The ocean surface split, the churning blue waves cracking apart to reveal the colossal head of a terrifying monster. Slowly, this beast crawled out of the sea towards the shore, gradually exposing its entire body to the line of sight.

It was a monstrous creature resembling a massive crocodile, nearly ten zhang long, its entire frame covered in scales as black as iron. Even more astonishing were the eight massive, powerful, and robust legs sprouting from its body.

If He Yiming were present, he would have been struck by the similarity between this beast and the Silver Eel King he had slain, though this creature was significantly smaller in length. Furthermore, it lacked the intense, flickering electrical discharge that characterized the Eel King.

However, in terms of the sheer aura of a Sacred Beast, this monster far surpassed the might of the former Silver Eel King. As the creature finally hauled itself onto the land, it raised its head and unleashed a fierce, piercing howl.

This cry did not just sweep across the entire island; it generated immense reverberations even in the abyssal depths of the sea. In mere moments, thousands upon thousands of various marine lifeforms capable of surviving briefly on land began to surge madly from the ocean toward the shore.

The types of creatures were myriad and bizarre; no single person could identify them all. At that moment, everyone on the island had been strictly forbidden from approaching within a hundred zhang of the coastline.

Yet, no one had ever conceived that these sea creatures possessed such formidable vitality and audacity, venturing out of the water to attack the humans gathered on the land. All the creatures pouring from the sea shared one common trait: regardless of how strange their forms or how peculiar their movements on land, their speed was unquestionably swift.

Within moments, several human settlements clustered along the coast detected these uncanny phenomena. Faced with this terrifying and unprecedented situation, the hearts of all present were filled with dread.

Under the sudden assault of these powerful marine beasts, the settlements, largely composed of ordinary people, suffered catastrophic casualties. Among the sea monsters were giant lobsters, almost as large as a human, wielding massive claws resembling cleavers, capable of shearing an average person in two with a single snap.

There were also gargantuan starfish and sea snakes that could swallow people whole, and countless crocodiles, their terrifying, sharp jaws gaping, ruthlessly plunging into the human crowds. For the very first time in history, countless assorted sea monsters left the ocean and launched a fierce attack upon humanity.

Innumerable screams of agony erupted from the contact points. In the initial clash, the area transformed into a living hell on earth.

A sharp, piercing roar tore through the air. The experts gathered on Liuli Island rushed to the scene, momentarily stunned by what they witnessed.

However, after a brief flicker of shock, they immediately plunged into combat. Although the sea monsters could still fight after leaving the water, the power they could manifest was significantly diminished compared to their domain in the ocean.

Nevertheless, the sheer number of the monsters was overwhelming—far beyond what this small contingent of human experts could repel. “Set fire to it…” The clever ones, driven by the threat of imminent death, ignited the structures nearby.

Under the coercion of the raging inferno, the arrogance of the sea monsters finally subsided somewhat. Towering columns of thick, straight black smoke billowed up from the houses.

As if signaled by a prearranged pact, similar plumes of black smoke ignited at several human gathering spots near the island's shore. Some settlements that had thrived for centuries were reduced to ashes in an instant.

When Zhuang Mu'nan and the others arrived at one of the largest settlements near the coast, their faces were etched with fury. The sudden attack by the sea monsters had completely blindsided everyone.

In all the preceding years, nothing remotely similar had ever been heard of. Therefore, upon seeing the strange activity in the sea, they had only evacuated everyone away from the immediate shore rather than moving them inland.

If they had managed to relocate these people to the island’s interior beforehand, such casualties could certainly have been avoided. After all, the entirety of Liuli Island was reputed to be the largest island in the Southern Border region, in no way inferior to the Penglai Immortal Island of the East Sea.

If the populace had been moved toward the island’s center, these sea monsters, arriving from the outer seas and capable of only short-range traversal on land at best, could never have mounted a successful assault ashore. Gazing at the devastation before him, Zhuang Mu'nan let out a resounding cry.

A yellow radiance surged from his body, lifting him into the high sky. He pointed his finger slightly, and another beam of light shot down with astonishing speed.

This was the Divine Weapon Light of a Five Qi Grand Venerable—a light whose inherent power was utterly unfathomable. It skimmed lightly across the ground, and everything it touched—whether the lobster monsters encased in armor-like shells, the thick-skinned crocodiles, or any of the strange and bizarre sea creatures—was instantly shredded into fragments by that brilliant beam.

The might of the Five Qi Grand Venerable was fully unleashed in that moment. Li Yajing gently waved her hand, and the Nine Dragon Furnace manifested before her.

Its mouth opened slightly, and eight fire dragons roared skyward, dyeing the surrounding heavens a vivid crimson, as if smeared with fresh blood. In terms of raw destructive power, despite wielding the imitation divine artifact, the Nine Dragon Furnace, Li Yajing could not contend with Zhuang Mu'nan, the Five Qi Grand Venerable.

However, when facing such vast numbers of sea monsters, the power unleashed by the eight fire dragons was truly unparalleled. By comparison, although Li Jiangfeng and Hua Ruijin possessed equally formidable martial cultivation, their speed in dispatching the monsters could not match that of the other two.

In a mere instant, the number of sea monsters in that area plummeted, rendering them no longer a significant threat. Yet, all of them knew that although they had managed to break the momentum of these creatures, the overall situation was already beyond salvation.

Suddenly, a pressure as immense as a mountain range drifted in from the distance. This pressure was unimaginably vast.

Zhuang Mu'nan’s expression changed drastically. His gaze shifted forward, and he instinctively ascended even higher into the sky.

When confronting these beasts emerging from the deep sea, flying toward higher altitude was always the safer choice, as, to his knowledge, no Deep Sea Sacred Beast possessed the ability to fly. The expert, now soaring in the heavens, immediately beheld a scene that filled him with the most extreme terror.

An eight-legged behemoth, ten zhang long, was advancing toward them with powerful strides. The sheer scale of this giant was immense, yet its movements were not slow at all; it moved with the agility of a rabbit.

Its eight terrifying great legs pressed against the ground, yet they failed to leave even a single dent. It was as if the weight borne by these eight legs was not that of a ten-zhang behemoth, but rather that of a weightless gnat.

A trace of fear flashed in Zhuang Mu'nan’s eyes. For some inexplicable reason, the moment he laid eyes on this monster, he felt an extreme sense of dread—a feeling he had only ever experienced before when facing the Ancient Ancestor of Liuli.

His gaze shifted, and with swift decision, he roared sternly, “Flee!” The powerful command resonated like claps of thunder, blasting forward continuously. The three Venerables who were busy slaying the onshore monsters felt a jolt in their hearts.

For Zhuang Mu'nan to utter such a command without hesitation indicated that the impending pressure advancing toward them was surely something far beyond their capacity to resist. Because of their intervention, the casualties at this outpost had not been too severe.

Under the guidance of the Liuli Island disciples, the survivors were now fleeing toward the inner island. The people had witnessed the preceding horrific scene and understood that this was a moment of life or death, pressing forward heedlessly with the surging crowd.

Thus, by the time they had dispatched the majority of the sea monsters, there were scarcely any living souls left at this location. Li Jiangfeng said gravely, “Yajing, burn this place.” Li Yajing responded softly.

This location was still Liuli Island’s property, but under the current circumstances, completely incinerating it was the best course of action. This would not only burn countless sea monsters but also leave behind an expanse of fire, effectively blocking any pursuing terrifying enemies outside the blaze.

The eight fire dragons dancing in mid-air swooped toward the residential buildings, instantly setting everything alight and engulfing them in this massive conflagration. Once they saw that the flames had merged into one continuous sheet, the three turned and fled without hesitation, moving backward.

Simultaneously, Li Yajing turned halfway, and the eight fire dragons immediately retreated into the Nine Dragon Furnace before vanishing into her body. Summoning the Nine Dragon Furnace and controlling the eight fire dragons was a tremendous strain even for her.

With escape imminent, retrieving them was essential. However, precisely at that moment, a gust of wind swept through… It was an evil wind, a wind appearing from nothingness, utterly unprovoked.

This wind was initially minuscule, but in an instant, it swelled into a colossal vortex, savagely sweeping over the sea of fire. It violently tore open a path straight through the massive, continuous inferno—a thoroughfare leading straight to the sky.

A colossal form emerged from this clear passage—a terrifying giant beast, its pair of huge, bell-like eyes glinting with a savage, bloodthirsty light. Upon seeing this monster, the hearts of Li Jiangfeng and the other two froze with identical terror.

Their bodies suddenly stiffened, immobilized as if plunged into an icy cellar. At that moment, they finally understood why Zhuang Mu'nan had urged them to flee regardless of the cost.

The monster’s gaze fixed upon them, an expression in its eyes that seemed to regard them as mere ants under the gaze of a superior being—devoid of all emotion. Then, the beast yawned open its mouth, which was lined with teeth like daggers, and an immense suction force erupted from it.

Li Jiangfeng and the other two braced themselves, sinking low into their stances, desperately attempting to resist. However, this suction was so potent and unbelievable that even they seemed utterly unable to withstand this force.

They were pulled forward against their will. Although they tried to summon their respective divine weapons, their surroundings were completely enveloped by this power of the wind, rendering them incapable of exerting any force whatsoever.

As the giant monster’s mouth loomed terrifyingly close, the faces of the three turned ashen, completely drained of color. They could never have imagined that they would meet their end in such a manner.

Yet, at that instant, a flash of white light erupted before their eyes… Ps: Last day, asking for monthly votes, thank you…