Chapter 661: Evolution? Atavism?

Chapter 661: Chapter 661: Evolution? Atavism?

Lin Ruoxi was startled. ’Am I dead?’

’Is this what it feels like to be dead?’

Lin Ruoxi pinched her arm hard. Ouch!

She wasn’t dead!

But this only made Lin Ruoxi even more nervous!

Lin Ruoxi quickly looked down at her legs. Thankfully, they were still legs and hadn’t turned into fins.

A look of lingering fear on her face, Lin Ruoxi patted her chest. ’For a second there, I thought I’d suddenly turned into a mermaid!’

She had no desire to be captured, dissected, and studied!

What Lin Ruoxi didn’t notice, however, was that while her legs remained unchanged, an incredibly sacred glowing crest had appeared on her forehead.

The crest was ancient and simple, making Lin Ruoxi appear exceptionally divine!

Several hundred meters away, countless fish gathered outside the fishing net.

Big fish and small fish, predators and prey alike—they all floated together without conflict, staring intently at Lin Ruoxi, who was radiating a sacred light.

It was as if they were worshipping her.

BUZZ!

The glowing crest suddenly flared brightly!

It began absorbing an immense power from the sea, transforming Lin Ruoxi’s body!

Lin Ruoxi’s body became more streamlined. Her once-soft flesh grew firm, and you could even faintly see the outline of her abs!

The biggest change was in her legs.

Her formerly stick-straight, "chopstick" legs now looked far more athletic. Her thighs were firm and rounded, her calves slender and long—perfectly suited for swimming.

Lin Ruoxi felt a warm current coursing through her. She slowly closed her eyes, sensing the changes in her body.

Cheng Yuan, using every ounce of his strength, finally managed to swim to Lin Ruoxi’s side.

Cheng Yuan grabbed Lin Ruoxi and kicked desperately for the surface, finally breaking through!

Cheng Yuan raised a hand to pinch Lin Ruoxi’s nose, preparing to give her artificial respiration.

Lin Ruoxi opened her eyes, a confused look on her face. "Honey, why are you pinching my nose?"

Cheng Yuan froze for a second. "To give you artificial respiration."

Lin Ruoxi smiled. "I’m fine, honey. I don’t need it."

Cheng Yuan currently had his Double Pupil activated and could clearly see that Lin Ruoxi’s lungs were filled with seawater. He said nervously, "No, I have to do it right away and get all that water out of your lungs!"

Lin Ruoxi gave a slight smile. "I don’t need artificial respiration. I can get it out myself."

As she spoke, Lin Ruoxi suddenly opened her mouth and spewed a column of water!

In the vision of Cheng Yuan’s Double Pupil, he saw all the seawater from her lungs get expelled!

The sight left Cheng Yuan completely dumbfounded!

"Ruoxi, you..."

Lin Ruoxi gave a wry smile. "I don’t know what happened either. I was about to drown, and I was so unwilling to die just like that. Then it felt like my lungs exploded. After that, the seawater didn’t feel like it was choking me anymore. My lungs could get oxygen from the seawater."

As she spoke, she looked at Cheng Yuan nervously. "Honey, I haven’t turned into a monster, have I? You won’t be disgusted with me, right?"

Cheng Yuan pulled Lin Ruoxi into a tight embrace. "Ruoxi, you’re not a monster! This should be a form of evolution, or perhaps atavism."

Lin Ruoxi shot Cheng Yuan an exasperated look. "I can understand evolution, but what the hell is atavism? I don’t want to turn into a monkey!"

Cheng Yuan chuckled. "According to the theory of evolution, humanity’s earliest ancestors lived in the ocean and had the ability to breathe in seawater. It’s like how a fetus lives in amniotic fluid without drowning. It’s the same principle."

Lin Ruoxi nodded emphatically. "Just now, the seawater felt so warm, like a mother’s embrace. It felt like something was being poured into me from my forehead—a warm feeling that filled my body with strength."

Only then did Cheng Yuan notice the complex glowing crest on Lin Ruoxi’s forehead.

As the seawater on her skin evaporated, the crest grew fainter and fainter.

Cheng Yuan scooped up a handful of seawater and pressed it to Lin Ruoxi’s forehead. The crest on her forehead began to shine again.

Cheng Yuan’s pupils contracted slightly. Within the Celestial Witch Inheritance, there seemed to be legends about this very crest.

On the shores of the East Sea, there lived the Merfolk clan.

The Royal Family of the Merfolk clan had bloodline crests on their foreheads.

The Merfolk gained their power by awakening these crests!

During the Merfolk’s most glorious era, the Human Race was pushed deep inland, daring not to even approach the coast.

Cheng Yuan said with great seriousness, "Ruoxi, from now on, you absolutely must not come to the seaside without me. Promise me, okay?"

Lin Ruoxi nodded quickly. "Okay, I promise."

Cheng Yuan breathed a small sigh of relief and asked, feigning casualness, "Ruoxi, did you awaken any abilities?"

Lin Ruoxi took a moment to sense it out, then answered truthfully, "I can swim freely in the sea now. As for other abilities... Oh, right, I can spit out a Water Arrow. I think it could easily kill those two sharks from before. Also, I can control the waves to a certain extent."

’A Water Arrow?’

Cheng Yuan had just witnessed it, but he hadn’t expected the Water Arrow’s power to be so great.

Cheng Yuan pointed a hand at an approaching, turbulent wave and asked gently, "Can you control a-wave like that one?"

Lin Ruoxi smiled faintly. "A little wave like this? Of course."

With that, Lin Ruoxi grabbed Cheng Yuan’s large hand and headed straight for the wave!

Cheng Yuan subconsciously circulated his Celestial Witch True Essence to avoid being swept away, but to his surprise, the wave automatically parted before them, sliding past on either side without harming them in the slightest!

Cheng Yuan said with admiration, "This skill is amazing!"

Lin Ruoxi laughed. "This isn’t even the best part! I feel like we can walk on the waves!"

As she spoke, a thought from Lin Ruoxi instantly caused a wave to form before them.

With nimble steps, Lin Ruoxi led Cheng Yuan to the crest of the wave.

As if they had surfboards under their feet, they were carried by the wave toward the shore.

A thought crossed Cheng Yuan’s mind. He circulated his Celestial Witch True Essence and used it to evaporate the seawater on Lin Ruoxi’s forehead.

The glowing crest on Lin Ruoxi’s forehead gradually faded away.

SPLASH.

Lin Ruoxi lost her ability to walk on the waves and, along with Cheng Yuan, fell back into the sea.

Lin Ruoxi couldn’t help but yelp in surprise, "Ah! Why did the wave-walking suddenly stop working?"

"Ruoxi, you have a glowing crest on your forehead. It’s the source of your power. It appears when it touches seawater and vanishes without it. I just evaporated the seawater from your forehead."

A look of understanding dawned on Lin Ruoxi’s face. Then, she asked worriedly, "Does that mean the crest will appear every time I wash my face or take a shower?"

"That won’t happen, unless you start showering and washing your face with seawater."

Lin Ruoxi breathed a small sigh of relief. "That’s good. I really don’t want to be seen as a monster."

Cheng Yuan grinned. "Even if the crest appears, it’s no big deal. We’ll just say it’s a tattoo."

"True."

...

Deep in the East Sea was a small island, one that didn’t appear on any satellite map or chart.

On this island lived many strange people.

Some had scales on their faces; others had fish tails.

There were also some normal-looking people.

These normal-looking ones held a higher status. They had faint glowing crests on their foreheads, though theirs were far less intricate than Lin Ruoxi’s.

A woman with the most intricate crest of all suddenly whipped her head around, looking toward Qingcheng!

The woman’s whole body trembled with excitement!

"The Saintess! I can feel the Saintess’s aura! At all costs! We must bring our clan’s lost Saintess back!!"