It was no surprise then that Teng Qingshan’s body was harder than Xuan Tie, further fortified by the internal Gang Jin latent deep within him. This combination of internal and external strength made resisting external aggression incredibly effortless for him.

If the protective light barrier of a normal Xiantian Golden Core master were broken, they might be electrocuted; Teng Qingshan would not.

“Roar~~” The Thunder Whale Unicorn let out a deep bellow, its massive eyes fixed on Teng Qingshan with undisguised astonishment.

At this moment, the clothes on Teng Qingshan’s body had long since turned to ash.

Naked, Teng Qingshan held the Black Flame Cudgel, a hint of fury burning in his eyes.

“If I had known this whirlpool was caused by you wretched beast, I wouldn’t have brought the Black Flame Cudgel; I would have brought the Samsara Spear! You wouldn’t just have these wounds; you’d have holes leaking blood!” Teng Qingshan had taken the Black Flame Cudgel into the sea because his priority was breaking the whirlpool, and the Cudgel’s material was superior to the shaft of the Samsara Spear.

Therefore, Teng Qingshan had entered the sea wielding the Black Flame Cudgel.

But for true combat, Teng Qingshan still relied on the Samsara Spear to unleash his ultimate fighting capability. For instance, a thrust—the piercing action of the spear tip was entirely different from the impact of the Cudgel head.

“However, even without the Samsara Spear, I can still deal with you, you wretched beast!” Teng Qingshan’s gaze sharpened, and his body lunged forward abruptly.

Hoo~~

In the deep abyss of the sea, as Teng Qingshan charged toward the Thunder Whale Unicorn, the creature’s enormous pupils contracted. It let out a low growl, its tail fin whipping the water into a frenzy, as its massive bulk rapidly fled into the distance.

Swish! Swish!

Within Teng Qingshan’s line of sight, the behemoth escaped quickly until it vanished entirely.

“That speed is truly astonishing!”

Teng Qingshan was stunned. “Brother Bo Ri Lei Mu was right; even a Xiantian Void Core level Thunder Whale swims faster in the seawater than a Xiantian Golden Core human master! Not to mention, this particular whale was clearly far stronger. Never mind, since the fellow has fled, the matter is resolved.”

He glanced down at himself—

Because he had been struck by lightning, his skin and hair were naturally fine, infused with internal Gang Jin, but his clothes had vanished into dust in the first instant.

“I still need to get back to the boat. Xiao Jun is still there, and here I am, completely naked…” Teng Qingshan glanced in the direction the Thunder Whale Unicorn had fled. “Lucky for you, you escaped fast!” With that, Teng Qingshan immediately swam upward from the seabed.

……

At the bow of the Tung Wood Boat, Li Jun watched the sea surface anxiously.

“It’s been such a long time; why hasn't he returned?” Li Jun worried, the surrounding seawater remaining dark and unfathomably deep; no one knew what beasts lurked beneath. “Could Brother Teng have encountered a demon beast?”

“He must be fine, yes.”

Li Jun could only wait with growing anxiety.

Suddenly—

“Swish!” From the water surface ahead, a streak of fiery red light burst through, immediately leaping directly toward the Tung Wood Boat.

“Brother Teng!” Li Jun exclaimed in delight.

After the figure clad in fiery red landed on the deck, he merely uttered, “Hmm, I’m going into the cabin first!” His voice still echoed as he disappeared into the cabin. With a sharp “Kacha,” the cabin door shut tight.

“What happened to Brother Teng?” Li Jun was confused, then realization struck her, and she gasped. “Could Brother Teng be injured? Does he not want me to know?”

“Pat!” “Pat!”

Li Jun immediately knocked on the hatch below, calling out, “Brother Teng, are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Teng Qingshan’s voice came through. Soon after, the cabin door opened again, and Teng Qingshan emerged, clad in black martial attire and holding the silver Samsara Spear.

“You changed clothes?” Li Jun was slightly surprised. “Brother Teng, why do you have the Samsara Spear out? Are you going to fight?”

Teng Qingshan first went to raise the sail, muttering, “I encountered a powerful demon beast underwater earlier. My clothes were ruined, so I changed! If I had known there would be a demon beast, I wouldn't have taken the Black Flame Cudgel down; I would have taken the Samsara Spear. If I had brought the Spear, that beast would already be dead.”

“A demon beast? What kind of beast was so powerful?” Li Jun was astonished.

Teng Qingshan walked over from the mast and smiled, “The beast resembled a Thunder Whale, with grayish skin occasionally flecked with fragments of gold. It had a single horn on its forehead, like a blade or a sword. It was over twenty zhang long—much larger than our Tung Wood Boat. It could also emit lightning, golden lightning. Unlike typical Thunder Whales that shoot lightning from their dorsal fins, this one projected it from its horn.”

Li Jun listened, puzzled. “Brother Teng, from your description, it must be an extremely powerful variant of the Thunder Whale species. However, I’ve never heard of one, nor is there any record of it in the demon beast books from Mount Tianshen.”

Within any species, there are undoubtedly strong and weak members.

The Fierce Wind Divine Eagles, the Iron Arm Apes, and many other tribes housed powerful individuals.

“Don’t worry about it. That beast is probably scared stiff after I beat it,” Teng Qingshan smiled. “It likely won’t dare provoke us again.” The Thunder Whale Unicorn had retreated underwater; having exerted all its power without success against Teng Qingshan, naturally, it had to flee.

Li Jun nodded with a smile. “Brother Teng can even fight the First Divine General; he shouldn’t fear those beasts. Oh, Brother Teng, what about the clothes you said were damaged underwater? Maybe we can patch them up and wear them again! We don’t have many clothes on the sea; we must conserve.”

Teng Qingshan blinked.

The clothes? They had already been incinerated into ash. Otherwise, why would he need to use his Xiantian True Essence to shield his body while darting into the cabin?

Teng Qingshan coughed lightly. “They can’t be worn anymore. I used my Xiantian True Essence to burn them to ashes just now. Um… it’s nighttime now; don’t stay out in the cold wind here on the bow. Go into the cabin and get some good sleep.”

“Oh.” Li Jun obediently entered the cabin.

Teng Qingshan stood at the bow, gazing at the dark seawater, and rubbed his nose. “Truly, I stumbled badly, tricked by this beast. I only have six sets of clothes in total. If one set is destroyed in every fight, I might run out of clothes before we even reach the North Sea Continent.”

Teng Qingshan stayed on the bow for half an hour, practicing his spear forms for the same duration.

Seeing that everything was calm, he returned to the cabin to rest.

At dawn the next day, Teng Qingshan was up early, practicing the Three-Body Stance on the deck. Li Jun, however, was still asleep inside the cabin, likely having not slept well because of the demon beast incident the previous night.

“Hush-hush~~” The seawater rippled gently.

A streak of red light was already appearing in the east. As Teng Qingshan practiced his forms, the sun gradually rose above the horizon.

“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan suddenly paused his movement.

“Boom!” The Tung Wood Boat beneath his feet suddenly shot upward a full three or four zhang. Teng Qingshan leaped clear of the boat, and in mid-air, he saw a Thunder Whale with rock-like, grayish-blue skin beneath the hull. Teng Qingshan couldn't help but become enraged; this was clearly an ordinary Thunder Whale, yet it dared to provoke them.

And it was easy to deduce that the Thunder Whale had been slowly ascending from the seabed. Because it was coming up from below, it was not visible. Coupled with the constant, surging waves hitting the hull, Teng Qingshan had no way to detect the submerged whale early on.

Only when the whale struck the Tung Wood Boat and exerted force to fling it upward did Teng Qingshan notice.

“Swish!” After jarring the Tung Wood Boat upward, the Thunder Whale immediately plunged back into the water, its tail fin whipping up a massive splash as it vanished. “Rumble~~” With a sound, the Tung Wood Boat, lifted three or four zhang high, crashed back onto the sea surface.

Pong! Waves scattered everywhere.

Teng Qingshan used his movement technique to tread on the water surface.

“Something is wrong!” Teng Qingshan frowned. “Given the strength of a Thunder Whale, even though the Tung Wood Boat is harder than ordinary steel, it is still a Xiantian Void Core level demon beast. Puncturing the bottom of the boat shouldn't be that difficult.”

Teng Qingshan trod the water several times and then leaped onto the deck of the Tung Wood Boat.

Teng Qingshan stood at the bow, paying close attention to the surroundings; he felt that something was amiss.

“Hwa—” The cabin door opened, and Li Jun ran out, clutching her head, her face drawn. “Brother Teng, what just happened? I was sleeping soundly, and the entire cabin shook violently; my head slammed against the cabin wall.”

“A Thunder Whale did it!” Teng Qingshan said.

“A Thunder Whale? Where is it?” Li Jun gasped in surprise.

Teng Qingshan’s face grew solemn as he pointed around. “Look carefully!” Li Jun stood at the bow and peered out. She saw massive, dark shapes constantly rising toward the surface beneath the water. Soon, “Hwa!” “Hwa!” The dorsal fins of one gray-skinned Thunder Whale after another broke the surface, their pair of huge black eyes staring at the Tung Wood Boat.

“Brother Teng, look over there,” Li Jun said, her expression changing drastically, pointing to the left.

“Hwa!” “Hwa!” “Hwa!” “Hwa!”……

Teng Qingshan looked.

In front, to the left, to the right, and behind the Tung Wood Boat, gigantic Thunder Whales emerged, each one fixed on their boat. The Tung Wood Boat was twelve zhang long, and most Thunder Whales were slightly larger than the vessel.

They were packed densely—a ring of enormous Thunder Whales surrounded them.

“What are they doing?” A thought stirred in Teng Qingshan’s mind.

“Roar~~~” A roar that seemed to shake the heavens echoed across the ocean.

Li Jun pointed forward in shock. “Brother Teng, look ahead! Is that the one you mentioned…?” Teng Qingshan had already spotted it. In the center of the school of Thunder Whales ahead of the boat, a colossal, golden-flecked, single-horned Thunder Whale appeared!

Its blade-like horn reflected a blood-red gleam under the morning sun.

Its eyes, large as wagon wheels and golden in color, were fixed on Teng Qingshan.

“Roar~~ Roar~~” The great whale was roaring.

“It really is him! This massive creature is actually the king of the Thunder Whale tribe!” Teng Qingshan immediately deduced, charging into the cabin. In the span of a single breath, he was back on the bow. By then, he held the Samsara Spear in his hand.

Teng Qingshan looked at the Whale King and murmured, “Xiao Jun, try talking to it; see if it’s willing to stop.”

“Roar~~” Li Jun also let out a series of roars toward the Thunder Whale King.

The Whale King heard these roars, and its huge eyes filled with astonishment. It responded with several roars of its own. Li Jun turned to Teng Qingshan. “Brother Teng, the Thunder Whale King says it is absolutely impossible to stop! This stretch of ocean is its territory; anyone who provokes it must pay the price! It also says these Thunder Whales are all its children, and with one command, our small boat will be finished.”