The people in the cavern exchanged glances. This was something they had never heard of before. However, even if it hadn't been the first time, they would hardly have connected it to the Outer Sea Sacred Beasts.

A once-in-a-millennium occurrence—the probability was simply too low.

Jin Zhanyi’s expression flickered slightly. "Once every thousand years. Could this be related to that Ice Island?"

The eyes of everyone present lit up. With their status, they naturally understood what the Northern Frontier Ice Island was and its significance. But considering how vast the distance was between the northern and southern territories, connecting the two truly required considerable imagination.

Hua Ruijin nodded lightly. "This old man doesn't know if it's related, but the only thing this old man can be certain of is that if a large number of Outer Sea Sacred Beasts enter the Southern Sea area, the Northern Frontier Ice Island will inevitably appear within a hundred years."

Those who were familiar with each other exchanged a knowing look, thinking to themselves, So it is indeed connected to the Ice Island. It seemed the rumors circulating from the Northern Frontier about the Ice Island's imminent reappearance were indeed true.

Although the appearance of the Ice Island had been infrequent, every time it emerged, there were abundant omens that allowed people to detect a certain pattern—this had already become inevitable.

Lin Xiangqing remained contemplative. It was only now that he finally spoke: "Brother Hua, do these Sacred Beasts, upon arriving in the Southern Territory, all prefer to attack ships?"

Hua Ruijin waved his hand. "Although they come from the Outer Sea, the vast majority lurk beneath the water and do not show themselves. Even if our island disciples encounter them while fishing, there is generally no danger."

Lin Xiangqing paused, surprised. "If that is the case, why did so many of us suffer attacks?"

Among those who had come this time, only Xu Daming and Lin Xiangqing had avoided assaults from sea monsters; the others had fared much worse. Lingxiao Treasure Hall and the Grotto-Heavens were considered fortunate amidst misfortune, but the sea vessels from the Northwest had been utterly destroyed, crew and all.

Hua Ruijin offered a wry smile. "If this old man's guess is correct, the reason likely lies with all of you."

Lin Xiangqing was astonished. "Please enlighten us, Brother Hua."

Hua Ruijin gently stroked his long beard, his expression becoming serious. "You all may not be aware, but these Sacred Beasts bear no ill will towards ordinary people. As long as ordinary humans do not harbor any foolish intent to hunt them, there will generally be no calamity. However, if a Venerable-level cultivator's aura is present on a ship, then if these Sacred Beasts happen to encounter it, they will almost certainly attack." His gaze swept over the group. "It seems Brother Xu and Brother Lin were exceptionally lucky not to have encountered any of these Sacred Beasts, but the fortunes of our other friends were not so good."

The others nodded one after another, a realization dawning upon them. A sharp glint suddenly flashed in the eyes of the Qilian Twin Devils. "Friends, since there are suddenly so many Sacred Beasts in the South Sea, why don't we join forces and slay a few?"

Everyone, including He Yiming, felt a surge of excitement within their hearts.

In the vast sea, any creature capable of achieving Spiritual Beast status was already quite remarkable; a Sacred Beast was even rarer to behold.

It was common knowledge that Outer Sea Sacred Beasts were a tier stronger than their terrestrial counterparts, and their inner cores, flesh, bones, and blood were exceedingly precious commodities. No one would ever have too many of such items.

Noticing the glint of desire in everyone's eyes, the Great Demon added fuel to the fire. "With so many of us gathered here, the chance of attracting a Sacred Beast is quite high. This old man refuses to believe that any Sacred Beast could escape our grasp."

The others nodded in agreement; if they pooled their strength, their chance of success was indeed substantial.

However, Hua Ruijin let out a long sigh. "Everyone, this must absolutely not be done."

The Great Demon was momentarily stunned. "Brother Hua, are there some taboos here?"

Hua Ruijin’s face was grave. "These Sacred Beasts from the Outer Sea are not only powerful but also cunning as foxes. When they encounter a vessel, they sense the strength of the Venerable auras aboard. If they know they are outmatched, they will absolutely not show their heads. Moreover, their speed underwater is too great; even a Venerable who has comprehended the method of walking on water might not be able to catch them."

He Yiming nodded slightly, having experienced this firsthand.

The Silver Eel King's speed was certainly not among the fastest species in the sea, yet even so, after chasing it with all his might, he couldn't even catch sight of its tail fin. If he truly encountered one of the fastest Sacred Beasts, perhaps only White Horse could give chase.

The Great Demon smiled faintly. "Brother Hua need not worry. There are certainly many friends here proficient in concealment techniques. We only need two or three to release their auras while the rest conceal themselves fully."

Hua Ruijin still shook his head. "Brother Great Demon, you underestimate these Sacred Beasts too much. Their sensory abilities are far beyond what we can imagine. Furthermore, these Sacred Beasts are exceptionally intelligent; once our numbers grow too large, they will also call upon their kin. Even mortal enemies in the sea will put aside their grievances at such a moment to deal with the Venerable experts among us humans first." He paused. "Thousands of years ago, the first time these Outer Sea Monsters came, the experts of our Southern Sea Islands attempted a joint encirclement. But..."

He shook his head, his expression quite bitter.

The others immediately understood; this encirclement must not have gone smoothly, likely resulting in heavy losses. Otherwise, he would never have worn such a look.

Li Jiangfeng also sighed deeply and spoke in a loud voice. "Everyone, that encirclement involved most of the top experts of our Southern Sea. Initially, we achieved considerable success, slaying three Outer Sea Sacred Beasts. But unexpectedly, during the fourth encounter, those Sacred Beasts acted as if prearranged, gathering in numbers twice that of our own forces. As a result, nearly half of the Southern Sea experts perished in that single battle. Our vitality was severely damaged, and it took a thousand years to recover."

Everyone gasped, this outcome was truly astonishing.

"Brother Li, was there a peak Human Dao expert presiding over the situation then?" He Yiming asked gravely.

Li Jiangfeng nodded slightly. "There was."

The faces of the crowd turned grim. If even a squad led by a peak Human Dao expert suffered the loss of half their members, then what chance would they have going forth? They wouldn't even qualify as something to get stuck in the beasts' teeth.

He Yiming's expression shifted slightly. "Could it be that the very top-tier Sacred Beasts from the Outer Sea also came?"

Li Jiangfeng shook his head. "We have not seen the absolute top-tier Sacred Beasts in these past few millennia, but there were quite a few of the second-tier ones. When several of these top second-tier Sacred Beasts joined forces, even a peak Human Dao expert could not secure victory in the marine environment."

He Yiming and the others all nodded. Especially after battling the Silver Eel King, He Yiming clearly understood the immense power these Sacred Beasts could wield in the ocean. If there had been a few more creatures comparable to the White Horse Lightning, even a peak Human Dao expert would find the boundless sea extremely difficult to navigate.

Xu Daming's gaze shifted. He suddenly remarked, "The Yu family of Great Shen likely won't send anyone this time, but why hasn't Brother Hao Xue arrived either?"

The gazes of the others intentionally or unintentionally flickered toward He Yiming, but He Yiming remained seated like an immovable mountain, his face showing not the slightest change in expression.

Xu Daming's comment was not an accusation; it was merely spoken casually. If he had displayed any anomaly, it might have invited suspicion.

Hua Ruijin pondered for a moment. "Let us hope Brother Hao has not encountered any troublesome Outer Sea Sacred Beasts. If he ran into one of those top-tier ones..." He smiled bitterly and said no more.

After a brief discussion, no one brought up the proposal to venture into the sea to capture Outer Sea Sacred Beasts again. Instead, the topic gradually shifted toward the current East-West war.

The group knew very little about the experts from the Western world.

This was partly due to the vast geographical separation and the significant differences in appearance between the two sides, making it nearly impossible for anyone other than trade convoys to send spies into the other's territory for intelligence.

Of course, the most significant reason was that the two sides occupied separate regions, with very little interaction, especially among the powerful figures.

In the past, Jin Zhanyi's journey to the West to challenge experts of the same rank was considered an anomaly. Because such lunatics were exceedingly rare, he was able to rampage unchecked for nearly a year before attracting the attention and pursuit of Venerables.

Otherwise, no one would have believed that a Three-Flower expert from the East would travel alone to the West to challenge numerous masters.

However, this place, the Southern Sea, remained neutral ground in the East-West conflict.

Among the Southern Sea Islands, Glazed Island naturally leaned toward the East, but many islands favored Western powers, and their combined strength could not be underestimated.

It was precisely because of this unique nature that Glazed Island possessed rather good intelligence on both sides.

According to Hua Ruijin's introduction, there hadn't been many famous rising experts in the West over the past few decades, with only a handful standing out.

But the West was also vast and resource-rich, possessing countless talents. The two most renowned young masters had successfully advanced to the Venerable realm before they were even two hundred years old, and they had gained considerable experience in the Western trials of Heaven and Hell.

Of course, all of this was merely rumor; until one encountered the true individuals, nothing could be taken as certain.

Before every historical clash between rising Venerables from the East and West, all the new Venerables treated the event with extreme caution, not daring to slacken or overlook anything in the slightest.