In the northwest corner of Yong'an Immortal City, a fierce battle was erupting.
A vast expanse of blue ocean unfolded in the air, punctuated by the sounds of intense magical combat and the intermittent bursts of brilliant, varied Spiritual Light Halos.
Over a dozen high-level Human Race cultivators were being surrounded and attacked by more than double their number of Sea Monster and other Sea Race cultivators.
Even though four of the Human Race cultivators were at the Nascent Soul stage, with two of them being Mid Nascent Soul cultivators, and the rest were at least at the Core Formation stage, their faces were pale and their expressions grave. Gritting their teeth, they controlled various Magic Treasures, desperately resisting the tidal wave of attacks surrounding them.
Within the blue ocean, Sea Dragons, Sea Pythons, and other Spirit Transformation Entities manifested, each possessing at least Third-grade strength.
Furthermore, there were five Fourth-grade Sea Race cultivators, their faces contorted into sinister grins. They either controlled Magic Treasures or unleashed Divine Abilities and spells, bombarding the Human Race cultivators. In this peculiar ocean, their power was amplified.
In addition to them, there was a Twin-headed Giant Eagle, a Silver-backed Giant Wolf, and a Unicorn Giant Python with a pair of massive fleshy wings, exuding potent demonic energy.
These were three Fourth-grade Demonic Beasts, with the Twin-headed Giant Eagle being at the peak of Mid Fourth-grade.
At this moment, these three great demonic beasts attacked with their true forms, launching powerful assaults. Each pounce caused the defensive Magic Treasures of the Human Race cultivators to dim considerably.
At this point, the dozen or so Human Race cultivators, including the four Nascent Soul cultivators, couldn't help but show expressions of despair.
This was because the ocean was a special Barrier, from which even Nascent Souls could not escape once summoned.
"It seems this time, we cannot escape our doom."
A pretty female cultivator, dressed in a green dress and exuding a captivating charm, forced a wry smile onto her face.
"Even if we die, we'll take a few of them down with us!" Beside her, a burly big man said with a ferocious expression, frantically controlling a giant yellow shield and a massive blade Magic Treasure, blocking many of the attacks from the opposite side.
"Fellow Daoist Mo is right, even in death, we'll take some with us!"
Another old daoist, with hair as white as snow, disregarded the cost and urged a Bagua Dao diagram into action. Fist-sized, gray-white orbs shot out from the diagram.
The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sea Monster and Sea Race factions were extremely wary of this, not daring to let it approach.
"Fellow Daoists, please protect me for a moment. I intend to unleash the Haoyuan Sword one last time."
A refined-looking middle-aged scholar said solemnly.
This was a Mid Nascent Soul cultivator, but his left arm was already missing, as if it had been torn off, and his aura had plummeted to the depths.
He seemed oblivious to this, sitting cross-legged, he opened his mouth and spat out a palm-sized, radiant small sword, his hand seals constantly changing.
His body erupted with spiritual light, and a powerful spiritual pressure, like a withered tree regaining its spring, surged from him.
Immediately, the spiritual power around him surged towards the small sword in front of him, causing the sword to rapidly grow. A terrifying spiritual pressure also rapidly ascended.
"Fellow Daoist Nie!" The green-robed female cultivator's face showed grief, and the other two felt the same.
They knew that this person had resolved to die, intending to use his remaining body to unleash this powerful Divine Ability, to break through this Barrier and buy them a sliver of hope.
In the blink of an eye, the spiritual light on the middle-aged scholar's body became so dazzling that it was impossible to look directly at it. Then, his entire body merged into the sword, pushing its spiritual pressure to a terrifying level.
The sword soared into the sky and slashed down fiercely, its sword light as bright as day.
A scream came from the front. A Fourth-grade Sea Race cultivator's body was directly severed by this sword, and its Nascent Soul fled in panic.
The ocean in this area churned with immense waves.
The other Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sea Monster and Sea Race factions, greatly alarmed, quickly dodged.
The sword's spiritual light intensified, and it was raised again, as if about to strike once more, to break open this ocean.
But at this moment, a cold snort echoed: "A mere trick, daring to be presumptuous!"
As the voice fell, a Sea Race cultivator abruptly appeared in front of them.
He was about ten feet tall, with four arms, and his entire body was covered in strange black demonic markings. His spiritual pressure was immensely powerful, having already reached the Late Fourth-grade stage.
What drew attention was that in his left large hand, he was carrying the head of a Human Race elder with a ferocious expression.
"That's Fellow Daoist Ji!" The green-robed female cultivator exclaimed, and the other two Nascent Soul cultivators turned deathly pale.
This was because that Human Race elder was the foremost cultivator of the Sun Wheel Islands – Ji Zixiu, and also a renowned expert in the Five Spirits Sea, second only to a few Great Cultivators.
Now, not even his Nascent Soul had escaped, and he had been killed by this Sea Race cultivator. This extinguished the sliver of hope they had, completely shattering their confidence.
This powerful Sea Race cultivator faced the terrifying spiritual sword that was slashing towards him, the corner of his mouth curling up, his eyes filled with cruel excitement. He roared, his four arms flailing rapidly, his movements so fast they seemed to disappear, becoming indistinct.
The sound of "puchi puchi" ripping through the air was incessant.
In the blink of an eye, endless blue threads shot out from in front of him, and the void itself seemed to ripple, as if being sliced apart by these blue threads.
The Haoyuan Sword, formed from the middle-aged scholar's own mana, pierced into this endless blue net.
It advanced only about ten feet before its sword light flashed wildly, and with a mournful cry, it shattered into countless fragments. Within this incredibly sharp blue net, it vanished in an instant.
"Hahaha!" The four-armed Sea Race cultivator burst into laughter.
"Lord Tulun's Divine Abilities are peerless!" The other few Nascent Soul Sea Race cultivators shouted in unison upon seeing this.
The three shapeshifted great demons also stopped their attacks and laughed heartily.
They looked at the surrounded Human Race cultivators with mocking expressions, as if they were looking at lambs to the slaughter.
"Master!" A few Core Formation disciples among the Human Race cultivators cried out in grief.
But the fear on everyone's faces flashed and was replaced by a resolve to die. They had already decided to fight to the death.
At this moment, both the Human Race cultivators and the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sea Race turned their gazes towards the south, as if sensing something.
A pitch-black thunder cloud was rapidly expanding towards them. The terrifying Spiritual Pressure emanating from it made even them tremble in their hearts.
Shortly after, a fearsome lightning storm descended from the thunder cloud. Countless Sea Race and Demonic Beasts were reduced to ashes in the terrifying Divine Thunder.
Witnessing this, the few Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sea Race and the three shapeshifted great demons wore expressions of utter fury.
Their clansmen were being slaughtered in droves.
But after the anger, their faces were immediately filled with fear.
"Such a terrifying Divine Ability that can mobilize Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, could it be a Human Race Spirit Transformation Cultivator who has arrived?" a Fourth-grade Sea Race elder couldn't help but say with a trembling voice.
The other Sea Race members also stiffened, instinctively wanting to flee.
The three shapeshifted great demons, who had intended to continue their fierce assault, also shrank back. They exchanged glances; if not for the deterrence of the late Fourth-grade Sea Race cultivator, they would have fled immediately.
The late Fourth-grade Sea Race cultivator, who had been acting so imperiously, now wore a grave expression.
The mysterious deep blue glow in his eyes lit up, as if he were performing some Secret Technique or Divine Ability, looking intently into the distance.
Soon, he seemed to have discovered something incredible and muttered in disbelief, "How is this possible? That person is actually just a Human Race Nascent Soul Cultivator. How can he possess such a powerful Innate Divine Ability?"
Soon, the deep blue glow in the four-armed Sea Race's eyes vanished. He looked extremely solemn, clearly hesitant.
At this moment, a Sea Race female cultivator with a human body and a snake tail seemed to have discovered something and said with a look of horror:
"It's Ning Fa! Lord Tulun, you may not know, but this Ning Fa is no ordinary person. He can be considered the most outstanding Human Race Nascent Soul Cultivator in this realm.
Now that he has advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage, it's no wonder he possesses such terrifying Divine Abilities.
Lord Tulun, why don't we retreat first?"
The other three Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sea Race couldn't help but look serious.
They were from the Sea Origin Realm. When the local Sea Race shared intelligence previously, they had specifically mentioned Ning Fa's name and portrait, emphasizing his harmfulness to their Sea Race.
The Sea Race headquarters had also offered a staggering reward for his capture or death.
These high-grade Sea Race members from the Sea Origin Realm had initially dismissed it, thinking that the local Sea Race was too weak and had been frightened by a mere Nascent Soul Human cultivator.
However, upon observing the Human cultivator's Divine Abilities up close, they now understood why the local Sea Race was so wary and began to consider retreating.
They couldn't help but look at the four-armed Sea Race cultivator leading them.
At this moment, a fierce glint flashed in the four-armed Sea Race cultivator's eyes, and he said, "No matter how powerful he is, he's still just a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Although his Divine Abilities are not weak, his current angry outburst, using such a terrifying Divine Ability, must have greatly depleted his energy. This is the perfect time to capture and kill him.
I recall that the reward for capturing this person is a chance at Ancestral Spirit Infusion. Do you want to give up?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of several Sea Race cultivators shifted.
Ancestral Spirit Infusion was an unimaginable reward, capable of directly increasing their cultivation by a minor realm.
"Nuortai, your physical body has been destroyed. Stay behind and continue to activate my Azure Water Realm-Trapping Pearl. It should be enough to hold back these Human Race cultivators.
The rest of you, follow me to kill this Human Race Nascent Soul.
And don't worry too much, I've already sent a message for Luotai, who is nearby, to hurry over."
The four-armed Sea Race cultivator said without room for argument, then tossed a blue water bead, about the size of a fist, to the Nascent Soul cultivator of the Sea Race whose physical body had just been severed by the middle-aged scholar's Haoyuan Sword.
Then, the four-armed Sea Race cultivator cast a threatening glance at the three shapeshifted great demons, whose faces were filled with hesitation, and was the first to fly towards the thunder cloud.
Although the other three Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sea Race were somewhat apprehensive, with the four-armed Sea Race cultivator leading the way and stimulated by the reward of Ancestral Spirit Infusion, they followed without hesitation.
"Let's go too. With so many of us, what is there to fear?" the two-headed giant eagle also spoke human words, transforming into a black escape light and following suit.
The other two great demons exchanged glances and could only follow.
The trapped Human Race cultivators looked at each other, their faces filled with hope, and with renewed courage, they charged towards the vast ocean.
About half an hour later, the five-colored thunder cloud in the sky, which looked like the end of the world, finally slowly dispersed.
Yong'an Immortal City was in ruins.
Although the vast majority of the Sea Race and Demonic Beasts had turned to ashes in the terrifying lightning, there were still many Sea Race and Demonic Beast cultivators whose corpses were like statues, their faces frozen in expressions of fear.
Ning Fa's furious, full-power activation of the three Innate Divine Thunders had caused terrifying destructive power.
During this period, more than 200,000 Sea Race and Demonic Beasts had perished here.
While the vast majority were low-grade Demonic Beasts and sea beasts raised by the Sea Race, there were still several thousand Sea Race and Demonic Beast cultivators of Second-grade and above.
At this moment, the brilliance around Ning Fa dissipated, and his face was extremely pale. Not only had his Mana and Spiritual Sense dropped to the bottom, but the three Innate Divine Thunders had also been severely depleted.
Ning Fa's expression was slightly solemn. After unleashing his full power to activate the Innate Divine Thunders, he immediately sensed something amiss.
He discovered that a portion of the origin of his three Innate Divine Thunders had been uncontrollably reduced.
Although it wouldn't lower their grade, if he were to unleash them with full power a few more times like just now, their grades would inevitably drop.
Ning Fa finally understood why the Spirit Transformation Cultivators of this realm could not unleash their full power.
This was because when cultivators advance to Spirit Transformation, they receive the endowment of the current realm's innate origin, which merges with their Nascent Soul. This is also the source of the Innate Divine Abilities that Spirit Transformation Cultivators can wield.
However, due to the spiritual energy blockade of the Human Realm, once a Spirit Transformation Cultivator fully utilizes their Innate Divine Abilities, not only will they mobilize the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, but the innate origin within their own bodies will also be inevitably consumed, causing the Spirit Transformation Cultivator's lifespan to shorten.
Although Ning Fa's innate origin wasn't within his Nascent Soul, using the Innate Divine Thunder wouldn't reduce his lifespan. However, he cherished the Innate Divine Thunder as much as his own life, and the reduction of its origin was something he found difficult to accept.
But Ning Fa's expression remained unchanged, because that item should be able to disregard this influence.
At this moment, Ning Fa's lips curved into a cold sneer, and he said indifferently, "Since you're here, why hide your faces? Get out!"
As his voice fell, a spiritual light flickered in front of him, and several figures appeared. They were the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sea Monster and Sea Race, led by the four-armed Sea Race cultivator.
In addition to the late Fourth-grade four-armed Sea Race cultivator, there was a mid Fourth-grade Sea Race cultivator, a mid Shapeshifted Demon Cultivator, and six Nascent Soul cultivators of the early Nascent Soul stage from the Sea Monster and Sea Race.
Besides them, more escaping lights were arriving from afar. These were the surviving Sea Monster and Sea Race cultivators from Ning Fa's terrifying attack just now, basically all at the late Third-grade or peak stage.
Although they were all covered in wounds at this moment, they had recovered a lot of their vitality after taking the recovery elixirs.
The late Fourth-grade Sea Race cultivator, Tulun, looked at Ning Fa with his four arms crossed, a look of apprehension flashing in his fierce eyes. He then laughed heartily:
"You are Ning Fa? You indeed have some skill, but you are extremely foolish. To protect these low-grade clan members, you actually depleted your state like this. Now, your strength is probably less than one-tenth of what it was.
Today, I, Tulun, will sever your head to appease the souls of my clan members who died tragically at your hands!"
The other Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sea Monster and Sea Race, who were originally feeling uneasy, now breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Ning Fa's greatly reduced state. Their eyes then revealed fierce glints, and they became extremely excited.
Participants who could capture such a Human Race expert would receive unimaginable rewards.
Tulun even gave a signal, and the three Fourth-grade Sea Race cultivators appeared a hundred feet away in a flash of spiritual light, forming a triangle to surround Ning Fa.
They all conjured a blue triangular crystal tower in their hands. A hazy, distorted blue spiritual light emanated from these crystal towers, instantly condensing into a pale blue barrier like rippling water, enveloping Ning Fa.
Ning Fa, however, made no other move. He merely looked at them indifferently, a mocking smile playing on his lips.