Life by the sea was peaceful and leisurely. Shen Xiu and Liu Qingyan spent three days on the beach, watching the sunrise, the sunset, and dolphins leaping across the distant waters each day. They collected beautiful seashells and conches, built a tiny castle in the sand, and even found several stranded crabs at low tide, roasting them for snacks. Their days passed at an unhurried pace, as though stretched long by the sea breeze; every day felt especially full and gentle.
But on the morning of the fourth day, an unusual aura drifted in from the sea.
When Shen Xiu opened his eyes, dawn had not yet fully broken. A thin veil of morning mist shrouded the sea, and within it, something could vaguely be seen moving in the distance. It was enormous, swimming slowly beneath the surface like a floating mountain. Even the rhythm of the waves had been disturbed, growing somewhat chaotic, as if the sea itself were uneasy.
Shen Xiu rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on the shadow in the morning mist. His divine sense spread through the seawater and swiftly caught the thing approaching—it was a gigantic beast, over a hundred zhang long, its entire body covered in dark gray scales. A row of serrated bony spines lined its back, a section protruding above the water and fading in and out of sight amid the sea fog. Its aura was cold and violent, carrying a thick stench of blood, like an ancient existence that had crawled out of some abyssal fissure.
Liu Qingyan was awakened as well. Rubbing her eyes, she followed Shen Xiu's gaze toward the sea. When she saw that shadow, she sucked in a cold breath. "What is that?"
"A deep-sea demon beast." Shen Xiu's voice was calm, though his brows