Inside the private room, Ji Hanhan's hands moved with incredible speed.
His breathing was rapid, his face flushed, clearly indicating he had reached a critical juncture.
He held in his right hand a brush, as thick as a goose egg and over a foot long, and began to wield it with great flourish.
He painted with bold strokes, his brush dancing like dragons and snakes.
The ink and colors flowed like clouds and water, and as his brushstrokes bloomed, specks of radiant light landed on the skin of Gou Mang, outlining a dreamlike, ethereal scroll.
Even more terrifying was the Dao rhythm that lingered at the tip of the brush, and the laws that seeped into the skin of Gou Mang with the ink. This map, transforming from the ethereal to the tangible, gradually gained a life of its own.
"Young Master Ji's craftsmanship is unimaginably superb, and his skill in drawing maps is immeasurable!"
Yan Zhi felt her head buzz.
The divine artistry was too shocking, too impactful!
"Bonny, what is Sister Yan Zhi doing? Is she peeking at Young Master Ji?"
Several girls from the establishment passed by and saw Yan Zhi with her bottom sticking out, staring dumbfoundedly through a crack in the door. They all looked confused.
Weren't they told to only treat Young Master Ji as a sister? Why was Sister Yan Zhi acting like this, harboring impure thoughts even towards her sister?
"Yan Zhi is watching a bad guy draw a map,"
Bonny replied truthfully.
But the eyes of these girls immediately turned green, their hearts pounding.
Really, how shameless! How could Sister Yan Zhi act like this...
It's better to share joy than to enjoy it alone. No, we want to see too.
And so.
The girls revealed knowing, mischievous smiles and swarmed over.
Subsequently, they all widened their eyes in disbelief, their faces filled with horror, their cherry-like mouths agape in an "o" shape.
Throughout Lanyu City, the populace was in a state of panic, unable to sleep peacefully.
The Sea Clan was mobilizing their troops and dispatching their forces, making no attempt at subtlety, conducting their operations almost right under everyone's noses.
This was deliberate, a show of strength, a silent declaration that anyone who dared to oppose the Sea Clan would meet only a dead end.
Gazing towards the Arctic Ocean.
The sea surface was densely packed with the figures of various sea monsters. Some were as large as mountains, others stretched out in continuous formations. All of them had cold, piercing eyes, their killing intent directed towards the west coast.
For many years, the west coast defense line had been like a chasm, repeatedly repelling the incursions of ambitious sea clans who desired to encroach upon the land.
But this time, almost everyone believed that the west coast defense line would inevitably be breached, and Lanyu City would ultimately fall.
The primary reason was that the Merman clan had allied with several of the most powerful sea monsters, eliminating their rivals and destroying those sea clans who loved peace and refused to collude. They had conquered more than half of the Arctic Ocean, amassing unprecedented power.
Furthermore, the west coast defense line alliance had been infiltrated, becoming a scattered mess. The Chi family had lost the crucial Heaven and Earth Three Talents Formation Map, and no longer possessed sufficient power to resist the sea clan army.
Although Chi Qingying of the Chi family was indeed exceptionally talented and possessed a divine artifact, her combat power might already rival that of an ordinary Immortal Emperor. However, she was alone and unable to turn the tide of the battle.
Within Lanyu City, many beings, fearing being caught in the war, had already fled.
Many factions, for their own benefit, had also chosen to compromise, declaring they would not obstruct the Sea Clan's landing and tacitly allowing them to expand on land.
Those who firmly declared their intention to fight the Sea Clan to the death and to coexist with Lanyu City until the very end were only a handful of people, led by the Chi family, including some opportunistic nephews who called Ji Mo their uncle.
When the tide recedes, you can see who wasn't wearing swimming trunks.
And when war arrives, one can see everyone's true intentions.
In these days, Chi Qingying was overwhelmed. She wanted to completely eliminate the traitors within the city before the great battle commenced, especially those disloyal families in the west coast defense line alliance, who deserved to die.
However, her achievements were minimal. Those traitors and opportunists who sided with the Sea Clan, being numerous and powerful, were not something she could deal with alone.
If not for their fear of the divine artifact in Chi Qingying's possession, they would have already counterattacked and taken over the Chi family.
"Mistress, Young Lady, why don't we escape? If we keep the green hills, we'll never run out of firewood. Miss has unparalleled talent and the potential to be deified. Even if she cannot become a supreme deity in the future, she has a great chance of stepping into the Immortal God realm. Then, it won't be too late to reclaim Lanyu City."
Cui Niang had repeatedly advised Madam Chi and Chi Qingying to abandon the city and flee.
Under the current circumstances, staying would only lead to death, with no chance of victory.
However, this suggestion was rejected.
The ancestral teachings of the Chi family, "The city is here, the family is here," and the pride in their bloodline that never retreated, meant that they would never abandon the city.
"What is that scoundrel doing these days?"
Chi Qingying inquired about Ji Mo, still holding onto some hope.
If Ji Mo were willing to help, perhaps he could hold off the Sea Clan for a while, and a turning point might arrive.
"Mr. Ji has been staying in the Feng Hua Xue Yue Tower and has not shown his face. Moreover..."
Cui Niang hesitated, unable to speak the latter half of her sentence.
Because she had heard some unspeakable gossip: Ji Mo stayed up all night, drawing maps for the girls at the pleasure house, living wantonly and with indecent conduct, completely depraved.
"Moreover what, Cui Niang, tell me! Could it be that he's indulging in nightly revelry and becoming a groom every night? That shameless渣男! Even though my body is soft and easy to push down, he remained unmoved and indifferent, insisting on being infatuated with those vulgar women. Is there something wrong with him? Even if he doesn't like me, I can be sweet and soft, and I can whimper!"
Xia Wan'er was so angry that she cursed Ji Mo for being blind and unable to distinguish good from bad.
Men were indeed lecherous old fools; even Ji Mo had fallen. From now on, no man could be trusted!
"Damn Wan'er, who are you calling easy to push down?"
Chi Qingying was so angry her face turned green, wanting to tear the little girl's mouth.
Really, was this damned child itching for a beating? I'll beat you until you whimper right here.
At the same time, Chi Qingying felt a pang of sadness, believing that she held no significance in Ji Mo's heart and that she had been deluding herself all along.
"The falling flower is willing, but the flowing water is heartless; the flowing water does not care for the falling flower."
Chi Qingying gave up hope.
She never expected that the first time she fell for someone in her life, she would lose so miserably. She felt like she would never love again.
Wuwu...
The conch shell sounded through the heavens and earth.
The assembled Sea Clan army finally launched their attack.
The wind howled, and the waves crashed a thousand times!
Endless sea monsters stirred up trouble, carrying overwhelming winds and giant waves, charging towards the west coast.
The 108 towering black stone lighthouses, forming the first layer of the west coast defense line, erupted with soaring radiant light, emitting countless terrifying beams to actively defend.
But then, nearly seventy black stone lighthouses suddenly went dark, completely losing their function, clearly having been sabotaged in advance by traitors.
The remaining thirty-odd black stone lighthouses could not form a complete defensive system, and their power was greatly reduced. The Sea Clan, with minimal cost, easily smashed all the lighthouses to pieces.
Chi Qingying's face turned as dark as water, placing her hope on the second layer of defense line set up on the beach.
There lay buried five devastating Five Elements Killing Formations of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. If they were detonated simultaneously, their combined power would be enough to destroy heaven and earth, delivering a heavy blow to the Sea Clan army.
However.
When a deep-sea eel, over a thousand meters long, shrouded in black mist, with scarlet eyes and exuding an aura of immortality, leaped out of the water and plunged deep into the beach,
Chi Qingying felt a great sense of foreboding, despair appearing on her face.