"Don't worry!"
Lin Li shouted, "Leave these beasts to me!"
"Your only job is to protect the princess!"
With those words, Lin Li leapt into the air, diving toward the tumultuous sea, filled with shark fins and the massive shadow of the orca beast.
In an instant, he disappeared beneath the surface.
The beautiful Ninth Princess stood frozen in place.
"Leave these beasts to him?"
"Just protect me?"
Although they were both young, the Ninth Princess felt an insurmountable gap between herself and the strange cultivator. The difference between them seemed as vast as the sky and the earth.
After seeing Lin Li transform from a wild-looking stranger into a refined and gallant figure, his actions had left a deep impression on the Ninth Princess.
At this moment, a blush crept over her beautiful face.
Her eyes sparkled with admiration, mixed with a hint of worry.
...
Shhh-shhh-shhh!
Suddenly, sharp sounds pierced the air!
Everyone turned to look at the sea.
What they saw was...
Patches of bright red blood rapidly spreading across the waves!
At the same time...
Corpses of shark beasts began to float to the surface.
[Killed sixth-tier shark beast, gained 66 evolution points]
[Killed seventh-tier shark beast, gained 72 evolution points]
[Killed ninth-tier shark beast, gained 98 evolution points]
...
Underwater!
At the Foundation Establishment stage nine, Lin Li could hold his breath for several hours.
Though his movements were somewhat hindered underwater, Lin Li could still fight effectively.
Even with the water slowing him down, dealing with these sharks—mere Qi Refining stage beasts—was easy for Lin Li. It was like slicing through vegetables!
Within mere moments, he had already slain dozens of shark beasts!
Ye Fan had also gained several thousand evolution points.
"This is just the appetizer," Ye Fan thought eagerly. "The real prize is that orca beast!"
"I only need twenty thousand more evolution points to evolve into a top-grade magic weapon!"
"This time, I might just make it!"
As Ye Fan's excitement grew, suddenly...
Powerful currents surged!
Lin Li found his body spiraling out of control, pulled rapidly downward by the ocean current!
Fortunately, Lin Li could hold his breath for hours. Otherwise, this sudden whirlpool would have been enough to kill any Qi Refining stage cultivator instantly.
In no time, Lin Li was dragged several dozen meters deeper into the ocean!
...
On the surface...
The entire sea had turned crimson with shark blood.
All around the ship, shark corpses floated on the water.
The soldiers, even the revered "Protector Immortal" on board, and the princess herself were all utterly stunned!
The shark beasts they had struggled to injure with arrows and ballista bolts were now piling up as corpses, one after another, leaving everyone in shock.
But...
Amid the shock, a deep worry crept in.
"Protector!"
The Ninth Princess's tearful eyes shimmered. "That senior has been underwater for a long time. Why hasn't he returned?"
"That senior truly commands respect!"
The protector said, conflicted, "He took the risk for all of us. The fact that the sea is now calm is thanks to him."
"Protector!"
The princess shouted in frustration, "I'm asking why the senior hasn't come back yet!"
The protector's concern deepened. "The senior has been underwater for quite some time. Human cultivators have their combat strength severely limited in the sea, and prolonged periods without surfacing could lead to drowning. On top of that, the orca beast is likely at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. The senior... might be in grave danger!"
At this, the protector suddenly yelled, "Set sail! We must leave immediately!"
"Protector! The senior hasn't returned yet!"
The Ninth Princess protested, her voice rising. "How can we abandon our benefactor?"
"Sigh!"
Seeing that the soldiers were hesitating, the protector sighed deeply and said, "I have no other choice."
"The princess's safety is our top priority! The senior might not be able to defeat the orca beast. If we don't leave now and the senior is defeated or drowns, the orca beast will pursue us. Even with the National Advisor's protective barrier, the ship won't hold out for long. Once the ship sinks, we will all die!"
Hearing the words "we will all die," everyone jolted in fear!
No soldier was willing to follow the princess's orders any longer.
Faced with the imminent threat of death, everyone scrambled to raise the sails and man the oars, preparing to flee the scene at full speed!
...
Deep underwater...
The massive orca beast moved swiftly through the water, while Lin Li, by contrast, found his movements slow and cumbersome.
Fortunately, every time the orca tried to ram him, Lin Li was able to dodge by shifting his body, avoiding injury.
Finally, the giant orca beast grew frustrated and opened its enormous jaws, trying to swallow Lin Li whole!
At seventy to eighty meters long, the orca beast's gaping maw resembled a terrifying abyss.
But instead of fear, Lin Li smiled.
"Perfect!" he thought.
Though no sound could be heard underwater, it didn't stop Lin Li from unleashing his techniques.
Jinghong Sword!
A powerful sword arc slashed through the water!
At this moment...
Lin Li, at Foundation Establishment stage nine, didn't even need to activate his slaughter state. The power of his sword arc was already immense!
The orca beast's mouth, being the weakest part of its body, provided little defense.
The sword arc cut straight through, slicing the orca beast in half from the inside!
In an instant!
The deep sea turned blood-red.
[Killed Foundation Establishment sixth-tier orca beast, gained 7986 evolution points]
[Absorbed Foundation Establishment sixth-tier orca beast's blood essence, gained 799 energy points]
As the system notifications rang in his mind, Ye Fan was elated. "Counting the points from the shark beasts earlier, I'm now only a few thousand points away from evolving into a top-grade magic weapon!"
At the same time...
As the orca beast died, its massive body—along with its vast quantities of blood—began to drift through the water.
With the chaos caused by the currents, the scent of the Foundation Establishment stage beast's blood quickly spread.
Initially, the scent traveled only within a few kilometers, but soon it would attract sea beasts from tens of kilometers away.
After all, if they could claim part of this feast, their cultivation would soar!
At that moment...
More and more nearby shark beasts, those that hadn't been slain by Lin Li, began to gather from all directions!
"Hahaha! Excellent!"
Lin Li showed no fear, only excitement!