Chapter 161 I Will Wait for You! I Will Wait Forever!

Dark clouds gathered heavily. A fierce wind whipped across the sea, and the sky grew deeply gloomy, as if a torrential storm were about to break.

The calm surface of the sea suddenly surged and rolled, kicking up layers of churning waves.

Amidst the waves, a small vessel was making its way forward with great difficulty. On the deck, Linda’s long hair danced in the wind, her pretty face stern as she continuously shouted instructions, urging Jete and the others to be cautious and telling the martial warriors on board to keep their spirits up so the ship wouldn’t capsize.

The sea wind grew sharper and more ferocious, raging across the ocean and whipping up even higher and more violent waves.

The small boat rocked precariously, looking extremely dangerous. Linda grew somewhat tense, holding her breath and focusing completely as she stayed strictly on guard, not daring to relax even a fraction.

Frowning, Shi Yan stood at the stern of the boat, wearing an equally solemn expression. This storm had arrived abruptly without any prior warning; one moment the sun was shining brightly, and the next, dark clouds blanketed the area in a rather eerie scene. With a dark expression, Shi Yan suddenly recalled the time he and Xiao Hanyi were riding the Azure Blood Fiend Bat. Back then, a violent gale and dark clouds pressing down had also appeared out of nowhere, immediately followed by the emergence of a gigantic skeletal hand belonging to the Demon Emperor Po Xun from within the dense layers of dark clouds. That skeletal hand had snatched the Asura King Xiao Hanyi away directly, dragging him off to who knew which region of the Fourth Demon Realm. The mere thought of Xiao Hanyi made Shi Yan’s mood somewhat heavy, accompanied by a stifled, suffocating feeling in his chest. Now that this storm had arisen just as abruptly, appearing right before his eyes, it filled Shi Yan’s mind with suspicion and wild imagination.

At this moment, the small boat was already extremely close to Cloud Veil Island. In just another day’s journey, the vessel would reach it.

At such a crucial juncture, a sudden change occurred in this stretch of the sea, truly preventing Shi Yan from letting down his guard and filling his heart with numerous speculations.

Standing at the stern, Shi Yan extended his spiritual awareness and swept it in all directions. Across the sea, there was nothing unusual; everything appeared normal wherever his spiritual awareness passed. Unwilling to give up, Shi Yan continued to push his spiritual awareness further into the distance, maintaining the resilience of an overextended mind as it spread all the way toward the direction of Cloud Veil Island, traveling further and further. After who knows how long, just as he began to feel mentally exhausted, he faintly sensed a chilling and evil aura coming from the direction of Cloud Veil Island. That aura seemed somewhat dispersed, lingering between heaven and earth, and was even gradually dissipating...

Shi Yan was startled. He immersed his spiritual awareness in the direction of Cloud Veil Island and sensed it carefully.

This chilling and evil aura was evenly distributed across Cloud Veil Island, resembling a mass of air hovering above the island. That icy and evil energy faintly resembled the aura released by the Demon Emperor Po Xun’s skeletal avatar from before, though it was somewhat weaker. Could it be that a demon from the Fourth Demon Realm had appeared on Cloud Veil Island?

A chill ran through his heart, and Shi Yan’s expression suddenly changed.

He had a premonition—a feeling that something must have happened on Cloud Veil Island, and he secretly guessed that there were eerie aspects to the place.

Just as he prepared to concentrate further to feel it, the chilling and evil aura lingering over Cloud Veil Island drifted away with the wind.

At that moment, his spiritual awareness had also been excessively consumed. A wave of fatigue washed over him, forcing him to retract his spiritual awareness as he furrowed his brow in deep thought.

The impending tempest unexpectedly began to dissipate gradually. The dark clouds shrouding the sky slowly drifted away, and very soon, everything returned to normal.

The sunset glow reappeared across the horizon. Shi Yan looked up at the colorful sky, his expression growing even more solemn.

At this very moment, Gu Lie and his son Gu Jiange were conversing with the demons at the Soul-Gathering Pool.

"What is going on? The storm disappeared again? How bizarre."

"Indeed, such a situation is truly rare. It had brewed up to that extent, yet it ended up fading into nothingness."

"Mm, something feels a bit off. Under normal circumstances, when dark clouds gather to this extent, a torrential downpour is bound to pour down. It’s really strange that no heavy rain came this time. Who knows what’s going on."

Jete, Nano, and the others frowned and discussed among themselves, looking extremely surprised and marveling at such an abnormal natural phenomenon.

Linda quietly breathed a sigh of relief, tossed her hair, and called out softly, "You can lower your guard now."

"Understood, Sister Linda." Jete smiled, leaning lazily against the deck as he narrowed his eyes and looked toward the direction of Cloud Veil Island, calling out loudly, "This trip is almost over. Once we hand over the goods on board to the Gu family, we can head back too. Sister Linda, are you still heading back with us?"

Many of the crew members on the ship were slightly stunned upon hearing Jete’s words. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, they turned their gazes toward Linda and Shi Yan.

In a distant corner, Kamon and Huojie wore dark, venomous expressions as they too looked at Linda.

Linda’s beautiful eyes flickered, and she sighed silently in her heart. She cast a quiet glance at Shi Yan, whose back was turned to her, while a trace of bitter helplessness overflowed from the corners of her mouth. "Of course I am going back with you. I am a member of the Divine Cult; once my mission is completed, I naturally have to return to the Cult to report. My home is there—where else could I run?"

"Is that so..." Jete stole a glance at Shi Yan and said with a smile, "That’s good then! I thought we wouldn't get to see Sister Linda anymore! Hehe, it’s always more comfortable following Sister Linda. If we follow anyone else, we get treated as cannon fodder and sacrificed the moment danger arises. Those other leaders aren't as kind-hearted as Sister Linda."

"That’s right, that’s right. We will definitely stick with Sister Linda in the future."

The other crew members on the ship chimed in with agreement. Learning that Linda would still be returning, these men secretly breathed a sigh of relief and rejoiced inwardly.

Among the outer disciples of the Three Divine Cults, many leaders used their subordinates as shields whenever they encountered danger during missions, rarely caring about the lives of their underlings.

Jete, Nano, and the others had many friends who had been permanently sacrificed as cannon fodder during missions simply because they had followed the wrong person.

Having spent a long time in the Three Divine Cults, Jete knew what kind of scum those minor leaders were. If Linda didn't return this trip and left them without a leader, they would be assigned to other petty leaders, making their future safety hard to guarantee—they might end up sacrificed as cannon fodder just like their deceased friends.

While secretly watching Shi Yan, Jete also glanced stealthily at Linda. He saw sorrow and helplessness on her face. Seeing that Linda was not in high spirits, Jete did not dare to say much more and exchanged a glance with Nano and the others, signaling everyone not to probe further so as not to distress Linda.

Standing before Jete and the rest, Linda indeed seemed to be in low spirits, her expression somewhat desolate. After a moment, she took a gentle breath, walked away from the group, and strolled gracefully to the stern of the ship, stopping right beside Shi Yan. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they looked out together at the crimson-tinted sea beneath the sunset glow. With their backs to the twilight, their figures were cast into very long shadows that eventually melted into one.

Lowering her head, Linda noticed that her shadow and Shi Yan’s had overlapped into one. A sigh escaped her heart as she thought how wonderful it would be if she and Shi Yan could remain inseparable just like these two shadows. What a joyous thing that would be, but alas...

Shi Yan’s brow remained furrowed as his mind continued to ponder the chilling and evil aura of Cloud Veil Island. He suspected that a major change had undoubtedly occurred there, and his mind was filled with doubt as to whether this journey to Cloud Veil Island should be continued.

That chilling and evil aura was very scattered; however, if it were ever truly gathered together, it would likely be overwhelmingly vast and terrifying. Regardless of what kind of creature that aura originated from, Shi Yan could be certain that it was definitely not something he could currently handle. If he rushed blindly onto Cloud Veil Island and encountered that creature, he feared he would have no means of fighting back at all.

Thinking this, Shi Yan began to hesitate.

"Shi Yan..."

"Hmm?"

Drawing back his chaotic thoughts little by little, Shi Yan took a deep breath, regained his calm and composure, and glanced sideways at Linda beside him.

Beneath the sunset glow, Linda’s face was rosy, bathed in the soft twilight and looking as delicate and tempting as a freshly plucked flower. Her bright eyes held a faint trace of tender affection that could easily stir one's heart. "Linda, you are becoming more and more charming." Looking deeply at Linda, Shi Yan said sincerely. During this period, nourished by him, Linda was indeed glowing with health and radiance. A woman living in love would find both body and mind gladdened, and would naturally become more charming.

"Shi Yan, we are almost at Cloud Veil Island..." Linda sighed softly as a reminder.

Shi Yan froze slightly, his brow suddenly furrowing. After a long moment, he said helplessly, "Good times are always fleeting, but..."

"Shi Yan, you can come with me. No matter who you are, as long as you are willing to stay with me, I am willing, I am willing to follow you..." Linda trailed off, leaving her words unsaid.

"I am going to the Radiant Sea." Shi Yan shook his head. "Linda, I have my pursuits, and you have your family. If you are willing, you can come with me, but I will return to the Radiant Sea to deal with the Dongfang and Gu families. If you follow me..."

He knew very well that he was not someone who could endure loneliness or live a quiet, uneventful life. His revenge against the Gu and Dongfang families would be carried out sooner or later, and one day, the name Shi Yan would resound throughout the Endless Sea. Linda’s family resided in the Radiant Sea and was attached to the Three Divine Cults. If Linda followed him to the Radiant Sea, once the Three Divine Cults found out, they might vent their anger on Linda’s family, making it difficult for her relatives to escape the Cult’s wrath. This was certainly not something Linda wanted to see.

Before he possessed sufficient strength to change everything, following him would bring Linda no benefits, nor did he dare to make rash promises.

Linda suddenly fell silent.

After a long while, lowering her head, Linda murmured softly, "Shi Yan, my family is on Snow Dragon Island in the Radiant Sea. If you ever come to the Radiant Sea in the future and happen to pass by Snow Dragon Island, remember to come to the Jory family to see me."

A sigh escaped Shi Yan’s heart as he nodded gently. "Rest assured, I will definitely look for you. When the day comes that I am strong enough, I will go to Snow Dragon Island. By that day, I will no longer fear the Three Divine Cults, and I will be able to protect you and your family, keeping you safe from harm."

Linda’s eyes quietly grew moist. Biting her lip, she choked back her tears, looking at Shi Yan through a blur of weeping eyes as she said with unwavering firmness, "Shi Yan, you must remember the promise you made today! I will wait for you! I will wait forever!"