As if summoned by an unseen force, the dark, brooding sky unleashed a torrent of rain, and from the depths of the distant sea, fierce winds roared like caged beasts breaking free, rushing towards the isolated isle in the vast, boundless ocean.
The wind, riding the waves of rain, descended upon them, and in the blink of an eye, they found themselves engulfed in the storm.
Xiao Fan, following the others, halted in his tracks, raising his hand to shield himself from the relentless downpour. The rain, as large as soybeans, pelted his face, stinging with a painful intensity.
Ahead, the once-sleeping sea now awakened, its waves crashing and churning, like a monstrous beast roaring to life in the night.
Before Xiao Fan and the others lay a long stretch of beach, and at its end, the treacherous, roiling sea. In the endless darkness, towering waves surged one after another, slamming into the sandy shore, each impact causing the ground to tremble.
Wave after wave!
It was as if some malevolent giant, treading on the surging waters, was slowly approaching them!
The heavens were silent, save for the rumbling thunder echoing from the black clouds.
The group’s faces turned pale, awed by the might of nature.
Linger, surprised, asked Da Ren, “Senior Brother, what should we do? What is this?”
Da Ren, equally shocked, had never seen such a sight before. He furrowed his brows, unsure of what to do. But behind him, Xiao Fan, while startled, remained somewhat calm, having witnessed the emergence of the ancient monster, the Black Water Serpent, at the Death Spirit Abyss. However, the memory of the serpent’s power, far beyond human capability to resist, sent a chill through him.
At that moment, Xiao Fan’s gaze shifted involuntarily to Xue Qi, who stood silently beside him. The rain had drenched her, her clothes and hair clinging to her pale face, her eyes fixed on the dark, turbulent sea.
“Hey!” Suddenly, Bi Shu, standing in front, called out, pointing ahead. “Look, there are people up there!”
Everyone was startled. Sure enough, on the beach ahead, dozens of figures emerged from the darkness, all dressed in black, blending almost imperceptibly into the night. It was Bi Shu’s keen eyesight that spotted them.
Though they were discovered, the raging storm and the heavy night made it impossible to discern what these figures were doing. They appeared to be busy, scattered across the beach.
Linger, frowning, turned to ask, “Can you see who they are?”
Bi Shu and Da Ren shook their heads, but Xue Qi spoke up, “They are all followers of the Dark Cult!”
Linger paused, understanding the implications. With the righteous sects battling the Dark Cult, how could these figures be doing anything else?
Thinking of this, she grew even more worried, glancing back at the woods. None of the Dark Cult members who had been fighting had left the forest.
“What should we do, Senior Brother?”
All eyes fell on Da Ren, who, after a moment’s hesitation, decided to retreat. “Our situation is unfavorable. We should leave.”
With that, he motioned for the others to follow him, but they had barely taken a few steps when a dragon-like roar echoed from the deep sea.
In that instant, the wind, rain, and thunder all erupted in a cacophony. A lightning bolt tore through the sky, accompanied by a deafening clap of thunder. The waves, towering like mountains, suddenly split apart, as if ripped open by some unseen force.
Amidst the storm, a massive figure leaped from the sea, landing heavily on the shore. The entire island seemed to tremble!
Xiao Fan and the others held their breath. This was an enormous, strange beast, larger even than the sacred water qilin on Qingyun Mountain. Its body resembled a bull, with a blue-gray hide, but it lacked horns. Most astonishingly, this behemoth had only one colossal foot, positioned in the center of its belly.
It looked almost comical, despite its terrifying appearance.
On the beach, the black-clothed figures quickly retreated into the darkness, but every few yards, a strange object emitted a faint red glow, forming a circle around the beast, clearly visible even in the storm.
The group exchanged uncertain glances, wondering what the Dark Cult was up to. Clearly, they were preparing to deal with this strange beast, but the trap was too obvious, visible even in the night.
Indeed, the beast, sensing something, remained by the water, sniffing the air.
Bi Shu suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no, this creature might have poor eyesight!”
Everyone realized the red dots were clearly visible, but the beast ignored them. Could its eyes have atrophied from living in the deep sea?
For some reason, the group felt a strange concern for the beast.
After a suffocating moment, the storm showed no sign of abating. The beast, finding nothing, shook its head and leaped forward, its massive leg sinking into the beach.
At that moment, mysterious incantations began to echo through the night, a low, haunting chant. The red dots suddenly brightened, and the black-clothed figures returned to the objects.
The beast raised its head and let out a mighty roar!
The sound was like a tangible wave, and the storm itself seemed to recoil. The black-clothed figures placed their hands on the objects, and the red light intensified, connecting into a large, glowing circle.
Before anyone could react, the circle rose, forming a wall of red light, trapping the beast. The light shot upwards, merging at a point in the sky.
As the darkness lifted, a figure appeared in the air: the Ghost King, standing on a floating, red-glowing ancient cauldron, reciting the incantation. The red light gathered around the cauldron.
Another enraged roar, and the beast charged the wall.
The Ghost King’s face tightened, and he chanted faster.
The Qingyun Sect members, watching in awe, forgot their opportunity to escape.
A thunderclap sounded, and the beast crashed into the wall, which shuddered violently. Lightning bolts danced across the surface, and the black-clothed figures nearby trembled.
The Ghost King’s face paled, but the light wall held, and the cauldron’s glow intensified.
The beast, enraged, continued to charge the wall, its body glowing with a blue light. The storm raged, and the thunder boomed, shaking the mountain and the sea.
Yet, the light wall and the cauldron stood firm, gradually overpowering the beast.
Time passed, and the beast’s attacks weakened. The Ghost King, though, looked drained, and many of the black-clothed figures had fallen, their bodies unable to withstand the force.
The storm gradually subsided, and the beast, exhausted, ceased its attacks.
The Qingyun Sect members, recovering from their shock, exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.
Bi Shu finally spoke, “Senior Brother, what do we do?”
Xiao Fan, feeling a strange sympathy for the beast, looked at Da Ren. The others, too, felt a kinship with the creature, considering the lengths the Dark Cult went to capture it.
Da Ren, after a moment, shook his head. “We should not interfere. Let’s go.”
No one argued, and they followed Da Ren. Xiao Fan, noticing Xue Qi lagging behind, turned to see her standing still, her face set.
“Senior Sister, what’s wrong?”
Xue Qi, looking at the trapped beast, said, “This beast is important. You go, I’ll be right back.”
Before anyone could react, Xue Qi drew her sword, and a brilliant blue light pierced the darkness as she charged towards the red light wall.
The group was stunned. Xiao Fan, Linger, and Bi Shui turned to Da Ren, calling out, “Senior Brother…”
Da Ren, sweating, realized he couldn’t leave his juniors behind. He signaled to Bi Shui, and they rushed to assist Xue Qi, leaving Xiao Fan and Linger behind.
Linger, determined, told Xiao Fan, “Stay here, I’m going to help.”
Xiao Fan, alarmed, tried to stop her, but Linger, ignoring his protests, flew towards the battle.
Xiao Fan, realizing she had dropped a small, smooth stone, froze. The memory of a woman’s laughter echoed in his mind, “Later, I’ll give this stone to Big Brother Qi, he will love it!”
He was jolted back to reality by Da Ren’s urgent call, “Junior Brother, why aren’t you stopping her?”
Xiao Fan, snapping out of his trance, quickly followed Linger, who was already joining the fight.
Linger, seeing the others struggling against the white-robed man, quickly devised a plan. She changed direction, flying towards the other side of the light wall, where the guards had been incapacitated.
She noticed the red light coming from peculiar, dark-red, cone-shaped objects buried in the sand. These, along with the cauldron, were the key to trapping the beast.
Without hesitation, Linger directed her silk ribbon towards the objects, and a loud crash echoed as it struck one of the cones.
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