While flying to Thaloryn, Riven and Shen Chu came across five more ships.
But unlike the previous one they had encountered, these ships were mainly carrying travelers and trade goods.
Merchant banners fluttered in the wind, and even from high above, the bustling activity on the decks could be seen clearly.
Some ships transported medicinal herbs and ores, while others were filled with ordinary passengers and rogue cultivators who wished to cross the sea.
From time to time, sea creatures emerged from beneath the waves and attacked the ships.
However, the number of such creatures was rather small.
Most of them possessed strength around the Qi Gathering Realm, and with cultivators stationed aboard, none of the ships were in any real danger.
Although the battles seemed fierce to ordinary people, they appeared insignificant in the eyes of Riven and Shen Chu.
As they continued their journey, they even came across two small islands.
The islands were lush with vegetation, while strange beasts roamed freely through the forests, and giant birds nested atop the cliffs.
Not a single trace of human civilization could be found on the islands, and after observing briefly, the two continued onward.
...
A whole day passed.
Yet beneath them remained nothing but endless ocean.
The horizon stretched infinitely in every direction, with no signs of land.
Even the sky gradually darkened.
Night descended, and the stars reflected beautifully upon the sea.
The next day.
Rocky flew steadily through the air while Shen Chu quietly cultivated.
The Roc was flying normally when Riven suddenly took out the map and noticed something.
Meanwhile, Riven suddenly took out the map and carefully examined it, and after tracing the route with his finger, he frowned slightly.
According to the map, they should have already reached Thaloryn by midnight.
Yet even after flying throughout the night, they were still above the sea.
There wasn't even a shadow of land in sight.
After some thought, Riven decided to teleport once more.
Shen Chu, who had his eyes closed, barely sensed a slight disturbance in the air.
Opening his eyes, he was immediately surprised to see land.
Judging by the distance, they would reach it in around ten minutes.
Soon, Rocky crossed over the shore, but the moment they looked below, both of them frowned.
The coastline was completely deserted.
The small city built near the sea had been reduced to ruins.
Broken buildings and collapsed walls were scattered everywhere, and bloodstains covered the ground.
It looked as though some calamity had swept through the area.
Not only that, numerous sea creatures had occupied the shore.
Large crabs with armored shells, serpents, and fish-like creatures with limbs and many strange beasts Riven had never seen before.
Seeing them for the first time, Riven asked Shen Chu, "What kind of sea creatures are those?"
Shen Chu looked below and pointed toward a humanoid figure.
It possessed pale blue skin and long seaweed-like hair.
Its body was slim, and strange markings covered its arms.
"Immortal Master, those are Tideborn."
"They are one of the few humanoid races among the sea tribes, but it is extremely rare for them to come onto land."
"And ordinarily, they only attack those who hunt or capture them."
Shen Chu pointed at a Tideborn who possessed cultivation of the Qi Condensation Realm and was the strongest among the creatures below.
The remaining sea creatures were mostly around the Qi Gathering Realm.
Still, there were hundreds of them moving around the destroyed shore.
What puzzled Shen Chu the most was their behavior.
They weren't feeding, nor were they occupying the place. Instead, they seemed to be searching for something.
"It looks like they're searching for someone... or perhaps something."
Riven nodded but remained silent.
Looking at the map, he found that the nearest city was only an hour away.
Without bothering with the creatures below, they departed.
The farther they traveled, the stranger things became, as not only did the number of sea creatures fail to decrease, but it actually increased.
Groups of beasts could be seen wandering through forests and villages.
Some were digging through ruins, while others were overturning buildings. They behaved more like search parties than invaders.
After another hour, a large city appeared in the distance.
From afar, it seemed relatively intact. Seeing this, Shen Chu relaxed slightly.
But as they drew closer, his expression suddenly changed.
The city itself had become ruins, and unlike the shore settlement, it wasn't empty, as sea creatures had occupied every corner.
Thousands of them moved throughout the streets, and among them were several terrifying auras, two nascent soul sea creatures, and one spirit sovereign.
Shen Chu's expression became serious.
But he wasn't the only one who had sensed the other party. The Spirit Sovereign inside the city had also sensed Rocky and Shen Chu.
Just as Rocky crossed the city walls and hovered above the City Lord's Mansion, a figure suddenly appeared before them.
The one who appeared in front of them was an ethereal human-shaped woman with a translucent body that shimmered like water.
Long blue hair drifted behind her like waves.
She appeared beautiful, but the hostility in her eyes was unmistakable.
Shen Chu narrowed his eyes and asked, "What is a Naiad spirit doing on land?"
The woman replied in a haughty tone, "Why I'm here is none of your concern. Instead, why are you here?"
Shen Chu observed her carefully before smiling.
"Hmm... I'm old, so I thought I might as well travel around while I still can. But you, on the other hand, brought the various sea tribes to land and have already slaughtered many people."
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish here?"
The woman sneered.
"When humans attack our people and kill our tribesmen, what then?"
"Now we're simply doing the same."
Neither Shen Chu nor Riven believed her words; from what they had seen, the sea trives were clearly searching for something.
As they have already seen, many of the nascent soul-sea creatures are searching the city for something.
Still, anger flashed in Shen Chu's eyes, and he said in a condescending tone, "So because you cannot kill those responsible, you slaughter ordinary mortals instead?"
"How low have the creatures from sea tribes fallen?"
The woman's aura surged.
"So what? When humans capture our innocent people, who cares?"
"Now humans will feel the same pain."
Shen Chu's expression became strange.
"You think those cultivators who capture your tribesmen would feel remorse because some mortals died?"
He sighed.
"Why am I wasting words on a fool?"
Raising his hand toward the sky, Shen Chu unleashed his cultivation.
The Naiad Spirit's face changed.
Before she could react—
BOOM!
Pillars of fire descended from the sky and rained across the city like divine punishment.
Buildings collapsed under the flames.
Those sea creatures who were wandering in the city, before they could even realize what was happening, fire towers descended and razed them to the ground, annihilating them instantly.
Even those at the Nascent Soul Realm survived only a few moments before turning into ashes.
Within seconds, the city became a sea of fire, and seeing this, the Naiad spirit exploded with rage.
A giant halberd made entirely of ice appeared in her hands, and without hesitation, she attacked Shen Chu.
Shen Chu scoffed.
Appearing before her, he casually caught the halberd with one hand.
The woman's expression changed dramatically.
She had used almost all her strength and even activated her spiritual treasure, yet Shen Chu stopped it barehanded.
Without another word, he punched toward her face.
The woman desperately dodged. Though she managed to avoid a direct hit, merely the shockwave caused blood to spill from her mouth.
Fear appeared in her eyes, and she immediately tried to retreat.
She tried to create some distance, but even with her full strength, she couldn't shake his hand off the halberd.
"Let it go!"
"I'll leave immediately!"
Shen Chu looked at her indifferently.
"It's too late."
"Either you retreat from the land without those sea creatures, or..."
"Or you die together with your subordinates."
He kicked her.
Blood sprayed from her mouth as she flew backward.
The halberd slipped from her grasp.
Looking down at her, Shen Chu spoke coldly.
"You've only just entered Spirit Sovereign, and you already dream of ruling the land? Such courage."
"So now decide."
The woman gritted her teeth.
Hatred filled her eyes.
But she had already understood the difference between them.
The woman gritted her teeth and suddenly turned and flew towards the sea, with her voice echoing in distance.
"Just remember this isn't over."
Her voice echoed in the distance.
"This isn't over!"
Shen Chu merely watched her leave, as he had no intention of pursuing.
After all, killing her would be easy.
But discovering the reason behind this invasion was far more important.
Turning around, he returned to Rocky.
However, when he reached the Roc, he froze.
Riven was holding a small crystal bottle in his hand, and inside it floated a tiny metallic needle.
The needle continuously pointed in one direction.