Another martial artist of the Human Rank realm was torn to shreds by a Level Four Azure-Scaled Beast. The man, now a bloody mess, was quickly devoured by more Level Three Azure-Scaled Beasts.

With his death, the essence from his body immediately dissipated, absorbed by the acupoints of Shi Yan, who had been stealthily approaching. Shi Yan secretly spurred the negative energy within his acupoints, condensing it with the vital essence, and then constructed a Magnetic Nether Field. As the field manifested, it violently churned the seawater, forming a whirlwind. A new whirlwind materialized out of thin air above the sea; no one knew its origin. However, this whirlwind seemed to have eyes, sweeping across the surface, immediately swallowing one Level Four Azure-Scaled Beast first. After consuming the Level Four beast, the whirlwind did not stop but continued surging toward the last remaining Level Four Azure-Scaled Beast. The fierce battle beneath the waves had left Linda and her group entirely on the defensive.

Since descending into the water, they had been completely surrounded by Azure-Scaled Beasts. Under the menacing watch of four Level Four Azure-Scaled Beasts, Linda’s side suffered continuous deaths, unable to gain any advantage over the creatures in the seabed depths.

The turning point in the battle began with the sudden appearance of two whirlwinds.

The first whirlwind rescued Linda from the sharp fangs of an Azure-Scaled Beast and devoured two of them, allowing Linda to free up her hands.

The second whirlwind appeared instantly and first swallowed one Azure-Scaled Beast before rushing toward the remaining ones. Three of the four Level Four Azure-Scaled Beasts were now entangled by the whirlwinds, and the last one was being pursued; none of them could spare any attention for the drenched Linda and her group.

Linda brandished her short swords, slicing down the Level Three Azure-Scaled Beasts one by one, her beautiful eyes glittering intensely as she occasionally glanced at Shi Yan. Yet, Shi Yan, submerged in the seawater, showed nothing but a calm expression; there was no apparent surge of energy coming from him. This left Linda utterly perplexed.

Could it not have been him?

Linda was filled with doubt. After observing quietly for a while longer, she truly couldn't detect any astonishing power displayed by Shi Yan. Under the pursuit of the Level Three Azure-Scaled Beasts, Shi Yan had been constantly dodging, only engaging when cornered, yet failing to secure any notable victories. Linda was astonished, then suddenly let out a sharp cry: "Back to the ship!"

The surviving martial artists quickly gathered toward Linda upon hearing her command, Shi Yan included, swimming rapidly through the sea and heading toward her.

The two whirlwinds churning the surface continued to rage around them, pulling nearby Azure-Scaled Beasts into their vortexes. The final Level Four Azure-Scaled Beast, caught in the sweep of the two whirlwinds, was finally consumed as well, trapped by the rotational force alongside the other beasts.

Linda led the charge, her twin short swords weaving dazzling arcs of sword light that pulverized the Level Three Azure-Scaled Beasts blocking the way.

Kamon followed close behind Linda, wielding a silver long spear, his arm flickering as he impaled the Level Three Azure-Scaled Beasts one by one. These two led the group forward, disrupting the formation of the surrounding beasts as they charged toward the small boat. Shi Yan followed behind them, his face grim and silent.

On the small boat, a rope ladder had already been lowered. When Linda arrived, she didn't board immediately, shouting, "You all go first!"

The crew members offered no argument, seemingly accustomed to Linda’s style, and nimbly climbed the rope ladder, quickly ascending to the small boat.

Shi Yan also approached. Without giving Linda a second look, he reached out to grab the rope ladder. "Get down!" Kamon, his face frosty, stepped forward, grabbed Shi Yan’s collar, and violently pulled him down, barking, "Huo Jie, you go up first!"

A martial artist friendly with Kamon immediately snatched the rope ladder from Shi Yan’s grasp without a word.

He scrambled up quickly. "Kamon!"

Linda snapped coldly, "You're still holding onto grudges at a time like this?!"

"He’s not one of us; he should stay till the end," Kamon scoffed. He joined Linda in fending off the approaching Azure-Scaled Beasts, stubbornly stating, "Only once all our own people are aboard can he get on the boat. This guy’s got a screw loose, no real power, yet he mimics us by coming ashore. I saw him doing nothing in the water but scurrying around. I don't know why he even came down; completely useless, just dead weight!"

Shi Yan frowned but ignored him, staying close to Linda as they waited for the others to board. "You go up!"

Linda yanked the rope ladder over and thrust it hard into Shi Yan’s hand. "I'll cover you."

"Mn." Shi Yan accepted the rope ladder without ceremony and quickly climbed onto the small boat.

Linda and Kamon were the last left in the sea. Waves of sword light shot out from Linda's short swords, causing the approaching Azure-Scaled Beasts to spray blood and scatter frantically. The scales of the Level Three beasts couldn't withstand the sword light of Linda, who was at the first layer of the Hundred Tribulations realm. With the four Level Four beasts contained, Linda’s presence remained formidable even underwater. Her long hair was soaked, with a few playful strands dangling messily over her smooth chest. As she swung her arms, clusters of wet hair flew off with water droplets, her waist swaying lightly as she blasted out arcs of sword light, forming a semicircle. Single-handedly, she held back about a dozen Azure-Scaled Beasts. After Kamon also boarded the ship, Linda slew three more Level Three beasts with two final sword strikes, then grabbed the rope ladder with one hand while continuing to swing her sword with the other, crying out, "Pull me up."

The crew members on the boat had been waiting for Linda's command. Hearing her, they put their strength together and hauled Linda up from the sea.

"Set sail! Get out of here immediately!"

As soon as she was aboard, Linda commanded in a clear voice, "While those Level Four Azure-Scaled Beasts are trapped, we must leave this place immediately. Otherwise, if they break free, our survival will be doubtful."

Without her needing to elaborate, the crew had already started the boat. The small craft sped forward through the faint mist, plowing through the waves, heading southeast. Azure-Scaled Beasts trailed far behind the boat, unwilling to give up the pursuit. On the sea, the two whirlwinds continued to ravage the surroundings, pulling more beasts into their fury. These two whirlwinds had appeared inexplicably; no one knew how they formed, and they had conveniently trapped the Level Four beasts. It could be said that their survival this time was entirely due to those two whirlwinds.

"We have incredible luck. Without these whirlwinds, we would surely be dead."

Jett lay weakly on the deck, looking at the drenched and exquisitely curved Linda, chuckling foolishly.

Jett was at the second layer of the Human Rank realm and had followed Linda for many years. Though they had encountered many dangers over the years, never had they descended into such despair as today. To escape death, Jett was genuinely grateful, though now utterly exhausted; only his roguish eyes remained exceptionally lively. "I wonder where these whirlwinds came from."

Kamon also broke into a smile. "I almost feel like a god is secretly helping us. Those whirlwinds seemed specifically targeted at the Level Four Azure-Scaled Beasts. Two whirlwinds actually swallowed all the Level Four beasts—it’s hard to believe! I thought we were doomed; I never expected to breathe fresh air again. It’s so good, truly good!"

"Yes, the timing of the whirlwinds was too miraculous! Too timely!"

"Are we truly favored by the gods?"

The crew members on the boat exclaimed in wonder at the marvelous nature of the whirlwinds. Only Linda remained silent, ignoring the curves of her delicate body revealed by her soaked garments. A strange light flickered in her eyes, suggesting she was deep in thought, considering possibilities.

After a long silence, Linda suddenly looked deeply at Shi Yan, bowing slightly, a sweep of snow-white skin revealed above her cleavage, and said solemnly, "Thank you!"

"Linda, what are you doing?"

Kamon suddenly stood up, half-amused and half-annoyed. "Linda, you don't actually think this guy caused those whirlwinds, do you?"

"Ha, that’s hilarious."

Huo Jie shook his head repeatedly, looking at Shi Yan with open mockery. "If this fellow had the ability to cause such a massive disturbance, I’d be a Divine Realm expert myself."

Even Jett, who usually favored Linda, shook his head with a wry smile. "Sister Linda, are you just exhausted from overexertion? There’s absolutely no power signature coming from this guy; how could he possibly create such a huge event?"

The remaining crew members all looked at Shi Yan, their eyes filled with disdain. Linda paid no attention to the others, still staring deeply at Shi Yan, and repeated, "Thank you."

Shi Yan frowned and shook his head. "You are mistaken; it has nothing to do with me."

He didn't want to get entangled with these people and didn't plan to stay on the boat for long. Once they reached Cloudmist Island, he would leave immediately. This was, after all, the domain of the Three God Cult, the Gu Family, and the Dongfang Family; exposing too much here would not benefit him. "It has nothing to do with you?" Linda looked somewhat confused, her eyebrows slightly knitted. "It really wasn't you?"

"It wasn't me," Shi Yan repeated, shaking his head. Linda straightened up, staring at him blankly for a moment before turning to the other crew members. "Don't relax. Stay alert; be careful those Level Four Azure-Scaled Beasts don't find us after they break free."

Linda was still filled with suspicion. She knew the background of every crew member on the ship, understood their capabilities, and knew that with their abilities, restraining the Level Four Azure-Scaled Beasts was impossible.

Among the people on the boat, Shi Yan was the only stranger whose background and cultivation level were completely unknown to her. Moreover, since she had seen Shi Yan sealed and deafened in the glacier, she naturally suspected him first for acting secretly.

However, she truly hadn't detected any unusual energy fluctuations from Shi Yan while in the sea, and Shi Yan had been dodging throughout the time the whirlwinds raged. Neither of the two whirlwinds had deviated to protect—From these signs, Shi Yan really didn't seem to be the secret mover.

But if it wasn't Shi Yan, who could it be? Could the whirlwinds have formed naturally?

Linda shook her head inwardly, filled with profound doubt, her gaze toward Shi Yan taking on an even stranger quality.

Shi Yan ignored the looks. After boarding the boat, he returned to his spot among the miscellaneous items. However, in his hand, he now held two Azure Moon Stones, which he was currently holding up to the Blood Rune Ring, attempting to inject the chill seeping from the ring into the stones. PS: Monthly tickets! Begging tearfully for monthly ticket support!!