I am in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have a demonic beast clone!

Between the sea and the sky, a pale gray streak of light flew at an astonishing speed for three whole days.

As Zhou Ding traveled, he carefully avoided all the regular routes and supply islands where he might encounter cultivators, choosing instead to travel through remote, desolate sea areas with little spiritual energy.

He concealed all his outward aura, approaching his target silently like the most experienced hunter.

On the third day at dusk, the view of the sea ahead began to change.

The sky was perpetually shrouded in a thin, gray mist that seemed to never dissipate, making it difficult for sunlight to penetrate and causing the sea to appear gloomy and dark.

The seawater was an ominous deep blue, almost black. The waves appeared calm, but beneath them, huge undercurrents and whirlpools were slowly rotating, emitting a low groan and stirring up icy, bone-chilling water vapor.

A faint, unsettling smell filled the air, a mixture of decaying seaweed and a certain sweet, fishy odor.

This is the edge of the "Ghost Mist Vortex" mentioned by Feng San Niang, a dangerous place in the inner sea known for its treacherous environment, teeming with demonic beasts, and rarely visited by cultivators.

"This is the area of ​​the sea..."

Zhou Ding activated his escape technique, hovering high in the sky, his gaze sweeping across the area below like that of a hawk.

His powerful divine sense, like the most sophisticated radar, spread out silently from his center, instantly covering a vast sea area of ​​250 miles in radius.

His divine sense flowed across the sea like water, seeping into the depths, sensing all life fluctuations and energy anomalies within. Soon, he made a discovery.

About fifty miles to his left front, there was a small, dark, barren island with jagged rocks and no vegetation.

The deserted island is secluded, with a towering cliff on one side that perfectly blocks the biting sea winds and chaotic spiritual energy flow from the direction of the "Ghost Mist Vortex".

Near the entrance to a natural cave at the foot of the cliff, Zhou Ding's divine sense detected several life auras belonging to human cultivators, which were deliberately suppressed but still clear, as well as fluctuations from a rudimentary warning and concealment array.

"One, two, three... five people. One in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, two in the early Foundation Establishment stage, and two in the late Qi Refining stage. There's also an early warning formation and a simple concealment restriction... As expected, it's the patrol team from the Six-Hall Alliance." A knowing glint flashed in Zhou Ding's eyes, which then turned icy cold.

These people were sentries planted by Feng Sanniang, and they were also the biggest hidden danger that his operation might expose.

It must be removed.

Without the slightest hesitation, he vanished from his spot in a flash.

The next moment, he appeared silently above the cliff of the deserted island, looking down at the cave entrance that was half-hidden by rocks.

The warning array outside the cave was useless to him. With his current mastery of array formations and the strength of his divine sense, he easily found the weak points in its operation and the gaps in the spiritual energy circulation.

Inside the cave, five monks dressed in the uniforms of the Six-Hall Sect were sitting around a campfire, where several sea fish were roasting and emitting a fragrant aroma.

The leader, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, was a middle-aged man with a sharp and wiry face. He was holding a jade slip, seemingly checking and recording something.

The other four seemed rather bored, chatting in hushed tones about interesting tidbits from Kui Xing City and complaining about their drudgery.

"Boss, how much longer do we have to stay in this godforsaken place? This place is so gloomy, we hardly see any living creatures, it's so suffocating," a young Foundation Establishment cultivator muttered.

"Enough nonsense! How dare you and I question the task assigned by Steward Feng? Just keep watch and see if any unknown cultivators or powerful demonic beasts approach. Once you've completed this mission, you'll be rewarded when you return." The leader reprimanded without even looking up.

"Yes, yes, yes..." The young cultivator shrank back, not daring to say anything more.

Just then, without warning, the temperature inside the cave suddenly dropped!

A chilling, vast, and terrifying divine pressure, like ten thousand feet of ice descending in an instant, suddenly and solidly suppressed the five people's sea of ​​consciousness!

"Uh!" "Ah!"

The five men were struck as if by a heavy blow. They groaned simultaneously, their faces drained of color instantly, and their eyes were filled with boundless horror and fear!

They felt like insects frozen in amber, finding it incredibly difficult even to move their eyes. Their thoughts were sluggish, and their internal magical power was like solidified magma, completely unusable!

The leader, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, possessed the highest cultivation level and the clearest perception. The strength and coldness of that divine sense far surpassed any Foundation Establishment cultivator he had ever seen, even...

It was several times more terrifying than the pressure he had felt from afar in Kui Xing City from a Core Formation Realm expert!

Could it be... a Nascent Soul stage monster?!

Before they could react or even beg for mercy, a golden figure appeared, like a blur, and a golden blade of extreme sharpness swiftly severed their heads.

The one that made the move was the Golden-backed Mantis.

A level-five demonic beast could kill several Foundation Establishment cultivators with virtually no effort.

"Thump, thump..."

The five corpses collapsed to the ground almost simultaneously, their eyes losing their light and leaving only frozen fear.

Zhou Ding's figure drifted into the cave like a wisp of smoke. He expressionlessly swept over the five corpses on the ground, and with a wave of his hand, he flicked out a few wisps of alchemical fire, burning the corpses and their remaining auras to ashes.

He then carefully examined the array and items inside the cave, destroying all the markers, jade slips, and other items that might reveal information about the Six Palaces, and casually erased any traces of himself and the remaining alchemical fire.

Finally, he arrived at the cave entrance, formed hand seals, and cast several exquisite spells at the warning and concealment formation, completely disrupting and destroying it, making it appear as if it had collapsed on its own due to energy depletion or unknown interference.

All of this took only the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. The deserted island remained desolate and lifeless, as if the five cultivators had never existed there.

"Hidden dangers eliminated."

Zhou Ding murmured something, and his figure once again blended into the hazy sky, flying towards the core sea area where the Infant Carp Beast might be hiding.

Taking care of these sentries was easier than he had expected. With his current strength, dealing with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators was like a dimensional reduction attack.

Next comes the most crucial part.

Locate and pinpoint the level 6 infant carp beast.

Zhou Ding pushed his divine sense to its limit, and it spread outward in a spiral shape, like countless tiny tentacles, centered on him, scanning the surrounding area.

He doesn't overlook any unusual energy fluctuations, life force, or even irregular changes in water flow.

The environment around the edge of this "Ghost Mist Vortex" is complex, with turbulent underwater currents, rugged seabed terrain, and a faint natural mist and water-attribute spiritual energy that can interfere with divine sense, making the search quite difficult.

He searched patiently, inch by inch.

From the surface of the sea to the depths of hundreds of feet, from seemingly calm waters to the vicinity of those dangerous undercurrents and whirlpools.

Time passed slowly, night deepened, and the fog over the sea seemed to grow thicker.

After searching for an entire day, just as Zhou Ding was considering whether to change his approach or take some risks by making a bigger commotion to lure the enemy, his divine sense finally caught a trace of an extremely subtle yet exceptionally powerful aura at the edge of his consciousness!

The aura was located about a hundred miles to the northeast, deep within an underwater canyon.

Its aura was cold and violent, carrying a strong water-attribute demonic power, and even a faint, chilling hint of thunder!

It seemed to be in a semi-dormant state, almost blending into the surrounding seawater and rocks. If Zhou Ding's divine sense had not been strong and sharp enough, and if he had not searched very carefully, it would have been almost impossible to detect.

"Found it!" Zhou Ding's spirits lifted, his eyes gleaming.

He didn't approach immediately, but instead observed the area of ​​sea more carefully from a distance.

The deep, dark underwater canyon, with its complex terrain and numerous massive reefs and caves, was indeed an excellent hiding place.

The water flow near the canyon is exceptionally rapid, forming a natural, hidden barrier.

What caught Zhou Ding's attention even more was that on the rocks near the canyon, there were some smooth and peculiar marks that had been eroded by powerful water pressure, as if left by some enormous creature that frequently came and went.

"As expected, it's here... A level six demonic beast, its intelligence has been awakened, and it knows how to choose its nest and hide itself." Zhou Ding sneered inwardly.

He quietly retreated dozens of miles and found a relatively open area of ​​sea far from the canyon with a relatively flat seabed.

The water here is about 200 feet deep, and the visibility is relatively good, making it suitable for setting up formations and fighting.

He first took out several array flags of different colors, each radiating spiritual light, and a core array plate from his storage bag.

This is the portable array tool of Xin Ruyin's "Five Elements Annihilation Array," which she has painstakingly researched and possesses immense power!

Although limited by materials and scope, it cannot unleash the full power of the formation, but it is sufficient for trapping enemies, weakening them, creating killing opportunities, and dealing with a demon beast.

Zhou Ding took a deep breath, and his hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers as he began to set up an array in mid-air.

Using his own pure magical power as a guide, he drove the array flags into the depths of the seabed rock layer one by one according to the specific five elements, and they were connected by invisible spiritual energy lines.

The array plate was placed at the pre-set array eye position and embedded with several mid-grade spirit stones.

He was extremely careful throughout the process, trying his best to suppress the fluctuations of his magical power and avoid disturbing the infant carp beast in the distance.

It took a full half hour for an invisible "Five Elements Annihilation Formation" covering an area of ​​several miles in radius to be quietly set up.

The formation was in an unactivated state, with only faint spiritual energy of the five elements slowly circulating within it, almost indistinguishable from the surrounding seawater environment.

"The formation is complete; now it's time for the bait." With a thought, Zhou Ding opened the mouth of the spirit beast pouch at his waist, and a dark green light flashed. The nearly ten-foot-long, ferocious body of the Golden-backed Demon Mantis appeared in the sea.

It seemed somewhat unaccustomed to the powerful water pressure of the deep sea, but with the circulation of its demonic energy, it quickly stabilized. The three golden lines on its carapace glowed faintly in the dim seawater, and its scythe-like forelimbs opened and closed gently, exuding the ferocious aura unique to a level five demonic beast.

"Go to the vicinity of that canyon, release your aura, provoke that guy, and then lure it here. Remember, don't fight head-on, focus on harassment and enticement. If there is any danger, immediately move closer to me." Zhou Ding gave clear instructions to the Golden-backed Demon Mantis through mental connection.

A fierce glint flashed in the golden-backed mantis's crimson compound eyes. With a low hiss, it darted through the sea like an arrow, swimming swiftly towards the canyon where the baby carp beast was hiding. Its speed was almost as fast as it would be on land, clearly demonstrating its proficiency in water.

Zhou Ding concealed all his presence and submerged behind a huge reef in the shadow of the seabed, waiting quietly like the most patient hunter.

He held an "Eight Gates Golden Mirror" in his palm, ready to activate it at any time.

At the same time, that vast divine sense, like an invisible net, closely monitored the movements in the direction of the canyon.

About an incense stick later, from the direction of the deep canyon in the distance, a strange roar, as muffled as a cow's moo yet as sharp as an infant's cry, suddenly came!

The roar was filled with the fury of being disturbed!

Immediately afterwards, a terrifying demonic aura, powerful, fierce, and accompanied by towering waves and faint thunder, shot up from the depths of the canyon like a volcanic eruption!

The water in that area was stirred up and swirled wildly, forming a huge whirlpool!

"roar--!!"

The roar rose again, clearer and more distinct, carrying the meaning of pursuit. Zhou Ding "saw" the dark green figure of the Golden-backed Demon Mantis, just like a frightened fish, darting out from the direction of the canyon at an extremely fast speed, fleeing desperately towards the sea area where he had set up his formation. Behind it, sharp water arrows and fragments of blue lightning pursued relentlessly, exploding into clusters of bubbles and sparks in the seawater.

Hundreds of feet behind the Golden-backed Demon Mantis, a colossal creature broke through the waves, revealing its ferocious form!

That was a giant beast that was over ten zhang long!

Its entire body is covered with thick, dark blue scales speckled with silver. Its body is as thick as a small mountain and resembles a giant carp, but it has an enormous, wrinkled head that looks like a human baby, but is full of sharp teeth and has bloodshot, ferocious eyes!

On either side of the head are two pairs of short, strange limbs covered in scales, resembling an infant's arms and legs, with sharp, hook-like nails.

The tail is not a fish tail, but rather as flexible and powerful as a snake's tail, stirring up turbulent undercurrents as it swings.

It is a level six demon beast—the Infant Carp Beast!

At this moment, the ferocious beast was clearly enraged by the Golden-backed Mantis's provocation. Its scarlet eyes were fixed on the fleeing "little insect" ahead. It opened its huge mouth full of sharp teeth and let out a piercing cry. Its body was filled with blue demonic light, and its speed suddenly increased. It parted the seawater and chased after it fiercely like a giant blue shuttle!

Wherever it passed, the seawater parted automatically, and faint, fine blue electric snakes could be seen running across its body, emanating a chilling aura of "Water Divine Thunder".

"They're here!" Zhou Ding held his breath, his eyes sharp as knives.

The Golden-backed Mantis, with all its might, narrowly escaped into the range of the "Five Elements Annihilation Formation." Then, following Zhou Ding's previous instructions, it suddenly turned and swam to the side.

The enraged infant carp beast, in its pursuit, clearly failed to notice the subtle array fluctuations on the seabed below, or rather, given its intelligence, it did not bother to investigate carefully in its fury.

Its massive body followed closely behind the golden-backed mantis, crashing headlong into the core area of ​​the formation!

"Now! Charge!"

Zhou Ding gave a low shout in his heart, and his hands, hidden behind the reef, suddenly formed a hand seal, instantly injecting a powerful magical force into the array plate beneath his feet!

"Buzz—!!!"

The seabed suddenly trembled! Centered on the infant carp beast, a dazzling five-colored light suddenly shone brightly over a radius of several miles!

Gold, green, blue, red, and yellow—five colors of light roared out from the seabed rock strata like five angry dragons, instantly intertwining into a complex and mysterious, enormous light array filled with a chilling and destructive aura, completely enveloping the massive body of the Infant Carp Beast!

The five-colored light flowed wildly, interacting and evolving with each other. Countless fine, hair-like, and incomparably sharp five-element light threads were generated out of thin air within the formation, like the most severe gallows, frantically cutting, piercing, and strangling the infant carp beast within the formation!

Flames, ice, golden blades, poisonous vines, earth spikes... all sorts of killing moves from the five elements flashed in turn within the formation. Although their power was somewhat weakened due to the limitations of the seawater environment, they were still extremely fierce. In an instant, they left countless wounds of varying depths on the thick blue scales of the infant carp beast, and demon blood splattered, staining a patch of seawater red!

"Roar—!!"

The infant carp beast let out a roar of extreme pain and rage! Its infant-like head shook violently, and its scarlet eyes were almost bleeding from the pain and anger!

Its body was covered in blue demonic light that expanded like an explosion, trying to break through the sudden and terrifying killing formation. At the same time, it opened its huge mouth and a "Water Divine Thunder" as thick as a bucket, extremely condensed, with countless blue lightning snakes surging wildly inside, was about to bombard a node of the formation!

It instinctively felt that it had to break through this formation!

However, just as it gathered its demonic power and its mind was completely drawn to the formation, it was caught in the trap.

Zhou Ding, who had been hiding in the shadows and waiting for his moment to strike, has made his move!

The "Soul-Destroying Thorn," formed from the divine consciousness of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and nurtured for a long time, silently and effortlessly traversed hundreds of feet of seawater, ignoring the dense protective demonic light on the surface of the Infant Carp Beast's body. It pierced precisely and fiercely into the center of the Infant Carp Beast's head, right at the core of its soul!

"laugh--!"

There was no earth-shattering sound, only a slight, unusual noise, like a bubble bursting, which was almost imperceptible amidst the violent roar of the array and the howls of the monsters.

However, this seemingly light blow had a fatal effect!

Just as the baby carp beast was about to unleash its "Water Divine Thunder," its massive body suddenly froze!

Its crimson eyes instantly lost all their luster, becoming empty and unfocused. Its massive body suddenly stiffened, then completely lost all its strength, and like a collapsing mountain, slowly sank towards the seabed.

"Dead." Zhou Ding carefully scanned the Infant Carp Beast with his divine sense, confirming that its life force had completely disappeared and that its demon core had gradually calmed down due to the death of its host. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

The whole process seemed long, but in reality, it only took a dozen or so breaths from the Golden-backed Demon Mantis luring the enemy into the formation, to Zhou Ding's sneak attack with the Soul-Destroying Thorn, and then to Little Gold, the Golden-backed Demon Mantis, and the Star-Chasing Shuttle joining forces to kill the enemy!

It was a meticulously planned, perfectly coordinated, and deceptively calculated hunt!

Despite its formidable strength, the Level 6 Infant Carp Beast was unable to fully unleash its most threatening "Water Divine Thunder" technique and thus perished in frustration.

Zhou Ding dared not delay and quickly retrieved the array flags and array plates of the "Five Elements Annihilation Array".

Immediately, he flashed to the side of the enormous corpse of the Infant Carp Beast.

This demonic beast was a treasure trove. He took out a specially made jade knife and axe, and with practiced and swift movements, began to cut up the materials. The demon core was carefully placed into a jade box and sealed; the essence of its heart was collected in a jade bottle; its incredibly defensive blue scales, tough leather, sharp claws and teeth, and thick bones were all cut up and stored away in a categorized manner.

In particular, he paid special attention to and carefully preserved the "thunder sac" that might exist in its head and contain the original power of "water-based divine thunder," as well as the pair of limbs that resembled an infant's arms and might contain special water-attribute supernatural powers.

It took him about half an hour to finish all this. He then carefully inspected the battlefield, burning the scattered pieces of monster flesh and the large amount of blood with true fire or diluting them with water-based magic.

He used earth and water magic to smooth out and disturb the seabed traces and spiritual energy fluctuations left by the battle and the formation.

Finally, he once again scanned the surrounding hundreds of miles with his powerful divine sense, confirming that he had not left any obvious traces related to himself, nor had he attracted any other uninvited guests.

"This place is not safe to stay for long."

Zhou Ding put Xiao Jin and the Golden-backed Demon Mantis back into his spirit beast bag, and then sealed all the demon beast materials he had collected into several storage bags, hiding them close to his body.

He took one last look at the sea, which was gradually returning to calm except for the faint smell of blood that had not yet completely dissipated. With a flick of his body, he transformed into a barely perceptible gray shadow and disappeared from the spot.