Chapter 28 : Forced to Retreat

The waves, towering a hundred feet high, surged relentlessly, transforming the entire Chen family estate into an ocean.

The Chen residence was built by the sea, with high mountains and steep cliffs along the coastline designed to keep the sea water at bay. No matter the tide or storm, the sea had never breached the estate.

However, at this moment, the towering mountains and cliffs could no longer hold back the surging waters. The colossal waves crashed repeatedly, quickly submerging the exquisite buildings.

The sounds of people screaming, wailing, and calling for help mixed together, resembling a scene from hell.

Today was Old Master Chen’s seventieth birthday, and many had come to celebrate, including demon hunters, as well as nobles, officials, and commoners from Qingyu City. These ordinary people had no means to resist such a terrifying disaster.

They were swept into the water, the sea acting like a monstrous beast, dragging them down to the depths.

Some quick-thinking demon hunters immediately grabbed nearby elderly and children, leaping to higher ground and taking them to the mountain peak, which was not yet submerged by the sea.

However, many others were struggling in the water, unable to help themselves.

When the disaster struck, Ji Yu was embraced by Jiang Shiqiu and felt herself lifted, her body soaring gracefully through the night sky.

She did not struggle, instead, she nestled contentedly in his arms as he carried her upwards.

After a few moments, she was gently set down, her feet touching the ground.

“Wife, it’s alright now.”

Jiang Shiqiu’s voice rang out. Ji Yu looked up at him, the strong wind and roaring sea painting the world in a murky, blood-red hue.

Suddenly, her gaze froze, staring blankly at the sky ahead.

The fireworks had extinguished when the sea water encroached, and the dark sky was stained red by a blood moon, resembling a crimson eye opening in the darkness.

The scene was almost a dreamlike vision.

Her body still bore the weight of an unbearable pain, and she couldn’t help but clutch her chest, struggling to suppress the tearing agony.

Ji Yu’s gaze fell from the sky to the Chen family mansion below, now submerged by the sea. She saw demon hunters attempting to rescue people and others struggling to survive in the water…

The colossal waves came from the sea, as if a giant hand was stirring up the storm. The waves surged in endless succession.

Many people who were climbing up the mountain were swept back into the water by the massive waves.

“Master!”

Ji Yu heard Ji Buhuan’s voice. She turned to see him, drenched, running towards her while carrying a young girl.

The little girl was pale with fear, tears welling up in her eyes, trying to hold back her cries.

Seeing Ji Yu safe, Ji Buhuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He set the girl down, wiped the water from his face, and said, “Master, I’m going to help rescue others!”

He said no more, leaving the child with Ji Yu, making sure she stayed put and did not attempt to rescue anyone.

The young master’s health was too fragile, prolonged exposure to the water could make her ill.

Ji Yu understood his intention and, after a moment of silence, did not argue.

After Ji Buhuan left, she looked at the little girl left behind.

The child, possibly still in shock from the disaster, looked at Ji Yu and Jiang Shiqiu with wide, fearful eyes, timidly reaching out to grasp Ji Yu’s skirt.

Ji Yu did not push her hand away, allowing her to hold on, as she gazed at the roiling water below.

From the sea, she sensed an ominous aura but could not pinpoint its source, unsure of what might be lurking.

After a long while, she turned to look at Jiang Shiqiu, who stood nearby with his hands clasped behind his back.

He looked down at the vast expanse of water, his eyes deep and unfathomable, like a deity cold and indifferent. His red robes fluttered in the night wind, and his bound black hair swirled, entwined beneath the blood moon.

“Jiang Shiqiu,” Ji Yu called out to him.

Jiang Shiqiu turned his head, and the indifferent expression on his face disappeared, replaced by the familiar look Ji Yu knew.

Ji Yu asked, “The people from the Demon Division left the city yesterday were they deliberately lured out?”

Even today, during Old Master Chen’s birthday celebration, the Demon Division’s personnel had not appeared. Although Jiang Shiqiu, the commander of the division, was present, it might seem a bit inadequate to outsiders, giving an impression of vulnerability.

The disaster that struck tonight was clearly premeditated. With the Chen family’s strength and the protective artifacts, how could the sea water flood the entire estate?

The Chen family had been caught completely off guard, and even their protective artifacts had not been activated. No matter how powerful the hidden demons were, they could not have achieved this level of destruction alone.

The only explanation was that someone had acted as an accomplice.

Jiang Shiqiu replied, “From the current situation, it seems so.”

Hearing this, Ji Yu pressed her lips together and turned her gaze toward Qingyu City beyond the Chen estate.

Qingyu City was a large city with countless ordinary people. If the sea water were to submerge the entire city, how many lives would be lost?

As if sensing her concern, Jiang Shiqiu said, “Don’t worry,Ji Yu. The target is the Chen family. For now, only the Chen family is affected. Qingyu City is safe for the time being.”

Her tense heart relaxed slightly.

But she also understood his implication this was only a temporary reprieve. If the demons causing the chaos tonight were not dealt with, Qingyu City would eventually face the same fate.

Jiang Shiqiu continued, “Wife, there are many demon hunters here. Nothing will happen.”

He did not want his wife to put herself at risk. Although she was a demon slayer too, her health was too fragile to sustain extensive use of her powers.

Ji Yu understood his meaning and did not argue. She simply smiled and said, “I know.”

As they spoke, more demon hunters brought people up to the mountain.

The number of people being brought up increased, all of them drenched and looking like drowned rats, crowding at the mountaintop.

The demon hunters who brought them were not surprised to see Ji Yu and Jiang Shiqiu standing there.

The young master was frail and weak, and although she was a demon slayer, it was feared she would need rescuing rather than rescuing others. So, there were no high expectations for her.

As for Jiang Shiqiu, he was the commander of the Demon Division, and no one dared to command him.

“Cousin!”

Ji Yu turned and saw Pei Yang being brought over by the Pei family disciples. She quickly called her over.

Pei Yang was also soaked. Seeing Ji Yu reaching for a handkerchief to wipe her face, Pei Yang hurriedly took it herself, dabbing at her face while saying, “Cousin, don’t stand too close to me. The water on me might wet your clothes.”

The cousin’s body was so frail if she got wet, she would surely fall ill.

As she thought this, Pei Yang suddenly noticed that Ji Yu’s clothes were actually dry.

Because the sea water came so suddenly, everyone, whether ordinary people or demon hunters, had been drenched, and no one remained dry.

Pei Yang looked up and saw Jiang Shiqiu standing next to Ji Yu.

She gazed out at the vast, moonlit water, his strikingly handsome face displaying a near-cold detachment. She opened her mouth but did not speak.

Like Ji Yu, he was impeccably clean, not a single drop of water touching him. An invisible force seemed to shield him from the splashing water.

Ji Yu continued to search for anomalies beneath the water and told Pei Yang, “Yang Yang, stay behind me and don’t wander off.”

Pei Yang responded with an “okay” and quietly stood behind her, tactfully not interrupting them.

The rising sea water was encroaching rapidly, and the area of the mountaintop that remained dry was shrinking. The space where people could survive was becoming increasingly limited.

Suddenly, something leaped out of the water and lunged at an elderly person standing there.

Under the blood-red moonlight, everyone clearly saw that it was a decaying fish. Most of its body had rotted away, revealing gaping white bones, and its mouth was filled with sharp teeth.

“Ah—”

People screamed in terror.

At that moment, a yellow talisman descended from the sky, striking the fish monster and causing it to be sent flying into a cloud of green smoke, disappearing.

The crowd, still shaken, turned to see Ji Yu holding a yellow talisman. They were immensely grateful, especially the elderly person who was saved, who quickly bowed in thanks.

“Thank you, Young Master Ji, for saving us!”

Ji Yu’s expression was tense as she gave the elderly man a slight nod, then continued to stare intently at the churning seawater below.

The power of the sea’s surge, which had submerged the Chen residence, indicated the strength of the demonic entities behind this chaos. She didn’t believe their goal was merely to flood the Chen family, there must be more to their plans.

However, with the sea raging and her senses picking up an ominous aura that she couldn’t pinpoint, she was at a loss on how to address the current crisis.

Ji Yu’s concerns were well-founded.

Indeed, the seawater began to rise again, threatening to engulf the remaining space on the mountaintop.

As the water level rose, more fish monsters leaped out of the sea, attacking those on the mountaintop.

The demon hunters on the mountaintop sprang into action, fending off the fish monsters’ assaults.

Panic spread among the others as they squeezed back, fearful of being devoured by the fish monsters that emerged from the water.

The demon hunters below, who were rescuing people, also noticed the rapidly rising seawater.

After rescuing individuals, they realized the water was rising so fast that there would soon be no place to stand. They feared that even if they survived the fish monsters, they would drown in the flood.

“What should we do?”

“The water is coming up fast, soon we’ll all be submerged!”

“I don’t want to die…”

“Wuwu, how could this happen? What kind of monster is causing this? There are so many demon hunters here, can’t anyone find the monster?”

“Hurry and kill the monster causing this chaos! Aren’t you demon hunters? Why aren’t you taking action?”

Under the threat of death, the crowd’s emotions began to crumble, their respect for the demon hunters waning.

“Shut up, do you think we don’t want to?” A young demon hunter, drenched in sweat and struggling to fight off the fish monsters, shouted in frustration. “We can’t even locate it, how are we supposed to solve this?”

The evil entity causing the chaos was hiding too well, as if every place touched by the sea was its hiding spot. It was impossible to pinpoint.

Seeing this, Chen Qingfeng, who had just arrived with rescued individuals, quickly reassured the crowd. “Everyone, don’t worry. Our Elder Master is searching the sea for the culprit and will deal with it. Please wait patiently, Chen family will ensure your safety!”

Chen Qingfeng’s words did calm the crowd.

With the Chen family’s Elder Master taking action, they believed things would be alright.

After calming the crowd, Chen Qingfeng hurried off to rescue more people.

Before leaving, he glanced at Ji Yu, who was setting up a protective barrier for those around her, and at Jiang Shiqiu, who stood with his hands behind his back, watching the scene with a detached, indifferent expression. He moved his lips but didn’t say anything.

Soon, more demon hunters arrived with additional rescued individuals.

It was Chen Mu.

She was carrying one person in each hand, placing them on the mountaintop, and looked around anxiously, searching for someone.

Chen Mu’s anxiety grew as she didn’t find who she was looking for. Without hesitation, she jumped into the sea.

With the number of fish monsters emerging from the sea increasing, Ji Yu’s intuition told her something was wrong. Suddenly, her expression hardened as she shouted, “Fall back!”

The demon hunters instinctively retreated.

As they moved back, a massive wave surged upwards towards them.

From within the wave, a huge fish demon emerged.

Half of its body was submerged in the water, and although its full form was obscured, its immense size and strength were evident from the portion visible above the water.

The fish demon’s cold, piercing eyes were fixed on the people on the mountaintop, causing a chill to run through everyone.

Finally, the fish demon leaped out of the water, its enormous body resembling a small mountain, crashing towards the mountaintop.

Its mouth gaped open, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Ji Yu’s gaze sharpened as she quickly retrieved a glass bottle from her sleeve.

Inside the glass bottle was a plump fish, sleeping peacefully. Before it could even enjoy its newfound freedom after being thrown from the bottle, it saw the monstrous fish demon, its mouth wide open, ready to devour everything.

The plump fish’s eyes widened in panic as it rapidly increased in size, swinging its tail at the black fish demon.

Although the plump fish was not attractive, its scales were exceptionally beautiful. Under the blood moon, they shimmered with an ominous hue, making it appear even more otherworldly.

The plump fish was smaller than the black fish demon, but when they collided, the demonic energies clashed, and the seawater exploded.

With a loud bang, both fish demons fell into the water.

They thrashed and fought in the sea, with water splashing everywhere and a bloody stench quickly filling the air.

The sight was chilling to everyone.

Not only the ordinary people but even the demon hunters present had never witnessed such a close-up, violent battle between powerful monsters. It was brutal and unsettling.

However, with the plump fish distracting the black fish demon, the pressure on everyone eased somewhat.

“It’s bad, the seawater is rising!”

A demon hunter screamed, and everyone finally noticed that the water had already reached their ankles. In less than a quarter of an hour, it would likely submerge them.

Ji Yu also felt the cold seawater rising.

Her expression remained calm as she held the golden bead on her wrist, preparing to act when a hand landed on her shoulder.

“ My wife”.

Ji Yu paused and turned to look at Jiang Shiqiu. She knew he was powerful, but she hadn’t expected to rely solely on him.

Relying on others was never a long-term solution.

Without saying a word, he placed a flower basket in her arms.

Ji Yu looked at the basket, feeling a bit confused.

Since the first time he gave her a bouquet of spring flowers, he had continued to pick and give her flowers whenever he had the chance. He preferred to pick the most beautiful wildflowers from the mountains himself, their delicate fragrance was subtle and pleasant, never overwhelming.

The flowers in this basket were picked the day before from a mountain he passed on his way to Qingyu City.

Jiang Shiqiu took out a single flower from the basket.

It was a deep red flower, with petals clearly defined and even the tender stamen was red.

He just waved his hand casually, and the petals fell and floated towards the sea in front. Under the blood moon, they turned into petals flying in the sky, fluttering and forcing back the rising sea water.

Seeing this scene, everyone was stunned.

It was clearly an extremely eerie scene, yet it was beautiful like a dream. The approaching sea water receded like a tide under the petals flying all over the sky.