When Yun Xiao spoke, the look in the Sea Lineage Diva's eyes shifted from a chilling cold to a complex mix of emotions.

"Fine, I'll give you a chance. You'd better make it happen, otherwise..." the Sea Lineage Diva said in a dark, eerie voice.

"Otherwise what?" Yun Xiao asked.

The Diva's gaze dropped to the root of sin below, where this

monster

seemingly bared its teeth at her.

This should have been the most taboo of affairs among the celestial maidens of the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm. Yet, at that moment, the Sea Lineage Diva merely bit her lip and said, "No matter your connection with Si Ji, this root of sin must not remain!"

"Understood," Yun Xiao nodded.

"Hmph." The Sea Lineage Diva glared at him one last time before abruptly turning her back and looking over her shoulder. "Dress properly and follow me!"

Afterwards, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, trying to forget what she saw. But the more she closed her eyes, the more glaring it became!

"The sin of desire grows with age, truly toxic. No wonder it's ranked as the number one taboo in the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, never to be breached!

"Si Ji, have you truly fallen into devilry in your quest to become a Boundless Immortal..."

The Sea Lineage Diva's heart was a tumult of emotions. She had hoped to pull back from the brink, but now, the life and death of her daughters weighed heaviest on her heart.

Even the faintest chance was worth fighting for as a mother. She had exhausted all means, tried everything! Now was the moment of despair!

"Are you ready?" she asked impatiently.

"Diva, it is done," came the clear, youthful voice from behind.

Turning, she saw Yun Xiao dressed in simple white robes, floating amidst rolling waves, his long hair tied back, his face sunny, pure, and serene—utterly different from his previous lustful and fierce demeanor.

Yun Xiao still looked unusual, but he was now far more pleasant to behold.

"Let's go!"

Though Wan Ji appreciated the young man's extraordinary beauty, she had no time to admire it. She whipped up a cold sea gale and, with brute force, swept Yun Xiao away, thundering off towards the Sea Diva Ruins.

"It's really been a wild couple of days. First, it was the Snow Lineage Diva; then, the Ice Lineage Diva. Now, I'm being whisked away by the Sea Lineage Diva," Yun Xiao remarked, finding the situation both amusing and exasperating.

He had wanted to practice his cultivation, but time was a luxury he did not have.

"Still, this might be for the best. If I can have the support of all three Divas of the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, there'd be no need for skulking and hiding. Things would be a lot easier," he mused.

Yet, in the eyes of the three Divas, Yun Xiao held three distinct identities.

To the Snow Lineage Diva, he was still a mere slave, his status lowest, his partnership with her a matter of mere fortune.

To the Ice Lineage Diva, he was a revered, Boundless Immortal, a pinnacle being of the Samsara Galaxy whom she revered and looked to for salvation.

And to the Sea Lineage Diva, he was seen through entirely; not a slave, but a forbidden pet raised by Si Ji with a mysterious origin, attaching some importance to him.

If Yun Xiao could indeed save her daughters, his position would surely rise. But the views of these three Divas were not to be shared; letting them communicate could easily give him away.

"Bluey, the Primordial Yin-Yang Thunder Furnace, can it really solve their heart issues?" Yun Xiao checked again.

He knew well how fierce the Sea Lineage Diva could be—if things went awry, she'd cleanse him in an instant.

"Rest easy, bro! Your root of sin is as stable as Mt. Tai!" Blue Star replied, rolling his eyes.

"Still…" Red Moon, ever impassioned, gazed at the seductive silhouette of the Sea Lineage Diva and rasped, "I think you should negotiate some milk for saving one of her daughters."

"Milk, milk, milk, that's all you can think about! Seriously, I'm actually going to find you a cow one of these days…" Yun Xiao replied, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Really? Then when? I've been waiting forever!" Red Moon was near tears. It'd been so long that he'd almost forgotten what that delicacy even tasted like! "Hmph! You just want to keep all the good stuff to yourself!"

Before long, the furious sea storm swept Yun Xiao swiftly to the Sea Diva Ruins.

With a splash, Yun Xiao landed smoothly.

The Sea Diva Ruins, built deep under the sea, stretched out as a continuous expanse of dark green palaces, utterly cold and icy.

Yet, it was much livelier here compared to the Snow Diva and Ice Diva Ruins.

The moment Wan Ji returned, the Sea Diva Ruins burst into activity.

"Mother!"

"Mom!" "Mama!"

…

A bevy of pretty and playful little girls rushed forward, clinging to the Sea Lineage Diva. They hugged her neck, wrapped around her waist and thighs—every sort of embrace was in play.

"Mom, did you bring any treats?"

"Mom, play with me!"

Oblivious to their surroundings, the girls inadvertently tugged at Wan Ji's flowing robe, pulling it down to reveal her jade back and the curve of her waist and hips, a sight that quickened the pulse.

"Enough!" The Sea Lineage Diva was thoroughly annoyed, and with a sharp scold, she brushed off the clinging girls.

Her feelings for these children were mixed with love and exasperation. Everyone envied her for her plentiful offspring, but only she knew the true toll that motherhood took.

"Mom, who's this?"

"Isn't that a slave? How did he get in?"

Soon, they caught sight of Yun Xiao. There was a moment of tension; they hid behind their mother and stared wide-eyed at him, who seemed so unlike them.

Seeing this, the Sea Lineage Diva sealed off the entire Sea Diva Ruins and declared, "Stop bothering me, go play. I'll talk to you later."

Her stern voice made the little girls finally listen.

"Follow me!" The Sea Lineage Diva adjusted her robe and cast a stern glance back at Yun Xiao.

Together, they proceeded towards the deeper chambers of the Sea Diva Ruins, while the young girls moved aside, still making faces at Yun Xiao with their round, adorable eyes.

On the path to the deep palace, more daughters of the Sea Lineage Diva noticed Yun Xiao. Many were already Valkyries and Valkyrie Princesses, blossoming into their prime, bearing a striking resemblance to their mother.

When dozens of them appeared together, the sight was somewhat spectacular, like dozens of siblings of varying ages, each with her own distinct aura.

"Mother, who is this?" they asked, more maturely, frowning lightly as they regarded Yun Xiao.

Here, in the deepest heart of the kingdom of daughters, the sight of a man was a rare spectacle indeed.

The Sea Lineage Diva was too preoccupied to attend to them; finding Yun Xiao's pace too sluggish, she whisked him away to a dark palace buried further within.

"Hai Yue!"

The Sea Lineage Diva pushed through the doors without knocking.

Inside, two exquisite beauties of the Sea Lineage paused their conversation. On seeing their mother enter, they voiced their concern, "Mother, our eldest sister's condition has worsened again."

As they spoke, they too noticed Yun Xiao, their faces etched with confusion.

Outside, more daughters of the Sea Lineage Diva had followed. Scores of lovely deep sea fairies with dark green curls peered inside, adding to the scene's beauty.

"Mhmm…" The Sea Lineage Diva proceeded further into the palace. There, in the depths, lay a bronze bed on which a woman, bearing a striking resemblance to the Diva herself, was curled up.

She was facing away from Yun Xiao, her body twitching slightly, emitting soft cries of pain. Her long hair was drenched, her face pallid, her forehead beaded with sweat—she was clearly in agony.

At the sound, she turned around, revealing a face slightly younger than the Sea Lineage Diva, almost as if she were her sister rather than her daughter.

"Mother..." her voice choked, barely a whisper.

"Hai Yue." The Sea Lineage Diva sat beside the bed, her eyes reddening as she grasped her daughter's hand. "Does it hurt more now?"

Valkyrie Queen Hai Yue managed a weak smile. "It should be near the end now, Mother. Don't be sad. When I'm gone, you'll still have so many of my sisters to keep you company. Please, don't grieve..."

"Eldest sister!"

Hearing this, the girls inside the room and those lingering at the door all teared up, unable to hold back their sobs, fear mingling with their sadness.

Some of the daughters, already over 200 years old, felt a dread settle upon them, knowing the cause of their eldest sister's illness and the limited span of their own lives.

A deeper gloom descended.

The Sea Lineage Diva held her daughter's hand, gazing at her weary face, tears streaming down her own cheeks as she lamented, "It's my fault, my sin. I brought you into this world but could not grant you a full life."

Upon hearing these words, the daughters burst into tears even more.

"Listen," Yun Xiao interjected abruptly, "Diva, if we don't act quickly, she might not make it."

Yun Xiao understood why Wan Ji was still so pessimistic; it stemmed from her distrust of him.

To her, he was merely a tool, a man employed to break through constraints—how could he truly be capable, when all he seemed to offer was sweet talk? It was a desperate move to seek his help now.

Regardless of her mistrust, the Sea Lineage Diva planned to let him try.

Abruptly, she stood and turned to him. "You, come here!"

"Right." Yun Xiao stepped forward decisively, approaching the bedside of Valkyrie Queen Hai Yue.

Her dark green hair spread out around her, and a limp serpentine tail lay across the bronze bed. Her hands clutched at her chest, where beneath the smooth fabric of her gown hid a heart suffering from congenital failure.

Despite being Martial Immortals with extraordinary physical resilience, surpassing other Immortals in strength, this very heart failure proved especially lethal to them.

"Mother?" Valkyrie Queen Hai Yue looked at the unfamiliar slave, her pain mixed with confusion.

"Let him try," Wan Ji said, sighing deeply.

"Ah..." Valkyrie Queen Hai Yue whimpered. She'd realized that her mother was truly desperate, even willing to bet on a lowly slave. This only underscored the Sea Lineage Diva's love for her daughters. And tears began streaming down her face.

Yet, what she hadn't anticipated was Yun Xiao's decisive and efficient action. He conjured a vortex of thunder in his palm, swirling with electric serpents. It was a furnace of thunder, swirling with the power of the primordial void.

WHOOSH!

Without waiting for Valkyrie Queen Hai Yue to speak, Yun Xiao stepped forward, his hand holding the thunderous vortex, and pressed it just below her chest.

"Ah?!"

The excruciating pain made Valkyrie Queen Hai Yue, along with her sisters, widen their eyes in shock at Yun Xiao's bold intervention.

JustLivingJL's Thoughts