of sand, enveloped by spiritual energy, spun around, steadily supporting the egg. Only after the egg was placed in the mermaid's arms did the spiritual energy quietly dissipate, and the sand fell back to the ground.

The mermaid held her child, weeping with joy, and kept thanking Sheng He.

"It's just a little effort."

Sheng He waved his hand, then suddenly looked up at A Yuan's father and asked, "Are all of you mermaids born with water-based spiritual roots?"

A Yuan's father frowned, somewhat puzzled, but still nodded.

Sheng He glanced at Zhao Yanran, whose face was full of resentment. As if she didn't believe in evil, she took out dozens of eggs from her storage bag and threw them on the ground, but Sheng He caught them one by one.

Sheng He smiled and said in a low voice, "She has a fire spirit root. I will need your help later, Uncle."

Before she could finish speaking, several vines suddenly sprouted from the ground and gently wrapped around Zhao Yanran's ankles and waist while her attention was still on the eggs. Instantly, barbs grew from the vines and pierced deep into Zhao Yanran's flesh.

Zhao Yanran cried out in pain and stopped what she was doing. But before she could release her flames to drive back the vines, a torrent of water poured down from the sky, drenching her completely.

Two vines bound Zhao Yanran's hands, hanging her upside down. Zhao Yanran was completely bound and unable to move.

The sudden turn of events silenced the entire group of mermaids. They looked anxiously at A Yuan's father, whose face was serious as he silently gazed at Sheng He.

Sheng He stepped forward and took the storage bag from Zhao Yanran's waist.

"Untie."

Zhao Yanran's eyebrows shot up: "Why?!"

"Sheng He, you just wait. When we get back to Qingyun Sect, Master will not let you off the hook."

Sheng He stared at Zhao Yanran, and the vines tightened rapidly, with more and more barbs piercing into Zhao Yanran's body. Zhao Yanran cried out in pain, her facial features contorted in agony.

"Untie!"

"No! Sheng He, don't try to play the good guy. I'm telling you, I'd rather die..."

The cold blade pressed against her neck, and Zhao Yanran immediately fell silent.

She shrank back and asked in her mind, "System, can I get another substitute talisman now?"