Chapter 127: King Yu’s Hundred-Mile Domain
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With her ability to fly through the heavens and escape across the seas, Hua Lingyun needed only three hours to reach the Sea-Covering Hall, hidden deep beneath the vast ocean.
The magnificent crystal palace stretched for hundreds of miles and was at least five or six times larger than the Whale-Slayer Palace of the Shark-Whale King. Countless Sea-Supporting Sky-Pillars rose a hundred yards high, each so thick that dozens of men would have been needed to encircle it. From top to bottom, they were inlaid with innumerable treasures and luminous pearls. Many of the buildings were astonishingly immense. Towering platforms stood everywhere, while the enormous gates, plazas, and palaces were so imposing that anyone gazing upon them could not help but feel ashamed of their own insignificance.
Before the Sea-Covering Hall, eight orderly ranks of gigantic men stood in solemn formation outside the palace gates. Each was clad in heavy armor, a treasured sword or saber hanging at his waist. Their gazes were unwavering, their bodies fully armed, and their murderous auras overwhelming.
As Lin Feng and the other two passed these palace guards, they could only crane their necks to look upward, seeing nothing but clusters of long beards. These men were simply too tall and fearsome.
“Supreme Protector!”
Each time they passed through a palace gate or ceremonial archway, dozens of thunderous shouts shook their eardrums. The strictness of the guards and the rigor of their discipline were unlike anything they had ever seen.
As they gradually approached the main hall, hurried palace maids began to appear in greater numbers. Their brightly colored dresses added splashes of color to the grand and imposing buildings. The guards did not grow fewer; instead, they became even denser, and most were cultivators above the Core Formation Stage. The Sea-Covering Hall and the Whale-Slayer Palace were truly polar opposites.
A colossal Sea-Supporting Pillar stood at the center of the palace complex. Around it, four men stood solemnly with swords in hand. The pillar stretched beyond sight, radiating a cold and dazzling light. It supported the entire Sea-Covering Hall and was undoubtedly the core of the water-repelling formation.
Farther ahead, a plaza paved with white jade stretched for roughly three miles, leading directly to the Divine Whale King's royal hall. Walking across it and gazing at the surrounding buildings, one felt an oppressive emptiness and an overwhelming shock that reached straight into the soul.
Flying on magical artifacts was forbidden within the Sea-Covering Hall. Even a Supreme Protector like Hua Lingyun had to walk there step by step, as a sign of respect for King Yu.
“You two wait here. I must first go and pay my respects to His Majesty. Do not wander off recklessly.”
The three stopped before the magnificent main hall. Hua Lingyun quietly offered them a few instructions, adjusted her appearance, and began walking toward the hundred-yard-high platform.
Lin Feng looked around. The Sea-Covering Hall was extraordinarily quiet. Above them, beneath the pitch-black seawater, starlight shimmered. It was the reflection of the gems embedded in the Sea-Supporting Sky-Pillars, making the darkness resemble a river of stars in the night sky.
“This place is far more spacious than the Whale-Slayer Palace. The Divine Whale King's grandeur is obvious. Someone this broad-minded should not be difficult to reason with. I must say a few more pleasant words later.”
Lin Feng was silently calculating his approach when an announcement suddenly rang out from the platform ahead. Two fully armed guards in golden armor strode quickly down the stairs from both sides, their armor plates clattering loudly as they rested their hands on their swords.
“His Majesty summons Lin Feng alone into the hall!”
One guard fixed his gaze on Lin Feng, while the other looked toward Chen Yuxi. Their eyes were sharp, their faces expressionless.
“Senior Sister, I'm sorry to trouble you by waiting here.”
Seeing the situation, Lin Feng knew there was no point in saying more. All he could do was apologize to Chen Yuxi.
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Chen Yuxi smiled with her lips pressed together and gently shook her head as she watched him leave.
Lin Feng stepped onto the jade staircase and walked alongside the golden-armored guards. Gradually, unease began to rise within him.
When he reached the high platform, the Golden Luan Hall finally revealed itself in its entirety.
Standing outside the ten-yard-high golden gates, Lin Feng seemed to sense the dense aura of royalty spilling from within.
Eight more golden-armored guards stood before the hall. Beside them was an old man dressed in a Daoist robe, holding a white horsetail whisk. He possessed an ethereal, otherworldly bearing. Judging by appearances, the proclamation just now had come from him.
“A palace eunuch? He certainly does not look like one. Strange. Why would the Divine Whale King have a Daoist here?”
Puzzled, Lin Feng could not help taking a few more glances. He secretly swept the old man with his Heavenly Eye Technique and was even more startled. This man was not a demon cultivator but a genuine Daoist—and Lin Feng could not discern the depth of his cultivation at all.
“Fellow Daoist, come with me. It has been quite some time since an outsider came to visit the Sea-Covering Hall. I am Daoist Celestial Secrets. We shall speak more later.”
Seeing Lin Feng staring at him, the lean old man's face relaxed slightly as he secretly transmitted his voice.
“Thank you for your guidance, Senior.”
Lin Feng nodded to him.
Daoist Celestial Secrets gave a slight nod and proceeded steadily into the hall. Lin Feng hurried after him.
The Golden Luan Hall truly possessed a dragonlike majesty. Golden radiance glittered everywhere, filling the chamber with the auspicious splendor of imperial wealth. The round pillars plated in gold were carved with dragons and phoenixes, supporting the golden domed ceiling. The floor, paved with bricks polished to mirrorlike brilliance, reflected the figures of those who walked upon it, and each step rang out with the metallic chime of gold.
“You are Lin Feng?”
As Lin Feng looked around, a voice drifted toward him through the thick sandalwood incense ahead. It was astonishingly youthful—a child's voice.
“Your Majesty, that is correct.”
Seeing Lin Feng freeze, Daoist Celestial Secrets hurriedly bowed and answered loudly.
“What? The Divine Whale King is actually a young child?”
It felt as though someone had stuffed his head full of paste. Lin Feng's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
Of the twelve Demon Kings, the only one whose title contained the word “Divine”—Baili Yu—was actually a child. It was a fact almost impossible to accept.
“Celestial Secrets, Guang Hong, Lingyun, you may withdraw.”
The Divine Whale King's childish voice rang out again. Though tender, it carried a measured authority and the bearing of an emperor.
Only then did Lin Feng notice Hua Lingyun and another gigantic man standing beneath the throne. That man was even taller than any guard Lin Feng had seen in the palace. His upper body was bare, a golden cord tied around his waist. The muscles covering him looked like twisted ox sinews. He was clearly no one to provoke.
The three men whose names had been called by the Divine Whale King bowed respectfully and withdrew together. Hua Lingyun deliberately sent Lin Feng a glance containing encouragement, curiosity, and even sympathy. Lin Feng could not understand how so much meaning could be conveyed in a single look.
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Amid the curling smoke, Divine Whale King Baili Yu descended from the throne through the impenetrable mist.
He wore a supreme robe woven with golden threads depicting fish and dragons frolicking in water, a white jade girdle around his waist, and a wish-granting crown adorned with cloud patterns atop his head. Two golden ribbons hung down to his shoulders. At first glance, he looked like a spoiled young nobleman. But on closer inspection, one could see an aura of nobility faintly surrounding his delicate, youthful face.
Although he appeared to be no more than eleven or twelve years old, every step he took was steady and composed, as immovable as a mountain.
“You intend to scheme against the Blood Dragon Gall of the Calm Sea. Who sent you? Speak!”
The moment Baili Yu uttered those words, his entire aura suddenly changed. Boundless imperial pressure descended like a tide, spreading across the hall and blotting out the heavens.
Lin Feng involuntarily retreated two steps. A clear light flashed through his eyes, and he abruptly came to his senses.
“He is only a child. How can I show weakness? Am I really supposed to fear him?”
“Divine Whale King, I need the Blood Dragon Gall. No one sent me. I seek it only to save a benefactor who has suffered grievous injuries. Name your conditions.”
Baili Yu's gaze locked onto Lin Feng like that of a fierce hawk. Then he suddenly threw back his head and laughed.
“You think you are worthy of discussing terms with this king? The Dragon-Whisker Whale King is the second ruler among the countless living beings of the Calm Sea, and my closest friend! How could I tolerate someone killing him at will? Not you, nor even Teng Qi or Ao Hongchen, would be admitted if you came here! Two hundred and seventy years ago, I swore a solemn oath never again to bow my head to anyone! Never!”
His laughter turned into a furious roar. Baili Yu's bellow struck the heart like a massive hammer. The entire Golden Luan Hall rang with the clash of metal, as though it were mourning and sobbing.
“You may leave.”
The golden light in Baili Yu's eyes dimmed slightly. In an instant, his spirit seemed to sink beneath a heavy, oppressive weight.
His closest friend?
Lin Feng suddenly thought of Wuzhui, far away atop Heavenly Pillar Peak on Mount Qiyun. If someone wanted to kill Wuzhui and take his claws, Lin Feng feared he might lose control even more completely than the Divine Whale King had.
To restrain his emotions to such an extent was already no small achievement for Baili Yu.
“Farewell. This junior has been presumptuous.”
Lin Feng cupped his hands, turned around, and was about to leave the hall.
“Wait. Who exactly intends to use the Blood Dragon Gall as a catalyst?”
The Divine Whale King's eyes shifted. He clasped his hands behind his back and stood with his head held high.
“He is an elder and benefactor of mine. I do not know his origins, but he is certainly no villain. I only know that he calls himself Uncle Liang and ranks third.”
“Liang... Third...”
The Divine Whale King murmured the words as though they had stirred some distant memory. Then he tilted his head and said calmly:
“Come with me.”
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