Chapter 103: Ten Thousand Miles of Frozen Earth

This female mermaid was a servant to a young princess of the Mermaid Kingdom in the deep-sea world. She had come to the nearby islands to procure daily supplies for the princess, never imagining that on her return journey, she would encounter the notorious swordfish of the ocean. These fish are inherently cruel and generally live in schools; whenever they appear, it is in groups of hundreds or thousands, swarming their prey.

Today, this school of swordfish, having received a signal from their companions to feast on a giant whale, had not expected to run into a mermaid on her way back. Naturally, they could not let her go, which led to the scene that just unfolded.

Judas laughed in his mind, his formless body instantly expanding dozens of times, wrapping around hundreds of swordfish at once. With a frenzied devouring, those hundreds of massive swordfish all went limp, their eyes turning grey as they lost their vitality.

After just a few moments, only a few hundred remained of the thousands of swordfish, with dense piles of fish carcasses floating on the sea surface. The panicked mermaid stood there with her mouth agape, staring at the vast expanse of dead swordfish, her large eyes filled with disbelief.

"Are you all right, miss?" Leng Tian walked across the water to the mermaid and asked with a friendly, gentle smile.

The sudden arrival of someone, without her having noticed, startled the mermaid. Her just-calmed, lovely face turned panicked once more. However, upon seeing that the speaker was a human man, she clutched her chest, let out a long sigh, and said with a hint of shyness, "Respected human powerhouse, was it you who saved me?"

"Haha..." Leng Tian looked at the mermaid's shy demeanor, and for a moment, he thought of the little princess of the Canglan Empire. That little girl was the first person he had interacted with closely since arriving in this world, so he had a deep memory of her uniquely shy expression.

"It could be said that I saved you, but it was actually my servant who made the move. If you want to thank someone, you should thank it!" Leng Tian said with a smile, looking at the little mermaid whose face was flushing red.

"Burp..."

Judas patted his round belly and flew back slowly. Just as he heard Leng Tian telling the mermaid to thank him, he left behind a single sentence and dove into the rune at the center of Leng Tian's brow to digest.

"Little girl, save your thanks for my boss. He didn't give the order, so I wouldn't have acted. Isn't that right, boss?" After saying this, he winked a few times and disappeared into the brow.

Leng Tian was well aware of Judas's little schemes but ignored them. He looked at the mermaid with a warm expression and said, "I am Leng Tian. May I ask your name, miss?"

"You may call me Alisa. Might I ask if you are from the Flaming Island ahead?" The mermaid revealed her name and pointed to the large island in the distance.

"Alisa, a very special name!" Leng Tian recited the name to himself, feeling it was quite different from the surnames of humans on the mainland, but he did not dwell on it. He replied, "I am not from the Azure Sea and Vast Sky. I come from the outside world and have only just arrived in this realm."

As he spoke, Leng Tian observed Alisa's reaction, curious to see how she would respond to the news of him being an outsider.

"Ah..." Alisa exclaimed, covering her small mouth with her hand, her large eyes examining Leng Tian with great curiosity.

Leng Tian simply stood there smiling, waiting to see how she viewed him. After a moment, Alisa's expression softened, and she said bashfully, "Um... may I call you Big Brother Leng Tian?"

Leng Tian was amused by her sudden change and said, "Of course you may. By the way, Alisa, I have a question: do you know the way to Fenglan?"

"Mhm, I know. You've come for the Azure Sea Divine Spring, haven't you?" Alisa nodded her head, pointing out the purpose of his visit.

"That is correct. I have come specifically for the Azure Sea Divine Spring." Leng Tian did not hide it; since she had already guessed his intent, there was no point in concealing it.

"It has been thousands of years. Every hundred years, a large number of human powerhouses from the outside world come here to seize the Azure Sea Divine Spring. However, very few of them manage to leave alive. Big Brother Leng Tian, I advise you not to go. It is very dangerous there. Everyone kills one another to seize the spring, until only a few remain to divide it."

As Alisa spoke, her concern was evident, her large eyes looking at Leng Tian with genuine worry.

"What a kind-hearted mermaid!" Leng Tian felt touched. He replied, "Alisa, thank you for your concern, but I must obtain the Divine Spring. As for my safety, you can rest assured; unless a supreme powerhouse intervenes, no one can hurt me!"

Seeing that Leng Tian's mind was made up, Alisa stopped trying to persuade him. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Big Brother Leng Tian, you must haven't had a good rest since arriving. Flaming Island is just ahead; you can rest there before setting off."

"Alisa, you truly are a kind girl. I hope your kindness blesses you with a lifetime of peace!" Leng Tian was genuinely moved by her innocence.

"Big Brother Leng Tian, I'm not as good as you say!" The girl said with a pout, feeling embarrassed by his praise.

"Haha..." Leng Tian laughed. "Is your home far from here? The danger has passed; you should head back quickly, lest your parents worry."

"Don't worry, Big Brother Leng Tian, I'm safe now. By the way, my home is under the sea! Take care, Big Brother Leng Tian. I hope we can meet again one day. When that happens, Alisa will invite you to my home as a guest and make you many delicious things!"

The mermaid Alisa smiled brightly, reached into the pouch at her waist, and took out a small round barrel made of an unknown material. She handed it to Leng Tian and said, "Big Brother Leng Tian, this is a wine only we mermaids can brew. It has a beautiful name: 'Mermaid's Tears'."

Leng Tian took the small barrel, laughed, and said, "Judging by the name, it must be a treasure!" He opened the lid without hesitation and took a sip.

As the wine went down, he felt a wave of bitterness fill his mouth and chest. Just as his brow furrowed, it smoothed out again, and his face took on an expression of extreme enjoyment.

Alisa watched him with a giggle, and only when she saw his expression relax did she laugh, "Big Brother Leng Tian, is it bitter at first, followed by a great sweetness?"

Leng Tian did not respond, instead taking several more gulps. After savoring the bitterness and sweetness of the wine, he laughed heartily, "Good wine, truly good wine! Alisa, do you have more? Give me two more barrels; I'm afraid I'll finish this before I even get the feel of it!"

"I'm sorry, Big Brother Leng Tian, this is the only barrel I have left. But don't worry, don't underestimate this small barrel; it contains over a hundred pounds of 'Mermaid's Tears', which should last you for quite a while!" Alisa said apologetically.

"Oh, that much? That should be enough for a while! Thank you, Alisa!" Leng Tian was sincerely grateful for her gift.

"You're welcome. Big Brother Leng Tian saved my life, so this barrel of wine is nothing! I must go now. If you return from Fenglan, Big Brother Leng Tian, you are welcome to visit our Mermaid Kingdom. Just ask on any of the islands, and someone will tell you where it is!"

With that, Alisa waved at him and sank into the depths of the sea.

Seeing her leave, Leng Tian cherished the 'Mermaid's Tears' and tucked it into his storage ring. He turned toward Flaming Island in the distance and began to walk.

Stepping on ten-meter-high waves, he used the force of the tide crashing against the rocks to leap steadily onto the shore. Turning his head, he saw several large ships docked in the port, where nearly a hundred burly men, stripped to the waist, were sweating profusely as they loaded cargo.

Leng Tian's arrival did not attract much attention. The crowd at the dock gave the stranger a few glances before returning to their work.

Rubbing his nose, Leng Tian looked toward the distance. Directly in front of the dock was a wide stone-paved road, worn smooth over the years and pitted with small holes, likely from the constant weight of heavy loads.

Leng Tian walked along this wide thoroughfare into the island. He watched the pedestrians carrying various goods—humans and demons alike—talking and laughing about business as if they were one big family.

"Boss, why do the humans and demons here seem like one family? Look, those two are even in a human-demon relationship!" Judas, sitting on the blood-red rune, pointed at a couple passing by and exclaimed in surprise.

Just as Judas finished speaking, before Leng Tian could take a closer look, he saw snowflakes falling from the sky, and a chill began to permeate the air.

Moved, Leng Tian looked up at the sky, only to see that the once azure sky had turned a deep green in a matter of moments, and gusts of cold wind blew against him.

"Oh no, the sea is about to freeze again!" The couple that Judas had pointed out walked back in a panic. The demon man, his face pale, said, "Dear, it seems we cannot set sail. I will accompany you home until the weather improves!"

The human woman's expression was also grim, and though she looked dejected, she let her husband embrace her as they headed back into the island.

"Excuse me, brother, what is happening? Why is the weather changing so quickly? Is winter coming?" Leng Tian, confused, stopped a burly man who was putting on a coat while hurrying toward the island.

The man finished putting on his clothes, looked Leng Tian over, and said impatiently, "Outsider, the sea freezes once every hundred years, and it lasts for ten years before it melts again. The temperature is about to drop; you'd better find an inn quickly, or you'll be sleeping in the street!"

With a strange look in his eyes, the man left those few words and hurried away with the crowd toward the city at the end of the road.

As they spoke, the temperature plummeted, and heavy, goose-feather-sized snowflakes began to fall. Leng Tian remained where he was, watching the crowd on the dock gradually disappear.

In the blink of an eye, the wide road was empty except for Leng Tian and a few lonely ships docked in the port. The previous bustle and sweating workers were gone, and piles of cargo were left unattended on the ground.

Suddenly, Leng Tian's eyes narrowed. From the distant green sea, a misty white line was sweeping toward Flaming Island at an incredible speed.

Though it was still a great distance away, Leng Tian could feel the intense cold. The rippling waves of the sea were turning into ice at an immeasurable speed.

Leng Tian did not move; he wanted to see if the entire endless ocean would truly freeze. He had never seen such a sight in his life, and he intended to see it to the end.

That white line of cold air reached the sky above Flaming Island in a matter of moments. As it passed, the green sea instantly solidified into ice, the surface shimmering with a crystalline glow.

The entire island was covered in white, crystalline frost under the assault of the cold air. From the ships at the dock to the mountains, trees, and flowers, everything was covered in a layer of thin ice.

Leng Tian, standing in the middle of the road, was also encased in a thick layer of ice, turning him into a human-shaped ice sculpture. Only his eyes continued to move within the ice. With a loud *pop*, the ice shattered.

Leng Tian exhaled a puff of cold air, looked at the frozen sea, and couldn't help but exclaim in awe: "In the blink of an eye, the boundless ocean has frozen for ten thousand miles!"