Somewhere deep within the Mist Sea Region...
Far beneath the restless surface where sunlight could no longer penetrate, an enormous figure remained perfectly still upon the seabed.
The surrounding waters were unnaturally quiet.
Countless aquatic creatures instinctively kept their distance, not daring to approach the domain that had belonged to its ruler for centuries.
Coiled around a cluster of jagged underwater rocks lay an enormous serpent.
Its scales shimmered with a deep azure lustre, each one larger than a grown man's torso, while its body stretched for several hundred metres through the darkness. Although lacking the majestic horns and claws possessed by true dragons, the serpent still carried a faint trace of draconic dignity inherited from an ancient bloodline.
Yet beneath that imposing appearance...
Were wounds.
Several horrifying gashes extended from its neck down to its abdomen, their edges still charred black from heavenly lightning. Portions of its scales had completely disappeared, exposing flesh that continuously twitched under the lingering Tribulation aura.
Despite those terrifying injuries...
The aura surrounding the serpent remained overwhelming.
It still possessed the unquestionable might of a Rank Four Yao Beast.
Floating quietly before its enormous head was a crystal-clear jade the size of a human fist.
Soft blue radiance continuously flowed from within the jade, illuminating the dark waters like a miniature moon. Every pulse it released carried astonishingly pure spiritual energy that naturally soothed the mind and nourished the soul.
It was a Rank Three Sea Jade.
Among marine treasures, Sea Jade remained one of the rarest natural spiritual materials. Even human cultivators frequently fought over pieces no larger than a thumb, yet the serpent possessed one almost the size of an entire fist.
Although it lacked the bloodline of a true dragon...
It had inherited one of their instincts.
The desire to gather treasures.
Throughout its long life, countless valuable objects had been dragged into this territory before being hidden beneath the sea.
The Rank Three Sea Jade before it was undoubtedly among its greatest possessions.
Gentle streams of pure spiritual energy continuously flowed from the jade into the serpent's body, slowly suppressing the remnants of the heavenly tribulation that still ravaged its flesh.
Its recovery had already begun.
At this rate, another few years would be enough for every external wound to disappear completely.
Once that happened...
Nothing within the surrounding seas would be capable of stopping its expansion.
The nearby human territories...
Would inevitably become its hunting grounds.
The serpent quietly absorbed the jade's energy, allowing the surrounding currents to circulate naturally around its immense body.
Then...
Its golden pupils suddenly opened.
An unfamiliar disturbance had entered its territory.
Several hundred metres above...
A small group of rogue cultivators carefully navigated through the dense white mist covering the sea.
Their cultivation wasn't particularly impressive.
Foundation Establishment at best.
They were scavengers.
Ever since rumours spread that cultivators occasionally stumbled upon ancient inheritances within the Mist Sea Region, groups like theirs frequently risked their lives entering its outer regions in hopes of finding forgotten treasures.
One elderly cultivator carefully examined a broken piece of jade floating upon the water.
"It still carries Spiritual Qi."
"Take it."
Another immediately collected it before grinning.
"We're fortunate today."
"Perhaps the ancient battlefield truly extends this far."
None of them noticed...
The waters beneath them had already become deathly still.
Far below...
The serpent slowly raised its enormous head.
Its vertical pupils narrowed into thin slits.
Territory.
Its territory was being defiled.
The injuries left behind by the heavenly tribulation had already pushed its temper to the very edge. Every lingering trace of Tribulation aura continuously tormented its flesh, making it far more violent than usual.
Now...
A handful of insignificant creatures dared trespass above its nest.
Its rage instantly erupted.
ROARRR!!
The terrifying roar shook the surrounding sea.
The calm waters exploded upward as an enormous azure shadow burst from beneath the surface.
Boom!!
Columns of seawater rose hundreds of metres into the sky.
The rogue cultivators froze.
Their expressions instantly turned pale.
"A... Rank Four Yao Beast!"
"Run!"
Before anyone could react...
The serpent had already appeared before them.
Its colossal body blotted out the sunlight while its cold pupils regarded the cultivators exactly as one would observe insignificant insects crawling upon the ground.
To it...
They weren't enemies.
They weren't even prey worthy of effort.
They were merely worms.
Its enormous jaws slowly opened.
Darkness descended.
The surrounding space itself seemed swallowed as terrifying suction instantly enveloped every cultivator present.
"No—!"
The desperate screams lasted only a single breath.
The entire group disappeared into the serpent's mouth.
Crunch.
The serpent slowly closed its jaws.
Its fury subsided ever so slightly.
Such insignificant creatures barely provided nourishment, yet eliminating intruders restored a measure of peace to its agitated mind.
Satisfied...
It began descending back toward the depths.
Then—
Something felt wrong.
Its enormous pupils shifted downward.
Towards...
Its own stomach.
The next instant—
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion erupted from within its body.
The serpent's eyes widened violently.
ROARRRRR!!!
Its agonising roar shook the entire Mist Sea.
Before the first explosion had completely faded...
A second erupted.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The continuous explosions ravaged its already injured internal organs, sending violent shockwaves throughout its colossal body.
The charred wounds left behind by the heavenly tribulation instantly split apart once more.
Fresh blood dyed the surrounding seawater crimson.
More terrifying still...
The lingering Tribulation aura hidden within those old injuries suddenly became active again.
Violent lightning continuously crawled across its wounds.
The serpent hissed in unbearable agony as every movement caused fresh currents of pain to spread throughout its body.
It immediately understood.
Someone...
Had deliberately planted those explosives inside the cultivators before allowing them to enter its territory.
The explosions finally ceased.
The serpent's breathing became ragged.
Its instincts immediately screamed for it to return beneath the sea and suppress the newly awakened Tribulation aura before matters worsened.
It had only just begun descending—
When a faint metallic sphere quietly appeared beside its wounded neck.
The serpent barely had time to turn its head.
"What..."
BOOM!!
A blinding pillar of lightning exploded outward.
The Magnetic Thunder Orb erupted with terrifying force directly beside its largest wound, while countless bolts of condensed thunder engulfed the serpent's entire body.
The violent blast instantly threw the enormous creature sideways.
Its colossal body smashed through layers of ancient bedrock beneath the sea, shattering massive underwater cliffs into countless fragments as the surrounding seabed collapsed beneath the overwhelming impact.
The instant the Magnetic Thunder Orb detonated, another figure emerged from the surrounding sea mist.
Lin Sheng.
He had concealed himself from beginning to end, suppressing every trace of his aura while waiting for the perfect opportunity. Against an opponent stronger than himself, a frontal confrontation was nothing short of suicide. Only by allowing the serpent's injuries to worsen repeatedly could he hope to drag the gap between them within reach.
The explosion hadn't even finished reverberating through the seabed when Gang Qi erupted throughout his body.
Every muscle swelled.
His Rank Three physique released its full strength.
Wind and Thunder Martial Intent intertwined around his body, causing arcs of lightning to dance across the surface of his skin while violent winds compressed themselves around his fists. At the same time, brilliant golden flames ignited along his arm before rapidly spreading toward the tip of his spear.
Without the slightest hesitation—
Lin Sheng thrust forward.
The spear transformed into a streak of golden lightning that pierced directly into the serpent's largest wound.
Boom!
The already shattered scales exploded apart.
The Purple Palace-level strike tore through flesh before the Solar Flames rushed into the serpent's body like an unstoppable tide, following the blood vessels toward its organs and Sea of Consciousness.
ROARRRRR!!
The serpent's agonised roar shook the surrounding sea.
The pain this time was unlike the explosions before.
Those merely injured its body.
These flames...
Were burning everything.
Its flesh.
Its blood.
Its Spiritual Qi.
Even its soul seemed to ignite beneath those terrifying golden flames.
The surrounding seawater rapidly boiled as the enraged serpent unleashed its bloodline ability.
Dark clouds instantly gathered above the Mist Sea while endless white mist surged outward from every direction. Within moments, torrential rain descended upon the battlefield, accompanied by waves several dozen metres high that crashed endlessly against one another.
Mist concealed its body.
Rain suppressed fire.
At the same time, the serpent twisted its enormous body before diving toward the deeper sea, abandoning every thought of killing the human cultivator.
It only wished to escape.
It needed to suppress those flames immediately.
Unfortunately...
Lin Sheng had anticipated exactly this.
The corners of his lips rose slightly.
"Trying to extinguish Solar Flames with water..."
"...you're dreaming."
The golden flames weren't ordinary spiritual fire.
Once they entered an opponent's body, they no longer relied upon external Spiritual Qi to continue burning. Instead, they devoured the target's own vitality, Spiritual Qi and even fragments of their spirit as fuel.
The more violently the serpent circulated its power...
The faster the flames spread.
Crystal's calm notification immediately appeared.
•[Solar Flames successfully established within target.
Estimated internal spread: Accelerating.
Target Spiritual Qi consumption increased by 31.4%]•
Lin Sheng refused to approach recklessly.
Instead, he continuously circled the battlefield using the Wind Riding Boots, keeping several hundred metres between himself and the serpent while launching wave after wave of compressed Gang Qi toward its already injured body.
His objective wasn't to inflict decisive damage.
It was to keep the serpent occupied.
As long as it couldn't fully focus on suppressing the Solar Flames...
Its condition would only continue deteriorating.
Everything proceeded exactly according to plan.
Then—
The serpent suddenly stopped struggling.
Its enormous golden pupils instantly locked onto Lin Sheng.
An instinctive sense of danger surged through his entire body.
Without hesitation, Wind Martial Intent erupted beneath his feet.
His figure instantly blurred.
Almost simultaneously—
The serpent's colossal tail swept across the battlefield.
There was no elegance.
No technique.
Only overwhelming physical strength.
Boom!!
The surrounding seawater exploded apart as the tail shattered everything in its path, creating an underwater vacuum several hundred metres wide.
Lin Sheng's movement technique scattered countless afterimages throughout the sea.
The serpent ignored every illusion.
Its tail simply swept through the entire region.
Crack!
A horrifying impact landed upon Lin Sheng's left arm.
His expression changed.
He felt as though an entire mountain had collided with him.
His body uncontrollably shot backward, smashing through several submerged rock formations before finally coming to a stop hundreds of metres away.
Blood surged into his throat.
Lin Sheng forcibly swallowed it back.
Looking down, he discovered his entire left arm hanging unnaturally at his side.
Broken.
The bones had shattered beneath a single strike.
Pain spread throughout his body.
Yet his expression became calmer instead of more anxious.
"This..."
"...is a Rank Four beast."
Even after suffering repeated explosions, heavenly tribulation injuries and the relentless corrosion of the Solar Flames...
Its physical strength remained terrifying.
Crystal calmly completed its assessment.
•[Left arm fractured.
Overall combat efficiency reduced by 14.8%
Recommendation: Avoid direct contact]•
Lin Sheng slowly straightened himself before taking a deep breath.
"I wasn't planning to fight it head-on anyway."
In the distance, the serpent continued thrashing violently through the sea, repeatedly plunging itself into deeper waters while endless currents wrapped around its body in an attempt to extinguish the flames burning within.
It was useless.
The golden flames merely grew brighter.
The more Spiritual Qi it consumed...
The more violently they spread.
Occasionally, the serpent's body would convulse as unbearable pain reached even its soul.
Seeing this, Lin Sheng finally understood.
The moment had arrived.
Without another second of hesitation, he unleashed the Mental Spiral Thorn.
Invisible spiritual spikes condensed before silently piercing toward the serpent's Sea of Consciousness.
The beast immediately roared again.
Although its soul far surpassed Lin Sheng's in strength, the Solar Flames had already begun burning it from within. Under such circumstances, even a slight disturbance became infinitely more unbearable.
Its resistance noticeably weakened.
Not by much...
But enough.
Lin Sheng's eyes flashed.
His spatial ring suddenly trembled.
The next moment, an enormous metallic sphere almost the size of a human head appeared before him.
Its surface was covered by countless engraved runes and densely packed talismans, each one connected through intricate refining techniques into a single terrifying weapon.
This...
Was the true Magnetic Thunder Orb.
Its strongest form.
Lin Sheng slowly lifted it with his remaining hand before looking toward the thrashing serpent in the distance.
"This..."
"...ends now."
He hurled it with every ounce of strength remaining in his body.
The massive orb shot forward like a falling meteor.
The serpent instinctively sensed the incoming danger.
Its enormous body immediately shifted sideways.
It wanted to dodge.
Lin Sheng had already expected exactly that.
His eyes narrowed.
Invisible spiritual force instantly erupted.
Telekinesis.
The orb abruptly changed direction midway through its flight before violently accelerating toward the serpent's neck.
The beast's pupils contracted.
It was too late.
The orb struck directly against its largest wound.
BOOOOOOM!!
An earth-shattering explosion illuminated the entire Mist Sea.
Countless pillars of lightning burst outward in every direction while the terrifying shockwave tore apart the surrounding seawater itself. Even Lin Sheng, standing several hundred metres away, couldn't escape its range.
The violent impact slammed into his body.
His internal organs churned violently.
Fresh blood finally burst from his mouth as his entire figure was blown backward like a broken leaf disappearing into the endless sea.