Yang Jing had no choice but to pick up Zuoqiu Feng’s supple form and sit down on the floor. Her wide skirt spread out around them, resembling a blooming peony.

"What’s it like outside?"

Zuoqiu Feng buried her face in Yang Jing’s chest.

"We should be safe now. That Golden Core Demon Cultivator was likely afflicted by Demon Contamination, so he can barely fend for himself. He shouldn’t have any strength left to chase us. As for the Profound Whale, with its Cultivation, there’s no way it could have survived the Seven Cities Profound Evil Demon Light."

Yang Jing breathed in the intoxicating fragrance coming from Zuoqiu Feng in his arms and let out a soft sigh.

"How are you feeling? Is your body still uncomfortable?"

"Much better. I’m just a little weak."

Zuoqiu Feng lifted her face and said to Yang Jing.

"This must be hard on you. You can’t even absorb Spiritual Qi right now."

Yang Jing stopped her roaming hand.

Zuoqiu Feng playfully stuck out her tongue.

"If not for this, I never would have thought I’d get to recover with Upper Grade Five Elements Pills. I can’t believe a Sect Elder secretly gave you so many. I certainly didn’t get this kind of treatment back in my day."

Yang Jing didn’t tell her that these Spirit Pills were refined by Iron Head.

"That was foolish of you. At the time, my Magical Power was already sufficient to use Water Escape and move the Flying Boat away from the battle."

Zuoqiu Feng’s smile was like a blooming flower.

"If I hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t be letting me lie in your arms like this."

Yang Jing felt a sense of resignation and could only close his eyes to rest his mind.

Although much of his Magical Power had recovered, his Divine Sense couldn’t be restored so quickly. Using Water Escape to probe the deep-sea environment for an extended period had consumed even more of his Divine Sense than Magical Combat.

After an unknown amount of time, Yang Jing’s eyes snapped open.

"What is it?"

Zuoqiu Feng, who had been watching his face, immediately noticed the change in his expression.

"Something is coming through the water... This is impossible. It’s that Profound Whale!"

The Profound Whale had no intention of hiding its presence and was charging straight for the Flying Boat.

If it hadn’t, Yang Jing wouldn’t have been able to notice it from so far away. He immediately grabbed the Command Talisman and notified the control cabin.

"Raise the Defensive Spirit Light! Surface immediately!"

If the Profound Whale caught up to them, the Flying Boat, with its current Spiritual Qi reserves, would be no match for it.

The Flying Boat’s change in orientation was so violent that the cabin they were in began to tilt sharply. With a grim expression, Yang Jing went out onto the deck. ’That Profound Whale should have been dead for sure. And given its swimming speed, there’s no way it could have caught up to the Flying Boat this fast.’

’Could it have been possessed by a Celestial Demon?’

A guess rose in Yang Jing’s heart, and he prepared himself as if for a great enemy.

"Master!"

The four disciples had already appeared on deck. The Flying Boat was now nearly vertical, ascending straight toward the sea’s surface.

Yang Jing nodded gravely.

As they ascended rapidly toward the surface, the sea was no longer pitch black. Yang Jing and Iron Head could now clearly see the rapidly approaching Profound Whale through their Grotto Dark Dharma Eyes.

Yang Jing raised an eyebrow. The Profound Whale’s body was covered in hideous wounds, likely all caused by the Seven Cities Profound Evil Demon Light.

The wounds were already starting to heal, which puzzled Yang Jing. ’A creature possessed by a Celestial Demon would find it extremely difficult for its wounds to heal, unless it cultivated a Demon Skill itself.’

This was because Demonic Qi itself was harmful to living beings.

BOOM!

The Profound Whale, which had been moving at extreme speed, suddenly became completely still. It then transformed into a stout man and matched the Flying Boat’s speed, ascending alongside it.

Those on the Flying Boat with even a little knowledge of Profound Whales stared wide-eyed. How could a Profound Whale undergo Transformation into a human form?

Yang Jing, however, focused all his attention on the dolphin-like whale calf. The young whale was comically huddled behind the stout man, trying to hide its body behind his large frame.

[Name]: Feathered Whale (Nine Heavens World Subspecies)

[Species Level]: Legendary

[Power]: None

[Talent]: Kunpeng Transformation (Legendary), Infinite Sea of Qi (Legendary), Divine Great Strength (Legendary), Overturning Rivers and Seas (Legendary), Feathered Whale Body (Legendary)

[Cultivation Technique]: None [Skill]: None

[Affinity]: 30

This was the first time Yang Jing had ever seen a Demon with Talents superior to Yinjiao’s. He also hadn’t expected a Kunpeng Descendant like the Feathered Whale to exist in the Nine Heavens World. Instantly, his mind raced, connecting many dots.

Seeing that the stout man seemed to have no hostile intent, he gathered his energy and called out.

"May I ask, sir, what business you have traveling alongside our vessel?"

"I am the West Sea Great Saint. Which of the Central Continent’s Major Sects’ Daoist are you?"

A gentle female voice, in stark contrast to the man’s appearance, emanated from his body.

Yang Jing speculated internally. ’To bear the title of Great Saint, they must be a Great Demon of the Nascent Soul Tier. Connecting that with the voice that doesn’t match the appearance... possession is the first thing that comes to mind.’

"I am Yang Jing, a True Disciple of the Western Continent’s Five Elements True Spirit Sect. I am unworthy of the title of Daoist."

The West Sea Great Saint was inwardly shocked. She had not expected such a backwater as the Western Continent to produce a talent like Yang Jing.

With her Divine Soul hidden deep within the sea, she had clearly witnessed the incredible scene of Yang Jing annihilating the Celestial Demon with his Thunder Technique and Swordsmanship.

’Such talent... actually came from the Western Continent?!’

The West Sea Great Saint had originally wanted to entrust her child to a Daoist from the Central Continent. An Outer Celestial Demon had already targeted her child, and her own power was greatly diminished due to possession. Only by entrusting him to one of the Central Continent’s Major Sects could she be at ease.

But now the arrow was nocked and had to be fired. She could only grit her teeth and say:

"Yang Jing, my son is coveted by an Outer Celestial Demon, rejected by the world itself, and carries a great karmic burden. Are you willing to take him as your disciple?"

The West Sea Great Saint feared Yang Jing would not dare to agree and was about to describe her child’s extraordinary Talents, but unexpectedly, Yang Jing simply nodded and accepted.

"I see no reason why not."

His nonchalant reaction left the West Sea Great Saint feeling a bit speechless.

She knew that although her Feathered Whale clan was exceptionally talented, they had a flaw: they grew very slowly. Her child had been born less than ten days ago. If Yang Jing did not achieve Nascent Soul Formation, he would certainly not live to see the day her child became a capable assistant.

Unless it practiced a Qi Cultivation Technique.

But Qi Cultivation Techniques were known for being resource-intensive. Her child needed to absorb ten times the Spiritual Mechanism of a Human Race Cultivator, thus requiring ten times the resources. Transformation alone would require ten Transformation Pills, a cost an ordinary person could never afford.

Yang Jing ordered a guard to open a gap in the Flying Boat’s Defensive Spirit Light.

One must always be on guard. Although seventy or eighty percent of what the West Sea Great Saint said was likely true, he didn’t dare lower his defenses completely.

The West Sea Great Saint manipulated the water, sending the child and a Merfolk into the Flying Boat.

The moment the Feathered Whale left the water, its form immediately changed, turning into a chubby fledgling. It stood a full ten feet tall, its body covered in fine white down. Its round head connected to its equally round body with almost no visible neck, and its two pale yellow claws gripped the deck.

It stared at Yang Jing with a pair of glistening, jet-black eyes, its expression full of curiosity.

"That Cyan Demon Ancestor acted recklessly, summoning a Human Demon of the Nascent Soul Realm, and it’s that very demon who has targeted my child. I will risk this body to buy you some time. You must find a place of refuge as quickly as possible. Any cultivator below the Middle Stage Nascent Soul Realm will be no match for this demon."

The West Sea Great Saint’s face showed grim determination; she was prepared to sacrifice this life.

The only reason she had been able to rescue her child was that the Human Demon had not yet fully entered the Nine Heavens World, giving her an opening. Once the Human Demon fully descended, they would never escape its grasp without the protection of a Middle Stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Mermaid attendant wept silently, but the young Feathered Whale, unaware that its mother was preparing to fight the Human Demon to the death for its sake, curiously examined the layout of the Flying Boat.

Yang Jing was startled. ’So the Cyan Demon Ancestor was afflicted by Demon Contamination from a Nascent Soul Realm Human Demon. No wonder my Sword Heart was so alarmed back then. But... who was my Sword Heart warning me about when we first set out to sea?’

’According to my Sword Heart’s senses, that person was nearly as powerful as this Human Demon.’