Qianmo ignored him completely, merely letting out a cold laugh: "With my status, cultivation, and beauty, if I were to offer myself to that Nether Moon Island Lord, do you think he would refuse? When that happens, I'll be able to use the Huntian Pill to temper my body, and then you'll have to obey my commands. Care to guess how I'll torture you then?"
The sharp-faced man's face turned pale in an instant, drenched in cold sweat.
He could picture that scene all too clearly, and he could envision his own final outcome — it would be far from a merciful death.
Qianmo had been sent out to gather Huntian Lotus precisely because she refused to submit to Nether Soul Island's control. But what she said wasn't wrong — with her status and beauty, once she was willing to offer herself, no man could refuse. Not even the Island Lord Nether Moon himself.
When that time came, Qianmo would rise to become the noble Island Lord's wife!
That was a scenario the sharp-faced man absolutely did not want to see. Offending the future Island Lord's wife — what good end could he possibly have?
The sharp-faced man's expression shifted, and a flash of cold malice suddenly crossed his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You asked for this, wench."
As he spoke, he began walking toward Qianmo with a hostile look on his face.
He clearly had no intention of letting his worst fears come true, and the only way to prevent it was to throw Qianmo down as well! As long as Qianmo died, he could rest easy. Though he felt it was a pity, compared to his own life, what did it matter?
Qianmo seemed to have anticipated this long ago. She showed no panic whatsoever, instead letting out a cold laugh: "You won't need to lift a finger!"
With those words, Qianmo leaped from the boat, plunging into the sea as if resolved to stand together with Pang Zhen and the others.
She would rather die than submit. Her earlier words about offering herself to the Island Lord had been nothing but a desperate gamble, hoping to intimidate the sharp-faced man. Since that plan had failed, the only option left was to jump into the sea herself.
She plunged into the icy seawater. Qianmo locked eyes with Pang Zhen, gave a slight nod, and then they prepared to flee in different directions.
There was no way this situation could end peacefully. Their only hope of survival was to escape — to flee from the sharp-faced man and his group, as well as the sea beaver beast. The odds were slim, but they had to try.
Moving through the water, the sea races undoubtedly held an overwhelming advantage. They were, after all, born of the ocean.
Boom, boom, boom...
A series of muffled sounds suddenly echoed from the distance, growing closer. The sounds were like someone forcefully striking the surface of the water — rhythmic vibrations transmitted through the waves.
Accompanying the sounds were visible ripples spreading across the water's surface.
The sound grew closer and closer, the ripples more and more distinct, nearly converging into waves.
Everyone froze, turning their heads toward the source of the sound, unsure of what was happening. Even the ferocious sea beaver beast seemed to sense danger approaching. It halted its movements, remaining stationary on the water's surface.
A row of towering water columns surged forward at tremendous speed in their direction, and ahead of those columns was a figure, hands clasped behind his back, walking across the sea.
The booming sounds were none other than the impacts of his feet striking the water's surface.
With each step he took, an indescribable aura of Force emanated from him, and in his wake, water columns shot skyward like soaring dragons.
This man was no spring chicken. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties, though his true age was surely far greater.
The sharp-faced man and the Nether Soul Island warriors stared in dumbfounded silence, their minds completely overwhelmed.
Walking across the sea using nothing but physical body strength alone was an exceedingly difficult feat. They could manage it too, but never with such imposing grandeur, and certainly not for any extended period.
But this elderly man who had arrived strolled along as if taking a leisurely walk through a garden. Aside from the somewhat loud noises he made, there was not a trace of fatigue on him whatsoever. No signs of exhaustion either.
It seemed as though he could keep going like this forever, as long as he wished.
How powerful must one's physical body be to sustain such movement for a prolonged period?
Throughout all of Nether Soul Island, those who could accomplish this could be counted on one hand.
And beside this elder was another figure, looking somewhat younger — a young man. That youth sat cross-legged, his entire body above the water's surface, appearing even more at ease than the elder. Without any visible effort, he followed steadily alongside the elder without falling behind in the slightest.
When they drew a bit closer, the sharp-faced man realized with a start that beneath the young man was actually a sea beast, carrying him along.
"This...?" The sharp-faced man was dumbstruck. The warriors of Nether Soul Island had certainly attempted to tame sea beasts before, but even when the Island Lord himself had tried, there had never been a single success. The sea beasts living in the waters around Nether Soul Island — regardless of their strength — were all wild and untamable, preferring death to submission. After many failed attempts, Nether Soul Island had been forced to give up.
And yet, here was someone actually sitting on the back of a sea beast. This shook the sharp-faced man even more than the elder's sea-walking.
The commotion caused by the old man and the young naturally caught the attention of Pang Zhen and Qianmo as well.
"Huh, that's..." Pang Zhen studied Yang Kai for a long moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up.