He dodged the sword with a sidestep, then flipped over, ready to finish me with a single strike.
Suddenly, a crab claw descended from mid-air, landing precisely in front of me.
The long sword struck the crab claw directly, emitting a sharp "clang."
Sifang Hai looked up in astonishment and saw a colossal creature before him.
Everyone else also looked up in fear, seeing a crab as large as a small mountain standing beside the two of them.
At that moment, someone suddenly shouted.
"It's the Great Crab! The Great Crab!"
"The rumored guardian of the Dragon Clan, it's real! How did we draw it out!"
Everyone was greatly astonished, and Sifang Hai, looking at the giant creature before him, was also surprised.
After a moment of stunned silence, he slowly regained his composure and then spoke.
"Hai you gong shang, wu xi la!"
Hearing these strange words, everyone was startled again, exclaiming.
"This, this is the long-lost ancient sea language."
The great crab let out a roar to the sky, as if responding to him, then swung its claw towards him.
The tall man beside him anxiously asked.
"Lord Hai, what's wrong with it?"
Sifang Hai dodged while replying.
"This fellow knows we trespassed into the Dragon Clan's territory and is relentless, demanding a price."
"Ah! What should we do?"
"Hold it off for now, and kill that woman first."
Only then did everyone remember the other person. They looked in a daze and saw that the Great Crab's rear was empty, with no sign of anyone.
They all cried out in grief and anger.
"Where is she? Where did she go?"
"She ran! She must have slipped away while we were distracted."
"Alas, this is going to be the death of us."
I hid in the distance, carefully observing the situation ahead.
The Great Crab had saved my life just now, and now it was trapped. I couldn't stand by and do nothing.
I could only hide nearby. If it could win, I would leave; if not, I would help it.
Unexpectedly, Sifang Hai was quite capable. He leaped up and landed on the Great Crab's back.
He ordered several large nets to be thrown, entangling it.
Then he set it on fire, intending to burn it to death.
I watched from the side with a pounding heart. The Great Crab struggled fiercely, but it only managed to shake Sifang Hai.
The torch remained steadily in his hand.
Seeing that he was about to act, I leaped out, shouting.
"Stop!"
I swiftly flew forward, using the people on the ground as stepping stones, kicking them away one by one.
I kicked the torch out of Sifang Hai's hand and glared at him.
Seeing me return, he couldn't help but laugh and asked.
"Why are you back? Aren't you afraid of death?"
Facing such a villain, I replied resolutely.
"The Great Crab saved my life, I cannot abandon it."
"Oh, I didn't expect you to have such loyalty. Good, I also want to finish my task quickly."
Saying this, he tore off his red cloak and threw it to the ground, where a servant quickly caught it.
He stretched his wrists, his sharp eyes growing colder.
Under my vigilant gaze, he suddenly threw a punch. I dodged to the side and kicked up my leg.
But he grabbed it, and then kicked again, hitting me squarely in the abdomen, sending me flying to the ground.
Seeing such a frail person, he felt bored and said with disappointment.
"You're too weak, truly disappointing."
I slowly got up, wiping away a drop of blood from the corner of my mouth, but I didn't look at him.
Instead, I looked at the Great Crab struggling with all its might. It seemed I was no match for him.
The only way now was to rescue the Great Crab and then escape.
So I lunged forward, rolled, drew a sword, leaped up, and was about to cut the net that ensnared the Great Crab.
Suddenly, a figure flew over and blocked me, swinging a saber at me.
That person was one of Sifang Hai's subordinates, a young general.
I flipped up and, turning back, delivered a sword strike to his throat.
The splashing blood, like a fountain, landed on my face.
I was instantly startled, closed my eyes in fear, and fell to the ground.
The bloody scene of a throat being slit made me blame myself again. Helplessly, I covered my face with my hands.
Seeing their brothers killed, the others became enraged and shouted.
"Charge! Avenge our brothers!"
As I stood there motionless, the Great Crab suddenly broke free from its restraints.
It rushed forward, and with a massive claw, swept away the crowd.
Amidst cries of "Ah!", I lowered my hands in confusion and slowly looked.
I saw that those people had already been flung several meters away, landing on the sand, groaning in pain.
I raised my head slightly and saw the Great Crab's bulging eyes, and a warmth suddenly filled my heart.
The Great Crab let out a roar, as if calling out to me.
I lowered my head slightly, looking at the blood in my hands, unsure what to do.
A gentle breeze blew, and in a daze, it seemed to blow away the blood from my hands, leaving them pure white.
I stared at my palms repeatedly in astonishment, disbelieving.
At this moment, the Great Crab roared again, and I finally snapped back to reality.
With the blood gone, the burden of guilt in my heart lessened.
I slowly picked up the sword from the ground and stood shoulder to shoulder with it.
Sifang Hai slowly descended, landing on the sand with a faint smile on his face.
He first looked at the people lying on the sand and shook his head helplessly.
"All of you, get up."
Hearing his words, those people slowly covered their injuries and slowly got up.
Then, he looked at me and the Great Crab again, a meaningful smile appearing on his face, and said.
"I never expected this Great Crab to help you. It seems to be your good fortune.
However, it seems to recognize you. It appears you have some connection."
I smiled faintly and looked at the Great Crab with relief.
Sifang Hai continued.
"Regardless, you will die here today.
I originally wanted to leave you a complete corpse to report back, but it seems the swords and blades are blind.
If an arm is lost or a leg is broken, do not blame me when you reach the underworld."
Seeing his incessant babbling, I found him extremely annoying. I raised my sword and pointed at him, saying.
"You've been babbling so much, are you scared?
Speaking of the underworld, I've never been there. It's a good opportunity for you to go and scout the way for me."
The people nearby heard my words and became angry. One of them raised his sword and said.
"Bold! Facing death, you still dare to boast. I advise you to surrender quickly and retain your corpse."
I smiled faintly, completely unafraid, and slowly looked at the bold individual, laughing.
"Hahaha, I thought it was someone else. Such a fiery temper, so it's just a lapdog.
What? After being a dog for so long, you've learned to bite."
Hearing my insult, he was instantly filled with rage. He pointed at me, too angry to speak.
"You, you, you, you scoundrel! Facing death, your mouth is still so sharp. I'll tear your mouth apart."
"If you have the guts, come over. Don't hide behind and be a shrinking turtle."
"I'm coming!"
Provoked by my words, he immediately drew his sword and charged.
Before I could even make a move, the Great Crab let out a fierce roar, startling him to a halt.
Seeing his subordinate so useless, Sifang Hai had to speak up.
"Come back. You are no match for her. Let me deal with her."
"Yes."
He then seemed to find an excuse and hastily retreated.
I couldn't help but smile, mocking them as cowards.
Sifang Hai swung his sword, and the Great Crab leaped up with a claw to block it.
He leaped forward, took his sword, and said to the crowd.
"I will deal with the Myriad Ghost King. You deal with the Great Crab."
From behind him, a unified response came.
"Yes."
Then, they spiraled upwards, and the group behind him also charged with their sabers.
I quickly stepped forward, raising my sword to strike. The two swords immediately clashed, sparks flying.
Sifang Hai smiled slyly and suddenly kicked sideways. I bent low, dodging his kick.
I mimicked his move and kicked sideways.
However, he simply blocked it with his arm. Unfortunately, my strength was not enough to knock him down.
Sifang Hai patted his sleeve, full of smiles, and said.
"I didn't expect you to learn my moves so quickly. You have some talent. Come again!"
Saying this, he unleashed a series of flying kicks. Caught off guard by the sudden barrage, I was kicked to the ground.
Fortunately, I could still bear it. I used my sword to support myself and slowly got up.
The people behind me swarmed forward, hacking at the Great Crab with their swords.
The Great Crab roared to the sky, like a wild horse that had broken its reins, galloping out.
Then, it wildly swung its large claws at the crowd. The crowd hacked at it desperately, only hearing "clang, clang, clang" as their swords struck.
The burly man exclaimed with frustration.
"This is too hard! It's like hacking at a piece of iron."
Another person replied to him.
"Isn't it? What should we do?"
"There's no other way, we can only stall for time."
"Alright."
After saying this, they both swung their swords again.
Sifang Hai, seeing me still able to get up, was quite satisfied. He nodded slightly and said.
"You still have some ability. Show me your true strength."
With that, he leaped into the air and swung his sword at me.
I quickly dodged, causing him to miss.
He immediately reacted, kicking up sand and drawing his swift sword. I hurriedly used my sword to block.
Suddenly, he flipped and disappeared. I looked around in surprise, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Then, from the wind, a sword flew out, knocking my sword away.
Following that, a figure descended, landing behind me. It was Sifang Hai.
He raised his foot to kick me, but I was faster. I kicked back with my leg, hitting him precisely in his groin.
He cried out in pain, stumbled back a few steps, and said resentfully.
"Ah! You! You! You! You shameless scoundrel!"
I turned around, looking at his pained expression, and laughed with satisfaction.
It seemed the 'cripple-your-descendants' kick I learned online was indeed effective.
Then I leaped into the crowd, helping the Great Crab repel the attackers.
But the Great Crab seemed to have no sense of direction and kept charging into the crowd, one claw at a time.
Sifang Hai recovered and leaped up, attacking me from behind. He kicked me in the body.
I turned around and slashed with my saber, but he broke it with a palm strike.
He then leaped down, grabbed my throat, and pressed me to the ground.
At this moment of extreme danger, the Great Crab swatted him away with a claw.
Enraged, he got up, raised his sword, and leaped in front of the Great Crab. He jumped up and thrust his sword into the Great Crab's mouth.
The Great Crab cried out in agony a few times and tried to retaliate.
The people beside him quickly swarmed forward, stabbing their swords into its mouth.
The Great Crab's mouth was soft. With the stab from everyone, its mouth was instantly torn, and blood gushed out like a pillar.
Finally, unable to bear the pain, it fell to the ground and died.
When they came to their senses and looked around, they found that the pursuers were nowhere to be seen, and I had, once again, escaped.
Sifang Hai wiped the sweat from his brow and, instead of being angry, smiled.
"Hahaha, not bad. This fellow is both brave and resourceful.
If I encounter her again in the future, I will definitely have a good rematch."
Saying this, he looked at the Great Crab again, lying on the ground with many swords stuck in its mouth.
A hint of pity appeared on his face. He waved his hand and said.
"After all, it is the guardian of the Sea Lord. It was indeed unavoidable for us to kill it today. Bury it, and that will be an explanation."
"Yes."
Then, everyone dug a large pit on the sand.
Afterward, they worked together to drag the Great Crab into the pit and bury it.
Only after they left with regret did I cautiously run out from a distance.
I knew I had killed too many, my sins were too heavy, and now this Great Crab had died for me. I truly felt unbearable remorse.
Recalling everything that had happened in the past few days, was it my fault, or the Myriad Ghost King's fault, or Lord Liu's fault?
I couldn't find an answer for a long time and could only sigh deeply.
I slowly walked to the raised mound, like a small mountain of earth, and knelt deeply for this good person who had saved my life.
After kowtowing three times, I slowly stood up and looked back at the boundless sea behind me.
Now, even the sea offered no place for me to hide. With another sigh, I had to leave with endless sadness.
The scouts of Jin Yu Lan quickly brought this news back to Thousand Ji Palace.
Jin Yu Lan listened thoughtfully, then informed Lord Liu of the news.
Lord Liu stood on the pavilion, gazing into the distance. Upon hearing the news, he became slightly angry.
"I thought they would send someone capable, but I didn't expect them to be mere good-for-nothings."
Jin Yu Lan said.
"Sifang Hai is quite capable. In his early years, he followed the City Lord to defeat some of the Myriad Ghost King's remnants."
"I have heard of his abilities. It seems he is still no match for the Myriad Ghost King.
Now that the Myriad Ghost King is weakened, it is a good opportunity to strike. We need to find someone to confront him."
"I can't think of anyone suitable at the moment."
Lord Liu smiled faintly, having already made up his mind.
"Have you forgotten that person?"
Jin Yu Lan immediately reacted, knowing who he was referring to, but still didn't quite understand Lord Liu's intentions.
"Liu Shi Nian?"
"I think no one hates the Myriad Ghost King more than him. Go and invite him."
Jin Yu Lan had no confidence in Liu Shi Nian. Based on his understanding of Liu Shi Nian, this matter was unlikely to succeed.
However, since Lord Liu had given the order, he couldn't argue and could only reply.
"Yes."
"Alright, you go and do it immediately."
"Yes."
After receiving the order, Jin Yu Lan withdrew.
Returning to Thousand Ji Pavilion, he ordered someone to summon a person named Ying Wu.
Before long, a man around forty or fifty years old, who looked somewhat cunning, walked in.
As Jin Yu Lan's retainer, this was the first time he had been summoned by Jin Yu Lan.
As soon as he entered, he said.
"Ying Wu greets Young Master Jin."
Jin Yu Lan turned around and, seeing him arrive, said.
"Sir, you have been here for a hundred years, haven't you?"
"Indeed, a hundred years."
"I know of your abilities, that you are a capable person, so I wish to send you to persuade someone."
"Persuade someone?"
Ying Wu was confused. He had persuaded many people, but never before had he been personally invited by Jin Yu Lan.
Jin Yu Lan said.
"That person is named Liu Shi Nian, whom you also know. He lives in Cang Mountain.
Now that the Myriad Ghost King has emerged, the City Lord has sent out many experts, but none have been able to capture him.
During the journey to the Myriad Ghost Forest, Lord Liu Xian Shi was possessed by a soul of the Myriad Ghost King, but Liu Shi Nian easily killed it.
Now, only he can stop the Myriad Ghost King. Go and invite him out of seclusion."
Since Jin Yu Lan had said so, Ying Wu couldn't refuse and nodded.
"Yes."
Then, he rode his horse quickly towards Cang Mountain to invite Liu Shi Nian.