Fusang Sword Heart Diagram

Bai Nisi replied, "The old site of the Shuixiao tribe's territory isn't far from here, but the group of people from back then destroyed the Shuixiao tribe's territory beyond recognition. Now it's just a ruin. There are undercurrents within the Shuixiao tribe's territory, and the attraction is very strong. Under these circumstances, it's probably unlikely that any clues will be left behind."

"Go and have a look before we talk."

The Eternal Echoes were not her goal; Ning Fusang was more interested in seeing the land of the Merfolk.

Bai Ni, having heard that the Eternal Echo might still be in the Shuixiao tribe's territory, had a thought in her mind.

The two had no disagreement and headed straight for the Shuixiao tribe's territory.

The Shuixiao tribe's territory was damaged more severely than they had imagined.

Bai Ni remembered that the Shuixiao tribe's territory used to be protected by a barrier. Although it wasn't completely airtight, the Shuixiao tribe's territory within the barrier's range was peaceful and tranquil, and could be considered a pure land.

Now, upon returning to the land of the Shuixiao tribe, one is greeted by murky sewage. Some of the once lush coral reefs have been uprooted, while others have been broken in half and swept away by various rapids.

These torrents spread throughout the entire Shuixiao tribe's territory, weaving and crisscrossing each other, changing direction without any discernible pattern—they are simply chaotic.

If you're not careful and get swept into the rapids, you don't know where you'll be taken.

Ning Fusang and Bai Ni cast a defensive spell on themselves, avoided the raging torrent, and slipped into the heart of the Shuixiao tribe's territory.

Although the clan's territory was completely destroyed, Bai Ni could still vaguely make out the outline of the base.

She led Ning Fusang into a relatively calm area. Looking back, she saw columns of water, like a stone forest, blocking the passing sea beasts.

“This is the cemetery of the Shuixiao tribe,” Bai Ni exclaimed. “Those people really ransacked the Shuixiao tribe’s territory, inside and out, even digging up the graves.”

The graves, originally small mounds, have now become pits, some blocked by withered branches, others filled with the remains of sea creatures. Many small pearls, now dull and lifeless, lie scattered in the silt.

Ning Fusang used his sword to flip over a huge rock, on which were carved pictures.

She used her sword to clear away the mud and sand from the dent. Bai Ni glanced at it and found it strange, "Why haven't I seen this mural before?"

Bai Ni had infiltrated the Shuixiao tribe's territory many times before, visiting the merfolk's shrine, main hall, and back garden, but she had never seen such a stone slab before.

Moreover, it is obvious at a glance that this item belongs to the merfolk, because the human figure carved on it has a human face and a fish body, a typical merfolk appearance.

Ning Fusang looked at the huge crater not far away and said, "The murals were transported out of the cemetery by water."

Beneath the mausoleum of the Shuixiao tribe lies an underground palace, the murals of which are on its walls. Bai Ni had only ever visited the mausoleum when she first came to the Shuixiao tribe, unaware that there was more to it than met the eye. She had never ventured deep into the actual mausoleum, but the group of cultivators who came looking for something had thoroughly searched the underground palace as well.

The underground palace contained a vast amount of wealth belonging to the Water Silk Clan and the Merfolk, but it had already been completely looted. Bai Ni and Ning Fusang entered the mausoleum's underground palace but found nothing.

"Those cultivators searched so thoroughly, could the Eternal Echoes really still be in the Water Silk Clan's territory?" After listening to Ning Fusang's analysis, Bai Ni had a strong intuition that the uninvited guests were looking for the Eternal Echoes.

If she could obtain this zither, her combat power would surely rise to a new level. Bai Ni prayed in her heart that the ancient melody was still in the Shuixiao tribe's territory and had not been discovered by anyone.

The underground space is vast, and after being damaged, it has become even more interconnected, with occasional torrents rushing out of the ground at an angle.

Amidst the ruins, a rusty lamp stand lies pressed down, twisted and deformed.

"Yao Ling?"

Bai Ni noticed that Ning Fusang hadn't followed, so she went back to find her. She found Ning Fusang standing in front of the stone wall, carefully studying the half-mural on the wall, seemingly trying to glean some information from it. "It depicts the Merfolk selecting a Holy Maiden."

"The holy maiden of the Merfolk clan holds a lofty position, even comparable to the ruler of the royal court. However, the ruler of the royal court is always from the royal family, while the holy maiden is chosen from among the commoners."

"The Mermaid Saintess does not consider bloodline; any eligible commoner Mermaid woman can participate in the election."

Seeing that she was quite interested, Bai Ni took the initiative to interpret the murals.

"The girl in the mural is kneeling on a lotus platform, holding a conch shell and playing a musical piece. This is meant to depict her using the sound of the conch shell to calm the waves."

Bai Ni looked at the mural and squinted her eyes. "However, the mural is very old and too blurry, so I can't tell which saintess it is."

“She is not any of the holy maidens of the Merfolk.” Ning Fusang gestured for her to look behind her. The girl lowered her head and walked down from the lotus platform in a dejected manner. Several lifelike pearls floated away with the water.

Clearly, the girl failed in this round of the election.

Bai Ni hadn't noticed this detail before.

To become the Holy Maiden of the Merfolk, one must pass three major hurdles: preliminary selection, semi-finals, and finals. Finally, one must receive the blessing of the Sea Goddess and be personally handed the Fish-Hidden Sword by the previous Holy Maiden before assuming the position.

Each Holy Maiden has a flower decoration on her forehead. When the decoration begins to fade, the Merfolk will begin selecting a new Holy Maiden.

However, given the current state of the Merfolk, it's unlikely that a new Holy Maiden will emerge. Bai Ni intuitively felt that Chao Xi was dead, but the Fish-Hidden Sword might not have fallen into the hands of the human race. Perhaps it's still in the sea, undiscovered; otherwise, the human world wouldn't be so peaceful.

Bai Ni also searched for Yu Cangjian, but failed to find it, so she eventually gave up. Merfolk and the Mirage Clan share the same beliefs; she could worship the Sea Goddess to gain entry to the royal court.

This secret was learned by Bai Ni through her bloodline inheritance, and many merfolk were unaware of it.

She doesn't plan to tell Ning Fusang for the time being.

Bai Ni agreed to split the treasure with her 30/70, intending to revise the contract at the last minute.

After all, only she could enter the Merfolk Royal Court, and in the end, Yao Ling would still have to rely on her.

Whoever has the most leverage gets the lion's share of the profits; this is the unspoken rule.

Yao Ling's understanding of the Merfolk was still too limited. She had no idea that without the key, outsiders could not enter the royal court's barrier.

Ning Fusang glanced at Bai Ni casually, and seeing that she seemed to be plotting something, she became more wary.

Although she and Bai Ni had made a solemn vow, Ning Fusang never truly and completely trusted her.

In this world, there are no permanent allies, only permanent interests.

Today they may be at odds, but tomorrow they may be able to work together. Take the Southern Star Sword Sect and the Autumn Frost Sword Sect for example. The two sects have conflicting interests, but they are on the same side when it comes to the Five States Conference.

She and Bai Ni currently share the same interests, but once they actually find the Merfolk Royal Court, they may not be able to get along as peacefully as they do now.

However, given their oath of brotherhood, both she and Bai Ni had to be somewhat cautious. But Ning Fusang was reassured that Bai Ni wouldn't do anything before finding the royal treasure.

(End of this chapter)