Teng Qingshan increasingly felt the lack of knowledge in the beast lore books he had previously studied.

"Pfft—"

The enormous North Sea Thunder Whale breached the water, resembling a battleship, and charged toward the vessel on Teng Qingshan's left. "How unlucky!" Bo Ri Leimu’s eyes went wide; he snatched a long spear from a nearby guard.

"Hmph!" With a low snort, Bo Ri Leimu hurled the spear forward violently!

Swish! Like a bolt of lightning, it shot toward the North Sea Thunder Whale surging in the ocean—

"Tss tss~~" A flood of azure light coursed across the Thunder Whale's entire body, gathering at its dorsal fin—"Pop!" A thick, long bolt of lightning shot out and struck the incoming spear precisely!

Boom! The spear exploded upon impact with the lightning.

The North Sea Thunder Whale, which had been charging rapidly through the water, halted. Its beady black eyes fixed upon Bo Ri Leimu on the ship. Its massive maw, lined with several interlocking rows of sharp teeth, gaped open as it emitted a deep, guttural roar—

"Vile creature, seeking death?" Bo Ri Leimu roared in anger!

"Roar~~" A roar suddenly echoed from the ship as well.

Teng Qingshan turned to see Li Jun issuing a series of calls toward the North Sea Thunder Whale, though her sounds were much quieter.

"Roar~~" The North Sea Thunder Whale stared at Li Jun and responded with a few joyful sounds of its own, then flipped over, slamming its tail against the water before diving deep and vanishing. Only the violently churning water remained.

Seeing the Thunder Whale depart, the soldiers on deck breathed sighs of relief. While the innate experts wouldn't fear a fight, the armored soldiers would be doomed if they fell into the water.

On deck, Bo Ri Leimu laughed heartily, "This time, we owe it all to the Goddess."

"Even without me, Big Brother Bo Ri Leimu could have dealt with that Thunder Whale easily," Li Jun said modestly.

Bo Ri Leimu shook his head repeatedly. "It wouldn't have been so simple. Although this Thunder Whale isn't exceptionally strong—comparable only to a Xindan Innate stage cultivator—if it fought to the death, a Shidan Innate expert could certainly kill it! However, in the water, its speed far surpasses ours. We couldn't possibly chase it down, but it could launch a sneak attack... A sudden charge from below could split a large ship open and sink it. It could destroy a warship that easily."

"The best way to deal with a North Sea Thunder Whale is intimidation!" Bo Ri Leimu chuckled. "Like I did just now, making it aware of my strength! But even after realizing that, it would reluctantly unleash a couple of lightning strikes before fleeing... Two lightning strikes, and we might lose some men. A ship might even sink! Goddess, tell me, shouldn't I thank you?"

The North Sea Thunder Whale was a Demonic Beast possessing human-level intelligence.

Observing Bo Ri Leimu's throw, it could gauge the man's formidable power.

"Brother Bo Ri Leimu, we’ve only been at sea for a little over a day and already encountered a North Sea Thunder Whale. It seems there are quite a few Demonic Beasts in this North Sea," Teng Qingshan suddenly realized... His journey out to sea in the future might not be as simple as Emperor Yu described!

Bo Ri Leimu smiled. "The sea areas around Tianshi Island occasionally feature North Sea Thunder Whales! But only occasionally; we were just unlucky to run into one. Most of the time, you won't see them."

"Of course, this is near-shore," Bo Ri Leimu added. "If one were to sail continuously northward, in the boundless North Sea, it would be stranger not to find formidable Demonic Beasts!"

Teng Qingshan nodded as he listened.

Demonic Beasts arise due to abundant spiritual energy; the land of Jiuzhou already hosts so many. The North Sea is vastly larger than Jiuzhou... Even if the density of Demonic Beasts is much lower, the overall population must be staggering.

"Emperor Yu, Emperor Yu," Teng Qingshan mused to himself, shaking his head. "He likely wants people seeking the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe to head to the North Sea Continent, completely overlooking the dangers of this voyage."

...

The ten war vessels carved through the waves, speeding toward Tianshi Island.

Along the way, using various islands as reference points, the ten ships occasionally adjusted the direction of their sails to correct their course. Apart from the earlier encounter with the North Sea Thunder Whale, the rest of the sea journey remained uneventful.

At dawn, the sea surface was shrouded in a dull gray.

The ten warships arrived in a grand procession at the southern landing of Tianshi Island.

"Divine General, in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the soldiers will be disembarked," a heavy-bearded man wearing a helmet said beside Bo Ri Leimu. Soon, the warships docked, and long wooden gangplanks were connected to the shore.

The soldiers began to disembark.

"General Liu," Teng Qingshan addressed the bearded man beside him.

"My Lord," the General replied respectfully.

Teng Qingshan nodded. "This Tianshi Island spans nearly a hundred li. I assume there are some smaller boats available?"

The bearded man nodded. "This is an island; of course, there are many vessels."

Teng Qingshan instructed, "After disembarking, arrange for a sturdy small boat. I plan to use it to venture out to sea alone. Remember, the materials of the small boat must be good, and the sail must be tough. It absolutely cannot shatter if it bumps against a reef."

"Brother Huhe, in such a hurry?" Bo Ri Leimu asked with some surprise.

"The battle on Tianshi Island should be straightforward. Once it's over, I plan to depart. I’m just making arrangements early," Teng Qingshan said with a light smile. Li Jun, standing nearby, watched Teng Qingshan silently.

Bo Ri Leimu also instructed the bearded man, "Did you hear that? Find the sturdiest boat! It doesn't need to be large, but it must be solid. For the sails... use something woven from Sky Silkworm threads or similar material; they must be strong!"

"Rest assured, My Lord," the bearded man replied. "Since it's for solo use, even if I commission a new one to be built, it will only take a few days! Besides, there are many boats on the island; some are entirely made of steel, which can be used as long as the cargo isn't too heavy."

Teng Qingshan nodded in satisfaction.

Just then—

Tap! Tap! Tap!

A figure rushed down the wooden plank from the ship. This man wore simple grey martial attire and a worn felt cap, with dark skin and a lean build, his eyes sharp and alert.

"Divine General," the lean man said respectfully.

Bo Ri Leimu smiled at Teng Qingshan. "This is 'Wu'erhan,' the leader of our Heavenly God Mountain intelligence outpost on Tianshi Island. Wu'erhan, tell us the current situation regarding the Snow Eagle Cult forces on the island."

The lean man bowed respectfully. "The Snow Eagle Cult currently has three thousand elite soldiers and ten thousand regular guards on the island. Miners are not included! The resident elder of the Snow Eagle Cult here is named Wan Tuyou; he is a Jindan Innate expert."

"Wan Tuyou?" Teng Qingshan frowned.

"Yes, Wan Tuyou!" the lean man confirmed.

"What is it, Brother Huhe?" Bo Ri Leimu asked, looking at Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan shook his head. "Nothing." Li Jun glanced at Teng Qingshan; others might not know, but she was very clear... The leader of the contingent sent by the Snow Eagle Cult at Dayan Mountain was indeed called 'Elder Wan,' whose name was 'Wan Tuyou'!

"Could it be such a coincidence that he is here?" Teng Qingshan thought privately.

"Let's go down!" Bo Ri Leimu announced.

Li Jun, however, smiled. "Brother Huhe, you and I can ride Big Black and Big White; we can easily see everything happening below from high altitude." Bo Ri Leimu stopped, smiled, "You two have it easy. Alright, I’ll go down first."

Bo Ri Leimu led the troops down, while Teng Qingshan and Li Jun settled onto the backs of their Gale Divine Eagles.

The black and white Gale Divine Eagles, having rested on the ship for two days, let out no calls, instead shooting straight up into the sky, soaring high above Tianshi Island.

On Tianshi Island, in the second floor of an exquisite pavilion.

"Whoosh~~" A cold wind blew outside.

Inside the room, an aged man with a cold expression and a hooked nose sat half-naked against the bed frame, a warm quilt covering his lower body. Beside him slept a beautiful, fair-skinned young woman. She opened her sleepy eyes, giggled, and reached out to stroke the cold old man’s chest.

"Sleep a while longer!" the old man commanded in a low voice.

"Okay," the young woman replied obediently, tucking herself back into the covers.

The hooked-nosed old man picked up the scimitar from beside the bed. As a Jindan Innate expert, while he wasn't required to abstain from lust, reaching the Jindan Innate level certainly implied a dedicated heart toward the Martial Dao.

"Zhuge Yuanhong's sword strike..." The old man's mind recalled the scene at Dayan Mountain.

That sword strike, ethereal like mist and illusion, simultaneously severed Zhao Danchen’s arm, forced back Gu Yong, and severely wounded him, Wan Tuyou.

"If I had been alone then, I probably would have died," the hooked-nosed old man touched the hideous scar on his chest left by Zhuge Yuanhong's strike. "The new Heavenly Ranking has placed Zhuge Yuanhong third. Will I, Wan Tuyou, ever manage to step into the Void Realm in this lifetime?"

Wan Tuyou gently brandished the scimitar in his hand.

The blade reflected a chilling gleam. "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" The scimitar danced as if alive in Wan Tuyou's hands, yet he squinted, his expression unchanged.

"Hmm?" Wan Tuyou's ears twitched.

Whoosh!

He threw off the covers and rapidly got out of bed, snatching his clothes and putting them on. The charming woman sleeping in the bed pulled the quilt tighter around herself, muttering, "It's not even dawn yet."

"Elder! Elder!" Shouts also came from outside.

"Creak!" Wan Tuyou threw open the door and leaped directly from the second floor. He frowned at the terrified figures downstairs and commanded, "What is the commotion in the south? Why do I hear disorderly sounds?" The Snow Eagle Cult's control over the North Sea islands had lasted over a thousand years.

Even after the Heavenly God Mountain was established, they had never engaged in direct conflict with the Snow Eagle Cult. Due to the sheer passage of time, the Snow Eagle Cult members never imagined that the Heavenly God Mountain would dare to attack them.

This was precisely why...

Even though they were far away in Jiuzhou, the Snow Eagle Cult dared to take a sixty percent share, leaving only forty percent for the Heavenly God Mountain! Because they had grown accustomed to their superior position. Even though they knew the Heavenly God Mountain was powerful, even though they knew the Heavenly God Mountain possessed a Void Realm expert!

"It’s the Heavenly God Mountain!" one man in black armor cried out in panic. "Elder, a large contingent from the Heavenly God Mountain has launched an assault!"

"What?" Wan Tuyou's expression shifted dramatically. "Impossible?"

"Ten warships arrived at the island earlier, but we only suspected something at the time. Soon after, they made their move. Elder, we only have three thousand elite soldiers. How can we resist?" Another bald man with a braid spoke anxiously.

Wan Tuyou’s face changed. "This Heavenly God Mountain has truly gone mad!"