After Yan Mo returned to the great hall once more.
The little princess Yan Xue’er had already woken up. She did not cry, nor did she make a fuss. She merely stared blankly at the ground, her eyes having lost all focus.
Yan Mo’s heart ached unbearably. He stepped forward and embraced her in his arms, saying nothing. A thousand words could not express the pain and guilt in his heart.
But he did not regret it!
For the future of the Yan clan, between emotion and reason, he had chosen reason.
“Good younger sister, your elder brother will protect you for the rest of your life in future.” Yan Mo kissed little princess Yan Xue’er’s hair.
Then, he walked to the Yan King’s golden throne and opened the mechanism.
Immediately, the floor of the entire great hall once again opened into a massive cavern, revealing a gigantic abyss.
Inside was completely empty. Not to mention there being no trace of Queen Yan and Solon, even the figure of the Sea God’s incarnation colossal beast had disappeared.
Of course, the fresh water he had imagined did not appear at all either.
And just at this time, a Yan warrior reported from outside, “Your Majesty the Yan King, the water level has dropped by nine chi, and the water flow has decreased by half!”
Even after the queen’s living sacrifice, the water level had not risen, but instead dropped.
Yan Mo said slowly, “The Sea God’s decree has already been issued. It wants us to break with tradition, wants our Yan clan to leave the Yan Islands, to expand, to conquer…”
His gaze slowly turned towards the island lords present, and Yan Mo said, “New decree of the Sea God. All Yan people, all ships, fully evacuate the Yan Islands and enter the Thunder Islands. Not a single woman, not a single elder, not a single child is to be left behind.”
Immediately, the entire great hall fell into complete silence.
This was the place where they had lived their entire lives, the place where their Yan ancestors had lived for thousands of years.
If they had a choice, they would rather die here on the Yan Islands.
Yan Mo said slowly, “I know, many of you would rather die on the Yan Islands than leave. But if you choose to die here, and he also chooses to die here, then what of the Yan people’s future? What of our next generation? We are about to go to a brand new home, fraught with crises on all sides. Our children, our future need us to fight with our blades, to plunder. If you choose to die here, then who will fight? Who will plunder?”
These words spoken, they shook the hearts of all island lords present.
Indeed, those present were all the strongest Yan pirate chiefs. If they did not lead the Yan people to fight and plunder, to create a new home, the Yan people would have no future.
Yan Mo said, “New decree of the Sea God. All Yan people evacuate Yan Island. Do you obey this decree?”
“We obey the decree!” Immediately, all island lords present knelt down.
Then, all island lords left the palace great hall and went to assemble the fleet, to assemble all Yan people, to carry out an unprecedented great evacuation.
The Yan people had lived here for thousands of years. Now they were finally leaving.
“Little Xue’er, come. Elder brother will take you to the new home. You will certainly like it.” Yan Mo came to the little princess’s side, gently embracing her, about to lift her up.
And just at this time, little princess Yan Xue’er seemed to suddenly awaken, then began to struggle, saying, “Let me go, let me go, I am not leaving!”
Yan Mo hurriedly coaxed gently, “Little Xue, my good little Xue. There is no way to live here anymore. This is the Sea God’s decree. You must come with me. I am your elder brother. The mother queen is no longer here. I am your only family.”
The little princess said, “No, I want to follow Brother Shen Lang. The mother queen told me to follow him, so I will follow him.”
Yan Mo said, “He deceived you. He is not Shen Lang at all. He is Solon, your half-brother by the same father. To obtain your fleet, he actually married you.”
Of course, Solon was Yan Xue’er’s younger brother, but everyone treated Yan Xue’er as a thirteen year old child. Therefore, they spoke of Solon as her elder brother.
“He did not deceive me,” little princess Yan Xue’er said. “Though he did not say it, the way he looked at me was different from all other men. Like the mother queen, like you. I do not care whether he is Solon or Shen Lang. The mother queen told me to follow him, so I will follow him.”
For Yan Xue’er, whether it was Solon or Shen Lang truly did not matter.
Because she was completely ignorant and unaware of matters between men and women. She only knew she liked Solon and was willing to be with him.
And just now while unconscious, she had also faintly heard that Solon was her half-brother by the same father.
That was even better. The two of them could be together forever, and it would be best if the whole family were together.
As for whether it was a sibling relationship or a marital relationship, she still found it difficult to understand how great the difference was.
But elder brother Yan Mo had killed Solon.
Thus, in an instant, she had lost all her family. She had lost the mother queen, lost elder brother Yan Mo, lost Solon.
Because an elder brother who could kill his own younger brother was no longer an elder brother.
“Solon is already dead. How can you follow him?” Yan Mo shouted loudly.
“I do not care. I just want to wait here for him, wait for the mother queen…” little princess Yan Xue’er said, “I do not want you anymore. You are not my elder brother. How can an elder brother kill his own younger brother?”
“I did it for the Yan clan, for everyone,” Yan Mo roared.
Little Xue’er could not immediately articulate too many reasons. She just knew, how could an elder brother kill a younger brother? No matter the reason, it was not allowed.
“I do not have this elder brother of yours anymore. I want to stay here. I want to wait here for the mother queen, wait for Brother Shen Lang…” the little princess said.
Yan Mo could not explain clearly to her for a moment, so he directly carried her on his shoulder and walked.
The little princess struggled desperately, shouting, “Let me go, let me go…”
Then, she suddenly drew out a dagger and stabbed it into Yan Mo’s chest and lungs.
“Thud…” The dagger, roughly half a chi long, was fully thrust into Yan Mo’s chest.
With Yan Mo’s martial arts, a hundred Yan Xues could not possibly thrust a dagger into his chest.
Even if he opened his chest and let her stab, she could not pierce it. As long as he released dragon power and locked all his muscles tight, little princess Yan Xue’er could not thrust it in even with all her strength.
But Yan Mo made no defence whatsoever, simply allowing his younger sister to thrust the dagger into his chest.
Even, when his younger sister thrust the dagger into his chest, he had a feeling of atonement, as though the pain in his heart had lightened somewhat.
Then, looking at Yan Xue’er with heartbroken anguish, his eyes rimmed red, he said, “Little Xue’er, do you… hate me this much?”
Little princess Yan Xue’er shook her head, saying, “Yes, I hate you. But I will not kill you. I just want you to put me down. I absolutely, absolutely will not leave. I would rather die. If you forcibly take me away, I will die before your eyes.”
Yan Mo looked into her eyes. Though still innocent and flawless, they were filled with absolute will.
He remained quiet for several minutes.
Finally, King Yan Mo, holding back his tears, set his younger sister the little princess down.
“You truly will not come with me?” Yan Mo asked in a trembling voice.
“No,” Yan Xue said, “My elder brother would not kill his own younger brother. I no longer have an elder brother.”
The muscles on Yan Mo’s face twitched violently.
Little princess Yan Xue said, “And the Queen Island fleet you are not permitted to take away. This was given to me by the mother queen. I cannot give it to you.”
“Very well, I will not take the Queen Island fleet. It is yours.” Yan Mo nodded painfully, then said to several Yan female generals inside the palace, “Protect your little mistress well. When the fresh water is exhausted, take her away. No matter where you go, just take her away.”
“Yes,” the Yan female generals said, but their gazes did not turn towards Yan Mo.
They were Queen Yan’s trusted subordinates. From the moment Yan Mo pushed Solon into the abyss and killed him, they had already decided they would not pledge loyalty to Yan Mo, because Yan Mo had violated his mother queen’s will.
On the contrary, Solon, though he had no blood relation whatsoever with Her Majesty the Queen, was still willing to risk danger and return to save the queen, even paying with his life for it.
In that instant, Solon won the hearts of all the queen’s guard generals.
Yan Mo was originally about to walk out of the palace, but then turned back.
He pressed the mechanism, closing the abyss opening and restoring it to the floor of the palace great hall.
Then, he took out his great sword and smashed the entire golden throne into pieces.
He smashed the throne for two purposes. Firstly, to cut off all retreat, expressing the absolute will to never return to the Yan Islands.
Secondly, to destroy the mechanism, so this abyss opening could never be opened again. He feared that Yan Xue’er might take things too hard and jump down from the abyss to follow the mother queen and Solon.
He was wrong. Yan Xue’er’s mind was merely that of a thirteen year old child. She had not yet learned to follow in death.
When parents and family members went far away, a child would only do one thing. Sit at the doorway and wait for them to return, waiting like this forever.
…
One hour later!
Over seventy thousand salt people, over a thousand ships of various kinds, loaded with countless gold, treasures, weapons, and so forth.
Vast and mighty, spreading across the sea surface in a formation over a hundred li long, heading towards the northwest in an overwhelming mass.
Countless Yan people knelt and kowtowed on the ships!
Countless people were wailing, using daggers to cut their own faces, letting fresh blood flow into the seawater.
For thousands of years, generation after generation of Yan people had lived on these islands. And now they were departing.
Would Yan people who left the Yan Islands still be Yan people?
Perhaps, thousands of years of Yan people’s history would end from today.
And the Queen Island fleet belonging to the little princess, ten thousand salt people, and nearly two hundred ships, remained quietly moored at the port of the Yan Islands.
They had long since assembled completely, yet had never set sail.
They merely watched quietly as their compatriots left, still motionless on their ships, their vessels still unmoving at the port.
Because their master, Princess Yan Xue, had given no command.
And Princess Yan Xue sat directly on the floor inside the great hall, hugging her knees on the hard, cold ground, staring blankly at the floor where Solon and the mother queen had disappeared, waiting like this forever.
…
Solon, who had fallen into the abyss!
Continuously falling, falling!
First entering the depths of the abyss, then entering the colossal beast’s great maw.
Then, seemingly endless tunnels.
Finally, strange and bizarre scenes of light and shadow.
All kinds of colours, all kinds of light. Every time Solon passed through one, a strange energy washed and attacked his brain domain.
Instantly, countless illusions, countless scenes of light and shadow, filled his mind.
This was like a bizarre dream, or like locking a person in a dark room and making them watch decades of various images and films.
Then, there was nothing left in his mind.
Fortunately…
He had the Demon Star!
The Demon Star’s energy desperately protected the brain domain where Solon stored his memories and wisdom, desperately resisting these bizarre scenes and energies.
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh…”
Not knowing how many tunnels he passed through, how many strange scenes of light and shadow.
The clothing on his body had long since been completely reduced to ashes, leaving only his bare body.
Solon could no longer endure such spiritual devastation, directly fainting away, engaging in brain domain protection.
…
Not knowing how much time passed!
Solon seemed to pass through countless dreams, complex and bizarre dreams, completely fragmented images.
His head was splitting with pain, but under the Demon Star’s protection.
Gradually, the entire brain domain was restored to completeness, but his head still split with pain, his spirit shattered.
Struggling desperately to rise, everything before his eyes was blurred and distorted, completely unclear.
It seemed… he was in a very bizarre indoor space.
It seemed… it was a great hall? Or perhaps, it was a cavity?
The place where he lay beneath him was hard yet smooth, indescribable whether it was jade or something else, somewhat crystalline and translucent.
And not far away, a woman lay there motionless, likewise not wearing a single thread.
A devilish seductive body, its curves rising and falling like mountains and valleys, filled with devilish charm.
She… was Queen Yan, who had previously jumped down as a living sacrifice.
Solon struggled desperately to crawl over, wanting to see whether Queen Yan was dead or alive.
A distance of over ten metres, he crawled for a full ten minutes, then lifted Queen Yan’s enchanting body into his arms, gently shaking her, saying, “Aunt, aunt…”
And just at this time, the voice of the Demon Star rang out in his heart.
“Master, I sense an energy, a familiar yet incomparably powerful energy…”
He clearly sensed that the Demon Star’s voice was trembling and shuddering, as though in extreme excitement.
“What energy?” Solon asked.
“The energy of a Dragon Seal relic…” the Demon Star said.
Solon was instantly shocked!