Seven years later, over a stretch of sea on an alien world, a group of about fifteen cultivators flew steadily at low altitude, occasionally glancing left and right. Most of them were at the Foundation Stage, with only three reaching the Condensation Stage—two at the early Condensation level and one at the mid-Condensation level. "Will that beast have already left this sea region, or is this place not actually its lair?" another sturdy man, with a fierce countenance, suddenly spoke up. "No, it hasn't. This is a rare lapis creature. We just scanned the surrounding seabed with our divine awareness, and the entire area is covered in the three-colored algae—its favorite food. Its lair must be very close here." The elderly man with a prominent facial profile calmly affirmed. It seemed that the elderly man held considerable prestige among the three, and upon hearing his words, the other two fell silent, continuing to expand their awareness and search the surroundings. As for the foundation-stage cultivators behind, most of them were either descendants or disciples, so they naturally didn't interrupt unnecessarily. Under the guidance of the three, the group searched this sea region for half a day, yet still found nothing. Even the elderly man with the prominent facial profile now slightly furrowed his brow. "Cough! It was perfectly at ease in the deep abyss just a moment ago." Even if one cannot claim consistent harvests every month, it's still possible to obtain one or two high-tier immortal foci annually. Yet now, things have taken a turn for the worse—since leaving that place, we've only managed to slay two high-tier beast beasts over the past two years. We haven't even managed to secure a single immortal focus per person. "Once again," the Mi-family cultivator with a pale golden complexion complained, as though burdened with a growing sense of frustration. "Well, Mi brother, you surely know the current state of the Deep Abyss. Now, going there isn't merely about hunting beasts—it's more like walking into one's own death sentence." "It truly is strange! The Deep Abyss used to be far from safe, but as long as one stayed alert and avoided the central zones, one could live comfortably. However, since the beast uprising two years ago, the entire Abyss has become a sealed sanctuary. Nearly every high-tier cultivator who ventures in has never returned. Even last year, several senior cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage teamed up, charging straight into the central region to investigate. The result was that they had encountered some kind of extraordinary beast—perhaps of an even higher rank—leading them to flee in sheer terror. Even among the four senior cultivators, only those who had reached the Yuan Ying stage managed to survive. It seems the Qiyuan Island truly won't be a long-term haven. The stout, fierce man who spoke next looked visibly shaken, his face pale. "Your observation is quite accurate," said the elderly man with a crooked face. "Though the beasts in the deep abyss have remained docile so far, never venturing beyond the depths, who knows when they might suddenly lose their composure and surge forth en masse? Such an event is certainly not impossible. We must indeed remain vigilant." He paused, his expression drawn and serious—clearly, the news had deeply unsettled him. "Yet now, the Star Palace and the Inverse Star Alliance continue to clash fiercely there. The teleportation array still functions only for outgoing journeys—no incoming ones. Even if we wish to leave, we simply cannot." The scholar of the Min surname sighed, his face full of resignation. "Hmph! That may not be certain at all." The man with a stern countenance gave a look of mild indifference. "Oh? Does Master Xuan have any other plans?" The scholar with the surname Min first showed surprise, but then brightened up. "Heh! I wouldn't exactly say we have any special route—just heard that on Qi Yuan Island, someone is selling teleportation scrolls at a high price. Though the quantity isn't large, there are indeed people who have already used them to return to the Inner Stellar Sea!" The man lowered his voice, speaking with a touch of mystery. "Is that true? Then we—" The scholar looked delighted and was about to ask more questions when the elderly man with a hawk-like face interrupted him with a cold sigh. "Don't dream it, friends! Even if you manage to secure those scrolls, would you dare make it back to Tian Xing City? The Inner Stellar Sea is now more dangerous than our very own Qi Yuan Island. You'll surely be captured by either side and turned into scapegoats upon your return. As for the deep-sea beasts here—they may seem unusual, but outside the deep abyss, at least everything remains stable." Something truly has happened—we can simply pick a remote island and take shelter there. That would be far better than going back and getting caught in some grand battle." The elder's eyes flashed with light, as though he had already planned this all along. The other two listened, exchanged glances, and though they found the elder's plan rather simple, they sensed it might actually work. As they were about to discuss the matter further with him, a deep, strange roar suddenly came from a distant direction, followed immediately by a series of explosive thunderous sounds from the same place. "The Luminous Beasts!" The Jin-named cultivator and the fierce man glanced at each other and exclaimed at the same time, their faces filled with excitement. "It's definitely the Luminous Beasts' call. Someone must have found them before us. We move—don't reveal our presence. Adapt as we go." The elder's expression grew stern, and he spoke coldly to the two. The other two nodded in understanding, and the three of them instantly transformed into streaks of light, vanishing without a trace as their glow flashed once mid-flight. As for the Foundation Stage cultivators, they immediately grew tense and hurried after them. Soon, the three Dan Stage cultivators—led by the elderly man with a crooked face—arrived silently near a coral island several miles in size. The thunderous roar of the beast came from this very location. The scene before them was exactly as they had anticipated. A sea creature of pale, translucent hue, about ten zhang in length, was trapped within a red luminous barrier on the island. This creature, with its body radiating countless long, milky-white filaments, was furiously cutting through the surging red light that poured around it, displaying fierce determination. Yet none of this was what the three were most concerned about—instead, their eyes were fixed on another area. Above the small island, a young man dressed in pale blue robes stood motionless in the air, arms folded, his expression serene and at ease. "Chu, this person has only just reached the Jian Dan initial stage. Shall we act now?" The Xu-family cultivator, with a fierce expression, transmitted his words excitedly, his tone brimming with surprise. "Wait a moment," said the elderly man with a bird-like face, his fierce demeanor flashing briefly before he firmly restrained his urge to intervene, speaking with cautious deliberation. "Are there any others nearby who might be concealed? We shouldn't fall into some trap!" "Friend Min! Chu is right," said the Min-family cultivator, equally attentive, adding with a warning tone. "A Jian Dan initial cultivator, standing alone, daring to capture the Lirui Beast—this is indeed unusual. There must be something behind it." Upon hearing this, the stern man felt a sudden sense of alertness, quickly expanding his awareness to scan the surroundings, yet found nothing out of the ordinary. At that moment, the young man in blue robes in the sky also launched his attack. He raised his hand, and seven streaks of jade-green light shot forth from it, spiraling through the air before converging into a massive sword of over ten zhang in length, which then descended silently from the sky. The lapis creature below seemed to sense the threat as well, opening its mouth to exhale a white crystalline sphere. The sphere swelled in the wind until it reached the size of a zhang, then boldly charged toward the descending sword. The sword maintained its steady descent speed, yet a powerful rumbling thunder echoed beneath it. A tremendous crash ensued as the sphere collided with the sword. Yet at that very instant, the sword seemed to blur momentarily. "Whoosh!" A perfectly identical giant sword burst forth from the jade-green light, then vanished in a flash from its original position, reappearing suddenly atop the lapis creature with a silent, decisive strike. The beast roared with a voice strained to its limits, its white filaments suddenly shooting upward in a fierce surge, attempting to absorb the blow and thus escape unscathed. Immediately, a crisp sound echoed, and the great sword severed the colossal head of the lapis creature without resistance. Splashes of emerald blood erupted and flew in all directions! Witnessing the young man's swift and decisive annihilation of the monster, the three elderly figures with鸠-faced expressions were left stunned. Was this truly the lapis creature? Among the six-tiered beasts, it was well-known for its tenacity and difficulty to defeat. Yet now, it had been effortlessly dispatched by a single stroke from the young man. This was simply beyond belief! Could it be that the young man wasn't a cultivator at the initial stage of the condensed stage, but rather at the later stage? The three elderly figures repeatedly verified the young man's cultivation level with their spiritual awareness, confirming that he indeed possessed the qualifications of a cultivator at the initial stage of the condensed stage. Yet, even if they three had teamed up, defeating a six-tier lapis creature would have been a manageable feat—yet such a decisive and effortless slaying seemed utterly impossible. Could it be that the young cultivator was concealing his true capabilities, employing a secret technique to mask his actual rank? The three elderly figures grew increasingly doubtful and uncertain.