The bearded man waved his hand again, and the sea beast army behind him surged forward in a swarm.
But just then, fluctuations rippled through the nearby void without warning. A streak of crystalline light shot out from within, flickering once before appearing before the bearded man as if teleporting. It transformed into a shimmering, translucent sword light that swept toward him.
The bearded man was startled but quickly composed himself, opening his mouth to spit out a ball of purple light. The light swelled in the wind and expanded into a massive shield covered in layer upon layer of purple patterns.
At the same time, he pinched a hand seal with one hand, and with a whooshing sound, a sheet of deep blue watery film emerged from his body, submerging him entirely within it.
Two muffled pops sounded. The moment the giant shield and the watery film made contact with the crystalline light, they shattered as if made of paper.
The crystalline light simply flashed around the bearded man like lightning, and before his horrified expression could fully form, it cleaved him in two at the waist.
A bang!
The instant the bearded man's two halves separated, they burst apart into countless illusory bubbles that shot off in every direction.
At that moment, the crystalline light contracted and condensed, revealing a golden figure less than a foot tall. One finger traced an arc through the air toward a certain direction, and an invisible blade of sword qi blurred outward, sweeping a single bubble up in its wake. The bubble spun rapidly and in the blink of an eye transformed into a miniature figure identical in appearance to the bearded man.
Though several extraordinary protective treasures adorned its body, they were no match for the ferocious sword qi churning around it. Every treasure burst apart in succession, and after a single scream, the tiny figure vanished in a flash of sword light.
From the appearance of the crystalline light to the bearded man's destruction — it had all taken place in the span of a single breath.
The giant turtle beneath the bearded man and the sea beast army behind him hadn't even had a chance to react. By the time they realized what had happened, rage and alarm gripped them all at once.
A dozen or so of the most powerful sea beasts let out deafening roars. Towering waves surged up from the ocean surface, spiritual light and blinding flashes erupting as all manner of attacks rained down toward the golden figure like a storm.
The golden figure's eyes flashed with cold light. Its body blurred, and suddenly phantom images of the figure filled the sky. Vast waves of invisible sword qi swept down from above, not only shattering every single attack but also descending mercilessly into the ranks of the sea beast army.
The invisible sword qi was devastatingly sharp — even ordinary Mahayana cultivators wouldn't dare take it head-on, let alone these ordinary sea beasts.
Huge swathes of sea beasts were instantly sliced into multiple pieces under the flashing sword light, their gurgling blood and countless severed limbs floating to the ocean surface.
The sea beasts finally knew fear. A shrill, piercing shriek sounded from somewhere among them, and the survivors scattered in every direction, fleeing for their lives.
The sky full of phantom figures swayed and merged back together, re-forming into the golden figure. It cast a cold glance toward the fleeing sea beasts in the distance, then reached down toward the ocean surface below with one hand. A storage bracelet flew up from where the bearded man had perished, flickering once before landing in the small hand.
The golden figure glanced down at it once, then flickered its shoulders and vanished into thin air.
At the same moment, aboard the bow of the Mo Spirit Sacred Ship,
"There. Those uninvited guests have been dealt with. Now we can wait for the news in peace."
Zhu Guo'er, standing behind him, blinked her large dark eyes at Han Li's words, still looking somewhat bewildered.
In the time that followed, Han Li closed his eyes once more and quietly rested.
Half a day later, when the sunlight overhead was beginning to grow dim, a talisman suddenly flew up from the ocean below.
Han Li's eyes snapped open. He reached out with one hand and seized the talisman from the air.
Boom!
The talisman burst apart on contact, transforming into a crimson fireball, while a stream of information flowed directly into Han Li's spiritual sense. A look of delight soon appeared on his face.
"Senior, could it be that they've—" Zhu Guo'er couldn't help asking upon seeing this.
"That's right. They've finally found a location that may be the entrance. Come, let's sail there directly." Han Li rose to his feet with a hearty laugh.
Hearing this, Zhu Guo'er naturally showed a look of elation as well.
Infused with Han Li's Magical Power, the giant ship's hull emitted a layer of black light that slowly descended toward the ocean surface.
Half an hour later, deep beneath the sea in a hidden location surrounded by colorful undersea flora, hundreds of puppets were gathered neatly before a massive crimson boulder.
Elder Shi and Tu Yao stood in front of the puppet formation, pointing at the crimson boulder and discussing something.
In the distance, the seawater suddenly surged apart. The black giant ship hurtled toward them like some abyssal demon god, rumbling through the depths. After a few flashes it arrived directly above the crimson boulder, and Han Li, standing at the bow, formed a hand seal with one hand.
The black light barrier on the ship blazed with intensity, then expanded rapidly, covering an area of several li in the span of an instant. The surrounding seawater was forcefully pushed outside the barrier.
"Han Shi—"
"Han Daoist—"