Feeling the oppressive aura bearing down, He Yiming finally began to understand why Chu Haozhou was so wary of this Black Shark King, even with his own capabilities.

The sheer pressure emanating from that direction ranked among the top five forces he had ever encountered from any person or creature.

Aside from the Fire Dragon in the Nine Dragon Furnace, the Dragon Snake on Ghost Cry Ridge, and that unknown sea monster from the outer seas, no other entity exuded such immense and majestic pressure.

Of course, while this pressure was formidable, it was nowhere near the overwhelming pressure exerted by non-human entities like the Dragon Snake. Given the number of people present, He Yiming was confident they could engage it in a full-fledged battle.

Everyone ceased swimming, their gazes simultaneously drawn to one direction, as slowly, a moving small mountain swam leisurely toward them.

It was an incomparably massive Black Shark, at least ten times the size of the six sharks they had seen earlier. Standing before this colossal beast, He Yiming and the others were like tiny toys next to an adult, completely disproportionate.

A pair of eyes, resembling enormous lanterns, turned, sweeping their cold gaze across the group.

Chu Haozhou snorted coldly and abruptly unleashed a powerful aura from his body. He held nothing back, pushing his innate presence to its absolute extreme.

He Yiming’s eyebrows rose; Chu Haozhou’s imposing presence was even stronger than when he first arrived at Haitian City. It seemed that as his realm stabilized, his martial cultivation grew ever more refined.

Yet, He Yiming showed no weakness. He drew a deep breath, opened his mouth, and exhaled three tangible flowers. These three tangible flowers then merged, forming a perfect suit of armor that enveloped him. But that wasn't the end; as the armor fully coalesced, rings of black ripples emerged from it, instantly spreading across the entire surface.

In an instant, the entire suit of armor looked exceptionally ferocious and terrifying, and the sheer power radiating from it was in no way inferior to Chu Haozhou, who had now advanced to the Five Qi Unification realm.

Chu Haozhou looked at He Yiming with astonishment, a mix of complex emotions swirling in his heart.

The secret to condensing the true essence armor from the tangible flowers was something he had taught He Yiming. But this fellow, after improving upon it, had created this bizarrely shaped armor, and judging solely by its might, it already far surpassed the scope of ordinary true essence armor. He truly couldn't fathom how he had cultivated it...

White Horse Lightning's eyes brightened, and it too emitted a powerful aura. Although its physique was far less grand than the opponent's, the strength contained within its body was not to be underestimated in the slightest.

The auras of the two men and the horse surged to their peak in an instant, spreading far outward. As they clashed with the Black Shark King's pressure, they subtly gained the absolute upper hand.

Precious Pig lay nestled against Bai Lingba’s chest, nudging him several times with its long snout, seemingly urging Bai Lingba to emulate He Yiming and the others by releasing his own might. But to his immense regret, Bai Lingba paid it no heed whatsoever.

The gigantic Black Shark King seemed to hesitate. These few tiny beings before it had delivered an unparalleled shock. It vaguely sensed that if it wanted to keep them here, it might have to pay an unforeseen price.

Furthermore, it subtly perceived that these individuals were not targeting it directly. At the very least, from those three auras, it could only sense an intense desire for battle, not potent killing intent.

However, the Black Shark King was, after all, the true monarch of these waters. For thousands of years, any creature that dared to challenge it here had been mercilessly devoured.

The might accumulated over so many years was deeply ingrained in its very marrow. Although He Yiming and the others displayed strength comparable to its own, its ultimate choice was to fight it out.

Its tail swayed slightly, and the great shark darted forward with incredible speed.

That mountain-like body was surprisingly agile, giving the observers a strangely pleasing sensation.

But no one had time to appreciate the performance. The moment the Black Shark King charged, everyone inwardly started, dodging in their own ways.

He Yiming and Chu Haozhou twisted their bodies, swimming far away like fish.

As for White Horse Lightning, there was no need to mention it; even underwater, the Black Shark King harboring thoughts of overpowering it in speed was utterly delusional.

Of everyone, only Bai Lingba, holding Precious Pig, seemed much slower. He waved a hand, instantly tossing Precious Pig out. His movement was as swift as lightning, and since he had initiated the throw right as the Black Shark King began to move, Precious Pig successfully landed on White Horse’s back.

Having shed that burden, Bai Lingba simply stood there dumbly, not moving an inch.

The Black Shark King opened its cavernous maw and bit down directly on Bai Lingba.

He Yiming’s vision momentarily darkened; he could barely breathe.

Though Bai Lingba was powerful, this Black Shark King was no ordinary foe. Once bitten, even Bai Lingba would likely face a dire outcome.

However, just as this thought arose, he sensed endless waves of water spreading out in all directions.

For some unknown reason, the Black Shark King began thrashing around madly, shaking its head and tail right where it was.

After a while, its bloody mouth opened again, and it spat out a person.

He Yiming’s eyes brightened instantly, and he swam over, reaching out and pulling Bai Lingba, who had been ejected by the Black Shark King, toward him.

The waves in the sea seemed to increase in intensity. The Black Shark King’s eyes locked tightly onto Bai Lingba, filled with an indescribable rage, but also profound fear.

He Yiming and Chu Haozhou both clicked their tongues in amazement, unable to grasp what had caused such a dramatic change in the colossal beast.

Focusing his voice into a single line, He Yiming asked, "Brother Bai, what did you do after it swallowed you?"

Bai Lingba replied emotionlessly, "It bit me, and its teeth broke."

He Yiming looked at Bai Lingba with sudden, deep reverence. Such a strong physique was probably unique in existence.

Chu Haozhou couldn't follow their conversation, as they were underwater. Even with their unique abilities allowing them to speak, communication was limited to one-on-one exchanges.

But seeing the Black Shark King’s current state, anyone could tell it had just suffered a major setback.

Its massive body swayed, and the surrounding seawater surged violently inward. The expressions of He Yiming and the others changed; this seawater contained a massive amount of true essence. The water washed over them, feeling as if it might crush them flat.

This true essence erupted from the Black Shark King, proving terrifyingly potent.

He Yiming snorted coldly, flicked his wrist, and drew forth the Five Elements Rings. A golden light immediately shimmered before him, blocking that force.

Only after deploying the imitation divine artifact was he able to calmly dissipate that immense power, but it was enough to leave him utterly shocked.

After the collision between the power of water and earth, He Yiming realized that the Black Shark King’s application of true essence seemed far less flexible and versatile than his own.

Despite its lifespan spanning thousands of years, it was undeniable that spirit beasts utilized true essence far less adeptly than humans.

However, conversely, after surviving millennia, spirit beasts evolved into Sacred Beasts, and the sheer volume of true essence they absorbed and accumulated far surpassed what humans could rival.

Just as demonstrated now, the fluctuations of true essence emanating from the Black Shark King were powerful to an almost irresistible degree.

At this point, He Yiming finally believed that if a Venerable truly dared to challenge the Black Shark King now, they would almost certainly never return.

Chu Haozhou twisted his body, actually piercing through the wall of true essence water, drawing close to the Black Shark King’s bulk. He extended a hand, and the Dragon Whip appeared in his grip, slamming down fiercely onto the mountain-like body.

The Dragon Whip struck the Black Shark King solidly, but surprisingly, although the beast’s body shifted slightly, only a fist-sized gash appeared on it. Moreover, after bleeding a tiny bit of blood, the wound began healing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

He Yiming and Chu Haozhou were both inwardly stunned. Truly powerful spirit beasts, beyond having unmatched strength and speed compared to humans, often possessed various miraculous innate talents.

White Horse possessed the ability of lightning; this Black Shark King was clearly a Sacred Beast of the same caliber, and its innate ability was rapid healing.

He Yiming frowned slightly, twisting his body as he also broke through the water wall’s obstruction, reaching the rear of the massive, mountain-like body. He swung the Five Elements Rings fiercely, inflicting another large gash on the Black Shark King. Regrettably, the Black Shark King didn't seem to care; with a slight shake of its body, it quickly mended the wounds upon itself.

After enduring two successive attacks, the Black Shark King finally erupted in fury.

Its body began moving haphazardly, charging wildly in all directions, and it opened its mouth, blowing waves of strange energy fluctuations toward the group. This was the power of water, but emanating from the Black Shark King’s mouth, even Chu Haozhou, who possessed the Water Flower, and He Yiming, clad in true essence armor, dared not meet it head-on.

Only White Horse Lightning stood its ground before the Black Shark King. Although the two Sacred Beasts differed greatly in size, the sheer power of the White Horse was displayed fully at this moment.

Each time it collided with the Black Shark King's mass, it would be forced backward due to instability in the water. But immediately after retreating, it would utilize its speed to charge back in.

The thick-skinned, tough-fleshed White Horse, even in the water facing the Black Shark King, this overlord-level Aquatic Sacred Beast, did not concede an inch of advantage. This filled He Yiming with both astonishment and delight. While marveling at it, he deeply questioned the origins of White Horse Lightning, as it was never even recorded in the Records of World Wonders.