Chapter 322 - 316

Chapter 322: Chapter 316

That was until she opened the oldest animal-skin scroll, its cover having long since rotted away.

Written on it in blood-red pigment were ancient divine texts of the Sea Clan. Every stroke and line exuded a bone-piercing chill.

At the same time, Si Muye happened to turn to a crucial page. He suddenly took a sharp breath and muttered in disbelief, "This is..."

With just those two words, he came to an abrupt halt.

The only sound left in the Wizard Hall was the soft rustling of turning pages. Shen Yue stared intently at the ancient animal-skin scroll in her hands, deciphering it word by word.

When she read the line, "When the royal daughter descends, the Black Sea revives; exchange the royal daughter’s soul for your peace and prosperity," her gaze locked onto the latter half of the passage. The second half was the most crucial part. It was also the core of the problem.

The people of the Mermaid Clan and the Sea Clan might not recognize these divine texts, but she could understand every single word.

Coincidentally, the book in Si Muye’s hands contained the exact same information. He was thankful that he could actually read this ancient script, but when he understood the latter part of the passage, he forcibly suppressed the urge to call out to Shen Yue. After repeatedly reading the second half to ensure he hadn’t misread anything, he firmly shut the book, stood up, and quietly hid it in a dark corner.

On the other side, Shen Yue’s eyes were also nailed to those lines of prophecy. Her heart felt as if it were being ruthlessly crushed by an icy hand, and even the aura around her turned freezing cold. She glanced back in Si Muye’s direction, then abruptly closed the scroll and hid it out of sight.

Shen Yue quickly concealed the turbulent shock and icy resolve surging in her eyes. Her face returned to its usual calm indifference. Turning to look at Si Muye, her tone revealed no hint of abnormality. "You gasped just now. Did you find a crucial clue?"

The rough texture of the ancient book’s pages still lingered on Si Muye’s fingertips. His hand, hidden within his sleeve, clenched slightly, but his expression remained perfectly natural. He gently shook his head, his voice steady and calm. "No, I just saw a string of obscure runes and was momentarily surprised. After looking through it, I didn’t find any useful information."

He spoke candidly, meeting Shen Yue’s gaze with open honesty and without the slightest evasion, as if he truly hadn’t found anything at all.

Shen Yue’s eyes darkened slightly. She watched him quietly for a moment but ultimately didn’t press further, simply giving a faint nod. "In that case, let’s finish going through the remaining ancient texts. Don’t miss any details."

"Alright," Si Muye agreed, walking back to the bookshelf. However, the knuckles of his hand hanging by his side had unconsciously turned pale.

The two fell into silence once more. The only sound in the hall was the rustling of pages, yet an imperceptible tension quietly spread through the air. Shen Yue appeared fully engrossed in the scrolls in her hands, but from the corner of her eye, she calmly observed Si Muye’s every move. Meanwhile, as Si Muye’s fingertips brushed past book after book, his mind was entirely focused on the ancient text he had just hidden. His heart was in utter turmoil—both shocked by the world-shaking secret behind the prophecy and wondering if Shen Yue had also glimpsed the truth.

An unknown amount of time passed. The seawater outside the hall had taken on the pale gray light of dawn. Shen Yue placed the final ancient scroll back in its original spot. Her fingertips lightly brushed the edge of the bookshelf, confirming that she had reviewed all the records and that the crucial animal-skin scroll remained safely hidden. Only then did she turn around. "We’re done reading. Let’s go."

Si Muye immediately closed the book in his hands and followed her. The two walked out of the Wizard Hall one after the other. They remained silent the entire way, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Meanwhile, Huang Ziyue, Bai Chaosi, Yun Lie Ting, Mu Silin, and Ye Lüqi—the five men Shen Yue had dispatched to investigate the edge of the Black Sea—had long since teamed up and arrived at the border.

The ink-black seawater churned madly, carrying an eerie, corrosive power. Wherever it passed, corals withered and schools of fish died. The originally clear blue waters were being swallowed by darkness at a visible rate. The five men each channeled their power, enveloping the surrounding dozens of miles of sea within their perception. Their expressions were incredibly solemn.

Along the way, although they each performed their respective duties and seamlessly investigated the movements of the Black Sea, the cloud of suspicion in their hearts refused to dissipate.

The first to break the silence was Ye Lüqi, the most straightforward of the group. His brows furrowed tightly, and the chilling aura around him intensified. "Don’t you guys find it strange? Why did Shen Yue only take Si Muye to the Wizard Hall? Which of the five of us couldn’t have helped?"

Bai Chaosi rubbed his fingertips together. A wisp of gentle energy brushed over a nearby reef affected by the Black Sea, attempting to restore its vitality to no avail. He spoke softly, his tone carrying a trace of confusion, "Shen Yue always acts with a sense of propriety, but this time... it’s far too uncharacteristic. Keeping Si Muye by her side alone—is it out of trust, or... for some other reason?"

Yun Lie Ting recalled Shen Yue’s resolute demeanor outside the Wizard Hall, then thought of Si Muye’s usually reticent but sharp-edged nature. His eyes darkened. "She wouldn’t let us follow, saying we had other tasks. But investigating the Black Sea hardly requires all five of us to be mobilized. I can’t shake the feeling that she and Si Muye are hiding something in the Wizard Hall."

Staring at the boundless Black Sea ahead, a flash of worry crossed the depths of Mu Silin’s gentle eyes. "I’m not concerned about the task, but about Shen Yue’s safety. The Wizard Hall seals away thousands of years of the Sea Clan’s secrets and holds hidden dangers. She only took Si Muye with her. If she encounters danger..."

Though he left his sentence unfinished, it perfectly captured the concerns weighing on all their minds.

Huang Ziyue had remained silent the entire time. His deep eyes were locked onto the churning center of the Black Sea as the oppressive aura around him gradually thickened. He understood Shen Yue’s strength better than anyone else. Yet, it was precisely because he understood that this felt even more abnormal. Shen Yue would never distance herself from them for no reason, much less deliberately exclude them from a matter that concerned Xi Xi’s life and the very survival of the Sea Clan.

After a long silence, Huang Ziyue finally spoke, his voice deep and certain. "It’s not trust, and it’s not unintentional."

The others looked at him simultaneously.

"She is purposely avoiding us."

Huang Ziyue’s words struck their hearts like a boulder, causing the air to instantly freeze.

What they didn’t know was that at this very moment, far away in the Wizard Hall, Shen Yue and Si Muye each hid a world-shattering secret about the divine prophecy, the Black Sea, and Xi Xi’s life—a secret that was about to unleash a storm capable of overturning the entire ocean realm.