Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

"Chen Dagang, take three disciples to guard the village entrance and protect Azhu and the villagers! Ye Qing, Shen Yue, Su Lingyue, and others, hold back the branch sea monsters; Yun Xi, join me in slaying this dragon!"

Lin Yan instantly arranged the formation, giving clear and decisive instructions.

Before he finished speaking, he had already moved, using the Shadow Step to its fullest extent, like an arrow released from a bow, rushing straight towards the Ink Scale Sea Dragon.

Enraged, the Ink-Scaled Sea Dragon unleashed its massive tail, slamming into Lin Yan with immense force and a foul stench. The wind howled, and the ground cracked in response.

Lin Yan dodged with agility, simultaneously forming hand seals. The "Laoshan Guanhai Jue" was fully activated, and all the pure water spiritual energy flowed into the peach wood sword.

Several condensed, water-like finger strikes shot through the air, carrying extreme anti-evil spiritual power, aiming directly at the gaps in the sea dragon's scales. At the same time, with a thought, his natal spirit turtle within his sea of ​​consciousness quietly awakened, its ancient water spirit bloodline power empowering its body, further enhancing the purification power of spiritual energy, and the poisonous miasma spewed by the sea dragon was dissolved layer by layer as it approached.

"Lin Yan, I'm here."

Yun Xi let out a clear shout, leaping into the air. Her natal spirit sword was drawn with a clang, and her condensed sword intent burst forth from her body. She wielded the sword, aiming straight for the sea dragon's eyes. Each move was fierce, using the power of a sword cultivator to firmly restrain the dragon's attacks and create openings for Lin Yan. Her sword intent was clear and pure, complementing Lin Yan's pure water spiritual energy—one strong, one gentle—and working together seamlessly.

Ye Qing's body rippled with a subtle aura of green wood, and his ancient wooden sword was drawn. His attack was understated yet fierce, easily restraining the sideline sea monsters. His wood-elemental spiritual power was thick and steady, firmly blocking the monsters' retreat. Chen Dagang, wielding a fishing axe, stood guard at the village entrance with his body as strong as iron. Whenever a monster approached, he would sweep his axe out, withstanding the impact of the monster's power and protecting Yi Azhu and the villagers. Yi Azhu stood behind the formation, her Soul-Warming Spirit Orb glowing faintly, ready to heal at any moment. The Golden-Crowned Snow Sparrow chirped incessantly, keeping a close watch on any unusual movements and issuing warnings one after another.

Seeing that the sea dragon was completely restrained by Yun Xi, Lin Yan no longer held back. Guan Hai Mo Yan's spiritual light flashed slightly, continuously reinforcing his own spiritual energy. He formed sword incantations with both hands and unleashed the ultimate technique of the Guan Hai lineage - "Cang Lan Sword Technique".

Pure water spiritual energy surged along the meridians of the sword technique, condensing into a refined water-colored sword aura in front of him. The sword aura contained no impurities, but was the purest and cleanest water spiritual power, which was the natural nemesis of the Ink Scale Sea Dragon and the Entangling Evil Curse.

"Azure Wave Sword Technique - Breaking Waves!"

Lin Yan shouted in a deep voice, and his sword energy burst forth, carrying the force of a raging storm, directly slashing at the demonic horn on the head of the sea dragon.

Yunxi understood immediately, and her sword intent surged suddenly as she used all her strength to restrain the dragon demon's movements, leaving it with no way to avoid it.

A mournful roar echoed across the beach as the Azure Wave Sword struck the demon's horn with pinpoint accuracy. Pure water-based spiritual energy surged into the demon's body like a tidal wave, purifying its demonic power and dissolving the evil curse. The massive body of the Ink Scale Sea Dragon crashed onto the mudflats, its nine layers of refined demonic power completely dissipated, leaving it lifeless.

Upon seeing their leader slain, the band of sea monsters' morale collapsed, and they scattered in all directions. Ye Qing, Shen Yue, Su Lingyue, and the others seized the opportunity to wipe them out, and in no time, the beach returned to calm.

Lin Yan stopped his attack and stood still, slightly out of breath but with an upright posture. The spiritual light of Guanhai Moyan was contained, the peach wood sword in his hand was steady and unharmed, and the pure water spiritual energy churning in his body slowly calmed down.

He gazed at the ancestral hall shrouded in black mist in the village, his expression growing increasingly solemn. The black-scaled sea dragon he had just witnessed possessed a cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining, and its black aura was of the same origin as the evil spirits under Elder Hailan's command. It was clearly not a natural demonic beast, but rather a pawn manipulated by forbidden techniques. The strange changes in the water veins of Wanghai Village, the evil markings on the doors, and the weeping from the ancestral hall at midnight—there must be a deeper conspiracy hidden behind them.

"Brother, be careful!" Yi Azhu suddenly exclaimed. Her innate water spirit body's keen senses allowed her to be the first to detect the unusual movement in the shadows.

At the same instant, Lin Yan's divine sense spread out and he was surprised to find a faint fluctuation of incantation power in the direction of the ancestral hall, which was quietly spreading along the underground water veins and heading straight for the beach waters that had just been purified!

"Everyone, be on guard!" Lin Yan shouted in a low voice, and with a step of Shadow Chasing, his figure instantly appeared in front of the ancestral hall.

The wooden door of the ancestral hall, shrouded in black mist, had opened by itself at some unknown time. The black water patterns on the lintel glowed faintly, and a cold, resentful aura gushed out from the crack in the door. It shared the same origin as the black aura on the sea dragon's body, but was even more mysterious and sinister.

Ye Qing, Yun Xi, Shen Yue and others quickly gathered together, and Chen Dagang also led his disciples back from the village entrance. Everyone lined up in formation, ready for battle.

"This ancestral hall is definitely not simple; it must contain the core of an evil formation." Yunxi gripped her natal spirit sword tightly, her clear voice filled with vigilance.

Ye Qing's wood-elemental energy flowed slowly within his body. The ancient wooden sword was held horizontally in front of him. His gaze was fixed on the entrance of the ancestral hall. He said in a deep voice, "I sense that there is life force inside that has been forcibly imprisoned and is entangled with an evil curse."

Lin Yan nodded slightly, his fingertips lightly touching the Guanhai inkstone at his waist. The inkstone shimmered with a faint light, resonating with the pure water spiritual energy within him, instantly dispelling the faint black aura surrounding him. He understood that the anomaly in Wanghai Village and the killing spree at Moshan Pass were from the same source, and the same force must be secretly orchestrating things behind the scenes.

"I'll go in first to scout. You all guard the perimeter and be wary of any stragglers or sneak attacks from the shadows." Lin Yan's voice was calm, his eyes sharp as a blade.

Yunxi was about to step forward when Lin Yan raised his hand to stop her: "Your sword intent is best at breaking evil, so it's more appropriate for you to guard the outer perimeter."

Yunxi was taken aback, then nodded, sheathed her sword, and stood to the side, ready to strike at any moment. Chen Dagang stepped forward, carrying his fishing axe, his tone honest yet unusually firm: "Brother Gangzi is here guarding, no one will be able to hurt you."

Yi Azhu quickly walked to Lin Yan's side, handed him the Soul-Warming Pearl, her eyes full of worry: "Brother, keep this with you, it can soothe the soul and purify evil spirits."

Lin Yan gripped his sword, his body surging with pure water spiritual energy. He used the Shadow Chasing Step, his figure moving like a gentle breeze as he quietly slipped into the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall was dimly lit, filled with resentment and a decaying atmosphere, connecting with the black mist outside. On the central offering table, three blurry statues were covered in black, sinister patterns, constantly emanating malevolent power. Beneath the offering table, a ring of black runes formed the array's core, connecting all the evil patterns in the village. Wisps of black energy surged into the ground through this core, spreading towards Laoshan Mountain.

Lin Yan swept his gaze across the array, his divine sense locking onto the array's core. He first used pure water spiritual energy to purify the resentment around him, preventing himself from being tainted by the evil curse. Then, he raised his hand and formed the purification hand seal of the "Laoshan Guanhai Jue" (Laoshan Sea-Watching Technique). A deep blue spiritual light slowly appeared in his palm as he pressed it down toward the array's core.

"Sizzle—"

The spiritual light collided with the evil curse, producing a piercing, corrosive sound, and the black curse marks visibly faded away.

"roar!"

A low growl suddenly came from the depths of the ancestral hall, and a dark shadow darted out from a hidden compartment behind the offering table—it was a Bone-Eating Nether Lizard nourished by evil power. This demon was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, spewing venomous saliva and its sharp claws gleaming coldly as it lunged straight at Lin Yan's back.

Lin Yan was prepared and dodged to the side. With a backhand strike, he activated the "Waves Sword Finger" technique, sending out several water-colored finger energies that precisely pierced the seven-inch mark of the lizard.

"Pfft!"

The lizard let out a mournful cry as its body was completely purified by the pure water spiritual energy, turning into a wisp of black smoke and dissipating.

Having dealt with the demonic beast, Lin Yan no longer hesitated. Guan Hai Mo Yan's spiritual light surged, fully enhancing the peach wood sword. He quickly formed hand seals, once again activating the "Canglan Sword Technique".

"Azure Wave Sword Technique - Purify Evil!"

A more refined, water-colored sword aura burst forth from the blade, carrying pure and pristine power, sweeping away the evil formation beneath the offering table.

"boom!"

As the sword energy descended, the evil formation shattered with a deafening roar, and black resentment flew in all directions. However, as soon as it touched the watery spiritual light surrounding Lin Yan, it was completely purified.

As the evil formation crumbled, the black mist outside the ancestral hall gradually dissipated, and Wanghai Village was once again bathed in sunlight. The underground curse's link was completely severed, preventing it from spreading further into Laoshan Mountain.

Lin Yan sheathed his sword and stood there, looking around to confirm that the evil formation had been destroyed. He breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his brows furrowed even more tightly.

Although the evil formation was broken, the person who set it up had vanished without a trace. From the manipulated sea dragon to the forbidden formation in the ancestral hall, and then to the spreading evil power pointing directly at Laoshan Mountain, everything points to a conspiracy against Laoshan. And this sinister aura subtly echoes Elder Hailan's movements as he secretly consolidates power in the Wushan branch…

Lin Yan walked out of the ancestral hall, his gaze fixed on the depths of Laoshan Mountain, his expression as solemn as iron.

"Everyone, listen up! Clean up the battlefield, comfort the villagers, and take stock of the casualties." His clear voice echoed throughout the village. "Yunxi, Yeqing, follow me into the depths of the ancestral hall to investigate for any other clues."