Suddenly, countless dorsal fin-like objects appeared on the sea surface, leaving white streaks as they cut across the water. Li Qiang immediately thought of the sharks in his hometown, but he knew these were not sharks; they must be something far more powerful. All the white streaks pointed towards the group of people who had fallen into the water. Li Qiang was extremely anxious and sped towards Hong Qian.
The sky grew even darker, and suddenly a flash of light appeared on the horizon, "Crack... Boom!" Thunder rumbled from afar along with the lightning, the roar of the waves even more deafening.
Hong Qian was anxious; it looked like a heavy rain was about to come. He had reached above the group of people who had fallen into the water again, and the dorsal fins that had appeared on the surface of the sea began to circle around them.
Li Qiang leaped to the opposite side of Hong Qian and shouted, " Hong Qian, what's that in the water?"
Hong Qian cried out, "I don't know what kind of sea monster it is; it looks like it eats people!"
As if to confirm Hong Qian's words, a long, mournful howl rang out, and chaos erupted on the sea. People in the water swam desperately to the side, leaving a dark trail in the water—blood. The sea monster, smelling the blood, went berserk. The small patch of water frothing with red foam became like boiling water, occasionally revealing the sea monster's pale white fangs and its churning blue body, a truly terrifying sight.
The wailing was deafening. Another clap of thunder followed, and huge raindrops lashed down, as if weeping for these desperate people. The dense rain blurred their vision, but Li Qiang's Radiant Sun Ring shone brightly, scattering the raindrops. He shouted, " Hong Qian! Come save them! I'll kill the sea monster!"
Hong Qian cried out, "Uncle-Master! Don't kill! Don't kill! It will attract an even more powerful sea monster!"
With a slight hesitation, the continuous screams and cries grew even more shrill. Li Qiang shouted, "I can't worry about that anymore... kill them first! Save them!" He plunged headfirst into the churning water, the silver light of the Star-Absorbing Sword suddenly intensifying, like ten thousand silver blades piercing the water, causing the seawater to roar and crash. He focused his mind, and the Star-Absorbing Sword formed a sword net around him. In an instant, the seawater turned a deep red, and countless fragments floated to the surface.
Under Li Qiang's control, the Star-Absorbing Sword was like a giant monster with a thousand hands, mercilessly shredding anything that dared to approach in the water. Because his power had just greatly increased, Li Qiang was having some difficulty controlling the Star-Absorbing Sword's Sha Qi. Fortunately, they were in seawater, and the water resistance actually helped him.
The water-repelling function of the Radiant Sun Ring was truly remarkable. Li Qiang felt as if he were standing inside a hollow golden sphere. Under the golden light, the underwater objects appeared bizarre and fantastical, with countless dark shadows darting around. However, the water resistance was getting stronger and stronger. In just a short while, he also felt the strain and, with a "splash," leaped out of the water.
The attack just now killed countless monsters; the shattered bones and mangled flesh that rolled up on the sea was truly terrifying. More monsters rushed to devour these scraps of flesh and bones, and the people were temporarily safe.
Hong Qian, dragging a rope that held seventeen or eighteen people, struggled to fly towards the flying hook chain, having exhausted too much of his strength. Li Qiang skimmed across the sea surface, dragging a long rope in his hand, with a few other people scattered on the water.
After circling twice, seven or eight people were already being dragged along the rope. Li Qiang didn't dare linger any longer and shouted, "Who else! Who else! Shout out..."
The surrounding sounds were incredibly loud—thunder, rain, waves, and the roars of sea monsters all blended together. Li Qiang listened intently, and the man gripping the rope shouted, "There's no one left... Oh my god... Let's go!"
Li Qiang sighed inwardly, knowing that even if there were survivors, they would be hard to find. This downpour had come at the worst possible time; although the Radiant Sun Ring could repel water, it was still obstructed by the dense rain. He dragged the rope back, when suddenly someone behind him shouted, "Two people have fallen! Two people have fallen..."
If Li Qiang hadn't had amazing hearing, he wouldn't have been able to hear it at all. He turned around again. The two people who had fallen were exhausted and were barely breathing in the water. The one who could still hold onto the rope was crying out, "Go! Please! Don't worry about him!"
The person who had just cried out for help now wailed, "Brother! Save my brother!" Li Qiang looked up and saw another group of monsters swimming swiftly towards them, their movements across the water a horrifying sight.
Li Qiang gritted his teeth, and the silver light of the Star-Absorbing Sword shone brightly again. This time, he used the Continuous Explosion Instruction, and countless silver rays shot into the water. He mustered his divine power and roared, "Die! Frenzied Explosion!" A series of thunderous booms, like strings of pearls, rang out from the seabed, as if the sea was churning and boiling. The people on the ropes felt as if they were in hell.
Li Qiang quickly wrapped the rope around the falling man, flipped over, and flew away. He was also a little uneasy; his strength had been greatly depleted, and he deeply felt that he could not fight against the power of nature.
The grappling hook was closing in, just in time to see Li Qiang unleash his Frenzied Explosion. A moment of silence fell over the hook's head compartment, followed by gasps of surprise. Over twenty people had already been brought in through the overhead hatch, with many more scattered around the grappling hook. Zhao Hao shouted, "Everyone, give it your all! There aren't many left!"
Lukali was extremely careful in directing the grappling hook chain. The chain was incredibly dangerous at this point because it was so slow; in an emergency, it would be difficult to dodge. Labadu kept a close eye on the sea. He knew that the man-eating monsters were all small sea monsters; they hadn't seen any of the larger ones yet, and if even one came, it would be disastrous. Li Qiang's explosion that shattered the sea had truly surprised him, but seeing Li Qiang's strength reassured him considerably.
Li Qiang arrived quickly. Hong Qian, Kubo, and Li Qiang sped up the rescue operation. Li Qiang grabbed the last person and shouted, " Hong Qian, Kubo, hurry up and get in, then..." The group quickly crawled into the cabin.
Li Qiang handed the person in his hand into the hatch and was about to go in when he suddenly heard a rumbling roar. He turned his head and couldn't help but gasp.
The Taimeng Beast has appeared again, and it's very close now.
Chaos erupted in the cabin. Lukali yelled, "It's Taimeng Beast! Retreat! Full speed back, prepare a circular defense!"
Labadu's face turned deathly pale. "Prepare the grappling hook to fire!"
Several operators were frantically preparing, one of them cursing as he worked. "What the hell are we doing saving people! There's no tradition of saving people in the Sea of Wronged Souls Rescued Souls; everyone just leaves it to fate. Hurry... we're going to be too late!"
Hong Qian, Zhao Hao, Zhao Hao Nashan, and others shouted for Li Qiang to come down quickly. Amid the chaos, Princess Lanqiu, pale-faced, uttered soft words, the incantation she had recited at South Mouth Pass.
As the strange rhythm played, the crowd gradually quieted down, and it seemed that nothing was scary anymore.
Li Qiang glanced at her through the hatch and shouted, "No one is allowed to come out! Get out of here!" He slammed the hatch shut and leaped towards the Taimeng Beast.
Paben cried out, "Master!"
Hong Qian shouted and was about to go out, but Zhao Hao, knowing his master's temper, grabbed him and said, "Don't go, it will distract Master." Apart from Lukali, who was busy giving instructions, and the operators, everyone else was nervously watching outside.
The pungent smell of blood attracted the behemoth, its black back surging rapidly towards it amidst the giant waves. Li Qiang let out a deafening roar, meeting the massive Taimeng Beast -on. He wasn't confident he could defeat this behemoth; he only wanted to lure it away.
With a deafening roar, Li Qiang slammed into the exposed back of the Taimeng Beast. The Star-Absorbing Sword was no ordinary weapon; in an instant, it tore a large hole in the Taimeng Beast's back, and blood and flesh splattered everywhere, like a rain of blood. Li Qiang was also thrown back by the fierce force. The Taimeng Beast, suddenly struck by this severe blow, roared furiously.
The entire sea trembled from the terrifying sound, and large patches of white foam rose to the surface. The people inside the grappling hook chain instinctively covered their ears. In that short time, the grappling hook chain was ready, the ring defense finally connected, flashes of blue light appeared, and the grappling hook chain quickly moved away.
Li Qiang, who was closest, was so shocked by the terrifying sound that his Qi and Blood surged. This roar was comparable to the sonic attack of a cultivation master. "Boom... Splash!" The Taimeng Beast finally emerged from the water with its huge head. Li Qiang saw it at a glance and his heart trembled. It was truly terrifying.
It was a long, triangular-shaped giant covered in bluish-black scales, with a diameter of over a meter. It had two massive black horns on either side of its head, as dense as sword teeth, and grayish-white eyes. Its enormous mouth was filled with sharp teeth that were almost as tall as a person. If the Taimeng Beast was as big as a human, then Li Qiang would be only as small as a fly in front of it.
The Taimeng Beast seemed to sense Li Qiang and opened its mouth to bite. Li Qiang dared not Fire Essence, as the water here was too strong and would severely damage the Fire Essence spirit. He raised his hand and unleashed Purple Flame Giant Palm, his figure rapidly rising upwards.
A flash of purple Zi Ying struck the gaping maw of the Taimeng Beast. With a series of crisp "crack!" sounds, the Taimeng Beast lost more than a dozen of its giant teeth, and it immediately went berserk.
With a surge of towering waves, it raised its enormous body, spewing out a white, eerie stream of air from the center of its triangular head. This massive stream of air, upon touching the vast expanse of water, immediately underwent an astonishing transformation. Countless water droplets condensed into Ice Crystal, which, as they moved rapidly, formed countless ice arrows of varying sizes. The ice arrows pierced the air with a sharp and terrifying sound, raining down on Li Qiang.
The Taimeng Beast unleashed its attacks three times in succession, one of which even dispersed a surging wave, creating a vast expanse of white ice arrows.
Li Qiang cried out, somewhat at a loss. The silver light emanating from the Star-Absorbing Sword illuminated the dim sea surface. He pushed his defense to the maximum, but the incoming ice arrows seemed endless, and the accompanying chill was bone-deep. He was forced to retreat repeatedly, and before he knew it, he was swallowed up by the giant wave surging behind him.
The enormous body of the Taimeng Beast slammed down heavily onto the spot where Li Qiang had entered the water.
After entering the water, Li Qiang rushed into the deep sea. He found that his movements in the water were very restricted, and his speed slowed down significantly. The water resistance was much greater than he had imagined. Suddenly, a huge pressure came from behind. Through the golden light of the Radiant Sun Ring, Li Qiang glimpsed the huge and terrifying body of the Taimeng Beast pressing down on him.
Suddenly, Li Qiang realized that the Taimeng Beast was close to him, its eyes, which were a pale white against a deathly gray, seemed to reveal a cold mockery. A powerful suction pulled Li Qiang up; the Taimeng Beast was using the power of the seawater to try to suck Li Qiang into its mouth.
The Star-Absorbing Sword resembled a school of gleaming silver swordfish in the seawater. As soon as the giant head of the Taimeng Beast approached, it was slashed to pieces by the swordfish. The white mist on the Taimeng Beast's forehead sprayed out of the water again, and in an instant, the seawater around Li Qiang froze into ice, and he was immediately sealed in a large block of ice.
The Taimeng Beast opened its mouth wide and bit into the ice block, seemingly intending to eat the ice and the person together.
The Fire Essence Primordial Spirit out the moment Li Qiang was sealed in the ice. It first melted a large hole behind Li Qiang Li Qiang, allowing him to escape the encirclement of ice. He was furious. As soon as he was free, he put away the Star-Absorbing Sword and began to form hand seals in the water. He quickly formed four layers of the Eighteen Demon-Extinguishing Hands, and immediately, countless colorful ribbons floated in the sea. Li Qiang's body shone brightly, and with a slight movement of his hands, a rainbow appeared, which was especially bizarre and dazzling in the water.
Where the rainbow passed, the sea was forced to part. Although the Taimeng Beast was huge, it was very agile. It had already sensed the danger and quickly dodged to the side to avoid being hit. The rainbow silently imprinted itself on its tail. A series of muffled explosions followed, and a large hole was blown through the Taimeng Beast's huge tail.
Li Qiang was discouraged; the Taimeng Beast was simply too large, and even this was insufficient to severely injure it.
Left with no other choice, Li Qiang quickly rose to the surface of the sea to escape, but he did not expect that the Fire Essence Primordial Spirit would boil the sea.
Amidst the surging waves, a small white dot rolled about, quickly expanding rapidly as countless bubbles rose. The sounds of "glug!" grew louder and louder, and wisps of white mist rose, swaying with the waves, making the sea surface boil.
The Taimeng Beast roared and leaped out of the water. The Fire Essence Primordial Spirit was already tightly gripping its head. As soon as it emerged from the water, the Fire Essence flew over its body from head to tail, and the Taimeng Beast immediately burst into flames.
"Rumble... Puff... Sizzle..."
Upon falling back into the water, the Taimeng Beast discovered that the water temperature was equally terrifying. It roared and swam desperately into the distance, already severely injured. The Fire Essence Primordial Spirit did not follow into the sea but rapidly returned to Li Qiang's body, also suffering a great loss of vital energy.
Li Qiang breathed a sigh of relief. He also felt extremely exhausted; his energy had been depleted. The surrounding area was still filled with raging winds and towering waves. The torrential rain had stopped sometime earlier, and the flying hook chain was no longer visible. On the vast Sea of Wronged Souls, Li Qiang couldn't tell which way was which, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.
In order to see further and find the flying hook chain, Li Qiang quickly ascended, flying higher and higher. Suddenly a gust of wind blew by, causing him to spin around repeatedly. Then another gust of wind struck, and he could no longer maintain his balance, his True Essence Power also becoming slightly scattered.
He was taken aback and immediately relaxed his mind. His body lost the support of his True Essence Power, and he fell into the sea like a shooting star.
Li Qiang surfaced and found that his True Essence Power was almost depleted. Without hesitation, he immediately put away the Radiant Sun Ring and the Billowing Essence Battle Armor. His clothes were instantly soaked. He smiled bitterly to himself, thankfully the Shadow Dream Armor protected him. A long plank floated by, and he leaped towards it with all his might, digging his five fingers deep into the plank and pulling it closer. He flipped onto it, and just as he calmed himself, he suddenly noticed another person on the other end of the plank. The person was half-lying on the plank, tied to it with a leather rope, and seemed to be unconscious.
A giant wave crashed in, and the long plank immediately broke in two. Li Qiang leaped towards the man, stabilizing him in the instant the plank overturned. Seeing that the man was still unconscious, Li Qiang pushed him onto the plank, channeled his True Essence Power, and gently vibrated his chest. The man coughed up water repeatedly, "Oh... cough cough..." After several coughs, he opened his eyes and looked up blankly.
"Where... where is this? It's so... so cold..." he said, shivering.
"Hey! Buddy, this is Sea of Wronged Souls. You're lucky to be alive..." Li Qiang said, supporting him.
The man looked up in surprise. Li Qiang felt he'd seen him somewhere before and asked, "Brother... you look familiar..."
The man stared at Li Qiang for a while, then suddenly shouted, "Fool... you're a fool!"
Li Qiang was startled. What silly boy? He was about to ask when a thought struck him: Silly boy? Only merchants led by Old Man Kabaji would say that.
Li Qiang felt a pang of sadness; he hadn't seen Old Man Kabaji when he was rescuing people. He hurriedly asked, "Are you a merchant who was with Old Man Kabaji? Was he on the Arrow Boat too?"
The man just kept repeating, "I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "Hey! Stop acting like you're going to die. You're still alive, answer me!"
The man closed his eyes and muttered, "It's all my fault... I didn't listen to my father, I was greedy and insisted on taking this Arrow Boat... Alas! It's all over, all over!" He muttered a few more words, then shouted, "I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"
Knowing that Old Man Kabaji was safe and sound, Li Qiang was overjoyed. He temporarily ignored the man, secured himself to the board with a leather strap, and began to circulate his internal energy. Holding a high-grade crystal in each hand, he quickly began to recover.
In the distance, faint roars echoed, gradually fading into the roaring waves.
The man seemed to have regained consciousness, but he looked terrified. He gripped the edges of the board tightly with both hands, stared blankly at the sky, and drifted along silently and motionless.
Li Qiang had finally recovered most of his strength. After putting away the crystal, he realized that his clothes had been torn to shreds by the sea, but he didn't care. He flew up, let out a sharp howl, and tried to contact Zhao Hao and the others. He listened intently, but after a long while, apart from the roar of the waves and the howling wind, he heard no response. He knew that the flying hook chain had gone far away.
"Hey! Buddy... wake up!" Li Qiang patted the man's face, his hand icy cold. He then realized the man was already dead, his body stiff, his hands still tightly gripping the edge of the board. Li Qiang sighed and released the board.
Li Qiang looked around and realized he was in big trouble. He couldn't tell which way to go, nor did he know where the grappling hook was heading, and he couldn't see any landmarks. He gritted his teeth and randomly chose a direction to fly in.
Gradually, the wind and waves subsided, and the sky was no longer leaden gray, but a pale milky white, which felt quite comfortable. Li Qiang stopped, his body rising and falling with the waves. Looking at himself, Li Qiang couldn't help but chuckle. His naked body was covered with faint, multicolored patterns, the patterns revealed by the Shadow Dream Armor.
He took out a pair of swimming trunks and put them on, thinking, "Playing in the Sea of Wronged Souls is pretty fun, but where's the grappling hook?"
Looking into the distance, apart from the surging waves, there was nothing to be seen on the sea; the sea and sky stretched out into a vast expanse.
Li Qiang had no choice but to continue walking on the waves, which would conserve his True Essence Power. As he walked, he looked around, but gradually grew impatient. He leaped up and flew forward, skimming the surface of the sea, the waves rushing past him. Suddenly, he saw a faint red light in the distance, and he was overjoyed. He increased his speed dramatically and let out a deafening roar.
It was indeed an Arrow Boat! Li Qiang was overjoyed and quickly flew to the side of the Arrow Boat, shouting, "Hey! Buy your tickets and get on board!"
Suddenly, the people in the Arrow Boat noticed a naked young man on the sea, his body covered in strange patterns, flying close to the Arrow Boat and shouting that he wanted to come aboard. Chaos ensued.
Some said it was a sea monster in human form, trying to board the ship and eat people; others simply shouted that it was a monster. The crew members were dumbfounded when suddenly someone yelled, "Speed up! Run!"
Li Qiang discovered that the Arrow Boat not only ignored him but also sped up, which made him yell angrily. He also accelerated and flew in front of the Arrow Boat, nimbly flipping his body and sticking to the head of the Arrow Boat. He did not touch the defensive red light, knowing that the thing could bounce him off.
He was quite annoyed, so he raised his hand and lightly knocked, "Knock, knock, knock!" three times, and said with a grin, "Is anyone home?"
Through the defensive red light, the commander of the Arrow Boat was seen with a deathly pale face, yelling, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
Having finally found a means of transportation amidst the vast Sea of Wronged Souls, Li Qiang was unwilling to give up easily.
Li Qiang knew from the grappling hook that there must be a way in. He still chuckled, "I'm coming in, hehe... The defensive barrier is useless! I know where to go in."
Several impatient crew members looked up at the hatch, Li Qiang couldn't help but burst into laughter. He had also seen the hatch cover there. "Sorry, I'm an uninvited guest, haha!"
Four or five crew members ran under the hatch and gripped the handle tightly. Li Qiang landed on the hatch, extended his True Essence Power to firmly stick to the handle, and slowly turned it. How could these crew members compare to the True Essence Power of a cultivator? Amidst their strange shouts and screams, the hatch was opened, and Li Qiang jumped inside. As soon as he regained his footing, he found four Spine-Piercing Spear pointed at his body.
Li Qiang's mood immediately improved as he entered the cabin. Looking at the gun pointed at him, he couldn't help but joke, "You guys want to rob me? Help! I'll give you money, just don't hurt me..."
As he spoke, a large handful of coins of various colors suddenly appeared in his hand.