"Roar!"
A deafening roar echoed across the sea, and the sky itself seemed to change color. The thunderclouds had just dispersed, but in the blink of an eye, the entire sea darkened again, as if night were approaching.
The sea was churning with raging waves, splashing water everywhere. Towering waves, hundreds of feet high, crashed against the surface of the water around the ship, causing the entire giant vessel to sway from side to side. If it weren't for the golden light protecting the ship and keeping it in a balanced state, everyone on board would probably have already fallen into the sea and been swallowed up by the boundless ocean.
At this moment, as the shouts of the two Nine-Star Dou Di from Dragon Marsh Workshop fell, all the passengers on the ship had entered battle mode, except for Xiao Yan.
At this time, the latter was still engrossed in refining the Golden Elephant Art. As time went by, the illusory image of Lingtian behind him had shrunk by more than half. However, the further he went, the more difficult the refining process became. It was no longer as easy as it had been at the beginning. Instead, the compression and condensation of every bit of power became as difficult as wringing out a towel.
At this moment, although the golden light condensing on Xiao Yan's body was much more solid than before, it was still quite a distance away from truly taking shape.
Fortunately, given Xiao Yan's personality, the more he faced such situations, the calmer and more composed he became.
Xiao Yan's countless past experiences have taught him that the more anxious one is when facing difficulties, the more fear one will have of those difficulties. On the contrary, a calm and unhurried approach allows one to grow imperceptibly. The power gained in this way, no matter how much, is always beneficial. Conversely, being impatient for quick success may bring seemingly powerful strength, but it is only one-sided.
Xiao Yan's refinement still needs some time, but the two giant sea beasts surrounding the group on the ship are already impatient.
Two enormous beasts, like mountains rising from the sea, attacked from both sides, blocking the ship's path. The waves pounded against the ship's hull as the beasts swayed and rocked. The golden array enveloping the ship hummed and shone, its golden light repelling the waves. The people on board also took to the air, each unleashing their Dou Qi, ready to fight at any moment.
"Damn it, they're Thorn Sea Lion, and two of them at that! Quick, turn the ship around and get out of here immediately!"
Upon seeing the two enormous sea beasts emerge from the seawater, the two middle-aged men on the ship immediately turned grim. At the same time, the others on the ship who heard the name of the beasts also couldn't help but show extremely worried expressions, and some of their bodies even trembled uncontrollably.
The Thorn Sea Lion, as its name suggests, is a thorny creature of the ocean. Due to its inherent characteristics, it has many tentacles growing on its body. Although these tentacles are not particularly aggressive, under the control of the Thorn Sea Lion, they become like giant thorns, enveloping the entire ship from its hull. This prevents the ship from escaping the area controlled by the Thorn Sea Lion. Ultimately, the ship's array energy is exhausted, and the ship is dragged to the bottom of the sea. Naturally, all the human warriors on board cannot survive.
Such examples not only apply to ships sailing the seas, but also to other dominant sea creatures. Under the latter's terrifying restraining power, most of the sea monsters controlled by them eventually die from exhaustion.
Even the magical beasts that live in the ocean face such dangers, let alone humans.
Although there were two Nine-Star Dou Di on the ship at this time, unfortunately, they were only at the Early-Stage Nine-Star Dou Di, while the two giant beasts in front of them were at the Mid-Stage Nine-Star Dou Di. In terms of cultivation alone, the two of them were inferior to these two giant beasts. Therefore, it was obviously impossible to escape danger by relying on a brute force attack.
In the churning sea, the surface beneath the ship caved in deeply, like a whirlpool, trapping the vessel firmly within. A colossal beast attacked from both sides, and beneath the surface, countless tentacles, like thorns, clung to the ship's hull, waiting to completely imprison it before launching their attack.
On the ship, two Nine-Star Dou Di kept issuing commands. In the ship's control room, the crew tried their best to control the ship's steering wheel, but the resistance on the hull was getting greater and greater. Even though they tried their best, they could only turn the ship slightly. When they caught their breath, under the deliberate control of the two giant beasts, the ship returned to its original angle once again.
"Damn it! Everyone, make your move and hold these two beasts off!"
Seeing that the situation was not good, everyone quickly joined forces and attacked. A hundred people formed hand seals, gathered their Dou Technique, and a dazzling light shone in the sea like stars in the night sky. Then they bombarded the two giant beasts.
However, these two Thorn Sea Lion were no ordinary creatures. Their immense strength allowed them to easily block most of the attacks. Only the Dou Technique of the two Nine-Star Dou Di on the ship could leave some damage on their bodies.
The waves, like a high wall, blocked everyone's view, constantly crashing against the formation and blocking most of their attacks. As for the two Nine-Star Dou Di, they had no choice but to confront them head-on.
Unfortunately, after several hours, although the two giant beasts were seriously injured, the two Nine-Star Dou Di were even more severely injured. Not only were they covered in wounds, but one of them had even had his shoulder pierced by a giant beast's attack. Helpless, they had no choice but to return to the deck.
"Bang bang bang!"
Countless tentacles, each as thick as an adult's thigh, burst forth from beneath the sea surface, quickly clinging to the light array and spreading like wildly growing vines, rapidly covering the entire ship from bottom to top.
Within a few hours, the two giant beasts not only controlled the bottom of the ship, but now they were also trying to wrap the entire ship with their tentacles. If that happened, the people on board would have no chance of escaping!
A terrifying force surged forth, causing the ship, which had been floating steadily on the sea, to suddenly shake violently. Everyone on board was jolted, and then they clearly saw that the ship's draft was getting deeper and deeper!
These two Thorn Sea Lion are planning to drag the entire ship to the bottom of the sea!
The formation enveloping the ship's hull can only ensure that the hull is not damaged, but it cannot guarantee that the ship will not be dragged to the bottom of the sea. Once that happens, even if the formation can prevent the ship from being swallowed by the sea for a period of time, in the long run, when the formation is broken, they will still be doomed!
Instantly, an overwhelming sense of terror surged through everyone's hearts. Aside from their inner struggle, everyone on the ship fought back with all their might, unleashing all their Dou Qi without reservation. Countless Dou Technique were unleashed outwards, continuously striking the tentacles that were spreading upwards towards the ship, in an attempt to stop the Thorn Sea Lion from sinking.
However, no matter how hard the people on board fought, after a long delay, the tentacles still occupied most of the hull, and the entire ship was almost half submerged in the sea. The situation became increasingly tense. As they watched the sky above their heads gradually being covered by thick tentacles, feelings of loss and despair, like the vines covering the ship, began to climb into their hearts.
The intense bombardment gradually subsided, and in the end, even the two Nine-Star Dou Di reluctantly lowered their hands.
The formation remained intact, but the hope in the hearts of these people on board had been completely shrouded in despair. Faced with such a crisis, they seemed to have no chance of victory...
"This guy... he's already at this point, what's the point of trying to slow him down any further..."
Looking at Xiao Yan, who was still sitting cross-legged on the rooftop, a dejected person in the crowd couldn't help but say weakly, "At this point, I don't even have the strength to curse him anymore."
Upon hearing this, many people on the ship turned their gazes to Xiao Yan. Most of them, like the former, merely glanced at him and then ignored him. However, the two Nine-Star Dou Di from Dragon Marsh Workshop felt a glimmer of hope in their hearts.
For some reason, upon seeing the latter again, the two of them inexplicably felt that they and the ship had not yet reached a point of true despair, and that there was still a glimmer of hope waiting for them!
The two quickly exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked up. Above them, a small patch of sky remained uncovered by the tentacles.
The two grinned. Since the sky above them was still there, how could their hope be easily extinguished!
"Buzz!"
Almost simultaneously, the illusory image behind Xiao Yan, who had been sitting cross-legged for several hours, finally dissipated completely. Instead, a solid golden protective shield condensed on his body. This was the result of the complete condensation of the Golden Elephant Art, which also meant that Xiao Yan's Golden Elephant Art had reached its peak at this moment!
The golden body coalesces, the Golden Elephant Art formed!
A dazzling golden light burst forth from Xiao Yan's body, carrying with it an unparalleled pressure that caused everyone present to involuntarily fall forward.
Then, Xiao Yan slowly opened his tightly closed eyes. In that instant, two beams of eerie white flame shot out from his eyes, easily shattering the tentacles of the Thorn Sea Lion covering the top of the ship with just one glance!
The sunlight even pierced through the clouds above, allowing it to shine down and illuminate the ashen faces of everyone on the ship.