What an immense Blackwater King Serpent, its slightest movement capable of shaking the sea and churning the very winds and clouds. Its colossal body, stretching over ten zhang and nearing twenty, rendered the entire broken Poshui Qianguang Lun utterly minuscule by comparison, and the cultivators aboard were truly like ants beside it.

The sea beasts scattered in droves; once a supremely powerful beast emerged, the weaker ones naturally dispersed.

The enormous Blackwater King Serpent shifted its bulk with a gentle undulation.

A crushing pressure descended upon the multitude of cultivators.

Yet, simultaneously, the eyes of many cultivators were alight with greed as they fixed upon the serpentine crest atop the Blackwater King Serpent's head—that was an item capable of facilitating the transformation into a true Jiao (flood dragon), and possessing it would vastly increase one's potential to reach the Great Dao Realm. How could anyone not covet it? Finally, one cultivator of the Eighth Layer of Longevity stepped forward—this man was named Daoist Haitan, perpetually insatiable, known by the moniker "Plucking Feathers from a Passing Goose."

Seeing the serpentine crest, his avarice surged uncontrollably. He paid heed to nothing else, crying out as he merged man and sword into a single streak of light, shooting straight toward the serpent, the sword's tip aimed directly at the crest, intending to snatch it. The Blackwater King Serpent opened its maw, and a massive cascade of ink-like water erupted, instantly engulfing Daoist Haitan. Daoist Haitan’s sword light flared brilliantly, attempting to ward off the black torrent, but he could never have anticipated that in mere moments, a piercing shriek sounded, and Daoist Haitan was brutally refined away into the void, as if he had never existed.

What a fearsome Blackwater King Serpent! It instantly executed Daoist Haitan. Even with his Eighth Layer of Longevity cultivation, he was annihilated in one blow.

Witnessing this, Zhou Tanran, the Divine Refining Sword Immortal of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect, dared not attempt the man-sword unity charge. Such an approach now felt akin to seeking death. Thus, he merely flew forward on his sword, immediately employing one of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect's Six Great Ultimate Swords, the Pomo Pima (Splashed Ink and Flax Cloth) Sword Technique. Lu Yuan had encountered this technique before, but using it on land felt completely different from wielding it upon the ocean.

Once this Pomo Pima Sword Technique was unleashed, the entire sea momentarily turned to ink, and the sky-soaring seawater, manipulated by the sword's might, rolled in a deluge. As this strike manifested, the surging black waters, like strips of flax cloth, rushed directly toward the Blackwater King Serpent.

At the same moment, Yan Bei, the Thirteen Killing Sword Immortal of the Nanhai Immortal Sect, a cultivator of the Tenth Layer of Longevity, unleashed the full extent of his power without hesitation, employing Zangsha Diyu (Burial Hell Slaughter) from the Nanhai Immortal Sect’s Thirteen Fatal Swords. This stroke, drawn with the pitch-black hue of death, possessed a striking resonance with the Pomo Pima technique.

However, his swordplay was, in a fundamental sense, even more terrifying than the Pomo Pima technique.

This was not due to greater killing intent, but simply a deeper, inherent dread.

Beneath his blade, a literal hell had already been woven.

The Sixth Sword of the Thirteen Fatal Swords—Zangsha Diyu!

It was rumored that the sword arts of the Nanhai Immortal Sect held the greatest propensity for slaughter; seeing this now, it proved true.

Originally, Yan Bei had no desire to cooperate with Zhou Tanran; he found Zhou Tanran distasteful. But the Blackwater King Serpent was too terrifying, and the serpentine crest upon its head was too precious. Obtaining that crest would significantly increase his chances of ascending to the Great Dao Realm. Though they were all currently called Sword Immortals,

Yan Bei knew that to truly dominate one side of the Cultivation World, only the Great Dao Realm would suffice!

The Tenth Layer of Longevity and the Great Dao Realm were worlds apart—in power, in possessed resources, and in status within the Cultivation World. One was beneath the earth, the other in the heavens.

Therefore, he had to risk it.

Two cultivators of the Tenth Layer of Longevity attacked in unison, their combined power staggering. Seeing this, the Blackwater King Serpent merely moved slightly, its tail slamming down with a sudden bang. The black waves raised by the Pomo Pima Sword Technique were instantly slapped away, and Zhou Tanran’s spirit sword was driven down beneath the seawater by the serpent’s strike. Zhou Tanran, whose heart and spirit were intrinsically linked to his sword, couldn't help but change countenance, nearly spitting blood. However, at this moment, Yan Bei's Zangsha Diyu was rapidly closing in on the Blackwater King Serpent; if it could strike, there would be a chance. Just then, a claw suddenly shot out from the Blackwater King Serpent.

Serpents possess no claws; Jiao do.

Claws appear during the transformation into a Jiao.

This claw was clearly underdeveloped, only recently beginning its formation. Since it had been hidden beneath the sea's surface, no one had noticed that the Blackwater King Serpent had already started growing claws. Yan Bei’s spirit sword was instantly seized. Holding the sword fast, the Blackwater King Serpent spat a stream of black water, clearly lethally venomous. Yan Bei dared not be careless and managed to evade it.

He dodged, but the black water struck the Poshui Qianguang Lun, which instantly fractured into two pieces with a loud thwack. Chaos erupted on the water’s surface. The Blackwater King Serpent was displaying its majesty, fighting two opponents, leaving Zhou Tanran and Yan Bei, both Tenth Layer of Longevity masters, with absolutely no chance to counterattack.

The combat prowess of this Blackwater King Serpent clearly surpassed that of human cultivators at the Half-Step Great Dao Realm, vastly stronger than Elder Bat from days past, yet it seemed not quite to have reached the true Great Dao Realm.

Even so, that was enough for it to reign supreme.

Just then, Lu Yuan charged forward. The Blackwater King Serpent paid him no mind, simply spewing a massive column of black water toward him from both mouths. Lu Yuan naturally knew this water column was composed of potent poison, so he immediately invoked the Azure Emperor Sword Dao, driving straight through, shattering the dark water column and rushing toward the Blackwater King Serpent.

Seeing this, others’ eyes lit up. This fellow calling himself Lu Bei truly had some substance, actually daring to charge headlong toward the Blackwater King Serpent and cleave open its black water pillar.

Lu Yuan aimed a swift strike at the Blackwater King Serpent. At this moment, the serpent spat out another column of water. Lu Yuan inwardly smirked; another sword strike would break through. His principle was to traverse with a single sword, splitting whatever stood in his way. He hadn't anticipated that when this dark water column struck him, something felt wrong.

It was still poison! But Lu Yuan didn't truly care about the toxin.

The trouble was the sheer force. Lu Yuan looked closely now and realized that while this black water column looked entirely different from the previous one on the surface, internally it was a spiraling vortex. The immense propulsion sent Lu Yuan flying an unknown distance away. He was suddenly carried off somewhere he couldn't fathom.

Damn it!

Unsure how far he’d been tossed, Lu Yuan forced his momentum to a halt. The Blackwater King Serpent was indeed a formidable entity, hiding such a move. Its strength far exceeded that of a Half-Step Great Dao expert. A direct confrontation seemed fruitless. Wait—who said a direct confrontation was impossible? He possessed the Water Sovereign Sword Dao. He wondered what effect the Water Sovereign Sword Dao would have in the seawater.

Water Sovereign, Water Sovereign—all the waters of the world, under his command.

———————

"Crack! Ah!" Another cultivator was brutally refined to death by the black water, letting out a violent shriek before dying. This black water was overwhelmingly tyrannical and intensely poisonous.

"Hah!" Zhou Tanran gasped for breath. He had been pushed into a desperate situation and was already contemplating retreat.

"Haaaaah—" Yan Bei also breathed heavily, hiding in a corner. The serpentine crest was incredibly tempting; he had been tormented by its allure, but desire was useless against reality. It was impossible to defeat the Blackwater King Serpent; its power truly exceeded that of a Half-Step Great Dao expert.

It seemed their only option was to scatter. But this Blackwater King Serpent was the overlord of the sea, and they were trapped in its domain. To allow any of its subordinates to escape would be a feat in itself; for the people present, merely surviving half of them would be a blessing.

"Wa—ter—Sov—ereign—Sword—Dao—" A melodious voice echoed from afar. With this sound came a monstrously huge long sword, cleaving over from the distance. This immense sword was perhaps dozens of zhang long and several zhang wide. Its blade was composed of shimmering azure seawater. Looking at it, this giant sword formed of condensed water appeared terrifyingly formidable, its size not much smaller than the Blackwater King Serpent’s body.

The gigantic azure water sword slashed toward its target.

The Blackwater King Serpent, which had just been toying with the cultivators—seeing them as mere ants beneath its noble station—suddenly felt a titanic roar and turned its head. Seeing such a colossal long sword, it recoiled in shock.

The Blackwater King Serpent immediately spat out a black water column, this time spiraling. But the azure water sword was so vast, so mighty; the colossal blue blade cleanly shattered the black water column and struck the Blackwater King Serpent squarely. Blood immediately drenched the serpent’s body, making a terrifying sight. This was the first time the Blackwater King Serpent had been wounded.

Which ant dared to do this? The Blackwater King Serpent roared in fury.

"Wa—ter—Sov—ereign—Sword—Dao—" The melodious voice rang out again. Upon the azure water’s surface appeared several huge blue water swords, each as large as the Blackwater King Serpent itself. The serpent, which had just been mockingly playing with and slaughtering the cultivators, now saw its serpentine face completely change.

At this moment, the Blackwater King Serpent spewed countless streams of black spiral water. Its powerful, scaled tail moved, and the Jiao claws, which had only recently begun to form, also stirred. It sought to block these massive blue water swords, but the enormous azure water swords ruthlessly tore through every defense the Blackwater King Serpent possessed, leaving at least five wounds upon its body.

At this point, everyone on the sea surface was stunned!

Who on earth was acting? Such terrifying power.

The Blackwater King Serpent had been toying with them just moments ago, but the one striking now was even more utterly dreadful, capable of effortlessly toying with the Blackwater King Serpent and wounding it so severely in just a few effortless moves. The royal serpent’s blood stained the surrounding sea crimson; the person who struck was truly horrifying.

But who possessed such overwhelming strength?

Could it be a figure of the Great Dao Realm?