The sun barely showed its face as morning arrived, but what woke Yuchen was not the gentle light—it was Yetao's voice through the magical stud in his ear.
"Gege, are you taking revenge on me? The sun barely arose," Yuchen mumbled, still in bed with half-open eyes.
"I know. I just wanted to inform you. I'm going inside the sea," Yetao replied simply.
Yuchen bolted upright, panic instantly clearing the fog of sleep from his mind. "What? Wait, I'm coming too!" He leapt from his bed and rushed toward Yetao's room, only to find it empty.
"Gege, where are you?" Yuchen's voice betrayed his rising anxiety.
"I'm already on the rock." Yetao had somehow already reached their destination from the previous night, the mysterious light still glimmering beneath the ocean's surface.
"Gege, don't do anything stupid. Wait until I arrive," Yuchen pleaded, racing toward the cave.
Yetao's voice turned stern. "I'll really break your legs if you try to come here, and I won't ever speak to you"
Yuchen hesitated briefly before pressing forward. "Your safety is more important to me, gege"
When he reached the spot where the cave had been the night before, Yuchen stopped short. The entrance had vanished completely.
"What? Did the cave disappear?" Yetao asked playfully, as if he'd anticipated this very scenario.
"Gege, what did you do?" Yuchen demanded, panting with exertion and worry.
"I created a barrier. Don't worry, it will open within an hour," Yetao explained, the smile evident in his voice.
"Why did you do such a thing?" Yuchen's voice rose in frustration.
"Because some kid will follow me and break his legs if I don't do this," came the calm response.
Yuchen ran a hand through his hair, stress evident in every line of his body.
"Yuchen... listen to me," Yetao's tone softened. "I can communicate with you even inside the water. I'll keep updating what I see and do. Can you just trust me and sit tight?"
Yuchen pursed his lips, worry etched across his features.
"I will arrive in no time," Yetao continued. "People will wake once the sun rises, and we don't know when we'll get another chance. And Lu will worry more if he knew about this. I'll return before he even notices I'm gone, okay?"
After a heavy sigh, Yuchen relented. "Alright."
The moment Yuchen's acquiescence reached him, Yetao plunged into the ocean.
"Yuchen, the ocean is so beautiful," Yetao's voice came through the magical connection.
"Did you go in already?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I'll turn back right away if I sense any danger," Yetao assured him.
For the next half hour, Yetao narrated his underwater journey—describing colorful fish, playful turtles, and his path following the mysterious light. He teased Yuchen about how he would have surely drowned by now had he joined the expedition, which only heightened Yuchen's anxiety.
Something didn't feel right. Yuchen repeatedly urged Yetao to return, but his pleas went unheeded.
Finally, Yetao's voice grew hushed with awe. "I've found where the golden light is coming from. There's a podium at the bottom of the ocean surrounded by numerous statues—like part of a castle sunk beneath the waves."
Approaching the glowing podium, Yetao discovered a man chained to two pillars, seemingly asleep. He moved closer, stunned by the figure's otherworldly beauty.
"Gege, why aren't you saying anything?" Yuchen's panic spiked at the sudden silence.
"Yuchen, there is a man here. I've never thought there's someone who could challenge me in beauty. He looks ethereal," Yetao whispered, mesmerized by the sleeping figure with long silver and black hair that remained perfectly straight and clean despite being underwater. The water around him appeared purified by his mere presence.
"A man?" Yuchen's voice was sharp with shock.
"Yes, but I don't know why he's chained though..."
Yuchen felt a chill run down his spine. "Gege, listen to me. Get out of there right now," he urged, voice trembling.
But it was too late. Yetao had already reached out to the chains, his fingers making the slightest contact with the skin.
The mysterious man's eyes snapped open—fierce golden orbs with brown slithering patterns.
The impact of his awakening was like a volcanic eruption, killing all marine life within a hundred-kilometer radius. Yetao's protection pendant shattered, and the communication stud lost its power, severing the connection with Yuchen.
Desperate, Yuchen ran toward the invisible cave entrance, pouring all his power into breaking Yetao's barrier.
Meanwhile, underwater, Yetao's protective magic had spared him from the deadly blast, but he still struggled to breathe, his body convulsing from lack of oxygen. The freed man gazed at him with an expression of recognition.
"Taotao?..." he whispered, as if recognizing Yetao. Without hesitation, he pulled Yetao close and breathed air into him through a kiss.
Yetao's mind had already gone blank from the crushing pressure of the ocean depths. As consciousness slipped away, the mysterious man teleported them both to the rock formation above the water. He placed his hand on Yetao's chest, transferring his energy until Yetao coughed up seawater and fell into a peaceful sleep.
The man embraced Yetao tightly, relief and anxiety mingling in his expression. "I'm not losing you this time, Taotao. I'm sorry," he cried as Yetao remained unconscious in his arms.
Meanwhile, Yuchen had finally broken through the barrier and teleported to the underwater podium through his other stud's energy. Panic seized him when he found no trace of Yetao—only the broken chains and empty platform. Forcing himself to calm down, he concentrated on the energy signature of the being who had been imprisoned there. The power he sensed was unlike any ordinary being.
With all his focus, Yuchen traced the energy's path and teleported to its last location. When he arrived, he found himself suspended above endless ocean—no rock, no iceberg, no island in sight. Nothing but water stretching to every horizon.
Frustration and fear overwhelmed him as he screamed into the vastness, "YETAO!"
Far away, on a secluded island, Yetao's eyes fluttered open. As his vision cleared, he noticed a pair of feet standing before him. Slowly looking up, he found himself face to face with the man who had been chained beneath the ocean.
Yetao flinched, but the stranger smiled reassuringly. "No need to panic. You're safe here."
Looking around at the unfamiliar shore, Yetao realized what had happened. "Did you save me?" he asked, blinking innocently.
The man nodded with another smile.
"But why? Weren't you the one who made me like that in the first place?" Yetao remained wary, keeping his distance.
The stranger leaned forward, his posture non-threatening. "I'm sorry. I was just in silent cultivation until you woke me. That was a reflex attack," he explained.
Yetao's eyes wavered with guilt. "I'm... I'm sorry," he apologized for disturbing the man's meditation.
"It's okay," came the gentle response.
"But... who are you? Why were you in there chained? Is that a way of cultivation in your clan?" Yetao bombarded him with questions, curiosity overcoming his caution.
The man simply nodded and smiled mysteriously.
After a moment of thought, Yetao stood up, brushing sand from the clothes he'd worn beneath his mermaid transformation. "I'm really sorry. Anyway, I'm Hu Yetao," he introduced himself, clearly expecting the courtesy to be returned.
"I'm Bambam," the man replied with a one-sided smile. But in his mind, other thoughts stirred: "Afterall that's the name you gave me, Taotao." His eyes lingered on Yetao, filled with memories of a shared past that Yetao seemed entirely unaware of.
Back in the snake territory, chaos had erupted. The snake lord had summoned all members to the main hall, his expression grave.
"I thought this day would never come, but be ready," he declared to the assembled crowd. "The Demon Lord has awakened."
Panic spread through the gathering like wildfire. Lucas, unaware of the situation's gravity, looked around in confusion, while miles away, Yuchen remained stranded in frustration, alone in the middle of the vast, uncaring sea.