Ye Qin was secretly delighted as a faint silhouette burst forth from the murky, foul-smelling seawater.

This strange sea beast possessed an exceptionally refined art of concealment, but once tainted by the corpse fluid of the Golden Core Skeleton Demon, even its superb stealth techniques would be utterly useless.

This corpse fluid had a potent corrosive effect, rapidly invading the marrow and viscera, severely damaging its vital energy, and proving difficult to purge. Even if a Golden Core stage cultivator’s physical body were accidentally brushed by a single drop, it would take at least several hours of channeling power to completely force the fluid out—a far more serious issue for a demonic beast.

The sea beast shrieked in rage, strands of black corpse energy swirling around its body; it was clearly stained by the fluid and its internal organs were rapidly succumbing. It would take several days for this beast to completely expel the black corpse energy, during which time it would be unable to hide its form.

Yet, its body flickered in and out of sight amidst the wisping black strands, making it impossible to discern what kind of sea beast it truly was.

Ye Qin’s gaze sharpened, his eyes, glinting with icy light, tracking the faint shadow with intense focus.

Without hesitation, he activated the Water Pouch Spirit Pearl artifact in his right hand, which blazed with intense blue light. He instantly unleashed five water dragons, each ten feet long, converging on the silhouette in a concerted assault, keen to discover how it launched its attacks.

The faint silhouette moved with startling speed, neither dodging nor evading; instead, it suddenly arched its body and sprang forward, slamming directly into the five water dragons.

Its head twitched, and a ten-foot-long blade of water, sharp and fierce, shot out, flashing away in the seawater.

Amidst a series of dense pfft sounds, the five water dragons were severed cleanly at the waist by a single strike.

Seeing this, Ye Qin sucked in a sharp breath.

That is too devastating.

The five water dragons he conjured instantly using the Water Pouch Spirit Pearl, a mid-tier water elemental artifact, were somehow unable to withstand even a single head-on clash with the creature. Therefore, the water blade instantly emitted by this sea beast must possess power equivalent to at least a high-tier spell.

Instantly casting a high-tier water spell—this must be a Golden Core level sea beast proficient in water magic, its combat strength decidedly more terrifying than a peer-level water cultivator of the same stage. This kind of beast was best engaged without direct confrontation.

While shocked, Ye Qin’s mind raced, intending to retreat, only to find there was nowhere left to fall back to. Behind him loomed a massive, ash-white Iron Cypress Coral tree; to his right was the Golden Core Skeleton Demon; and to his left hovered an Earth elemental Nascent Soul artifact. Ahead was the sea beast itself. It was already too late to evade.

Ye Qin gritted his teeth, pointed his left hand, and the Yellow Heaven Thick Dust Sword erupted in a burst of yellow light, shooting toward the faint silhouette.

At that moment, the silhouette, having broken through the obstruction of the five water dragons, jerked its head again and unleashed another water blade, striking fiercely and directly at Ye Qin, meeting the Yellow Heaven Thick Dust Sword without evasion.

Crack!

The sharp water blade slammed hard against the Yellow Heaven Thick Dust Sword, causing the blade body to vibrate violently, its yellow radiance quickly dimming slightly. Fortunately, this Earth elemental Nascent Soul artifact possessed formidable defensive capabilities. After taking the water blade, its body shrank marginally but remained steadfastly guarding Ye Qin.

Ye Qin dared not dally. Seizing the moment, he darted swiftly to the left, attempting to rush toward the sea area to draw distance between himself and the sea beast, intending to use the Nascent Soul artifact for a long-range kill. Being too close to such a swift, Golden Core water beast was perilous; only by widening the gap could he ensure his safety. He certainly didn’t wish to perish here, decades of arduous cultivation wasted on an underwater Golden Core monster.

However, the faint shadow, shrouded in wisps of black energy, slightly arched its back and flicked effortlessly, instantly surging dozens of feet to block Ye Qin’s path once more. Its pair of small, pale-red eyes, filled with fury laced with a hint of panic, stared fixedly at Ye Qin.

Ye Qin’s movement instantly halted. Staring at the faint shadow just a few feet ahead, a flicker of alarm crossed his face. Even though he had successfully forced the sea beast to reveal its true form, stripping it of its concealment, slaying it remained an incredibly arduous task.

Its speed was horrifying, especially in these deep-sea waters, where it could effortlessly launch itself dozens of feet in an instant. Combined with its terrifying offensive power, calling it a deep-sea assassin would be appropriate. If it hadn't been tainted by the black corpse fluid, rendering its superior stealth useless, it could likely have killed without warning.

Ye Qin stabilized his stance, using his artifact to shield himself, calmly confronting the demonic shrimp while rapidly seeking a countermeasure. So close was their proximity that Ye Qin could finally discern the sea beast’s shape clearly.

It was a deep-sea creature about ten feet long, entirely transparent, hunched over. Atop its head was a sharp, cold spike, several feet long. It possessed angry, pale-red eyes, a pair of whip-like antennae, two slender pincers, and a flattened, fan-shaped tail—it was unmistakably a gigantic demonic shrimp. The fierce water blade had been released directly from the spike on its head.

Ye Qin understood the beast’s intention. It was trying to cut him down right here, preventing him from escaping to a safer distance. Yet, it seemed unable to breach the formidable defense of Ye Qin's Yellow Heaven Thick Dust Sword and was now probing for weaknesses after a failed direct assault.

Ye Qin hung rigidly in place, a chill creeping through his heart. With his own speed, he might have a chance to fly away on his sword on land, but deep underwater, unable to utilize aerial flight, escape was impossible. This demonic shrimp was at least twice as fast as him in the water.

This demonic shrimp was not only incredibly swift and agile, possessing astonishing combat prowess, but it also displayed significant intelligence and cunning, unlike ordinary beasts that simply attacked wildly. Its initial stealth and calculated sneak attacks on their squad members evidenced this.

However, despite his astonishment at the terrifying combat strength of this Golden Core demonic shrimp, Ye Qin’s core remained calm, devoid of fear. If the combat power of this deep-sea shrimp was terrifying, his own was by no means inferior. In fact, his power was more than sufficient to dispatch this Golden Core shrimp.

Ye Qin’s greatest fear was the shrimp's ability to vanish in the deep sea, striking without warning. The reason he had repeatedly suffered setbacks and been unable to retaliate against its earlier attacks was purely due to its concealed form—a sudden strike, a water blade, and then instant disappearance. In such conditions, counterattack was impossible.

Now that the corpse fluid had forced it into the open, it was no longer invincible. Not only Ye Qin, but even the Golden Core Skeleton Demon could eradicate this shrimp.

Ye Qin sneered inwardly.

The Golden Core Skeleton Demon was now slowly swimming over from a short distance away, appearing rather clumsy and sluggish underwater.

The giant demonic shrimp’s pair of pale-red eyes swiveled, locking onto the Skeleton Demon. The look of terror in its eyes intensified. The Skeleton Demon’s corpse fluid had shattered its invisibility; the resulting corpse energy provoked instinctive revulsion and dread. Once the Skeleton Demon drew near, the shrimp would be forced to face the combined assault of Ye Qin and the demon, making finding a flaw in Ye Qin’s defense nearly impossible.

The demonic shrimp ceased waiting, arched its body, and sprang violently toward Ye Qin, transforming into a bizarre, faint shadow. The spike on its head shot out a lethal water blade straight toward Ye Qin.

Ye Qin was prepared. The Water Pouch Spirit Pearl in his right hand flashed, and a thick blue curtain of water materialized in front of him. The shrimp pierced straight through the blue screen, only to find the Yellow Heaven Thick Dust Sword, unbreakable, waiting for it. It had not yet managed to breach the defense of this sharp Nascent Soul artifact.

Ye Qin had already completed the Immortal Body Art, splitting his form into two, manifesting a phantasmal Dharma Image. This manifestation was identical to his true body and could channel magical power, possessing about thirty percent of his original strength; once depleted, the image would vanish. Even peer-level Golden Core cultivators would struggle to differentiate the true body from the illusion. Given the shrimp’s relatively low intelligence, it naturally could not distinguish between the two Ye Qins.

The demonic shrimp darted left and right, momentarily stunned. Its eyes flickered red as it froze, bewildered by the sudden appearance of a second Ye Qin. Its limited brainpower couldn't fully process the situation, but even with low intelligence, it understood its opposition had suddenly tripled.

At this point, the Golden Core Skeleton Demon had arrived. Its speed suddenly surged; it violently spewed massive quantities of corpse fluid, dyeing a large area of water spanning several dozen feet a murky black. Then, it opened its massive jaws and lunged ferociously at the demonic shrimp, tearing wildly. Though the Skeleton Demon moved slowly, its biting force was astonishing. A single successful bite, or even a sweep from its bony tail, could easily shred a mid-tier artifact.

The demonic shrimp, despite its agility, dared not engage the Skeleton Demon in a contest of brute force. It quickly retreated several feet, then, bracing its head spike, charged headlong toward the Skeleton Demon’s abdomen. Based on its experience, piercing the opponent’s most vulnerable belly would cause catastrophic damage, rapidly draining the enemy's vital energy toward certain death. It could then fight defensively, easily dealing with a stronger foe.

Unfortunately, its opponent was not an ordinary sea beast, but a phantom creature it had never encountered.

Crack!

A rib bone on the Skeleton Demon's chest was instantly snapped by the incredibly sharp spike. But the demon was utterly unconcerned. As a ghost creature, it felt no pain from such injury. Moreover, with hundreds of bones making up its frame, losing one or two had no effect on its combat strength; it only fueled its rage. To kill a ghost, simply breaking its bones was useless; only shattering its Demon Core would suffice.

The enraged Skeleton Demon violently shook its head and snapped off one of the demonic shrimp’s antennae in a retaliatory bite.

The shrimp lacked the Skeleton Demon’s tolerance for pain. Under the agony, sharp, vibrating sounds issued from its mouth. The ubiquitous corpse fluid in the water rapidly infiltrated the wound where the antenna had broken. The suffocating, deathly aura caused it unbearable torment.

The piercing vibrations it emitted traveled outwards.

In an instant, the demonic shrimp attacking the other members of the squad within several hundred feet halted their assault. Invisible, formless ripples rose from the water, all surging madly toward Ye Qin’s location.

Ye Qin looked toward the water surrounding the coral grove, his expression instantly shifting in surprise.

There were no fewer than five distinct ripples.

This meant there were five more deep-sea demonic shrimp hidden in the surrounding waters. Seeing this, Ye Qin felt a bitter sense of dread. He had never imagined this nest of deep-sea demonic shrimp was so numerous. He had only wounded one, and the rest were now frantically converging on him, even drawing away the shrimp engaged in combat with the other cultivators.