This martial saint's health bar is too thick

Chapter 677 Deep Sea Ninth Grade
After the storm, the sky cleared.

Li Fei spearheaded the attack, cutting through the waves, while Wenren Zheng, Wang Chengze, and two imperial guard units joined forces to protect the fleet, preventing the 'waves' on both sides from crashing down.

The western expeditionary force ultimately survived the terrible sea storm unscathed.

"Commander-in-chief, several vice-commanders, we have been sailing this route at least three times a year for the past seven years, and we have never encountered a sea storm of this magnitude."

Inside the room, Li Fei, Wenren Zheng, Wang Chengze, Ye Jingfu, and Luo Jing, the highest-ranking generals of the Western Expeditionary Army, were gathered together, along with three adjutant generals who were the most familiar with sea navigation and this route in the army.

The Great Blue Dynasty had been preparing for this expedition for many years, with three adjutants making numerous trips between the eastern and western continents.

The sea storm they had encountered earlier was completely beyond their expectations, and all three were worried that there might be a problem, so they reported it to their superiors together.

Li Fei also attached great importance to this matter, and thus convened this top-level meeting.

Do you think this was orchestrated?

Wenren Zheng asked, "Will our flight path be predicted by the enemy in advance?"

A lieutenant general looked at Wenren Zheng:

"There are many reasons for the formation of storms at sea, mainly related to topography, weather, temperature, and the distribution of the primordial energy of heaven and earth. Therefore, people who frequently travel by sea will combine their past experience with the help of sorcerers to detect the direction and changes of the primordial energy of heaven and earth, thereby finding a relatively safe route."

As a result, sea routes are not static and can change as circumstances dictate.

The route our army is taking has been repeatedly verified and calculated over the past few years, ensuring it is the safest route. However, many adjustments have been made for this expedition, and it differs somewhat from the routes we have taken in the past.

However, while we can find the fastest and safest route based on experience and the changes in the natural energy of heaven and earth, the enemy can also deduce our route in the same way.

Li Fei understood.

The safest route often means the fewest routes and the easiest to predict.

But this was unavoidable for the westward expeditionary force; hundreds of thousands of people could not risk taking a route that would take more time and might encounter more unexpected obstacles.

Wenren Zheng: "Then we can assume that this storm was brought by the enemy. The question now is, how many more times can they use such methods? Is there any way for us to stop it in advance?"

Li Fei gave his judgment directly:

"Unless two or three Martial Saints with water-attribute Dao principles, or True One Realm experts skilled in water-based magic join forces, it would be impossible to create a sea storm of this scale by human effort."

"What if there's already a storm at sea, and it's just being amplified by the storm itself? Using the power of nature should make it less difficult, right?"

Wang Chengze suddenly spoke up.

Li Fei looked at him and nodded:

“It is indeed easier to use the power of heaven and earth, but the world is unpredictable and its power cannot be borrowed at will. If the enemy’s methods are like this, then the possibility of us encountering a sea storm of the same scale as before is not high.”

Wenren Zheng also agreed with Li Fei's speculation.

The Western Continent has never had a top-tier expert before, so the probability of two or three top-tier experts appearing at once is extremely low.

Most likely, the other party borrowed the power of heaven and earth.

"How much longer is it expected to take to reach the Western Continent?"

Ye Jingfu asked.

"Vice Commander Ye, if we don't encounter any more storms at sea or other unexpected events, we will definitely reach Xilu within thirty days."

The fleet has only been sailing for twenty-one days. If it can reach the Western Lands in another thirty days, it can be considered a very smooth journey.

The group then discussed the matter for a while, devised various contingency plans, and then adjourned.

Inside the room, Li Fei and Wenren were the last to arrive.

Do you have any other guesses?

Wenren was asking Li Fei.

He had just noticed that Li Fei seemed to want to say something but ultimately didn't.

Li Fei: "Xu Chi Han and Gu Li told me that a thousand years ago, some of the ninth-grade mythical beasts escaped overseas."

Wenren Zheng: "You suspect that this storm was caused by a ninth-grade exotic beast?"

Li Fei: "The ninth-grade beasts that chose to escape overseas must be adapted to the marine environment. With their enormous size and strength, it is possible for several ninth-grade beasts together to create this storm."

Wenren frowned slightly.

Compared to the sudden appearance of several top-tier experts in the Western Continent, the emergence of ninth-grade exotic beasts overseas is indeed a more plausible theory.

But this result was even worse for the westward expeditionary army!

Land warfare, naval warfare, and even deep-sea warfare are completely different modes.

While a top-tier expert is certainly stronger than a ninth-grade beast, if a top-tier expert were to dive into the ocean and fight a ninth-grade beast that lives in the ocean year-round, the outcome would be uncertain.

Wenren Zheng was confident in Li Fei's strength. If Li Fei were to lead a few of their top combatants out to sea, he was fully confident that he could go deep into the sea and defeat a ninth-rank enemy!
The problem is that they also have to protect more than two hundred ships and hundreds of thousands of troops.

In this situation, it would be difficult to protect the fleet if it had to face several ninth-grade beasts at the same time.

This is at sea. The enemy doesn't need to defeat anyone. As long as they destroy the ships, hundreds of thousands of people will perish at sea!

Even without direct combat, if there were a few more sea storms like the one before, even if Li Fei could hold on, the two Imperial Guards' weapons would definitely not be able to withstand it, and Wenren Zheng and Wang Chengze would definitely suffer excessive losses.

That's why Li Fei didn't reveal his speculation on the spot.

If this gets out, it could very well affect morale!
"Does the Western Continent have the means to control ninth-grade beasts? Even you can't completely control them and can only force them to form an alliance. What makes the Western Continent think it can?"

Wenren Zheng's expression was somewhat solemn.

Even for a veteran like him, a seasoned general who had spent his life on the battlefield, this expedition still put him under immense pressure.

This battle is not only about the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, but also about the fate and future of the Great Blue Dynasty for hundreds of years, and about one's own path to enlightenment!

This was a battle with almost no way out, and Wenren Zheng never intended to leave himself a way out.

If the expedition fails, he will definitely choose to die in battle!

"I don't know either. I've already sent the Void Clam to travel through the void and explore ahead to see if it will find anything."

Li Fei said.

He looked at Wenren Zheng and said with a confident tone, "Don't worry, even if we really encounter a ninth-rank official, we'll just kill him!"

Wenren Zheng laughed heartily: "Good!"

After exchanging a few words, Wenren Zheng left the room.

Li Fei sat alone in the room, closing his eyes to rest.

A moment later, Ning Qingman pushed open the door and entered.

She sat down next to Li Fei and quietly looked at him.

Although Li Fei always appeared calm and composed.

But after knowing each other for so many years, she could vaguely sense that Li Fei was under a lot of pressure.

Even if the other party is the number one person in the world.

Li Fei opened his eyes, looked at Ning Qingman, and smiled:
"what happened?"

Ning Qingman smiled and said, "It's nothing. Has Xu Chihan returned?"

Li Fei: "Not yet, but with its abilities, it should be fine even if it is surrounded by several Rank 9 beasts."

Ning Qingman: "Well, it's not necessarily true that there are actually a few ninth-grade exotic beasts causing trouble. It's possible that the other party borrowed the power of heaven and earth."

Li Fei nodded: "I hope so."

That evening, Xuchi Clam returned to the fleet.

"I sensed the aura of a ninth-rank expert, and there was more than one."

The information brought back by Xu Chihan confirmed Li Fei's guess.

This is the worst outcome!

"How many Rank 9 beasts did you sense?"

Li Fei asked.

Xu Chihan: "At least three."

Li Fei: "Can you find them?"

Xu Chihan: "It will take time; their scent permeates the water."

Li Fei: "Find them as soon as possible."

Two days later, the fleet encountered another storm at sea! And this storm was no less intense than the last one.

The top combatants made their move again. As before, Li Fei was in charge of breaking through the waves, while the others protected the fleet.

In the aftermath of the storm, a sense of unease began to spread throughout the military.

The soldiers all realized that something was wrong.

Even the worst luck wouldn't lead to encountering two storms of this magnitude within three days.

Another operational meeting was held on Li Fei's spaceship.

This time, apart from the commander-in-chief and several deputy commanders, all the senior generals, grandmasters and top-level cultivators in the army were present.

"Judging from the current situation, the storm we encountered was most likely caused by a ninth-grade exotic beast."

Li Fei addressed the crowd.

There's no point in hiding it anymore; the important thing is to solve the problem.

Upon hearing the words "ninth-grade exotic beast," the generals were all surprised and realized the thorny nature of the problem.

"I will lead the Zhenxi Army to find these ninth-grade exotic beasts and eliminate them."

Wenren Zheng spoke.

Li Fei had told him that Xu Chi Han had been searching for those Rank 9 clams in the sea for the past few days. Now that the storm had just passed, the 'traces' left by them would be more obvious, and there was a great chance of finding them.

"No need. You all stay here and guard the fleet. I'm going."

Li Fei spoke up.

Wenren frowned, about to refuse.

In his view, Li Fei was no less important than this army, and even more important than the lives of hundreds of thousands of people combined!

If it were a few top-tier experts, he wouldn't be worried about Li Fei.

However, the ninth-grade beast was not easily countered by Li Fei's [Unique Idol Technique], and since they were fighting at sea, the disadvantage was too great.

Why don't he take the Zhenxi Army and Xuchi Han first to test the waters?

“Ning Qingman will be with me, and with Xu Chihan there, nothing will happen.”

Li Fei transmitted his voice to Wenren Zheng.

He was the commander-in-chief, and Wenren Zheng ultimately chose to follow his will.

Thus, the entire fleet came to a stop at sea for the first time.

More than two hundred ships quickly gathered together, forming a 'circle' on the sea.

The hulls of the ships glowed with a deep blue light, and a large amount of water elemental energy continuously converged on the fleet.

Soon, a huge, semi-transparent membrane enveloped the entire fleet, including dozens of spaceships in the air.

This is the third type of formation engraved on the hull of all ships—the True One Round Water Formation.

This formation can be disassembled and combined. More than two hundred ships can be gathered together in specific positions, and more than two hundred small formations can be superimposed to form a large formation!
With the grand formation activated, along with Wenren Zheng, Wang Chengze, the two Imperial Guards, and the hidden Gu Li, even if several ninth-grade beasts attacked together, the fleet would not be destroyed due to being affected.

However, each time the grand formation is activated, the losses are considerable, so Li Fei must find the ninth-ranked being in the sea as soon as possible and eliminate it.

Li Fei and Ning Qingman left the fleet and flew across the sea.

"I have a feeling that this attack by the ninth-grade beast is related to something we may have forgotten."

As Li Fei sped along, he spoke to Ning Qingman.

Ning Qingman: "Are you saying that the Western Continent's ability to obtain the help of ninth-grade exotic beasts is related to the secrets beneath the Abyss?"

Li Fei: "Not bad."

Ning Qingman: "Are Xu Chihan and Gu Li still trustworthy?"

Li Fei: "With an oath in place, it should be believable, but we should still be careful."

Ning Qingman: "I understand."

The two talked along the way and soon arrived at where Xu Chihan was.

"did you find it?"

Li Fei used telepathy to inquire about Xu Chi Gang.

Unlike top-tier human experts, ninth-grade beasts do not possess any luck or destiny, so Li Fei cannot use luck to sense or find them.

Xuchi Clam: "They were just around here, they should have dived into the sea by now."

Li Fei didn't hesitate: "Then let's go to sea."

He grabbed Ning Qingman and took her with him into the void.

The [No Distance] supernatural power originally could not take people with it to travel through the void, and the way to travel through the void was also intermittent, unlike the Void Pool Clam which could stay in the void for a long time.

But after reaching the peak, Li Fei expanded the application boundaries of [Boundless Distance] by combining magic and martial arts.

At this moment, he and Ning Qingman, like Xu Chihan, avoided the seawater and 'walked' in the void.

It continued to descend, penetrating deeper into the sea.

The Void Clam has a more acute sense of the Ninth Rank, and it will occasionally open a crack in the void to sense the remaining aura in the sea.

More than 30,000 meters below the sea.

Immense water pressure, extreme cold, and complete darkness.

The fish's tail, as large as a mountain, swayed gently without causing any violent ripples in the water.

This is a giant fish that is over three thousand meters long, and its shape looks somewhat similar to the Xuchi Clam.

However, the Void Pool Clam is a large fish in the void, while this is a real deep-sea giant fish.

Despite its size being comparable to a mountain range, its movements are as light as a feather.

It was moving rapidly in the water, yet the area remained remarkably calm.

A tentacle as thick as a mountain peak swept across it from above.

In the distance, a colossal beast that resembled a giant octopus was also moving rapidly.

Below the two giant beasts are mud, sand, coral, and rocks, resembling the seabed, but this 'seabed' is also moving.

This is an 'island' that moves in the deep sea.

The two sea storms encountered by the western expeditionary army were caused by these three ninth-grade mythical beasts!
"Everyone says the fleet has stopped."

"It looks like they've sent someone to look for us."

"They've come to find us underwater? That's perfect for us to hunt them down, Devourer of the Dao!"

"Zhongmou said that there are many powerful beings among these humans, and there is one human whose strength is even beyond its comprehension. It advised us not to engage in direct combat with him."

"Even it can't see through this? Then I'd like to see what kind of person it is."

"Wanlin, don't underestimate humans."

"This is the sea, our home ground!"

Just as the two ninth-rank beings were communicating telepathically, a telepathic message suddenly came from afar:

"Humans are catching up; let's avoid their sharp edge for now."

"Oh?"

The giant fish suddenly stopped.

"Wan Lin, what do you want to do?"

The tentacles in front emitted a heartbeat.

A ninth-grade mythical beast named Wanlin swam upwards, its fish tail swaying.
"I'm going to show these humans that the ocean is not a place they can come from!"

Moments later, the calm waters began to churn violently!
In the distance, a dazzling light pierced the darkness, and blood spread through the water...

Soon, Wan Lin returned, his eyeball blown out.

"Run!!"

(End of this chapter)