Gu Pan said with a look of disdain, "Senior Brother, why did you save him?"
If Yang Kai hadn't intervened just now, this great Urara would have been shredded by the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram for sure.
Yang Kai said, "We're deep behind enemy lines in unfamiliar territory. We need someone to gather intelligence — find out how powerful the Sea Clan's forces are here."
Gu Pan nodded. "Senior Brother thinks ahead."
They couldn't stay in this spot any longer. A squad of fish demons had been cut down by Gu Pan. Though she'd done it quickly, some commotion was bound to have leaked out. Yang Kai swiftly destroyed the bodies and concealed all traces of the battle.
Gu Pan watched from the side as Yang Kai worked with clean, efficient movements and practiced technique. In no time at all, nothing looked out of place. She couldn't help but admire him, thinking that Senior Brother Yang really did know an impressive amount of things.
By the time the fish demon Urara regained consciousness, he found himself thoroughly bound. He cautiously cracked open his eyes and took stock of his surroundings — it appeared to be a cave.
Firelight danced around him, accompanied by the crackling and popping of flames, and a peculiar aroma drifted through the air.
"Awake, are we?" A human face leaned in close, hovering right in front of his.
Urara startled and looked up, locking eyes with the face of the person who'd knocked him out. Fury erupted immediately. "The nerve of you, ambushing the great Urara! I'll kill you all! Urararara—"
Yang Kai drove a fist into his skull. A lump swelled on Urara's forehead instantly — three or four inches high, making it look like his head had grown a tumor.
This fellow was useless in a fight, but he sure had a temper.
Urara yelped in pain, all sorts of strange noises spilling from his mouth.
Yang Kai said in a dark, cold voice, "Shut up. Scream one more time and I'll kill you right now."
Urara clamped his mouth shut immediately. His eyes darted around, settling on Yang Kai. "Urara isn't afraid to die!"
Yang Kai sneered. "If you're not afraid, then keep screaming." The guy clearly looked terrified to the bone, yet his mouth refused to quit.
He extended a finger toward the side. "See that girl over there?"
Urara turned his head. Across the cave, a campfire blazed, and beside it sat a young girl, gazing at him with a cheerful smile.
Yang Kai said, "That girl loves eating dried fish. If you want to die, it's simple enough — I'll hand you over to her, and she'll slice you up into little pieces and roast you to eat nice and slow."
Urara's face drained of color in horror. He looked more carefully and indeed saw the girl grilling several small dried fish over the campfire, golden brown, oil dripping and sizzling on the flames.
"Urara is too fishy and stinky — not tasty!" the fish demon shrieked, his guts turning to water.
"She's not picky at all. As long as it's fish, she can eat it." Yang Kai wore a beaming smile.
Gu Pan also watched the fish demon with a grin. She picked up a piece of dried fish, popped it into her mouth, and chewed.
Urara's face went pale to the extreme. He begged, "Don't eat me, don't eat me! Urara doesn't want to die!"
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. "Wanting to live is even simpler. Open up your sea of consciousness and let me plant a Soul Seal on you. Become my servant, and you'll naturally survive."
Urara flew into a rage again. "How dare you try to make the great Urara—"
"Munch, munch…" The sound of Gu Pan eating dried fish drifted over from the side. Between bites, her large eyes swept up and down the fish demon, as if she were trying to figure out which part would taste best.
The fish demon shuddered and looked at Yang Kai weakly. "If I become your servant… I'll really live?"
"Rest assured. You will absolutely live."
Urara struggled for a moment, then hung his head in defeat. "Urara agrees."
Hearing this, Yang Kai hesitated no further. His divine sense surged outward, flooding toward the fish demon's sea of consciousness.
This fish demon's strength wasn't particularly formidable. Even if he resisted with everything he had, Yang Kai could break through the defenses of his sea of consciousness. But if he didn't cooperate, there was a good chance his Divine Sense would be damaged, leaving him witless — and if that happened, it would have been simpler to just kill him outright.
After a short while, Yang Kai planted the seal within Urara's sea of consciousness. His divine sense probed deeper, combing through the demon's memories.
A moment later, Yang Kai furrowed his brow and stared at Urara with an exasperated expression before withdrawing his divine sense.
This fish demon had blustered plenty, spouting off about being "the great Urara," but in truth his standing among the Sea Clan was nothing remarkable. He was merely a squad leader on patrol duty, so the intelligence he possessed was limited.
He did know something about the Water Element treasure, though. He had no idea what the treasure actually was — only that it was a sacred relic of the Sea Clan. Only the highest-ranking members of the Sea Clan were permitted to approach it, pray before it, and receive its extraordinarily powerful blessing.
However, a few months ago some intruder had broken in, attempting to lay hands on the sacred relic. The Sea Clan had been furious, engaging the intruder in repeated clashes and driving him away. In recent times, the defenses around the relic had been greatly tightened.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, then said, "Take us to where the sacred relic is."
Urara blinked, then shook his head. "You won't be able to get through. You look nothing like us — the moment you're spotted, you'll be killed."