High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

The Phoenix True Fire on Du Yue's body suddenly spread out, attempting to part the seawater and continue its pursuit downwards.

But as soon as the flames pierced the water, they were forced to shrink back by the surging undercurrents. The massive whirlpool left by the Kunpeng had not yet dissipated, and the nearby seawater was still churning downwards, mixed with dense demonic energy, making it impossible for even divine sense to penetrate very far.

Du Yue plunged downwards for a short distance, then its wings suddenly sank.

The surging seawater from all sides dragged her body, making her once agile movements sluggish. Deeper in, a huge shadow was slowly sweeping by, but she couldn't make out Shen Chang'an's exact location.

"Your Majesty, please go up first!"

Jiang Yi's voice suddenly rang out.

"That's monster territory. If you chase after them now, you won't even have a way to escape!"

Du Yue gritted her teeth, still trying to use the Zhenhai Seal to open the waterway, but the signals from the ancient seal were chaotic. The array deep inside was breaking one after another, and the remaining restrictions were constantly changing due to the turbulent currents, making it impossible for her to find her way.

Just then, the seawater on the side suddenly surged up.

Du Yue immediately folded her wings, her body enveloped in golden-red flames, and burst out of the water before the undercurrents closed in.

A thick, dark shadow swept past the spot where she had just stood, completely engulfing the still-burning flames into the sea.

She continued to rise until she was freed from the pull of the whirlpool, and only then did she regain her balance.

Below, only churning black water remained.

Shen Chang'an's presence could still be faintly detected, but it was being blocked by the increasingly thick seawater.

At the same time, a series of urgent bell tolls suddenly came from the direction of the city wall.

Taking advantage of the weakening of the array's light, a group of bone-winged demons crossed the outer defensive line and rushed towards the city walls. The defenders unleashed spells one after another, but several dark figures still managed to slip into the gap between the two array towers.

Du Yue gritted her teeth. This place couldn't do without her. She quickly sent her power back into the outer array eye, and several dark blue light bands lit up, supporting the array screen that was bent by the giant wave.

Immediately afterwards, a crimson-gold fire feather swept across the city wall, intercepting all the demons that had rushed into the defensive line.

She remained high in the sky, using her treasure to stabilize the battlefield while constantly sensing the movements deep within the sea.

At least for now, Shen Chang'an's presence hasn't disappeared.

A moment later, a member of the Tianpeng Clan flew swiftly from the coast and reported urgently before even getting close: "Your Majesty, several human cultivators are approaching from the outer perimeter. The two ahead seem to be being chased and are almost at the shore!"

Du Yue turned her head and quickly spotted a familiar fluctuation of spiritual energy in that direction.

Another aura followed closely beside her, with several even more powerful forces chasing behind.

Her expression tightened, and she channeled the power of the Sea-Suppressing Seal into the battle line beneath her, then flapped her wings and flew towards the coast.

......

On the outskirts of the Northern Sea, as Murong Yan crossed the last stretch of coastline, the first thing he saw was a giant wave crashing towards him.

She raised her sleeve to unleash her spiritual light, and together with Murong Qing, they passed through the waves. Before they could even stand firmly, several demonic creatures with bone wings pounced from the mist.

Murong Qing raised his hand, and the Flowing Years of Space unfolded, causing the movements of several demonic creatures to slow abruptly. Murong Yan seized the opportunity to strike, slaying them all, and then looked towards Zhenhai City, which was shrouded in golden light.

The situation here is even more chaotic than they could see from afar.

Spells rained down from the city walls, and figures clashed everywhere on the sea. Several enormous demonic beings appeared and disappeared among the clouds, making it impossible to see where Shen Chang'an was.

Just as she was about to approach the city, a golden-red streak of light suddenly swept in from the side.

Du Yue folded her wings and transformed into human form in front of the two.

"Sister Murong Yan? What brings you here?"

She recognized Murong Yan, then glanced at Murong Qing beside her, her gaze immediately becoming more wary. She had seen this face before in the Dead Zone of Shanghai; the other person had even tried to attack her back then.

Before Murong Yan could explain, he immediately asked, "Where is Chang'an?"

"He's underwater!"

"He just jumped onto that Kunpeng, trying to burn away what was controlling it. Then the Kunpeng dived into the sea and took him with it."

Murong Yan's expression changed.

Before she could ask any more questions, a muffled thud of a palm strike erupted from afar. Looking back, she saw several figures in grey robes already stationed on the outer edge of the sea.

"The Gu family is catching up with us."

Murong Yan grabbed Du Yue's arm: "They're after Chang'an. They saw us just now and want to keep us there too."

Du Yue followed her gaze, her anxious expression turning into anger.

The Xuan Yuan Zhen Hai Xi trembled high above, and she immediately focused her attention on stabilizing the underwater array patterns. A layer of pale golden light also appeared on the sea surface beneath her feet.

"Let's go there first and talk about it later."

She led the two into the area covered by the array's light.

......

In the distance, Gu Tianyu stopped above the shore, not continuing his pursuit into the skies above the Northern Sea.

Further ahead lies the area truly covered by the Sea-Suppressing Array.

The phoenix on the sea had caught Murong Yan and his companion, and several demon cultivators nearby had also noticed them, looking in their direction through the churning water mist.

Gu Weishan caught up, his face looking rather grim.

"Let them go!"

Gu Tianyu did not answer, his gaze sweeping over the sea where a battle was taking place. The aftershocks from just two eighth-realm cultivators fighting had already lifted seawater several miles into the air, and further away, there were several powerful auras that even he was unwilling to approach easily.

Rushing in at this time might not guarantee a safe escape.

"We can't keep pursuing this."

He hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Gu Chengyue.

"There are both demons and monsters inside. Murong Yan has already joined forces with the Phoenix. If he makes another move, he will probably be at a disadvantage."

Gu Chengyue's face was gloomy as he looked at the two figures in the golden light, and finally raised his hand.

"Let's create some distance first, then we'll find another opportunity."

Without the interference of the demon race, capturing these two would not be difficult. However, once the phoenix and the massive demon army are involved, the situation is no longer something that the Gu family can easily suppress.

Moreover, their real target here is still Shen Chang'an.

They quickly retreated, landing back on the coastal mountains, trying to use the undulating terrain to avoid being seen from the battlefield.

This advance and retreat alone are enough to let some people see through them.

Deep in the mountains, an old man slowly lowered his hand. In the shimmering light reflecting off the coastline, Gu Chengyue's figure had not yet faded away.

"A family-oriented person."

The person next to him frowned: "They really came too."

At the foot of another secluded hillside, several cultivators also gazed in the direction the gray-robed figure had retreated, exchanging glances. The groups, which had been hiding amongst themselves, finally realized, because of this chase, that the Gu family was also in Beiming.

No one showed up immediately.

But the gaze that was originally focused on Shen Chang'an has now parted off and is now on the mountain where the Gu family is hiding.

Further south, behind a bare rocky cliff washed clean by the sea, Pei Zhao slowly stopped.

Herbert, Via, and Adrian landed beside him one after another. The four of them did not approach the shore, but observed the battlefield outside through gaps in the cliff face.

"The Gu family also came, but they just retreated."

Via said in a low voice.

Pei Zhao nodded, shifting his gaze from the mountain range to the trembling sea in the distance.

The phoenix is ​​still there, and several powerful demons are still fighting.

Only Shen Chang'an's figure was temporarily out of sight.

He dared not release his divine sense rashly, but instead tightened his aura again and hid in the shadow of the cliff.

"Wait a minute..."

Another giant wave rose on the sea, and everyone's attention was focused on that vast expanse of sea. Several hiding places, far apart from each other, fell silent, gazing at the same still-unsettled Northern Sea.

......

Beneath the Northern Sea, as the seawater pressed down, Shen Chang'an almost heard the sound of his bones squeezing together.

The golden light before his eyes quickly faded away, and the last bit of light was swallowed up by the churning water.

The Kunpeng's massive body continued downwards, and as its giant fins swung, the swirling currents rushed past its back, almost sweeping it off.

He lowered his body and gripped Qianbian tightly with both hands.

The spearhead remained embedded in the old wound on the Kunpeng's back, and several black flame chains still fastened to the purplish-black patterns. However, as the depth increased, the flames on the surface of the chains were being compressed thinner and thinner, and the phoenix tree that had appeared behind them shook violently, its branches and leaves closing one after another.

He tried to expand his spiritual domain, but instead encountered even greater resistance.

The black-gold light had only expanded outwards for a few feet when it was pushed back by the seawater. After the spiritual energy left the body, its circulation speed suddenly slowed down, as if each strand was being pressed down by heavy rocks.

Shen Chang'an finally understood why even Cang Gu and his clan were unwilling to venture deep into the Northern Sea.

The seawater here is not just heavy.

It suppresses the flow of spiritual energy, gradually dispersing any outward-released spells. The further down he goes, the more pronounced this restriction becomes; even the Nirvana Technique circulating within his body begins to slow down.

The not-yet-fully-healed bones in my chest sent a sharp pain through me again.

The golden flames burned along the wound, but were far less intense than before. The flesh on his side, cleaved open by Mi Hai, was pushed apart by the seawater, and the blood that had just seeped out was swept away by the water that brushed against his body.

Kunpeng is still diving.

For it, the seawater seemed to pose little obstacle; its massive body sliced ​​through the darkness, carrying Shen Chang'an deeper into the depths. On the other hand, Shen Chang'an, on its back, had skin that had turned white from the pressure, his fingers gripping the gun slightly deformed, and a heavy, suffocating feeling emanated from his chest and abdomen.

We can't go on like this any longer.

He gritted his teeth, deliberately dispelling several of the black flame chains that were already difficult to maintain, and then suddenly pulled out the Thousand Transformations.

Losing his fixed position, the surging undercurrent swept him away completely.

He tumbled several times, his back slamming into a huge patch of scales, and a metallic taste rose in his throat. Using the impact, Shen Chang'an managed to adjust his body, pushing off the Kunpeng's back with both feet and charging upwards with all his might.

The enormous body quickly disappeared into the darkness below.