One of its eyes was larger than Deng Tianxin's entire body, murky and unfathomably deep as it stared at him without blinking.
For some reason, it felt a sense of closeness toward the person before it, yet also a sense of revulsion.
The sea split apart in an instant.
The Demon Empress's enormous head suddenly reared up, and a water column as thick as a city wall blasted from its mouth. Carrying immense force, it crashed straight toward Deng Tianxin's chest.
Deng Tianxin's pupils contracted. The six wings behind him beat sharply, and his entire body turned into a streak of pink-gold light, barely skimming past the edge of the water column. Even so, the resulting wind pressure knocked him half a zhang off course, shredding the robes over his left shoulder.
"Tianxin!" Xiao Wu cried hoarsely from the ship, only to be pinned down by Di Qiu'er.
Having missed with that strike, the Demon Empress seemed to grow even more enraged. The sea abruptly rose like a mountain of water overturning, and hundreds of dark-purple bolts of lightning exploded from between the scales along its back, bathing the sea and sky in a ghastly purple glow. This lightning was no ordinary electricity. Each bolt was as thick as a giant python and brimming with the primal power of soul beasts. Wherever it struck, seawater instantly vaporized into scorching white mist that filled the sky.
"Wooo—"
The Demon Empress's long tail burst from the sea with a thunderous crash and swept toward Deng Tianxin, accompanied by a sound like mountains collapsing. The tail stretched dozens of zhang long, and the wall of waves it raised stood higher than the entire Wind Signal. The sailors all flattened themselves against the deck, clutching the ropes for dear life.
Deng Tianxin beat his