When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 273: Sea God’s Domain

Chapter 273: Sea God’s Domain

If Gu Luoxin were to ask him right now, Jin Jiuchi would likely say that he did not know what was happening either.

One moment he was still sniffing around the air and trying to discern where the exact boundary lay, and the next, the entire atmosphere abruptly shifted around him. His eyes only turned dark for a split second before he found himself transported into an entirely different realm.

"Woah!" An astonished sound escaped Jin Jiuchi’s lips.

Standing on top of the water’s surface, he marveled at the spectacle that greeted him. The sky above was painted with shimmering arcs of light reminiscent of the aurora borealis. Glowing hues of sapphires, emerald and amethyst stretched gracefully across the aquatic heavens, casting a luminous glow upon the sea floor below. Each movement of the water sent ripples of prismatic color dancing, as schools of luminescent fish navigated through the air.

Intrigued, Jin Jiuchi gingerly poked one which was swimming right in front of his nose, and it exploded into tiny sprinkles of light that illuminated the surroundings, causing him to sneeze.

"Wow..." He swept his gaze around the breathtaking expanse of this otherworldly seaspace, only for his breath to catch in his throat when his eyes fell upon the magnificent throne floating a meter above the surface before him. It was carved from coral and encrusted with gemstones that shimmered with the ebb and flow of the tides. Yet it was not the throne that captivated Jin Jiuchi so— but the person seated upon it.

Shen Nianzu reclined with casual elegance, his cheek propped upon his hand as he observed Jin Jiuchi’s reaction with an amused smile. His upper body still sported in the sleeveless hoodie, but his lower half had undergone a transformation into a massive tail. With every movement, his silver and purple scales reflected light in a mesmerizing display of color. His regal purple caudal fins flirted with the water, eliciting playful splashes. His long silver hair cascaded around his form, and a pearl-studded crown graced his head.

It was no longer Shen Nianzu who sat before Jin Jiuchi, but the Sea God.

Jin Jiuchi instinctively pinched his nose, fearing that he would get a nosebleed from the breathtaking beauty before him. What to do... he really wanted to get down on his knees right here and now...

Thoroughly amused by Jin Jiuchi’s subconscious response, Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but burst out into laughter. The sound resonated like a melody through the ethereal atmosphere and the aurora borealis above responded to his mirth, painting the sky with even more dazzling hues. "What are you doing there? Still not coming close?"

Those words spurred Jin Jiuchi into action and he began to move forward. The water surface rippled with each step he took, and it felt as if he was walking through a musical instrument because he could hear an invisible orchestra resonating through the currents.

"Nian’er..." a shaky exhale escaped Jin Jiuchi’s lips as he stood before Shen Nianzu, still unable to believe that the person before him was real. "Nian’er, this is your domain?"

The curve of Shen Nianzu’s lips deepened, "En, what do you think of it?"

"I–It’s so pretty..." Jin Jiuchi was actually at a loss of words, which was a rare reoccurrence for him. But he really had no idea how to describe the grandeur of the scene before him aside from that one word. From the dancing aurora borealis to the luminescent fishes, from the gemstone-studded throne to the surrounding water, and finally, the merman before him... everything was so pretty. It was like he had stepped through Heaven’s gate to glimpse upon true paradise.

"Right?" A wistful look crossed Shen Nianzu’s face. Even he did not expect to find such a mesmerizing seascape within his skill card. But he couldn’t deny that it suited his aesthetic very well, and he was immensely satisfied with everything. His gaze swept over the captivating panorama before he sighed, "Seeing it like this, the water doesn’t scare me as much anymore."

"Nian’er... is afraid of water?" Jin Jiuchi blinked, a little stunned. Then he recalled Shen Nianzu’s unexpected reaction when they fell into water in the previous Cycle. Shen Nianzu had frozen as if an invisible force was holding him in place, and a sour smell was emanating from him; that was indeed the scent of fear. However, there was just one thing Jin Jiuchi couldn’t fathom. "But how? Nian’er, isn’t water your natural element? And you have also become the Sea God..."

"I know. It’s ironic, isn’t it?" Shen Nianzu put on a self-deprecating smile, which prompted Jin Jiuchi to shake his head. It was natural for everyone to have one or two things they feared, but of course he was the exception. Jin Jiuchi had smelled the scent of fear on many others before, but never before had he detected it from himself.

What did it feel like, he wondered?

Oh wait, there was that moment when he witnessed Shen Nianzu coughing out blood in the Temple of Anubis and lay in the puddle of his own blood, courtesy to the imagination conjured up by his debilitating mind. At that time, Jin Jiuchi seemed to perceive a new emotion within him. Perhaps that was the closest he ever came to understanding fear.

"I haven’t told you about my first Cycle before, haven’t I?" Shen Nianzu asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Nian’er’s first Cycle? Jin Jiuchi shook his head, his heart itching with curiosity. "Was it in the ocean?"

"To be exact, it was on an isolated island surrounded by the sea," Shen Nianzu elaborated, his gaze growing distant as if relishing the memory. "On the final day, we had to swim around five hundred meters to escape the sinking island and get to where the ship was. It was a stormy night, the rain and thunder merciless, and the water chilling to the bone..."

"Can you imagine it?" He turned his gaze to Jin Jiuchi with a wry smile. "I had never even been to the beach before. My life was a constant back-and-forth between my house and the hospital. My physical strength was pitifully weak, and my eyesight was not even that good. Then all of a sudden, I was forced to swim in the churning sea with bloodthirsty fishes under my feet, which could drag me down at any moment. It was... unforgettable. I really thought I would die back then. Until now, I didn’t even know how I managed to make it through. I believed I had overcome that fear, but in the last Cycle... I realized that a large body of water still terrifies me, especially at night..."

Jin Jiuchi did not expect that Shen Nianzu’s first Cycle had been so precarious. When compared to his own, he only recalled scavenging for food in the empty apartment, being fed by the kind bloody bride when he was on the verge of dying from hunger, running alongside swarms of spiders and rodents...

En, it simply could not be compared.

Jin Jiuchi clapped, genuinely awed, "Nian’er is awesome! Ah, I really wanted to be there with you during your first Cycle..." his expression morphed into one of pure regret. "I could have carried you across the sea, then Nian’er wouldn’t have had to tire himself."

Shen Nianzu couldn’t help but scoff when he heard that. The corner of his lips curved into an amused smile, dispelling the earlier gloom. "Forget it, I didn’t want us to meet back when I was so weak anyway." Even though he knew that the past couldn’t be changed, he was still happy to hear such romantic sentiments from Jin Jiuchi. In a good mood, he did not forget to praise the man as well, "You too, good job in detecting the domain so soon. I knew that you could do it."

Jin Jiuchi soaked in the praise like a sunflower basking in the sun. "Hehe, ain’t I awesome?" He rubbed his nose with a proud look, but then his expression shifted when he suddenly recalled the missing member among them. "Wait, where is Xinxin?"

He turned around to find that Gu Luoxin was still standing outside the domain. From where Jin Jiuchi was standing, he could see Gu Luoxin crystal clear, yet he knew that the person outside would not be able to see them at all. He observed as Gu Luoxin seemed to have come to a decision and began to walk forward, seemingly attempting to enter the domain. But instead of breaking through the boundary, he ended up circling around the edge.

"This..." Jin Jiuchi was astonished as he turned to Shen Nianzu for answers.

"Illusion," the merman clarified. "It helps conceal the domain, and people whom I don’t grant permission to will not be able to enter. Though I’m not sure about players with skill cards stronger than mine..." his expression turned thoughtful as he pondered on the matter. Unbeknownst to him, his tail swayed back and forth gently as though in a reflexive gesture, drawing all of Jin Jiuchi’s attention to it.

"Wow, so this can become your shell at a time of need! Wait a moment, can it trap enemies too?"

"Of course, its prowess is actually stronger than my previous skill card, as everything that happens in this domain is under my control..." his voice trailed off when he raised his head to find that Jin Jiuchi’s gaze was fixated on his tail. Amused, he playfully flicked his tail and splashed Jin Jiuchi with water. "Focus, where has your mind wandered off to?"

Jin Jiuchi pouted. He wiped the water off his face, only for his hand to come out dry. Of course, illusion. Everything within this domain was an illusion, but it looked so real that he almost had difficulty discerning what was fantasy and reality. "But Nian’er’s tail is so pretty, and you told me last time that I was not allowed to touch," he tried to appeal while giving his best puppy dog eyes. "So can I touch it now?"

Shen Nianzu had no idea whether to laugh or cry. They were talking about serious things but here Jin Jiuchi was, getting distracted by his tail. However, he understood that the man possessed boundless curiosity and it was a wonder how he could hold himself back until now. Last time, he had forbidden Jin Jiuchi from touching him because his entire body was still too sensitive after breaking out of the cocoon, and he was afraid that he would lose control of his reactions.

But now he had nothing to fear anymore. After all, this person had become his boyfriend, no? Thus, he generously granted permission, "Sure, go ahead."

Finally getting what he wanted, Jin Jiuchi gulped softly before taking a step forward and extending a hand to place them on the tail. His fingers brushed against the hard scales, feeling their cold yet moist sensation beneath his touch. "Wow, so it feels like this... His gaze then shifted to the translucent flukes on Shen Nianzu’s hips, intending to move there next, when he abruptly realized that something was missing.

Something that was very, very important. Even comparable to his own life.

"Wait a darn minute..." he scrutinized the area below Shen Nianzu’s belly button and saw nothing but a smooth expanse of silver scales. He was aghast, "Nian’er, where has your little brother gone?!"

.

.

Mini theater

Gu Luoxin, who was stranded outside, did not get any reaction from both Jin Jiuchi and Shen Nianzu after a prolonged period of time.

Xinxin: guess it’s my time to scram QAQ

After a two month long vacation, he had gotten used to his role as a third wheel.