Chapter 167: Ao Run
The path toward Ao Run’s palace became clearer as they swam forward, the mist thinning enough to reveal the magnificent structure in its full glory. The white jade walls rose in elegant spirals, mother-of-pearl inlays creating intricate patterns that seemed to shift and change as the currents moved around them. Silver towers twisted upward, each topped with crystals that pulsed with soft, rhythmic light.
But something was wrong. The palace, which should have been defended by layers of illusion and mist, stood exposed and quiet. The silver coral gardens that surrounded it were darkened with corruption, and the floating pearl lanterns that normally provided gentle illumination had gone dim.
"We’re too late," Lin whispered, seeing the dark stains that marked where the battle had already taken place.
The aftermath of conflict was evident everywhere they looked. Sections of the jade walls were cracked and blackened, showing where corrupted energy struck. The carefully cultivated seaweed forests that had served as natural barriers lay withered and twisted, their black and gold strands now completely black.
"Look at the water itself," Captain Zhen observed with growing alarm. Around the palace, the mist-like quality of the West Sea had changed. Instead of the ethereal, dream-like substance they had encountered before, the water here was becoming thick and viscous, tainted by corruption that spread in visible tendrils.
General Huoyan pointed toward the palace’s main entrance. "The gates are open. If Jiaolong’s forces breached the palace..."
"Then Ao Run might already be dead," Commander Yuehua finished grimly.
They approached the palace cautiously, but the expected resistance never came. No defenders emerged from the shadows, and no illusions rose to challenge them. The sea lay silent and seemingly abandoned.
Beyond the entrance, the palace’s interior corridors stretched into darkness.
"This doesn’t feel right," Grim said, his hand resting on his sword hilt. "Even if Jiaolong won, there should be some sign of his forces."
They swam through the entrance hall, their movements echoing strangely in the vast space. The walls here were covered with murals depicting the history of the West Sea, but many of the murals now bore dark stains where corruption had touched them.