Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

The spirit turtle tucked its head in, its shell gleaming with a faint, watery light. The deeper it went into the passage, the tighter the turtle's body became, and its originally clear chirping grew increasingly low. The blue light flickered, clearly indicating that it had sensed extreme danger.

This passage was far more eerie than it appeared. The strange carvings on the rock walls grew increasingly dense, their twisted and obscure patterns interwoven into ancient siren sacrificial totems. The dark marks exuded a chilling dampness, and approaching them evoked a heart-stopping sense of oppression, as if countless eyes were hidden within the totem patterns, staring intently at the intruder. The eerie atmosphere in the air grew thicker, mixed with the stench of surging undercurrents. The rocks beneath their feet were slippery and sticky, and icy seawater occasionally seeped in from the crevices, carrying a bone-chilling cold.

Chen Dagang exclaimed gruffly, "Lin Yan, this place is incredibly eerie. The graffiti on the rock walls is chilling. Is the aura that Miss Azhu mentioned coming from here? Is Miss Yunxi really trapped inside?"

Lin Yan stopped, his fingertips twitching slightly. The stable fifth level of Qi Refining cultivation within his dantian slowly circulated, and spiritual energy faintly approaching the sixth level swirled around him. He instinctively pulled A-Zhu even closer behind him. He closed his eyes, activating the *Laoshan Sea-Gazing Technique*, sensing the surrounding water and spiritual energy fluctuations. The ancient totems seemed to be subtly suppressing the spiritual energy, making his senses sluggish. Only a faint yet familiar spiritual energy held his mind firmly. After a moment, he opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the dark entrance at the end of the passage, hidden by thick seaweed. His voice was calm and powerful: "That's right. The spirit turtle's perception and A-Zhu's water spirit body's guidance are consistent. Yunxi's residual spiritual energy is inside, along with a strong demonic aura, and… the blood of mortals. This totem is a sea demon sacrificial mark; the demonic beast inside is definitely not benevolent."

Azhu nodded timidly, her small hand touching the spirit turtle on her shoulder, her voice soft yet clear. Her little body trembled slightly with fear, but she still spoke firmly: "Brother, there is a malevolent demonic aura in the totem, as well as the aura of bad people. Sister Yunxi's aura is very weak, as if she is trapped by something and cannot move." The spirit turtle also stretched its neck in cooperation, emitting a low hum towards the cave entrance. The spiritual light on its shell suddenly brightened, and the originally faint blue light suddenly flashed, issuing a strong danger warning.

Lin Yan's eyes narrowed, and he waved for everyone to be quiet. With a flick of his wrist, a faint light flashed in his storage ring, revealing the Guanhai Inkstone suspended in his palm. A faint aura of water-attribute spiritual energy emanated from the inkstone, containing the hidden essence of the water-attribute treasures obtained from the secret realm. The Sea Spirit Pearl was also being nurtured in his chest, ready to be activated at any time. He softly instructed, "A-Zhu, stay behind me, don't leave my side. Brother Da Gang, be careful of the totems on the rock wall, don't touch those carvings. The situation inside is unknown; let's sneak in quietly first, find Yunxi, and then make further plans."

The three of them moved forward stealthily. Chen Dagang gently parted the thick seaweed with his fishing axe. A sweet, fishy, ​​demonic scent mixed with the smell of dust and decay hit them. The cave was dark and damp, with cold water droplets dripping from the rock walls, making them shiver when they landed on their necks. Only from the depths could they faintly hear noisy voices and the low growls of monsters. The sea monster sacrificial totems on the cave walls glowed with a dim, eerie light.

The deeper they went into the cave, the denser the demonic aura became, making it hard to breathe. Yi Azhu's face paled slightly, and even her aura as a water spirit became somewhat sluggish, yet she remained intently focused on the spirit turtle on her shoulder, accurately sensing the movements around her: "Brother, there's a huge monster ahead, and several people too. They're the Jiang family members who bullied the fishing village before! They're with the monster!"

Lin Yan stopped in his tracks, gesturing for everyone to hide behind the rock wall. Peeking through a crack, his pupils suddenly contracted. In the clearing in the center of the cave, a crimson prawn king, over ten feet long, sat coiled. Its entire body was blood-red, its claws sharp as knives, and its carapace gleamed with a hard spiritual light. This was the same demonic beast that had escaped from the secret realm earlier, barely escaping, but now its aura had returned, its ferocity overwhelming. Its body was pressed against a complete sea monster sacrificial totem, clearly using the totem's demonic energy to heal its wounds. Beside the crimson prawn king, Jiang Hu and seven Jiang family henchmen, disheveled and with tattered clothes, had been rescued by the crimson prawn king.

Jiang Hu's sinister voice rang out, filled with deep-seated hatred: "King Shrimp, thanks to your intervention, we were saved! That brat Lin Yan ruined my business in the fishing village and abandoned me on the edge of the secret realm, almost killing me. And that Yun Xi, she's ruined my plans time and again! This is an irreconcilable feud! Don't worry, that brat is definitely looking for Yun Xi right now. We can use the demonic energy of this sacrificial totem to set up an ambush, kill them both first, and then slaughter the entire fishing village..."

The Red Shrimp King brandished its claws, emitting a piercing screech, and spoke in a hoarse, ferocious voice. Its body was enveloped in a mixture of demonic and totemistic energy: "Excellent. With the power of this sea monster totem, I can surely tear them to pieces. Those mortals from the fishing village will be my food, helping me break through to a higher realm!"

It turns out that after the Red Shrimp King escaped from the secret realm, it accidentally entered this rocky cave and discovered that the ancient sea monster sacrificial totem on the rock wall could help it heal its wounds. It also happened to meet Jiang Hu and his group.

"Speak human language to people, and demonic language to people." Jiang Hu was well-versed in the art of currying favor. Seeing that the Red Shrimp King was powerful and possessed a strange totem, he took the initiative to flatter it, telling it about his grudges against Lin Yan and Yun Xi. The two hit it off and devised a vicious plan to use the totem's demonic energy to suppress Lin Yan's spiritual energy, eliminate Lin Yan and Yun Xi first, and then massacre the fishing village.

Hiding in the shadows, Lin Yan was enraged. His aura suddenly turned cold, and beneath his usually reserved nature, a murderous intent surged forth. Yun Xi was imprisoned and severely injured, yet Jiang Hu showed no remorse and even colluded with demonic beasts, attempting to massacre the village with the help of an evil totem. Such heinous acts could not be tolerated.

The spirit turtle on the shoulder was tense all over, its blue light almost extinguished, clearly showing its fear of the sacrificial totem and the Red Shrimp King.

Just then, a faint groan came from the depths of the cave; it was Yun Xi's voice. She was chained to the rock wall with chains laced with demonic poison, her face as pale as paper. Her cultivation was sealed, and her spiritual energy was suppressed by both the totem and the chains. She was clearly seriously injured, and even moving was extremely difficult.

"Yunxi!" Lin Yan could no longer restrain himself. He suddenly darted out, and Guanhai Moyan soared into the air, releasing layers of water curtains to isolate the surrounding eerie aura and weaken the suppressive power of the sacrificial totem. The water curtains enveloped the Red Shrimp King and Jiang Hu, among others. "Jiang Hu, you colluded with demonic beasts and attempted to massacre the village using the evil totem. You deserve to die!"

"Lin Yan! You really came!" Jiang Hu was shocked and quickly hid behind the Red Shrimp King, ordering his henchmen, "Quick, stop him! Shrimp King, attack! Don't let him break the totem's demonic aura!"

The Crimson Shrimp King roared, slamming its claws into the ground. Stone fragments flew everywhere, and crimson demonic energy swept in all directions, echoing the sacrificial totems on the rock wall. The demonic energy intensified, lunging towards Lin Yan. Seeing this, Chen Dagang roared again, gripping his fishing axe and charging forward. Though his mortal body lacked cultivation, he possessed immense strength, capable of shaking mountains. He swung his axe at the Shrimp King's side, completely disregarding the chilling demonic energy surrounding him.

The Red Shrimp King was a late-stage Qi Refining demon beast, and having absorbed the demonic energy of the totem, its skin was thick and its flesh tough. When Chen Dagang swung his axe down, he only felt his own arms go numb from the impact, while the Shrimp King was completely unharmed. Instead, it swung its hard tail and lashed out at Chen Dagang's chest. "Pfft!" Chen Dagang's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the rock wall engraved with sacrificial totems, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Brother Da Gang!" Yi Azhu exclaimed in surprise, rushing to Chen Da Gang's side. She took out the Warm Soul Spirit Pearl and channeled the pure spiritual energy of her own water spirit body into his body, barely stabilizing his injuries. The spirit turtle also leaped down from her shoulder, circling around Chen Da Gang and releasing a faint protective aura to resist the evil energy seeping from the rock wall totem. Though small in size, it stood firmly in front of Chen Da Gang.

Lin Yan's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Seeing Chen Dagang injured and Yun Xi's weakened state, his killing intent intensified. He knew that this sacrificial totem was the Red Crayfish King's reliance, and if he didn't weaken the totem's power first, the battle would only become more difficult. At this moment, Yun Xi was also struggling desperately, trying to break free of the chains. Although her cultivation was sealed, she still circulated her remaining spiritual energy, attempting to disrupt the connection between the chains and the totem, shouting loudly, "Lin Yan, attack its eyes! That's its weak point! Break its demonic energy first, then destroy the rock wall totem!"

Lin Yan, with his meticulous mind, instantly understood. Using the agile movement technique of the "Laoshan Sea-Watching Technique," he avoided the Shrimp King's claws. At the same time, he activated the Sea-Watching Inkstone, releasing spiritual energy to wash over the sacrificial totem on the rock wall, gradually disintegrating the totem's demonic power. He suddenly closed in, his left hand activating the Sea Spirit Pearl, releasing pure water-attribute spiritual energy, which condensed on the peach wood sword, transforming it into a gleaming longsword. His right hand controlled the Sea-Watching Inkstone, transforming it into layers of water curtains that trapped the Shrimp King, severing its connection with the totem's demonic energy.

Yunxi, using her last ounce of strength, channeled the remaining spiritual energy to disrupt the Red Shrimp King's mind. The two worked in perfect harmony, one as the primary attacker and the other as the secondary, complementing each other perfectly. Trapped by the water curtain and deprived of the totem's full support, the Red Shrimp King flew into a rage, wildly flailing its claws but unable to break free, only able to let out mournful roars. Lin Yan seized the opportunity, his water sword aimed directly at the Shrimp King's eyes, stabbing fiercely!

"Hiss—!" The Red Shrimp King let out a shrill scream. Its eyes were pierced, and its demonic energy instantly dissipated. Its massive body convulsed violently. Lin Yan took the opportunity to activate the inkstone, gathering all his spiritual energy and slamming it heavily onto its head. With a "crack," the shrimp king's hard shell shattered, and its massive body crashed to the ground, completely lifeless. The sacrificial totem on the rock wall also gradually lost its luster with the death of the shrimp king, turning into ordinary stone carvings.

Jiang Hu and his thugs, who were hiding nearby, were terrified and turned to flee. Lin Yan's eyes were icy cold. He flicked his fingertips, releasing several water blades that instantly knocked the Jiang family thugs to the ground. Jiang Hu's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Lin Yan, spare my life! I'll never dare to do it again! I'll never dare to plot against the fishing village again..."

Lin Yan looked at him coldly, recalling his evil deeds of colluding with demonic beasts and attempting to massacre the village. He then looked at the injured Chen Dagang and the trapped Yun Xi, and said in a completely calm tone: "I spared your life in the secret realm, but you remained obstinate and committed many evils. Keeping you alive will only bring more trouble to the world." As soon as he finished speaking, his spiritual energy stirred slightly, and Jiang Hu instantly fell silent.

Having dealt with all the trouble, Lin Yan immediately ran to Yun Xi's side, circulated his spiritual energy, and easily severed the poisoned iron chains. He carefully supported the weakened Yun Xi, his voice losing its murderous edge and returning to its usual gentle tone: "Yun Xi, are you alright? Is anything bothering you?"

Yunxi shook her head, leaned against the rock wall, looked at Lin Yan beside her, and then at Azhu who was supporting Chen Dagang, and showed a relieved smile: "I'm fine, thanks to you and everyone else."

Yi Azhu helped Chen Dagang, whose complexion had improved, over. Her little face was full of joy. The spirit turtle slowly crawled to Lin Yan's feet and rubbed against his trouser leg. Its previously dim blue light brightened again, and it looked extremely obedient. Lin Yan looked at his companion beside him, and his gloomy eyes finally softened. He reached out and touched Yi Azhu's head, then looked at Chen Dagang and said solemnly, "Brother Dagang, thank you for protecting me today."

Chen Dagang grinned, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. His rugged face was full of admiration: "Lin... Lin Yan, you're too kind. Getting rid of this beast, destroying that evil totem, rescuing Miss Yunxi, and protecting the fishing village is more important than anything else!"

The eerie aura within the cave gradually dissipated, and the sacrificial totems on the rock walls lost their malevolent nature. Sunlight streamed through the cave entrance, illuminating the figures of the group, and its warmth dispelled the previous chill and oppression. Outside the cave, the azure sea and sky shimmered in the sunlight.