TRWSB – Chapter 165 Into the Fallen Realm

Zhuang Hao stepped into the room and found Qi Shaorong packing up his magic scrolls.

“When are you planning to head to the Fallen Realm?” Zhuang Hao asked.

“In five days,” Qi Shaorong replied without looking up.

Zhuang Hao frowned slightly. “That soon?”

Qi Shaorong took a deep breath and explained, “Senior Yoda sent me a message. Quite a few sea clans have approached him to explore the Fallen Realm. He’s one of the few who has returned alive from there. These sea clans paid a hefty price to hire him as a guide. They’re not just anyone either — all elites from powerful sea tribes. It’s hard to turn them down.”

“Five days from now, Senior Yoda will enter the Fallen Realm with them. If we miss this opportunity, who knows how long we’ll have to wait for another.”

Zhuang Hao scowled. “That old guy, he didn’t say anything like that before. And returning intact? He came back with a parasite in his head — how is that intact?”

Qi Shaorong shrugged indifferently. “We’d have to go there sooner or later. Honestly, I want to go sooner. His Majesty is getting more and more wary of me — I need to strengthen myself fast to gain any real say.”

Zhuang Hao nodded. “Alright then, if you’re going, make sure to stick close to me.”

“I will,” Qi Shaorong agreed.

Just then, Bi Liuyun opened the door and entered.

Qi Shaorong looked at him in surprise. “Liuyun, what brings you here?”

Bi Liuyun looked at both of them and said, “Young Master, I want to go with you.”

“You’ve made up your mind?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Bi Liuyun nodded. “The Fallen Realm might contain the remains of golden merfolk.”

Hearing that, Qi Shaorong no longer objected.

…

Qi Shaorong arrived at the shore. The nightwalker Yoda, who had received his message, arrived soon after.

Yoda glanced at him. “Lord Qi, ready to go?”

“Yes,” Qi Shaorong nodded. “Can they come with me?” he added, pointing to Zhuang Hao and Bi Liuyun.

Yoda nodded at Zhuang Hao, but hesitated when his gaze fell on Bi Liuyun. “Little fish, golden merfolk are rare in your tribe. Are you sure about this?”

Qi Shaorong’s heart sank slightly. Bi Liuyun’s identity had clearly been seen through.

Bi Liuyun gave Yoda an innocent smile. “Senior, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m human, not… fish.” He almost said seafood but caught himself.

Yoda stared at him for a while before sighing. “Fine, if you want to come, so be it. But remember — we’re not the only ones going in. Stay low if you run into others.”

Qi Shaorong nodded in understanding.

Yoda transformed into a black sea dragon. “Get on.”

Zhuang Hao and the others climbed onto his back, and the dragon plunged into the sea. The waters parted naturally as they flew.

After traveling for a while, they stopped in an oceanic region.

Through the water, Qi Shaorong saw over a dozen sea creatures, all with strange appearances.

Although Yoda had mentioned other sea clans would be present, seeing so many unfamiliar and dangerous-looking beings still gave Qi Shaorong chills.

“Senior Yoda, finally! We’ve been waiting a long time,” a humanoid spider called out.

“If you’re so impatient, Sailer, you could’ve gone ahead without us.”

Sailer laughed awkwardly. “Just saying. Huh? You brought guests? Are they appetizers before we set off?”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Sailer’s eyes narrowed at Bi Liuyun. “This one feels strange… almost like one of us sea folk.”

Yoda scowled. “Enough. They’re here to explore, not to be eaten.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Yoda turned to Qi Shaorong. “Stick close. I’ll protect you if I can. If not… good luck.”

Qi Shaorong nodded.

A giant man over three meters tall leaned down. “New lord, huh?”

“Yes,” Qi Shaorong replied.

“Your facial mask is too small. Should be twice the size!”

The giant was from the whale clan — tall, broad, and intimidating.

Qi Shaorong forced a laugh. “Right, I’ll start making larger ones.”

Satisfied, the whale-man straightened up.

“Liuyun,” a blue sea dragon swam over and transformed into human form.

Qi Shaorong blinked. “Hailing, you’re here too?”

“Yes. I figured you’d come, so I tagged along.”

…

“Let’s go in,” Yoda said.

Following the black dragon, they entered a dark whirlpool and emerged in the Fallen Realm.

Upon arrival, a thick stench of blood filled the air.

Zhuang Hao glanced at the red sand beneath them. It looked like it had been soaked in blood.

A sinister wind blew, making Qi Shaorong take an involuntary step back.

Zhuang Hao grabbed his hand. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Qi Shaorong replied.

The spider-man strolled over. “This place is soaked in killing intent. If you’re not strong enough, you’ll feel like your body’s being torn apart.”

Qi Shaorong forced a smile. “I see.”

The spider-man looked at Zhuang Hao. “You seem fine. Impressive.”

“Not really, I’m under a lot of pressure.” Zhuang Hao passed a small white stone to Qi Shaorong. “Here, hold this.”

The stone quickly dissolved into Qi Shaorong’s palm, easing the pressure.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Lightstone of Protection — forms a shield over the body when activated.”

“You’ve got nice stuff,” Qi Shaorong commented.

“My grandpa left it for protection.”

“Why didn’t you take it out earlier?”

“It’s single-use.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

He turned to Bi Liuyun. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” Bi Liuyun answered calmly.

Zhuang Hao gave him a look. “He really is fine — must be the merfolk heart protecting him.”

Qi Shaorong frowned. Among so many elites, he felt like the weakest link.

A ghostly octopus floated over. “Cold, Lord Qi?”

Qi Shaorong grabbed Zhuang Hao’s hand. “I’m alright.”

“Want to get inside my belly? It’s warm there.”

Qi Shaorong: “…” Why do I suddenly feel like eating octopus legs?

Zhuang Hao pulled him behind. “Senior, you jest.”

The black dragon turned to the group. “Stay alert!”

Suddenly, the ground quaked. A massive sea beast burst from beneath the sand.

“An octopus beast!” Zhuang Hao frowned.

It was enormous — dwarfing even the already huge sea monsters they’d seen before.

“Careful, everyone,” Yoda warned. “This place is soaked with ancient divine blood. Monsters here grow abnormally fast, but most lack intelligence — and are extremely aggressive.”

The beast lunged.

Yoda charged in first. Zhuang Hao led Qi Shaorong away from the main fight.

No one objected — they already saw Qi Shaorong and the others as burdens Yoda brought along.

Zhuang Hao secured Qi Shaorong, then rejoined the fight.

The sea clans used various techniques:

• The whale warrior attacked with brute strength, but the octopus absorbed the impact with its elasticity.
• The jellyfish tried injecting poison, but couldn’t pierce the thick hide.
• The electric eels attacked with lightning.

Eventually, Zhuang Hao severed a tentacle. A jellyfish used the open wound to inject poison directly. The octopus collapsed.

Others swarmed in to finish it off.

Qi Shaorong approached the fallen beast. “Your ancestor’s dead.”

The smaller octopus beast scowled. “Watch it, kid. That’s not my ancestor.”

“Alright, alright,” Qi Shaorong shrugged.

Yoda addressed the group solemnly. “In the Fallen Realm, monsters like that are everywhere. Be cautious.”

“Senior, are there really that many?” Qi Shaorong asked.

“More than you can imagine,” Yoda said grimly. “But they’re not even the worst things in here.