naaapseattle Chapter 298: Forging a Bond
Chapter 298: Forging a Bond
Floating above their heads were merfolk!
"Father!"
Xiya let go of Qiao Xixi’s hand, about to swim up, but Qiao Xixi grabbed her.
"Don’t rush. Let’s check our surroundings first."
Qiao Xixi swept the beam of the Lighting Device in her hand across the area above them. They were still some distance away, so she couldn’t pinpoint Xijing’s exact location.
However, the beam of light quickly attracted a behemoth.
"Is that a Blue Whale Beast?"
Even as the massive Blue Whale Beast slowly approached, Qiao Xixi could feel an immense pressure bearing down on her.
"Yes, it’s a Blue Whale Beast."
"Is it guarding your father and the others? Have you had conflicts with the Blue Whale Beast clan before?"
Xiya bit her lip and shook her head. "I don’t know. Father said that Blue Whale Beasts are the guardians of the sea, and that we must always treat them with reverence."
After swimming over slowly, the Blue Whale Beast began circling the merfolk, as if patrolling its own territory. It showed no sign of leaving.
Qiao Xixi dimmed the Lighting Device, hoping the Blue Whale Beast might leave once the light disappeared.
After an unknown amount of time, the turbulence in the water seemed to subside.
Qiao Xixi turned the Lighting Device on again and swept it upwards, discovering the Blue Whale Beast was gone.
After dimming the light again, Qiao Xixi decided to try swimming up to search.
"Xiya, you wait here for me. I’m going to swim up and take a look. I’ll be right back."
"No, Mother! I’ll go with you. In the ocean, I should be the one protecting you!"
Xiya gripped Qiao Xixi’s hand tightly. Seeing the stubborn persistence in her big eyes, Qiao Xixi frowned but didn’t refuse again.
"Alright. You have to stay close to me."
"Okay."
Xiya held Qiao Xixi’s hand as they slowly swam upward.
They soon reached the group of merfolk.
Qiao Xixi passed the light from the Lighting Device over each of the merfolks’ faces. She found that, without exception, all of them had their eyes shut tight, as if they were lifeless.
"Hey, wake up. Wake up!"
Qiao Xixi reached out and tapped one of the merfolk, but there was no reaction.
"System, what’s going on?"
"Host, they’ve likely been trapped in an illusion."
"An illusion?"
"Er, to be more specific, they’re probably under the control of Xijing’s Illusion Technique. The merfolks’ most powerful beast-soul ability is creating illusions. It’s highly likely that some beastman used a method on Xijing that caused all the merfolk to fall into an illusion he created."
Qiao Xixi more or less understood. "So you’re saying Xijing is the reason they’re like this?"
"Most likely."
"Is there any way to wake them up?"
"Yes. Wake up Xijing and have him dispel the illusion."
"Mother, I found Father!"
Qiao Xixi snapped back to her senses and quickly swam over to Xiya.
And Xiya was holding Xijing’s hand.
His eyes were still covered by the white Jue Sha, but his body was covered in wounds.
Qiao Xixi patted Xijing’s face. "Xijing, wake up."
"Father, Father, wake up! Mother and I are here for you."
"Host, it’s no use. He’s still inside the illusion. You can’t wake him up by calling to him."
"Then what do I do?"
"Enter his illusion. However, only a bonded partner can enter a merman’s illusion..."
Qiao Xixi frowned. "Is there no other way?"
"None. Or you could try calling him again? But he’s been trapped in the illusion for too long. His life force is fading. If he isn’t woken up soon, it’ll be truly dangerous."
Qiao Xixi’s brows furrowed deeply. She tried calling his name several more times, but Xijing showed no reaction.
The mother and daughter were so focused on waking Xijing that they didn’t notice the Blue Whale Beast’s approach at all.
’Do I really have to form a bond now?’
Just as Qiao Xixi was hesitating, she suddenly felt the water churn violently. She raised her Lighting Device to look.
The Blue Whale Beast had returned!
Evidently, the Blue Whale Beast had seen them too and was now swimming in their direction.
The approach of the behemoth made Qiao Xixi’s scalp tingle. She grabbed Xijing. "Xiya, let’s go."
Xiya didn’t dare to delay for a second, trying to lead Qiao Xixi away.
"AH!"
But just as they were about to swim out of the circle of merfolk, an invisible force flung Xijing back.
Qiao Xixi was stunned. "What’s happening?"
"Host, it’s likely these merfolk have been encircled by the Blue Whale Beast’s soul energy. You can’t take him out of this circle."
Unwilling to give up, Qiao Xixi swam back again, grabbed Xijing, and tried to leave, but the result was the same.
The Blue Whale Beast soon swam right up to them.
"Xiya, be careful!"
"Mister Blue Whale Beast, it’s me, Xiya! Why are you hurting my father and my people? Didn’t we all live together peacefully in the sea before? Why are you hurting them?"
Xiya suddenly moved in front of Qiao Xixi. Facing the enormous Blue Whale Beast, she showed no fear, only staring at it and shouting with a sob in her voice.
Shimmering teardrops escaped the corners of her eyes, turning into pearls that drifted away and dissolved into the seawater.
The Blue Whale Beast suddenly stopped. It shifted its body slowly, its eye, which glowed with a cold, blue light, fixed on them.
"Mister Blue Whale Beast, it’s me, Xiya. You’ve seen me before, right?"
"Xiya. So it is you."
The moment the deep, ancient voice sounded, both Qiao Xixi and Xiya were too shocked to speak.
"Mister Blue Whale Beast, I can tell you don’t really want to hurt Father and the others."
"That’s right. I brought them here. If they hadn’t come, they would have been killed by the Shark Beasts."
"Mister Blue Whale Beast, my mother wants to save my father. Please, will you not stop us?"
The Blue Whale Beast glanced at Qiao Xixi. "You’ve finally come. Go on, wake him."
"Thank you, Mister Blue Whale Beast."
Once she was certain the Blue Whale Beast wouldn’t harm them, Qiao Xixi quickly returned to Xijing’s side.
She had already made her decision a moment ago.
She looked at Xijing with a dead serious expression. "Xijing, I have no choice but to form a bond with you now. If you don’t want this when you wake up, I’ll find a way to dissolve the contract."
After speaking, Qiao Xixi gripped Xijing’s hands tightly.
Closing her eyes, she followed the System’s lead and silently recited the bonding incantation.
Two halos of light slowly flowed from the tops of their heads, twining together in the water.
Qiao Xixi opened her eyes, bit her own finger, and drew the contract mark of the Silver Frost White Wolf over Xijing’s heart.
The contract mark flashed with a golden light, intertwining with the two golden halos.
At that moment, a burst of blue light suddenly erupted from Xijing’s body, quickly enveloping Qiao Xixi.
In the blink of an eye, the blue light gradually surrounded them both.
When Qiao Xixi opened her eyes again, she was faced with an unbelievable sight.