Chu Haozhou was deeply wary of Bai Lingba, who could fly faster than him. He composed himself and stated, "May I ask what counsel Brother Bai has for us?" Bai Lingba's gaze remained fixed elsewhere, not on Chu Haozhou.

He spoke calmly, "Black Shark King is well here; it can guard the entrance." He Yiming's eyes lit up, and he exchanged a look with Chu Haozhou. After a brief moment, they both slowly nodded.

Bai Lingba's suggestion was indeed excellent. The reason this stretch of beach was deemed a forbidden zone by the people of Penglai Immortal Island was precisely because the notorious Black Shark King held court here.

Anyone descending into the sea from this spot, even a powerhouse at the Venerable level, stood no chance of defeating the Black Shark King underwater. Thus, as long as this creature existed, the cavern entrance was as unshakeable as Mount Tai, making the possibility of discovery minuscule.

But should the Black Shark King suddenly perish, this natural barrier would vanish, rendering it incapable of preventing others from reaching this location. If a large number of people arrived here, the probability of the underlying cavern being discovered would multiply.

Once word spread about the labyrinth below, it would inevitably draw even more people. Although He Yiming had already claimed everything within the Inner Mansion, even the Luminous Stones and the Qi of Purple Mist Descending from the East in the Outer Cave would incite immeasurable covetousness.

Even though they were soon departing for the Northwest, none of them would lightly abandon such treasures. With a deep sigh, Chu Haozhou once again stroked the stubble of his short hair and offered a wry smile, "Forget it.

I'll count this as my bad luck." He Yiming chuckled, "Old brother, rest assured. Once we get out, I'll mix you some medicine; I guarantee you'll grow a head of lush hair back within a month..." Chu Haozhou shot He Yiming a fierce glare, yet his face betrayed complete helplessness.

Amidst He Yiming's booming laughter, the group exited the cave and plunged back into the ocean. They swam upward.

According to their prior agreement, they had decided not to take the Black Shark King's life. However, if they encountered it en route, they wouldn't object to giving it another lesson.

They had to make it suffer so profoundly that from then on, it would attack any human it saw with frenzied aggression. The fiercer the creature became, the safer the cavern below would remain.

Yet, as the group slowly ascended, they were unexpectedly met with the sight of not a single shark. A seed of doubt was sown in everyone's mind: perhaps the previous lightning strike had terrified the Black Shark King so badly that it had fled the area with its disciples and descendants.

Suddenly, Bai Lingba pointed into the distance. "There, war." He Yiming and the others froze momentarily, but being submerged, the sound they perceived was drastically different from that on land, leaving them unable to discern the specifics of the noise.

He Yiming reached up and pointed. "Up." With his command, the group surged upward like bolts of lightning.

Baima, in particular, transformed into a white streak, instantly breaching the surface. Very quickly, they reached the open sea and tasted the familiar air.

In this environment, their senses returned to their normal acuity. They immediately perceived a massive wave of killing intent boiling across the sea's surface.

This killing intent was not singular but a convergence of thousands upon thousands of minute auras. He Yiming and the others simultaneously felt the phantom sensation of vast armies clashing.

They exchanged glances, their minds filled with questions—could an army truly be fighting underwater? He Yiming shifted slightly, mounting Baima, and murmured softly, "Let's go see." Baima, already impatient, let out a long neigh and carved a white line across the water surface as fast as lightning, shooting toward the source of the killing intent.

A white radiance enveloped Chu Haozhou as he followed closely behind. Bai Lingba, clutching the Treasure Pig, flew almost level with them.

Following the grueling training under the Purple Mist Descending from the East, Chu Haozhou's Five Qi Towards Primordial State was completely stabilized, and his speed was considerably greater than before. But glancing at Bai Lingba beside him, his apprehension only deepened.

There was no emanating light around this man, nor the oppressive aura of any divine weapon. In Chu Haozhou's mind festered a massive, inexplicable question: just how was Bai Lingba managing to fly?

※※※※ Riding Baima, He Yiming quickly reached the churning area of water, where the sharp killing intent radiated outwards. From afar, He Yiming could already see that a major battle had indeed taken place, though the primary combatants were not human, but a multitude of marine life.

He was familiar with one side: the shark schools that ruled the waters around Penglai Immortal Island. The other side, however, was entirely unfamiliar.

These marine creatures appeared to be a congregation of starfish, yet each one was frighteningly large—the size of a small child—and their sheer numbers were so dense as to be uncountable, stretching as far as the eye could see. Even with He Yiming's courage, the sight of so many gargantuan starfish stunned him.

Fortunately, though the shark schools were outnumbered, they were still substantial in quantity, and the individual power of the sharks held a definitive advantage. Throughout this stretch of ocean, countless sharks swam swiftly, using their razor-sharp teeth to attack their adversaries.

Each bite could cleave a starfish in two. But these starfish were equally relentless.

They fiercely expanded their bodies, clinging onto the sharks. One, two...

When a single shark was laden with dozens of starfish, it became impossibly heavy. At the same time, the body of every starfish began to swell.

He Yiming observed closely for a moment, his expression subtly changing. While others might not have grasped the situation, He Yiming, having studied the Blood Condensation Art, possessed a peculiar sensitivity to blood.

He instantly sensed that a significant amount of ichor was suddenly appearing within the bodies of these starfish monsters. A flicker of realization crossed his mind: these starfish were draining blood, and at an astonishing rate.

Moments later, the shark covered in starfish ceased its movement and began to slowly sink. However, both factions possessed colossal populations.

Even as innumerable sharks and starfish perished every second, the battle raged on for a long time, the water churning incessantly, with no end in sight. Looking towards the horizon, He Yiming saw more shark schools and starfish rapidly approaching the site.

It seemed this was truly a massive battlefield where two distinct races were vying for supremacy. Two whirlwinds swept through the air, and Bai Lingba and Chu Haozhou descended from above.

Though Bai Lingba remained impassive, Chu Haozhou could not help but be moved. Despite his birth in the East Sea and his wide experience, he had never witnessed a maritime conflict on such a vast scale.

The three of them stood on the water to watch. Though they did not enter the fray, they remained positioned on the periphery.

When the sharks approached their vicinity, they immediately turned tail and fled, daring not to draw near. Noticing this, He Yiming and the others clicked their tongues in amazement.

They all understood that this behavior in the sharks was undoubtedly linked to the Black Shark King. Bai Lingba suddenly said, "You should intervene." He Yiming paused, asking, "What did you say?" "The Black Shark King is very intelligent and should be amenable to communication," Bai Lingba stated plainly.

"As long as you help it secure victory in this battle, allowing the shark schools to continue dominating these waters, it will certainly agree to block others from entering on your behalf." He Yiming's eyebrows lifted slightly, and after a moment's consideration, he nodded faintly. Judging by the attitude of these common sharks toward them, the extent of the Black Shark King's dominion in this region was evident.

If they could actually secure its promise, the safety of this location would cease to be an issue. Chu Haozhou offered a bitter smile.

"I originally intended to kill it out of spite, but now I have to help it fight enemies. It truly chafes," he grumbled, yet his body swiftly plunged into the sea, swimming towards the densest concentration of killing intent.

He Yiming laughed heartily, patting Baima's flank, and they too dove swiftly. Only Bai Lingba, holding the Treasure Pig, rose back into the sky, waiting quietly as if nothing had transpired.

Baima rapidly outpaced Chu Haozhou in the water; even with strenuous twisting of his body, he could not catch up. Although the entire sea was filled with sharp killing intent, only one area held the most concentrated aura.

Within the sphere encompassed by this profound killing intent, neither sharks nor starfish dared to trespass lightly. They preferred to fight their enemies in the surrounding waters rather than suffer even a speck of contact within that vortex of lethal energy.

It was obvious that the combatants within this central whirlpool were the Black Shark King and the sovereign of the starfish. As they proceeded, He Yiming encountered numerous Black Shark Spirit Beasts.

However, their opponents were equally formidable: giant starfish, almost comparable in size to the sharks, wielding tentacle-like whips, engaged the agile sharks in fierce combat, holding their own without yielding ground. Since they had decided to aid the shark schools, He Yiming naturally took action.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the Five Elements Ring. Amidst buzzing sounds, streams of light shot out.

Combining the power of He Yiming and the space within the Five Elements Ring, each strike was no less powerful than the full force attack of a Venerable expert. Upon impact, the struck starfish were immediately torn into several pieces, and even the stronger ones had their bodies pierced, drastically reducing their fighting power.

In an instant, over a dozen starfish perished under He Yiming's control, gradually tipping the scales of the evenly matched conflict toward the shark schools. At this moment, He Yiming reached the very center of the killing intent vortex.

The Black Shark King, enormous like a small mountain, churned the dense, iron-like masses of black water surrounding it. Before it stood two colossal starfish whose combined size nearly equaled its own.

Innumerable currents of water shot back and forth between the combatants, each stream carrying force equivalent to the full-power strike of a top-tier Peak Dizzying expert. He Yiming swept his gaze over the scene and sighed inwardly.

A Sacred Beast was indeed a Sacred Beast; in terms of pure strength and the sheer volume of essential true energy, they were far beyond the reach of humanity.