The Sea of the Setting Sun was tranquil once more, yet the people standing on the island's sh.o.r.e gazed at the distant waters where the surface had been painted a b.l.o.o.d.y mess. This was because not long ago, many of their peers had lost their lives.

Those who had come to seek the Sea of Heart numbered in the hundreds, but the number of deaths ranged in the double digits. This had never happened before. Those who were still alive gazed on with furrowed brows and dazed expressions.

Ye Yuanxue had already changed into a new set of clothes because Jiang Xiaofan had gotten her wet. She stood beside him and commented, "From my observation, I believe that the Sea of the Setting Sun is an extremely unique place."

Still wearing his heavy, wet clothes, Jiang Xiaofan crouched on the ground. After hearing Ye Yuanxue speak, his lips twitched in response. Of course the Sea of the Setting Sun is unique! Can a normal sea nurture a monster like that?! Even a squid's Mesozoic ancestor couldn't be of that size!

*Boom*

All of a sudden, the tranquil waters of the Sea of the Setting Sun boiled up again. Red-colored waves rolled into each other. The highest one rose several meters in height which then heavily crashed into the island and shook it.

Jiang Xiaofan's jaw dropped to the ground. Don't tell me that another terrifying tide is coming!

The other cultivators were dumbfounded as well. In the next moment, black, scaly heads appeared one after another above the surface of the water. Frightened, the cultivators staggered backward.

Jiang Xiaofan and Ye Yuanxue were also shocked at the scene before their eyes. A tightly-packed group of uncountable, strange-looking creatures with an average height of two meters swam towards the island.

Their movements were somewhat rigid, and their green eyes looked spiritless which made them appear even more sinister. As if they lacked consciousness, the creatures mechanically neared the island and looked as if they wanted to climb onto the sh.o.r.e.

"Run" was Jiang Xiaofan's first thought. This army of creatures was just too imposing. Although their movements were rigid and their eyes lacked vigor, they still exuded an aura of extreme danger. There was no one here who could fight against the combined forces of these creatures.

He pulled Ye Yuanxue to his side in preparation to flee, but what happened next astounded everyone. Just like the tides from before, these black, scaly creatures were unable to approach the island. Not only were they blocked from landing ash.o.r.e, but they also were trapped at the coastline.

At such a close distance, they noticed just how hideous these creatures looked. Their bodies were covered in a scaly, black armor. Their green eyes were particularly uncomfortable to gaze at. Last but not least, their exteriors were veiled by a faint grey aura.

These creatures all stood on the coastline, unable to go anywhere else. Their eyes remained spiritless as they stared fixedly at the island. Occasionally, their green eyes gleamed and the faint grey aura swirled around their bodies.

*Crunch*

A subtle but crisp sound was heard. Jiang Xiaofan turned his head in the direction of the sound and spotted a meter-tall creature within the army nibbling on a blue gemstone. He instantly widened his eyes in surprise. G.o.ds! Isn't that a Sea of Heart?! It's being eaten!

Ye Yuanxue caught sight of this as well and loudly gasped. "Perverted Wolf, go get it!"

He wanted to vomit a mouthful of blood right then and there. Jiang Xiaofan rolled his eyes at Ye Yuanxue. Why don't you just kill me with one swing of a sword instead?! You want me to steal those ugly things' food?! That's like stealing money from a thief with a knife! There's no way I'll come back alive!

The cultivators also turned to look at the creatures and froze in their spots. They discovered that each creature had a piece of the Sea of Heart. Like a casual snack, they threw the gemstone bits into their mouths and vigorously chewed it.

"So these creatures came for the Sea of Heart as well!"               

"This has never happened in the past before. Just what is going on with the Sea of the Setting Sun?" Another cultivator raised the question. This wasn't his first time searching for the Sea of Heart, but this was the first time that he had witnessed something like this.

"Looks like the Sea of Heart's pieces were taken away by these creatures during the tidal waves."

"Ay. We'll have to wait for next year then. Let's go. The fact that we're still breathing is already a miracle."

"Yeah, you're right. To be honest, we have to thank that fellow Daoist for saving us."

Debate erupted among them. Many cultivators chose to leave and come back the following year. After all, the Sea of Heart was visible only after the annual tidal waves. They appeared to have been washed up to the shallow water by the waves from the deep zone. Now that the tides had pa.s.sed, it was difficult to collect them. The pieces of the gemstone that had washed up were already in the possession of those hideous creatures.

Ye Yuanxue abruptly looked over and gazed at Jiang Xiaofan with pity in her eyes. "Xiaofan…."

Upon hearing her speak, chills ran down Jiang Xiaofan's spine and he grew tense. She has always called me Perverted Wolf so why did she suddenly call me by my name? Something's amiss. Not normal! Not normal!

"Darling Xue'er, what do you want? Just speak up."

Ye Yuanxue glanced at the Sea of the Setting Sun and implored, "I really want that Sea of Heart. My sister's already a core disciple, yet I'm still an inner disciple. I have to try harder. I must get that Sea of Heart."

He really felt like breaking down in tears. He didn't want to go, but it seemed as if he didn't have much of a choice. Ye Yuanxue crouched down and looked up at him with tears welling in her eyes.

Eventually, Jiang Xiaofan gave in to her demand. Ye Yuanxue was willing to pull the three stops[1] on him; however, there was nothing that he could to resist it. Previously, when he was still single, a coercion method such as this would not faze him, but he now realized that he was wrong all along. d.a.m.n it! Whoever invented this is a mad genius!

He then cautiously neared the waters and warily inspected his surroundings. He saw a three-meter-tall creature, who briefly glimpsed back at him, and sighted two gemstones in its clutch. Jiang Xiaofan was elated.

He stood on the sh.o.r.eline and cleared his throat. He then stared at the creature, pointed at the blue gemstones in its clutch, and entreated, "Mr. Creature, do you mind handing that stone in your hand over to me? Pretty please?"

As if it could understand his words, the creature raised its spiritless, green eyes at him before looking down at the two gemstones. With a slight raise of its hand, it tossed the gemstones in its mouth and crunched noisily on them.

f.u.c.k you! What the h.e.l.l is that supposed to mean?! Jiang Xiaofan fumed with anger.

He looked back and helplessly shook his head at her who then shook her head in response. Jiang Xiaofan complied again and focused his attention on a different creature. However, this creature's move was even swifter and more direct than the last one. Before Jiang Xiaofan could even ask, it threw the gemstone in its mouth and swallowed it whole.

d.a.m.n you! You don't like it easy, huh? Fine then! We'll do this the hard way!

Jiang Xiaofan was currently in a terrible mood. He looked for a less-populated area, quietly pulled out his Celestial Demon Sword, and sneaked over. Correct, his goal was to take the Sea of Heart by force with the least resistance.

Behind him were the cultivators who looked at him with their mouths agape.

"What's that man trying to do? He's not thinking of stealing it from them, is he?"

"Appears to be so!"

"s.h.i.+t! What do you mean by 'appears to be so'? He's doing it for real!"

From afar, the cultivators stood with their eyes widened in incredulity. Just how fearless is this person?! How can he dare to steal the Sea of Heart right in the faces of all those creatures?! That's like s.n.a.t.c.hing food right from the jaws of a tiger! Amazing!

Under the cultivators' watchful eyes, Jiang Xiaofan *woosh* darted forward like an arrow. He then quickly picked up the creature and hurled it onto the sh.o.r.e.

Phew! Mission accomplished!

He then used his Phantom Steps to dash back to the sh.o.r.eline before the other creatures could swarm on him. Jiang Xiaofan inwardly laughed aloud. Ahahaha! I did it! Easy job! Sea of Heart, eh? No problem for me!

Unfortunately, what immediately followed after left Jiang Xiaofan in great exasperation. The creature that he hurled onto the sh.o.r.e immediately threw the Sea of Heart in its mouth, chomped on it, and gulped it down.

In a fit of rage, Jiang Xiaofan lunged at the creature, grabbed the creature by the throat, and violently shook it. "f.u.c.k you, you little s.h.i.+t! Spit it back out! Wait, no. Return the gemstone to me in one piece!"

*Hah*

The creature abruptly ejected a burst of black smoke. Its body began to decay, and a foul stench permeated the air. Caught off guard, Jiang Xiaofan leaped backward and zipped to a safer area.

After about ten seconds, the creature that was once alive had now become a pile of dust. With a blow of the wind, the dust flew into the sky and vanished without a trace.

Some of the cultivators were stunned by what had transpired. Even Ye Yuanxue ran over to take a closer inspection.

"It seems that these creatures aren't being trapped at the coastline. Rather, they don't dare to venture any further in or out," Jiang Xiaofan mumbled. This seed of suspicion germinated in his mind. Is it the problem of the island or of the sea? The tidal waves are unable to move past the coastline. The creatures also cannot step beyond it either. Otherwise, they will turn to dust.

However, he was too lazy to contemplate on this issue any deeper. He nodded at Ye Yuanxue and gestured her to move away from the sh.o.r.eline because he had targeted another creature. Jiang Xiaofan believed that there should be no errors this time and he would finally be able to fetch the Sea of Heart.

He knitted his brows at the sight of the faint grey aura surrounding the creatures' bodies. With a strategy in mind, he picked up a stone and aimed for the less-populated area once again.

*Fwoosh*

Activating the power of his Buddhist Sutra, he transformed into a streak of his light, channeled his spiritual energy into the stone, drew back his arm, and flung it into the mouth of the creature.

"Urgh….

Once the stone entered its body, the creature released a bellow of excruciating pain. The Sea of Heart suddenly glimmered a soft blue as the creature lifted it up in preparation to eat it.

Around this time, the creatures from other areas discovered the ongoing commotion. With a roar, they rushed to where Jiang Xiaofan was at. He could clearly see the expression of those closest to him. Their spiritless eyes now flashed with savagery as they charged at him.

"Perverted Wolf, be careful!"

Ye Yuanxue vocally cautioned him while Little One chirped loudly. Even the cultivators from far away broke into a sweat as they watched in horror at the scene before them. Some even gulped with uneasiness.

Editor: Vis

Footnotes