Chapter 133: Escape from the Vortex

“All in all, you just need to trust me!”

Bai Yu placed a hand over her modest chest, her cowlick bobbing, and the very wings on her back fluttered with her confidence.

Li Hua hesitated for a moment, lowering her head as if deep in thought.

Finally, she met Bai Yu’s gaze, her expression resolute.

“Do as you say, but if you find yourself struggling or your spiritual energy running low, you must tell me!”

Li Hua spoke earnestly to Bai Yu, knowing that in their current predicament, the cruise ship’s lifeboats were utterly unusable. Even if it cost her own life, she was determined to get Bai Yu and the others out of this place. A genius like Bai Yu should not perish here; her loss would be a tragedy for the Dragon Summer Nation.

Yet, she also had no desire to be swallowed whole by an unknown monster. The image of its colossal claws dragging the vessel down still sent shivers through her. Even her Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau vessel, outfitted with wondrous items and the latest technology, likely couldn’t withstand such a terrifying assault. Therefore, if death was inevitable, she would face it with dignity.

As for the cruise ship, worth an untold number of Dragon Summer coins, it could only be abandoned where it stood. This pained Li Hua deeply, but she understood the vast difference between material wealth and life itself.

“Understood!”

Bai Yu nodded, sensing that Captain Li Hua still harbored doubts about her capabilities.

Stepping onto the deck, Bai Yu glanced at the two individuals beside her, pondering the best way to carry them. Bai Yu, with her petite frame, was significantly smaller than both Stella and Li Hua. While Li Hua was advanced in age, her height was far from short. She stood at least two heads taller than Bai Yu, who barely reached 1.5 meters.

A twitch played across Bai Yu’s face, her cheeks flushing. ‘Why am I so thin? Am I truly destined to be a loli forever?’

A wave of vexation washed over Bai Yu, but she ultimately decided to simply scoop them up, one under each arm, cradling them horizontally at her waist.

This peculiar posture startled both Stella and Li Hua. However, given the emergency, they offered no complaints. As long as they could escape, a minor discomfort was inconsequential.

Bai Yu held one under each arm, both individuals significantly larger than her. Li Hua, being an elderly woman, was not particularly heavy. Furthermore, Bai Yu’s physical prowess was formidable; even if their weight had been substantial, it would pose no issue.

As for Stella, Bai Yu perceived her as quite slender, yet a certain ‘area’ was remarkably ample. Bai Yu had even ‘tested’ it before, her small hands unable to encompass it. Thus, as Bai Yu tucked Stella under her arm, that ‘enormous evil’ seemed to stare back at her. It distracted Bai Yu so much that she struggled to focus on controlling her flight.

Seeing this, Stella’s face flushed crimson, feeling utterly mortified. Bai Yu, however, feigned ignorance, though inwardly, she was meticulously savoring the sensation of that softness. ‘I’ve decided,’ she thought. ‘Next time I get the chance, I must thoroughly indulge. What I lack always holds the greatest appeal.’

Above, Bai Yu flapped her wings, carrying the two individuals directly into the sky. From her vantage point high above, Bai Yu spotted a distant fleet. At this moment, the ships darted frantically across the sea like headless flies, some even colliding with each other.

On the sea’s surface, a blistering mist continued its relentless shroud, ceaselessly engulfing the people on the ships. The terrifying monster finally revealed itself fully before Bai Yu’s eyes. It was the first time in her life she had witnessed a creature of such immense scale. It was even larger than the Twin-Blade Weavers Lili had summoned. Bai Yu conservatively estimated the monster to be at least several hundred meters long, its slender limbs resembling human arms. Its head was submerged, preventing Bai Yu from discerning its true appearance.

The entire sea now resembled an inferno, from which no one could possibly escape alive. And what exactly *was* this monster? Bai Yu was certain it wasn’t a Shadow Beast.

[It’s likely some demonkind from a previous epoch that managed to survive. However, it lacks any divinity, so its threat isn’t particularly great—fine for dealing with low-tier Arcanists and ordinary people.]

Moweila seemed utterly dismissive of the monster, leaving Bai Yu somewhat speechless. She was currently carrying two high-tier Arcanists, and they were still forced to flee. It would likely take a coordinated attack from many high-tier Arcanists to truly defeat this monster.

But that was a problem for another time. For now, Bai Yu simply wanted to escape; she certainly had no confidence in defeating such a creature. Just its colossal size left her at a loss for how to even begin.

[You will eventually face opponents of immense size, especially those demonkind possessing divinity. Some entities from the previous epoch undoubtedly still linger in the world, and this monster is the perfect illustration.]

Moweila’s warning only solidified Bai Yu’s conviction that other beings from past epochs still existed in the world.

“…”

Bai Yu fell silent. ‘Could I truly confront such a massive monster?’

After a moment of contemplation, Bai Yu dismissed this futile internal struggle. ‘I haven’t encountered such a situation yet, so I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’ Her most pressing task now was to get out of this place and flee.

Bai Yu controlled her wings, soaring higher and further away from the battleground below. Even now, Bai Yu’s spiritual energy consumption was negligible; she felt no fatigue whatsoever. She even felt she could carry Stella and Li Hua all the way back without needing arcanist teleportation. But that was merely a fleeting thought; attempting it would likely exhaust Bai Yu to death.

Having adjusted to the weight of the two individuals, Bai Yu began to accelerate, eager to leave this place as quickly as possible.

The whirlpool in the sea below grew ever larger, even beginning to affect the air currents above. Feeling Bai Yu’s increasing speed, Captain Li Hua couldn’t help but feel a chill of apprehension. ‘At such a terrifying speed, is she truly not worried about exhausting her spiritual energy?’ She feared Bai Yu, being young, was simply showing off. ‘This is hardly the time for grandstanding.’ Li Hua now genuinely regretted allowing Bai Yu to proceed.

Bai Yu, however, paid no mind to Li Hua’s concerns, continuously flying further into the distance. It was then that Bai Yu truly grasped the immense size of the sea’s vortex; even at her current speed, she wasn’t escaping it quickly. With a sudden burst, Bai Yu accelerated further, directly approaching the speed of sound.

The intense air currents made it impossible to even open one’s eyes. Fortunately, both Stella and Li Hua were high-tier Arcanists. Otherwise, an ordinary person would have perished instantly in such conditions. Their spines would likely have snapped. This left the elderly Li Hua utterly miserable. She worried simultaneously about Bai Yu’s spiritual energy reserves and her own old bones. This journey, she mused, had truly put her through the wringer.