Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

The further we went, the more turbulent the sea became. The once gentle beach gradually disappeared, replaced by a jagged, dark gray reef, layer upon layer, plunging straight into the sea. Waves crashed against the rocks, creating sprays of water and producing a muffled rumble. The smell of sea salt in the air grew stronger, mixed with a faint, somewhat eerie, fishy odor.

Chen Dagang walked at the front, gripping his short fishing axe tightly, his broad shoulders occasionally pushing aside the seaweed and thorns blocking his path. He knew this chaotic reef beach as well as his own backyard; he knew exactly which rocks were loose and which crevices concealed hidden currents. He kept turning back to remind everyone: "Make sure you step firmly here! Don't touch that moss, it's very slippery!" "Stay away from the waves, there are whirlpools below, once you get caught, you won't be able to get out!" He shouted these warnings, deliberately slowing his pace.

Yi Azhu followed closely behind Lin Yan, carefully protecting the spirit turtle on her shoulder with one hand and clutching the hem of Lin Yan's clothes with the other. Although she was only at the first level of Qi Refining, she was exceptionally sensitive to the smell of seawater. The closer they got to the chaotic reefs, the paler her face became: "Big brother, the water here is so cold... and it has a very unpleasant smell."

Lin Yan nodded, his expression grave: "It's demonic energy, and it's not weak."

The tortoise perched on Ah-zhu's shoulder suddenly raised its head, its little head facing a dense cluster of reefs in front of it, and made a series of rapid "coo-coo, coo-coo" sounds. The originally warm blue light suddenly brightened a bit, and the tortoise's claws moved restlessly.

"Watch out!" Lin Yan shouted in a low voice, reaching out to pull Ah Zhu behind him.

Chen Dagang tensed instantly, his fishing axe held horizontally in front of his chest, his large, copper-bell-shaped eyes scanning the surroundings: "What's going on? A sea monster?"

As soon as the words were spoken, a huge reef half-submerged in the water in front of them suddenly trembled! "Splash..." Water splashed everywhere, and a black octopus demon the size of a millstone, with a body covered in dense tentacles, burst out from the water. It instantly spewed out foul-smelling ink, which carried a corrosive smell and rushed straight at the group.

Although this black octopus demon was a low-level sea monster, its combat power increased greatly on its own territory. Wherever its tentacles swept, the reefs were smashed and scattered.

"You beast!" Chen Dagang roared, swinging his fishing axe to meet the tentacles head-on! "Clang!" A muffled sound rang out as the axe struck the octopus's hard shell, sending sparks flying. The black octopus demon, in pain, furiously lashed out with even more tentacles.

"Big Gang, avoid its tentacles!"

Chen Dagang roared again, his muscles tensing, and swung his axe violently. "Bang!" The axe blow was powerful and heavy, slamming the ink octopus demon hard onto the reef. Its body twitched a few times, its breath quickly weakened, and it stopped moving.

Chen Dagang, panting heavily, wiped the seawater off his face and grinned, "Good heavens, this thing is really strong!" He turned to look at Azhu, his tone softening, "Azhu, were you scared? My mother said that we men should protect the weak. With me here, no monster can get close to you."

Reaching a secluded cave hidden deep within the reefs, concealed by thick seaweed, the spirit turtle let out another clear, soft cry, its shell emitting a blue light that pointed directly to the cave entrance. Lin Yan's eyes narrowed: "Yun Xi's aura should be in that cave."

Chen Dagang immediately stopped smiling, straightened up, and gripped his fishing axe tightly again: "Let's go! I'll clear the way! There are many hidden currents around this cave, I'll keep an eye on things, I'll make sure you get through safely."

The three of them carefully waded through the slippery rocks, avoiding the surging waves, and approached the dark cave. The entrance was completely obscured by thick seaweed, and in the air, besides the lingering demonic aura, there was also a faint trace of a cool, clear sword intent—the unique aura of Yun Xi, which Lin Yan was all too familiar with.

"Yunxi! Are you in there?" Lin Yan pushed aside the seaweed and called out, his voice echoing in the narrow cave, but there was no reply. He stepped into the cave first, and a cold, damp atmosphere rushed towards him.

A few rays of morning light leaked in through the cracks in the rocks, barely illuminating the small area at the entrance. The deeper part was dark and eerily quiet.

Yi Azhu followed closely behind, carrying the spirit turtle. Her water spirit body's senses became increasingly clear. She whispered in Lin Yan's ear, "Big brother, there is Sister Yunxi's sword intent inside, as well as a very strong demonic aura."

Chen Dagang brought up the rear, his towering figure blocking the cave entrance. He warily scanned the surroundings, fearing that other demons might ambush him from the shadows. As he walked, he muttered, "I hope nothing happens to Yunxi."

The spirit turtle shifted restlessly in Azhu's arms, then suddenly broke free and scurried swiftly into the depths of the cave, making rapid gurgling sounds as it went. The three quickly followed. Inside, the cave floor was a mess, littered with shattered stones from the sword energy. The rock walls were covered with sword marks of varying depths; though the sharp sword intent had faded, one could still imagine Yunxi wielding her sword to defend herself the previous night. A few drops of dark brown demon blood remained on the ground, testifying to the fierce battle that had taken place.

Before long, the spirit turtle stopped in the innermost corner of the cave, its little claws constantly scratching at the rubble. Lin Yan quickly stepped forward, pushed aside the stones, and a dark red ancient sword tassel, stained with dust and faint demon blood, was clearly visible—it was the very tassel that adorned Yun Xi's sword!

Lin Yan carefully picked up the sword tassel, his heart heavy and tense: "This is Yunxi's sword tassel. She was fighting with demons here and accidentally dropped it. She must have been forcibly taken away."

Yi Azhu looked at the sword tassel, her eyes slightly reddening, and whispered, "Is Sister Yunxi injured?"

"Yunxi's swordsmanship is superb; she shouldn't be easily defeated." Lin Yan gripped the sword tassel tightly in his hand, then looked at the spirit turtle. The spirit turtle had already turned its head, its entire body glowing with blue light as it faced a narrow, hidden passage on the other side of the stone cave.

The demonic aura was even stronger inside the passage, mixed with the salty smell of the open sea. Chen Dagang leaned closer to examine the passage, his expression slightly grim. "I know this passage. It leads directly to the hidden reef bay in the open sea. It's ten times more dangerous than the treacherous reefs, teeming with sea monsters. Fishermen dare not approach it." He paused, then patted his chest and said in a gruff voice, "But since I promised to find Yunxi, I'll see it through to the end! I've already told my neighbors to look after my mother, so I have no worries. Let's go in now!"

After saying that, Chen Dagang took the lead, bending down and squeezing into the narrow passage, gripping his fishing axe to clear the way. Lin Yan followed closely behind, protecting Azhu. The spirit turtle perched on Azhu's shoulder, its blue light guiding the way, as they ventured deeper and deeper into the dark reef bay, shrouded in demonic energy and turbulent undercurrents.

The further they went, the narrower and more cramped it became. Strange carvings gradually appeared on the rock walls, their patterns twisted and obscure, resembling some ancient sea monster ritual totem, exuding a chilling sense of oppression. The blue light of the spirit turtle grew dimmer, its small body huddled tightly against Azhu's shoulder, and its originally clear calls became increasingly low and muffled.