Chapter 30: Balance

The boiling momentum of the Western Sea quickly spread. Although the water temperature in Cheng Shan was still bearable, the deafening noise of the boiling sea was overwhelming. Cheng Shan felt like her internal organs were about to be shattered. Using all her strength, she leaped out of the water and rushed towards the shore as fast as possible.

However, when Cheng Shan reached the junction of the sea and the shore, she found herself blocked by an invisible force, unable to move forward. Cheng Shan immediately understood that there was a barrier similar to a boundary at sunset every day, or else the noise and temperature from the boiling sea would prevent any vegetation from growing on the shore.

Cheng Shan quickly looked around for an escape route but was disappointed. If this barrier was meant to block sound and temperature, it must be significant, and she wouldn’t have time to find its end.

At this moment, the barrier shook twice, producing two light circles. It turned out that Yang Taizai was trying hard to attack the barrier to let Cheng Shan through. However, he was forced back by Ouyang Jun, leaving Yang Taizai no choice but to close his eyes, unwilling to see Cheng Shan boiled alive.

At a critical moment, Cheng Shan no longer hoped for anyone to harm such an important barrier for her. Making a decisive decision, she took advantage of the still-bearable water temperature and submerged again. Using water as a medium, she refined her true energy and released it to the seabed, circling around her body. She also used some true energy to protect her ears, barely finding a cool place.

Just as Cheng Shan felt a slight decrease in temperature, a layer of white mist sprayed up around her, and the boiling waves were approaching!

The white mist became thicker and thicker, but it still couldn’t stop the dazzling red light from penetrating. At this moment, above the Western Sea, the flaming sun rolled over, touching the water’s surface. In an instant, the white waves turned into light smoke, capturing the dazzling flame within. It surged into the sky, turning into a radiant glow and illuminating everything.

The red sun rode the wind and waves, slowly sinking into the sea. Although Cheng Shan had true energy protecting her ears, she still sprayed out a mouthful of blood in the midst of the sea’s crazy turmoil, unable to help but close her eyes. In a dying struggle, she called out to Han Luo, “Master, it’s over. Help me, help me quickly.”

After a moment, Cheng Shan felt like she had waited for an eternity. Han Luo’s voice finally came: “What’s wrong with you? Can you hold on for another fifteen minutes?”

Cheng Shan, without asking about the situation on his side, forced a smile and said, “Fifteen minutes is enough for me to be boiled alive.”

As Cheng Shan spoke, she felt a surge of cool, true energy gathering towards her. A vortex formed around her small world, gradually shaking off the noisy white mist. Cheng Shan suddenly felt relieved, but she dared not relax, continuing to expand her territory.

The world roared, and Han Luo’s support gradually became as thin as silk, but it flowed in with almost obsessive persistence. Cheng Shan’s cool little world had expanded to a pure land with a radius of about a mile. Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Han Luo’s Senluo true energy was cut off, and Cheng Shan’s pure land was instantly compressed. Clusters of white mist surged from all sides, like mountains pressing down on her. The small world was eroded to a square inch, and Cheng Shan, along with it, floated and tumbled. “It’s coming!”

The red fireball rolled over like Mount Tai from above. The waves roared, and smoke billowed. In the midst of flipping and turning, Cheng Shan unintentionally turned her true energy into a water shield. It seemed like a floating duckweed, but it responded to the trajectory of the red sun, splitting the vast Western Sea into two, vaguely resembling a yin and yang fish. If Gongzi Qi were present, he would probably exclaim that he had never seen a real “stirring up wind and waves.”

Ouyang Jun, Yang Taizai, and Hong Ying had long lost interest in the battle. Floating on the other side of the barrier in mid-air, their eyes all showed uncontrollable astonishment. Yang Taizai, with his hands tucked in his sleeves, sighed, “I never thought I could witness such a spectacular scene in my lifetime.”

The passage of the red sun was actually only a moment, but in Cheng Shan’s perception, it felt extremely long. Cheng Shan resisted the pure Yang true fire with half of the Western Sea. In a moment, her true energy was exhausted, and she could no longer sense Han Luo’s true energy. Even the energy in the water was unable to be absorbed, not to mention supporting the protective water shield.

Cheng Shan used up her last bit of strength and leaped out of the water with the waves, but in the vast expanse of water, there was nowhere to land. The Western Sea was still boiling, with waves churning, and a sense of absurdity flashed through Cheng Shan’s mind. She had just sent away the Fireball Old Man, but was she now destined to be buried in this world-sized hotpot? This way of dying was simply beyond imagination.

In the midst of her chaotic thoughts in mid-air, Cheng Shan unintentionally glimpsed Ouyang Jun, who was watching the commotion. In her heart, she bitterly thought, “Just wait, you’ll see me haunt you!”

In a moment of despair, the jade flute tied around Cheng Shan’s waist trembled, broke free on its own, flew into the air, and automatically positioned itself under Cheng Shan’s feet. However, Cheng Shan had never practiced controlling a magical instrument. She swayed left and right on it, unable to grasp the technique. The hot wind on the sea made her dizzy, and in the end, Cheng Shan slipped off and fell downward.

At that moment, a breeze broke through the misty water vapor, lifting Cheng Shan up. Astonished, Cheng Shan looked towards the source and saw a man in white, Feng Xu, riding the wind towards her. He had a graceful demeanor, unaffected by the scorching heat waves. Cheng Shan suddenly felt cooler as this clear and cold figure approached. She wondered if it was an illusion and questioned why the illusion was an unfamiliar man.

The man stopped in front of Cheng Shan in an instant, his white clothes fluttering. He was tall and extraordinary, making Cheng Shan feel exceptionally unreal and momentarily stunned. Smiling, he reached out a hand, helped Cheng Shan onto the jade flute, and steadied her. His voice was as gentle as jade: “The barrier will descend in half an hour; hold on a little longer.”

Cheng Shan regained her senses, noticed the similarity in his attire to Ouyang Jun, and asked in astonishment, “Are you… a deity?”

The man smiled and said, “I’m called Chang Chun.”