Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

"Crab Demon!"

The roar of the Crab Demon Ancestor was as piercing as metal rubbing against stone, echoing wildly throughout the secret realm and making everyone's eardrums buzz. The immense pressure, far exceeding that of the fifth level of Qi Refining, was like a massive boulder weighing ten thousand pounds in the deep sea, pressing down on Lin Yan and Yun Xi's shoulders, making even the surrounding air seem to freeze, making it difficult to breathe.

Lin Yan's eyes sharpened instantly, not daring to be negligent in the slightest. His spiritual energy circulated at its peak. Pure, pale blue spiritual energy surged through his meridians, instantly erecting a semi-transparent blue spiritual energy barrier that firmly protected Yun Xi beside him. He raised his eyes, staring intently at the hunched, broken, and aged phantom, his gaze sharp as a drawn sword, its cold light gleaming. He was not intimidated by the other's ferocity and resentment, and shouted loudly, "You demon, you entrenched yourself in this secret realm, allowing your descendants to harm living beings and commit countless evils! We, as righteous cultivators, are duty-bound to slay demons and eliminate evil. How dare you speak of courting death!"

Before the words were even finished, the crab demon ancestor's remnant soul's blood-red crab eyes suddenly shrank to the size of pinpoints, its malevolent aura surging. Its broken crab claws lashed out with a sharp, whistling sound, unleashing two thick, jet-black streams of demonic energy, thick with a pungent stench, aimed directly at Lin Yan and his companion's faces. The demonic energy possessed immense corrosive power; wherever it passed, the surrounding hard stone walls were instantly eroded, leaving behind a dense network of honeycomb-like pits. A sour, putrid mist rose in the air, and a pungent odor assaulted their nostrils.

"Beware of demonic energy corruption!" Yun Xi shouted, her slender hands moving like butterflies. The gleaming white sword hanging at her waist was drawn in response, and a highly refined white sword light shot out, carrying a chilling sword intent, precisely striking the stream of demonic energy. The sword light and the stream of demonic energy collided with a deafening roar that echoed throughout the secret realm. The violent aftershocks spread outwards, blowing away all the broken stones and sand on the ground, raising clouds of dust that obscured most of the view.

Seeing this, the remnant soul of the Crab Demon Ancestor's resentful smile grew even more ferocious. His hunched figure suddenly rose half a zhang taller, and the mottled, broken crab shell patterns on his body glowed with an eerie, ghostly green light. Countless fine, hair-like needles of demonic energy burst forth from the phantom, covering the sky and earth with a vicious force capable of piercing gold and splitting stone, once again attacking the two. These seemingly insignificant needles of demonic energy, however, each contained the malevolent power to penetrate the spiritual energy barrier. If struck, at best, one's spiritual energy would dissipate and the physical body would be damaged; at worst, one's meridians would be severed, resulting in instant death.

Lin Yan's footsteps pierced through the dust, his figure soaring up like a startled swan riding the wind. His spiritual energy circulated to its peak, the azure aura surrounding him transforming into layers of thick, heavy shields. He gripped his peach wood sword, brimming with spiritual energy, and swept it across the rain of needles. The sound of his sword cutting through the air was sharp and piercing, shattering and annihilating the dense rain of needles. With the aid of his golden finger technique and the ability to pass through walls, Lin Yan's figure resembled a cyan light sword, unstoppable, aiming directly at the source of the Crab Demon Ancestor's remnant soul's brow.

This sword strike was as swift as lightning, its spiritual energy pure and abundant, far surpassing that of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. The remnant soul of the Crab Demon Ancestor had never expected such a young junior to be so powerful. A hint of astonishment flashed in its scarlet crab eyes as it hurriedly swung its broken crab claws to defend itself. But it was ultimately just a remnant soul, its former power less than a tenth of what it once was. The moment the azure sword pierced the crab claw, a heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the secret realm. The black demonic energy instantly dissipated by more than half, and the hunched phantom became increasingly faint, almost transparent.

"You brat! I will grind you to dust and scatter your soul!" The remnant soul of the Crab Demon Ancestor was completely enraged. The remaining demonic energy around his body surged and compressed wildly, and the black energy around him churned endlessly. He actually wanted to self-destruct his remnant soul and take the two of them down with him.

Lin Yan's expression changed drastically. He dared not hold back in the slightest and immediately activated all his spiritual energy, while giving Yun Xi a look. The two were of one mind, and a cyan spiritual energy and a white sword light instantly merged into one, transforming into a dazzling two-colored pillar of light, carrying righteous energy and chilling sword intent, which slammed hard onto the remnant soul's origin.

With a soft "poof," the inky black demonic energy completely disintegrated and dissipated. The roar of the Crab Demon Ancestor came to an abrupt end, and it finally turned into a wisp of faint black smoke, which dissipated with the wind. The terrifying and ferocious pressure also vanished with it.

Lin Yan frowned slightly as he looked at the empty space where the demonic energy had dissipated, and said in a deep voice, "This crab demon ancestor is just a wisp of remnant soul, yet he was able to guard the core of the secret realm. This place is definitely not an ordinary demon's nest. There must be a greater secret hidden deep within the secret realm."

As soon as the words were spoken, the stone wall, which had already developed a crack, trembled violently once more. The crack widened visibly, revealing a long, narrow, dark, and deep passage behind it. At the end of the passage, the muffled sound of crashing waves could be faintly heard, along with the intertwining of two distinct auras—one warm and profound, carrying the boundless spiritual energy of ancient sea cultivators; the other sharp and clear, containing a hidden, sharp sword intent. The two auras merged, exuding endless antiquity and mystery.

"According to the ancient map of the sea, the shipwreck ruins should be just ahead." Lin Yan slowly calmed the surging spiritual energy within his body, his expression returning to calm. He looked at Yun Xi beside him, who was panting and had slightly damp temples, and his tone was more relaxed, as if the thrilling battle just now had never happened. "Azhu, Spirit Turtle, let's go!"

After passing through a damp and cold narrow passage, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a vast and tranquil underwater ancient ruin—an ancient ship that had sunk deep in the secret realm!

The ship was enormous, crafted from an unknown deep-sea spirit wood. Despite enduring thousands of years of erosion and seawater erosion, its hull remained intact. The ship was covered with intricate and ancient sea cultivation runes, each shimmering with a faint spiritual light, clearly indicating that it was the vessel of some ancient sea cultivation master.

As the group stepped into the ancient ruins of the sunken ship, the ground beneath their feet was covered with fragments of seashells and colorful coral. Scattered around them were broken magical artifacts used by sea cultivators, rusted weapons, and yellowed ancient scrolls. The air was filled with an ancient and profound aura, as if they had traveled across a thousand years and were instantly transported to the ancient era of sea cultivators. Lin Yan's gaze slowly swept over the surroundings, and suddenly he was captivated by a white jade platform in the very center of the cabin. On the platform, a palm-sized, deep blue jade slip floated quietly. The jade slip was surrounded by extremely rich water-attribute spiritual energy, which condensed into a liquid state and flowed slowly, emitting a calming and gentle aura. It was clearly a rare treasure.

Lin Yan suppressed the pounding in his heart and slowly stepped forward. With each step, the spiritual energy within his body became increasingly active, as if it had encountered a source of the same origin and spontaneously stirred. He slowly extended his right hand, his fingertips gently touching the deep blue jade slip. In an instant, a vast and boundless stream of information surged into his mind like a flood bursting its banks. There was no pain whatsoever; instead, he felt a harmonious sense of all rivers flowing into the sea.

Within the jade slip lies the lifelong legacy of the ancient Canglan Sea Emperor—the Canglan Sea Emperor's Manual. It encompasses everything from basic sea cultivation techniques for refining Qi, to water control secrets for managing rivers, lakes, and seas, to geographical observations of deep-sea realms, unique sea cultivation methods for alchemy and weapon crafting, innate supernatural abilities to resist sea monsters, and even insights and coordinates of secret realms left behind by sea cultivators before their ascension. The content is comprehensive and profound, a genuine top-tier water-attribute inheritance for those at the Foundation Establishment stage or above.

As a massive influx of information poured in, the pure water-attribute spiritual energy overflowing from the jade slip flowed into Lin Yan's body through his fingertips, gently cleansing his meridians, widening them, and repairing the minor damage left by the previous battle. His cultivation, which had been stagnant at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining, began to slowly loosen, showing signs of a breakthrough. Lin Yan dared not be distracted, and immediately sat cross-legged beneath the jade platform, closed his eyes, concentrated his mind, and wholeheartedly absorbed the inherited memories, guiding the spiritual energy within his body to slowly circulate according to the route of the Azure Sea Emperor Technique.

He was enveloped in deep blue water-attribute spiritual energy, which swirled and flowed into his dantian. The moisture in the surrounding air was drawn in, condensing into small water clouds above his head, from which droplets slowly dripped, nourishing his body and spiritual energy. As he absorbed the inheritance, his aura grew increasingly calm and profound, a faint blue light emanating from his body. He seemed to merge with the surrounding water energy, displaying a magnanimous and all-encompassing demeanor. His cultivation was only one step away from the fifth level of Qi Refining.

On the other side, Yunxi also discovered an ancient book bound with millennia-old gold thread and sealed in a jade box beneath the stone wall on the left side of the cabin. The cover of the book was unadorned, bearing only four ancient and powerful characters—"The Immortal Sword Manual." She carefully opened the jade box, took out the book, and gently turned the pages. A sharp sword intent immediately rushed towards her from the title page. Despite the passage of a thousand years, the sword intent was still sharp and intimidating, almost causing her to drop the book.

The ancient text contained the most fundamental sword-controlling techniques, methods for refining sword intent, three basic sword moves, and introductory formulas for sword flight. Every word was precious, pointing directly to the origin of swordsmanship—the very core inheritance she had been searching for since she began cultivating it. Yun Xi was overjoyed and immediately sat cross-legged to the side, immersing herself in the ancient text. Gradually, a faint white sword intent enveloped her, and the sword at her waist hummed softly in its sheath, emitting crisp sounds as if echoing the exquisite sword intent within the formulas. Her swordsmanship was also quietly improving.

Half an hour later, Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes, a deep blue light flashing within them, before he concealed his aura. The Azure Sea Emperor's Technique had been initially imprinted in his mind, and his cultivation had stabilized at the peak of the fourth level of Qi Refining, ready to break through to the fifth level at any moment. He stood up and looked at Yun Xi beside him, seeing that she was already immersed in the sword dao inheritance, her sword intent condensed around her, so he did not disturb her and continued to explore the sunken ship ruins alone.

Reaching a corner of the cabin, Lin Yan suddenly noticed a faint aura of Taoist righteousness emanating from beneath a pile of scattered wooden planks. He waved aside the planks, revealing a complete skeleton sitting cross-legged. The skeleton wore a faded Taoist robe, the hem embroidered with the cloud-patterned Taoist seals unique to the Laoshan School. Beside it lay several tattered whisks and a wooden plaque inscribed with "Xuanzhenzi of Laoshan." Although the plaque was worn, the characters were still clearly legible, indicating that it belonged to a Laoshan Taoist who had mistakenly entered the secret realm years ago. There was no trace of demonic energy corroding the skeleton. The posture was upright, with the hands forming Taoist health-preserving mudras. It seemed that this Taoist Xuanzhenzi had fought several battles with the Crab Demon Ancestor, exhausting his spiritual energy, and finally died here, his Taoist righteousness remaining even in death.

Lin Yan felt a deep respect and bowed three times to the remains. He then found some sturdy spiritual wood in the ancient ruins and made a simple coffin. He properly buried the Taoist's remains in a quiet place next to the ancient ruins and erected a wooden tablet inscribed with "Tomb of Taoist Master Xuanzhenzi of Laoshan" to comfort the Taoist's spirit.

After the burial was completed, Lin Yan was about to return to the cabin when Yun Xi, who had also finished studying the "Immortal Sword Manual," walked over quickly. Her sword intent was refined, and her eyes were becoming increasingly clear. She held a few pale blue fragments in her hand and said solemnly, "Lin Yan, look at this. I found it in the cracks of the ancient ruins' stone wall. It is definitely not something belonging to the crab demon."

Lin Yan took the fragment and examined it carefully. The fragment was a pale blue shrimp shell with fine, ring-shaped patterns on it, retaining a trace of lively water-attribute demonic energy. This demonic energy was completely different from the violent demonic energy of the crab demon, carrying a hint of cunning and agility, clearly not of the same kind. Looking at the ground, there were shallow, small shrimp-shaped claw prints on the soil, extending all the way to the entrance of the underground river at the deepest part of the ancient ruins. The claw prints were fresh, and the soil was not dry, clearly left recently.

"These are traces of the Shrimp Demon Clan!" Lin Yan frowned and said in a deep voice, "I didn't expect that in this secret realm, besides the Crab Demon Clan, there would also be Shrimp Demon Clan. Judging from these claw marks and shrimp shells, they are most likely hiding at the end of the underground river. Perhaps the secret of this shipwreck ruins is closely related to them."

Yunxi gripped the sword at her waist, her sword intent gathering, her eyes resolute: "The crab demon has been eliminated, and the shrimp demon clan has surfaced. The secrets of this realm are far more numerous than we imagined. Now that we have all received the inheritance and our strength has improved, why not consolidate our cultivation here, recuperate, and then go to the end of the dark river to investigate and see what conspiracy these shrimp demons are hiding?"

Lin Yan nodded in agreement. The two exchanged a glance, their spiritual energy and sword intent quietly gathering once more, their gazes fixed on the dark shadows deep within the underground river. Beneath the silence of the sunken ship ruins, the soft sound of oars paddling echoed intermittently in the deep, dark river.