This time, Lei Dian wasn't just skimming the surface; it had plunged deep with He Yiming and the others.

It chased Bao Zhu beneath the waves, leading He Yiming to marvel at the pig's surprising leap in speed, particularly in the water. While still clearly inferior to Lei Dian, Bao Zhu used its compact form to circle within a defined radius.

Since Lei Dian would not harm Bao Zhu, it was forced to alter its direction. However, this immediately exposed the drawback of its massive size; were it not for its sheer speed, it would have long been compelled to give up the chase.

He Yiming watched their antics from the seabed, his body subtly twisting unconsciously.

A full month had passed since their return to the island. During this time, He Yiming continued to dive into the depths, observing marine life and slowly refining the Swimming Fish Movement Technique he had mastered.

Now, he suddenly realized that his practice and improvement of this movement technique seemed to have reached an insurmountable limit. To surpass this bottleneck would not be an easy feat.

With a long sigh, He Yiming shook his head underwater, gave a slight twist of his body, and ascended like a gigantic, strange fish.

Sensing He Yiming's subdued mood, Bao Zhu and Lei Dian quickly ceased their play. They exchanged a look and swam toward the surface together.

On the beach, Bai Lingba was still roasting fish. He had meticulously polished away all the rust from his utensils.

Beside him rested an eye-catching, oblong sphere—the egg of the Black Vulture King.

The moment He Yiming’s gaze fell upon the egg, a white shadow zipped through the air and immediately nestled protectively upon it.

The corner of his mouth curved slightly, letting out a silent chuckle.

When Bao Zhu first demanded the egg, He Yiming had assumed the pig intended to make egg drop soup or simply boil it for a meal. He hadn't expected Bao Zhu to surrender the egg to Bai Lingba instead.

Yet, it was strange. This egg had been taken from the mother creature shortly after it was formed. Chu Haozhou had once asserted that the egg’s survival time would be short, and He Yiming had also sensed its life force gradually weakening.

However, when He Yiming saw the egg again three months later, he was astonished to find that the egg, having been carried aloft by Bai Lingba for three months, had not only failed to dissipate its life energy but had instead grown progressively stronger.

This miraculous transformation left He Yiming profoundly perplexed.

At this moment, Bao Zhu held the egg, circling it with little, delighted hops, seemingly savoring the process.

He Yiming listened quietly to the sounds carried on the wind, carefully perceiving everything before him, a flicker of surprise lighting his eyes.

The egg, kept close to Bao Zhu, seemed to have absorbed some kind of energy from the pig, causing its vital essence to intensify.

He Yiming watched intently for a long time, finally certain that Bao Zhu wasn't just playing, but diligently attending to a specific task.

“Bao Zhu, are you incubating the egg?” He Yiming asked curiously.

Bao Zhu immediately tumbled off the egg with a splash. It shot He Yiming a reproachful glance, turned its head away, and ignored him.

He Yiming burst into laughter. He severed the head and tail from the large fish Bai Lingba had finished roasting and handed them over, which instantly restored a smiling expression to Bao Zhu’s face.

He thought maliciously, A pig is a pig; even a spirit beast pig cannot overcome its innate craving for food.

After a satisfying meal, He Yiming gazed into the distance for a long time before finally making a decision. “Brother Bai, Bao Zhu, Lei Dian, let us depart from this place tomorrow.”

In He Yiming's heart, he regarded Bao Zhu and Lei Dian as companions with whom he could communicate; this mentality could only arise from an entirely equal relationship. Therefore, when deciding on a major matter, He Yiming would inform them as well.

Bao Zhu grunted a few times, unclear whether it agreed or disagreed. As for Bai Lingba, the taciturn fellow, it was even less predictable. However, Lei Dian’s large eyes blinked rapidly, seemingly brimming with anticipation.

It had resided on this island for decades. Having now ascended to the level of a Saint Beast, and with Chu Haozhou’s departure, it was eager to venture out and see the world. He Yiming’s proposal perfectly suited its desires.

He Yiming spoke softly, “I have a premonition: if I am to break through my limit and condense the Water Flower, I must leave this place. Perhaps only through constant change can I achieve my aspiration.”

Bao Zhu suddenly bounded forward, its long snout nudging He Yiming’s chest. He Yiming paused briefly, then smiled. “I understand. We will go to Penglai in the East Sea first and see what that treasure map you found truly is.”

Bao Zhu snorted triumphantly, behaving with an air of utter superiority.

The next morning, He Yiming mounted Lei Dian. After circling the deserted island that held so many memories for them, they finally moved away.

On the white horse, He Yiming held Bao Zhu. They galloped freely, and above them, within the invisible cloud layer, Bai Lingba also flew.

An hour later, at Lei Dian’s speed, they had covered an unknown distance, but the tracker in He Yiming’s chest began to move faintly.

He Yiming took out the tracker and asked, “Brother Bai, any findings?”

Ever since learning that Bai Lingba possessed the ability to fly and had soared unseen above them for months without detection, He Yiming had delegated reconnaissance duties to him.

Unexpectedly, shortly after leaving the island, Bai Lingba seemed to have made a discovery.

“Three seafaring vessels passing to the front left,” Bai Lingba’s clear, concise voice transmitted.

He Yiming gazed intently into the distance but could see nothing. However, since Bai Lingba stated it, there must be ships ahead.

A flash of joy crossed his eyes. He Yiming gently urged the horse’s flank, and Lei Dian instantly transformed into a white streak, vanishing over the sea surface.

Not long after, He Yiming spotted the three large ships Bai Lingba had mentioned.

They were indeed large—certainly much bigger than the vessel he had used when setting out to sea. In comparison, however, they seemed slightly smaller than the ships the Lingxiao Palace had initially prepared for him.

Still, encountering any vessels here made He Yiming immensely pleased.

The white horse suddenly let out a long neigh that carried far across the sea, a sound like crashing thunder that instantly caused a commotion.

The people on the three ships immediately turned their gaze, but in their eyes, a small white dot in the distance seemed to instantly slash an endless white line through the void, arriving at the side of the leading large ship.

When the streak of white light finally halted, the onlookers clearly saw that it was a contingent of white horses, and upon one of them sat a man.

Even the most experienced and worldly individuals had never witnessed such an eerie sight.

Someone shouted, leading the others to suddenly kneel down, pounding their heads against the deck, crying out, “Lord of the Sea God! The Lord of the Sea God riding the Dragon Horse!”

The onlookers stared at Lei Dian, standing proudly on the water, its four hooves moving with the waves yet remaining as steady as Mount Tai. Their faces paled, and when they saw the incredible purple horn atop Lei Dian’s head, their hearts were completely shaken. Gradually, more and more ordinary crew members knelt.

It seemed the entire decks of the three ships were soon covered with kneeling figures.

Even among them were cultivators possessing internal strength. They vaguely guessed that this was not a Dragon Horse, nor was it a Sea God, but merely a human master of unfathomable strength, riding a mystical spirit beast he had tamed.

However, even having guessed the truth, they dared not show disrespect, instead kneeling devoutly along with the common folk.

Anyone who could tame such a spirit beast must be a grand master of the Innate Realm. Combined with a spirit beast capable of traversing the ocean, the sheer power of this man and horse far exceeded what these meager three ships could resist. If this person were angered, it would be effortless for him to capsize all three vessels.

Furthermore, the vast, open sea offered no escape, unlike land.

Thus, these powerful Post-Celestial realm cultivators also knelt down.

He Yiming frowned slightly. He had stopped this ship only to inquire about the location of Penglai Island in the East Sea. But Lei Dian’s entrance had been too spectacular. While he could certainly get an accurate answer now, He Yiming was certain that unless he killed everyone aboard these three vessels, news of his journey to Penglai Immortal Island would spread across the entire sea region in no time.

He was here to seek treasure, not to invite trouble.

Shaking his head, He Yiming urged his legs without a word, and the white horse Lei Dian immediately understood his intent. It leaped high into the air, soaring right over the largest ship, landing steadily on the other side before prancing its four hooves and vanishing in an instant.

After a long while, the people aboard the ships slowly rose. They chattered amongst themselves. Though no one could guess the origins of He Yiming and his companions, the one certainty was that their arrival was merely incidental—they were passing through.

They felt indescribably fortunate that their three ships had encountered beings resembling a Sea God and a Dragon Horse on the open water.

As expected, word quickly spread throughout that region of the sea about a person riding a Dragon Horse flying across the waves.

The common folk regarded this with awe, but the top-tier masters hiding on remote islands began to pay attention.

They naturally knew this was a spirit beast, and certainly a powerful, remarkable one, sparking within them notions of subjugating or killing it.

However, Lei Dian’s speed was too great. Even if someone chanced upon a glimpse, it was only a fleeting moment, and to this day, no one had managed to accomplish the feat of capturing it.