Amidst the thunderous sea, the massive black-green vessel swayed like a leaf under the relentless strikes of lightning. Yet, despite the protection offered by several precious artifacts and multiple layers of luminous shields, it still wavered and advanced steadily. The aerial arcs of lightning were astonishing in volume, yet under the coordinated efforts of the combined beings aboard, they were all successfully absorbed. However, the strangeness of this thunder sea surpassed everyone's expectations. As soon as the vessel entered the sea, the lightning strikes grew three to four times denser than before. Each bolt, in addition to its electrical power, carried an unknown force that caused the vessel to sink with every impact—its weight exceeding a million tons. Though the eight cold-water rhinoceroses strained mightily, pulling the vessel forward, the vessel's fluctuating weight and the persistent resistance from the lightning made progress extremely slow. It took half an hour merely to advance several miles. Had it not been for the two stone puppets stationed at the bow and stern, occasionally launching clusters of small green light into the air to disperse portions of the lightning, the great vessel would have been utterly stalled. "Impossible! This pace is too slow—we'll never reach the island. Master Qianqiu, this spiritual vessel is entirely yours—do you have any method to accelerate our progress?" The elder of the Long family, standing at the prow, urgently asked the nearby spiritual race woman. "I can ignite the vital essence of eight cold-water rhinoceroses using a secret technique, temporarily amplifying their physical strength by several fold. However, should I do so, these eight spiritual beasts will be completely destroyed here." Master Qianqiu's face tightened slightly before she replied, hesitating. Each of these cold-water rhinoceroses possesses mid-Transcendent stage cultivation, nurtured with great care and effort by her—each holds a distinct purpose beyond this moment. To see them all rendered useless here would surely weigh heavily on her heart. "It's now such a critical moment—how could we possibly spare any precious spirit beasts? As long as we can swiftly break through this region and locate the Washing Spirit Pool and the Purifying Spirit Lotus, any losses will be more than made up." The elder of the Long family, in a state of urgency, spoke loudly. The stone puppets at either end of the great vessel, originally raising their fists to strike wildly toward the sky, suddenly had all four arms freeze and hang downward when stimulated by the elder of the Long family’s spell. Yet their heads lifted, and a massive single eye on each face burst forth with a brilliant white light, as though a blazing flame were constantly flickering within the eye sockets. At once, two luminous beams erupted from the puppets’ single eyes, converging in the space above the vessel to form a massive, mercury-like crystal. This crystal spun gently, and then countless silver characters surged forth, transforming into a vast, shimmering shield. The crystal shield was remarkably thin, like paper, with a surface as smooth and reflective as a mirror, subtly trembling and faintly radiating the sound of wind and thunder. Countless silver arcs struck against it, exploding into brilliant rings of light, as if ready to tear everything apart. Yet the shield’s surface, aside from a gentle ripple, deflected the vast majority of the rain-like arcs, securing the entire vessel with remarkable stability. "Qianqiu, act now! This technique is the reserve move of these two puppets—it can only last for a short while." The elder of Long family pressed her hand seals with single-handed precision, yet her face grew pale. Clearly, activating these two puppets to perform such a great feat required a significant expenditure of her inner energy. Eight pills shimmered and instantly transformed into clusters of blood light, shooting toward the eight cold-water rhinoceroses. The eight spiritual beasts roared like thunder, lifting their heads and opening their mouths wide to swallow each cluster of blood light whole. Seeing this, the thousand-years-old maiden drew her arm back, and the blood array on her arm vanished seamlessly—leaving not a single mark on her skin. Yet, with the other hand, she pressed a series of gestures, then curled her fingers, causing a golden plate-shaped artifact to emerge in her palm. With a sudden grasp, she flicked it sharply toward the eight spiritual beasts. Radiant streaks of light shimmered across the golden plate, and blood-colored seals gradually appeared, then spun smoothly to coalesce into eight blood-light arrays identical to those on her arm. These blood-light arrays flashed vigorously, then rapidly expanded in size, eventually forming eight hazy, translucent silhouettes that enveloped the eight cold-water rhinoceroses. With a final flick, they dissolved and vanished into the beasts' bodies. At that very moment, eight spirit beasts unleashed agonized roars, their forehorns turning vivid red like blood, and thick, prominent blue veins bursting forth from their bodies, their breaths becoming wildly turbulent. "Plump, plump!" Two slender gashes appeared on the backs of the eight cold-water rhinoceroses, and as they surged and swelled within, fresh crimson bat wings emerged. When fully extended, these wings spanned ten zhang in width! With a powerful flap, the rhinoceroses sent waves of blood-wind surging from beneath them. Their bodies trembled, and what had once been sluggish movements now became as graceful and fluid as fish gliding through water. The eight cold-water rhinoceroses transformed into blood-arrows, racing forward. The massive vessel, originally moving like a slow, old ox-drawn cart, now surged ahead with the wind, gliding forward as if riding a wave. Those who were using their treasures to withstand the thunder and rain, including the young lady in the feathered robe, naturally cheered with great joy at this sight. But at that very moment, the two jade statue puppets, after their single eyes' crystalline glow subsided, vanished entirely. At the same time, the luminous great shield, which had nearly absorbed half the electrical arcs, flashed violently several times before dissolving silently into the void. The previously blocked lightning immediately surged downward, striking the several layers of light screens on the great vessel. The screens trembled incessantly, and with a sharp crack, the outermost layer of white light screen shattered into fragments. The power of the lightning now seemed even more furious than before, and the magical array installed on the vessel could no longer withstand the blow, collapsing completely. Moreover, the remaining layers of screens appeared visibly unstable, trembling under the onslaught of the thunderbolts. The others, witnessing this scene, grew pale, losing all previous optimism. While urgently activating over a hundred magical banners on the vessel, Han Li's expression darkened. Suddenly, he emitted a long, dragon-like roar, and as his back glowed with golden light, revealed his three-headed, six-armed form. A thick, dark aura surged upward from the Buddha-like form. It was precisely the power of Han Li, who had activated the Buddhist-Sacred True Magic Technique, transforming his inner qi directly into a continuous flow of refined magical energy. With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, the swirling dark aura instantly coalesced into several dozen serpentine black dragons, surging skyward and merging seamlessly with the vast black net floating in the air. The already frayed net flashed with a surge of black light, instantly repairing itself and expanding significantly—more than double in size—and successfully absorbed a substantial portion of the falling electric arcs. The lightning impact on the others and the great vessel was thus greatly reduced. Long family elder exclaimed in delight, "Excellent!" and promptly urged his two jade-stone automatons. Immediately, the stone figures' surfaces shimmered with silver light, their four massive fists clenched, then launched upward with vigorous force. One after another, clusters of glowing green spheres surged skyward, intercepting and deflecting a portion of the lightning energy. Others, seeing this, were instantly energized and drew upon their inner qi power, fully unleashing the might of their precious artifacts. The sky erupted in thunderous bursts and roars, yet the luminous screen on the great vessel gradually stabilized. No one noticed, during this intense struggle, that although the pale elven youth seemed to be skillfully deflecting lightning with two silver blades, the entire arm concealed within his sleeve was gradually glowing with an array of mysterious golden glyphs—so numerous and intricate that they covered almost the entire arm, appearing utterly strange. Even the colossal golden crab, resting high in the sky beneath the clouds, whose spiky carapace was once entirely obscured, now began to display golden glyphs across its back. These glyphs, however, flickered in and out, appearing blurred and indistinct. Yet the giant crab remained completely still in the sky, neither shifting nor releasing any unusual aura. ...Half a day later, when the colossal vessel finally surged forth from the Sea of Thunder, bearing countless arcs of electricity, it had been reduced to a state of utter ruin. Half of its hull was completely destroyed, and the eight Cold-Water Rhinoceroses that had pulled it forward had regained their original forms, yet were covered in scorched patches, their breaths weak and their vitality nearly spent, barely clinging to life. Yet everyone paid them no heed, instead gazing with rapt excitement at every detail of the surrounding sea surface! The sea was remarkably calm, its waters a deep, clear blue, and the sky was perfectly clear, cloudless. A pure, invigorating spiritual energy, carried gently in the soft sea breeze, flowed directly into the air, refreshing and astonishing. Han Li and the others were momentarily stunned, as if they had all returned to the Spirit Realm. What was even more striking, however, was that just十余 miles from the vessel, a vast, emerald-green island suddenly rose up from the sea surface. Gazing at the direction of the sea breeze, the spirit energy here—more refined than even the top-tier spirit veins of the spiritual realm—originates from this island. "There's no doubt about it. This is the island we've been seeking. Only in a place with such pure spirit energy could the Spirit-Cleansing Pool and the Pure-Spirit Lotus exist!" The elder of the Long family, gazing at the vast island, turned crimson on his face before suddenly speaking in a voice filled with fervor, muttering in a manner bordering on ecstatic.