The harpoon shot out with terrifying speed, wreathed in cyan light, issuing sharp whistles. With a deafening crash, before anyone could react, it struck the shield of a White Jade Battleship. That poor White Jade Battleship, normally adept at defense, had its shield running in a semi-active state to conserve immense spirit stones during long-distance flight, merely warding off the high-altitude gales above the sea surface.

A half-open shield stood no chance against such a fierce and peerless attack. Under the violent impact, the hull began to shake wildly. The shield shattered instantly, and the razor-sharp steel fork pierced directly into the hull armor, driving in nearly a foot before its residual force dissipated.

Sima Jie’s expression changed drastically, and he hastily shouted, “It’s a Rakshasa! Full ship alert!” Simultaneously, he called down in a measured, weighty tone, “Brothers and sisters of the Rakshasa clan, please hold your attack! We have merely blundered into your territory by mistake; we will depart immediately.” Sima Jie couldn't help but offer a wry smile. While this area did indeed appear to belong to the Rakshasa seas, their domain was boundless and vast. Lingering too long increased the probability of encountering them exponentially. Yet, running into Rakshasas immediately upon entering their territory was a feat of sheer misfortune.

Sima Jie's words did have some effect. After all, the Rakshasas beneath the waves discerned that the speaker was likely a powerhouse among humans, a Golden Core cultivator. One Rakshasa slowly emerged from the sea, stepping onto the crest of a massive wave. This Rakshasa towered over two zhang, entirely dark-skinned, with an incredibly robust physique. However, its features were, as usual, hideous and ferocious. Its shape bore some resemblance to humans, but its lower half was a long, serpentine fish tail. A closer look revealed that its skin was densely covered with minute, tightly packed scales.

At the same moment, a contingent of several dozen more Rakshasas surfaced. Utilizing their innate Water Manipulation techniques, they controlled the ocean waves, riding atop the surging spray. Their builds varied; the tallest approached two zhang, while the shortest were barely over one zhang. Among them appeared to be several female Rakshasas, slightly more slender in figure, yet equally grotesque.

They differed from the Asura clan. Rakshasas, regardless of gender, were uniformly hideous. The Asuras, however, had extremely ugly males, while their females possessed skin like fresh snow, bewitching and beautiful, perfectly aligning with human aesthetics.

The group of Rakshasas gazed up at the White Jade Battleship in the sky, their eyes cold and vigilant. The leader’s voice was remarkably loud and resonant. He shouted in the human tongue, “You human cultivators, why do you trespass in our seas? Are you unaware of the territorial lines drawn following the great war over ten millennia ago? The Rakshasa Clan has the right to execute any human who violates our sovereign waters without question. However, seeing as this is your first offense, depart quickly, or do not blame us for showing no mercy.” His command of human language was imperfect, but everyone understood the message. Presumably, this Rakshasa had observed that Sima Jie’s group commanded a battleship and did not seem easily provoked, which accounted for his relative civility.

Otherwise, the hot-tempered and cruel Rakshasas would have already eliminated these intruders.

Sima Jie gradually recovered from the shock of his initial encounter with the Rakshasas. His expression settled back into calm, and he offered a respectful salute from a distance. “Esteemed Rakshasa brother, we have trespassed here inadvertently while pursuing a bloodthirsty demonic villain. If we locate our missing companion, we will depart immediately and never return.” Internally, however, he fumed: Damn it, who would willingly venture into such a wild, barren sea territory to deal with the barbaric Rakshasa race if we had any other choice?

“Unacceptable. All humans who violate the Rakshasa domain must die.” The Rakshasa’s demeanor immediately hardened, his volatile temper flaring. “If you refuse to leave, I will summon the experts of my clan.” He likely surmised that his current squad alone could not dispatch these intruders, hence his immediate move to call for reinforcements.

Sima Jie’s face turned grim. If he could not bring Tantai Bingyun back, how would the Tianyin Palace deal with him if he returned alone?

As Sima Jie hesitated, a sound began to drift in from afar—a low, drawn-out wuuu~ wuuu~ wuuu~, akin to a distant, colossal ox horn. Hearing this sound, the strong Rakshasa immediately pulled out a horn of his own and blew a deep, echoing blast. The sound of this horn was peculiar; its ordinary tone did not travel quickly, yet the Rakshasas’ specialized horns seemed imbued with a strange power that compressed spatial distance, allowing the sound to propagate across vast distances almost instantaneously.

This was one of the Rakshasas' unique traits: their horns could instantly transmit a signal across tens of thousands of li. If those within that range participated in a horn relay, the sound could travel even further. This was one of the factors fueling Sima Jie’s hesitation; he truly did not wish to provoke these Rakshasas. Once they raised the alarm, large numbers of Rakshasas would converge quickly, making escape impossible.

As he felt a chill of dread, an immensely powerful force suddenly erupted in the distance, manifesting as a colossal, unparalleled vortex high above the sea surface. It swept up seawater and the marine life within, drawing them relentlessly into its aerial maw.

Witnessing this astonishing and terrifying vortex, Sima Jie’s face turned ashen, his expression shifting to one of stark terror. “Retreat! We’re pulling out! This is the Sea God’s Wrath!” Sima Jie urgently commanded the cultivators piloting the ship to turn around and flee. The White Jade Battleship transformed into a streak of white light, reversing course. Even after fleeing dozens of li, he remained visibly shaken.

A few Foundation Establishment cultivators flanking him exchanged glances and asked in low voices, “Senior Sima, what is the Sea God’s Wrath? If we abandon Senior Sister Tantai and return, will we be punished?”

“The Sea God’s Wrath is a unique natural disaster found only in the boundless ocean, terrifyingly potent, beyond mortal intervention,” Sima Jie stated, his face pale as he stared back at the vortex. “This is just the initial formation phase. Given more time, it will grow even larger, potentially engulfing an area spanning tens of thousands of li. Everything except the water itself will be annihilated and sucked in. Therefore, we must escape, and the faster the better. The growth rate of the Sea God’s Wrath is terrifyingly swift. Heaven knows if our maximum speed will be enough to outrun its expansion. Faster! Faster, push the speed to the limit!”

The group stared at the immense vortex in horror, feeling as if no matter how fast the White Jade Battleship flew, the phenomenon remained the same size, showing no reduction despite the increasing distance. They gaped wordlessly. “Senior Sima, this thing is truly that powerful? A Sea God? Are there truly gods in this world?”

As if trying to steady himself and secure the loyalty of these Tianyin Palace disciples—ensuring the sect knew he hadn't abandoned Tantai Bingyun without cause—he explained in a deep voice, “Whether there are gods, I do not know. I only encountered legends of the Sea God’s Wrath in an ancient secret text. Because I resided near the East Sea for so long, I specifically reviewed the related documentation. According to records left by certain mighty figures, the Sea God’s Wrath is not actual divine anger but a spatial vortex appearing in the ocean. It starts small, but if it devours enough matter, the vortex expands until it reaches its limit, at which point it collapses. However, before that collapse, it can destroy at least tens of thousands of li of sea territory. No wonder the Rakshasas have gathered here; they must be intimately familiar with the Sea God’s Wrath, as creatures that dwell in the sea long-term. Furthermore, I read that when the Sea God’s Wrath is newly formed, it is sometimes possible to destroy the spatial vortex using specific formations. I can only hope the Rakshasas can eliminate this Sea God’s Wrath, otherwise, our chances of escape are less than fifty percent. Once this thing goes mad, it grows exponentially.”

Less than fifty percent? The faces of the disciples also darkened, their gazes fixed on the mysterious, colossal, and utterly bizarre vortex. Just as Sima Jie observed, it seemed to have grown larger still? Setting aside Sima Jie’s desperate flight in the battleship, Lei Dong and Tantai Bingyun, in their pursuit and escape, also noticed the strangeness of the surrounding waters. Though they hadn't directly encountered the Rakshasas, the heavy horn blasts reached their ears incessantly. From every direction—east, south, west, and north—it seemed Rakshasas were responding.

“Could it be that the Rakshasas have discovered us? Are they surrounding us with a massive army?” Lei Dong was dumbfounded. He had originally intended to skirt along the Rakshasa frontier, believing that encountering them on the periphery of their territory was an astronomically unlikely stroke of bad luck. But now, he was utterly bewildered. Of course, his previous thought was somewhat facetious; Lei Dong truly didn't believe the Rakshasas would mobilize their forces for a minor figure like himself.

Soon after, the immense vortex, which had suddenly appeared and seemed terrifyingly close, left him dumbstruck. No way, could my luck really be this bad? Although Lei Dong didn't know what the phenomenon was, witnessing something dozens of li wide actively sucking in seawater and giant sea beasts made it clear this was no ordinary event.

Whoosh—a flash of white light, and Tantai Bingyun appeared in front of Lei Dong. At almost the exact same moment, both uttered the same phrase: “Don’t strike yet.”

It seemed both were momentarily paralyzed by the sight before them. Not only were they potentially caught in a Rakshasa encirclement, but they were apparently facing some kind of catastrophic natural disaster. The situation worsened: a Rakshasa several zhang tall materialized near them, hideous but radiating authority, holding a golden war fork. The moment Lei Dong recognized the item, he nearly tumbled headlong into the sea. (Having finished writing this chapter, I shall go for a drink now. Thank you all for your support. Please cast your recommendation votes! This story is not yet complete. For future developments, please log on to Qidian for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)