Paragon of Sin

The excitement of venturing towards the unknown granted the crew a rising energy that sent them spiraling with activity. The Navy River Elves on deck surged in a concerted and organized fashion, driving the ship diligently towards the direction of that gushing, sky-piercing light.

The Captain, a Navy River Elf, named Shui Linghe, had a bright smile on her face as she glanced at her animated crew. But that smile suffused with warmth and delicate feelings as she regarded the human youth that hung at the railings with an eager gaze. She was both beautiful yet hardened, experienced, and often a little violent, so when she smiled, it was a rare sight to see. A sight worth cherishing.

Folding her arms against her chest, her bouncy and proud chest lifted with a mouth-watering appeal. The crew had long since gotten used to her looks and extraordinary body, so only a few subtle glances were taken before they resumed their duties.

Lian Yu's brows were furrowed and sunk a little deeper. That feeling of hers kept mounting in her heart. "Long Chen, I don't think we should inspect that light; I have a bad feeling about this." Her words were hesitant, and even she wasn't certain what prompted her to say these words.

Long Chen was taken out of his imagination, turning to Lian Yu and seeing her reveal a solemn and uncertain expression. He held her hand with a comforting smile, "Exploring the unknown, traveling the world, and facing dangers to obtain fortune are a part of a cultivator's journey. If we wish to seek the peak of the Martial Dao, to one day rise above all else, we must hold courage in our hearts and use fear as our sword."

If he hadn't experienced similar feelings once before, capable of driving through that fear, and reaching his current heights from a low-regarded trash on the Myriad Yore Continent, in some small town, then he might've been unable to comfort Lian Yu. But these words resonated with her heart to grow ever-stronger, so she tightened her grip around his hands and put on a brave front.

"You're right," with a series of deep breaths, she regained her composure and decided to face the unknown alongside her love. Even if they faced dangers, as long as they were together, what should she fear?

"Hahaha, well said!" A voice resounded in an omni-directional manner, startling the crew, the beautiful captain, Long Chen, and Lian Yu. All others beside Long Chen were looking around in confusion, not capable of locating the origin of the voice, but Long Chen lifted his head and stopped on a humanoid figure.

The figure slowly descended upon the ship, floating at the edge of its thin film of protective shielding. It was a single figure, a man whose appearance was extremely familiar with these Navy River Elves.

"Holy Son!" A few gawked.

This was the Holy Son of Transformative Water! While his actual name wasn't known, his identity was as well known as the other Holy Children! In truth, no one really knew the actual names of the Holy Children lest they knew them prior, and since Lin Ming was the only Holy Child who was actively interacting and fighting against the natives, establishing his own hard-fought road to receive the Divine Blessing, he was the only one with a reputation.

The other Holy Children had seemingly descended out of nowhere, with no past, no records, and no evidence of their existences prior. But what could these natives do? They had no right to question these Holy Children nor act against them. They were left in the dark, but forced to accept it.

The figure came into the view of everyone, revealing his green pastel colored hair tied into a sleek ponytail that dangled behind him until it reached his legs. He wore a smile that gave off conflicting and a nearly indiscernible impression. Sometimes he felt malevolent but then he seemed to be benevolent. This disparity caused a few to be forced to look at him in a fixated manner to get a sense of him.

Long Chen frowned. This was a Holy Son? This was THE Holy Son of Transformative Water?

He wasn't ignorant of Wei Wuyin's ascension as a Holy Son two years ago, and was fully aware since. He could only gnash his teeth, feeling as if Wei Wuyin must've bribed his way into becoming the Holy Son in much the same way he had the Myriad Monarch Sect. After all, one of the main requirements was to defeat a cultivator three stages above yours, and that meant Wei Wuyin had faced, no, killed a Realmlord.

The thought that Wei Wuyin, a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist, younger than fifty, was capable of overcoming a Realmlord at the Spatial Resonance Phase was absolutely ludicrous to him. Absolutely inconceivable! Whatever sinister manipulation performed to grant Wei Wuyin that title, Long Chen knew it was a reveal of Wei Wuyin's truest nature.

In fact, he was incredibly happy that the Grand Earth Cache was stolen by the Holy Clans, and then the other clans and tribes rushed in and divided their resources, preventing Wei Wuyin from benefiting!

Still, he understood the importance of Holy Children and their authority. They had Realmlords and even Timelords at their beck and call. Of course, quite a few had left for the Central Region, leaving only those loyal to the Endless Seas Temple, the religious base of the Noxious Seas, or those too obstinate to depart.

The Holy Son of Transformative Water remained smiling, "You're right; As cultivators, we act to seek the path of the Martial Dao no matter the dangers or risk, facing all things with a fearless heart."

Shui Linghe, for some strange reason, had a chilly feeling trailing down her spine as the Holy Son glanced her way. She saw an emotion in his eyes that she'd experienced numerous times, causing her to be conflicted as this came from the holder of a Holy Bloodline! If it was in a normal situation, she might be elated to catch his eye, honored to be by his side, but she subconsciously turned to Long Chen, her heart aflutter with emotions.

The Holy Son continued, "We do so to obtain strength, strength to obtain the things we seek, we want, or we need. Mind if I come in?" He smilingly asked, looking at Shui Linghe.

Long Chen's frown went deeper, also feeling as if there was something wrong. But he didn't fear a Holy Son; he had his trump card. To add, he was a powerful cultivator in his own right. He believed that if the requirements to become a Holy Son wasn't to possess Elemental Origin Intent, he could've tried his hand at it.

The crew was honored. A few chanting prayers, utterly gleeful at the arrival of the prestigious Holy Son of Transformative Water. But they weren't the captain of this ship, looking towards Shui Linghe.

After a long moment, Shui Linghe made her decision. "I must apologize, and I mean no offense, but our crew has an ironclad rule to not allow outsiders to enter our ship during sea travel. I seek your forgiveness." Her words were tactful but shocked the crew heavily. While they did have this rule, was it necessary to follow it?

They didn't even follow it for Long Chen and Lian Yu there, so a few felt extremely conflicted, even dissatisfied. A few smart ones felt something was wrong but was unsure of what, so they remained observers.

Hearing Shui Linghe's words, even Long Chen was stunned. But he felt a strange feeling of ill-emotions, being extremely sensitive to these changes. He turned to the Holy Son, realizing this originated from him, but that expression of his betrayed nothing.

"Good rule. Then I'll be direct: I find your beauty exceptional, praise-worthy and instilling me with breathtaking awe. Your demeanor, outward strength, and talent is truly impressive. I wish for you to accompany me back to the temple." Seemingly unperturbed at the denial of entry, the Holy Son directly said with a smile.

"..." The crew now realized what the Holy Son's intentions were! Their captain! But they felt extremely conflicted, because obtaining the Holy Bloodline was an everlasting honor to everyone, and no elf had ever been given such an opportunity before, prior to Wei Wuyin of course. Wasn't this an overwhelming boon?!

Long Chen's heart throbbed. Shui Linghe had feelings for him, and he knew this. Furthermore, she was a ravishing beauty with a unique and hardened disposition. How could he not like her as well? He didn't have the opportunity yet due to Lian Yu's presence, feeling it was improper to pursue someone else while she traveled alongside him.

Shui Linghe was shocked by his directness, but her will was firm. She clasped her hands, bowed deeply, and said: "I ask for your forgiveness, but I have someone else in my heart." When she said this, her eyes shifted to Long Chen for a brief moment before returning to the Holy Son.

This caused the Holy Son, who was originally all smiles, to simply float there without any response for a long moment. Slowly, with an absolutely noticeable shift to his every expression, that ambivalent smile of his lowered. It lowered until his lips evened out, transforming into an indifferent line. Those eyes of his became icy-cold, narrowed...almost sinister. He spoke.

"A little sharp-eared, fish-scaled whore refuses me? If it wasn't for your somewhat tolerable body and untainted primal yin, do you think I would even spare you a few words, a glance? I wouldn't even spare you a wad of my spit, simply too good for a sniveling sow of your disgusting race; self-important and outrageously foolish."

"..."

"..."

"...'

Everyone on the ship, crew, captain, and passenger went absolutely silent, pure shock and extreme surprise painted on their faces as if it was permanent.

What?!

WHAT?!