The Witch Hunter System

Chapter 1158: Resuming the Heavenly Massage

The Empyreans didn’t notice anything wrong when Vaan was around. But after he returned to Mermaid’s Grotto, Empyrean Wavebreaker and the other Empyreans soon felt something was amiss.

"Weren’t we going to pressure Oceanheart into making concessions? Why did we end up focusing on Corrupted Ones and then sending those two off with smiles?"

"True, we were supposed to hold a firm stance, yet we caved in so quickly."

"Does it matter right now? The issue with the Corrupted Ones is indeed a bigger problem. That is what we should be focusing on. Now is the time to unite for survival, not divide for self-interests."

"That’s right. The Myriad Sea God Palace has existed for many chaos cycles, but it isn’t infallible. Failing to recognize this truth will cost us everything. If we don’t deal with the Corrupted Ones and the Outerworlders behind them, we could become homeless strays."

"Even if our statuses allow us to become prominent figures anywhere, no place will ever be better than home. The Myriad Sea God Palace is the origin and root of our existence. It is our duty to protect it."

"I naturally understand the bigger picture. You don’t have to worry about me committing a mistake. I just have some doubts."

"Wavebreaker is also correct. There are some doubts about Lord Envoy. I hadn’t noticed it when Lord Envoy was around, but now that he has left, these doubts have become clearer."

"I’ve come to realize that in Lord Envoy’s presence, I am incapable of bearing any ill will, only good will. Clearly, my mind had been influence by Lord Envoy, subconsciously viewing him as an untouchable and sacred existence."

"Well, that shouldn’t be surprising, Tidefather. Don’t forget that Lord Envoy is a Noble Being. His body and soul carry the aura of the Lord of the Boundless Seas and Skies, the origin of our faith. Seeing a Noble Being is akin to seeing the Lord himself."

"You think I don’t know that, Voidcurrent? Such is the presence of a Noble Being. However, the Boundless Sea and Sky Aura on them had never felt so strong before, enough to affect us Empyreans to this degree."

"Perhaps this is the synergetic effect of a Soul Master, True Sage, and a Noble Being. The qualities of these statuses have amplified the effects of Lord Envoy’s Boundless Sea and Sky Aura beyond ordinary levels."

"What does everyone think?"

"I think that, regardless of the truth, it won’t do anyone any good to pry into the details. The Lord of the Boundless Seas and Skies will forever be our faith, but we must not look into his reincarnation."

"Vastheaven is right. History has shown us, time and time again, the tragic consequences of discovering the Lord’s reincarnation. Only a blood bath awaits everyone around him once his existence is discovered."

"With our level of strength, we have neither the power to protect the Lord’s reincarnation nor take over his destiny. Forcing any of these choices will cause the Myriad Sea God Palace to capsize under the relentless storm they bring."

"Sigh... I miss the era when the Lord of the Boundless Seas and Skies was still around."

"Right? The Boundless Sea and Sky Domain wouldn’t have fractured into countless factions, and the damned Outerworlders would have never had the opportunity to invade our world, challenging our resources, living space, and survival."

Empyrean Wavebreaker and the other Empyreans all felt regretful when this topic was raised.

Everything was good when the Lord of the Boundless Seas and Skies was still around.

However, after the Lord of the Boundless Seas and Skies went missing for such a long time, many things would naturally change. The peace and stability of the Boundless Sea and Sky Domain were destroyed. ɽáɴＯᛒΕṢ

The harmony that once existed between the sea and sky disappeared, splitting the Boundless Sea and Sky Domain into the Boundless Sea Domain and the Boundless Sky Domain.

Over time, the sea and sky grew completely distant, not just from each other but within themselves as well.

With the passage of more time, the Boundless Sea Domain and Boundless Sky Domain were further divided into countless minor seas and sky domains by the Lord’s mistresses and descendants, each fighting for their own benefits.

Those who didn’t want to join their fight also formed their own neutral faction. Their Myriad Sea God Palace was one such faction.

With only thirteen Empyreans helming the Holy Land, they didn’t pose a significant threat, and thus, didn’t receive much attention from other sea factions. As a result, they had also become distant and secluded from the rest of the fractured Boundless Sea and Sky Domain.

"What’s the point of talking about this now? It’s all in the past. All we can do is put our trust in the Lord’s return and focus on the current problem in front of us. The present matters."

"Right."

"Agreed."

"Since that is settled, start working. The coming days will be busy for us," Empyrean Vastheaven stated.

Following the Lord Envoy’s plan, they needed to develop a system to keep track of every disciple’s cultivation progress. Such a task was not difficult in and of itself; it only required a lot of their labor.

A massive network covered the entire Myriad Sea God Palace.

All kinds of information were floating around, even if they weren’t recorded in databases and were easy to access. As such, they only needed to set up a new system that compiled the relevant floating information.

Naturally, gathering the details of all disciples in the Myriad Sea God Palace was a daunting task, even for a single Empyrean. It was incredibly tedious, making one feel greater discomfort over time.

After reaching the Empyrean level, they were all used to an unfettered lifestyle, free of most miscellaneous burdens and responsibilities. As such, they would not be used to such a dull task after such a long time.

However, with several Empyreans working together, such a tedious task would become more bearable.

Moreover, the Lord Envoy had already given multiple lectures. The information from this period would still exist. If they compiled data on the affected group, they might discover some surprises, even if the range was limited to parts of the Holy Land.

Thinking of this, some Empyreans motivated themselves to work.

...

Meanwhile, after a brief discussion with Empyrean Oceanheart, Vaan stayed in the Mermaid’s Grotto to resume his original plan.

Although Empyrean Oceanheart reluctantly agreed to his task, she increased his security and protection. Now, it wasn’t just True God Galevyr protecting Vaan. There were another nine True Gods and even one Heavenly God in the dark.

Such a level of treatment was unprecedented.

Even Seraphina, the so-called Daughter of Heaven, has yet to enjoy such a high level of protection, though there was never a need to.

"Fortunately, Lord Vaan is fine. I still can’t believe someone among us tried to assassinate him. How could anyone do such a thing? Lord Vaan is a blessing to us all. Even seamen from other domains should be competing for his favor."

"Do you even have to ask? It was definitely the work of a Corrupted One. Besides them, who else wouldn’t want our Myriad Sea God Palace to prosper?"

"Dammit, so it was a Corrupted One. We’ve actually lost another brother to that accursed corruption. Where is it even coming from?"

"If anyone knew the answer to that question, would it still be a problem?"

As the crowd within the market square of Mermaid’s Grotto chatted, Vaan took his post and casually announced, "The Heavenly Massage will be resuming with the previous queue system."

"If the first person in the queue is still interested, can you forward to receive your service? If you don’t show up, we’ll move on to the next person in—"

"I’m here, Lord Vaan! Please don’t skip me!" a Divine Lord-level mermaid cried out loud, fearing she wouldn’t be heard.

She quickly hastened her pace and arrived in front of Vaan in a flash.

Vaan acknowledged the beauty with a calm nod before he made a gentlemanly gesture, instructing her to enter the tent first. Shortly after he followed her in, the melodious hymns of a mermaid song resounded.

The charms of mysterious law descended, gathering the natural mana in the sea region.

"It’s here! It’s finally here!"

Countless Divine Beings in the crowd had their eyes lit up with excitement and fervor as pure mana enriched the area.

Although they had pure intentions and their hearts were set on cultivation, they could easily invite misunderstandings with their passionate behaviour. Anyone lacking the context, upon stumbling into this place, might believe they were all degenerates.

After all, why would they become so excited from listening to lewd noises?

As such, even the cultivation spots were predominantly occupied by mermaid disciples. The mermen disciples had a harder time securing a spot due to the mermaids’ suspicions and scorn.

Only the shameless ones didn’t care about their opinions at all.

"Hey, you. Aren’t you embarrassed being here? Can’t you see that everyone else around you are mermaids? What are you getting excited for, you pervert?"

"If being passionate about cultivation is considered perverted, then I am indeed a pervert. Thank you for the compliment. Now, I kindly ask you not to disturb my peaceful cultivation again. It’s very rude."

"You..."

The mermaid was speechless.

Against such a thick-skinned merman, she didn’t know what else to say. If she persisted, she would indeed be the disrespectful one.

An unlucky sister would have to give up on this spot.