The small boat sailed into an area shrouded in mist, a faint haze hanging over the sea's surface. The faces of Linda and those with her aboard the boat turned exceptionally grim; several martial artists at the Innate realm for the first time showed clear signs of terror.

Behind the vessel, over sixty Azure-Scaled Beasts had gathered, four of which were Rank Four creatures. Dealing with these beasts in open water was already immensely difficult; now, navigating through the dense fog made defense even more perilous should the beasts choose to attack.

The Azure-Scaled Beasts lived in the sea, and beneath the waves, no mist existed. Therefore, the beasts in the water were entirely unaffected by the fog. Exactly what they feared was now upon them!

Just as Linda and her companions’ hearts pounded with dread, the Azure-Scaled Beasts, which had been lingering about a hundred meters behind the stern, suddenly accelerated!

One by one, the beasts shot forward like arrows through the water, quickly closing the distance. "Be careful!" Linda shrieked, "There are Rank Four Azure-Scaled Beasts! Absolutely do not enter the water! Find opportunities to force them to the surface!"

Linda’s cry sounded somewhat feeble. The Rank Four Azure-Scaled Beasts posed too great a threat in the water; even if she entered, she wouldn't necessarily be a match for them. Moreover, the Rank Four beasts possessed a degree of intelligence. If they chose to pierce the bottom of the small boat first, once the vessel was destroyed, anyone entering the water would be doomed. Linda could not prevent the Rank Four beasts from attacking the hull, making her shouts ring hollow. Shi Yan frowned, sighing inwardly, knowing that the people on this small boat were likely facing a grim fate. As expected, the Azure-Scaled Beasts converged, completely surrounding the boat, yet not a single one breached the surface. With the Rank Four beasts present, the others grew cautious, refraining from reckless charges. Instead, they circled the boat, seemingly waiting for something.

"Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!" A spine-chilling sound erupted from beneath the hull, and the expressions of everyone on deck instantly drained of color.

The Rank Four Azure-Scaled Beasts had begun gnawing at the planking! Once the hull was breached and the boat sank, the sea would become the beasts’ domain. Once submerged, none could escape their sharp maws.

Linda's beautiful face contorted, her eyes filled with despair, yet she stubbornly commanded, "Move closer to the edge! Attack the Azure-Scaled Beasts in the water! No one gives up!"

"Understood!"

"Sister Linda! We trust you!"

"Damn it! Even if we die, we’ll take most of these Rank Three beasts down with us!"

The crew members, grinding their teeth, rushed to the gunwales, launching attacks at the surrounding beasts. Various streaks of strange light plunged into the sea, striking the green scales of the creatures.

A few Azure-Scaled Beasts, too close to the surface, were struck by the gleam of Linda's short sword and immediately belly-flopped dead; her sharp assault had indeed annihilated them.

However, the attacks from the other martial artists lacked such lethal efficacy. More of the struck beasts merely flinched in fear and dove into the sea, sinking toward the depths. Once the beasts submerged beyond ten meters, any attack would be dissipated by the water, rendering it incapable of causing further harm.

The Azure-Scaled Beasts sank one after another. Water splashed across the surface, but no beast was injured again. All submerged, they watched the people on deck with fierce eyes.

Linda felt a surge of utter helplessness. If the beasts refused to surface, they were powerless, especially with the Rank Four creatures actively gnawing at the hull. Once the bottom gave way, their end was certain.

Shi Yan rose from the pile of miscellaneous supplies, quietly moving onto the deck, his face grave as he stared at the beasts below. If the Azure-Scaled Beasts remained submerged, they couldn't kill the warriors on the boat, which meant no negative energy would flow into his acupoints, and without that, he couldn't construct the Magnetic Impulsion Field... Shi Yan’s face darkened as he coldly glanced at Kamon and his group, murderous intent stirring within him. Only the dead could resolve this predicament, and they needed to die soon, otherwise, even after the boat was pierced, their deaths wouldn't alter the outcome.

Shi Yan was preparing to kill.

"Into the sea! Rather than wait for death, we might as well risk a fight with the Azure-Scaled Beasts in the water! If the boat is breached, we'll sink anyway. Better to fight them in the sea before the vessel is destroyed."

Linda, looking utterly desperate, issued the reluctant command. Engaging the Azure-Scaled Beasts in the water was undoubtedly unwise—Linda understood this better than anyone! But now, she had no other choice; she could only take a perilous gamble.

"Fine!"

The warriors on the boat, teeth clenched, erupted with a fierce fighting spirit born of desperation. Without waiting for Linda’s further instruction, three men abruptly plunged into the sea. Kamon hesitated only briefly before grinding his teeth and leaping in as well.

"We fight to the death!"

Linda cried out beautifully and prepared to jump. Shi Yan stepped forward, frowning as he looked at her, something held back on his tongue. Although Linda projected fierce resolve, she knew that entering the water meant certain death. She paused, staring blankly at Shi Yan, seemingly waiting for something.

But Shi Yan did nothing, merely shaking his head and letting out a soft sigh. Linda's face turned sorrowful; the hope in her eyes completely extinguished. She rushed into the seawater, joining the other warriors in a desperate melee against the Azure-Scaled Beasts. She had truly hoped Shi Yan was a master who could offer aid at this critical juncture. Her last fragile wish had been pinned on him, only to be met with Shi Yan's sigh of regret.

With her final hope utterly severed, Linda abandoned any lingering chance of luck and plunged into the ocean to meet her fate alongside her crew.

Shi Yan's expression was complex. He looked at the now empty small boat, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly jumped into the sea. The final look Linda had given him as she entered the water was filled with despair and sorrow, yet she had plunged into the ocean without hesitation. This resilience moved Shi Yan, stirring a pity in him for the brave young woman. Whether for Linda’s sake or his own, Shi Yan knew he had to act.

"Splash!"

Shi Yan held his breath and entered the water, his gaze beneath the waves intensely cold.

Threads of negative energy—despair, resentment—suddenly drifted from the seawater, pouring into Shi Yan’s acupoints.

A warrior close to Kamon was the first to be violently torn to shreds by a Rank Four Azure-Scaled Beast, the first casualty beneath the waves.

The moment Linda and the others hit the water, the Rank Four Azure-Scaled Beasts ceased their assault on the boat and converged immediately, surrounding Linda’s party. The small boat had never been their primary target; they only gnawed at it to force the humans into the water. Now that Linda’s group was submerged, the beasts wasted no more time on the hull, focusing instantly on encircling the people.

In the sea, the Azure-Scaled Beasts moved like flying shuttles, incredibly fast! The threat posed by Rank Three beasts was far greater underwater than on land! Kamon’s group, at the Mortal rank, found their strength significantly diminished upon entering the water, only managing a rough draw against the Rank Three beasts.

But four Rank Four Azure-Scaled Beasts were present! The existence of these four creatures was like four colossal mountains they could not possibly move.

"Ah!" Another piercing scream tore from the throat of another Human Rank First Heaven warrior near Kamon. This man charged wildly into the throng of beasts, seized by five Rank Three Azure-Scaled Beasts whose jaws shattered his bones, making him the second to be killed. Upon his death, the essence of his life force was silently absorbed by the nearby Shi Yan.

In his acupoints, after receiving the essence from these two, a small amount of negative energy diffused—not much, but enough for Shi Yan to construct a Magnetic Impulsion Field. With a thought, Shi Yan activated his vital essence and the negative energy within the seawater, condensing a field the size of a millstone. The Magnetic Impulsion Field, normally invisible, took form in the water as a swirling vortex, a mobile, churning whirlpool.

"Sizzle! Sizzle!" In the water, Linda brandished her two short swords, moving her lithe body like a water snake, slicing through several charging Rank Three Azure-Scaled Beasts.

The Rank Four beasts immediately took notice of Linda. One swiftly rushed toward her. "Thwack! Thwack!" Underwater, Linda executed the "Twin Serpent Cut," sending sharp sword glares toward the Rank Four beast. The scales of a Rank Four beast were far thicker and tougher than those of a Rank Three! Linda’s fierce sword energy could pierce the lower ranks, but it could barely scratch the armor of the Rank Four, only leaving deep furrows on its scales.

Another Rank Four Azure-Scaled Beast stealthily bore down on Linda! This beast opened its terrifying maw, its fangs resembling rows of sharp knives, aimed directly at Linda’s waist. If struck this time, Linda’s delicate form would surely be severed in two; even the most beautiful woman reduced to a pair of mangled corpses.

Linda was already struggling to fend off the first Rank Four beast’s assault, appearing somewhat clumsy and distressed under its relentless attack. She saw the second beast charging but was too preoccupied to defend herself.

Despair filled Linda’s eyes; her expression was tragic as she watched the second beast close in, utterly helpless.

At that precise moment, the strange vortex that had appeared in the sea suddenly moved rapidly, kicking up massive waves and sweeping toward them with a loud roar. The second beast’s sharp teeth, three meters from Linda, were suddenly caught by the vortex and violently yanked into the swirling current. Linda recoiled in horror, fearfully trying to dodge the tornado that was engulfing the beast.

Unexpectedly.

The vortex seemed to possess sight. Under its rapid momentum, it abruptly changed course, narrowly sweeping past her side and swallowing the other Rank Four beast that had been harassing her.

In mere seconds, two Rank Four Azure-Scaled Beasts were consumed by the bizarrely appearing vortex. Linda, who was moments from certain death, escaped the edge of oblivion, staring with a heart still pounding at the tornado raging on the water’s surface, her beautiful face etched with confusion. A figure suddenly materialized within her line of sight.

"Huh, he came down too!" Linda gasped inwardly, staring blankly at Shi Yan, whose expression was cold beneath the waves. A strange thought suddenly surfaced in her mind: "Could it be... that tornado was created by him?"