“Uh…”
As the group walked out of the Sacred Mountain and reached the outer edge of the island, they were all stunned.
“How do we get back?”
It was only then that they realized an extremely awkward problem—their boat had been destroyed by the octopus when they arrived, and now they had no means to cross the sea.
“Swim back!”
Shangguan Jingyi said, causing the group of black-clad men behind him to shudder involuntarily. How long would that take? Not to mention, this sea was home to many powerful sea monsters.
Splash…
None of them knew what to do when suddenly, not far away, a massive column of water shot up from the sea. An enormous octopus emerged, its huge tentacles waving, splashing water in all directions.
“Damn it, here comes the culprit! I really want to teach it a lesson!”
Shangguan Jingyi was instantly irritated at the sight of the octopus. It was the one that had destroyed their boat, leaving them stranded and worrying about how to return.
“Glug glug…”
The octopus seemed somewhat wary of the Shangguan brothers and let out a series of soft gurgling sounds toward Zi Ying.
“It says it’s willing to take us back.”
Zi Ying listened intently for a moment before turning to the group with this surprising statement.
“You can understand what it’s saying?”
“Nope,” Zi Ying replied honestly.
“Then how do you know that’s what it meant?”
“Hehe, I guessed.”
Everyone: “…”
However, Zi Ying’s guess was indeed correct. This octopus beast king had come to take them back. Though it was a beast, it knew how to repay kindness. If the group hadn’t spared its life that day, it might have already ended up as food for other beast kings.
“Ah, this is much more comfortable than that broken boat. So soft and cozy.” Shangguan Jingyi lounged on the octopus’s broad back, leisurely crossing his legs.
The octopus moved at an astonishing speed. As the group looked behind them, Immortal Island of No Return gradually faded from view. They all let out long sighs. This trip had truly been a brush with death. Just thinking about it sent chills down their spines. Even a powerful expert of the Immortal Ascension would likely perish here—truly deserving of its reputation as one of the three great forbidden lands of the Divine Martial Continent, known as the “Island of No Return”.
Zi Ying was overjoyed. Initially, she hadn’t expected to obtain the sacred fruits and only wanted to do her best for the elders of her family. But now, the sacred fruits were in her possession. How could she not be happy? She bounced excitedly on the octopus’s back like a little girl.
“Hey, brat, what are you looking at?!” Shangguan Jingyi scowled at Tian Fan.
“Uh… the clouds in the sky are really beautiful.” Tian Fan quickly withdrew his gaze and looked up at the sky.
“We’re here!”
Shangguan Yunfeng suddenly spoke. Ahead, a medium-sized port came into view—it was the very same one they had departed from. They were rapidly approaching.
On the dock, many people were busy—some setting sails, others pulling ropes. Suddenly, a gust of sea wind blew past, and the group curiously turned their eyes toward the ocean.
“Heavens! That’s… that’s a sea monster!”
“A sea monster is attacking! Everyone, run!”
Most of the people here were ordinary civilians, with only a few true cultivators. Since this place had been frequently attacked by sea monsters in the past, the moment they saw the octopus, they panicked and fled in all directions. In an instant, the entire port descended into chaos.
“What’s going on?”
At that moment, an elderly man with a kind expression walked out. It was the same old man who had warned Zi Ying’s group not to go to “Immortal Island of No Return” in the first place.
“Grandpa Zhu, sea monster! A sea monster is attacking!” A young man, around twenty years old, exclaimed in panic.
“Don’t worry. Go hide somewhere safe.”
The old man reassured him with a smile, but as he turned away, his expression grew solemn, his forehead deeply furrowed with worry.
“What are they doing? Giving us a welcome ceremony? That’s unnecessary!” Shangguan Jingyi remarked in amusement, watching the commotion at the port.
“It’s the octopus that scared them!” Unlike the others, Shangguan Yunfeng remained calm and immediately grasped the situation.
“Grandpa, it’s us!”
Zi Ying spotted the old man standing at the dock, ready for battle. She waved vigorously toward him.
“This is…” The old man was shocked. Then, he finally noticed Zi Ying—it was the same adorable little girl who had insisted on going to the Island of No Return. At this moment, she was actually sitting atop the head of a Beast King.
“Grandpa…”
As the octopus approached the port, many people were startled and fled, watching from a distance. One by one, the group jumped down from its massive head.
“Grandpa, see? I told you we’d be fine!” Zi Ying was the first to leap off the octopus’s head. She landed in front of the old man, beaming brightly, looking incredibly cute.
“You… you all…”
The old man was so shocked that he couldn’t find the words. They had actually returned alive from the Island of No Return—this was nothing short of a miracle! Many people, seeing that they were unharmed, gradually mustered the courage to approach. Before long, more and more onlookers gathered, their faces filled with astonishment.
“I’m sorry, Grandpa, for damaging your boat.”
Zi Ying apologized and took out some money as compensation, but the old man firmly refused to accept it. He said that he really liked Zi Ying’s innocent and adorable nature—it reminded him of his granddaughter when she was young. As long as they returned safely, that was enough for him. Seeing the old man’s kindness, they had no choice but to put the money away.
“Hehe, thank you, Little Octopus. Don’t come here to cause trouble again, okay? Go back to your home.” Zi Ying gently patted the Beast King’s head as she spoke.
“Gululu…”
The octopus waved a few of its tentacles lightly, as if making a promise to Zi Ying or perhaps bidding her farewell. Then, it slowly sank into the sea and disappeared beneath the waves. Many people were left gaping in shock—after all, in their eyes, Zi Ying had only spoken a few words, yet this sea monster obeyed her without question.
“Grandpa, I’m leaving now. Goodbye…” Zi Ying waved, and the group of more than twenty people quickly left the port.
“Little Tian Tian, come back with me.”
As she was about to return to her family, Zi Ying felt reluctant to part ways and invited Tian Fan to visit the Shangguan Family. The Shangguan brothers also nodded, hoping he would come to their home for a while.
“No, I still have things to do. I’ll visit another time.” Tian Fan shook his head. He didn’t want to bring trouble to Zi Ying.
In the end, Tian Fan parted ways with the group. Two of the seven sacred fruits had already been used to heal the Shangguan brothers, leaving five. Zi Ying handed three of them to Tian Fan, along with a storage jade bottle. Anything placed inside would not decay, and the space inside was large enough to hold a small mountain.
Zi Ying walked away, glancing back repeatedly with reluctance. However, she ultimately turned forward and continued on her way—she had to bring the sacred fruit back to extend the lives of her elderly family members.
Watching Zi Ying and her companions disappear into the distance, Tian Fan let out a faint sigh. A sense of loneliness crept into his heart.
Alone, he turned and set off in another direction.
Just then, a blinding divine light suddenly appeared out of thin air, shooting straight for Tian Fan’s forehead—a murderous intent that shook the heavens!