From the dizzying height above, one could see the Sea God's Wrath, a vortex spanning tens of miles, resembling a swirling cosmos. At its four corners and the very center, black orbs of light erupted almost simultaneously.

That immense, shimmering vortex, filled with streams of vibrant colors and starlight, twisted and convulsed under the violent explosions. At the same time, it began to contract inward at a terrifying speed.

One of the Yaksha Elders unleashed a burst of immense, surging power, rocketing outward like a black comet. However, as the vortex shrank, the pulling force intensified so frantically that the elder’s initial burst of speed seemed to slow to a crawl. Just as despair threatened to consume him, the Yaksha King flashed to his side, enveloping him and desperately dragging him outward. Only a being of the Yaksha King’s caliber stood a chance of saving someone in such a situation.

Alas, no matter how mighty the Yaksha King was, he dared not attempt to save a second person. After several dazzling flashes, he flew out for hundreds of miles with the first elder in tow. Pitiable was the fate of the other Yaksha Elder, still enveloped in swirling black mist. He was almost clear of the vortex’s reach; just as the tearing force eased and a wave of exhilaration began to rise, an invisible, colorless spatial rift silently sliced across his body, neatly severing him in two. The translucent little Yaksha shrieked in panic, shooting out from where its skull once was, but stripped of its flesh and numerous protective treasures, it was immediately sucked back toward the vortex center. Perhaps fate was cruelly stacked against him; under a barrage of slicing spatial rifts, the poor little Yaksha was torn to shreds.

Lei Dong was almost entirely oblivious to these events. He could not, and would not, attempt to comprehend them. At this moment, his only focus was finding any means to cling to life. The explosion of the Sky-Rending Thunder collided with the power of the spatial vortex, generating countless turbulent spatial rifts. As Lei Dong beat his wings, he distinctly felt his control slipping away. The suction, the tearing force, the buffeting from the shockwaves—combined, they formed a crushing power that threatened to shred Lei Dong to pieces. Had the protection offered by the Great Protection Art not yet faded, he would surely have been ripped apart within mere breaths.

The pulling force, especially fierce as the vortex rapidly constricted, made even flying by flapping his wings incredibly arduous for Lei Dong. A massive, strange fish, dozens of feet long, was wrenched from the sea by the vortex and thrashed wildly as it struggled. It happened to brush past Lei Dong a short distance away, suddenly encountering a spatial rift that cleanly sliced it into two halves. This sight chilled Lei Dong to the bone; such terrifying phenomena as spatial rifts were simply beyond the scope of beings like himself to avoid.

His mind raced through countless possibilities, yet no solution emerged, when a faint, almost inaudible voice drifted from the direction of the Yaksha King: "Follow the vortex's current, go to the very center; there might be a sliver of hope left."

A sliver of hope. These four words felt like Lei Dong’s last straw. He drew a deep breath, forcing his mind to calm. Shielding himself entirely within the span of his several-zhang wide Asura Wings, and relying on the lingering Great Protection Art, Lei Dong endured the agony that threatened to shatter his very soul. His form flickered repeatedly, like a spectral shadow, moving with the vortex currents toward the center. At this juncture, Lei Dong had no other choice. Firstly, even if the Yaksha King wished him harm, he would surely die anyway; there was no point in falsehoods. Secondly, Lei Dong seemed to dimly grasp some principle—that the eye of the storm might offer a rare pocket of stillness.

To escape meant fighting the tremendous pulling force, which would be a nightmare. However, yielding to that force and moving toward the center transformed that dreadful power into an unparalleled boost. It made his Ghostly Shadow Evasion technique several times faster than normal, leaving faint trails of afterimages as he slipped through the vortex’s currents. Bang, bang! The black energy of the Great Protection Art proved extraordinary; Lei Dong carelessly slammed into two spatial rifts. Yet, they only resulted in violent explosions and collisions; the shield did not break to cleave him in twain. However, the once-abundant black energy of the Great Protection Art dimmed considerably, hovering on the brink of collapse at any moment.

This was his last vestige of life, and Lei Dong refused to let his hard-won transmigration end in this inexplicable vortex. Ignoring the throbbing agony in his head, Lei Dong forcefully activated his consciousness within his heavily injured soul. He probed forward into the path ahead. The instant his spiritual sense detected the tearing sensation of a spatial rift, he would instantly dart and flash away to evade it.

Because the pulling force grew ever stronger, his progress was incredibly swift. In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Lei Dong had drifted and flickered to the absolute center. This was not to say his journey had been smooth; during this transit, two spatial rifts had appeared too quickly for him to evade, forcing him to crash directly into them. Fortunately, the precious talismans left by the Yaksha race proved genuinely miraculous and overwhelmingly powerful, successfully warding off the blows for Lei Dong. Even now, a thin layer of protection remained, yet to fully dissipate.

When Lei Dong finally halted at the vortex’s core, everything seemed to fall silent. All manner of negative forces vanished instantly. The environment felt even more placid than merely hovering over the open sea. Yet, this stillness lasted only for a few heartbeats. The entire vortex had collapsed to its limit, and countless energies began to compress inward. Boom! The Great Protection Art, which had held on stubbornly, finally shattered completely. The terrifying force tore at his wings, the Profound Yin Shield, the Crimson Cloak, and the Indestructible Spiritual Shield—all protective measures crumbled into ruin. Every part of his body, including his internal organs, suffered an unprecedented torment. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face contorted in agony.

A thunderous roar erupted. Lei Dong felt a heavy mass slam into him, his vision went black, and he knew nothing more.

At that precise moment, the Sea God's Wrath, that symbol of destruction and death on the sea surface, vanished without a trace in an instant.

The ocean remained turbulent, the wind continued to howl, and apart from numerous floating corpses of fish and beasts, it seemed as if nothing at all had transpired.

After an unknowable stretch of time, Lei Dong slowly awoke. Before opening his eyes, he was assaulted by a dense scent of fish and the faint sound of sea breeze. He instinctively tried to summon his divine sense to explore and scout, but a splitting headache overwhelmed him, making it impossible to focus; his soul felt severely wounded. He abruptly sat up, forcing his eyes open, and clearly saw his surroundings.

A damp and cold wooden cot, a rickety wooden shack with gaps in all four walls. Inside were various haphazard chairs, stools, and sundry household items. Several unrecognizable, air-dried sea fish hung on the walls, emitting a foul, pungent odor.

He felt a sense of bewilderment, unsure how he had ended up here. Lei Dong’s head ached terribly. The last thing he recalled was forcing himself into the very center of the Sea God's Wrath, seeking that final sliver of hope. His soul? Right, it must have been due to overdrawing the Great Protection Art; the immense spell was beyond what a being of his level should command, and the powerful energy, while shielding him, rebounded and violently shook his soul near to breaking. That was one factor. Moreover, during the brief period he used the Ghostly Shadow Evasion to fly, he had been relentlessly pushing his spiritual sense to map the path—using it fiercely under the threat of immediate death. The combination of these two pressures had brought his soul to the verge of shattering. Thankfully, this kind of soul trauma was not permanent; with proper treatment, it would eventually heal over time.

What brought Lei Dong immense relief was that he was alive; he was still breathing, and where there was life, there was hope. Without using his divine sense, Lei Dong took stock of himself. He was clad in a coarse linen garment that was slightly too small and tight. His Battle Hall Captain-level dark armor and inner lining had been stripped off at some unknown point. His outer body bore numerous cuts, and many of his internal organs were displaced or ruptured. Clearly, while he had salvaged his life, his injuries were far from minor. Fortunately, his Storage Bracelet had not been taken; it was still firmly clasped around his wrist. Suppressing the splitting headache, Lei Dong sent his divine sense into the bracelet, retrieving one crystal-clear, fragrant spirit pill and one small, misty Revival Pill.

The former was called a Soul Condensing Pill, specifically for treating soul injuries. The latter was an excellent item for healing physical trauma and restoring true essence. In this strange, inexplicable place, Lei Dong hesitated slightly, wondering if he should immediately meditate to heal. But then he reasoned: he had come this far. Whether he was healing or not, any cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage could probably crush him now. What was there left to fear?

Just as he was about to swallow the two pills, his acutely sensitive ears detected light footsteps approaching from about ten feet outside the door. Lei Dong paused his action, waiting patiently. From the sound, he could tell the person approaching was unlikely to be a cultivator; most likely, it was a mortal. He feared nothing from a mortal.

A moment later, the person reached the doorway, cautiously pushing it open. However, upon seeing Lei Dong sitting up on the cot, staring unblinkingly at her, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. She made soft 'woo-woo' sounds and gestured with her hands, appearing to be mute.