Chapter 306: Lending a Helping Hand

In the Neutral Lands, the Eastern Sea.

The Hall of Heroes emerged from the void, hovering high in the sky. Before it lay an endless expanse of water stretching to the horizon.

This time, facing the Eastern Sea, Di Long hesitated, a subtle hint of fear in its demeanor.

Qian Ye didn’t let the dragon ship descend further; instead, he flew towards the Eastern Sea, standing suspended above the water, gazing down at the vast, boundless sea.

After a moment, an enormous shadow appeared beneath the surface, stopping just below the waterline. A familiar voice resonated in Qian Ye’s mind: “You’ve returned.”

“I still owe you a favor, so I came back to see you.”

The mysterious will chuckled deeply, saying, “I said that casually back then, but I didn’t expect you to remember. However, over the centuries, you’re the first one bold enough to stand on my head like this.”

Qian Ye smiled, “This isn’t impolite. I can’t exactly go underwater, can I?”

“Putting yourself on an equal footing with me isn’t considered impolite?” The mysterious will huffed.

Qian Ye bowed, lowering his height until he was almost touching the water, and then bowed again, “Is this better? Please reveal yourself.”

“Now that’s more like it. Step back a bit, so you don’t get hit. A little further back, and a bit more…”

Qian Ye retreated several times, almost reaching the shore, before the mysterious will was satisfied.

“After sleeping for centuries, I am finally reappearing in the world. It’s truly delightful! Let the mundane beings of this world see me… Wait, let me prepare.”

Qian Ye, who had been holding his breath in anticipation, was nearly thrown into the water by the sudden movement.

The waters of the Eastern Sea churned, waves rolling, as if the mysterious will was making a grand gesture beneath the surface, almost like a tsunami.

From the center of the Eastern Sea, dozens of water columns suddenly shot up, reaching heights of a thousand meters! The water columns dispersed in the air, turning into countless droplets that neither rose nor fell, hanging in the air. Each droplet refracted the sunlight, creating a dazzling curtain that covered the sea surface.

Qian Ye looked at the celestial curtain and realized that his perception couldn’t penetrate it. This was no simple feat; blocking perception was easy, but covering such a vast area was difficult.

Once the celestial curtain was complete, the dark shadow beneath the water began to rise, suddenly breaking through the surface, causing colossal waves!

Qian Ye stared in awe at the emerging entity.

The entity was hundreds of meters tall, a truly massive creature, with eyes all around its edges, constantly scanning every direction. However, its other end was still in the water, and its crescent shape made it look more like…

A fish fin?

Was this mysterious entity in the Eastern Sea a giant fish fin hundreds of meters long?

At that moment, a white line appeared on the distant sea, rapidly approaching. Even with Qian Ye’s current strength, he felt a sense of trepidation.

The white line soon reached them, revealing itself to be a water wall dozens of meters high!

If this water wall reached the shore, it would be a catastrophic tsunami. Fortunately, the coast of the Eastern Sea was uninhabited, and the few cities were built on high cliffs, whether by foresight or some mysterious guidance.

The wave passed beneath Qian Ye and rolled away. In the distance, a small mountain slowly rose from the sea, growing larger and extending towards Qian Ye, eventually connecting with the fish fin.

Qian Ye looked at the massive creature gradually emerging from the sea, somewhat numb.

Hearing about it was one thing, seeing it was another. When the entity fully emerged, the fish fin that had seemed so large before now appeared delicate and small.

Even Qian Ye, with his unprecedented status as a sovereign, was left speechless by the sight of this behemoth tens of thousands of meters long. He had thought Di Long was already huge, but compared to this, it was merely a small fish fin. If it were the tail, it could easily fit seven or eight Di Longs side by side.

As the entity emerged, the entire Eastern Sea trembled slightly.

It struggled to turn, aiming its head towards Qian Ye. Just this action took ten minutes and caused howling winds and towering waves.

“Where are you?” it asked.

Qian Ye was speechless. Despite having hundreds of eyes, Qian Ye was so small that he had accidentally stood in a blind spot.

Qian Ye flashed to appear in front of a larger eye, staring at the ten-meter-wide orb.

Dozens of eyes turned simultaneously to focus on him.

“Stand a bit further back. I’m having trouble seeing you.”

This time, Qian Ye had a better idea. He flashed back a kilometer and reappeared.

“That’s much better. After centuries without seeing anything, my vision has declined.” It sighed.

Qian Ye, unsure how to respond, asked, “Have you been sleeping under the sea all this time?”

“Yes. After Ji Xuan Si ascended, I had nothing to do, but there was still one task unfinished, so I couldn’t leave. Some human beings are quite annoying, and out of respect for Xuan Si, I didn’t want to kill them. So, I hid here. This time, I can’t let them know I’m here.”

Qian Ye now understood the purpose of the celestial curtain. But the name Ji Xuan Si sounded familiar. He repeated it a few times and suddenly realized, “You’re the Martial Ancestor’s mount?!”

It bristled, “Mount? Do you think a little guy like Xuan Si was strong enough to ride me? We were friends. I helped him out of friendship.”

The empire’s records about the Martial Ancestor were extensive. Qian Ye knew that the Ancestor’s mount was a Void Whale, a type of void beast, and it was incredibly powerful. The Ancestor had often relied on the whale’s power to turn the tide in battles.

Looking at the monstrous entity, Qian Ye asked, “According to the imperial records, weren’t you only a hundred meters long?”

It hesitated, “In the last few centuries, I’ve only eaten and slept. I, um, gained weight.”

Qian Ye was speechless. Gaining weight to become tens of thousands of meters long was no easy feat. Regardless, just its size suggested that its power was likely not inferior to that of the old Sky Ghost.

At that moment, Qian Ye realized that he had come to the Eastern Sea because the former mount of the Martial Ancestor had called him.

“Why did you call me here?” Qian Ye, showing respect not just for the Void Whale’s strength but also for the Martial Ancestor.

“There are two things, but they are actually one thing.”

“Please tell me.”

“Xuan Si, in his final moments, told me that when the Day of Interception’s merit is fulfilled and the day of fate arrives for the human race, I should choose someone capable of changing the destiny of humanity and give this to them.”

The Void Whale’s mouth opened slightly, and a drop of water floated towards Qian Ye in the howling wind.

Qian Ye caught the droplet, and as it touched his skin, it disappeared into his body, appearing on the back cover of the Book of Black, hanging from his crystal of sovereignty.

For a moment, Qian Ye felt a heavy weight, as if he had swallowed an entire ocean, nearly pulling him into the Eastern Sea. Once the droplet hung from the crystal, the weight vanished, and everything returned to normal.

“What is this?”

“It contains Xuan Si’s full power, to aid you in a critical moment. Creating this cost him three years of his life.”

“And the second thing?” Qian Ye asked.

“That’s simple. After the day of fate, when everything is settled, I, the old one, will return to the void and be free. You will help me by pushing me into the void.”

Qian Ye was surprised, “This… needs my help?”

The Void Whale, a legendary creature that could travel ten thousand miles in a day, should have no trouble leaping from the Eastern Sea into the void. Why would it need help?

It seemed slightly embarrassed, “I’m too heavy, I can’t fly anymore.”